The Shepheardes Calender:
June
Note on
this Renascence
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This
edition
is copyright © The University
of
Oregon; it is distributed for scholarly and nonprofit purposes
only. Risa S. Bear
Iune.
Ægloga
Sexta.
A R G
V M E N
T.
THis
Æglogue
is wholly vowed to the complayning of Colins ill successe in his loue.
For being (as is aforesaid) enamoured of a Country lasse Rosalind, and
hauing (as seemeth) founde place in her heart, he lamenteth to his
deare
frend Hobbinoll, that he is nowe forsaken vnfaithfully, and in his
steed
Menalcas, another shepheard receiued disloyally. And this is the whole
Argument of this Æglogue.
HOBBINOL.
COLIN Cloute.
LO Coll[in],
here the place, whose pleasaunt syte
From other shades hath weand
my
wandring mynde.
Tell me, what wants me here,
to
worke delyte?
The simple ayre, the gentle
warbling
wynde,
So calme, so coole, as no
where
else I fynde:
The grassye ground with
daintye
Daysies dight,
The Bramble bush, where
Byrds of
euery kynde
To the waters fall their
tunes attemper
right.
COLLIN.
O happy Hobbinoll, I
blesse thy
state,
That Paradise
hast found, whych Adam lost.
Here wander may thy flock
early
or late,
Withouten dreade of Wolues
to bene
ytost:
Thy louely layes here mayet
thou
freely boste.
But I vnhappy man, whom
cruell fate,
And angry Gods pursue from
coste
to coste,
Can nowhere fynd, to shouder
my
lucklesse pate.
HOBBINOLL.
Then if by me thou list
aduised be,
Forsake
the soyle,
that so doth the bewitch:
Leaue me those
hilles, where harbrough nis to see,
Nor holybush, nor brere, nor
winding
witche:
And to the
dales resort, where shepheards ritch,
And fruictfull flocks bene
euery
where to see.
Here no night
Rauens lodge more blacke then pitche,
Nor eluish ghosts, nor
gastly owles
doe flee.
But frendly
Faeries, met with many
Graces,
And lightfote Nymphes can
chace
the lingring night,
With Heydeguyes,
and trimly trodden traces,
Whilst systers nyne, which
dwell
on Parnasse hight,
Doe make them musick, for
their
more delight:
And Pan himselfe to
kisse
their christall faces,
Will pype and daunce, when Phoebe
shineth bright:
Such pierlesse pleasures
haue we
in these places.
COLLIN.
And I, whylst youth, and
course of carelesse
yeeres
Did let me walke withouten
lincks
of loue,
In such delights did ioy
amongst
my peeres:
But ryper age such pleasures
doth
reproue,
My fancye eke from former
follies
moue
To stayed steps: for time in
passing
weares
(As garments doen, which
wexen old
aboue)
And draweth newe delightes
with
hoary heares.
Tho couth I sing of
loue, and
tune my pype
Vnto my plaintiue pleas in
verses
made:
Tho would I seeke ,
To giue my Rosalind,
and
in Sommer shade
Dight gaudy Girlonds, was my
comen
trade,
To crowne her golden locks,
but
yeeres more rype,
And losse of her, whose loue
as
lyfe I wayd,
Those weary wanton toyes
away dyd
wype.
HOBBINOLL.
Colin, to heare thy
rymes and
roundelayes,
Which thou were wont on
wastfull
hylls to singe,
I more delight, then larke
in Sommer
dayes:
Whose Echo made the neyghbour
groues to ring,
And taught the byrds, which
in the
lower spring
Did shroude in shady leaues
from
sonny rayes,
Frame to thy songe their
chereful
cheriping,
Or hold theyr peace, for
shame of
thy swete layes.
I sawe Calliope
wyth Muses moe,
Soone as thy oaten pype
began to
sound,
Theyr youry Luyts and Tamburins
forgoe:
And from the fountaine,
where they
sat around,
Renne after hastely thy
siluer sound.
But when they came, where
thou thy
skill didst showe,
They drewe abacke, as halfe
with
shame confound,
Shepheard to see, them in
theyr
art outgoe.
COLLIN.
Of Muses Hobbinol, I
conne no
skill:
For they bene daughters of
the hyghest Ioue,
And holden scorne of homely
shepheards
quill.
For sith I heard, that Pan with
Phoebus stroue,
Which him to much rebuke and
Daunger
droue:
I neuer lyst presume to Parnasse
hyll,
But pyping lowe in shade of
lowly
groue,
I play to please my selfe,
all be
it ill.
Nought weigh I, who
my song
doth prayse or blame,
Ne striue to winne renowne,
or passe
the rest:
With shepheard sittes not,
followe
flying fame:
But feede his flocke in
fields,
where falls hem best.
I wote my rymes bene rough,
and
rudely drest:
The fytter they, my carefull
case
to frame:
Enough is me to paint out my
vnrest,
And poore my piteous plaints
out
in the same.
The God of
shepheards Tityrus
is dead,
Who taught me homely, as I
can, to
make.
He, whilst he liued, was the
soueraigne
head
Of shepheards all, that bene
with
loue ytake:
Well couth he wayle hys
Woes, and
lightly slake
The flames, which loue
within his
heart had bredd,
And tell vs mery tales, to
keepe
vs wake,
The while our sheepe about
vs safely
fedde.
Nowe dead he is,
and lyeth
wrapt in lead,
(O why
should
death on hym such outrage showe?)
And all hys passing skil
with him
is fledde,
The fame whereof doth dayly
greater
growe.
But if on me some little
drops would
flowe,
Of that the spring was in
his learned
hedde,
I soone would learne these
woods,
to wayle my woe,
And teache the trees, their
trickling
teares to shedde.
Then should my
plaints, causd
of discurtesee,
As messengers of all my
painful
plight,
Flye to my loue, where euer
that
she bee,
And pierce her heart with poynt
of worthy wight:
As shee deserues, that
wrought so
deadly spight.
And thou Menalcas,
that by trecheree
Didst vnderfong
my lasse, to wexe so light,
Shouldest well be knowne for
such
thy villanee.
But since I am not,
as I wish
I were,
Ye gentle shepheards, which
your
flocks do feede,
Whether on hylls, or dales,
or other
where,
Beare witnesse all of thys
so wicked
deede:
And tell the lasse, whose
flowre
is woxe a weede,
And faultlesse fayth, is
turned
to faithlesse fere,
That she the truest
shepheards hart
made bleede,
That lyues on earth, and
loued her
most dere.
HOBBINOL.
O carefull Colin, I
lament thy
case,
Thy teares would make the
hardest
flint to flowe.
Ah faithlesse Rosalind, and
voide
of grace,
That art the roote of all
this ruthfull
woe.
But now is time, I gesse,
homeward
to goe:
Then ryse ye blessed flocks,
and
home apace,
Least night with stealing
steppes
doe you forsloe,
And wett your tender Lambes,
that
by you trace.
Colins
embleme.
Gia
speme spenta.
GLOSSE.
Syte)
situation and place.
Paradise)
A Paradise in Greeke signifieth a Garden of pleasure, or place of
delights.
So he compareth the soile, wherin Hobbinoll made his abode, to that
earthly
Paradise, in scripture called Eden; wherein Adam in his first creation
was placed. Which of the most learned is thought to be in Mesopotamia,
the most fertile and pleasaunte country in the world (as may appeare by
Diodorus Syculus description of it, in the hystorie of Alexanders
conquest
thereof) lying betweene the two famous Ryuers (which are sayd in
scripture
to flow out of Paradise) Tygris and Euphrates, whereof it is so
denominate.
Forsake
the soyle) This is no poetical fiction, but vnfeynedly spoken of the
Poete
selfe, who for speciall occasion of priuate affayres (as I haue bene
partly
of himselfe informed) and for his more preferment remouing out of the
Northparts
came into the South, as Hobbinoll indeede aduised him priuately.
Those
hylles) that is the North countreye, where he dwelt.
N'is)
is not.
The
Dales) the Southpartes, where he nowe abydeth, which thoughe they be
full
of hylles and woodes (for Kent is very hyllye and woodye; and therefore
so called: for Kantsh in the Saxons tongue signifieth woodie) yet in
respecte
of the Northpartes they be called dales. For indede the North is
counted
the higher countrye.
Night
Rauens &c.) by such hatefull byrdes, hee meaneth all misfortunes
(whereof
they be tokens) flying euery where.
Frendly
faeries)
the opinion of Faeries and elfes is very old, and yet sticketh very
religiously
in the mindes of some. But to roote that rancke opinion of Elfes oute
of
mens hearts, the truth is, that there be no such thinges, nor yet the
shadowes
of the things, but onely by a sort of bald Friers and knauish
shauelings
so feigned; which as in all other thinges, so in that, soughte to
nousell
the comen people in ignorounce, least being once acquainted with the
truth
of things, they woulde in tyme smell out the vntruth of theyr packed
pelfe
and Masspenie religion. But the sooth is, that when all Italy was
distraicte
into the Factions of the Guelfes and the Gibelins, being two famous
houses
in Florence, the name began through their great mischiefes and many
outrages,
to be so odious or rather dreadfull in the peoples eares, that if theyr
children at any time were frowarde and wanton, they would say to them
that
the Guelfe or the Gibeline came. Which words nowe from them (as many
thinge
els) be come into our vsage, and for Guelfes and Gibelines, we say
Elfes
and Goblins. No otherwise then the Frenchmen vsed to say of that
valiaunt
captain, the very scourge of Fraunce, The Lord Thalbot, afterward Erle
of Shrewsbury; whose noblesse bred such a terrour in the hearts of the
French, that oft times euen great armies were defaicted and put to
flyght
at the onely hearing of hys name. In somuch that the French wemen, to
affray
theyr chyldren, would tell them that the Talbot commeth.
Many
Graces) though there be indeede but three Graces of Charites (as afore
is sayd) or at the vtmost but foure, yet in respect of many gyftes of
bounty,
there may be sayde more. And so Musaeus sayth, that in Heroes eyther
eye
there satte a hundred graces. And by that authoritye, thys same Poete
in
his Pageaunts sayth. An hundred Graces on her eyeledde satte, &c.
Haydeguies)
A country daunce or rownd. The conceipt is, that the Graces and Nymphes
doe daunce vnto the Muses, and Pan his musicke all night by Moonelight.
To signifie the pleasauntnesse of the soyle.
Peeres)
Equalles and felow shepheards.
Queneapples
vnripe) imitating Virgils verse.
Ipse
ego cana
legam tenera lanugine mala.
Neighbour
groues) a straunge phrase in English, but word for word expressing the
Latine vicina nemora.
Spring)
not of water, but of young trees springing.
Calliope) afforesayde.
Thys staffe [is] full of verie poetical inuention.
Tamburines)
an olde kind of instrument, which of some is supposed to be the Clarion.
Pan
with Phoebus) the tale is well knowne, howe that Pan and Apollo
striuing
for excellencye in musick, chose Midas for their iudge. Who being
corrupted
wyth partiall affection, gaue the victorye to Pan vndeserued: for which
Phoebus sette a payre of Asses eares vpon hys head &c.
Tityrus)
That by Tityrus is meant Chaucer, hath bene already sufficiently sayde,
& by thys more playne appeareth, that he sayth, he tolde merye
tales.
Such as by hys Canterburie tales. whom he calleth the God of Poetes for
hys excellencie, so as Tullie calleth Lentulus, Deum vitae suae .s. the
God of hys lyfe.
To
make) to versifie.
O
why) A pretye Epanorthosis or correction.
Discurtesie)
he meaneth the falsenesse of his louer Rosalinde, who forsaking hym,
hadde
chosen another.
Poynte
of worthy wite) the pricke of deserued blame.
Menalcas)
the name of a shephearde in Virgile; but here is meant a person
vnknowne
and secrete, agaynst whome he often bitterly inuayeth.
vnderfonge)
vndermynde and deceiue by false suggestion.
Embleme
You
remember, that
in the fyrst Æglogue, Colins Poesie was Anchora speme: for that
as
then there was hope of fauour to be found in tyme. But nowe being
cleane
forlorne and reiected of her, as whose hope, that was, is cleane
extinguished
and turned into despeyre, he renounceth all comfort and hope of
goodnesse
to come. which is all the meaning of thys Embleme.
Go on to July.
Renascence
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