Of life and motion, and with equal art COWLEY. A coal-pit has not often found its poet; but that it may not want its due honour, Cleiveland has paralleled it with the Sun: The moderate value of our guiltless ore Had he our pits, the Perfian would admire Or both? 'tis here: and what can funs give Nay, what's the fun but, in a different name, Then let this truth reciprocally run, The fun's heaven's coalery, and coals our fun. Death, a Voyage: No family E'er rigg'd a foul for heaven's discovery, 1 With whom more venturers might boldly dare Venture their stakes, with him in joy to fhare. DONNE. THEIR thoughts and expreffions were fometimes groffly abfurd, and such as no figures or licence can reconcile to the underftanding. A Lover neither dead nor alive: Then down I laid my head Down on cold earth; and for a while was dead, When back to its cage again I faw it fly; And row her galley here again! Fool, to that body to return Where it condemn'd and deftin'd is to burn! Once dead, how can it be, Death fhould a thing fo pleasant seem to thee, That thou fhould't come to live it o'er again in me? A Lover's heart, a hand grenado. Wo to her ftubborn heart, if once mine come Into the felf fame room, "Twill tear and blow up all within, Like a grenado fhot into a magazin. Then shall Love keep the afhes, and torn parts, Of both our broken hearts: Shall out of both one new one make; From her's th' allay; from mine, the metal take. COWLEY. The poetical Propagation of Light: The prince's favour is diffus'd o'er all, From which all fortunes, names, and natures fall; Then from those wombs of ftars, the Bride's bright eyes, At every glance a conftellation flies And fowes the court with stars, and doth prevent In light and power, the all-ey'd firmament: First her eye kindles other ladies' eyes, Then from their beams their jewels luftres rife; And from their jewels torches do take fire, And all is warmth, and light, and good defire. DONNE. THEY were in very little care to clothe their notions with elegance of dress, and therefore mifs the notice and the praise which are often gained by thofe, who think lefs, but are more diligent to adorn their thoughts. That That a Miftrefs beloved is fairer in idea than in reality, is by Cowley thus expreffed: Thou in my fancy doft much higher ftand, thee. That prayer and labour should co-operate, are thus taught by Donne: In none but us are fuch mixt engines found, By the fame author, a common topick, the danger of procraftination, is thus illuftrated That which I fhould have begun In my youth's morning, now late must be done; Which stray or fleep all day, and having loft ride poft. VOL. I. E All All that man has to do is to live and die the fum of humanity is comprehended by Donne in the following lines: Think in how poor a prifon thou didst lie; Think, when 'twas grown to moft, 'twas a poor A province pack'd up in two yards of fkin, And freely flies: this to thy foul allow, [now. THEY were fometimes indelicate and difgufting. Cowley thus apoftrophises beauty: Thou tyrant, which leav'ft no man free! Thou fubtle thief, from whom nought safe can be! Thou murtherer, which haft kill'd, and devil, which would'st damn me! Thus |