If ever breath dissolv'd the world to teares,

Or hollow cries made Heaven's vault resound : If ever shrikes were sounded out so cleare,

That all the world's waste might heare around:
Be mine the breath, the teares, the shrikes, the cries,
Yet still my griefe unseene, unsounded lies.

Thou flattering Sun, that ledst this loathed light,
Why didst thou in thy saffron-robes arise?
Or foldst not up the day in drierie night?

And wakst the westerne worldes amazed eies ?
And never more rise from the ocean,

To wake the morn, or chase night shades again.

Heare we no bird of day, or dawning morne,

To greet the Sun, or glad the waking eare: Sing out, ye scrich-owles, lowder than aforne,

And ravens blacke of night; of death of driere: And all ye barking foules yet never seene, That fill the moonlesse night with hideous din.

Now shall the wanton Devils daunce in rings

In everie mede, and everie heath hore The elvish Faeries, and the Gobelins:

:

The hoofed Satyres silent heretofore :
Religion, Vertue, Muses, holie mirth
Have now forsworne the late forsaken Earth.

The Prince of Darknesse gins to tyrannize,
And reare up cruel trophies of his rage,
Faint earth through her despairing cowardice
Yeelds up herselfe to endlesse vassalage :
What champion now shal tame the power of Hell,
And the unrulie spirits overquell?

The world's praise, the Pride of Nature's proofe,
Amaze of times, hope of our faded age:
Religion's hold, Earth's choice, and Heaven's love,
Fatterne of vertue, patron of Muse's sage:
All these and more were WHITAKER'S alone,
Now they in him, and he and all are gone.

Heaven, Earth, Nature, Death, and every Fate
Thus spoil'd the careless world of woonted joy :
Whiles each repin'd at others' pleasing state,

And all agreed to work the world's annoy :
Heaven strove with Earth, Destiny gave the doome,
That Death should Earth and Nature overcome.

Earth takes one part, when forced Nature sendes
The Soule, to flit into the yeelding skie :
Sorted by Death into their fatal ends,
Foreseene, foresett from all eternitie :
Destinie by Death spoyl'd feeble Nature's frame,
Earth was despoyl'd when Heaven overcame.

Ah, coward Nature, and more cruell Death,
Envying Heaven, and unworthy mold,
Unweildy carkasse and unconstant breath,

That did so lightly leave your living hold:
How have you all conspir'd our hopelesse spight,
And wrapt us up in Greife's eternall night.

Base Nature yeeldes, imperious Death commandes,
Heaven desires, durst lowly dust denie ?

The Fates decreed, no mortal might withstand,
The spirit leaves his load, and lets it lie.

The fenceless corpes corrupts in sweeter clay,
And waytes for worms to waste it quite away.

Now ginne your triumphs, Death and Destinies,
And let the trembling world witnesse your wast :
Now let blacke Orphney raise his gastly neighes,

And trample high, and hellish forme outcast :
Shake he the Earth, and teare the hollow skies,
That all may feele and feere your victories.

And after your triumphant chariot,

Drag the pale corpes that thus you did to die, To shew what goodly conquests ye have got,

To fright the world, and fill the wondering eie: Millions of lives, of deathes no conquest were, Compared with one onely WHITAKERE.

But thou, O soule, shall laugh at their despite,
Sitting beyond the mortall man's extent,
All in the bosome of that blessed spright:

Which the great God for thy safe conduct sent,
He through the circling spheres taketh his flight,
And cuts the solid skie with spirituall might.

Open, ye golden gates of Paradise,

Open ye wide unto a welcome ghost: Enter, O soule, into thy boure of blisse,

Through all the throng of Heaven's hoast:

Which shall with triumph gard thee as thou go'st
With psalmes, of conquest and with crownes of cost.

Seldome had ever soule such entertaines,

With such sweet hymnes, and such a glorious crowne. Nor with such joy amids the heavenly traines, Was ever led to his Creator's throne: There now he lives, and sees his Saviour's face, And ever sings sweet songs unto His grace.

Meanwhile, the memorie of His mighty name
Shall live as long as aged Earth shall last :
Enrolled on berill walles of fame,

Ay ming'd, ay mourn'd: and wished oft in wast.
Is this to die, to live for evermore;

A double life: that neither liv'd afore?

SOME FEW OF

Babid's Psalms Metaphrased.

PSALM I.

IN THE TUNE OF THE CXLVIIIth PSALM,

"Give laud unto the Lord."

WHO hath not walkt astray,
In wicked men's advice,
Nor stood in sinners' way;
Nor in their companies

That scorners are

As their fit mate,

In scoffing chaire,

Hath ever sate:

2. But in thy lawes divine,
O Lord, sets his delight,
And in those lawes of thine
Studies all day and night :

Oh, how that man
Thrice blessed is !

And sure shall gaine
Eternal blisse.