The crafty boy that sees her sleep, There come, he steals her shafts away, But, ere she wakes, hies thence apace. Scarce was he gone, but she awakes, Forth flew the shaft, and pierc'd his heart, And to the nymph he ran amain. Amazed to see so strange a sight, She shot, and shot, but all in vain ; The more his wounds, the more his might, 15 20 25 30 Her angry eyes were great with tears, She blames her hand, she blames her skill; The bluntness of her shafts she fears, 35 Take heed, sweet nymph, trye not thy shaft, Yet try she will, and pierce some bare; 40 That breast she pierc'd; and through that breast 45 Love found an entry to her heart; At feeling of this new-come guest, Lord! how this gentle nymph did start! She runs not now; she shoots no more; Away she throws both shaft and bow: She thinks the shepherds haste too slow. The god of love sate on a tree, 50 55 XI. THE CHARACTER OF A HAPPY LIFE. THIS little moral poem was writ by Sir Henry Wotton, who died Provost of Eton in 1639. Et. 72. It is printed from a little collection of his pieces, intitled, "Reliquiæ Wottonianæ," 1651, 12mo; compared with one or two other copies. How happy is he born or taught, Whose passions not his masters are; Who hath his life from rumours freed; Nor ruine make oppressors great : Who envies none, whom chance doth raise, 10 15 Who God doth late and early pray This man is freed from servile bands 20 XII. GILDEROY -was a famous robber, who lived about the middle of the last century, if we may credit the histories and story-books of highwaymen, which relate many improbable feats of him, as his robbing Cardinal Richlieu, Oliver Cromwell, &c. But these stories have probably no other authority, than the records of Grub-street: At least the Gilderoy, who is the hero of Scottish Songsters, seems to have lived in an earlier age; for, in Thompson's "Orpheus Caledonius," Vol. ii. 1733, 8vo. is a copy of this ballad,which, tho' corrupt and interpolated, contains some lines that appear to be of genuine antiquity: in these he is represented as contemporary with Mary Q. of Scots': ex. gr. "The Queen of Scots possessed nought, That my love let me want: For cow and ew to me he brought, And ein whan they were scant." These lines perhaps might safely have been inserted among the following stanzas, which are given from a written copy, that appears to have received some modern corrections. Indeed the common popular ballad contained some indecent luxuriances that required the pruning-hook. GILDEROY was a bonnie boy, It was, I weene, a comelie sight, He was my jo and hearts delight, Oh! sike twa charming een he had, A breath as sweet as rose, He never ware a Highland plaid, But costly silken clothes; He gain'd the luve of ladies gay, Ah! wae is mee! I mourn the day My Gilderoy and I were born, We scant were seven years beforn, We gan to luve each other; Our dadies and our mammies thay, For Gilderoy that luve of mine, Wi' mickle joy we spent our prime, Aft on the banks we'd sit us thair, 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Oh that he still had been content, But, ah! his manfu' heart was bent, And he in many a venturous deed, His courage bauld wad try; And now this gars mine heart to bleed, gave tull him a parting luik, "My benison gang wi' thee; God speed thee weil, mine ain dear heart, My heart is rent sith we maun part, My handsome Gilderoy." My Gilderoy baith far and near, Was fear'd in every toun, 45 50 55 And bauldly bare away the gear, Nane eir durst meet him man to man, 60 At length wi' numbers he was tane, Wae worth the loun that made the laws, 65 To hang a man for gear, To 'reave of life for ox or ass, For sheep, or horse, or mare: Had not their laws been made sae strick, I neir had lost my joy, Wi' sorrow neir had wat my cheek, Giff Gilderoy had done amisse, Ah! what sair cruelty is this, |