challenge admission into Pastorals nothing being more common in the mouths of Countrymen than old Sayings Thus much seem'd necessary to be premis'd out of RAPIN for the direction and information of the Reader ERRATA p. 13. l. 15. read the wind p. 15. l. 16. read sight p. 60. l. 4. read Shoes p. 95. l. 17. read whilst all p. 112. l. 9. read of my Love THEOCRITUS Idyllium I. Called Thyrsis or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Goatherd perswades the Shepherd Thrysis to bewail Daphnis who dy'd for Love and gives him a large Cup and Goat for a reward The Scene Sicily about the River Himera Thyrsis GOatherd that Pine-tree's boughs by yonder spring In pleasing murmurs mix and sweetly sing And Thou doest sweetly pipe dear charming Swain And well deserv'st the next reward to Pan If He must have a Kid a Goat's Thy due If He a Goat a Kid belongs to You And that 's no mean reward for Kids are good And till they 're milkt the flesh is dainty food Goatherd And Sheapherd sweeter Notes thy Pipe do fill Than murmuring springs that roul from yonder hill When Muses claim a Sheep a Lamb 's thy due When they a Lamb thou shalt receive a Ewe Thyrsis And will You by the Nymphs grant one desire Will you to neighbouring shady banks retire And sit and pipe come show thy wond'rous skill I 'le thank thee for 't and feed thy Goats the while Goatherd I dare not faith I dare not pipe at Noon Affraid of Pan for when his Hunting's done And He lyes down to sleep by purling streams He 's very touchy if we break his dreams But Thyrsis for you know fair Daphnis pains And singst the best of all the tuneful Swains Let 's go and sit beneath you Myrtle boughs Where stands Priapus and the Nymphs repose Where thy Hut's built and many an Acorn grows And there if thou wilt pipe as sweet a Lay As when you strove with Crome and wan the day I le give Thee my best Goat a lovely white She suckles Two yet fills Three Pails at night Besides a Cup with sweetest Wax o're lay'd A fine Two-handled Pot and newly made Still of the Tool it smells it neatly shines And round the brim a creeping Ivy twines With Crocus mixt where Kids do seem to bronze The Berryes crop and wanton in the boughs Within a Woman sits a work divine Thro envious vails her dazâ—ing Beauty's shine And all around neat Woers offer Love They strive they quarrel but they cannot move Now smiling here now there she casts her Eyes And now to These now Those her mind applyes Whilst They their Eyes swoln big with watchful pain Still Love still beg but all poor hearts in vain Near These a Fisher on white Rocks is set He seems to gather up to cast his Net He stands as labouring and his Limbs appear All stretcht and in his face mix hope and fear The Nerves in 's Neck are swoln look firm and strong All-tho He 's old and fit for one that 's Young Next him ripe Grapes in blushing Clusters twine And a fair Boy sits by to keep the Vine On either side a Fox one widely gapes He eyes the Vines and spoils the ripning Grapes The other minds the Skrip resolv'd to seize And rob the Fondling of his Bread and Cheese Whilst He sets idly busy neatly tyes Soft tender twigs and frames a Net for Flyes Pleas'd with his vain designes a careless Boy And more than Grapes or Skrip he minds the Toy Round all a Creeping Woodbine doth aspire A curious sight i 'me sure you must admire 'T was Calydons but when he crost the Seas I bought it for a Goat and Rammel Cheese It never toucht my Lips unsoild and new And this I freely will present to you If you will sing how in the shady Grove Young Daphnis pin'd and how He dy'd for Love I am in Earnest I will love Thee long And surely mind the favour of thy song Thyrsis Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the rural song 'T is Thyrsis song Thyrsis from Aetna came Sweet is his voice and sounding as his fame Where were you Nymphs Where did the Nymphs reside Where were you then when Daphnis pin'd and dy'd On Pindus Top or Tempe's open plain Where careless Nymphs forgetful of the Swain For not one Nymph by swift Asopus stood Nor Aetnas Cliff nor Acis sacred flood Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song For him the Woolves the Pards and Tigers moan'd For Him with frightful grief the Lions groan'd Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song A thousand Heifers Bulls and Cows and Steers Lay round his feet and melted into Tears Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song First Hermes came and with a gentle touch He rais'd and and askt him whom he loved so much Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song The Plowmen Heardsmen and the Sheapherds came And askt what ill and what had rais'd the flame Priapus came from neighbouring shades and said Poor Daphnis why dost pine why hang thy head Mean while they Nymph doth o're the fields complain She calls the Woods and chides the perjured Swain Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural song Ah Daphnis loose and wanton in thy Love A Heardsman thought thou dost a Goatherd prove A Goatherd when he sees the Kids at rut Sits down and grieves that He 's not born a Goat Thus when you see the Virgins dance you grieve Because refus'd and now disdain to live Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song All this young Daphnis heard but mute he sate Indulg'd his grief and hastened to his Fate Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song Then Venus came a Smile her face possest A faint half smile fierce anger fill'd her breast And said well Daphnis you could fight with Love With what success the haughty Sheapherd strove You scorn'd his Bow and you his Darts Disgrac't But Daphnis was not Love too strong at last Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song And thus the Youth reply'd disdainful foe Ah cruel Venus cursed by all below The Sun hath told I fall but still shall prove Midst shades below a deadly plague to Love Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the Rural Song Go go to Ida there as story goes Are Scenes of Pleasure there Anchises does Go Venus there are shades and Cypress bowers And labouring Bees buz o're the riseing flowers Pan raise my voice Pan move my learned tongue Begin sweet Muse begin the rural song
midst my wondrous Song Shall blisters rise and gall my boasting tongue The Hawks to Hawks are friends to Ews the Ews To Larks the Larks are friends to Me the Muse Oh may I hear them still The weary sleep The Spring the Ploughman shady Plains the sheep Smooth Streams and riseing flowers the labouring Bee Delight not half so much as Muses Me On whom they look and smile secure they prove Fam'd Circe's Cup nor fear the force of Love Idyllium X. Battus not reaping as fast as he was wont Milo asks him the reason Battus confesseth it was Love and sings a Song in praise of his Sweet-heart To my Chum Mr. Hody of Wadham Colledge Milo AH labouring Reaper Wretch what ails thee now Thou canst not reap as thou wert wont to do Nor yet so fast look He hath rais'd a Cock You lag as Sheep when prickt behind the flock What wilt Thou do poor wretch before t is Noon What wilt Thou do e're shady Night comes on Since e're one land is cut you fail so soon B. Ah Milo thou canst hold out all the day But I 'me grown weak ah peice of flinty clay Didst thou ne're wish for One that was away M. Not I for what have I that work for food To do with Love He is an Idle God Forget thy lazy thoughts soft cares remove B. Then Milo did you never wake for Love M. And may it never never break my sleep For Dogs once blooded always run at Sheep B. But I have lov'd these ten long days or more M. A wealthy Man enjoy thy fancy'd store I am and am contented to be poor B. Hence 't is that I 'me o'rerun with lazy ease My Field's neglected and my Ploughs displease M. But who thus wounds thee B. Moll the brisk the gay She sung our Song and was our Queen of May M. Faith rightly serv'd pursue thy vain delight How that old Fly shall clasp thee all the Night B. You flout not only Pluto's Eyes are lost But vexing Love's forbear rude Swain to boast M. I do not boast but lay thy handful down Throw by thy hook unbend thy gather'd frown And sing for you could sing thy slender fair T will ease thy labour and divert thy care Battus With me sweet Muse the slender Maid reherse For all looks fair that you adorn with Verse Bombyce charming Sun-burnt gastly thin You seem to many Eyes but Brown to mine The letter'd Daffadil and Vi'let's brown Yet those are chiefest Graces of a Crown The Goats their thyme the Woolves the Goats pursue The Crane the Plough and I am mad for you Oh had I Craesus store then both should shine Two golden Statues fixt in Venus Shrine Thy Hand should grace an Apple Harp or Rose And me a danceing garb and gawdy shows Bombyce charming oh wouldst Thou be kind How sweet thy voice but who can tell thy Mind Milo Hah we ne're knew the value of the Swain How well he Measures how he tunes his Strain Hah no more sense and yet thy beard so long But stay and hear the sweet Lytersa's Song O fruitful Ceres bless this thriving Crop Encrease and make it larger than our Hope Ye Reapers bind the Sheaves lest some should say Ah lazy drones they do'nt deserve their pay Or to the North your Cocks ye Reapers rear Or to the South those Winds encrease the Ear Ye Clowns that winnow never sleep at noon For then the Chaff is loose and quickly gone Reapers should rise with Larks and sleep when They To Roost retire but bear the heat all day Frogs Lives my boys are blest for midst their Pool They never want their Cup is always full Boyl Steward boyl them whole such pinching's mean You 'l cut your hand whilst you divide a Bean Such Songs should Reapers sing that toyl and sweat That work at Noon and bear the burning Heat But starveing Love should never vex thy head Such tales will bring Thee to a bit of bread Tales for thy Mother as She lies a bed Idyllium XI He writes to a Physitian and tells him that the Muses are the only Remedy for Love which he proves by the example of Polyphemus To Dr. Pitt of Wadham Colledge IN vain Learn'd Sir invain is all your Art There is no Physick for a wounded heart No Herb can ease no Salve the Pain remove There is no cure for the disease of Love Beside the Muses Those are soft and sweet And pleasing Medcines but are hard to get This Sir you know whose skill is next divine In Physick you the darling of the Nine Thus Polyphem found ease the gay the young He cured his rageing Passion by a Song No mean degree of Love his breast did fire He was all fury rage and wild desire This single passion did his mind controul And was the only business of his Soul Oft did his Sheep his former chief delight From Pastures fed return alone at night Whilst on the Sedgy shore the Cyclops lay And singing Galatea pin'd away From Morn till Night for Venus powerful Dart Had gall'd his Liver and had pierc't his heart And yet He found a cure on Rocks He stood And thus he sang as he lookt o're the stood Fair Maid and why dost thou thy Love despise More white than Curds and pleasing to my Eyes More soft than Lambs more wanton than a Steer Yet harsh as Grapes unripe and as severe You come when pleasing sleep hath seald my Eye When pleasing sleep unseals you quickly fly You fly with eager hast as fearful Lambs From ravening Woolves run bleating to their Dams I lov'd Thee Nymph I lov'd e're since you came To pluck our Flowers from thence I date my flame My Eye did then my feeble heart betray I know the minute of the fatal day My Mother led you and I show'd the way Then when I lookt and ever since I burn I must Love on despairing a return The cause of all thy hate dear Nymph I know One large wide Gap spreads cross my hairy Brow From Ear to Ear one Eye doth singly grace My Nose is flat and even to my face Yet I that ugly I whom you refuse Feed thousand Goats and milk ten thousand Ews These give me drink and Cheeses all the year See round my Cave my loaden Shelves appear And bend beneath the weighty heaps they bear Besides I live the joy of all the Plain No Cyclops can pretend so sweet a strain Thee Thee dear Nymph with Thee my self I sing Till Midnight's past and Morning spreads her Wing Ten Cubs I forc't them from an angry Bear Ten Does I keep and all to please my Dear Come live with Me and I sincerely vow That your condition shan't be worse than now Forsake the Ocean leave the angry Sea T is better sleeping in my Cave with Me There Lawrels grow and there black Ivy twines And blushing Clusters load the bended Vines There are cold streams which from the melting Snow Hot Aetna sends a drink divine
below There all things are by Nature form'd to please And who before all this would choose the Seas But grant that I 'me deform'd unseemly rough Yet I am rich and I have Wood enough A constant blazeing flame still heats my Cave Tho by this Eye the dearest thing I have I want no outward heat the fierce desire That burns my Breast is a sufficient fire Ah me unhappy me how Fate prevails Oh me Had I been born with sins and scales That I might dive to you cut thro the Deep And kiss your Hand if you refuse your Lip Then would I Lillies white and Roses bring And all the gawdy glories of the Spring With Poppies blushing leaves tho these do grow In Summers heat and those in frost and snow Well well Iâ—le learn to swim next nimble Oars That set a Seamen on our fruitful Shores Shall teach me how to dive that I may know What pleasure 't is you take in Waves below Come forth fair Nymph come forth and leave the main And as I now ne're mind thy home again But feed the Flocks with me or milk the Sheep Or run the Cheese and never mind the Deep My Mother's cross her just Complaints pursue For she ne're spoak of me kind things to you Alltho she knew my grief saw every day How much I wasted how I pin'd away I 'le tell to fright her that my head my thigh Are pain'd that she might grieve as well as I O Cyclops Cyclops are thy senses flown Is all thy former wit and vertue gone Go wreath thy Baskets cut the tender boughs To feed the Lambs and milk the burdned Cows Go mind thy Harvest work for that will prove Thy Wisdom greater than this whineing Love Take those that offer and the proud despise The willing Love and scorn the Maid that flies Come leave this fooling leave this dull despair Another Virgin thou shallt find as fair For many Maids invite me still to play And titter all as pleas'd when I obey Sure I am somewhat they my worth can see And I my self will now grow proud of Me ' Thus Polyphemus cur'd his strong disease His Songs tam'd Love and gave more certain ease Than if He had implor'd the Doctor 's skill And with just fees bought your unerring Bill Idyllium XII A Welcome to a Friend To Mr. Edward Eaton YOU come dear youth now three long days are gone You come But Lovers do grow old in one As much as Spring excells the Frost and Snow As much as Plums are sweeter than a Sloe As much as Ews are thicker fleec't than Lambs As much as Maids excel thrice marry'd Dames As much as Colts are nimbler than a Steer As much as Thrushes please the listning ear More than the meaner Songsters of the Air So much thy presence cheers behold I run As Travellers to the shade at burning Noon Oh may an equal flame our hearts engage And let us live in Songs thro future Age Two youths were once with mutual bands confin'd The one was generous and the other kind Their Love was equal those were golden Men When He that was belov'd did love agen Grant ye Immortal Powers grant mighty Jove Grant this once more encrease these bands of Love When future Ages shall in order flow Let some descend and tell my shade below Thy Love thy Lover's kindness Faith and Truth Are prais'd by All but chiefly by the youth But this I leave to Heaven's indulgent care For Heaven can grant or can reject my Prayer Yet Thee I 'le sing Thee sweet nor midst my Song Shall tell-tale Blisters rise and gall my Tongue The little pains you rais'd were kindly meant Your healing Love did all the smart prevent And I departed fraught with good content Brave Megarensians fam'd for nimble Oars May Peace flow in and plenty crown your Shores The Honors you bestow on Diocles That constant Friend and Lover claim no less At his fam'd Tomb each year the boys contend Which kisses softest which best loves his friend And He that kisses sweetest wins the praise And runs to his glad Mother crown'd with bays Happy the Man that must bestow the prize Thrice happy He that judges of the Kiss Fair Ganymed that makes the Thunderer bow Whose smiles can calm and smooth his angry brow Allay his fury and his rage command And stop his lightning in his lifted hand Had such a Lip or Fame hath often ly'd And Fame errs seldom on the better side That like a Touch-stone try'd the proffer'd joy And could discern true Gold from base alloy Idyllium XIII He writes to his friend a Physitian and tells him that Love conquers the greatest Heroes which He proves from the story of Hercules and Hylas To Mr. William Gould M.B. of Wadham Colledge LOve Love dear Friend what e're we think 't is true Was not design'd for only such as you Nor do the Charms of Beauty strike alone Us Mortals seen to day to morrow gone But Hercules that Son of mighty Jove That bore the Lion's fury stoopt to Love Tho rough his mind appear'd tho steel'd to joy He Hylas claspt and lov'd the charming Boy He taught him as a Father would a Son To vertuous actions still He led him on They never parted nor at noon nor night Nor when the Morn's white Horse dâ—aws forth the light Nor when the callow Birds ly down to rest And careful old Ones flutter o're the Nest That still instructing as He once began He might be wrought into a worthy Man But when stout Jason with the youths of Greece To Colchos sail'd their prize the Golden Fleece When he had gather'd all the Sons of fame That could assist the great Alcides came To fair Jolcos Argo's chiefest freight Young Hylas too the Ship scarce felt his weight She swift as Eagles ply'd her nimble Oars And safely scap't the rough Cyanean Shores Which us'd to meet and stave the Ships that past But now are fix't on firm foundations plac't When Summer came and when the tender Lambs Began to feed on Grass and leave their Dams The noble Hero's blest with Southern Gales Thro Hellespont did spread their swelling Sails Thro the Propontis they did swiftly row Where stout Cyanean Oxen wear the Plow And landing there as shady Night came on And call'd to eat they sate in order down Soft Turfs were rais'd and each possest his place The Plain was large and gave them Beds of Grass The charming Hylas quick as the command A brazen Vessel grac't his lovely hand Ran o're the Field to see what Springs afford And fetch some Fountain water for his Lord His Lord and Telamon his constant guest One Table always joyn'd them a feast Just by a murmuring Spring crept o're the ground The Banks with Vervine and with Parsly crownd Within the Nymphs the Ladies of the Plains The watchful Nymphs that dance and fright the Swains Eunica Malis and their chiefest grace Nicoea Spring still opens in her face This Hylas