Men-Miracles :: :: University of Virginia Library

Harke! harke! the Spheares inticeing notes,
The Orbes are strung againe.
Intelligences tune the skie;
And make their Journey Harmonie.
The Cherubims exalt their throats,
And all their Musicke straine:
The Angels cluster,
Their Voices muster:
And in their Severall Orders crowd,
Amaz'd to see
The Deitie
Disguis'd and mask'd in a fraile shrowd.

The Sea into a droppe is throwne,
And channell'd in a Span.
Eternity is par'd away.
Confin'd and thrust into a Day.
To Infinite a Shore is knowne,
It limits hath in Man,
He that first brings
Time to his Sithe and Wings:

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Subscribes to both, and hath made hast
To shift him cleane,
And change the Scene,
To know Begun, to Come, and Past.

No fond Imaginary Birth,
No sly Phantasticke show,
No Aery shape, no empty Beames,
Like Marcion's franticke Dreames.
A serious Issue visits earth,
Where Veines and sinewes grow,
True flesh is bred,
Nerves, bones, oth' same thread:
A Reall Peice, that we may see,
Since all Parts come,
From the same loome,
Salvation is not Pageantry.

See! him a Giddy Rout hath found,
And by his Cradle past,
The Oxe and Asse his family.
His Traine, and his Retinue be:
And this descri'd, they now have bound
Him to his Manger fast:
They fixe and chaine
Him to his Inne againe.

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His Altars sinke, his Temples ly,
They trimme and presse
In the same Dresse,
His Worship and Nativity.

Assist, assist his Rescue then,
'Gainst Sacrilegious men,
And may those dayes which have in Clouds beene spent,
Cleare up, and boast both his and your ascent.

Caroll, Sung to His Majesty on Christmas day, 1645.

Great Copie of this Solemne Day,
Which you transcribe afresh,
And make afflictions your array,
As God made his of flesh.
God humbled best by afflicted Kings is showne,
Because their height is nearest to his owne.
Though in his Traine the Oxe appeare,
And to his Court intrude,
It was no breach of Reverence there,
“What's Nature is not Rude.
This Act the Oxe with Innocence befell.
“They cannot sinne, who know not to doe well.

But some into your Pallace gat,
And rear'd a threatning head,

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Some, whom your Pastures have made fat,
And your owne Cribbe hath fed.
The wanton Beasts which to this temper rise,
Are ripe and fit to fall a Sacrifice.

The Beasts which to his cradle came,
There at his manger stood,
Not to build triumphs on his shame,
But to receive their food.
But here the Herd now surfeited doth stand,
And being full, learnes to despise the hand.

But as the Treasure in the Mine,
Is treasure still though trodde,
So in this Cloud our Sun you shine,
“And God in flesh was God.
For God and Kings are still beyond us plac't,
And highest still though ne're so low debas't.

Caroll, Sung to His Majesty on New-yeares day, being the Circumcision. 1643.

Moses chaire had long obtain'd,
And his Rites were now growne old,
Yet those Lawes that Reverence gain'd,
Onely did Poore Mortals hold:
But Judea now may see
A circumcised Deitie.

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The tender God at eight dayes space,
Was ripened to endure our strife,
And did the Bloudy Preist embrace,
Invaded by his cruell Knife,
No wonder then your Throne disquiet stood,
“The King of Kings began his Reign in bloud.

But as liquid fountaines straine,
Their slippery Juice through narrow streights,
Yet if they larger Channels gaine,
The Streame encreases with the Gates.
So was this danger to a greater losse,
The Dew Drops here, were Deluge on the Crosse.

Though he ith' Crimson Bath did stand
A gentle Calme his mind possest,
No Tragicke Circumciser, hand
Disturb'd the Silence of his Breast.
So may your Quiet with your Yeares encrease,
“The Bleeding Prince was still the Prince of Peace:

Then as Yeares doe Yeares succeed,
And Dayes to other Dayes give place,
So may blessings blessings breed;
And as they passe new Joyes embrace;
Flourish your Yeares and Crowne, till chang'd you see
Your Crowne for Glory, Yeares for Eternity.

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Caroll, Sung to His Majesty on Twelfeday, being the Epiphany. 1644.

First Magus.

What bright and unaccustomed shine;
Hath seiz'd our wonder and our eyes,
No Sage can shew, no Art divine,
This Starres acquaintance with the Skies.
“The Earth is blest with great and rich Events,
“When Heaven proclaimes, & Stars are Instruments.

Second Magus.

The throng of lesser Lights submit,
And with the Night their Reigne is done,
But this doth in his Chariot sit,
And uncontroul'd doth face the Sun,
“And fit it is God by that Starre be knowne,
“Which knowes no Light nor Lustre 'bove its owne.

Third Magus.

See! see! the Starre with's beamy eye,
Doth winke and becken us away,
And while his Active glories fly,
He bids us travaile by his Ray.
“Then follow we, and journey by his side,
“They cannot erre whom Heaven & Stars do guide,

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First Magus.

The blaze is fixt, and all his streames
Of moving Lustre setled be,
He waves his Tributary beames,
Ore one more bright, more Starre then He.
“Thus Phosphorus doth early dawne forerun,
“And payes his Shine, his homage to the Sun.

Second Magus.

Behold a greater King then we,
From whose Devotion comes
A sweeter Cloud then rais'd can be,
From all our Spice and Gummes.
We yeild (Great Sir) you have out-stript our care
“The fragrant East hath no Perfume like Prayer.

Caroll, Sung to His Majesty on Twelfe-day, being the Epiphany, 1645.

From Arabia's fragrant wombe,
Where the Phænix built her Tombe,
When imbalm'd in Spice she lies,
And is both Preist and Sacrifice:
The learned Magi journey one to see,
More Phænix, and more wonder farre then she.
With greedy Eyes the Starre is view'd,
Not for effects or altitude,

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When for such Aimes our sight's allowd,
We see a Starre, but graspe a Cloud.
“Astronomy, and her Adorers blest,
“When one Starre guides to him that made the rest.

Through Woods and Dennes their way they tooke,
“Zeale can danger quite ore-looke.
And to like progresse are you bound,
Cause you'ld not part with what they found.
Onely this difference from your Journey springs,
You meet with many Herods, but no Kings.

For as both Flowers and Thornes may tend,
And guide to the same journeys end.
So your returne stands as it stood,
Most firme and sure, though't be through bloud.
“The wise Kings whom the Tyrant forc't to stray,
“Came home at last, although another way.

After his Recovery from a feavour.

Not the parcht Æthiop, nor they
Under th'Eclipticke the warme Suns high way,
Felt flames like mine;
Till thou in health as in a Clowd,
Didst all those blazes shrowd,
And so forbid the shine.

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Lord had the Feavers burning fire
Chac't out my soule, and made my life expire,
I might have gone,
Laden with unrepented sins,
Where the fire still begins,
And shall be never done.

There no cold Iulip can releive
Soules whom æternall Feavers allwayes greive,
No dolefull Song
Perswades the finger to the Poole,
To dippe, and lend one droppe to coole
The Feaver in their Tongue.

But thou threw'st heat into my veines,
Not to consume the Blood, but purge the Staines,
I feele no losse;
Lord, be this still thy way of cure,
To keepe the Mettle sure,
And onely burne the Drosse.

God's Love and Power.

Song

I felt my heart and found a Chillnesse coole.
It's Azure channells in my frozen side.
The Spring was now became a standing Poole,
Depriv'd of motion and its Active Tyde.

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O stay! O stay!
Thus I shall ever freeze, if banish from thy Ray.
A lasting warmth thy secret Beames beget
Thou art a Sun which can nor Rise nor Set.

Then thaw this Ice, and make my frost retreat,
But let with temperate Rays thy Lustre Shine;
Thy Judgements Lightning, but thy Love is heate,
This will consume my heart, but this Refine.
Inspire, Inspire,
And melt my frozen soule with thy more equall fire,
So shall a Pensive deluge drowne my feares,
My Ice turne water, and that water Teares.

After thy Love if I continue hard,
If Vices knit and more confirm'd are growne,
If guilt rebell, and stand upon his Guard,
And what was Ice before freeze into Stone.
Reprove, Reprove,
And let thy Pow'r assist thee to revenge thy Love,
For thou hast still thy threats and thunder left;
“The Rocke that can't be melted, may be cleft.