Page images
PDF
EPUB

'Nor for fruict nor for shadowe serves thy stocke; 'Seest how fresh my flowers bene spredde,

'Dyed in Lilly white and Cremsin redde,
'With Leaves engrained in lusty greene;
'Colours meete to clothe a mayden Queene?
'Thy wast bignes but combers the grownd,
'And dirks the beautie of my blossomes rownd:
'The mouldie mosse, which thee accloieth,

130

'My Sinamon smell too much annoieth :
'Wherefore soone I rede thee hence remove,
'Least thou the price of my displeasure prove.'
So spake this bold brere with great disdaine :

140

Little him aunswered the Oake againe,
But yeelded, with shame and greefe adawed,
That of a weede he was overawed.

Yt chaunced after upon a day,
The Hus-bandman selfe to come that way,
Of custome for to survewe his grownd,
And his trees of state in compasse rownd:
Him when the spitefull brere had espyed,
Causelesse complayned, and lowdly cryed
Unto his lord, stirring up sterne strife.

150

'O, my liege Lord! the God of my life! 'Pleaseth you ponder your Suppliants plaint, 'Caused of wrong and cruell constraint, 'Which I your poore Vassall dayly endure; 'And, but your goodnes the same recure, 'Am like for desperate doole to dye, 'Through felonous force of mine enemie.' Greatly agast with this piteous plea, Him rested the goodman on the lea, And badde the Brere in his plaint proceede. With painted words tho gan this proude weede 160 (As most usen Ambitious folke)

His coloured crime with craft to cloke.

'Ah, my soveraigne! Lord of creatures all, 'Thou placer of plants both humble and tall, 'Was not I planted of thine owne hand,

'To be the primrose of all thy land;
'With flowring blossomes to furnish the prime,
'And scarlot berries in Sommer time?

'Howe falls it then that this faded Oake,
'Whose bodie is sere, whose braunches broke,

170

Whose naked Armes stretch unto the fyre,

'Unto such tyrannie doth aspire;

'Hindering with his shade my lovely light,
'And robbing mee of the swete sonnes sight?

'So beate his old boughes my tender side, 'That oft the bloude springeth from woundes wyde; • Untimely my flowres forced to fall,

'That bene the honor of your Coronall : 'And oft he lets his cancker wormes light 'Upon my braunches, to worke me more spight; 180 'And oft his hoarie locks downe doth cast, 'Where with my fresh flowretts bene defast : 'For this, and many more such outrage, 'Craving your goodlihead to aswage 'The ranckorous rigour of his might, 'Nought aske I, but onely to holde my right; * Submitting me to your good sufferance, 'And praying to be garded from greevance.'

To this the Oake cast him to replie

Well as he couth; but his enemie
Had kindled such coles of displeasure,
That the good man noulde stay his leasure,
But home him hasted with furious heate,
Encreasing his wrath with many a threate:
His harmefull Hatchet he hent in hand,
(Alas! that it so ready should stand!)
And to the field alone he speedeth,
(Ay little help to harme there needeth!)
Anger nould let him speake to the tree,
Enaunter his rage mought cooled bee;
But to the roote bent his sturdy stroake,
And made many woundes in the wast Oake.
The Axes edge did oft turne againe,

190

200

As halfe unwilling to cutte the graine;
Semed, the senselesse yron dyd feare,
Or to wrong holy eld did forbeare;
For it had bene an auncient tree,

Sacred with many a mysteree,

And often crost with the priestes crewe,
And often halowed with holy water dewe:

210

But sike fancies weren foolerie,

And broughten this Oake to this miserye;
For nought mought they quitten him from decay,

For fiercely the good man at him did laye.

The blocke oft groned under the blow,
And sighed to see his neare overthrow.
In fine, the steele had pierced his pitth,
Tho downe to the earth hee fell forthwith.
His wonderous weight made the ground to quake,
Thearth shronke under him, and seemed to shake :-
There lyeth the Oake, pitied of none !

221

Now stands the Brere like a lord alone,
Puffed up with pryde and vaine pleasaunce;
But all this glee had no continuaunce :
For eftsones Winter gan to approche;
The blustering Boreas did encroche,
And beate upon the solitarie Brere;
For nowe no succoure was seene him nere.
Now gan he repent his pride to[o] late;

For, naked left and disconsolate,
The byting frost nipt his stalke dead,
The watrie wette weighed downe his head,
And heaped snowe burdned him so sore,
That nowe upright hee can stand no more;
And, being downe, is trodde in the durt
Of cattell, and brouzed, and sorely hurt.
Such was thend of this Ambitious brere,
For scorning eld-

230

Cud. Now I pray thee, shepheard, tel it not forth :

Here is a long tale, and little worth.

So longe have I listened to thy speche,

240

That graffed to the ground is my breche;
My hartblood is welnigh frorne, I feele,
And my galage growne fast to my heele.
But little ease of thy lewd tale I tasted :
Hie thee home, shepheard, the day is nigh wasted.

THENOTS EMBLEME.

Iddio, perche é vecchio,
Fa suoi al suo essempio.

CUDDIES EMBLEME

Niuno vecchio
Spaventa Iddio.

MARCH.

ÆGLOGA TERTIA.

ARGUMENT.

In this Æglogue two shepheards boyes, taking occasion of the season, beginne to make purpose of love, and other pleasaunce which to spring time is most agreeable. The speciall meaning hereof is, to give certaine markes and tokens to know Cupide, the Poets God of Love. But more particularlye, I thinke, in the person of Thomalin is meant some secrete freend, who scorned Love and his knights so long, till at length him selfe was entangled, and unwares wounded with the dart of some beautifull regard, which is Cupides arrow.

WOR

WILLYE. THOMALIN.

Willye.

HOMALIN, why sitten we soe,
As weren overwent with woe,

Upon so fayre a morow?
The joyous time now nigheth fast,

That shall alegge this bitter blast,
And slake the winters sorow.

Tho. Sicker, Willye, thou warnest well;

For winters wrath beginnes to quell,

And pleasant spring appeareth:

The grasse nowe ginnes to be refresht,

The swallowe peepes out of her nest,

And clowdie Welkin cleareth.

Wil. Seest not thilke same Hawthorne studde,

How bragly it beginnes to budde,

And utter his tender head?

Flora nowe calleth forth eche flower,

10

« PreviousContinue »