5

Dinne, fe la tua speme fia mai vana,
E de pensieri lo miglior t'arrivi ;
Cofi mi van burlando, altri rivi
Altri lidi t' aspettan, & altre onde
Nelle cui verdi fponde
Spuntati ad hor, ad hor a la tua chioma
L'immortal guiderdon d'eterne frondi
Perche alle spalle tue soverchia foma?

Canzon dirotti, e tu per me rispondi
Dice mia Donna, e'l suo dir, è il mio cuore
Quelta e lingua di cui si vanta Amore.

10

15

e

5

IV.
Diodati, e te'l dirò con maraviglia,

Quel ritroso io ch'amor fpreggiar foléa
E de fuoi lacci spesso mi ridéa

Gia caddi, ov'huom dabben talhor s'impiglia.
Ne treccie d'oro, ne guancia vermiglia

M'abbaglian sì, ma sotto nova idea
Pellegrina bellezza che'l cuor bea,

Portamenti alti honefti, e nelle ciglia
Quel sereno fulgor d'amabil nero,

Parole adorne di lingua piu d'una,

E'l cantar che di mezzo l'hemispero
Traviar ben puo la faticosa Luna,
"

E degli occhi fuoi auventa fi gran fuoco
Che l'incerar gli orecchi mi fia poco.

to

V.
Per certo i bei vostr'occhi, Donna mia

Eller non puo che non fian lo mio fole
Si mi percuoton forte, come ei suole

Per l'arene di Libia chi s'invia,
Mentre un caldo vapor (ne sentì pria)

Da quel lato si spinge ove mi duole,
Che forse amanti nelle lor parole

Chiaman sospir ; io non so che si sia :
Parte rinchiusa, e turbida fi cela

Scosso mi il petto, e poi n'uscendo poco

Quivi d' attorno o s'agghiaccia, o s'ingiela;
Ma quanto a gli occhi giunge a trovar loco

Tutte le notti a me fuol far piovose
Finche mia Alba rivien colma di rose.

10

1

a

VI.
Giovane piano, e semplicetto amante

Poi che fuggir me fteffo in dubbio fono,
Madonna a voi del mio cuor l'humil dono

Faro divoto; io certo a prove tante
L'hebbi fedele, intrepido, costante,

De pensieri leggiadro, accorto, e buono;
Quando rugge il gran mondo, e scocca il tuono,

S'arma di se, e d'intero diamante,
Tanto del forse, e d'invidia sicuro,

Di timori, e speranze al popol use

Quanto d'ingegno, e d'alto valor vago,
E di cetta sonora, e delle muse:

Sol troverete in tal parte men duro
Ove Amor mise l'infanabil

ago.

10

VII.

On his being arriv'd to the age of 23

How foon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,

Stoll'n on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hafting days fly on with full career,
But

my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,

5

That I to manhood am arriv'd so near,
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,

That some more timely-happy fpirits indu'th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or flow,

It shall be still in strictest measure even

To thar fame lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven;

All is, if I have grace to use it fo,
As ever in my great Talk-Master's eye.

I

VIII.

When the assault was intended to the City *.

Captain or Colonel, or Knight in arms,

Whose chance on these defenseless doors may feise, If deed of honour did thee ever please,

Guard them, and him within protect from harms. He can requite thee, for he knows the charms

5 That call fame on fuch gentle acts as these, And he can spread thy name o'er lands and seas,

Whatever clime the fan's bright circle warms. Lift not thy spear against the Muses bow's: 'The great Emathian conqueror bid fpare

30 The house of Pindarus, when temple' and tow'r Went to the ground: And the repeated air

Of fad Electra's poet had the pow'r
To save th' Athenian walls from ruin bare.

IX.
To a virtuous young Lady.

Lady that in the prime of earliest youth

Wisely hast funn'd the broad way and the green, And with those few art eminently seen,

That labor up the hill of heav'nly truth, The better part with Mary and with Ruth

5 Chosen thou haft; and they, that overween, And at thy growing virtues fret their fpleen,

No anger find in thee, but pity and ruth. Thy care is fix'd, and zealously attends

To fill thy odorous lamp with deeds of light,

And hope that reaps not shame. Therefore be sure Thou, when the bridegroom with his feaftful friends

Passes to bliss at the mid hour of night,
Haft gain’d thy entrance, Virgin wise and pure,

X.
To the Lady Margaret Ley *.

Daughter to that good Earl, once President

Of England's Council, and her Treasury,

1

5

Who liv'd in both, unftaind with gold or fee,

And left them both, more in himfelf content,
Till sad the breaking of that Parlament

Broke him, as that dishonest victory
At Chæronea, fatal to liberty,

Kill'd with report that old man eloquent.
Though later born than to have known the days
Wherein

your

father Aorish'd, yet by you, Madam, methinks I see him living yet ; So well your words his noble virtues praise,

That all both judge you to relate them true,
And to possess them, honor'd Margaret.

XI.

On the detraction which followed upon my

writing certain treatises *.

A book was writ of late callid Tetrachordon,

And woven close, both matter, form and stile;
The subject new: it walk'd the town a while,

Numb'ring good intellects; now seldom por'd on.
Cries the stall-reader, Bless us ! what a word on 5

A title page is this ! and some in file
Stand spelling false, while one might walk to Mile-

End Green. Why is it harder Sirs than Gordon,
Colkitto, or Macdonnel, or Galasp + ?

* When Milton publifhed his book of divorce, he was greatly condemned by the Presbyterian ministers, whose advocate and champion he had been before. He publish'd his Tetrachordon, or Expofitions upon the four chief places în scripture, which treat of marriage or nullities in marriage, in 1645.

t.“ We may suppose, (says Dr Newton) that these were persons “ of note and eminence amongst the Scotch minifters who were “ for pressing and enforcing the covenant. ." Mr. George Gillespie,

here