Part 10

" 44. Our text (1652) oddly misprints 'besom' for 'bosome:' the latter reading in 1646, 1648 and 1670 vindicates itself. 1646 reads 'her' and 1648 'its' for 'his.'

Line 50, 'comes' for 'come.'

" 51, 'wandring' for 'loytering.'

" 54. The allusion is to one of the names of Satan, viz. Baal-zebub = fly-god, dunghill-god.

Line 55, 'pleasures.'

" 57. Our text (1652) inadvertently drops 'in.' 1648 has 'i' th'.'

Line 59. Our text misprints 'spheares:' 1648 adopts 'spheare' from 1646 edition. 1670 misprints 'spear.'

Line 62, 'forswearing:' a classic word.

" 64, 'git' is the spelling.

" 65. All the editions save our text (1652) omit 'meanwhile.'

Line 66, 'the' for 'that.'

" 69, 'These' for 'Those,' by mistake.

" 78, 'doth' for 'does' I have adopted here.

" 83, 1648, by misprint, has 'O' for 'Of.'

" 84, 'An hundred thousand loves and graces.'

" 90. I have accepted 'hidden' before 'store' from 1646 edition.

Line 101. I have also adopted this characteristic line from 1646 edition. In all the others (except 1670) it is 'Selected dove.'

Line 107, 'soule' for 'indeed.'

" 114, 'that' for 'the.'

" 121-122. In 1648 printed as _supra_, the lines probably indicating a blank where the MS. was illegible. In our text (1652) we have two lines, but no blank indicated.

Line 124, 'soul' for 'proof.'

" 127, 'a' for 'her.' G.

TO THE SAME PARTY:

COVNCEL CONCERNING HER CHOISE.[45]

Dear, Heaun-designèd sovl! 1 Amongst the rest Of suters that beseige your maiden brest, Why may not I My fortune try 5 And venture to speak one good word, Not for my self, alas! but for my dearer Lord? You have seen allready, in this lower sphear Of froth and bubbles, what to look for here: Say, gentle soul, what can you find 10 But painted shapes, Peacocks and apes; Illustrious flyes, Guilded dunghills, glorious lyes; Goodly surmises 15 And deep disguises, Oathes of water, words of wind? Trvth biddes me say 'tis time you cease to trust Your soul to any son of dust. 'Tis time you listen to a brauer loue, 20 Which from aboue Calls you vp higher And biddes you come And choose your roome Among His own fair sonnes of fire; 25 Where you among The golden throng That watches at His palace doores May passe along, And follow those fair starres of your's; 30 Starrs much too fair and pure to wait vpon The false smiles of a sublunary sun. Sweet, let me prophesy that at last t'will proue Your wary loue Layes vp his purer and more pretious vowes, 35 And meanes them for a farre more worthy Spovse Then this World of lyes can giue ye: Eu'n for Him with Whom nor cost, Nor loue, nor labour can be lost; Him Who neuer will deceiue ye. 40 Let not my Lord, the mighty Louer Of soules, disdain that I discouer The hidden art Of His high stratagem to win your heart: It was His heaunly art 45 Kindly to cross you In your mistaken loue; That, at the next remoue Thence, He might tosse you And strike your troubled heart 50 Home to Himself; to hide it in His brest: The bright ambrosiall nest Of Loue, of life, and euerlasting rest. Happy mystake! That thus shall wake 55 Your wise soul, neuer to be wonne Now with a loue below the sun. Your first choyce failes; O when you choose agen May it not be amongst the sonnes of men.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The first line, 'To Mistress M.R. Dear, Heav'n-designed soul,'

as in 1670, is not to be considered as an unrhymed line, but as the address or superscription, though so contrived as not to interfere with the metre, but to make a five-foot line with the two feet of the true first line of the poem. So Parolles prefaces his verse with

'Dian, the count's a fool and full of gold.'

(_All's Well that ends Well_, iv. 3.)

and Longaville (_Love's Labour Lost_) prefixes to his sonnet,

'O sweet Maria, empress of my love.'

In fact, it is the 'Madam' of a poetical epistle brought into metrical harmony with the verse. G.

DESCRIPTION OF A RELIGIOVS HOVSE AND CONDITION OF LIFE.

(OVT OF BARCLAY.)[46]

No roofes of gold o're riotous tables shining 1 Whole dayes and suns, deuour'd with endlesse dining. No sailes of Tyrian sylk, proud pauements sweeping, Nor iuory couches costlyer slumber keeping; False lights of flairing gemmes; tumultuous ioyes; 5 Halls full of flattering men and frisking boyes; What'ere false showes of short and slippery good Mix the mad sons of men in mutuall blood. But walkes, and vnshorn woods; and soules, iust so Vnforc't and genuine; but not shady tho. 10 Our lodgings hard and homely as our fare, That chast and cheap, as the few clothes we weare. Those, course and negligent, as the naturall lockes Of these loose groues; rough as th' vnpolish't rockes. A hasty portion of præscribèd sleep; 15 Obedient slumbers, that can wake and weep, And sing, and sigh, and work, and sleep again; Still rowling a round spear of still-returning pain. Hands full of harty labours; paines that pay And prize themselves: doe much, that more they may, 20 And work for work, not wages; let to-morrow's New drops, wash off the sweat of this daye's sorrows. A long and dayly-dying life, which breaths A respiration of reuiuing deaths. But neither are there those ignoble stings 25 That nip the blossome of the World's best things, And lash Earth-labouring souls.... No cruell guard of diligent cares, that keep Crown'd woes awake, as things too wise for sleep: But reuerent discipline, and religious fear, 30 And soft obedience, find sweet biding here; Silence, and sacred rest; peace, and pure ioyes; Kind loues keep house, ly close, make no noise; And room enough for monarchs, while none swells Beyond the kingdomes of contentfull cells. 35 The self-remembring sovl sweetly recouers Her kindred with the starrs; not basely houers Below: but meditates her immortall way Home to the originall sourse of Light and intellectuall day

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

In 1648 the heading is simply 'Description of a religious house.' The original occurs in BARCLAY'S _Argenis_, book v. These variations include one important correction of a long-standing blunder:

Line 3, 1648 misprints 'weeping' for 'sweeping.'

" 4, 'costly' for 'costlyer.'

" 6, 'flatt'ring' for 'flattering.'

" 19-20. Our text (1652), followed by 1670, strangely confuses this couplet by printing,

'Hands full of harty labours; doe much, that more they may.'

TURNBULL, as usual, unintelligently repeats the blunder. Even in using the text of 1652 exceptionally, if only he found it confirmed by 1670, there was no vigilance. The reading of 1648 puts all right.

Line 23. Our text misspells 'ding.'

" 26. Misprinted 'bosome' in all the editions, and perpetuated by TURNBULL. Line 27 that follows is a break (unrhymed).

Line 33. 1648 misreads 'keep no noise.' G.

ON MR. GEORGE HERBERT'S BOOKE INTITULED THE TEMPLE OF SACRED POEMS.

SENT TO A GENTLE-WOMAN.[47]

Know you, faire, on what you looke? 1 Divinest love lyes in this booke: Expecting fier from your faire eyes, To kindle this his sacrifice.

When your hands untie these strings, 5 Think, yo' have an angell by the wings; One that gladly would be nigh, To waite upon each morning sigh; To flutter in the balmy aire Of your well-perfumèd praier; 10 These white plumes of his hee'l lend you, Which every day to Heaven will send you: To take acquaintance of each spheare, And all your smooth-fac'd kindred there. And though HERBERT'S name doe owe 15 These devotions; fairest, know While I thus lay them on the shrine Of your white hand, they are mine.

A HYMN TO THE NAME AND HONOR OF THE ADMIRABLE SAINTE TERESA:

Fovndresse of the Reformation of the discalced Carmelites, both men and women; a Woman for angelicall heigth of speculation, for masculine courage of performance more then a woman: who yet a child, out-ran maturity, and durst plott a Martyrdome;

Misericordias Domini in Æternvm cantabo.

Le Vray portraict de Ste Terese, Fondatrice des Religieuses et Religieux reformez de l'ordre de N. Dame du mont Carmel: Decedee le 4e Octo. 1582. Canonisee le 12e Mars. 1622.[48]

THE HYMNE.

Loue, thou art absolute, sole lord 1 Of life and death. To proue the word Wee'l now appeal to none of all Those thy old souldiers, great and tall, Ripe men of martyrdom, that could reach down 5 With strong armes, their triumphant crown; Such as could with lusty breath Speak lowd into the face of death, Their great Lord's glorious name, to none Of those whose spatious bosomes spread a throne 10 For Love at large to fill; spare blood and sweat: And see him take a priuate seat, Making his mansion in the mild And milky soul of a soft child. Scarse has she learn't to lisp the name 15 Of martyr; yet she thinks it shame Life should so long play with that breath Which spent can buy so braue a death. She neuer vndertook to know What Death with Loue should haue to doe; 20 Nor has she e're yet vnderstood Why to show loue, she should shed blood, Yet though she cannot tell you why She can love, and she can dy. Scarse has she blood enough to make 25 A guilty sword blush for her sake; Yet has she a heart dares hope to proue How much lesse strong is Death then Love. Be Loue but there; let poor six yeares Be pos'd with the maturest feares 30 Man trembles at, you straight shall find Love knowes no nonage, nor the mind; 'Tis love, not yeares or limbs that can Make the martyr, or the man. Love touch't her heart, and lo it beates 35 High, and burnes with such braue heates; Such thirsts to dy, as dares drink vp A thousand cold deaths in one cup. Good reason: for she breathes all fire; Her white brest heaues with strong desire 40 Of what she may with fruitles wishes Seek for amongst her mother's kisses. Since 'tis not to be had at home She'l trauail to a martyrdom. No home for hers confesses she 45 But where she may a martyr be. She'l to the Moores; and trade with them _Moors_ For this vnualued diadem: She'l offer them her dearest breath, With Christ's name in't, in change for death: 50 She'l bargain with them; and will giue Them God; teach them how to liue In Him: or, if they this deny, For Him she'l teach them how to dy: So shall she leaue amongst them sown 55 Her Lord's blood; or at lest her own. _least_ Farewel then, all the World! adieu! Teresa is no more for you. Farewell, all pleasures, sports, and ioyes (Never till now esteemèd toyes) 60 Farewell, what ever deare may bee, Mother's armes or father's knee: Farewell house, and farewell home! She's for the Moores, and martyrdom. Sweet, not so fast! lo thy fair Spouse 65 Whom thou seekst with so swift vowes; Calls thee back, and bidds thee come T'embrace a milder martyrdom. Blest powres forbid, thy tender life Should bleed vpon a barbarous knife: 70 Or some base hand haue power to raze Thy brest's chast cabinet, and vncase A soul kept there so sweet: O no, Wise Heaun will neuer have it so. Thou art Love's victime; and must dy 75 A death more mysticall and high: Into Loue's armes thou shalt let fall A still-suruiuing funerall. His is the dart must make the death Whose stroke shall tast thy hallow'd breath; 80 A dart thrice dip't in that rich flame Which writes thy Spouse's radiant name Vpon the roof of Heau'n, where ay It shines; and with a soueraign ray Beates bright vpon the burning faces 85 Of soules which in that Name's sweet graces Find euerlasting smiles: so rare, So spirituall, pure, and fair Must be th' immortall instrument Vpon whose choice point shall be sent 90 A life so lou'd: and that there be Fitt executioners for thee, The fair'st and first-born sons of fire Blest seraphim, shall leaue their quire, And turn Loue's souldiers, vpon thee 95 To exercise their archerie. O how oft shalt thou complain Of a sweet and subtle pain: Of intolerable ioyes: Of a death, in which who dyes 100 Loues his death, and dyes again And would for euer so be slain. And liues, and dyes; and knowes not why To liue, but that he thus may neuer leaue to dy. How kindly will thy gentle heart 105 Kisse the sweetly-killing dart! And close in his embraces keep Those delicious wounds, that weep Balsom to heal themselves with: thus When these thy deaths, so numerous 110 Shall all at last dy into one, And melt thy soul's sweet mansion; Like a soft lump of incense, hasted By too hott a fire, and wasted Into perfuming clouds, so fast 115 Shalt thou exhale to Heaun at last In a resoluing sigh, and then O what? Ask not the tongues of men; Angells cannot tell; suffice Thy selfe shall feel thine own full ioyes, 120 And hold them fast for euer there. So soon as thou shalt first appear, The moon of maiden starrs, thy white Mistresse, attended by such bright Soules as thy shining self, shall come 125 And in her first rankes make thee room; Where 'mongst her snowy family Immortall wellcomes wait for thee. O what delight, when reueal'd Life shall stand, And teach thy lipps Heaun with His hand; 130 On which thou now maist to thy wishes Heap vp thy consecrated kisses. What ioyes shall seize thy soul, when she, Bending her blessed eyes on Thee, (Those second smiles of Heau'n,) shall dart 135 Her mild rayes through Thy melting heart. Angels, thy old friends, there shall greet thee Glad at their own home now to meet thee. All thy good workes which went before And waited for thee, at the door, 140 Shall own thee there; and all in one Weaue a constellation Of crowns, with which the King thy Spouse Shall build vp thy triumphant browes. All thy old woes shall now smile on thee, 145 And thy paines sitt bright vpon thee, All thy sorrows here shall shine, All thy svfferings be diuine: Teares shall take comfort, and turn gemms And wrongs repent to diademms. 150 Eu'n thy death shall liue; and new- Dresse the soul that erst he slew. Thy wounds shall blush to such bright scarres As keep account of the Lamb's warres. Those rare workes where thou shalt leaue writt 155 Loue's noble history, with witt Taught thee by none but Him, while here They feed our soules, shall clothe thine there. Each heaunly word, by whose hid flame Our hard hearts shall strike fire, the same 160 Shall flourish on thy browes, and be Both fire to vs and flame to thee; Whose light shall liue bright in thy face By glory, in our hearts by grace. Thou shalt look round about, and see 165 Thousands of crown'd soules throng to be Themselues thy crown: sons of thy vowes The virgin-births with which thy soueraign Spouse Made fruitfull thy fair soul. Goe now And with them all about thee, bow 170 To Him; put on (Hee'l say) put on (My rosy loue) that thy rich zone Sparkling with the sacred flames Of thousand soules, whose happy names Heau'n keep vpon thy score: (Thy bright 175 Life brought them first to kisse the light, That kindled them to starrs,) and so Thou with the Lamb, thy Lord, shalt goe, And whereso'ere He setts His white Stepps, walk with Him those wayes of light, 180 Which who in death would liue to see, Must learn in life to dy like thee.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The original edition (1646) has this title, 'In memory of the Vertuous and Learned Lady Madre de Teresa, that sought an early Martyrdome;' and so also in 1648. 1670 agrees with 1652; only the Latin line above the portrait and the French verses are omitted.

The text of 1646 furnishes a number of variations corrective in part of all the subsequent editions. These are recorded below. 1648 agrees substantially with 1652: but a few unimportant readings peculiar to it are also given in these Notes.

_Various readings from 1646 edition._

Line 3, 'Wee need to goe to none of all.'

" 4, 'stout' for 'great.'

" 5, 'ripe and full growne.'

" 8, 'unto' for 'into;' the latter preferable.

" 10, 'Of those whose large breasts built a throne.'

" 11-13,

'For Love their Lord, glorious and great Weel see Him take a private seat, And make ...'

I have hesitated whether this ought not to have been adopted as our text; but it is a characteristic of CRASHAW to introduce abruptly long and short lines as in our text, and to carry a thought or metaphor through a number of lines.

Line 15, 'had' for 'has,' and 'a' for 'the.'

" 21, 'hath,' and so in 1648 edition.

" 23, our text (1652) misprints 'enough:' I correct from 1648.

" 25, 'had,' 1648 'hath.'

" 27, 1648, 'hath.'

" 31, 'wee' for 'you.'

Line 37, 'thirst' for 'thirsts,' and 'dare' for 'dares.'

" 38 spells 'coled.'

" 40, 'weake' for 'white;' the latter a favourite epithet with CRASHAW: 1648 'weake.'

Line 43, 1648 drops 'at' inadvertently.

" 44 spells 'travell:' 1648 has 'for' instead of 'to.'

" 45, 'her,' by misprint for 'her's.'

" 47, 1648 has 'try' for 'trade.'

" 49, 'Shee offers.' 57 spells 'adeiu.'

" 61, this line is by oversight dropped from our text (1652).

Line 70, spelled 'barborous' in our text, but I have adopted 'a' from 1646 and 1648.

Line 71, 'race' for 'raze;' a common contemporary spelling.

" 77, 'hand' for 'armes.'

" 93, 'The fairest, and the first borne Loves of fire.'

" 94, 'Seraphims,' the usual misspelling of the plural of seraph in our English Bible.

Line 104, 'To live, but that he still may dy.'

" 106, our text (1652) misreads 'sweetly-kissing.' I have adopted 'sweetly-killing' from 1646, 1648 and 1670.

Line 108, 1648 has 'thine' for 'his.'

" 118, 'disolving.'

" 123, our text (1652) inadvertently drops 'shalt,' and misreads 'you' for 'thou.' I accept the text of 1646, 1648 and 1670.

line 129, 'on.'

" 130, 'shee' for 'reueal'd Life;' and in next line 'her' for 'His.' Our text (1652) is preferable, as pointing to Christ the Life, our Life. See under lines 11-13.

Line 133, 'joy.'

" 146, 'set;' a common contemporary spelling.

" 147, this line, dropped inadvertently from our text (1652), is restored from 1646, 1648 and 1670.

Line 148, 'And' for 'All.'

" 151, 'Even thy deaths.'

" 152, 'Dresse the soul that late they slew.'

" 167 misprints 'nowes;' corrected in 1648, but not in 1670.

" 168 drops 'soueraign.' See under lines 11-13.

" 175, 'keeps.'

" 178, 'shall.' Cf. Rev. xiv. 5, as before. G.

AN APOLOGIE FOR THE FOREGOING HYMN,

AS HAUING BEEN WRITT WHEN THE AUTHOR WAS YET AMONG THE PROTESTANTS.[49]

Thus haue I back again to thy bright name 1 (Fair floud of holy fires!) transfus'd the flame I took from reading thee: 'tis to thy wrong I know, that in my weak and worthlesse song Thou here art sett to shine where thy full day 5 Scarse dawnes. O pardon, if I dare to say Thine own dear bookes are guilty. For from thence I learn't to know that Loue is eloquence. That hopefull maxime gaue me hart to try If, what to other tongues is tun'd so high, 10 Thy praise might not speak English too: forbid (By all thy mysteryes that here ly hidde) Forbid it, mighty Loue! let no fond hate Of names and wordes, so farr præiudicate. Souls are not Spaniards too: one freindly floud 15 Of baptism blends them all into a blood. Christ's faith makes but one body of all soules, And Loue's that body's soul; no law controwlls Our free traffique for Heau'n; we may maintaine Peace, sure, with piety, though it come from Spain. 20 What soul so e're, in any language, can Speak Heau'n like her's, is my soul's country-man. O 'tis not Spanish, but 'tis Heau'n she speaks! 'Tis Heau'n that lyes in ambush there, and breaks From thence into the wondring reader's brest; 25 Who feels his warm heart hatcht into a nest Of little eagles and young loues, whose high Flights scorn the lazy dust, and things that dy. There are enow whose draughts (as deep as Hell) Drink vp all Spain in sack. Let my soul swell 30 With the strong wine of Loue: let others swimme In puddles; we will pledge this seraphim Bowles full of richer blood then blush of grape Was euer guilty of. Change we our shape (My soul) some drink from men to beasts, O then 35 Drink we till we proue more, not lesse, then men, And turn not beasts but angels. Let the King Me euer into these His cellars bring, Where flowes such wine as we can haue of none But Him Who trod the wine-presse all alone: 40 Wine of youth, life, and the sweet deaths of Loue; Wine of immortall mixture; which can proue Its tincture from the rosy nectar; wine That can exalt weak earth; and so refine Our dust, that at one draught, Mortality 45 May drink it self vp, and forget to dy.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The title in 1646 'Steps' is 'An Apologie for the precedent Hymne:' in 1648 the 'Flaming Heart' also precedes the 'Apologie,' and its title, 'Hymnes on Teresa,' is added. 1670 has 'was yet a Protestant.'

_Various readings from 1646._

Line 2, 'sea.'

" 9, 'heavenly.'

" 12, 'there' for 'here.'

" 14, 'prejudicate.'

" 16, 'one' for 'a:' 1670 has 'one.'

" 18, 1648 spells 'comptrolls.'

" 20, 'dwell in' for 'come from.'

" 21, 'soever.'

" 26, 'finds' for 'feels:' our text (1652) drops 'hatcht,' which we have restored after 1646 and 1648; 1670 reads 'hatch,' and TURNBULL follows blindly.