University of Virginia Library

The first day.

Now bonylasse Phillis was newly betroathd to Amyntas
By rich Montanus consent; whoe yet, for a long tyme
Wedding day differd, til his owne byrth day was aproaching:
That twooe solempne feasts ioynd fryendly togeather in one day
Might with more meryment, and more concurse be adorned.
Soe men on earth purpose, but Gods dispose in Olympus:
For, when as each thing was by the Father duly prepared,
And byrthwedding day now nere and nearer aproached,
Wedding by brydes death was most vntymely preuented,
And fathers byrth-day, deaths-day to the daughter apoynted;
Deaths-day lamented many dayes by the woeful Amyntas,
Deaths-day which hastned deaths-day to the mourneful Amyntas:
Whose mournyng all night all day, did weary the Mountaynes,
Weary the woods, and winds, and caues, and weary the fountayns.
But when he saw in vayne his cheeks with teares to be watred,
Cheeks all pale and wan, yet could not fynde any comfort;
Comfortles then hee turns at length his watery countnance
Vnto the water streames; and there his playnts he begynneth:
Heare, ô Brooke, these playnts, heare, ô sweete brooke, my bewaylings,
And conuey them downe to thy kinsmans watery kingdome,


Downe to the world-washing main-sea with speedy reflowing:
World-washing mayne-sea will then conuey to the worlds-end
This greeuous mournyng by the shore, by the sands, by the desert,
Desert, sands, and shore fit witneses vnto my mournyng.
And greate God Neptune perchaunce his mightyly-thundring
Triton will commaund to recount what I feele, what I suffer,
Raging heate of loue passing outragius Ætna.
Soe th' infamous fame of wretched louer Amyntas,
Blowne from th' east to the west by the sounding tromp of a Triton.
Through deepe seas passing, at length may pierce to Auernus
And fyelds Elysian, where blessed sowles be abyding;
And there meete Phillis, sweete sowle of Phillis among them,
Sweete sowle of Phillis, stil stil to be mournd of Amyntas.
O what a life did I leade, what a blessed lyfe did I leade then,
Happy Shepheard with a louing lasse, while desteny suffred?
Vnder a Beech many tymes wee sate most sweetly togeather,
Vnder a broade Beech-tree, that sunbeames might not anoy vs,
Eyther in others arms, stil looking eyther on other,
Both many tymes singing, and verses both many making,
And both soe-many woords with kisses soe-many myngling:
Sometymes her whyte neck, as white as mylk, was I tutching,
Sometymes her prety papps and brests was I bould to be fingring,
Whilst Phillis smyling and blushing hangd by my bosome,
And these cheeks of myne did stroake with her yuory fingers.
O ioyfull spring-tyme with pleasures wished abounding,
O those blessed days, whilst good luck shinde fro the Heauens.
But since Phillis, alas, did leaue most cursed Amyntas,
Paines haue plagued, alas, both flesh and bones of Amyntas,
Noe day riseth, alas, but it hears these groanes of Amyntas,
Noe night commeth, alas, that brings any rest to Amyntas,
Night and day thus, alas, stil Phillis troubleth Amyntas:
Now if northern blasts should sound theyr feareful alarum,
And boistrous tempests come thundring downe fro the Heauens,
Soe that I were compeld with Sheepe and Kidds fro the pastures
Down to the broade-brauncht trees & thick-sett groaues to be skudding,
There to remayne for a whyle, and all for feare of a scowring,
Phillis then doe I want, then my sweete Phillis is absent,
Phillis then doe I want, whose woont was then to be harcknyng
All that I could of loue, or goddesse louely remember:
Songs of lusty Satyrs, and Fauni fryends to the Mountayns,


And cherefull Charites; such songs, as none but I only,
Only Amyntas made, for none compar'd with Amyntas.
But now Phillis I want; and whoe shall now be my Phillis?
Whoe shall marck what I sing, what I say, forsaken Amyntas?
Yf that I prayse Phillis, these hills giue prayse to my Phillis,
And Phillis, Phillis from rocks with an Eccho reboundeth.
Yf that I groane, these trees with bending, yeeld many groanyngs,
And very ground for griefe shews her complexion altred:
Soe this ground, these trees, these rocks, and Eccho resounding,
All that I heare, that I see, geu's fresh increase to my sorrow.
Let those happy Shepherds keepe company fryendly togeather,
And I alone, yeelding due mournyng vnto my Phillis,
Ile now wander alone, stil alone by the rocks, by the Mountayns,
Dwelling in darck dens, by the wylde beasts only frequented,
Where noe path for man, where noe man's scene to be passing:
Or to the woods ile goe soe darck with broad-shadoe braunches,
That noe sunne by the day, noe moone by the night doe behould mee,
And that I heare noe voyce but Goblyns horrible outcries,
Owles balefull skrikings, and Crowes vnlucky resoundings.
There shal these myne eyes be resolud in watery fountayns,
There shall these fountayns flow ouer a long by the pastures.
There wil I make such playnts, as beasts shall mourne by my playnyngs,
Such playnts, as strong trees shall rent and ryue fro the rooting,
Make wylde Panthers tame, and mollyfy lastly the flynt stone.
And, if I needs must sleepe, ile take but a napp by my sleeping,
On bare and could ground these lyms all weary reposing:
Noe greene turfe to my head shall stand in steede of a pillow,
Noe bows or braunches geeue cou'ring vnto my carkas,
That some fowle serpent may speedyly geue my deaths-wound,
That this poore sowle may from flesh and blood be released,
And passing Stygian waters, may come to the fayre fyelds
Elysian fayre fyelds, and dayly resort to my Phillis.
Meane while, fryendly Shepherds & plow-men, marck what I tel you;
Disdaigne daynty Venus, geue noe ground vnto the yong Boy,
Yong Boy, but strong Boy, take heede, take heede by Amyntas,
Th' one with a fyre hath burnt, and th' other pierst with an arrow
Flesh and blood and bones, what's worse than a fyre, than an arrow?
O bitter fortune of too too wretched Amyntas.