A pleasant Song, made by a Souldier, whose bringing vp had bin dainty, and partly fed by those affections of his vnbridled youth, is now beaten with his owne rod, and therefore tearmeth this his repentance, the fall of his folly.
To the tune of Calino.
IN Summer time when Phoebus rayes,
Did chéere each mortall mans delight,
Increasing of the chearefull dayes,
and cutting off the darkesome night.
When Nature brought forth euery thing,
By iust returne of April showers:
To make the pleasant branches spring,
of sundry sorts of hearbs and flowers.
It was my chance to walke abroad,
To view Dame Natures new come brood:
The pretty Birds did lay on load,
with sugred tunes in euery wood.
The gallant Nightingale did set,
Her speckled brest against a Bryer,
Whose wofull tunes bewayles as yet,
her brother Tereus foule desire.
The Serpents hauing cast their coates,
Lay listning how the Birds did sing:
The pretty birds with sugred notes,
did welcome in the pleasant Spring:
I drew me to the Gréenewood side,
To heare this countrey harmony,
Whereas ere long I had espide,
a wofull man in misery.
He lay along vpon the ground,
And to the heauens he cast his eye:
The bordering hils and dales resound,
the Ecchoes of his pittious cry.
He wailing sore, and sighing, said,
O heauen, what endlesse griefe haue I?
Why are my sorrowes thus delaid?
come therefore death and let me dye.
When Nature first had made my frame,
And let me loose when she had done:
Steps Fortune in that fickle Dame,
to end what Nature had begun,
She set me soft vpon her knée,
And bl [...]st my tender age with store;
But in the end she did agrée.
to marre what she had done before▪
I could no sooner créepe alone,
But she forsooke her fostred child,
I had no land to liue vpon,
but [...]c'd abroad the world so wild.
At len [...] I fell in company,
With [...]ant youths of Mars his traine,
I spe [...] [...]y life in ieoperdy,
and [...] m [...] labour for my paine.
I wa [...] on the sieged walles,
In thunder, lightning, raine, and snow,
And oft in shot o [...] powdred halls,
whose costly markes are yet to show,
When all my kindred tooke their rest,
At home in many a stately bed:
The ground and pauement was my nest,
my Flaske a pillow for my head.
My meate was such as I could finde,
As Rootes and Hearbes of sundry sorts:
Which did content my hungry mind,
although my commons were but short,
My powder serued to salt my meate,
My murren for a gilden cup,
Wherein such drinke as I could get,
in spr [...] [...]r ditch, I dranke it vp.
My Rapier alwaies b [...] my side,
My péece lay char [...] [...]ith match alight,
Thus many a m [...]h I did abide,
to ward all day, and watch all night,
I liued in this glorious vaine,
Vntill my limmes were stiffe and lame▪
And then I got me home againe,
regarding not such costly fame.
When I came home, I made a proofe
What friends would do if néed should be,
My néerest kinsfolkes look'd aloofe,
as though they had forgotten me.
And as the Owle by chattring charmes,
Is wondred at of other Birds,
So came they wondring at my harmes,
and yeeld me no releefe but words.
Thus doe I want when they haue store,
That am their equall euery way:
But fortune lent them somewhat more,
else had I beene as good as they.
Come gentle Death and end my griefe,
Ye pretty Birds ring forth my knell:
Let Robin red brest be the chiefe,
to bury me, andd so farewell.
Let no good Souldier be dismaide,
To fight in field with courage bold▪
Yet marke the words that I haue said,
trust not to friends when thou art old.
FINIS.
Printed at London for Iohn Wright.