The Hesperides & Noble Numbers Part 39

521. TO PHYLLIS, TO LOVE AND LIVE WITH HIM.

Live, live with me, and thou shall see The pleasures I'll prepare for thee; What sweets the country can afford Shall bless thy bed and bless thy board.

The soft, sweet moss shall be thy bed With crawling woodbine over-spread; By which the silver-shedding streams Shall gently melt thee into dreams.

Thy clothing, next, shall be a gown Made of the fleece's purest down.

The tongues of kids shall be thy meat, Their milk thy drink; and thou shalt eat The paste of filberts for thy bread, With cream of cowslips b.u.t.tered; Thy feasting-tables shall be hills With daisies spread and daffodils, Where thou shalt sit, and red-breast by, For meat, shall give thee melody.

I'll give thee chains and carcanets Of primroses and violets.

A bag and bottle thou shalt have, That richly wrought, and this as brave; So that as either shall express The wearer's no mean shepherdess.

At shearing-times, and yearly wakes, When Themilis his pastime makes, There thou shalt be; and be the wit, Nay, more, the feast, and grace of it.

On holidays, when virgins meet To dance the heyes with nimble feet, Thou shall come forth, and then appear The queen of roses for that year; And having danced, 'bove all the best, Carry the garland from the rest.

In wicker baskets maids shall bring To thee, my dearest shepherling, The blus.h.i.+ng apple, bashful pear, And shame-fac'd plum, all simp'ring there.

Walk in the groves, and thou shalt find The name of Phyllis in the rind Of every straight and smooth-skin tree; Where kissing that, I'll twice kiss thee.

To thee a sheep-hook I will send, Be-prank'd with ribands to this end; This, this alluring hook might be Less for to catch a sheep than me.

Thou shalt have possets, wa.s.sails fine, Not made of ale, but spiced wine, To make thy maids and self free mirth, All sitting near the glitt'ring hearth.

Thou shalt have ribands, roses, rings, Gloves, garters, stockings, shoes, and strings Of winning colours, that shall move Others to l.u.s.t, but me to love.

These, nay, and more, thine own shall be If thou wilt love, and live with me.

_Carcanets_, necklaces.

_Wakes_, village feasts on the dedication day of the church.

_The heyes_, a winding, country dance.

_Be-prank'd_, be-decked.

522. TO HIS KINSWOMAN, MISTRESS SUSANNA HERRICK.

When I consider, dearest, thou dost stay But here a-while, to languish and decay, Like to these garden-glories, which here be The flowery-sweet resemblances of thee; With grief of heart, methinks, I thus do cry: Would thou hadst ne'er been born, or might'st not die.

523. UPON MISTRESS SUSANNA SOUTHWELL, HER CHEEKS.

Rare are thy cheeks, Susanna, which do show Ripe cherries smiling, while that others blow.

524. UPON HER EYES.

Clear are her eyes, Like purest skies, Discovering from thence A baby there That turns each sphere, Like an Intelligence.

_A baby_, see Note to 38, "To his mistress objecting to him neither toying nor talking".

525. UPON HER FEET.

Her pretty feet Like snails did creep A little out, and then, As if they played at Bo-Peep, Did soon draw in again.

526. TO HIS HONOURED FRIEND, SIR JOHN MINCE.

For civil, clean, and circ.u.mcised wit, And for the comely carriage of it, Thou art the man, the only man best known, Mark'd for the true wit of a million: From whom we'll reckon. Wit came in but since The calculation of thy birth, brave Mince.

527. UPON HIS GREY HAIRS.

Fly me not, though I be grey: Lady, this I know you'll say; Better look the roses red When with white commingled.

Black your hairs are, mine are white; This begets the more delight, When things meet most opposite: As in pictures we descry Venus standing Vulcan by.

528. ACCUSATION.

If accusation only can draw blood, None shall be guiltless, be he ne'er so good.

529. PRIDE ALLOWABLE IN POETS.

As thou deserv'st, be proud; then gladly let The Muse give thee the Delphic coronet.

530. A VOW TO MINERVA.

G.o.ddess, I begin an art; Come thou in, with thy best part For to make the texture lie Each way smooth and civilly; And a broad-fac'd owl shall be Offer'd up with vows to thee.

_Civilly_, orderly.

_Owl_, the bird sacred to Athene or Minerva.

534. TO ELECTRA.

'Tis evening, my sweet, And dark, let us meet; Long time w'ave here been a-toying, And never, as yet, That season could get Wherein t'ave had an enjoying.

For pity or shame, Then let not love's flame Be ever and ever a-spending; Since now to the port The path is but short, And yet our way has no ending.

Time flies away fast, Our hours do waste, The while we never remember How soon our life, here, Grows old with the year That dies with the next December.

535. DISCORD NOT DISADVANTAGEOUS.

Fortune no higher project can devise Than to sow discord 'mongst the enemies.

536. ILL GOVERNMENT.

Preposterous is that government, and rude, When kings obey the wilder mult.i.tude.

_Preposterous_, lit. hind-part before.

537. TO MARIGOLDS.

Give way, and be ye ravish'd by the sun, And hang the head whenas the act is done, Spread as he spreads, wax less as he does wane; And as he shuts, close up to maids again.