(I hope) her darling in his age: in that your looks saw our grief, and your thoughts pitied our woes, our tongues shall give thanks (the bounty of sorrow's tenants), and our hearts pray that the gods may be as friendly to your flocks, as you favourable unto us. My name is SAMELA, my country Cyprus, my parentage mean, the wife of a poor gentleman now deceased: how we arrived here by shipwreck, gentle shepherd, inquire not, lest it be tedious for thee to hear it, and a double grief for me to rehearse it."

The shepherd not daring displease his mistress, as having love's threats hanging on her lips, he conveyed them home to his house; as soon as they were arrived there, he began at the door to entertain them thus: "Fair mistress, the flower of all our nymphs that live here in Arcadia, this is my cottage, wherein I live content, and your lodging, where (please it you) ye may rest quiet. I have no rich clothes of Egypt to cover the walls, nor store of plate to discover any wealth, for shepherds use neither to be proud nor covetous: you shall find here cheese and milk for dainties, and wool for clothing; in every corner of the house Content sitting smiling and tempering every homely thing with a welcome: this if ye can brook and accept of (as gods allow the meanest hospitality), ye shall have such welcome and fare as Philemon and Baucis gave to Jupiter."

SEPHESTIA thanked him heartily, and going into his house found what he promised; after that they had sat a little by the fire and were well warmed, they went to supper, where SEPHESTIA fed well, as one whom the sea had made hungry, and LAMEDON SO plied his teeth, that at supper he spake not one word. After they had taken their repast, MENAPHON, seeing they were weary, and that sleep chimed on to the rest, let them see their lodging, and so gave them the good night. LAMEDON on his flock bed, and SEPHESTIA on her country couch, were so weary, that they slept well; but MENAPHON, poor MENAPHON, neither asked his swains for his sheep, nor took his mole-spade on his neck to see his pas

tures; but as a man pained with a thousand passions, drenched in distress, and overwhelmed with a multitude of uncouth cares, he sat like the pictures that Perseus turned with his Gorgon's head into stones. His sister CARMELA kept his house, (for so was the country wench called) and she seeing her brother sit so malcontented, stept to her cupboard, and fetched a little beaten spice in an old bladder; she spared no evening milk, but went amongst the cream bowls, and made him a posset. But, alas! love had so locked up the shepherd's stomach, that none would down with MENAPHON.

CARMELA seeing her brother refuse his spiced drink, thought all was not well, and therefore sat down and wept: to be short, she blubbered and he sighed ; and his men, that came in and saw their master with a kercher on his head, mourned; so that amongst these swains there was such melody, that MENAPHON took his bow and arrows and went to bed, where casting himself, he thought to have beguiled his passions with some sweet slumbers; but Love, that smiled at his new entertained champion, sitting on his bed's head, pricked him forward with new desires, charging Morpheus, Phobetur, and Icolon, the gods of sleep, to present unto his closed eyes the singular beauty and rare perfections of SAMELA; (for so will we now call her) in that the idea of her excellence forced him to breathe out scalding sighs, smothered within the furnace of his thoughts, which grew into this or the like passion.

“I had thought, MENAPHON, that he which weareth the bay leaf had been free from lightning, and the eagle's pen a preservative against thunder; that labour had been enemy to love, and the eschewing of idleness an antidote against fancy; but I see by proof, there is no adamant so hard, but the blood of a goat will make soft; no fort so well defenced, but strong battery will entry; nor any heart so pliant to restless labours, but enchantments of love will overcome, Unfortunate MENAPHON, that of late thoughtest Venus a strumpet, and her son a bastard, now must thou offer incense at her shrine,

and swear Cupid no less than a god: thou hast reason, MEN APHON; for he that lives without love lives without life, presuming, as Narcissus, to hate all, and being, like him, at length despised of all. Can there be a sweeter bliss than beauty, a greater heaven than her heavenly perfections that is mistress of thy thoughts? If the sparkle of her eyes appear in the night, the stars blush at her brightness; if her hair glister in the day, Phoebus puts off his wreath of diamonds, as overcome with the shine of her tresses; if she walk in the fields, Flora, seeing her face, bids all her glorious flowers close themselves, as being by her beauty disgraced; if her alabaster neck appear, then Hyems covereth his snow, as surpassed in whiteness: to be short, MENAPHON, if SAMELA had appeared in Ida, Juno for majesty, Pallas for wisdom, and Venus for beauty, had let my SAMELA have the supremacy; why shouldest thou not then love, and think there is no life to love, seeing the end of love is the possession of such a heavenly paragon? But what of this, MENAPHON; hast thou any hope to enjoy her person? She is a widow: true; but too high for thy fortunes: she is in distress. Ah, MENAPHON! if thou hast any spark of comfort, this must set thy hope on fire: want is the loadstone of affection, distress forceth deeper than fortune's frowns, and such as are poor will rather love than want relief; fortune's frowns are whetstones to fancy, and as the horse starteth at the spur, so love is pricked forward with distress. SAMELA is shipwrecked, MENAPHON relieves her; she wants, he supplies with wealth; he sues for love, either must she grant, or buy denial with perpetual repentance." In this hope rested the poor shepherd; and with that, MENAPHON laid his head down on the pillow and took a sound nap, sleeping out fancy with a good slumber.

As soon as the sun appeared, the shepherd got him up, and fed fat with this hope, went merrily with his men to the folds, and there letting forth his sheep, after that he had appointed where they

should graze, returned home, and looking when his guests should rise, having slept ill the last night, went roundly to his breakfast. By that time he had ended his desiune, LAMEDON was gotten up, and so was SAMELA. Against their rising CARMELA had shewn her cookery; and MENAPHON, 'tired in his russet jacket, his red sleeves of camlet, his blue bonnet, and his round slops of country cloth, bestirred him as every joint had been set to a sundry office.

SAMELA No sooner came out of her chamber, but MEN APHON, as one that claimed pity for his passions, bade her good morrow with a firm lover's look. SAMELA knowing the fowl by the feather, was able to cast his disease without his water, perceived that Cupid had caught the poor shepherd in his net, and unless he fought quickly to break out of the snare, would make him a tame fool: fair looks she gave him, and with a smiling sorrow discovered how she grieved at his misfortune, and yet favoured him.

Well, to breakfast they went; LAMEDON and SAMELA fed hard, but MENAPHON, like the Argive in the date gardens of Arabia, lived with the contemplation of his mistress's beauty. The salamander lives not without fire, the herring from the water, the mole from the earth, nor the cameleon from the air; nor could MENAPHON live but in sight of his SAMELA: whose breath was perfumed air, whose eyes were fire wherein he delighted to dally, whose heart the earthly paradise wherein he desired to ingraft the essence of his love and affection. Thus did the poor shepherd bathe in a kind of bliss, while his eye, feeding on his mistress's face, surfeited with the excellency of her perfection. So long he gazed, that at length breakfast was ended; and he, desirous to do her any service, first put her child to nurse, and then led her forth to see his folds, thinking with the sight of his flocks to inveigle her, whose mind had rather have chosen any misfortune than have deigned her eyes on the face and feature of so low a peasant.

Well, abroad they went; MEN APHON with his sheephook

F

fringed with crewel, to signify he was chief of the swains; LAMEDON and SAMELA after. Plodding thus over the green fields, at last they came to the mountains where MENAPHON'S flocks grazed, and there he discoursed to SAMELA thus. "I tell thee, fair Nymph, these plains that thou seest stretching southward are pastures belonging to MENAPHON; there grows the cinquefoil, and the hyacinth, the cowslip, the primrose, and the violet, which my flocks shall spare, for flowers to make thee garlands; the milk of my ewes shall be meat for my pretty wanton; the wool of the fat wethers, that seem as fine as the fleece that Jason fetched from Colchos, shall serve to make SAMELA webs withal; the mountain tops shall be thy morning walk, and the shady valleys thy evening's arbour; as much as MENAPHON Owes shall be at SAMELA's command, if she like to live with MENAPHON."

This was spoken with such deep affects, that SAMELA could scarce keep her from smiling; yet she covered her conceit with a sorrowful countenance, which MENAPHON espying, to make her merry, and rather for his own advantage, seeing LAMEDON was asleep, took her by the hand and sate down, and pulling forth his pipe, began after some melody to carol out this roundelay.

MENAPHON'S ROUNDELAY.

When tender ewes, brought home with evening sun,

Wend to their folds;

And to their holds,

The shepherds trudge when light of day is done,

Upon a tree

The eagle, Jove's fair bird, did perch:

There resteth he:

A little fly harbour then did search,

And did presume (though others laugh'd thereat)

To perch whereas the princely eagle sat.