But, if the house be swept, The grasshopper, gnat, and fly, And so the time beguile : And if the moon doth hide her head, On tops of dewy grass So nimbly do we pass, The young and tender stalk Ne'er bends when we do walk: Yet in the morning may be seen Where we the night before have been. [Printed from Percy's text. Its author has been well acquainted with the "Robin Goodfellow" in the page before.] CLOUDS AWAY, AND WELCOME DAY. THOMAS HEYWOOD. Born about 1580. Pack clouds away, and welcome day, Wake from thy nest, Robin-red-breast, And from each hill, let music shrill, [From "Pleasant Dialogues and Dramas, &c." 1607.] TELL ME DEAREST. BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER. P. M. Both. P. M. Both. P. M. Both. Born 1586-Died 1615. Born 1576-Died 1625. Tell me dearest what is love? 'Tis an arrow, 'tis a fire, 'Tis a boy they call Desire 'Tis a grave Those poor fools that long to prove. Tell me more are women true? Some are willing, some are strange, Be in both, All shall love, to love anew. Tell me more yet, can they grieve? When you men are wise as they Then I see, Faith will be, Never till they both believe. [From the Comedy of "The Captain," Act 2, Scene 2. Part of it is found in the "Knight of the Burning Pestle," Act 3, Scene 2, standing It is a very common question with our old poets, "What is love." See Greene's Works, vol. 2, p. 276. Drummond of Hawthornden's Poems, Ed. 1833, p. 250, and Raleigh's Poems, by Brydges, p. 20.] DRINKING SONG. BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER. Drink to day and drown all sorrow, Wine wakes the heart up, wakes the wit, Then let us swill, boys, for our health; go sober Falls with the leaf, still in October. [From the "Bloody Brother, or Rollo, Duke of Normandy," Act 2, Scene 2.] TO LOVE. JOHN FLETCHER. Merciless love, whom Nature hath denied The use of eyes, lest thou shouldst take a pride, That never yet transgress'd thy deity, Never broke vow, from whose eyes never flow Thy holy fire still burning, blown with prayer : [From "The Chances," Act 2, Scene 2.] |