him, and turns his affections towards the faithful Lucinde, who has long pined for his love.  She, however, has now fallen in love with Lycoris in her male attire, and rejects the advances of the penitent Aristee, continuing to do so even after she has discovered her mistake.  Lycoris, hearing of the disguise of Filene, seeks Florimene at the moment when she is most incensed on discovering the deception, and begs her good offices with Filene, which are readily promised.  Florimene accordingly rejects Filene when he presents himself, but he refuses to show any favour to Lycoris until she shall have obtained his pardon from Florimene.  The latter is really in love with Filene all the time, and when Lycoris comes to plead his cause, she readily grants her audience.  Filene now enters, and is about to pass his vows to Florimene when they are interrupted by Anfrize, who in a fit of jealousy offers to kill Filene.  This attempt Florimene prevents with her sheep-hook, and declares that they must all seek the award of Diana, by whose decision she promises to abide.  The goddess then appears.  Lucinde she decrees shall restore her love to Aristee; Lycoris, she informs the company, is own sister to Filene, whose love she must therefore renounce.  She then bids Anfrize and Filene plead their cause, which they do, and she declares in favour of the latter’s suit, commanding at the same time that the unsuccessful Anfrize shall wed the forlorn Lycoris.  Thus all are happy, so far as having their love affairs arranged by a third party can be supposed to make them.  Florimene, who had retired, perhaps to don her bridal robes, now returns to complete the tableau.  ’Here the Heavens open, and there appeare many deities, who in their songs expresse their agreements to these marriages’—­which was, no doubt, thought very satisfactory by the spectators.

The Shepherds’ Holiday is the most typical, as it is on the whole the most successful, of those pastorals which exhibit the blending of the Arcadian and courtly elements.  It was printed in 1635, and the title-page informs us that it was ‘Written by J. R.,’ initials which there is satisfactory evidence for regarding as those of Joseph Rutter, the translater of Corneille’s Cid, who appears to have been in some way attached to the households both of Sir Kenelm Digby and the Earl of Dorset.  The play was acted before Charles and his queen at Whitehall.  The following analysis will sufficiently express its nature.

At the opening of the play we find Thirsis grieving for the loss of Silvia, a strange shepherdess who appeared amongst the pastoral inhabitants of Arcadia some while previously, and has recently vanished, carried off, as her lover supposes, by a satyr.  Leaving him to his lament, the play introduces us to the huntress Nerina, courted by the rich shepherd Daphnis, whose suit is favoured by her father, and the poor swain Hylas.  Daphnis is in his turn loved by the nymph Dorinda.  In a scene between