And intimates eternity to man.
Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought!
Through what variety of untry'd being,
Through what new scenes and changes must we pass!
The wide, th' unbounded prospect lies before me;
But shadows, clouds, and darkness rest upon it.
Here will I hold-If there's a Pow'r above us,
(And that there is, all nature cries aloud
Through all her works) He must delight in virtue ;
And that which He delights in must be happy.
PART OF THE NINETEENTH PSALM.
THE spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, and shining frame,
Their Great Original proclaim:
Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's power display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty hand.
Soon as the ev'ning shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the list'ning earth
Repeats the story of her birth:
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.
What though in solemn silence, all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball!
What though no real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found!
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
For ever singing as they shine,
"The Hand that made us is divine."
THE LORD my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care:
His
presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks He shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountains pant;
To fertile vales, and dewy meads,
My weary wand'ring steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow
Amid the verdant landscape flow.
Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My stedfast heart shall fear no ill,
For thou, O LORD! art with me still;
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.
Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With sudden greens and herbage crown'd,
And streams shall murmur all around.
FAREWELL, a long farewell to all my greatness!
This is the state of man; to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope: to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a rip'ning, nips his root:
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventur'd,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
many summers, in a sea of glory,
But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride
At length broke under me; and now has left me
Weary, and old with service, to the misery
Of a rude stream, which must for ever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye :
I feel my heart new open'd. O how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!
There is, betwixt that smile which we aspire to,
That sweet regard of princes and our ruin,
More pangs and fears than war and women know ;
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again.
Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear
In all my miseries; but thou hast forced me,
Out of thy honest truth, to play the woman.-
Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me, Cromwell;
Mark but my fall, and that which ruin'd me,
And when I am forgotten, as I shall be,
And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention
Of me must more be heard: say then, I taught thee;
Say, Wolsey that once rode the waves of glory,
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honour,
Found thee a way out of this wreck, to rise in ;
A sure and safe one, though thy master miss'd it.
Cromwell, I charge thee, throw away ambition;
By that sin fell the angels; how can man then
(The image of his Maker) hope to win by it?
Love thyselflast; cherish those hearts that wait thee;
Corruption wins not more than honesty.
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,
To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not.
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,
Thy GOD's, and truth's: then if thou fall'st, O
Cromwell!
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr. Serve the king;
And, pr'ythee, lead me in-
There take an inventory of all I have,
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