25

And in his garland as he stood,
Ye might discern a cypress bud,
Once had the early matrons run
To greet her of a lovely fon,
And now with second hope the goes,
And calls Lucina to her throws;
But whether by mischance or blame
Atropos for Lucina came;
And with remorseless cruelty
Spoil'd at once both fruit and tree:
The hapless babe before his birth
Had burial, yet not laid in earth,
And the languish'd mother's wortib
Was not long a living tomb.
So have I seen some tender flip,
Sav'd with care from winter's nip,
The pride of her carnation train,
Pluck'd up by fome unheedy fwain,
Who only thought to crop

the flow'r New shot

up

from vernal show'r ;

35

40

But

22. - a cypress bud) An emblem Horace funebris Epod. V. 18. and of a funeral: and it is called in Vir- in Spenfer the cypress funeral. Faery gil feralis, Æn. VI. 216. and in Queen. B. 1. Cant. 1. St. 8.

28. Atropas.

But the fair bloffom hangs the head
Side-ways, as on a dying bed,
And those pearls of dew she wears,
Prove to be presaging tears,
Which the fad morn had let fall
On her hast’ning funeral.
Gentle Lady, may thy grave
Peace and quiet ever have;
After this thy travel sore
Sweet reft seise thee evermore,
That to give the world increase,
Shortned hast thy own life's lease.
Here, besides the forrowing
That thy noble house doth bring,
Here be tears of perfect moan
Wept for thee in Helicon,
And some flowers, and some bays,
For thy herse, to strow the ways,
Sent thee from the banks of Came,
Devoted to thy virtuous name;

28. Atropas for Lucina came;] One 49. After this tby travel fore] As of the Fates instead of the Goddess the died in child-bed. who brings the birth to light.

63. The

65

1

Whilst thou, bright Saint, high fitst in glory,
Next her much like to thee in story,
That fair Syrian shepherdess,
Who after years of barrenness,
The highly favor'd Joseph bore
To him that sery'd for her before,
And at her next birth much like thee,
Through pangs fled to felicity,
Far within the bosom bright
Of blazing Majesty and Light:
There with thee, new welcome Saint,
Like fortunes may her soul acquaint,
With thee there clad in radiant sheen,
No Marchioness, but now a Queen.

IX.
* SONG.

On MAY MORNING.
OW the bright morning star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her

The

70

NO

63. That fair. Syrian Shepherdess, within these few years been set to &c) Rachel, the daughter of La- music by Mr. Feftin, and performed ban the Syrian, kept her father's at Ranelagh gardens. sheep. Gen. XXIX. 9. and after

3.

who from her green lap her first fon, Jofeph, died in child throws &c] This image seems bed of her second son, Benjamin. to be borrow'd from Shakespear. XXXV. 18.

Richard II. Ac 5. Sc. 4: # This beautiful little Song has who are the violets now

That

10

The flow'ry May, who from her green lap throws •
The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose.
Hail bounteous May that doft inspire

S
Mirth and youth and warm desire;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,

Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing. Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

X. + On SHAKESPEAR. 1630. Hat needs my Shakespear for his honor'd bones

The labor of an age in piled stones, Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid Under a star-ypointing pyramid ? Dear son of memory, great heir of fame, What need'st thou such weak witness of thy name? Thou in our wonder and astonishment Haft built thyself a live-long monument.

For

WH

5

That ftrow the green lap of the 5. Dear fon of memory,] He honew-come spring ?

nors his favorite Shakespear with † This copy of verses on Shake- the same relation as the Muses spear being made in 1630, our poet themselves. For the Muses are was then in the 22d year of his called by the old poets the daughage : and it was printed with the ters of memory. See Hefiod Theog. poems of that author at London in ver. 53. 1640.

15. And

IO

For whilft to th' shame of flow-endevoring art
Thy easy numbers flow, and that each heart
Hath from the leaves of thy unvalued book
Those Delphic lines with deep impreffion took,
Then thou our fancy of itself bereaving,
Doft make us marble with too much conceiving;
And so sepúlcher'd in such pomp doft lie, 15
That kings for such a tomb would wish to die.

XI.

* On the University Carrier, who ficken'd in the

time of his vacancy, being forbid to go to London, by reason of the plague. ERE lies old Hobfon; Death hath broke his

girt, And here alas, hath laid him in the dirt,

Or

H

15. And so fepulcher'd] We have

* We have the following acthe word with the same accent in count of this extraordinary man in Fairfax Cant. 1. St. 25.

the Spectator NR 509.

“ Mr. To

« bias Hobson was 'a carrier, and As if his work should his fepul

or the first man in this iland who cher be.

“ let out hackney horses. He Milton has pronounced it other- “ lived in Cambridge, and observ. wife, as in Samson ver. 103.

ing that the scholars rid hard,

“ his manner was to keep a large Myself, my sépulchre, a moving “ ftable of horses, with boots, grave.

“ bridles, and whips, to furnith