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TO HIS VERY WORTHY AND MUCH HONOURED FRIEND

MR. IZAAK WALTON,

UPON HIS EXCELLENT

LIFE OF MR. GEORGE HERBERT.

I.

HEAV'NS youngest fon, its Benjamin,

Divinity's next brother, facred Poefie,
No longer fhall a virgin reckoned be
(What ere with others 'tis) by me,

A female inufe, as were the nine;
But (full of vigour mafculine)

An efsence male, with angels his companions fhine.
With angels first the heavenly youth was bred,
And, when a child, inftructed them to fing

The praises of th' Immortal King

Who Lucifer in triumph led:

For, as in chains the monfter fank to hell,

And tumbling headlong down the precipice fell,

By him first taught, "How art thou fallen thou morning star?"

they faid,

Too fondly then, we have fancy'd him a maid:

We, the vain brethren of the rhyming trade;
A female angel lefs would Urbin's* skill upbraid.

II.

Thus 'twas in heaven: this, Poefy's fex and age;
And, when he thence t'our lower world came down,
He chofe a form more like his own,

And Jefse's youngest fon infpir'd with holy rage,
The fprightly fhepherd felt unusual fire,

And up he took his tuneful lyre;

He took it up, and struck't, and his own foft touches did admire.

Thou, Poefy, on him didft beftow

Thy choiceft gift, a honour fhew'd before to none;

And, to prepare his way to th' Hebrew throne,

Gav'ft him thy empire and dominion;

Raphael Urbin, the famous painter.

The happy land of verfe, where flow Rivers of milk, and woods of laurel grow;

Wherewith thou didst adorn his brow,

And mad'st his first, more flourishing, and triumphant crown.
Afsift me thy great prophet's praise to fing,
David, the poet's, and blefs'd Ifrael's King;

And with the dancing echo, let the mountains ring!
Then on the wings of fome aufpicious wind,

Let his great name from earth be rais'd on high,
And in the starry volume of the sky,

A lasting record find:

Be with his mighty pfaltery join'd;

Which, taken long fince up into the air,

And call'd the harp, makes a bright conftellation there.

III.

Worthy it was to be tranflated hence,
And there, in view of all, exalted hang:
To which fo oft the princely prophet sang,
And mystic oracles did difpenfe.
Though had it ftill remain'd below,
More wonders of it we had feen,

How great the mighty Herbert's skill had been;
Herbert, who could fo much without it do;
Herbert, who did its chords diftinctly know;
More perfectly than any child of verse below.
O! had we known him half fo well!

But then, my friend, there had been left for you
Nothing fo fair, and worthy praise to do;
Who, fo exactly all his story tell,

That though he did not want his bays,
Nor all the monuments virtue can raise,
Your hand he did, to eternize his praise.
Herbert and Donne again are join'd,
Now here below, as they're above;

These friends are in their old embraces twin'd;
And fince by you the interview's defign'd,
Too weak to part them death does prove;

For in this book they meet again, as in one heav'n they love.

April

BENSTEAD,}

SAM. WOODFORDE, D. D.

IN VITAM

GEORGII HERBERTI,

AB

ISAACO WALTONO SCRIPTAM.

Quàm erubefco cùm tuam vitam lego,
Herberte Sancte, quámque me pudet mex! •
Ego talpa cæcus hîc humi fodiens mifer,
Aquila volatu tu petens nubes tuo,
Ego Choicum vas terreas fæces olens,
Tu (fola namque Urania tibi ex mufis placet)
Nil tale fpiras; fed fapis cœlum et Deum,
Omnique vitæ, libri et omni, linea;
Templúmque tecum ubique circumfers tuum:
Domi-porta cœli, cui domus propria, optima :
Ubi Rex, ibi Roma, Imperii fedes; ubi

Tu fancte vates, templum ibi, et cœlum, et Deus.
Tu quale nobis intuendum clericis

Speculum Sacerdotale, tu qualem piis

Paftoris ideam et libro et vitâ tuâ

Tu quale Sanctitatis elementis bonæ,

Morumque nobis tradis exemplum ac typum!

Typum*, Magiftro nempe proximum Tuo,

Exemplar illud grande qui folus fuit.

Canonizet ergò quos velit Dominus Papa;
Sibique fanctos, quos facit, fervit fuos

Colátque; fancte Herberte, tu Sanctus meus;

Oraque pro me, dicerem, fi fas, tibi.

Sed hos honores par nec eft fanctis dari;
Velis nec ipfe; recolo te, fed non colo.
Talis legenda eft vita Sancti, concio
Ad promovendum quàm potens et efficax!
Per talia exempla eft breve ad cœlos iter.
Waltone, macte, perge vitas fcribere,
Et penicillo, quo vales, infigni adhuc
Sanctorum imagines coloribus fuis
Plures repræfentare; quod tu dum facis

* Sic Chriftum folens vocavit quoties ejus mentionem fecit.

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