The lovers delight: or, A pleasant pastorall sonnet to a new court tune

The Lovers delight ! OR , A pleasant Pastorall Sonnet To a new Court Tune .

COme love , le ts walke into the springe , where wée will heare the blackbird singe ; 〈◊〉 Robin Redbrest , and the Thrush , the nightingale on thornie bush , Their musick swéetely Carcowling , that to my love Content may bring . In yonder dale there are swéete flowers , with many pleasant shadie bowers ; ●●●●ling brooke with silver streames , all beautified with Phebus beames : I stood behind a trée for feare , To sée Dyana bathe her there . 〈◊〉 where the nimph , with all her traine comes tripping ore the Packe a maine : In yonder grove there will they stay at barlie-breake to sport and playe : Where wée will sitt us downe and sée faire beautie mixt with Chastitée . The ●uthfull shephard with delight Will tune a pleasant o●ten pipe : 〈…〉 with heavenly note will stretch and straine her varie throate ; 〈…〉 and cleare their nimphs will sing that hills and vallies all will ringe . The shepheard Stephan with his friend the faithfull Elayes will attend My playe before the Quéene , to prove who best deserves Vranias love : A most strange sight there shall you sée rivalls of love and amitie . Menalcas and Amintas young , brave Coridon , and Thersis strong Your minds would unto pleasure move to have them plead for Phillis love : Iudge of these tryumphs who shall be but the faire Quéene of chastity ? Under the shade of yonder pine you sée a Royall throne devine Prepared for the Iudge to sit , the Quéene of beauty and of wit , Wise Pallas in her Majesty the pavid Iudge is chose to be . The Quéene of love is banisht there For feare that Phaebe take offence ; Her wanton sonne must not come there , nor Cylharea once appeare : It grieves my heart to thinke that shée from this aspect exempt must be . For if the Quéene of love should spie the splendour of thy heavenly eye , Shée should perswade her winged Sonne to wound thy heart as hée hath done . My silly breast with dreade and feare , but O the chaince , shée is not here . Sée where the wood-Nimphs rankt do stand with each a garland in her hand , Compact of mix and swéete bayes ; for who deserved the chiefest prayse In pleading of their passions here , the Lawrell Crowne away must beare . Upon this 〈◊〉 of vyolets blew a seate most 〈◊〉 for lovers true : Here may wée sit us downe and sée love tryumph is his Majesty : By the swéete 〈◊〉 that are sung , wée shall 〈◊〉 , who suffred wrong . But stay , the Iudges comes to sit , the 〈◊〉 of chastity and wit : The 〈…〉 all are ready here in comly habits to appeare . All wrongs here righted wée shall sée by the faire Queene of chastity .

The second part , To the same tune .

SWeet heart come tel me whose soft layes in your conceit deserves most prayse ? Or who did set forth passions best ? how Cupid wounded his breste I know you hade noted all that 's past , from the first m●● unto the last . Me thought it great content did bring , to heare the Shepheards carrowling , To Crowne Cilra●● , made her choise , Menalcas for his 〈◊〉 voyce ; Which glory did small pleasure move , since Coridon had Phillis love . To wrastle and throw barres of length ; all men gave place to Thersis strength : His stedfast footing none could move , yet for all this hée lost his love No strength or harmony of voyce could Phillis move to make her choyce . If it had rested in my power , there to have chose a paramour : Hée whom I thought deserv'd most grace , was young Amintas ; whose swéet face , And nimble féete could not be matcht . the Deities I feare were catcht . Did you not note how Pallas swore the like shée never saw before ? Had Meliager made such hast , Athlanta had the wager lost : In token of deserved praise , she crowned him with lasting bayes . Then Phaebe unto Phillis said , to make thy choise be not afraide , For if I were the Nimph to choose , Amintas I would not refuse : But all in vaine they did exhort , for Corridon had Phillis hearte Both Pallas and Diana chast , did almost straine with breathles hast : Who could their prayses farther heape , on young Amintas and his shéepe , His person , gesture , and his grace they did applaud , and his swéete face . But tell mée love the reason , why 〈◊〉 Phillis with the Christall eye , Did all the youthfull swaines refuse , and Corridon a love did chuse ? Since they in beauty did excell , and for each prayse did heare the bell . It séemes the beauty of the mind , did in this case strike Phillis blind : His eloquence of tongue and wit , in place whereas the Iudge did sit Was his chiefe gaine , and their foule losse , Vlisses so had Ajax crosse . But one thing much doth make mée muse , why swéete Vrania did refuse , Her two beloved Ryvalls there ? in whom such friendship did appeare , That stil they wil'd her with one voyce , in friendly wise to make her choyce . How prettily they laid the ground , how shée at first their heart did wound , When shée by them her Neate did keepe , and leaving the man halfe a sleepe , Her bird out of her pocket runne , and unto Strephans hand did come . The pretty neatresse did awake . heareing her fluttering bird escape , And unto Strephans hand did hye , he did restore imediatly Her bird , and eke his heart she got , and in her snow white bosome put . The silly bird but for his love his passions could in no wayes move . 〈◊〉 for himselfe nor his trew friend , as it appeared in the end , That neither party should grow wroth , shée most unkinde refused them both . And now mée thinkes the sun growes low . If you be 〈◊〉 , your friends will know 〈◊〉 you and I have béene alone , which to 〈…〉 bring you home , To part it is a second hell , loth to depart 〈…〉 farewell . FINIS .