Imatges de pàgina
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Thou, in the Moon's bright Chariot, proud and gay,
Doft thy bright Wood of Stars furvey:

And all the Year doft with thee bring

Of thousand flow'ry Lights thy own nocturnal Spring.
Thou, Scythian-like, doft round thy Lands above,
The Sun's guilt Tent, for ever move;
And ftill as thou in Pomp doft go,

The fhining Pageants of the World attend thy Show.
Nor amidst all thofe Triumphs doft thou fcorn
The humble Glow-worms to adorn;

And with those living Spangles guild
(O Greatness without Pride!) the Bushes of the Field.
Night, and her ugly Subjects thou doft fright,
And Sleep, the lazy Owl of Night,
Afham'd and fearful to appear,

They skreen their horrid Shapes with the black Hemisphere.
With them there haftes, and wildly takes th' Alarm,
Of painted Dreams, a bufy Swarm.
At the first Op'ning of the Eye,

The various Clufters break, the antick Atoms fly.
The guilty Serpents and obfcener Beasts

Creep confcious to their fecret Refts:

Nature to thee does Rev'rence pay,
Ill Omens and ill Sights remove out of thy Way.
At thy Appearance Grief it felf is faid

To shake his Wings, and rouse his Head;
And cloudy Care has often took

A gentle beamy Smile, reflected from thy Look.
At thy Appearance Fear it felf grows bold;
The Sun-fhine melts away his Cold.
Ev'n Luft, the Mafter of a harden'd Face,
Blufhes if thou be'ft in the Place;
To Darkness's Curtains he retires,
In fympathizing Night he rouls his fmoaky Fires.
When, Goddefs! thou lift'ft up thy waken'd Head,
Out of the Morning's purple Bed,

Thy Choire of Birds about thee play,
And all the joyful World falutes the rifing Day.
All the World's Brav'ry that delights our Eyes,
Is but thy fev'ral Liveries.

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Thou the rich Dye on them bestow'ft;
Thy nimble Pencil paints this Landskip as thou go'ft.
A crimfon Garment in the Rofe thou wear'ft,

A Crown of ftudded Gold thou bear'st. ·
The Virgin Lillies in their White,

Are clad but with the Lawn of almoft naked Light.
The Violet, Spring's little Infant, ftands

Girt in thy purple Swadling-bands:

On

On the fair Tulip thou dost doat,
Thou cloath'ft it with a gay and party-colour'd Coat.
But the vaft Ocean of unbounded Day

In the Empyrean Heav'n does stay;

Thy Rivers, Lakes, and Springs below;

From thence took first their Rife, thither at laft muft flow.Cowl.
Thro' the rude Chaos thus the running Light
Shot the first Ray that piere'd the native Night:
Then Day and Darkness in the Mafs were mix'd,
Till gather'd in a Globe, the Beams were fix'd.
Laft fhone the Sun, who radiant in his Sphere,

Illumin'd Heav'n and Earth, and roul'd around the Year. Dryd
(Cym. & Iph..
Hail holy Light! Offfpring of Heav'n, first-born,
Or of th'Eternal Co-eternal Beam:
Bright Effluence of bright Effence increate!
Or hear'st thou rather pure etherial Stream,
Whofe Fountain who fhall tell? Before the Sun,
Before the Heav'ns thou wert, and at the Voice
Of God, as with a Mantle didft invest
The rifing World of Waters dark and deep,
Won from the void and formlefs Infinite :
Thee I revifit now with bolder Wing,
Efcap'd the Stygian Pool, tho long detain'd
In that obfcure Sojourn; while in my Flight
Thro' utter, and thro' middle Darkness born,
With other Notes than to the Orphean Lyre
I fung of Chaos and Eternal Night;

Taught by the heav'nly Mufe to venture down
The dark Defcent, and up to re-afcend,
Tho' hard and rare: Thee I re-visit safe,
And feel thy Sov'reign vital Lamp; but thou
Re-vifit'ft not thefe Eyes, that roul in vain
To find thy piercing Ray, and find no Dawn:
So thick a Drop ferene has quench'd their Orbs,
Or dim Suffufion veil'd. Yet not the more
Ceafe I to wander where the Mufes haunt,
Clear Spring, or fhady Grove, or funny Hill,
Smit with the Love of facred Song: But chief
Thee, Sion, and the flow'ry Brooks beneath,
That wash thy hallow'd Feet, and warbling flow,
Nightly I vifit: Nor fometimes forget
Thofe other Two, equall'd with me in Fate,
So were I equall'd with them in Renown,
Blind Thamyris, and blind Maonides,
And Phineas and Tyrefias, Prophets old:
Then feed on Thoughts that voluntary move

Harmo

Harmonious Numbers, as the wakeful Bird
Sings darkling, and in fhadiest Covert hid
Tunes her nocturnal Note. Thus with the Year
Seafons return, but not to me returns

Day, or the fweet Approach of Ev'n and Morn,
Or Sight of vernal Bloom, or Summer's Rofe,
Or Flocks, or Herds, or humane Face divine:
But Cloud inftead, and ever-during Dark
Surrounds me; from the chearful ways of Man
Cut off, and for the Book of Knowledge fair,
Prefented with a univerfal Blank

Of Nature's Works to me expung'd and ras'd;
And Wisdom at one Entrance quite fhut out.
So much the rather, thou Cœleftial Light,
Shine inward, and the Mind thro' all her Pow'rs
Irradiate; there plant Eyes, all Mift from thence
Purge and difperfe, that I may fee and tell

Of things invifible to mortal Sight. Milton. Spoken of himself. LIGHTNING. See Greatnefs, Sicknefs, Singing, Necromancer, Storm, Thunder.

Quick Lightning flies when heavy Clouds rush on,
And ftrikes like Steel and Flint, or Stone and Stone :
For then fmall Sparks appear, and scatter'd Light
Breaks fwiftly forth, and wakes the fleepy Night,
The Night amaz'd begins to hafte away,
As if thofe Fires were Beams of coming Day.

As when fome dreadful Thunder-clap is nigh,
The winged Fire fhoots fwiftly thro' the Sky,
Strikes and confumes e'er fcarce it does appear,
And by the fudden Ill prevents the Fear.

Cre. Lucr.

Dryd. Ind. Emp.

As when tempeftuous Storms o'erfpread the Skies,
In whofe dark Bowels in-born Thunder lies;
The watry Vapours numberless confpire
To fmother and opprefs th'imprison'd Fire;
Which, thus collected, gathers greater Force,

Breaks out in Flames, and with impetuous Course

From the Clouds gaping Womb in Lightning flies,

Flashing in ruddy Streaks along the Skies.
The difmal Lightnings all around,

Blai

Some flying thro' the Air, fome running on the Ground,

Some fwimming o'er the Waters Face,

Fill'd with bright Horrour ev'ry Place.

Cowl.

The Clouds,

Juftling, or pufh'd by Winds, rude in their Shock,

Tine the flant Lightning, whofe thwart Flame driven down

Kindles the gummy Bark of Firr, or Pine.
As where the Lightning runs along the Ground,

Milt

No Husbandry can heal the blafting Wound

Nor

Nor bladed Grafs nor bearded Corn fucceed,
But Scales of Scurf, and Putrefaction breed. Dryd. Hind &Panth.
Like Lightnings fatal Flash,

Which by deftructive Thunder is purfu'd,
Blafting thofe Fields on which it fhin'd before.
As when a pointed Flame of Lightning flies,
With mighty Noise exploded from the Skies;
The ruddy Terrour with refiftless Strokes
Invades the Mountain-Pines, and Foreft Oaks;
Wide Lanes a-cross the Woods, and ghaftly Tracks,
Where'er it goes, the swift Destruction makes.

Roch, Valent.

Blac.

LION. See Creation, Enjoyment, Frown, Joy, Paradife,
Retreat, Revenge, Twilight.

Thus as a hungry Lion, who beholds
A gamefom Goat, that frisks about the Folds;
Or beamy Stag, that grazes on the Plain;
He runs, he roars, he thakes his rifing Mane,
He grins, he opens wide his greedy Jaws;
The Prey lies panting underneath his Paws:
He fills his famish'd Maw, his Mouth runs o'er

Dryd. Virg.

With unchew'd Morfels, while he churns the Gore. Dryd. Virg.
The famifh'd Lion thus, with Hunger bold,
O'erleaps the Fences of the nighty Fold;
And tears the peaceful Flocks: With filent Awe
Trembling they lie, and pant beneath his Paw:
So when the gen'rous Lion has in Sight
His equal Match, he roufes for the Fight:
But when his Foe lies proftate on the Plain,
He fheaths his Paws, uncurls his angry Mane ;
And pleas'd with bloodlefs Honours of the Day,
Walks over, and difdains th'inglorious Prey.

As when the Swains the Lybian Lion chace,
He makes a fou'r Retreat, nor mends his Pace;
But if the pointed Jav'lin pierce his Side,
The Lordly Beaft returns with double Pride:
He wrenches out the Steel, he roars for Pain,
His Sides he lashes, and ere&s his Mane.

His Eye-balls flash with Fire,

(Panth. Dryd. Hind &

Thro' his wide Noftrils Clouds of Smoke expire.

Dryd, Virg.

Thus as a Lion, when he fpies from far

A Bull, that feems to meditate the War,

Bending his Neck and fpurning back the Sand;
Runs roaring downward from his hilly Stand,
To rush from high on his unequal Foe.

Like a Lion,

Who long has reign'd the Terrour of the Woods,
And dar'd the boldeft Huntsmen to the Combat ;
Till caught at length within fome hidden Snare,

Dryd. Virg.

With

With foaming Jaws he bites the Toils that hold him;
And roars, and rowls his fiery Eyes in vain : (Amb. Stepm.
While the furrounding Swains wound him at Pleasure.
LOOKS, or Mien: See Beauty, Eyes.

The King arofe with awful Grace,

Rowe

(Pal. & Arc. Deep Thought was in his Breast, and Counsel in his Face.Dryd. Deep on his Front engraven,

Deliberation fate, and publick Care,

And Princely Council in his Face yet fhone.
Big made he was and tall; his Port was fierce ;
Erect his Countenance: Manly Majesty
Sate in his Front, and darted from his Eyes,
Commanding all he view'd.

His awful Prefence did the Crowd furprize,
Nor durft the rafh Spectators meet his Eyes;
Eyes that confefs'd him born for Kingly Sway,
So fierce they flash'd intolerable Day.

The Trojan Chief appear'd in open Sight,
Auguft in Vifage, and ferenely bright:
His Mother Goddefs, with her Hands divine,

Milt

Dryd. Oedip.

Dryd. Pal. & Arc.

Dryd. Virg.

Had form'd his curling Locks, and made his Temples fhine;
Had giv'n his rouling Eyes a sparkling Grace,
And breath'd a youthful Vigour on his Face:
Like polish'd Iv'ry, beauteous to behold;
Or Parian Marble, when enchas'd with Gold.
Amid the Prefs appears the beauteous Boy:
His lovely Face' unarm'd, his Head was bare ;
In Ringlets o'er his Shoulders hung his Hair;
His Forehead circled with a Diadem.
Diftinguifh'd from the Croud he shines a Gem,
Enchas'd in Gold: Or polifh'd Iv'ry, fet

Amidst the meaner Foil of fable Jet.

Thro' his youthful Face,

Wrath checks the Beauty, and fheds manly Grace;

Both in his Looks fo joyn'd, that they might move
Fear ev'n in Friends, and from an En'my Love.
Hot as ripe Noon, fweet as the blooming Day:
What's he, who with contracted Brow,

And fullen Port, glooms downward with his Eyes;
At once regardless of his Chains or Liberty?
He fhuns my Kindness;

And with a haughty Mien and ftern Civility,
Dumbly declines all Office: If he fpeak,
'Tis scarce above a Word; as he were born
Alone to Do, and did difdain to talk,

Dryd. Virg.

Cowl.

At least to talk where he must not command. Cong. Moura. Bride.

That

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