A most excellent Song of the love of young Palmus, and fair Sheldra, with their unfortunate love.  
To the tune of Shackley-hay.  
 


YOung Palmus was a Ferryman,  
whom Sheldra fair did love:  
At Shackley where her sheep did graze,  
she there his thoughts did prove.  
But he unkindly stole away,  
and left his love at Shackley-hay.  

Fa lafoy lafoy, fa, la la la la.   
So loud at Shackley did she cry,  
the woods resound at Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, fa, la la la la.    

But all in vain she did complain,  
for nothing could him move:  
Till wind did turn him bacl again,  
and brought him to his love.  
When she saw him thus turned by fate,  
She turned her love to mortal hate.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Then weeping to her did he say,  
I'll live with thee at Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

No, no, (quoth she) I thee deny,  
my love thou once didst scorn,  
And my prayers wouldst not hear,  
but left me here forlorn:  
And now being turned by fate of wind,  
Thou thinkest to win me to thy mind.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Go, go, farewell I thee denay,  
Thou shalt not live at Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

If that thou dost my love disdain,  
because I live on seas,  
Or that I am a Ferryman,  
my Shel●ra doth displease:  
I will no more in that estate,  
Be servile unto wind and fate,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
But quite forsake Boats, Oars & Sea,  
And live with thee at Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

My Sheldra's bed shall be my Boat,  
her arms shall be my Oars,  
where love in stead of storms shall float  
on pleasant downs and shores:  
Her sweetest breath my gentle gale,  
Through tides of love to drive my sail  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Her look my praise and she my joy,  
To live with me at Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Not Phao shall with me compare,  
so fortunate to prove:  
Fair Venus never was his fare,  
I'll bear the Queen of love:  
The working waters never fear  
For Cupid's self our Barge shall steer  

Fa, la la &c.   
And to the shore I still will cry,  
My Sheldra comes to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

To strew my Boat for thy avail,  
I●e rob the flowery shores,  
And whilst thou guid'st the silken sail,  
I'll row with silver Oars:  
And as upon the streams we float,  
A thousand Swans shall guide our boat.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And to the shore still will I cry,  
My Sheldra comes to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

And have a story painted there,  
wherein there shall be seen,  
Now Sapho ●ou'd a Ferryman,  
being a learned Queen:  
In golden letters shall be writ,  
How well in love himself he quit,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
That all the Lasses still shall cry,  
With Palmus we'll to Shackley hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

And walking easily to the Strand,  
we'll angle in the brook,  
And fish with thy white-lilly hand,  
thou needest no other book,  
To which the fish shall soon be brought  
& strive which shall the first be caught.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
A thousand pleasures will we try,  
As we do row to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

And if we be oppressed with heat  
in mid-time of the day,  
Under the Willows tall and great,  
shall be our quiet bay,  
Where I will make thee fans of bows,  
From Phoebus' beams to shade thy brows,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And cause them at the Ferry cry,  
A boat, a boat to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la &c.    

A troop of dainty neighbouring girls,  
shall dance along the strand,  
Upon the gravel all of pearls,  
to wait when thou shalt land,  
And cast themselves about thee round,  
Whilst thou with garlands shalt be crowned,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And all the shepherds with joy shall cry  
O Sheldray is come to Shackley-hay.  
Fa, la la, etc.   

Although I did myself absent,  
'twas but to try thy mind:  
But now thou mayst thyself repent,  
for being so unkind:  
For now thou art turned by wind & fate  
In stead of love t● ' haste purchased hate.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Wherefore return thee to the Sea,  
And bid farewell to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.     

The second part  
to the same tune.  

THus all in vain he did complain,  
and no remorse could find:  
Y●●ng Palmus through his own disdain  
made Sheldra fair unkind:  
And she is from him fled and gone,  
He laid him in his boat alone,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And so betook him to the Sea,  
And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Then from the happy sandy shore,  
into the floating waves,  
His vessel fraught with brinish tears,  
into the main he laves.  
But all in vain, for why he still  
With weeping eyes his boat did fill,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And launched his boat into the sea,  
And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Now farewell to my Sheldra fair,  
whom I no more shall see:  
I mean to leave my life at sea,  
by thy unconstancy.  
Come Neptune, come to thee I cry.  
With thee I'll live, with thee I'll die.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Thus he launched himself into the sea,  
And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

But fare from thence he had not gone,  
ere Sheldra fair returned,  
Whose heart kind pity made to moan,  
such passion in her burned:  
But wh●n she to that place arrived,  
She found the shore from him deprived.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And her dear Palmus now at sea,  
H●d bade farewell to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

She then with bitter sighs complained,  
her grief did so abound:  
O●t grieving that she him disdained,  
whom he so loving found:  
But new (alas) 'twas all in vain,  
For he was gone by her disdain.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Leaving that place to her alone,  
Wh● now laments that he is gone.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

O wretched Sheldra, then, quoth she,  
confess what fond disdain,  
H●th wrath caused to fall on thee:  
could this long suffering pain,  
By thee (alas) so soon forg●t,  
Served to thy love's strange hateful lot.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And thus to lie, and for him cry,  
Whom thou so fond didst deny.  

Fa, la la, fa, la la la la.    

Who once did truly l●●e, I see,  
shall never after hat●  
As doth too well appears by me,  
in my forsaken state.  
Alas, I meant my scorn to prove,  
By only trial of his love.  

Fa lafoy lafoy, fa, la la la la.   
Now hapless me, since I do see,  
He hath forsaken woeful me,  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Thus all this while in roughest seas,  
poor Palmus boat was tossed:  
F●● more his mind with his disease,  
because he Sheldra lost.  
In mids of this, he her forswears,  
He rend his boat and tore his hairs.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Threw hope away, for he alas,  
Can be no more drowned than he was.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Even as his grief had swallowed him,  
so striven the greedy waves:  
About his boat and o'er the brim,  
each lofty billow raves:  
There is no trust to swelling powers,  
That what it may ●t still devours,  
Fa, la la, etc.  
But by the breach the seas might see,  
The boat felt more the rage than he.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Thus wracked and scattered was their state  
while he is quite swom:  
Through liquid paths to Thetis gate  
by soft degrees went down  
Whom when the Nymphs beheld, the Girls,  
Soon laid aside their sorting pearls.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
And up they heaved him as a guest,  
Unlooked for now come to their feast,  

Fa, la la, etc.    

His case they pitied: but when they  
beheld his face right feign,  
For very love, into the sea,  
they pulled him bacl again:  
So were they with his beauty moved,  
For what is fair is son beloved.  

Fa, la la, etc.   
Thus with Nymphs he life's in the sea,  
That left his love at Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, etc.    

Then Sheldra fair to Shackley went,  
to end her woeful days,  
Because young Palmus cast himself  
into the floating Seas.  
At Shackley-hay did fair Sheldra die,  
And Palmus in the sea doth lie,  

Fa, la la, etc.   
So as they lived so did they die,  
And bade farewell to Shackley-hay.  

Fa, la la, fa, la la la la.      
FINIS.  

Printed at London for I. W.