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EBBA 20019

Magdalene College - Pepys
Ballad XSLT Template
An inconstant Female.
With a reward for her disdaine in equalitie: To the same tune.

L Oving mortall,
In love I here exhort all
in that estate:
Love is wasting.
But everlasting
is womens hate.
Why then live yee,
Or wherefore alwaies give ye
your teares and prayers
To fond woman,
Whose minde, so common,
respects no teares.
Oh be rul'd, and be advis'd
by one hath seene them,
by one hath knowne them,
by one hath found them
And their loves so small,
For what must parted be,
To me is nought at all.

Once I loved,
But thousand times have proved
a curious Faire,
Helens feature
Beares this coy creature,
and Venus hayre.
Cupid dandling,
Her tender breasts handling,
betwixt them lyes.
Love pursued,
The more I viewed,
love more did rise.
She did feed me with delay,
and swore to have me,
not once to leave me,
but vow'd to love me,
With the like respect,
When she another Sweet-hart
Better did affect.

Void of sorrow,
A patience pure I borrow,
and wait the time:
She neglectfull,
Of some respectfull,
doth let me pine.
Love increased,
But could not be released,
the more I sue,
She ungratefull,
To me turnes hatefull,
false, faire, untrue:
Spend I love, or time of feares,
I am neglected,
not once respected,
but quite rejected,
And can nothing gaine,
But false dissembling love,
Or fend to love in vaine.

Now a Troylus
I still must live, yet joylesse
of Cresida :
Love's mistaken,
And I forsaken,
am left for aye:
Faire she fed me,
Untill my Daphne fled me,
with swiftest wings:
Faire she proved,
But false she loved,
so Syrens sings
But now my love hath proved untrue,
disdaining pitty,
to one so witty,
Ile sing this ditty:
Thus the note shall sound,
False-hearted fickle Maides
Are better lost then found. Finis .


Printed at London for Francis Coules.

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