The Country Innocence. "Happy he who wisely chose to taste of Love without his woes, THAT -Motteux's Island Princess, Set by Dan. Purcell, 1699. HAT the Duke of Monmouth felt a longing for the seclusion of Toddington Park, during his exile in Holland, is beyond a doubt, and probably the beginning of his desire for country innocence, in exchange for a life of courtly intrigue or the warfare of personal ambition, may be safely dated on those earlier hours when he lingered with Lady Henrietta Wentworth under her ancestral trees in Bedfordshire. He had himself copied into his note-book, if he did not actually compose the lines (see our p. 394) beginning "O how blest and how innocent, and happy is a Country Life!" Was it a reminiscence of this 1683 Roxburghe Ballad ? As regarding the rumours current in England, that Monmouth intended to take military service in Sweden, under King Charles XI., the following extract is valuable. It is from a letter sent to Laurence Hyde, Earl of Rochester, by John Robinson, the English envoy to Sweden; dated Stockholm, March 3, 1681): I will only presume to add what, this afternoon, I was told by Count Oxenstern, the Premier Ministre, that the last post brought letters from Monsieur Lyonbergh of a report in England that the Duke of Monmouth was retired into this country, and taken into this King's protection: which Count Oxenstern assured me his Majesty of Sweden is extremely troubled at, as being altogether groundless, and a report raised by some that had no good intentions for this Court: That his Majesty valued the amity and esteem of the King of England too high to give refuge or encouragement to any persons that his Majesty was not satisfied with, which his Excellence bid me write from him.-Clarendon Corresp., 1828, i. 180. [Roxburghe Collection (Bright's), IV. 39; Pepys, IV. 349.] The Country Innocence; or, The Shepherd's Enjoyment. A NEW PASTORAL AT THE THEATRE. TO A PLEASANT NEW TUNE. [How blest are they who, free from care and strife, In humble cottages do lead their life! Appy is the Country Life, blest with Content, and Health and Ease, Free from Faction, Noise and strife, we only Plot our selves to please: Peace in mind, the day's Delight, And Love's our welcome Dream at night. Hail green Fields and shady Woods, hail Springs and Streams that still run pure, Nature's uncorrupted Goods, where Virtue only is secure: Free from Vice and free from Care, Hail to the peaceful Shepherd's Life, [Orig." no Youth nor s." hail to each happy Rural Swain, 6 18 The Country Innocence. In cooler Shades, i' th' heat o' th' day, and treat our selves with vertuous Love : the Birds who admire us leave to sing: the Water-Citizens insnare: All night we fold our Milky Herd, and, e're the Sun has left the Sphear, A wholesome Supper is prepar'd of cleanly honest Country fare : And then to Bed, and arm in arm, We sleep secure from envie's harm. 565 24 [leave=cease. 30 ["Laverits." 42 [Black-letter. Date, at theatre, 1683. No printer's name on B. H. Bright's copy: but Pepys Collection, IV. 349, was Printed for John Wright, John Clarke, William Thackeray, and Thomas Passinger." Title, "The Country Man's Delight; Or, The Happy Joyes of a Country Life:" with the motto verse of our p. 564, which we bracket, in small type; also, an alternative tune marked, as Smiling Phillis.' This was Thomas Farmer's music, 'Smiling Phillis has an air." See Choice Ayres, ii. 38, 1679; Pills, iv. 281.] Special music to this ditty was composed by James Hart, and given in John Playford's Choice Ayres, 1683, iv. 36. Also in Pills to Purge Melancholy, 1700, 1709, 1712, and 1719 editions, iv. 288. But these only give the original Play-house song of two verses, our first twelve lines. The song was lengthened out for the broadside ballad, but more successfully than usual. We have had frequent examples of the practice, and it is incidentally denounced by shuffling Tom Brown, in his First "Dialogue," between Crites, Eugenius, and Mr. Bayes (mockery of Dryden), who is the speaker of the following:-"You cannot imagine what a mortification it is for a Noble Author, who has, at the great expense of his Fancy, writ something which is vigorous and fine, to have his Song tagg'd with half a dozen gouty stanzas, by a Grub-Street-Hand, then advanced into a Balad; and, last of all, plaister'd up in a Country Ale- House, to confront the Five Senses and the Four Seasons of the Year." Sir George Mackenzie's Praise of a Country Life begins, "O happy Country Life! pure as its air!” The Court of James the Second. "Julian, with care peruse the Lines I send, Which when you've done you'll find I am your Friend. Who'd value the applause that comes from you?- First, then, to all thy rayling Scribblers goe, [See p. 569. [Ibid. -Trowbesh MSS., A New Year's Gift. NOWHERE was the chaes Il. more distinct than at the Court [OWHERE was the change that had taken place in England of Whitehall. Admitting all its faults of immorality, none ever questioned the delightful charm that it had held in the time of Charles the Second. Beauty there had reigned supreme, while wit had been enlivened and spurred on to its most brilliant achievements by the hope of gaining favour from those laughing Nymphs whose praise was distinction, but whose scorn was worse than a lost battle or a singed periwig. All at once a gloom had overspread the scene. It seemed to be the Twilight of the Dwarfs. Ugly women were in the ascendant, so that they were pious and Catholic. Priests were continually flitting from room to room, no longer creeping up back-stairs, but treading boldly and with something of what in laymen would be called a swagger. There was actually a talk of morality, heavenly-mindedness, eternal punishment, and present mortification of the flesh. With Catharine Sedley, daughter of the witty Sir Charles Sedley, the intimacy of James, while Duke of York, had been Sir Charles Sedley's daughter, Catharine. 567 sufficiently notorious; but it was not until after his accession, and when she had been made Countess of Dorchester, that the world affected to be scandalized. It was certainly a public declaration of her dishonour, but her father little needed to vapour on the subject then or afterwards, insomuch that he had scarcely resented the indignity before the death of Charles, and had himself given an example of shameless licentiousness which may have assisted her fall. She was understood to indulge in bitter satire or gayest ridicule against the Catholic priests, their ceremonies and their creed. She was probably vain of her scepticism and profanity, miscalculating the power of the enemies whom she scorned and irritated. She had much of her father's undoubted wit, but also of his recklessness. Obedient to the Queen's suggestion, the priests insisted on James giving a proof of the sincerity and fervour of his religion, by freeing himself from this dangerous intimacy with such a 'shameless heretic.' Catharine was accordingly banished from the Court, to Ireland, but not for long, as her influence enabled her to obtain a recall. She seems to have never hesitated for the sake of prudence from saying whatever her lively fancy prompted, and unluckily her witticisms were chiefly libellous. She obtained as little mercy for her arrogance as she felt inclined to give. Witness these two epigrams on her as Dorinda," both of which are attributed to Charles Sackville, the Earl of Dorset. The first was written in 1680; the head-line was an after-addition, in 168% :— 66 On the Countess of Dor[cheste]r, Mistress to King J[ames] EE. Ell me, Dorinda, why so gay, TE Why such embroidery, fringe, and lace? To stop th' approaches of Decay, And mend a ruin'd face? Wilt thou still sparkle in the Box, Can'st thou forget thy Age and pocks? So have I seen in Larder dark, Repleat with many a hellish Spark : At once both stink and shine. The second Epigram, a little later, by the same author, mentions Sir David Colyear (in 1713 made Earl of Portmore), whom she married. Well might the Earl of Dorset, a favourite among his boon-companions, be called "The best good man, with the worst-natured Muse." His satires are often as foul and malicious as those of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, who had thus described him. |