184

MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.

Her high birth, and her graces sweet
Quickly found a lover meet;

The virgin quire for her request

The God that sits at marriage feast;

He at their invoking came,

But with a scarce well-lighted flame;
And in his garland as he stood,

Ye might discern a cyprus bud.

Once had the early matrons run
To greet her of a lovely son,
And now with second hope she goes,
And calls Lucina to her throes;

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 womb
Was not long a living tomb.
So have I seen some tender slip,
Sav'd with care from winter's nip,
The pride of her carnation train,

19 He] See Ov. Metam. x. 4.

• Adfuit ille quidem : sed nec solennia verba, Nec lætos vultus, nec felix attulit omen : Fax quoque, quam tenuit, lacrymoso stridula fumo, Usque fuit, nullosque invenit motibus ignes.' Jortin. 33 womb] Browne's Brit. Past. b. ii. s. 1. ed. 1616. 'Where never plowshare ript his mother's wombe To give an aged seede a living tombe.'

Todd.

30

35

25

20

1

air blossom hangs the head
s, as on a dying bed,
e pearls of dew she wears
be presaging tears,

e sad morn had let fall
astening funeral.

dy, may thy grave
quiet ever have;
thy travail sore

t seize thee evermore,
ive the world increase,
hast thy own life's lease.
ides the sorrowing
noble house doth bring,
ears of perfect moan
thee in Helicon,

e flowers, and some bays,
earse, to strew the ways,

from the banks of Came,

co thy virtuous name;

185

ou, bright Saint, high sitt'st in glory,

much like to thee in story,

Syrian shepherdess,

years of barrenness,

Cymbeline, act iv. sc. 2.

'Quiet consummation have,

And renowned be thy grave!' Warton.

ITAPH ON THE ADMIRABLE DRAMATIC POET W. SHAKESPEARE.*

needs my Shakespeare for his honour'd bones,

bour of an age in piled stones?

t his hallow'd reliques should be hid a star-y-pointing pyramid ?

son of memory, great heir of fame,

5

need'st thou such weak witness of thy name? in our wonder and astonishment built thyself a live-long monument. hilst to th' shame of slow-endeavouring art asy numbers flow, and that each heart from the leaves of thy unvalued book

Todd.

10

elcome] Chaucer's Knight's Tale, ver. 1511. O Maye! with all thy floures and thy grene, Right welcome be thou, fair freshe May.' hese lines were prefixed to the folio ed. of Shakespeare's in 1632, but without Milton's name or initials. It is, re, the first of his pieces that was published. Warton. nvalued] Invaluable. Rich. III. act i. sc. 4.

'Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels,' Todd.

ON THE UNIVERSITY CARR

Who sickened in the time of his vacancy, bei to London, by reason of the Plagu

HERE lies old Hobson; Death hath br And here, alas, hath laid him in the Or else the ways being foul, twenty to He's here stuck in a slough, and over 'Twas such a shifter, that if truth were Death was half glad when he had got For he had any time this ten years ful

15 sepulcher'd] So accented in Shakesp. Rap • May likewise be sepulcher'd in thy sh

1 Hobson] Seven Champions of Christendom Hobson there, or Dawson, or Tom Long? Ell Engl. History, 1st Ser. iii. 207. Our Hobson should have been forbidden.' Taylor's (W. P fol. part ii. p. 188. Oh! quoth hee, I could thither with my neighbour Hobson on foot, like was, and I might have rid backe upon my nei 's mare, like an asse as I am.'

son's