PRAISE OF CERES

From SILVER AGE

THOMAS HEYWOOD

ITH fair Ceres, Queen of Grain,

The reaped fields we roam,

Each country peasant, nymph and swain, Sing their harvest home,

Whilst the Queen of Plenty hallows

Growing fields as well as fallows.

Echo, double all our lays,

Make the champians sound
To the Queen of Harvest's praise,
That sows and reaps our ground:
Ceres, Queen of Plenty, hallows
Growing fields as well as fallows.

THE HUNTED SQUIRREL

From BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS

WILLIAM BROWNE

HEN as a nimble squirrel from the wood,
Ranging the hedges for his filbert-food,
Sits pertly on a bough his brown nuts cracking,
And from the shell the sweet white kernel taking,
Till with their crooks and bags a sort of boys,
To share with him, come with so great a noise
That he is forced to leave a nut nigh broke,
And for his life leap to a neighbour oak,
Thence to a beech, thence to a row of ashes;
Whilst through the quagmires and red water plashes
The boys run dabbling through thick and thin,
One tears his hose, another breaks his shin,
This torn and tatter'd, hath with much ado
Got by the briers; and that hath lost his shoe ;
This drops his band; that headlong falls for haste;
Another cries behind for being last;

With sticks and stones, and many a sounding hollow,
The little fool with no small sport they follow,
Whilst he from tree to tree, from spray to spray,
Gets to the wood, and hides him in his dray.

THE DESCRIPTION OF WALLA

From BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS

A

WILLIAM BROWNE

GREEN silk frock her comely shoulders clad,

And took delight that such a seat it had,
Which at her middle gathered up in pleats
A love-knot girdle willing bondage threats.

Down to her waist her mantle loose did fall,
Which Zephyr, as afraid, still played withal;
About the edges curious to behold

A deep fringe hung of rich and twisted gold.

Upon her leg a pair of buskins white
Studded with orient pearl and chrysolite,

And, like her mantle, stitch'd with gold and green, (Fairer yet never wore the forest's queen).

A silver quiver at her back she wore,

With darts and arrows for the stag and boar;

But in her eyes she had such darts again

Could conquer gods, and wound the hearts of men.
Her left hand held a knotty Brazil bow,

Whose strength with tears she made the red deer know.
So clad, so armed, so dressed to win her will,
Diana never trod on Latmus hill.

Walla, the fairest nymph that haunts the woods,
Walla, beloved of shepherds, fauns, and floods,
Walla, for whom the frolic satyrs pine,

Walla, with whose fine foot the flowerets twine,
Walla, of whom sweet birds their ditties move,
Walla, the earth's delight and Tavy's love.

R

FOR SUMMER TIME

From HALLELUJAH

GEORGE WITHER

OW the glories of the year

May be viewed at the best, And the earth doth now appear In her fairest garments dress'd; Sweetly smelling plants and flowers Do perfume the garden bowers; Hill and valley, wood and field, Mixed with pleasure profits yield.

Much is found where nothing was,
Herds on every mountain go,
In the meadows flowery grass
Makes both milk and honey flow;
Now each orchard banquets giveth,
Every hedge with fruit relieveth;
And on every shrub and tree
Useful fruits or berries be.

Walks and ways which winter marr'd By the winds are swept and dried; Moorish grounds are now so hard That on them we safe may ride;