The sea to drink him quick? that casts his dead: Angels to spare? they punish: night to hide? MERCY. As when the cheerful sun enlamping' wide, Wrapped in a sable cloud from mortal eyes, But soon as he again disshadowed is, Restoring the blind world his blemished sight, And wonder at the shortness of the night: So Mercy once again herself displays Out from her sister's cloud, and open lays Those sunshine looks, whose beams would dim a thousand days. THE SPEECH OF MERCY. SUCH when as Mercy her beheld from high, 'Spreading his rays like a lamp. 2 The Moon. One of her Graces she sent hastily, But Mercy felt a kind remorse to run Through her soft veins, and therefore hying fast To give an end to silence, thus begun : Ay, honored Father, if no joy thou hast But to reward desert, reward at last The devil's voice spoke with a serpent's tongue, And let him die, death's bitter charms so sweetly sung. He was the father of that hopeless season, That to serve other gods forgot their own; He was but dust: why feared he not to fall? And being fallen, why should he fear to die? Cannot the hand that made him first restore him? Depraved of sin, should he deprived lie Of grace? Can He not hide infirmity Who shall thy temple incense any more, 1 Peace. Or strew with idle flowers the hallowed floor, Or what should prayer deck with herbs and spice, If all must pay that which all cannot pay, Oh! first begin with me, and Mercy slay, And thy thrice-honored Son that now beneath doth stray! But if or He or I may live and speak, And heaven can joy to see a sinner weep,Oh! let not Justice' iron sceptre break A heart already broke, that low doth creep, And with proud humblesse her feet's dust doth sweep. Must all go by desert? is nothing free? Ah! if but those who only worthy be, None should Thee ever see, none should Thee ever see. What man hath done that man shall not undo, Did his foes slay him? He shall slay his foe: Is sin his master? He shall master sin. Too hardy soul, with sin the field to try: The only way to conquer was to fly; But thus long death hath lived, and now death's self shall die. He is a path, if any be misled; He is a robe, if any naked be; If any chance to hunger, He is bread; If any be a bondman, He is free; If any be but weak, how strong is He! To dead men life He is, to sick men health; To blind men sight, and to the needy wealth; A pleasure without loss, a treasure without stealth. Who can forget-never to be forgot The time that all the world in slumber lies, When like the stars the singing angels shot To see another sun at midnight rise On earth? was never sight of pareil fame, A child He was, and had not learned to speak, That with one hand the vaults of heaven could shake. See how small room my infant Lord doth take, Whom all the world is not enough to hold! Who of his years or of his age hath told? Never such age so young, never a child so old. And yet but newly He was infanted, Yet scarcely born, already banished; But scarcely fled away, when, by and by, Cries, O thou cruel king! and, O my sweetest child! Egypt his nurse became, where Nilus springs, Who straight to entertain the rising sun, The hasty harvest in his bosom brings; But now for drought the fields were all undone, So fast thy Cynthian mountains poured their snow, The angels carolled loud their song of peace; A star comes dancing up the orient, That springs for joy over the strawy tent; When gold to make their prince a crown they all present. Young John, glad child, before he could be born, Leaped in the womb, his joy to prophesy; And Simeon fast his dying notes doth ply. With that the mighty thunder dropt away For pardon and for pity, it had known That should have been for sacred vengeance thrown; There, too, the armies angelic devowed Their former rage, and all to Mercy bowed; Their broken weapons at her feet they gladly strowed. Bring, bring, ye Graces, all your silver flaskets, So down she lets her eyelids fall to shine Upon the rivers of bright Palestine, Whose woods drop honey, and her rivers skip with wine. 9 |