A royal arbor (1663) :: :: University of Virginia Library

As you shall see drawn to the life
Between a Duke.
And's vertuous Wife;
He was a Duke of Parma in Italy,
His Lady great with childe
Was wronged by his jealousie:
He sends her unto prison guiltless of crime,
And in that sickly season,
When as she was near her time.

2

Where afterward it came to pass,
She of a Childe
Delivered was,
A lovely Daughter, which they took
And brought it to
The Jealous Duke;
Who in a fury did protest as before,
The Infant was a Bastard,
And its Mother was a Whore:
The noble Lady that did bring it did cry,
The vertuous Dutchess suffer'd
Onely for his Jealousie.

3

The Lady being much revil'd,
She goes away
And leaves the Childe;
He straight by oath enjoyns a Lord
Who made a conscience
Of his word:

Then quoth the Duke, you must perform my command
Take shipping strait,
And bear this Brat into a forreign Land;
Leave it in any wilderness you can finde,
And let it there be nourished
Onely by the rain and winde.

4

The Nobleman is griev'd to do't,
But that his Oath
Enjoyns him to't;
The Dutchess hearing that her Childe
Was sent away
To Countreys wilde,
Falls in a swound, (her spirits all being fled)
The word was brought unto the Duke,
His wife was newly dead;
And that her last words were, (her eyes waxing dim)
Commend me to the Duke,
I ne're knew any man but him.

5

Her dying words the Duke believes,
And now alack
Too late he grieves;
For now the Lord (by his command)
Is in the Duke
Of Padua's Land;
Where he the pretty Infant layes down (as he
Had sworn to the Duke)
And now returns agen to sea:
But (by good fate) a shepherd that lost a sheep

Was searching up and down that way,
And heard the Infant weep.

6

The Mantle which the Childe did hold
Was rich embroidered
Cloth of Gold;
But when it was undrest, he found
The value of
Two thousand pound,
Besides a paper where was writ down the Name:
This treasure made the Shepherd straight
To grow in wealth and fame;
He bred the Childe as decently as he cou'd,
But in its disposition one
Might finde the parents bloud.

7

At sixteen years of age she was
The prettiest Nimph
That trod on grass;
Once on a day when she did keep
(As she suppos'd) Her fathers sheep,
A Gentleman which her fair face lookt upon,
Was strucken straight in love,
And 'twas the Duke of Padua's Son;
Who from that hour would every day come to see
His Mistress whom he lov'd like life,
Though of a low degree.

8

Much love there was betwixt them both,
Till they contracted were by oath;

Which when his father came to know,
Then did begin
The Lovers woe;
For with extream outragious words he begun
To bid him leave her,
Or he'd never own him as a son;
The Prince did vow his love he ne're would withdraw
Although he lost his father,
And the Crown of Padua.

9

But having got much treasure, he
Doth with this Virgin
Put to sea;
After a while there was report,
They're in the Duke
Of Parma's Court;
The Duke of Padua then for fear they should wed,
Will follow, if he finde it true,
His son shall lose his head:
But the old Shepherd fearing wrong should befall,
His pretty witty Daughter
Doth resolve to finde them all.

10

The Bride and Bridegroom now in state
Are going to
The Temple-gate,
The Duke of Padua with his trains
Doth stop them,
And forbids the Banes;
And to the Duke of Parma plainly sayes, that

His son did flye from him
To marry with a Shepherds brat;
The Bride and Bridegroom by both Dukes in a breath
Commanded are to separate,
Or they shall meet in death.

11

Both are content, and are led on
Unto their
Execution.
They were to suffer both alike,
The Headsmans Axe
Was up to strike:
Hold quoth the Shepherd, I bring strange news to town;
The Dukes were both amazed,
And the Axe was straight laid down,
This Lady sixteen years ago did I finde,
This paper and these Jewels,
For the Child is none of mine.

12

The Lord that bore the Childe away
Seeing the Name,
Did boldly say,
Great Duke of Parma, this is she
Which you did send away by me;
'Tis your own Daughter: then the Duke full of tears
Embrace them both, and now
Another Marriage day appears;
Bonefires and Bells, the Conduits all run with wine:
By this we see there's nothing can
Prevent the Powers divine.