• From “Third Part of Henry VI.,” Act II. Sc. 5.
      KING HENRY.—O God! methinks, it were a happy life,
    To be no better than a homely swain;
    To sit upon a hill, as I do now,
    To carve out dials quaintly, point by point,
    Thereby to see the minutes how they run:
    How many make the hour full complete,
    How many hours bring about the day,
    How...

  • Ah! what is love? It is a pretty thing,
    As sweet unto a shepherd as a king,
            And sweeter too;
    For kings have cares that wait upon a crown,
    And cares can make the sweetest face to frown:
            Ah then, ah then,
    If country loves such sweet desires gain,
    What lady would not love a shepherd swain?

    His flocks are folded; he...

  • Come live with me and be my love,
    And we will all the pleasures prove,
    That hills and valleys, dales and fields,
    Woods or craggy mountains yield.

    And we will sit upon the rocks,
    Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks
    By shallow rivers, to whose falls
    Melodious birds sing madrigals.

    And will I make thee beds of roses,
    ...