Per. But whether in paynefull love I pyne,
Wil.
Hey, ho, pinching payne!

Per. Or thrive in wealth, she shalbe mine,
Wil. But if thou can her obtaine.
Per. And if for gracelesse griefe I dye,
Wil. Hey, ho, gracelesse griefe !
Per. Witnesse she slue me with her eye,
Wil. Let thy folly be the priefe.
Per. And you, that sawe it, simple sheepe,
Wil. Hey, ho, the fayre flocke!

Per. For priefe thereof, my death shall weepe,
Wil. And mone with many a mocke.
Per. So learnd I love on a holy eve,

Wil. Hey, ho, holy-day!

Per. That ever since my heart did greve,

Wil.

Now endeth our roundelay."

Cud. Sicker, sike a roundle never heard I none; Little lacketh Perigot of the best,

And Willie is not greatly overgone,

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[eye;

So weren his under-songes well addrest. Wil. Heardgrome, I fear me thou have a squint Areede uprightly, who has the victorie.

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Cud. Fayth of my soule, I deeme eche have gained;
Forthy let the lambe be Willie his owne ;
And for Perigot, so well hath him payned,
To him be the wroughten mazer alone.
Per. Perigot is well pleased with the doome,
Ne can Willie wite the witelesse heardgroome.
Wil. Never dempt more right of beautie, I weene,
The shepheard of Ida that iudged Beauties queene.
Cud. But tell me, Shepheards, should it not yshend
Your roundels fresh, to heare a dolefull verse 140
Of Rosalind (who knowes not Rosalind ?)

That Colin made? ylke can I you rehearse.
Per. Now say it, Cuddie, as thou art a ladde;
With mery thing its good to medle sadde.

Wil. Fayth of my soule, thou shalt ycrouned be 145
In Colins steede, if thou this song areede;
For never thing on earth so pleaseth me
As him to heare, or matter of his deede.
Cud. Then listen ech unto my heavie lay,
And tune your pypes as ruthfull as yee may.

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Wil.

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Per. Upon the glittering wave doth play, Wil. Such play is a pitteous plight.

Per. The glaunce into my heart did glide,

Wil. Hey, ho, the glyder !

Per. Therewith my soule was sharply gryde,

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Wil. Such woundes soon wexen wider.

Per. Hasting to raunch the arrowe out,

Wil. Hey, ho, Perigot !

Per. I left the head in my heart-root,

It was a desperate shot.

Per. There it ranckleth aye more and more,

Wil. Hey, ho, the arrow !

Per. Ne can I find salve for my sore,

Wil. Love is a careless sorrow.

Per. And though my bale with death I bought, 105
Wil. Hey, ho, heavie cheere!

Per. Yet should thilk lasse not from my thought,
Wil.
So you may buye golde too deere.

I hate the house, since thence my Love did part, Whose wailefull want debars mine eyes of sleepe.

GLOSSE.

Bestadde, disposed, ordered.
Peregall, equall.
Whilome, once.

Rafte, bereft, deprived.
Miswent, gone astray.

Ill may, according to Virgil.

"Infelix O semper ovis pecus."

A mazer: So also doo Theocritus and Virgil feigne pledges of theyr strife.

Enchased, engraven. Such prettie descriptions every where useth Theocritus, to bring in his Idyllia. For which speciall cause indeed, hee by that name termeth his Aeglogues; for Idyllion in Greeke signifieth the shape or picture of any thing, whereof his booke is full. And not as I have heard some fondly guesse, that they bee called not Idyllia, but Hædilia, of the Goteheards in them.

Entrailed, wrought betweene.

Harvest Queene, The maner of countrey folke in harvest time.

Pousse, Pease.

It fell upon: Perigot maketh all his song in praise of his Love, to whom Willye answereth every under-verse. By Perigot who is ment, I cannot uprightly say: but if it be who is supposed, his Love deserveth no lesse praise then he giveth her.

Greete, weeping and complaint.

Chaplet, a kinde of Garland like a crowne.

Levin, Lightning.

Cynthia, was said to be the Moone.

Gryde, pearced.

But if, not unlesse.

Squint eye, partiall iudgement.

Eche have, so saith Virgil.

"Et vitula tu dignus, & hic &c."

Doome, iudgement.

Dempt, for deemed, iudged.

Wite the witelesse, blame the blamelesse.

The shepheard of Ida, was said to be Paris. Beauties Queene, Venus, to whom Paris adiudged the golden Apple, as the price of hir beautie.

EMBLEME.

The meaning hereof is verie ambiguous: for Perigot by his poesie claiming the conquest, and Willye not yeelding, Cuddie the arbiter of theyr cause, and patron of his owne, seemeth to challenge it, as his due, saying, that hee is happie which can; so abruptly ending, bu thee meaneth eyther him, that can win the best, or moderate himselfe being best, and leave off with the best.

Sike question rippeth up cause of new woe,
For one, opened, mote unfold many moe.

Hob. Nay, but sorrow close shrouded in heart, 15
I know, to keepe is a burdenous smart :
Ech thing imparted is more eath to beare:
When the rayne is fallen, the clouds waxen cleare.
And now, sithence I saw thy head last,

Thrise three moones bene fully spent and past; 20 Since when thou hast measured much ground,

And wandred weele about the world round,

So as thou can many thinges relate;

But tell me first of thy flockes estate.

fore!)

The iolly shepheard that was of yore,

Is now nor iolly, nor shepheard more.

In forreine coastes men sayd was plentie;

And so there is, but all of miserie:

I dempt there much to have eeked my store,
But such eeking hath made my heart sore.
In tho countries, whereas I have bene,
No beeing for those that truly mene;
But for such, as of guile maken gaine,
No such country as there to remaine;
They setten to sale theyr shops of shame,
And maken a mart of theyr good name :
The shepheards there robben one another,
And layen baytes to beguile her brother;
Or they will buye his sheepe out of the cote,
Or they will carven the shepheardes throte.
The shepheardes swayne you cannot well ken,
But it be by his pride, from other men ;
They looken bigge as bulles that bene bate,
And bearen the cragge so stiffe and so state,
As cocke on his dunghill crowing cranck.

Hob. Diggon, I am so stiffe and so stanck,
That uneth may I stand any more;
And now the westerne winde bloweth sore,
That now is in his chiefe sovereigntee,
Beating the withered leafe from the tree;
Sitte we downe here under the hill;
Tho may we talke and tellen our fill,
And make a mocke at the blustering blast:

Now say on, Diggon, whatever thou hast.

Dig. Hobbin, ah Hobbin! I curse the stound That ever I cast to have lorne this ground:

Wel-away the while I was so fond

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All for they holden shame of their cote:
Some sticke not to say, (hote cole on her tongue!)
That sike mischiefe graseth hem emong,
All for they casten too much of worldes care,
To deck her dame, and enrich her heire;
For such encheason, if you goe nie,
Fewe chimnies reeking you shall espie.
The fat oxe, that wont ligge in the stall,
Is nowe fast stalled in her crumenall.
Thus chatten the people in their steads,
Ylike as a monster of many heads:
But they, that shooten nearest the pricke,
Sayne, other the fat from their beards doen lick:
For bigge bulles of Basan brace hem about,
That with their hornes butten the more stoute;
But the leane soules treaden under foot,
And to seeke redresse mought little boote;
For liker bene they to pluck away more,
Then ought of the gotten good to restore:
For they bene like fowle wagmoires overgrast,
That, if thy galage once sticketh fast,
The more to winde it out thou dost swinck,
Thou mought aye deeper and deeper sinck.
Yet better leave off with a little losse,
Then by much wrestling to leese the grosse.
Hob. Nowe, Diggon, I see thou speakest too
Better it were a little to feine,
[plaine;

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Dig. I wote ne, Hobbin, how I was bewitcht With vayne desire and hope to be enricht: But, sicker, so it is, as the bright starre Seemeth aye greater when it is farre:

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And cleanely cover that cannot be cured;
Such ill, as is forced, mought needes bee endured.
But of sike pastoures howe done the flocks creepe?140
Dig. Sike as the shepheards, sike bene her sheepe,
For they nill listen to the shepheards voice;

what,] Affairs, &c. TODD.

blont.] Stupid or unpolished. TODD. wagmoires] Quagmires. TODD.

To leave the good, that I had in hond,
In hope of better that was uncouth;
So lost the dogge the flesh in his mouth.
My seely sheepe (ah! seely sheepe !)
That here by there I wilome usde to keepe,
All were they lustie as thou diddest see,
Bene all starved with pyne and penuree;
Hardly my selfe escaped thilke paine,
Driven for neede to come home againe.

But if he call hem, at their good choice
They wander at will and stay at pleasure,
And to their folds yeade at their owne leasure. 145
But they had be better come at their call;
For many han unto mischiefe fall,

And bene of ravenous wolves yrent,
All for they nould be buxome and bent.

Hob. Fie on thee, Diggon, and all thy foule leasing;

Well is knowne that, sith the Saxon king,
Never was wolf seene, many nor some,
Nor in all Kent, nor in Christendome;
But the fewer wolves (the sooth to saine)
The more bene the foxes that here remaine.

Dig. Yes, but they gang in more secret wise,
And with sheeps clothing doen hem disguise.
They walke not widely as they were wont,
For feare of raungers and the great hunt,
But prively prolling to and froe,
Enaunter they mought be inly knowe.
Hob. Or privie or pert if any bin,
We han great bandogs wil teare their skin.

Dig. In deede thy Ball is a bold bigge cur,
And could make a iolly hole in their fur:
But not good dogs hem needeth to chace,
But heedy shepheards to discerne their face;
For all their craft is in their countenaunce,
They bene so grave and full of maintenance.
But shall I tell thee what my self knowe
Chaunced to Roffin not long ygoe?

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curse,

Too good for him had bene a great deale worse;
For it was a perilous beast above all,
And eke had hee cond the shepheards call,
And oft in the night came to the sheep-cote,
And called Lowder, with a hollow throte,
As if the olde man selfe had beene:
The dogge his maisters voice did it weene,
Yet halfe in doubt he opened the dore,
And ranne out as he was wont of yore.

No sooner was out, but, swifter then thought,
Fast by the hyde the wolfe Lowder caught;
And, had not Roffy renne to the steven,
Lowder had bene slaine thilke same even.

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Hob. God shield, Man, hee should so ill have All for he did his devoyre belive.

[thrive,

If sike bene wolves, as thou hast told,

From sodaine force their flocks for to gard.

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That with many a lambe had gutted his gulfe, And ever at night wont to repayre

Dig. Thilke same shepheard mought I well marke,

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Unto the flocke, when the welkin shone fayre,
Yelad in clothing of seely sheepe,
When the good olde man used to sleepe;
Tho at midnight he would barke and ball,
(For he had eft learned a currës call,)
As if a woolfe were emong the sheepe:
With that the shepheard would breake his sleepe,
And send out Lowder (for so his dog hote)
To raunge the fields with wide open throte,
Tho, when as Lowder was far away,
"This wolvish sheepe woulde catchen his pray,
A lambe, or a kid, or a weanell wast;
With that to the wood would hee speede him fast.
Long time he used this slippery pranck,
Ere Roffy could for his labour him thanck.

At end, the shepheard his practise spyed,
(For Roffy is wise, and as Argus eyed,)
And, when at even he came to the flocke,
Fast in their foldes he did them locke,

Hob. Ah! Diggon, thilke same rule were too
All the cold season to watch and waite: [straight,
We bene of flesh, men as other bee,
Why should we be bound to such miseree?
What-ever thing lacketh chaungeable rest,
Mought needes decay, when it is at best.

Dig. Ah! but, Hobbinoll, all this long tale
Nought easeth the care that doth mee forhaile;
What shall I doe? what way shall I wend,
My piteous plight and losse to amend?
Ah! good Hobbinoll, mought I thee pray
Of ayde or counsell in my decaye.

Hob. Now by my soule, Diggon, I lament
The haplesse mischiefe that has thee hent;
Nethelesse thou seest my lowly saile,
That froward Fortune doth ever availe :
But, were Hobbinoll as God mought please,
Diggon should soone finde favour and ease :
But if to my cotage thou wilt resort,
So as I can I will thee comfort;
There mayst thou ligge in a vetchy bed,
Till fairer Fortune shew forth his head.