Ah hartlesse task yet Hope takes head,

And liues in Him that here lyes dead.

Run, Mary, run! Bring hither all the blest
Arabia, for thy royall phoenix' nest;

245

Pour on thy noblest sweets, which, when they touch

This sweeter body, shall indeed be such.

But must Thy bed, Lord, be a horrow'd grane

Who lend'st to all things all the life they haue.

O rather vse this heart, thus farr a fitter stone,

'Cause, though a hard and cold one, yet it is Thine Amen.

The Antiphond,

O saue vs then,

Mercyfull King of men!

Since Thou wouldst needs be thus

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 nar

rower word;

Thy blood bids vs be bold,

Thy wounds giue vs fair hold,

Thy sorrows chide our shame :

Thy crosse, Thy nature, and Thy name

Aduance our claim.

And cry with one accord

255

265

Saue them. O saue them. Lord!

205

THE RECOMMENDATION.1

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
To make a kind of life for my Lord's death,
So from His liuing and life-giuing death,
My dying life

270

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.'

1. 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 su

6. The fruit' instead of 'for'- -a misprint.

V.

VII.

5. ther's' for 'there is.'

6. our great sins' sacrifice.'

1. The Nightening houre'-a curious coinage.

1 The engraving of our text (1652) here, is reproduced in our illustrated quarto edition. For the Latin Expostulatio' belonging thereto, see our vol. ii. G.

In the Player,' · unto aŭ quick and deal' is dropped, and read the.' not Thy, Church. In line 55 Turnbull readweakful, and, line 213, heed' for head." -two of a number of provoking blunders in his text. G.

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

laid back the flesh He took for thee.

11.

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.

With these He wash't thy stain, transferr'd thy smart, And took it home to His own heart.

But though great Love, greedy of such sad gain, Vsurpt the portion of thy pain,

5

10

Appeared originally in Steps of 1648 (pp. 30-1): reprinted in 1652 (pp. 1951) and 1670 (pp. 171-6). Our text is that of 1652, abefore. See Notes and Illustrations at close of the poem. G.