Chapter II: Part 2

How vast the change by death in man's estate?
How silent now the orator's proud tongue,
On which so many thousands often hung?
How fled the concord of sweet sounds, which late
Drew to the songstress admiration great?
How heedless now the monarch to the throng
Of worshippers? Alas, to whom doth now belong
The rich man's gold, which yielding to his fate
He leaves behind?――Whate'er on earth ye love
Ye soon must lose; then seek with earnest heart
The proffer'd blessings near Christ's throne above:
Once gain'd, there's naught can them and you dispart
While you shall live; nor shall one joy be gone
While endless centuries of bliss roll on!

70. CHRISTMAS.

This is the day of all earth's days the best;――
This is the bright, and wondrous, glorious morn,
On which the Son of God from heav'n was born,
First offer'd to his mother's vision blest.
Think not the harps of angel-hosts could rest,
Louder than warring notes of trump and horn;
The universe was glad at that day's dawn,
For Mercy beam'd on sinners lost, unblest.
Christ dwelt as man upon this globe he built,
And, having taught the world Truth pure and bright,
Died as a sacrifice for man's great guilt,
But rose again to fill all heav'n with light!
We hail the glad return of this glad day;
Sing, O ye heav'ns; in joy sing on for aye!

71. NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1859.

Hail to the day I am allow'd to see,
Though helpless on the bed of sickness laid,――
Another year's return! All undismay'd,
I've daily thought, to me it might not be.
It has not been to millions now set free,
And this year millions more, to death betray'd,
Will reach their doom. For them I've earnest pray'd,
"Lord, give them faith in thy salvation free!"
Three quarter-centuries of years my own
Will end their flight this day in winter's cold:
Praise to my God for joys and hopes not flown!
Hasten, O Lord, the year by thee foretold,
When thou wilt all the fallen nations raise,
And earth shall be one temple to thy praise!

72. DONATI'S COMET, 1858.

Strange Comet, with thy long, curv'd tail so bright,
Hast thou before e'er visited our sphere?
From what dark depths of space dost thou draw near?
What is thy aim thus blazing on our sight?
Hast thou a charge with pestilence to smite?
Full many an eye now looks on thee with fear;
But unknown good may spring from thy career
And nigh approach to the great fount of light.
From guiding hand of God, enthron'd above,
Thou art not free; thou comest at his will,
Either to work the counsels of his love,
Or judgment on the wicked to fulfil.
Perchance on thee some, doom'd to woe, may dwell,――
Some demon-spirits, whose abode is hell!

73. EXECUTION FOR MURDER, 1630.

Alas, among the Pilgrims came there one
Not of their church nor of their heart and mind,
Who ne'er unruly passions knew to bind,
Nor ever learn'd a heav'nly race to run.
At last a brother's blood he shed, and won
A retribution just; nor could he find
A charity misguided, and so blind,
As not to see fit doom for deed he'd done.
Instructed from above, by reason led,
The Pilgrim Company disclos'd their plan:――
Intent to give to life security
Without revenge, with purpose stern they said――
As law had said e'er since the world began――
"Whoso shall shed man's blood, by man shall die!"

74. ONENESS WITH GOD. John 17.

Friends of the Son of God! How blest are ye,
That when his fated hour he saw was near,
This prayer he lifted to his Father dear,――
"O let them all be one, as thou in me
And I in thee, so give them unity."――
He meant a Oneness in the Truth, 'tis clear,
For as God's Word he low descended here
To teach the truth to all; to me and thee;――
Next, oneness of design and holy love,
Oneness of soul, of spirit, and of mind;――
For thus his friends will dwell with him above,
While never-ending ages shall unwind.
Lord! on our souls each grace and virtue trace,
So shall we see God's glory in thy face!

75. ON MY BIRTH-DAY. Written Jan. 2, 1859.

While fourscore years wanting but five have fled,
The author of my frame hath it sustain'd.
This morning's light my waiting vision gain'd
With thankful joy. What multitudes are dead,――
The earth twice emptied,――since on infant's bed
My blood began to run in circuits train'd?――
Destroying angel who but God restrain'd?
The past how doom'd hereafter will be read:
I pray the Lord from heav'n, for me who died,
Me to assist the future so to spend
Becoming one to Him by faith allied;――
So when, as He shall order, life shall end,
A new and glorious life will then begin
With God in heav'n, eternal, without sin!

76. GOD AND HIS SON.

There is a God the universe doth show,
By whom were form'd the countless stars on high,
Which glitter in the wide, o'erarching sky;
All angel forms above and men below.
There is a God, who reigns supreme, we know;
Yet is he not alone; his presence nigh,
In glory streaming on th' uplifted eye,
Sits one, to whom all holy angels bow.
Lo, near God's heav'nly throne, at his right hand
His only Son,――God's image true and bright,――
With various gifts divine endow'd, doth stand
To execute his Father's will with might.
By him God made and rules all worlds above;
By him unfolds to man his wondrous love.

77. ON MARTYRS.

There's no man great like him, who dares to die;
Die for the truth, reveal'd from God's own throne.
Weak is the soul of man, when left alone,
Unaided by the Spirit from on high;
But when the God of grace and pow'r is nigh,
Weakness is strength and at the stake, alone,
Taunted by madden'd foes, yet not a groan,
When kindling flames wrap him in agony,
Breaks from the lips of martyr, as he died.
John Huss, and Jerome, and a noble host
A vict'ry gain'd.――Not in the hero's pride,
But in such men,――of God sustain'd,――we boast.
Ye Bigots! When the martyrs take their crown,
Shall ye not meet with God's terrific frown?

78. TO REV. DR. SPRING, NEW YORK.

Old Soldier of the Son of God, the Lord!
For half a cent'ry hast thou kept the field,
And never didst thou to the foe yet yield;
Thine arms divine, the Spirit and the Word;
Truth, faith, and pray'r, these all in sweet accord.
Nor have thy wondrous vict'ries been conceal'd;
Some to thy Master's glory are reveal'd,
E'en now th' achievements of his flaming sword.
Be thou, my friend, yet faithful unto death;
Then, when the blood-stain'd heroes too must die,
And proudest despots yield their fleeting breath,
And all shall meet before the throne on high,
While justice drives the lost ones down to hell,
Thine endless song will just begin to swell!

79. PERSEVERANCE IN CHRIST'S SERVICE.

My friends, be firm and faithful to the last,
That ye in Christian peace and hope may die,
Redeem'd by Him who died in agony.
Then as ye hear the trumpet's awful blast,
Ye will not with the wicked be downcast
Into unfathom'd depths of misery,
There in despair, beyond all hope to lie,
While ages never counted shall be past;
But ye shall see your great Redeemer blest,
Array'd in form most gladd'ning to your sight,
And he shall say, in majesty most bright,
"Come, my disciples, enter into rest!"
Then shall the Savior, whom ye serve and love,
Transport you to his throne, near God's, above!

80. GLORYING IN THE CROSS.

Let it not be, that e'er my soul in aught
Should glory touching on delight or pride,
Save in the wondrous cross of HIM, who died
A sacrifice of worth beyond all thought,
With inf'nite blessings to the guilty fraught.
Give me faith's vision――let who will deride――
O blessed JESUS! of thy pierced side:
I boast of thee and what thy love has wrought.
Beauty, and wealth, fame, dignity, and might,
A victor army dress'd in splendid show,
A throne and rev'rent crowds around that bow,――
Say, what is all that dazzles human sight,
Compar'd with glories, which in thee, God's Son,
My eyes shall see while endless years roll on?

81. MAN WITHOUT REVELATION.

Poor man without God's heav'nly glorious light
By ev'ry lie is cheated to his woe,――
As hist'ry of the world doth fully show,――
His reason shrouded in the thickest night.
But when the Truth beams on his purged sight,
Instant are fled all wild'ring shapes below,
Whose terrors waken'd all his spirit's throe:
Thus chang'd the scene where shines the Gospel bright.
Alas, my brother, art thou then so wise,
Thou know'st the Gospel false? And dost thou choose
To put to hazard yon, blue, blessed skies,
And all, that God can give, wilt madly lose?
Keen voice from one, now lost among the dead,
I hear,――"Ah! whither has thy Reason fled?"

82. GOD IS ONE.

That God is One by all his works is shown,
Which unity of kind design display.
Behold the distant, glorious orb of day;
Behold the moon, and stars so thickly strown;
God's goodness by their harmony is known:
One Mind, most wise and good, bears boundless sway.
Yet man deprav'd refuses to obey,
Nor gains without electing love the crown.
Thanks be to God for his redeeming love,
Announc'd by Him, who hung upon the tree,――
His Son, who left his glorious seat above
Our guilt t' atone; but who from death set free
Lives on his throne. Then let us all adore
The Father and the Lamb forevermore!

83. WHAT IS IT TO DIE?

The when and how we know not, but to die
Is but one fix'd and common, mortal lot;
Yet death is wondrous to our human thought!
We quit this earth and far away we fly――
But whither? Is it to the Sun on high,
Our central light, that our freed soul is brought,
If worthy of such place, without a blot;
Or to more distant orb in yon blue sky,
To some scarce-seen but faintly-twinkling star,
Whose rays have travell'd journeys to our sight,
Unmeasur'd by our leagues, they come so far?
Yet sure at last to dwell in heav'n's own light,――
Our bodies rais'd from dust by Christ, our friend,
In his own likeness,――ages without end!

84. CHURCHES OF PIEDMONT, 1851.

Long since it was th' unrivall'd poet's prayer,
That God, who governs all things here below,
The ashes of his slaughter'd saints would sow
O'er all the fields of Italy, so fair
To sight, but desolate of truth and bare.――
But centuries with God may onward flow,
Ere man his ripen'd purposes can know:
We see the op'ning bud: the Alpine air
Not now is fill'd with moans but praise of God;
And peaceful churches meet in open day,
Where once the vallies were all red with blood.
With hopeful faith we will not cease to pray,
That from its Alpine fount truth's mighty stream
May flow, o'er all th' Italian fields to gleam!

85. THE LORD'S SUPPER.

"This do," said CHRIST, "in memory of me."
Yes: I will drink the wine and eat the bread,
The heav'nly gift, which vivifies the dead;
Mindful of thine unequall'd charity.
No thrall, who drops his chain, and walks forth free,
From dungeon to his home and fireside led,
E'er felt through all his frame such rapture spread,
As I do feel, O CHRIST, redeem'd by thee!
And thou wilt yet still greater bliss bestow,
When from the prison――barriers of the grave
My captive dust in heav'nly form shall rise.
Then shall I taste the joys, which angels know,
In regions calm, where tempests never rave,
Nor clouds e'er float across the crystal skies.

86. THE INDIAN PREACHER.

Mohegan OCCOM!――not a chieftain's son,――
Yet chieftain's soul hadst thou, for thou didst say,
Thy God should have thy toil from day to day,
Till heav'nly life and glory thou hadst won.
So in thy youth thou didst begin to run
The race of Christian goodness, and to pray
In humble faith and love to God alway,
Utt'ring, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done."――
To preach the gospel to thy Brethren dear
And guide their wand'ring steps to heav'n above
Was e'er thy soul's delight――though work of fear――
For close to their's thy heart was knit in love.
O blessed sight, if thou at last shalt see
The ransom'd ones the Lord hath giv'n to thee!

87. SERMON IN MY NATIVE PLACE. 1851.

Of swift-wing'd years how rapid is the flight?
For half a hundred, on this day, save three
Have fled since God in his great love to me
Allow'd me to put on the armor bright,
By him supplied to fit me for the fight,
The ceaseless contest for true liberty;――
For truth alone can set the sinner free,
And bring the blind from darkness into light.
Alas, how chang'd the scene? For then were here
Full many a form of loveliness now fled,――
Father and Mother, Brothers, Sisters dear,
And many friends,――all sleeping with the dead.
What were I now, did not God's truth divine
With bright-hued hopes upon my vision shine?

88. NATIONAL CONVULSIONS, 1849.

The tempest rages through the earth around,
Tossing the ocean into mountain waves:
Thrones shake and totter, as the storm-wind raves,
And mightiest empires tremble at the sound:
Man has no structure on the solid ground,
Which bides the tumult, or its fury braves:
The sev'n-hill'd City, which the Tiber laves,
Though call'd eternal, shakes and is astound:
E'en its proud chief and priest, in sad affright,
Flees for his safety to a distant shore,
Lest falling temples on his head alight:
What is there stable 'mid this wild uproar?――
The CHURCH heeds not the angry billows' shock;――
THY CHURCH, O LORD, is founded on a rock!

89. PSALM VIII.

In all the earth, O Lord, thy name how great,
How glorious in the heavens doth it shine!
Sun, moon, and stars, which thou hast made, are thine,
And o'er all worlds, in majesty elate,
Thou reignest king. Then what is man's estate,
How low,――in which through pride he doth repine?
Yet thou didst give him rank almost divine,
When him with pow'r to rule thou didst create――
(Only a step beneath the angels high――)
O'er oxen, sheep, and beasts wild roving wide,
O'er all the fowl that in the air do fly,
And fish, that in the ocean-depths do glide.
O, God! who dost all praise and glory claim,
In all the earth how excellent thy name!

90. TO MY NATIVE TOWN.

PITTSFIELD, my native town, how chang'd art thou,
Since first, in childhood's years, thy streets I trod,
And in thy single temple worshipp'd God,
My father then thine only teacher!――Now
On ev'ry side the rival temples grow,
As though upspringing from prolific sod,
With tow'r, or spire high-tap'ring to a rod;
And num'rous teachers now heav'n's pathway show:
But Truth is one, unchang'd, always the same,――
Its sempiternal source with God on high,
Whence God's own Son in wondrous mercy came,
Pure light to pour on man's dark, wild'ring eye.
May all thy pastors guide their flocks aright,
And lead them to the heav'nly pastures bright.

91. TO SARAH ANNA HOPKINS.

SARAH, my much-lov'd grandchild, thou dost bear
An ancient name of honor; on this day,
Which marks just sixteen years, quick fled away
Since first thou didst draw in the vital air;
No greeting need I give thee, but my prayer,
Utter'd with all the fervency I may,
That of her "faith in God" the pow'rful sway,
Like ancient Sarah, thou wilt keep with care.
So shall thy future years, of unknown count,
Be years of honor, usefulness, and joy,
For thou wilt drink at Christian joy's pure fount,
And hopes, like these, will thy best thoughts employ――
'A glad exchange to me will sure be given,――
For death new life, for earth a glorious heaven!'

92. TO MRS. DOUGLASS, IN JAIL.

Lady, who late didst teach the blinded slave,
And hidden truth didst open to his sight,
God's minister of his own heav'nly light,――
I honor thee, most noble, good, and brave.
Let despots of the "Old Dominion" rave,
And for this, in their chivalry and might,
A woman shut in prison! This poor spite
From dark forgetfulness thy name shall save.
So Galileo was in dungeon deep
By bigots thrust, because he dar'd to say,
Our system's centre is the orb of day,
And earth revolves by laws that never sleep.
Though him they silenc'd, still the earth turns round:
Though thee they bind, God's light shall not be bound!

93. "READY FOR EITHER."

Fit emblem of Christ's servant,――him whose love
Has borne him to his distant heathen field,
Which, if not by him reach'd, can nothing yield
But crimes, that shut men out from heav'n above:
There, heedless of fatigue, his footsteps move
In ceaseless toil; nor from his view conceal'd
Lies hid the peril, when God's truth reveal'd
The worshipper is sham'd in idol's grove.
Brave man! toil on; thou shalt not toil in vain:
Thy master's promise trust; the good seed sow;
A glorious harvest thou wilt help to gain.
And should the madmen's dagger lay thee low,
Yet from thy outpour'd blood may spring the truth,
Life's nutriment to Old men and to Youth!

94. TO MISS HANNAH LYMAN, MONTREAL.

I owe thee many thanks, my distant friend,
That on the broad Canadian river's shore
Thy home being gain'd with joyfulness once more
Thou didst remember me, and to me send
These clust'ring Grapes, which now on me attend
To soothe a sick man's taste. From God's rich store
They came,――from where the northern tempests roar,――
His bounty wide, his mercy without end!
They speak to faith of greater sweetness far
Denoted by the wine that Jesus gave,
The Son of God, who came from heav'n to save,――
The Blood of Him, the framer of each star,
Which purchases our life, salvation free,
High glory, honor, immortality!

95. VISIT TO PONTOOSUC OR PITTSFIELD.

PITTSFIELD, so nam'd from British statesman bold,
Who dar'd command the struggles of the free,
What time men forg'd the chains for liberty;
How dear art thou to my pain'd vision old?
And many a scene now past dost thou unfold,
And many a wither'd joy, as well might be,
For years have fall'n, as leaves from autumn tree,
Since first thy light I saw and bliss untold.
Swift as the shadow of a flying cloud
All earthly good departs; but as a rock,
Which heeds not ocean's waves nor tempest loud,
My faith in Jesus, Savior, bides the shock:――
The same I held, when first in early youth
I here proclaim'd the heav'n-descended truth.

96. COMPANY OF OLD MEN.

"Hail, OLD MEN! Quite a goodly Company!"――
True, we are old; this day assembled here
In this new mansion to partake this cheer,
Of ancient friend to wake the memory.――
Though old, yet have we undimm'd eyes to see
And ears that fail not yet the truths to hear,
Once taught by our deceased pastor dear,
Which some in life's fair morn cannot descry,
Sin's thick, delusive veil spread o'er their sight.
We see time's speed, and death to be no cheat;
To us the Sun of Righteousness shines bright,
And bright yon heav'ns, up where we hope to meet.
We see the worth of Truth, of Faith, of Love,――
Our certain guides to ENDLESS LIFE above.

97. JOY IN A DYING HOUR.

To change for good alone my mingled state
In this brief life, and what I have to hold
By God's firm word while endless years unfold,――
This wakens joy; and this will be my fate,
When soon shall come my final, worldly date.――
Now hear I this――"O, chosen one, behold
Wonders of love divine, by Christ unroll'd;――
Come, share our bliss unmeasurably great!"――
Not one is toss'd by tempest, all at rest;――
Not one is conscience-smitten of the throng;――
Not one a suff'rer, all I see are blest;――
All know God's truth, all lift th' eternal song.――
Thus hearing calls from ev'ry heav'nly voice――
These scenes in vision――DYING I REJOICE!

98. NIAGARA FALLS.

Great are the works of God, which meet our sight.
Proud, sinful man! thyself above all fear
Of him who made the earth, come, stand but here,
And here be taught his majesty and might.
This stream from western lakes how broad and bright?
But now its waves in froth and rage appear,
And as they plunge down deep, their voice we hear,
Like thunders bursting from the clouds of night.
This river from his hand doth God outpour:
Then say, O sinner! hast thou naught to dread
From Majesty Divine, whom thou each hour
Dost treat with scorn, though soon to join the dead?
Pause in thy guilty path:――consider well――
God's wrathful flood may plunge thee down to hell!

99. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

How can a sinning man with God be just?
This grand inquiry all men need to make,
For all are guilty; and they well may quake
For flagrant evil deeds or secret lust,
For which God's law smites down their prideful trust.
Ye sleepers on the brink of woe! awake
And to the Gospel listen:――that can break
The fetters binding all the lost unjust.
Justice and love in wonderful display,
Mercy and truth in union sweet combine,
And shine forth glorious in the scheme divine.
The word reveal'd unfolds to us the way,
By which we, sinners, can be just with God;――
It is by FAITH in Christ's atoning blood.

100. TRIUMPH OF THE GOSPEL.

O, blessed day, when through the world below
JESUS shall reign the prince of love and peace,
For then shall men their angry contests cease,
And never more appear in hostile show;――
The sword transform'd into th' unbloody plow
And spear to pruning hook for thriving trees.
The kid lies down with leopard at his ease,
And grizzly bear feeds harmless with the cow.
The wolf and lamb together peaceful dwell,
The calf with the young lion too are led
By hand of little child. Ah, who can tell
How chang'd the scene, when, fiery passions fled,
No stain is seen on human hand of blood,
But all men live in holy Brotherhood?

REMARKS ON THE NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE SONNET.

In the judgment of some of the greatest poets and literary men the _Sonnet_ is a form of poetry of very high value; in its structure a precious gem. It is of Italian origin and was invented by _Petrarch_ in the 14th century. In his retreat at Vaucluse near Avignon he wrote the greater part of his sonnets, all devoted to the idolatry of woman――to the praise of Laura: 227 of them were written while she was living; and he continued to extol her in 90 sonnets after her death.

The laws of the sonnet are these. It has one leading subject and should end with some striking thought, or must bring to a beautiful conclusion or point the images and musings of the first lines and greater part of the poem. It has always 14 lines, falling into two unequal lobes, one of two quatrains, the other of two triplets; or in other words it is composed of four stanzas, the two first of four lines each and the two last of three lines each. Then as to the rhymes,――the first eight lines have only two rhymes, and they always in the same place,――the first, fourth, fifth and eighth lines rhyming; so also the other four. The last six lines admit of a little change, and may have either two or three rhymes; usually the four first lines have alternate rhymes, and the two last are a couplet; but even in this case the triplet form is to be preserved.

The distinction of the stanzas is made, not by a separation from each other by wider spaces, but while printed compactly by the lines 1, 5, 9, and 12, projecting to the left; as in Milton's sonnets and in the Venice edition of Petrarch in 1764. Various poets however have unwisely disregarded this rule: and have variously placed their rhymes and their lines at their pleasure. Campbell has translated a few of Petrarch's sonnets, reducing the 14 lines to 12, composed of three similar quatrains, the first and last lines of which rhyme together. But this is destroying the Sonnet.

Our admiration of Petrarch should perhaps be a little moderated; for he is full of affected turns and paradoxes and smart antitheses. Speaking of love he says, "O viva morte, O dilettoso male,"――O living death, O most beloved evil! Speaking also of its effect he says in four lines of rhyme, which may be thus translated――without rhyme――

"I find no peace, and am not the subject of war;
I fear, and hope, and also burn, and freeze;
I fly above the heavens, and walk on the earth;
I grasp nothing, and hold the universe in my arms."

Addressing a river, in which Laura washed her face, he says,

"Thou hast no rock beneath thy waves, which does not burn with the same fires, that are kindled in me." He also said, "O earth, thou art not worthy to be trodden by her feet. She deserves to adorn heaven!"

His curious stanza repeating the word _dolce_, sweet, 9 or 10 times may be thus translated:

"Sweet sorrow, and sweet joy, and then sweet pain,
Sweet torture, zephyr, fire, and next sweet wounds;
Sweet word, which in my ear most sweetly sounds,
Sweet anger, and sweet rage, and sweet disdain."

The sonnet in the use of Petrarch did not attain its highest dignity, for it was wholly appropriated to the praise of Laura, his love for whom whether real or fictitious has not yet been settled by the literary world. He died in 1374, aged 70.――The eminent English poet Spenser followed him after an interval of more than 200 years dying in 1598: he published 87 sonnets. Then Shakespeare, who died in 1616, published 154 sonnets; all of which by these two poets are devoted to love, but with a change of the Italian rhyme and form.

The following shows the sonnet's structure by _Spenser_.

"Men call you fair, and you do credit it,
For that your self ye daily such do see,
But the true fair, that is, the gentle wit
And virtuous mind is much more prais'd of me;
For all the rest, however fair it be,
Shall turn to naught, and lose that glorious hue;
But only that is permanent and free
From frail corruption, that doth flesh ensew:
That is true beauty; that doth argue you
To be divine, and born of heav'nly seed,
Deriv'd from that fair Spirit from whom all true
And perfect beauty did at first proceed:
He only fair, and what he fair hath made;
All other fair, like flow'rs, untimely fade."

It will be observed, that the last couplet is always a rhyme, which is not the fixed rule of Petrarch; and then he has changed the places of the rhymes and confused them by abolishing the stanzas.

The following is a sonnet of _Shakespeare_.

"O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
By that sweet ornament which truth doth give!
The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem
For that sweet odor which doth in it live.
The canker-blooms have full as deep a dye,
As the perfumed tincture of the roses;
Hang on such thorns, and play as wantonly,
When summer's breath their masked buds discloses:
But for their virtue only is their show;
They live unwoo'd, and unrespected fade;
Die to themselves. Sweet roses do not so;
Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odors made:
And so of you, beauteous and lovely youth;
When that shall fade, my verse distils your truth."

Here also is an injurious change in the sonnet of Petrarch: the last couplet is always a rhyme, and it is separated in print from the 12 lines, which are very simple, composing three stanzas of distinct, alternate rhymes, much easier to compose than Spenser's or the Italian.

_Milton_ wrote 5 sonnets in Italian, which were translated by Cowper. In them he followed Petrarch in his subject. It was in his 18 English sonnets, that he has given to this form of poetry its true elevation and dignity. Instead of applying it, like his predecessors, to love meditations, expressive of fictitious or real affection, he made it the instrument of conveying most important moral, patriotic, and religious sentiments.

The following is a sonnet of Milton, who died in 1675. It was addressed to

A VIRTUOUS YOUNG LADY.

"Lady, that in the prime of earliest youth
Wisely hast shunn'd the broad way and the green,
And with those few art eminently seen,
That labor up the hill of heav'nly truth,
The better part with Mary and with Ruth
Chosen thou hast; and they, that overween,
And at thy growing virtues fret their spleen,
No anger find in thee, but pity and ruth.
Thy care is fix'd, and zealously attends
To fill thy od'rous lamp with deeds of light,
And hope that reaps not shame. Therefore be sure
Thou, when the bridegroom with his feastful friends
Passes to bliss at the mid hour of night,
Hast gain'd thy entrance, Virgin wise and pure."

It will be seen, that he combined with his rhymes much of the freedom and force of blank verse. He never allows the absence of good strong sense nor the presence of unmeaning or useless words in order to make out the rhyme.

By printing his sonnets compactly without separating the stanzas from each other Milton carried on his sentences, as he found desirable, from stanza to stanza, frequently without any close at the end of a stanza, sometimes just beginning near the end. In this case the separation of the stanzas by spaces would evidently be absurd. Read the last five lines of his sonnet to Cromwell:――

"Peace hath her victories
No less renown'd than war: new foes arise
Threat'ning to bind our souls with sec'lar chains.――
Help us to save free conscience from the paw
Of hireling wolves, whose gospel is their maw."

Here, in the method of separating the stanzas by wider spaces in printing, the phrase "new foes arise" would have been separated from the line which follows, with which it is so intimately connected,――the head line of the last triplet.

The author may here be allowed to say, that in his judgment in the whole compass of English poetry there are no sonnets equal to a few of Milton's, numbered 8, 9, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22 and 23. If any one would know, whether Milton's meditations brought out sentiments worthy of utterance, and whether he knew how to utter them with the melody of rhyme and at the same time with the unshackled freedom and energy of blank verse, I leave with him for his refreshment the following lines from his sonnet on his own Blindness:――

"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?"
I fondly ask: But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work, or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best: his state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve, who only stand and wait."

More recently _Wordsworth_, who died in 1850, aged 80, has followed Milton in his application of this form of poetry to higher subjects than that to which it was applied by Petrarch. A very great fault however is his abolishing Milton's method of designating the stanzas and thus showing the places of the rhymes, the pleasures of which are gone if their places are not easily found. He wrote 282 sonnets: he wrote too many; and they are often diffuse and languid. The following is one of his sonnets: it is on the Pastoral Character.

"A genial hearth, a hospitable board,
And a refined rusticity belong
To the neat mansion, where, his Flock among,
The learned Pastor dwells, their watchful Lord.
Though meek and patient as a sheathed sword,
Though pride's least lurking thought appear a wrong
To human kind; though peace be on his tongue,
Gentleness in his heart; can earth afford
Such genuine state, pre-eminence so free,
As when, array'd in Christ's authority,
He from the pulpit lifts his awful hand;
Conjures, implores, and labors all he can
For re-subjecting to divine command
The stubborn spirit of rebellious man?"

The readers of poetry ought to feel much indebted to Mr. Wordsworth for his remarks in regard to the language of poetry, and in regard to the value of enkindled emotions. In his judgment, there ought not to be a distinct poetic diction, separate from the language of good prose; the poet should aim at good sense and intelligible diction, using the language of men, abandoning "a large portion of phrases and figures of speech, which from father to son have long been regarded as the common inheritance of poets," and even abstaining from many good expressions, which bad poets have so foolishly and perpetually repeated, as to render them disgusting. As illustrating his meaning, he quotes from a sonnet of _Gray_;――

"In vain to me the smiling mornings shine,
And reddening Phœbus lifts his golden fire:
The birds in vain their amorous descants join,
Or cheerful fields resume their green attire:
These ears, alas! for other notes repine."

Here this false diction destroys the value of every line.

The other remark of Mr. Wordsworth is this;――"all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of good feelings." Perhaps it might be also said, that in addition to sensibility and impassioned expression there should be chosen, for the highest poetry, subjects of moral dignity and religious interest, having a close bearing on human welfare not only for a moment but for perpetuity.

NOTES.

_Sonnet 1._ The name of WASHINGTON is in the heart of all Americans. Fifty years ago, that is in 1809, in the first edition of the American Biographical Dictionary, I devoted nearly 20 pages to a memoir of Washington. It may be a convenience to the reader of this little book to have here collected the dates as to the leading events of his life.――He was born at Bridges Creek, Westmoreland county, Virginia, Feb. 22, 1732; and died suddenly, after an illness of one day by an inflammation of the windpipe, Dec. 14, 1799, nearly 68 years old. He was in early life a major and colonel of the Virginia troops employed against the French on the Ohio in 1754 and 1755; and was subsequently commander in chief. About 1758 he married Mrs. Custis, a wealthy widow, whom he greatly loved. As a planter he had 9,000 acres of land under his management, and nearly 1,000 slaves in his employment, living at Mount Vernon, which was the estate of his deceased older brother Lawrence: his father's name was Augustine: his great grandfather came from the north of England about 1657.――He was appointed by congress commander in chief at the commencement of the war in 1775; and at the close resigned his commission Dec. 1783.

In 1789 he was chosen the first president of the United States for 4 years and then re-chosen, continuing in office till 1797, when he was succeeded by John Adams. By his last will he directed, that on the death of Mrs. Washington (who died May 22, 1802,) his slaves should be emancipated. As the ladies of Virginia, with the aid of ladies of other States, have purchased Mount Vernon in reverence to the name of Washington, will they not honor him if they manage it without obtruding upon it any slave labor?――Gen. Washington was a constant attendant on public worship in an episcopal church, which he principally supported. It is believed, that he every day had his hour of retirement for private devotion.

_Sonnet 2._ In looking from my eastern window a few evenings since (Dec. 12th,) I was struck with the magnificent appearance of the heavens,――the moon just rising in full effulgence, preceded a few degrees by the splendid planet Jupiter, while still higher and more at the south was the unequalled constellation Orion, with an uncounted multitude of stars planted thick in the sky. Jupiter is 1400 times larger than the earth, being 90,000 miles in diameter: he revolves on his axis in ten hours, so that a body on his surface flies around at the rate of 27,000 miles per hour, or 27 times faster than a body on the earth. It has four satellites. Can it be imagined, that this huge planet is not furnished with rational inhabitants, like this diminutive earth? And what reason can be assigned why all the planets and all the stars should not be inhabited by rational beings? Who can fix the limits to God's creation? As light flies 192,000 miles every second, who can say, that the light from the most distant star has yet reached the earth since the star was created? With what reverence and awe, with what love and trust and spirit of obedience should Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, be regarded?

_Sonnet 3._ Wm. H. Prescott, the distinguished historian, died at Boston of the paralysis after a few hours' illness Jan. 28, 1859, aged 62 years. Knowing that he was about to die, it was his remarkable request, that in his coffin he might lie for a time with his face uncovered in his library, surrounded by his cherished Books. From his library he was carried to his grave Jan. 31st. The next evening the Historical Society of Massachusetts held a meeting in honor of his memory. Mr. Winthrop, the president, Mr. Ticknor who introduced some resolutions, and others made speeches on the occasion, which were published. As a humble associate member of the society I would not neglect to mention the following apposite and interesting fact, that _Petrarch_, the inventor of the Italian _sonetto_, was found dead in his library with his head _resting on a book_. He died of apoplexy July 18, 1374, aged 74.――Milton's memorable words in relation to books ought never to be forgotten:――"Many a man lives a burden to the earth; but _a good book_ is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, imbalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life."――But the book of books is God's Book, which infinitely transcends all others in value, except as they borrow truth from its pages, for it reveals to man his pathway to a blessed immortality. Never should the words of Mr. Chillingworth be forgotten: "The BIBLE, I say, the BIBLE only is the Religion of Protestants."

_Sonnet 4._ In the city of Paris, ten years ago, I was one of a large company of hundreds of the Friends of Peace from different nations. We presented to the Emperor,――then only a President,――an Address against War. In the present year by his inroad into Italy and conflict with Austria he has fixed upon his soul the unmeasurable guilt of several tens of thousands of murders.

_Sonnet 5._ After the existence of one God there is no truth so astonishing and holding such a power over the human heart, as the death of the Son of God on the cross for the sins of men. For who was the Son of God? He was indeed in the form of a man, born of the virgin Mary; but he came down from heaven to tabernacle in human flesh. Let us raise our eyes from the earth to the worlds above us, of enormous magnitude compared with this little globe of ours. Suppose now the glorious sun is inhabited by a race of intelligent beings as much exalted above man, as the sun is greater and more resplendent than the earth. If the highest of the sun's inhabitants had come to this low world and dwelt in human flesh――it might have been a most amazing event in our eyes; yet he would not have been the Son of God. Suppose among the countless worlds of light there is one world vastly transcending all others and the dwellers on it transcending in their faculties and endowments all other world-dwellers; and the first among them had come to dwell in man's form; yet he would not have been the Son of God. We read of angels and archangels in heaven――in the place of God's more especial abode. Suppose the brightest archangel had descended to this ball of earth and animated a human form, and appeared as a man; yet he would not have been the Son of God. For the Son of God is he, by whom God created the sun and moon and stars of light, with all the intelligent dwellers upon them and the dwellers in the heavenly mansions. It was this Son of God inconceivably exalted and glorious, who came down from heaven and appeared as the Son of Mary. And not only so; but he actually was subject to the evils, which man suffers; he could feel pain, and anguish, and the agonies of the cross,――and did encounter them,――if the plain language of scripture is no delusion,――in order to atone for our sins and to achieve the work of our redemption. Now, did we believe this: did this most sublime and wonderful truth plant itself in our inmost persuasion,――unalloyed and unweakened or not destroyed in its influence by any of our speculative theories;――were we deeply and thoroughly convinced of this great fact;――then who of us could fail to exclaim,――"God forbid, that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world?"

_Sonnet 10._ John Tyndale, born in 1484, and educated at Oxford. Determined to translate the Bible for England, as he could not do it safely in London he fled to the continent. At Cologne he published the English New Testament about 1525. England was filled with light. The popish priests sent over a traitor, by whose means Tyndale was seized and martyred near Antwerp Friday, Oct. 6, 1536, being strangled at the stake and burnt. His translation of the New Testament was the foundation of our present one.

_Sonnet 13._ The four following ex-presidents were all living, when this sonnet was written in March, 1826.――_John Adams_ died July 4, 1826, aged 90; president from 1797 to 1801.――_Thomas Jefferson_ died on the same day with Mr. Adams, July 4, 1826, aged 83; president from 1801 to 1809. As a member of congress he drew up the declaration of Independence in 1776.――_James Madison_ died in 1836, aged 85; president from 1809 to 1817.――_James Monroe_ died July 4, 1831, aged 83; president from 1817 to 1825.

_Sonnet 16._ In a sonnet Mr. _Wordsworth_ does not lament the protestant hurricane, which scattered wide

"The trumpery, that ascends in bare display,
Bulls, pardons, relics, cowls, black, white, and grey,
Upwhirl'd――and flying o'er th' ethereal plain
Fast bound for Limbo lake."

_Sonnet 17._ Christ's own clear, ample, minute, most decisive instruction concerning the Day of Judgment is in Matt. 25th, and ends with the words, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." He also said of the unbeliever, in John 3d, "he shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him:" he also said, Matt. 18, "It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."

_Sonnet 20._ Shakespeare in a sonnet says,――

"When to the sessions of sweet, silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:
Then can I drown an eye, unus'd to flow,
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,"

_Sonnet 22._ Ten years ago, in 1849, I had the satisfaction of visiting the valley of Chamouni in Switzerland at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest point in Europe, 15,600 or 15,673 feet or nearly 3 miles in height above the sea. Here once lived Jacques Balmat, who, having discovered a way to the top of the mountain, in his gratitude to Dr. Paccard, the physician of the village, apprized him of his discovery, and undertook to conduct him to the summit. After two days' toil the exploit was accomplished Aug. 8, 1786. The next ascent was by De Saussure, the elder, of Geneva, accompanied by his servant, by Balmat, and 17 other guides, Aug. 3, 1787. In 1808 Balmat conducted to the top 15 of the people of Chamouni, one of whom was a woman, Maria Parodis. Ascents were made by men of different countries in 1802, 1812, and 1818. Two Americans accomplished this ascent in 1819, Dr. Wm. Howard of Baltimore and Dr. Van Rensselaer, with 9 guides. They reached the top Monday, July 12th. Remaining more than an hour on the summit, they reached Chamouni in safety after an absence of 53 hours only.――Capt. Underhill of England made the ascent in the same year. The lives of three guides were lost in the attempt of Dr. Hamel in 1820. Since then there were 27 ascents, to the year 1851, when Albert Smith and other Englishmen went up with 16 guides Aug. 13th.

_Sonnet 23._ The Christian theologian has this ground of controversy, that the Bible is a revelation from God, which book therefore contains no error, but is filled with eternal, infallible truth. No contradiction in doctrine can possibly exist in holy scripture; and nothing can reconcile the reason, bestowed upon us, with what is absurd or impossible. If controversialists may gather some expressions, which seem to conflict with each other, some patience and diligence of inquiry may be requisite in order to bring them into harmony; a knowledge of the ancient languages, in which the scriptures were written, may prove useful, as may also an acquaintance with eastern customs and manners, and an attention to the circumstances and design of the utterance which is under consideration.

_Sonnet 24._ In a sonnet _Wordsworth_ speaks of the new churches in England, in which the Truth of God might be taught:――

"The wished-for Temples rise!
I hear their Sabbath bell's harmonious chime
Float on the breeze――the heavenliest of all sounds
That hill or vale prolongs or multiplies."

_Sonnet 26._ In the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, the Thirteen United States said unanimously――"We hold these truths to be self-evident:――that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

In his last will Washington ordered the emancipation of his slaves; so also did John Randolph. Patrick Henry declared, that the principle of slavery is "as repugnant to humanity, as it is inconsistent with the Bible, and destructive to liberty." Mr. Jefferson said in his Notes on Virginia, in reference to the holding of slaves, "I tremble for my country, when I remember, that God is just!" If the leading minds of the South should adopt the sentiments of these illustrious Virginians, it will next be their proper business to devise and execute the best method for giving to their slaves the blessings of freedom.

_Sonnet 27._ Dr. Cotton Mather of Boston, published in Boston 141 years ago a new Version of the Psalms from the Hebrew into English blank verse,――so called from the absence of rhyme,――the measure of the lines being adapted to the music in vogue. Melancthon said of the Psalms, "It is the most elegant work extant in the world." Jewell wrote to Peter Martyr in 1560, that 6,000 people sung the Psalms together at St. Paul's Cross in London. The following is his version of the 23d Psalm:

"1. My shepherd is the Eternal God;
I shall not be in (any) want:
2. In pastures of a tender grass
He (ever) makes me to lie down:
To waters of tranquillities
He gently carries me (along.)
3. My _feeble and my wandering_ soul
He (kindly) does fetch back again;
In the plain paths of righteousness
He does lead (and guide) me along.
Because of the regard He has
(Ever) unto his glorious name.
4. Yea when I shall walk in the vale
Of the dark (dismal) shade of Death,
I'll of no evil be afraid,
Because thou (ever) art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, these are what
Yield (constant) comfort unto me.
5. A table thou dost furnish out
Richly (for me) before my face.
'Tis in view of mine enemies;
(And then) my head thou dost anoint
With fatt'ning and perfuming oil;
My cup it (ever) overflows.
6. Most certainly the thing that is
Good, with (most kind) benignity,
This all the days, that I do live,
Shall (still and ever) follow me;
Yea I shall dwell and Sabbatize
Even to (unknown) length of days,
_Lodg'd_ in the house which does belong
To him who's the Eternal God."

_Sonnet 29._ As Christians we are under inexpressible obligations to God for his book of revealed truth, proved to be divine by the voice of prophecy, by the wonders of miracles, by the sublimity of its doctrines, and by the approval of conscience. Every man, who can read, is bound to examine this book for himself; for otherwise his faith will rest on a human not a divine teacher.――According to Mr. Chillingworth, what God requires of us is "to believe the Scripture to be God's word, to endeavor to find the true sense of it, and to live according to it." He also says――"I see plainly and with mine own eyes, that there are popes against popes, Councils against Councils, some Fathers against others, the same Fathers against themselves, a Consent of Fathers of one age against a Consent of Fathers of another age, the Church of one age against the Church of another age. Traditive interpretations of Scripture are pretended, but there are few or none to be found. No tradition, but only of Scripture, can derive itself from the fountain."――"Propose me any thing out of this book, and require whether I believe it or no; and seem it never so incomprehensible to human reason, I will subscribe it with hand and heart: As knowing no demonstration can be stronger than this; God hath said so, therefore it is true." But then we ought to be well assured, that God hath said what we attribute to him; that we understand the import of the divine word; and that no prepossession, or prejudice, or passion, or mental bondage leads us into an inexcusable misapprehension.

_Sonnet 30._ My wife, MARIA MALLEVILLE, who died very suddenly at Brunswick in Maine June 3, 1828, aged 40 years, was the only daughter and child of Dr. John Wheelock, the president of Dartmouth College. She was of Huguenot descent by her mother, Maria Suhm, the daughter of Christian Suhm, the Danish commandant and governor of the island of St. Thomas: he died in 1759, aged 40, being a native of Copenhagen. Mrs. Suhm's descent was from Thomas Bourdeau of the south or west of France, a protestant martyr after the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, as follows. He sent his only daughter Maria at the age of ten years for safety to the island of St. Thomas. In the same vessel was a protestant emigrant from the same place, Mr. La Salle, whom she at the age of 15 married. Their daughter Maria La Salle married John Malleville of St. Thomas: their daughter, Maria Malleville, married in 1751 governor Suhm, who after his death was succeeded by her brother, Gov. Thomas Malleville. Her second marriage was to Lucas Von Beverhoudt of Beverwyck in Parsippany, New Jersey, where she was accustomed to receive Washington at her house. Their daughter, Adriana, married T. Boudinot, the descendant of another Huguenot family from France.――She died in 1798. Her daughter, Maria Suhm, married, as has been mentioned, president Wheelock.――My wife, whom I married Jan. 28, 1813, was the mother of 8 children.

_Sonnet 32._ About 50 years ago, when the neighborhood of Sackett's Harbor was a wilderness, a little child of one of the new settlers aged 4 years was lost in the woods. The father's house was 6 miles from the Harbor. All possible aid in the search was of course called together under the regulation and with the success described in this sonnet.

_Sonnet 35._ As Spenser says of the Lamb;――

"His sceptre is the rod of righteousness,
With which he bruiseth all his foes to dust,
And the great Dragon strongly doth repress
Under the rigor of his judgment just;
His seat is Truth, to which the faithful trust,
From whence proceed her beams so pure and bright,
That all about him sheddeth glorious light."

_Sonnet 36._ Dr. John Codman died at Dorchester, where he was long the pastor of a church, Dec. 23, 1847, aged 65. Graduating at Harvard college in 1802, he pursued his theological studies in Edinburgh from 1805 to 1808, in which year he was ordained. His subsequent life was devoted to the faithful preaching of the gospel. Among his last words he said,――"I am willing to be in God's hands." His Memoirs and Sermons were published in 1853.