Had it any been but she, And that very face, There had been at least ere this A dozen dozen in her place. 103. SIR RICHARD LOVELACE. 1618-1658. (Manual, p. 169.) TO ALTHEA FROM PRISON. When love with unconfinéd wings And fettered with her eye, When flowing cups run swiftly round With no allaying Thames, Our careless heads with roses crowned, When thirsty grief in wine we steep, When healths and draughts go free, Fishes, that tipple in the deep, Know no such liberty. When, linnet-like, confinéd I With shriller note shall sing The mercy, sweetness, majesty, When I shall voice aloud how good He is, how great should be, Th' enlargéd winds that curl the flood, Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage, Minds innocent and quiet, take That for an hermitage: 104. THOMAS CAREW. 1589-1639. (Manual, pp. 170 1 and 86.) SONG. Ask me no more, where Jove bestows, Ask me no more, whither do stray Ask me no more, whither doth haste Ask me no more, where those stars light, Ask me no more, if east or west, And in your fragrant bosom dies. 105. WILLIAM BROWNE. 1590-1645. (Manual, p. 171.) EVENING. As in an evening when the gentle air I oft have sat on Thames' sweet bank to hear My friend with his sweet touch to charm mine ear. So in this differing key though I could well 106. WILLIAM HABINGTON. 1605-1654. (Manual, p. 171.) CUPIO DISSOLVI. My God! if 'tis thy great decree Wherein I breathe this air; My heart obeys, joyed to retreat And treachery of the fair. When thou shalt please this soul t' enthrone What should I grieve or fear, To think this breathless body must For in the fire when ore is tried, Do we deplore the loss? And when thou shalt my soul refine, That it thereby may purer shine, Shall I grieve for the dross? 107. EDMUND WALLER. 1605-1687. (Manual, p. 171.) Go, lovely rose! SONG. Tell her that wastes her time and me, That now she knows When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be. Tell her that's young, And shuns to have her graces spied, That hadst thou sprung In deserts, where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died. Small is the worth Of beauty from the light retired: Suffer herself to be desired, And not blush so to be admired. Then die! that she The common fate of all things rare How small a part of time they share ON A GIRDle. That which her slender waist confined It was my heaven's extremest sphere, A narrow compass! and yet there 108. SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT. 1605-1668. (Manual, p. 172.) From "Gondibert.” CHARACTER OF BIRTHA. To Astragon, heaven for succession gave She ne'er saw courts, yet courts could have undone Her nets, the most prepared could never shun; She never had in busy cities been, Ne'er warmed with hopes, nor e'er allayed with fears; Not seeing punishment, could guess no sin; And sin not seeing, ne'er had use of tears. But here her father's precepts gave her skill, Which with incessant business filled the hours; And as kind nature with calm diligence Whilst she, unheard, does ripening growth dispense, Whilst her great mistress, Nature, thus she tends, 109. SIR JOHN DENHAM. 1615-1668. (Manual, p. 173.) From "Cooper's Hill." THE THAMES. My eye, descending from the Hill, surveys By his old sire, to his embraces runs, Hasting to pay his tribute to the sea, Though with those streams he no resemblance hold, Nor with a sudden and impetuous wave, Like profuse kings, resumes the wealth he gave. The mower's hopes, nor mock the ploughman's toil; But godlike his unwearied bounty flows; First loves to do, then loves the good he does. Nor are his blessings to his banks confined, But free and common as the sea or wind; Brings home to us, and makes both Indies ours; ΙΟ |