And merely mortal dross; So little is our loss, So little is thy gain. For when as each thing bad thou hast intomb'd, And last of all thy greedy self consum'd, Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss With an individual kiss; And Joy shall overtake us as a flood, When every thing that is sincerely good And perfectly divine, With truth, and peace, and love, shall ever shine About the supreme throne Of him, t' whose happy-making sight alone When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall climb, Then all this earthly grossness quit, Attir'd with stars, we shall for ever sit, 10 15 20 Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee, O Time. UPON THE CIRCUMCISION. YE flaming Pow'rs, and winged Warriors bright, 12 individual] Inseparable. P. L. iv. 485. 1 flaming] So P. Lost, ix. 156. xi. 101. v. 610. Warton. Warton. Through the soft silence of the list'ning night; Seas wept from our deep sorrow: He who with all heav'n's heraldry whilere Enter'd the world, now bleeds to give us ease; Alas, how soon our sin Sore doth begin His infancy to seize ! O more exceeding love, or law more just! 5 10 15 20 And that great covenant which we still transgress Entirely satisfied, And the full wrath beside Of vengeful justice bore for our excess, And seals obedience first, with wounding smart, This day, but O ere long, Huge pangs and strong Will pierce more near his heart. 26 17 remediless] P. Lost, ix. 919. Sams. Agon. v. 648. 'all remediless.' Warton, Todd. AT A SOLEMN MUSIC.* BLEST pair of Sirens, pledges of heav'n's joy, With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee, Where the bright Seraphim in burning row 10 Singing everlastingly: That we on earth with undiscording voice 5 15 * There are three copies of this ode, all in Milton's own nand writing. 6 concent] So the Cant. MS. not 'consent.' Ed. 1645, 'content;' 1673, 'concent.' Warton. 12 'And Cherubim sweet winged Squires.' So Cant. MS. Todd. 21 Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din 25 In first obedience, and their state of good. To live with him, and sing in endless morn of light. AN EPITAPH ON THE MARCHIONESS OF WINCHESTER. THIS rich marble doth inter The honour'd wife of Winchester, A Viscount's daughter, an Earl's heir, Added to her noble birth, More than she could own from earth. To house with darkness, and with death. In giving limit to her life. 20 nature's chime] Jonson's Epithal. vol. vii. 2. 'To do their offices in nature's chime. Warton. 10 Her high birth, and her graces sweet The virgin quire for her request He at their invoking came, But with a scarce well-lighted flame; Spoil'd at once both fruit and tree: 19 He] See Ov. Metam. x. 4. 'Adfuit ille quidem: sed nec solennia verba, Fax quoque, quam tenuit, lacrymoso stridula fumo, Usque fuit, nullosque invenit motibus ignes.' Jortin. 88 womb] Browne's Brit. Past. b. ii. s. 1. ed. 1616. 'Where never plowshare ript his mother's wombe To give an aged seede a living tombe.' Todd. 15 20 25 30 35 |