A

But they shall not so;

Hey nonny, nonny no!
None but I this life must owe;
Hey nonny, nonny no!

MAD WORLD, MY MASTERS.

[Licensed and first printed in 1608.]

BACCHANALIAN CATCH.

FOR a bowl of fat canary

Rich Aristippus, sparkling sherry!
Some nectar else from Juno's dairy;
O these draughts would make us merry!
O for a wench! I deal in faces,
And in other daintier things;
Tickled am I with her embraces;
Fine dancing in such fairy rings!
O for a plump, fat leg of mutton,
Veal, lamb, capon, pig, and coney!
None is happy but a glutton,
None an ass, but who wants money.
Wines, indeed, and girls are good;
But brave victuals feast the blood;
For wenches, wine, and lusty cheer,

Jove would come down to surfeit here.*

*The authorship of this song is doubtful. It was printed for the first time in the Alexander and Campaspe of Lyly appended to the edition of 1632, and is not to be found in the earlier editions, the first of which appeared in 1584. That it did not originally belong to A Mad World, my Masters, is clear from this circumstance, the first edition of that play having been published in 1608; but it was added to the second edition in 1640. The probability is that it was not written by either Lyly or Middleton; but, if by either, the evidence is in favour of the latter, as Lyly was dead many years before 1632, when the song was first printed, and Middleton was certainly alive a few years before that time. Mr. Dyce, who prints it at the end of Middleton's play from the edition of 1640, does not appear to have been aware that it had previously been printed in Lyly's Alexander and Campaspe.

IN

THE WITCH.

THE THREE STATES OF WOMAN.

́N a maiden-time professed,
Then we say that life is blessed;
Tasting once the married life,
Then we only praise the wife;
There's but one state more to try,
Which makes women laugh or cry—
Widow, widow of these three
The middle's best, and that give me.

Voices above.

HECATE AND THE WITCHES.

COME away, come away,
Hecate, Hecate, come away!

Hecate. I come, I come, I come, I come,
With all the speed I may,

With all the speed I may.
Where's Stadlin?

Hecate. Where's Puckle?

Voice above.

Voice above.

Here.

Here;

And Hoppo too, and Hellwain too;
We lack but you, we lack but you;
Come away, make up the count.

Hecate. I will but 'noint, and then I mount.

[A spirit like a cat descends.

Voice above. There's one comes down to fetch his dues,

Hecate.

A kiss, a coll, a sip of blood;

And why thou stayest so long

I

muse, I muse,

Since the air's so sweet and good.
O, art thou come?

What news, what news?

Spirit. All goes still to our delight:

Either come, or else
Refuse, refuse.

Hecate. Now I'm furnished for the flight.

Now I go, now I fly,

Malkin my sweet spirit and I.
O what a dainty pleasure 'tis
To ride in the air

When the moon shines fair,

And sing and dance, and toy and kiss!
Over woods, high rocks, and mountains,
Over seas, our mistress' fountains,
Over steeples, towers, and turrets,
We fly by night, 'mongst troops of spirits:
No ring of bells to our ears sounds,
No howls of wolves, no yelps of hounds;
No, not the noise of water's breach,

Or cannon's throat our height can reach.

THE CHARM.

BLACK spirits and white, red spirits and gray,

Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle may!
Titty, Tiffin,
Keep it stiff in;
Firedrake, Puckey,
Make it lucky;

Liard, Robin,

You must bob in.

Round, around, around, about, about!

All ill come running in, all good keep out!
Here's the blood of a bat.

Put in that, O put in that!

Here's libbard's bane.

Put in again!

The juice of toad, the oil of adder;

Those will make the younker madder.

Put in-there's all-and rid the stench.

Nay, here's three ounces of the red-haired wench.
Round, around, around, about, about!*

*The similarity between these passages and the witch scenes in Macbeth is too close to admit of a doubt that Shakespeare borrowed from Middleton, or Middleton from Shakespeare. Which play was

MORE DISSEMBLERS BESIDES WOMEN.

[In 1623 this comedy was entered by Sir Henry Herbert as an old play. It was first printed in 1657.]

SONG OF THE GIPSIES.

COME, my dainty doxies,

My dells,* my dells most dear;
We have neither house nor land,
Yet never want good cheer.
We never want good cheer.

We take no care for candle rents,
We lie, we snort, we sport in tents,
Then rouse betimes and steal our dinners.
Our store is never taken

Without pigs, hens, or bacon,
And that's good meat for sinners:
At wakes and fairs we cozen
Poor country folk by dozen;
If one have money, he disburses;

Whilst some tell fortunes, some pick purses;
Rather than be out of use,

We'll steal garters, hose, or shoes,
Boots, or spurs with gingling rowels,
Shirts or napkins, smocks or towels.

Come live with us, come live with us,

produced first is an open question. Steevens and Gifford assign the priority to Middleton, Malone to Shakespeare. Mr. Dyce objects to Mr. Gifford that he adduces no evidence to show that the Witch was anterior to Macbeth; but, so far as his own opinion is concerned, leaves the question where he found it. Lamb, in a subtle and discriminating criticism, says that the coincidence does not detract much from the originality of Shakespeare (supposing Middleton to have preceded him), because his witches are distinguished from those of Middleton by essential differences. This is quite true. But it should be observed that it is not in these essential differences, which lie in the elements of character, and not in forms of expression, that the resemblance consists; and that the fact of direct imitation in the conception and poetical treatment of the Charms and Incantations remains unaffected.

* A cant term for an undefiled girl.

All

you that love your eases;
He that's a gipsy

May be drunk or tipsy
At any hour he pleases.

We laugh, we quaff, we roar, we scuffle;
We cheat, we drab, we filch, we shuffle.

A CHASTE MAID IN CHEAPSIDE.
[First printed in 1630.]

THE PARTING OF LOVERS.

WEEP eyes, break heart!

My love and I must part.

Cruel fates true love do soonest sever;
O, I shall see thee never, never, never!

O, happy is the maid whose life takes end
Ere it knows parent's frown or loss of friend!
Weep eyes, break heart!

My love and I must part.

THOMAS MIDDLETON AND WILLIAM ROWLEY.

[WILLIAM ROWLEY was an actor in the Prince of Wales's company in the reign of James I. In addition to some plays of which he was the sole author, his name appears attached to several others, in conjunction with those of Middleton, Webster, Massinger, Thomas Heywood, Day, Wilkins, Ford, and Fletcher; and in one instance Shakespeare is said to have assisted him.]

[This piece was played at court about 1623 or 1624, but the date of its first production in the theatre is not known. It was first printed in 1653.]

GIPSIES.

TRIP it, gipsies, trip it fine,

Show tricks and lofty capers;