Soak'd in his enemies' blood; and from the stream Will send for all my kindred, all my friends, To fetch him hence, and solemnly attend With silent obsequy, and funeral train, 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 sat still with awful eye, As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by. Home to his father's house: there will I build him But peaceful was the night, A monument, and plant it round with shade But unexpectedly returns, And to his faithful champion hath in place Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns, His uncontrollable intent; His servants he, with new acquist Of true experience, from this great event With turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing;* And, waving wide her myrtle wand, Wherein the Prince of light His reign of peace upon the Earth began: Whispering new joys to the mild ocean, The stars, with deep amaze, Bending one way their precious influence; Or Lucifer that often warn'd them thence; Until their Lord himself bespake, and bid them go. And, though the shady gloom Had given day her room, The Sun himself withheld his wonted speed, And hid his head for shame, As his inferior flame The new-enlighten'd world no more should need: He saw a greater Sun appear [bear. Than his bright throne, or burning axletree, could She strikes an universal peace through sea and land. And sworded Seraphim, No war, or battle's sound, Was heard the world around: Are seen in glittering ranks with wings display'd Harping in loud and solemn quire, With unexpressive notes, to Heaven's new-born Heir Such music (as 'tis said) But when of old the sons of morning sung, While the Creator great His constellations set, The lonely mountains o'er, And the resounding shore, A voice of weeping heard and loud lament; From haunted spring and dale, Edg'd with poplar pale, The parting genius is with sighing sent; [keep. With flower-inwoven tresses torn, And the well-balanc'd world on hinges hung; And cast the dark foundations deep, [mourn. And bid the weltering waves their oozy channel The nymphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets Ring out, ye crystal spheres, If ye have power to touch our senses so; Move in melodious time; And let the base of Heaven's deep organ blow;| And with your ninefold harmony, Make up full consort to the angelic symphony. For, if such holy song Enwrap our fancy long, Time will run back. and fetch the age of gold; And speckled Vanity Will sicken soon and die, And leprous Sin will melt from earthly mould; And Hell itself will pass away, The Lars, and Lemures, moan with midnight In urns, and altars round, A drear and dying sound Affrights the Flamens at their service quaint; And the chill marble seems to sweat, While each peculiar Power foregoes his wonted seat. Peor and Baälim Forsake their temples dim, With that twice-batter'd god of Palestine ; And mooned Ashtaroth, Heaven's queen and mother both, Now sits not girt with taper's holy shine; The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn, [mourn. And leave her dolorous mansions to the peering day. In vain the Tyrian maids their wounded Thammuz Yea, Truth and Justice then Will down return to men, Orb'd in a rainbow; and, like glories wearing, Mercy will sit between, Thron'd in celestial sheen, With radiant feet the tissued clouds down steering; And Heaven, as at some festival, Hath left in shadows dread And sullen Moloch, fled, His burning idol all of blackest hue; In vain with cymbals' ring They call the grisly king, In dismal dance about the furnace blue : The brutish gods of Nile as fast, Will open wide the gates of her high palace hall. Isis, and Orus, and the dog Anubis, haste. The wakeful trump of doom must thunder through The sable-stoled sorcerers bear his worshipt ark. EDMUND WALLER. EDMUND WALLER, born at Coleshill, Hertford Waller had a brother-in-law, named Tomkyns shire, in March, 1605, was the son of Robert Wal- who was clerk of the queen's council, and possess ler, Esq., a gentleman of an ancient family and good ed great influence in the city among the warm fortune, who married a sister of the celebrated John loyalists. On consulting together, they thought it Hampden. The death of his father during his infancy would be possible to raise a powerful party, which left him heir to an estate of 3500l. a year, at that might oblige the parliament to adopt pacific measperiod an ample fortune. He was educated first at ures, by resisting the payment of the taxes levied Eton, whence he was removed to King's College for the support of the war. About this time Sir in Cambridge. His election to parliament was as Nicholas Crispe formed a design of more dangerous early as between his sixteenth or seventeenth year; import, which was that of exciting the king's and it was not much later that he made his appear- friends in the city to an open resistance of the auance as a poet and it is remarkable that a copy of thority of parliament; and for that purpose he obverses which he addressed to Prince Charles, in his tained a commission of array from his majesty. eighteenth year, exhibits a style and character of This plan appears to have been originally unconversification as perfectly formed as those of his nected with the other; yet the commission was maturest productions. He again served in parlia-made known to Waller and Tomkyns, and the whole ment before he was of age; and he continued his was compounded into a horrid and dreadful plot. services to a later period. Not insensible of the Waller and Tomkyns were apprehended, when the value of wealth, he augmented his paternal fortune pusillanimity of the former disclosed the whole by marriage with a rich city heiress. In the long secret. "He was so confounded with fear," (says intermissions of parliament which occurred after Lord Clarendon,) "that he confessed whatever he 1628, he retired to his mansion of Beaconsfield, had heard, said, thought, or seen, all that he knew where he continued his classical studies, under the of himself, and all that he suspected of others, withdirection of his kinsman Morley, afterwards bishop out concealing any person, of what degree or quali of Winchester; and he obtained admission to a ty soever, or any discourse which he had ever upon society of able men and polite scholars, of whom any occasion entertained with them." The concluLord Falkland was the connecting medium. sion of this business was, that Tomkyns, and ChaWaller became a widower at the age of twenty- loner, another conspirator, were hanged, and that five: he did not, however, spend much time in Waller was expelled the House, tried, and conmourning, but declared himself the suitor of Lady demned; but after a year's imprisonment, and a fine Dorothea Sydney, eldest daughter of the Earl of of ten thousand pounds, was suffered to go into Leicester, whom he has immortalized under the exile. He chose Rouen for his first place of foreign poetical name of Saccharissa. She is described by exile, where he lived with his wife till his removal him as a majestic and scornful beauty; and he to Paris. In that capital he maintained the appearseems to delight more in her contrast, the gentler ance of a man of fortune, and entertained hospitaAmoret, who is supposed to have been a Lady So- bly, supporting this style of living chiefly by the phia Murray. Neither of these ladies, however, sale of his wife's jewels. At length, after the lapse was won by his poetic strains; and, like another of ten years, being reduced to what he called his man, he consoled himself in a second marriage. rump jewel, he thought it time to apply for perWhen the king's necessities compelled him, in mission to return to his own country. He obtained 1640, once more to apply to the representatives this license, and was also restored to his estate, of the people, Waller, who was returned for Ag-though now diminished to half its former rental. mondesham, decidedly took part with the members Here he fixed his abode, at a house built by himwho thought that the redress of grievances should self, at Beaconsfield; and he renewed his courtly precede a vote for supplies; and he made an ener-strains by adulation to Cromwell, now Protector, getic speech on the occasion. He continued during to whom his mother was related. To this usurper three years to vote in general with the Opposition the noblest tribute of his muse was paid. in the Long Parliament, but did not enter into all When Charles II. was restored to the crown, their measures. In particular, he employed much and past character was lightly regarded, the stains cool argument against the proposal for the abolition of that of Waller were forgotten, and his wit and of Episcopacy; and he spoke with freedom and poetry procured him notice at court, and admission severity against some other plans of the House. to the highest circles. He had also sufficient inIn fact, he was at length become a zealous loyalist terest to obtain a seat in the House of Commons, in his inclinations; and his conduct under the dif- in all the parliaments of that reign. The king's ficulties into which this attachment involved him gracious manners emboldened him to ask for the became a source of his indelible disgrace. A short vacant place of provost of Eton college, which was narrative will suffice for the elucidation of this granted him; but Lord Clarendon, then Lord Chancellor, refused to set the seal to the grant, alleging matter. that by the statutes laymen were excluded from died at Beaconsfield in October, 1687, the 83d year that provostship. This was thought the reason why Waller joined the Duke of Buckingham, in his hostility against Clarendon. of his age. He left several children by his second wife, of whom, the inheritor of his estate, Edmund, after representing Agmondesham in parliament, became a convert to Quakerism. On the accession of James II., Waller, then in his 80th year, was chosen representative for Saltash. Having now considerably passed the usual limit of human life, he turned his thoughts to devotion, and composed some divine poems, the usual task in which men of gaiety terminate their career. He ticular. Waller was one of the earliest poets, who obtained reputation by the sweetness and sonorousness of his strains; and there are perhaps few masters at the present day who surpass him in this par TO AMORET. FAIR! that you may truly know, Joy salutes me, when I set If sweet Amoret complains, Do not only grieve, but die. All that of myself is mine, Lovely Amoret! is thine, Sacharissa's captive fain Would untie his iron chain, And, those scorching beams to shun, To thy gentle shadow run. If the soul had free election I would not thus long have borne "Tis amazement more than love, Amoret! as sweet and good As the most delicious food, Sacharissa's beauty's wine, Scarce can I to Heaven excuse Unto that adored dame : Which, though not so fierce a flame, Then smile on me, and I will prove Wonder is shorter-liv'd than love. TO AMORET. AMORET, the Milky Way, Fram'd of many nameless stars! The smooth stream, where none can say, He this drop to that prefers! Amoret, my lovely foe! Tell me where thy strength does lie? Where the power that charms us so? In thy soul, or in thy eye? By that snowy neck alone, Or thy grace in motion seen, Yet thy waist is straight, and clean, OF LOVE. ANGER, in hasty words, or blows, For women, born to be controll'd, While her high pride does scarce descend All this with indignation spoke, So the tall stag, upon the brink OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE DWARFS. DESIGN or Chance make others wive, But Nature did this match contrive: Eve might as well have Adam fled, As she deny'd her little bed To him, for whom Heav'n seem'd to frame, Thrice happy is that humble pair, To him the fairest nymphs do show Ah! Chloris! that kind Nature thus A PANEGYRIC TO MY LORD PROTECTOR, Of the Present Greatness, and Joint Interest, of las Highness and this Nation. WHILE with a strong, and yet a gentle, hand, Let partial spirits, still aloud complain, Above the waves as Neptune show'd his face, Your drooping country, torn with civil hate, Heaven (that hath plac'd this island to give law, Whether this portion of the world were rent, Hither th' oppressed shall henceforth resort, With such a chief the meanest nation blest, Lords of the world's great waste, the ocean, we Angels and we have this prerogative, Our little world, the image of the great, |