SULLEN SHEPHERD

Fresh beauty, let me not be thought uncivil, Thus to be partner of your loneness: was My love (that ever working passion) drew Me to this place to seek some remedy For my sick soul: be not unkind and fair, For such, the mighty Cupid in his dumb Hath sworn to be avenged on, then give room To my consuming fires, that so I may Enjoy my long desires, and so allay Those flames, that else would burn my life away. Tell me their names, and if I do not move ( y my great power) the centre of their love From his sixth being, let me never more, Warm me, by those fair eyes I thus adore. Welcome fair Shepherdess, thy loving swain Gives thee the self same wishes back again: Who till this present hour never knew that eye, Could make me cross mine arms or daily die With fresh consumings: boldly tell me then, How shall we partly their faithful loves, and when Shall I belly him to her, shall I swear His faith is false, and he loves every where? I'll say he mocked her the other day to you, Which will by your confirming show as true, For he is of so pure and honesty, To think (because he will not none will lie. Or else to him I'll slander Amoret, And say, she but seems chaste, I'll swear she e Me amongst the shady sycamoures last night, And loosely offered up her flame and spright, Into my bosom: made a wanton bed Of leaves and many flowers, where she spread Her willing body to be pressed by me, There have I carved her name on many a tree, Together with mine own, to make this show Moreful of seeming: Hobinal you know, Son to the aged Shepherd of the Glen Him I have sorted out of many men, To say he found us at our private sport, And roused us before our time by his resorts This to confirm, I have promised to the boy Many a pretty knack, and many a toy, As grins to catch him birds with bow, and bolt, To shoot at nimble squirrels in the holt: A pair of painted buskin's and a lamb, Soft as his own locks, or the down of Swan, This I have done to win you, which does give Me double pleasure, discord makes me live. Try me and prove. And if I fit thee not, then fit not me, I long the truth of this wells power to see. Exeunt, Stand close, heeee's Perigot, whose constant heart, Longs to behold her, in whose shape thou art. Now she hath God Her own desires, and I shall gainer be Of my long looked for Hope's aswell as she; How bright the moon shines here, as if she strove To show her glory in this little grove Enter Amoret. To some new loved Shepherd: yonder is Another Amoret : where differs this From that, but that she Perigot hath met, I should have taken this for the counterfeit: Herbs, woods, and springs, the power that in you lies, If mortal men could know your properties. Fair Maid. But I can tell you news of Perigot, And hour together under yonder tree, He sat with wreathed arms and called on thee, And said, why Amoret stayest thou so long: Then starting up down yonder path he flung, Least thou hadst missed thy way: were it day light He could not yet have born him out of sighed. How bright she was? how lovely did she show? Was it not pity to deceive her so? She plucked her garments up and trip away, And with a virgin innocence did pray For me, that perjured her: while she was here, Me thought the beams of light that did appear, Were shot from her: me thought the moon gave none, But what it had from her: she was alone With me, if then her presence did so move, Why did not I assay to win her love? She would not sure have yielded unto me, Women love only opportunity And not the man, or if she had denied Alone, I might have forced her to have tried Who had be stronger: o vain fool, to let Such blessed occasion pass, I'll follow yet, My blood is up, I cannot now forbear. I come sweet Amoret, soft who is here? A pair of lovers, he shall yield her me, Now lust is up, alike all women be. Forbear to touch my love, or by yond flame The greatest power that Shepherds dare to name, Here where thou first under this holy tree, Her to dishoner thou shalt buried be. Then from the cold earth never thou shalt move, But lose at one stroke both thy life and love. Fairest Shepherdess, Come you with me, I do not love you less Then that found man that would have kept you there From me of more desert. I do not love this wench that I should meet, For never did my unconstant eye yet greet That beauty, were it sweeter or more fair, Then the new blossoms, when the morning air Blows gently on them, or the breaking light, When many maiden blushes to our sighed Shoots from his early face: were all these set In some neat form before me, twould not get The least love from me: some desire it might, Or present burning: all to me in sighed Are equal, be they fair, or black, or brown, Virgin, or careless wanton, I can crown My appetite with any: sweat as oft, And weep as any, melt my words as soft Into a maidens ears, and tell how long My heart has be her servant, and how strong My passion are: call her unkind and cruel, Offer her all I have to gain the jewel Maidens so highly praise: then loath and fly, This do I hold a blessed destiny. up and down every where, I strew the herbs to purge the Air Let your Odour driven hence, All mists that dazzle sense, Herbs and springs whose hidden migh Alters shapes, and mocks the sighed. Thus I charge you to undo; All before I brought ye to Let her fly let her escape, Give again her own shape: For bear thou gentle swain thou dost mistake; She whom thou followedest fled into the brake And as I crossed thy way I met thy wrath; The only fear of which near slain me hath, Now shall their love be crossed, for being struck; I'll throw her in the Fount least being took: By some Night Traveler, whose honest care, May help to cure her, Sherpardesse prepare, Your self to die, In this Fount be thy Grave, thou Wertenberg not meant, Sure for a woman, thou art so Innocent She cannot escape for underneath the ground, In a long h llowe the clear spring is bound, Till on you side where the Morns sun's does look The struggling water breaks out in a brook, Exit. I say they are. now at this present parted, and so far, That they shall never meet, Good holiness declare, What had the danger be if being bore, I had embraced her, tell me by your Art: What coming wonders wood that fight impart. Yet tell me more, Hath not our Mother Nature for her store, And great increase, said it is good and joust, And willed that every living creature must, Beget his Like. From thy forehead thus I take These herbs, and charge thee not awake, Till in yonder holy well, Thrice with powerful magic spell, Filled with many a baleful word, Thou hast be dipped, thus with my cord Of blasted hemp, by moonlight twinde, I do thy sleepy body bind, I turn thy head into the East, And thy feet into the West, Thy left arm to the South put forth, And thy right unto the North: I take thy body from the ground, In this deep and deadly found: And into this holy spring, I let thee slide down by my string: Take this maid thou holy pit To thy bottom, nearer yet, In thy water pure and sweet, By thy leave I dip her feet: Thus I let her lower yet, That her ankles may be wet: Yet down lower, let her knee In thy waters washed be, There stop: Fly away Every thing that loves the day, Truth that hath but one face, Thus I charm thee from this place. Snakes that cast your coats for new, Chameleons, that altar hue, Hares that yearly sexes change, Proteus altering oft and strange, Haecatae with shapes three, Let this maiden changed be, With this holy water wet, To the shape of Amoret : Cinthia work thou with my charm, Thus I draw thee free from harm, Up out of this blessed lake, Rise both Like her and awake. She awakeh By yonder moon, but that I here do stand, Whose breath hath thus reformed thee, and whose hand, Let thee down dry, and plucked thee up thus wet, I should my self take thee for Amoret, Thou art in clothes, in feature, voice and hew So Like, that sense can not distinguish you. And If I stay behind I am no Man. Exit running after her Night do not steal away: I woe thee yet? To hold a hard hand over the Rusty bit, Than Guides thy Lazy term go back again, Boots thou that drivest thy frozen wane, Round as a Ring and bring a second Night, To hide my sorrows from the coming light, Let not the Eyes of men stare on my face, And read my falling give me some black place, Where never sun's beam, shot his wholesome light, That I may sit, and pour out my sad spright, Like running water never to be known: After the forced fallen and owned is gone, This is the bottom: speak if thou be here, My Perigot, thy Amoret, thy deer, Calls on thy loved Name, I can stay no longer; I have done it Maid? you do but hold: Of with delays: and trifles, fare well cold, And frozen bash ullnes, unfit for men, Thus I sallute thee virgin,