And the more tuneful birds to both replying;
Nor be myself too mute.
A silver stream shall roll his waters near,
Gilt with the sunbeams here and there,
On whose enamell'd back I'll walk,
And see how prettily they smile, and hear
How prettily they talk.
All wretched and too solitary he
Who loves not his own company;
He 'll feel the weight of 't many a day,
Unless he call in Sin or Vanity
To help to bear 't away!
LXIX. WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT.
LESBIA'S SPARROW.
Tell me not of joy! there's none,
Now my little sparrow's gone;
He, just as you, would sigh and woo,
He would chirp and flatter me;
He would hang the wing awhile,
Till at length he saw me smile,
Lord! how sullen he would be!
He would catch a crumb, and then
Sporting let it go again,
He from my lip would moisture sip,
He would from my trencher feed;
Then would hop and then would run ̧
And cry fillip! when he'd done;
Oh! whose heart can choose but bleed ?
Oh! how eager would he fight,
And ne'er hurt though he did bite :
No morn did pass, but on my glass
He would sit, and mark, and do
What I did; now ruffle all
His feathers o'er, now let them fall,
And then straightway sleek them too.
Whence will Cupid get his darts
Feathered now, to pierce our hearts ?
A wound he may, not love, convey,
Now this faithful bird is gone.
Oh! let mournful turtles join
With loving redbreasts, and combine
To sing dirges o'er his stone.
LXX. SIR JOHN SUCKLING.
1. WHY SO PALE?
Why so pale and wan, fond lover?
Prythee, why so pale?
Will, when looking well can't move her,
Looking ill prevail ?
Prythee, why so pale ?
Why so dull and mute, young sinner?
Prythee, why so mute?
Will, when speaking well can't win her,
Saying nothing do 't ?
Prythee, why so mute ?
Quit, quit for shame; this will not move,
This cannot take her;
If of herself she will not love,
Nothing can make her,
The devil take her.
I tell thee, Dick, where I have been,
Where I the rarest things have seen;
Oh things without compare!
Such sights again cannot be found
In any place on English ground,
Be it at wake or fair.
At Charing-Cross, hard by the way
Where we, thou knowest, do sell our hay,
There is a house with stairs:
And there did I see coming down
Such folks as are not in our town,
Forty at least, in pairs.
Amongst the rest, one pestilent fine
(His beard no bigger, though, than thine)
Walked on before the rest:
Our landlord looks like nothing to him;
The King (God bless him!) 'twould undo him,
Should he go still so drest.
At course-a park, withouten doubt,
He should have first been taken out
By all the maids i' the town:
Though lusty Roger there had been,
Or little George upon the Green,
Or Vincent of the Crown.
But wot you what? the youth was going
To make an end of all his wooing:
The parson for him staid;
Yet, by his leave, for all his haste,
He did not so much wish all past,
Perchance, as did the maid.
The maid—and thereby hangs a tale-
For such a maid no Whitsun ale
Could ever yet produce;
No grape that's lusty ripe could be
So round, so plump, so soft as she,
Nor half so full of juice.
Her finger was so small, the ring
Would not stay on which they did bring,
It was too wide a peck;
And to say truth (for out it must)
It looked like the great collar, just,
About our young colt's neck.
Her feet beneath her petticoat
Like little mice stole in and out
As if they feared the light:
But oh! she dances such a way;
No sun upon an Easter day
Is half so fine a sight.
He would have kissed her once or twice,
But she would not, she was so nice,
She would not do't in sight;
And then she looked as who should say,
I will do what I list to day,
And you shall do't at night.
Her cheeks so rare a white was on,
No daisy makes comparison:
Who sees them is undone :
For streaks of red were mingled there
Such as are on a Katharine pear,
The side that's next the sun.
Her lips were red, and one was thin
Compared to that was next her chin;
Some bee had stung it newly,
But, Dick, her eyes so guard her face,
I durst no more upon them gaze
Than on the sun in July.
Her mouth so small when she does speak,
Thou'dst swear her teeth her words did break
That they might passage get:
But she so handled still the matter,
They came as good as ours, or better,
And are not spent a whit.
Passion o' me! how I run on!
There's that that would be thought upon,
I trow, esides the bride:
The business of the kitchen's great,
For it is fit that men should eat,
Nor was it there denied.
Just in the nick the cook knocked thrice,
And all the waiters in a trice
His summons did obey;
Each serving-man with dish in hand
Marched boldly up, like our train-band,
Presented and away.
When all the meat was on the table,
What man of knife, or teeth, was able
To stay to be entreated?
And this the very reason was,
Before the parson could say grace,
The company was seated.
Now hats fly off, and youths carouse:
Healths first go round, and then the house;
The bride's came thick and thick;
And, when 'twas named another's health,
Perhaps he made it her's by stealth,
And who could help it, Dick ?
O' the sudden up they rise and dance;
Then sit again and sigh and glance;
Then dance again and kiss :
Thus several ways the time did pass,
Whilst every woman wished her place,
And every man wished his.
By this time all were stolen aside
To counsel and undress the bride :
But that he must not know:
But yet 'twas thought he guessed her mind,
And did not mean to stay behind
Above an hour or so.
When in he came, Dick, there she lay,
Like new fallen snow melting away :
'Twas time, I trow, to part :
Kisses were now the only stay,
Which soon she gave, as who would say,
Good bye, with all my heart.
But, just as heavens would have to cross it,
In came the bride-maids with the posset;
The bride-groom ate in spite;
For, had he left the women to 't,
It would have cost two hours to do 't,
Which were too much that. night.
LXXI. SAMUEL BUTLER.
1. DESCRIPTION OF SIR HUDIBRAS.
His doublet was of sturdy buff,
And though not sword, yet cudgel-proof,
Whereby 'twas fitter for his use,
Who feared no blows but such as bruise.
His breeches were of rugged woollen,
And had been at the siege of Bullen;
To old King Harry so well known,
Some writers held they were his own:
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