ON AMBITION.

AMBITION with the eagle loves to build,

And on the mountains dreads no winter blast, But with self-soothing doth the humour gild, With arguments correcting what is past; Fore-casting kingdoms, dangers unforecast; Leaving this poor word of CONTENT to such, Whose earthly spirits have not this fiery touch.

But pleasures never dine but on excess,
Whose diet, made to draw on all delight,
And overcome in that sweet drunkenness,

His appetite maintained by his sight,

Strengtheneth Desire, but ever weakeneth Might.
Until this ulcer ripening to an head,
Vomits the poison which it nourished.a

ON LIFE.

Aн, Life, sweet drop, drown'd in a sea of sours,
A flying good, posting to doubtful end;
Still loving months and years to gain new hours;
Fain time to have and spare, yet forc'd to spend;

a Harl. MSS. 6910, f. 127.

The growth, decrease, a moment all thou hast;
That gone, are known; the rest to come or past.

Ah, Life, the maze of countless straying ways,
Open to erring steps, and strew'd with baits,
To wind weak senses into endless strays,

Aloof from Virtue's rough unbeaten straits;
A flower, a play, a blast, a shade, a drain;
A living death, a never-turning stream.a

MELICERTUS'S MADRIGAL.

From "Robert Greene's Arcadia."

WHAT are my sheep without their wonted food?
What is my life except I gain my love?

My sheep consume and faint for want of blood;
My life is lost unless I grace approve:

No flower that sapless thrives,

No turtle without fear,

The day without the sun doth lour for woe.
Then woe mine eyes, unless thy beauty see
My sun Samela's eyes by whom I know,
Wherein delight consists, where pleasures be!

a Harl. MSS. 6910, f. 127.

Nought more the heart revives,

Than to embrace his dear.

The stars from earthly humours gain their light,

Our humours by their light possess their power,
Samela's eyes fed by my weeping sight,

Infudes my pains or joys, by smile or lour:
So wends the source of Love;

It feeds, it fails, it ends.

Kind looks clear to your joy, behold her eyes,
Admire her heart, desire to taste her kisses.

In them the heaven of joy and solace lies:
Without them every hope his succour misses!
Oh, how I love to prove,

Whereto this solace tends!

CORIDON'S SONG.

From "Dr. Lodge's Euphues' Golden Legacy,"

A BLITHE and bonny country lass,

Heigh ho, bonny lass;

Sate sighing on the tender grass,

And weeping said: "Will none come woo me?"

A smicker boy, a lither swain:

Heigh ho, a smicker swain,

That in his love was wanton fain,

With smiling looks straight come unto her.

When as the wanton wench espied,
Heigh ho, when she espied

The means to make herself a bride,

She simper'd smooth like bonny bell.

The swain that saw her squint-eyed kind,
Heigh ho, squint-eyed kind,

His arms about her body twin'd,

And said, "Fair lass, how fare ye, well?”

The country kit said, "Well forsooth,

Heigh ho, well-forsooth;

But that I have a longing tooth,

A longing tooth that makes me cry:" "Alas!" said he, "what gares thy grief, Heigh ho, what gares thy grief?"

"A wound," quoth she, "without relief; I fear a maid that I shall die."

"If that be all," the shepherd said, "Heigh ho," the shepherd said:

"I'll make thee wive it, gentle maid, And so recure thy malady:"

Hereon they kist with many an oath,

Heigh ho, many an oath;

And 'fore God Pan did plight their troth,
So to the church apace they hie.

And God send every pretty pate,
Heigh ho, the pretty pate,
That fears to die of this conceit,

So kind a friend to help at last:
Then maids shall never long again,

Heigh ho, to long again;

When they find ease for such a pain.

Thus my roundelay is past.

MONTANUS'S SONNET IN THE WOODS.

From the same.

ALAS! how wander I amidst these woods,
Whereas no day bright shine doth find access!
But where the melancholy fleeting floods,
(Dark as the night,) my night of woes express,
Disarm'd of Reason, spoil'd of Nature's goods,
Without redress to salve my heaviness