The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I
Part 5
The early Prime blushes to say She could not rise so soon, as they Call'd Pilat vp; to try if he 50 Could lend them any cruelty. Their hands with lashes arm'd, their toungs with lyes And loathsom spittle, blott those beauteous eyes, The blissfull springs of ioy; from whose all-chearing ray The fair starrs fill their wakefull fires, the sun him- self drinks day. 55
_The Antiphona._
Victorious sign That now dost shine, Transcrib'd aboue Into the land of light and loue; O let vs twine 60 Our rootes with thine, That we may rise Vpon thy wings, and reach the skyes.
_The Versicle._
Lo, we adore Thee, Dread Lamb! and fall 65 Thus low before Thee.
_The Responsor._
'Cause by the couenant of Thy crosse Thou hast sau'd at once the whole World's losse.
_The Prayer._
O LORD IESV-CHRIST, Son of the liuing God! interpose, I pray Thee, Thine Own pretious death, 70 Thy crosse and passion, betwixt my soul and Thy iudgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt vnto me Thy grace and mercy; vnto all quick and dead, remission and rest; to Thy Church, peace and concord; to vs sinners, 75 life and glory euerlasting. Who liuest and reignest with the Father, in the vnity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
THE THIRD.
_The Versicle._
Lord, by Thy sweet and sauing sign,
_The Responsor._
Defend vs from our foes and Thine. 80 _V._ Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord. _R._ And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise. _V._ O God, make speed to save me. _R._ O Lord, make hast to help me. _V._ Glory be to, &c. 85 _R._ As it was in the, &c.
THE HYMN.
The third hour's deafen'd with the cry Of crucify Him, crucify. So goes the vote (nor ask them, why?), Liue Barabbas! and let God dy. 90 But there is witt in wrath, and they will try A hail more cruell then their crucify. For while in sport He weares a spitefull crown The serious showres along His decent Face run sadly down.
_The Antiphona._
Christ when He dy'd 95 Deceiu'd the Crosse; And on Death's side Threw all the losse. The captiue World awak't and found The prisoners loose, the iaylor bound. 100
_The Versicle._
Lo, we adore Thee, Dread LAMB, and fall Thus low before Thee.
_The Responsor._
'Cause by the couenant of Thy crosse Thou hast sau'd at once the whole World's losse. 105
_The Prayer._
O Lord IESV-CHRIST, Son of the liuing God! interpose, I pray Thee, Thine Own pretious death, Thy crosse and passion, betwixt my soul and Thy iudgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt vnto me Thy grace and mercy; 110 vnto all quick and dead, remission and rest; to Thy Church, peace and concord; to vs sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who liuest and reignest with the Father, in the vnity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. 115
THE SIXT.
_The Versicle._
Lord, by Thy sweet and sauing sign!
_The Responsor._
Defend vs from our foes and Thine.
_V._ Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord.
_R._ And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.
_V._ O God, make speed to save me! 120
_R._ O Lord, make hast to help me!
_V._ Glory be to, &c.
_R._ As it was in the, &c.
THE HYMN.
Now is the noon of Sorrow's night: High in His patience, as their spite, 125 Lo, the faint Lamb, with weary limb Beares that huge tree which must bear Him! That fatall plant, so great of fame For fruit of sorrow and of shame, Shall swell with both, for Him, and mix 130 All woes into one crucifix. Is tortur'd thirst itselfe too sweet a cup? Gall, and more bitter mocks, shall make it vp. Are nailes, blunt pens of superficiall smart? Contempt and scorn can send sure wounds to search the inmost heart. 135
_The Antiphona._
O deare and sweet dispute 'Twixt Death's and Loue's farr different fruit! Different as farr As antidotes and poysons are. By that first fatall tree 140 Both life and liberty Were sold and slain; By this they both look vp, and liue again.
_The Versicle._
Lo, we adore Thee, Dread Lamb! and bow thus low before Thee. 145
_The Responsor._
'Cause by the couenant of Thy crosse, Thou hast sau'd the World from certain losse.
_The Prayer._
O Lord IESV-CHRIST, Son of the liuing God! interpose, I pray Thee, Thine Own pretious death, Thy crosse and passion, betwixt my soul and Thy 150 iudgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt vnto me Thy grace and mercy; vnto all quick and dead, remission and rest; to Thy Church, peace and concord; to vs sinners, life and glory euerlasting. Who liuest and reignest 155 with the Father, in the vnity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
THE NINTH.
_The Versicle._
Lord, by Thy sweet and sauing sign,
_The Responsor._
Defend vs from our foes and Thine. _V._ Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord. 160 _R._ And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise. _V._ O God, make speed to save me! _R._ O Lord, make hast to help me! _V._ Glory be to, &c. _R._ As it was in the, &c. 165
THE HYMN.
The ninth with awfull horror hearkened to those groanes Which taught attention eu'n to rocks and stones. Hear, Father, hear! Thy Lamb (at last) complaines Of some more painfull thing then all His paines. Then bowes His all-obedient head, and dyes 170 His own lou's and our sins' GREAT SACRIFICE. The sun saw that, and would haue seen no more; The center shook: her vselesse veil th' inglorious Temple tore.
_The Antiphona._
O strange, mysterious strife Of open Death and hidden Life! 175 When on the crosse my King did bleed, Life seem'd to dy, Death dy'd indeed.[26]
_The Versicle._
Lo, we adore Thee, Dread Lamb! and fall Thus low before Thee. 180
_The Responsor._
'Cause by the couenant of Thy crosse Thou hast sau'd at once the whole World's losse.
_The Prayer._
O Lord Iesv-Christ, Son of the liuing God! interpose, I pray Thee, Thine Own pretious death,
Thy crosse and passion, betwixt my soul and Thy 185 iudgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt vnto me Thy grace and mercy; vnto all quick and dead, remission and rest; to Thy Church, peace and concord; to vs sinners, life and glory euerlasting. Who liuest and reignest 190 with the Father, in the vnity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
EVENSONG.
_The Versicle._
Lord, by Thy sweet and sauing sign!
_The Responsor._
Defend vs from our foes and Thine. _V._ Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord! 195 _R._ And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise. _V._ O God, make speed to save me! _R._ O Lord, make hast to help me! _V._ Glory be to, &c. _R._ As it was in the, &c. 200
THE HYMN.
But there were rocks would not relent at this: Lo, for their own hearts, they rend His; Their deadly hate liues still, and hath A wild reserve of wanton wrath; Superfluous spear! But there's a heart stands by 205 Will look no wounds be lost, no deaths shall dy. Gather now thy Greif's ripe fruit, great mother-maid! Then sitt thee down, and sing thine eu'nsong in the sad tree's shade.
_The Antiphona._
O sad, sweet tree! Wofull and ioyfull we 210 Both weep and sing in shade of thee. When the dear nailes did lock And graft into thy gracious stock The hope, the health, The worth, the wealth 215 Of all the ransom'd World, thou hadst the power (In that propitious hour) To poise each pretious limb, And proue how light the World was, when it weighd with Him. Wide maist thou spred 220 Thine armes, and with thy bright and blissfull head O'relook all Libanus. Thy lofty crown The King Himself is, thou His humble throne, Where yeilding and yet conquering He Prou'd a new path of patient victory: 225 When wondring Death by death was slain, And our Captiuity His captiue ta'ne.
_The Versicle._
Lo, we adore Thee, Dread LAMB! and bow thus low before Thee.
_The Responsor._
'Cause by the couenant of Thy crosse 230 Thou hast sau'd the World from certain losse.
_The Prayer._
O Lord Iesv-Christ, Son of the liuing, &c.
COMPLINE.
_The Versicle._
Lord, by Thy sweet and sauing sign!
_The Responsor._
Defend vs from our foes and Thine. _V._ Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord! 235 _R._ And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise. _V._ O God, make speed to save me! _R._ O Lord, make hast to help me! _V._ Glory be to, &c. _R._ As it was in the, &c. 240
THE HYMN.
The Complin hour comes last, to call Vs to our own lives' funerall. Ah hartlesse task! yet Hope takes head, And liues in Him that here lyes dead. Run, Mary, run! Bring hither all the blest 245 Arabia, for thy royall phoenix' nest; Pour on thy noblest sweets, which, when they touch This sweeter body, shall indeed be such. But must Thy bed, Lord, be a borrow'd graue Who lend'st to all things all the life they haue. 250 O rather vse this heart, thus farr a fitter stone, 'Cause, though a hard and cold one, yet it is Thine own. Amen.
_The Antiphona._
O saue vs then, Mercyfull King of men! Since Thou wouldst needs be thus 255 A Saviour, and at such a rate, for vs; Saue vs, O saue vs, Lord. We now will own no shorter wish, nor name a narrower word; Thy blood bids vs be bold, Thy wounds giue vs fair hold, 260 Thy sorrows chide our shame: Thy crosse, Thy nature, and Thy name Aduance our claim, And cry with one accord Saue them, O saue them, Lord! 265
THE RECOMMENDATION.[27]
These Houres, and that which houers o're my end, Into Thy hands and hart, Lord, I commend.
Take both to Thine account, that I and mine In that hour, and in these, may be all Thine.
That as I dedicate my deuoutest breath 270 To make a kind of life for my Lord's death,
So from His liuing and life-giuing death, My dying life may draw a new and neuer fleeting breath.
NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
In the original edition of this composition, as _supra_ (1648), it is entitled simply 'Vpon our B[lessed] Saviour's Passion.' What in our text (1652) constitute the Hymns, were originally numbered as seven stanzas. A few various readings from 1648 will be found below. Our text is given in full in 1670 edition, but not very accurately.
_Various readings of the Hymns in 1648 'Steps.'_
I. Line 1. 'The wakefull dawning hast's to sing.'
" 2. The allusion is to the petition in the old Litanies, 'By all Thine _unknown_ sorrows, good Lord, deliver us.'
" 8. 'betray'd' for 'beseigd:' the former perhaps superior.
II. " 1. 'The early Morne.'
" 2. 'It' for 'she.'
III. " 5. 'ther's' for 'there is.'
IV. " 6. 'The fruit' instead of 'for'--a misprint.
V. " 6. 'our great sins' sacrifice.'
VII. " 1. 'The Nightening houre'--a curious coinage.
In the 'Prayer,' 'unto all quick and dead' is dropped, and reads 'the,' not 'Thy,' Church. In line 55 Turnbull reads 'weakful,' and, line 243, 'heed' for 'head,'--two of a number of provoking blunders in his text. G.
VEXILLA REGIS:
THE HYMN OF THE HOLY CROSSE.[28]
I.
Look vp, languisting soul! Lo, where the fair 1 Badge of thy faith calls back thy care, And biddes thee ne're forget Thy life is one long debt Of loue, to Him, Who on this painfull tree 5 Paid back the flesh He took for thee.
II.
Lo, how the streames of life, from that full nest Of loues, Thy Lord's too liberall brest, Flow in an amorous floud Of water wedding blood. 10 With these He wash't thy stain, transferred thy smart, And took it home to His own heart.
III.
But though great Love, greedy of such sad gain, Vsurpt the portion of thy pain, And from the nailes and spear 15 Turn'd the steel point of fear: Their vse is chang'd, not lost; and now they moue Not stings of wrath, but wounds of loue.
IV.
Tall tree of life! thy truth makes good What was till now ne're understood, 20 Though the prophetick king Struck lowd his faithfull string: It was thy wood he meant should make the throne For a more than Salomon.
V.
Large throne of Loue! royally spred 25 With purple of too rich a red: Thy crime is too much duty; Thy burthen, too much beauty; Glorious or greiuous more? thus to make good Thy costly excellence with thy King's own blood. 30
VI.
Euen ballance of both worlds! our world of sin, And that of grace, Heaun-way'd in Him: Vs with our price thou weighed'st; Our price for vs thou payed'st, Soon as the right-hand scale reioyc't to proue 35 How much Death weigh'd more light then Loue.
VII.
Hail, our alone hope! let thy fair head shoot Aloft, and fill the nations with thy noble fruit: The while our hearts and we Thus graft our selues on thee, 40 Grow thou and they. And be thy fair increase The sinner's pardon and the iust man's peace.
Liue, O for euer liue and reign The Lamb Whom His own loue hath slain! And let Thy lost sheep liue to inherit 45 That kingdom which this Crosse did merit. Amen.
NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
These variations &c. as between 1648 and 1652, deserve record:
St. i. line 1. 'Languishing,' which is the reading in 1648.
Ib. line 2. Here, and in v. line 1, I have added 'e' to 'badg' and 'larg' respectively from 1648.
St. vi. line 2. Our text (1652) corrects a manifest blunder of 1648, which reads 'wag'd' for 'way'd' = weighed. In 1648, lines 3-4 read
'Both with one price were weighed, Both with one price were paid.'
St. vii. appeared for the first time in our text (1652). In the closing four lines, line 4, 1648, reads noticeably
'That Kingdome which Thy blessed death did merit.'
The allusion in st. iv. is to the old reading of Psalm xcvi. 10: 'Tell it among the heathen that the Lord reigneth from _the tree_.' The reference to Solomon points to the mediæval mystical interpretations of Canticles iii. 9-10.
I place 'Vexilla Regis' immediately after the 'Office of the Holy Crosse,' as really belonging to it, and not to be separated as in 1648. G.
[THE LORD SILENCES HIS QUESTIONERS.][29]
'Neither durst any man from that day aske Him any more questions.'
_St. Matthew_ xxii.
Mid'st all the darke and knotty snares, 1 Black wit or malice can, or dares, Thy glorious wisedome breaks the nets, And treds with uncontroulèd steps; Thy quell'd foes are not onely now 5 Thy triumphs, but Thy trophies too: They both at once Thy conquests bee, And Thy conquests' memorie. Stony amazement makes them stand Wayting on Thy victorious hand, 10 Like statues fixèd to the fame Of Thy renoune, and their own shame, As if they onely meant to breath To be the life of their own death. 'Twas time to hold their peace, when they 15 Had ne're another word to say; Yet is their silence unto Thee, The full sound of Thy victorie; Their silence speaks aloud, and is Thy well pronounc'd panegyris. 20 While they speak nothing, they speak all Their share, in Thy memoriall. While they speake nothing, they proclame Thee, with the shrillest trump of Fame. To hold their peace is all the wayes 25 These wretches have to speak Thy praise.
OUR B[LESSED] LORD IN HIS CIRCUMCISION TO HIS FATHER.[30]
1. To Thee these first-fruits of My growing death 1 (For what else is My life?), lo! I bequeath:
2. Tast this, and as Thou lik'st this lesser flood Expect a sea; My heart shall make it good.
3. Thy wrath that wades here now, e're long shall swim, 5 The floodgate shall be set wide ope for Him.
4. Then let Him drinke, and drinke, and doe His worst To drowne the wantonnesse of His wild thirst.
5. Now's but the nonage of My paines, My feares Are yett but hopes, weake as my infant yeares. 10
6. The day of My darke woe is yet but morne, My teares but tender, and My death new-borne.
7. Yet may these unfledg'd griefes give fate some guesse, These cradle-torments have their towardnesse.
8. These purple buds of blooming death may bee, 15 Erst the full stature of a fatall tree.
9. And till My riper woes to age are come, This knife may be the speare's præludium.
ON THE WOUNDS OF OUR CRUCIFIED LORD.[31]
O, these wakefull wounds of Thine! 1 Are they mouthes? or are they eyes? Be they mouthes, or be they eyne, Each bleeding part some one supplies.
Lo! a mouth! whose full-bloom'd lips 5 At too dear a rate are roses: Lo! a blood-shot eye! that weeps, And many a cruell teare discloses.
O, thou that on this foot hast laid Many a kisse, and many a teare; 10 Now thou shalt have all repaid, What soe're thy charges were.
This foot hath got a mouth and lips To pay the sweet summe of thy kisses; To pay thy teares, an eye that weeps, 15 Instead of teares, such gems as this is.
The difference onely this appeares, (Nor can the change offend) The debt is paid in ruby-teares Which thou in pearles did'st lend. 20
VPON THE BLEEDING CRUCIFIX: A SONG.[32]
I.
IIESU, no more! It is full tide: From Thy head and from Thy feet, From Thy hands and from Thy side All the purple riuers meet.
II.
What need Thy fair head bear a part In showres, as if Thine eyes had none? What need they help to drown Thy heart, That striues in torrents of it's own?
III.
Water'd by the showres they bring, The thornes that Thy blest browe encloses (A cruell and a costly spring) Conceiue proud hopes of proving roses.
IV.
Thy restlesse feet now cannot goe For vs and our eternall good, As they were euer wont. What though? They swimme, alas! in their own floud.
V.
Thy hand to giue Thou canst not lift; Yet will Thy hand still giuing be. It giues, but O itself's the gift: It giues though bound; though bound 'tis free.
VI.
But O Thy side, Thy deep-digg'd side! That hath a double Nilus going: Nor euer was the Pharian tide Half so fruitfull, half so flowing.
VII.
No hair so small, but payes his riuer To this Red Sea of Thy blood; Their little channells can deliuer Somthing to the generall floud.
VIII.
But while I speak, whither are run All the riuers nam'd before? I counted wrong: there is but one; But O that one is one all ore.
IX.
Rain-swoln riuers may rise proud, Bent all to drown and overflow; But when indeed all's ouerflow'd, They themselues are drownèd too.
X.
This Thy blood's deluge (a dire chance, Dear Lord, to Thee) to vs is found A deluge of deliuerance; A deluge least we should be drown'd. _lest_ N'ere wast Thou in a sense so sadly true, The well of liuing waters, Lord, till now.
NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
The title in 1646 is 'On the bleeding wounds of our crucified Lord:' in 1648 has 'body' for 'wounds:' in 1670 as 1646. I record these variations, &c.:
St. i. lines 2 and 3, in 1646 and 1670 read
'From Thy hands and from Thy feet, From Thy head and from Thy side.'
So the SANCROFT MS.
St. ii. In 1646 and 1670 this stanza is the 5th, and in line 2 has 'teares' for 'showres.'
St. iii. This stanza, by some strange oversight, is wholly dropped in 1652. St. iii. not in SANCROFT MS., and our st. ii. is the last. On one of the fly-leaves of the copy of 1646 edition in Trinity College, Cambridge, is the following contemporary MS. epigram, which embodies the sentiment of the stanza:
'_In caput Xti spinis coronatum._ Cerno Caput si Christe tuum mihi vertitur omne In spinis illud, quod fuit ante rosa.'
Turnbull gives the stanza, but misplaces it after our st. vi., overlooking that our st. ii. is in 1646 edition st. v.
St. iv. line 1: in 1646 and 1670 'they' for 'now.'
Line 3, ib. 'as they are wont'--evident inadvertence, as 'ever' is required by the measure.
Line 4, ib. 'blood' for 'floud:' so also in 1648.
St. v. line 1, ib. 'hand' for 'hands:' 'hand' in 1648, and in SANCROFT MS.: adopted. Line 4, 'dropps' in SANCROFT MS. for 'gives.'
St. vi. line 3. Our text (1652) prints 'pharian,' the Paris printer spelling (and mis-spelling) without comprehending the reference to Pharaoh.
St. vii. line 1, in 1646 and 1670 'not a haire but ...'
St. ix. line 3, in 1648 a capital in 'All's.' G.
TO THE NAME ABOVE EVERY NAME, THE NAME OF IESVS:
A HYMN.[33]
In Vnitate Devs Est Numisma Vrbani 6.