Enter'd the world, now bleeds to give us ease ;
Alas, how foon our fin

Sore doth begin

His infancy to feise!

O more exceeding love or law more just ?
Juft law indeed, but more exceeding love!
For we by rightful doom remedilefs

Were loft in death, till he that dwelt above
High thron'd in fecret blifs, for us frail duft
Emptied his glory ev'n to nakedness;

And that great covenant which we still tranfgrefs
Entirely fatisfied,

And the full wrath befide

Of vengeful juftice bore for our excess,

And feals obedience firft with wounding smart
This day, but O ere long

Huge pangs and strong

B

Will pierce more near his heart.

VII.

At a SOLEMN MUSIC.

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LST pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'n's joy,
Sphere-born harmonious fifters, Voice and Verfe,
Wed your divine founds, and mix'd pow'r employ
Dead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce,
And to our high-raised phantafy present
That undisturbed fong of pure concent,
Ay fung before the faphir-color'd throne
'To him that fits thereon

With faintly shout and folemn jubilee,
Where the bright Seraphim in burning row
Their loud up-lifted angel-trumpets blow,

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And the cherubic host in thousand quires

Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,

With those juft Spirits that wear victorious palms,
Hymns devout and holy pfalms

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Singing everlastingly;

That we on earth with undifcording voice
May rightly anfwer that melodious noife;
As once we did, till disproportion'd fin

Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harfh din 20

Broke the fair mufic that all creature's made

To their great Lord, whofe love their motion sway'd In perfect diapafon, while they ftood

In first obedience, and their ftate of good.

O may we foon again renew that fong,

And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long 25 To his celestial confort us unite,

To live with him, and fing in endless morn of light.

VIII.

An EPITAPH on the MARCHIONESS of WINCHESTER *.

T

HIS rich marble doth inter

The honor'd Wife of Winchester,

A Viscount's daughter, an Earl's heir,
Befides what her virtues fair

Added to her noble birth,

More than fhe could own from earth,

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*This Lady was Jane, daughter of Thomas Lord Vifc. Savage of Rock-Savage, Cheshire, who by marriage became the heir of Lord Darcy Earl of Rivers; and was the wife of John Marquis of Winchefter, and the mother of Charles first Duke of Bolton. She died in childbed of a fecond fon in the 23d year of her age; and Milton made thefe verfes at Cambridge, as appears by the fequel.

Summers three times eight fave one
She had told; alas too foon,

After fo fhort time of breath,

To house with darkness, and with death.
Yet had the number of her days
Been as complete as was her praise,
Nature and fate had had no ftrife
In giving limit to her life.

Her high birth, and her graces sweet
Quickly found a lover meet;
The virgin quire for her requeft
The God that fits at marriage feaft;
He at their invoking came

But with a scarce well-lighted flame;
And in his garland as he stood,
Ye might difcern a cypress bud.
Once had the early matrons run

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To greet her of a lovely fon,

And now with fecond hope fhe goes,

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And calls Lucina to her throws ;

But whether by mischance or blame
Atropos for Lucina came ;

And with remorseless cruelty

Spoil'd at once both fruit and tree:
The hapless babe before his birth
Had burial yet not laid in earth,
And the languifh'd mother's womb
Was not long a living tomb.
So have I feen some tender flip,
Sav'd with care from winter's nip,
The pride of her carnation train
Pluck'd up by fome unheedy fwain,
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a cyprefs bud.] An emblem of a funeral. 28. Atropos for Lucina came ;] One of the Fates, instead of the Goddess, who brings the birth to light.

Who only thought to crop the flow'r

New shot up from vernal show'r;
But the fair bloffom hangs the head
Side-ways, as on a dying bed,
And those pearls of dew she wears,
Prove to be presaging tears,
Which the fad morn had let fall
On her haft'ning funeral.

Gentle Lady, may thy grave
Peace and quiet ever have ;
After this thy travel fore
Sweet reft feife thee evermore,
That to give the world increase,
Shortened haft thy own life's lease.
Here, befides the forrowing
That thy noble houfe doth bring,
Here be tears of perfect moan
Wept for thee in Helicon,

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And fome flowers, and fome bays,
For thy herfe, to ftrow the ways,

Sent thee from the banks of Came,

Devoted to thy virtuous name;

ба

Whilft thou, bright Saint, high fitst in glory,

Next her much like to thee in story,

That fair Syrian fhepherdefs,

Who after years of barrenness,

The highly favor❜d Jofeph bore

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To him that ferv'd for her before,

And at her next birth much like thee,
Through pangs fled to felicity,

63. That fair Syrian fhepherdefs,] Rachael, the daughter of Laban the Syrian, kept her father's fheep. Gen. XXIX. 9. And after her first fon Jofeph, died in childbed of her fecond for Benjamin.

Far within the bofom bright

Of blazing Majefty and Light:

There with thee, new welcome Saint,
Like fortunes may her soul acquaint,
With thee there clad in radiant fheen,
No Marchioness, but now a Queen.

IX.

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SONG. On MAY MORNING.
SONG.

NOW

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OW the bright morning ftar, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the eaft, and leads with her
The flow'ry May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowflip, and the pale primrose.
Hail bounteous May that doft infpire
Mirth and youth and warm defire ;
Woods and groves are of thy dreffing,
Hill and dale doth boaft thy bleffing.
Thus we falute thee with our early fong,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

X.

On SHAKESPEAR. 1630.

WH

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HAT needs my Shakespear for his honor'd bones
The labor of an age in piled ftones,

Or that his hallow'd reliques fhould be hid

Under a ftarr-ypointing pyramid ?

Dear fon of memory, great heir fame,

What need't thou fuch weak witness of thy name?

Thou in our wonder and astonishment

Haft built thyself a live-long monument.

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