'Nor for fruict nor for shadowe serves thy stocke; 'Seest how fresh my flowers bene spredde, 'Dyed in Lilly white and Cremsin redde, 130 'My Sinamon smell too much annoieth : 140 Little him aunswered the Oake againe, Yt chaunced after upon a day, 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; 'Howe falls it then that this faded Oake, 170 Whose naked Armes stretch unto the fyre, 'Unto such tyrannie doth aspire; 'Hindering with his shade my lovely light, '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 190 200 As halfe unwilling to cutte the graine; Sacred with many a mysteree, And often crost with the priestes crewe, 210 But sike fancies weren foolerie, And broughten this Oake to this miserye; For fiercely the good man at him did laye. The blocke oft groned under the blow, 221 Now stands the Brere like a lord alone, For, naked left and disconsolate, 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; THENOTS EMBLEME. Iddio, perche é vecchio, CUDDIES EMBLEME Niuno vecchio 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, Upon so fayre a morow? That shall alegge this bitter blast, 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 |