TY Jim,

The Roxburghe Ballads, Volume 6 p. 193 says:

"{In the second volume of his dainty little 32mo. Tea-Table Miscellany, issued in 1725, Allan Ramsay printed the Song which Tom D'Urfey had first published in 1683;"

That's where I got the 1725 date.

The Ramsey text however is not attributed. It give the first two stanzas of 1817 Drowsy Sleeper broadside in different words which to me are the identifying stanzas for the ballad. It's the conflict with the parents that vary. The Firth broadside gives a different ending and introduces writing a letter.

There is an old early 1800s late 1700s broadside printed in the United States (probably Boston) that is missing which begins similarly:

Young men and maidens lend attention,
While unto you these lines I write,

I posted a Tennessee version and a Cox version dates back to the 1850s. Hopefully that broadside which may have been copied from a missing British broadside can be recovered.

As far as I can tell there are at least four distinct variants:

1. The broadsides
2. traditional versions that do not mention the dagger and have instead: This is the last time I'll visit thee
3. traditional versions that do mention the dagger; have the double suicide
4. Versions from the US based on an early missing print version that begin: Young men and maidens lend attention,

Richie