THEN

THE BETROTHAL.

HEN is there mirth in heaven,
When earthly things made even
Atone together.

Good duke, receive thy daughter,
Hymen from heaven brought her,
Yea, brought her hither;

That thou mightst join her hand with his,
Whose heart within her bosom is.

WEDLOCK.

EDDING is great Juno's crown;

WED

O blessed bond of board and bed!
'Tis Hymen peoples every town;
High wedlock then be honourèd:
Honour, high honour and renown,
To Hymen, god of every town!

MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

TAKE, OH! TAKE THOSE LIPS AWAY.

TAK

AKE, oh! take those lips away,
That so sweetly were forsworn;
And those eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mislead the morn:
But my kisses bring again,

Bring again.

Seals of love, but sealed in vain,

Sealed in vain.*

* The music of this song was composed by 'Jack Wilson,' the singer, who belonged to the same company of players with Shakespeare, and whose name is given in a stage direction in Much Ado about Nothing, 4to, 1600. [See communication from Mr. Collier, Shakespeare Society Papers, ii. 33.] Shakespeare's claim to the words is doubtful. The same song, with an additional stanza, appears in Beaumont and Fletcher's play of Rollo, Duke of Normandy, under which head they will be found in the present volume. Mr. Collier ob

A WINTER'S TALE.

THE SWEET OF THE YEAR.

WHEN daffodils begin to peer,

With heigh! the doxy over the dale,

Why, then comes in the sweet o' the year;
For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.

The white sheet bleaching on the hedge,

With heigh the sweet birds, O, how they sing! Doth set thy pugging* tooth on edge;

For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.

The lark, that tirra-lirra chants,

With heigh! with hey! the thrush and the jay:
Are summer songs for me and my aunts,
While we lie tumbling in the hay.

But shall I go mourn for that, my dear?
The pale moon shines by night:
And when I wander here and there,
I then do most go right.

If tinkers may have leave to live,
And bear the sow-skin bowget;
Then my account I well may give,
And in the stocks avouch it.

serves, on the other hand, that both stanzas are ascribed to Shakespeare in the edition of his poems printed in 8vo, 1640. But it should be observed also that the song is not given in the earlier edition by Juggard, and that the edition of 1640 is not conclusive authority. The best evidence in favour of Shakespeare's authorship is the general fact that, unlike most of the old dramatists, he never introduced into his plays (with the exception of scraps and foots of popular ballads) any songs by other writers. This is the only instance upon which a doubt can be raised.

* Supposed to mean thieving, from the old word puggard, a thief. The close resemblance suggests the derivation from this word of the flash term prigging or proguing, which, however, is rejected by Dr. Nares.

A MERRY HEART FOR THE ROAD.

JOG on, jog on, the footpath way,

A

And merrily hent* the stile-a: merry heart goes all the day,

Your sad tires in a mile-a.

THE PEDLAR AT THE DOOR.

LAWN, as white as driven snow;

Cypress, black as e'er was crow;

Gloves, as sweet as damask roses;
Masks for faces, and for noses;
Bugle-bracelet, necklace-amber,
Perfume for a lady's chamber:
Golden quoifs and stomachers,
For my lads to give their dears;
Pins and poking-sticks of steel,t
What maids lack from head to heel:

Come, buy of me, come; come buy, come buy;
Buy, lads, or else your lasses cry:

Come, buy, &c.

THE BALLAD OF TWO MAIDS WOOING A MAN.

4. GET you hence, for I must go;

Where it fits not you to know.

D. Whither? M. O, whither? D. Whither?

M. It becomes thy oath full well,

Thou to me thy secrets tell:

D. Me too, let me go thither.

M. Or thou goest to the grange, or mill:
D. If to either, thou dost ill.

* To seize, to hold.

A small stick used for setting the plaits of ruffs. They were originally made of wood or bone, afterwards of steel that they might be used hot. The steel poking-stick was introduced in the reign of Elizabeth.

A. Neither. D. What, neither? A. Neither.

D. Thou hast sworn my love to be:

M. Thou hast sworn it more to me:

Then, whither goest? Say, whither?

THE PEDLAR'S PACK.

WILL you buy any tape,

Or lace for your cape,

My dainty duck, my dear-a?
Any silk, any thread,

Any toys for your head,

Of the new'st, and fin'st, fin'st wear-a?
Come to the pedlar ;

Money's a medler,

That doth utter all men's ware-a.

THE TEMPEST.

MUSIC IN THE AIR.

COME unto these yellow sands,

And then take hands:
Courtesied when you have, and kissed,
The wild waves whist,

Foot it featly here and there;

And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.
Hark, hark!

Bowgh, wowgh.

The watch-dogs bark:

Bowgh, wowgh.

Hark, hark! I hear

The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, Cock-a-doodle-doo.

THE DROWNED FATHER.

FULL fathom five thy father lies:

Of his bones are coral made;

Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,

But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange,
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:

Hark! now I hear them,—ding-dong, bell.*

THE WARNING.

WHILE you here do snoring lie,
Open-eyed Conspiracy

His time doth take;

If of life you keep a care,
Shake off slumber, and beware:
Awake! awake!

A SAILOR'S AVERSION.

THE master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,
The gunner and his mate,
Loved Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
But none of us cared for Kate;

For she had a tongue with a tang,

Would cry to a sailor, 'Go hang;'

She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch;
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang.

THE BLESSING OF JUNO AND CERES.

HONOUR, riches, marriage-blessing,

Long continuance, and encreasing,

Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.

Earth's increase, and foisont plenty,
Barns and garners never empty;
Vines with clustering bunches growing;
Plants with goodly burthen bowing;

* Set to music by Robert Johnson, 1612.

† Abundance.