Classic Poem

The third daies worke.

O Loue that liuest in that only light,
Which giues all seeing to all gratious Eies:
But keepest thy sence fro that vngodly sight,
That in the darknes of illusion dies:
Lighten my soule that it may cleerely see
How thou in Wisedome Wisedome liues in thee.

The Angels can in their Attonements tell,
How kindly thou do'st make them liue together:
And where the Saints and holy Martirs dwell
The holy Muses bring their Musique thither:
And while the Hoast of all the Heauens reioyce,
Thou tun'st the heart strings of the highest voice.

Loue is the Essence of Eternitie.
That workes the course of Wisedomes cariage:
Where the high counsaile of the Deitie.
Twixt Heauen and Earth doe make a Mariage:
While in the life of Holines alone,
The Lord of Heauen and his true Church are one.

It layes the plot, and drawes the lines of pleasure
Within the ground of Graces Paradise:
It works the Truth, that is the spirits Treasure
And builds the height of Honours Dignities:
It bends the Eies of Graces Royaltie,
And knits the hearts of Vertues Loyaltie.

It is no Obiect for an earthly Eie,
Nor any Muse for any worldly minde:
Although the world in true effects may trie
It is a spirit of a powerfull kinde;
And such a power, as all powers doe submit
To the Inuincible power of it.

It maketh Will doe only what it list,
While Wisedome guides the Axill Tree of wit:
And neuer feares the hurt of had I wist,
That sees a Crosse, and is content with it:
While patience findes the only faire perfection
Of Fancies faith in fauours true Affection.

It is a substance that admits no figure
For in it selfe it breedes but of exceedings
While in the Notes of pleasures truest Nature
The fruites of Faith are Fancies only feedings:
While in conceite those high Contentments meete
That happy soules are rauisht with the sweete

To comprehend, it passeth Comprehension
And to define, 'tis vndefinable:
And to describe, it doth exceede Inuention
And to conceiue, 'tis vnconceiuable:
Yet by the Vertue that our sence it giues,
Our Reason findes that in our soules it liues.

It is a fire that kindleth in the Eie,
It is an Aire that cooleth Furies heate:
It is a water that is neuer drie.
A Paradise, where growes the spirits meate;
Thus it partakes of euery Element,
Yet liues aboue the highest Firmament.

It is a thought begotten by a sight,
And 'tis a sight that liueth in the thought;
It is a life that breedeth in delight,
And a delight that life hath only wrought;
It is a word that by true spirits spoken,
Doth knit a knot that neuer can be broken.

Oh how it doth a blessed Nature nourish,
And how it doth a humble spirit cherish:
And how it makes a faithfull heart to flourish
And suffers not a Gratious soule to perish:
Witnes those hearts whose perfect spirits proue.
How loue in Wisedome. Wisedome liues in loue.

Fortune can neuer haue a force to foile it.
Nor feare to fright, nor enuie to anoy it:
Nor passion to hurt, impatience to spoile it,
Nor Death to kill, nor Deuill to destroy it:
But where all pleasures spring and perish neuer
Heere or in Heau'n it hath a life for euer

From the faire Brightnes of a Beautious Eie
It carries honour to an humble hart:
And from the heart of Truthes Humilitie.
It gaines the comfort of a kinde desart:
And in true kindnes, that content alone,
That of two Bodies make the Minde but one.

It brought downe Heaun to Earth brings Earth to Heau'n,
It walks about the circle of the Sunne:
It makes the Planets keepe their orders eu'n
And Nature kindly all her courses runne:
It sits vpon the holy seate of Grace,
And with the highest, hath the highest place.

It keepes all Order Measure, Rule, and Right,
In Nature, Reason Wisedome, Wit and Sence:
In word and deede, and thought, by day and night,
In time and place, in Case, and Moode, and Tense:
Where all proportions are in such perfection,
As shewes the depth of the diuine direction.

It makes the husband kinde vnto his wife,
The spouse obedient to her faithfull pheere:
And in that kindnes that contentiue life
That only doth but in that life appeare:
The Children gratious, and the Parents kinde
And each in other what they wished to finde.

Brethren and sisters liue in Vnitie,
And Neighbours liue in friendly Neighbourhood:
And friends continue in true Amitie,
And strangers vnto strangers to doe good:
Princes in Peace and Subiects liue in Grace
And so the earth to proue a heau'nly place.

Oh, how it fights against infamous thought
And kills the Nature of an ill coniecture:
How true it hath the life of Vertue taught,
And builds the height of Honours Architecture:
How little it regards all earthly toyes,
And surely leades the soule to endlesse ioyes.

How sweetly on the Nurses lips it lies,
While she is bussing of her little Baby:
And how it twinckles in the Infants eies,
In learning of his Christes Crosse, and his A B:
How cherry-red it dies a snowie white,
Where Maiden blushes make a blessed sight.

Loue makes the Triumphes of the truest ioyes
And sounds the trumpet of the sweetest sound:
Loue speakes in hearts and makes no idle noise
But is in some of euery Grace the ground:
It is a Riddle aboue Reasons sence
And of exceeding all the excellence.

It makes the thought the word and deede all one
It bindes the eye, the hand, and heart together:
It is in truth the only Tree alone,
Which keeps his greene where not a leafe can wither:
It is the Bird that only sings in May,
And makes the holy spirits holy day.

It takes away the tediousnes from time.
The paine from patience in desire delaies:
The feare from care, the hearts content to clime
The sloath from labour in his hardest waies:
The frailty from the Nature of Affection
And folly from the passion of perfection.

It is a Vertue of that sacred sence,
In working wonders in the spirits power:
As in the height of Reasons Excellence,
Vpon the top of Truths eternall Tower:
Doth stand with such a Grace of heau'nly Glory
As may be call'd the state of Wisedomes story.

And since it is so infinite in worth
As doth exceede the penne of Reasons praise:
Who from the soule of Wisedome issues forth
As from the Sunne his brightest shining Raies:
Let me heere cease, and all in Admiration
Set it to Wisedomes only declaration.

And since it doth in nothing more appeare
Then in the Nature of true Constancie:
Which is a Vertue to the soule so deere,
As keepes the soule from Errors Extasie;
Let me a little speake of that sweet Nature,
Of Constancie that makes the blessed Creature.