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[D3r]

 Ne can I finde salue for my soreremedy for my pain , loue is a curelesseincurable  sorrow. And though my balebail, delivery, release; also pun on ‘bale’, destruction, death  with death I bought, hey hoe heauie cheere:  Yet should thilkethat same  lasse notgo not, not leave  from my thought, so you may buy gold too deere. 

But whether in painfull loue I pine, hey hoe pinching paine: Or thriue in wealth, she shall be mine,  but if thou can her obtaine. And if for gracelesse greefe I dye hey hoe gracelesse greefegrief brought about by lack of grace or favour (of the beloved) : Witnesse, she slew me with her eye, let thy folly be the preefeproof . 

 And you that saw it, simple sheepe, hey hoe the faire flocke: For priefeproof  thereof my death shall weepe, and moane with many a mocke. +Derision, although as McCabe notes ‘playing on the dual senses                         of ridicule and (empathetic) imitation’,  Spenser Shorter Poems , p. 551. So learn’d I loue on a holy-Eue,  hey hoe holy-day: That euer since my hart did greeue, now endeth our Roundelay. 

FINIS. Edm. Spencer.

¶ Phillida and Coridon. +The shepherdess, Phyllida or Phyllis, is referred to in Virgil, Eclogues , III, and Corydon in Virgil, Eclogues , VII, see also ‘A pastoral of Phillis and Coridon’ *; printed in The Honorable Entertainement (1591), sig. D3-3v. The poem was part of the third day’s entertainment and given the title ‘The Plowmans Song’ in the first two editions of the printed account: ‘On Wednesday morning,… as her Maiestie opened a casement of her gallerie window, ther were three excellent Musitians, who being disguised in auncient countrey attire, did greet her with a pleasant song of Coridon and Phyllida, made in three parts of purpose’ (sig. D2v). For the music for this lyric, see Musical Settings . A longer, variant version of this lyric was printed as a broadside ballad and set to the tune ‘Frog Galliard’, see Ballad Tunes Other copies in: L: Add. 34064, c. 1596, f.16; O: Rawl. Poet 85. C. 1590, fol. 3; L: Harley 3991, fol. 81v; L: Add. 52585, fol. 57; O: Don. c. 57, fol. 77; F: V.a.308, fol. 8; H: MS Eng 1495, fol. 16; H: MS Eng 895, fol. 54. Author: Nicholas Breton. Structure (May/Ringler): 26: aa4troch

I N the merry moneth of May, In a morne by breake of day, Foorth I walked by the Wood side, When as May was in his pride:  There I spied all alone, Phillida  and  Coridon. Much a-doo there was God wotknows , 