By thy fair star,

Lo at last have found our way.

CHO. To thee, thou day of night; thou East of

Lo we at last have found the way

[West!

To thee, the world's great universal East;
The general and indifferent day.

1. All-circling point, all-centring sphere,
The world's one, round, eternal year,

2. Whose full and all-unwrinkled face
Nor sinks nor swells with time or place;
3. But every where, and every while,
Is one consistent solid smile;
1. Not vext and tost

2. "Twixt spring and frost, 3. Nor by alternate shreds of light

Sordidly shifting hands with shades and night. Cно. O little all, in thy embrace

The world lies warm, and likes his place;
Nor does his full globe fail to be
Kiss'd on both his cheeks by thee:
Time is too narrow for thy year

Nor makes the whole world thy half sphere.
1. To thee, to thee

From him we flee.

2. From him, whom by a more illustrious lie, The blindness of the world did call the eye;

3. To him, who by these mortal clou is hast made Thy self our Sun, though thine own shade. 1. Farewel, the world's false light;

Farewel, the white

Egypt, a long farewel to thee

Bright idol, black idolatry.

The dire face of inferior darkness, kist

And courted in the pompous mask of a more
2. Farewel, farewel [specious mist.

The proud and misplac'd gates of Hell,
Perch'd in the morning's way,

And double-gilded as the doors of day;
The deep hypocrisy of death and night
More desperately dark, because more bright.
3. Welcome, the world's sure way;
Heav'n's wholsome ray.

cho. Welcome to us; and we

(Sweet) to our selves, in thee.

1. The deathless heir of all thy father's day;

2. Decently born,

Embosom'd in a much more rosy morn, The blushes of thy all-unblemish'd mother. 3. No more that other

Aurora shall set ope

Her ruby casements, or hereafter hope From mortal eyes

To meet religious welcomes at her rise,

CHO. We (precious ones) in you have won
A gentler morn, a juster sun.

1. His superficial beams sun-burnt our skin;
2. But left within

3. The night and winter still of death and sin. CHO. Thy softer yet more certain darts

Spare our eyes, but pierce our hearts. 1. Therefore with his proud Persian spoils 2. We court thy more concerning smiles. 3. Therefore with his disgrace

We gild the humble cheek of this chaste place; CHO. And at thy feet pour forth his face. 1. The doating nations now no more

Shall any day but thine adore.

2. Nor (much less) shall they leave these eyes For cheap Egyptian deities.

3. In whatsoe'er more sacred shape

Of ram, he-goat, or reverend ape,

Those beautious ravishers opprest so sore
The too-hard-tempted nations:

1. Never more

Guilty of being much for them too good. 1. Proud sons of death that durst compel Heav'n it self to find them Hell;

2. And by strange wit of madness wrest
From this world's East the other's West.

3. All idolizing worms, that thus could crowd
And urge their Sun into thy cloud;
Forcing his sometimes eclips'd face to be
A long deliquium to the light of thee.
CHO. Alas with how much heavier shade
The shamefac'd lamp hung down his head,
For that one eclipse he made,
Than all those he suffered!
1. For this he look'd so big, and every morn
With a red face confest this scorn;
Or hiding his vext cheeks in a hir'd mist
Kept them from being so unkindly kist.
2. It was for this the day did rise

So oft with blubber'd eyes.

For this the evening wept; and we ne'er knew
But call'd it dew.

CHO. Proud to have gain'd this precious loss

And chang'd his false crown for thy cross. 2. That dark day's clear doom shall define [shine; Whose is the master fire, which sun would That sable judgment-seat shall by new laws Decide and settle the great cause

Of controverted light,

CHO. And Nature's wrongs rejoice to do thee right. 3. That forfeiture of noon to night shall pay

All the idolatrous thefts done by this night of day;
And the great penitent press his own pale lips
With an elaborate love-eclipse,

To which the low world's laws

Shall lend no cause,

CHO. Save those domestic which he borrows
From our sins and his own sorrows.

1. Three sad hours' sackcloth then shall show to us
His penance, as our fault, conspicuous.
2. And he more needfully and nobly prove

The nation's terrour now than erst their love : 3. Their hated loves chang'd into wholsome fears. CHO. The shutting of his eye shall open theirs. 1. As by a fair-ey'd fallacy of day

Mis-led before they lost their way,

So shall they, by the seasonable fright
Of an unseasonable night,

Losing it once again, stumble on true light:

2. And as before his too-bright eye

Was their more blind idolatry,

So his officious blindness now shall be

Their black, but faithful perspective of thee.
3. His new prodigious night,
Their new and admirable light;

The supernatural dawn of thy pure day,
While wondring they

(The happy converts now of him

Whom they compell'd before to be their sin)
Shall henceforth see

To kiss him only as their rod

Whom they so long courted as God,

Ho. And their best use of him they worshipp'd be To learn, of him at least, to worship thee. 1. It was their weakness woo'd his beauty; But it shall be

Their wisdom now, as well as duty,

T' enjoy his blot; and as a large black letter
Use it to spell thy beauties better;

And make the night it self their torch to thee. 2. By the oblique ambush of this close night Couch'd in that conscious shade

The right ey'd Areopagite
Shall with a vigorous guess invade

And catch thy quick reflex; and sharply see
On this dark ground

To descant thee.

3. O price of the rich spirit!, with that fierce chase
Of this strong soul, shall he
Leap at thy lofty face,.

And seize the swift flash, in rebound
From this obsequious cloud,

Once call'd a Sun,

Till dearly thus undone;

cuo. Till thus triumphantly tam'd (O ye two Twin-suns!) and taught now to negotiate you. 1. Thus shail that reverend child of light, 2. By being scholar first of that new night, Come forth great master of the mystic day; 3. And teach obscure mankind a more close way, By the frugal negative light

Of a most wise and well-abused night,

2. His glittering robe, 3. His sparkling crown,
1. His gold, 2. His mirrh, 3. His frankincence,
CHO. To which he now has no pretence.

For being show'd by this day's light, how far
He is from Sun enough to make thy star,
His best ambition now, is but to be
Something a brighter shadow (sweet) of thee;
Or on Heav'n's azure forebead high to stand
Thy golden index; with a duteous hand
Pointing us home to our own Sun
The world's and his hyperion.

These royal sages sue for decent place.
The day-break of the nations; their first ray,
When the dark world dawn'd into Christian day.
And smil'd i'th' babe's bright face, the purpling bud
And rosy dawn of the right royal blood;
Fair first-fruits of the Lamb; sure kings in this,
They took a kingdom while they gave a kiss:
Put the world's homage, scarce in these well blown,
We read in you (rare queen) ripe and full grown.
For from this day's rich seed of diadems
Does rise a radiant crop of royal stems,,
A golden harvest of crown'd heads, that meet
And crowd for kisses from the Lamb's white feet.
In this illustrious throng, your lofty flood
Swells high, fair confluence of all high-born blood!
With your bright head whose groves of sceptres bend
Their wealthy tops; and for these feet contend.

O MY Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose, I pray thee, thine own precious death, thy cross and passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest: to thy church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

O MY Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose, I pray thee, thine own precious death, thy cross and passion, between my soul and thy judgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest; to thy church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

THE HYMN.

THE third hour's deafen'd with the cry
Of" Crucify him, crucify."

So goes the vote (nor ask them why!)
"Live Barabbas! and let God die."

But there is wit in wrath, and they will try
A hail more cruel than their " crucify,"
For while in sport he wears a spiteful crown,
The serious show'rs along his decent face run sadly
down.

THE ANTIPHON.

Christ when he died
Deceiv'd the cross,
And on death's side
Threw all the loss.

The captive world awak'd and found
The prisoner loose, the jailor bound.

THE VERSICLE.

Lo we adore thee,

Dread Lamb, and fall

Thus low before thee.

THE RESPONSOR.

'Cause by the covenant of thy cross Thou hast sav'd at once the whole world's loss.

THE PRAYER.

O MY Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose, I pray thee, thine own precious death, thy cross and passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest; to thy church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Now is the noon of sorrow's night;
High in his patience as their spight.
Lo the faint Lamb, with weary limb

Bears that huge tree which must bear bim.
That fatal plant so great of fame,
For fruit of sorrow and of shame,
Shall swell with both for him; and mix
All woes into one crucifix.

Is tortur'd thirst itself, too sweet a cup?
Gall, and more bitter mocks shall make it up.
Are nails blunt pens of superficial smart?
Contempt and scorn can send sure wounds to search

the inmost heart.

O MY Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose, I pray thee, thine own precious death, thy cross and passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest; to thy church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

THE PRAYER.

O MY Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose I pray thee, thine own precious death, thy cross and passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the hour of my death; and vouchsafe to grant me thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest; to thy church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

THE Compline hour comes last, to call
Us to our own life's funeral.

Ah heartless task! yet hope takes head;
And lives in him that here lies dead.

Run, Mary, run! bring hither all the blest
Arabia, for thy royal phenix' nest;

Pour on thy noblest sweets, which, when they touch
This sweeter body, shall indeed be such.
But must thy bed, Lord, be a borrow'd grave,
Who lend'st to all things all the life they have.
O rather use this heart, thus far a fitter stone,
'Cause, though a hard and cold one, yet it is thine
own. Amen.

THE ANTIPHON.

O save us then,

Merciful King of men!

Since thou wouldst needs be thus

A Saviour, and at such a rate, for us;

Save us, O save us, Lord. [rower word,

We now will own no shorter wish, nor name a narThy blood bids us be bold.

Thy wounds give us fair hold.

Thy sorrows chide our shame.

Thy cross, thy nature, and thy name
Advance our claim,

And cry with one accord,

Save them, O save them, Lord.

THE RECOMMENDATION.

THESE hours, and that which hovers o'er my end,
Into thy hands, and heart, Lord, I commend.
Take both to thine account, that I and mine
In that hour and in thesc, may be all thine.
That as I dedicate my devoutest breath
To make a kind of life for my Lord's death:
So from his living, and life-giving death,
My dying life may draw a new, and never-fleeting
breath.