University of Virginia Library

THE THIRD EGLOGUE Linus' tale

The Argument.

Linus doth Lesbia loue,
And woe, and win,
And after by her
Lightnesse wrongeth him.

The second Argument.

Louely Lesbia, who might be,
For birth, beauty, quality,
Styled Natures Paragon,
Fram'd for Swaines to dote vpon;
In a word for to expresse,
Feature of this Shepheardesse,
If you would her stature know,
She was neither high nor low;
But of such a middle size,
As if Nature did deuise,
(For as't seemeth so she ment)
To make her, her president;
With a Sun-reflecting eye,
Skin more smooth then iuory;
Cherrie lip, a dimple chin,
Made for loue to lodge him in;
A sweete chearing-chasing sent,
Which perfum'd ground where she went;
A perswasiue speech, whose tongue
Strucke deepe admiration dombe.
She, euen she, whom all approu'd,
Is by liuely Linus lou'd,
And at last (what would ye more)
Though she was betroth'd before
To Palemon, that braue Swaine,
Who quite droupes through her disdaine,
Is with rites solemnized,
Vnto Linus married;
Whom he finds (as heauen is iust)
After, staind with boundlesse lust,
So as he laments his state,
Of all most vnfortunate,
That he should in hope of pelse,
Wrong both others and himselfe.
I lou'd a lasse, alas that ere I lou'd,
Who as she seem'd to be, if she had prou'd,
A worthier Swaine the countrey nere had bred,
And her I woing won, and winning wed.
Tech.
I like thee Linue, thy preamble's short;

Lin.
Technis, indeed I am not of that sort.
Who for a thing of nought will pule and crie,
And childishly put finger in the eye;
The burden of my griefe is great to beare.

Dor.
What is it Linus, pray thee let vs heare?

Lin.
The Maid I got, and Lesbia was her name,
Was to another troth-plight ere I came.

Cor.
How should she Linus then be got by thee?

Lin.
It was my fate, or her inconstancie.
Hows'ere I haue her, and possesse her now,
And would be glad to giue her one of you.

Tech.
Art wearie of thy choice?

Lin.
Technis, I am,
For I'me perswaded she'd wearie any man.
So seeming smooth she is and euer was,
As if she hardly could say Michaelmas:
But priuately so violently fierce,
As I'me afraid her name will spoile my verse.

Cor.
This is some hornet sure.

Lin.
A very waspe,
Whose forked tongue who euer should vnclaspe,
Would find't a taske to charme it.

Dym.
Is't so tart;

Lin.
O Dymnus, that thou didst but feele a part
Of my affliction, thou wouldst surely mone,
And pittie me, that's matcht to such an one;
For tell me shepheards was there ere so rare,
A crime, wherein my Lesbia doth not share?
Proud, (though before as humble to the eye
As ere was Maid) so as one may descrie,
Euen by her outward habit what she is,
And by her wanton gesture gather this:
If thou be chast, thy body wrongs thee much,
For thy light carriage saith, thou art none such.

Sap.
Some fashion-monger I durst pawne my life.

Lin.
Sapphus 'tis true, such is poore Linus wife,
Though ill it seemes a country Shepheardesse,
Such harsh fantasticke fashions to professe:
One day vnto a Barber she'de repaire,
And for what end but this, to cut her haire,
So as like to a Boy she did appeare,
Hauing her haire round cut vnto her eare.

Cor.
Good Linus say, how lookt that Minx of thine?

Lin.
Like to a fleecelesse Ewe at shearing time.
So cowd she was, as next day she did show her
Upon the Downs, but not a Swaine could know her;
So strangely clipt she seem'd, and in disguise,
So monstrous ougly, us none could deuise
To see one clad in lothsomer attire:
And this she knew was farre from my desire,
For I did euer hate it.

Tech.
Pray thee Lad
Tell vs in earnest how she might be clad!

Lin.
There is a fashion now brought vp of late,
Which here our country Blouzes imitate,
The cause whereof I do not thinke it fit,
If I did know't, for to discouer it,
But sure I iudge, some rot's in womans ioynts,
Which makes them faine to tye them vp with points.

Dym.
With points!

Lin.
Yes Dymnus, that's the fashion now,
Whereof I haue a tale, right well I know,
Will make you laugh.

Dor.
Let's heare that tale of thine.

Lin.
Shepheards you shall; it chanc'd vpon a time,
That Lesbia, whose spirit euer would
Obserue the fashion, do I what I could,
Bearing a port far higher in a word,
Then my abilitie could well afford:
That she I say into this fashion got,
(As what was th' fashion she affected not)
Of tying on with points her looser waste;
Now I obseruing how her points were plast,
The Euen before she to a wake should go,
I all her points did secretly vndo,
Yet therewithall such easie knots did make,
That they might hold till she got to the wake,
Which she not minding.

Cor.
On good Linus, on.

Lin.
She hyes her to the wake (my Corydon)
Where she no sooner came, then she's tane in,
And nimbly falls vnto her reuessing,
But see the lucke on't, while she scuds and skips,
Her vnderbody falls from off her hips,
Whereat some laught, while others tooke some ruth,
That she vncas'd, should shew the naked truth.
But heare what happen'd hence, ere th' setting Sunne
Lodg'd in the West, she heard what I had done;
So as resolu'd to quite me in my kind,
Next morne betime, she Hylus chanc'd to find.

Sap.
Who, Clytus boy!

Lin.
Yes Sapphus, selfe-same Lad,
Who was a good boy, ere she made him bad.

Tech.
Pray Linus how?

Lin.
Through her immodestie,
She him allur'd for to dishonour me.

Tech.
Disloyall Lesbia; but pray the shew,
Did Hylus (harmelesse youth) consent thereto?

Lin.
Technis, he did;

Dor.
How shouldst thou know as much?

Lin.
She did display't her selfe.

Dor.
Is her shame such?

Lin.
Yes, and withall defide me to my face,
With such iniurious speeches of disgrace,
As patience could not beare.

Tech.
And didst thou beare them?

Lin.
Yes, Technis yes, & smild when I did heare them
For this is my conceit, it seemeth no man,
To shew his violence vnto a woman.

Dym.
Linus sayes well, but womans nature's such,
They will presume if men do beare too much.
For if the tongue vpon defiance stand,
The tongue should be reuenged by the hand.

Lin.
Some would haue done it Dymnus, but I thought
If I reuenge by such base meanes had sought,
The woreld would condemne me; she could blind
Most men with an opinion, she was kind,
But in a modest sort: for on a time,
Rich Amphybæus offring to the shrine
Of Panaretus (as there went report)
Sought for her loue in a dishonest sort,
With price, with prayer, yet nere attain'd his aime,
To soile her honour, or her vertues staine;

Sap.
Women are nice when simple heard-men craue it,
And will say nay, when they the fainst would haue it.

Lin.
'Tis right; and now good shepheards tell me true,
Haue I not cause, for I'le be iudg'd by you,
To mone my hard mishap?

Tech.
Thou hast indeed.

Cor.
Thy woes, friend Linus, make my heartstrings bleed;

Lin.
I thanke you all; but will you heare a song,
Penn'd in the meditation of my wrong!

Dor.
For loues-sake do!

Lin.
Iudge if the descant fit
The burden of my griefe, for this is it;
As for the note before I further go,
My tune is this, and who can blame my woe?

Dym.
I iudge by this, that thou wouldst faine forsake her,
And freely giue her any that would take her.

Lin.
Dymnus I would, but I my crosse must beare,
As I haue done before this many yeare;
But since our griefes are equally exprest,
Let's now compare which is the heauiest!

Tech.
I lost my Amarillida;

Dor.
But she
Was nothing to Bellina.

Dym.
No, nor she
Like to my faire Palmira.

Cor.
Nor all three
Equall to Celia;

Sap.
Let Siluia be
The onely faire.

Lin.
Admit, they all were faire,
Your griefes with me, may haue no equall share,
For you are free, so as perhaps you may
Make choice of some, may be as faire as they;
But I am bound, and that in such a knot,
As onely death may it vnloose, or not.

Tech.
To Linus must we yeeld; but who are these?

Dor.
Two iollie shepheards, that do hither prese,
With ribbon fauours, and rosemary sprigs,
Chanting along our Downes their rurall jigs.
As to some wedding boun;

Sap.
You may presume,
For Iohn vnto the May-pole is their tune,
And that's their bridall note.

Lin.
Let vs draw neare them,
Close to this shadie Beech, where we may heare them.