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WILLIAM MORRELL

FROM

NEW-ENGLAND

Those well seene Natives in grave Natures hests
All close designes conceale in their deepe brests;
What strange attempts so ere they doe intend
Are fairely usherd in till their last ende;
Their well advised talke evenly conveyes
Their acts to their intents, and nere displayes
Their secret projects by high words or light
Till they conclude their end by fraud or might.
No former friendship they in minde retaine,
If you offend once or your love detaine.

5

ΙΟ

They're wondrous cruell, strangely base and viled,
Quickly displeasd and hardly reconcild;

Stately and great, as read in Rules of state;

Incensd, not caring what they perpetrate.

Whose hayre is cut with greeces, yet a locke

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Is left, the left side bound up in a knott.

Their males small labour but great pleasure know,
Who nimbly and expertly draw the bow;
Traind up to suffer cruell heate and cold,

Or what attempt so ere may make them bold;
Of body straight, tall, strong, mantled in skin
Of Deare or Bever, with the hayre-side in;

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An Otter skin their right armes doth keepe warme,
To keepe them fit for use and free from harme.
A Girdle set with formes of birds or beasts
Begirts their waste, which gently gives them ease.
Each one doth modestly binde up his shame,
And Deare-skin Start-ups reach up to the same;
A kinde of Pinsen keeps their feete from cold,
Which after travels they put off, up-fold.

Themselves they warme, their ungirt limbes they rest,

In straw and houses like to sties. Distrest

With Winters cruell blasts, a hotter clime

They quickly march to; when that extreame time

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Is over, then contented they retire

To their old homes, burning up all with fire:
Thus they their ground from all things quickly cleare,
And make it apt great store of Corne to beare.

1625.

35

ANONYMOUS

FROM

THE WHOLE BOOKE OF PSALMES

23 A PSALME OF DAVID

The Lord to mee a shepheard is,
want therefore shall not I.
Hee in the folds of tender-grasse
doth cause mee downe to lie:
To waters calme me gently leads,

Restore my soule doth hee:

he doth in paths of righteousnes

for his names sake leade mee.

Yea, though in valley of deaths shade

I walk, none ill I 'le feare;

because thou art with mee, thy rod

and staffe my comfort are.

For mee a table thou hast spread

in presence of my foes:

5

ΙΟ

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1636-40.

the flouds lift up, Lord, flouds lift up,

the flouds lift up their noyse.
The Lord on high then waters noyse

more strong, then waves of sea.
Thy words most sure: Lord, holines
becomes thine house for aye.

PSALME 133

A song of degrees, of David

How good and sweet, o sce,
i'ts for brethren to dwell
together in unitee:

It's like choise oyle that fell

the head upon,

that downe did flow

the beard unto,

beard of Aron;

The skirts of his garment
that unto them went downe;

Like Hermons dews descent

Sions mountaines upon;

for there to bee the Lords blessing,

life aye lasting

commandeth hee.

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EDWARD JOHNSON

FROM

WONDER-WORKING PROVIDENCE OF SIONS
SAVIOUR IN NEW-ENGLAND

From silent night, true Register of moans,

From saddest soul consum'd in deepest sin,
From heart quite rent with sighs and heavy groans,
My wailing muse her woful work begins,

And to the world brings tunes of sad lament,
Sounding nought els but sorrows sad relent.

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Lord, stay thy hand; thy Jacobs number 's small;
Powre out thy wrath on Antichrists proud Thrones;
Here thy poor flocks that on thee daily call,

Bottle their tears, and pity their sad groans.
Where shall we go, Lord Christ? we turn to thee;,
Heal our back-slidings, forward press shall we.

Not we, but all thy Saints the world throughout
Shall on thee wait, thy wonders to behold;
Thou King of Saints, the Lord in battel stout,
Increase thy armies many thousand fold.
Oh Nations all, his anger seek to stay,

That doth create him armies every day.

1654.

ANNE BRADSTREET

THE PROLOGUE

To sing of Wars, of Captains, and of Kings,
Of Cities founded, Common-wealths begun,
For my mean pen are too superiour things,
Or how they all or each their dates have run:
Let Poets and Historians set these forth;
My obscure Lines shall not so dim their worth.

But when my wondring eyes and envious heart
Great Bartas sugar'd lines do but read o're,
Fool, I do grudg the Muses did not part
"Twixt him and me that overfluent store;

A Bartas can do what a Bartas will,

But simple I according to my skill.

From school-boyes tongue no rhet'rick we expect,
Nor yet a sweet Consort from broken strings,
Nor perfect beauty where's a main defect:
My foolish, broken, blemish'd Muse so sings;
And this to mend, alas, no Art is able,
'Cause nature made it so irreparable.

ΙΟ

15

5

ΙΟ

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Nor can I, like that fluent sweet-tongu'd Greek
Who lisp'd at first, in future times speak plain;
By Art he gladly found what he did seek,
A full requital of his striving pain:

Art can do much; but this maxime's most sure,

A weak or wounded brain admits no cure.

I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
Who says my hand a needle better fits;
A Poets pen all scorn I should thus wrong,
For such despite they cast on Female wits:
If what I do prove well it won't advance;
They 'I say it's stoln, or else it was by chance.

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But sure the antique Greeks were far more mild,
Else of our Sexe why feigned they those Nine,
And poesy made Calliope's own Child?
So 'mongst the rest they placed the Arts Divine.
But this weak knot they will full soon untie:
The Greeks did nought but play the fools & lye.

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Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are,

Men have precedency and still excell:

It is but vain unjustly to wage warre;
Men can do best, and women know it well:
Preheminence in all and each is yours;
Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours.

And oh ye high flown quills that soar the Skies,
And ever with your prey still catch your praise,
If e're you daigne these lowly lines your eyes,
Give Thyme or Parsley wreath, I ask no bayes:
This mean and unrefined ure of mine,
Will make your glistring gold but more to shine.

FROM

OF THE FOUR AGES OF MAN

Lo now four other act upon the stage:
Childhood and Youth, the Manly & Old-age.
The first, son unto flegm, Grand-child to water,
Unstable, supple, cold, and moist's his nature.

1650.

40

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