To gather nuts. A Roman marriage custom mentioned in Catullus, Carm. lxi. 124-127, the In Nuptias Juliæ et Manlii, which Herrick keeps in mind all through this ode.
With all lucky birds to side. Bona cum bona nubit alite virgo. Cat. Carm. lxi. 18.
But when ye both can say Come. The wish in this case appears to have been fulfilled, as Lady Southwell administered to her husband's estate, Dec. 16, 1642, and her own estate was administered on the thirtieth of the following January.
Two ripe shocks of corn. Cp. Job v. 26.
[153]. His wish. From Hor. Epist. I. xviii. 111, 112:—
Sed satis est orare Jovem quæ donat et aufert;
Det vitam, det opes; æquum mî animum ipse parabo:
where Herrick seems to have read qui for quæ.
[157]. No Herbs have power to cure Love. Ovid, Met. i. 523; id. Her. v. 149: Nullis amor est medicabilis herbis. For the 'only one sovereign salve' cp. Seneca, Hippol. 1189: Mors amoris una sedamen.
[159]. The Cruel Maid. Printed in Witts Recreations, 1650, with no other variant than the mistaken omission of "how" in l. 7. I do not think that it has been yet pointed out that the whole poem is a close imitation of Theocritus, xxiii. 19-47:—
Ἄγριε παῖ καὶ στυγνέ, κ.τ.λ.