Reliques of Ancient English Poetry :: :: University of Virginia Library

Reliques of Ancient English Poetry

consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs, and other Pieces of our earlier Poets, (Chiefly of the Lyric kind.) Together with some few of later Date

Percy, Thomas (1729-1811)

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VOLUME THE FIRST.

VOLUME THE SECOND.

ANCIENT SONGS AND BALLADS, &c.

VOLUME THE THIRD.

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X. PHILLIDA AND CORYDON.

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This Sonnet is given from a small quarto MS in the editor's possession, written in the time of Q. Elizabeth. Another Copy of it, containing some variations, is reprinted in the Muses Library p. 295. from an ancient miscellany, intitled England's Helicon 1600. 4to. The author was Nicholas Breton, a writer of some fame in the reign of Elizabeth; who also published an interlude intitled “An old man's lesson and a young man's love.” 1605. 4to. and many other little pieces in prose and verse, the titles of which may be seen in Winstanley, Ames' Typog. and Osborne's Harl. catalog. &c.—He is mentioned with great respect by Meres, in his 2d pt of Wit's Common-wealth. 1598. f. 283. and is alluded to in Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady, Act 2. and again in Wit without money, A. 3. —See Whalley's Ben Jonson, vol. 3. p. 103.

Phillida and Corydon is one of the Songs in “The Honourable Entertainment gieven to the Queenes Majestie in Progresse at Elvetham in Hampshire, by the R. H. the Earle of Hertford. 1591.” 4to. [Printed by Wolfe. No name of author.] See in that pamphlet,

“The thirde daies Entertainment.

“On Wednesday morning about 9 o' clock, as her Majestie opened a casement of her gallerie window, ther were 3 excellent musitians, who being disguised in auncient country attire, did greet her with a pleasant song of Corydon and Phillida, made in 3 parts of purpose. The song, as well for the worth of the dittie, as the aptnesse of the note thereto applied, it pleased her Highnesse after it had been once sung to commend it againe, and highly to grace it with her cheerefull acceptance and commendation.

“The Plowman's Song. In the merrie month of May, &c.”

The Splendour and Magnificence of Elizabeth's reign is no where more strongly painted than in these little Diaries of some of her summer excursions to the houses of her nobility; nor could a more acceptable present be given to the world, than a republication of a select number of such details as this of the entertainment at Elvetham, that at Killingworth, &c. &c. which so strongly mark the spirit of the times and present us with scenes so very remote from modern manners.

In the merrie moneth of Maye,
In a morne by break of daye,
With a troope of damselles playing
Forthe ‘I yode’ forsooth a maying:

When anon by a wood fide,
Where that Maye was in his pride,
I espied all alone
Phillida and Corydon.

Muche adoe there was, god wot;
He wold love, and she wold not:

She sayde, never man was trewe;
He sayes, never false to you.

He sayde, hee had lovde her longe:
She sayes, love should have no wronge.
Corydon wold kisse her then:
She sayes, maydes must kisse no men,

Tyll they doe for good and all:
When she made the shepperde call
All the heavens to wytnes truthe,
Never loved a truer youthe.

Then with manie a prettie othe,
Yea and nay, and, faith and trothe;
Suche as seelie shepperdes use
When they would not love abuse;

Love, that had bene long deluded,
Was with kisses sweete concluded;
And the mayde with garlands gaye
‘Crownde’ the lady of the Maye.

Vid. Vol. I. Introd.—Vol. III. p. 25.

the wode. MS.

Was the MS.