When men do traps and engines set In loop-holes, where the vermin creep, Who from their folds and houses fet * Their ducks and geese, and lambs and sheep, And enter in, And seem a vermin taken so; But when they there Approach me near, I leap out laughing, ho, ho, ho! By wells and gills, in meadows green, We chant our moonlight minstrelsies : It is more generally used for fetched. † i.e. Heydeguies, country dances: as in Drayton's Poly-olbion, Song 25. ‹ Dance many a merry round, and many a hydegy.' When larks 'gin sing Away we fling, And babes new-born steal as we go, We leave instead, And wend us laughing, ho, ho, ho! From hag-bred Merlin's time have I The hags and goblins do me know And belldames old My feats have told : So Vale, Vale; ho, ho, ho! SONG LVIII. THE GRASSHOPPER. (From Anacreon.) BY ABRAHAM COWLEY, ESQ. HAPPY insect! what can be, 'Tis fill'd wherever thou dost tread, Thou dost drink, and dance, and sing; All the fields, which thou dost see, Man for thee does sow and plough; Farmer he, and landlord thou! Thou dost innocently 'joy; Nor does thy luxury destroy; The shepherd gladly heareth thee, Thee country hinds with gladness hear, Thee Phoebus loves, and does inspire; Phoebus is himself thy sire. To thee, of all things upon earth, Life is no longer than thy mirth. Happy insect! happy thou Dost neither age nor winter know : But, when thou'st drunk, and danc'd, and sung Thy fill, the flowery leaves among, (Voluptuous, and wise withal, Epicurean animal !) Sated with thy summer-feast, SONG LIX. THE HUNTING OF THE HARE. SONGS of Shepherds, in rustical roundelays, Form'd in fancy, and whistled on reeds, Sung to solace young nymphs upon holidays, Are too unworthy for wonderful deeds. Sottish Silenus To Phoebus, the genius, Was sent by dame Venus, a song to prepare, In phrase nicely coin'd, And verse quite refin'd, How the states divine hunted the hare. Stars quite tir'd with pastimes Olympical, Stars and planets which beautiful shone, Could no longer endure that men only shall Swim in pleasures, and they but look on; Round about horned Lucina they swarmed, And her informed how minded they were, Each god and goddess, To take human bodies, As lords and ladies, to follow the hare. Chaste Diana applauded the motion, Their father to trample, The earth old and ample, they soon leave the air; Neptune the water, And wine Liber Pater, And Mars the slaughter, to follow the hare. Light god Cupid was mounted on Pegasus, Mounts a centaur, which proudly him bears; Light-heel'd Mercury Made his courser fly, fleet as the air While tuneful Apollo The kennel did follow, And hoop and halloo, boys, after the hare. Drown'd Narcissus from his metamorphosis, Mulciber booted, And Pan promoted on Corydon's mare; Proud Pallas pouted, Loud Æolus shouted, And Momus flouted, yet follow'd the hare. Hymen ushers the lady Astræa, The jest took hold of Latona the cold ; With witty Pandora, |