2 Kinge.

At least to play

The amorous spyes

225

And peep and proffer at Thy sparkling throne;

3 Kinge. In stead of bringing in the blissfull prize And fastening on Thine eyes:

Forfeit our own

And nothing gain

But more ambitious losse at last, of brain;

Chorus. Now by abasèd liddes shall learn to be
Eagles; and shutt our eyes that we may see.

The Close.

[Chorus] Therfore to Thee and Thine auspitious ray (Dread Sweet!) lo thus

1 Kinge.

At last by vs,

The delegated eye of Day

230

236

Does first his scepter, then himself, in solemne

tribute pay.

Thus he vndresses

His sacred vnshorn tresses ;

At Thy adored feet, thus he layes down

His gorgeous tire

Of flame and fire,

2 Kinge. His glittering robe. 3 Kinge. His sparkling

crown;

1 Kinge. His gold: 2 Kinge. His mirrh: 3 Kinge.

His frankincense.

Chorus. To which he now has no pretence:

240

245

For being show'd by this Day's light, how farr
He is from sun enough to make Thy starr,
His best ambition now is but to be
250
Somthing a brighter shadow, Sweet, of Thee.
Or on Heaun's azure forhead high to stand
Thy golden index; with a duteous hand
Pointing vs home to our own sun
The World's and his Hyperion.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

255

The title in 1648 edition is simply 'A Hymne for the Epiphanie. Sung as by the three Kings.' Except the usual slight changes of orthography, the following are all the variations between the two texts necessary to record: and I give with them certain corrective and explanatory notes:

=

Line 25, indifferent' is impartial, not as now unconcerned.'

Line 52, 1648 edition misprints 'his't' for 'kis't.' In the 51st line the bright idol' is the sun.

this.'

Cf. Juvenal, Satire x.

99, ib. is given to 3d King. Throughout we have corrected a number of slips of the Paris printer in his figures. Line 108, ib. spells 'to' for 'too.'

117, ‘deliquium' swoon, faint. In chemistry-melting. 122, 1648 edition reads 'his' for this;' and I have adopted it.

Line 143, ib. reads 'deere:' a misprint.

195, ib. reads what' for that,' and in next line 'his'

for this,' of 1652: both adopted.

Line 212, legible' is

legibly.

224 and onward, in 1648 is printed 'least,' in our text (1652) 'lest. Except in line 224 it is plainly last, and so I read it in 231st and 237th.

VOL. I.

N

from the dimming of the sun at the Crucin in ming, but this time through the splend ar at the conversion of him, who was taken to reach in the cont of the Areoparites. The speaker.or 3. takes the view which at first sight may seem to den the gospel narrative, that the light brighter than Lone round about SA, and his companions but not on they being couched in the conscious shade of the dayThroughout, there is a double allusion to this second ming of the sun as manifesting Christ to St. Paul and the centres, and to the dimming of the eyes, and the walking in darkPass for a time of him who as a light on Earth was to manist the True Light to the world. Throughout, too, there is a of parallelism indicated between the two lesser lights. Both rebellions were to be dimmed and brought into subjection, and hen to shine forthright-eyed in renewed and purified splendon as evidences of the Sun of Righteousness. Hence at the close, the chorus calls them 'ye twin-suns.'--and the words, Ill thus triumphantly tamed' refer equally to both. puctuation to make this clear should be

The

sun, . . . . un

To negotiate you' (both word and metaphor being acer unhappily chosen) means, to pass you current as the e stamped image of the Deity. O price of the rich Spirit' 197 may be made to refer to thee O Christ, price of the spirit of Paul, but may be' is almost too strong to apply ch in interpretation. It is far more consonant to the strueand tenor of the whole passage, to read it as an epithet d to St. Paul: O prize of the rich Spirit of grace.' I to without hesitation changed of this strong soul into trony soul. Oblique ambush may refer to the obof the sun now rays of darkness, but the primary

reference is to the indirect manner and vigorous guess, by which St. Paul, mentally glancing from one to the other light, learned through the dimming of the sun to believe in the Deity of Him who spake from out the dimming brightness. The same thought, though with a strained and less successful effort of expression, appears in the song of the third King, · with that fierce chase,' &c.

Line 251. 'Somthing a brighter shadow (Sweet; of Thee." Apparently a remembrance of a passage which THOMAS HEYWOOD, in his Hierarchie of the Angels, gives from a Latin tranalation of PLATO, Lumen est ambra Dei et Deus est Lamen Luminis.' On which see our Essay. Perhaps the same gave rise to the thought that the sun eclipsed God, or shut Him out as a cloud or shade, or made night, e.g.

⚫ And urge their sun

eclipse he made

Not so much their son as shade

mes 115-20).

... by this night of day lines 18-151). G.

TO THE QVEEN'S MAIESTY.1
MADAME,

1

'Mongst those long rowes of crownes that guild your race, These royall sages sue for decent place:

The day-break of the Nations; their first ray,

When the dark World dawn'd into Christian Day, 5
And smil'd i' th' Babe's bright face; the purpling bud

And rosy dawn of the right royall blood;
Fair first-fruits of the Lamb! sure kings in this,

They took a kingdom while they gaue a kisse.

But the World's homage, scarse in these well blown, 10 We read in you (rare queen) ripe and full-grown.

1 Appeared originally in 'Steps' of 1648 (pp. 55, 56): reprinted in editions of 1652 (pp. 29, 30) and 1670 (pp. 161, 162). Our text is that of 1652, as before: but see Notes at close of the poem. G.

See our Essay for Miltonic parallels with lines in this remarkable composition. Line 46, these mortal clouds,' i.e. of infant flesh. Cf. So-p. d' Herode, stanza xxiii.

That He whom the sun serves should faintly peep
Through clouds of infant flesh,"

Line 111. And urge their sun into Thy cloud,' i. e. into bec
ing Thy cloud, forcing him to become a long deliquium t.
light of thee. Line 189, our text (1652) misprints ‘in self.`
190, By the oblique ambush,' &c. The Kings continuin
spirit of prophecy, and with words not to be understood ·
fulfilment, pass on from the dimming of the sun at the
to a second dimming, but this time through the sple
brighter light, at the conversion of him who was tai
to the Gentiles in the court of the Areopagites. I
rather CRASHAW, takes the view which at first si
be implied in the gospel narrative, that the lig
midday shone round about SAUL and his comp
them, they being couched in the consciou-
light. Throughout, there is a double all
dimming of the sun as manifesting Chris
Gentiles, and to the dimming of the eyes, a
ness for a time of him who as a light
fest the True Light to the world. T
kind of parallelism indicated between
rebellions were to be dimmed and b
then to shine forthright-eyed' in
our as evidences of the Sun of R
close, the chorus calls them y
Till thus triumphantly tame
punctuation to make this clea
done; . . . To negotiate y
rather unhappily chosen 1
true-stamped image of the
(line 197) may be made to r
rich spirit of Paul, but
to such an interpretation
ture and tenor of the
applied to St. Paul:

have also without he

of his strong soul

lique rays of the