The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro Prince of all Latine Poets; otherwise called his Pastoralls, or shepeherds meetings. Together with his Georgiks or Ruralls, otherwise called his husbandrie, conteyning foure books. All newly translated into English verse by A. F. [i.e. Abraham Fleming] |
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 | The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro |  |
The third Eclog of Virgill, intituled: Palæmon.
The Argument.
The third eclog, with the fourth and fift following are for the most part taken out of Theocritus, and concerneth Dametas and Menalcas two shepheards very cunning in song and pipe. First therefore these two being at ods one with another, and striuing for excellencie, fall to reprochfull speeches and euill words: afterward their skill commeth in triall vpon wagers laid to and fro, both of them keeping course, number, and time. Last of all, when they haue shewed what they can, Palæmon sits in seat as iudge of the matter, and giuing equall praise vnto them both, as wel matched, he knitteth vp this eclog, with a warning not onely to these shepheards, but to all others to beware of loue, and to auoid it as much as may be.
Menalcas.
O Damet, tell, whose beasts be these, are they Melibs or no?
Da.
Not his, but Ægons, Ægon gaue them me of late [to keepe.]
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O sheepe alwaies vnluckie beasts, while he [Ægon I meane]
Doth loue and cherish Nerea, and feareth least that she
Should more esteeme of me than him. This Damet, who indeed
Is shepheard to another man, milks sheepe twise in an houre,
And so from sheepe their iuice, from lambs their milke is drawne away.
Da.
O Menalc yet remember that these faults are to be laid
Unto mens charge more sparingly: we also know who had
[To do with thee] thine eies then loo-king wantonly awrie,
And in what chapell too, but yet the gentle nymps did laugh.
Me.
Then I beleeue [when as they saw] me cut the wood or groue
Of Micon, and his newgrowne vines with naughtie [hedging] bill.
Da.
Or else the nymphs [did laugh] euen here hard by their beeches old
When thou didst breake the bow and shafts of Daphnis, which when as
Thou froward Menalc sawest giuen the youth, thou diddest grudge,
And if thou hadst not hurt him too some way thou wouldst haue dide.
Me.
What shal the lords [or owners] do when theeues dare [play such pranks]
O naughtie fellow, saw not I thee take in snares [by stelth]
A gote of Damons [at what time] the bandog barked much,
And when I cald aloud to thee, Ho whether trudgeth he?
O Tityr gather vp thy beasts: thou lurkedst in the sedge.
Da.
Should not that fellow Damon o-uercome of me in play,
Haue giuen me the gote, the which my pipe deseru'd with songs?
And if thou canst not tell [so much] that gote is [cleere] mine owne,
And Damon so confest himselfe; but said he could not giue it.
Me.
Didst thou in singing [conquer] him, or hadst at any time,
Whistle or pipe ioind close with wax, and woonted wast not thou,
Unskilfull [foole] in common waies to lauish sillie songs
Upon a pipe all out of tune [making an irkesome noise?]
Da.
Wilt thou therfore betweene vs twaine, that we by trial prooue
By turnes what both of vs can do; this cow (least thou perhaps
Shouldst it refuse, coms twise a day vnto the milking pale,
And with hir vdders nourisheth and feeds two calues at once)
This cow Ile lay: now tell me for what wager thou wouldst striue?
Me.
Of this my flocke I dare not I lay any thing with thee.
For I a father and a curst stepmother haue at home,
They both do count twise in a day the cattell [euery chone]
And one of them doth tell the kids: howbeit I will lay
That which to be much greater thou thy selfe shalt [now] confesse,
(Bicause it is thy pleasure to be mad) [that is to say]
These drinking pots of beech which are the grauen workmanship
Of excellent Alcymedon, vpon which pots being made
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Doth cloth and decke the berries growne and spreaded here and there
With whitish iuie leaues; and in the middle of these pots
Two images [are grauen] Co-non one and who the other?
Euen he that with his rod set foorth to nations all the world,
What times the reaper and the croo-ked plowman [too] should haue
Unto those pots I haue not yet [so much] as laid my lips,
But do preserue and keepe them [in a corner] hidden close.
Da.
The same Alcymedon hath made two pots also for vs,
And compassed about the eares with tender beare claw [leaues]
And hath set Orphey in the midst, and following him the woods,
Unto those pots I haue not yet [so much as] laid my lips,
But do preserue and keepe them [in a corner] hidden close.
If thou wouldst looke vpon my cow, ther's naught my pots to praise.
Men.
Thou shalt not scape to day, Ile come whersoeuer thou wilt call,
And I will bring to passe that thou hereafter with thy voice
Shalt not prouoke [or challenge a-ny man [as thou hast me]
And let Palæmon only heare these songs, lo where he coms.
Da.
Go to then, if thou hast [or canst sing any thing at all,]
In me there shall be no delay, ne will I shrinke or start
Aside for any man [not I] Palæmon neighbour mine,
Only lay vp in iudgement deepe this strife, the thing's not small.
Pal.
Say then [and sing] sith we are sat vpon the grasse so soft,
Now euery field and euery tree beginneth frute to beare,
Now woods beare leaues, and now the yeare is in his brauest hew,
Begin Dameta, Menalc thou shalt follow afterwards,
By turns you both shall sing, the nymphs loue songs that go by turnes.
Da.
O muses, at god Iupiter let our beginning be,
All things are full replenished with great god Iupiter,
He loueth and preserues the earth, he careth for my songs.
Me.
And god Apollo loueth me, for whom I alwaies haue
His gifts, bay [boughs] and lillies red, both which do sweetly smell.
Da.
The wanton wench Galath both cast an apple oft at me,
And runs vnto the willowes, and would first full faine be seene.
Me.
But my loue sweet Amyntas coms to me of his owne will,
So that Diana is not now more knowne vnto our dogs.
Da.
Gifts gotten are for Venus mine, for I haue markt the place,
Wherein the doues of th'aire haue ga-thred [stuffe to build their neasts.]
Me.
I haue sent to my youth ten yel-low apples like to gold,
(As many as I could) puld from a tree in woods [so wild,]
Ten other apples vnto him to morrow I will send.
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O what [sweet words] how oft also spake Galath vnto vs?
O winds beare you some part of them to th' eares of gods [aboue.]
Me.
O my Amynt what profits it, that thou in hart and mind
Doost not despise and set me light, if I the nets do keepe,
While thou doost follow [huntmanlike in chase the brislie] bore?
Da.
O Iöl send me Phyllis, for now is my byrth day come,
Wherein Ile sacrifice for corne, and come [Iöl] thy selfe.
Me.
Phyllis I loue afore all else, for she wept at my going,
And said farewell faire youth, a long time Iöl O farewell.
Da.
The woolfe a sad and heauie thing is vnto cattell stald,
And showrs of raine [a heauie thing] to frutes [in season] ripe,
And winds to trees, and vnto vs the wrath of Amaryll.
Me.
The moistning raine is sweet to fields when they be [newlie] sowne,
The shoots of vines are sweet to kids [from sucking] put away,
So is the limber willow tree to cattell great with yoong,
[But sweet and pleasant] vnto me Amyntas is alone.
Da.
Pollio dooth loue our song, although it be a countrie one,
[And therefore] O Pierides, [you muses] feed a cow
For Pollio your reader, and to sacrifice it him.
Me.
Pollio himselfe dooth also make songs that be new and strange,
O feed a bull for Pollio, which with his horns can butt,
And with his feet can fling and scat-ter all about the sand.
Da.
O Pollio who so loueth thee, let that man thither come,
Whether he doth reioice that thou thy selfe art also come,
Let honie flow, and thornie bush beare deintie grapes for him.
Me.
O Meni who so hates not Baue, let that man loue thy songs,
And let him couple foxes too, and milch the male-kind gotes.
Da.
O prettie boies which gather floures and strawberries also,
Creeping or growing on the ground, hence get you fast away,
For in the grasse doth lurke a snake [whose poison is full] cold.
Me.
O sheepe forbeare and spare to go too forwards on the way,
It is not good to trust the bankes: [for why] the ram himselfe
Dooth drie his flesh [bicause he fell into the water wet.]
Da.
O Tityr driue thy little gotes from [treading neere] the streame,
My selfe when time shall serue will wash them all in running spring.
Me.
O you my lads take vp the sheepe and put them in the fold,
[For] if the heat shall ouertake their milke as late it did,
In vaine we shal with palms of hands presse oft and wring their teat.
Da.
Alacke how leane a bull haue I in pasture fat and ranke,
The selfe same loue is deadlie dole to sheepe and sheapheard too.
Me.
Loue truly is no cause in mine, scarce cleaues their flesh to bones,
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Da.
O Menalc tell me in what ground, a space of heauen appeeres.
Three elues, no more, and thou shalt be Apollo great to mee.
Me.
O Damet tell me in what ground those flours doo spring and grow,
Wherein are written names of kings, and Phyllis take alone.
Pal.
It is not in vs for to end betweene you strifes so great,
Both thou Menalc [by due desert] art worthy of the cow,
And this Dameta too, and whosoeuer else beesids,
Shall feare sweet loue, or prooue and trie the same bitter to be,
Now youths shut vp the sluses close, the medes haue droonke enough.
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