Per. But whether in paynefull love I pyne, Per. Or thrive in wealth, she shalbe mine, Per. For priefe thereof, my death shall weepe, 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, 110 115 120 126 [eye; So weren his under-songes well addrest. Wil. Heardgrome, I fear me thou have a squint Areede uprightly, who has the victorie. 130 135 Cud. Fayth of my soule, I deeme eche have gained; That Colin made? ylke can I you rehearse. Wil. Fayth of my soule, thou shalt ycrouned be 145 150 Wil. 90 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, 95 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 Per. Yet should thilk lasse not from my thought, I hate the house, since thence my Love did part, Whose wailefull want debars mine eyes of sleepe. GLOSSE. Bestadde, disposed, ordered. Rafte, bereft, deprived. 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. SEPTEMBER. AEGLOGA NONA. ARGUMENT.-Herein Diggon Davie is devised to be a shepheard that, in hope of more gaine, drove his sheepe into a farre countrey. The abuses whereof, and loose living of popish prelates, by occasion of Hobbinols demaund, he discourseth at large. Sike question rippeth up cause of new woe, Hob. Nay, but sorrow close shrouded in heart, 15 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. I thought the soyle would have made me rich, For eyther the shepheards bene ydle and still, Dig. My sheepe bene wasted; (wae is me there- They saye they con to heaven the high-way, 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, Hob. Diggon, I am so stiffe and so stanck, 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 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 80 85 All for they holden shame of their cote: 115 120 195 130 135 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: 75 And cleanely cover that cannot be cured; what,] Affairs, &c. TODD. blont.] Stupid or unpolished. TODD. wagmoires] Quagmires. TODD. To leave the good, that I had in hond, But if he call hem, at their good choice And bene of ravenous wolves yrent, Hob. Fie on thee, Diggon, and all thy foule leasing; Well is knowne that, sith the Saxon king, Dig. Yes, but they gang in more secret wise, Dig. In deede thy Ball is a bold bigge cur, 150 155 160 165 170 curse, Too good for him had bene a great deale worse; No sooner was out, but, swifter then thought, 215 220 225 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. 235 That with many a lambe had gutted his gulfe, And ever at night wont to repayre Dig. Thilke same shepheard mought I well marke, 180 185 190 Unto the flocke, when the welkin shone fayre, At end, the shepheard his practise spyed, Hob. Ah! Diggon, thilke same rule were too Dig. Ah! but, Hobbinoll, all this long tale Hob. Now by my soule, Diggon, I lament meant, who, being verie friend to the Authour hereof, had beene long in forrain countreys, and there seene many disorders, which he here recounteth to Hobbinoll. Bidde her, Bidde good morrow. For to bidde, is to pray, whereof commeth beades for praiers, and so they say, To bidde his beades, s. to say his praiers. Wightly, quickly, or sodainly. Dead at mischiefe, an unusuall speech, but much usurped of Lidgate, and sometime of Chaucer. Mirke, obscure. Warre, worse. Crumenall, purse. Brace, compasse. Encheson, occasion. Overgrast, overgrowne with grasse. Galage, shoe. The grosse, the whole. Buxome and bent, meeke and obedient. Saxon King, King Edgare that raigned here in Britanie in the yeare of our Lord [959 &c.] Which King caused all the Wolves, whereof then was store in this country, by a proper policie to be destroied. So as never since that time, there have bene Wolves here found, unlesse they were brought from other countries. And therefore Hobbinoll rebuketh him of untruth, for saying that there be Wolves in England. Nor in Christendome: this saying seemeth to be strange and unreasonable: but indeed it was wont to be an olde Great hunt, Executing of lawes and iustice. Inly, inwardly: aforesaid. Privie or pert, openly, saith Chaucer. Roffy, the name of a shepheard in Marot his Aeglogue of Robin and the King. Whom he here commendeth for great care and wise governaunce of his flocke. Colin Clout: Now I thinke no man doubteth but by Colin This tale of Roffy seemeth to colour some particular This is the saying of Narcissus in Ovid. For when the foolish boy, by beholding his face in the brooke, fell in love with his owne likenesse; and, not able to content himselfe with much looking thereon, he cried out, that plentie made him poore, meaning that much gazing had bereft him of sence. But Diggon useth to other purpose, as who that, by tryall of many wayes, had found the worst, and through great plentie was fallen into great penury. This Poesie I know to have bene much used of the Authour, and to such like effect, as first Narcissus spake it. OCTOBER. AEGLOGA DECIMA. ARGUMENT.-In Cuddie is set out the perfect patern of a Poet, which, finding no maintenance of his state and studies, complaineth of the contempt of Poetrie, and the causes thereof: Specially having bene in all ages, and even amongst the most barbarous, alwaies of singular account and honour, and being indeed so worthie and commendable an art; or rather no art, but a divine gift and heavenly instinct not to be gotten by labour and learning, but adorned with both; and poured into the witte by a certaine Enthousiasmos and celestiall inspiration, as the Author hereof else where at large discourseth in his booke called The English Poet, which booke being lately come to my handes, I minde also by Gods grace, upon further advisement, to publish. |