You may hap to think itt soon enough, 195 Jamye his hatt pulled over his browe, He thought his lord then was betray'd; And he is to Erle Percy againe, To tell him what the Douglas sayd. Hold upp thy head, man, quoth his lord ; He did it but to prove thy heart, To see if he cold make it quail. When they had other fifty sayld, Sayd, What wilt thou nowe doe with mee? 200 205 Looke that your brydle be wight, my lord, What needeth this, Douglas? he sayth; What needest thou to flyte with mee? For I was counted a horseman good Before that ever I mett with thee. A false Hector hath my horse, Who dealt with mee so treacherouslìe : 215 A false Armstrong he hath my spurres, And all the geere belongs to mee. 220 When they had sayled other fifty mile, A deputed laird' landed Lord Percye. Then he at Yorke was doomde to dye, Who ever was a gallant wight. V. 224, fol. MS. reads land, and has not the following stanza. 225 V. My Mind to me a Kingdom is. This excellent philosophical song appears to have been famous in the sixteenth century. It is quoted by Ben Jonson in his play of Every man out of his Humour, first acted in 1599, act i. sc. 1, where an impatient person says, I am no such pil'd cynique to believe That beggery is the onely happinesse, Or, with a number of these patient fooles, 6 When the lanke hungrie belly barkes for foode." It is here chiefly printed from a thin quarto music-book, entitled "Psalmes, Sonets, and Songs of Sadnes and Pietie, made into Musicke of five parts, &c. By William Byrd, one of the Gent. of the Queenes Majesties Honorable Chappell. Printed by Thomas East,” &c. 4to. no date: but Ames, in his Typog. has mentioned another edition of the same book, dated 1588, which I take to have been later than this. Some improvements, and an additional stanza (sc. the 5th) were had from two other ancient copies; one of them in black letter, in the Pepys Collection, thus incribed, "A sweet and pleasant Sonet, intitled My Mind to me a Kingdom is. To the tune of In Crete," &c. Some of the stanzas in this poem were printed by Byrd separate from the rest: they are here given in what seemed the most natural order. My minde to me a kingdome is ; That God or nature hath assignde: Content I live, this is my stay; I seek no more than may suffice: I see how plentie surfets oft, And hastie clymbers soonest fall: I see that such as sit aloft Mishap doth threaten most of all: 15 No princely pompe, nor welthie store, No force to winne the victorie, No wylie wit to salve a sore, No shape to winne a lovers eye; To none of these I yeeld as thrall, For why my mind dispiseth all. 20 Some have too much, yet still they crave, 25 They are but poore, tho' much they have; They poor, I rich; they beg, I give ; I laugh not at anothers losse, I grudge not at anothers gaine; : I feare no foe, nor fawne on friend; I loth not life, nor dread mine end. I joy not in no earthly blisse: I weigh not Cresus' welth a straw; For care, I care not what it is ; I feare not fortunes fatall law : My mind is such as may not move For beautie bright or force of love. I wish but what I have at will: I wander not to seeke for more; 30 335 40 I like the plaine, I clime no hill; In greatest stormes I sitte on shore, I kisse not where I wish to kill; I faine not love where most I hate ; I wayte not at the mighties gate; Extreames are counted worst of all; The golden meane betwixt them both, My welth is health, and perfect ease; My conscience clere my chiefe defence: I never seeke by brybes to please, 45 50 55 60 The subject of this tale is taken from that entertaining colloquy of Erasmus, entitled, Uxor Meμyıyaμos, sive Conju |