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To the Queen.

But stay; what glimpse was that? why blusht

the Day?

115

Why ran the started aire trembling away ?
Who's this that comes circled in rayes that scorn
Acquaintance with the sun? what second morn
At midday opes a presence which Heaven's eye
Stands off and points at? Is't some deity
Stept from her throne of starres, deignes to be seen?
Is it some deity? or is't our queen?

'Tis she, 'tis she her awfull beauties chase

The Day's abashèd glories, and in face

I 20

Of noon wear their own sunshine. O thou bright 125 Mistresse of wonders! Cynthia's is the Night;

But thou at noon dost shine, and art all day

Illustrious sweetnesse! in thy faithfull wombe,

(Nor does thy sun deny't) our Cynthia.

That nest of heroes, all our hopes find room.

130

Thou art the mother-phenix, and thy brest

Chast as that virgin honour of the East,

But much more fruitfull is; nor does, as she,
Deny to mighty Love, a deitie.

Then let the Eastern world brag and be proud

135

Of one coy phenix, while we have a brood,

A brood of phenixes: while we have brother

And may we long! Long may'st thou live t'increase

And sister-phenixes, and still the mother.

The house and family of phenixes.

VOL. I.

140

M M

Nor may the life that gives their eye-lids light
E're prove the dismall morning of thy night:
No're may a birth of thine be bought so dear
To make his costly cradle of thy beer.

O may'st thou thus make all the year thine own, 145 And see such names of joy sit white upon

The brow of every month! and when th' hast done,

Mayst in a son of his find every son

Repeated, and that son still in another,

And so in each child, often prove a mother.
Long may'st thou, laden with such clusters, lean
Vpon thy royall elm (fair vine!) and when
The Heav'ns will stay no longer, may thy glory
And name dwell sweet in some eternall story!

150

Pardon (bright Excellence,) an untun'd string, 155 That in thy cares thus keeps a murmuring.

O speake a lowly Muse's pardon, speake

Her pardon, or her sentence; onely breake

160

Thy silence. Speake, and she shall take from thence
Numbers, and sweetnesse, and an influence
Confessing thee. Or (if too long I stay,)

O speake thou, and my pipe hath nought to say:
For see Apollo all this while stands mute,

Expecting by thy voice to tune his lute.

But gods are gracious; and their altars make Pretious the offrings that their altars take.

165

Give then this rurall wreath fire from thine eyes,
This rurall wreath dares be thy sacrifice.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

This poem was originally entitled (as supra) Upon the Duke of York's Birth.' As new children were born additions were made to it and the title altered. Cf. the Latin poem in our vol. ii. ad Reginam.

The children celebrated were the following: Charles James, born May 13, 1628, died the same day; the Queen's first child : Charles II., born May 29, 1630: James, who is placed before his sister Mary, who was older than he; born Oct. 14, 1633; afterwards James II.: Princess Mary, born Nov. 4, 1631, afterwards mother of William III.: Princess Elizabeth, born Dec. 28, 1635; died of grief at her father's tragical end, Sept. 8, 1650; was buried in the church at Newport, Isle of Wight, where her remains were found in 1793. Vaughan the Silurist has a fine poem to her memory (our edition, vol. ii. pp. 115-17): Anne, born March 17, 1636-7; she died Dec. 8, 1640 (Crashaw from first to last keeps Death out of his poem): Henry, born July 8, 1640, afterwards Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Cambridge. Henrietta Anne, born June 16, 1644, is not named.

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The title in 1646 is Vpon the Duke of Yorke his Birth: a Panegyricke;' and so in 1670, which throughout agrees with that very imperfect text, except in one deplorable blunder of its own left uncorrected by TURNBULL, as noted below. The heading in the SANCROFT MS. is A Panegyrick vpon the birth of the Duke of Yorke. R. CR.'

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Line 7, in 1646 glories' for honours.' In the SANCROFT Ms. line 8 reads As sitts alone . . . .

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29-32 restored from 1648. Not in SANCROFT MS.

33. These headings here and onward omitted hitherto. 34, in 1646 great' for bright.'

43, our text (1648) misprints owne' for 'one' of Voces

Line 50, 1646 oddly misprints these Cherrimock.'

Nor may the life that gives their eye-lids light
E're prove the dismall morning of thy night:
Ne're may a birth of thine be bought so dear
To make his costly cradle of thy beer.

O may'st thou thus make all the year thine own, 145 And see such names of joy sit white upon

The brow of every month! and when th' hast done,

Mayst in a son of his find every son

Repeated, and that son still in another,

And so in each child, often prove a mother.
Long may'st thou, laden with such clusters, lean
Vpon thy royall elm (fair vine !) and when
The Heav'ns will stay no longer, may thy glory
And name dwell sweet in some eternall story!

150

Pardon (bright Excellence,) an untun'd string, 155 That in thy cares thus keeps a murmuring.

O speake a lowly Muse's pardon, speake
Her pardon, or her sentence; onely breake

160

Thy silence. Speake, and she shall take from thence Numbers, and sweetnesse, and an influence Confessing thee. Or (if too long I stay,)

O speake thou, and my pipe hath nought to say :

For see Apollo all this while stands mute,

Expecting by thy voice to tune his lute.

But gods are gracious; and their altars make 165 Pretions the offrings that their altars take.

Give then this rurall wreath fire from thine eyes,
This rurall wreath dares be thy sacrifice.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

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This poem was originally entitled (as supra) Upon the Duke of York's Birth.' As new children were born additions were made to it and the title altered. Cf. the Latin poem in our vol. ii. ad Reginam.

The children celebrated were the following: Charles James, born May 13, 1628, died the same day; the Queen's first child : Charles II., born May 29, 1630: James, who is placed before his sister Mary, who was older than he; born Oct. 14, 1633; afterwards James II.: Princess Mary, born Nov. 4, 1631, afterwards mother of William III.: Princess Elizabeth, born Dec. 28, 1635; died of grief at her father's tragical end, Sept. 8, 1650; was buried in the church at Newport, Isle of Wight, where her remains were found in 1793. Vaughan the Silurist has a fine poem to her memory (our edition, vol. ii. pp. 115-17): Anne, born March 17, 1636-7; she died Dec. 8, 1640 (Crashaw from first to last keeps Death out of his poem): Henry, born July 8, 1640, afterwards Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Cambridge. Henrietta Anne, born June 16, 1644, is not named.

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The title in 1646 is Vpon the Duke of Yorke his Birth: a Panegyricke;' and so in 1670, which throughout agrees with that very imperfect text, except in one deplorable blunder of its own left uncorrected by TURNBULL, as noted below. The heading in the SANCROFT MS. is 'A Panegyrick vpon the birth of the Duke of Yorke. R. CR.'

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Line 7, in 1646 glories' for 'honours.' In the SANCROFT Ms. line 8 reads 'As sitts alone . . . .'

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Votivæ.

33. These headings here and onward omitted hitherto.

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43, our text (1648) misprints owne' for 'one' of Voces

Line 50, 1646 oddly misprints' these Cherrimock.'

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