TO THE RIGHT
worthy and noble Knight
Sir Walter Raleigh, Captaine of her Maiesties Guard, Lord Wardein of the Stanneries, and Lieutenant of the Countie of
Yours euer humbly. Ed. Sp.
COLIN CLOVTS come home againe.
He shepheards boy (best knowen by that | Was heard to sound as she was wont on hye,
name) That after Tityrus first sung his lay, Laies of sweet loue, without rebuke or blame, Sate (as his custome was) vpon a day, Charming his oaten pipe vnto his peres, The shepheard swaines that did about him
Hast made vs all so blessed and so blythe. 21 Whilest thou wast hence, all dead in dole did lie: The woods were heard to waile full many a sythe,
And all their birds with silence to complaine: The fields with faded flowers did seem to mourne, And all their flocks from feeding to refraine: The running waters wept for thy returne, And all their fish with languour did lament: But now both woods and fields, and floods
Sith thou art come, their cause of meriment, 30 That vs late dead, hast made againe aliue : But were it not too painfull to repeat The passed fortunes, which to thee befell In thy late voyage, we thee would entreat, Now at thy leisure them to vs to tell.
To whom the shepheard gently answered thus,
Hobbin thou temptest me to that I couet: For of good passed newly to discus, By dubble vsurie doth twise renew it.
And since I saw that Angels blessed eie, 40 Her worlds bright sun, her heauens fairest light,
My mind full of my thoughts satietie, Doth feed on sweet contentment of that sight: Since that same day in nought I take delight, Ne feeling haue in any earthly pleasure,
But in remembrance of that glorious bright, My lifes sole blisse, my hearts eternall threasure. Wake then my pipe, my sleepie Muse awake, Till I haue told her praises lasting long : Hobbin desires, thou maist it not forsake, 50 Harke then ye iolly shepheards to my song.
With that they all gan throng about him
He sitting me beside in that same shade, Prouoked me to plaie some pleasant fit, And when he heard the musicke which I made, He found himselfe full greatly pleasd at it: 71 Yet æmuling my pipe, he tooke in hond
My pipe before that æmuled of many,
And plaid theron; (for well that skill he cond) | And wrought so well with his continuall paine,
Himselfe as skilfull in that art as any.
He pip'd, I sung; and when he sung, I piped, By chaunge of turnes, each making other mery, Neither enuying other, nor enuied,
So piped we, vntill we both were weary.
There interrupting him, a bonie swaine, 80 That Cuddy hight, him thus atweene bespake: And should it not thy readie course restraine, I would request thee Colin, for my sake, To tell what thou didst sing, when he did plaie. For well I weene it worth recounting was, Whether it were some hymne, or morall laie, Or carol made to praise thy loued lasse.
Which Allo hight, Broad water called farre :
That he that riuer for his daughter wonne: The dowre agreed, the day assigned plaine, The place appointed where it should be doone. Nath lesse the Nymph her former liking held; For loue will not be drawne, but must be ledde,
Nor of my loue, nor of my losse (quoth he).
I then did sing, as then occasion fell: For loue had me forlorne, forlorne of me, That made me in that desart chose to dwell.
Did warily still watch which way she went, And eke from far obseru'd with iealous eie, Which way his course the wanton Bregog bent, Him to deceiue for all his watchfull ward, The wily louer did deuise this slight: First into many parts his streame he shar'd, That whilest the one was watcht, the other
Passe vnespide to meete her by the way; 140 And then besides, those little streames so broken
He vnder ground so closely did conuay, That of their passage doth appeare no token, Till they into the Mullaes water slide. So secretly did he his loue enioy: Yet not so secret, but it was descride, And told her father by a shepheards boy. Who wondrous wroth for that so foule despight, In great auenge did roll downe from his hill Huge mightie stones, the which encomber might His passage, and his water-courses spill. 151 So of a Riuer, which he was of old,
He none was made, but scattred all to nought, And lost emong those rocks into him rold, Did lose his name: so deare his loue he bought. Which hauing said, him Thestylis bespake, Now by my life this was a mery lay: Worthie of Colin selfe, that did it make. But read now eke of friendship I thee pray, What dittie did that other shepheard sing? For I do couet most the same to heare, As men vse most to couet forreine thing. That shall I eke (quoth he) to you declare. His song was all a lamentable lay, Of great vnkindnesse, and of vsage hard, Of Cynthia the Ladie of the sea, Which from her presence faultlesse him debard. And euer and anon with singults rife,
He cryed out, to make his vndersong
Ah my loues queene, and goddesse of my life, Who shall me pittie, when thou doest me
Besides her peerlesse skill in making well And all the ornaments of wondrous wit, Such as all womankynd did far excell : Such as the world admyr'd and praised it : So what with hope of good, and hate of ill, He me perswaded forth with him to fare: Nought tooke I with me, but mine oaten quill: Small needments else need shepheard to prepare. So to the sea we came; the sea? that is A world of waters heaped vp on hie, Rolling like mountaines in wide wildernesse, Horrible, hideous, roaring with hoarse crie.
And is the sea (quoth Coridon) so fearfull? Fearful much more (quoth he) then hart can
Twixt him and thee, that thee did hence dis
Nor swelling waues, but thorough them did
Vnmeet for man, in whom was ought regardfull, And wend with him, his Cynthia to see :
Whose grace was great, and bounty most
So proudly, that she made them roare againe. The same aboord vs gently did receaue, And without harme vs farre away did beare, So farre that land our mother vs did leaue, And nought but sea and heauen to vs appeare. Then hartlesse quite and full of inward feare, That shepheard I besought to me to tell, 229 Vnder what skie, or in what world we were, In which I saw no liuing people dwell. Who me recomforting all that he might, Told me that that same was the Regiment Of a great shepheardesse, that Cynthia hight, His liege his Ladie, and his lifes Regent
There did a loftie mount at first vs greet, Which did a stately heape of stones vpreare, That seemd amid the surges. for to fleet, Much greater then that frame, which vs did beare:
And fold them vp, when they haue made an end. Those be the shepheards which my Cynthia 260
At sea, beside a thousand moe at land: For land and sea my Cynthia doth deserue To haue in her commandement at hand. Thereat I wondred much, till wondring more And more, at length we land far off descryde: Which sight much gladed me; for much afore I feard, least land we neuer should haue eyde: Thereto our ship her course directly bent,
As if the way she perfectly had knowne. 269 We Lunday passe; by that same name is ment An Island, which the first to west was showne. From thence another world of land we kend, Floting amid the sea in ieopardie,
And round about with mightie white rocks
There did our ship her fruitfull wombe vnlade, And put vs all ashore on Cynthias land.
What land is that thou meanst (then Cuddy sayd) 290 And is there other, then whereon we stand?
Ah Cuddy (then quoth Colin) thous a fon, That hast not seene least part of natures worke, Much more there is vnkend, then thou doest kon,
And much more that does from mens knowledge lurke.
For that same land much larger is then this, And other men and beasts and birds doth feed : There fruitfull corne, faire trees, fresh herbageis And all things else that liuing creatures need. Besides most goodly riuers there appeare, 300 No whit inferiour to thy Funchins praise, Or vnto Allo or to Mulla cleare:
Nought hast thou foolish boy seene in thy daies. But if that land be there (quoth he) as here, And is theyr heauen likewise there all one? And if like heauen, be heauenly graces there, Like as in this same world where we do wone?
Both heauen and heauenly graces do much
(Quoth he) abound in that same land, then this. For there all happie peace and plenteous store Conspire in one to make contented blisse: 311 No wayling there nor wretchednesse is heard, No bloodie issues nor no leprosies, No griesly famine, nor no raging sweard, No nightly bodrags, nor no hue and cries; The shepheards there abroad may safely lie, On hills and downes, withouten dread or
No rauenous wolues the good mans hope destroy,
Nor outlawes fell affray the forest raunger. There learned arts do florish in great honor, And Poets wits are had in peerlesse price : 321 Religion hath lay powre to rest vpon her, Aduancing vertue and suppressing vice. For end, all good, all grace there freely growes, Had people grace it gratefully to vse : For God his gifts there plenteously bestowes, But gracelesse men them greatly do abuse. But say on further, then said Corylas, The rest of thine aduentures, that betyded. Foorth on our voyage we by land did passe, (Quoth he) as that same shepheard still vs guyded,
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