Bellona joyns with fair Erato too; And with the Destinies do keep adoe; Whom thus she queries: could not you awhile Reprieve his life; until another file Of poems such as these had been drawn up? The fates reply'd that thou wert taken up; A sacrifice unto the deities; Since things most perfect please their holy eyes; And that no other victim could be found With so much learning and true virtue crown'd。 Since it is so; in peace for ever rest; Tis very just that God should have the best。 Sym。 Ognell M。D。 Coningbrens。
ON MY BROTHER。
Lovelace is dead! then let the world return To its first chaos; mufled in its urn; The stars and elements together lye; Drench'd in perpetual obscurity; And the whole machine in confusion be; As immethodick as an anarchie。 May the great eye of day weep out his light; Pale Cynthia leave the regiment of night; The galaxia; all in sables dight; Send forth no corruscations to our sight; The Sister…Graces and the sacred Nine; Statu'd with grief; attend upon his shrine; Whose worth; whose loss; should we but truly rate; 'Twould puzzle our arithmetic to state Th' accompt of vertu's so transcendent high; Number and value reach infinity。 Did I pronounce him dead! no; no! he lives; And from his aromatique cell he gives Spice…breathed fumes; whose odoriferous scent (In zephre…gales which never can be spent) Doth spread it self abroad; and much out…vies The eastern bird in her self…sacrifice; Or Father Phoebus; who to th' world derives Such various and such multiformed lives; Took notice that brave Lovelace did inspire The universe with his Promethean fire; And snatcht him hence; before his thread was spun; En'ving that here should be another Sun。 T。 L。
Thomas Lovelace; one of the poet's brothers。
ON THE DEATH OF MY DEAR BROTHER。
EPITAPH。
Tread (reader) gently; gently ore The happy dust beneath this floor: For in this narrow vault is set An alablaster cabinet; Wherein both arts and arms were put; Like Homers Iliads in a nut; Till Death with slow and easie pace Snatcht the bright jewell from the case; And now; transform'd; he doth arise A constellation in the skies; Teaching the blinded world the way; Through night; to startle into day: And shipwrackt shades; with steady hand; He steers unto th' Elizian land。 Dudley Posthumus…Lovelace。
THE END。