86
SONNETS, 1642-1658.

privemestarues Chosen thou hast; and they that overween, der dan epite And at thy growing virtues fret their spleen,

No anger find in thee, but pity and ruth.
Thy care is fixt, and zealously attends

To fill thy odorous lamp with deeds of light,

And hope that reaps not shame. Therefore be sure,
Thou, when the bridegroom with his feastful friends

Passes to bliss at the mid hour of night,
Hast gain'd thy entrance, virgin wise and pure.

IO

V.

TO THE LADY MARGARET LEY.

(1644 ?)

4
DAUGHTER to that good Earl," once President

Of England's Council and her Treasury,
Who lived in both, unstain’d with gold or fee,

And left them both, more in himself content,

Till the sad breaking of that parliament heard teleg le avek 14, 1629. Broke him; as that dishonest victory drih morable

At Chæronea, fatal to liberty,
Kill’d with report that old man eloquent. Sererates, 1385.C.
Though later born than to have known the days

Wherein your father flourisht, yet by you,

Madam, methinks I see him living yet;
So well your words his noble virtues praise,

That all both judge you to relate them true,
And to possess them, honour'd Margaret.

IO

VI.

а a mere

ON THE DETRACTION WHICH FOLLOWED UPON MY
WRITING CERTAIN TREATISES.
(1645.)

back on divne A BOOK was writ of late call'd Tetrachordon,

And woven close, both matter, form and style;

The subject new: it walk'd the town awhile,
Numbring good intellects; now seldom por’d on.
Cries the stall-reader, ‘Bless us! what a word on 5

A title page is this !' and some in file
Stand spelling false, while one might walk to Mile-

End Green. Why is it harder, sirs, than Gordon,
Colkitto, or Macdonnel, or Galasp?

Those rugged names to our like mouths grow sleek

That would have made Quintilian stare and gasp.
Thy age, like ours, O soul of Sir John Cheek, titor to bdurra

Hated not learning worse than toad or asp,
When thou taught'st Cambridge, and King Edward Greek.

II

VII.

ON THE SAME.

I DID but prompt the age to quit their clogs

By the known rules of ancient liberty,
When straight a barbarous noise environs me

Of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes, and dogs.
As when those hinds that were transform'd to frogs 5

Rail'd at Latona's twin-born progeny, in fee emple,
Which after held the sun and moon in fee.

Jull Lotteria
But this is got by casting pearl to hogs, m Kerpetreat, uba
That bawl for freedom in their senseless mood,

And still revolt when truth would set them free.

License they mean when they cry liberty ;
For who loves that, must first be wise and good;
But from that mark how far they roye we see,

abr
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.

ficka

IO

VIII.

TO MR. H. LAWES, ON THE PUBLISHING HIS AIRS.

Midar,

(Feb. 9, 1645-6.)
HARRY, whose tuneful and well measur'd song

First taught our English music how to span

Words with just note and accent, not to scan when an.

With Midas' ears, committing short and long;/ Variabic aut. apullo

Thy worth and skill exempts thee from the throng, 5 were entending, acises fa lan; the enson apollo changes Lie

ears into that of a

IO

neu .

hot necessarily

With praise enough for Envy to look wan;

To after age thou shalt be writ the man,
That with smooth air could'st humour best our tongue.
Thou honour'st Verse, and Verse must lend her wing

To honour thee, the priest of Phæbus' quire,

That tun'st their happiest lines in hymn, or story.

Dante shall give Fame leave to set thee higher Casells

Than his Casella, whom he woo'd to sing,

Met in the milder shades of Purgatory. by baute in Purpatory. IX.

ON THE RELIGIOUS MEMORY OF MRS. CATHARINE THOMSON, in

MY CHRISTIAN FRIEND, moderes souse.

Deceased December 16, 1646.
WHEN Faith and Love, which parted from thee never,

Had ripen'd thy just soul to dwell with God,

Meekly thou didst resign this earthy load
Of Death, callid Life, which us from Life doth sever.
Thy works and alms and all thy good endeavour 5

Staid not behind, nor in the grave were trod;
But as Faith pointed with her golden rod,

Follow'd thee up to joy and bliss for ever.
Love led them on, and Faith who knew them best

Thy hand-maids, clad them o'er with purple beams 10

And azure wings, that up they flew so drest,
And spake the truth of thee on glorious themes

Before the Judge; who thenceforth bid thee rest,
And drink thy fill of pure immortal streams.

X.

TO MR. LAWRENCE.

6

LAWRENCE, of virtuous father virtuous son,

Now that the fields are dank, and ways are mire,
Where shall we sometimes meet, and by the fire

Help waste a sullen day; what may be won
From the hard season gaining ? time will run

5 Larorence, m... in the Little Pail.

2 1653 2 Bromwell's borencil , aut frena of bronnell

TO CYRIACK SKINNER.

" byrinck thimis mother was Bridgt, second dan. of fir edward boke, theif Justice of england.

89
On smoother, till Favonius re-inspire Lepkyrie
The frozen earth; and clothe in fresh attiré

The lily and rose, that neither sow'd nor spun.
What neat repast shall feast us, light and choice,

Of Attic taste, with wine, whence we may rise

To hear the lute well toucht, or artful voice
Warble immortal notes and Tuscan air ?

her self con He who of those delights can judge, and spareud ingl To interpose them oft, is not unwise.

IO

XI.

TO CYRIACK SKINNER.

.5

Cyriack, whose grandsire on the royal bench his led. boke

Of British Themis, with no mean applause
Pronounc't, and in his volumes taught our laws,

Which others at their bar so often wrench;
To-day deep thoughts resolve with me to drench

In mirth, that after no repenting draws;
Let Euclid rest and Archimedes pause,

to
And what the Swede intend, and what the French. Years' Hacy
To measure life learn thou betimes, and know Places the

Toward solid good what leads the nearest way; Sangor bet.

For other things mild Heav'n a time ordains, 1685-81648.
And disapproves that care, though wise in show,

That with superfluous burden loads the day,
And when God sends a cheerful hour, refrains.

ON THE

NEW FORCERS OF CONSCIENCE UNDER THE

Prelyter aus

LONG PARLIAMENT,

(1646 or 1647.)
BECAUSE you have thrown off your Prelate Lord,

And with stiff vows renounc'd

his Liturey hurehuu hedding From them whose sin ye envied, not abhorr’d, dl.co They could

To seize the widow'd whore Plurality

more place

Dare ye for this adjure the civil sword

attend to

To force our consciences, that Christ set free;break;tere any

And ride us with a classic hierarchy adan

routers agaunt Taught ye by mere A. S. and Rutherford ? Mewart Men whose life, learning, faith and pure intent

dependence Would have been held in high esteem with Paul,

Must now be nam'd and printed heretics,

By shallow Edwards and Scotch what_d'ye call; tria

But we do hope to find out all your tricks, bruilof

Your plots and packing worse than those of Trent;545-1563 mousing

That so the Parliament 15
May with their wholesome and preventive shears,
Jien wore Clip your phylacteries, though balk your ears

, atif shock A. And succour

our just fears ; cis. dicending turkmand When they shall read this clearly in your charge, Low better than

New Presbyter is but old Priest writ large. in full Incheade, - but for hyproinney.

strife

20

are their

XII.

TO THE LORD GENERAL FAIRFAX.

Fairfax was

(1648.)
bolchuster
lip Fairfax, whose name in arms through Europe rings,

Filling each mouth with envy or with praise,
And all her jealous monarchs with amaze,

And rumours loud, that daunt remotest kings,

Thy firm unshaken virtue ever brings the area. Their Hydra-heads, and the false North displays Victory home, though new rebellions raise these into lenylands

Hamill mart Whel Her broken league to imp their serpent wings. kad sunited yet a nobler task awaits thy hand, to amateur Kriszę

to the broken wing For what can war, but endless war still breed ? I Sect bung

of a 10 Lank Till truth and right from violence be freed, a't

And public faith clear'd from the shameful brand

Of public fraud. In vain doth Valour bleed,
While Avarice and Rapine share the land.

Julys, 1648.