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PAN'S ANNIVERSARY, &c.] This Masque, which was probably presented on New Year's day, was the last that James witnessed, as he died on the twenty-seventh of March following. It only appears in the fol. 1641, and was printed after Jonson's death.

PAN'S ANNIVERSARY.

The SCENE Arcadia.

The Court being seated, enter three Nymphs, strewing several sorts of flowers, followed by an old SHEPHERD, with a censer and perfumes.

I Nymph.

[graphic]

HUS, thus begin the yearly rites
Are due to Pan on these bright nights;
His morn now riseth, and invites
To sports, to dances, and delights:
All envious and profane, away,
This is the shepherd's holyday.

2 Nym. Strew, strew the glad and smiling ground With every flower, yet not confound

The primrose drop, the spring's own

spouse,

Bright day's-eyes, and the lips of cows,
The garden-star, the queen of May,
The rose, to crown the holyday.

3 Nym. Drop, drop your violets, change your hues, Now red, now pale, as lovers use,

And in your death go out as well,
As when you lived unto the smell:
That from your odour all may say,
This is the shepherd's holyday.

Shep. Well done, my pretty ones, rain roses still, Until the last be dropt: then hence; and fill Your fragrant prickles' for a second shower. Bring corn-flag, tulips, and Adonis' flower, Fair ox-eye, goldy-locks, and columbine, Pinks, goulands, king-cups, and sweet sops-in-wine, Blue hare-bells, pagles, pansies, calaminth, Flower-gentle, and the fair-hair'd hyacinth, Bring rich carnations, flower-de-luces, lilies, The checqued, and purple-ringed daffodillies, Bright crown-imperial, kingspear, holyhocks, Sweet Venus-navel, and soft lady-smocks, Bring too some branches forth of Daphne's hair, And gladdest myrtle for these posts to wear, With spikenard weav'd, and marjoram between, And starr'd with yellow-golds, and meadows-queen, That when the altar, as it ought, is drest, More odour come not from the phoenix' nest; The breath thereof Panchaia may envý, The colours China, and the light the sky.

Loud Music.

The Scene opens, and the Masquers are discovered sitting about the Fountain of Light, with the Musi✓cians, attired like the Priests of Pan, standing in

the work beneath them.

Enter a Fencer, flourishing.

Fen. Room for an old trophy of time; a son of the sword, a servant of Mars, the minion of the muses, and a master of fence! One that hath shown

1 Your fragrant prickles.] So the gardeners still call the light open wicker baskets, in which flowers are brought to market.

2 The colours China.] This is the earliest allusion that I have found to the beautiful colouring of this ware; which now began to make its appearance in the shops, or, as they were called, Chinahouses of the capital.

his quarters, and played his prizes at all the games of Greece in his time; as fencing, wrestling, leaping, dancing, what not? and hath now usher'd hither, by the light of my long sword, certain bold boys of Boeotia, who are come to challenge the Arcadians at their own sports, call them forth on their own holyday, and dance them down on their own green

swarth.

Shep. 'Tis boldly attempted, and must be a Boeotian enterprise, by the face of it, from all the parts of Greece else, especially at this time, when the best, and bravest spirits of Arcadia, called together by the excellent Arcas, are yonder sitting about the Fountain of Light, in consultation of what honours they may do to the great Pan, by increase of anniversary rites, fitted to the music of his peace.

Fen. Peace to thy Pan, and mum to thy music, swain: there is a tinker of Thebes a coming, called Epam, with his kettle, will make all Arcadia ring of him: What are your sports for the purpose ? say, if singing, you shall be sung down; if dancing, danced down. There is no more to be done with you, but know what; which it is; and you are in smoke, gone, vapoured, vanished, blown, and, as a man would say, in a word of two syllables, nothing.

Shep. This is short, though not so sweet. Surely the better part of the solemnity here will be dancing. Fen. Enough: they shall be met with instantly in their own sphere, the sphere of their own activity, a dance. But by whom, expect: no Cynætheian, nor Satyrs; but, as I said, boys of Boeotia, things of Thebes, (the town is ours, shepherd) mad merry Greeks, lads of life, that have no gall in us, but all air and sweetness. A tooth-drawer is our foreman, that if there be but a bitter tooth in the company, it may be called out at a twitch: he doth command any man's teeth out of his head upon the point of his

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