And fo to England came with speed,

To repoffeffe king Leir,

And drive his daughters from their thrones

By his Cordelia dear:

XV.

YOUTH AND AGE,

-is found in the little collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets, intitled the PASSIONATE PILGRIME ‡, the greatest part of which feem to relate to the amours of Venus and Adonis, being little effufions of fancy, probably written, while he was compofing his larger Poem on that fubject. The following feems 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 IV. more fuch ftanzas, but evidently written by a meaner pen.

CRA

RABBED Age and Youth
Cannot live together;

Youth is full of pleafance,
Age is full of care:
Youth like fummer morn,
Age like winter weather,
Youth like fummer brave,
Age like winter bare:

Youth is full of sport,
Ages breath is fhort;

‡ See above, page 217.

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Youth

Youth is nimble, Age is lame:

Youth is hot and bold,

Age is weak and cold;

Youth is wild, and Age is tame.
Age, I do abhor thee,

Youth, I do adore thee,

O, my love, my love is young :

Age, I do defie thee;

Oh sweet shepheard, hie thee,

For methinks thou ftayft too long.

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XVI.

THE FROLICKSOME DUKE, OR THE TINKER's GOOD FORTUNE.

The following ballad is upon the fame fubject, as the INDUCTION to Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW: whether it may be thought to have fuggefted the hint to the Dramatic poet, or is not rather of later date, the reader must determine.

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The ftory is told of PHILIP the GOOD, Duke of Burgundy; and is thus related by an old English writer. "The faid Duke, at the marriage of Eleonora, fifter to the king of Portugall, at Bruges in Flanders, which was folem66 nifed in the deepe of winter; when as by reason of unfeafonable weather he could neither hawke nor bunt, and

"" was

By Ludov. Vives in Epift. & by Pont, Heuter, Rerum Burgund. lib. 4.

was now tired with cards, dice, &c. and fuch other domeftick sports, or to fee ladies dance; with fome of his "courtiers, he would in the evening walke difguifed all "about the towne. It fo fortuned, as he was walking "late one night, he found a countrey fellow dead drunke, Snorting on a bulke; he caufed his followers to bring him

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to his palace, and there ftripping him of his old clothes, "and attyring him after the court fashion, when he "awakened, he and they were all ready to attend upon his "excellency, and perfuade him that he was fome great Duke. "The poor fellow admiring how he came there, was ferved "in ftate all day long after fupper he faw them dance, "heard muficke, and all the reft of thofe court-like pleafures: but late at night, when he was well tipled, and again faft afleepe, they put on his old robes, and fo conveyed him to the place, where they first found him. Now "the fellow had not made them fo good sport the day before, as he did now, when he returned to himself: all the jeft was to fee how he looked upon it. In conclufion, after Some little admiration, the poore man told his friends be "had feen a vifion; conftantly believed it; would not other-wife be perfuaded, and fo the jest ended." Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. Pt. 2. fect. 2. Memb. 4. 2d. Ed. 1624. fol.

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This ballad is given from a black letter Copy in the Pepys Collection, which is intitled as above, "To the tune of, "Fond boy."

WOW as fame does report a young duke keeps a court,

Now

One that pleases his fancy with frolicksome sport: But amongst all the reft, here is one I protest,

Which will make you to fmile when you hear the true jeft:

A poor tinker he found, lying drunk on the ground, 5 As fecure in a fleep as if laid in a fwound.

The

The duke faid to his men, William, Richard, and Ben,
Take him home to my palace, we'll sport with him then.
O'er a horse he was laid, and with care foon convey'd
To the palace, altho' he was poorly arrai'd:
Then they ftriptoffhiscloaths, both his shirt, shoes andhofe,
And they put him to bed for to take his repose.

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Having pull'd off his shirt, which was 1 over durt,
They did give him clean holland, this was no great hurt?
On a bed of foft down, like a lord of renown, 15
They did lay him to fleep the drink out of his crown.
In the morning when day, then admiring he lay,
For to fee the rich chamber both gaudy and gay.

Now he lay fomething late, in his rich bed of ftate,
Till at last knights and quires they on him did wait; 20
And the chamberling bare, then did likewife declare,
He defir'd to know what apparel he'd ware :

The poor tinker amaz'd, on the gentleman gaz'd,
And admired how he to this honour was rais'd.

Tho' he feem'd fomething mute, yet he chose a rich fuit, Which he ftraitways put on without longer difpute; 26 With a ftar on his fide, which the tinker offt ey’d, And it feem'd for to fwell him no' little with pride; For he said to himself, Where is Joan my fweet wife? Sure the never did fee me fo fine in her life.

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