No hallowed oyls, no grains I need,
No rags of Saints, no purging fire,
One rosie drop from David's Seed
Was worlds of seas, to quench thine Ire.
O pretious Ransome! which once paid,
That Consummatum est was said.

And said by him, that said no more,
But seal'd it with his sacred breath.
Thou then, that hast dispung'd my score,
And dying, wast the death of death;
Be to me now, on thee I call,

My Life, my Strength, my Joy, my All.

Sir Henry Wotton.

A Dialogue betwixt GOD and the Soul.

Soul.

WH

eye

7 Hilst Souls
my
beheld no light
But what stream'd from thy gracious sight;

To me the worlds greatest King

Seem'd but some little vulgar thing.

God. Whilest thou prov'dst pure; and that in thee
I could glass al my Deity:

How glad did I from Heaven depart,
To find a Lodging in thy heart!

S. Now Fame and Greatness bear the sway,
('Tis they that hold my prisons Key :)
For whom my soul would dy, might shee
Leave them her Immortality.

ΙΟ

ΙΟ

G. I, and some few pure Souls conspire,
And burne both in a mutuall fire,

For whom I'ld dy once more, ere they
Should miss of Heavens eternal day.

S. But Lord! what if I turn againe,
And with an adamantine chain,
Lock me to thee? What if I chase
The world away to give thee place?

G. Then though these souls in whom I joy
Are Seraphins, Thou but a Toy,

A foolish Toy, yet once more I

Would with Thee live, and for thee die.

Ignoto.

20

On the morning of CHRISTS Nativity.

TH

His is the Month, and this the happy morn
Wherin the Son of Heav'ns eternal King,
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born,
Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages once did sing,

That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with his Father work us a perpetual peace.

That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty,

Wherwith he wont at Heav'ns high Councel-Table,
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,

He laid aside; and here with us to be,

Forsook the Courts of everlasting Day,

And chose with us a darksom House of mortal Clay.

10

Say Heav'nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the Infant God?

Hast thou no vers, no hymn, or solemn strein,
To welcom him to this his new abode,

Now while the Heav'n by the Suns team untrod,

Hath took no print of the approching light,

And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?

See how from far upon the Eastern rode

The Star-led Wisards haste with odours sweet:

O run, prevent them with thy humble ode,

And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;

Have thou the honour first, thy Lord to greet,

And joyn thy voice unto the Angel Quire,
From out his secret Altar toucht with hallow'd fire.

It was the Winter wilde,

The Hymn.

While the Heav'n-born-childe,

All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies; Nature in aw to him

Had doff't her gawdy trim,

With her great Master so to sympathize:

It was no season then for her

To wanton with the Sun her lusty Paramour.

Onely with speeches fair

She woo's the gentle Air

To hide her guilty front with innocent Snow, And on her naked shame,

Pollute with sinfull blame,

The Saintly Vail of Maiden white to throw,
Confounded, that her Makers eyes
Should look so neer upon her foul deformities.

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30

20

But he her fears to cease,

Sent down the meek-eyd Peace,

She crown'd with Olive green, came softly sliding Down through the turning sphear

His ready Harbinger,

With Turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing,

And waving wide her mirtle wand,

She strikes a universall Peace through Sea and Land.

No War, or Battails sound

Was heard the World around:

The idle spear and shield were high up hung;

The hooked Chariot stood

Unstain'd with hostile blood,

The Trumpet spake not to the armed throng,

And Kings sate still with awfull

eye,

As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by.

But peacefull was the night

Wherin the Prince of light

His raign of peace upon the earth began:

The Windes with wonder whist,

Smoothly the waters kist,

Whispering new joyes to the milde Ocean,

Who now hath quite forgot to rave,

While Birds of Calm sit brooding on the charmed wave.

The Stars with deep amaze

Stand fixt in stedfast gaze,

Bending one way their pretious influence,

And will not take their flight,

For all the morning light,

Or Lucifer that often warn'd them thence;

But in their glimmering Orbs did glow,

Untill their Lord himself bespake, and bid them go.

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бо

70

And though the shady gloom

Had given day her room,

The Sun himself with-held his wonted speed, And hid his head for shame,

As his inferiour flame,

The new-enlightn'd world no more should need; He saw a greater Sun appear

Then his bright Throne, or burning Axletree could bear.

The Shepherds on the Lawn,

Or ere the point of dawn,

Sate simply chatting in a rustick row;

Full little thought they than,

That the mighty Pan

Was kindly com to live with them below;

Perhaps their loves, or els their sheep,

Was all that did their silly thoughts so busie keep.

When such musick sweet

Their hearts and ears did greet,

As never was by mortall finger strook,

Divinely-warbled voice

Answering the stringed noise,

80

90

As all their souls in blisfull rapture took:

The Air such pleasure loth to lose,

With thousand echo's still prolongs each heav'nly close.

100

Nature that heard such sound

Beneath the hollow round

Of Cynthia's seat, the Airy region thrilling,

Now was almost won

To think her part was don,

And that her raign had here its last fulfilling;

She knew such harmony alone

Could hold all Heav'n and Earth in happier union.