Others

But who is this, what thing of sea or land? Female of sex it seems, That so bedeck’d, ornate, and gay, Comes this way sailing Like a stately ship Of Tarsus, bound for th’ isles Of Javan or Gadire, With all her bravery on, and tackle trim, Sails fill’d, and streamers waving, Courted by all the winds that hold them play; An amber scent of odorous perfume Her harbinger?

Apt words have power to suage The tumors of a troubled mind.

Deep vers’d in books and shallow in himself.

The first and wisest of them all professed To know this only, that he nothing knew. 7

Socrates… Whom well inspir’d the oracle pronounc’d Wisest of men.

Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts And eloquence.

Beauty stands In the admiration only of weak minds Led captive.

A bevy of fair women.

O fairest of creation! last and best Of all God’s works! creature in whom excell’d Whatever can to sight or thought be form’d, Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet! How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost, Defac’d, deflower’d, and now to Death devote?

My unpremeditated verse.

My unpremeditated verse.

The angel ended, and in Adam’s ear So charming left his voice that he awhile Thought him still speaking, still stood fix’d to hear.

He onward came; far off his coming shone.

Servant of God, well done, well hast thou fought The better fight, who single hast maintained Against revolted multitudes the cause Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms.

A wilderness of sweets.

Abash’d the Devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is, and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely.

In naked beauty more adorn’d, More lovely, than Pandora.

Adam the goodliest man of men since born His sons, the fairest of her daughters Eve.

A heaven on earth.

At whose sight all the stars Hide their diminish’d heads. 6

Dark with excessive bright.

Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.

Their rising all at once was as the sound Of thunder heard remote.

But all was false and hollow; through his tongue Dropp’d manna, and could make the worse appear The better reason.