Rise and put on your foliage, and be seen To come forth, like the spring-time, fresh and green, And sweet as Flora. Take no care For jewels for your gown or hair: Fear not; the leaves will strew Gems in abundance upon you: Besides, the childhood of the day has kept, Retires himself or else stands still Till you come forth. Wash, dress, be brief in praying: Come, my Corinna, come; and, coming, mark Or branch: each porch, each door ere this Made up of white thorn neatly interwove; The proclamation made for May: And sin no more, as we have done, by staying; There's not a budding boy or girl this day 1 beads, prayers. Some have despatch'd their cakes and cream Before that we have left to dream: And some have wept, and woo'd, and plighted troth, Many a kiss, both odd and even: From out the eye, love's firmament; Many a jest told of the keys betraying This night, and locks pick'd, yet we 're not a-Maying. Come, let us go while we are in our prime; And take the harmless folly of the time. Before we know our liberty. Our life is short, and our days run And, as a vapour or a drop of rain Lies drowned with us in endless night. 1green-gown, tumble on the grass. CVII. A PASTORAL UPON THE BIRTH OF PRINCE CHARLES. PRESENTED TO THE KING, AND SET BY MR. NIC. LANIERE.1 Prince Charles, afterwards Charles II., was born May, 1630. Amintas. GOOD-DAY, Mirtillo. Mirt. And to you no less, And all fair signs lead on our shepherdess. Amar. With all white luck to you. Mirt. But say, what news Stirs in our sheep-walk? Amin. None, save that my ewes, My wethers, lambs, and wanton kids are well, Smooth, fair and fat! none better I can tell: Or that this day Menalchas keeps a feast For his sheep-shearers. Mirt. True, these are the least; But, dear Amintas and sweet Amarillis, Rest but a while here, by this bank of lilies, And lend a gentle ear to one report The country has. Amin. From whence? Amar. From whence? Mirt. The Court. Three days before the shutting in of May To all our joy a sweet-faced child was born, Chor. Pan pipe to him, and bleats of lambs and sheep Let lullaby the pretty prince asleep! Mirt. And that his birth should be more singular At noon of day was seen a silver star,2 1 Nic. Laniere, a popular singer and composer at court from 1614 to about 1665. 2 a silver star. Mr. Pollard quotes from Stella Meridiana (1661): "King Charles the First went to St. Paul's Church the 30th day of May, 1630, to give praise for the birth of his son, attended with all his Peers, and a most royal Train, when a bright star appeared at High Noon in the sight of all ". Bright as the wise men's torch which guided them Mirt. Not so, not so. Chor. But if it chance to prove At most a fault, 't is but a fault of love. Amar. But, dear Mirtillo, I have heard it told Amar. A garland1 for my gift shall be With oaten pipes as sweet as new. Mirt. And I a sheep-hook will bestow, To have his little kingship know, As he is prince, he's shepherd too. Chor. Come, let's away, and quickly let's be dress'd, And quickly give the swiftest grace is best. And when before him we have laid our treasures, 1 a garland... oaten pipes ... a sheep-hook. Similar gifts are given to the infant Jesus by the shepherds and their boys in many of the miracleplays. Cf. Introduction, p. xx. CVIII. THE HOCK-CART OR HARVEST HOME. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE MILDMAY, EARL OF WESTMORELAND.1 OME, sons of summer, by whose toil COME, We are the lords of wine and oil; By whose tough labours and rough hands The harvest swains and wenches bound 1 Mildmay, Earl of Westmoreland: Mildmay Fane, author of a volume of poems called Otia Sacra. 2 maukin, a diminutive of Mary, the doll, or 'kern-baby', which is placed on the last load of corn home. Folk-lorists say that it represents the spirit of fertilization. 3 A hock-cart or hockey-cart is a festival or holiday-cart. 'Hock' is connected etymologically with 'high'. It reappears in the name HockTuesday, given to the second or third Tuesday after Easter. fill-horse, thill-horse, or shaft-horse. |