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"Dr. Johnson talked of IZAAK WALTON'S Lives,

which was one of his favorite books."

BOSWELL.

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!
From whose fruitful loins have sprung

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,

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And, raised like her, the glory of the world art made.

Threnes only to thee could that time belong,
But now thou art the lofty subject of my song.

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;

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