The complete works of John Lyly now for the first time collected and edited from the earliest quartos with life, bibliography, essays, notes and index by R. Warwick Bond |
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 | The complete works of John Lyly |  |
447
The Plowmans Song.
In the merrie moneth of May,In a morne, by breake of day,
Forth I walked by the wood side,
Where as May was in his pride.
There I spied, all alone
Phyllida and Corydon.
Much adoe there was God wot,
He would loue, and she would not.
She said, neuer man was true:
He said, none was false to you.
He said, he had loued her long:
She said, loue should haue no wrong.
Coridon would kisse her then:
She said, maides must kisse no men,
Till they did for good and all.
Then she made the shepheard call
448
Neuer lou'd a truer youth.
Thus with many a pretie oath,
Yea and nay, and faith and troth,
Such as silly shepheards vse,
When they will not loue abuse,
Loue, which had beene long deluded,
Was with kisses sweet concluded:
And Phyllida with garlands gay,
Was made the Lady of the May.
| The complete works of John Lyly | |