far more Milky way She 's call'd again hark how th' immortal Dove Sighs to his Silver Mate rise up my Love Rise up my fair my spotless one The Winter 's past the Rain is gone The Spring is come the Flowers appear No Sweets since thou art wanting here Come away my Love Come away my Dove cast off delay The Court of Heav'n is come To wait upon thee home Come away come away She 's cal'd again and will she goe When Heaven bids come who can say no Heav'n calls her and she must away Heaven will not and she cannot stay Goe then goe Glorious on the Golden wings Of the bright youth of Heav'n that sings Under so sweet a burden go Since thy great Son will have it so And while thou go'st our song and we Will as we may reach after thee Hail Holy Queen of humble Hearts We in thy praise will have our parts And though thy dearest looks must now be light To none but the blest Heavens whose bright Beholders lost in sweet delight Feed for ever their fair sight With those Divinest Eyes which we And our dark World no more shall see Though our poor joys are parted so Yet shall our Lips never let go Thy Gracious Name but to the last Our loving Song shall hold it fast Thy sacred Name shall be Thy self to us and we With Holy cares will keep it by us We to the last Will hold it fast And no Assumptiyn shall deny us All the sweetest Showers Of our fairest Flowers Will we strow upon it Though our sweetness cannot make It sweeter they may take Themselves new sweetness from it Maria Men and Angels sing Maria Mother of our King Live rarest Princess and may the bright Crown of a most incomparable Light Embrace thy radiant Brows O may the best Of everlasting joys bath thy white Brest Live our chaste Love the Holy Mirth Of Heaven and Humble Pride of Earth Live Crown of Women Queen of Men Live Mistress of our Song and when Our weak desires have done their best Sweet Angels come and sing the rest An Hymn on the Circumcision of our Lord. RIse thou best and brightest morning Rosie with a double Red With thine own Blush thy Cheeks adorning And the dear Drops this day were shed All the Purple pride of Laces The crimson Curtains of thy Bed Guild thee not with so sweet Graces Nor sets thee in so rich a Red. Of all the fair Cheekt-Flowers that fill thee None so fair thy Bosom strows As this modest Maiden Lilly Our Sins have sham'd into a Rose Bid the Golden God the Sun Burnisht in his Glorious Beams Put all his Red eyed Rubies on These Rubies shall put out his eyes Let him make poor the Purple East Rob the rich Store her Cabinets keep The pure birth of each sparkling nest That flaming in their fair Bed sleep Let him embrace his own bright Tresses With a new morning made of Gems And wear in them his wealthy dresses Another day of Diadems When he hath done all he may To make himself Rich in his rise All will be darkness to the day That breaks from one of these fair eyes And soon the sweet Truth shall appear Dear Babe e'r many days be done The Moon shall come to meet thee here And leave the long adored Sun Thy Nobler Beauty shall bereave him Of all his Eastern Paramours His Persian Lovers all shall leave him And swear Faith to thy sweeter powers Nor while they leave him shall they lose the Sun But in thy fairest Eyes find two for one On Hope By way of Question and Answer between A. Cowley and R. Crashaw Cowley HOpe whose weak being ruin'd is Alike if it succeed and if it miss Whom Ill and Good doth equally confound And both the horns of Fate 's dilemma wound Vain shadow that doth vanish quite Both at full Noon and perfect Night The Fates have not a possibility Of Blessing thee If things then from their ends we happy call 'T is Hope is the most hopeless thing of all Crashaw Dear Hope Earth's Dowry and Heaven's Debt The Entity of things that are not yet Subt'lest but surest Being Thou by whom Our Nothing hath a Definition Fair cloud of Fire both Shade and Light Our Life in Death our Day in Night Fates cannot find out a capacity Of hurting thee From thee their thinn Dilemma with blunt Horn Shrinks like the sick Moon at the wholsome morn Cowley Hope thou bold taster of Delight Who instead of doing so devour'st it quite Thou bring'st us an Estate yet leav'st us poor By clogging it with Legacies before The joys which we intire should wed Come deflour'd Virgins to our Bed Good Fortunes without Gain imported be So mighty Custome's paid to thee For Joy like Wine kept close doth better taste If it take Air before its spirits waste Crashaw Thou art Loves Legacy under Lock Of Faith the Steward of our growing stock Our Crown-Lands lie above yet each Meal brings A seemly Portion for the Sons of Kings Nor will the Virgin-joys we wed Come less unbroken to our Bed Because that from the Bridal Cheek of Bliss Thou thus steal'st down a distant Kiss Hopes chaste Kiss wrongs no more joys Maidenhead Then Spousal Rites prejudge the Marriage-bed Cowley Hope Fortunes cheating Lottery Where for one Prize an hundred Blanks there be Fond Archer Hope who tak'st thine aim so farre That still or short or wide thine Arrows are Thine empty Cloud the Eye it self deceives With shapes that our own Fancy gives A Cloud which Gilt and Painted now appears But must drop presently in Tears When thy false Beams o'r Reasons light prevail By ignes fatui not North Stars we sail Crashaw Fair Hope our earlier Heaven by thee Young Time is taster to Eternity The generous Wine with Age grows strong not sower Nor need we kill thy Fruit to smell thy Flower Thy Golden Head never hangs down Till in the Lap of Loves full noon It falls and dyes oh no it melts away As doth the dawn into the day As lumps of Sugar lose themselves and twine Their subtle Essence with the soul of Wine Cowley Brother of Fear more gaily clad The merrier fool o' th' two yet quite as mad Sire of Repentance Shield of fond desire That blows the Chymicks and the Lovers fire Still leading them insensibly on With the strange Witchcraft of Anon Bythee the one doth changing Nature through Her endless Labyrinths pursue And th' other chases woman while she goes More ways and turns then hunted Nature knows Crashaw Fortune alas above the Worlds Law wars Hope kicks the curl'd Heads of conspiring Stars Her Keel cuts not the Waves where our winds stirre And Fate 's whole Lottery is one blank to her Her shafts and she fly farre above And forrage in the Fields of Light and Love Sweet Hope kind Cheat fair Fallacy by thee We are not where or what we be But what and where we would thus art thou Our absent
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
shade but all in vain Of sturdy Adamant is his strong Chain 19. While thus Heav'ns highest Counsails by the low Foot-steps of their Effects he trac'd too well He tost his troubled Eyes Embers that glow Now with new Rage and wax too hot for Hell With his foul Claws he fenc'd his â—…urrowed Brow And gave a gastly shreek whose horrid Yell Ran trembling through the hollow vaults of Night The while his twisted Tail he gnaw'd for spight 20. Yet on the other side fain would he start Above his Fears and think it cannot be He studies Scripture strives to sound the heart And feel the Pulse of every Prophecy He knows but knows not how or by what Art The Heav'n expecting Ages hope to see A Mighty Babe whose pure unspotted Birth From a chaste Virgin womb should bless the Earth 21. But these vast Mysteries his Senses smother And Reason for what 's Faith to him devour How she that is a Maid should prove a Mother Yet keep inviolate her Virgin Flow'r How Gods Eternal Son should be mans Brother Poseth his proudest Intellectual Pow'r How a pure Spirit should incarnate be And Life it self wear Death 's frail Livery 22. That the Great Angel-blinding Light should shrink His Blaze to shine in a poor Shepheards Eye That the unmeasur'd God so low should sink As Pris'ner in a few poor Rags to lie That from his Mothers Brest he Milk should drink Who feeds with Nectar Heav'ns fair Family That a vile Manger his low Bed should prove Who in a Throne of Stars Thunders above 23. That he whom the Sun serves should faintly peep Through Clouds of Infant flesh that he the old Eternal Word should be a Child and weep That he who made the Fire should fear the Cold That Heav'ns high Majesty his Court should keep In a Clay-cottage by each Blast control'd That Glories self should serve our Griefs and Fears And free Eternity submit to years 24. And further that the Law 's Eternal Giver Should bleed in his own Law 's obedience And to the circumcising Knife deliver Himself the forfeit of his Slaves offence That the unblemisht Lamb blessed for ever Should take the mark of Sin and pain of Sence These are the knotty Riddles whose dark doubt Intangles his lost Thoughts past getting out 25. While new Thoughts boyl'd in his enraged Brest His gloomy Bosomes darkest Character Was in his shady Forehead seen exprest The Forehead 's shade in Griefs expression there Is what in sign of joy among the blest The Faces lightning or a smile is here Those stings of care that his strong Heart opprest A desperate Oh me drew from his deep Brest 26. Oh me thus bellow'd he Oh me what great Portents before mine Eyes their Pow'rs advance And serves my purer sight only to beat Down my proud Thought and leave it in a Trance Frown I and can great Nature keep her seat And the gay Stars lead on their Golden dance Can his attempts above still prosp'rous be Auspicious still in spight of Hell and me 27. He has my Heaven what would he more whose bright And radiant Scepter this bold Hand should bear And for the never-fading Fields of Light My fair Inheritance he confines me here To this dark House of shades Horrour and Night To draw a long-liv'd Death where all my Cheer Is the solemnity my sorrow wears That Mankinds Torment waits upon my Tears 28. Dark dusky Man he needs would single forth To make the partner of his own pure Ray And should we Pow'rs of Heav'n Spirits of worth Bow our bright Heads before a King of Clay It shall not be said I and clomb the North Where never wing of Angel yet made way What though I mist my blow yet I strook high And to dare something is some victory 29. Is he not satisfied means he to wrest Hell from me too and sack my Territories Vile Humane Nature means he not t' invest O my despight with his Divinest Glories And rising with rich spoils upon his Brest With his fair Triumphs fill all future stories Must the bright Arms of Heav'n rebuk these Eyes Mock me and dazle my dark Mysteries 30. Art thou not Lucifer he to whom the droves Of Stars that guild the Morn in charge were given The nimblest of the Lightning-winged Loves The fairest and the first-born smile of Heav'n Look in what Pomp the Mistress Planet moves Rev'rently circled by the lesser seaven Such and so rich the Flames that from thine Eyes Opprest the common-people of the Skies 31. Ah wretch what boots thee to cast back thy Eyes Where dawning hope no beam of comfort Shows While the reflection of thy forepast joyes Renders thee double to thy present woes Rather make up to thy new Miseries And meet the mischief that upon thee grows If Hell must mourn Heav'n sure shall sympathize What force cannot effect fraud shall devise 32. And yet whose force fear I have I so lost My self my Strength too with my innocence Come try who dares Heav'n Earth what e'r dost boâ—… A borrowed Being make thy bold defence Come thy Creator too what though it cost Me yet a second fall we 'd try our strengths Heav'n saw us struggle once as brave a fight Earth now should see and tremble at the sight 33. Thus spoke th' impatient Prince and made a pause His foul Hags rais'd their Heads and clapt their Handâ—… And all the Powers of Hell in full applause Flourisht their Snakes and tost their Flaming Brands We said the horrid Sisters wait thy Laws Th' obsequious Handmaids of thy high Commands Be it thy part Hells mighty Lord to lay On us thy dread Commands ours to obey 34. What thy Alecto what these hands can do Thou mad'st bold proof upon the brow of Heav'n Nor should'st thou bate in pride because that now To these thy sooty Kingdoms thou art driven Let Heav'ns Lord chide above louder then thou In language of his Thunder thou art even With him below here thou art Lord alone Boundless and absolute Hell is thine own 35. If usual Wit and Strength will do no good Vertues of Stones nor Herbs use stronger Charms Anger and Love best hooks of Humane blood If all fail we 'll put on our proudest Arms And pouring on Heav'ns Face the Seas huge Flood Quench his curl'd fires we 'll wake with our Alarms Ruine where e'r she sleeps at Natures feet And crush the World till his wide corners meet 36. Reply'd the proud King O my Crowns defence Stay of whose strong hopes you of whose brave worth The frighted Stars took faint experience When 'gainst the Thunders mouth we marched forth Still you are prodigal of your Love's expence In our great Projects both 'gainst Heav'n and Earth I thank you all but one must single out Cruelty she alone shall cure my doubt 37. Fourth of the cursed knot of Hags is she Or rather all the other three in one Hells shop of slaughter she do's oversee And still assist the
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