But in all else more secret Snares than we Till by them Caught shall ever know From this to clear it and restore To th' Garden what it had before And perfect Innocence add one Beauty more As there fall'n Man his Life first forfeited There to Redeem him first the Blood of God was shed VI. How grievous were his Pains there and how great Burning tho in the frosty shades of Night Shivering with Cold but in a Bloody Sweat And all dissolv'd at his approaching Passions Sight Thrice did He his Disciples leave And thrice to his Great Father pray'd Thrice to himself He answer made And by an Angel did support receive But O! th' Assaults that were within Compar'd with which his Bodies Flame Was temperate heat and scarce deserv'd the Name When in his Soul the Burning did begin And Hell to ' encrease the Fire did Mines of Brimstone bring A thousand Fiends about him flew And Coals and bailful Firebrand threw That seiz'd at length the noblest Part Beyond the weak defence of Nature or of Art And unconsum'd did only leave the Heart VII The Heart did unconsum'd remain By the Arch-Fiend With its own Grief to burst design'd When in the Judgment Hall again He should the Charge renew but all in vain Thither betray'd by 'a Kiss the Traytors bring With Fetters bound Heav'ns Sacred King Where being Cited and Blasphem'd Flouted Scourg'd Spat upon Derided and Contemn'd By them Revil'd deny'd by ' His own A Reed in ' his Hand his Head with Thorns they Crown And lead to Golgotha their God whom they ' had Condemn'd VIII Follow Muse if thou hast the heart and see What other Torments they prepare I know the utmost of their Cruelty And from thy Mouth had rather hear The sad Report than a Spectator be Yet that thou mayst not stand thy self surpriz'd Stript off his Clothes in Nakedness disguiz'd To th' Cross they 'll nail his Hands 't is said And bore with Nalls his tender Feet Then all his Sufferings to upbraid Cry If Thou art the Son of God let 's see 't Now from the Tree triumphantly come down Or reign thence like Thy self alone Or any other Wonder show Whereby Thy De'ity may be known And to its Scepter we will bow As if there greater Miracle could be Than all that Patience which they do but will not see IX Nor is this all but when He 's Dead His Side they 'll open with a Spear Approach the Wound and look what Blood is shed For it Mysterious will appear And be another Argument for thee next Year A better Spring will thence arise Than Helicon so Fam'd of old There bath thy self if thou art wise Nor fear in those chast Streams to be too bold But see be sure too long thou dost not stay For all the while Thou art away Tears only from these Eyes will flow And in my Fancy I shall double o're All that I have told thee now before And all that thou return'd will'st tell again and more Beside my Verse will fetter'd be and slow And want both Wings to flie and Feet to go 10. Martii 166â— EPIGRAM WHen my God Di'd I first began to Live And Life which he refus'd Heav'n me did give Unlike that Day O how unlike we were Him dead the Cross me ' alive the Knees did bear But may not I die too This life of mine I can as well as Thou dispise if not like Thine Ah dearest Lord this Legacy bestow A double Life then to Thy Death I 'll owe And sanctifi'd thus in my Birth by Thee A living Death my dying Life shall be 5. Decemb. 1668. An Extasie of Divine Love Aquesta Divina Vnion c. I. THat sacred Bond of Charity Wherein I uncorrupted Live Makes God the Captive Chain receive But my pinion'd Heart sets free Tho causing still such love in me To see Heav'ns King my Pris'ner lie That I die 'cause I cannot die II. How teadious now this Life is grown The way to Death how hard and long How dark the Dunge'on th' Ir'ns how strong With which my ' unwilling Soul 's kept down And has no trust but hope alone These thoughts my Troubles raise so high That I die 'cause I cannot die III. Bitter Life shalt thou be to me Where I my God can ne're enjoy But if my Love has no alloy My hope as try'd and pure may be Ah! come my Lord and set me free Take off this weight which makes me cry That I die 'cause I cannot die IV. By hope alone it is I Live Hope that I bear the seeds of Death And dying once a second Birth Secures that Hope and Life do's give O Death I 'll ne're thy coming grieve When Life succeeds through hope so nigh That I die 'cause I cannot die V. Who can the Charms of Love refuse Ah Life no more my Heart betray 'T is only thou stand'st in my way Which rather than my Love I 'll loose And Death for my great Champion choose So much alate thy Enemy That I die 'cause I cannot die VI. The Life alone that 's hid above Can of true Life the Title claim That Toy which here usurps the Name Its pleasure hides and deads our Love And a worse Foe than Death does prove Death for whose sake I Life so flie That I die 'cause I cannot die VII What can I give frail Life but thee To th' God who in me deigns to live Yet how can I the nothing give Till he first grants me Liberty O let me die his Face to see But that 's so distant from my Eye That I die 'cause I cannot die VIII Beside my God from thee away Who would not of a Life complain That terrible and full of pain Suffers a thousand Deaths each Day A Mortal but a slow decay And this so swells my Misery That I die 'cause I cannot die IX All Creatures love their Element And pleasure there enjoy and rest And if by Death they are disseas'd To their first nothing they are sent But I 'm beyond kind Death's extent And yet so many hardships try That I die 'cause I cannot die X. When in the Eucharist my dull Soul Eating thy Flesh it self would ease A thousand thoughts for entrance press And there not to enjoy Thee whole Whole and alone I a ' new condole For 't is the Voice of every Sigh That I die cause I cannot die XI I please my self i th' Hopes 't is true E're long my God of seeing Thee But fearing lest they false should be My Torments with my Fears renew And both so close my Soul pursue Hoping mid both so heartily That I die 'cause I cannot die XII Lord from this Death deliver me And Life thus beg'd at length bestow Why should I still be kept below Look how I die for love of Thee And since enjoy'd Thou canst not be In this Lifes death regard my cry That I die 'cause I cannot die XII My dying Life
ungraceful compos'd Air Save when she spake or laught but then betray'd A thousand Follies with prodigious glare For by a Glass she with a Shadow plaid Her self to whom she frequent Honours made And every glance which she design'd to cast And every look by that in order laid And to such troublesome Impertinence past That every little Word she thereby form'd at last L. Mirth was a Youth of beautiful regard With chearful Eyes plump downy Cheeks and Chin And nothing in his looks or strange or hard That if one by the Face could ought divine All Beauties there amass't did seem to shine All that can Man become or Love excite In Loves great Criticks the Sex Feminine All but i' th' Timorous whom his Whip did fright And more deterr than all his other Charms invite LI. For in his Hand a Bloody Discipline With many a' pointed Rowel stuck he bore And wherewith when unmark't he saw his time Backward reflecting he his Shoulders tore And the smooth Channel fill'd with purple gore But when or Folly call'd or Dalliance The fretting exercise he soon gave o're And as recovered from a sullen Trance Met with quick Eyes and amorous Look each smiling Glance LII Him Dalliance followed next a Damsel gay Of light behaviour as she well could feign And wantonly her Brest did open lay The Lover who came next to entertain Tho who the He were of her mighty Train She was not much solicitous to know Nor much to fancy him her self did pain For she like Favours did on all bestow And bonnour was to all how high so e're or low LIII A Night-Gown was the Habit which she wore Loosely clapt round her but so airy thin That through its light disguise appear'd the more What she ne're strove to hide her beauteous Skin And just proportion of each curious Limb With Impudence too luscious to be told And speech Lascivious when she did begin Which none but like her self unchast and bold Or unreprov'd could hear or unasham'd behold LIV. Next after her in order Genius came Of Body somewhat gross but Humour free Whom part call'd Comus as by his Sirname Tho both or either with him well agree Without whom Love nor merry Life can be A right good Fellow as his Belly show'd Which in a Swath reacht almost to his Knee And made him passage through th' admiring Crowd Which shouting to him louted as to them he bow'd LV. No wrinkle in his Counte'nance did appear Nor careful thought seem'd to come near his Mind Of what should be but things which present were Variously turn'd him as did sit the Wind And this way now now that way he inclin'd Tho if 't were still and sometime still it lay Diversions to himself he 'd make or find And sometimes only muse a live-long Day Tho askt on what he or nought knew or nought could say LVI These were the fairest Shews Loves entrance had And of the Pomp the sightliest Officers Who therefore next the Carr Triumphal staid But Spirits Incarnate were and all as fierce Provoke'd once as those Fatal Ministers Of his and more than his of th' Wrath Divine Which follow'd next with look and meen perverse A Grisly Horrid and Prodigious Trine Which hardly into shape Love could by ' his Art refine LVII Lust was the First but whether Man or Beast Or He or She one could by no means know For it both Sexes had and did invest Mankind above and Beast mishape'd below And slote divided did for ostent show With shaggy Hair the' whole Body cover'd o're And poysonous stench which he around did throw Undampt by th' Perfumes which the Satyre bore For so they call'd him and about him ever wore LVIII A very Satyr whom he nearest came In Face and Guise but in Deformity Excell'd the first of the' Family and Name And shameless was his Look and lew'd his Eye But sharp withal Beauties which cloyster'd lie First to discover then to circumvent By Clamour wherein low'd he was and high Nor could forbear as he in Triumph went Prime Visier of the Port and Loves chief Confident LIX Sin follow'd him who was his Eldest Son And only Child with place and dignity His Parents Titles suiting and his own But on his own he mostly did relie And all but what his own was did decry Would and did loudly against Lust declame As Impotent couragious to defie But who to Handy-blows or never came Or not with such effect as he to get a Name LX. For tho but one a thousand Heads he had And twice a thousand Hands boldly to fight An Army of himself and which he made Greater or less as the Cause did invite Love and Loves Good Old Cause was his delight Rebellion whose design to carry on Himself he variously as ' it hapt would dight A Beasts or Man's form take now and anon Angels or Fiends a multitude one be or none LXI But Death the third the same shape alway kept If Shape it might be call'd that shape had none Except in that half of him which foremost stept And to the view expos'd a side of Bone That seem'd with Skin to have been cloath'd upon And Musculage not many Days before For scarcely cleansed was the Skeleton And here and there appear'd fresh stains of Gore And gobbets of green flesh which from the joynts he tore LXII To'ther half was the Universe and all And every thing that in the World is found Which hastens or is ready at Death's call And are th' Ingredients which he does compound Or single or in Mass to give the Wound A dreadful Mixture and of which to tell Almost to think would th' greatest Wit confound For since the time that Man from Happi'ness fell They were collecting and had at the bottom Hell LXIII Where e're he came these were Loves Company With Train and Baggage which did far extend And Meny suiting so great Prince as He For Prince and God they call'd him tho Pure Fiend Unquiet Care which all his time did spend Himself to ' undo backt by Suspicion Then Impudence which did to Lechery lend His unchast Ear and Fury bad come on By Riotice drawn up and Irreligion LXIV Without door Danger and Distrust did wait And Fear that never was himself at rest Or others would permit their Watch to ' abate And Jealousie which tho he were possest Of what he lov'd for rage tore his own Breast And Lust unnatural and Villany And Revellings in thousand Anticks drest And Poverty in Rags clad piteously Calling aloud for Death which did th' unhappy fly LXV It fled him as one who from Love was fled Under the Disc'ipline if he had the skill To use it right of Sorrow seeming dead But which for a blest Life prepares Our will By that Repentance which Shame does instil Repentance the first step to Innocence Whose various parts it makes or does fulfil But whereof Lustful Minds have little sense Till Shame sum up the Total of the
is too loud for our purg'd Ear And dreadfully Thy scorching Lightnings shine That voice of Fire till the Great Day restrain Where to be slept out 't shall be strove in vain For even the Dead by it awak'd shall rise again The NATIVITY An Ode I. WHO would not envy if he durst your Grace Blest Shepherds to whom first the Tidings came That God who neither Time can bound nor Space Th' Almighty who upholds this rolling Frame Deign'd to be born and did the Breast imbrace Of the Worlds Maker made himself a Child And wrapt in swaths tho He whole Nature fill'd Too happy News this in the City to be told I' th' Palace and at Herods Court Where all the learned Father Jews resort E're it reach them let the report grow cold There 's too much Spleen and Malice there Hypocrisie Distrust and servile Fear Intemp'rance Lust Extortion Cruelty And if than these there greater Vices be Pride which of ills the worst pollutes the Air. The Country 'a better place God for his Birth did chuse Tho not so gay and Men more Innocent To whom Hee 'd show His great Descent And when He did Jerusalem refuse 'T was to recal the Ancient Time and Use When He to Man in Paradise first went That He to Peace and Justice might the preference give And all the Graces that i th' Country safely live And lest the Truth should be deny'd i th' Country Hee 'd be Born but in the City Dy'd II. Fear not O Shepherds th' Angel said And need there was to bid them not to fear Since greater Souls than theirs might be afraid That God unlookt for should approach so near And full Spring-tides of Light at Midnights Ebb appear For Night it was and posting tow'rds the Day Grown darker on a sudden than before The Shepherds by their Flocks expecting lay Till their bright Star should ope ' the Mornings Door When Lo a brighter Star brake out And sacred Beams Angelic Forms did show Fairer than thousand Suns tho all about They their united Flames should throw 'T was Gabriel who the Message brought To the ' ever Virgin that she should conceive Gabriel who now the happy Minute taught When his Great Lord the Father's Throne did leave A Body fitted for him to receive Bright in His Princes glory bright in ' His own All clad in Hallow'd Light came down Embassador of God and Herald to His Son III. On Heavens high Top awhile He stood And view'd all Palestine around All Palestine in sleep lay drown'd Eve'n Jordan slumbred to the murmurs of his Flood Nor voice of Man nor noise of Dogs was heard The bowing Mountains seem'd to nod And at the Presence of their God Who o're them wav'd his All-commanding Rod Inclin'd their Heads and the great Spell rever'd Each Field each Hill did rest And equal Night possest The painful Labourer and his weary Beast Bethle'hem alone this Transient Death surviv'd And in her Plains some liv'd Yet whom the Sight did so surprize They hardly durst believe their Eyes Yet durst not but believe and sent to Heav'n their cries IV. So at the last Day shall there some be found To hear alive the Trumpets dreadful sound Amaz'd and trembling shall they stand Feel on themselves a Powerful Hand And willing or unwilling take the great Command Be chang'd 't will say ye Living and ye Dead Wake and arise and to the Judgment come The Living soon as e're the word is sed Shall feel the Terrors they did dread And without help of Death or Grave reach their Eternal Home The Dead with their own Bodies shall arise And then the Earth and Sea and Skies The scatter'd Atomes shall restore Of Bodies which they did devour To joyn with parted Souls but never to be parted more No guilty Criminal his Face shall hide Or undiscovered the great Judg avoid But from his Hold tho self-condemn'd come and be tri'd V. Nature it self shall to ' its old nothing roll And then Heav'ns beauteous Scroll With all the Mistic Notes that there Writ by the Hand Divine So wondrous and and so bright appear Shall in one flame with Earth and Sea more dreadful shine Like that which once the Prophet sent To Judahs stubborn King A while he heard the Woes but grown impatient With Hands prophane the Parchment rent And into th' Fire the sever'd parts did sling And there they crackled there did together shrink Till all-consum'd they were to Ashes burn'd Ah! sottish Prince and vain to think Decrees of Heav'n so easily overturn'd Lo God himself resents the wrong Thy self shall be the subject of a longer Roll ere long VI. And so he was for by the dread Command A larger Roll the Prophet did prepare By th' same Command another Heav'n more fair In place of this when 't is consum'd shall stand And there the Thrones shall be for Judgment set From awful which the Son with Majesty And doubled Grace shall Reign illustriously In his own Godhead and th' Exalted Manhood great All Nations then and Languages The Rich the Poor the Simple and the Wise With all who Tents inhabited or Palaces Naked to the Bar shall rise And answer each Man to his name Distinctions shall aside be thrown Nor Kings be by their Scepters known Or the great Houses which they made or whence they came Around the Bar shall Angels wait For Execution arm'd and cloth'd for state Sole ministers of Wrath who only were of Love alate VII Thither O Muse thither bring back my Song From which thou wandred hast too long Of Gabriel and his second Message sing Who now upon the Wing The happiest News e're heard by mortal ears does bring Attend he said and those glad Tidings hear Good Tidings and of great Joy which shall be Not unto you alone Or from the Father to the Son For one descent alone continued down But unto all who are to come or wisht this day to see For Lo to you is Born this Day A Saviour which is Christ the Lord In David's Town which long expecting lay Promis'd Messiah and th' Incarnate Word To Day He â—s Born and this shall be the Sign By which the Mighty Infant shall be found In Swadling Clothes he shall lie bound And in a Manger rests the Babe Divine Never was Sight of equal Fame Not the first Man of God-like Frame For God himself thus Born a Mortal Man became VIII He spake and with him strait were seen Myriads of Angels in their best Array Myriads of Angels who kept Holy-day And all their Glories did display No Cloud to ' eclipse the Lustre came between And then they Danc'd and then they Sang Praises themselves did first compose The Starry Vault with the loud Eccho rang And the whole Concert doubled o're this close Glory to God on High i th' highest great Jehovah bless Good Will t'wards Men on Earth be Peace Glory to God on High And may this Round begun thus last Eternally And up
vast expence LXVI Death such a Bankrupt therefore flies Hasting to those who call'd or call'd him not By Loves own Hands crown'd for the Sacrifice And or pursue'd or i' th' pursuit were hot E're well aware to th' end of all things got By Death inglorious and with Infamy Of most Luxurious Livers the hard lot Yet which Love colour'd with such Maistery That the most follow'd what the most did seem to flie LXVII For Love had thousand Deaths at his command And every Lover might his own Fate make Which some did but by'a way so under-hand That from the praise of Love it much did take And many 'a Lover lost he for their sake Tho such he pleaded were by him giv'n o're If all might be believ'd which then Love spake Nor could to his account be reckoned more Than if thus or a Natural Death they dy'd before LXVIII Be the Point therefore as it will for me Who list not further of it here to tell Enough are Lovers Deaths we daily see And so 't was then a Songs scant bounds to swell Nor yet for Love or them contriv'd so well But that one midst the Pomp might easily find The Mighty by whose cruel Hands they fell And Verdict give the Murther was design'd By th' Pains they felt before Reproach they left behind LXIX Pains more than can of Mortal Tongue be told And sharper than e're Tyran did invent Which the whole Man did in strait Fetters hold Till tortur'd Nature quite worn out was spent Of Love the Guerdon and the Punishment Yet Tyrans Racks found out the Pale and Wheel And Fire and all that can by Fire torment Or be prepar'd th' â—x and derr-doing Steel But make no wounds all set with those which Lovers feel LXX Thrice and than thrice more wretched state of Love When Innocence and Truth to Heav'n were gone But seve'n times wretcheder it yet did prove When this Mock-love wholly usurpt the Throne As he ' after did and single reign'd alone With Name and Pow'r alike usurpt yet was Ah! What not was he But 't is time to ' have done With him who can to Verse give little grace And in another Canto to the True Love pass 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE LEGEND OF LOVE CANTO III. I. TIRE'D with the Way I have already gone Longer by many a Stage than setting out I thought it would have prov'd and where there 's none To guide me in the search I am about How well I shall succeed is my great doubt Who almost of the Enterprize repent Wishing I better of it first had thought At least before me some Espials sent Who might have told the hazard of the bold Attempt II. But to repent alas 't is now too late And in the last Act fail a wrong to Love Which in another I should surely hate And cannot in my self unblam'd approve What Arguments so e're Distrust may move Which many cogent seem and weighty all But all which by this singleâ—One I reprove That well if well if ill succeed I shall 'T is not inglorious from the noblest heights to fall III. But help me Love and I 'll not yet despair For other Muse I dare not invocate None but thy Self with whom the Treasures are Of bright Idaeas tho discover'd late To me who half my time in Darkness sat Ylamped only by a Foolish Fire Whose wandring guidance I now deprecate Led by it often and my vain desire To whence I could not till Thy Day brake out retire IV. At length it brake out and I came to know How wofully I had mistook my Way Shine forth again with double Glory now And in my Verse Thy fairest Beams display That others with me in it triumph may And having their Night Sullys thence refin'd Carol with sacred Hymn's to th' Beauteous Day Carol to Thee by Heav'n and God design'd The Counterfeit to ' uncase and Eyes restore the Blind V. LONG had the Mock-love by his false disguise Upon the Credulous World impos'd but more Upon himself if he had been so wise To think how much 't would cost him to restore And what by tort he ' had snatcht a new pay o're But this alas came seldom in his thought Rather perverse still as he was before The World which he had into Bondage brought Eternally to ' enthral was th' only Prize he sought VI. This was his aim nor to rebate it found Save Prophecies of a Supplauters race Which well he knew not and could worse expound Wherein the happy Country was the place Whence was foretold should come his great disgrace But when or how tho himself Oracles gave Too hard to be resolv'd was the dark case Nor could he any certain knowledg have Who should the Mighty Conqueror be his Thralls to ' unslave VII The happy Country well enough he knew Part of his Syria to be ' hight Palestine Wherefore he thither his Chief Forces drew And seiz'd it first by 'a more than double Trine Of cursed Nations from the Great Chams Line Cham who first gave him credit by his Arms And then his Empire to him did resign Cham whom he thus rewarded for the harms He had sustain'd to be Camp-Master of his Charms VIII Seven cursed Nations of his cursed Seed To be its constant Guard Love thither sent Who â—â—ll'd the Land so with their cursed Breed That scarce was left him room for his own Tent Less for new Col'onies if such thither went A stup d bestial and unmanly Rout That all their Age in Lusts unnatural spent Till the time came their Land should spue them out Too long opprest and bring the dread Foresight about IX Lovâ— saw it coming and began to fear When Jacob's numerous Host from Bondage led Unto the Cananitish bounds drew near Seising the Nations with unusual Dread While Seas to make them way rose up and fled But never did he more confounded stand Than when he Jordan saw recoil to ' his Head And to new Armies shar'd by Lot his Land Supplanted e're he did th' Supplanters understand X. Before he doubted those would prove the Men And therefore when they were upon the Way From Madian drest a Female Stratagem By which above two Myriads slaughter'd lay Tho Madian for it after dear did pay And he who gave the Counsel with them fell Balam their Priest and his the Sword did slay To expiate for th' Whoredoms he did sell And more advise than by Prophetic rage foretel XI But then he knew it and in every Age As Israel did in wealth and power encrease New Wars would with the Holy People wage Wars Amorous the sad result of Peace Nor his Assaults defeated oft surcease Till David was exalted to the Throne With Testimony that he God did please As Enoch had and then Love gave for gone All he before had gain'd and by his Conquests won XII Ah! that it had been gone and that his sway Had here expir'd But Jesses Son soon fell A victim at his Altars