The Fathers Tears over his Daughters Remains, Floating text 2 – Floating text 3
Part of the Fifth Chapter of Canticles paraphras'd from the 8th. verſe. Entred Sept. 14th. 1725.
YOU beauteous Dames, if that my Love you ſee,
With eager Steps conduct him here to me,
Tell him no Joy to me you can impart,
And that no Pain is like a bleeding Heart.
Say I am ſick of Love, and moaning ly,
Whilſt the ſad Eccho to my Groans reply,
Who is thy Love? the ſcornful Maids reply,
And for what Form waſte you your Bloom in ſighs?
Let's know the Man, if he be worth your Care,
Or does deſerve the tender Love you bear.
Whilſt your Requeſt with Pleaſure I obey,
Your ſtrict Attention give to what I ſay.
My Love excells all that's on Earth call'd Fair,
As the bright Sun excells the meaneſt Star.
His Head is Wiſdoms ſpacious Theatre,
Riches of Grace and Beauty there appear.
A down his Shoulders with becoming Pride
Falls his fine Hair in beauteous Ringletts ty'd.
His ſparkling Eyes in ſplendent Luſtre vie,
With the Twin Stars that grace the azure Sky.
His Cheeks excel the fragrant bluſhing Roſe
Which in the fruitful Vale of Sharon grows.
His Lips like Lillies in their flowry Bloom
Yield a ſweet Odour and a rich Perfume.
His Ivory Arms more charming to behold
Than orient Pearls, incas'd in ſhining Gold.
His well turn'd Legs like ſtately Pillars ſtand
Of Marble, poliſh'd by a curious Hand.
His Mien is noble and auguſt his Air,
His Countenance as Lebanon does appear.
The 28th Pſalm Paraphras'd.
O Happy Man that fears the Lord!
And walks acco…ing to his Word.
He ſhall abundantly be b…eſt
And of all Good ſhall ſtand poſſeſt.
The beauteous Conſort of your Bed,
Like a fair Crown ſhall grace your Head.
Her ſofter Hours ſhe'll improve
With the fair Pledges of your Love;
Round thy full Table they ſhall ſtand
Fed by her careful tender Hand:
Behold the Lord will thus requite
Him that does in his Laws delight,
From Sion's Hill ſhall Bleſſings flow,
And a ſweet Calm ſhall grace his Brow.
To good old Age he ſhall arrive,
And in his Childrens Children live.
On reading the Warning by Mrs. Singer.
SUrpriz'd I view, wrote by a Female Pen,
Such a grave Warning to the Sons of Men.
Bold was the attempt and worthy of your Lays,
To ſtrike at Vice, and ſinking Virtue raiſe.
Each noble Line a pleaſing Terror gives,
A ſecret Force in every Sentence lives.
Inſpir'd by Virtue you could ſafely ſtand
The fair Reprover of a guilty Land.
You vie with the fam'd ‡Huldah.Propheteſs of old,
Burn with her Fire, in the ſame Cauſe grow bold.
Dauntleſs you undertake th' unequal ſtrife,
And raiſe dead Virtue by your Verſe to life.
A Woman's Pen ſtrikes the curs'd Serpants Head,
And lays the Monſter gaſping, if not dead.
The 8th Pſalm Paraphras'd.
MY God, th' excelling Glories of thy Name
Through all the Earth thy Majeſty proclaim.
Above the Skies it is that they are ſhown,
Where Angels worſhip round thy dazling Throne.
From thence thou ſcattereſt all thy Bleſſing round,
And in an Infant's Lips thy Praiſes ſound.
Thy gracious Care to Sucking Babes extends,
And feeble ones thy Providence defends.
'O from a Suckling's Mouth now ſtrength ordain,
'Nor Praiſes From a liſping Muſe diſdain!
'Aſſiſt me Saviour, thou the Babe whoſe Breath
'St…k the Avenger to Eternal Death!
'Inſpire thy Babe in this my ſacred Theme,
'And ſtill the Foe, whoſe Curſe is to blaſpheme.
When I ſurvey thoſe wondrous Fields of Light,
The azure Skies ſo pleaſing to my Sight:
With thoſe bright Orb; which high in Aether roll,
And by their Motion rule this lower Pole;
The Sun that glorious Light, whoſe piercing Ray
Diſpels the Shades, and brings the ſmiling Day;
The Moon that beauteous Regent of the Night,
With the fair Stars which yield a fainter Light:
What then is Man! that thou ſhouldſt mind his Frame,
A wretch'd Worm defil'd with Sin and Shame!
That thou ſhould'ſt viſit him with ſaving Grace,
And own thy Image in his guilty Face!
For thou haſt plac'd him but a little lower
Than thoſe bright Hoſts, that miniſter before
Thy Throne above! where holy Songs employ
Their Tongues in an Eternity of Joy.
Thy Love to Man thou graciouſly didſt ſhow,
And made him Ruler of thy Works below.
The foreſt Beaſts to him their Homage pay,
And tamer Herds his Sovereign will obey.
The feather'd Clans are ſubject to his will,
That skim the reaky Lake, or range the Hill.
The ſcaly Shoals ſubmit to his Command,
Nor can Leviathan his Force withſtand.
The Glory of Jehovah's awful Name,
Let Men on Earth, and Saints in Heaven proclaim.
To my Muſe, December 29. 1725.
COme Gentle Muſe, and once more lend thine aid,
O bring thy Succour to a humble Maid!
How often doſt thou liberally diſpenſe
To our dull Breaſt thy quick'ning Influence!
By thee inſpir'd, I'll chearful tune my Voice,
And Love and ſacred Friendſhip make my Choice.
In my pleas'd Boſom you can freely pour,
A greater Treaſure than Joves Gelden Shower.
Come now, fair Muſe, and fill my empty Mind,
With rich Idea's, great and unconfin'd.
Inſtruct me in thoſe ſecret Arts that lie
Unſeen to all but to a Poet's Eye.
O let me burn with Sappho's noble Fire,
But not like her for faithleſs Man expire.
And let me rival great Orinda's Fame,
Or like ſweet Philomela's be my Name.
Go lead the way, my Muſe, nor muſt you ſtop,
'Till we have gain'd Parnaſſus ſhady Top:
'Till I have view'd thoſe fragrant ſoft Retreats,
Thoſe Fields of Bliſs, the Muſes ſacred Seats.
I'll then devore thee to fair Virtues Fame,
And to be worthy of a Poet's Name.
Theſe were the early Eſſays of her Youth at Poetry, in which it muſt be freely own'd that as there are many things good and ingenious, ſo there is a great deal low and juvenile; which the candid underſtanding Reader will be ready to excuſe from that common Rule of a Child's ſpeaking and writing as a Child. At the ſame time, the Turn of the Mind here evident to God and Religion, is what the Pious will eſteem and praiſe, and it is to be wiſh'd that Children may be taken herewith and drawn to imitate.— It is eno' (as her honour'd Father elegantly expreſs'd it to me) if they may be accepted as a green offering of Firſt-fruits bro't to the Door of the Sanctuary, the promiſing Earneſt of a future Harveſt: at leaſt, as the firſt liſping of the Tongue at Words is a pleaſing Muſic to the Ear of the Mother, and the firſt Efforts of the Mind at Reaſoning delightful to a Father, ſo are the firſt Riſings of a natural Genius unto a wiſe Obſerver.
(2.) In Proſe there are alſo many Things.
1. Some Eſſay to write her own Life, which begins with Thankſgivings to God for diſtinguiſhing her from moſt in the World by the Bleſſings of Nature, Providence and Grace, which ſhe ſpecifies and enumerates in the following manner,
(1) I thank God for my Immortal Soul, and that Reaſon & Underſtanding which diſtinguiſhes me from the lower Creation.
(2) For my Birth in a Chriſtian Country, in a Land of Light, where the true God and Jeſus Chriſt are known.
(3) For pious and honourable Parents, whereby I am favour'd beyond many others.
(4) For faithful and godly Miniſters, who are from time to time ſhewing me the Way of Salvation.
(5) For a Polite as well as Chriſtian Education.
(6) For reſtraining Grace, that I have been with-held from more open and groſs Violations of God's holy Laws.
2. Her Tho'ts on Matrimony, with the Rules whereby ſhe reſolved to guide her Self in that important Affair of Life.
She writes of the Wiſdom and Goodneſs of God in making Man a Sociable Creature; of the Inſtitution of Marriage in the paradiſaical State, and the Happineſs of the firſt Couple; and what alone will render Perſons happy in our fallen State; namely, a faithful Diſcharge of all the Duties of that Relation; and then particulariſes the Duties, and treats of the Miſchiefs that follow upon the Neglect of them; Shews at large what their Duty is who are about to enter into that State, namely, to ſeek to God by humble Prayer for his Direction and Conduct, and that he would over-rule all the Circumſtances of that momentous Affair in Mercy, on which ſo much of the Comfort and Pleaſure of Life depends.—She carries her Tho'ts to the Afflictions and Temptations of that Condition, and Prays for ſufficient Grace to carry aright under all. And for her Aſſiſtance in making a right Choice ſhe laid down a Number of Rules, from which ſhe reſolves never to ſtart: Some of them are the following,
(1) I would admit the Addreſſes of no Perſon who is not deſcended of pious and credible Parents.
(2) Who has not the Character of a ſtrict Moraliſt, ſober, temperate, juſt and honeſt.
(3) Diligent in his Buſineſs, and prudent in Matters.
(4) Fixt in his Religion, a conſtant Attender on the publick Worſhip, and who appears not in God's Houſe with the Gravity becoming a Chriſtian.
(5) Of a ſweet and agreable Temper; for if he be Owner of all the former good Qualifications, and fails here, my Life will be ſtill uncomfortable.
3. Many Letters to her honoured Father on various Occaſions.
I ſhall only preſent you with one dated June 11th. 1725.
Honoured Sir,
I Return you many Thanks for your kind Letters to me, which I read with vaſt Delight and Reverence, as who would not ſuch good and tender Lines from the beſt of Fathers, who has ſpar'd no Coſt nor Pains in my Education. It is no ſmall Grief to me that I anſwer them no better, that I have ſo little of his Soul in me, from whom I deſcend. I heartily embrace the Offer you condeſcend to make of converſing by Letters, by which I ſhall not only learn to write good Senſe, but alſo be inſtructed how to behave my Self in all the Changes and Conditions of Life, as becomes a Chriſtian; not to be too elated in Proſperity, nor ſunk under Adverſity, but ever reſign'd to the Will of God in all things. I beg your Prayers for me that as I grow in Years I may grow in Grace, and perſevere therein. I pray you to forgive the many Faults in my preſent Writing, and ſubſcribe my ſelf with all Humility,
Your Dutiful and Obedient Daughter.
Before She had ſeen Eighteen, ſhe had read, and (in ſome meaſure) digeſted all the Engliſh Poetry, and polite Pieces in Proſe, printed and Manuſcripts in her Father's well furniſh'd Library, and much ſhe borrow'd of her Friends and Acquaintance. She had indeed ſuch a Thirſt after knowlege that the Leiſure of the Day did not ſuffice, but ſhe ſpent whole Nights in reading.
I find ſhe was ſometimes fir'd with a laudable Ambition of raiſing the honour of her Sex, who are therefore under Obligations to her; and all will be ready to own ſhe had a fine Genius, and is to be placed among thoſe who have excell'd.
When I was firſt indin'd (by the Motions of God's Providence and Spirit) to ſeek her Acquaintance (which was about the Time ſhe entred her nineteenth Year) I was ſurpriz'd and charm'd to find her ſo accompliſh'd. I found her in a good meaſure Miſtreſs of the politeſt Writers and their Works; could point out the Beauties in them, and had made many of their beſt Tho'ts her own: And as ſhe went into more free Converſation, ſhe diſcours'd how admirably on many Subjects!
I grew by Degrees into ſuch an Opinion of her good Taſte, that when ſhe put me upon tranſlating a Pſalm or two, I was ready to excuſe my Self, and if I had not fear'd to diſpleaſe her ſhould have deny'd her Requeſt.
After her Marriage which was on Auguſt 11th. 1726, her Cuſtom was once in a Month or two, to make ſome new Eſſay in Verſe or Proſe, and to read from Day to Day as much as a faithful Diſcharge of the Duties of her new Condition gave Leiſure for: and I think I may with Truth ſay, that ſhe made the writing of Poetry a Recreation and not a Buſineſs.
What greatly contributed to increaſe her Knowlege in Divinity, Hiſtory, Phyſick, Controverſy, as well as Poetry, was her attentive hearing moſt that I read upon thoſe Heads thro' the long Evenings of the Winters as we ſat together.
Some of the many remarkable things ſhe wrote in her Marriage State are the following; ſome in Verſe, and more in Proſe.
Novemb. 1ſt 1731. She ſent her Father the following Letter, with an Encomium on Sir Richard Blackmore's Poetical Works.—She knew it would be pleaſing eno' to her Father, to hear her ſing in Praiſe of Sir Richard, of whom ſhe always heard him ſpeak with great Eſteem; not as the firſt of Poets, but as one of the beſt; conſecrating his Muſe to the cauſe of Virtue & Religion, with a moſt noble Aim to inſpire the Princes and Nobles of the Nation, with the true Sentiments of Glory and Uſefulneſs; than which nothing could be more worthy of a Chriſtian Poet and an Engliſh Patriot. And as ſuch He is celebrated in the following Poem.
Honoured Sir,
NOT having the Happineſs of ſeeing You as I deſire, I wait on you with a Poem. The firſt fourteen Lines were written in 1725, and have lain by ever ſince: I added the reſt in ſome vacant Hours the laſt Week. I ſubmit the whole to your Candor and kind Correction, which I am ſure they very much need, and I ſhall with all Thankfulneſs receive. I find my Inclinations to Poetry ſtill continue, tho' I hope I do not follow them to the omitting more neceſſary Things. It is my Study and Endeavour to be a Bleſſing. And I ask your Prayers that I may be ſo to You and to all to whom I am related. &c.
On the Poems of Sir Richard Blackmore.
BLackmore, thou wondrous Bard! whoſe Name inſpires
My glowing Breaſt to imitate thy Fires.
O that my Muſe could give a laſting Fame!
Then ſhould my Verſe immortalize thy Name.
Thy matchleſs Lines thy inborn worth diſplays,
Inſpires our Souls, and fills our Mouths with Praiſe.
Thou for Mankind's Preceptor Heaven deſign'd,
To form their Manners, and inſtruct their Mind.
In Virtues Cauſe undaunted you engage,
To ſtem the Tyde of Vice, reſ…m the Stage,
And place the preſent with the Golden Age.
What Eyes can view thy Her…es and not find,
In them the lively Copy of thy Mind?
None but a Soul profuſely great and good,
A Soul with every princely Gift endow'd,
Could draw ſuch Virtues in their native light;
Virtues in which Heroic Souls delight.
With what ſweet Majeſty Eliza ſtands,
While valiant Vere attends her high commands?
The vanquiſh'd Gault before her Chohorts fly,
And with their Blood the Da…bes Current dye.
Here pious Arthur plows the watry Main,
Heavens righteous Cauſe and Worſhip to maintain;
His pious Deeds and his victorious Arms
Are crown'd with Peace; and Ethelima's Charms.
The virtuous Alfred next imbarqu'd we find,
In queſt of Wiſdom for a princely Mind,
To Empire born and for a Throne deſign'd.
Sages and Kings alike the Prince admire,
The Schools and Courts yield him his whole Deſire:
His Virtue faithful Guithan was thy Care;
Nobly he fled the lewd Sicilian Fair!
Chaſt he return'd, and as an Angel wiſe,
And more than Crowns he found in fair Elſitha's Eyes.
Thus Arthur, Alfred, and Eliza ſtand,
Drawn for Examples by your matchleſs Hand.
Had but the Man…uan felt that heavenly Fire,
That warms thy Breaſt, when 'ere you tune the Lyre,
Rome …e'r had known a Rival in her Praiſe,
Nor to Auguſta 'ere reſign'd the Bayes.
To ſacred numbers next your Lyre is ſtrung,
And Myſteries Divine flow from your Tongue.
What Heart's not ſad, what Eye flows not with Tears,
When Job in all the Pomp of Grief appears?
His learned Friends in vain attempt and try,
God'… ſecret Springs of acting to deſcry;
And Job condemn, till God does juſtify.
With Iſraels Pſalmiſt next in chearful Layes,
Raptur'd in ſacred Love and heavenly Praiſe,
To Iſrael's God your purer Offerings riſe,
For a ſweet ſmell and grateful Sacrifice.
No more ſhall Epicurian Doctrine find,
Belief in any but a ſ…kly Mind;
Nor will the Stagirit… again perſwade,
'Twas not in Time theſe mighty Orbs were made,
Who read Creation by your Wit diſplay'd.
Nor the bold Arrian whoſe blaſphemous Breath
The impure Steam of ſulphurous Hell and Death,
Shall ſcan the Almighty's Ways, his Truths deny,
And from the Saviour tear the Deity:
No more ſhall he the gazing World delude,
Nor on Mankind his helliſh Schemes obtrude;
While you Redemption ſing our Faith does cry,
My God, my God, I ſee thy Deity!
O happy Land! and of unrival'd Fame,
That claims thy Birth, and boaſts ſo great a Name!
Albion alone is bleſt with ſuch a Son,
A Birth to Ages paſt, and Thee O Greece unknown.
Her Father in his next Letter call'd this Poem a rich Preſent, and told her his Opinion that Sir Richard and his Works were worthy of her higheſt Eſteem, and far above all her Praiſes. That he was properly the Chriſtian Poet, and after the Reverend Dr. Watts the Laureat in the Church of Chriſt. That he knew it was his Purity and Virtue, his Piety and Devotion that charm'd her Heart: And that this well became the Daughter and Wife of a Miniſter of the Goſpel. He added, That Sir Richard had merited unſpeakably of the Age he liv'd in, and that he hop'd future Times would be more juſt to pay the Debt.—That he was pleas'd with her paying for his Family; That ſhe had eno' of his Eſteem, and on much better Accounts than her P…etic Genius; even the ornament of a meek and gracious Spirit, which is of much greater Price in the Eyes of God and Man.—It is your ſhining Crown (ſays he) that you deſire to be a Bleſſing. God make you ſo more and more to us all, and to your dear Son in particular. The Lord bleſs him and keep him.
When ſhe had read Mr. Wallers Poems, it appears that ſhe was ſtruck with the pleaſing Admiration of him alſo; as for the Beauty of his Tho'ts, ſo more eſpecially for the Purity of his Style and delicacy of Language. It was He that taught us the Simplicity and Eaſineſs of Expreſſion, which has ever ſince been the Character of our beſt Writers.