XVI. TO THE LORD GENERAL CROMWELL. CROMWELL, Our chief of men, who through a cloud 5 Hast rear'd God's trophies, and his work pursued, While Darwen stream, with blood of Scots imbued, And Dunbar field resounds thy praises loud, And Worcester's laureat wreath. Yet much remains To conquer still; Peace hath her victories 10 No less renown'd than War; new foes arise Threat'ning to bind our souls with secular chains : Help us to save free conscience from the paw Of hireling wolves, whose gospel is their maw. XVII. TO SIR HENRY VANE, THE YOUNGER. VANE, young in years, but in sage counsel old, Than whom a better senator ne'er held The helm of Rome, when gowns not arms repell'd The drift of hollow states hard to be spell'd, 5 Move by her two main nerves, iron and gold, have done: The bounds of either sword to thee we owe: Therefore on thy firm hand Religion leans In peace, and reckons thee her eldest son. 11 XVIII. ON THE LATE MASSACRE IN PIEMONT. AVENGE, O Lord, thy slaughter'd saints, whose bones Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold; Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones, Forget not; in thy book record their groans Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold Slain by the bloody Piemontese that roll'd Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans The vales redoubled to the hills, and they 5 To Heav'n. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow 10 XIX. ON HIS BLINDNESS. WHEN I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide, Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve there with my Maker, and present My true account, lest he returning chide; I fondly ask: But Patience, to prevent 5 10 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best: his state Is kingly thousands at his bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait.' The massacre in Piemont formed a part of the feartul perseentinas which the Vaudois, or Protestants of that country, suf fered from the Church of Rome. An abstract of this appalling portion of modern church history may be found in Dr. M'Cries admirable work on the Reformation in Italy, and in Mr. Gillie's Journey to the valleys of the Vaudois. XX. TO MR. LAWRENCE. LAWRENCE, of virtuous father virtuous son, 5 Now that the fields are dank, and ways are mire, Where shall we sometimes meet, and by the fire Help waste a sullen day, what may be won From the hard season gaining? time will run On smoother, till Favonius re-inspire The frozen earth, and clothe in fresh attire The lily' and rose, that neither sow'd nor spun. What neat repast shall feast us, light and choice Of Attic taste, with wine, whence we may rise To hear the lute well touch'd, or artful voice Warble immortal notes and Tuscan air? He who of those delights can judge, and spare To interpose them oft, is not unwise. XXI. TO CYRIAC SKINNER.t 10 CYRIAC, whose grandsire on the royal bench 5 In mirth, that after no repenting draws; Let Euclid rest and Archimedes pause, And what the Swede intends, and what the French. To measure life learn thou betimes, and know Toward solid good what leads the nearest way; 10 For other things mild Heav'n a time ordains, And disapproves that care, though wise in show, That with superfluous burden loads the day, And when God sends a cheerful hour, refrains. Mr. Lawrence was son of the president of + Cyriac Skinner was a pupil of Milton's XXII. TO THE SAME. 5 CYRIAC, this three years' day these eyes, tho' clear, Of which all Europe rings from side to side. XXIII. ON HIS DECEASED WIFE. 6 METHOUGHT I saw my late-espoused saint I waked, she fled, and day brought back my night. 10 On his deceased wife, his second wife, who died about a year after their marriage.-Alcestis was king of Thessaly, and being on the point of death, was restored to life by his wife's voluntarily offering herself to Apollo in his stead. Hercules afterward succeeded in rescuing her from the shades. PSALM I. (Done into verse, 1653.) BLESS'D is the man who hath not walk'd astray Of sinners hath not stood, and in the seat 10 For the Lord knows th' upright way of the just, 15 And the way of bad men to ruin must. PSALM II. (Done Aug. 8, 1653.) WHY do the Gentiles tumult, and the nations 5 Let us break off, say they, by strength of hand Their bonds, and cast from us, no more to wear Their twisted cords: he who in Heav'n doth dwell Shall laugh, the Lord shall scoff them, then severe Speak to them in his wrath, and in his fell And fierce ire trouble them; But I, saith he, Anointed have my King (though ye rebel) On Sion my holy hill. A firm decree I will declare; the Lord to me hath said, 10 |