HE. My cloake it was a verry good cloake, I have had it four and forty yeere: 'Tis now but a sigh clout as you may see, It will neither hold out winde nor raine; And Ile have a new cloake about mee. SHE. It is four and fortye yeeres agoe Since the one of us the other did ken, And we have had betwixt us towe Of children either nine or ten; Wee have brought them up to women and men ; HE. O Bell my wiffe, why dost thou 'floute!" Now is nowe, and then was then : Seeke now all the world throughout, Thou kenst not clownes from gentlemen. 25 35 40 They are cladd in blacke, greene, yellowe, or 'gray,' Soe far above their owne degree: Once in my life Ile 'doe as they,' 46 For Ile have a new cloake about mee. SHE. SHE. King Stephen was a worthy peere, ; His breeches cost him but a crowne, And thouse but of a low degree: 50 55 I am forced to yield, though Ime good-man;' 60 Itt's not for a man with a woman to threape, Unlesse he first gave oer the plea : As wee began wee now will leave, And lle take mine old cloake about mee. Ver. 49. King Harry his hose cost but. MS. Ver. 52. clowne. MS. crowne. MS. ..a verry good king. MS. Ver. 50. 1 trou Ver. 51. He thought them 12d to deere. MS. VIH. WILLOW, WILLOW, WILLOW. It is from the following stanzas that Shakespeare has taken his song of the WILLOW, in his OTHELLO, act iv. sc. 3, though somewhat varied and applied by him to a female character. He makes Desdemona introduce it in this pathetic and affecting manner : "My mother had a maid call'd Barbara : "She was in love; and he she lov'd prov'd mad, "And did forsake her. She had a Song of -WILLOW. "An old thing 'twas, but it express'd her fortune, "And she died singing it." Ed. 1793, vol. xv. p. 613. This is given from a black-letter copy in the Pepys col• lection, thus entitled, "A Lover's Complaint, being "forsaken of his Love." To a pleasant tune. A POORE Soule sat sighing under a sicamore tree; O willow, willow, willow! With his hand on his bosom, his head on his knee: O willow, willow, willow! O willow, willow, willow! Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. He sigh'd in his singing, and after each grone, I am dead to all pleasure, my true love is gone; Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. 10 My My love she is turned; untrue she doth prove: O willow, &c. She renders me nothing but hate for my love. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. O pitty me, (cried he) ye lovers, each one; O willow, &c. Her heart's hard as marble; she rues not my mone. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. The cold streams ran by him, his eyes wept apace; O willow, &c. The salt tears fell from him, which drowned his face : O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. 15 20 25 The mute birds sate by him, made tame by his mones : O willow, &c. The salt tears fell from him, which softened the stones. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland! Let nobody blame me, her scornes I do prove ; She was borne to be faire; I, to die for her love. Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. 80 35 O that O that beauty should harbour a heart that's so hard! Sing willow, &c. My true love rejecting without all regard. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. Let love no more boast him in palace, or bower; O willow, &c. For women are trothles, and flote in an houre. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. But what helps complaining? In vaine I complaine: O willow, &c. I must patiently suffer her scorne and disdaine. Q willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. Come, all you forsaken, and sit down by me, O willow, &c. 40 45 50 He that 'plaines of his false love, mine's falser than she. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. The willow wreath weare I, since my love did fleet; O willow, &c. A Garland for lovers forsaken most meete. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland! 55 60 PART |