And some flowers, and some bays,
'Fore thy hearse to strew the ways,
Sent thee from the banks of Came,
Devoted to thy virtuous name;
Whilst thou bright saint high sit'st in glory,
Next her much like to thee in story,
That fair Syrian shepherdess,
Who after years of barrenness,
The highly favour'd Joseph bore
To him that serv'd for her before;
And at her next birth much like thee,
Through pangs fled to felicity,
Far within the bosom bright
Of blazing Majesty and Light:
There with thee, new welcome saint,
Like fortunes may her soul acquaint;
With thee there clad in radiant sheen,
No marchioness, but now a queen.

SONNET I.

OH HIS BEING ARRIVED TO THE AGE OF 23.

(1631.)

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stoln on his wing my three-and-twenti'th year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,

But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arriv'd so near;

The only matter of Consequence is

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And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits indu'th. e.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still in strictest measure ev'n continuall 10

To that same lot, however mean, or high,

Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav'n;
All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.

early

belly

ON TIME. Horton

To be set on a clock case.

FLY envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,

Whose speed is but the heavy plummet's pace; en dulum.
And glut thyself with what thy womb devours,
Which is no more than what is false and vain,
And merely mortal dross;

So little is our loss,

So little is thy gain.

For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd,
And last of all, thy greedy self consum'd;
Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss; kiss from which we can
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

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longer

be divides, niceparable.

15

About the supreme throne

beatific visions of

Of him, t' whose happy-making sight alone,
When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall climb,1.684.

Then all this earthy grossness quit, /.£. all this earthly goosenec
Attir'd with stars, we shall for ever sit, being left.

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Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee O Time.

Norton.

AT A SOLEMN MUSIC.

BLEST pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'ns joy,
Sphere-born harmonious sisters, Voice and Verse,
Wed your divine sounds; and mixt power employ
Dead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce;

And to our high-rais'd phantasy present ghoul & be concent,

That undisturbed song of pure content,

Aye sung before the sapphire-colour'd throne coscord.
To him that sits thereon

With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee;
Where the bright seraphim in burning row
Their loud up-lifted angel trumpets blow,
And the cherubic host in thousand quires
Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,

With those just spirits that wear victorious palms,
Hymns devout and holy psalms

Singing everlastingly:

Norton.

And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long modern poets. To his celestial consort us unite, baud

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

IO

That we on Earth with undiscording voice

May rightly answer that melodious noise; Music, of
As once we did, till disproportion'd sin til 97, Comuzzy

Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din

Broke the fair music that all creatures made

redtes fai

To their great Lord; whose love their motion sway'd In perfect diapason, whilst they stood lave-hot In first obedience, and their state of good. used carvedly O may we soon again renew that song,

15

SONG ON MAY MORNING.

Now the bright morning-star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowry May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose.
Hail bounteous May that dost inspire
Mirth and youth, and warm desire;
Woods and groves, are of thy dressing,

Hill and dale, doth boast thy blessing;
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

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25

5

IO

1.5. bf. de Dew. 1441, Lo gridar 26, Comine 978.

TO THE NIGHTINGALE.

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Lof

heard the nightingale before the cuckor, then it was a good omen for ones love.

SONNET II.

Hortow

one

TO THE NIGHTINGALE.

O NIGHTINGALE, that on yon bloomy spray
Warbl'st at eve, when all the woods are still,
Thou with fresh hope the lover's heart dost fill,
While the jolly hours lead on propitious May;
Thy liquid notes that close the eye of day,'

2

First heard before the shallow cuckoo's bill,
Portend success in love; O if Jove's will
Have linkt that amorous power to thy soft lay,
Now timely sing, ere the rude bird of hate
Foretell my hopeless doom in some grove nigh:
As thou from year to year hast sung too late
For my relief, yet hadst no reason why;
Whether the Muse, or Love call thee his mate,
Both them I serve, and of their train am I.

L'ALLEGRO. Horton

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As ragged as thy locks,

In dark Cimmerian3 desert ever dwell.

10

HENCE loathed Melancholy,

Of Cerberus, and blackest Midnight born,

In Stygian cave forlorn detected

'Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, and sights unholy; Find out some uncouth cell, unknown.

5

Where brooding Darkness spreads his jealous wings, it
And the night-raven sings;

There under ebon shades, and low-brow'd rocks,

IO

ties.

But come thou goddess fair and free,

In Heav'n yclep'd Euphrosyne, (the kindly) presides over fection__ And by men, heart-easing Mirth; Aglais (the bright) and thalin " (the blooming) are the remaining

Whom lovely Venus at a birth,

With two sister Graces more
To ivy-crowned Bacchus bore; e.

The 6 immeriane 10dyssey) were a mythical teople who lives in perpetual mich, & on whom the sun never

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ehone.

1. 24. Curtege sche was, discret, and debonaire, honne Preatie, C.51. this Emulge with herte deboucive to my totes Hale, L. 1424. EARLY POEMS, 1624-1637.

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lively

Or whether (as some sager sing)

The frolic wind that breathes the spring,
Zephyr with Aurora playing,
As he met her once a-Maying,
There on beds of violets blue,
And fresh-blown roses washt in dew,
Fill'd her with thee a daughter fair,

So buxom, blithe, and debonair.courteous, gentle
Haste thee nymph, and bring with thee

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Jest and youthful Jollity,

Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles, the turns of wit.

Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles,

Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,

And love to live in dimple sleek;
Sport that wrinkled Care derides,
And Laughter holding both his sides.
Come, and trip it as ye go
On the light fantastic toe,

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And in thy right hand lead with thee
The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty;
And if I give thee honour due,
Mirth, admit me of thy crew,

To live with her, and live with thee,

In unreproved pleasures free; that cannot be to 40 proved,
To hear the lark begin his flight,

of P54.

And singing startle the dull night,
From his watch-tow'r in the skies,
Till the dappled dawn doth rise;
Then to come in spite of sorrow,
And at my window bid good morrow,
Through the sweet-briar, or the vine,
Or the twisted eglantine.
While the cock with lively din,
Scatters the rear of darkness thin,
And to the stack, or the barn door,
Stoutly struts his dames before:
Oft list how the hounds and horn
Cheerly rouse the slumbring Morn,

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