AN HYMNE

OF HEAVENLY BEAUTIE.

RAPT with the rage of mine own ravisht thought,

Through contemplation of those goodly fights,
And glorious images in heaven wrought,
Whose wondrous beauty, breathing sweet de-
lights,

Do kindle love in high conceipted fprights; 5
I faine to tell the things that I behold,
But feele my wits to faile, and tongue to fold.

Vouchfafe then, O Thou moft Almightie Spright!
From whom all guifts of wit and knowledge flow,
To fhed into my breast some sparkling light 10
Of Thine eternall truth, that I may fhow
Some little beames to mortall eyes below
Of that immortall Beautie, there with Thee,
Which in my weake diftraughted mynd I fee

;

Ver. 1. Rapt &c.] So he exclaims, in he Faer. Queene; "I, nigh ravisht with rare thoughts delights." TODD. Ver. 14. diftraughted] Distracted. So, in Chaucer's Lament. Marie Magd. ver. 149, edit. Urr. "Whiche rufull fight when that I gan beholde, "Out of my witte I almoft tho distraught, "I tare my here, &c." TovD.

15

That with the glorie of fo goodly fight
The hearts of men, which fondly here admyre
Faire seeming fhewes, and feed on vaine delight,
Transported with celeftiall defyre

Of thofe faire formes, may

hyer,

lift themselves up

19

And learne to love, with zealous humble dewty, Th' Eternall Fountaine of that heavenly Beauty.

25

Beginning then below, with th' eafie vew
Of this bafe world, fubiect to fleshly eye,
From thence to mount aloft, by order dew,
To contemplation of th' immortall fky;
Of the foare faulcon fo I learne to flye,
That flags a while her fluttering wings beneath,
Till the her felfe for stronger flight can breath

Then looke, who lift thy gazefull eyes to feed
With fight of that is faire, looke on the frame 30
Of this wyde univerfe, and therein reed
The endleffe kinds of creatures which by name
Thou canst not count, much lefs their natures
aime;

All which are made with wondrous wife refpect,
And all with admirable beautie deckt.

35

First, th' Earth, on adamantine pillers founded Amid the Sea, engirt with brafen bands;

Then th' Aire still flitting, but yet firmely

bounded

On everie fide, with pyles of flaming brands, Never confum'd, nor quencht with mortall hands;

And, laft, that mightie shining cristall wall,
Wherewith he hath encompassed this all.

40

By view whereof it plainly may appeare,
That ftill as every thing doth upward tend,
And further is from earth, fo ftill more cleare 45
And faire it growes, till to his perfect end
Of pureft Beautie it at last ascend;

Ayre more then water, fire much more then ayre, And heaven then fire, appeares more pure and fayre.

Looke thou no further, but affixe thine eye 50
On that bright shynie round ftill moving masse,
The house of Bleffed God, which men call Skye,
All fowd with gliftring stars more thicke then
graffe,

Whereof each other doth in brightneffe paffe,
But those two moft, which, ruling night and
day,
As king and queene, the heavens empire fway;

55

Ver. 53. All fowd &c.] See the notes on the fame expreffion, Milton's Par. L. B. vii. 358, edit. 1801. TODD..

And tell me then, what haft thou ever feene
That to their beautie may compared bee,
Or can the fight that is most sharpe and keene
Endure their captains flaming head to fee?
How much leffe thofe, much higher in degree,
And fo much fairer, and much more then these,
As thefe are fairer then the land and feas?

60

65

For farre above thefe heavens, which here we fee,
Be others farre exceeding thefe in light,
Not bounded, not corrupt, as these fame bee,
But infinite in largeneffe and in hight,
Unmoving, uncorrupt, and spotlesse bright,
That need no funne t'illuminate their spheres,
But their owne native light farre paffing theirs. 70

And as these heavens ftill by degrees arize,
Until they come to their firft Movers bound,
That in his mightie compaffe doth comprize,
And carrie all the reft with him around;
So thofe likewife doe by degrees redound,
And rife more faire, till they at laft arive,
To the most faire, whereto they all do strive.

75

Faire is the heaven where happy foules have place,

In full enioyment of felicitie,

Ver. 60.

their captains] The fun's. T. WARTON.

Whence they doe still behold the glorious face Of the Divine Eternall Maieftie;

More faire is that, where those Idees on hie Enraunged be, which Plato so admyred, And pure Intelligences from God infpyred.

81

Yet fairer is that heaven, in which do raine 85
The foveraigne Powres and mightie Potentates,
Which in their high protections doe containe
All mortall princes and imperiall states ;
And fayrer yet, whereas the royall Seates
And heavenly Dominations are fet,
From whom all earthly governance is fet.

90

Yet farre more faire be those bright Cherubins, Which all with golden wings are overdight, And thofe eternall burning Seraphins,

Which from their faces dart out fierie light; 95 Yet fairer then they both, and much more bright, Be th' Angels and Archangels, which attend On Gods owne perfon, without reft or end.

These thus in faire each other farre excelling, As to the Highest they approach more near, 100 Yet is that Highest farre beyond all telling, Fairer then all the reft which there appeare, Though all their beauties ioyn'd together were; Idees] So, in the

Ver. 82.

clofe of the preceding Hymn, he writes it Idee:
"Th' Idee of his pure glory." T. WARTON.