The Shepheardes Calender Read Online

For they say a Beuie of Larkes, euen as a Couey of Partridge, or an eye of Pheasaunts.

35 Ladyes of the lake) be Nymphes. For it was an olde opinion amongste the Auncient Heathen, that of euery spring and fountaine was a goddesse the Soueraigne. Whiche opinion stucke in the myndes of men not manye yeares sithence, by meanes of certain fine fablers and lowd lyers, such as were the Authors of King Arthure the great and such like, who tell many an vnlawfull leasing of the Ladyes of the Lake, that is, the Nymphes. For the word Nymphe in Greeke signifieth Well water, or otherwise a Spouse or Bryde. Behight) called or named.

36 Chloris) the name of a Nymph, and signifieth greenesse, of whome is sayd, that Zephyrus the Westerne wind being in loue with her, and coueting her to wyfe, gaue her for a dowrie, the chiefedome and soueraigntye of al flowres and greene herbes, growing on earth.

37 Oliues bene) The Oliue was wont to be the ensigne of Peace and quietnesse, eyther for that it cannot be planted and pruned, and so carefully looked to, as it ought, but in time of peace: or els for that the Oliue tree, they say, will not growe neare the Firre tree, which is dedicate to Mars the God of battaile, and vsed most for speares and other instruments of warre. Whereupon is finely feigned, that when Neptune and Minerua stroue for the naming of the citie of Athens, Neptune striking the ground with his mace, caused a horse to come forth, that importeth warre, but at Mineruaes stroke sprong out an Oliue, to note that it should be a nurse of learning, and such peaceable studies.

38 Binde your) Spoken rudely, and according to shepheardes simplicitye.

39 Bring) all these be names of flowers. Sops in wine a flowre in colour much like to a Coronation, but differing in smel and quantitye. Flowre delice, that which they vse to misterme, Flowre de luce, being in Latine called Flos delitiarum.

40 Now rise) is the conclusion. For hauing so decked her with prayses and comparisons, he returneth all the thanck of hys laboure to the excellencie of her Maiestie.

41 When Damsins) A base reward of a clownish giuer.

42 Yblent) Y, is a poeticall addition. blent blinded.

Embleme.

This Poesye is taken out of Virgile, and there of him vsed in the person of Æneas to his mother Venus, appearing to him in likenesse of one of Dianaes damosells: being there most diuinely set forth. To which similitude of diuinitie Hobbinoll comparing the excelency of Elisa, and being through the worthynes of Colins song, as it were, ouercome with the hugenesse of his imagination, brusteth out in great admiration, (O quam te memorem virgo?) being otherwise vnhable, then by soddein silence, to expresse the worthinesse of his conceipt. Whom Thenot answereth with another part of the like verse, as confirming by his graunt and approuaunce, that Elisa is nowhit inferiour to the Maiestie of her, of whome that Poete so boldly pronounced, O dea certe.

Maye.

Ægloga Quinta.

Argvment.

In this fifth Æglogue, vnder the persons of two shepheards Piers and Palinodie, be represented two formes of pastoures or Ministers, or the protestant and the Catholique: whose chiefe talke standeth in reasoning, whether the life of the one must be like the other. with whom hauing shewed, that it is daungerous to mainteine any felowship, or giue too much credit to their colourable and feyned goodwill, he telleth him a tale of the foxe, that by such a counterpoynt of craftines deceiued and deuoured the credulous kidde.

Palinode and Piers.

Is not thilke1 the mery moneth of May,

When loue lads masken in fresh aray?

How falles it then, we no merrier bene,

Ylike as others, girt in gawdy greene?

Our bloncket liueryes2 bene all to sadde,

For thilke same season, when all is ycladd3

With pleasaunce: the grownd with grasse, the Wods

With greene leaues, the bushes with bloosming Buds.

Yougthes folke now flocken in euery where,4

To gather may buskets5 and smelling brere:

And home they hasten the postes to dight,

And all the Kirke6 pillours eare day light,

With Hawthorne buds, and swete Eglantine,

And girlonds of roses and Sopps in wine.

Such merimake holy Saints doth queme,7

But we here sytten as drownd in a dreme.

Piers.

For Younkers Palinode such follies fitte,

But we tway bene men of elder witt.

Palinode.

Sicker this morrowe, ne lenger agoe,

I sawe a shole8 of shepeheardes outgoe,

With singing, and shouting, and iolly chere:

Before them yode9 a lusty Tabrere,

That to the many a Horne pype playd,

Whereto they dauncen eche one with his mayd.

To see those folkes make such iouysaunce,10

Made my heart after the pype to daunce.

Tho to the greene Wood they speeden hem all,

To fetchen home May with their musicall:

And home they bringen in a royall throne,

Crowned as king: and his Queene attone

Was Lady Flora, on whom did attend

A fayre flocke of Faeries, and a fresh bend

Of louely Nymphs. (O that I were there,

To helpen the Ladyes their Maybush beare)

Ah Piers, bene not thy teeth on edge, to thinke,

How great sport they gaynen with little swinck?11

Piers.

Perdie so farre am I from enuie,

That their fondnesse inly12 I pitie.

Those faytours13 little regarden their charge,

While they letting their sheepe runne at large,

Passen their time, that should be sparely spent,

In lustihede and wanton meryment.

Thilke same bene shepeheards for the Deuils stedde,

That playen, while their flockes be vnfedde.

Well is it seene, theyr sheepe bene not their owne,

That letten them runne at randon alone.

But they bene hyred for little pay

Of other, that caren as little as they,

What fallen the flocke, so they han the fleece,

And get all the gayne, paying but a peece.

I muse, what account both these will make,

The one for the hire, which he doth take,

And thother for leauing his Lords taske,

When great Pan14 account of shepeherdes shall aske.

Palinode.

Sicker now I see thou speakest of spight,

All for thou lackest somedele their delight.

I (as I am)15 had rather be enuied,

All were it of my foe, then fonly pitied:

And yet if neede were, pitied would be,

Rather, then other should scorne at me:

For pittied is mishappe, that nas16 remedie,

But scorned bene dedes of fond foolerie.

What shoulden shepheards other things tend,

Then sith their God his good does them send,

Reapen the fruite thereof, that is pleasure,

The while they here liuen, at ease and leasure?

For when they bene dead, their good is ygoe,

They sleepen in rest, well as other moe.

Tho with them17 wends, what they spent in cost,

But what they left behind them, is lost.

Good is no good, but if it be spend:

God giueth good for none other end.

Piers.

Ah Palinodie, thou art a worldes childe:

Who touches Pitch mought needes be defilde.

But shepheards (as Algrind18 vsed to say,)

Mought not liue ylike, as men of the laye:19

With them it sits to care for their heire,

Enaunter20 their heritage doe impaire:

They must prouide for meanes of maintenaunce,

And to continue their wont countenaunce.

But shepheard must walke another way,

Sike worldly souenance21 he must foresay.

The sonne of his loines why should he regard

To leaue enriched with that he hath spard?

Should not thilke God, that gaue him that good,

Eke cherish his child, if in his wayes he stood?

For if he misliue in leudnes and lust,

Little bootes all the welth and the trust,

That his father left by inheritaunce:

All will be soone wasted with misgouernaunce.

But through this, and other their miscreaunce,22

They maken many a wrong cheuisaunce,23

Heaping vp waues of welth and woe,

The floddes whereof shall them ouerflowe.

Sike mens follie I cannot compare

Better, then to the Apes folish care,

That is so enamoured of her young one,

(And yet God wote, such cause hath she none)

That with her hard hold, and straight embracing,

She stoppeth the breath of her youngling.

So often times, when as good is meant,

Euil ensueth of wrong entent.

The time was once, and may againe retorne,

(For ought may happen, that hath bene beforne)

When shepeheards had none inheritaunce,

Ne of land, nor fee in sufferaunce:

But what might arise of the bare sheepe,

(Were it more or lesse) which they did keepe.

Well ywis was it with shepheards thoe:

Nought hauing, nought feared they to forgoe.

For Pan himselfe24 was their inheritaunce,

And little them serued for their mayntenaunce.

The shepheards God so wel them guided,

That of nought they were vnprouided,

Butter enough, honye, milke, and whay,

And their flockes fleeces, them to araye.

But tract of time, and long prosperitie:

That nource of vice, this of insolencie,

Lulled the shepheards in such securitie,

That not content with loyall obeysaunce,

Some gan25 to gape for greedie gouernaunce,

And match them selfe with mighty potentates,

Louers of Lordship and troublers of states:

Tho gan shepheards swaines to looke a loft,

And leaue to liue hard, and learne to ligge soft:

Tho vnder colour of shepeheards, somewhile

There crept in Wolues, ful of fraude and guile,

That often deuoured their owne sheepe,

And often the shepheards, that did hem keepe.

This was the first sourse26 of shepheards sorowe,

That now nill be quitt with baile, nor borrowe.27

Palinode.

Three thinges to beare, bene very burdenous,

But the fourth to forbeare, is outragious.

Wemen that of Loues longing once lust,

Hardly forbearen, but haue it they must:

So when choler is inflamed with rage,

Wanting reuenge, is hard to asswage:

And who can counsell a thristie soule,

With patience to forbeare the offred bowle?

But of all burdens, that a man can beare,

Moste is, a fooles talke to beare and to heare.

I wene the Geaunt28 has not such a weight,

That beares on his shoulders the heauens height.

Thou findest faulte, where nys to be found,

And buildest strong warke29 vpon a weake ground:

Thou raylest on right withouten reason,

And blamest hem much, for small encheason.30

How shoulden shepheardes liue, if not so?

What? should they pynen in payne and woe?

Nay sayd I thereto, by my deare borrowe,31

If I may rest, I nill liue in sorrowe.

Sorrowe ne neede be hastened on:

For he will come without calling anone.

While times enduren of tranquillitie,

Vsen we freely our felicitie.

For when approchen the stormie stowres,

We mought with our shoulders beare of the sharpe showres.

And sooth to sayne, nought seemeth32 sike strife,

That shepheardes so witen33 ech others life,

And layen her34 faults the world beforne,

The while their foes done eache of hem scorne.

Let none mislike of that may not be mended:

So conteck35 soone by concord mought be ended.

Piers.

Shepheard, I list none accordaunce make

With shepheard, that does the right way forsake.

And of the twaine, if choice were to me,

Had leuer my foe, then my freend he be.

For what concord han36 light and darke sam?

Or what peace has the Lion with the Lambe?

Such faitors, when their false harts bene hidde,

Will doe, as did the Foxe by the Kidde.

Palinode.

Now Piers, of felowship, tell vs that saying:

For the Ladde can keepe both our flocks from straying.

Piers.

Thilke same Kidde (as I can well deuise)37

Was too very foolish and vnwise.

For on a tyme in Sommer season,

The Gate38 her dame, that had good reason,

Yode39 forth abroade vnto the greene wood,

To brouze, or play, or what shee thought good.

But for she had a motherly care

Of her young sonne, and wit to beware,

Shee set40 her youngling before her knee,

That was both fresh and louely to see,

And full of fauour, as kidde mought be:

His Vellet head began to shoote out,

And his wreathed hornes gan newly sprout:

The blossomes of lust41 to bud did beginne,

And spring forth ranckly vnder his chinne.

My sonne (quoth she) (and with42 that gan weepe:

For carefull thoughts in her heart did creepe)

God blesse thee poore Orphane,43 as he mought me,

And send thee ioy of thy iollitee.

Thy father (that word44 she spake with payne:

For a sigh bad nigh rent her heart in twaine)

Thy father, had he liued this day,

To see the braunche45 of his body displaie,

How would he haue ioyed at this sweete sight?

But ah false Fortune such ioy did him spight,

And cutte of hys dayes with vntimely woe,

Betraying him into the traines of hys foe.

Now I a waylfull widdowe behight,

Of my old age haue this one delight,

To see thee succeede in thy fathers steade,

And florish in flowres of lusty head.

For euen so46 thy father his head vpheld,

And so his hauty hornes did he weld.

Tho marking him with melting eyes,

A thrilling throbbe47 from her hart did aryse,

And interrupted all her other speache,

With some old sorowe, that made a newe breache:

Seemed shee sawe in the younglings face

The old lineaments of his fathers grace.

At last her solein silence she broke,

And gan his newe budded beard to stroke.

Kiddie (quoth shee) thou kenst the great care,

I haue of thy health and thy welfare,

Which many wyld beastes liggen48 in waite,

For to entrap in thy tender state:

But most the Foxe, maister of collusion:49

For he has voued thy last confusion.

For thy my Kiddie he ruld by mee,

And neuer giue trust to his trecheree.

And if he chaunce come, when I am abroade,

Sperre the yate50 fast for feare of fraude:

Ne for all his worst, nor for his best,

Open the dore at his request.

So schooled the Gate her wanton sonne,

That answerd his mother, all should be done.

Tho went the pensife Damme out of dore,

And chaunst to stomble at the threshold flore:

Her stombling steppe some what her amazed,

(For such,51 as signes of ill luck bene dispraised)

Yet forth shee yode thereat halfe aghast:

And Kiddie the dore sperred after her fast.

It was not long, after shee was gone,

But the false Foxe came to the dore anone:

Not as a Foxe, for then he had be kend,

But all as a poore pedler he did wend,

Bearing a trusse of tryfles at hys backe,

As bells,52 and babes, and glasses in hys packe.

A Biggen he had got about his brayne,

For in his headpeace he felt a sore payne.

His hinder heele was wrapt in a clout,

For with great cold53 he had gotte the gout.

There at the dore he cast me downe hys pack,

And layd him downe, and groned, Alack, Alack.

Ah deare Lord, and sweete Saint Charitee,54

That some good body woulde once pitie mee.

Well heard Kiddie al this sore constraint,

And lengd to know the cause of his complaint:

Tho creeping close behind the Wickets clinck,55

Preuelie he peeped out through a chinck:

Yet not so preuilie, but the Foxe him spyed:

For deceitfull meaning is double eyed.

Ah good young maister (then gan he crye)

Iesus blesse that sweete face, I espye,

And keepe your corpse from the carefull stounds,56

That in my carrion carcas abounds.

The Kidd pittying hys heauinesse,

Asked the cause of his great distresse,

And also who, and whence that he were.

Tho he, that had well ycond his lere,57

Thus medled58 his talke with many a teare,

Sicke, sicke, alas, and little lack of dead,

But I be relieued by your beastlyhead.59

I am a poore Sheepe, albe my coloure donne:

For with long traueile I am brent in the sonne.

And if that my Grandsire me sayd, be true,

Sicker I am very sybbe60 to you:

So be your goodlihead doe not disdayne

The base kinred of so simple swaine.

Of mercye and fauour then I you pray,

With your ayd to forstall61 my neere decay.

Tho out of his packe a glasse he tooke:

Wherein while kiddie vnwares did looke,

He was so enamored with the newell,62

That nought he deemed deare for the iewell.

Tho opened he the dore, and in came

The false Foxe, as he were starke lame.

His tayle he clapt betwixt his legs twayne,

Lest he should be descried by his trayne.

Being within, the Kidde made him good glee,63

All for the loue of the glasse he did see.

After his chere the Pedler can chat,

And tell many lesings of this, and that:

And how he could shewe many a fine knack.

Tho shewed his ware, and opened his packe,

All saue a bell, which he left behind

In the basket for the Kidde to fynd.

Which when the Kidde stooped downe to catch,

He popt him in, and his basket did latch,

Ne stayed he once, the dore to make fast,

But ranne awaye with him in all hast.

Home when the doubtfull Damme had her hyde,

She mought see the dore stand open wyde.

All agast, lowdly she gan to call

Her Kidde: but he nould answere at all.

Tho on the flore she sawe the merchandise,

Of which her sonne had sette to dere a prise.64

What helpe? her Kidde shee knewe well was gone:

Shee weeped, and wayled, and made great mone.

Such end had the Kidde, for he nould warned be

Of craft, coloured with simplicitie:

And such end65 perdie does all hem remayne,

That of such falsers freendship bene fayne.66

Palinodie.

Truly Piers, thou art beside thy wit,

Furthest fro the marke, weening it to hit.

Now I pray thee, lette me thy tale borrowe

For our sir Iohn,67 to say to morrowe

At the Kerke, when it is holliday:

For well he meanes, but little can say.

But and if Foxes bene so crafty, as so,

Much needeth all shepheards hem to knowe.

Piers.

Of their falshode more could I recount.

But now the bright Sunne gynneth to dismount:68

And for the deawie night now doth nye,69

I hold it best for vs, home to hye.

Palinodes Embleme.

Pas men apistos apistei.

Piers his Embleme.

Tis dA ara pistis apisto

Glosse.

1 Thilke) this same moneth. It is applyed to the season of the moneth, when all menne delight them selues with pleasaunce of fieldes, and gardens, and garments.

2 Bloncket liueries) gray coates.

3 Yclad) arrayed, Y, redoundeth, as before.

4 In euery where) a straunge, yet proper kind of speaking.

5 Buskets) a Diminutiue.s. little bushes of hauthorne.

6 Kirke) church.

7 Queme) please.

8 A shole) a multitude; taken of fishe, whereof some going in great companies, are sayde to swimme in a shole.

9 Yode) went

10 Iouyssance) ioye.

11 Swinck) labour.

12 Inly) entirely.

13 Faytours) vagabonds.

14 Great pan) is Christ, the very God of all shepheards, which calleth himselfe the greate and good shepherd. The name is most rightly (me thinkes) applyed to him, for Pan signifieth all or omnipotent, which is onely the Lord Iesus. And by that name (as I remember) he is called of Eusebius in his fifte booke de Preparat. Euang; who thereof telleth a proper storye to that purpose. Which story is first recorded of Plutarch, in his booke of the ceasing of oracles, and of Lauetere translated, in his booke of walking sprightes. who sayth, that about the same time, that our Lord suffered his most bitter passion for the redemtion of man, certein passengers sayling from Italy to Cyprus and passing by certain Iles called Paxæ, heard a voyce calling alowde Thamus, Thamus, (now Thamus was the name of an Ægyptian, which was Pilote of the ship,) who giuing eare to the cry, was bidden, when he came to Palodes, to tel, that the great Pan was dead: which he doubting to doe, yet for that when he came to Palodes, there sodeinly was such a calme of winde, that the shippe stoode still in the sea vnmoued, he was forced to cry alowd, that Pan was dead: wherewithall there was heard suche piteous outcryes and dreadfull shriking, as hath not bene the like. By whych Pan, though of some be vnderstoode the great Satanas, whose king-dome at that time was by Christ conquered, the gates of hell broken vp, and death by death deliuered to eternall death, (for at that time, as he sayth, all Oracles surceased, and enchaunted spirits, that were wont to delude the people, thenceforth held theyr peace) and also at the demaund of the Emperoure Tiberius, who that Pan should be, answere was made him by the wisest and best learned, that it was the sonne of Mercurie and Penelope, yet I think it more properly meant of the death of Christ, the onely and very Pan, then suffering for his flock.

15 I as I am) seemeth to imitate the commen prouerb, Malim Inuidere mihi omnes quam miserescere.

16 Nas) is a syncope, for ne has, or has not: as nould, for would not.

17 Tho with them) doth imitate the Epitaphe of the ryotous king Sardanapalus, whych caused to be written on his tombe in Greeke: which verses be thus translated by Tullie.

»Hæc habui quæ edi, quæque exaturata libido

Hausit, at illa manent multa ac præclara relicta.

which may thus be turned into English.

All that I eate did I ioye, and all that I greedily gorged:

As for those many goodly matters left I for others.

Much like the Epitaph of a good olde Erle of Deuonshire, which though much more wisedome bewraieth, then Sardanapalus, yet hath a smacke of his sensuall delights and beastlinesse. the rymes be these.

Ho, Ho, who lies here?

I the good Erle of Deuonshere,

And Maulde my wife, that was ful deare,

We liued together lv. yeare.

That we spent, we had:

That we gaue, we haue:

That we lefte, we lost.«

18 Algrind) the name of a shepheard.

19 Men of the Lay) Lay men.

20 Enaunter) least that.

21 Souenaunce) remembraunce.

22 Miscreaunce) despeire or misbeliefe.

23 Cheuisaunce) sometime of Chaucer vsed for gaine: sometime of other for spoyle, or bootie, or enterprise, and sometime for chiefdome.

24 Pan himselfe) God. according as is sayd in Deuteronomie, That in diuision of the lande of Canaan, to the tribe of Leuie no portion of heritage should bee allotted, for GOD himselfe was their inheritaunce.

25 Some gan) meant of the Pope, and his Antichristian prelates, which vsurpe a tyrannical dominion in the Churche, and with Peters counterfet keyes, open a wide gate to al wickednesse and insolent gouernment. Nought here spoken, as of purpose to deny fatherly rule and godly gouernaunce (as some malitiously of late haue done to the great vnreste and hinderaunce of the Churche) but to displaye the pride and disorder of such, as in steede of feeding their sheepe, indeede feede of theyr sheepe.

26 Sourse) welspring and originall.

27 Borrowe) pledge or suertie.

28 The Geaunte) is the greate Atlas, whom the poetes feign to be a huge geaunt, that beareth Heauen on his shoulders: being in deede a merueilous highe mountaine in Mauritania, that now is Barbarie, which to mans seeming perceth the cloudes, and seemeth to touch the heauens. Other thinke, and they not amisse, that this fable was meant of one Atlas king of the same countrye, (of whome may bee, that that hil had his denomination) brother to Prometheus who (as the Grekes say) did first fynd out the hidden courses of the starres, by an excellent imagination, wherefore the poetes feigned, that he susteyned the firmament on hys shoulders. Many other coniectures needelesse be told hereof.

29 Warke) worke.

30 Encheason) cause, occasion.

31 Deare borow) that is our sauiour, the commen pledge of all mens debts to death.

32 Nought seemeth) is vnseemely.

33 Wyten) blame.

34 Her) theyr, as vseth Chaucer.

35 Conteck) strife contention.

36 Han) for haue. Sam) together.

37 This tale is much like to that in Æsops fables, but the Catastrophe and end is farre different. By the Kidde may be vnderstoode the simple sorte of the faythfull and true Christians.