What though her frowning brows be bent, Her cloudy looks will calm1 ere night; And then too late she will repent, That thus dissembled her delight;
And twice desire, ere it be day, That which with scorn she put away.
What though she strive to try her strength And ban and brawl, and say thee nay, Her feeble force will yield at length, When craft hath taught her thus to say: "Had women been so strong as men, In faith you had not had it then."
And to her will frame all thy ways; Spare not to spend, - and chiefly there Where thy desert may merit praise, By ringing in thy lady's ear :
The strongest castle, tower, and town, The golden bullet beats it down.
Serve always with assuréd trust, And in thy suit be humble, true; Unless thy lady prove unjust, Press never thou to choose anew:
When time shall serve, be thou not slack To proffer, though she put thee back.
The wiles and guiles that women work, Dissembled with an outward show, The tricks and toys that in them lurk,
The cock that treads them shall not know.
Calm is the reading of the Passionate Pilgrim; the manu
script just mentioned has clear.
Have you not heard it said full oft,
A woman's nay doth stand for nought?
Think women still to strive with men, To sin, and never for to saint:
There is no heaven, by holy then,
When time with age shall them attaint.1 Were kisses all the joys in bed, One woman would another wed.
But soft; enough, — too much I fear, Lest that my mistress hear my song; She'll not stick to round me i' th' ear, To teach my tongue to be so long : Yet will she blush, here be it said, To hear her secrets so bewrayed.
Live with me, and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove That hills and valleys, dales and fields, And all the craggy mountains yields.
There will we sit upon the rocks, And see the shepherds feed their flocks, By shallow rivers, by whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals.
1 These four lines are thus given in Mr. Lysons's manuscript :
"Think, women love to match with men,
And not to live so like a saint:
Here is no heaven; they holy then Begin, when age doth them attaint."
The one copy is somewhat more intelligible than the other.
There will I make thee a bed of roses, With a thousand fragrant posies, A cap of flowers, and a kirtle Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle.
A belt of straw and ivy buds, With coral clasps and amber studs; And if these pleasures may thee move, Then live with me, and be my love.
If that the world and love were young, And truth in every shepherd's tongue, These pretty pleasures might me move To live with thee and be thy love.1
In the merry month of May, Sitting in a pleasant shade
Which a grove of myrtles made,
Beasts did leap, and birds did sing,
Trees did grow, and plants did spring:
Every thing did banish moan
Save the nightingale alone :
1 We insert this poem in the order in which it appears in. The Passionate Pilgrim. The variations of other copies will be found in our Illustrations.
2 This poem is also incompletely printed in "England's Helicon ; " where it bears the signature Ignoto. There are some variations in the twenty-eight lines. there given, as in the case before us, of grove in The Passionate Pilgrim, which in “ England's Helicon" is group.
She, poor bird, as all forlorn, Leaned her breast up-till1 a thorn, And there sung the dolefull'st ditty, That to hear it was great pity: Fie, fie, fie, now would she cry, Teru, Teru, by and by: That to hear her so complain, Scarce I could from tears refrain; For her griefs so lively shown, Made me think upon mine own. Ah! thought I, thou mourn'st in vain None take pity on thy pain:
Senseless trees, they cannot hear thee; Ruthless bears, they will not cheer thee. King Pandion, he is dead;
All thy friends are lapped in lead: All thy fellow-birds do sing, Careless of thy sorrowing. Even so, poor bird, like thee, None alive will pity me.3] Whilst as fickle Fortune smiled, Thou and I were both beguiled. Every one that flatters thee Is no friend in misery.
Words are easy like the wind;
Faithful friends are hard to find.
Every man will be thy friend,
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend; But if store of crowns be scant, No man will supply thy want.
1 Up-till. This is given against. in "England's Helicon."
2 Bears. In "England's Helicon” beasts.
3 The poem in "England's Helicon " here ends; but the two lines with which it concludes are wanting in The Passionate Pilgrim.
If that one be prodigal, Bountiful they will him call: And with such-like flattering,
Pity but he were a king." If he be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice; If to women he be bent,
They have him at commandement; But if fortune once do frown, Then farewell his great renown; They that fawned on him before, Use his company no more. He that is thy friend indeed, He will help thee in thy need; If thou sorrow, he will weep; If thou wake, he cannot sleep: Thus of every grief in heart He with thee doth bear a part. These are certain signs to know Faithful friend from flattering foe.
Take, O,,take those lips away, That so sweetly were forsworn, And those eyes, the break of day, Lights that do mislead the morn: But my kisses bring again, Seals of love, but sealed in vain.
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