EPITHALAMION.

YE learned Sifters, which have oftentimes
Beene to the ayding, others to adorne,
Whom ye thought worthy of your gracefull

rymes,

That even the greatest did not greatly scorne To heare theyr names fung in your fimple layes, But ioyed in theyr praise;

6

And when ye lift your own mishaps to mourne, Which death, or love, or fortunes wreck did

rayfe,

Your ftring could foone to fadder tenor turne, And teach the woods and waters to lament Your dolefull dreriment:

10

Now lay those forrow full complaints afide; And, having all your heads with girlands crownd,

Helpe me mine owne Loves prayfes to refound;

* Epithalamion.] The fong of love and jollity, as he calls it, F. Q. i. xii. 38. Our poets were profufe in compliments of this kind, on the marriages of their friends. See particularly Heyrick's Poems, edit. 1648, p. 57. And Randolph's Poems, edit. 1640, p. 34. Puttenham, in his Arte of English Poefie, is minute in his defcription of the ceremonies attending the performance of the Epithalamien, &c. 1586. TODD.

Ne let the fame of any be envide:
So Orpheus did for his owne bride !
So I unto my felfe alone will fing;

15

The woods fhall to me anfwer, and my eccho ring.

EARLY, before the worlds light-giving lampe
His golden beame upon the hils doth fpred, 20
Having disperst the nights unchearfull dampe,
Doe ye awake; and, with fresh lufty hed,
Go to the bowre of my beloved Love,
My trueft turtle dove ;

Bid her awake; for Hymen is awake,

25

And long fince ready forth his maske to move, With his bright tead that flames with many a

flake,

And many a bachelor to waite on him,

In theyr fresh garments trim.

31

Bid her awake therefore, and foone her dight,
For loe! the wifhed day is come at last,
That fhall, for all the paynes and forrowes past,
Pay to her ufury of long delight:
And, whyleft she doth her dight,
Doe ye to her of ioy and folace fing,

35

That all the woods may anfwer, and your eccho

ring.

you all the Nymphes that you

BRING with can heare

Both of the Rivers and the Forrests greene, And of the Sea that neighbours to her neare; All with gay girlands goodly wel befeene. And let them also with them bring in hand Another gay girland,

40

For my fayre Love, of Lillyes and of Roses, Bound truelove wize, with a blew filke riband. And let them make great store of bridale poses, And let them eke bring ftore of other flowers, 46 To deck the bridale bowers.

And let the ground whereas her foot shall tread, For feare the ftones her tender foot should

wrong,

Be ftrewd with fragrant flowers all along,
And diapred lyke the difcolored mead.
Which done, doe at her chamber dore awayt,
For fhe will waken ftrayt;

50

The whiles do ye this Song unto her fing, The woods fhall to you answer, and your eccho ring.

55

YE Nymphes of Mulla, which with carefull

heed

The filver fealy trouts do tend full well,

Ver. 51. And diapred &c.] Diversified, a word borrowed from Chaucer. See the Rom. R. 934, edit. Urr.

"And it was painted well and thwitten,

"And ore all diapred and written." TODD.

And greedy pikes which use therein to feed;
(Those trouts and pikes all others doe excell ;)
And ye likewife, which keepe the rushy lake, 60
Where none doo fifhes take;

Bynd up
the locks the which hang fcatterd light,
And in his waters, which your mirror make,
Behold your faces as the christall bright,
That when you come whereas my Love doth lie,
No blemish the may fpie.

66

And eke, ye lightfoot mayds, which keepe the

dore,

That on the hoary mountayne use to towre; And the wylde wolves, which feeke them to devoure,

With your

steele darts doe chace from coming

neer;

Be also present heere,

70

To helpe to decke her, and to help to fing, That all the woods may anfwer, and your eccho ring.

WAKE now, my Love, awake; for it is time;
The rofy Morne long fince left Tithons bed, 75
All ready to her filver coche to clyme;
And Phœbus gins to fhew his glorious hed.

Ver. 60.

the rushy lake,] Hence Milton's "rushy-fringed bank," Com. ver. 890, where fee my note.

T. WARTON.

Hark! how the cheerefull birds do chaunt theyr

laies,

And carroll of Loves praise.

80

The merry
Larke hir mattins fings aloft;
The Thrush replyes; the Mavis descant playes;
The Ouzell fhrills; the Ruddock warbles foft;
So goodly all agree, with sweet confent,
To this dayes meriment.

Ah! my deere Love, why doe ye fleepe thus long,

When meeter were that ye fhould now awake, T'awayt the comming of your ioyous Make, And hearken to the birds love-learned fong, The deawy leaves among !

85

For they of ioy and pleafance to you fing, 90 That all the woods them anfwer, and theyr eccho ring.

Ver. 81. the Mavis] In our old Diction aries and Gloffaries the mavis is ufually interpreted the thruftle or thrush. As the mavis is fometimes mentioned, in our ancient poetry, together with the thrush; I fuppofe the mavis means the cock-thrush, or fong-thrufh, the cock being moft diftinguished for its tones. See Chaucer, Romaunt of the Rofe, defcribing the "fwete fong" of various birds, ver. 665.

"And thruftils, terins, and mavise,

"That fongin &c." TODD.

Ver. 82. the Ruddock] Red-breaft, as in Shakspeare's Cymbeline, to which Mr. Warton refers, where fee the notes of the commentators. See alfo Glofs. Urry's Chaucer, "Ruddock, robin-red-breast." TODD.

Ver. 83. - confent,] We should rather read concent, i. e. harmony. Spenfer ufes concent and concented in the Faer. Qu. See Mr. Warton's note on in Milton's Ode at a folemn musick, ver. 6.

"6 pure concent," TUDD.