And thou touche his head or gowne.

In fight that men may se,

By all the fayates that be in heaven,
I fhall hange you all thre.

That I have promised, said William,

That wyll I never forfake.

Syxe fcore paces they were out mete,
And thether Cloudeflè went.

There he drew out a fayr brode arrowe,

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Hys bowe was great and longe,

He fet that arrowe in his bowe,

That was both ftyffe and ftronge.

He prayed the people, that wer there,

That they ftill wold ftand,

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For he shoteth for such a wager,

Behoveth a stedfast hand.

Muche

Ver. 252, feedye. MS.

Muche people prayed for Cloudeflè,
That his lyfe faved myght be,

And whan he made hym redy to shote,
There was many weping ee.

255

And I thyrtene pence a day, faid the quene,

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By God, and by my fay;

Come feche thy payment when thou wylt

No man fhall fay the nay.

Wyllyam, I make the a gentelman

Of clothyng, and of fe:

And thy two brethren, yemen of my chambre,

For they are so femely to se.

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And, Wyllym, bring to me your wife,

Me longeth her fore to se:
She fhall be my chefe gentelwoman
To governe my nurserye.

The yemen thanketh them curteously.
To fome byfhop wyl we wend,

Of all the fynnes, that we have done,

To be affoyld at his hand.

So forth be gone thefe good yemen,

As faft as they might he,

And after came and dwelled with the kynge,
And dyed good men all thre.

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285

Thus endeth the lives of these good yemen;

God fend them eternall blyffe,

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And all, that with a hand-bowe shoteth,

That of heven they never mysse.

Amen.

THE

II.

THE AGED LOVER RENOUNCETH LOVE.

The Grave-digger's fong in HAMLET, A. 5. is taken from three ftanzas of the following poem, though somewhat altered and difguifed, probably as the fame were corrupted by the ballad-fingers of Shakespeare's time. The original is preferved among Surrey's Poems, 1559, and is attributed to Lord VAUX, by Geo. Gascoigne, who tells us, it "was "thought by fome to be made upon his death-bed;" a popular error which he laughs at. (See his Epift. to Yong Gent. prefixed to his Pofies 1575. 4to.) Lord Vaux was remarkable for his fkill in drawing feigned manners, &c. for so I underftand an ancient writer. "The Lord Vaux his commendation lyeth chiefly in the facilitie of his meetre, and the aptneffe of his defcriptions fuch as he taketh upon him to make, name"ly in fundry of his Songs, wherein he showeth the cOUNTERFAIT ACTION very lively and pleasantly." Arte of Eng. Poefie, 1589. p. 51. See alfo Vol. 2. p. 45.

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I. Lothe that I did love,

In youth that I thought fwete:

As tyme requires for my behove,
Me thinkes they are not mete.

My luftes they do me leave,

My fancies all be fled,

And tract of time begins to weave
Gray heares upon my hed,
M

VOL. III.

5

For

III.

A SONG TO THE LUTE IN MUSICK E.

Shakespeare has made this fonnet the subject of fome pleafant ridicule in his ROMEO AND JULIET. A. IV. Sc. 5. where he introduces Peter putting this Queftion to the Muficians.

“PETER.... why" Silver Sound"? why " Muficke "with her filver found"? what fay you, Simon Catling? 1. Mus. Marry, fir, because filver hath a sweet

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found.
"PET. Pretty! what fay you, Hugh Rebecke?

2. Mus. I fay, filver found, because Muficians found " for filver.

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PET. Pretty too! what fay you, James Sound-poft.
3. Mus. Faith, I know not what to say.

"PET.... I will fay for you: It is "Muficke with "ber filver found," because Muficians have no gold for "founding."

This ridicule is not fo much levelled at the fong itself (which for the time it was written is not inelegant) as at thofe forced and unnatural explanations often given by us painful editors and expofitors of ancient authors.

This copy is printed from the old quarto MS in the Cotton Library, [Vefp. A. 25.] entitled "Divers things of Hen. viij's time" with fome corrections from The Paradise of dainty devifes, 1596.

WHERE