beloved of the nymphs, as he liked of the country damsels; coveting

in

my loves to use Cupid's wings, to soar high in my desires, though myself were born to base fortunes. The hobby catcheth no prey, unless she mount beyond her mark; the palm-tree beareth most boughs where it groweth highest; and love is most fortunate where his courage is resolute, and though beyond his compass. Grounding therefore on these principles, I fixed mine eyes on a nymph, whose parentage was great, but her beauty far more excellent; her birth was by many degrees greater than mine, and my worth by many descents less than hers; yet knowing Venus loved Adonis, and Luna Endymion, that Cupid had bolts feathered with the plumes of a crow, as well as with the pens of an eagle, I attempted, and courted her. I found her looks lightning disdain, and her forehead to contain favours for others, and frowns for me: when I alledged faith, she crossed me with Æneas; when loyalty, she told me of Jason; when I swore constancy, she questioned me of Demophoon ; when I craved a final resolution to my fatal passions, she filled her brows full of wrinkles, and her eyes full of fury, turned her back, and shook me off with a Non placet.

Thus in loves I lost loves, and for her love had lost all, had I not, when I near despaired the clemency of some courteous star, or rather the very excellence of some mistress's favours, salved my half-despairing malady; for she seeing that I held a superstitious opinion of love, in honouring him for a deity, not in counting him a vain conceit of poetry, that I thought it sacrilege to wrong my desires, and the basest fortune to enhance my fortune by falsifying my loves to a woman, she left from being so rammage, and gently came to the first, and granted me those favours she might afford, or my thoughts desire."

66

With this he ceased, and fell again to his sighs, which DORON noting, answered thus. If, may good MELICERTUS, thou didst enjoy thy loves, what is the occasion thou beginnest with sighs, and

endest with passions?" "Ah, DORON! there ends my joys; for no sooner had I triumphed in my favours, but the trophies of my fortunes fell like the herbs in Syria, that flourish in the morn and fade before night; or like unto the fly tyryma, that taketh life and leaveth it all in one day. So, my DORON, did it fare with me; for I had no sooner enjoyed my love, but the heavens (envious a shepherd should have the fruition of such a heavenly paragon) sent unrevocable fates to deprive me of her life, and she is dead. Dead, DORON! to her, to myself, to all; but not to my memory, for so deep were the characters stamped in my inward senses, that oblivion can never rase out the form of her excellence." And with that he started up, seeking to fall out of those dumps with music, (for he played on his pipe certain sonnets he had contrived in praise of the country wenches); but plain DORON, as plain as a packstaff, desired him to sound a roundelay, and he would sing a song, which he caroled to this effect.

"How like you this ditty of mine own devising?" quoth DORON. "As well as my music," replied MELICERTUS; "for if Pan and I strive, Midas being judge, and should hap to give me the garland, I doubt not but his ass's ears should be doubled. But DORON, So long we dispute of love, and forget our labours, that both our flocks shall be unfolded, and to-morrow our merry meeting hindered." "That is true," quoth DORON, " for there will be all the shepherds' daughters and country damsels, and amongst them fear not but MENAPHON will bring his fair shepherdess. There, MELICERTUS, shalt thou see her that will amate all our moods, and amaze thee; and therefore, good MELICERTUS, let us be going."

With this prattle, away they went to their folds, where we leave them, and return to MENAPHON, who triumphing in the hope of

his new loves, caused SAMELA to trick her up in her country attire, and make herself brave against the meeting. She then thought, to be coy were to discover her thoughts, dressed herself up in CARMELA's russet cassock, and that so quaintly, as if Venus, in a country petticoat, had thought to wanton it with her lovely Adonis. The morrow came, and away they went, but LAMEDON was left behind to keep the house. At the hour appointed, MENAPHON, CARMELA, and SAMELA came, when all the rest were ready to make merry. As soon as word was brought that MENAPHON came with his new mistress, all the company began to murmur, and every man to prepare his eye for so miraculous an object, but PESANA, a herdsman's daughter of the same parish, that long had loved MENAPHON, and he had filled her brows with frowns, her eyes with fury, and her heart with grief; yet coveting in so open an assembly, as well as she could, to hide a pad in the straw, she expected (as others did) the arrival of her new corrival, who at that instant came with MENAPHON into the house.

No sooner was she entered into the parlour, but her eyes gave such a shine, and her face such a brightness, that they stood gazing on this goddess; and she, unacquainted, seeing herself among so many unknown swains, dyed her cheeks with such a vermilion blush, that the country maids themselves fell in love with this fair nymph, and could not blame MENAPHON for being over the shoes with such a beautiful creature. DORON jogged MELICERTUS on the elbow, and so awaked him out of a dream, for he was deeply drowned in the contemplation of her excellency; sending out vollies of sighs in remembrance of his old love, as thus he sat meditating on her favour, how much she resembled her that death had deprived him of. Well, her welcome was great of all the company; and for that she was a stranger, they graced her to make her the mistress of the feast.

MENAPHON, Seeing SAMELA thus honoured, conceived no small

content in the advancing of his mistress, being passing jocund and pleasant with the rest of the company, insomuch that every one perceived how the poor swain fed upon the dignities of his mistress's graces. PESANA noting this, began to lower; and CARMELA, winking upon her fellows, answered her frowns with a smile, which doubled her grief; for women's pains are more pinching if they be girded with a frump, than if they be galled with a mischief.

Whiles thus there was bandying of such looks, as every one imported as much as an impreso, SAMELA, willing to see the fashion of these country young frows, cast her eyes abroad, and in viewing every face, at last her eyes glanced on the looks of MELICERtus, whose countenance resembled so unto her dead lord, that as a woman astonied, she stood staring on his face; but ashamed to gaze upon a stranger, she made restraint of her looks, and so taking her eye from her particular object, she sent it abroad to make general survey of their country demeanours.

But amidst all this gazing, he that had seen poor MENAPHON; how, infected with a jealous fury, he stared each man in the face, fearing their eyes should feed or surfeit on his mistress's beauty: if they glanced, he thought straight they would be rivals in his loves; if they flatly looked, then they were deeply snared in affection; if they once smiled on her, they had received some glance from SAMELA that had made them so malapert; if she laughed, she liked, and at that he began to frown. Thus sat poor MENAPHON all dinner while, pained with a thousand jealous passions, keeping his teeth guarders of his stomach, and his eyes watchmen of his loves. But MELICERTUS, half impatient of his new conceived thoughts, determined to try how the damsel was brought up, and whether she was as wise as beautiful: he therefore began to break silence thus.

"The orgies which the Bacchanals kept in Thessalia, the feasts which the melancholy Saturnists founded in Danuby, were never so quailed with silence, but on their festival days they did frolic