THE LIFE OF MR. RICHARD HOOKER, THE AUTHOR OF THOSE LEARNED BOOKS OF THE LAWS OF ECCLESIASTICAL POLITY. TO HIS VERY WORTHY FRIEND MR. IZAAK WALTON, UPON HIS WRITING AND PUBLISHING THE LIFE OF THE VENERABLE AND JUDICIOUS MR. RICHARD HOOKER. I. HAIL, sacred mother! British Church, all hail! Of pious sons so great a throng That Heaven t' oppose their force, of strength did fail, And let the mighty conquerors o'er Almighty arms prevail; How art thou changed from what thou wert a late! When destitute and quite forlorn, And scarce a child of thousands with thee left to mourn, Thy veil all rent, and all thy garments torn, With tears thou didst bewail thine own and children's fate. VERSES TO MR. IZAAK WALTON. Too much alas! thou didst resemble then Sion, thy pattern, Sion in ashes laid, Despised, forsaken, and betrayed; Sion thou dost resemble once again, And, raised like her, the glory of the world art made. Threnes only to thee could that time belong, II. Begin, my verse, and where the doleful mother sat (As it in vision was to Esdras shown) Lamenting, with the rest, her dearest son, Bless'd Charles, who his forefathers has outgone, And to the royal joined the martyr's brighter crown, Let a new city rise with beauteous state, And beauteous let its temple be, and beautiful the gate! Lo! how the sacred fabric up does rise! The architects so skilful all, So grave, so humble, and so wise: The axe's and the hammer's noise Is drowned in silence or in numbers musical; "T is up, and at the altar stand The reverend fathers as of old, With harps and incense in their hand. Nor let the pious service grow or stiff or cold; |