Then shall thy rauisht soule inspired bee
With heauenly thoughts, farre aboue humane skil,
And thy bright radiant eyes shall plainely see
Th'Idee of his pure glorie, present still
Before thy face, that all thy spirits shall fill
With sweete enragement of celestiall loue,
Kindled through sight of those faire things aboue.

JOHN LYLY

1553-1606

TO WELCOME IN THE SPRING

WHAT Bird so sings yet so dos wayle?
O'ts the rauishd Nightingale.

Iug, Iug, Iug, Iug, tereu, shee cryes,
And still her woes at Midnight rise.
Braue prick song! who is't how we heare?
None but the Larke so shrill and cleare ;
How at heauen's gates she claps her wings,
The Morne not waking till shee sings.
Heark, heark, with what a pretty throat
Poore Robin red-breast tunes his note;
Heark how the iolly Cuckoes sing
Cuckoe, to welcome in the spring,
Cuckoe, to welcome in the spring.

PAN'S SONG

PAN'S Syrinx was a girle indeed,
Though now shee's turn'd into a reed,
From that deare Reed Pan's pipe does come,
A Pipe that strikes Apollo dumbe;

enragement] rapture.

wayle] wail.

prick song] song of which notes are

written down, not extempore.

Nor Flute, nor Lute, nor Gitterne can
So chant it, as the pipe of Pan;
Cross-gartrd swains, and Dairie girls,
With faces smug and round as Pearles,
When Pan's shrill pipe begins to play,
With dancing weare out night and day:
The bag-pipes drone his Hum laes by,
When Pan sounds vp his minstrelsie.
His minstrelsie! O Base! This Quill
Which at my mouth with winde I fill,
Puts me in minde, though Her I misse,
That still my Syrinx lips I kisse.

CUPID AND CAMPASPE

CVPID and my Campaspe playd
At Cardes for kisses, Cupid payd;
He stakes his Quiuer, Bow, and arrows,
His Mothers doues, and teeme of sparrows;
Looses them too; then, downe he throwes
The corrall of his lippe, the rose

Growing on's cheek (but none knows how),
With these, the cristall of his Brow,
And then the dimple of his chinne :
All these did my Campaspe winne.
At last, hee set her both his
eyes;
Shee won, and Cupid blind did rise.

O Loue! has shee done this to Thee?
What shall (Alas !) become of mee ?

cristall] crystal, fairness.

ANTHONY MUNDAY (SHEPHERD TONY)

1553-1633

BEAUTY BATHING

England's Helicon

BEAUTIE sate bathing by a Spring,

where fairest shades did hide her.

The windes blew calme, the birds did sing, the coole streames ranne beside her. My wanton thoughts entic'd mine eye, to see what was forbidden :

But better Memory said, fie,

so, vaine Desire was chidden.
Hey nonnie, nonnie O

Hey nonnie, nonnie.

Into a slumber then I fell,

when fond imagination Seemed to see, but could not tell

her feature or her fashion.

But euen as Babes in dreames doe smile, and sometime fall a weeping:

So I awakt, as wise this while, as when I fell a sleeping. Hey nonnie, nonnie, &c.

THE WOOD-MAN'S WALK

THROUGH a faire Forrest as I went vpon a Summers day,

I met a Wood-man quaint and gent;

yet in a strange aray.

fashion] shape.
gent] refined, neat.

this while] this time.

I maruail'd much at his disguise,

whom I did know so well :

But thus in tearmes both graue and wise, his minde he gan to tell.

Friend, muse not at this fond aray,

but list a while to me:
For it hath holpe me to suruay
what I shall shew to thee.
Long liu'd I in this Forrest faire,
till wearie of my weale,
Abroad in walkes I would repaire,
as now I will reueale.

My first dayes walke was to the Court,
where beautie fed mine eyes;
Yet found I that the Courtly sport,
did maske in slie disguise.

For falsehood sate in fairest lookes,
and friend to friend was coy:
Court fauour fill'd but emptie bookes,
and there I found no ioy.

Desert went naked in the colde,

when crouching craft was fed:

Sweet words were cheaply bought and solde,
but none that stood in sted.

Wit was imployed for each mans owne,
plaine meaning came too short :
All these deuises seene and knowne,

made me forsake the Court.

Vnto the Cittie next I went,

in hope of better hap:

Where liberally I lanch'd and spent,

as set on Fortunes lap.

maruail'd] marvelled.

fortune, fate.

fond] foolish.

hap] lot,

The little stock I had in store,

Me thought would nere be done : Friends flockt about me more and more, as quickely lost as wone.

For when I spent, then they were kinde, but when my purse did faile,

The foremost man came last behinde, thus loue with wealth doth quaile. Once more for footing yet I stroue, although the world did frowne: But they before that held me vp, together troad me downe.

And least once more I should arise, they sought my quite decay : Then got I into this disguise,

and thence I stole away.

And in my minde (me thought) I said,
Lord blesse mee from the Cittie :
Where simplenes is thus betraide,

and no remorce or pittie.

Yet would I not giue ouer so,

but once more trie my fate : And to the Country than I goe, to liue in quiet state.

There did appeare no subtile showes,
but yea and nay went smoothly:
But Lord how Country-folkes can glose,
when they speake most vntruely?
More craft was in a buttond cap,

and in old wiues saile :