all-chearing ray The fair Stars fill their wakeful fires the Sun himself drinks day The Antiphon Victorious Sign That now dost shine Transcrib'd above Into the Land of Light and Love O let us twine Our Roots with thine That we may rise Upon thy Wings and reach the Skies The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and fall Thus low before thee The Responsor 'Cause by the Covenant of thy Cross Thou hast sav'd at once the whole world's loss The Prayer O My Lord Jesu Christ Son of the living God! interpose I pray thee thine own pretious death thy Cross and Passion betwixt my Soul and thy Judgement now and in the hour of my death And vouchsafe to grant me thy Grace and Mercy to the living and dead remission and rest to thy Church peace and concord to us sinners life and glory everlasting Who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost one God world without end Amen The Third The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsor Defend us from our foes and thine Ver. Thou shalt open my Lips O Lord Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O â—…ord make haste to help me Ver. Glory be to c. Res. As it was in the c. THE HYMN THe Third hour's deafen'd with the cry Of Crucify him Crucify So goes the vote nor ask them why Live Barabbas and let God dy But there is wit in wrath and they will try A Hall more cruel then their Crucify For while in sport he wears a spiteful Crown The serious show'rs along his decent Face run sadly down The Antiphon Christ when he dy'd Deceiv'd the Cross And on Death's side Threw all the loss The captive World awak't and found The Prisoner loose the Jaylor bound The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and fall Thus low before thee Tht Responsor 'Cause by the Covenant of thy Cross Thou hast sav'd at once the whole World's loss The Prayer O My Lord Jesu Christ Son of the living God! interpose I pray thee thine own precious death thy Cross and Passion betwixt my Soul and thy Judgement now and in the hour of my death And vouchsafe to grant me thy Grace and Mercy to the living and dead remission and rest to thy Church peace and concord to us sinners life and glory everlasting Who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost one God world without end Amen The SIXTH The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsor Defend us from our foes and thine Ver. Thou shalt open my lips O Lord Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O Lord make haste to help me Ver. Glory be to c Res. As it was in c. The HYMN NOw is the Noon of sorrow's night High in his patience as their spight Lo the faint Lamb with weary Limb Bears that huge Tree which must bear him That fatal Plant so great of Fame For fruit of sorrow and of shame Shall swell with both for him and mix All woes into one Crucifix Is tortur'd Thirst it self too sweet a cup Gall and more bitter mocks shall make it up Are Nails blunt Pens of superficial smart Contempt and scorn can send sure wounds to search the inmost Heart The Antiphon O dear and sweet dispute 'Twixt death's and Love's far different Fruit Different as far As Antidotes and Poisons are By that first fatal Tree Both Life and Liberty Were sold and slain By this they both look up and live again The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and bow thus low before thee The Responsor 'Cause by the covenant of thy Cross. Thou hast sav'd the World from certain loss The Prayer O My Lord Jesu Christ son of the living God! interpose I pray thee thine own precious death thy Cross and Passion betwixt my soul and thy judgement now and in the hour of my death And vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy to the living and dead remission and rest to thy church peace and concord to us sinners life and glory everlasting Who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost one God world without end Amen The NINTH The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsor Defend us from our foes and thine Ver. Thou shalt open my lips O Lord Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O Lord make haste to help me Glory be to c. As it was in c. The HYMN THe Ninth with awful horror hark'ned to those groans Which taught attention even to Rocks and Stones Hear Father hear thy Lamb at last complains Of some more painful thing then all his pains Then bows his all-obedient head and dies His own Lov 's and our sin 's great Sacrifice The Sun saw that and would have seen no more The Center shook her useless veil th' inglorious Temple tore The Antiphon O strange mysterious strife Of open death and hidden life When on the cross my King did bleed Life seem'd to die Death dy'd indeed The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and fall thus low before thee The Responsor 'Cause by the covenant of thy Cross Thou hast sav'd at once the whole world's loss The Prayer O my Lord Jesu Christ son of the living God! interpose I pray thee thine own pretious death thy Cross â—…d Passion betwixt my soul and thy judgement now and in the hour of my death and vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy to the living and dead remission and rest to thy Church peace and concord to us sinners life and glory everlasting who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost one God world without end Amen Even-Song The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsor Defend us from our foes and thine Ver. Thou shalt open my Lips O Lord Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O Lord make haste to help me Ver. Gâ—…ory be to c. Res. As it was in c. The HYMN BUt there were Rocks would not relent at this Lo for their own hearts they rend His Their deadly hate lives still and hath A wild reserve of wanton wrath Superfluous Spear but there 's a Heart stands by Will look no wounds be lost no death shall dy Gather now thy grief 's ripe fruit Great Mother-maid Then sit thee down and sing thy Ev'n-song in the sad Trees shade The Antiphon O sad sweet Tree Woful and joyful we Both weep and sing in shade of thee When the dear Nails did lock And graft into thy gracious Stock The hope the health The worth the wealth Of all the ransom'd World thou hadst the power In that propitious hour To poise each precious Limb
winged Vowes Makes haste to meet her morning Spouse And close with his immortal kisses Happy Soul who never misses To improve that precious hour And every day Seize her sweet Prey All fresh and fragrant as he rises Dropping with a Balmy showr A delicious dew of Spices O let that happy Soul hold fast Her Heavenly Armful she shall taste At once ten thousand Paradises She shall have power To Rifle and Deflower The rich and roseal Spring of those rare sweets Which with a swelling Bosome there she meets Boundless and infinite bottomless Treasures Of pure inebriating pleasures Happy soul she shall discover What joy what bliss How many Heavens at once it is To have a God become her Lover On Mr G. Herbert's Book entituled The Temple of Sacred Poems sent to a Gentlewoman KNow you Fair on what you look Divinest Love lies in this Book Expecting Fire from your Eyes To kindle this his Sacrifice When your Hands unty these strings Think you 've an Angel by the wings One that gladly will be nigh To wait upon each morning sigh To flutter in the balmy Air Of your well perfumed Prayer These white Plumes of his Hee 'l lend you Which every day to Heaven will send you To take acquaintance of the Sphear And all the smooth-fac'd kindred there And though Herberts Name do owe These Devotions fairest know That while I lay them on the shrine Of your white Hand they are mine A Hymn to the Name and Honour of the Admirable Saint TERESA Foundress of the Reformation of the Discalced Carmelites both Men and Women a Woman for Angelical heighth of speculation for Masculine courage of performance more then a Woman who yet a Child out ran Maturity and durst plot a Martyrdom LOve thou art absolute sole Lord Of Life and Death To prove the Word â—…e need to go to none of all â—…hose thy old soldiers stout and tall â—…ipe and full grown that could reach down â—…ith strong Arms their Triumphant Crown â—…ch as could with lusty breath â—…eak loud unto the face of Death â—…eir great Lords glorious Name to none â—…f those whose large Brests built a Throne â—…r Love their Lord glorious and great â—…e'll see him take a private seat â—…nd make his Mansion in the milde â—…d milky Soul of a soft Child Scarce had she learnt to Lisp a name Of Martyr yet she thinks it shame Life should so long play with that Breath Which spent can buy so brave a Death 〈◊〉 never undertook to know â—…at Death with â—…ove should have to doe Nor hath she e'r yet understood Why to show Love she should shed Blood Yet though she cannot tell you why She can Love and she can Dye Scarce had she Blood enough to make A guilty Sword blush for her sake Yet has she a heart dares hope to prove How much less strong is Death then Love Be love but there let poor six years Be pos'd with the maturest Fears Man trembles at we straight shall find Love knows no nonage nor the Mind 'T is Love not Years or Limbs that can Make the Martyr or the Man Love toucht her Heart and loe it beats High and burns with such brave heats Such thirst to die as dare drink up A thousand cold Deaths in one Cup Good reason for she breaths all fire Her weak Brest heaves with strong desire Of what she may with fruitless wishes Seek for amongst her Mothers Kisses Since 't is not to be had at home She 'll travel to a Martyrdome No home for her confesses she But where she may a Martyr be She 'll to the Moors and Trade with them For this unvalued Diadem She offers them her dearest Breath With Christs name in 't in change for Death She 'll bargain with them and will give Them God and teach them how to live In him or if they this denie For him she 'll teach them how to die So shall she leave amongst them sown Her Lords Blood or at least her own Farewel then all the World adieu Teresa is no more for you Farewel all pleasures sports and joyes Never till now esteemed toyes Farewell whatever dear may be Mothers Arms or Fathers Knee Farewel House and Farewel Home She 's for the Moors and Martyrdome Sweet not so fast Loe thy fair Spouse Whom thou seek'st with so swift vows Calls thee back and bids thee come T' embrace a milder Martyrdome Blest pow'rs forbid thy tender life Should bleed upon a barbarous knife Or some base hand have power to rase Thy Brests chaste Cabinet and uncase A Soul kept there so sweet O no Wise Heaven will never have it so Thou art Love's victim and must dye A death more mystical and high Into Loves hand thou shalt let fall A still surviving Funeral He is the Dart must make the death Whose stroke wall taste thy hallowed Breath A Dart thrice dipt in that rich flame Which writes thy Spouses radiant name Upon the roof of Heaven where ay It shines and with a Soveraign ray Beats bright upon the burning faces Of souls which in that names sweet graces Find everlasting smiles so Rare So Spiritual Pure and Fair Must be the immortal instrument Upon whose choice point shall be spent A life so lov'd and that there be Fit Executioners for thee The fairest and the first-born Loves of fire Blest Seraphims shall leave their Quire And turn Loves soldiers upon thee To exercise their Archery O how oft shalt thou complain Of a sweet and subtile pain Of intollerable joyes Of a death in which who dies Loves his death and dies again And would for ever so be slain And lives and dies and knows not why To live but that he still may dye How kindly will thy gentle Heart Kisse the sweetly killing Dart And close in his Embraces keep Those delicious wounds that weep Balsome to heal themselves with thus When these thy Deaths so numerous Shall all at once dye into one And melt thy souls sweet Mansion Like a soft Lump of Incense hasted By too hot a fire and wasted Into perfuming Clouds So fast Shalt thou exhale to Heaven at last In a dissolving sigh and then O what ask not the Tongues of men Angels cannot tell suffice Thy self shalt feel thine own full joyes And hold them fast for ever there So soon as thou shalt first appear The Moon of Maiden Stars thy white Mistress attended by such bright Souls as thy shining self shall come And in her first ranks make thee room Where 'mongst her snowy Family Immortal welcomes wait on thee O what delight when she shall stand And teach thy Lips Heaven with her hand On which thou now may'st to thy wishes Heap up thy consecrated Kisses What joy shall seize thy Soul when she â—…ending her Blessed Eyes on thee Those second smiles of Heaven shall dart Her mild Rays through thy melting heart Angels thy old friends there shall greet thee Glad at their own home now to meet thee All thy good Works
Bliss On whose Pastures cheerful Spring All the year doth sit and Sing And rejoycing smiles to see Their Green Backs wear his Livery Pleasure sings my Soul to rest Plenty wears me at her Brest Whose sweet Temper teaches me Nor wanton nor in want to be At my Feet the blub'ring Mountain Weeping melts into a Fountain Whose soft silver-sweating Streams Make high Noon forget his Beams When my waiward Breath is flying He calls home my soul from dying Strokes and tames my rabid Grief And does woo me into life When my simple weakness strays Tangled in forbidden ways He my Shepheard is my guide He 's before me on my side And behind me he beguiles Craft in all her knotty wiles He expounds the giddy wonder Of my weary steps and under Spreads a Path clear as the Day Where no churlish rub says nay To my joy-conducted Feet Whilst they gladly go to meet Grace and Peace to meet new laies Tun'd to my great Sheapheards praise Come now all ye Terrors Sally Muster forth into the Valley Where Triumphant darkness hovers With a sable Wing that covers Brooding Horror Come thou Death Let the damps of thy dull Breath Overshadow even the shade And make darkness self-afraid There my Feet even there shall find Way for a resolved mind Still my Shepheard still my God Thou art with me Still thy Rod And thy Staff whose influence Gives direction gives defence At the whisper of thy Word Crown'd abundance spreads my Board While I Feast my Foes do feed Their rank Malice not their Need So that with the self-same Bread They are Starv'd and I am Fed. How my Head in Ointment swims How my Cup o're-looks her brims So even so still may I move By the Line of thy dear Love Still may thy sweet Mercy spread 〈◊〉 shady Arm above my Head About my Paths so shall I find The fair Center of my mind Thy Temple and those Lovely walls Bright ever with a Beam that falls Fresh from the pure glance of thine Eye Lighting to Eternity There I 'le dwell for ever there Will I find a purer Air. To feed my Life with there I 'le sup Balme and Nectar in my Cup And thence my ripe Soul will I breath Warm into the Arms of Death Psalm 137. ON the proud Banks of great Euphrates Flood There we sate and there we wept Our Harps that now no Musick understood Nodding on the Willows slept While unhappy captiv'd we Lovely Sion thought on thee They they that snatcht us from our Countreys Bresâ—… Would have a Song carv'd to their Ears In Hebrew numbers then O cruel Jest When Harps and Hearts were drown'd in Tears Come they cry'd come Sing and Play One of Sions Songs to day Sing Play to whom ah shall we Sing or Play If not Jerusalem to thee Ah thee Jerusalem ah sooner may This Hand forget the Mastery Of Musicks dainty touch then I The Musick of thy Memory Which when I lose O may at once my Tongue Lose this same busie speaking Art Unpearcht her vocal Arteries unstrung No more acquainted with my Heart On my dry Pallats roof to rest A wither'd Leaf an idle Guest No no thy good Sion alone must Crown The head of all my hope-nurst Joyes But Edom cruel thou thou cry'dst down down Sink Sion down and never rise Her falling thou didst urge and thrust And haste to dash her into Dust. Dost laugh proud Babels Daughter do laugh on Till thy ruine teach thee Tears Even such as these laugh till a venging throng Of woes too late doe rouze thy fears Laugh till thy Childrens bleeding Bones Weep precious Tears upon the stones Quem vidistis Pastores c. A Hymn of the Nativity sung by the Shepheards Chorus COme we Shepheards who have seen Days King deposed by Nights Queen Come lift we up our lofty Song To wake the Sun that sleeps too long He in this ouâ—… general Joy Slept and Dreamt of no such thing While we found out the fair-ey'd Boy And kist the Cradle of our King Tell him he rises now too late To shew us ought worth looking at Tell him we now can shew him more Then he e'r shew'd to Mortal sight Then he himself e'r saw before Which to be seen needs not his Light Tell him Tityrus where th' hast been Tell him Thyrsis what th' hast seen Tityrus Gloomy Night embrac't the place Where the Noble Infant lay The Babe lookt up and shew'd his Face In spight of Darkness it was Day It was thy Day Sweet and did rise Not from the East but from thy Eyes Thyrsis Winter chid the World and sent The angry North to wage his Wars The North forgot his fierce intent And left Perfumes instead of Scars By those sweet Eyes persuasive Powers Where he meant Frosts he scattered Flowers Bâ—…th We saw thee in thy Balmy-Nest Bright Dawn of our Eternal Day We saw thine Eyes break from the East And chase the trembling Shades away We saw thee and we blest the sight We saw thee by thine own sweet Light Tityrus I saw the curl'd Drops soft and slow Come hovering o'r the places head Offring their whitest sheets of Snow To furnish the fair Infants Bed Forbear said I be not too bold Your Fleece is white but 't is too cold Thyrsis I saw th' Officious Angels bring The Down that their soft Brests did strow For well they now can spare their Wings When Heaven it self lies here below Fair Youth said I be not too rough Your Down though soft's not soft enough Tityrus The Babe no sooner 'gan to seek Where to lay his Lovely Head But streight his Eyes advis'd his Cheek 'Twixt Mothers Brests to goe to Bed Sweet choise said I no way but so Not to lie cold yet sleep in Snow All. Welcome to our wondring sight Eternity shut in a Span Summer in Winter Day in Night Chorus Heaven in Earth and God in Man Great little one whose Glorious Birth Lifts Earth to Heaven stoops Heaven to Earth Welcome though not to Gold nor Silk To more then Cesar's Birth-right is Two Sister-Seas of Virgins Milk With many a rarely-temper'd Kiss That Breaths at once both Maid and Mother Warms in the one cools in the other She sings thy Tears asleep and dips Her Kisses in thy weeping Eye She spreads the red Leaves of thy Lips That in their Buds yet Blushing lye She 'gainst those Mother Diamonds tryes The points of her young Eagles Eyes Welcome though not to those gay Flies Gilded i' th' Beams of Earthly Kings Slippery Souls in smiling Eyes But to poor Shepheards simple things That use no Varnish no oyl'd Arts But life clean Hands full of cleer Hearts Yet when young Aprils Husband Showers Shall Bless the fruitful Maiâ—…'s Bed We 'll bring the first-born of her Flowers To Kiss thy Feet and Crown thy Head To thee Dread Lamb whose Love must keep The Shepheards while they feed their Sheep To thee meek Majesty soft King Of simple Graces and sweet Loves Each
of us his Lamb will bring Each his pair of Silver Doves At last in fire of thy fair Eyes We 'l burn our own best Sacrifice Sospetto d' Herode Libro Primo Argomento Casting the times with their strong signes Death's Master his own his own death Divines Strugling for Help his best Hope is Herod's suspition may heal his Therefore he sends a Fiend to wake The sleeping Tyrants fond mistake Who fears in vain that he whose Birth Mean's Heav'n should meddle with his Earth 1 MUse now the servant of soft Loves no more Hate is thy Theame and Herod whose unblest Hand so what dares not jealous Greatness tore A thousand sweet Babes from their Mothers Brest The Blooms of Martydome O be a Door Of Language to my Infant Lips ye best Of Confessors whose Throats answering his swords Gave forth your Blood for Breath spoke Souls for Words 2 Great Anthony Spains well-beseeming pride Thou Mighty Branch of Emperours and Kings The Beauties of whose dawn what Eye may bide Which with the Sun himself weighs equal Wings Mapp of Heroick worth whom far and wide To the beleeving World Fame boldly sings Deign thou to wear this humble Wreath that bowes To be the sacred Honour of thy Brows 3. Nor needs my Muse a Blush or these bright Flow'rs Other then what their own blest Beauties bring They were the smiling Sons of those sweet Bow'rs That drink the Dew of Life whose deathless Spring Nor Sirian Flame nor Borean Frost deflow'rs From whence Heav'n-labouring Bees with busie wing Suck hidden Sweets which well digested proves Immortal Honey for the Hive of Loves 4. Thou whose strong Hand with so transcendent worth Holds high the Rein of fair Parthenope That neither Rome nor Athens can bring forth A Name in Noble Deeds Rival to thee Thy Fames full noise makes proud the patient Earth Far more then Matter for my Muse and me The Tyrrhâ—…ne Seas and Shores sound all the same And in their Murmures keep thy Mighty Name 5. Below the bottom of the great Abysse There where one Center reconciles all things The Worlds profound Heart pants there placed is Mischiefs old Master close about him clings A curl'd knot of embracing Snakes that kiss His correspondent Cheeks these loathsome Strings Hold the perverse Prince in Eternal Ties Fast bound since first he forfeited the Skies 6. The Judge of Torments and the King of Tears He fills a burnisht Throne of quenchless fire And for his old fair Robes of Light he wears A gloomy Mantle of dark Flames the Tire That Crowns his hated head on high appears Where seav'n tall Horns his Empires pride aspire And to make up Hells Majesty each Horn Seav'n Crested Hydra's horribly adorn 7. His Eyes the sullen Dens of Death and Night Startle the dull Air with a dismal Red Such his fell Glances as the fatal Light Of staring Comets that look Kingdoms dead From his black Nostrils and blew Lips in spight Of Hells own stink a worser stench is spread His Breath Hells Lightning is and each deep groan Disdains to think that Heav'n Thunders alone 8. His Flaming Eyes dire exhalation Unto a dreadful Pile gives fiery Breath Whose unconsum'd Consumption preys upon The never-dying Life of a long death In this sad House of slow Destruction His shop of Flames he fries himself beneath A mass of Woes his Teeth for Torment gnash While his Steel sides sound with with his Tails strong lash 9. Three Rigorous Virgins waiting still behind Assist the Throne of th'Iron-Sceptered King With whips of Thorns and knotty Vipers twin'd They rouse him when his rank Thoughts need a sting Their Locks are Beds of uncomb'd Snakes that wind About their shady Brows in wanton Rings Thus Reigns the wrathful King and while he Reigns His Scepter and himself both he disdains 10. Disdainful wretch how hath one bold Sin cost Thee all the Beauties of thy once bright Eyes How hath one black Eclipse cancell'd and crost The Glories that did Guild thee in thy Rise Proud Morning of a perverse Day how lost Are thou unto thy self thou too self-wise Narcissus foolish Phaeton who for all Thy high-aim'd hopes gain'dst but a Flaming fall 11. From Death's sad shades to the Life-breathing Air This mortal Enemy to Mankinds good Lifts his malignant Eyes wasted with care To become Beautiful in humane Blood Where Jordan melts his Chrystal to make fair The Fields of Palestine with so pure a Flood There does he fix his Eyes and there Detect New matter to make good his great suspect 12. He calls to mind th' old quarrel and what spark Set the contending Sons of Heav'n on fire Oft in his deep Thought he revolves the Dark Sibills Divining Leaves he does enquire Into th' old Prophesies trembling to mark How many present Prodigies conspire To Crown their past Predictions both he lays Together in his pondrous mind both weighs 13. Heavens Golden-winged Herald late he saw To a poor Galilean Virgin sent How low the Bright Youth bow'd and with what awe Immortal Flow'rs to her fair Hand present He saw th' old Hebrews womb neglect the Law Of Age and Barrenness and her Babe prevent His Birth by his Devotion who began Betimes to be a Saint before a Man 14. He saw Rich Nectar Thaws release the Rigor Of th' Icy North from Frost-bound Atlas hands His Adamantine Fetters fall green Vigor Gladding the Scythian Rocks and Libian Sands He saw a vernal smile sweetly disfigure Winters sad Face and through the flowry Lands Of fair Engaddi Honey-sweating Fountains With Manna Milk and Balm new broach the Mountains 15. He saw how in that Blest Day-bearing Night The Heav'n rebuked shades made haste away How bright a Dawn of Angels with new Light Amaz'd the midnight World and made a Day Of which the Morning knew not Mad with Spight He markt how the poor Shepheards ran to pay Their simple Tribute to the Babe whose Birth Was the great Business both of Heav'n and Earth 16. He saw a threefold Sun with rich encrease Make proud the Ruby Portals of the East He saw the Temple Sacred to sweet Peace Adore her Princes Birth flat on her Brest He saw the falling Idols all confess A coming Deity He saw the Nest Of pois'nous and unnatural Loves Earth-nurst Toucht with the Worlds true Antidote to burst 17. He saw Heav'n Blossome with a new-born Light On which as on a Glorious stranger gaz'd The Golden Eyes of Night whose Beam made Bright The way to Beth'lem and as boldly blaz'd Nor askt leave of the Sun by Day as Night By whom as Heav'ns illustrious Hand-maid rais'd Three Kings or what is more three Wise men went Westward to find the Worlds true Orient 18. Struck with these great concurrences of things Symptomes so deadly unto Death and him Fain would he have forgot what fatal Strings Eternally bind each rebellious Limb. He shook himself and spread his spatious Wings Which like two bosom'd Sails embrace the dimme Air with a dismal
shown it For he whose pretious memory Bathes in tears of every eye He to whom our sorrow brings All the streams of all her springs Was so rich in Grace and Nature In all the gifts that bless a Creature The fresh hopes of his lovely Youth Flourisht in so fair a grouth So sweet the Temple was that shrin'd The Sacred sweetness of his mind That could the Fates know to relent Could they know what Mercy meant Or had ever learnt to bear The soft Tincture of a Tear Tears would now have flow'd so deep As might have taught Grief how to weep Now all their steely Operation Would quite have lost the cruel fashion Sickness would have gladly been Sick himself to have sav'd him And his Feaver wisht to prove Burning onely in his Love Him when wrath it self had seen Wrath its self had lost his spleen Grim destruction here amaz'd In stead of striking would have gaz'd Even the Iron-pointed Pen That notes the Tragick Dooms of men Wet with Tears still'd from the Eyes Of the flinty Destinies Would have learnt a softer style And have been asham'd to spoile His Lives sweet story by the hast Of a cruel stop ill plac't In the dark Volume of our Fate Whence each Leaf of Life hath Date Where in sad particulars The total sum of Man appears And the short clause of Mortal Breath Bound in the period of Death In all the Book if any where Such a Term as this spare here Could have been found 't would have been read Writ in white Letters or his head Or close unto his name annext The fair gloss of a fairer Text. In brief if any one were free He was that one and onely he But he alas even he is dead And our hopes fair Harvest spread In the Dust Pity now spend All the Tears that Grief can lend Sad Mortality may hide In his Ashes all her pride With this inscription o'r his head All hope of never dying here lies dead His Epitaph PAssenger who e'r thou art Stay a while and let thy Heart Take acquaintance of this stone Before thou passest further on This stone will tell thee that beneath Is entomb'd the Crime of Death The ripe endowments of whose mind Left his years so much behind That numbring of his Vertues Praise Death lost the reckoning of his Days And believing what they told Imagin'd him exceeding old In him perfection did set forth The strength of her United worth Him his wisdomes pregnant growth Made so Reverend even in Youth That in the Center of his Brest Sweet as is the Phaenix Nest Every reconciled Grace Had their general meeting place In him goodness joy'd to see Learning learn Humility The splendor of his Birth and Blood Was but the Gloss of his own Good The flourish of his sober Youth Was the pride of Naked Truth In composure of his Face Liv'd a fair but Manly Grace His Mouth was Rhetorick's best Mold His Tongue the Touchstone of her Gold What Word so e'r his Breath kept warm Was no Word now but a Charm For all persuasive Graces thence Suckt their sweetest Influence His Vertue that within had root Could not choose but shine without And th' Heart-bred Lustre of his worth At each corner peeping forth Pointed him out in all his ways Circled round in his own Rays That to his sweetness all mens Fyes Were vow'd Loves flaming Sacrifice Him while fresh and fragrant Time Cherisht in his Colden Prime E're Hebe's Hand had overlaid His smooth Cheeks with a Downy shade The rush of Deaths unruly Wave Swept him off into his Grave Enough now if thou canst pass on For now alas not in this stone Passenger who e're thou art Is he entomb'd but in thy Heart An Epitaph upon Husband and Wife who dieâ—… and were buried together TO these whom Death again did Wed This Grave 's the second Marriage-Bed For though the hand of Fate could force 'Twixt Soul and Body a divorce It could not sever Man and Wife Because they both liv'd but one Life Peace good Reader do not weep Peace the Lovers are asleep They sweet Turtles folded lye In the â—…st knot that Love could tye Let them sleep let them sleep on Till this stormy night be gone And the Eternal Morrow dawn Then the urtains will be drawn And they wake into a Light Whose Day shall never dye in Night An Epitaph upon Doctor Brook A Brook whose Stream so Great so Good Was Lov'd was Honour'd as a Flood Whose Banks the Muses dwelt upon More then their own Helicon Here at length hath gladly found A quiet passage under ground Mean while his loved Banks now dry The Muses with their Tears supply Upon Mr. Staninough's Death DEar Relicks of a dislodg'd soul whose lack Makes many a mourning Paper put on black O stay a while e're thou draw in thy Head And wind thy self up close in thy cold Bed Stay but a little while until I câ—…ll A summons worthy of thy Funeral Come then Youth Beauty and Blood all ye soft Power Whose silken Flatteries swell a few fond hours Into a false Eternity come Man Hyperbolized nothing know thy span Take thine own Measure here down down and bow Before thy self in thy Idaea thou Huge emptiness contract thy Bulk and shrink All thy wild Circle to a point O sink Lower and lower yet till thy small size Call Heaven to look on thee with narrow Eyes Lesser and lesser yet till thou begin To show a Face fit to confess thy Kin Thy Neighbour-hood to nothing here put on Thy self in this unfeign'd refexion Here gallant Ladies this impartial Glass Through all your painting shows you your own face These Death-scal'd Lips are they dare give the lye To the proud hopes of poor Mortality These Curtain'd Windows this self-prison'd Eye Out-stares the Lids of large-lookt Tyranny This posture is the brave one this that lies Thus low stands up me thinks thus and defies The World All daring Dust and Ashes onely you Of all Interpreters read Nature true Upon the Duke of York's Birth A Panegyrick BRitain the Mighty Ocean's lovely Bride Now stretch thy self fair Isle and grow spread wide Thy Bosome and make room thou art opprest With thine own Glories and art strangely Blest Beyond thy self for lo the God 's the Gods Come fast upon the and those Glorious ods Swell thy full Glories to a pitch so high As sits above thy best Capacity Are they not Ods and Glorious that to thee Those mighty Genii throng which well might be Each one an Ages labour that thy days Are Guilded with the Union of those Rays Whose each divided Beam would be a Sun To glad the Sphear of any Nation O if for these thou meanst to find a seat Th' ast need O Britain to be truly Great And so thou art their presence makes thee so They are thy Greatness Gods where e're they go Bring their Heaven with them their great footsteps place An everlasting smile upon the face Of the
send Whose drowsiness hath wrong'd the Muses friend What hope Aurora to propitiate thee Unless the Muse sing my Apology O in that Morning of my shame when I Lay folded up in sleeps Captivity How at the sight didst thou draw back thine Eyes Into thy modest veyl how did'st thou rise Twice Dy'd in thine own Blushes and did'st run To draw the Curtains and awake the Sun Who rowzing his illustrious Tresses came An seeing the loath'd Object hid for shame His Head in thy fair Bosome and still hides Me from his Patronage I pray he chides And pointing to dull Morpheus bids me take My own Apollo try if I can make His Lethe be my Helicon and see If Morpheus have a Muse to wait on me Hence 't is my humble Fancy finds no wings No nimble Raptures starts to Heaven and brings Enthusiastick Flames such as can give Marrow to my plump Genius make it live Drest in the glorious Madness of a Muse Whose Feet can walk the Milky way and chuse Her Starry Throne whose Holy heats can warm The Grave and hold up an exalted Arm To lift me from my lazy Urne and climb Upon the stopped shoulders of old Time And trace Eternity But all is dead All these delicious hopes are buried In the deep wrinkles of his angry Brow Where Mercy cannot find them but O thou Bright Lady of the Morn pitty doth lye So warm in thy soft Brest it cannot dye Have Mercy then and when he next shall rise O meet the angry God invade his Eyes And stroak his radiant Cheeks one timelly kiss Will kill his Anger and revive my Bliss So to the Treasure of thy pearly Deaw Thrice will I pay three Tears to show how true My grief is so my wakeful lay shall knock At th' Oriental Gates and duly mock The early Larks shrill Orizons to be An Anthem at the Days Nativity And the same Rosie-finger'd hand of thine That shuts Nights dying Eyes shall open mine But thou saint God of sleep forget that I Was ever known to be thy votary No more my Pillow shall thine Altar be Nor will I offer any more to thee My self a melting-Sacrifice I 'm born Again a fresh Child of the Buxome Morn Heir of the Suns first Beams why threat'st thou so Why dost thou shake thy Leaden Scepter goe Bestow thy Poppy upon wakeful woe Sickness and Sorrow whose pale Lids ne'r know Thy Downy Finger dwell upon their Eyes Shut in their Tears shut out their Miseries Loves Horoscope LOve brave vertues younger Brother Erst hath made my Heart a Mother She consults the conscious Sphears To câ—…lculate her young Sons years She asks if sad or saving pow'rs Gave Omen to his Infant hours She asks each â—…tar that then stood by If poor Love shall live or dye Ah my heart is that the way Are these the Beams that rule thy Day Thou know'st a Face in whose each look Beauty lays ope Loves Fortune-Book On whose fair Revolutions wait The obsequious Motions of Loves Fate Ah my Heart her Eyes and she Have taught thee new Astrology How e'r Loves Native hours were set What ever Starry Synod met T is in the Mercy of her Eye If poor Love shall live or dye If those sharp Rays putting on Points of Death bid Love begone Though the Heavens in Council sate To crown an uncontrouled Fate Though their best Aspects twin'd upon The kindest Constellation Cast amorous glances on his Birth And whisper'd the confederate Earth To pave his Paths with all the good That warms the Bed of Youth and Blood Love ha's no plea against her Eye Beauty frowns and Love must dye But if her milder infltence move And guild the hopes of humble Love Though Heavens inauspicious Eye Lay black on Loves Nativity Though every Diamond in Joves Crown Fixt his forehead to a frown Her Eye a strong appeal can give Beauty smiles and Love shall live O if Love shall live O where But in her Eye or in her Ear In her Breast or in her Breath Shall I hide poor Love from Death For in the life ought else can give Love shall dye although he live Or if Love shall dye O where But in her Eye or in her Ear In her Breath or in her Brest Shall I build his Funeral Nest While Love shall thus entombed lye Love shall live although he dye Out of Virgil In the praise of the Spring ALL Trees all Leavy Groves confess the Spring Their gentlest Friend then then the Lands begin To swell with forward pride and seed desire To generation Heavens Almighty Sire Melts on the Bosome of his Love and powrs Himself into her Lap in fruitful showres And by a soft insinuation mixt With Earths large Masse doth cherish and assist Her weak Conceptions No loan shade but Rings With chatting Birds delicious murmurings Then Venus mild instinct at set times yields The Herds to kindly meetings then the Fields Quick with warm Zephires lively breath lay forth Their pregnant Bosomes in a fragrant Birth Each body 's plump and jucy all things full Of supple moisture no coy twig but will Trust his beloved Bosome to the Sun Grown lusty now No Vine so weak and young That fears the foul-mouth'd Auster or those storms That the South-west wind hurries in his Arms But hastes her forward Blossomes and lays out Freely lays out her Leaves nor do I doubt But when the World first out of Chaos sprang So smil'd the days and so the tenor ran Of their felicity A spring was there An everlasting spring the jolly year Led round in his great Circle no winds Breath As then did smell of Winter or of Death When life's sweet Light first shone on Beasts and when From their hard Mother Earth sprang hardy men When Beasts took up their Lodging in the Wood Stars in their higher Chambers never cou'd The tender growth of things endure the sence Of such a change but that the Heav'ns indulgence Kindly supplys sick Nature and doth mold A sweetly temper'd Mean nor hot nor cold With a Picture sent to a Friend I Paint so ill my Piece had need to be Painted again by some good Poesie I write so ill my slender Line is scarce So much as th' Picture of a well-Lim'd Verse Yet may the Love I send be true though I Send not true Picture nor true Poesie Both which away I should not need to fear My Love or Feign'd or Painted should appear In praise of Lessius his rule of Health GOe now with some daring Drugg Bâ—…it the disease and while they tug Thou to maintain their cruel strife Spend the dear Treasure of thy life Go take Physick doat upon Some big-nam'd Composition The Oraculous Doctors mistick Bills Certain hard Words made into Pills And what at length shalt get by these Onely a Costlyer disease Goe poor Man think what shall be Remedy against thy Remedy That which makes us have no need Of Physick that 's Physick indeed Hark hither Reader wouldst thou see
nothing else but empty Me Narrow and low and infinitely less Then this great Mornings mighty business One little World or two Alas will never do We must have store Go Soul out of thy self and seek for More Go and request Great Nature for the Key of her huge Chest Of Heav'ns the self-involving Set of Sphears Which dull Mortality more feels then hears Then rouse the nest Of nimble Art and traverse round The Airy shop of Soul-appeasing sound And beat a summons in the same All-Soveraign Name To warn each several kind And shape of sweetness be they such As sigh with supple wind Or answer Artful touch That they convene and come away To wait at the Love-Crowned Doors of that Illustrious Day Shall we dare this my Soul we 'l do 't and bring No other Note for 't but the Name we sing Wake Lute and Harp And every sweet-lipp'd thing That talks with Tuneful string Start into life and leap with me Into a hasty fit-tun'd harmony Nor must you think it much T' obey my bolder touch I have authority in Love's Name to take you And to the work of Love this morning wake you Wake in the Name Of Him who never sleeps all things that are Or what 's the same Are Musical Answer my Call And come along Help me to meditate mine immortal Song Come ye soft Ministers of sweet sad mirth Bring all your Houshold-stuff of Heav'n on Earth O you my Soulâ—…s most certain Wings Complaining Pipes and pratling strings Bring all the store Of Sweets you have and murmur that you have no more Come ne'r to part Nature and Art Come and come strong To the conspiracy of our spacious song Bring all the Pow'rs of Praise Your Provinces of well-united Worlds can raise Bring all your Lutes and Harps of Heav'n and Earth What e'r cooperates to the common mirth Vessels of vocal joys Or you more Noble Architects of intellectual noise Cymballs of Heav'n or Humane sphears Solliciters of Souls or Ears And when you are come with all That you can bring or we can call O may you fix For ever here and mix Your selves into the long And everlasting series of a deathless Song Mix all your many Worlds above And loose them into One of Love Chear thee my Heart For thou too hast thy part And place in the great Throng Of this unbounded all-imbracing Song Pow'rs of my Soul be proud And speak loud To all the dear-bought Nations this Redeeming Name And in the wealth of one rich Word proclaim New Similes to Nature May it be no wrong Blest Heav'ns to you and your Superior song That we dark Sons of Dust and Sorrow A while dare borrow The name of your Delights and our Desires And fit it to so farr inferior Lyres Our Murmurs have their Musick too Ye Mighty Orbs as well as you Nor yields the Noblest nest Of warbling Seraphim to the ears of Love A choicer Lesson then the joyful Brest Of a poor panting Turtle-Dove And we low Worms have leave to do The same bright business ye third Heav'ns with you Gentle Spirits do not complain We will have care To keep it fair And send it back to you again Come lovely Name appear from forth the bright Regions of peaceful Light Look from thine own illustrious home Fair King of Names and come Leave all thy Native Glories in their gorgeous Nest And give thy self a while the gracious Guest Of humble Souls that seek to find The hidden Sweets Which man's heart meets When thou art Master of the Mind Come Lovely Name life of our hope Lo we hold our Hearts wide ope Unlock thy Cabinet of Day Dearest Sweet and come away Lo how the thirsty Lands Gasp for thy golden showrs with long stretch't hands Lo how the laboring Earth That hopes to be All Heaven by Thee Leaps at thy Birth Th' attending World to wait thy Rise First turn'd to Eyes And then not knowing what to do Turn'd them to Tears and spent them too Come Royal Name and pay th' expence Of all this precious patience O come away And kill the Death of this Delay O see so many Worlds of barren years Melted and Measur'd out in Seas of Tears O see the weary Lids of wakeful Hope Love's Eastern windows all wide ope With Curtains drawn To catch the Day-break of thy Dawn O dawn at last long-look't for day Take thine own wings and come away Lo where aloft it comes It comes among The conduct of adoring Spirits that throng Like diligent Bees and swarm about it O they are wise And know what Sweets are suck't from out it It is the Hive By which they thrive Where all their hoard of Honey lies Lo where it comes upon the snowy Doves Soft back and brings a bosome big with Loves Welcome to our dark World thou Womb of Day Unfold thy fair Conceptions and display The Birth of our bright joys O thou compacted Body of Blessings Spirit of Souls extracted O dissipate thy spicy Powr's Cloud of condensed sweets and break upon us In balmy showrs O fill our senses and take from us All force of so prophane a Fallacy To think ought sweet but that which smells of thee Fair Flowry Name in none but thee And thy Nectareal fragrancy Hourly there meets An universal Synod of all Sweets By whom it is defined Thus That no Perfume For ever shall presume To pass for oderiferous But such alone whose sacred Pedigree Can prove it self some kin sweet name to Thee Sweet Name in thy each Syllable A thousand Blest Arabias dwell A Thousand Hills of Frankincense Mountains of myrrh and Beds of Spices And Ten thousand Paradises The Soul that tasts thee takes from thence How many unknown Worlds there are Of Comforts which thou hast in keeping How many thousand Mercies there In Pity 's soft Lap lie a sleeping Happy he who has the Art To awake them And to take them Home and lodge them in his Heart O that it were as it was wont to be When thy old friends of fire all full of thee Fought against frowns with smiles gave Glorious chase To persecutions and against the Face Of Death and fiercest dangers durst with brave And sober pace march on to meet a Grave On their bold Brests about the World they bore thee And to the Teeth of Hell stood up to teach thee In Center of their inmost souls they wore thee Where Racks and Torments striv'd in vain to reach thee Little alas thought they Who tore the fair Brests of thy Friends Their Fury but made way For thee and serv'd them in thy Glorious ends What did their weapons but with wider pores Inlarge thy flaming brested Lovers More freely to transpire That impatient fire The heart that hides thee hardly covers What did their weapons but set wide the doors I or thee fair purple Doors of Love's devising The Ruby windows which inrich't the East Of thy so oft repeated Rising Each wound of theirs was thy new
morning And reinthron'd thee in thy Rosy Nest With blush of thine own blood thy day adorning It was the wit of Love oreflow'd the bounds Of Wrath and made the way through all these wounds Welcome Dear All-Adored Name For sure there is no Knee That knows not thee Or if there be such Sons of shame Alas what will they do When stubborn Rocks shall bow And Hills hang down their Heav'n-saluting Heads To seek for humble Beds Of Dust where in the bashful shades of night Next to their own low Nothing they may lye And couch before the dazeling light of thy dread Majesty They that by Love's mild dictate now Will not adore the Shall then with just Confusion bow And break before thee In the Glorious Epiphany of our Lord God a Hymn sung as by the Three Kings 1. KING BRight Babe whose awful Beauties make The morn incurr a sweet mistake 2. For whom th' officious Heav'ns devise To disinherit the Suns Rise 3. Delicately to displace The Day and plant it fairer in thy Face 1. O thou born King of Loves 2. Of Lights 3 Of Joys Cho. Look up Sweet Babe look up and see For love of thee Thus far from home The East is come To seek her self in thy sweet Eyes 1. We who strangely went astray Lost in a bright Meridian night 2. A Darkness made of too much Day 3 Becken'd from far By thy fair Star Lo at last have found our way Cho. To Thee thou Day of Night thou East of West Lo we at last have found the way To thee the Worlds great Universal East The general and indifferent day 1 All-circling point All-centring sphere The World 's One Round Eternal year 2 Whose full and all-unwrinkled face Nor sinks nor swells with time or place 3 But every where and every while Is one consistent solid smile 1 Not vext and tost 2. 'Twixt Spring and Frost 3 Nor by alternate shreds of Light Sordidly shifting hands with Shades and Night Cho. O little all in thy embrace The World lies warm and likes his place Nor does his full Globe fail to be Kist on both his Cheeks by thee Time is too narrow for thy year Nor makes the whole World thy half Sphere 1 To thee to thee From him we flee 2 From him whom by a more illustrious lye The blindness of the World did call the Eye 3 To him who by these mortal Clouds hast made Thy Self our Sun though thine own Shade 2 Farewel the World 's false Light Farewel the white Egypt a long farewel to thee Bright Idol black Idolatry The dire face of inferiour darkness kist And courted in the pompous Mask of a more specious Mist. 2 Farwell farewell The proud and misplac't Gates of Hell Perch't in the morning's way And double-guilded as the doors of Day The deep Hypocrisie of Death and Night More desperately dark because more bright 3 Welcome the World 's sure way Heav'ns wholsome Ray. Cho. Welcome to us and we Sweet to our selves in thee 1 The deathless Heir of all thy Fathers day 2 Decently born Embosom'd in a much more Rosie Morn The Blushes of thy all-unblemish't Mother 3 No more that other Aurora shall set ope Her Ruby Casements or hereafter hope From mortal Eyes To meet Religious welcomes at her Rise Cho. We pretious ones in you have won A gentler Morn a juster Sun 1 His superficial Beams Sun-burn't our skin 2 But left within 3 The night and Winter still of Death and Sin Cho. Thy softer yet more certain Darts Spare our Eyes but pierce our Hearts 1 Therefore with his proud Persian spoils 2 We court thy more concerning smiles 3 Therefore with his disgrace We guild the humble Cheek of this chast place Cho. And at thy Feet pour forth his Face 1 The doating Nations now no more Shall any day but thine adore 2 Nor much less shall they leave these Eyes For cheap Egyptian Deities 3 In whatsoe'r more Sacred shape Of Ram He-Goat or Reverend Ape Those beauteous ravishers opprest so sore The too-hard-tempted Nations 1 Never more By wanton Heyfer shall be worn 2 A Garland or a guilded Horn. The Altar-stall'd Ox fat Osyris now With his fair Sister Cow 3 Shall kick the Clouds no more but lean and tame Cho. See his horn'd Face and dy for shame And Mithra now shall be no name 1. No longer shall the immodest Lust Of adulterous Godles dust 2 Fly in the face of Heav'n as if it were The poor World's Fault that he is fair 3 Nor with perverse Loves and Religious Rapes Revenge thy Bounties in their beauteous shapes And punish best things worst because they stood Guilty of being much for them too good 1 Proud sons of death that durst compel Heav'n it self to find them Hell 2 And by strange wit of madness wrest From this World's East the other's West 3 All-Idolizing worms that thus could crowd And urge their Sun into thy Cloud Forcing his sometimes eclips'd face to be A long deliquium to the light of thee Cho. Alas with how much he avier shade The shamfac't Lamp hung down his head For that one Eclipse he made Then all those he suffered 1 For this he lookt so big and every morn With a red face confest this scorn Or hiding his vext cheeks in a hir'd mist Kept them from being so unkindly kist 2 It was for this the day did rise So oft with blubber'd Eyes For this the Evening wept and we ne'r knew But call'd it Dew 3 This daily wrong Silenc't the morning Sons and dampt their song Cho. Nor was 't our deafness but our sins that thus Long made th' Harmonious orbs all mute to us 2 Time has a day in store When this so proudly poor And self-oppressed spark that has so long By the love-sick World been made Not so much their Sun as Shade Weary of this Glorious wrong From them and from himself shall flee For shelter to the shadow of thy Tree Cho. Proud to have gain'd this precious loss And chang'd his false Crown for thy Cross. 2 That dark day's clear doom shall define Whose is the Master Fire which Sun would shine That sable iudgement-seat shall by new laws Decide and settle the Great cause Of controverted light Cho. And natur's wrongs rejoyce to do thee right 3 That forfeiture of noon to night shall pay All the idolatrous Thefts done by this night of day And the great Penitent press his own pale Lips With an elaborate Love-eclipse To which the low world's Laws Shall lend no cause Cho. Save those domestick which he borrows From our sins and his own sorrows 1 Three sad hours sackcloth then shall show to us His pennance as our fault conspicuous 2 And he more needfully and nobly prove The Nation 's terror now then erst their love 3 Their hated loves chang'd into wholsom fears Cho. The shutting of his Eye shall open theirs 2 As by a fair-ey'd fallacy of day Mis-led before they lost their way So shall
they by the seasonable fright Of an unseasonable night Loosing it once again stumble on true Light 2 And as before his too-bright eye Was their more blind idolatry So his officious blindness now shall be Their black but faithful perspective of thee 3 His new prodigious night Their new and admirable light The supernatural Dawn of thy pure day While wondring they The happy converts now of him Whom they compell'd before to be their sin Shall henceforth see To kiss him only as their rod Whom they so long courted as God Cho. And their best use of him they worship't be To learn of him at lest to worship thee 2 It was their Weakness woo'd his Beauty But it shall be Their wisdom now as well as duty T' injoy his Blot and as a large black Letter Use it to spel thy Beauties Better And make the night it self their torch to thee 2 By the oblique ambush of this close night Couch't in that conscious shade The right ey'd Areopagite Shall with a vigorous guess invade And catch thy quick reflex and sharply see On this dark Ground To descant thee 3 O price of the rich Spirit with that fierce chase Of this strong Soul shall he Leap at thy lofty Face And seize the swift flash in rebound From this obsequious Cloud Once call'd a Sun Till dearly thus undone Cho. Till thus triumphantly tam'd O ye two Twin-Suns and taught now to negotiate you 1 Thus shall that reverend Child of light 2 By being Scholar first of that new night Come forth Great Master of the mistick day 3 And teach obscure Mankind a more close way By the frugal negative Light Of a most wise and well-abused Night To read more legible thine original Ray Cho. And make our darkness serve thy day Maintaining 'twixt thy World and ours A commerce of contrary pow'rs A mutual Trade 'Twixt Sun and Shade By confederate Black and White Borrowing Day and lending Night 1 Thus we who when with all the Noble powr's That at thy cost are call'd not vainly ours We vow to make brave way Upwards and press on for the pure intelligential prey 2 At lest to play The amorous spies And peep and proffer at thy sparkling Throne 3 Instead of bringing in the blissful Prize And fastning on thine Eyes Forfeit our own And nothing gain But more ambitious loss at lest of brain Cho. Now by abased Lids shall learn to be Eagles and shut our Eyes that we may see The Close Therefore to thee and thine auspicious ray Dread sweet lo thus At lest by us The delegated Eye of Day Does first his Scepter then himself in solemn Tribute pay Thus he undresses His sacred unshorn Tresses At thy adored Feet thus he lays down 1 His gorgeous tire Of Flame and Fire 2 His glittering Robe 3 His sparkling Crown 3 His Gold 2 His Mirrh 3. His Frankincence Cho. To which he now has no pretence For being show'd by this days light how far He is from Sun enough to make thy Star His best ambition now is but to be Somthing a brighter shadow Sweet of thee Or on Heav'ns azure forehead high to stand Thy Golden Index with a duteous Hand Pointing us home to our own Sun The World's and his Hyperion To the Queen's Majesty on Twelfth-day MADAM 'Mongst those long rows of Crowns that guild your Race These Royal sages sue for decent place The day-break of the Nations their first ray When the dark World dawn'd into Christian day And smil'd i' th Babes bright face the purpling Bud And Rosy dawn of the right Royal Blood Fair first-fruits of the Lamb sure Kings in this They took a Kingdom while they gave a kiss But the World's Homage scarce in these well blown We read in you Rare Queen ripe and full grown For from this day 's rich seed of Diadems Does rise a radiant crop of Royal stems A Golden Harvest of Crown'd heads that meet And crowd for kisses from the Lambs white feet In this illustrious throng your lofty floud Swels high fair confluence of all highborn Bloud With your bright head whose groves of Scepters bend Their wealthy tops and for these feet contend So swore the Lambs dread Sire and so we see 't Crowns and the Heads they kiss must court these Feet Fix here fair Majesty may your heart ne'r miss To reap new Crowns and Kingdoms from that kiss Nor may we miss the joy to meet in you The aged honors of this day still new May the great time in you still greater be While all the year is your Epiphany While your each day's Devotion duly brings Three Kingdoms to supply this days three Kings The Office of the Holy Cross For the hour of Matins The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsory Defend us from our Foes and Thine Ver. Thou shalt open my Lips O Lord. Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O Lord make haste to help me Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen THE HYMN THe wakeful Matines haste to sing The unknown sorrows of our King The Father's Word and Wisdome made Man for Man by Man's betraid The world's price set to sale and by the bold Merchants of Death and Sin is bought and sold Of his best Friends yea of himself forsaken By his worst foes because he would besieg'd and taken The Antiphon All hail fair Tree Whose Fruit we be What Song shall raise Thy seemly praise Who broughtst to light Life out of Death Day out of night The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and bow thus low before thee The Responsor 'Cause by the Covenant of thy Cross Thou hast sav'd at once the whole World's loss The Prayer O My Lord Jesu Christ Son of the living God! interpose I pray thee thine own pretious death thy Cross and Passion betwixt my Soul and thy Judgement now and in the hour of my death And vouchsafe to grant me thy Grace and Mercy to the living and dead remission and rest to thy Church peace and concord to us sinners life and glory everlasting Who livest and reignest with the Father in the Unity of the Holy Ghost one God world without end Amen For the hour of Prime The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsor Defend us from our foes and thine Ver. Thou shalt open my Lips O Lord. Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O Lord make haste to help me Glory be to c. As it was in c. THE HYMN THe early Prime blushes to say She could not rise so soon as they Call'd Pilate up to try if he Could lend them any Cruelty Their Hands with lashes arm'd their Tongues with lyes And loathsome Spittle blot those beauteous Eyes The blissful springs of Joy from whose
And prove how light the World was when it weigh'd with Him Wide maist thou spred Thine Arms and with thy bright and blisful head O'r look all Libanus Thy lofty crown The King himself is thou his humble Throne Where yielding and yet conquering he Prov'd a new path of patient victory When wondring death by death was slain And our Captivity his Captive ta'ne The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and bow thus low before thee The Responsor Cause by the covenant of thy Cross Thou hast sav'd the World from certain loss The Prayer O My Lord Jesu Christ son of the living c. COMPLINE The Versicle Lord by thy sweet and saving Sign The Responsor Defend us from our foes and thine Ver. Thou shalt open my lips O Lord. Res. And my mouth shall declare thy praise Ver. O God make speed to save me Res. O Lord make haste to help me Ver. Glory be to c. Res. As it was in c. The HYMN THe Compline hour comes last to call Us to our own Live's funeral Ah hartless task yet hope takes head And lives in him that here lies dead Run Mary run bring hither all the Blest Arabia for thy Royal Phenix ' nest Pour on thy Noblest sweets which when they touch This sweeter Body shall indeed be such But must thy bed Lord be a borrow'd Grave Who lendst to all things all the life they have O rather use this Heart thus far a fitter Stone 'Cause though a hard and cold one yet it is thine own Amen The Antiphon O save us then Merciful King of men Since thou wouldst needs be thus A Saviour and at such a rate for us Save us O save us Lord. We now will own no shorter wish nor name a narrower word Thy blood bids us be bold Thy wounds give us fair hold Thy sorrows chide our shame â—…hy Cross thy Nature and thy Name Advance our claim And cry with one accord Save them O save them Lord. The Versicle Lo we adore thee Dread Lamb and bow thus low before thee The Responsor 'Cause by the covenant of thy Cross Thou hast sav'd the world from certain loss The Prayer O My Lord Jesu Christ Son of c. The RECOMMENDATION THese Hours and that which hovers o'r my end Into thy Hands and Heart Lord I commend Take both to thine account that I and mine In that hour and in these may be all thine That as I dedicate my devoutest Breath To make a kind of Life for my Lords Death So from his living and life-giving Death My dying Life may draw a new and never-fleeting Breath VEXILLA REGIS The Hymn of the Holy Cross. 1. LOok up languishing soul Lo where the fair Badge of thy Faith calls back thy care And bids thee ne'r forget Thy Life is one long Debt Of Love to Him who on this painful Tree Paid back the Flesh he took for thee 2. Lo how the streams of Life from that full Nest Of Loves thy Lord 's too liberal Brest Flow in an amorous Floud Of Water wedding Bloud With these he wash't thy stain transfer'd thy smart And took it home to his own heart 3. But though great Love greedy of such sad gain Usurp't the portion of thy pain And from the Nails and Spear Turn'd the steel point of Fear Their use is chang'd not lost and now they move Not stings of Wrath but wounds of Love 4. Tall Tree of Life thy Truth makes good What was till now ne'r understood Though the prophetick King Struck loud his faithful string It was thy wood he meant should make the Throne For a more then Salomon 5. Large throne of Love Royally spred With purple of too rich a Red. Thy crime is too much duty Thy burthen too much Beauty Glorious or grievous more thus to make good Thy costly Excellence with thy Kings own Blood 6. Even ballance of both Worlds our World of sin And that of Grace Heav'n weigh'd in Him Us with our price thou weighedst Our price for us thou payedst Soon as the right-hand scale rejoyc't to prove How much Death weigh'd more light then Love 7. Hail our alone Hope let thy fair Head shoot Aloft and fill the Nations with thy Noble fruit The while our hearts and we Thus graft our selves on thee Grow thou and they and be thy fair increase The sinner's pardon and the just man's peace Live O for ever Live and Reign The Lamb whom his own Love has slain And let thy lost sheep live t' inherit That Kingdom which this Cross did merit Amen Charitas Nimia Or the dear Bargain LOrd what is Man why should he cost thee So dear what had his ruine lost thee Lord what is Man that thou hast over-bought So much a thing of nought Love is too kind I see and can Make but a simple Merchant man 'T was for such sorry Merchandise Bold Painters have put out his Eyes Alas sweet Lord what wer 't to thee If there were no such Worms as we Heav'n ne'rtheless still Heav'n would be Should Mankind dwell In the deep Hell What have his Woes to do with thee Let him go weep O'r his own wounds Seraphims will not sleep Nor Sphears let fall their fatihful rounds Still would the youthful Spirits sing And still thy spacious Palace ring Still would those beauteous Ministers of Light Burn all as bright And bow their flaming heads before thee Still Thrones and Dominations would adore thee Still would those ever-wakeful sons of fire Keep warm thy praise Both nights and days And teach thy lov'd name to their Noble Lyre Let froward Dust then do its kind And give it self for sport to the proud wind Why should a piece of peevish Clay plead shares In the Eternity of thy old cares Why shouldst thou bow thy awful Brest to see What mine own madnesses have done with me Should not the King still keep his Throne Because some desperate Fool 's undone Or will the World 's illustrious Eyes Weep for every Worm that dies Will the gallant Sun E'r the less Glorious run Will he hang down his Golden head Or e'r the sooner seek his Western bed Because some foolish Fly Grows wanton and will dye If I were lost in misery What was it to thy Heav'n and thee What was it to thy precious blood If my soul Heart call'd for a floud What if my faithless soul and I Would needs fall in With guilt and sin What did the Lamb that he should dye What did the Lamb that he should need When the Wolf sins himself to bleed If my base Lust Bargain'd with Death and well-beseeming Dust Why should the white Lamb's bosome write The purple name Of my sin's shame Why should his unstain'd Brest make good My blushes with his own heart-blood O my Saviour make me see How dearly thou hast paid for me That lost again my Life may prove As then in Death so now in Love Sancta Maria dolorum Or the Mother of sorrows
a Pathetical descant upon the devout Plainsong of Stabat Mater dolorosa 1. IN shade of Deaths sad Tree Stood doleful she Ah she now by no other Name to be known alas but Sorrow's Mother Before her Eyes Her 's and the whole World's joyes Hanging all torn she sees and in his woes And Pains her pangs and throes Each wound of his from every part All more at home in her own heart 2. What kind of Marble than Is that cold man Who can look on and see Nor keep such Noble sorrows company Sure even from you My Flints some drops are due To see so many unkind swords contest So fast for one soft Brest While with a faithful mutual floud Her Eyes bleed Tears his wounds weep blood 3. O costly intercourse Of deaths and worse Divided Loves while Son and Mother Discourse alternate wounds to one another Quick Deaths that grow And gather as they come and go His Nails write swords in her which soon her heart Pays back with more then their own smart Her swords still growing with his pain Turn Spears and straight come home again 4. She sees her Son her God Bow with a load Of borrow'd sins and swim In woes that were not made for him Ah hard Command Of Love Here must she stand Charg'd to look on and with a stedfast Eye See her life dye Leaving her only so much Breath As serves to keep alive her death 5. O Mother Turtle-dove Soft sourse of Love That these dry Lids might borrow Somthing from thy full seas of Sorrow O in that Brest Of thine the noblest Nest Both of Love's Fires and Flouds might I recline This hard cold Heart of mine The chil lump would relent and prove Soft Subject for the siege of Love 6. O teach those wounds to bleed In me me so to read This Book of Loves thus writ In lines of death my life may copy it With Loyal cares O let me here claim shares Yield something in thy sad prerogative Great Queen of griefs and give Me to my Tears who though all stone Think much that thou shouldst mourn alone 7. Yea let my life and me Fix here with thee And at the Humble Foot Of this fair Tree take our Eternal Root That so we may At least be in Loves way And in these chaste wars while the wing'd wounds flee So fast 'twixt him and thee My Brest may catch the kiss of some kind Dart Though as at second hand from either Heart 8. O you your own best Darts Dear doleful hearts Hail and strike home and make me see That wounded bosomes their own weapons be Come Wounds come Darts Nail'd hands and pierced hearts Come your whole selves Sorrow's great Son and Mother Nor grudge a younger Brother Of grief 's his portion who had all their due One single wound should not have left for you 9. Shall I set there So deep a share Dear wounds and onely now In sorrows draw no dividend with you O be more wife If not more soft mine Eyes Flow tardy Founts and into decent showrs Dissolve my Days and Hours And if thou yet faint soul defer To bleed with him fail not to weep with her 10. Rich Queen lend some relief At least an alms of Grief To ' a heart who by sad right of sin Could prove the whole sum too sure due to him By all those stings Of Love sweet bitter things Which these torn hands transcrib'd on thy true Heart O teach mine too the Art To study him so till we mix Wounds and become one Crucifix 11. O let me suck the Wine So long of this chaste Vine Till drunk of the dear wounds I be A lost thing to the World as it to me O faithful friend Of me and of my end Fold up my life in Love and lay 't beneath My dear Lord's vital death Lo heart thy hopes whole Plea her precious breath Powr'd out in Prayers for thee thy Lord 's in death The Hymn of St. Thomas in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament WIth all the pow'rs my poor Heart hath Of humble Love and Loyal Faith Thus low my hidden life I bow to thee Whom too much Love hath bow'd more low for me Down down proud sense discourses dye Keep close my soul 's inquiring Eye Nor touch nor taste must look for more But each sit still in his own door Your Ports are all superfluous here Save that which lets in Faith the Ear. Faith is my skill Faith can believe As fast as Love new Laws can give Faith is my force Faith strength affords To keep pace with those pow'rful words And words more sure more sweet then they Love could not think truth could not say O let thy wretch find that relief Thou didst afford the faithful Thief Plead for me Love Alledge and show That Faith has farther here to go And less to lean on because than Though hid as God wounds writ thee Man Thomas might touch none but might see At least the suffring side of thee And that too was thy self which thee did cover But here ev n that 's hid too which hides the other Sweet consider then that I Though allow'd not Hand nor Eye To teach at thy lov'd Face nor can Taste thee God or touch thee Man Both yet believe and witness thee My Lord too and my God as loud as he Help Lord my Hope increase And till my portion in thy peace Give Love for Life nor let my days Grow but in new pow'rs to name thy Praise O dear memorial of that Death Which lives still and allows us Breath Rich Royal Food Bountiful Bread Whose use denies us to the Dead Whose vital gust alone can give The same leave both to Eat and Live Live ever Bread of Loves and be My Life my Soul my surer self to me O soft self-wounding Pelican Whose Brest weeps Balm for wounded Man Ah this way bend thy benign Houd To a bleeding Heart that gâ—…spes for Blood That Blood whose least drops soveraign be To wash my Worlds of sine from me Come Love Come Lord and that long day For which I languish come away When this dry soul those Eyes shall see And drink the unseal'd sourse of thee When Glory 's Sun Faith's shade shall chase Then for thy veil give me thy Face Amen Thè Hymn for the Blessed Sacrament Lauda Sion Salvatorem 1. RIse Royal Sion rise and sing Thy Soul 's kind Shepheard thy Hearts King Stretch all thy powers call if you can Harps of Heav'n to hands of man This Soveraign subject sits above The best ambition of thy Love 2. Lo the Bread of Life this day 's Triumphant Text. provokes thy praise The living and life-giving Bread To the Great Twelve distributed When Life himself at point to dy Of Love was his own Legacy 3. Come Love and let us work a Song Loud and pleasant sweet and long Let Lips and Hearts lift high the noise Of so just and solemn joys Which on his white brows this
bright day Shall hence for ever bear away 4. Lo the new Law of a new Lord With a new Lamb blesses the Board The aged Pascha pleads not years But spies Love's dawn and disappears Types yield to Truths shades shrink away And their Night dyes into out Day 5. But lest that dy too we are bid Ever to do what he once did And by a mindful mystick breath That we may live revive his Death With a well-blest Bread and Wine Transum'd and taught to turn Divine 6. The Heav'n-instructed house of Faith Here a Holy Dictate hath That they but lend their Form and Face Themselves with reverence leave their place Nature and Name to be made good By a Nobler Bread more needful Blood 7. Where Nature's Laws no leave will give Bold Faith takes heart and dares believe In different species name not things Himself to me my Saviour brings As Meat in that as Drink in this But still in both one Christ he is 8. The receiving Mouth here makes Nor wound nor breach in what he takes Let one or one Thousand be Here Dividers single he Bears home no less all they no more Nor leave they both less then before 9. Though in it self this Soveraign Feast Be all the same to every Guest Yet on the same life-meaning Bread The child of death eats himself dead Nor is 't Love's fault but Sins dire skill That thus from Life can Death distil 10. When the blest signs thou broke shal't see Hold but thy Faith intire as he Who howsoe'r clad cannot come Lesse then whole Christ in every crumme In broken forms a stable Faith Untouch't her precious Total hath 11. Lo the Life-food of Angels then Bow'd to the lowly mouths of men The Childrens Bread the Bridegroom's Wine Not to be cast to Dogs or Swine 12. Lo the full final Sacrifice On which all Figures fix't their Eyes The ransom'd Isack and his Ram The Manna and the Paschal Lamb. 13. Jesu Master Just and true Our Food and faithful Shepherd too O by thy self vouchsafe to keep As with thy self thou feedst thy sheep 14. O let that Love which thus makes thee Mix with our low Mortality Lift our lean Souls and let us up Convictors of thine own full cup. Coheirs of Saints that so all may Drink the same Wine and the same Way Nor change the Pasture but the Place To seed of Thee in thine own Face Amen The HYMN Dies irae dies illa In Meditation of the day of Judgment 1. HEars't thou my soul what serious things Both the Psalm and Sybil sings Of a sure Judge from whose sharp Ray The World in Flames shall fly away 2. O that fire before whose face Heav'n and Earth shall find no place O these Eyes whose angry light Must be the day of that dread Night 3. O that trump whose blast shall run An Even round with th' circling Sun And urge the murmuring graves to bring Pale mankind forth to meet his King 4. Horror of Nature Hell and Death When a deep groan from beneath Shall cry we come we come and all The Caves of Night answer one call 5. O that Book whose Leaves so bright Will set the World in severe Light O that Judge whose Hand whose Eye None can indure yet none can fly 6. Ah then poor Soul what wilt thou say And to what Patron chuse to pray When Stars themselves shall stagger and The most firm Foot no more then stand 7. But thou giv'st leave dread Lord that we Take shelter from thy self in Thee And with the wings of thine own Dove Fly to thy Scepter of soft Love 8. Dear remember in that day Who was the cause thou cam'st this way Thy sheep was stray'd and thou wouldst be Even lost thy self in seeking me 9. Shall all that labour all that cost Of Love and ev'n that loss be lost And this lov'd soul judg'd worth no less Then all that way and weariness 10. Just Mercy then thy reck'ning be With my price and not with me 'T was paid at first with too much pain To be paid twice or once in vain 11. Mercy my Judge Mercy I cry With blushing Cheek and bleeding Eye The conscious Colours of my sin Are Red without and pale within 12. O let thine own soft Bowells pay Thy self and so discharge that day If sin can sigh Love can forgive O say the word my Soul shall live 13. Those Mercies which thy Mary found Or who thy Cross confest and Crown'd Hope tells my heart the same Loves be Still alive and still for me 14. Though both my Pray'rs and Tears combine Both worthless are for they are mine But thou thy bounteous self still be And show thou art by saving me 15. O when thy last frown shall proclaim The flocks of goats to folds of flame And all thy lost sheep found shall be Let come ye Blessod then call me 16. When the dread Ite shall divide Those Limbs of death from thy left side Let those Life-speaking Lips command That I inherit thy right hand 17. O hear a suppliant heart all crush't And crumbled into contrite dust My hope my fear my Judge my Friend Take charge of me and of my end The HYMN O Gloriosa Domina HAil most High most humble one Above the World below thy Son Whose blush the Moon beauteously marres And stains the timerous light of Stars He that made all things had not done Till he had made himself thy Son The whole World's host would be thy guest And board himself at thy rich Brest O boundless Hospitality The Feast of all things feeds on thee The first Eve Mother of our Fall E'r she bore any one slew all Of her unkind gift might we have The inheritance of a hasty Grave Quick buried in the wanton Tomb Of one forbidden bit Had not a better Fruit forbidden it Had not thy healthful womb The Worlds new Eastern window been And given us Heav'n again in giving him Thine was the Rosy Dawn that sprung the Day Which renders all the Stars she stole away Let then the aged World be wise and all Prove Nobly here unnatural 'T is gratitude to forget that other And call the Maiden Eve their Mother Ye redeem'd Nations far and Near Applaud your happy selves in her All you to whom this Love belongs And keep 't alive with lasting songs Let Hearts and Lips speak loud and say Hail door of Life and sourse of Day The Door was shut the Fountain seal'd Yet Light was seen and Life reveal'd The Fountain seal'd yet Life found way Glory to thee great Virgin 's son In bosom of thy Fathers bliss The same to thee sweet Spirit be done As ever shall be was and is Amen The Flaming Heart upon the Book and Picture of the Seraphical Saint Teresa as she is usually expressed with a Seraphim beside her WEll meaning Readers you that come as friends And catch the precious name this piece pretends Make not too much haste t' admire That fair-cheek't
fallacy of fire That is a Seraphim they say And this the great Teresia Readers be rul'd by me and make Here a well-plac't and wise mistake You must transpose the picture quite And spell it wrong to read it right Read Him for Her and Her for Him And call the Saint the Seraphim Painter what didst thou understand To put her Dart into his hand See even the years and size of him Shows this the Mother Seraphim This is the Mistress flame and duteous he Her happy fire-works here comes down to see O most poor-spirited of men Had thy cold Pencil kist her Pen Thou couldst not so unkindly err To show us this faint shade for her Why Man this speaks pure mortal frame And mocks with female Frost Love's manly flame One would suspect thou meanst to print Some weak inferiour Woman Saint But had thy pale-fac't purple took Fire from the burning checks of that bright Book Thou wouldst on her have heapt up all That could be found Seraphical What e'r this youth of fire wears fair Rosie Fingers Radiant Hair Glowing Cheek and glistring Wings All those fair and flagrant things But before all that fiery Dart Had fill'd the Hand of this great Heart Do then as equal right requires Since his the blushes be and her 's the fires Resume and rectify thy rude design Undress thy Seraphim into Mine Redeem this injury of thy Art Give him the Vail give her the Dart. Give him the vail that he may cover The red Cheeks of a rivall'd Lover Asham'd that our worl'd now can show Nests of new Seraphims here below Give her the Dart for it is she Fair youth shoots both thy shaft and Thee Say all ye wise and well-pierc'd hearts That live and dy amidst her Darts What is 't your tastful spirits do prove In that rare life of her and Love Say and bear witness Sends she not A Seraphim at every shot What Magazins of immortal Arms there shine Heav'ns great Artillery in each'love-spun line Give then the Dart to her who gives the flame Give him the veil who gives the shame But if it be the frequent fate Of worst faults to be fortunate If all 's prescription and proud wrong Hearkens not to an humble song For all the gallantry of him Give me the suffring Seraphim His be the bravery of all those bright things The glowing Cheeks the glistering wings The Rosie hand the radiant Dart Leave her alone the Flaming Heart Leave her that and thou shalt leave her Not one loose shaft but Love's whole Quiver For in Love's Field was never found A Nobler weapon then a wound Love's Passives are his Activ'st part The wounded is the wounding heart O Heart the equal poise of Love 's both parts Big alike with Wounds and Darts Live in these conquering Leave 's Live all the same And walk through all Tongues one Triumphant flame Live here great Heart and love and dye and kill And bleed and wound and yield and conquer still Let this immortal Life where e'r it comes Walk in a croud of Loves and Martyrdomes Let mystick Deaths wait on 't and wise souls be The Love-slain witnesses of this life of thee O sweet incendiary shew here thy Art Upon this Carcass of a hard cold Heart Let all thy scatter'd shafts of Light that play Among the Leaves of thy large Books of day Combin'd against this Brest at once break in And take away from me my self and sin This Gracious Robbery shall thy bounty be And my best fortunes such fair spoils of me O thou undaunted Daughter of Desires By all thy Dow'r of Lights and Fires By all the Eagle in thee all the Dove By all thy Lives and Deaths of Love By thy large draughts of intellectual day And by thy thirsts of Love more large then they By all thy brim-fill'd Bowls of fierce desire By thy last mornings draught of liquid Fire By the full Kingdom of that final kiss That seiz'd thy parting Soul and seal'd thee his By all the Heav'ns thou hast in him Fair Sister of the Seraphim By all of Him we have in Thee Leave nothing of my Self in me Let me so read thy life that I Unto all life of mine may dy A Song LOrd when the sense of thy sweet Grace Sends up my Soul to seek thy Face Thy Blessed Eyes breed such desire I dye in Love's delicious Fire O Love I am thy Sacrifice Be still Triumphant Blessed Eyes Still shine on me fair Suns that I Still may behold though still I dye Second part Though still I dye I live again Still longing so to be still slain So gainful is such loss of breath I dye even in desire of death Still live in me this loving strife Of living Death and dying Life For while thou sweetly slayest me Dead to my self I live in thee To Mistrses M. R. Councel concerning her Choise DEar Heav'n-designed Soul Amongst the rest Of Suiters that besiege your Maiden brest Why may not I My fortune try And venture to speak one good word Not for my self alas but for my dearer Lord You 'ave seen already in this lower sphear Of Froth and Bubbles what to look for here Say gentle Soul what can you find But painted shapes Peacocks and Apes Illustrious Flies Guilded Dunghils Glorious Lyes Goodly surmises And deep disguises Oaths of Water Words of Wind Truth bids me say 't is time you cease to Trust Your Soul to any son of Dust. 'T is time you listen to a braver Love Which from above Calls you up higher And bids you come And choose your room Among his own fair sons of fire Where you among The Golden throng That watches at his Palace doors May pass along And follow those fair Stars of yours Stars much too fair and pure to wait upon The false smiles of a sublunary Sun Sweet let me Prophesie that at last 't will prove Your wary Love Lays up his purer and more precious vows And means them for a far more worthy Spouse Then this world of Lies can give you Ev'n for him with whom nor cost Nor love nor labour can be lost Him who never will deceive you Let not my Lord the Mighty Lover Of souls disdain that I discover The hidden Art Of his high stratagem to win your heart It was his Heav'nly Art Kindly to cross you In your mistaken Love That at the next remove Thence he might toss you And strike your troubled heart Home to himself to hide it in his Brest The bright ambrosial Nest Of Love of Life and everlasting Rest. Happy mistake That thus shall wake Your wise soul never to be won Now with a love below the Sun Your first choice fails O when you choose agen May it not be among the sons of men ALEXIAS The Complaint of the forsaken wife of Saint Alexis The First ELEGY I Late the Roman Youth 's lov'd praise and pride Whom long none could obtain though thousands try'd Lo here am left alas For my lost
mate T' embrace my Tears and kiss an unkind Fate Sure in my early woe Stars were at strife And try'd to make a Widow e'r a Wife Nor can I tell and this new Tears doth breed In what strange path my Lord 's fair footsteps bleed O knew I where he wander'd I should see Some solace in my sorrow's certainty I 'd send my woes in words should weep for me Who knows how powrful well-writ pray'rs would be Sending's too slow a word my self would fly Who knows my own heart's woes so well as I But how shall I steal hence Alexis thou Ah thou thy self alas has taught me how Love too that leads thee would lend thee the wings To bear me harmless through the hardest things And where Love lends the wing and leads the way What dangers can there be dare say me nay If I be shipwrackâ—…t Love shall teach to swim If drown'd sweet is the death indur'd for him The noted sea shall change his name with me I 'mongst the blest Stars a new name shall be And sure where Lovers make their watry Graves The weeping Mariner will augment the waves For who so hard but passing by that way Will take acquaintance of my woes and say Here 't was the Roman Maid found a hard fate While through the world she sought her wandring Mate Here perisht she poor heart Heav'ns be my vows As true to me as she was to her Spouse O live so rare a love live and in thee The too frail life of femal constancy Farewel and shine fair soul shine there above Firm in thy Crown as here fast in thy Love There thy lost fugitive thou hast found at last Be happy and for ever hold him fast The Second ELEGY THough all the Joys I had fled hence with thee Unkind yet are my Tears still true to me I 'm wedded o'r again since thou art gone Nor couldst thou cruel leave me quite alone Alexis's Widdow now is sorrow's wife With him shall I weep out my weary life Welcome my sad sweet Mate Now have I got At last a constant Love that leaves me not Firm he as thou art false nor need my crys Thus vex the Earth and tear the Skies For him alas ne'r shall I need to be Troublesome to the World thus as for thee For thee I talk to Trees with silent Groves Expostulate my woes and much-wrong'd loves Hills and relentless Rocks or if there be Things that in hardness more allude to thee To these I talk in Tears and tell my pain And answer too for them in Tears again How oft have I wept out the weary Sun My watry hour-Glass hath old time out-run O I am Learned grown poor Love and I Have studied over all Astrology I 'm perfect in Heav'ns state with every Star My skilful grief is grown familiar Rise fairest of those fires what e'r thou be Whose Rosie beam shall point my Sun to me Such as the Sacred Light that er'st did bring The Eastern Princes to their infant King O rise pure Lamp and lend thy Golden ray That wary Love at last may find his way The Third ELEGY RIch churlish Land that hid'st so long in thee My Treasures rich alas by robbing me Needs must my Miseries owe that man a spite Who e'r he be was the first wandring Knight O had he ne'r been at that cruel cost Nature's Virginity had ne'r been lost Seas had not been rebuk't by saucy Oars But lain lock't up safe in their sacred shores Men had not spurn'd at Mountains nor made wars With Rocks nor bold hands struck the World's strong bars Nor lost in too large bounds our little Rome Full sweetly with it self had dwelt at home My poor Alexis then in peaceful life Had under some low roof lov'd his plain wife But now ah me from where he has no foes He flies and into wilful exile goes Cruel return or tell the reason why Thy dearest Parents have deserv'd to dye And I what is my crime I cannot tell Unless it be a crime t' have lov'd too well If Heats of Holier Love and high Desire Make big thy fair Brest with immortal Fire What needs my virgin Lord fly thus from me Who only wish his virgin Wife to be Witness chaste Heav'ns no happier vows I know Then to a virgin Grave untouch't to goe Love's truest knot by Venus is not ty'd Nor do embraces only make a Bride The Queen of Angels and men chaste as you Was Maiden-Wife and Maiden-Mother too Cecilia Glory of her Name and Blood With happy gain her Maiden vows made good The lusty Bridegroom made appoach young man Take heed said she take heed Valerian My bosome Guard a Spirit great and strong Stands arm'd to shield me from all wanton wrong My Chastity is Sacred and my Sleep Wakeful her dear vows undefil'd to keep Pallas bears Arms forsooth and should there be No fortress built for true Virginity No gapâ—… Gorgon this none like the rest Of your learn'd Lyes here you 'l find no such jest I 'm yours O were my God my Christ so too I 'd know no name of Love on Earth but you He yields and straight Baptiz'd obtains the Grace To gaze on the fair souldier 's Glorious face Both mixt at last their Blood in one rich Bed Of Rosie Martydome twice Married O burn our Hymen bright in such high Flame Thy Torch terrestrial Love has here no name How sweet the mutual yoke of Man and Wife When Holy fires maintain Love's Heav'nly life But I so help me Heav'n my hopes to see When Thousands sought my Love lov'd none but Thee Still as their vain Tears my firm vows did try Alexis he alone is mine said I Half true alas half false proves that poor Line Alexis is alone but is not mine Description of a Religious House and condition of Life Out of BARCLAY NO roofs of Gold o'r riotous Tables shining Whole Days and Suns devour'd with endless Dining No Sails of Tyrian Silk proud pavements sweeping Nor ivory couches costlyer slumbers keeping False Lights of flâ—…iring Gemms tumultuous joys Halls full of flattering Men and frisking Boys Whate'r false shows of short and slippery good Mix the mad sons of Men in mutual blood But Walks and unshorn Woods and Souls just so Unforc't and genuine but not shady tho Our Lodgings hard and homely as our Fare That Chaste and Cheap as the few Clothes we wear Those course and negligent as the natural Locks Of these loose Groves rough as th' unpolisht Rocks A hasty portion of prescribed sleep Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep And Sing and Sigh and Work and Sleep again Still rowling a round Sphear of still-returning pain Hands full of hearty labours do much that more they may And work for work not wages let to morrows New drops wash off the sweat of this days sorrows A long and daily dying-life which breaths A respiration of reviving deaths But neither are there those ignoble stings That nip the bosome
of the World 's best things And lash Earth-laboring souls No cruel guard of diligent cares that keep Crown'd woes awake as things too wise for sleep But Reverent Discipline and Religious Fear And soft obedience find sweet biding here Silence and sacred Rest Peace and pure joys Kind Loves keep house lie close and make no noise And room enough for Monarchs while none swels Beyond the Kingdoms of contentful Cels. The self-remembring Soul sweetly recovers Her kindred with the Stars not basely hovers Below but meditates her immortal way Home to the original source of Light and intellectual Day Deaths Lecture the Funeral of a young Gentleman DEar Reliques of a dislodg'd Soul whose lack Makes many a mourning Paper put on black O stay a while e'r thou draw in thy head And wind thy self up close in thy cold bed Stay but a little while until I call A summons worthy of thy Funeral Come then Youth Beauty and Blood All the soft pow'rs Whose Silken flatteries swell a few fond hours Into a false Eternity Come man Hyperbolized Nothing know thy span Take thine own measure here down down and bow Before thy self in thine Idea thou Huge emptiness contract thy self and shrink All thy wild Circle to a point O sink Lower and lower yet till thy lean size Call Heav'n to look on thee with narrow Eyes Lesser and lesser yet till thou begin To show a Face sit to confess thy Kin Thy Neighbourhood to Nothing Proud Looks and lofty Eye-lids here put on Your selves in your unfaign'd reflexion Here gallant Ladies this unpartial Glass Though you be painted shows you your true face These death-seal'd Lips are they dare give the lye To the loud boasts of poor Mortality These Curtain'd windows this retired Eye Out-stares the Lids of large-look't Tiranny This posture is the brave one this that lies Thus low stands up methinks thus and defie The World all-daring Dust and Ashes only you Of all interpreters read Nature true Temperance or the cheap Physitian upon the Translation of Lessius GOe now and with some daring drug Bait thy disease and whilst they tug Thou to maintain their pretious strife Spend the dear Treasures of thy life Goe take Physick doat upon Some big-nam'd Composition Th' Oraculous Doctors mystick Bills Certain hard Words made into Pills And what at last shal't gain by these Only a costlier disease That which makes us have no need Of Physick that 's Physick indeed Hark hither Reader wilt thou see Nature her own Physitian be Wilt see a man all his own wealth His own Musick his own Health A man whose sober soul can tell How to wear her Garments well Her Garments that upon her sit As Garments should do close and fit A well-cloth'd soul that 's not opprest Nor choak't with what she should be drest A soul-sheath'd in a Christal shrine Through which all her bright features shine As when a piece of wanton Lawn A thin aerial veil is drawn O'r beauties face seeming to hide More sweetly shows the blushing bride A soul whose intellectual beams No Mists do Mask no Lazy steams A happy soul that all the way To Heav'n rides in a Summers day Would'st see a man whose well-warm'd Blood Baths him in a genuine Flood A man whose tuned humours be A seat of rarest harmony Would'st see blith looks fresh Cheeks beguile Age wouldst see December smile Would'st see Nests of new Roses grow In a bed of reverend Snow Warm Thoughts free Spirits flattering Winter's self into a Spring In summe would'st see a man that can Live to be old and still a man Whose latest and most leaden hours Fall with soft wings stuck with soft flowers And when Life 's sweet Fable ends Soul and Body part like friends No quarrels murmurs no delay A kiss a Sigh and so away This rare one Reader wouldst thou see Hark hither and thy self be he FINIS