Richard Barnfield

The Affectionate Shepherd

Published by Good Press, 2022
goodpress@okpublishing.info
EAN 4057664584601

Table of Contents


PREFACE.
THE
AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD.
CONTAINING THE COMPLAINT OF DAPHNIS FOR THE LOUE OF GANYMEDE.
TO THE RIGHT EXCELLENT AND MOST BEAUTIFULL LADY, THE LADIE PENELOPE RITCH.
THE TEARES OF AN AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD SICKE FOR LOVE, OR THE COMPLAINT OF DAPHNIS FOR THE LOVE OF GANIMEDE.
THE SECOND DAYES LAMENTATION OF THE AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD.
THE SHEPHEARDS CONTENT, OR THE HAPPINES OF A HARMLES LIFE. WRITTEN UPON OCCASION OF THE FORMER SUBJECT.
SONNET.
THE COMPLAINT OF CHASTITIE, BRIEFELY TOUCHING THE CAUSE OF THE DEATH OF MATILDA FITZWALTERS, AN ENGLISH LADIE, SOMETIME LOVED OF KING JOHN, AFTER POYSONED. THE STORIE IS AT LARGE WRITTEN BY MICHAEL DREYTON.

PREFACE.

Table of Contents

Two copies only of the poem by Barnfield here reprinted, are known to be preserved; one in Sion College Library, and another, formerly in Heber's possession, mentioned in "Bibliotheca Heberiana," iv. 15. Its merits and great rarity have pointed it out as a work deserving to be more known and appreciated. Barnfield is, perhaps, chiefly remembered by his elegant pieces printed in the "Passionate Pilgrim," attributed by some to Shakespeare; but Mr. Collier has distinctly proved them to belong to the less eminent poet. The "Affectionate Shepherd" was his first production, as he himself confesses in the preface to his "Cynthia," 1595, and it has received the well-merited commendation of Warton. Besides these poems, he is the author of "The Complaint of Poetrie for the death of Liberalitie," 4to. 1598, and others published at the same time, reprints of which are in the British Museum; also "The Encomium of Lady Pecunia, or the Praise of Money," a curious manuscript in the Ashmolean Museum, and likewise printed in the author's life-time. It should be mentioned that in the original copies of the following tract are a few hexameter verses on the Rape of Helen, which have been omitted as of an inferior kind to the other part of the work, and for still more obvious reasons. The "Affectionate Shepherd" itself will be found remarkably free from the coarseness which disfigures so much of the Elizabethan literature,—an additional inducement, if any were necessary, for rescuing it from the liability to destruction which is of course incident to any book of such excessive rarity. Our thanks are due to the Rev. H. Christmas, Librarian of Sion College, for the courtesy and liberality with which he permitted our transcript to be made from a volume of tracts possessing the greatest charm for the bibliographer; for besides the present one, it contains the first edition of Shakespeare's Lucrece, and several other pieces of nearly equal value, in the finest possible condition.

THE

Table of Contents

AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD.

Table of Contents

CONTAINING THE COMPLAINT OF DAPHNIS FOR
THE LOUE OF GANYMEDE.

Table of Contents

Amor plus mellis, quam fellis, est.

London:

Printed by John Danter, for T. G. and E. N., and
are to bee sold in Saint Dunstones
Church-yeard in Fleetstreet.

1594.

TO THE RIGHT EXCELLENT AND MOST BEAUTIFULL LADY,
THE LADIE PENELOPE RITCH.

Table of Contents
Fayre lovely ladie, whose angelique eyes
 Are vestall candles of sweet beauties treasure,
 Whose speech is able to inchaunt the wise,
 Converting joy to paine, and paine to pleasure;
 Accept this simple toy of my soules dutie,
 Which I present unto thy matchles beautie.
And albeit the gift be all too meane,
 Too meane an offring for thine ivorie shrine;
 Yet must thy beautie my just blame susteane,
 Since it is mortall, but thyselfe divine.
 Then, noble ladie, take in gentle worth
 This new-borne babe, which here my muse brings forth.
Your Honours most affectionate and
 perpetually devoted Shepheard:
Daphnis.

THE
AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD.

Table of Contents

THE TEARES OF AN AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD SICKE FOR LOVE,
OR THE COMPLAINT OF DAPHNIS FOR THE
LOVE OF GANIMEDE.

Table of Contents