such a terror in the harts of the French, that oft times even great armies were defaicted and put to flight at the onely hearing of his name. In so much that the French women, to affray their children, would tell them that the Talbot commeth.

Many Graces, though there be indeed but three Graces or Charites (as afore is said) or at the utmost but foure, yet, in respect of many gifts of bountie, there may be said more. And so Musæus saith, that in Heroes either eye there sat a hundred Graces. And, by that authoritie, this same Poet in his Pageants saith" An hundred Graces on her eyelid sat," &c.

Heydeguies, A countrey daunce or round. The conceipt is, that the Graces and Nymphs do daunce unto the Muses and Pan his musicke all night by Moonelight. To signifie the pleasantnesse of the soyle.

Peeres. Equals and fellow shepheards.
Queene-apples unripe, imitating Virgils verse:

"Ipse ego cana legam tenera lanugine mala." Neighbour groves, a strange phrase in English, but word for word expressing the Latin vicina nemora. Spring, not of water, but of yong trees springing. Calliope, aforesaid. invention.

This staffe is full of very poeticall

Tamburines, an old kind of instrument, which of some is supposed to be the Clarion.

Pan with Phæbus: the tale is well knowne, how that Pan and Apollo, striving for excellencie in musicke, chose

Midas for their judge. Who, being corrupted with partiall affection, gave the victory to Pan undeserved: for which Phoebus set a paire of Asses eares upon his head, &c.

Tityrus: That by Tityrus is meant Chaucer, hath bene already sufficiently sayd, and by this more plaine appeareth, that he saith, he told mery tales. Such as be his Canterbury tales, whom he calleth the God of the Poets for his excellencie, so as Tully calleth Lentulus, Deum vitæ suæ, s. the God of his life.

THOMALIN. MORRELL.

Thom. Is not thilke same a goteheard prowde,
That sittes on yonder bancke,

Whose straying heard them selfe doth shrowde
Emong the bushes rancke?

Mor. What, ho, thou iolly shepheardes swaine,
Come up the hill to me;

Better is then the lowly plaine,

Als for thy flocke and thee.

Thom. Ah! God shield, Man, that I should clime,

And learne to looke alofte;

This rede is rife, that oftentime
Great clymbers fall unsoft.

In humble dales is footing fast,

The trode is not so tickle,

And though one fall through heedless hast,

But, if thee lust to holden chat

With seely shepheardes swayne,
Come downe, and learne the little what,
That Thomalin can sayne.

Mor. Syker thous but a leasie loord,
And rekes much of thy swinck,

That with fond termes, and witlesse wordes,
To blere mine eyes doest thinke.

In evill houre thou hentst in hond
Thus holy hilles to blame,

10

For sacred unto saints they stond, And of them han their name.

60

St. Michels Mount who does not know, That wardes the Westerne coast!

And of St. Brigets Bowre I trow

15

25

To renne his dayly race,

Upon whose toppe the starres bene stayed, And all the skie doth leane ;

There is the cave where Phoebe layed

The shepheard long to dreame.

Whylome there used shepheardes all
To feede theyr flockes at will,

Till by his folly one did fall,

That all the rest did spill.

And, sithens shepheards bene foresayd

From places of delight,

For-thy I weene thou be afrayd

To clime this hilles height.

Of Synah can I tell thee more,

And of our Ladyes Bowre;

But little needes to strow my store,
Suffice this hill of our.

Here han the holy Faunes recourse,
And Sylvanes haunten rathe;
Here has the salt Medway his sourse,

Wherein the Nymphes doe bathe ; The salt Medway, that trickling stremes Adowne the dales of Kent,

Till with his elder brother Themes
His brackish waves be meynt.
Here growes melampode every where,
And teribinth, good for gotes;
The one my madding kids to smere,
The next to heale their throates.
Hereto, the hilles bene nigher heaven,
And thence the passage ethe;

As well can proove the piercing levin,

With fleshly follies undefiled,

155

Oft stombles at a strawe.

Alsoone may shepheard climbe to skie That leades in lowly dales,

As goteherd prowd, that, sitting hie,

Upon the mountayne sayles,

The first of all his cote,

As he that earst I hote.

Whilome all these were low and liefe,

And loved theyr flockes to feede;

They never stroven to be chiefe,
And simple was theyr weede :

But now (thanked be God therefore !)
The world is well amend,

Theyr weedes bene not so nighly wore ;
Such simplesse mought them shend !
They bene yclad in purple and pall,

So hath theyr God them blist; They reigne and rulen over all,

And lord it as they list;

Ygyrt with beltes of glitterand gold.
(Mought they good shepheards bene !)
Their Pan their sheepe to them has sold,
I say as some have seene.

My seely sheepe like well belowe,

105

And now they bene to heaven forewent, Their good is with them goe;

For Palinode (if thou him ken)

Yode late on pilgrimage

Their sample onely to us lent,

That als we mought doe soe.

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To Rome, (if such be Rome,) and then He sawe thilke misusage;

Shepheards they weren of the best, And lived in lowly leas;

For shepheardes (sayd he) there doen lead, As lordes done other where;

185

They hau the fleece, and eke the flesh,
(0 seely sheepe the while!)
The corne is theyrs. let other thresh,
Their handes they may not file.
They han great store and thriftie stockes,
Great friendes and feeble foes;
What neede hem caren for their flockes,
Theyr boyes can looke to those.
These wisards welter in wealths waves,
Pampred in pleasures deepe;
That han fat kernes, and leany knaves,
Their fasting flockes to keepe.
Sike mister men bene all misgone,

They heapen hilles of wrath;

They keepen all the path.

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195

280

205

Sike syrlie shepheards han we none,

Mor. Here is a great deale of good matter

through which the sunne maketh his course in the moneth of July.

Lion, this is poetically spoken, as if the Sun did bunt a Lion with one dog. The meaning whereof is, that in Iuly the Sun is in Leo. At which time the Dogge star, which is called Syrius, or Canicula reigneth, with immoderate heate causing pestilence, drought, and many diseases.

Overture, an open place: the word is borrowed of the French, and used in good writers.

To holden chat, to talke and prate.

A loord, was wont among the old Britons to signifie a Lord. And therefore the Danes, that long time usurped their tyrannie here in Britaine, were called, for more dread then dignitie, Lurdanes, s. Lord danes. At which time it is said, that the insolencie and pride of that nation was so outragious in this realm, that if it fortuned a Briton to be going over a bridge, and saw the Dane set foote upon the same, he must returne backe, till the Dane were cleane over, or else abide the price of his displeasure, which was no lesse then present death. But being afterward expelled, the name of Lurdane became so odious unto the people, whom they had long oppressed, that even at this day they use, for more reproch, to call the quartane Ague the fever lurdane.

Recks much of thy swincke, countes much of thy paines. Weetelesse, not understoode.

S. Michaels Mount, is a promontorie in the West part o England.

A hill, Parnassus aforesaid. Pan, Christ.

Dan, one tribe is put for the whole nation per Synecdochen.

Where Tytan, the Sunne. Which storie is to be read ia Diodorus Syc. of the hill Ida, from whence, he saith, all night time is to be seene a mightie fire, as if the skie burned, which toward morning beginneth to gather a rounde forme, and thereof riseth the Sunne, whom the Poets call Tytan.

The shepheard, is Endymion, whom the Poets faigne to have been so beloved of Phoebe. s. the Moone, that he was by her kept asleepe in a cave by the space of thirtie yeares, for to enjoy his companie.

There, that is, in Paradice, where, through errour of the shepheards understanding, he saith, that all shepheards did use to feede their flockes, till one, (that is) Adam, by his folly and disobedience, made all the rest of his ofspring be debarred and shut out from thence.

Synah, a hill in Arabia, where God appeared. Our Ladies bowre, a place of pleasure so called. Faunes, or Sylvanes, be of Poets faigned to be gods of the wood.

Medway, the name of a river in Kent, which, running by Rochester, meeteth with Thames, whom he calleth his elder brother, both because hee is greater, and also falleth sooner into the sea.

Meint, mingled.

Melampode and Terebinth, be hearbs good to cure dis eased Gotes, of the one speaketh Mantuan, and of the other Theocritus:

"Terminthou tragoon eikaton acremona."

Nigher heaven: note the shepheards simplenesse, which supposeth that from the hilles is nearer way to heaven.

Levin, lightning, which he taketh for an argument to prove the nighnesse to heaven, because the lightning dǝth commonly light on high mountains, according to the saying of the Poet:

"Feriuntque summos fulmina montes."

Lorrell, a losell.

A borrell, a plaine fellow.
Narre, nearer.

Hale, for hole.
Yede, go.

Frowye, mustie or mossie.
Of yore, long ago.

Forewent, gone afore.

The first of shepheards, was Abell the righteous, who、

Scripture saieth) bent his mind to keeping of sheep, as did
his brother Caine to tilling the ground.
His keepe, his charge, s. his flocke.
Lowted, did honour and reverence.

The brethren, the twelve sonnes of Iacob, which were sheep-maisters, and lived onely thereupon.

Whom Ida, Paris, which being the sonne of Priamus king of Troy, for his mother Hecubas dreame, which, beeing with childe of him, dreamed she brought forth a firebrand, that set the tower of Ilium on fire, was cast forth on the hill Ida, where being fostred of shepheards, he eke in time became a shepheard, and lastly came to the knowledge of his parentage.

A lasse, Helena, the wife of Menelaus king of Lacede. monia, was by Venus, for the golden apple to her given, then promised to Paris, who, thereupon with a sort of lustie Troyans, stole her out of Lacedemonia, and kept her in Troy, which was the cause of the ten yeares warre in Troy, and the most famous citie of all Asia lamentably sacked and defaced.

Argus, was of the Poets devised to be full of eyes, and therefore to him was committed the keeping of the transformed Cow, Io: so called, because that, in the print of the Cowes foote, there is figured an I in the middest of an O.

His name, he meaneth Aaron: whose name, for more decorum, the shepheard saith he hath forgot, least his remembrance and skill in antiquities of holy writ should seeme to exceede the meanenesse of the person.

Not so true, for Aaron in the absence of Moses started aside, and committed idolatrie.

In purple, spoken of the Popes and Cardinals, which use such tyrannicall colours and pompous painting.

Belts, girdles.

Glitterand, glittering, a participle used sometime in Chaucer, but altogither in I. Gower

Their Pan, that is, the Pope, whom they count their God and greatest shepheard.

Palinode, a shepheard, of whose report he seemeth to speake all this.

Wisards, great learned heads.

Welter, wallow.

Kerne, a Churle or Farmer.

Sike mister men, such kinde of men.
Surly, stately and prowde.
Melling, medling.
Benempte, named.

Gree, for degree.

Algrind, the name of a shepheard aforesaid, whose mishap hee alludeth to the chaunce that happened to the Poet Eschylus, that was brained with a shell fish.

EMBLEME.

By this poesie Thomalin confirmeth that, which in his former speach by sundry reasons he had prooved; for being both himselfe sequestred from all ambition, and also abhorring it in others of his cote, he taketh occasion to praise the mean and lowly state, as that wherein is safetie without feare, and quiet without daunger; according to the saying of olde Philosophers, that vertue dwelleth in the midst, beeing environed with two contrarie vices; whereto Morrell replieth with continuance of the same Philosophers opinion, that albeit all bountie dwelleth in mediocritie, yet perfect felicitie dwelleth in supremacie. For they say, and most true it is, that happinesse is placed in the highest degree; so as if any thing bee higher or better, then that way ceaseth to be perfect happinesse. Much like to that which once I heard alledged in defence of humilitie, out of a great doctor. "Suorum Christus humillimus:" which saying a gentleman in the companie taking at the rebound, beate backe againe with a like saying of another doctor, as he sayde, "Suorum Deus altissimus."

5

Or bene thy bagpypes renne farre out of frame?
Or hath the crampe thy ioynts benomd with ache?
Per. Ah! Willie, when the hart is ill assayde,
How can bagpype or ioynts be well apayde?
Wil. What the foule evill hath thee so bestad?
Whilom thou was peregall to the best,
And, wont to make the iolly shepheards glad,
With pyping and dauncing didst passe the rest. 10
Per. Ah! Willie, now I have learnd a new daunce;
My old musick mard by a new mischaunce.
Wil. Mischiefe mought to that mischaunce befall,
That so hath raft us of our meriment;
But rede me what paine doth thee so apall;

13

Per. That shall I doe, though mochell worse I fared:

Never shall be sayde that Perigot was dared.
Wil. Then loe, Perigot, the pledge which I plight,
A mazer ywrought of the maple warre,
Wherein is enchased many a fayre sight

Of bears and tygers, that maken fiers warre;
And over them spred a goodly wilde vine,
Entrailed with a wanton yvy twine.

Thereby is a lambe in the wolvës iawes;
But see, how fast renneth the shepheard swain
To save the innocent from the beastes pawes,

30

And here with his sheepehooke hath him slain. Tell me, such a cup hast thou ever seene? Well mought it beseeme any harvest queene. P. Thereto will I pawne yonder spotted lambe; Of all my flocke there nis sike another, For I brought him up without the dambe;

But Colin Clout rafte me of his brother, That he purchast of me in the plaine field; Sore against my will was I forst to yeeld. Wil. Sicker, make like account of his brother; But who shall iudge the wager wonne or lost?

33

Per. But whether in paynefull love I pyne,
Wil. Hey, ho, pinching payne!

Per. Or thrive in wealth, she shalbe mine,
Wil. But if thou can her obtaine.
Per. And if for gracelesse griefe I dye,
Wa Hey, ho, gracelesse griefe !
Per. Witnesse she slue me with her eye,
Wil. Let thy folly be the priefe.

Per. And you, that sawe it, simple sheepe,
Wil. Hey, ho, the fayre flocke!

Per. For priefe thereof, my death shall weepe,
Wil. And mone with many a mocke.

Per. So learnd I love on a holy eve,

Wil. Hey, ho, holy-day!

Per. That ever since my heart did greve,

Wil.

Now endeth our roundelay."

Cud. Sicker, sike a roundle never heard I none; Little lacketh Perigot of the best,

And Willie is not greatly overgone,

[eye;

So weren his under-songes well addrest. Wil. Heardgrome, I fear me thou have a squint Areede uprightly, who has the victorie.

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13

Cud. Fayth of my soule, I deeme eche have gained;
Forthy let the lambe be Willie his owne ;
And for Perigot, so well hath him payned,
To him be the wroughten mazer alone.
Per. Perigot is well pleased with the doome,
Ne can Willie wite the witelesse heardgroome.
Wil. Never dempt more right of beautie, I weene,
The shepheard of Ida that iudged Beauties queene.
Cud. But tell me, Shepheards, should it not yshend
Your roundels fresh, to heare a dolefull verse
Of Rosalind (who knowes not Rosalind ?)

That Colin made? ylke can I you rehearse.
Per. Now say it, Cuddie, as thou art a ladde;
With mery thing its good to medle sadde.

140

Wil. Fayth of my soule, thou shalt yerouned be 144
In Colins steede, if thou this song areede;
For never thing on earth so pleaseth me
As him to heare, or matter of his deede.
Cud. Then listen ech unto my heavie lay,
And tune your pypes as ruthfull as yee may.

150

Ver. 75. Ver. 79.

wood,] Mad. TODD.

rovde] The old spelling of rored. Tonv.