Woodroffe made these illustrations in the late 19th century.   The text is straight Shakespeare, selected and edited by Rhys.  The initial scans came through quite age toned.  It was difficult to correct, as some of the detail kept getting lost, so I have included both the raw scans as well as the edited versions in the GALLERY for this book.

Woodroffe was a prolific illustrator of the period.  His work included a lot of Shakespeare, Bible stories, children’s books, and the like.

I have put the accompanying text with some of the illustrations.

The book, including lower resolution scans of these pictures, is fully digitzed HERE.

Title: Songs from the Plays of Shakespeare
Author: William Shakespeare, Ernest Rhys (editor)
Illustrator: Paul Woodroffe
Publisher: The Guild of Women-Binders
Date Published: 1901

The Images below all link to the gallery where they are available for free download in many high resolution sizes of JPEG files.

YOU spotted snakes, with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy Queen!

Weaving spiders, come not here;
Hence, you long-legg’d spinners, hence!
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm nor snail, do no offence.

Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, Lulla, lulla, lullaby:
Never harm
Nor spell nor charm
Come our lovely lady nigh:
So, Good Night, with lullaby.

IT was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
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,
These pretty country folks would lie.

This carol they began that hour,
How that life was but a flower:

And, therefore, take the present time
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;
For love is crown`d with the prime
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, -
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never:
- Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny;
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into, Hey nonny, nonny.

Sing no more ditties, sing no mo,
Or dumps so dull and heavy;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leafy.
- Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into, Hey, nonny, nonny.

Come unto these yellow sands

Lawn as white as driven snow

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws

Blow, blow, thou winter wind

When icicles hand by the wall

Full fathom five thy father lies

Take, O, take those lips away

How should I your true love know

Orpheus with his lute made trees

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3