The Shepherd Faustus his Song

A fair maid wed, to prying Jealousy,
One of the fairest as ever I did see;
If that thou wilt a secret lover take.
Sweet life, do not my secret love forsake.
ECLIPSED was our sun,
And fair Aurora darken'd to us quite;
Our morning star was done,
And shepherd's star lost clean out of our sight,
When that thou didst thy faith in wedlock plight.

Dame Nature made thee fair.
And ill did careless fortune marry thee,
And pity with despair
It was, that this thy hapless hap should be,
A fair maid wed to prying Jealousy,
Our eyes are not so bold
To view the sun, that flies with radiant wing,
Unless that we do hold
A glass before them, or some other thing.

Then wisely this to pass did fortune bring
To cover thee with such a veil;
For heretofore when any viewed thee,
Thy sight made his to faiL
Forsooth thou art, thy beauty telleth me,
One of the fairest as ever I did see.

Thy graces to obscure
With such a froward husband, and so base.
She meant thereby most sure
That Cupid's force and love thou shouldst embrace,
For 'tis a force to love, no wondrous case;
Then care no more for kin,
And doubt no more for fear thou must forsake.

To love thou must begin;
And from henceforth this question never make,
If that thou shouldst a secret lover take.
Of force it doth behove
That thou shouldst be beloved, and that again.
Fair mistress, thou shouldst love;
For to what end, what purpose, and what gain,
Should such perfections serve, as now in vain?

My love is of such art,
That (of itself) it well deserves to take
In thy sweet love a part:
Then for no shepherd, that his love doth make,
Sweet life, do not my secret love forsake.