[fire

Where fhall we fometimes mect, and by the Help waste a fullen day what may be won From the hard feafon gaining? time will run On smoother, till Favanious re-inspire The frozen earth, and cloth in fresh attire The lily' and rose, that neither fow'd nor fpun. What neat repast shall feast us, light and choice

Of Attic tafte, with wine, whence we may rife 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 interpofe them oft, is not unwife.

XXI. To Cyriac Skinner.

CYRIAC, whofe grandfire on the royal bench
Of British Themis, with no mean applaufe
Pronounc'd, and in his volumes taught our
laws,

To day deep thoughts refolve with me to drench
In mirth, that after no repenting draws;
Let Euclid reft, and Archimedes pause,
And what the Swede intends, and what the
French.

To measure life learn thou betimes, and know Tow'ard folid good what leads the nearest way; For other things mild Heav'n a time ordains' And difapproves that care, though wife in fhew,

That with fuperfluous burden loads the day,
And when God fends a cheerful hour refrains.

XXII. To the fame.

CYRIAC, this three years day thefe eyes, tho' clear,

To outward view, of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their feeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs doth fight appear Of fun, or moon, or ftar, throughout the year, Or man, or woman. Yet I argue not Against Heav'n's hand or will, nor bate a jot Of heart or hope; but still bear up, and steer Right onward. What fupports me? doit thou afk:

The confcience, Friend, to' have loft them overply'd

In liberty's defence, my noble task,

Of which all Europe talks from fide to fide. This thought might lead me thro' the world's vain mask,

Content though blind, had I no better guide.

XXIII. On bis deceafed Wife.

METHOUGHT I saw my late espoused faint

Brought to me like Alceftis from the grave, Whom Jove's great fon to her glad husband gave Refcued from death by force though pale and faint.

Mine, as whom wash'd from spot of child-bed taint,

Purification in the old law did fave,

And fuch, as yet once more I trust to have Full fight of her in Heav'n without restraint,

Came vefted all in white, pure as her mind : Her face was veil'd, yet to my fancied fight

Love, sweetness, goodness, in her person shin'd So clear, as in no face with more delight. But O, as to embrace me the inclin'd,

I wak'd, fhe fled, and day brought back my

night.

BLESSED is the man who hath not walk'd astray
In counsel of the wicked, and i' th' way
of finners hath not stood, and in the feat
Of fcorners hath not fat. But in the great
Jehovah's law is ever his delight,
And in his law he ftudies day and night.
He shall be as a tree which planted grows
By watry streams, and in the feafon knows
To yield his fruit, and his leaf fhall not fall;
And what he takes in hand fhall profper all.
Not fo the wicked, but as chaff which fann'd
The wind drives; fo the wicked shall not stand
In judgment, or abide their trial then,
Nor finners in th' affembly of juft men.

Be taught ye Judges of the earth; with fear
Jehovah ferve, and let your joy converse
With trembling; kifs the Son, left he appear
In anger, and ye perifh in the way,
If once his wrath take fire like {fuel fere,
Happy all those who have him in their stay.

Pfalm 111. Aug. 9, 1653. When be fled from
Abfalom.

LORD how many are my foes?
How many those

That in arms against me rise!
Many are they

That of my life diftruftfully thus fay,
No help for him in God their lies.

And the way of bad men to ruin must.

Pfalm 11. Done Aug. 8, 1653. Terzette. Way do the Gentiles tumult, and the nations Mufe a vain thing, the kings of th' earth upftand

With power, and princes in their congregations

Lay deep their plots together through each land Against the Lord, and his Meffiah dear?

Let us break off,say they, by strength of hand, Their bonds, and caft from us, no more to wear Their twisted cords: he who in Heav'n doth dwell

Shall laugh, the Lord fhall fcoff them, then fe

vere

Speak to them in his wrath, and in his fell
And fierce ire trouble them; but I, faith he,
Anointed have my King (though ye rebel)
On Sion my holy hill. A firm decree

I will deelare; the Lord to me hath faid
Thou art my fon, I have begotten thee
This day; afk of me, and the grant is made;
As thy poffeffion I on thee bestow

Th' Heathen, and as thy conquest to be fway'd Earth's utmost bounds: them shalt thou bring full low

With iron fceptre bruis'd, and them disperse Like to a potters veffel fhiver'd fo.

And now be wife, at length, ye Kings averse,

Thee through my story

Th' exalter of my head I count ; Aloud I cry'd

Unto Jehovah, he full foon reply'd,

And heard me from his holy mount.
I lay and flept, I wak'd again,
For my fuftain

Was the Lord. Of many millions
The populous rout

I fear not, though encamping round about
They pitch against me their pavilions.
Rife, Lord, fave me my God, for thou
Haft fmote e'er now

On the cheek-bone all my foes,
Of men abhorr'd

Haft broke the teeth. This help was from the

Lord;

Thy bleffing on thy people flows.

Lodge it with dishonour foul.
Rife, Jehovah, in thine ire,

Roufe thyfelf amidst the rage
Of my foes that urge like fire;

And wake for me, their fury' affwage;
Judgment here thou didst engage
And command which I defire.
So th' affemblies of each nation
Will furround thee, leeking right,
Thence to thy glorious habitation

Return on high, and in their fight.
Jehovah judgeth most upright
All people from the world's foundation.
Judge me, Lord; be judge in this

According to my righteoufness,
And the innocence which is

Upon me: caufe at length to cease
Of evil men the wickedness
And their pow'r that do amifs.
But the just establish fast,

Since thou art the just God that tries
Hearts and reins. On God is caft
My defence, and in him lies,

in him who both just and wise Saves th' upright of heart at last. God is a juft judge and severe,

And God is every day offended; If the unjust will not forbear,

His fword he whets, his bow hath bended Already, and for him intended

The tools of death, that waits him near. (His arrows purposely made he

For them that perfecute) Behold He travels big with vanity;

Trouble he hath conceiv'd of old

As in a womb, and from that mould
Hath at length brought forth a lie.
He digg'd a pit, and delv'd it deep,
And fell into the pit he made;

His mifchief that due courfe doth keep,
Turus on his head, and his iil trade
Or violence will undelay'd
Fall on his crown with ruin steep.
Then will I Jehovah's praife,
According to his juftice raise,
And fing the Name and Deity
Of Jehovah the Most High.

Pfulm VIII. Aug. 14. 1653.

O JEHOVAH, our Lord, how wondrous great And glorious is thy name through all the carth! So as above the Heav'ns thy praise to set

Out of the tender mouths of latest birth. Out of the mouths of babes and fucklings thou Haft founded strength because of all thy foes, To ftint th' enemy, and flack th' avengers' brow, That bends his rage thy providence to' oppose. When I behold thy Heav'ns, thy fingers' art,

The moon and stars which thou fo bright haft In the pure firmament, then faith my heart, [fet O what is man that thou remembrest yet, And think it upou him; or of man begot,

That him thou visit'st, and of him art found? Scarce to be less than gods, thou mad'st his lot;

With honour and with ftate thou haft him

crown'd.

O'er the works of thy hand thou mad'st him lord,
Thou haft put all under his lordly feet,

All flocks, and herds, by thy commanding word,
All beafts that in the field or forest meet,
Fowls of the Heav'ns, and fish that through the

wet

See paths in fhoals do flide, and know no dearth.

O Jehovah, our Lord, how wondrous great And glorious is thy name through all the earth.

Nine of the Pfalms done into metre, wherein all, but what is in a different character, are the very words of the text, tranflated from the original. April 1648. J. M.

Pfalm LXXX.

I THOU Shepherd that doft Ifrael keep.

Give ear in time of need,

Who leadeft like a flock of sheep

Thy loved Jofeph's feed,

That fitft between the cherubs bright
Between their wings cut-spread,

Shine forth, and from thy cloud give light,
And on our foes thy dread.

2 In Ephraim's view and Benjamin's,
And in Manaffe's fight,

Awake thy ftrength, come, and be feen
To fave us by thy might.

3 Turn us again, thy grace divine
To us, O God, vouchsafe;

Caufe thou thy face on us to fhine,

And then we shall be safe.

4 Lord God of Hofts, how long wilt thou, How long wilt thou declare

Thy smoking wrath, and angry brow

Against thy people's pray'r!

5 Thou feedit them with the bread of tears Their bread with tears they eat,

And mak'it them largely drink the tears
Wherewith their cheeks are wet,

6 A ftrife thou mak'ft us, and a prey
To every neighbour foc,

Among themselves they laugh, they play,
And flouts at us they throw.

7 Return us, and thy grace divine
O God of Hofts, vouchsafe;
Cause thou thy face on us to fhine,

And then we shall be safe.

8 A vine from Egypt thou haft brought,
Thy free love made it thine,

And drov'ft our nations, proud and haut,
To plant this lovely vine.

9 Thou didst prepare for it a place,
And root it deep and faft,
That it began to grow apace,

And fill'd the land at left.

10 With her green shade that cover'd all,
The hills were overfpread;
Her boughs as high as cedars tall

Advanc'd their lofty bead.

II Her branches on the western fide
Down to the sea she sent,

And upward to that river wide

Her other branches went.

12 Why haft thou laid her hedges low, And broken down her fence,

That all may pluck her, as they go,

With rudeft violence?

13 The tufked boar out of the wood

Up turns it by the roots;

Wild beafts there brouze, and make their food

Her grapes and tender foots.

14 Return now, God of Hofts, look down
From Heav'n, thy feat divine,
Behold us, but without a frown,

And vifit this thy vine.

15 Visit this vine, which thy right hand
Hath fet, and planted long,
And the young branch, that for thyfelf
Thou haft made firm and ftrong.
16 But now it is confum'd with fire,
And cut with axes down,
They perish at thy dreadful ire,

At thy rebuke and frown.

17 Upon the Man of thy right hand
Let thy good hand be laid,
Upon the Son of man, whom thou
Strong for thyself haft made.

18 So fhall we not go back from thee
To ways of fin and foame;
Quicken us thou, then gladly we
Shall call upon thy name.
19 Return us, and thy grace divine,
Lord God of Hofts, vouchsafe;
Caufe thou thy face on us to shine,
And then we shall be fafe.

Pfalm LXXXI.

I To God our frength fing loud, and clear, Sing loud to God our King, may bear

To Jacob's God, that all

Loud acclamations ring.

2 Prepare a hymn, prepare a fong,

The timbrel hither bring,

The cheerful pfaltry bring along,

And harp with pleasant firing.

3 Blow, as is wont, in the new moon
With trumpets' lofty found,
Th' appointed time, the day whereon
Our folemn feaft comes round.
4 This was a ftatute giv'n of old
For Ifrael to observe,

A law of Jacob's God, to Lold,

From whence they might not faverve. 5 This he a teftimony' ordain'd In Jofeph, not to change,

When as he pafs'd through Egypt land;

The tongue I heard was strange. 6 From burden, and from flavib toil I fet his fhoulder free:

His hands from pots, and miry foil
Deliver'd were by me.

7 When trouble did thee fore affail,
On me then didft thou call,
And I to free thee did not fail,
And led thee out of thrall.

I answer'd thee in thunder deep
With clouds encompass'd round
I try'd thee at the water fleep

Of Merbia renown'd.

8 Hear, O my people, bearken well, I teftify to thee,

Thou ancient flock of Ifrael,

If thou wilt lift to me,

9 Throughout the land of thy abode No alien god fhall be,

Nor fhalt thou to a foreign god

In honour bend thy knee.

10 I am the Lord thy God which brought Thee out of Egypt's land;

Afk large enough, and I, befought,

Will grant thy full demand.

II And yet my people would not bear,
Nor hearken to my voice;

And Ifrael, whom I lov'd fo dear,
Miflik'd me for his choice.

12 Then did I leave them to their will,
And to their wand'ring mind;
Their own conceits they follow'd still,
Their own devices blind.

13 O that my people would be wife,
To ferve me all their days,

And O that Ifrael would advise

To walk my righteous ways!

14 Then would I foon bring down their foes, That now fo proudly rife,

And turn my hand against all thofe

That are their enemies.

15 Who hate the Lord fhould then be fain To bow to him and bend,

But they, his people, fbould remain,

Their time fhould have no end.

16 And he would feed them from the foock
With flour of fineft wheat,

And fatisfy them from the rock
With honey for their meat.

Pfalm LXXXII.

I GOD in the great affembly ftands
Of kings and lordly fates;
Among the gods, on both his hands
He judges and debates.

2 How long will ye pervert the right
With judgment falfe and wrong,
Favouring the wicked by your might,
Who thence grow bold and frong?
3 Regard the weak and fatherless,
Difpatch the poor man's cause,
And raise the man in deep distress,
By juft and equal laws.

4 Defend the poor and defolate,
And rescue from the hands
Of wicked men the low eftate

Of him that help demands.

5 They know not, nor will understand, In darkness they walk on;

The earth's foundations all are mov'd, And out of order gone.

6 I faid that ye were gods, yea all The fons of God most high;