Sometimes fhe would bewail the loss

And abfence of her dearest love :
Sometimes she thought the feas to cross,
Her fortune on the waves to prove ;
I fear my lord is flain, quoth the,
He stays fo from Penelope.

At length the ten years fiege of Troy
Did end; in flames the city burn'd;

And to the Grecians was great joy,

To fee the towers to afhes turn'd:

Then came Ulyffes home to fee
His conftant, dear, Penelope.

O blame her not if she was glad,
When the her lord again had feen.
Thrice-welcome home, my dear, she said,
A long time absent thou hast been :
The wars fhall never more deprive
Me of my lord whilst I'me alive,

Fair ladies all example take;

And hence a worthy leffon learn,

All youthful follies to forfake,

And vice from virtue to difcern: And let all women ftrive to be,

As conftant as Penelope.

85

90

95

109

105

IX, TO

T 3

XI.

TO LUCASTA, ON GOING TO THE WARS.

By Col. Richard Lovelace: from the volume of his poems intitled, "Lucafta, Lond. 1649." 12mo. The elegance of this writer's manner would be more admired, if it had Jomewhat more of fimplicity.

ELL me not, fweet, I am unkinde,

TE

That from the nunnerie

Of thy chafte breaft and quiet minde,

To warre and armes I flie.

A

True; a new mistresse now I chase,
The firft foe in the field;

And with a stronger faith imbrace
A fword, a horse, a shield.

Yet this inconftancy is such,

As you too fhall adore ;

I could not love thee, deare, fo much,

Lov'd I not honour more.

5

10

X. VA

XII.

VALENTINE AND URSINE.

It would be in vain to put off this ballad for ancient, nor yet is it altogether modern. The original is an old MS poem in the Editor's poffeffion; which being in a wretched corrupt ftate, the fubject was thought worthy of fome embellish

ments.

The old ftory-book of Valentine and Orfon (which fuggefted the plan of this tale, but it is not strictly followed in it) was originally a translation from the French, being one of their earliest attempts at romance. See "Le Bibliotheque de Romans,

r."

4

The circumftance of the bridge of bells is taken from the old metrical legend of Sir Bevis, and has also been copied in the Seven Champions. The original lines are,

"Over the dyke a bridge there lay,

"That man and beeft might passe away:
"Under the brydge were fixty belles ;

Right as the Romans telles ;

"That there might no man passe in,
"But all they rang with a gyn."

Sign. E. iv.

PART THE FIRST.

1

HEN Flora 'gins to decke the fields
With colours fresh and fine,

Then holy clerkes their mattins fing

To good Saint Valentine!

The king of France that morning fair

He would a hunting ride:

To Artois forest prancing forth

In all his princely pride.

To grace his sports a courtly train

Of gallant peers attend;

And with their loud and cheerful cryes

The hills and valleys rend.

Through the deep forest swift they pass,
Through woods and thickets wild;

When down within a lonely dell

They found a new-born child:

All in a scarlet kercher lay'd

Of filk fo fine and thin:

A golden mantle wrapt him round
Pinn'd with a filver pin,

The fudden fight furpriz'd them all;
The courtiers gather'd round;
They look, they call, the mother feek;

5

10

15

20

And look me out fome cunning nurse;

Well nurtur'd let him bee;