CELANTA AT THE WELL OF LIFE. A Head comes up with ears of corn, and she combs them in her lap. G Voice. ENTLY dip, but not too deep, For fear you make the golden beard to weep. Fair maiden, white and red, Comb me smooth, and stroke my head, And thou shalt have some cockell-bread. A Second Head comes up full of gold, which she combs into her lap. Sec. Head. Gently dip, but not too deep, For fear thou make the golden beard to weep. Fair maid, white and red, Comb me smooth, and stroke my head, And every hair a sheaf shall be, And every sheaf a golden tree. From GEORGE PEELE's David and Bethsabe, 1599. BETHSABE BATHING. HOT sun, cool fire, tempered with sweet air, Black shade, fair nurse, shadow my white hair: Shine, sun; burn, fire; breathe, air, and ease me; Black shade, fair nurse, shroud me, and please me : Shadow, my sweet nurse, keep me from burning, Make not my glad cause cause of mourning. Let not my beauty's fire Inflame unstaid desire, Nor pierce any bright eye That wandereth lightly. From LODGE and GREENE'S A DO ME RIGHT AND DO ME REASON. BE EAUTY, alas! where wast thou born, Whenas Beauty kissed to woo thee, I and thou in sooth are one, Fairer thou, I fairer none : Wanton thou, and wilt thou, wanton, Heigh-ho! I love, heigh-ho! I love, From THOMAS NASHE'S Summer's Last Will and Testament, 1600. SPRING, THE SWEET SPRING. PRING, the sweet Spring, is the year's pleasant SPRI king; Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring, The palm and may make country houses gay, The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet, Spring, the sweet spring! A-MAYING, A-PLAYING. TRI RIP and go! heave and ho! So merrily trip and go! FAIR FADING SUMMER. AIR summer droops, droop men and beasts therefore, So fair a summer look for never more: All good things vanish less than in a day, Go not yet away, bright soul of the sad year, Go not yet hence, bright soul of the sad year, WINTER, PLAGUE, AND PESTILENCE. AUTUMN hath all the summer's fruitful treasure; Gone is our sport, fled is our Croydon's pleasure! Short days, sharp days, long nights come on apace : Ah, who shall hide us from the winter's face? Cold doth increase, the sickness will not cease, And here we lie, God knows, with little ease. From winter, plague and pestilence, good Lord, deliver us! London doth mourn, Lambeth is quite forlorn! |