This snatching at a sceptre breaks it; he O! whilst for wealthy spoils these fight, let me, SHERBURNE. CHRIST'S NATIVITY. AWAKE, glad heart! get up, and sing! Awake! awake! The sun doth shake Light from his locks, and all the way, Awake! awake! hark, how th' wood rings; Awake! awake! Man is their high-priest, and should rise To offer up the sacrifice. I would I were some bird or star, Above this inn And road of sin! Then either star or bird should be Shining, or singing still to thee. I would I had in my best part Fit rooms for thee! or that my heart Were so clean as Thy manger was! But I am all filth and obscene; Yet, if thou wilt, thou canst make clean. Sweet Jesu! will then; let no more O release him! And let once more, by mystic birth, The Lord of life be born in earth. VAUGHAN. DAILY PRAYER. WHEN first thy eyes unveil, give thy soul leave The spirit's duty: true hearts spread and heave Give him thy first thoughts then, so shalt thou keep Yet never sleep the sun up; prayer should Walk with thy fellow-creatures: note the hush Or leaf but hath his morning hymn; each bush Serve God before the world; let him not go Mornings are mysteries: the first, world's youth, Shroud in their births; the crown of life, light, truth, When the world's up, and every swarm abroad, VAUGHAN. THE WORLD. I SAW Eternity the other night, Like a great ring of pure and endless light, And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years, Driven by the spheres, Like a vast shadow moved, in which the world The doating lover in his quaintest strain Near him his lute, his fancy, and his flights- With gloves and knots the silly snares of pleasure; All scattered lay, while he his eyes did pour The darksome statesman, hung with weights and woe, Condemning thoughts (like sad eclipses) scowl And clouds of crying witnesses without Pursued him with one shout. Yet digged the mole, and, lest his ways be found, Where he did clutch his prey-but one did see Churches and altars fed him; perjuries It rained about him blood and tears, but he The fearful miser on a heap of rust Sate pining all his life there-did scarce trust Yet would not place one piece above, but lives Thousands there were as trantic as himself, And hugged each one his pelf: The downright epicure placed heaven in sense, While others, slipped into a wide excess, The weaker sort, slight trivial wares enslave, And poor despised truth sat counting by Yet some, who all this while did weep and sing, O fools! (said I) thus to prefer dark night To live in grots and caves, and hate the day The way which from this dead and dark abode A way where you might tread the sun, and be But as I did their madness so discuss, One whispered thus: "This ring the Bridegroom did for none provide But for his bride." VAUGHAN. |