My boxen hautboy, sweet of sound, So forth I far'd to court with speed, There saw I ladies all a-row, There many a worthy wight I've seen, There saw I St. John, sweet of mien, Full stedfast both to church and queen; With whose fair name I'll deck my strain; St. John, right courteous to the swain. For thus he told me on a day, Lo, here thou hast mine eclogues fair, MONDAY; OR, THE SQUABBLE. LOBBIN CLOUT, CUDDY, CLODDIPOLE. LOBBIN CLOUT. THY younglings, Cuddy, are but just awake, No thrustles shrill the bramble-bush forsake, Ver. 3. Welkin, the same as welken, an old Saxon word, signifying a cloud; by poetical licence it is frequently taken for the element, or sky, as may appear by this verse in the Dream of Chaucer Ne in all the welkin was no cloud. -Sheen, or shine, an old word for shining, or bright. Ver. 5. Scant, used in the ancient British au thors for scarce. Ver. 6. Rear, an expression in several counties of England, for early in the morning. Ver. 1. To ween, derived from the Saxon, to think, or conceive. Ver. 25. Erst, a contraction of ere this; it signifies sometime ago, or formerly. Fair is the gillifiower, of gardens sweet, CUDDY. My brown Buxoma is the featest maid, LOBBIN CLOUT. Sweet is my toil when Blouzelind is near; CUDDY. As with Buxoma once 1 work'd at hay, LOBBIN CLOUT. As Blouzelinda, in a gamesome mood, CUDDY. As my Buxoma, in a morning fair, LOBBIN CLOUT. Forbear, contending louts, give o'er your strains! Leek to the Welch, to Dutchmen butter's dear, An oaken staff each merits for his pains. Oats for their feasts the Scottish shepherds grind, Ver. 56. Deft, an old word, signifying brisk, or nimble. Ver. 69. Eftsoons, from eft, an ancient British word, signifying soon. So that eftsoons is a doubling of the word soon: which is, as it were, to say twice soon, or very soon. Ver. 79. Queint has various significations in the ancient English authors. I have used it in this place in the same sense as Chaucer hath done in his Miller's Tale. "As clerkes being full subtle and queint," (by which he means arch, or waggish); and not in that obscene sense wherein he useth it in the line immediately following. Ver. 85. Populus Alcidæ gratissima, vitis laccho, Virg. But see the sun-beams bright to labour warn, TUESDAY; OR, THE DITTY, MARIAN. 120 10 When in the ring the rustic routs he threw, The damsels' pleasures with his conquests grew; Or when aslant the cudgel threats his head, His danger smites the breast of every maid, But chief of Marian. Marian lov'd the swain, The parson's maid, and neatest of the plain; Marian, that soft could stroke the udder'd cow, Or lessen with her sieve the barley-mow; Marbled with sage the hardening cheese she press'd, And yellow butter Marian's skill confess'd; But Marian now, devoid of country cares, Nor yellow butter, nor sage-cheese, prepares, For yearning love the witless maid employs, And "Love" say swains, "all busy heed destroys." Colin makes mock at all her piteous smart ; A lass that Cicely hight had won his heart, Cicely, the western lass, that tends the kee, The rival of the parson's maid was she. In dreary shade now Marian lies along, And, mixt with sighs, thus wails in plaining song: "Ah, woeful day! ah, woeful noon and morn! When first by thee my younglings white were Then first, I ween, I cast a lover's eye, "My sheep were silly, but more silly I. Beneath the shears they felt no lasting smart, They lost but fleeces, while I lost a heart. 66 Ah, Colin! canst thou leave thy sweetheart true? 20 [shorn; 30 What I have done for thee, will Cicely do? "Where'er I gad, I cannot hide my care, And wist not that with thoughtful love I pine. 40 50 "Whilom with thee 'twas Marian's dear delight To moil all day, and merry-make at night. If in the soil you guide the crooked share, Your early breakfast is my constant care; And when with even hand you strow the grain, I fright the thievish rooks from off the plain. In misling days, when I my thresher heard, With nappy beer I to the barn repair'd; Lost in the music of the whirling flail, To gaze on thee I left the smoking pail: In harvest, when the Sun was mounted high, My leathern bottle did thy draught supply; Whene'er you mow'd, I follow'd with the rake, And have full oft been sun-burnt for thy sake: When in the welkin gathering showers were seen, I lagg'd the last with Colin on the green; And when at eve returning with thy car, Awaiting heard the jingling bells from far, Straight on the fire the sooty pot I plac'd, To warm thy broth I burnt my hands for haste. When hungry thou stood'st staring, like an oaf, I slic'd the luncheon from the barley-loaf; 60 70 Ver. 21. Kee, a west-country word for kine, or Bows. With crumbled bread I thicken'd well thy mess. "Last Friday's eve, when as the Sun was set, "Have I not sat with thee full many a night, When dying embers were our only light, When every creature did in slumbers lie, Besides our cat, my Colin Clout, and I? No troublous thoughts the cat or Colin move, While I alone am kept awake by love. "Remember, Colin, when at last year's wake As this is grav'd upon this knife of thine, 90 100 Thus Marian wail'd, her eyes with tears brimful, When Goody Dobbins brought her cow to bull. With apron blue to dry her tears she sought, Then saw the cow well serv'd, and took a groat. WEDNESDAY; OR, THE DUMPS'. SPARABELLA. THE wailings of a maiden I recite, A maiden fair, that Sparabella hight. 'Dumps, or dumbs, made use of to express a fit of the sullens. Some have pretended that it is derived from Dumops, a king of Egypt, that built a pyramid, and died of melancholy. So mopes, after the same manner, is thought to have come from Merops, another Egyptian king, that died of the same distemper. But our English antiquaries have conjectured that dumps, which is a grievous heaviness of spirits, comes from the word dumplin, the heaviest kind of pudding that is eaten in this country, much used in Norfolk, and other counties of England. Ver. 5. Immemor herbarum quos est mirata juvenca Certantes, quorum stupefactæ carmine lynces, Et mutata suos requiêrunt-Aumina cursus. Virg. Now the Sun drove adown the western road, And oxen, laid at rest, forgot the goad, The clown, fatigued, trudg'd homeward with his spade, 30 Across the meadows stretch'd the lengthen'd shade; Ver. 9. Tu mihi, seu magni superas jam saxa Timavi, Sive oram Illyrici legis æquoris 40 50 Virg. Ver. 11. An opera written by this author, called The World in the Sun, or the Kingdom of Birds; he is also famous for his song on the Newmarket horse-race, and several others that are sung by the British swains. Ver. 17. Meed, an old word for fame, or re Her wan complexion 's like the wither'd leek, "My plaint, ye lasses, with this burthen aid, 'Tis hard so true a damsel dies a maid.' 61 "Sooner shall cats disport in waters clear, And speckled mackrel graze the meadows fair; Sooner shall screech-owls bask in sunny day, And the slow ass on trees, like squirrels, play; 70 Sooner shall snails on insect pinions rove; Than I forget my shepherd's wonted love. "My plaint, ye lasses, with this burthen aid, ''Tis hard so true a damsel dies a-maid.' "Ah! didst thou know what proffers I withstood, When late I met the squire in yonder wood! To me he sped, regardless of his game, While all my cheek was glowing red with shame; My lip he kiss'd, and prais'd my healthful look, Then from his purse of silk a guinea took, 60 Into my hand he forc'd the tempting gold, While I with modest struggling broke his hold. He swore that Dick, in livery strip'd with lace, Should wed me soon, to keep me from disgrace; But I nor footman priz'd, nor golden fee; For what is lace or gold, compar'd to thee? "My plaint, ye lasses, with this burthen aid, "Tis hard so true a damsel dies a maid.' "Now plain I ken whence Love his rise begun; Sure he was born some bloody butcher's son, Bred up in shambles, where our younglings slain Erst taught him mischief, and to sport with pain, The father only silly sheep annoys, The son the sillier shepherdess destroys. Does son or father greater mischief do? The sire is cruel, so the son is too. 90 "My plaint, ye lasses, with this burthen aid, 'Tis hard so true a damsel dies a majd.' "Farewell, ye woods, ye meads ye streams that flow; A sudden death shall rid me of my woe. Ver. 59. Jungentur jam gryphes equis; ævoque sequenti Cum canibus timidi venient ad pocula damæ. Ver. 67. Ante leves ergo pascentur in æthere cervi, Et freta destituent nudos in littore piscesQuam nostro illius labatur pectore vultus. 100 Virg. Virg. Ver. 89. To ken. Scire. Chaucer, to ken, and kende: notus A. S. cunnan. Goth. kunnan. Gejmanis kennen. Danis kiende. Islandis kunna Belgis kennen. This word is of general use, but not very common, though not unknown to the vulgar. Ken, for prospicere, is well known, and used to discover by the eye. Ray, F. R. S. Nunc scio quid sit amor, &c. Crudelis mater magis an puer improbus ille ? Improbus ille puer, crudelis tu quoque mater. Virg. Ver. 37. Mopso Nisa datur, quid non speremus amantes? Ver. 49. Virg. Nec sum adeo informis, nuper me in littore vidi. Ver. 53. Virg. Alba ligustra cadunt, vaccinis nigra leguntur. Virg. This penknife keen my windpipe shall divide. 110 "Ye lasses, cease your burthen, cease to moan, And, by my case forewarn'd, go mind your own." The Sun was set; the night came on apace, And falling dews bewet around the place; The bat takes airy rounds on leathern wings, And the hoarse owl his woeful dirges sings; The prudent maiden deems it now too late, And till to morrow comes defers her fate. THURSDAY; OR, THE SPELL. HOBNELIA, HOBNELIA, seated in a dreary vale, In pensive mood rehears'd her piteous tale; Her piteous tale the winds in sighs bemoan, And pining Echo answers groan for groan. 120 "I rue the day, a rueful day I trow, The woeful day, a day indeed of woe! When Lubberkin to town his cattle drove, A maiden fine bedight he hapt to love; The maiden fine bedight his love retains, And for the village he forsakes the plains. Return, my Lubberkin, these ditties hear; Spells will I try, and spells shall ease my care. With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground, And turn me thrice around, around, around.' 10 "When first the year I heard the cuckow sing, Then doff'd my shoe, and by my troth, I swear, 20 With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground And turn me thrice around, around, around.' "At eve last Midsummer no sleep I sought, But to the field a bag of hemp-seed brought; I scatter'd round the seed on every side, And three times in a trembling accent cry'd, ⚫ This hemp seed with my virgin band I sow, Who shall my true-love be, the crop shall mow 30 Ver. 8. Dight, or bedight, from the Saxon word dightan, which signifies to set in order. I straight look'd back, and, if my eyes speak truth, With his keen scythe behind me came the youth. 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground, 40 And turn me thrice around, around, around.' And turn me thrice around, around, around.' 50. 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground, And turn me thrice around, around, around.' 60 "Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame, And to each nut I gave a sweetheart's name; This with the loudest bounce me sore amaz'd, That in a flame of brightest colour blaz'd. As blaz'd the nut, so may thy passion grow; For 'twas thy nut that did so brightly glow. 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground, And turn me thrice around, around, around.' 69 "As peasecods once I pluck'd, I chanc'd to see I broke my yarn, surpris'd the sight to see; 80 With my sharp heel I three times mark the And turn me thrice around, around, around.' Ver. 64.¡y ♪ izì Aíaçıdı dáßvæv Ver. 66. Theoc. Ver. 21. Doff and don, contracted from the words Daphnis me malus urit, ego hanc in Daphnide. do off and do on. Virg VOL. X. G & |