our Parents drew the Sin Which we must wash and purge away with tears Of Penitence which guilty Souls still clears Or else we can't unspotted Garments keep Nor please our Lord the Shepherd of his Sheep Turn then O turn to God repent your Crimes That Christ may own you in the latter times A Hymn of Confession 1. GOod God! In what an everlasting gire My black and loathsome sins go round They pass the num'rous Sands o' th' shore Nor are the Stars of Heaven more Yet still encrease they more abound And ev'ry day doth raise the number higher 2. Oh! Rouze my sleepy Soul A stronger guard Thy watchful Enemies require Still stand prepared with thy arms T' oppose the Devil and his Charms And when thy subtle Foe creeps nigher Strait with the Shield of Faith his force retard 3. How long wilt thou th' Aegyptian darkness love How long intend'st to live secure How long the light of Goshan spurn Wilt from thy obscure ways ne're turn How can'st such Labyrinths endure Where light ly's hid and thou i' th' dark dost rove 4. With speed prevent this steep descent of Hell This Precipice tread on no more Climb up again repent thy fall And for God's boundless mercy call Then He 'll forgive thy sins before And Satan's future onsets will repel Another 1. TOo long O Lord for Earthly Vanities I 've been a Candidate 'T was worse than Hell or fate To live reserv'd for Heav'n and leave my toys With magick charms they tic'd me on Obscuring their delusion 2. Those Circe's-Cups Those Syren-Songs of sin Allur'd my Soul away Pleasing when they 'd destroy But now kind Heav'n their betray'd Snares begin To shew a treach'rous Scene of woes The precipice of my repose 3. Good God! What trifles did my Soul pursue On what weak grounds I stood Bubbles or worse I woo'd Fate Death and Hell these pleasures would ensue Dead in sin charm'd with toys no care For an Immortal Life I 'd spare 4. O mighty Lord in what prepost'rous ways Was my blind Soul then lead Bow down Bow down my head Bend Bend my Knees Implore my hands Thy praise My Tongue sing forth and mercy crave Mercy which doth poor peccants save 5. I now O Lord divorce those blandishments That thus to sin entice Away begone black Vice My purged Breast no more shall prove your Tents To thee great God! my Heart doth soar Guide then that it relapse no more My PRAYER MY God! My God! who dwel'st in Heav'n above And yet vouchsaf'st to us poor Worms thy love Accept Accept a truly contrite heart And to my early Pray'rs thy Ears impart Prevent O Lord prevent my sinful ways And turn my heart from all these Earthly toys Direct direct my sliding steps to thee And still preserve me from sin's Lethargie O purge my Soul and the Old Man divorce Guard me with Angels and damp Satan's force Let me O Lord no more sin's Vassal be But keep me from Satan's temptations free To Faith and Righteousness my heart incline And let thy dictates still my will confine So that when I have led a godly Life And well have finished my Warlike strife And thou O Lord art pleas'd to call away My Soul to thee to tast of Heav'nly Joy I may it cheerfully to thee restore And joyfully to thy Tribunal soar Where I through Christ may absolution have And through thy mercy Crowns of glory crave There with thy Choirs of Angels sing always Praises to thee until the latter days When Heav'n and Earth shall in confusion ly And Christ shall come in his bright Majesty And in Jehoshaphat Assizes keep When the last Trump shall rowze all those that sleep And Summon in all Nations to appear In Judgment their last Sentence now to hear Where all to give a strict account must come Some to receive their Bliss and some their doom Then then let me O God! on thy right hand Amongst th' Elected Saints in glory stand And when each Judgment 's giv'n take me with thee Enjoying thy bright presence still to be Vale Musis 1. FArewel ye fair Inspirers of Man's Soul Farewel O sacred Muse Adieu Adieu Tho' I could rather choose To dwell with you Did Heav'n by Contra's not my will controul 2. To Law I 'm call'd Then must I not obey What Heav'n for me ordains Let Fancy fret Confin'd in golden Chains No more I 'll treat My fruitless Muse at best a pleasing toy FINIS
Man. LO Lo how creeps the long-liv'd Man Whose time 's reduc'd into a span Whose days are spent Lo Lo I seek the Port of bliss And am of Life it self remiss To dy content My only Pray'r is present death O God receive my latest breath O let me dy You 'll thus exterminate my grief And to my Soul bring kind relief O hear my Cry My fatal Thread is spun fie fie O Atropes cut off that May be at rest My Life is worse than Death In vain I cry for help what horrid pain Doth me invest The Sons of Art can find no Cure To heal those pangs which I endure O wretched State Death's stroke's my only remedie How glad how willing should I be T' imbrace my Fate Pandora's Troops do sound Alarms And for my Blood do whet their Arms And Battle give They captivate my trembling parts And wound each Member with their Darts But yet I live How oft I 've call'd upon the Grave With tott'ring steps my limbs to crave Before this day When Nature first began to faint And with her self all joys did taint And drive away My Senses fly my Spirits fall A burthen to my self and all I am now made I cannot taste the daintiest meat I can't distinguish what I eat Be 't good or bad My deafer Ears are stopt up quite Hence Musick proves a dull delight ' Cause 't is not heard My bleer Eyes lose their sight and close As tho' they 're going to repose Yet do retard Alas Alas All joys do go And pleasure 's turn'd to grief and woe May I then dy So that these horrid pains may cease And I at length may be at ease From misery Lo Lo how like a Lamb I dy Without regret a screak or cry Worn out with years I have now run this mortal race I will Christ now in Heav'n embrace who 'll wipe my tears Time brings all to the Grave HOW fleet do Minutes post away How soon the Glass runs out the Day The Morning draws the Noon puts on The Sun doth set the Day is gone And thus the Year is wheel'd about And thus Man's Thread is soon spun out And Death draws nigh Which is a Debt we all must pay Whose pow'r we all must once obey Sceptres and Crowns must yield to Death And Kings with Peasants lose their Breath The pious Saint receives his Fate And stoutest Hectors change their state For all must dye Impartial Death we can't appease With Hecatombs nor get release By all our Sacred Piety Nor can with threats her terrify But all must visit Charon's Boat And o'r the Stygian Waters float When she invades We must once leave all Earthly Toys And vanish from these frailer Joys For Death O Man thy self prepare That thou thy Fate t' embrace may'st dare And ne'r for this thy short Life grieve But live to dye and dye to live In happy Shades A Farewel to Fortune FOrtune farewel No more I 'll court thy Shrine Nor shall thy Smiles my vassal heart combine Thou fickle Goddess of these Earthly Dregs I thee contemn and scorn thy falsest Leagues Why doth the foolish World so dote on thee As though thou wert the greatest Deity I can't nor will not such a one adore And for thy frail inconstant Gifts implore Thou never constant ' less in motion prov'st And now dost hate whom once thou dearly lov'dst If now thou smil'st thou strait wilt grimly frown And whom thou 'st rais'd to day thou 't soon cast down Hence Princes tho' long flourishing in Thrones At length lament their Fate with woful Groans All Mortals who now Fortune's Gifts enjoy E're long will know how quick they fly away I 'll therefore stedfast Vertue 's face adore And hence above this fickle Goddess soar Where me her furious Storms cannot injure But I 'll despise her empty Blasts secure Her Onsets I 'll beat back with Vertue 's Shield For Vertue can to Fortune's Power ne'r yield Qui non est hodie cras minùs aptus erit SO ho thou Fool that dost let loose the reins Whilst lively blood doth boil in youthful veins And think'st thou may'st them time enough recal In latter days before thy deadly Fall Unless thou 'lt sleep secure and pleasures take Till the last sounding Trump doth thee awake Disperse with speed the dismal Clouds of Vice And crush i' th' Egg the priding Cockatrice Begin to day to leave thy evil ways And to divorce thy vain and sinful toys By long delays for they 'll habitual grow And ev'ry hour will greater force bestow Vice like Diseases craves more timely Cures And long being nurs'd no remedy endures He that neglects to purge his Soul to day His Vices him to morrow will more sway But grant thou may'st to Good at length return And all thy former ways and follies spurn Thou can'st not tell but Death may sweep away And put a period to thy Life this day Non est mortale quod opto LET doting Worldlings seek w th grov'ling eyes These vain and earthly Dregs as th' only prize Let Misers with poor Gold fill up their Chests And amplifie their Stocks with â—areful Brests Let Honour's Minions up to Heaven soar Let Statesmen pride and domineer in pow'r Let Beauty's Darling boast of 's Symmetrie And joy because there 's none so fair as he But know they this they will themselves deceive When suddenly these Toys will take their leave Riches have Wings and straight do fly away Honour 's the Darling but of one short day Beauty like Lightning but salutes our eyes With one bright flash and then falls sick and dyes Such vain and frailer Goods I don't admire Nor do such pamphlet trifling Toys desire Immortal Vertue is my only Aim Whereby t' all Ages I 'll extend my Fame Beauty Wealth Honours pass away like Shades But Vertue keeps alive when Death invades Hic vivimus ambitiosâ Paupertate omnes THE poorest Irus here ambitious grows And on his Back now all his Wealth bestows That like a Croesus gay he might appear T' th' World and in his Purple domineer And tho' his meanness should these thoughts suppress He 'll pride and leave the World the rest to guess His Outside proves a Royal Ornament When with poor Food his Belly is content His sordid House perhaps is all of Clay And wants provision for the present day Nay more perhaps he 's o'r-head plung'd in debt And knows not how from Us'rers Bonds to get Thus Beggars fain would wealthy Courtiers seem And eager seek a Gentleman's esteem Go to Thou Fool thy Tyrian Robes now buy And tho' thou' rt poor yet boast of Gallantry At length thou like the priding Jay wilt know When thou art stript of these bright plumes thy wo. 'T is better still a Medium to pursue And live to day like as to morrow too Qui suum jactat genus aliena laudat WHY dost thou boast O Spark of Pedigree And claim thy Parents worth thy own to be
Your Seed to emulate the Stars on high That like fresh Olive-branches you may see Your Children round you smile each in 's degree But hark O Bride What makes Vermilion now More rise in thy fair Cheeks The lovely Snow Is courted by the Rose to melt away Why dost thou blush Doth Fire oppose delay Just like the Phoenix in her spicy Nest Thou flutter'st in thy Bed Thy flagrant Breast Will strait break forth in flames Thy ardent zeal Thy blushing front no longer will conceal My tedious Muse shall not therefore defer Your joys no more nor longer shall occur Your burning Hectics Lo the Torch expires And doth not flame so much as your desires Hence giving you all joy we bid good night And leave you to embrace your Souls delight Of the Powder-Plot WHat Hellish Furies do infest this Age Where Plots Rebellion Death and Murther rage Megaera and her Consorts now presume To leave their Seats the more to urge our doom Astrea's fled nor will she more be seen Since Hell to Earth has brought her Tragick Scene The Devil sure these projects did contrive For from no other Font they can derive Themselves No treach'rous forlorn Catiline Did e're such fatal storms for Rome design No Mimas e're did think on such an act Nor could such Hellish Tortures e're compact Bloody thrice bloody Tyrants who would fain Thus sacred Purple with black Sables stain And this great Nation utterly confuse As tho' this Realm i' th' Chaos they 'd reduce No time to soften grief by just degrees But like a Hurricane on Indian Seas The furious Tempest was design'd t' have rose Whose blast should bring a sudden burst of woes They 'd give no symptoms by a lightning flash But would puff up with one grand thund'ring crash The best of Kings and all 's heroick Peers As tho' they 'd force them to their proper Spheres But Heaven's prudent Senate mov'd to see Such horrid hateful thoughts of treachery With speed consulted to prevent our fate And these their damn'd designs t' infatuate Hence Heav'n's bright Beams all secret Clouds away Did drive and Night was turn'd to splendent Day Their cursed projects plainly did appear And they the works of their own hands did bear Nor was there ever any Law more just Than that such tempts should foil their Authors first Who dare like th' old Gigantic Brood rebel ' Gainst Jove and will not in subjection dwell Go to now Traytors lay your secret snares Attempt great Monarchs whosoe're now dares Angels are Guardians of that sacred Name And Heav'n provides for its Vice-gerent's Fame Against false Report WHat crafty Sphinx new Riddles doth propose Or what Chimaera various shapes now shows Oh! 'T is Report she is a Monster grown Whose Fangs like Cadmus Serpent's teeth when sown Spring up to arms and strait do tumults cause Contemning Mans and scorning Nature's Laws Chamaelion-like on empty air she feeds And more depends on fancy than an deeds She Proteus-like doth ev'ry moment change And never constant in one tone doth range But variously she out of envious spite With her curst sting poor Mortals doth backbite She always loves beyond the truth to glide Whence she to Dev'lish Lying is ally'd For Rumours still by rouling to and fro Increase like Snow-Balls and do greater grow This fertile Hydra when once seis'd the Field Cannot by any Hercules be kill'd O then that she would first of all destroy Those that for her do first invent the way Of my Change to a City Life WHY am I plung'd in this Abyss of woes Are these O cruel Fates your secret blows Do you like Cupid throw your silent Dart And where there is no cause yet wound the Heart If I 've deserv'd to spend my hours in pain And never to enjoy my self again Why doth not thunder rend the yielding Skies And Lightning dart its vengeance on mine Eyes That to Jove's wrath a Victim I might fall Then this would put a period to all But here confin'd in close Imprisonment I 'm forc'd to lead my Life in discontent Whilst tedious hours do pass as dull away As theirs who are confined from their Joy To whom with sighs they send their ravish'd Souls And mount 'em up unto the azure Poles No joys no sweet Parenthesis of ease These pompous Objects can't my Soul appease Where Tow'rs and Top-knots cloud the glimmering Skies And painted Beauty dazzles weaker Eyes If this Men count true happiness there 's none Where pain succeeds as soon as pleasure 's gone Ah happy Spark that courts his Country Lass Whose native Beauty needs no paint nor glass And near Sabrina's gentle murm'ring strearns Lies down and sleeps and of his fair one dreams O then that the kind Gods would deign my Eyes Once more to see this blessed Paradise Where pleasure flows and unconfined Springs Where ev'ry object an Elysium brings A Jear to a High-flown Lady ' GAd Madam tho' your Poets seem to raise Up for your Ex'lence Mountanies of praise And feign that you are constant kind and fair I 'll swear by Jove they only Flatt'rers are For Faith your fancy d Beauty 's not so great That it may merit of a Clown a Treat You think your Crystal Eyes do charm each Heart When your whole Fabrick is scarce worth a F And if you please to view your Face i' th' Glass Your self will say with me 't is all my N Nor could I e're experience you were kind But troth you are as constant as the Wind The crisped Waves that o're the Ocean rove Are not so fickle as your sighs and love But don't take snuff tho' I now tell you true You 're a fine Scar-crow But what if you do Come then trust Sycophantic Pens no more Suppress your Pride and your defects deplore For if you do believe each fawning Fop By Jove you are as senseless as a Sop. To his Valentine MAdam when you from Fortune's Urn did draw My Name as yours you gave a double Law. Your Beauty did one Obligation lay Your Highness did transport me quite away That one so meritorious and divine Should have so mean so low a Valentine The thundring Monarch of th' Immortal Crew Had been a fitter Valentine for you Blind Fortune's hand did erre else with a kiss Great Jove from Heav'n had you saluted his Ah Chance why did'st so fair a Nymph degrade Why did the Lot of Heav'n her hand evade Can I those sacred merits parallel Which all the Fabricks upon Earth excel Thus Fortune thy promiscuous hand doth love To mix poor Mortals with the Pow'rs above But since fair Madam Chance so rul'd your hand And you vouchsaf'd your unmeet Lot to stand This meaner Sacrifice pray don 't refuse Which at your Altar for acceptance sues The Memorandum SInce you Dear Soul by envious Fate 's decree Must leave our Coasts and like an Eaglet flee To some bright beauteous Sphere take this with you And place it there where lies a heart that 's
blest Throne he sits in now Before he seiz'd he did acquire below So falls this Pharaoh's Tow'r our Ages cost I' th' dust so this Ephesian Temple's tost Whose great renowned Fame shall never dy But prove the Mirror of Eternity But oh our Fate Why did'st Dear Saint so soon Turn from our Eyes thy Morning Beams to Noon We now like Hermites live all desolate Depriv'd of thee we 've lost our happy State. Like Adam when expell'd from Paradise We rove in Desarts and can find no bliss We like Heraclitus do nought but mourn And water with our tears thy silent Urn But oh that hence we Phoenix-like could bring Out of thy ashes a new Soul to spring Whose Numen might triumph o're conquer'd Fate And all our fading Joys refuscitate But ah how vain 's our wish Death's fatal stroke When once is giv'n we never can revoke O cruel Fate Could'st thou not pitch thy Toyl For other preys Must thy black doom assail This starry Sphere Do not ten thousand ly Who fondly court their Fate yet cannot dy Than him we might a Myriad better spare Whose breath and name like bubbles in the air Might vanish and the World yet feel no wo He was our Phosphore and Palladium too His worth whole Millions did preponderate Hence he so soon was struck by envious Fate So that if any one would sphere on high Transcending all he must resolve to dy For Herriot-like Fate loves to seize the best She takes them first to mend she leaves the rest Now in what Eulogies my Muse doth faint And can't express thy worth pardon Dear Saint Pardon I beg In matters so sublime To be deficient may not seem a crime But where my Pen enough can't celebrate Let Fame's shrill Trump the rest ebuccinate An Elegie on the Death of his Grace the Duke of Ormond deceas'd July the 20th 1688. WHen Heav'n's bright Orb withdraws his ruddy Face And Nights black Scene invades the World apace How do the Persians veil their streaming Eyes And still emplore their flying God with cries So when our radiant Earthly Stars do fall Their horrid Fate lamented is by all Whose stony hearts are not enmarbl'd round And where a place for pity may be found Thus all now mourn cause the great Ormond's dead Ormond with whom now all our joys are fled Ah Tragic Scene Tears sparkle in our Eyes And with sad groans we all do sympathize The Marble melts through grief The Rocks rebound And from all Coasts most doleful shrieks resound The Court which sparkling Jewels did adorn In Sables is now drest in blacks doth mourn Whilst all the Great Ones Eyes do silent weep Which manifests their sorrow 's the more deep Nor is it e're to be compris'd in Verse How many Mourners did pursue his Herse But should we all our Tribute-tears now pay Equal to 's worth and our own loss this day The Strand would like the Thames with Water flow And ev'ry street would a deep River grow White-Hall would feed the streams with new supplies And to make Waves would vent out deep-fetcht sighs Since he from noble Veins deriv'd his Blood He by great acts his Pedigree made good If Loyalty on Earth hath now esteem It 's Magazine was situate in him No greater loss could on our State befal He was the great Palladium of all His sacred Vertue did transcend each Sphere He dwelt in Heaven when he sojourn'd here No Pride no Pomp nor praise puft up his Soul 'T was Zeal that wing'd him to the Starry Pole. Humility her Darling might him call So ready he would condescend to all If Honour then and Vertue e're in One Conjoin'd he was that Heav'nly One alone Divine Poems AND HYMNS Divine Poems AND HYMNS A Penitential Hymn 1. AWake Awake my drowsy Soul How long wilt sleep secure Shall nothing nothing thee controul Dost rest Oh! this is pure When Hell for thee doth gape her thirsty jaws And Satan threatens with his angry Paws 2. Break forth my Breast in sudden cries Prevent th' approaching woes Rouze alas rouze my slumb'ring Eyes Will ye for ever close Ah! Gush forth tears deplore those fruitless ways Wherein I foolish spent my former days 3. The dying Tree doth now revive And I forsaking Death Do now begin to seem alive And draw my wav'ring breath I 'll triumph now and drown my crimes in tears I 'll trust in God and cast off Hellish fears 4. Begon O works of darkness fly No more I 'll call you mine I now shake off sin's Lethargy And am O Lord all thine O guide me therefore in these steps to thee And grant that I thy Servant still may be A Spiritual Hymn 1. O Greatest God! O Highest Pow'r Mercy afford O mighty Lord Who dwell'st in the Coelestial Tow'r 2. The Heav'n The Earth doth thee obey Thou calm'st the Waves Thou free'st sin 's Slaves O're all things thou dost bear the sway 3. O cleanse me from Sin 's Leprosie O purge my heart And ev'ry part Let me no more sin's Vassal be 4. O wash O wash away each spot Let not one stain In me remain And all my former Crimes out blot 5. My Soul O Lord create anew And pure like thee O let it be That I thy wond'rous works may shew 6. In thee my God! I 'll put my trust I 'll serve thee still And fear none ill Let envious Satan do his worst 7. My God! My God! I 'll spread thy Fame I 'll sing always Hallelujahs And will for ever praise thy Name Penitence PUT on O Muse a penitential hue And with Castalian drops thy Face bedew That with a weeping show'r of mournful Verse I may the praise of penitence rehearse Welcome O pleasing Legacy of tears Welcome deep sighs which pierce the Heav'nly Spheres A contrite heart is Heav'n's best Sacrifice Acceptable'st in great Jehovah's Eyes The Cordial of Repentance doth revive Our Souls being dead in sin tho' seem alive The groans of Converts open Heaven's Gate And do provide for them a happy State. Thus pious David tho' had gone astray Did Heaven's wrath by 's penitence allay And as his sins were great when he rebell'd ' Gainst God so he in penitence excell'd 'T is this that doth our drossy Souls refine And makes us in pure innocence to shine No Man's own Merits can him ever save ' Less he for Christ with penitence doth crave Thou must with trembling and with careful fear O Man thy own Salvation work out here Since none alas can prove so innocent Who may not for 's repeated Crimes repent Whilst still we swell the number of our sins And ev'ry day a new addition brings The best of men in frequent errors fall And can't preserve themselves scot-free from all The tempting lures of sin But forc'd to yield Do beat it off again with Christian Shield But grant we could persist without a fault And ne're from sacred Righteousness revolt We all did in Sin 's Leprosie begin Our Lives and from