"The Maid Peeped Out at the Window" is also known as "The Friar in the Well". The song that goes with the tune tells the tale of a lascivious friar who is outwitted by a woman; Chappell (1859) says this is based on a very common story which appears in "most old French and Italian collections of facetious tales". The air appears in the first edition of The English Dancing Master (1651). It was retained through the 8th edition of 1690 under the title "The Maid Peep'd Out of the Window," with "The Frier in the Well" given as an alternate title. It was also printed in Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Times (1859), Karpeles & Schofield's A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs (1951) and Sharp's Country Dance Tunes (1909). It was recorded on The English Country Dancing Master by The Telemann Society and Country Capers by The New York Renaissance Band.