English

The natural impulse, of each natural mind,
Enough doth souls to natural passions move:
We little need persuasives, whence inclined
The human heart may be to human love.
But does experience, towards religion, prove
This natural bias, in the human heart?
Rather doth not each stress tend to remove, —
Each impulse both of nature and of art, —
This noblest of all themes from man's immortal part?

Long, long enough, have I on love enlarged,
Wasting on idle theme my idle prime; —
Not that I mean with folly may be charged
Whate'er is not devotional in rhyme.
But grant, that, from them shall result no crime,
Yet human loves are vain, and end in air.
Whereas that love which mounts on wings sublime
Towards heaven, as everlastingly is fair,
As sources whence it rose imperishable are.

Celestial Spirit which erewhile didst deign
Our elder Milton's hallowed prayer to hear,
Do thou inspire my tributary strain,
Breathe thou through every word that sense severe
Of Truth; and if aught eloquent appear,
Let it to every one be manifest,
That it flows from that empyrean clear,
Where thou beside God's throne, a heavenly guest,
With vision beatific evermore art blessed!

Whenever I have turned to meaner themes,
From thee Religion, so much more as I
Have been enabled by warm-glowing gleams
To give resplendence to their imagery,
So much the more, of infidelity
A sense has risen, in my conscious breast,
Towards that , which I know well is worthily
Alone, on the well govern'd mind impress'd,
Towards that, whose joys alone no after stings molest.

INTENDED AS A REPLY TO, AND A COMMENT ON, THE FOLLOWING LINES .

O H would I not, the pulse of love to waken
E'en in a being by the world rejected,
Stoop to compliances the least connected
With aught could flatter self? Ah, was not this
What of himself, when he himself depicted,
Frankly confessed the paradox-loving Swiss
" To meet a second self is the sublime of bliss? "

Ah, was not this my wish? My hope supreme?

Some leaue their home for priuate discontent,
Some forced by compulsed banishment.
Some for an itching lust of nouell sight,
Some one for gaine, some other for delight.
Thus whilst some force, some other hope bereaues,
Some leaue their country, some their country leaues.
But thee no griefe, force, lust, gaine or delight,
Exiled from thy home (thrice worthy Knight)
Saue that griefe, force, that gaine, delight alone,
Which was thy good, and true religion.

Certaine verses written and sent in way of comfort, to her Ladiship.

If those salt showers that your sad eyes haue shed
Haue quencht the flame your griefe hath kindled,
Madame my words shall not be spent in vaine,
To serue for winde to chase that mournfull raine.
Thus farre your losse hath striuen with your griefe,
Whether each piteous eye should deeme the chiefe,
Whiles both your griefe doth make your losse the more,
And your great losse doth cause you grieue so sore.
Both griefe and losse doo willing partners finde,

PALINODE . H OBBINOLL .

Whither wends Hobbinoll so early day?
What, be thy lambkins broken from the fold,
And on the plains all night have run astray?
Or are thy sheep and sheep-walks both ysold?
What mister-chance hath brought thee to the field
Without thy sheep? thou were not wont to yield
To idle sport,
But didst resort
As early to thy charge from drowsy bed
As any shepherd that his flock hath fed

W ILLIE . J OCKIE . P HILOS .

Willie.

Stay , Jockie, let us rest here by this spring,
And Philos too, since we so well are met;
This spreading oak will yield us shadowing
Till Phaebus' steeds be in the ocean wet.

Jockie.

Gladly, kind swain, I yield, so thou wilt play,
And make us merry with a roundelay.

Philos.

No, Jockie, rather wend we to the wood;
The time is fit, and filberds waxen ripe.
Let's go and fray the squirrel from his food;

To his Ingenious Friend

Mr. Christopher Brooke

W ILLIE and C UTTIE .

Morn had got the start of night;
Lab'ring men were ready dight
With their shovels and their spades
For the field, and (as their trades)
Or at hedging wrought or ditching
For their food more than enriching;
When the shepherds from the fold
All their bleating charges told,
And (full careful) search'd if one
Of all their flock were hurt or gone,
Or (if in the night-time cull'd)