Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

And left them both, more in himself content,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Kill'd with report that old man eloquent.

Though later born than to have known the days
Wherein your father florifh'd, yet by you,
Madam, methinks I fee him living yet;
So-well your words his noble virtues praife,
That all both judge you to relate them true,,
And to poffefs them, honor'd Margaret.

XI.

10

On the detraction which followed upon my writing certain treatifes.

A book was writ of late call'd Tetrachordon,
And woven clofe, both matter, form and ftile;
The fubject new; it walk'd the town a while,
Numbering good intellects; now feldom por'd on.
Cries the ftall-reader, Blefs us! what a word on
A title-page is this! and fome in file
Stand fpelling false, while one might walk to Mile
End Green. Why is it harder, Sirs, than Gordon,
Colkitto, or Macdonnel, or Galasp ?

5

Thofe rugged names to our like mouths grow fleek, That would have made Quintilian ftare and grasp. Thy age, like ours, O Soul of Sir John Cheek,

Hated not learning worse than toad or asp,
When thou taught'ft Cambridge, and king Edward

Greek,

XII. On

XII.

On the fame.

I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs
By the known rules of ancient liberty,
When strait a barbarous noife environs me
Of owls and cuckoos, affes, apes, and dogs:
As when thofe hinds that were transform'd to frogs 5
Rail'd at Latona's twin-born progeny,

Which after held the fun and moon in fee.
But this is got by cafting pearl to hogs;

That bawl for freedom in their fenfelefs mood,

And ftill revolt when truth would fet them free. 10
Licence they mean when they cry Liberty;

For who loves that, must first be wife and good;
But from that mark how far they rove we fee
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.

XIII.

To Mr. H. LAWES on his Airs.

Harry, whofe tuneful and well-meafur'd fong
First taught our English mufic how to span
Words with just note and accent, not to scan
With Midas' ears, committing fhort and long ;
Thy worth and skill exempts thee from the throng, 5
With praise enough for envy to look wan;

To after-age thou shalt be writ the man,

That with fmooth air could'ft humour beft our tongue.

Thou

Thou honor'st verse, and verse must lend her wing
To honor thee, the priest of Phoebus' quire,
That tun'ft their happiest lines in hymn, or story.
Dante shall give fame leave to fet thee higher
Than his Cafella, whom he woo'd to fing,
Me tin the milder fhades of purgatory.

XIV.

On the religious memory of

10

Mrs. CATHARINE THOMSON, my chriftian friend, Deceas'd 16 Decem. 1646.

When faith and love, which parted from thee never, Had ripen'd thy just foul to dwell with God, Meekly thou didst refign this earthly load

Of death, call'd life; which us from life doth fever. Thy works and alms and all thy good endevor

Stay'd not behind, nor in the grave were trod ; But, as faith pointed with her golden rod, Follow'd thee up to joy and blifs for ever. Love led them on, and faith, who knew them best, Thy hand-maids, clad them o'er with purple beams And azure wings, that up they flew so drest, And spake the truth of thee on glorious themes Before the Judge, who thenceforth bid thee reft And drink thy fill of pure immortal streams.

5

VOL. III.

N

XV. To

XV.

To the Lord General FAIRFAX.

Fairfax, whose name in arms through Europe rings,
Filling each mouth with envy or with praise,
And all her jealous monarchs with amaze
And rumors loud, that daunt remotest kings,
Thy firm unfhaken virtue ever brings

Victory home, though new rebellions raise
Their Hydra heads, and the false North displays
Her broken league to imp their ferpent wings.
O yet a nobler task awaits thy hand,

(For what can war, but endless war still breed?) 10
Till truth and right from violence be freed,
And public faith clear'd from the shameful brand
Of public fraud. In vain doth valor bleed,
While avarice and rapin share the land.

XVI.

To the Lord General CROMWELL.

Cromwell, our chief of men, who through a cloud
Not of war only, but detractions rude,

Guided by faith and matchless fortitude,

To peace and truth thy glorious way haft plough'd, And on the neck of crowned fortune proud

Haft rear'd God's trophies, and his work pursued, While Darwen ftream with blood of Scots imbrued, And Dunbar field refounds thy praises loud,

5

And

Yet much remains

And Worcester's laureat wreath.
To conquer ftill; peace hath her victories
No lefs renown'd than war: new foes arise
Threatning to bind our fouls with fecular chains :
Help us to fave free confcience from the paw
Of hireling wolves, whofe gospel is their maw.

XVII.

To Sir HENRY VANE the younger.

Vane, young in years, but in fage counsel old,

Than whom a better fenator ne'er held

The helm of Rome, when gowns not arms repell'd
The fierce Epirot and the African bold,
Whether to fettle peace, or to unfold

The drift of hollow ftates hard to be fpell'd
Then to advise how war may best upheld
Move by her two main nerves, iron and gold,

In all her equipage: befides to know

ΙΟ

Both spiritual pow'r and civil, what each means, 10 What fevers each, thou haft learn'd, which few

have done :

The bounds of either fword to thee we owe :

Therefore on thy firm hand religion leans
In peace, and reckons thee her eldest fon.

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »