Which made him rend his milk-white locks, And tresses from his head, And all with blood bestain his cheeks, With age and honour spread. To hills and woods and watry founts He made his hourly moan, Till hills and woods, and sensless things, Did seem to sigh and groan. 140 Even He swooning fell upon her breast, That was so truly hearted. The lords and nobles when they saw The end of these events, The other sisters unto death They doomed by consents; And being dead, their crowns they left Unto the next of kin : Thus have you seen the fall of pride, And disobedient sin. 175 180 XVI. YOUTH AND AGE, -is found in the little collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets, entitled the PASSIONATE PILGRIME *, the greatest part of which seems to relate to the amours of Venus and Adonis, being little effusions of fancy, probably written while he was composing his larger Poem on that subject. The following seems 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 four more such stanzas, but evidently written by a meaner pen. 15 Age, I do abhor thee, Youth, I do adore thee; O, my love, my love is young: Oh sweet shepheard, hie thee, For methinks thou stayst too long. See MALONE'S Shakesp. vol. x. p. 325. XVII, THE XVII. THE FROLICKSOME DUKE, OR THE TINKER'S GOOD FORTUNE. The following ballad is upon the same subject, as the INDUCTION to Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW: whether it may be thought to have suggested the hint to the Dramatic poet, or is not rather of later date, the reader must determine. The story is told * of PHILIP the GooD, Duke of Burgundy and is thus related by an old English writer: The said Duke, at the marriage of Eleonora, sister to "the king of Portugall, at Bruges in Flanders, which was solemnised in the deepe of winter; when as by reason of unseasonable weather he could neither hawke nor “hunt, and was now tired with cards, dice, &c. and such "other domestick sports, or to see ladies dance; with "some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walke disguised all about the towne. It so fortuned, as he "was walking late one night, he found a countrey fel"low dead drunke, snorting on a bulke; he caused his "followers to bring him to his palace, and there strip 66 66 ping him of his old clothes, and attyring him after the "court fashion, when he wakened, he and they were "all ready to attend upon his excellency, and persuade "him that he was some great Duke. The poor fellow admiring how he came there, was served in state all day long after supper he saw them dance, heard mu"sicke, and all the rest of those court-like pleasures: "but late at night, when he was well tipled, and again * By Ludov. Vives in Epist. and by Pont. Heuter. Rerum Burgund. 1. 4. 82 "fast |