If linen lack for my loves sake

Whom once I loved, then would I take
My smock even from my body meet,
And wrap him in that winding sheet,
Ay me, how happy had I been,
If he had ne'er been wrapt therein.

Balow, my babe, spare thou thy tears,
Untill thou come to wit and years,
Thy griefs are gathering to a sum,
Heaven grant thee patience till they come,
A mother's fault, a father's shame,
A hapless state, a bastard's name.

Be still, my babe, and sleep a while,
And when thou wake then sweetly smile,
But smile not as thy father did,

To cozen maids: O heaven forbid,

And yet into thy face I

see

Thy father dear which tempted me.

Balow, my babe, O follow not
His faithless steps who thee begot,
Nor glory in a maid's disgrace,
For thou art his too much, alas!
And in thy looking eyes I read
Who overthrew my maidenhead.

O if I were a maid again,

All young men's flatteries I'd refrain:
Because unto my grief I find

That they are faithless and unkind,
Their tempting terms have bred my harm,"
Bear witness babe lies in my arm.

Balow, my babe, spare yet thy tears,
Untill thou come to wit and years;
Perhaps yet thou may come to be
A courtier by disdaining me:
Poor me, poor me, alas poor me,
My own two eyes have blinded me !

On love and fortune I complain,
On them and on myself also:

But most of all mine own two eyes,
The chiefest workers of my woe,
For they have caused so my smart,
That I must die without a heart.

Balow, my babe, thy father dead
To me the prodigal hath play'd,
Of heaven and earth regardless he
Preferr'd the wars to me and thee.
I doubt that now his cursing mind
Makes him eat acorns with the swine.

Farewell, farewell, most faithless youth,

That ever kist a woman's mouth,

Let never a woman after me,

Submit unto the courtesy ;

For if she do, O cruel thou

Would wrong them: O! who can tell how?

LXVIII.

THE WANDRING PRINCE AND PRINCESS;

OR,

Musidorus and Amadine.

WHEN Musidorus fell in love

With Amadine most fair,
Her father cross to him did prove
Which caus'd him to despair,
And for to ease his troubled mind
He wander'd in disguise,

Hoping he might soon comfort find,
Yet tears dropt from his eyes.

Alas! (quoth he) what shall I do,

I am unfortunate,

And though my love is firm and true
I meet with rigid fate;

For she who is my heart's delight
Her father is my foe,

Which causes me to take my flight,
Now to the woods I go.

In woods and deserts I'll reside,
Since my poor Amadine,

Whom once I thought to make my bride,
She must not now be mine :

My father's court I quite forsake
Never again to see,

For love my heart will surely break,

My dear I'll die for thee.

Thus went this wand'ring prince to seek

Throughout the deserts wide,

Some secret place where he might keep,

And secretly abide.

At last he did a shepherd turn,

Still minding of his flocks,

Which caus'd his Amadine to mourn

And tear her golden locks.

Alas, alas! this princess cried,

Has he forsaken me,

Who I did think could ne'er abide

Where I should absent be?

Some sudden change possest his breast
That makes him prove unkind,
Whilst Amadine can take no rest
To ease her love-sick mind.

Thus Amadine, whose troubled mind
Was sorely fill'd with grief,
For want of Musidorus pin'd,
And could find no relief;
Then she a resolution took,

What ere did her betide,
Her prince so dear she would go look
Throughout the world so wide.

And privately away she went,

To all her friends unknown,
To give her troubled mind content
She wandered all alone,
Untill she came into a place

Where savage beasts alone

Were known in numbers to encrease,

And thus she made her moan.