In favour this same shepheards swayne
Was like the bedlam Tamburlayne,[1001]50
Which helde prowd kings in awe:
But meeke he was as lamb mought be;
An innocent of ill as he[1002]
Whom his lewd brother slaw.
The shepheard ware a sheepe-gray cloke,55
Which was of the finest loke,[1003]
That could be cut with sheere:
His mittens were of bauzens[1004] skinne,
His cockers[1005] were of cordiwin,[1006]
His hood of meniveere.[1007]60
His aule and lingell[1008] in a thong,
His tar-boxe on his broad belt hong,
His breech of coyntrie[1009] blewe:
Full crispe and curled were his lockes,
His browes as white as Albion rocks:65
So like a lover true,
And pyping still he spent the day,
So merry as the popingay;[1010]
Which liked Dowsabel:
That would she ought, or would she nought,70
This lad would never from her thought;
She in love-longing fell.
At length she tucked up her frocke,
White as a lilly was her smocke,
She drew the shepheard nye;75
But then the shepheard pyp'd a good,
That all his sheepe forsooke their foode,
To heare his melodye.
Thy sheepe, quoth she, cannot be leane,
That have a jolly shepheards swayne,80
The which can pipe so well:
Yea but, sayth he, their shepheard may,
If pyping thus he pine away
In love of Dowsabel.
Of love, fond boy, take thou no keepe,[1011]85
Quoth she; looke thou unto thy sheepe,
Lest they should hap to stray.
Quoth he, so had I done full well,
Had I not seen fayre Dowsabell
Come forth to gather maye.90
With that she gan to vaile her head,
Her cheeks were like the roses red,
But not a word she sayd:
With that the shepheard gan to frowne,
He threw his pretie pypes adowne,95
And on the ground him layd.
Sayth she, I may not stay till night,
And leave my summer-hall undight,[1012]
And all for long of thee.
My coate,[1013] sayth he, nor yet my foulde100
Shall neither sheepe nor shepheard hould,
Except thou favour mee.
Sayth she, Yet lever were I dead,
Then I should lose my mayden-head,
And all for love of men.105
Sayth he, Yet are you too unkind.
If in your heart you cannot finde
To love us now and then.