An excellent sonnet: or, The swaines complaint whose cruell doome, it was to love hee knew not whom. To the tune of, Bodkins Galiard. Wither, George, 1588-1667. 1633 Approx. 6 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 2 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2006-06 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A12603 STC 22925 ESTC S102999 99838758 99838758 3146 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A12603) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 3146) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1157:08) An excellent sonnet: or, The swaines complaint whose cruell doome, it was to love hee knew not whom. To the tune of, Bodkins Galiard. Wither, George, 1588-1667. 1 sheet ([1] p.) : ill. for I. Wright dwelling in Gilt-spurre street neere New-gate, Printed at London : [1633?] By George Wither. Verse - "You gentle nimphs that on the meddowes play,". Publication date from STC. In two parts; woodcuts at head of each part. Reproduction of the original in the British Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Ballads, English -- 17th century. 2005-06 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-03 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2006-03 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion An Excellent Sonnet : OR , The Swaines complaint , whose cruell doome , It was to love hee knew not whom . To the tune of , Bodkins Galiard . YOu gentle Nimphs that on the Meddowes play , and oft relate the Loves of Shepheards young , Come sit you downe , if that you please to stay , now may you heare an uncouth passion Song : A Lad there is , and I am that poore groome , That 's fal'n in love , and cannot tell with whom . Oh doe not smile at sorrow as a jest , with others cares good natures moved be : And I should wéepe if you had my unrest , then at my griefe how can you merry be ? Ah , where is tender pitty now become ? I am in love , and cannot tell with whom . I that have oft the rarest features view'd , and beauty in her best perfection séene , I that have laugh't at them that love pursu'd , and ever frée from such perfections béene , Loe now at last so cruell is my doome , I am in love , and cannot tell with whom . My heart is full nigh bursting with desire , yet cannot tell from whence these longings flow , My brest doth burne , but she that light the fire , I never saw , nor can I come to know : So great a blisse my fortune kéepes me from , That though I dearely love , I know not whom . Ere I had twice foure Springs renewed séene , the force of beauty I began to probe , And ere I nine yéeres old had fully beene , it taught me how to frame a sound of love , And little thought I this day should have come , Before that I to love had found out whom . For on my chin the mossy downe you sée , and in my vaines well heated blood doth gloe , Of Summers I have séene twice thrée times thrée , and fast my youthfull time away doth goe : That much I feare , I aged shall become , And still complaine , I love I know not whom . Oh why had I a heart bestow'd on me , to cherish deare affections so inclin'd , Since I am so unh●ppy borne to be , no object for so true a love to find , When I am dead it will be mist of some , Yet now I live , I love I know not whom . I to a thousand beauteous Nimphs am knowne , a hundred Ladies favours doe I sweare , I with as many halfe in love am growne , yet none of them I find can be my deare , Me thinkes I have a Mistresse yet to come , Which makes me sing , I love I know not whom . The second part , To the same tune . THere lives no swaine doth stronger passion probe for her , whom most he covets to possesse , Then doth my heart that being full of love , knowes not to whom it may the same professe , For he that is despis●d hath sorrow some , But he hath more , that loves , & knowes not whom . Knew I my Love , as many others doe , to some one object might my thoughts be bent , So they divided , wandring should not goe , untill the soules united force be spent , As he that séekes , and never findes a home , Such is my rest , that love , and know not whom . Those whom the frownes of jealous friends divide , may live to méet and descant of their woe , And he hath gain'd a Lady for his Bride , that durst not wooe his Maide a while agoe : But oh what ends unto my hopes can come , That am in love , and cannot tell with whom . Poore Collin grieves that he was late disdain'd , and Clores doth for Willies absence pine , Sad Thirthes wéepes for his sicke Phebe pain'd , but all their sorrowes cannot equall mine , A greater care on me , alas , is come , I am in love , and cannot tell with whom . Narcissus-like did I affect my shade , some shadow yet I had to dote upon , Or did I love some Image of the dead , whose substance had not breathed long agoe , I might despaire , and so an end would come . But oh I love , and cannot tell with whom . Once in a dreame me thought my love I view'd , but never waking could her face behold , And doubtlesse that resemblance was but shew'd , that more my tired heart torment it should . For since that time more griev'd I am become , And more in love , I cannot tell with whom . When on my bed at night to rest I lye , my watchfull eyes with teares bedew my chéekes , And then , oh would it once were day I cry , yet when it comes I am as farre to séeke , For who can tell , though all the earth he rome , Or when or where , to finde he knowes not whom . Oh if she be amongst the beauteous traines , of all the Nimphs that haunt the severall Kills , Or if you know her Ladies of the plaines , or you that have your Bowers on the Hills , Tell , if you can , who will my love become , Or I shall die , and never know for whom . Printed at London for I. Wright dwelling in Gilt-spurre street neere New-gate . FINIS .