The Works of Mr Abraham Cowley Consisting of Those which were formerly Printed: And Those which he Design'd for the Press, Now Published out of the Authors Original Copies ... The Text Edited by A. R. Waller |
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To the Duke of Buckingham, upon his Marriage
with the Lord Fairfax his Daughter. |
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 | The Works of Mr Abraham Cowley |  |
462
To the Duke of Buckingham, upon his Marriage with the Lord Fairfax his Daughter.
1.
Beauty and strength together came,Even from the Birth with Buckingham;
The little active Seeds which since are grown
So fair, so large and high,
With Life it self were in him sown;
Honour and wealth stood like the Midwifes by,
To take the Birth into their happy Hands,
And wrapt him warme in their rich swaddling Bands:
To the great Stock the thriving Infant soon
Made greater Acquisitions of his own;
With Beauty generous Goodness he Combin'd,
Courage to Strength, Judgment to Wit he joyn'd;
He pair'd, and match'd his Native Virtues right,
Both to improve their use, and their Delight.
2.
O blest Conjunction of the fairest Stars,That Shine in Humane Natures Sphere!
But O! what envious Cloud your Influence bars,
Ill fortune, what dost thou do there?
Hadst thou the least of Modesty,
Thou'dst be asham'd that we should see
463
Thou wert deceiv'd, rash Goddess, in thy hate,
If thou dist foolishly believe
That thou could'st him of ought deprive,
But, what men hold of thee, a great Estate.
And here indeed thou to the full did shew
All that thy Tyrant Deity could do,
His Virtues never did thy power obey,
In dissipating Storms, and routed Battles they
Did close and constant with their Captain stay;
They with him into Exile went,
And kept their Home in Banishment.
The Noble Youth was often forc'd to flee
From the insatiate Rage of thee,
Disguised, and Unknown;
In all His shap'es they always kept their own,
Nay, with the Foil of darkness, brighter shone,
And might Unwillingly have don,
But, that just Heaven thy wicked Will abhor'd,
What Virtues most detest, might have betrayd their Lord.
3.
Ah slothful Love, could'st thou with patience seeFortune usurp that flowry Spring from thee;
And nip thy rosy Season with a Cold,
That comes too soon, when Life's short year grows old,
Love his gross Error saw at last,
And promis'd large amends for what was past,
He promis'd, and has don it, which is more
Than I, who knew him long, e'er knew him do before.
H' has done it Nobly, and we must confess
Could do no more, though h' ought to do no less.
What has he don? he has repair'd
The Ruines which a luckless War did make,
And added to it a Reward
Greater than Conquest for its share could take.
His whole Estate could not such gain produce,
Had it layd out a hundred years at use.
464
4.
Now blessings to thy Noble choice betide,Happy, and Happy-making Bride.
Though thou art born of a Victorious Race,
And all their rougher Victorie dost grace
With gentle Triumphs of thy Face,
Permit us in this milder War to prize
No less thy yeilding Heart, than thy Victorious Eyes.
Nor doubt the honour of that field,
Where thou didst first overcome, e'er thou didst yield.
And tho' thy Father's Martial Name
Has fill'd the Trumpets and the Drums of Fame,
Thy Husband triumphs now no less than He,
And it may justly question'd be,
Which was the Happiest Conqueror of the Three.
5.
There is in Fate (which none but Poets see)There is in Fate the noblest Poetry,
And she has shown, Great Duke, her utmost Art in Thee;
For after all the troubles of thy Scene,
Which so confus'd, and intricate have been,
She has ended with this Match thy Tragicomedy;
We all admire it, for the truth to tell,
Our Poet Fate ends not all Plays so well;
But this she as her Master-piece does boast,
And so indeed She may;
For in the middle Acts, and turnings of the Play,
Alas! we gave our Hero up for lost.
All men, I see, this with Applause receive,
And now let me have leave,
A Servant of the Person, and the Art,
To Speak this Prologue to the second part.
| The Works of Mr Abraham Cowley | |