Page:As You Like It (1919) Yale.djvu/108

96

That o'er the green corn-field did pass,

In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,

When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;

Sweet lovers love the spring.

Between the acres of the rye,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,

These pretty country folks would lie,

In the spring time, &c.

This carol they began that hour,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,

How that a life was but a flower

In the spring time, &c.

And therefore take the present time,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;

For love is crowned with the prime

In the spring time, &c.'

Touch. Truly, young gentlemen, though there

was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note

was very untuneable.

First Page. You are deceived, sir: we kept

time; we lost not our time.

Touch. By my troth, yes; I count it but time

lost to hear such a foolish song. God be wi' you;

and God mend your voices! Come, Audrey.

Exeunt.  21 ring time: season for exchanging rings (in betrothal or marriage)

34 prime: spring

38 untuneable: discordant 