ODE, UPON The Blessed Restoration and Returne OF HIS SACRED MAJESTIE, Charls the Second.
By A. COWLEY.
Virgil.—
Quod optanti Divúm promittere nemo
Auderet, volvenda dies, en, attulit vltro.
LONDON, Printed for Henry Herringman, and are to be sold at his Shop on the Lower VValk in the New Exchange.
Anno Dom. 1660.
ODE
1.
NOw
Blessings on you all, ye peacefull
Starrs,
Which meet at last so kindly, and dispence
Your universall gentle
Influence,
To calm the stormy
World, and still the rage of
Warrs▪
Nor whilst around the Continent,
Plenipotentiary Beams ye sent,
Did your
Pacifick Lights disdain,
In their large
Treaty, to contain
The World apart, o're which do reign
Your seven fair
Brethren of great
Charls his Wane;
No
Star amongst ye all did, I believe,
Such vigorous assistance give,
As that which thirty years ago,
At
The Star that appeared at Noon, the day of the King's Birth, just as the King his Father was riding to St.
Paul's to give thanks to God for that Blessing.
Charls his
Birth, did, in despightOf the proud
Sun's Meridian Light,
His future
Glories, and this
Year foreshow,
No lesse effects then these we may
Be assur'd of from that powerfull
Ray,
Which could out-face the
Sun, and overcome the
Day.
2
Auspicious
Star again arise,
And take thy
Noon-tide station in the skies.
Again all
Heaven prodigiously adorn;
For loe! thy
Charls again is
Born.
He then was
born with, and to Pain;
With, and
to Joy he's
born again.
And wisely for this
second Birth,
By which thou certain wert to bless
The Land with full and flourishing
Happinesse
Thou mad'st of that fair
Month thy choice,
In which
Heaven, Aire, and
Sea, and
Earth,
And all that's in them all does
smile, and does
rejoyce.
'Twas a right
Season, and the very
Ground
Ought with a face of
Paradice to be found,
Than when we were to entertain
Felicity and
Innocence again.
3
Shall we again (good Heaven!) that
blessed Pair behold,
Which the abused
People fondly sold
For the bright
Fruit of the
Forbidden Tree,
By seeking all like
gods to be?
Will
Peace her
Halcyon Nest venture to build
Upon a
Shore with
Shipwracks fill'd?
And trust that
Sea, where she can hardly say,
Sh'has known these twenty years one
calmy day?
Ah! mild and gaullesse
Dove,
Which dost the
pure and
candid Dwellings love:
Canst thou in
Albion still delight?
Still canst thou th
[...]nk it
White?
Will ever fair
Religion appear
In these deformed
Ruines? will she clear
Th'
Augaean Stables of her
Churches here?
Will
Justice hazard to be seen
VVhere a
High Court of
Justice e're has been?
VVill not the Tragique Scene,
And
Bradshaw's bloody
Ghost affright her there,
Her who should never fear?
Then may
White-hall for
Charls his
Seat be fit
If
Justice shall endure at
Westminster to sit.
4.
Of all, me thinks, we least should see
The chearfull looks again of
Liberty.
That
Name of
Cromwell, which does freshly still
The Curses of so many sufferers fill,
Is still enough to make her stay,
And jealous for a while remain,
Lest as a
Tempest carried him away,
Some
Hurican should bring him back again.
Or she might justlier be afraid
Lest that great
Serpent, which was all a
Tayl,
(And in his poys' nous folds whole
Nations prisoners made)
Should a third time perhaps prevail
To joyn again, and with worse sting arise,
As it had done, when cut in pieecs twice.
Return, return, ye
Sacred Fower,
And dread your perisht Enemies no more,
Your fears are causelesse all, and vain
VVhilst you return in
Charls his Train,
For
God does
Him, that
He might
You restore,
Nor shall the world him onely call,
Defender of the
Faith, but of
ye All.
5.
Along with you
Plenty and
Riches go,
With a full Tide to every Port they flow,
With a warm fruitfull
wind o're all the
Country blow▪
Honour does as ye march her
Trumpet sound
The
Arts encompasse you around,
And against all
Alarms of
Fear,
Safety it self brings up the
Rear.
And in the head of this
Angelique band,
Lo, how the
Goodly Prince at last does stand
(O righteous
God!) on his
own happy Land.
'Tis
Happy now, which could, with so much ease
Recover from so desperate a
Disease,
A various complicated
Ill,
Whose every
Symptome was enough to
kill,
In which one part of Three
Phrenzey possest,
And
Lethargy the rest.
'Tis
Happy, which no
Bleeding does endure
A
Surfet of such
Blood to cure.
'Tis
Happy, which beholds the
Flame
In which by hostile hands it ought, to burn,
Or that which if from
Heaven it came
It did but well deserve, all into
Bonfire turn.
6.
We
fear'd (and almost toucht the black degree
Of instant
Expectation)
That the three dreadfull
Angels we
Of
Famine, Sword, and
Plague should here establisht see,
(
God's great
Triumvirate of
Desolation)
To scourge and to destroy the sinfull
Nation.
Justly might
Heav'n Protectors such as those,
And such
Committees for their
Safety' impose,
Upon a
Land which scarcely
Better Chose.
VVe fear'd that the
Fanatique War
VVhich men against
God's Houses did declare,
VVould from th'
Almighty Enemy bring down
A sure destruction on our
Own,
VVe read th'
instructive Histories which tell
Of all those endlesse mischiefs that befell,
The
Sacred Town which
God had lov'd so well,
After that
fatall Curse had once bin said,
His Blood be upon ours, and on our Chilarens head.
VVe knew, though there a
greater Blood was spilt,
'Twas scarcely done with
greater Guilt.
VVe know those miseries did befall
VVhilst they rebel'd against that
Prince whom all
The rest of
Mankind did the
Love, and
Joy, of
Mankind call.
7.
Already was the
shaken Nation
Into a wild and deform'd
Chaos brought.
And it was hasting on (we thought)
Even to the last of
Ills, Annihilation.
VVhen in the midst of this confused Night,
Loe, the blest
Spirit mov'd, and
there was Light.
For in the glorious
Generall's previous Ray,
VVe saw a new created
Day.
VVe by it saw, though yet in
Mists it shone,
The
beauteous Work of
Order moving on,
Ere the
Great Light, our
Sun, his Beams did show,
Our
Sun it self appears but now,
Where are the men who bragg'd that God did blesse,
And with the marks of good
successe
Signe his allowance of their
wickednesse?
Vain men! who thought the Divine Power to find
In the fierce
Thunder and the violent
Wind:
God came not till the
storm was past,
In the
still voice of
Peace he came at last.
The cruell businesse of
Destruction,
May by the
Claws of the great
Fiend be done.
Here, here we see th'
Almighty's hand indeed,
Both by the
Beauty of the
Work, wee seet, and by the
Speed.
8.
He who had seen the noble
British Heir,
Even in that ill disadvantageous
Light,
VVith which misfortunes strive t'abuse our sight;
He who had seen him in his
Clowd so bright:
He who had seen the double
Pair
Of
Brothers heavenly good, and
Sisters heavenly fair,
Might have perceiv'd (me-thinks) with ease,
(But
wicked men see onely what they please)
That
God had no intent t'extinguish quite
The
pious King's eclipsed Right.
He who had seen how by the power Divine
All the young
Branches of this Royall Line
Did in their
fire without
consuming shine,
How through a
rough Red-sea they had been led,
By
Wonders guarded, and by
Wonders fed.
How many years of trouble and distresse
They'd wandred in their fatall
Wilderness,
And yet did never
murmur or
repine;
Might (me-thinks) plainly understand,
That after all these conquer'd Tryalls past,
Th'
Almighty Mercy would at last
Conduct them with a strong un-erring hand
To their
own Promis'd Land.
For all the glories of the
Earth
Ought to be'
entail'd by right of
Birth,
And all
Heaven's blessings to come down
Upon
his Race, to whom alone was given
The double
Royalty of
Earth and
Heaven,
VVho
crown'd the
Kingly with the
Martyr's Crown.
9
The
Martyr's blood was said of old to be
The
seed from whence the
Church did grow
The
Royall Blood which dying
Charls did sow,
Becomes no lesse the
seed of
Royaltie.
'Twas in
dishonour sown,
VVe find it now in
glory grown,
The
Grave could but the
drosse of it devowr;
'Twas
sown in
weaknesse, and 'tis
rais'd in
power.
We now the
Question well decided see,
Which
Eastern Wits did once contest
At the
Great Monarch's Feast,
Of all on Earth what things the strongest be:
And some for
Women, some for
Wine did plead;
That is, for
Folly and for
Rage,
Two things which we have known indeed
Strong in this latter
Age.
But as 'tis prov'd by
Heaven at length,
The
King and
Truth have greatest
strength,
When they their sacred force unite,
And twine into one
Right,
No frantick
Common-wealths or
Tyrannies,
No
Cheats, and
Perjuries, and
Lies,
No
Nets of human
Policies.
No stores of
Arms or
Gold (though you could joyn
Those of
Peru to the great
London Mine)
No
Towns, no
Fleets by Sea, or
Troops by Land,
No deeply entrencht
Islands can withstand,
Or any small resistance bring
[...] and the
unarmed King.
10.
The
foolish Lights which
Travailers beguile,
End the same night when they begin;
No
Art so far can upon
Nature win
As e're to
put out Stars, or long keep
Meteors in.
VVhere's now that
Ignis Fatuus, which erewhile
Misled our
wandring Isle?
VVhere's the
Impostor Cromwell gon?
VVhere's now that
Falling-star his
Son?
VVhere's the
large Comet now whose rageing flame
So fatall to our
Monarchy became?
VVhich o're our heads in such proud horror stood,
Insatiate with our
Ruine and our
blood?
The
fiery Tayl did to vast length extend;
And twice for want of
Fuel did expire,
And twice renew'd the dismall
Fire;
Though long the
Tayl, we saw at last it's end.
The flames of one triumphant day,
VVhich like an Anti-Comet here
Did fatally to that appear,
For ever frighted it away;
Then did th'aloted howr of
dawning Right
First strike our ravisht sight,
VVhich
Malice or which
Art no more could stay,
Then
Witches Charms can a retardment bring
To the
Resujcitation of the
Day,
Or
Resurrection of the
Spring.
VVe welcome both, and with improv'd delight
Blesse the
preceding Winter and the
Night.
11.
Man ought his
Future Happinesse to fear,
If he be alwaies
Happy here.
He wants the
Bleeding Mark of
Grace,
The
Circumcision of the
Chosen race.
If no one
part of him supplies
The duty of a
Sacrifice,
He is (we doubt) reserv'd
intire
As a
whole Victime for the
Fire.
Besides even in this
World below,
To those who never did
Ill Fortune know,
The
good does
naujeous or
insipid grow.
Consider man's
whole Life, and you'l confesse,
The Sharp
Ingredient of some
bad successe
Is that which gives the
Tast to all his
Happinesse.
But the true
Method of
Felicitie,
Is when the worst
Of humane
Life is plac'd the first,
And when the
Child's Correction proves to be
The cause of
perfecting the
Man;
Let our
weak Dayes lead up the
Van,
Let the brave
Second and
Triarian Band,
Firm against all impression stand,
The first we may
defeated see;
The
Virtue and the
Force of these, are sure of
Victorie.
12.
Such are the
years (great
Charls) which now we see
Begin their
glorious March with
Thee:
Long may their
March to
Heaven, and still
Triumphant be.
Now thou art gotten once before,
Ill Fortune never shall
o're-take thee more.
To see't again, and pleasure in it find,
Cast a disdainfull look
behind,
Things which
offend, when present, and
affright,
In
Memory, well
painted, move delight.
Enjoy then all thy'
afflictions now;
Thy
Royall Father's came at last:
Thy
Martyrdom's already past.
And
different Crowns to both ye owe.
No
Gold did e're the
Kingly Temples bind,
Than thine more
try'd and more
refin'd.
As a
choise Medall for
Heaven's Treasury
God did
stamp first upon one side of
Thee
The
Image of his
suffering Humanity:
On th'other side, turn'd now to sight, does shine
The
glorious Image of his
Power Divine.
13.
So when the wisest
Poets seek
In all their liveliest colours to set forth
A
Picture of
Heroick worth,
(The
Pious Trojan, or the
Prudent Greek)
They chuse some
comely Prince of
heavenly Birth,
(No proud
Gigantick son of
Earth,
Who strives t'usurp the
god's forbidden seat)
They feed him not with
Nectar, and the
Meat
That cannot without
Joy be eat.
But in the
cold of
want, and
storms of
advers chance,
They
harden his
young Virtue by degrees;
The
beauteous Drop first into
Ice does
freez,
And into
solid Chrystall next advance.
His
murdered friends and
kindred he does see,
And from his
flaming Country flee.
Much is he
tost at
Sea, and much at
Land,
Does long the force of
angry gods withstand.
He does long
troubles and long
wars sustain,
Ere he his
fatall Birth-right gain.
VVith no lesse
time or
labour can
Destiny build up such a
Man,
VVho's with sufficient virtue fill'd
His
ruin'd Country to
rebuild.
14.
Nor without cause are
Arms from
Heaven,
To such a
Hero by the
Poets given.
No
human Metall is of force t'oppose
So many and so violent blows.
Such was the
Helmet, Breast-plate, Shield,
VVhich
Charls in all Attaques did wield:
And all the
VVeapons Malice e're could try,
Of all the severall
makes of wicked
Policy,
Against this
Armour struck, but at the stroke,
Like
Swords of
Ice, in thousand pieces broke.
To
Angells and their
Brethren Spritis above,
No show on Earth can sure so pleasant prove,
As when they
great misfortunes see
With
Courage born and
Decencie.
So were they
born when
Worc'ster's dismall
Day
Did all the terrors of
black Fate display.
So were they born when no
Disguises clowd
His
inward Royalty could
shrowd,
And one of th'
Angels whom just
God did send
To guard him in his noble flight,
(A
Troop of
Angels did him then attend)
Assur'd me in a
Vision th'other night,
That
He (and who could better judge than
He?)
Did then more
Greatness in him see,
More
Lustre and more
Majesty,
Than all his
Coronation Pomp can shew to
Human Eye.
15.
Him and his
Royall Brothers when I saw
New marks of
honor and of
glorie,
From their
affronts and
sufferings draw,
And look like
Heavenly Saints even in their
Purgatory
Me-thoughts I saw the
three Judaean Youths,
(Three
unhurt Martyrs for the
noblest Truths)
In the
Chaldaean Furnace walk;
How chearfully and unconcern'd they talk!
No
hair is sindg'd, no smallest
beauty blasted;
Like
painted Lamps they shine
unwasted.
The greedy
fire it self dares not be fed
With the blest
Oyl of an
Anoynted Head.
The honorable
Flame
(Which rather
Light we ought to name)
Does, like a
Glory, compasse them around,
And their
whole Body's crown'd.
What are those
Two Bright Creatures which we see
Walk with the Royall
Three
In the same
Ordeall fire,
And
mutuall Joys inspire?
Sure they the
beauteous Sisters are,
Who whilst they seek to bear their share,
Will suffer no
affliction to be there.
Lesse favour to those
Three of old was shown,
To solace with their company.
The
fiery Trialls of
Adversity;
Two Angels joyn with
these, the
others had but
One.
16.
Come forth, come forth, ye
men of God beloved,
And let the
power now of that
flame,
Which against you so
impotent became,
On all your
Enemies be proved.
Come, mighty
Charls, desire of Nations, come;
Come,
you triumphant Exile, home.
He's come, he's safe at shore; I hear the noise
Of a whole
Land which does at
once rejoyce,
I hear th'united
People's sacred voice.
The
Sea which circles us around,
Ne're sent to
Land so loud a
sound;
The mighty
showt sends to the
Sea a
Gale,
And swells up every
sail;
The
Bells and
Guns are scarcely heard at all;
The
Artificiall Joy's drown'd by the
Naturall.
All
England but one
Bonefire seems to be,
One
Aetna shooting
flames into the
Sea.
The
Starry Worlds which shine to us afar,
Take
ours at this time for a
Star.
With
Wine all
rooms, with
Wine the
Conduits flow;
And
We, the
Priests of a
Poetick rage,
Wonder that in this
Golden Age
The
Rivers too should not do so.
There is no
Stoick sure who would not now,
Even some
Excesse allow.
And grant that one
wild fit of
chearfull folly
Should end our twenty years of
dismall Melancholly.
17.
Where's now the
Royall Mother, where,
To take her mighty
share
In this so ravishing sight,
And with the
part she
takes to
add to the
Delight?
Ah! why art
Thou not here,
Thou always
Best, and now the
Happiest Queen,
To
see our
Joy, and with new
Joy be
seen?
God has a
bright Example made of
Thee,
To shew that
Woman-kind may be
Above that
Sex, which her Superior seems,
In wisely manageing the wide
Extreams
Of great
Affliction, great
Felicitie.
How well those different
Vertues Thee become,
Daughter of
Triumphs, Wife of
Martyrdom!
Thy Princely
Mind with so much
Courage bore
Affliction, that it dares return no more;
With so much
Goodnesse us'd
Felicitie,
That it cannot refrain from comming back to
Thee;
'Tis come, and seen to day in all its
Braverie.
18.
VVho's that
Heroique Person leads it on,
And
gives it like a glorious
Bride
(Richly adorn'd with
Nuptiall Pride)
Into the hands now of thy
Son?
'Tis the good
Generall, the
Man of
Praise,
VVhom
God at last in gracious pitty
Did to th'
enthralled Nation raise,
Their great
Zerubabel to be,
To lose the
Bonds of long
Captivitie,
And to
rebuild their
Temple and their
City.
For ever blest may
He and
His remain,
VVho, with a
vast, though lesse appearing gain,
Preferr'd the
solid Great above the
Vain,
And to the world this
Princely Truth has shown,
That more 'tis to
Restore, than to
Usurp a
Crown.
Thou worthyest Person of the
Brittish Story,
(Though 'tis not
small the
Brittish glory)
Did I not know my
humble Verse must be
But ill proportion'd to the
Heighth of
Thee,
Thou, and the
World should see,
How much my
Muse, the
Foe of
Flatterie,
Does make
true Praise her
Labour and
Designe;
An
Iliad or an
Aeneid should be
Thine.
19
And ill should VVe deserve this happy day,
If no acknowledgments we pay
To you,
great Patriots, of the
Two
Most
truly Other Houses now,
VVho have redeem'd from
hatred and from
shame
A
Parliament's once
venerable name.
And now the Title of a
House restore
To that, which was but
slaughter-house before.
If my advice, ye
Worthies, might be ta'ne,
Within those reverend places,
Which now your
living presence graces,
Your Marble-
Statues always should remain,
To keep alive your usefull
Memorie,
And to your
Successors th'
Example be
Of
Truth, Religion, Reason, Loyaltie.
For though a firmly setled
Peace
May shortly make your publick labours cease,
The gratefull
Nation will with joy consent,
That in
this sense you should be said,
(Though yet the
Name sounds with some dread)
To be the
Long, the
Endlesse Parliament.
'Twould be the richliest furnish'd
House (no doubt)
If
your Heads always stood
within, and the
Rump-heads without.
FINIS.