The brute and boisterous force of violent men, With plain heroic magnitude of mind, Their armories and magazines contemns, Swift as the lightning glance, he executes 19. On Shakspeare. MILTON. WHAT needs my Shakspeare for his honor'd bones The labor of an age in piled stones, Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid Dear son of memory! great heir of fame! Thou in our wonder and astonishment § 15. Patience. MILTON. MANY are the sayings of the wise, In ancient and in modern books inroll'd, Extolling Patience as the truest fortitude; And to the bearing well of all calamities, All chances incident to man's frail life, Consolatories writ [sought, With studied argument, and much persuasion [her Lenient of grief and anxious thought; Comes dancing from the east, and leads with But with th' afflicted, in his pangs, their sound The flow'ry May, who from her green lap Little prevails, or rather seems a tune [plaint; Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his comUnless he feel within 1 Some source of consolation from above, 16. Spirits. MILTON. SPIRITS, when they please, Dilated or condens'd, bright or obscure, And works of love or enmity fulfil. 17. Pain. MILTON. WHAT avails Of mightiest? Sense of pleasure we may well 18. Hypocrisy. MILTON. By his permissive will thro' heaven and earth: [ill throws The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose. § 21. Sonnet on his deceased Wife. MILTON. METHOUGHT I saw my late espoused saint gave, And such, as yet once more I trust to have So clear, as in no face with more delight. I wak'd, she fled, and day brought back my § 22. Sonnet to the Nightingale. MILTON. lay, Now timely sing, ere the rude bird of hate As thou from year to year hast sung too late 23. Christmas Hymn. MILTON. Ir was the winter wild, While the Heaven-born child He saw a greater sun appear [could bear. Than his bright throne, or burning axle-tree, Or e'er the point of dawn, Sat simply chatting in a rustic row; Was kindly come to live with them below All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies; When such music sweet Nature in awe to him, Had doff'd her gaudy trim, With her great Master so to sympathize: It was no season then for her To wanton with the Sun, her lusty paramour. Only with speeches fair She wooes the gentle air To hide her guilty front with innocent snow; And on her naked shame, Pollute with sinful blame, The saintly veil of maiden white to throw ; Their hearts and ears did greet, As never was by mortal finger strook ; Answering the stringed noise, As all their souls in blissful rapture took ; The air, such pleasure loth to lose, With thousand echoes still prolongs each heavenly close. Nature that heard such sound, Beneath the hollow round Of Cynthia's seat, the aery region thrilling, Now was almost won To think her part was done, And that her reign had here its last fulfilling; She knew such harmony alone [union. Could hold all Heaven and Earth in happier At last surrounds their sight [viding; A globe of circular light, With turtle wing the amorous clouds di- No war, or battle's sound, [array'd; [play'd, Are seen in glittering ranks with wings disHarping in loud and solemn quire, [Heir. The idle spear and shield were high up hung; With unexpressive notes, to Heaven's new-born The hooked chariot stood Unstain'd with hostile blood; The trumpet spake not to the armed throng;| And kings sat still with aweful eye, [by. As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was But peaceful was the night His reign of peace upon the Earth began: Whispering new joys to the mild ocean, Bending one way their precious influence; Or Lucifer that often warn'd them thence; And, though the shady gloom Had given day her room, Such music (as 'tis said) Before was never made, But when of old the sons of morning sung, While the Creator great His constellations set, And the well-balanc'd world on hinges hung; And cast the dark foundations deep, And bid the weltering waves their oozy chan- Ring out, ye crystal spheres, If ye have power to touch our senses so; up full consort to the angelic symphony. [gold; Time will run back, and fetch the age of The Sun himself withheld his wonted speed, And Hell itself will pass away, And hid his head for shame, As his inferior flame [mould. And leprous Sin will melt from earthly [day. And leave her dolorous mansions to the peering [need: Yea, Truth and Justice then The new-enlightened world no more should Will down return to men, Orb'd in a rainbow; and, like glories wear-The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn, Mercy will sit between, Thron'd in celestial sheen, [steering; muz mourn. With radiant feet the tissued clouds down And sullen Moloch, fled, And Heaven, as at some festival, Will open wide the gates of her high palace But wisest Fate says no, The babe yet lies in smiling infancy, Must redeem our loss; So both himself and us to glorify: With such a horrid clang [outbrake: While the red fire and smouldering clouds Shall from the surface to the centre shake; Full and perfect is, His burning idol all of blackest hue; They call the grisly king, In dismal dance about the furnace blue : Isis, and Orus, and the dog Anubis, haste. In Memphian grove or green, [ings loud: [shroud; The rays of Bethlehem blind his dusky eyn; Longer dare abide, Not Typhon huge ending in snaky twine: But now begins; for, from this happy day, Our babe, to show his Godhead true, The old Dragon, under ground In straiter limits bound, Not half so far casts his usurped sway; The oracles are dumb, [ceiving. Runs through the arched roof in words de- Can in his swaddling bands control the dam ned crew. So, when the Sun in bed, Curtain'd with cloudy red, Pillows his chin upon an orient wave, Troop to the infernal jail, Each fetter'd ghost slips to his several grave; [cell. Hath laid her babe to rest; With hollow shriek the steep of A voice of weeping heard and loud lament; The parting genius is with sighing sent; The nymphs in twilight shade of tangled thick ets mourn. In consecrated earth, And on the holy hearth, [ending: Time is, our tedious song should here have [tending. $ 24. Ode, to the Saviour. -FOR thou wert born of woman! thou [night plaint; Nor The Lars, and Lemures, moan with midIn urns, and altars round, A drear and dying sound [quaint; Affrights the Flamens at their service And the chill marble seems to sweat, [seat. While each peculiar Power foregoes his wonted Peor and Baälim Forsake their temples dim, With that twice-batter'd god of Palestine ; And mooned Ashtaroth, Heaven's queen and mother both, And not by thunders strew'd Thy mother undefil'd In the rude manger laid to rest [pare The heavens were not commanded to pre- [sky; Now sits not girt with taper's holy shine; Gliding uncheck'd and calm along the liquid 1 A little while the conscious earth did shake At that foul deed by her fierce children done; The world in darkness lay; While thou didst sleep within the tomb, Ere yet the white-rob'd angel shone THEN 'gan the Palmer thus: Most wretched That to affections does the bridle lend: [man, In their beginning they are weak and wan, But soon, thro' suffrance, growe to fearfull end; Whiles they are weak, betimes with them con[growe, For when they once to perfect strength do Plaguing the guilty city's murtherous crew: Strong warres they make, and cruel batt'ry And when thou didst arise, thou didst not stand With Devastation in thy red right hand, But thou didst haste to meet Thy mother's coming feet, [few. And bear the words of peace unto the faithful Into thy native skies, VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS FROM § 25. Adonis's Garden. Should happy be, and have immortal bliss: For here all plenty and all pleasure flowes, And sweet love gentle fits emongst them throws, Without fell rancour, or fond jealousie; Frankly each paramour his leman knows, VOL. VI. Nos. 89 & 90. tend: bend Wrath, jealousy, grief, love, do thus expell : Wrath is a fire, and jealousy a weed; Grief is a flood, and love a monster fell; The fire of sparke, the weed of little seed, The flood of drops, the monster filth did breed: But sparks, seed, drops, and filth do thus decay; [outweed, The sparks soon quench, the springing seed The drops dry up, and filth wipe clean away; So shall wrath, jealousy, grief, love, die and decay. $27. Ambition. A ROUT of people there assembled were, Of every sort and nation under sky, L near Which with great uprore preassed, to draw | And all within with flowres was garnished That, when mild Zephyrus amongst them [colors shew. Did breathe out bounteous smells, and painted To th' upper part, where was advanced hie And thereon sate a woman gorgeous gay, } That never earthly prince in such array His glory did enchaunce, and pompous pride display. Her face right wondrous faire did seem to be, That her broad beauties beam great brightness threw [might see: Through the dim shade, that all men here Yet was not that same her own native hew, But wrought by art; and counterfeited shew, Thereby more lovers unto her to call ; Nath'less, more heavenly faire in deed and She by creation was, till she did fall; [view Thenceforth she sought for helps to cloke her crimes withall. There, as in glist'ring glory she did sit, And lower part did reach to lowest hell; That was Ambition, rash desire to stie ; Others through friends, others for base reward; Those that were lowe themselves held others Ne suffer'd them to rise, or greater growe; But every one did strive his fellow down to throwe. O sacred hunger of ambitious mindes, And impotent desire of men to raigne ! blew, $29. Avarice. AND greedy Avarice by him did ride, Two iron coffers hung on either side, At last he came into a gloomy glade, [light, Whereas he sitting found, in secret shade, were blear❜d; His head and beard with soot were ill bedight; sear'd His iron coat, all overgrown with rust, And turn'd upside down, to feed his eye, And round about him lay, on every side, Who neither dread of God, that devils The antick shapes of kings and Cæsars strange |