The Sad Shepherd, or A Tale of Robin Hood · chunk 4 of 19
Jonson, Ben · published 1641 · first performed or written 1637 [c.1612-1637] (Annals) not in BritDrama T22 Shepherds, flocks and Pan typicality 0.69 · 456 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T22: shepherd, pan, shepherds, love, sheep, flocks, fair, shepherdess, swain, away.
Welcome bright Clarion, and sweet Mellifleur, The courteous Lionel, fair Amie; all My friends and neighbours, to the Jolly Bower Of Robin-hood, and to the greenewood Walks: Now that the shearing of your sheep is done, And the washed Flocks are lighted of their wool, The smother Ewes are ready to receive. The mounting Rams again; and both do feed, As either promised to increase your breed At eaning time; and bring you lusty twins. Why should, or you, or we so much forget The season in ourselves: as not to make Use of our youth, and spirits, to awake The nimble Hornpipe, and the Timburine, And mix our Songs, and Dances in the Wood, And each of us cut down a Triumph-bough. Such were the Rites, the youthful Iune allow. They were, gay Robin, but the sourer sort Of Shepherds now disclaim in all such sport: And say, our Flocks the while, are poorly fed, When with such vanities the Swains are led. Would they, wise Clarion, were not hurried more With Covetise and Rage, when to their store They add the poor man's Eaneling, and dare cell Both Fleece, and Carcase, not gi'ing him the Fell. When to one Goat, they reach that prickly weed, Which maketh all the rest forbear to feed; Or strew Tods hairs, or with their tails do sweep The dewy grass, to d'off the simpler sheep; Or dig deep pits, their Neighbours Neat to vex, To drown the Calves, and crack the Heifers necks. Or with pretence of chase thence the Brock, Sand in a cur to worry the whole Flock. O Friar, those are faults that are not seen, Ours open, and of worst example been. They call ours, Pagan pastimes, that infect Our blood with ease, our youth with all neglect; Our tongues with wantonness, our thoughts with lust, And what they censure ill, all others must. I do not know, what their sharp sight may see Of late, but I should think it still might be (As 'twas) a happy age, when on the Plains, The Woodmen met the Damsels, and the Swains The Neat'ards, Ploughmen, and the Pipers loud, And each did dance, some to the Kit, or Crowd, Some to the Bagpipe, some the Tabret-moved, And all did either love, or were beloved. The dextrous Shepherd than would try his sling, Than dart his Hook at Daisies, than would sing. Sometimes would wrestle. I, and with a Lass: And give her a new garment on the grass; After a course at Barleybreak, or Base. And all these deeds were seen without offence, Or the lest hazard o' their innocence. Those charitable times had no mistrust. Shepherds knew how to love, and not to lust.
nodes 179–235 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 4 of 19 in this edition
Length
456 words · 648 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T22 — Shepherds, flocks and Pancross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.693 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T24 · seed 44: T25 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Welcome bright Clarion, and ſweet Mellifleur, The courteous Lionel, faire Amie; all My friends and neighbours, to the Jolly Bower Of Robin-hood, and to the greene-wood Walkes: Now that the ſhearing of your ſheepe is done, And the waſh'd Flocks are lighted of their wooll, The ſmoother Ewes are ready to receive. The mounting Rams againe; and both doe feed, As either promiſt to increaſe your breed At eaning time; and bring you luſty twins. Why ſhould, or you, or wee ſo much forget The ſeaſon in our ſelves: as not to make Vſe of our youth, and ſpirits, to awake The nimble Horne-pipe, and the Timburine, And mixe our Songs, and Dances in the Wood, And each of us cut downe a Triumph-bough. Such were the Rites, the youthfull Iune allow. They were, gay Robin, but the ſowrer ſort Of Shepherds now diſclaime in all ſuch ſport: And ſay, our Flocks the while, are poorely fed, When with ſuch vanities the Swaines are led. Would they, wiſe Clarion, were not hurried more With Covetiſe and Rage, when to their ſtore They adde the poore mans Eaneling, and dare ſell Both Fleece, and Carkaſſe, not gi'ing him the Fell. When to one Goat, they reach that prickly weed, Which maketh all the reſt forbeare to feed; Or ſtrew Tods haires, or with their tailes doe ſweepe The dewy graſſe, to d'off the ſimpler ſheepe; Or digge deepe pits, their Neighbours Neat to vexe, To drowne the Calves, and crack the Heifers necks. Or with pretence of chaſing thence the Brock, Send in a curre to worrie the whole Flock. O Friar, thoſe are faults that are not ſeene, Ours open, and of worſt example beene. They call ours, Pagan paſtimes, that infect Our blood with eaſe, our youth with all neglect; Our tongues with wantonneſſe, our thoughts with luſt, And what they cenſure ill, all others muſt. I doe not know, what their ſharpe ſight may ſee Of late, but I ſhould thinke it ſtill might be (As 'twas) a happy age, when on the Plaines, The Wood-men met the Damſells, and the Swaines The Neat'ards, Plow-men, and the Pipers loud, And each did dance, ſome to the Kit, or Crowd, Some to the Bag-pipe, ſome the Tabret-mov'd, And all did either love, or were belov'd. The dextrous Shepherd then would try his ſling, Then dart his Hooke at Dayſies, then would ſing. Sometimes would wraſtle. I, and with a Laſſe: And give her a new garment on the graſſe; After a courſe at Barley-breake, or Baſe. And all theſe deeds were ſeene without offence, Or the leaſt hazard o' their innocence. Thoſe charitable times had no miſtruſt. Shepherds knew how to love, and not to luſt.