An excellent Ditty, both merry and witty,
Expressing the love of the Youthes of the City,
Who take delight, as my Song doth say,
Betimes in the morning to fetch home May.
To a pleasant new tune, or the two lovely Lovers.
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AWake my owne deare sweeting,
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why dost thou sleepe so long;
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The Sun is neere up rising,
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doe not thy selfe such wrong,
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Upon this pleasing morning,
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swiftly let's take our way
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With joy to welcome in,
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the merry moneth of May.
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I see the day starre twinckling,
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rising in the East,
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Which tels us that Aurora,
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hath left her sluggish rest,
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Then rise up my owne Honey,
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and let us take our way,
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With joy to welcome in,
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the merry moneth of May.
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The Flowers are neat and dainty,
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which doe us all invite,
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To walke into the Meddowes,
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to give our hearts delight:
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Under the rare greene shadowes,
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we may sport and play,
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With joy to welcome in,
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the merry moneth of May.
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The birds are sweetly singing,
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upon the greene-wood trees,
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Downe in the Medowes may we,
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walke up to the knees,
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In Primrose and sweet Dazies,
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with Cowslips neat and gay,
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Then come my onely sweeting,
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let us goe gather May.
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The Nightingale most pleasing,
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chants forth her merry straine,
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Then who would stay at home,
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that might such pleasure gaine.
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The youthes of this faire City,
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trimm'd in their best array.
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Are marching forth this morning,
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with joy to gather May.
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With Drums, with Fifes,and trum-pets,
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they are bravely grac'd,
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With Muskets in the forefront,
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which they have rarely plac'd,
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They all went on in pleasure;
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attyred neat and gay,
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And every yong man had his Love,
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that goes to gather May.
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Roger with his Susan,
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and Robert his faire Jane,
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Richard with his sweet heart,
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to be lag doe disdaine,
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Sweet William and faire Nancy,
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in their apparell gay,
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Is early gone this morning,
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abroad to gather May.
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John Jinkin with his Gilian,
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Tom with Penelope,
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And Humphrey with sweet Prudence
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why then sweet may not we,
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As well as all these Lovers,
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in our apparell gay.
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Upon this merry morning,
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walke forth to fetch home May.
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The second part. To the same tune.
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THere's Randall with his Sara,
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marching hand in hand,
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Rowland and sweet Maudlin,
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that yeelds to his demaund,
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There's Arthur and sweet Margaret,
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which does her Love obey,
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Is early gone this morning,
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abroad to gather May.
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Nicholas with his Betty,
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and Francis with faire Mary,
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Martin with Rebecca,
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and Dorothy with Harry,
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Elis with his Katherine,
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were gone ere breake of day,
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In their apparell neatly,
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to fetch home gentle May.
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Edward with sweet Jone,
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and Lucres with Valentine,
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James with his sweetheart Alce,
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they must have Creame and Wine
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These Lovers march in order,
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Whilst Musicke sweet doth play;
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With songs and pleasant Ditties,
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about to gather May.
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This is the moneth of pleasure,
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and Aprils watry showers,
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Hath falne in comely measure,
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to encrease the pleasing flowers,
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That Lovers gather early,
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to make them Posies gay,
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Compos'd of sundry colours
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within the moneth of May.
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Margery my sweeting,
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thy Silvester doth call,
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I faine would be this morning,
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the formost of them all.
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I see Apollo's splendor,
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darts from the East most gay,
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To grace these comely Lovers,
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to fetch home lovely May.
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The Blackbird sings most sweetly,
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so doth the Nightingale,
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The Fawnes play in the high woods,
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the Hare runs ore the Dales,
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The bleating Lambes most sweetly,
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delight to sport and play,
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The small birds sweetly warble,
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to welcome pleasant May.
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Sweet Sillibubs wee'l have Love,
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with Cakes and Pudding-pyes,
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With Creame bestrew'd with Sugar
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if that my Madge will rise.
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To heare the Cuckoo sing sweet,
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and see her feathers gray,
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Who with her notes most kindly,
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doth welcome in sweet May.
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Strike up thy Pipe good Piper,
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I see my Love doth come,
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Much like the Queene of beauty,
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her splendor lights the roome,
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Come, come, my gentle sweeting,
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with all the speed we may,
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Lets walke to the greene Meddowes
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to gather pleasant May.
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