The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume I Part 35

In st. vi. line 4, 'then' is = than, on which cf. our PHINEAS FLETCHER, as before: in st. xvi. line 1, '_Ite_' = 'go ye' of the Vulgate. 1670, st. ii. line 3, misprints 'these' for 'those:' st. viii. line 3, 'And Thou would'st be,' _i.e._ didst will to be,--not merely wished to be, but carried out Thy intent. G.

CHARITAS NIMIA, OR THE DEAR BARGAIN.[55]

Lord, what is man? why should he coste Thee 1 So dear? what had his ruin lost Thee?

Lord, what is man? that thou hast ouerbought So much a thing of nought?

Loue is too kind, I see; and can 5 Make but a simple merchant-man.

'Twas for such sorry merchandise, Bold painters haue putt out his eyes.

Alas, sweet Lord, what wer't to Thee If there were no such wormes as we? 10 Heau'n ne're the lesse still Heau'n would be, Should mankind dwell In the deep h.e.l.l: What haue his woes to doe with Thee?

Let him goe weep 15 O're his own wounds; Seraphims will not sleep Nor spheares let fall their faithfull rounds.

Still would the youthfull spirits sing; And still Thy spatious palace ring; 20 Still would those beauteous ministers of light Burn all as bright.

And bow their flaming heads before Thee: Still thrones and dominations would adore Thee; Still would those euer-wakefull sons of fire 25 Keep warm Thy prayse Both nights and dayes, And teach Thy lou'd name to their n.o.ble lyre.

Let froward dust then doe it's kind; And giue it self for sport to the proud wind. 30 Why should a peice of peeuish clay plead shares In the aeternity of Thy old cares?

Why shouldst Thou bow Thy awfull brest to see What mine own madnesses haue done with me?

Should not the king still keepe his throne 35 Because some desperate fool's vndone?

Or will the World's ill.u.s.trious eyes Weep for euery worm that dyes.

Will the gallant sun E're the lesse glorious run? 40 Will he hang down his golden head Or e're the sooner seek his Western bed, Because some foolish fly Growes wanton, and will dy?

If I were lost in misery, 45 What was it to Thy Heaun and Thee?

What was it to Thy pretious blood If my foul heart call'd for a floud?

What if my faithlesse soul and I Would needs fall in 50 With guilt and sin; What did the Lamb, that He should dy?

What did the Lamb, that He should need, When the wolf sins, Himself to bleed?

If my base l.u.s.t, 55 Bargain'd with Death and well-beseeming dust: Why should the white Lamb's bosom write The purple name Of my sin's shame? 60 Why should His vnstaind brest make good My blushes with His Own heart-blood?

O my Saviovr, make me see How dearly Thou hast payd for me, That lost again my life may proue, 65 As then in death, so now in loue.

S. MARIA MAIOR.

Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi, qui pascitur inter lilia. _Cant._ ii.

THE HIMN, O GLORIOSA DOMINA.[56]

Hail, most high, most humble one! 1 Aboue the world, below thy Son; Whose blush the moon beauteously marres And staines the timerous light of stares.

He that made all things, had not done 5 Till He had made Himself thy Son: The whole World's host would be thy guest And board Himself at thy rich brest.

O boundles hospitality!

The Feast of all things feeds on thee. 10 The first Eue, mother of our Fall, E're she bore any one, slew all.

Of her vnkind gift might we haue Th' inheritance of a hasty grave: Quick-burye'd in the wanton tomb 15 Of one forbidden bitt; Had not a better frvit forbidden it.

Had not thy healthfull womb The World's new eastern window bin, And giuen vs heau'n again, in giuing Him. 20 Thine was the rosy dawn, that spring the Day Which renders all the starres she stole away.

Let then the aged World be wise, and all Proue n.o.bly here vnnaturall; 'Tis grat.i.tude to forgett that other 25 And call the maiden Eue their mother.

Yee redeem'd nations farr and near, Applaud your happy selues in her; (All you to whom this loue belongs) And keep't aliue with lasting songs. 30 Let hearts and lippes speak lowd; and say Hail, door of life: and sourse of Day!

The door was shut, the fountain seal'd; Yet Light was seen and Life reueal'd.

The door was shut, yet let in day, 35 The fountain seal'd, yet life found way.

Glory to Thee, great virgin's Son In bosom of Thy Father's blisse.

The same to Thee, sweet Spirit be done; As euer shall be, was, and is. Amen. 40

NOTES AND ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.

The heading in 1648 is simply 'The Virgin-Mother:' in 1670 it is 'The Hymn, O Gloriosa Domina.'

Line 2, 1648 reads 'the Son.'

" 10, our text (1652) misprints 'the' for 'thee.'

Line 21, I follow here the text of 1648. 1652 reads

'Thine was the rosy dawn that sprung the day.'

and this is repeated in 1670 and, of course, by TURNBULL.

Line 26, 1648 has 'your' for 'their.'

" 35 is inadvertently dropped in our text (1652), though the succeeding line (with which it rhymes) appears. I restore it. 1670 also drops it; and so again TURNBULL!

Lines 43-44, 'Because some foolish fly.' This metaphorical allusion to the Fall and its results (as described by MILTON and others) is founded on the dying of various insects after begetting their kind. G.

HOPE.[57]

Hope, whose weak beeing ruin'd is 1 Alike if it succeed or if it misse!

Whom ill and good doth equally confound, And both the hornes of Fate's dilemma wound.

Vain shadow; that dost vanish quite 5 Both at full noon and perfect night!

The starres haue not a possibility Of blessing thee.

If thinges then from their end we happy call, 'Tis Hope is the most hopelesse thing of all. 10

Hope, thou bold taster of delight!

Who in stead of doing so, deuourst it quite.

Thou bringst vs an estate, yet leau'st vs poor By clogging it with legacyes before.