when we are at repast He walks among us kindly in the Hall And bids us eat and drink and make no waste Be cheerfull friends for ye are welcome all We have a day another day in chase Wherein wee l bid our Neighbours Swayns to bring The Lasses of the Plaines who with sweet Grace Can play upon the Violet and sing And there 's a Damsell I have heard some tell Can play upon the Lute exactly and can raise The minde of all the hearers with a spell Which to the soul another soul conveyes This I have heard and I beleeve in part That Aiery notes do steal away the sence And secretly conveyes another heart Who in admiring of some excellence Soars up aloft fill'd with extream desire To reach up to the center still doth hover And fain would close draws neer and would draw nigher Till with eternity all covered over Forgetâ—ing things below is well content To presse unto the mark that mighty prize And swallowed up in life and ravishment Drown'd with delight looks up with fixed eyes Unto the Hills not daring to look down Upon the empty pleasures that do bring Fears losses and amazements leaden Crown Whose best adorning is the Serpents sting Such Musick I have oft desired to hear Though I disdain not for to hear a Song Even of the meanest Swayn if he doth steer His course the lowly vallies all along In the mean time I le drink to honest Sisse To Dorothy and Isabella kinde I should be sorry any here to misse And to the Shepherdesses there behinde You sit as if you had no skill in love Or if faint-hearted do digresse from kinde We â—hepherds are disposed for to rove With random words sometimes to shew our minde Think not our mindes are altogether vain And full of folly cause we let our tongues To speak to you like men or entertain A minde to work your prejudice or wrongs Yet know that we are men and love like men We eat and drink and sleep like other creatures For you to love and we not love agen Were altogether to forget our natures We live like men and we do love our like Like in affection is the strongest tie Who that denies at natures Law doth strike For like rejoyceth when his like stands by This is in Pan our noble Master who Is much delighted when he doth behold Fair Innocency ranging to and fro Amongst the Lambs and Kidlings of our fold The greatest Joy he doth and can expresse Is to behold his flocks and heards to flourish But when he doth behold them in distresse He blames the Shepherds that are slack to nourish The tender Lambs committed to their charge Who at their will may lead them where they list But are contented they should run at large Which if they would but whistle with their fist Or if loves eccho's were but sometimes heard To peirce the Hils and Vallies where they wander A check of love would make them so afear'd T were needlesse for a dog to be commander And if a Shepherd shall for vertues cause Despise his fellow then me thinks I see A Devill that 's incarnate for his Claws And cloven Feet are manifest to me Oh then my soul take heed thou come not there Where such ill spirits haunt for where they dance The circle of their foul enchants appear And of Pans nature shew their ignorance Into their secrets let not my soul come Avaunt you Gipsies fickle fortune tellers Go dance the round where you finde better roome In younder Meadow with the fairy dwellers Where Screetch-Owls and the dismall Satyres haunt Inventing mischief foul malignant spirits Croaking ill luck like Envies blast that daunt Where male-contents infernall dales inherits Though we are men and live and die as men Yet we have thoughts that slee beyond the sphears Transcendent thoughts that knows both where and when To flee away beyond the common fears When in a hubbub all the world appears And the foundations fail and mountains tremble As if the Clouds would fall about their ears Our spirits then we presently assemble For they have wings to bear us to a place Beyond the raging waves wherewith a song Of exultation misty clouds do chace Away those vapours that our sight doth wrong Will. Stay Brother stay you go beyond your bounds You speak to men and women that do carry More flesh then spirit such high things confounds The memory of weaklings le ts not vary Speak in our Language for we understand Our mother tongue with that we travell far Le ts not forget that we have flocks at hand And too rich Pasture may our Kidlings mar We know thou art and hast bin long in love And ere 't be long we trust thou shal't obtain Thy strong desire and we do well approve And hope thy longing will not be in vain Thy sweet affections can no way miscarry Thou art but young take heed soar not too high But stay with us a while good honest Harry And in a lower stile thy measures try Come sing a song and we will bear a part In joy and sorrow and we will expresse Our best affections and each loving heart I dare be bold to say doth think no lesse Harry Then tune your Pipes sweet friends and I le begin And set your strings unto a lowly strain Yea all of you that in Loves bands have bin And bear a part with me a rurall Swayn For now I sing of Love but I want words For to expresse the things my minde affords The Argument of the Song THe longing soul stirs up her holy fires And in a Song sends forth her strong-desires To her most dear and best beloved Christ Whose sweet society she long hath miss't The Song O Thou the fairest fair without compare Whose kinde embraces passing pleasing are Whose unctions sweet from head to feet Oredows thy comely parts Eustaming mindes and making joyfull hearts And for the sent of odours spent And rare composed smell The fairest Virgins love thee passing well Vouchsafe to cover these black spots of mine With these same white and spotlesse robes of thine And then though I deformed lie And black I shall appear A comely Virgin in thine eye and dear Sore sick of love unapt to move Oh let thy gentle hand Reach forth thy comforts or I cannot stand Oh when wilt thou transport me to that place Where no disturbance shall prevent thy grace Where fill of love oreflowings prove That we may there injoy In that sweet bed of love without annoy For when I minde thy kisses kinde When first in love we fell That now me thinks thy absence proves a Hell If thou defire to see me yet alive Make haste and see how I for breath do strive Oh come away make no delay And sow thy precious seed For nothing else our sweet delight will breed Big swoln with grief there 's no relief Can wipe my weepings dry Oh come and give me children else I die For unto me
though we languish And live a while in anguish We know Love shall prevail Love's sweet conceivings Are no abortive heavings Our mindes for to assail No pleasant baits can us allure agen For we are carried Our mindes are married To things above the common reach of men Oh Arm of Flesh how weak wilt thou he then But yet we wander Vnseen of each by-stander In uncouth wayes These desert places Wâ—hardly ken the traces Of sheep that strayes We wander up and down and passe the springs And see no creature Of form and feature That we can love as these despised things And we well know that same hath flying wings But obthe dearest In my affection nearest My heart deth sail to tell How I have loved Since first my minde approved The vertue that doth dwell Within that brest that swells with things divine From whose out-flowings These tender growings Refresh the sense as with inspiring Wine And in these rayes the deity doth shine I heard one talking As I alone was walking On yonder lovely Plain With words of scorning Rich minder but poor adorning Love's honour for to stain But I will hold it for a point of faith The worst transgressions In Love's expressions The Law of Love which is as strong as death Commands to hide as long as there is breath I le stay and rest me Thy sweetnesse hath possest me And I have faith in this Thou wilt not fail me Though long delayes may quail me And I much joy may misse The thirsty soul alas brooks no delay And time comes flying There 's no denying There 's no intreats will make him for to stay Bald time farewell for ever and a day My minde reposes As on a bed of Roses Although sometimes I finde Some contradiction Which may prove but a fiction For to oresway my minde But when I overlook those lovely Hills With heart uprising And highly prizing That influence that Hills and Vallies fills Right sweetly then my swaying passion stills Friends now you see the noblenesse of love That consters all things to the better part And is content and willing to remove All blocks and rubs that sweet affection thwart Malignant nature and revengefull spleen Sends quite a swimming in the ragefull waves Of black confusion never to be seen To blast our good intentions with their braves But there 's a friend that keeps by yonder Plains That drives his flock so neer the Hazlewoods That to my knowledge mighty losse sustains And very lately I have understood By some of his acquaintance not unknown To some of us here present that his losse Is extraordinary that he is grown Unto a melancholly humour and so crosse That he will scarce admit society With any friends that come in loving sort For to advise but saith they come to spie That so they may his weaknesses report But I dare say not any one that 's here Can take delight to view his moody fits But as a matter that concerns them neer Abhors the seat where Scorn and Envy sits For we were alwayes better taught I 'm sure And see our Master's practise every day A noble president he gives for to inure Nature compels our wills for to obey Oh Sacred streams of Heavens influence Divine inspiring How can we forget The spring of thy divine intelligence That every day our barren soyl doth wet And makes our coast of desert places spring With various sweets and flowers of the prime Forsaken and despised Valleys sing With rich abounding plenty in our clime By the still waters glyding through the Plains Contentedly we sit and spend our hours Wherewith supply of Pastures green sustains And every day refresh with dews and showers The heritage of thrice adored Pan Which makes them bring forth twins when they do come From Washing Where the streams of love began The time of love a rich increase sends home But stay a while I purpose to relate The matter of his losse whereof I spake That so we may his case commiserate And sympathizing his our sorrows make He shall be namelesse at this time least I Should add unto his sorrows for I swear I would not do him the least injury Though I might gain the fleece his flock doth wear But to be brief our Master set him forth With Sheep-hook in his hand and with a flock Of Kids and Lambs that were of mighty worth Which after he had led beyond the Rock That stands beneath that high aspiring Hill Which you may view with your perspective Glasse A mighty Wood the upland grounds doth fill And by that Wood he every day did passe In handsome order for a while he kept His pretty Lambs and fed them with great care But so it was one afternoon he slept Out comes a Woolf and too and fro did stare But when he saw no creature to resist His hungry madnesse he began to catch At Kids and Lambs but by good hap he miss't The principall yet other two did snatch And worried them and kill'd and suckt their blood And drew them to the Wood that was so nigh The flock the while without resistance stood Amazed yet did neither bleat nor cry But yet thus much I dare be bold to say Had he but bin awak't and bin aware He would have fought and made a bloody fray For two or three of them he would not care But so it was the young man he began To rouze himself and looking all about He saw his flock were fled and then he ran To bring them in again and made no doubt Of any losse because he saw so many That did present themselves unto his view Thought all was well yet neither there was any Appearance whereupon he fearlesse grew Well that pass'd on and then it was not long But there befell another losse was worse For on a day when he was gone among The western Lads as 't was sometimes his course To go a merry making and to leave Hisslock along the Hedge-rows safely feeding At least he thought them safe nor did conceive The least suspect of such like danger breeding When he was gone out of the Wood there comes A fell devouring Beast a furious Bore His Tusks stood out and at the mouth he fomes And running on some half a dozen tore And of the Lambs made such a heavy wrack That 't was a wonder to behold the spoil How he their flesh did tear and bones did crack But having fill'd his paunch did back recoyl The flocks were all disperst among the Bryars Who fled for Shelter to the Thorny Hedge At last runs forth a Bear and quickly tires And worried half a score and took their pledge But all this while the Shepherd did forget His flock that in dispair ran to and fro But he amongst his boon companions set His resolution yet he would not go Ah silly Lambs resistlesse in your harms Wasted and spoyl'd yet shew no discontent Spoyl'd of all yet nere assuming arms Can you subsist in this your element
never end Here 's lovely seed That 's sown indeed In souls agreed Partaking of that nature And thence doth spring That noble thing That light doth bring The first-born of each creature Then Faith and Hope are glad to spie Their sister dear fair Charity Harry Your charity I love and do commend And in my minde you do a great deal better And oft I think 't is better to offend In over-giving then to be a debter Ned. It is your bounty yet I pray you know Fair Charity hath eyes and can discern She is not blinde nor hood-winkt goes I trow To judge of colours is not far to learn She can distinguish colours when she sees Or white or black or green or blue or yellow Knows well that light and darknesse disagrees And good to evill will not be a fellow To say that white is black or black is white Or for to say that darknesse doth excell And shall esteem it far above the light I dare be bold to say He sees not well For when I see a man reel to and fro And make Indentures in the Kings high-way That is a drunkard and I think him so To speak what I do see I think I may Such revell-rout was kept a moneth agone Amongst the Northern Lads that met together That staggering ripe they passed one by one Well lin'd they thought to keep away the weather As blinde as beetles and I heard some say That one of them that 's sick will scarce recover That domineer'd and swore his wits away In a dry ditch as he was passing over Fell down and slept till morning when the Sun Began to rise and when he saw 't was day Lookt out to finde his bottle which had run And that beyond the bridge quite empty lay And when he saw his bottle he was glad And 'gan to poize it being dry as dust But having found its lightnesse grew so sad That to the River for to drink he must A cooler fittest for such roaring Boyes Such boysterous fellows that can never tell When 't is sufficient but good things destroyes 'T were a good riddance such were packt to hell The world 's so full of swearers and blasphemers Of knaves and rascalls cheaters and deceivers Of busie-bodies and vain foolish dreamers Blood-suckers and oppressing life-bereavers That I do wonder Heaven can forbear To rain down slames and tempests of consuming Upon such wretches as do daily dare With a high hand Heavens vengeance with presuming Harry I will not wish that any friend of mine Should be too forward for to censure those Whom they may think are faulty or repine And others failings to the world disclose Failings said I our master is content To passe by more then failings in us all Grosse evilâ— daring bold and impudent With patience bears offenders great and small Knows men are men and whilest we are but men Men of the earth whose mindes are full of folly Winks at small faults out ruâ—s us now and then Yet knows our hearts are vain and much unholy Our dayes of ignorance and unknowing times Doth passe by him in silence unregarded Our want of skill esteemeth not as crimes Nor sends a servant going unrewarded But now 't is time sith we have seen so long His going forth and coming in before us How day by day he comes our flocks among And in our wants is willing for to store us 'T is good to mark his wayes his lovely wayes His comely steps when he is passing by And being past mark but his lovely rayes Is left behinde discern'd with half an eye Yea wheresoere we go or run or ride We may discern his foot-steps every where Trace all the Hills and Dales and Valleys wide And who can lay His footsteps are not here In low despised Valleys I have seen His lovely steps and pacings he did go Where to my thinking he had never beeh Where weather-beaten Reeds shook to and fro And when I saw his footsteps I was glad Thought I Our Lord and Master is not far I that before opprest in minde and sad He came upon me ere I was aware And in amaze I looked and beheld him 'Twixt joy and fear but love was most prevailing And when he saw my love it so compell'd him To stay with me a while for all my failing He thus began to say What dost thou here What dost thou here my friend and servant whom I have betrusted with a flock right dear Why dost thou thus far from thy Kidlings come I gave thee Kids and Lambs and bid thee stay By yonder Downs the fittest place for feeding Now tell me why th' art gone so far away And to my order gavest no better heeding My answer was at hand and not to seek For Love compell'd me for to answer mildly For there was cause enough I should be meek Cause my behaviour had bin sometimes wildly I answered thus Sweet Sir be not offended I came to seek two Lambs that went astray When yesterday I purpos'd and intended To bring them to the fold in cool of day But having told my Lambs and missing twayn I left the other feedâ—ng for a while Making no question but with little pain To finde them quickly near to yonder stile I pass'd along beneath the seven Hills Something inquiring of my fellow wayns If they had seen my Lambs to passe the Rills That run along the Valleys in the Plains And they made answer they have lost their own And more then two or three or half a dozen Were strayed away from them and they were shown A skin or two by some that meant to cozen We saw them not the Woolf perâ—aps hath catcht them For all these coasts are pester'd every where With raving Woolfs and Foxes which do watch them And put us daily in a trembling fear Well I was answer'd yet I would not leave But sought them still where I observ'd thy treading In every Valley and I did conceive And 't was my minde to trace thee in thy leading And now I am come hither to this Dale Oregrown with Flags and Sedge and bruised Reeds And weeping ripe I wander in this Vale And now I spie my Lambs Ned. Now cease thy speech sweet friend I know thy minde Thy sweet rebukes I am content to bear Sure thou hast learn'd of Pan for to be kinde Now for my sake good heart this Favour wear Take it and wear it and remember me It is a token of my love to thee Phil. D' ee hear my friend Me thinks it is a shame You should neglect your flocks and stand contending Such triviall talkings much deserveth blame Your vain discourse me thinks should have some ending Do you not see the Sun doth now begin For to decline unto the West Southwest Is this the way our Masters love to win Or can you think this is your place of rest And do you think you shall even now enjoy An everlasting day here in these Bowers How are your thoughts disperst
thou art more lovely far Then any beauties to my senses are And wheresoere thy shinings are And thy image I espie Me thinke it is 〈◊〉 to mine eye Yea then even then would I take part with thee For though 〈…〉 I have inforced bin To yeeld unto that 〈◊〉 betraying sin 〈…〉 field from friends exil'd When I 〈…〉 alone 〈…〉 came none 〈…〉 safety most Alâ—â— poor 〈◊〉 I sude Strong 〈◊〉 and shares that hands and jeet do binde If I have 〈…〉 on ary wight Or ought 〈…〉 my chief â—â—light Siace first that 〈◊〉 did wound my heart That none but thee can â—â—re Then in 〈…〉 let me still indure Yea let me â—e exil'd from thee And never see thy face If in my heart thou misse the chiefest place And yet methinks I wish my self no harms Were I in Hell inclused in thine Arms Lesse cause of fear more comforts there Then in Heavens flying fame For they might passe but thou art still the same These empty things have flying wings The soaring soul flees higher Thou art the center of her chief defire For yesternight when I was half a sleep Me thought I saw thee walking on the deep Whose comely feet the waves did greet With friendly threatnings kinde Thy steps a deep impression left behinde The raging waves that erst while raves When thou in love dost chide With trembling silence thy rebukes abide If it be thee Lord bid me come apace I know 't is thee thy words oreflow with grace Then sink or swim I le go to him A sea of love I see If I be drown'd I care not I le to thee Oh 't is my choice 't is Davids voice My soul is knit to thine A strangers voice was never so divine Prove me my dear and try if thou canst finde If my affections be not to thy minde If I withstand thy sweet command Then let me bear the blame And in thy love put me to publike shame Or if 't is meet first shew the shect Where Virgin thoughts did lie And thou shalt see the signe of chastity Ralph Dost thou want words sweet friend Why now I see Thou canst comply as well as any man Dost think equivocation may passe free And be well taken We thy words can scan Say what thou wilt we know thee If thou hide Thy self within a Wood wee l thee descry Though in a Grove of Woods thou wouldst abide Yet we will trace thee in a Sympathy And we can walk with thee within thy cloud Whose Pearl-like dew drops words of sweet desire My genius tells me sure thou art not proud Although thy humble breathings do aspire To speak in lofty words yet we professe Though thou comply we love thee nere the lesse Harry T is true indeed and I acknowledge it I do comply and so I think I may And I account it manners and 't is fit In friendly terms to grant and to gainsay But he whose friendship is but complement And onely complementall I count base That course is quite without my element From me such thoughts I quite away do chase I love my friend that is my friend indeed And he shall know my inmost secrecies The choicest Cates on which my soul doth feed That doth support me in my miseries I will not spare but freely will impart The treasure of my soul and where 't is hid The wants and the aboundings of my heart My faults for which I have bin soundly chid My hopes and fears my joyes and discontents My nakednesse my shame I will discover My vildnesse and the joyfull ornaments I will not hide from thee my friend my lover Will. Thanks Harry we have born our parts with thee But thou hast born the burden of thy Song I would thy soul from anguish were as free As I could wish I trust thou shalt ere long Receive thy hearts desire but stay a while With patience wait but prethee set no time The Pilgrims chat doth longsome way beguile And loves transgressions none doth count a crime Onely beware of this do not reveal Loves secrets on thy life as yesterday A friend of ours but stay I will conceal His name for fear he run the more astray For on a day and 't is not long ago I heard him tune an Oaten-pipe so well That if I should account him for a foe And should his folly to the Milk-maids tell He would forget his musiâ—k and neglect His little flock committed to his charge And with a neer conceit of disrespect Despair the bounds of folly would enlarge John No Brother stay be silent for a while We have a rule that 's left by noble Pan A principle that hangs upon the file That 's legible to read for every man And for memoriall stands upon record Let all your things sweet friends be done in love You are my friends and I can well afford My name which all your Shepherds well approve Shall be impos'd upon you My commands Are far from being grievous unto those Whose sweet affections well inclined stands And I no other burden do impose Loves yoak is casie and the burthen light Sweet is the yoak no bitternesse at all No slavish fearfull toyl that doth affright Therein's no danger for to stand or fall Ralph Now we perceive right well the very cause Thou lov'st to sit alone upon these Hills Not with intent to nullifie the Laws And liberty of Shepherds with thy will For all the liberty that we injoy Consists in this if Love but once command We are content and willing to obey No Shepherd on these Downs will it withstand If any Shepherds Lad presume to break The Law of Love of purpose and shall tell Her secrecies and shall account them weak They such a one will presently expell To their society he shall not come The very Milk-maids will begin to hisse Yea such a fellow shall not have a crum Of any dainties no not of a kisse His Curds and Cream that he was wont to have At noon times in the Dairey when the heat Of Summer made him kindnesse for to crave Though much he needed not for to intreat He with the Hindes shall stand and cool his feet Beg for a favour and receive a flout The poorest Kitchin-maid that he doth meet When time shall serve will make him stand without And is not he well serv'd that shall disclose The secrets of his friend to do him harm When his chief trust he doth in him repose With many friendly walkings arm in arm When promises of constant loving hearts Viewing wherein his strength and weaknesse lies Against the very course of Love imparts To friend and foe his inmost secrecies Now honest William do not hold us long But prethee tell the subject of this Song Will. Well then in sober sadnesse I will tell The subject of his Song though I may misse For to expresse the words he fram'd so well But to my best remembrance it was this The SONG COme you sweet affections all View the
place of Pan 's abiding And you Shepherds great and small Bring your stocks to his residing Shepherdesses of the Plains Bring your instruments well stringed You whose Virgin brests retains Darts that flew from Heaven winged Noble hearts of Heavens choice Bring your flames of sacred firing You that can expresse by voice Raptures of divine inspiring Bring your Lutes and let us hear And we will your measures follow Wee l the burden help to hear By the guidance of Apollo Hand in hand and heart in heart We will tread our pacing measures Like affections none can part Twinning arms nere-ending pleasures Those whom Heavens hand hath joyn'd Who will dare to put a sunder Can Heavens darlings be unkinde That would be a mighty wonder Natures bounds who can forget T is Pan 's nature to be loving He the waves their bounds hath set Their presumption still reproving But Pan 's nature overflows Lofty Hills and brings them under In the Sea they stand in Rowes Mollifi'd and rent in sunder In his name we will rejoyce In his nature we will wander Through the desarts are our choice Where compell'd by no Commander We can no commands they Though they 〈◊〉 with strong perswading Nature taught as to gainsay And 〈◊〉 the wills ineading But methinks Thear a voice From the 〈◊〉 of safe assuring Who in safety do 〈◊〉 Yet in bonds themselves inuring But another veice rass'd by Freely 〈◊〉 in my hearing He come forth my Dove and bie Thee to a place of better cheering New the 〈◊〉 Winter's past Haâ— and Snow and Weather beatings 〈◊〉 Sol away hath chast Though with sweet and fair intreatings Shadows 〈◊〉 and get you hence Come â—o more to hurt our seeing To thy nothingnesse from whence Thou dericest all thy being Now the lovely Spring is come And each Bird in safety singeth Counting every place their home Where their Airy-wings them bringeth Sweet affections they flee high Far above all dying being Almost to eternity From the hands oâ— Fowlers freeing Yesternight Tâ—past alone By the light of Luna 's shining Purposely to hear a Song I perceived the friendly twining Of the Trees and Bushes kinde Who most friendly kiss't each other Arm iâ— Arm their Branches twin'd Like the childe that hugs the mother Passing further by a Dale Full of thoughts and sweet conceivings There I heard a Nightingale Whose sweet mirth was sense bereavings Oh thought I if Songs of night Be so joyfull in our hearing Raviâ—ments of greater might Will be seen at Sun's appearing Now the gladsome Sun doth rise And the Earth in her best dressing And each Bird doth memorize Pan 's great acts and might expressing How he hath destroyed quite Welves and Foxes Bears and Lions And deliver'd by his might The distressed Lambs of Sion ' s. Now rejoyce thou little Hill Little in thine estimation Thou shalt be beloved still And a Crown of exaltation Shall be given unto thee Who art Pan 's delight and pleasure Thou ab thou art onely she Vnto whom he brings his treasure All his living Springs abide In thy Brest thou Queen of Nations And from thee they do divide Into streams whose elevations Soon descending to the plains Where each Shepherds Boy resorteth Which their thirsty soul sustains Where our Lambs and Kidlings sporteth Yet I heard not long ago Shrew'd reports of Shepherds striving For a Well whose springs did flow With sweet streams of soul reviving The contention grew so hot Almost unto Daggers drawing But the anger was forget By Pan 's wisedom over-awing We are called by thy name Oh thou mighty Pan whose dwelling Is beyond the common fame All our Shepherds far excelling For from thee they do derive All their wisedom how to order And their tender flocks to drive Till they come to Canaan 's border Like an Oyntment powred forth Whose sweet sent enflames the senses Orâ—â—nâ— oâ—our of great worth Purchased with great expences Right so precious for to hear Is thy name and sweetly soundeth And from Hills and Dales do rear Ecchoes that thy fame resoundeth Every Shepherds Boy that walks All along these Downs and Mountains Of his bounty alway talks T'other day by yonder Fountains Sate each lovely Shepherdesse Singing Songs and Musick playing Each one in her Virgins dresse With Love's ornaments arraying These were the words but I will tell you more Upon a day when all alone he sate Under a Hill upon his head he wore A kinde of Wreath well wrought and delicate With dainty Flowers that well I cannot name As Roses Violets Hearts-ease Columbines The tender Lilly Tulips of great fame Wall-Flowers and Honey-Suckles that entwines Sweet-Marjoram and Sweet-Bryer Cowslips Marigolds Primroses pretty Dazies Jilly-Flowers The Hollyoak in doubles manifolds And many more brought in by April showers There wanted nothing but the Lawrell-Bay Me thought it did become the Lad so well That in affection I am bold to say Most Lads upon these Downs he did excell But to be brief I crept upon all four And secretly unseen I came so neer him 'T was ten to one I came in such an hour When he began to sing to over-hear him Upon his Pipe he played and sweetly sing I hearkned to his tunes with great delight Then in a rage his Pipe away he flung Yet all this while I kept me from his sight All this I speak that so I might remove The prejudice that I perceive remains Within your Brests the dwelling place of love Who with delight Pan's precepts entertains For we are servants unto noble Pan And have and do observe his nature well His noâ—le kindnesse unto every man With love he useth onely to compell This is his nature and it is no shame To imitate his nature with desire Not onely to be called by his name But to a further neernesse to aspire Not onely for to love his likenesse sweet When with delight we view those gladsome beams But with his nature one another greet And from that nature send forth lovely streams As streams of mercy and of suffering long Patient in waiting seeking every hour To win with love without compulsion strong And without fury hear what others say And now sweet friends you that desire to hear The matter of his Song I pray draw neer The SONG Come neer affections And help with thy directions To sing this Song of love And we together Will take a part of either The same more light will prove For now dismay'd I sit and make my moan And I am searfull It will prove direfull A burden heavy for to bear alone T will break my heart I think that thou bear none And now I wonder To hear some speak like Thunder Love's darlings for to awe And to affright them As if they would endite them And give Love's bounds a Law Love that so deep and past their ouring wounds But love is boundlesse Her Law is groundlesse Love cannot be contain'd in humane bounds Nor will we yeeld to them on such small grounds For
and found more sweet delight In that hard fare then in their full fruition Me thinks I cannot entertain a thought Of prejudice against such reall thinkings For I have weigh'd those Arguments some brought To prove them simple no-things others winkings And silence gave consent This was my thought I tell thee what I thought my thoughts are mine And in so saying yet I have not sought To make thee think amisse of thoughts Divine All zealous burning hearts that talk with God And are inflamed with his lovely being And are contented to endure the rod Of his chastizements for their further freeing I willingly will bear and I will bear Their contradictions too and their revilings And it shall be my glory for to rear A monument to all my self exilings I will not care what men do think of me Praists I value much-what like the winde I am content Fames trumpet should blow free I hope it shall not much disturbe my minde Though some speak evill yet they cannot tell So much as I can of my self relate I know more evill by a mighty deal Even by my self then all the world can prate But let them prate I take no other care I 'le fight with them in love come if they dare Ned. Well answer'd Will Me thinks thy words do favour As thou had'st been with Joshua sure thou hast T is my rejoycing thou hast found that favour Me thinks thy words well rellish in my taste For 't is my joy where ere I come to hear Men speak with good affection 't is a grace That seldom in our Gown-men do appear Whose want of wisedom over-clouds the face For lovely wisedom makes the face to shine And secretly infuseth in the mindes Of the beholders that which doth entwine And with inthralling violence it bindes And makes the soul to say with strong desiring When it beholds the glory to expresse Such fervent love with lowly breath aspiring Oh that I were like thee in lowlinesse Oh that I could even in the dust lie down Me thinks that low condition is the best Then I should quite forget a mortalls frown Then with the Worms sure I should finde some rest For there 's a glory sure amongst the Worms Companions in the dust whose intercourse With one another in preventing storms And low condition never fears divorce For t'other day as I was passing by In yonder lowly Valley there I saw Our Masters picture to the life whose eye Did every eye in that large Valley draw Three thousand souls at once as I suppose Of purpose came to view and every one Yea I dare say that every one of those Said in his heart He looks on me alone And so said all that stood or far or near Or either side or just before the place The fixed eye to each one did appear As if it were set our Vains to outface Look you on that it look't on you likewise And so said all It looks on me and me And in each heart from thence forth did arise More noble thoughts then all the world can see Ralph Will there 's a friend would very fain come in And see our Master Jesus but I fear He 's over-lofty minded to begin To stoop so low and curious too I hear Will. Wouldst thou see Jesus friend thou art not able For to behold him in humilitie Thy countenance doth render thee unstable For every Shepherd saith thou com'st to spie Couldst thou but view him in his lowlinesse Sitting amongst the children of delight And speaking in their language thou 'dst confesse Thou never didst behold a better sight Thou art too mighty friend in my conceiving Thy countenance doth give thou art too rich Thy speech bewrayes thou hast a heart deceiving For too much learning doth thy soul bewitch Thou canst not stoop so low it is my fear For thou grow'st stiff with age gray-hairs grow on Old in the evill nature who can bear A burden to thy friends to think upon Age in extreams frozen in thy words Words without life a life without consent Rugged unto thy friends upon Records All love sometimes in way of complement Ralph But Brother Ned thy countenance doth give And I with pity view thee now and than Sometimes me thinks the life that thou dost live Cannot be called life for when I scan Thy visage and thy looks how pale thy cheeks Thy gloating eyes thy pendant hairy brow Thy griming teeth that scanty covering seeks Shews that lip-labour thou do'st best allow Love from teeth outward such as thou hast learn'd Among the Western Shepherds hide-bound crew That love but in the tongue that 's soon discern'd A hollow voice a hol low heart doth shew Will. The humble soul discerns the voice right well Of her beloved half a word from him Is better then ten thousand tales some tell From brain-sick mindes that in their puddle swim For she doth know the voice of him that speaks Out of th' abundance of Librarious treasure And she hath eyes to see the hands that breaks Souls food and gives it by weight and measure For t'other day when two or three of us Were sadly walking to the Eastern Plains Discoursing pro con it chanced thus Even in the midst of our condoling vains A noble Shepherd passing on the way And hearing our discourse drew near and went A long with us and none of us could say What man he was nor what was his intent But albeit our journey was not great Our feet were faint our eye-sight that was dim Our hearts did burn and pine for want of meat Yet well content to go along with him But to be brief we came unto the place Where we intended for to stay all night Then we perswaded him in any case To stay with us untill the morning light Well then he stard and when we sate at meat Our spirits well-nigh spent he took the bread And blessed it and brake and gave to eat Which after we had tasted and had fed Our spirits werereviv'd our foolish eyes That had been held on poor decaying things Far better objects wishly now diseries And glorious things to our remembrance brings And then we know full well it was the voice Of our Beloved once set down for lost Our hope almost ashamed of our choice And on the waves of strong temptations tost But never man that ever spake with tongue Spake like this man for he brake bread indeed No giddifying Darnell bread to wrong The eaters brain 't was made of holy seed John Speak like a Christian Ned me thinks thy driving Is over furious Why do'st drive fo fast A gentle softly pace is best for thriving We have a Proverb too Much haste makes waste Provoking urging words doth ill become The servants of that houshold whereof we Are glad to be partakers though there 's some Disdain a servant in that houle to be But he that is content to sit and hear And is content to learn the simple plainnesse Wherein the