The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume I Part 31

Line 15, 'had' for 'has,' and 'a' for 'the.'

" 21, 'hath,' and so in 1648 edition.

" 23, our text (1652) misprints 'enough:' I correct from 1648.

" 25, 'had,' 1648 'hath.'

" 27, 1648, 'hath.'

" 31, 'wee' for 'you.'

Line 37, 'thirst' for 'thirsts,' and 'dare' for 'dares.'

" 38 spells 'coled.'

" 40, 'weake' for 'white;' the latter a favourite epithet with CRASHAW: 1648 'weake.'

Line 43, 1648 drops 'at' inadvertently.

" 44 spells 'travell:' 1648 has 'for' instead of 'to.'

" 45, 'her,' by misprint for 'her's.'

" 47, 1648 has 'try' for 'trade.'

" 49, 'Shee offers.' 57 spells 'adeiu.'

" 61, this line is by oversight dropped from our text (1652).

Line 70, spelled 'barborous' in our text, but I have adopted 'a' from 1646 and 1648.

Line 71, 'race' for 'raze;' a common contemporary spelling.

" 77, 'hand' for 'armes.'

" 93, 'The fairest, and the first borne Loves of fire.'

" 94, 'Seraphims,' the usual misspelling of the plural of seraph in our English Bible.

Line 104, 'To live, but that he still may dy.'

" 106, our text (1652) misreads 'sweetly-kissing.' I have adopted 'sweetly-killing' from 1646, 1648 and 1670.

Line 108, 1648 has 'thine' for 'his.'

" 118, 'disolving.'

" 123, our text (1652) inadvertently drops 'shalt,' and misreads 'you' for 'thou.' I accept the text of 1646, 1648 and 1670.

line 129, 'on.'

" 130, 'shee' for 'reueal'd Life;' and in next line 'her'

for 'His.' Our text (1652) is preferable, as pointing to Christ the Life, our Life. See under lines 11-13.

Line 133, 'joy.'

" 146, 'set;' a common contemporary spelling.

" 147, this line, dropped inadvertently from our text (1652), is restored from 1646, 1648 and 1670.

Line 148, 'And' for 'All.'

" 151, 'Even thy deaths.'

" 152, 'Dresse the soul that late they slew.'

" 167 misprints 'nowes;' corrected in 1648, but not in 1670.

" 168 drops 'soueraign.' See under lines 11-13.

" 175, 'keeps.'

" 178, 'shall.' Cf. Rev. xiv. 5, as before. G.

AN APOLOGIE FOR THE FOREGOING HYMN,

AS HAUING BEEN WRITT WHEN THE AUTHOR WAS YET AMONG THE PROTESTANTS.[49]

Thus haue I back again to thy bright name 1 (Fair floud of holy fires!) transfus'd the flame I took from reading thee: 'tis to thy wrong I know, that in my weak and worthlesse song Thou here art sett to s.h.i.+ne where thy full day 5 Sca.r.s.e dawnes. O pardon, if I dare to say Thine own dear bookes are guilty. For from thence I learn't to know that Loue is eloquence.

That hopefull maxime gaue me hart to try If, what to other tongues is tun'd so high, 10 Thy praise might not speak English too: forbid (By all thy mysteryes that here ly hidde) Forbid it, mighty Loue! let no fond hate Of names and wordes, so farr praeiudicate.

Souls are not Spaniards too: one freindly floud 15 Of baptism blends them all into a blood.

Christ's faith makes but one body of all soules, And Loue's that body's soul; no law controwlls Our free traffique for Heau'n; we may maintaine Peace, sure, with piety, though it come from Spain. 20 What soul so e're, in any language, can Speak Heau'n like her's, is my soul's country-man.

O 'tis not Spanish, but 'tis Heau'n she speaks!

'Tis Heau'n that lyes in ambush there, and breaks From thence into the wondring reader's brest; 25 Who feels his warm heart hatcht into a nest Of little eagles and young loues, whose high Flights scorn the lazy dust, and things that dy.

There are enow whose draughts (as deep as h.e.l.l) Drink vp all Spain in sack. Let my soul swell 30 With the strong wine of Loue: let others swimme In puddles; we will pledge this seraphim Bowles full of richer blood then blush of grape Was euer guilty of. Change we our shape (My soul) some drink from men to beasts, O then 35 Drink we till we proue more, not lesse, then men, And turn not beasts but angels. Let the King Me euer into these His cellars bring, Where flowes such wine as we can haue of none But Him Who trod the wine-presse all alone: 40 Wine of youth, life, and the sweet deaths of Loue; Wine of immortall mixture; which can proue Its tincture from the rosy nectar; wine That can exalt weak earth; and so refine Our dust, that at one draught, Mortality 45 May drink it self vp, and forget to dy.

NOTES AND ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.

The t.i.tle in 1646 'Steps' is 'An Apologie for the precedent Hymne:' in 1648 the 'Flaming Heart' also precedes the 'Apologie,' and its t.i.tle, 'Hymnes on Teresa,' is added. 1670 has 'was yet a Protestant.'

_Various readings from 1646._

Line 2, 'sea.'