The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

MAY.] THE SHEPHERD'S CALENDAR. 567
But what they left behind them is lost. Lovers of lordship, and troublers of states:
Good is no good, but if 1 it be spend; Then gan shepherds' swains to look aloft,
God giveth good for none other end. And leave to live hard, and learn to lig 14 soft:
Piers. Ah! Palinode, thou art a world's child: Then, under colour of shepherds, somewhile
Who touches pitch, must needs be defil'd; There crept in wolves, full of fraud and guile,
But shepherds (as Algrind 2 us'd to say) That often devoured their own sheep,
Must not live alike as men of the lay.3 And often the shepherds that did them keep:
With them it sits 4 to care for their heir, This was the first source of shepherds' sorrow,
Enauntre 5 their heritage do impair: That now n'ill 15 be quit with bail nor borrow.'6
They must provide for means of maintenance, Pal. Three things to bear be very burdenous,
And to continue their wont countenance: But the fourth to forbear is outrageous:
But shepherd must walk another way, Women, that of love's longing once lust,
Such worldly souvenance 6 he must forsay.7 Hardly forbearen, but have it they must:
The son of his loins why should he regard So when choler is inflamed with rage,
To leave enriched with that he hath spar'd? Wanting revenge, is hard to assuage:
Should not thilk 8 God, that gave him that And who can counsel a thirsty soul
good, With patience to forbear the offer'd bowl?
Eke cherish his child, if in his ways he stood? But of all burdens that a man can bear,
For if he mislive in lewdness and lust, Most is a fool's talk to bear and to hear.
Little boots all the wealth and the trust I ween the giant 7 has not such a weight,
That his father left by inheritance; That bears on his shoulders the heaven's height.
All will be soon wasted with misgovernance: Thou findest fault where n' is 18 to be found,
But through this, and other their miscreance,9 And buildest strong work upon a weak ground:
They maken many a wrong chevisance,'l Thou railest on right withouten reason,
Heaping up waves of wealth and woe, And blamest them much for small encheason.19
The floods whereof shall them overflow. How shoulden shepherds live, if not so?
Such men's folly I cannot compare What? should they pinen in pain and woe?
Better than to the ape's foolish care, Nay, say I thereto, by my dear borrow,20
That is so enamour'd of her young one If I may rest, I n'ill15 live in sorrow.
(And yet, God wot, such cause had she none), Sorrow ne need to be hastened on,
That with her hard hold, and strait embracing, For he will come, without calling, anon.
She stoppeth the breath of her youngling. While times enduren of tranquillity,
So oftentimes, when as good is meant, Usen we freely our felicity;
Evil ensueth of wrong intent. For, when approachen the stormy stours,2
The time was once, and may again return We must with our shoulders bear off the sharp
(For aught may happen, that hath been beforn), show'rs;
When shepherds had none inheritance, And, sooth to sayn, naught seemeth 22 such strife,
Nor of land, nor fee in sufferance, That shepherds so witen 23 each other's life,
But what might arise of the bare sheep And layen their faults the worlds beforn,
(Were it more or less) which they did keep. The while their foes do each of them scorn.
Well, y-wis, was it with shepherds then: Let none mislike of that may not be mended;
Naught having, naught fearid they to forgo; " So conteck 4 soon by conc6rd might be ended.
For Pan himself was their inheritance,12 Piers. Shepherd, I list no accordance make
And little them serv'd for their maintenance. With shepherd that does the right way forsake;
The shepherds' God so well them guided, And of the twain, if choice were to me,
That of naught they were unprovided; Had lever 5 my foe than my friend he be;
Butter enough, honey, milk, and whey, For what conc6rd have light and dark sam? 26
And their flocks' fleeces them to array: Or what peace has the lion with the lamb?
But tract of time, and long pr6sperity Such faitours,27 when their false hearts be hid,
(That nurse of vice, this of insolenc), Will do as did the Fox by the Kid.28
Lull'd the shepherds in such security, Pal. Now, Piers, of fellowship, tell us that
That, not content with loyal obeisance, saying;
Some gan to gape for greedy governance,13 For the lad can keep both our flocks from strayAnd match themselves with mighty potentates, ing.
1 Unless. 14 Lie. 15 Will not.
2 Grindal, Archbishop of Canterbury, conspicuous 16 Pledge or surety.
for his leaning to the puritanical party in the Reformed 17 Atlas. 18 None is. 19 Occasion.
Church. 3 Laity. 20 "By my Saviour," whom E. K. calls "the com4 It beseems them. 5 Lest. mon pledge of all men's debt to death."
6 Remembrance. 7 Forsake. 21 The assaults of storm. 22 Ill beseems.
8 The same.'9 Misbelief. 23 Blame. 24 Strife.
10 Bargain. 11 Lose. 25 Rather. 26 Together. 27 Ill-doers.
12 "Pan himself; God; according as is said in 28 "By the Kid may be understood the simple sort
Deuteronomy, that, in division of the land of Canaan, of the faithful and true Christians. By his dam, Christ,
to the tribe of Levi no portion of heritage should be that hath already with careful watchwords (as here
allotted, for God himself was their inheritance."_E. K. doth the Goat) warned her little ones to beware of such.13 " Meant of the Pope, and his Antichristianprelates, doubling deceit. By the Fox, the false and faithless
which usurp a tyrannical dominion in the Church, &c." Papists, to whom is no credit to be given, nor fellow-E. K.' ship to be used."-E. K.