And then there seems to be this:

http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/whatday.htm

by Thomas Campion with lyrics not unlike Stephen's, from "Richard Alison's 
An Howres Recreation in Musicke (1606)"  Should I know who Mr. Alison is?


Peter.

On Wed, 28 May 2008, Stephen Fryer wrote:

> Stewart McCoy wrote:
>
>> Do you mean "What is a day", which is no. 18 in Philip Rosseter's lute
>> song collection, _A Booke of Ayres_ (London, 1601)?
>
> Different song.
>
> If you had asked me a month ago I had all the details to hand, but I had a 
> computer crash and haven't recovered all the files yet :(  I have them 
> somewhere in my papers but ....
>
> The tablature is in Jane Pickering's lute book.  The words are as follows:
>
> What if a day or a month or a year
> Crown thy delight with a thousand wisht contentings?
> Cannot the chance of a night or an hour
> Cross thee again with as many sad lamentings?
>
> Wanton pleasures, doting love
> Are but shadowes flying.
> Fortune, honoure, beutee, youth
> Are but blossoms dieing.
>
> All our joies
> Are but toyes
> Idle thoughts deceiving.
> None haue pow'r
> Of an hour
> Of their life's bereaving.
>
> Stephen Fryer
>
> **************************************************
> The more answers I find, the more questions I have
> **************************************************
>
>
>
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the next auto-quote is:
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those
who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that
this or that problem will never be solved by science.
(Charles Darwin)
/\/\
Peter Nightingale                  Telephone (401) 874-5882
Department of Physics, East Hall   Fax (401) 874-2380
University of Rhode Island         Kingston, RI 02881


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