The Affectionate Shepherd   By: Richard Barnfield (1574-1627)

AFFECTIONATE SHEPHERD:

BY

RICHARD BARNFIELD.

A.D. 1594.

EDITED BY

JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S.

HON. M.R.I.A., HON. M.R.S.L., F.S.A., ETC.

LONDON.

REPRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY,

BY T. RICHARDS, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

M.DCCC.XLV.

COUNCIL

OF

The Percy Society.

President.

THE RT. HON. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.

THOMAS AMYOT, ESQ. F.R.S. TREAS. S.A.

WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, ESQ.

WILLIAM CHAPPELL, ESQ. F.S.A.

J. PAYNE COLLIER, ESQ. F.S.A.

C. PURTON COOPER, ESQ. Q.C., F.R.S., F.S.A.

PETER CUNNINGHAM, ESQ.

JAMES HENRY DIXON, ESQ.

WILLIAM JERDAN, ESQ. F.S.A., M.R.S.L.

CAPTAIN JOHNS, R.M.

T. J. PETTIGREW, ESQ. F.R.S., F.S.A.

LEWIS POCOCK, ESQ. F.S.A.

SIR CUTHBERT SHARP.

WILLIAM SANDYS, ESQ. F.S.A.

WILLIAM J. THOMS, ESQ. F.S.A.

THOMAS WRIGHT, ESQ. M.A., F.S.A., Secretary and Treasurer.

PREFACE.

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

AFFECTIONATE SHEPHEARD.

CONTAINING THE COMPLAINT OF DAPHNIS FOR THE LOUE OF GANYMEDE.

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.

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.