From “a Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Act II. Sc. 1.
OBERON.—My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou remember’st
Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin’s back,
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid’s...
From “a Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Act II. Sc. 2.
Enter TITANIA, with her train.
TITANIA.—Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song;
Then, for the third part of a minute, hence;—
Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds;
Some war with rear-mice for their leathern wings,
To make my small elves coats; and some keep back
The clamorous owl,...
From “Hymnes of Astræa, in Acrosticke Verse”
E ARTH now is green, and heaven is blue,
L ively Spring which makes all new,
I olly Spring, doth enter;
S weet young sun beams do subdue
A ngry, agèd Winter.
B lasts are mild, and seas are calm,
E very meadow flows with balm,
T he Earth wears all her riches;
H armonious birds...
From the French by Louise Stuart Costello
ALL beauty, granted as a boon to earth,
That is, has been, or ever can have birth,
Compared to hers, is void, and Nature’s care
Ne’er formed a creature so divinely fair.
In spring amidst the lilies she was born,
And purer tints her peerless face adorn;
And though Adonis’ blood the rose may paint...
I Cannot eat but little meat,—
My stomach is not good;
But, sure, I think that I can drink
With him that wears a hood.
Though I go bare, take ye no care;
I nothing am a-cold,—
I stuff my skin so full within
Of jolly good ale and old.
Back and side go bare, go bare;
Both foot and hand go cold;
...
From “Satires,” Book III. Sat. 3.
THE COURTEOUS citizen bade me to his feast
With hollow words, and overly 1 request:
“Come, will ye dine with me this holiday?”
I yielded, though he hoped I would say nay:
For I had maidened it, as many use;
Loath for to grant, but loather to refuse.
“Alack, sir, I were loath—another day,—
I should...
Quand je pense, Seigneur, à cette fin du monde,
A ces astres tombant du haut du firmament,
À ces flambeaux du ciel éclipsés promptement
Et à ce feu brûlant l'air, et la terre et l'onde.
Quand j'oy des quatre vents de la machine ronde
Ce grand son de clairons, ce grand ajournement,
Criant : " Levez-vous, morts, venez au jugement ",
Ô que je suis...
ouï dire avoir été faites en Capharnaüm
Homme rempli d'orgueil et de curiosité,
Qui te fait si hardi de rechercher la cause
Des oeuvres du grand Dieu auteur de toute chose ?
Et demander un compte à la divinité ?
Pourquoi plus en un lieu il montre sa bonté,
Pourquoi diversement ses oeuvres il dispose
Et disperse ses dons, et quand l'homme...
Comme tout ce grand monde a forme circulaire,
Chaque partie aussi fait un cercle agissant ;
Chacun des éléments, dedans l'autre passant,
Se tourne, retournant au repos de sa sphère.
Le soleil rond se tourne en sa course ordinaire,
En rond la lune tourne, et forme son croissant ;
Où chaque ciel commence il devient finissant,
Ainsi que tous les...
Ton Église, Seigneur, est le vaisseau sur mer,
Tu es le vrai pilote, et provident et sage ;
La foi en est le mât, charité le cordage,
Et l'ancre un saint espoir, qui nous vient animer.
Les pasteurs, matelots, ne cessent de ramer,
Le monde est cette mer toute enflée d'orage,
Les erreurs sont les vents, la tempête, et la rage,
Et semble qu'elle soit...
