If country loves such sweet desires gain,
What Lady would not love a Shepherd swain?

His flocks are folded; he comes home at night, As merry as a king in his delight,

And merrier too:

For Kings bethink them what the state require,
Where Shepherds careless carol by the fire;
Ah then, ah then,

If country loves such sweet desires gain,

What Lady would not love a Shepherd swain?

He kisseth first, then sits as blithe to eat

His cream and curd, as doth the King his meat; And blither too:

For Kings have often fears when they sup,

Where Shepherds dread no poison in their cup. Ah then, ah then,

If country loves such sweet desires gain,

What Lady would not love a Shepherd swain?

To bed he goes, as wanton then I ween,

As is a King in dalliance with a Queen;
More wanton too:

For Kings have many griefs affects to move,

Where Shepherds have no greater grief than Love:

Ah then, ah then,

If country loves such sweet desires gain,
What Lady would not love a Shepherd swain?

Upon his couch of straw he sleeps as sound,
As doth the King upon his beds of down,
More sounder too:

For cares cause Kings full oft their sleep to spill,
Where weary Shepherds lie and snort their fill:
Ah then, ah then,

If country loves such sweet desires gain,
What Lady would not love a Shepherd swain?

Thus with his wife he spends the year as blithe,
As doth the King at every tide or syth;
And blither too:

For Kings have wars and broils to take in hand,
When Shepherds laugh, and love upon the land;
Ah then, ah then,

If country loves such sweet desires gain,

What Lady would not love a Shepherd swain?

HEXAMETRA ALEXIS IN LAUDEM ROSAMUNDE.

From the same.

OFT have I heard my life, Coridon, report on a love-day, When bonny maids do meet with the swains in the valley by Tempe,

How bright-ey'd his Phillis was, how lovely they glanced, When fro' th' Aarches Ebon black, flew looks as a lightning, That set a fire with piercing flames even hearts adamantine, Face rose-hu'd, cherry-red, with a silver taint like a lilly. Venus' pride might abate, might abash with a blush to behold her:

Phoebus' wires compar'd to her hairs unworthy the praising. Juno's state, and Pallas' wit disgrac'd with the Graces, That grac'd her, whom poor Coridon did choose for a love-mate:

Ah! but had Coridon now seen the star that Alexis

Likes and loves so dear, that he melts to sighs when he sees her!

Did Coridon but see those eyes, those amorous eye-lids,
From whence fly holy flames of death or life in a moment.
Ah! did he see that face, those hairs that Venus, Apollo
'Basht to behold, and both disgrac'd, did grieve that a

creature

Should exceed in hue, compare both a god and a goddess: Ah! had he seen my sweet Paramour, the taint of Alexis, Then had he said, Phillis, sit down surpassed in all points, For there is one more fair than thou, beloved of Alexis!

HEXAMETRA ROSAMUNDE IN DOLOREM

AMISSI ALEXIS.

From the same.

TEMPE the grove where dark Hecate doth keep her

abiding;

Tempe the grove where poor Rosamond bewails her Alexis,
Let not a tree nor shrub be green to shew thy rejoicing;
Let not a leaf once deck thy boughs and branches, O
Tempe;

Let not a bird record her tunes, nor chant any sweet notes,
But Philomel, let her bewail the loss of her amours,
And fill all the wood with doleful tunes to bemoan her.
Parch'd leaves fill every spring, fill every fountain,
All the meads in mourning weed fit them to lamenting.
Echo sit and sing despair i' the vallies, i'the mountains;
All Thessaly help poor Rosamond mournful to bemoan
her:

For she's quite bereft of her love, and left of Alexis,

Once was she lik'd, and once was she loved of wanton
Alexis;

Now is she loath'd, and now is she left of trothless Alexis.
Here did he clip and kiss Rosamond, and vow by Diana:
None so dear to the swain as I, nor none so beloved;
Here did he deeply swear, and call great Pan for a witness,
That Rosamond was only the rose belov'd of Alexis,
That Thessaly had not such another nymph to delight him:
"None," quoth he, "but Venus fair shall have any kisses;
Not Phillis, were Phillis alive should have any favours,
Nor Galate, Galate so fair for beauteous eye-brows,
Nor Doris that lass that drew the swains to behold her:
Not one amongst all these, nor all should gain any graces,
But Rosamond alone to herself should have her Alexis."
Now to revenge the perjured vows of faithless Alexis,
Pan, great Pan, that heardst his oaths, and mighty Diana,
You Dryads and watery Nymphs that sport by the foun-
tains:

Fair Tempe the gladsome grove of greatest Apollo, Shrubs, and dales, and neighbouring hills, that heard when he swore him,

Witness all, and seek to revenge the wrongs of a virgin;
Had any swain been life to me but guileful Alexis;
Had Rosamond twin'd myrtle boughs, or rosemary

branches,

Sweet hollyhock, or else daffodil, or slips of a bay-tree,