ANECDOTES

OF

LITERATURE, &c.

MANY readers, I presume, will be pleased with the following specimens of Songs, which occur in various rare Plays in the Garrick Collection.

Few, if any, of these are to be found in the Collections of Songs which have been compiled by Dalrymple, Aikin, Ellis, Ritson, and others. Many seem well worth preserving, and from the extreme and increasing rarity of the works from which they are taken, are little likely to be presented to the inspection of the common reader. Nevertheless, I have not inserted them from my own judgment only. Many intelligent friends have thought with me, that they would form an acceptable portion of the work.

Take the cup, and drink all up,
Give me the can to fill a;
Every sup, and every cup,

Hold here and my good will a.
Gossip mine and gossip thine,
Now let us gossip still a ;
Here is good wine, this ale is fine;
Now drink of which you will a,
Round about, till all be out,
I pray you let us swill a.
This jolly grout is jolly and stout,
I pray you stout it still a;
Let us laugh, and let us quaff,
Good drinkers think none ill a;
Here is your bag, here is your staffe,
Be packing to the mill a.

SONG

Though pinching be a privie pain,
To want desire, that is but vain,
Though some be curst, and some be kind,
Subdue the worst with patient mind.

Who sits so hie, who sits so low?

Who feels such joy, that feels no woł
When bale is bad, good boot is ny,
Take all adventures patiently.

To marrie a sheep, to marrie a shrew,

To meet with a friend, to meet with a foe, These checke of chance can no man flie,

But God himself that rules the skie.

Which God preserve our noble Queen

From perilus chance that hath been seen,
And send her subjects grace, say I,

To serve her Highnesse patiently.

From the Play of Tom Tyler and his Wife, in black letter, of which the original edition was printed in 1598; and the second impression, from which the above was copied, in the Garrick Collection, is dated 1661.

SONG

OF NIGHT.

1.

In wet and cloudy mists I slowly rise,
As with mine owne dull weight opprest,
To close with sleep the jealous lovers eyes,
And give forsaken virgins rest.

2.

Th' adventrous merchant and the mariner,
Whom stormes all day vex in the deep,
Beginne to trust the windes when I appeare,
And lose their dangers in their sleep.

3.

The studious that consume their brains and sight,
In search where doubtful knowledge lies,
Grow wearie of their fruitlesse use of light,
And wish my shades to ease their eyes.

4.

The ambitious toyling statesman that prepares
Great mischiefes ere the day begins,

Nor measures day by houres, but by his cares,
And Night must intermit his sinnes.

5.

Then why when my slow chariot used to clime,
Did old mistaking sages weepe?

As if my empire did usurpe their time,

And houres were lost when spent in sleep.

6.

I come to ease their labours, and prevent
That wearinesse which would destroy;
The profit of their toyles are still mispent,
Till rest enables to enjoy.

The above is taken from LUMINALIA or the Festival of Light. A Masque, presented at Court, on Shrove Tuesday night.

1637.

SONG.

1.

Now fie on Love, it ill befits,

Or man and woman know it,

Love was not meant for people in their wits,
And they that fondly shew it

Betray their too much featherd brains,

And shall have only Bedlam for their pains.

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