 | The Shepherds Lottery |  |
3
1. PART I.
SCENE I.
THYRSIS.Recitative.
Tho' lawless War has quench'd her flaming Brand,
That long, too long, has thinn'd this frighted Land;
Tho' Ceres' heaps my loaded Gran'ries fill,
And my proud Oxen graze on ev'ry Hill;
Yet my fond Heart is fill'd with deepest Cares,
For Thyrsis loves, and while he dotes, despairs.
That long, too long, has thinn'd this frighted Land;
Tho' Ceres' heaps my loaded Gran'ries fill,
And my proud Oxen graze on ev'ry Hill;
Yet my fond Heart is fill'd with deepest Cares,
For Thyrsis loves, and while he dotes, despairs.
4
What Beauties does my Nymph disclose!
Less fair the silver Lilly blows:
Such Blushes glow not on the Rose,
As on the Cheeks of Phillis.
The other Day, upon the Green,
I saw a Nymph of heav'nly Mien;
I ran to greet the Cyprian Queen,
But found it was my Phillis.
Less fair the silver Lilly blows:
Such Blushes glow not on the Rose,
As on the Cheeks of Phillis.
The other Day, upon the Green,
I saw a Nymph of heav'nly Mien;
I ran to greet the Cyprian Queen,
But found it was my Phillis.
By mossy Grot with Ivy bound,
Where fragrant Woodbines curl around,
And Daisies dapple o'er the Ground,
I sit, and murmur Phillis:
And when the Lark with dewy Wings,
To hail the Morn exulting springs,
I rise, and tune the trembling Strings,
To praise my dearest Phillis.
Where fragrant Woodbines curl around,
And Daisies dapple o'er the Ground,
I sit, and murmur Phillis:
And when the Lark with dewy Wings,
To hail the Morn exulting springs,
I rise, and tune the trembling Strings,
To praise my dearest Phillis.
When first I saw the lovely Maid,
I gaz'd, in-raptur'd and dismay'd;
My faltring Tongue was quite afraid
To tell my Pangs to Phillis.
Then Cupid aim'd his sharpest Dart;
At once I felt the pleasing Smart,
That very Hour I lost my Heart;
And now it dwells with Phillis.
I gaz'd, in-raptur'd and dismay'd;
My faltring Tongue was quite afraid
To tell my Pangs to Phillis.
Then Cupid aim'd his sharpest Dart;
At once I felt the pleasing Smart,
That very Hour I lost my Heart;
And now it dwells with Phillis.
[Exit.
5
SCENE II.
Daphne, Phillis.Daphne.
Recit.
What, still in Tears? Cast ev'ry Fear away,
To-morrow, Phillis, is the First of May;
Then, as the Custom of the Place demands,
Each vent'ring-Shepherd in due Order stands,
And from the Urn draws forth his future Wife;
Phillis no more shall lead a maiden Life.
Phillis.
Ah Daphne, Daphne! hence my Sorrows rise,
Thyrsis is he whom I alone can prize:
Shou'd any other draw my hapless Name,
My Death shall witness how sincere my Flame.
Daphne.
Talk not so wild, whate'er his Face may be,
Or this, or that, 'tis all alike to me:
Or grant, One chiefly struck my am'rous Eye;
Yet trust me, Phillis, I for none would die.
Phillis.
Ah! where will gentle Love a Shelter find,
If he forsake the Breast of Womankind?
6
Oh, let me, unreserv'd, declare
The Dictate of my Breast;
My Thyrsis reigns unrivall'd there,
An ever-welcome Guest.
The Dictate of my Breast;
My Thyrsis reigns unrivall'd there,
An ever-welcome Guest.
No more our spritely Nymphs I meet,
But seek the lonely Grove;
There, sighing to myself, repeat
Some tender Tale of Love.
But seek the lonely Grove;
There, sighing to myself, repeat
Some tender Tale of Love.
When absent from my longing Sight,
He is my constant Theme;
His shadowy Form appears by night,
And shapes the morning Dream.
He is my constant Theme;
His shadowy Form appears by night,
And shapes the morning Dream.
Ye spotless Virgins of the Plain,
Deem not my Words too free,
For ere my Passion you arraign,
You must have lov'd like me.
Deem not my Words too free,
For ere my Passion you arraign,
You must have lov'd like me.
[Exit.
7
SCENE III.
Daphne.
Recit.
Unhappy Girl! I know the Pangs of Love,
And often sigh when in the silent Grove:
My faithless Traitor from my Passion fled,
And left me weeping in a lonely Bed.
Henceforth my Arts I'll on their Sex employ,
Their Vows my Laughter, and their Pangs my Joy.
AIR.Unhappy Girl! I know the Pangs of Love,
And often sigh when in the silent Grove:
My faithless Traitor from my Passion fled,
And left me weeping in a lonely Bed.
Henceforth my Arts I'll on their Sex employ,
Their Vows my Laughter, and their Pangs my Joy.
My Pride is to hold all Mankind in my Chain;
The Conquest I prize, tho' the Slaves I disdain:
I'll teaze them and vex them,
I'll plague and perplex them:
Since Men try all Arts our weak Sex to betray,
I'll show them a Woman's as cunning as they.
The Conquest I prize, tho' the Slaves I disdain:
I'll teaze them and vex them,
I'll plague and perplex them:
Since Men try all Arts our weak Sex to betray,
I'll show them a Woman's as cunning as they.
Young Damon ador'd me, and Lycon the vain,
By turns I encourag'd each amorous Swain;
They knelt and they trembled,
I smil'd and dissembled.
Since Men try all Arts our weak Sex to betray,
I'll show them a Woman's as cunning as they.
By turns I encourag'd each amorous Swain;
They knelt and they trembled,
I smil'd and dissembled.
Since Men try all Arts our weak Sex to betray,
I'll show them a Woman's as cunning as they.
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Then hear me, ye Nymphs, and my Counsel believe,
Resist all their Wiles, the Deceivers deceive:
Their Canting and Whining,
Their Sighing and Pining,
Are all meant as Baits our weak Sex to betray;
Then prove there are Women as cunning as they.
Resist all their Wiles, the Deceivers deceive:
Their Canting and Whining,
Their Sighing and Pining,
Are all meant as Baits our weak Sex to betray;
Then prove there are Women as cunning as they.
Exit.
SCENE IV.
A GROVE.Colin
discover'd playing on his Pipe.
AIR.
The Drum is unbrac'd, and the Trumpet no more
Shall rouse the fierce Soldier to fight;
Our Meads shall no longer be floated with Gore,
Nor Terror disturb the calm Night.
Once more o'er the Fields golden Harvests shall shine,
The Olive her Flowrets increase;
Again purple Clusters shall blush on the Vine;
These, these are the Blessings of Peace.
Shall rouse the fierce Soldier to fight;
Our Meads shall no longer be floated with Gore,
Nor Terror disturb the calm Night.
Once more o'er the Fields golden Harvests shall shine,
The Olive her Flowrets increase;
Again purple Clusters shall blush on the Vine;
These, these are the Blessings of Peace.
The Shepherd securely now roams thro' the Glade,
Or merrily pipes in the Vale:
The Youth in soft Numbers attempts his coy Maid:
The Virgins dance blithe in the Dale.
The Flow'rs, with gay Colours, embroider the Ground,
Unpress'd by an Enemy's Feet;
The Bleatings of Sheep from the Hillocks resound,
And the Birds their trim Sonnets repeat.
Or merrily pipes in the Vale:
The Youth in soft Numbers attempts his coy Maid:
The Virgins dance blithe in the Dale.
9
Unpress'd by an Enemy's Feet;
The Bleatings of Sheep from the Hillocks resound,
And the Birds their trim Sonnets repeat.
SCENE V.
To him Thyrsis.Thyrsis.
Recit.
Thrice happy Colin! you the whole Day long
Teach ev'ry Hill to catch your jocund Song:
So the blithe throstle carols thro' the Grove,
His Breast unwounded by the Thorns of Love.
Colin.
True, Thyrsis, true; I ne'er could sigh and pine,
And call a proud denying Fair divine:
Each Nymph, I see, has got some Charm to strike,
And those who yield the soonest, best I like.
Thyrsis.
As verdant Fields the blasted Heath surpass,
As gen'rous Corn exceeds the meaner Grass,
As Palms are nobler than the Shrubs they shade,
So Phillis triumphs o'er each other Maid.
Colin.
I like young Doris in her russet Gown,
Ripe as the Pear, and as the Berry brown:
Her ruddy Cheeks the Cherry's Hue display,
And warm, and buxom as a Summer's Day.
10
To-morrow is the Period of my Fate,
My Hopes, my Fears do on To-morrow wait;
Then Fortune gives me Phillis for a Wife,
Or ends my ev'ry Suff'ring with my Life.
Colin.
Ye Lovers much profess, and yet I'm told,
Ye seldom long the same Opinion hold:
You knew young Strephon, he who on the Ring—
But hearken, Thyrsis, I'll the Story sing.
AIR.
To dear Amaryllis young Strephon had long
Declar'd his fix'd Passion, and dy'd for in Song;
He went one May-Morning to meet in the Grove,
By her own dear Appointment this Goddess of Love;
Mean-while in his Mind all her Charms he ran o'er,
And doted on each; can a Lover do more?
Declar'd his fix'd Passion, and dy'd for in Song;
He went one May-Morning to meet in the Grove,
By her own dear Appointment this Goddess of Love;
Mean-while in his Mind all her Charms he ran o'er,
And doted on each; can a Lover do more?
He waited, and waited, then changing his Strain,
'Twas Fury, and Rage, and Despair, and Disdain:
The Sun was commanded to hide his dull Light,
And the whole course of Nature was alter'd downright.
'Twas his hapless Fortune to die and adore,
But never to change; can a Lover do more?
'Twas Fury, and Rage, and Despair, and Disdain:
The Sun was commanded to hide his dull Light,
And the whole course of Nature was alter'd downright.
'Twas his hapless Fortune to die and adore,
But never to change; can a Lover do more?
Cleora, it hap'd, was by Accident there;
No Rose-bud so tempting, no Lilly so fair
He press'd her white Hand, next her Lips he essay'd,
Nor would she deny him, so civil the Maid!
Her kindly Compliance his Peace did restore;
And dear Amaryllis was thought of no more.
No Rose-bud so tempting, no Lilly so fair
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Nor would she deny him, so civil the Maid!
Her kindly Compliance his Peace did restore;
And dear Amaryllis was thought of no more.
SCENE VI.
Thyrsis.Recit.
Unhappy State of these offending Plains,
For Guilt long since the Punishment remains:
Not free to choose, our youngest Virgins stand
The Sport of Chance, for such is Pan's Command.
O Fortune! to my Pangs propitious prove,
And crown with due Success my constant Love.
[Exit.
SCENE VII.
Phillis.AIR.
Ye Nymphs of the Plain who once saw me so gay,
You ask why in Sorrow I spend the whole Day:
'Tis Love, cruel Love, that my Peace did betray:
Then crown your poor Phillis with Willow.
The Bloom which once grac'd, has deserted this Cheek;
My eyes no more sparkle, my Tongue can scarce speak;
My Heart too so flutters I fear it will break:
Then crown your poor Phillis with Willow.
You ask why in Sorrow I spend the whole Day:
'Tis Love, cruel Love, that my Peace did betray:
Then crown your poor Phillis with Willow.
The Bloom which once grac'd, has deserted this Cheek;
My eyes no more sparkle, my Tongue can scarce speak;
My Heart too so flutters I fear it will break:
Then crown your poor Phillis with Willow.
12
Ye Lovers so true, that attend on my Bier,
And think that my Fortune has prov'd too severe;
Ah! curb not the Sigh, nor refuse the kind Tear;
Then strew all the Place round with Willow.
Erect me a Tomb, and engrave on its Side,
“Here lies a poor Maiden, whose Love was deny'd;
“She strove to endure it, but could not, and dy'd:”
Then shade it with Cypress and Willow.
And think that my Fortune has prov'd too severe;
Ah! curb not the Sigh, nor refuse the kind Tear;
Then strew all the Place round with Willow.
Erect me a Tomb, and engrave on its Side,
“Here lies a poor Maiden, whose Love was deny'd;
“She strove to endure it, but could not, and dy'd:”
Then shade it with Cypress and Willow.
SCENE VIII.
To her Thyrsis.Thyrsis.
Recit.
O lovely Maiden, dearer to my Sight
Than the gay Fires that gild the Gloom of Night;
Here at your Feet let me transported own,
How much I Phillis love, and her alone.
DUET.
Thyrsis.
When Fairies dance round on the Grass,
And revel to Night's awful Noon;
O say, will you meet me, sweet Lass,
All by the clear Light of the Moon?
Phillis.
My Passion I seek not to screen;
Then can I refuse you your Boon?
I'll meet you at Twelve on the Green,
All by the clear Light of the Moon.
Then can I refuse you your Boon?
I'll meet you at Twelve on the Green,
All by the clear Light of the Moon.
13
The Nightingale perch'd on a Thorn,
Then charms all the Plains with her Tune;
And glad of the Absence of Morn,
Salutes the pale Light of the Moon.
Then charms all the Plains with her Tune;
And glad of the Absence of Morn,
Salutes the pale Light of the Moon.
Thyrsis.
How sweet is the Jessamin Grove!
And sweet are the Roses of June;
But sweeter's the Language of Love,
Breath'd forth by the Light of the Moon.
And sweet are the Roses of June;
But sweeter's the Language of Love,
Breath'd forth by the Light of the Moon.
Too slow rolls the Chariot of Day,
Unwilling to grant me my Boon:
Away, envious Sun-shine, away,
Give place to the Light of the Moon.
Unwilling to grant me my Boon:
Away, envious Sun-shine, away,
Give place to the Light of the Moon.
Phyllis.
But say, will you never deceive
The Lass whom you conquer'd too soon?
And leave a lost Maiden to grieve
Alone, by the Light of the Moon.
Thyrsis.
The Planets shall start from their Spheres,
Ere I prove so fickle a Loon;
Believe me, I'll banish thy Fears,
Dear Maid, by the Light of the Moon.
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Our Loves when the Shepherds shall view,
To us they their Pipes shall attune;
While we our soft Pleasures renew,
Each Night by the Light of the Moon.
[Exeunt.
| The Shepherds Lottery | |