Paynims attributed the birth and beginning of all creatures new comming into the world, it seemeth that he therefore to him assigned the beginning and first entrance of the yeare. Which account for the most part hath hitherto continued: Notwithstanding that the Egyptians beginne their yeare at September; for that, according to the opinion of the best Rabbines and verie purpose of the Scripture it selfe, God made the worlde in that Moneth, that is called of them Tisri. And therefore he commanded them to keepe the feast of Pavilions in the ende of the yeare, in the xv, day of the seventh Moneth, which before that time was the first.

But our Authour respecting neither the subtiltie of the one part, nor the antiquitie of the other, thinketh it fittest, according to the simplicitie of common understanding, to begin with Ianuarie; weening it perhaps no decorum that Shepheards should be seene in matter of so deep insight, or canvase a case of so doubtful iudgement. So therefore beginneth he, and so continueth he throughout.

JANUARIE.

AEGLOGA PRIMA.

ARGUMENT.-In this first Aeglogue Colin Clout, a Shepheards Boy, complaineth himselfe of his unfortunate love, being but newly (as seemeth) enamoured of a Country Lasse called Rosalinde: with which strong affection being verie sore travelled, he compareth his careful case to the sad season of the yeare, to the frostie ground, to the frosen trees, and to his owne winterbeaten flocke. And lastly, finding himselfe robbed of all former pleasance and delight, he breaketh his Pipe in peeces, and casteth himselfe to the ground.

Neighbour towne, the next towne: expressing the Latin

Vicinia.

Stoure, a fit.

Sere, withered.

His clownish gifts, imitateth Virgil's verse: "Rusticus es Corydon, nec munera curat Alexis." Hobbinoll, is a fained country name, whereby, it being so common and usuall, seemeth to be hidden the person of some his very especiall and most familiar friend, whom he

intirely and extraordinarily beloved, as peradventure shal be more largely declared hereafter. In this place seemeth to be some favor of disorderly love, which the learned call Pæderastice: but it is gathered beside his meaning. For who hath red Plato his Dialogue called Alcibiades; Xenophon, and Maximus Tyrius, of Socrates opinions; may easily perceive, that such love is to be allowed and liked of, specially so ment, as Socrates used it; who saith, that indeede he loved Alcybiades extreemely, yet not Alcybia des person, but his soule, which is Alcybiades owne self. And so is Pederastice much to be preferred before Gynerastice, that is, the love which inflameth men with lust toward womankind. But yet let no man thinke, that herein I stand with Lucian, or his divelish disciple Unico Aretino, in defence of execrable and horrible sinnes of forbidden and unlawfull fleshlinesse. Whose abhominable errour is fully confuted of Perionius, and others.

I love, a pretie Eponorthosis in these two verses, and withal a paronomasia or playing with the word, where he saith I love thilke lasse alas, &c.

Rosalinde, is also a fained name, which, being well ordered, will bewray the verie name of his love and mistresse, whom by that name he coloureth. So as Ovid shadoweth his love under the name of Corynna, which of some is supposed to be Iulia, the Emperor Augustus his daughter, and wife to Agrippa. So doth Aruntius Stella every where call his Ladie, Asteris and Ianthes, albeit it is well knowne that her right name was Violantilla: as witnesseth Statius in his Epithalamium. And so the famous paragon of Italy, Madonna Cælia, in her letters envelopeth her self under the name of Zima, and Petrona under the name of Bellochia. And this generally hath beene a common custome of counterfeiting the names of secrete personages. Avail, bring downe. Overhaile, draw over.

EMBLEME.

His Embleme or Posie is here under added in Italian, Anchora speme, the meaning whereof is, that notwithstanding his extreame passion and luckelesso love, yet, leaning on hope, he is somewhat recomforted.

FEBRUARIE.

AEG LOGA SECUNDA.

ARGUMENT.-This Aeglogue is rather morall and generall then bent to anie secret or particular purpose. It speciallie containeth a discourse of olde age, in the person of Thenot, an old shepheard, who, for his crookednesse and unlustinesse, is scorned of Cuddie, an unhappie heardmans boy. The matter verie well accordeth with the season of the moneth, the yeare now drooping, and as it were drawing to his last age. For as in this time of yeare, so then in our bodies, there is a drie and withering cold, which congealeth the crudled blood, and frieseth the weatherbeaten flesh, with stormes of Fortune and hoare frosts of Care. To which purpose the olde man telleth a tale of the Oake and the Brier, so livelie, and so feelinglie, as, if the thing were set forth in some picture before our eies, more plainlie could not

They woont in the winde wagge their wriggle tayles
Perke as a peacocke; but now it availes.

The. Lewdly complainest, thou laesie ladde,
Of winters wracke for making thee sadde.
Must not the worlde wend in his common course,
From good to bad, and from bad to worse,
From worse unto that is worst of all,
And then returne to his former fall?

Who will not suffer the stormie time,
Where will he live till the lustie prime?
Selfe have I worne out thrise thirtie yeres,
Some in much ioy, many in many teares,
Yet never complained of cold nor heate,
Of sommers flame, nor of winters threate,
Ne ever was to Fortune foeman,
But gently tooke that ungently came;
And ever my flocke was my chiefe care;
Winter or sommer they mought well fare.

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15

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Cud. No marveile, Thenot, if thou can beare 25
Cherefully the winters wrathfull cheare;
For age and winter accord full nie,

This chill, that cold; this crooked, that wrye;
And as the lowring wether lookes downe,
So seemest thou like Good Friday to frowne:
But my flouring youth is foe to frost,
My shippe unwont in stormes to be tost.

30

Such an one shepheards would make full faine;
Such an one would make thee young againe.
The. Thou art a fon, of thy love to boste ;
All that is lent to love will be loste.

Cud. Seest how brag yond bullocke beares,
So smirke, so smoothe, his pricked eares?
His hornes bene as broade as rainebow bent,
His dewelap as lythe as lasse of Kent:
See how he venteth into the winde ;
Weenest of love is not his minde?
Seemeth thy flocke thy counsell can,
So lustlesse bene they, so weake, so wan;
Clothed with cold, and hoarie with frost,
Thy flockes father his courage hath lost.
Thy ewes, that woont to have blowen bags,
Like wailefull widdowes hangen their crags;
The rather lambes bene starved with cold,
All for their maister is lustlesse and old.

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75

The. Cuddie, I wote thou kenst little good,
So vainely to advaunce thy headlesse hood;
For youngth is a bubble blowne up with breath,
Whose witte is weakenesse, whose wage is death,
Whose way is wildernesse, whose ynne penaunce,
And stoope gallaunt Age, the hoast of Greevaunce.90
But shall I tell thee a tale of truth,
Which I cond of Tityrus in my youth,

The. The soveraigne of seas he blames in vaine, Keeping his sheepe on the hilles of Kent?

That, once sea-beate, will to sea againe :
So loytring live you little heardgroomes,
Keeping your beastes in the budded broomes;
And, when the shining sunne laugheth once,
You deemen, the spring is come attonce;
Tho ginne you, fond Flies! the cold to scorne,
And, crowing in pypes made of greene corne,
You thinken to be lords of the yeare;
But eft, when ye count you freed from feare,
Comes the breme Winter with chamfred browes,
Full of wrinckles and frosty furrowes,
Drerily shooting his stormie darte,

Which cruddles the bloud and pricks the harte :
Then is your carelesse courage accoyed,
Your carefull heards with cold bene annoyed:
Then pay you the price of your surquedrie,
With weeping, and wailing, and miserie.

Cud. Ah! foolish old man! I scorne thy skill,
That wouldst me my springing youth to spill:
I deeme thy braine einperished bee
Through rustie elde, that hath rotted thee;
Or sicker thy head verie tottie is,
So on thy corbe shoulder it leanes amisse.
Now thy selfe hath lost both lopp and topp,
Als my budding braunch thou wouldest
cropp;
But were thy yeres greene, as now bene mine,
To other delightes they would encline:
Tho wouldest thou learne to caroll of love,
And hery with hymnes thy lasses glove;
Tho wouldest thou pype of Phillis praise;
But Phillis is mine for many dayes;
I wonne her with a girdle of gelt,
Embost with buegle about the belt :

Ver. 8. Perke] Pert, or brisk. TODD.
Ibid.

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Cud. To nought more, Thenot, my minde is bent Then to heare novells of his devise;

95

They bene so well thewed, and so wise,
What ever that good old man bespake.

The. Many meete tales of youth did hee make,

And some of love, and some of chevalrie;
But none fitter then this to applie.

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Now listen a while and hearken the end.
"There grewe an aged tree on the greene,

A goodly Oake sometime had it bene,
With armes full strong and largely displayd,
But of their leaves they were disarayde:
The bodie bigge, and mightily pight,
Throughly rooted, and of wonderous hight;
Whilome had bene the king of the fielde,
And mochell mast to the husbande did yielde,
And with his nuts larded many swine:
But now the gray mosse marred his rine;
His bared boughes were beaten with stormes,
His toppe was bald, and wasted with wormes,
His honour decayed, his braunches sere.
Hard by his side grewe a bragging Brere,
Which prowdly thrust into th' element,
And seemed to threat the firmament:
It was embellisht with blossomes fayre,
And thereto aye wonted to repayre

The shepheards daughters to gather flowres,
To painte their girlonds with his colowres ;
And in his small bushes used to shrowde
The sweete nightingale singing so lowde;

Ver. 84.
Ver. 86.

availes. Drops or lowers. T. WARTON. Ver. 9. Lewdly] Foolishly. TODD. Ver. 30. So seemest thou like Good Friday to frowne;] This I presume is a proverbial expression. Good-Friday is said to frown, as being a fast-day. Thus a Lenten face is used to denominate sourness and severity of aspect. T. WARTON.

Ver. 65. I wonne her with a girdle of gelt,] With a golden or gilded girdle. T. WARTON.

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110

115

120

lustlesse] Languid or lifeless. TODD. thy headlesse hood;] For "thy heedlessness." Hoor is a termination denoting estate; as manhood, &c. T. WARTON.

Ver. 89. Whose way is wildernesse, whose ynne penaunce, And stoope gallaunt Age, the hoast of Greevaunce.] The meaning of the last verse seems to be this: The tamer of whose gay gallantries is Old Age, the guest or companion of Misery. T. WARTON.

Ver. 108. Whilome had bene &c.] Here is an ellipsis of a very important word. It, (that is, the Oak,) should have been inserted before had. T. WARTON.