XVIII. It was a time when silly Bees could speake,

X:4
T:XVIII. It was a time when silly Bees could speake,
C: John Dowland
O: From The Third and Last Booke of Songs or Aires.
O: Newly composed to sing to the Lute, Orpharion, or viols, 
O: and a dialogue for a base and meane Lute with five voices to sing thereto.
%%MIDI nobarlines
%%MIDI ratio 3 1
M:C
L:1/4
%%MIDI transpose -24
N:(1) The bass part is written with two flats in the key signature, where the others have only 1.
K:G min bass
d2 g a d g g f e B f g d4
w: 1.~It was a time, a time when sil- ly Bees could speake, 
w: 2.~Then thus I buzd, I buzd, when time no sap would give,
w: 3.~My liege, Gods graunt, Gods graunt thy time may ne- ver end,
g2 d e B2 e3 d/ d/ c c B4 
w: And in that time I was a sil- lie Bee,
w: Why should this bless- ed time to me be drie,
w: And yet vouch- safe to heare my plaint of Time,
f2 =e e f2 c2 B/ c/ d A A d4
w: Who fed on Time un- til * my heart gan break,
w: Sith by this Time the la- * zie drone doth live,
w: Which fruit- lesse Flies have found * to have a friend,
B2 A > A G > A B/ c/ d B F c c F4 
w: Yet ne- ver found * * * the time would fa- vour mee.
w: The waspe, the worme, * * * the gnat, the but- ter- flie,
w: And I cast downe * * * when A- ro- mies do clime.
|:b2 a g g ^f g > g f =e/ d/ c B/ A/ B G d2
w: Of all the swarme, the swarme I one- ly, I one- ly * did not thrive, 
w: Mat- ed with griefe, with griefe, I kneel- ed, I kneel- ed * on my knees,
w: The king re- plied,  re- plied but thus, Peace * pee- vish, * pee- vish Bee,
d2 e > c "(2)"f > d g > G d d G2 :|
N:(2) The facsimile has dotted quarter quarter here.
w: Yet brought I waxe and ho- ney to the hive.
w: And thus com- plaind un- to the king of Bees.
w: Th'art bound to serve the time, the time not thee.

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