When he had heard, with bitter tears,
He made his answer then;

105

Unto my Ragan's court;

110

She will not use me thus, I hope,

But in a kinder sort.'

Where when he came, she gave command

To drive him thence away:

When he was well within her court

(She said) he would not stay.

Then back again to Gonorell,

The woeful king did hie,

That in her kitchen he might have
What scullion boys set by.

But there of that he was deny'd,
Which she had promis'd late:
For once refusing, he should not
Come after to her gate.
Thus twixt his daughters, for relief

He wandered up and down;
Being glad to feed on beggars' food,

That lately wore a crown.

And calling to remembrance then

His youngest daughter's words,

That said the duty of a child

Was all that love affords:

115

120

125

130

But doubting to repair to her,
Whom he had banish'd so,

Grew frantick mad; for in his mind

135

He bore the wounds of woe:

Which made him rend his milk-white locks,

And tresses from his head,

And all with blood bestain his cheeks,

With age and honour spread.

140

To hills and woods and watry founts,

He made his hourly moan,

Till hills and woods, and senseless things,
Did seem to sigh and groan.

Even thus possest with discontents,

He passed ore to France,

In hopes from fair Cordelia there,

145

She

in charge he should be brought To Aganippus' court;

155

gave

Whose royal king, with noble mind

So freely gave consent,

To muster up his knights at arms,
To fame and courage bent.

And so to England came with speed,

To repossesse king Leir,

And drive his daughters from their thrones

By his Cordelia dear.

Where she, true-hearted noble queen,

Was in the battel slain:

Yet he, good king, in his old days,

Possest his crown again.

160

165

But when he heard Cordelia's death,

Who died indeed for love
Of her dear father, in whose cause
She did this battle move;
He swooning fell upon her breast,
From whence he never parted;
But on her bosom left his life,

That was so truly hearted.

The lords and nobles when they saw

The end of these events,

The other sisters unto death

They doomed by consents;

And being dead, their crowns they left

Unto the next of kin.

Thus have you seen the fall of pride,
And disobedient sin.

170

175

180

XVI.

YOUTH AND AGE,

-is found in the little collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets, intitled 'The Passionate Pilgrime,' the greatest part of which seems to relate to the amours of Venus and Adonis, being little effusions of fancy, probably written while he was composing his larger Poem on that subject. The following seems intended for the mouth of Venus, weighing the comparative merits of youthful Adonis and aged Vulcan. In the 'Garland of Good Will' it is reprinted, with the addition of four more such stanzas, but evidently written by a meaner pen.

CRABBED Age and Youth

Cannot live together;
Youth is full of pleasance,
Age is full of care:
Youth like summer morn,
Age like winter weather,

1 Mentioned above, Song XI. B. II.

5

Youth like summer brave,

Age like winter bare:

Youth is full of sport,

Age's breath is short;

Youth is nimble, Age is lame:

Youth is hot and bold,

Age is weak and cold;

Youth is wild, and Age is tame.

Oh, sweet shepheard, hie thee,

For methinks thou stayst too long,
*See Malone's Shakesp. Vol. X. p. 325.

XVII.

THE FROLICKSOME DUKE, OR THE
TINKER'S GOOD FORTUNE,

The following ballad is upon the same subject, as the 'Induction' to Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew:' whether it may be thought to have suggested the hint to the Dramatic poet, or is not rather of later date, the reader must determine.

The story is told' of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; and is thus related by an old English writer: 'The said Duke, at the marriage of Eleonora, sister to the king of Portugall, at Bruges in Flanders, which was solemnised in the deepe of winter; when as by reason of unseasonable weather he could neither hawke nor hunt, and was now tired with cards, dice, &c. and such other domestick sports, or to see ladies dance; with some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walke disguised all about the towne. It so fortuned, as he was walking late one night, he found a countrey fellow dead drunke, snorting on a bulke; he caused his followers to bring him to his palace, and there stripping him of his old clothes, and attyring him after the court fashion, when he wakened, he and they were all ready to attend upon his excellency, and persuade him that he was some great Duke. The poor fellow admiring how he came there, was served in state all day long: after supper he saw them dance, heard musicke, and all the rest of those court-like pleasures: but late at night, when he was well tipled, and again fast asleepe, they put on his 1 By Ludov. Vives in Epist. &c. by Pont. Heuter, Rerum Burgund. 1. 4.

old robes, and so conveyed him to the place, where they first found him. Now the fellow had not made them so good sport the day before, as he did now, when he returned to himself: all the jest was to see how he looked upon it. In conclusion, after some little admiration, the poore man told his friends he had seen a vision; constantly believed it; would not otherwise be persuaded, and so the jest ended.' Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, Pt. II. sect. 2. Memb. 4. 2d. Ed. 1624, fol.

This ballad is given from a black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, which is intitled as above. To the tune of Fond boy." เ

1

Now as fame does report a young duke keeps a court,
One that pleases his fancy with frolicksome sport;
But amongst all the rest, here is one, I protest,
Which will make you to smile when you hear the true
jest:

A poor tinker he found, lying drunk on the ground, 5
As secure in a sleep as if laid in a swound.

The duke said to his men, William, Richard, and Ben, Take him home to my palace, we'll sport with him then.'

10

O'er a horse he was laid, and with care soon convey'd
To the palace, altho' he was poorly arraï'd:
Then they stript off his cloaths, both his shirt, shoes,

and hose,

And they put him to bed for to take his repose.

Having pull'd off his shirt, which was all over durt, They did give him clean holland, this was no great

hurt:

On a bed of soft down, like a lord of renown,

15

They did lay him to sleep the drink out of his crown.
In the morning when day, then admiring he lay,
For to see the rich chamber both gaudy and gay.

Now he lay something late, in his rich bed of state, Till at last knights and squires they on him did wait; 20 1 Some trace Shakspeare's Induction to a collection of comic prose stories by one Edwards, printed 1570.-Ed.