For we by rightful doom remedilefs

Were loft in death, till he that dwelt above
High thron'd in fecret bliss, for us frail duft
Emptied his glory, ev'n to nakedness ;

And that great covenant which we still tranfgrefs
Entirely fatisfied,

And the full wrath befide

Of vengeful juftice bore for our excess,

And feals obedience firft with wounding smart
This day, but O ere long

Huge pangs and strong

Will pierce more near his heart.

VII.

At a SOLEMN MUSIC.

20

25

BLEST pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'n's joy, Sphere-born harmonious fifters, Voice and Verfe,

20. Emptied his glory,] An expreffion taken from Philipp. II. 7. but not as it is in our tranflation He made himself of no reputation, but as it is in the original autov Exevσe, He emptied himself.

24. -for our excess,] He has ufed the word in the fame fenfe Paradife Loft XI. 111. Bewailing their excess – ;

Wed

but I think with greater propriety there than here.

3. Wed your divine founds, &c] In the Manufcript it appears that he had written these lines thus at first.

Mix your choice words, and happiest founds employ

Dead things with inbreath'd fense able to

pierce,

And

Wed your divine founds, and mix'd pow'r employ
Dead things with inbreath'd fenfe able to pierce,
And to our high-rais'd phantasy present
That undisturbed fong of pure concent,
Ay fung before the saphir-color'd throne
To him that fits thereon

With faintly shout, and folemn jubilee,
Where the bright Seraphim in burning row
Their loud up-lifted angel-trumpets blow,
And the cherubic host in thousand quires
Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,
With thofe juft Spirits that wear victorious palms,
Hymns devout and holy pfalms

Singing everlastingly ;

That we on earth with undifcording voice

And as your equal raptures temper'd fweet
In high myfterious happy fpoufal meet,
Snatch us from earth a while,

Us of ourselves and native woes beguile,
And to our high-rais'd phantafy present &c.
6. of pure concent,] So we read in the
Manufcript, and in the edition of 1673, and we
prefer the authority of both to the single one of
the edition in 1645, which has of pure content.

5

IO

15

May rightly answer that melodious noife;

As once we did, till disproportion'd fin

Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din
Broke the fair mufic that all creatures made

20

To their great Lord, whofe love their motion fway'd In perfect diapafon, whilst they stood

In first obedience, and their state of good.

O may we foon again renew that fong,

And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long
To his celestial confort us unite,

25

To live with him, and fing in endless morn of light.

7

VIII.

*An EPITAPH on the MARCHIONESS of Winchester. HIS rich marble doth enter

THIS

The honor'd Wife of Winchester,

A Vicount's daughter, an Earl's heir,

Befides what her virtues fair

Added to her noble birth,

More than she could own from earth.
Summers three times eight fave one
She had told; alas too foon,

After fo fhort time of breath,

To house with darkness, and with death.
Yet had the number of her days
Been as complete as was her praise,
Nature and fate had had no ftrife
In giving limit to her life.

Her high birth, and her graces fweet
Quickly found a lover meet;
The virgin quire for her request
The God that fits at marriage feaft;

all the tones, dia warwy. Plin. Lib. 2. Sect. 20. Ita feptem tonos effici, quam diapafon harmoniam vocant, hoc eft, univerfitatem concentus. Richardfon.

28. To live with him, and fing &c] In the Manuscript the laft line ftands thus,

པའ

ΙΟ

15

He

* This Lady was Jane, daughter of Thomas Lord Vicount Savage of Rock-Savage in the county of Chester, who by marriage became the heir of Lord Darcy Earl of Rivers; and and the mother of Charles firft Duke of Bolwas the wife of John Marquifs of Winchester,

ton. She died in childbed of a second fon in

To live and fing with him in endless morn of the 23d year of her age, and Milton made these

light.

verfes at Cambridge as appears by the sequel.

Y y 2

19. He

He at their invoking came

But with a scarce well-lighted flame;

And in his garland as he stood,

20

Ye might discern a cypress bud.

Once had the early matrons run
To greet her of a lovely fon,

And now with fecond hope fhe goes,
And calls Lucina to her throws;
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 flip,
Sav'd with care from winter's nip,

19. He at their invoking came

But with a scarce well-lighted flame; ] From
Ovid. Met. X. 4.

Adfuit ille quidem; fed nec folemnia verba,
Nec letos vultus, nec felix attulit omen.

25

30

35

The