When she had seen the beauteous wench (Then blushing fairnes fairer) Such beauty made the countesse hold Who would not bite at such a bait ? Scarse one in twenty that had bragg'd Of proffer'd gold denied, Or of such yeelding beautie baulkt, But, tenne to one, had lied. Thus thought she and she thus declares : Her cause of coming thether; 115 120 But, for you have not furniture Beseeming such a guest, I bring his owne, and come myselfe To see his lodging drest. 130 With that two sumpters were discharg'd, And al such turn should have. When all was handsomly dispos'd, And, Damsell, quoth shee, for it seemes This houshold is but three, And for thy parents age, that this 135 140 145 No sooner sat he foote within The late deformed cote, But that the formall change of things His wondring eies did note. Y 2 155 But But when he knew those goods to be The countesse was a-bed, and he With her his lodging tooke; 160 Sir, welcome home (quoth shee); this night 165 you I did not looke. For Her patience, witte and answer wrought When (kissing her a score of times) Amend, sweet wife, I shall : He said, and did it; so each wife 'Her husband may' recall. 185 VII. DOWS A BELL. The following stanzas were written by MICHAEL DRAYTON, a poet of some eminence in the reigns of Q. Elizabeth, James I, and Charles I* They are inserted in one of his Pastorals, the first edition of which bears this whimsical title. "Idea. The Shepheards Gar"land fashioned in nine Eglogs. Rowlands sacrifice to "the nine muses. Lond. 1593." 4to. They are inscribed with the Author's name at length "To the noble "and valerous gentleman master Robert Dudley, &c." It is very remarkable that when Drayton reprinted them in the first folio edit. of his works, 1619, he had given those Eclogues so thorough a revisal, that there is hardly a line to be found the same as in the old edition. This poem had received the fewest corrections, and therefore is chiefly given from the ancient copy, where it is thus introduced by one of his Shepherds: He was born in 1563, and died in 1631. Biog. Brit. Listen Listen to mee, my lovely shepheards joye, My toothles grandame oft hath tolde to me. The Author has professedly imitated the style and metre of some of the old metrical Romances, particularly that of SIR ISENBRAS*, (alluded to in v. 3.) as the Reader may judge from the following specimen : Lordynges, lysten, and you shal here, &c. For a gentyll knight was he : Harpers loved him in hall, For he gave them golde and fee, &c. 20 This ancient Legend was printed in black-letter, 4to, by pipam optand; no date.-In the Cotton Library (Calig. A. 2.) is a MS. copy of the same Romance containing the greatest variations. They are probably two different translations of some French Original. As also Chaucer's Rhyme of Sir Topas, v.6. FARRE |