I will return again, quoth he,

Unto my Ragan's court;

She will not use me thus, I hope,

But in a kinder fort.

Where when he came, fhe gave command

To drive him thence away:

When he was well within her court

(She faid) he would not stay.

Then back again to Gonorell,

The woeful king did hie,

That in her kitchen he might have
What fcullion, boys fet by.

But there of that he was deny'd,
Which he had promis'd late :

For once refufing, he should not

Grew frantick mad; for in his mind
He bore the wounds of woe :

Which made him rend his milk-white locks,

And treffes from his head,

And all with blood beftain his checks,

135

With age and honour spread.

140

To hills and woods and watry founts,

He made his hourly moan,

Till hills and woods, and fenfless things,
Did feem to figh and groan.

To Aganippus' court;

Whofe royal king, with noble mind

So freely gave confent,

To mufter up his knights at arms,

To fame and courage bent.

160

And

And fo to England came with speed,

To repoffeffe king Leir,

And drive his daughters from their thrones ·

But when he heard Cordelia's death,
Who died indeed for love

170

The lords and nobles when they saw

The end of these events,

The other fifters unto death

XVI.

YOUTH AND AGE,

-is found in the little collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets, intitled the PASSIONATE PILGRIME *, the greatest part of which feems to relate to the amours of Venus and Adonis, being little effufions of fancy, probably written while he was compofing his larger Poem on that fubject. The following feems 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 fuch fianzas, but evidently written by a meaner pen.

Youth is nimble, Age is lame:
Youth is hot and bold,

Age is weak and cold;

Youth is wild, and Age is tame.

Age, I do abhor thee,

Youth, I do adore thee;

O, my love, my love is young:
Age, I do defie thee;

Oh sweet shepheard, hie thee,

For methinks thou stayst too long.

** See MALONE's Shakesp. Vol. X. p. 325.

XVII.

THE FROLICKSOME DUKE, OR THE
TINKER'S GOOD FORTUNE.

The following ballad is upon the fame subject, as the INDUCTION to Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW: whether it may be thought to have fuggefted the hint to the Dramatic poet, or is not rather of later date, the reader muft determine

*

The fiory is told of PHILIP the GOOD, Duke of Bur. gundy and is thus related by an old English writer: "The faid Duke, at the marriage of Eleonora, fifier to the king "of Portugall, at Bruges in Flanders, which was folem"nifed in the deepe of winter; when as by reason of un"Jeasonable weather he could neither hawke nor hunt, and

46

*By Ludov. Vives in Epift. & by Pont. Heuter. Rerum Burgund. 1. 4o