In a pleasant field of mirth,
I walked all about;

In the garden of the earth
A spirit found me out.

Jealousy her heart did wound,

She was made the people's wonder;
Like a tempest was her sound,
And her speech like claps of thunder.

Homewards then I went with speed,
Reason good, and why? Because
I perceiv'd that Jove decreed,
Sweet meat should have sowre sauce.
Vinegar was mix'd with cream,
But all this was but a dream.

The faithful Shepherd's dying Song.

To the Tune of

Madam, be covered, why stand you bare?

COME, shepherds, cast your pipes away,
No time for mirth when grief is near:
If that you please a while to stay,
My sorrow to you I'll declare.

Unhappy I that plac'd my love,
On her that did inconstant prove.

As I sat by my flocks of sheep,
Upon a merry holiday,
Although my flocks I safe did keep,
Yet beauty stole my heart away.

A heavenly beauty came to me,
And did salute me with a smile.
From Cupid's snares I lived free,
Until her looks did me beguile.

I wedded her, made her my own,
She was as neighbour to my heart;
My fortunes I have overthrown,
For she from me did quickly start.

Her company I could not have,
Neither by night, nor yet by day.
I was no better than her slave,
For I did work, when she did play.

Then was I forc'd the sea to cross,
And leave my wedded wife behind;
But I was happy in my loss,
Because to me she prov'd unkind.

In three years after I was gone,
She chose herself another mate;
I found her with another man,
And then she said I came too late.

Then I was shipp'd away again,
I was betray'd I know not how,
And landed on the coast of Spain,
And now again return'd to you.

You woods, you hills, you dales, you groves,
You brooks, and every pleasant spring,
You creatures, come, whom nothing moves,
And hear a woful shepherd sing.

For to my fellow shepherd swains,
I oftentimes have made my mone,
But what my mournful words contains
Is rightly understood of none.

O sacred heavens, why do I spend
My just endeavours thus in vain,
Since what the fates do fore-intend,
They never after change again?

Nor faith, nor love, nor true desert,
Nor all that woful man can do,
Can win him place within her heart,
That finds he was not born thereto.

And so farewel, kind shepher all,
Adieu, adieu, false shepherdess,
Thou art the cause of this my call,
For thou hast brought me to distress.

He sent his groans up to the skies,
And yielded up his vital breath;
The shepherds closed up his eyes,
And laid him in his bed of death.

They sung a mournful elegy,
Over his grave, where, as he lay,
All flesh, quoth they, is born to die,
And this shall be his epitaph:

Lo, here lies he that plac'd his love,
On her that did inconstant prove.

A Postscript.

SINCE first my book was printed, I do hear,
Some women no good-will to me do bear:
But I must needs confess, that they were such,
Even of the vulgar sort that I did touch.
And such, whose carriage with their breeding shown,
Unto the world their weakness have made known;
Prov'd themselves guilty of the things I writ,
Shewing but little manners, and less wit.

But, since I find my book hath done some good,
I will go forward, though by them withstood:
It hath converted two, and made them civil,
That were almost as bad as is the devil;
They did confess, they did disgrace their marriage,
And wrong their husbands by their evil carriage;
They did confess, that I was in no fault,
By shewing them how poorly they did halt;
They do confess, how they indebted are
For my good will to them and honest care,
Had to their credit and their reputation,
And glad was I of this their recantation;
And glad was I when this I understood,
That I was born to do a woman good,

Henceforth I promise, and I do not flatter,
To rest their servant in a greater matter.

A SECOND AND MOST EXACT

RELATION

OF

THOSE SAD AND LAMENTABLE ACCIDENTS,

Which happened in and about the Parish Church of Wydecombe, near the Dartmoors, in Devonshire,

ON SUNDAY THE 21ST OF OCTOBER LAST, 1638.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

PSAL. xlvi. 8.

Imprimatur Thomas Wyke, R. P. Episc. Lond. Cap. Domest. Printed at London by G. M. for R. Harford, and are to be sold at his shop in Queen's-head-alley, in Paternoster-Row, at the Gilt Bible, 1638. Quarto, containing thirty-seven pages.

Though this is called properly the second relation of this wonderful accident; yet it includes the former verbatim, and adds and explains some passages, either omitted or left obscure, by way of appendix.

As for the veracity of this relation, I am in no doubt, being so well attested, and licensed to be printed by the Bishop of London's domestick chaplain; but I could wish that these terrors of the Lord would persuade men to be more afraid of his judgments, and to seek for his mercy and protection, in the time of need, by a just discharge of their respective duties.

To the Reader.

I here present thee with a second relation of that wonderful accident, which the printing of the former book hath given occasion of. Having now received a full and perfect relation, as is possible to be hoped for, or procured, assuring thee it is not grounded on information taken up at second-hand; but those persons being now come to London, who were eye-witnesses herein, and the chiefest discoverers of the effects of these terrible accidents: Although thou hadst the truth in part before, yet not the tythe thereof, the full relation whereof thou shalt find here annexed, following after the former relation, supplied in all those particulars, wherein there was any defect before, supposing it better to annex it, than to dissolve and blend it with the former. What thou hadst not before, shall only be

supplied now, and no more; and what thou findest not here, take to be true, as they are expressed there; and, although it be larger than our former, yet we desired, in penning thereof, not to trouble thee with many words, but only the substance of this sad matter, as concisely as we could; and, though the price be more, yet suspend thy censure till thou hast perused it, and then, it may be, thou wilt give him thanks, who hath been at the pains to add this to the former; which he would not have done, unless he could tender it upon very good authority, and testimony of witnesses, more than needful. We know fame and report vary exceedingly, not knowing wherein to pitch our belief, for it much increaseth or diminisheth by flying, ac cording to the apprehension and memory, both of the givers out, and takers up; but take this on his word, who only wisheth and intend, eth thy good. Farewell.

A true Relation of those most strange and lamentable Accidents, happening in the parish church of Wydecomb, in Devonshire, ou Sunday the 21st of October, 1638.

GOD's visible judgments, and terrible remonstrances, which every morning are brought to light, coming unto our knowledge, should be our observation and admonition, that thereby the inhabitants of the earth may learn righteousness;* for to let them pass by us, as water runs by our doors, unobserved, argues too much regardlesness of God, in the way of his judgments +; not to suffer them to sink into our affections, and to prove as so many terrible warning-pieces, which are shot off from a watch-tower, to give notice of an enemy's approach, to awaken and affright us, are but a means to harden our hearts against the Lord, and to awaken his justice to punish us yet more: But "to hear and fear,' and to do wickedly no more; to search our hearts, and amend our ways, is the best use that can be made of any of God's remarkable terrors manifested among us, When God is angry with us, it ought to be our wisdom to meet him, and make peace with him: And, where we see legible characters of his power and wrath, to learn to spell out his meaning, touching ourselves; to leave off all busy, malicious, causless, and unchristianly censuring of others, and to turn in upon ourselves, remembering, Vel pænitendum, vel pereundum, Except we repent, we shall likewise perish. Certain it is, that we do, in vain, expect immunity from God's judgments, by slighting, or contemning them, or increasing in our sinnings against him. If Pharaoh, by the terror of thundering and lightning, was so affrighted, that he saith to Moses, Intreat the Lord, for it is enough, that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail.'§ And if Caligula, out of the fear of thunder, would run under his bed to hide himself: How much more should we Christians learn to fear and tremble before the most mighty

" Eph. iii. 5.

+ Isa. xxvi. 9, 11.

Luke xiii. 5.

Pana paucorem terror omnium,
Exod. ix. 28.

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