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DAVIDE IS.

воок II.

CONTENT S.

The friendship betwixt Jonathan and David; and upon that occafion a digreffion concerning the nature of Love. A difcourfe between Jonathan and David; upon which the latter abfents himself from court, and the former goes thither, to inform himself of Saul's refolution. The feaft of the New-Moon; the manner of the celebration of it; and therein a digreffion of the hiftory of Abraham. Saul's fpeech upon David's abfence from the feaft, and his anger against Jonathan. David's refolution to fly away; he parts with Jonathan, and falls afleep under a tree. A defcription of Phanfy; an angel makes up a vifion in David's head; the vifion itself, which is, a prophecy of all the fucceffion of his race till Chrift's time, with their most remarkable actions. At his awaking, Gabriel affumes an human shape, and confirms to him the truth of his vifion.

OUT now the early birds began to call

BUTT

The morning forth; up rofe the fun and Saul; Both, as men thought, rofe fresh from sweet repose; But both, alas! from reftlefs labours rofe:

H 4

For

For in Saul's breast, envy, the toilsome fin,
Had all that night active and tyrannous been :
She expell'd all forms of kindness, virtue, grace;
Of the past day no footstep left or trace;
The new-blown sparks of his old rage appear,
Nor could his love dwell longer with his fear.
So near a ftorm wife David would not stay,
Nor trust the glittering of a faithless day;
He faw the fun call in his beams apace,
And angry clouds march up into their place;
The fea itself smooths his rough brow awhile,
Flattering the greedy merchant with a smile;
But he, whofe fhipwreck'd bark it drank before,
Sces the deceit, and knows it would have more.
Such is the fea, and fuch was Saul.
But Jonathan, his fon, and only good,
Was gentle as fair Jordan's useful flood;
Whofe innocent ftream, as it in filence goes,
Fresh honours and a fudden spring bestows,
On both his banks, to every flower and tree;
The manner how lies hid, th' effect we fee.
But more than all, more than himself, he lov'd
The man whofe worth his father's hatred mov'd;
For, when the noble youth at Dammin stood,
Adorn'd with fweat, and painted gay with blood,
Jonathan pierc'd him through with greedy eye,
And understood the future majesty

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Then deftin'd in the glories of his look;

He saw, and strait was with amazement strook,

Το

To see the strength, the feature, and the grace
Of his young limbs: he saw his comely face,
Where love and reverence fo well mingled were;
And head, already crown'd with golden hair :
He faw what mildness his bold fpirit did tame,
Gentler than light, yet powerful as a flame:
He saw his valour, by their fafety prov'd;
He faw all this, and as he faw, he lov'd.

35

40

What art thou, Love! thou great mysterious thing!
From what hid ftock does thy strange nature spring?
'Tis thou that mov'st the world through every part,
And hold't the vast frame close, that nothing start 45
From the due place and office first ordain'd;

By thee were all things made, and are sustain’d.
Sometimes we fee thee fully, and can fay

50

55

From hence thou took'ft thy rife, and went'ft that way;
But oftener the short beams of Reason's eye
See only There thou art, not How, nor Why.
How is the loadstone, Nature's fubtle pride,
By the rude iron woo'd, and made a bride?
How was the weapon wounded? what hid flame
The ftrong and conquering metal overcame ?
Love (this world's grace) exalts his natural state;
He feels thee, Love ! and feels no more his weight.
Ye learned heads, whom ivy garlands grace,
Why does that twining plant the oak embrace?
The oak, for courtship most of all unfit,
And rough as are the winds that fight with it?
How does the abfent pole the needle move?
How does his cold and ice beget hot love?

60

Which are the wings of lightness to ascend?
Or why does weight to th' centre downwards bend? 65
Thus creatures void of life obey thy laws,

And seldom we, they never, know the cause.
In thy large ftate, Life gives the next degree,
Where Sense, and Good Apparent, places thee;
But thy chief palace is man's heart alone,
Here are thy triumphs and full glories shown;
Handsome Defires, and Reft, about thee fiee,
Union, Inherence, Zeal, and Extasy.

Thousand with joys cluster around thine head,

O'er which a gall-lefs dove her wings does spread; 75

A gentle lamb, purer and whiter far

Than confciences of thine own martyrs are,
Lies at thy feet; and thy right-hand does hold
The mystic fceptre of a cross of gold.

80

85

Thus doft thou fit (like men ere fin had fram`d
A guilty blush) naked, but not asham’d.
What cause then did the fabulous ancients find,
When first their superstition made thee blind?
'Twas they, alas ! 'twas they who could not see,
When they mistook that monster Luft for thee.
Thou art a bright, but not confuming flame;
Such in th' amazed bush to Mofes came;
When that fecure its new-crown'd head did rear,
And chid the trembling branches' needless fear.
Thy darts of healthful gold, and downwards fall, 90
Soft as the feathers that they 're fletch'd withal.
Such, and no other, were those secret darts,
Which sweetly touch'd this noblest pair of hearts;

Still to one end they both fo justly drew,
As courteous doves together yok'd would do :
No weight of birth did on one side prevail,
Two twins less even lie in Nature's scale;
They mingled fates, and both in each did share,
They both were fervants, they both princes were.
If any joy to one of them was fent,

It was most his, to whom it least was meant
And Fortune's malice betwixt both was croft,
For, ftriking one, it wounded th' other moft.
Never did marriage fuch true union find,
Or men's defires with fo glad violence bind;
For, there is ftill fome tincture left of fin,
And still the fex will needs be ftealing-in.
Those joys are full of drofs, and thicker far;
Thefe, without matter, clear and liquid are.

95

100

105,

Such facred love does heaven's bright Spirits fill, 110
Where love is but to understand and will

With fwift and unfeen motions; fuch as we
Somewhat exprefs in heighten'd charity.
O ye bleft One! whose love on earth became
So pure that still in heaven 'tis but the fame!
There now ye fit, and with mixt fouls embrace,
Gazing upon great Love's mysterious face;
And pity this base world, where friendship 's made
A bait for fin, or else at beft a trade.

115

Ah, wondrous Prince! who a true friend could'st be, 129 When a crown flatter'd, and Saul threaten'd thee ! Who held'st him dear, whose stars thy birth did cross! And bought'st him nobly at a kingdom's lofs!

Ifrael's

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