University of Virginia Library

II.—From ‘England's Helicon:’

Phillida and Coridon.

In the merry moneth of May,
In a morne by breake of day,
Foorth I walkèd by the Wood side,
Whenas May was in his pride:
There I spièd all alone,
Phillida and Coridon.
Much a-doo there was, God wot,
He would loue, and she would not.
She sayd neuer man was true,
He sayd, none was false to you.
He sayd, he had lou'd her long,
She sayd, 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 Sheepheard call
All the heauens to witnesse truth:
Neuer lou'd a truer youth.
Thus with many a pretty oath,
Yea and nay, and faith and troth,
Such as silly Sheepheards vse,
When they will not Loue abuse;
Loue, which had beene long deluded,
Was with kisses sweete concluded.
And Phillida with garlands gay:
Was made the Lady of the May.

A Pastorall of Phillis and Coridon.

A sweete Pastorall.

Astrophell his Song of Phillida and Coridon.

Faire in a morne, (ô fairest morne)
was neuer morne so faire:
There shone a Sunne, though not the Sunne,
that shineth in the ayre.
For of the earth, and from the earth,
(was neuer such a creature:)
Did come this face, (was neuer face,)
that carried such a feature.
Vpon a hill, (ô blessed hill,
was neuer hill so blessèd)
There stoode a man, (was neuer man
for woman so distressèd)
This man beheld a heauenly view,
which did such vertue giue:
As cleares the blind, and helps the lame,
and makes the dead man liue.
This man had hap, (ô happy man
more happy none then hee;)
For he had hap to see the hap,
that none had hap to see.
This silly Swaine, (and silly Swaines
are men of meanest grace:)
Had yet the grace, (ô gracious guest)
to hap on such a face.
He pitty cryed, and pitty came,
and pittied so his paine:
As dying, would not let him die,
but gaue him life againe.
For ioy whereof he made such mirth,
as all the woods did ring:
And Pan with all his Swaines came foorth,
to heare the Sheepheard sing.
But such a Song sung neuer was,
nor shall be sung againe:
Of Phillida the Sheepheards Queene,
and Coridon the Swaine.
Faire Phillis is the Sheepheards Queene,
(was neuer such a Queene as she,)
And Coridon her onely Swaine,
(was neuer such a Swaine as he)
Faire Phillis hath the fairest face,
that euer eye did yet behold:
And Coridon the constants faith,
that euer yet kept flocke in fold.
Sweete Phillis is the sweetest sweete,
that euer yet the earth did yeeld:
And Coridon the kindest Swaine,
that euer yet kept Lambs in field.
Sweete Philomell is Phillis bird,
though Coridon be he that caught her:
And Coridon dooth heare her sing,
though Phillida be she that taught her.
Poore Coridon dooth keepe the fields,
though Phillida be she that owes them:
And Phillida dooth walke the Meades,
though Coridon be he that mowes them.
The little Lambs are Phillis loue,
though Coridon is he that feedes them:
The Gardens faire are Phillis ground,
though Coridon be he that weedes them.
Since then that Phillis onely is,
the onely Sheepheards onely Queene:
And Coridon the onely Swaine,
that onely hath her Sheepheard beene.
Though Phillis keepe her bower of state,
shall Coridon consume away:
No Sheepheard no, worke out the weeke,
and Sunday shall be holy-day.

Coridons supplication to Phillis.

Sweete Phillis, if a silly Swaine,
may sue to thee for grace:
See not thy louing Sheepheard slaine,
with looking on thy face.
But thinke what power thou hast got,
vpon my Flock and mee:
Thou seest they now regard me not,
but all doo follow thee.
And if I haue so farre presum'd,
with prying in thine eyes:
Yet let not comfort be consum'd,
that in thy pitty lyes.
But as thou art that Phillis faire,
that Fortune fauour giues:
So let not Loue dye in despaire,
that in thy fauour liues.
The Deere doo brouse vpon the bryer,
the birds doo pick the cherries:
And will not Beauty graunt Desire,
one handfull of her berries?
If it be so that thou hast sworne,
that none shall looke on thee:
Yet let me know thou dost not scorne,
to cast a look on mee.
But if thy beauty make thee proude,
thinke then what is ordain'd:
The heauens haue neuer yet alow'd,
that Loue should be disdain'd.
Then least the Fates that fauour loue,
should curse thee for vnkind:
Let me report for thy behooue,
the honour of thy mind.
Let Coridon with full consent,
set downe what he hath seene:
That Phillida with Loues content,
is sworne the Sheepheards Queene.

A Sheepheards dreame.

A Silly Sheepheard lately sate
among a flock of Sheepe:
Where musing long on this and that,
at last he fell asleepe.
And in the slumber as he lay,
he gaue a pitteous groane:
He thought his sheepe were runne away,
and he was left alone.
He whoopt, he whistled, and he call'd,
but not a sheepe came neere him:
Which made the Sheepheard sore appall'd,
to see that none would heare him.
But as the Swaine amazèd stood,
in this most solemne vaine:
Came Phillida foorth of the wood,
and stoode before the Swaine.
Whom when the Sheepheard did behold,
he straite began to weepe:
And at the hart he grew a-cold,
to thinke vpon his sheepe.
For well he knew, where came the Queene,
the Sheepheard durst not stay:
And where that he durst not be seene,
the sheepe must needes away.
To aske her if she saw his flock,
might happen pacience mooue:
And haue an aunswere with a mock,
that such demaunders prooue.
Yet for because he saw her come
alone out of the wood:
He thought he would not stand as dombe,
when speach might doo him good.
And therefore falling on his knees,
to aske but for his sheepe:
He did awake, and so did leese
the honour of his sleepe.

A Report Song in a dreame, betweene a Sheepheard and his Nimph.

Another of the Same.