Thilk sollein season sadder plight doth aske 25 30 35 THE. The nightingale is sovereigne of song, Before him sits the titmouse silent bee; And I, unfit to thrust in skilfull throng, Should Colin make iudge of my fooleree : Nay, better learne of hem that learned bee, And han bene watered at the muses well; The kindely dewe drops from the higher tree, And wets the litle plants that lowly dwell: But if sadde winters wrath, and season chill, Accord not with thy muses merriment, To sadder times thou mayst attune thy quill. And sing of sorrowe and deathes dreriment; For deade is Dido, deade, alas! and drent; Dido! the great shepheard his daughter sheene: The fayrest May shee was that ever went, Her like shee has not left behinde I weene: And if thou wilt bewayle my wofull teene, I shall thee give yond cosset for thy payne: And, if thy rymes as rounde and ruefull beene As those that did thy Rosalind complayne, Much greater gifts for guerdon thou shalt Then kid or cosset which I thee bynempt: Then up, I say, thou iolly shepheard swayne, Let not my small demaunde be so contempt. COL. Thenot, to that I chose thou doest mee tempt; But, ah! too well I wote my humble vayne, And how my rimes bene rugged and unkempt! Yet, as I conne, my conning I will strayne. 40 gayne, 45 50 The branch once dead, the bud eke needes must O carefull verse! saine!) "She, while she was, (that was, a wofull word to Als Colin Clout she would not once disdaine; 100 Morne, now, my muse, now morne with teares beO carefull verse! [griefe ! "O thou great shepheard, Lobbin, how great is thy Where bene the nosegayes that she dight for thee? The coloured chaplets wrought with a chiefe, 115 The knotted rush-ringes, and gilt rosemaree? For shee deemed nothing too deare for thee. Ah! they bene all yclad in clay; One bitter blast blewe all away. O heavie herse! Thereof nought remaynes but the memoree; O carefull verse! 120 [stroke, 125 Ay me! that drearie Death should strike so mortall That can undoe dame Natures kindely course; The faded lockes fall from the loftie oke, The flouds do gaspe, for dryed is their sourse, And flouds of teares flow in theyr stead perforce : The mantled medowes mourne, Theyr sundrie colours tourne. The heavens doe melt in teares without remorse; O carefull verse! "The feeble flocks in field refuse their former foode, And hang their heades as they would learne to weepe; The beastes in forrest wayle as they were woode, 133 Laments the wounde that Death did launch. And Philomele her song with teares doth steepe! 140 [daunce, "The water nymphs, that wont with her to sing and And for her girlond olive braunches beare, Nowe balefull boughes of cypres doen advaunce; 145 DECEMBER. 170 Cease now, my muse, now cease thy sorrowes sourse, Why waile we then? why wearie we the gods with As if some evill were to her betight? [plaintes, She raignes a goddesse now emong the saintes, 175 I see thee, blessed soule! I see Walk in Elisian fieldes so free. Might I once come to thee, (O that I might!) O happie herse! O joyfull verse! 180 "Unwise and wretched men, to weete what's good or Wee deeme of death as doome of ill desert; [ill, But knewe wee, fooles, what it us bringes untill, 185 Make haste, yee shepheards, thether to revert. 190 [next? 195 "Dido is gone afore; (whose turne shall be the That whilome was poore shepheards pride, O happie herse! Cease now, my song, my woe now wasted is; O ioyfull verse !" 200 [meint THE. Ay, franck shepheard, how bene thy verses COLINS EMBLEME. La mort ny mord. gutte. DECEMBER. AEGLOGA DUODECIMA. ARGUMENT. This Aeglogue (even as the first began) is ended with a complaint of Colin to god Pan; wherein, as wearie of his former waies, bee proportioneth his life to the foure seasons of the yeare; comparing his youth to the spring time, when hee was fresh and free His manhood to the sommer, from loves follie. which, he saith, was consumed with great heate and excessive drouth, caused through a comet or blazing starre, by which hee meaneth love; which passion is commonly compared to such flames and immoderate heate. His ripest yeares he resembleth to an unseasonable harvest, wherein the fruits fall ere they be ripe. His latter age to winters chill and frostie season, now drawing neere to his last ende. THE gentle shepheard sat beside a springe, That Colin hight, which well coulde pype and singe, There, as he satte in secret shade alone, "Whilome in youth, when flowrd my ioyfull spring went the wastefull woodes and forrest wide "I wont to raunge amid the mazie thicket, "Fro thence I durst in derring to compare For, if the flocking nymphes did follow Pan, "But, ah! such pride at length was ill repayde; The shepheards god (perdie god was he none) My hurtlesse pleasaunce did me ill upbraide, My freedome lorne, my life he left to mone. Love they him called that gave me check-mate, "Tho gan my lovely spring bid me farewell, A comet stird up that unkindly heate, 45 50 55 60 [first, 105 My boughs with bloomes that crowned were at "The fragrant flowres, that in my garden grewe, Ah! who has wrought my Rosalind this spight, "And I, that whilome wont to frame my pype 115 120 "And thus of all my harvest-hope I have Soon as the chaffe should in the fan be fynd, 125 "So now my yeere drawes to his latter terme, "The carefull cold hath nipt my rugged rynd, 135 No sunne now shines; clouds han all overcast. 140 Now leave, ye shepheards boyes, your merry glee; My muse is hoarse and wearie of this stound: Here will I hang my pype upon this tree, Was never pype of reede did better sound : Winter is come that blowes the bitter blast, And after winter dreerie death does hast. "Thus is my sommer worne away and wasted, 100 Of all the seede, that in my youth was sowne, Was none but brakes and brambles to be mowne. COLINS EMBLEME. Vivitur ingenio: cætera mortis erunt. HAVING, in the greener times of my youth, composed these former two Hymnes in the Praise of Love and Beautie, and finding that the same too much pleased those of like age and disposition, which being too vehemently carried with that kind of affection, do rather sucke out poyson to their strong passion, then honey to their honest delight, I was moved, by the one of you two most excellent Ladies, to call in the same; but, being unable so to do, by reason that many copies thereof were formerly scattered abroad, I resolved at least to amend, and, by way of retracttion, to reforme them, making (instead of those two Hymnes of earthly or naturall love and beautie) two others of heavenly and celestiall; the which I doe dedicate joyntly unto you two honourable sisters, as to the most excellent and rare ornaments of all true love and beautie, both in the one and the other kind; humbly beseeching you to vouchsafe the patronage of them, and to accept this my humble service, in lieu of the great graces and honourable favours which ye dayly shew unto me, until such time as I may, by better meanes, yeeld you some more notable testimonie of my thankfull mind and dutifull devotion. And even so I pray for your happinesse. Greenwich this first of September, 1596. Your Honors most bounden ever, In all humble service, ED. SP. Thereby they all do live, and moved are 100 105 50 45 GREAT GOD OF MIGHT, that reignest in the mynd, Or who alive can perfectly declare 35 55 |