the smart Of Thorns and Scourges in thy heart If that be yet not Crucified Look on his hands look on his feet look on his side 5. Open Oh! open wide the Fountains of thine eyes And let 'em call Their stock of moisture forth where ere it lyes For this will ask it all 'T would all alas too little be Though thy salt tears came from the Sea Can'st thou deny him this when he Has open'd all his vital Springs for thee Take heed for by his sides mysterious flood May well be understood That he will still require some waters to his blood On Orinda's Poems Ode WE allow'd Your Beauty and we did submit To all the Tyrannies of it Ah! Cruel Sex will you depose us too in Wit Orinda do's in that too raign Do's Man behind her in Proud Triumph draw And Cancel great Apollo's Salick Law VVe our old Title plead in vain Man may be head but VVoman's now our Brain Verse was Loves fire-arms heretofore In Beauties Camp it was not known Too many Armes besides that Conquerour bore 'T was the great Canon we brought down T' assault a stubborn Town Orinda first did a bold sally make Our strongest Quarter take And so succesful prov'd that she Turn'd upon Love himself his own Artillery 2. Women as if the Body were there whole Did that and not the soul Transmit to their Posterity If in it something they conceiv'd Th' abortive Issue never liv'd 'T were shame and pity Orinda if in thee A Spirit so rich so noble and so high Should unmanur'd or barren lye But thou industriously has sow'd and till'd The fair and fruitful field And 't is a strange increase that it doth yield As when the happy Gods above Meet altogether at a feast A secret Joy unspeakably does move In their great Mother Cybele's contented breast With no less pleasure thou methinks shouldst see This thy no less Immortal Progeny And in their Birth thou no one touch dost find Of th' ancient Curse to Woman-kind Thou bring'st not forth with pain It neither travel is nor labour of thy brain So easily they from thee come And there is so much room In th' unexhausted and unfathom'd Womb. That like the Holland Countess thou mayst bear A child for every day of all the fertile year 3. Thou dost my wonder wouldst my envy raise If to be prais'd I lov'd more than to praise VVhere e're I see an excellency I must admire to see thy well knit sense Thy Numbers gentle and thy passions high Those as thy fore-head smooth these sparkling as thy eye 'T is solid and 't is manly all Or rather 't is Angelical For as in Angels we Do in thy Verses see Both improv'd Sexes eminently meet They are than Man more strong and more than VVoman sweet 4. They talk of Nine I know not who Female Chimera's that o're Poets reign I ne're could find that fancy true But have invok'd them oft I 'm sure in vain They talk of Sappho but alas the shame Ill manners soil the lustre of her Fame Orinda's inward virtue is so bright That like a Lanthorn's fair inclosed Light It through the paper shines where she does write Honour and Friendship and the Generous scorn Of things for which we were not born Things which of Custom by a fond Disease Like that of Girles our vicious Stomachs please Are the instructive Subjects of her pen And as the Roman Victory Taught our rude Land Arts and Civility At once she takes enslaves and governs Men. 5. But Rome with all her Arts could ne're inspire A Female Breast with such a fire The warlike Amazonian train Which in Elysium now do peaceful raign And wits milde Empire before Arms prefer Find 't will be setled in their sex by her Merlin the Prophet and sure he will not lye In such an awful Company Does Prophesies of Learn'd Orinda shew Which he had darkly spoke so long ago Ev'n Boadicia's angry Ghost Forgets her own misfortune and disgrace And to her injur'd Daughters now does boast That Romes o'recome at last by a woman of her Race Ode On Retirement NO no unfaithful World thou hast Too long my easie Heart betray'd And me too long thy restless ball hast made But I am wiser grown at last And will improve by all that I have past I know 't was just I should be practis'd on For I was told before And told in sober and instructive Lore How little all that trusted thee have won And yet I would make hast to be undone But by my sufferings I am better taught And shall no more commit that stupid fault Go get some other fool Whom thou may'st next Cajole On me thy frowns thou wilt in vain bestow For I know how To be as coy and as reserv'd as thou 2. In my remote and humble seat Now I 'm again possess'd Of that late fugitive my brest From all thy Tumult and from all thy heat I 'le find a quiet and a cool Retreat And on the Fetters I have worne Look with experienc'd and revengefull scorn In this my Soveraign Privacy 'T is true I cannot govern thee But yet my self I can subdue And that 's the nobler Empire of the two If every passion had got leave It 's satisfaction to receive Yet I would it a higher pleasure call To conquer one then to indulge them all 3. For thy inconstant Sea no more I 'le leave that safe and solid shore No though to prosper in the cheat Thou shouldst my Destiny defeat And make me be belov'd or Rich or Great Nor from my self shouldst me reclaim With all the noise and all the pomp of Fame Judiciously I 'le these despise Too small the Bargain and too great the price For them to cozen twice At length this secret I have learn'd Who will be happy must be unconcern'd Must all their comfort in their Bosom wear And seek their Power and their Treasure there 4. No other wealth will I aspire But that of Nature to admire Nor envy on a Lawrel will bestow Whilst I have any in my Garden grow And when I would be Great 'T is but ascending to a seat Which Nature in a lofty Rock has built A Throne as free from trouble as from Guilt Where when my soul her wings does raise Above what mortals fear or praise With Innocent and quiet Pride I 'le sit And see the humble VVaves pay tribute to my feet O! Life divine when free from joys diseas'd Not alwayes merry but 't is alwayes pleas'd 5. A Heart which is too great a thing To be a present for a Persian King Which God himself would have to be his Court And where bright Angels gladly would resort From its own height would much decline If this converse it should resign Ill natur'd VVorld for Thine Thy unwise rigour hath thy Empire lost It has not only set me free But it has let me see They only can of thy possession boast Who do enjoy thee least and
POEMS BY Several Persons DVBLIN Printed by John Crooke Printer to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty for Samuel Dancer next Door to the Bear and Ragged-Staffe in Castle-street 1663. To Mr. Cowley on his Davideis When to the VVorld thy Muse thou first didst show It caus'd in some VVonder and Sorrow too That such vast parts God unto Thee had sent And that they were not in his Praises spent But those which in this sacred Poem look Now find thy Blossoms for thy Fruit they took In differing Ages differing Muses shin'd Thy green the sence did feast thy ripe the Mind In this are met the most admir'd extreams The best of Poets and the best of Theams VVriting for Heaven thou art inspir'd from thence Thy Subject thus becomes thy Influence Scripture no more the Impious ear shall fright Now the best Duty is the best delight Thou dost the Dammin Duel so express VVe the Relation praise as the success Though there thy Hero did at once subdue Goliah Jonathan and Michal too That Act was Heavenly which at once could move That Brothers Friendship and that Sisters Love Great Jonathan in whom such Friendship shone That We like Him Prize it above a Throne Yet know not which in most esteem to hold The Friendship or the Friendship so well told His Character ne're reach'd its just Degree Unless when sung by David and by Thee He to a Friend such Acts can Friendship do The Crown did yield and kept the Friendship too VVhich clearly prov'd he for a Crown was fit If but because so well he yielded it But God gave him who best Mans worth does rate A Crown of Glory for a Crown of State He that with so much ease Goliah kill'd Does with more ease to Michals Beauty yield And higher satisfaction does express In this submission then in that success If we her Beauties owe not to thy wit Saul did his word excell in breaking it VVhose wrongs to David did a short way prove To Crown him both with Empire and with Love But how her eyes vast power can we suspect Since no less cause could show that great effect Yet since with such Resistless light they shone VVhich could not be but to her Father known VVhy did he Israel in such danger bring Her Eyes had done more then thy Hero's sling That but by death did act the Monsters fall But those alive had lead him unto Saul Lead him in Loves strong Bonds which all excel And are resistless as invisible But sure 't was fitter such a Nymph as she The Conquerour of his Conquerour should be And that those Lawrel Triumphs which he wore Should but see off her Mirtle Triumphs more Had Joab spoke such things as thou dost write He had been chief in Eloquence as fight David Goliah conquer'd by his sling But Joabs telling it did Moabs King Such an effect Fate ne're could have control'd The Act consider'd and how well 't was told What more by highest virtue could be wrought It conquer'd when it but Protection sought Thy Hero's virtue made it self amends For but one Foe it made and all else Friends His Musicks power so well thou dost Rehearse That still we hear it Charming in thy verse He made the Muses glorious by his Pen And They by Thine have made him so agen But where thou mak'st him Jonathan commend Thou show'st thy self great Poet and great Friend For of a brave Friend none could write so much But such a writer as is highly such But why doe'st Thou thy self and us so wrong As to begin and not conclude thy song For though thy Hero by thy verse is grown Much greater now then when he fill'd the Throne Yet place him there for thou whose lofty strain So well laments his wrongs shouldst sing his Reign Thy foes too Envy and thy Friends deplore Those that so much is writ these that no more To Orinda Madam VVHen I but knew you by report I fear'd the Praises of th' admiring Court Were but their Complements But now I must Confess what I thought Civil is scarce just For they imperfect Trophies to you raise You deserve Wonder and they pay but Praise A Praise which is as short of your great Due As all which yet have writ come short of you You to whom Wonder 's pay'd by double right Both for your Verses smoothness and their height In me it does not the least trouble breed That your fair Sex does Ours in Verse exceed Since every Poet this great Truth does prove Nothing so much inspires a Muse as Love Thence has your Sex the best Poetick Fires For what 's inspir'd must yield to what inspires And as our Sex resignes to yours the due So all of your bright Sex must yield to you Experience showes that never Fountain fed A stream which could ascend above its Head For those whose Wit fam'd Helicor does give To rise above its height durst never strive Their double Hill too though 't is often clear Yet often on it Clouds and Storms appear Let none admire then that the antient wit Shar'd in those Elements infused it Nor that your Muse then theirs ascends much higher She sharing in no Element but fire Past Ages could not think those things you do For their Hill was their Basis and Height too So that 't is Truth not Complement to tell Your lowest height their highest did excel Your nobler thoughts warm'd by a heav'nly Fire To their bright Centre constantly aspire And by the place to which they take their flight Leaves us no doubt from whence they have their light Your Merit has attain'd this high degree 'T is above Praise as much as Flattery And when in that we have drain'd all our store All grant from this nought can be distant more Though you have sung of Friendships power so well That you in that as well as wit excel Yet my own Interest obliges me To praise your practise more then Theory For by that kindness you your Friend did show The honour I obtain'd of knowing you In Pictures none hereafter will delight You draw more to the Life in Black and White The Pencil to your Pen must yield the place This draws the Soul where that draws but the Face Of blest Retirement such great truths you write That 't is my wish as much as your delight Our gratitude to praise it does think fit Since all you write are but effects of it You English Corneil's Pompey with such flame That you but raise our Wonder and his Fame If he could read it he like us would call The Copy greater then th' Original You cannot mend what is already done Unless you 'l finish what you have begun Who your Translation sees cannot but say That 't is Orinda's work and but his play The French to learn our Language now will seek To hear their greatest wit more nobly speak Rome too would grant were our tongue to her known Caesar speaks better in 't then in his own
when I hear her Voice both loud and sweet Where all imagin'd charms of sounds do meet One note calls my soul away And another bids it stay And I to every note cry I obey I the most solemn sentences of death Could gladly hear if but sung by her breath And in that doom would place my Joy and Pride If she would sing still as I dy'd But for her I 'de expire my soul as readily Might it but reach this immortality To live in her 's no otherwise than now And fate me that survivorship allow As the sweet steem of balm or what is sweeter far Her breath mix Natures with the common ayr Lydia 4. Calais now the sweetest youth That ever boasted love with truth Doth love for love to me return And both our hearts in equal ardours burn His love shall raise him monuments more high Then Chloes voice and all your Poetry To either of you can supply For him I 'de dye and dye again And suffer all th' Experiments of pain And would ev'n many lingring Deaths sustain That to his life a minute gain'd might be And in that minute sure hee 'd think of me For since to live the greatest lover is The highest step of Honour and of bliss When once I cease to live I that high fame to Calais give So when to love and death and him I yield And he with Conquest keeps the Field My name shall be too in his Triumphs crown'd Since I by dying make him so renown'd But know O death thou hast no dart So sharp as those of love which pierc'd my Heart I that have lov'd twice can dye once with case Death if compar'd with love 's but a disease 5. But Lydia what if I no trial make Of suffering death for Chloes sake Nor you for Calais and we retrive Those joyes our antient mutual love did give For it is very long ago Or at least to me seems so Since both our hearts a bright example shone For following lovers imitation And what if we our selves should prove Imitators of that love And again my Lydia's fame Obscure the Roman Ilia's name And Chloes voice and Chloes Lute Should be to me for ever mute And having been by wandring fires misled That in Chloes eyes were bred I walk in loves blest paths I knew before And Lydia's eyes do me to them restore As Trav'llers who by false fires lost their way At night the sun at last relieves by day 6. Though he be then the morning Star more bright Yet he shall vanish out of sight Like that star at the suns approaching light Though in the Sea there floats no peace of rind More light then is thy poor unsteady mind And though with ev'ry small occasions winde Your anger more tempestuous be Then the Adriatick Sea I 'le try if from the angry foam Venus a second time can come And my kind heart that to a wrack was near By false lights Calais his eyes did rear As those who dwell on Seacoasts oft betray Mariners that sail by night To rocks and Sands by a false Pharus light And so the shipwrack'd goods become their prey Now further than thy eyes shall never try A guiding Polar star to spy And if with thee I may but live and dye The powerfull Gods have done enough for me But if they can let them do more for thee Ode 1. I Often pray'd my uninspiring Muse That she would for me some great Subject choose Some Hero highly lov'd and highly fam'd Whose thoughts might raise my soul and make my verses live And as she ought then ORRERY she nam'd And said all to them would acceptance give If but of him they sung How e're my Lute were strung As men almost adorers prove Of Priests that for them worship Gods they love Do but said she recite matters of fact Tell but the things which he did act On the World's stage thus write of him and try If ev'ry thing thou write'st will not be great and high Fear not I will thy Name advance All great inventions were the births of chance No longer then with trembling gaze On the great Ocean of his praise But boldly through it make thy way And boldly there my Sovereign Power obey And as the needle is drawn by the North So his attractive virtues shall call forth Both North and South and all the World t' exalt his worth Though round the World none sail but loose a day Thou a poor minutes loss shalt never see Behold what I thy Muse will do for thee Sail here I say and gain Eternity 2. Thus spoke my Muse and straight I did acquire What I nere felt before Poetick fire And now it burns and now 't is upward bent To his high praise as its own Element And by his verses now I see What Wit is and what Wit can be Wit that does scorn to be admir'd as good But as such only would be understood Wit to make which as many things do go As did to make the World from Chaos grow Let there be wit when the first being sayes 't is so Wit that from all the Creatures tribute takes And them far richer and more glorious makes As the Earths steem we call the Ayr Helps the Sun's light and is thereby more fair He is a judicious Wit And has of things as Nature made them writ Just to the likeness of the Life he draws In colours too that proper are In verse he goes by Mathematick Laws Better proportion keeps then Durer farr Never Man writ so before Never Man will write so more Ah to be equal'd he has done too much For in all his Poetry The most impartial Eyes do see Corregio's sweetness Titians boulder touch 3. Great was his verse and great too was his Prose In both he did new Worlds of wit disclose The truth in his Romantick stories told Is but the Silver that allayes their Gold I once Romances dis-esteem'd And full of ill forg'd miracles they seem'd The Heroes they describ'd were such As either did too little or too much In such a glass should nature see her face She either would break that or break the glass This cannot be I cry'd This never yet was try'd And them as prose Burlesque I did deride But when I once read Parthenissa o're Weeping because I read it not before There I saw Natures restauration I saw it and I saw it on a Throne There if what 's Noble shall unpractic'd be The guilty World should blush not he There Greek and Roman Authors are more classick grown And give soft charming pleasures to the World Ore which those Empires Blood and Rapine hurl'd And there the fires and stings and wounds of love Sweeter then Life and then death stronger prove Thence Kings unborn shall learn to love and fight And noble things to do and noble things to write 1. Wonderful man who to the World conveys Of Love and Knowledge all the wayes He has a strange creating pen And can
too uncreate agen All the effects of that when he An Orator thinks fit to be Witness some English Senates where his words Did more then blunt the edge of Legislative swords They his words power like lightning felt And could not in their sheaths but melt And as he all the envious clouds broke through His words were Lightening and Thunder too A trembling in him I have seen When to speak he did begin But having then gone on it was not long Ere trembling seis'd on the attentive throng 'T was strange to see on one Man's tongue The Ears and Hearts of thousands hung 'T was strange that words should charm that were not sung 'T was strange a little ayr articulate Should bind ' Mens souls like chains of Fate But as ayr pent in th' Earth does Earthquakes make So did these Sons of Earth and all their models shake By that their souls did feel from what he spake And come what ever time can cause He by perswasion will give laws While men have ears and while his tongue is free He will perpetual Dictator be 5. Those Arts in which the Romans strove t' excel Fighting and speaking well By him their most renown'd effects have shown Valour and Wit have not been known To be an ordinary conjunction And curious Wits of fear admit Because then others they more dangersspy And it has seldom happened yet But they indulg'd some vice which made them loth to dye But long since he has learn't Lifes noblest use Which is at Fames call living to refuse Thus no Man can so well set off perfumes While in their mass as when he them consumes When Honour calls to take up arms There is loud musick in alarms Pale Death has lovely killing charms O at that call he answer'd still with haste Behold thy Lover fame said he Behold thy Lover Eccho'd Victory Th' assassinating Irish knives Through many English Throats had past Till by his sword he did revenge at last The God of Natures cause on Barbarous Rebells Lives 6. Nor is his conduct in affairs of State Then in the Wars less fortunate His Counsel is the prosperous breath of fate By doubtful words I 've many Statesmen known For Wisdom's Oracles to have gone O Wisdom that that then Wit we more mistaken see And plac'd by many in formality In being still impertinent with a grace And speaking nonsence with a solemn face In praising or in blaming former times Or thinking to amend the Ages crimes Perfectly what thou art I cannot tell But perfectly I know where thou dost dwell And 't is in ORREREY'S Capacious Brain Long may he live and then thou long wilt reign Nor does of Gold the thirst inflame his Breast But of that Luscious bliss of making others blest Gold that makes and unties the knots Of Statesmens suttlest Plots And makes them say the business may be done They swore before could never be begun Accursed Gold in whose Idolatry All Religions agree No Man once did so much prize As He alwayes did despise And wondred how it came to tempt the Wise And Business too that others makes Chagrin In his looks was never seen For they were alwayes clear And there nothing did appear But what was sweet serene bright and Divine Like Stars that give their influence and shine 7. Great ORRERY how can I make an end Of praising thee thee the most active Friend Which of few Statesmen can be said But thou a Statesmans Life hast led To shew that Friendship may consist with it Ah else for Devils power were only fit From the Addresses of a multitude VVhat pleasure could into thy thoughts intrude Thy thoughts which nature meant to entertain Angels and God and mankinds noblest uses Reasons great depths and at the worst the Muses Thou knewst the worship power can gain Is receiv'd and paid with pain And Beasts that came not willingly As offerings to fictitious Gods do dye By every Priest were disapprov'd How can that Beast the People then be lov'd That does but forc'd and feign'd oblations give To Gods true Viceroyes with designs to live But loe a Sacrifice thy self thou art And with thy Heaven on Earth for thy friends sake didst part Retirement where on smooth Seas quietly Thou might'st have pass'd from this World to the next And thee no Hirricans of fate perplext So does the vast Pacific Sea Reach to both VVorlds and is from dangers free That can from Storms or Rocks or Pirates be And there the equal trade winds blow And Ships nor met nor overtaen go And there the Pilot may the helm forsake And there long sleeps the passengers may make Till by shrill Trumpets sounds they gladly wake Christs passion 1. ENough my Muse of earthly things And inspirations but of wind Take up thy Lute and to it bind Loud and everlasting strings And on 'em play and to 'em sing The happy mournful stories The Lamentable glories Of the great Crucifyed King Mountainous heap of Wonders which do'st rise Till Earth thou joynest with the Skies Too large at bottom and at top too high To be half seen with mortal eye How shall I grasp this boundless thing What shall I play what shall I sing I 'le sing the mighty riddle of mysterious love Which neither wretched men below nor blessed Spirits above With all their Comments can explain How all the whole VVorld's Life to dye did not disdain 2. I 'le sing the Searchless depths of the Compassion Divine The depths unfathom'd yet By reasons Plummet and the line of Wit Too light the Plummet and too short the line How the Eternal Father did bestow His own Eternal Son as ransom for his foe I 'le sing aloud that all the World may hear The triumph of the buried Conquerour How hell was by its Pris'ner Captive led And the great slayer death slain by the dead 3. Methinks I hear of murthered men the voice Mixt with the Murderers confused noise Sound from the top of Calvary My greedy eyes fly up the Hill and see Who 't is hangs there the midmost of the three Oh how unlike the others he Look how he bends his gentle head with blessings from the tree His gratious hands ne're stretcht but to do good Are nail'd to the infamous wood And sinful Man do's fondly bind The Arms which he extends t' embrace all humane kind 4. Unhappy Man can'st thou stand by and see All this as patient as he Since he thy Sins does bear Make thou his sufferings thine own And weep and sigh and groan And beat thy Breast and tear Thy Garments and thy Hair And let thy grief and let thy love Through all thy bleeding bowels move Do'st thou not see thy Prince in Purple clad all o're Not purple brought from the Sidonian shore But made at home with richer gore Dost thou not see the Roses which adorne The thorny Garland by him worn Dost thou not see the horrid traces Of the sharp scourges rude embraces If yet thou feelest not