Untill at last in famous France She gentler fortunes found; Though poor and bare, yet she was deem'd Where, when the king her virtues heard, With full consent of all his court He made his wife and queen. Her father king Leir this while She took from him his chiefest means, For whereas twenty men were wont She gave allowance but to ten, Nay, one she thought too much for him; In hope that in her court, good king, "Am I rewarded thus," quoth he, "In giving all I have Unto my children, and to beg For what I lately gave? I'll go unto my Gonorell: Will be more kind and pitiful, Full fast he hies then to her court; Return'd him answer, That "she griev'd 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 But no way could relieve his wants; Yet, if that he would stay, Within her kitchen, he should have Where, when he came, she gave command To drive him thence away: When he was well within her court (She said) he would not stay. Then back again to Gonorell, That in her kitchen he might have But there of that he was deny'd, Thus twixt his daughters, for relief And calling to remembrance then That said the duty of a child 110 But doubting to repair to her, Grew frantick mad; for in his mind 135 Which made him rend his milk-white locks, And all with blood bestain his cheeks, With age and honour spread. To hills and woods and watry founts, Till hills and woods, and sensless things, And so to England came with speed, To repossesse king Leir, And drive his daughters from their thrones By his Cordelia dear. Where she, true-hearted noble queen, Was in the battel slain : Yet he, good king, in his old days, Possest his crown again. But when he heard Cordelia's death, Of her dear father, in whose cause 140 He swooning fell upon her breast, That was so truly hearted. The lords and nobles when they saw The other sisters unto death They doomed by consents; And, being dead, their crowns they left Thus have you seen the fall of pride, 175 180 XVI. YOUTH AND AGE, -is found in the little collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets, intitled "the Passionate Pilgrime",* the greatest part of which seems to relate to the amours of Venus and Adonis, being little effusions of fancy, probably written while he was composing his larger Poem on that subject. The following seems intended for the mouth of Venus, weighing the comparative merits of youthful Adonis and aged Vulcan. In the "Garland of Good Will" it is reprinted, with the addition of iv. more such stanzas, but evidently written by a meaner pen. Youth is full of sport, Ages breath is short; Youth is nimble, Age is lame : Age is weak and cold; Youth is wild, and Age is tame. O, my love, my love is young: Oh sweet shepheard, hie thee, See Malone's Shakesp. Vol. x. p. 325. 10 15 20 XVII. THE FROLICKSOME DUKE, OR THE THE following ballad is upon the same subject, as the "Induction" to Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew: " whether it may be thought to have suggested the hint to the Dramatic poet, or is not rather of later date, the reader must determine. The story is told * of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; and is thus related by an old English writer: "The said Duke, at the marriage of Eleonora, sister to the king of Portugall, at Bruges in Flanders, which was solemnised in the deepe of winter; when as by reason of unseasonable weather he could neither hawke nor hunt, and was now tired with cards, dice, &c. and such other domestick sports, or to see ladies dance: with some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walke disguised all about the towne. It so fortuned, as he was walking late one night, he found a countrey fellow dead drunke, snorting on a bulke; he caused his followers to bring him to his palace, and By Ludov. Vives in Epist. and by Pont. Heuter. Rerum Burgund. 1. 4. |