The leffer lights, like centinels in war,
Behind the clouds ftood privily to pry,
As though unfeen they fubt'ly ftrove from far,
Of his escape the manner to defcry;
Hid was each wand'ring, as each fixed ftar,
As they had held a council in the sky,
And had concluded with that prefent night,
That not a star should once give any light.
In a flow filence all the fhores are hufh'd;
Only the screech-owl founded to th'affault;
And Ifs with a troubled murmur rufh'd,
As if confenting, and would hide the fault;
And as his foot the fand or gravel crush'd,
There was a little whifp'ring in the vault,
Mov'd by his treading foftly as he went,
Which feem'd to fay, it further'd his intent.

Drayton's Barons Wars. The night doth fummon all to fleep: Methinks this time becometh lovers beft; Night was ordain'd, together friends to keep: How happy are all other living things, Which though the day disjoin by fev'ral flight, The quiet evening yet together brings, And each returns unto his love at night?

O, thou that art fo courteous elfe to all,
Why shouldst thou night, abuse me only thus:
That ev'ry creature to his kind dost call,
And yet 'tis thou doft only fever us?

Well could I wish it would be ever day,
If when night comes, you bid me go away.

Drayton's Ideas
Now barks the wolf against the full cheek'd moon ;
Now lions half-cramm'd entrails roar for food;
Now croaks the toad, and night-crows fcreech aloud,
Flutt'ring 'bout cafements of departing fouls.

Now gapes the graves, and thro' their yawns. let loofe Imprifon'd fpirits to revifit earth..

Marston's Second Part of Antonio and Mellida.

0 4

Soul

Soul lurk in fhades, and fhun the lightfome skies;
In night, the blind man miffeth not his eyes.

Marfion's Malecontext.

See the heavy clouds low falling,
And bright Hesperus down calling
The dead night from under ground;
At whofe rifing, mifts unfound,
Damps and vapours fly apace,
Hov'ring o'er the wanton face
Of these paftures; where they come,
Striking dead both bud and bloom:
Therefore from fuch danger lock
Every one his loved flock,

And let your dogs lie loofe without,
Left the wolf come as a fcout
From the mountain, and ere day,
Bear a lamb or kid away;'
Or the crafty thievish fox,
Break upon your fimple flocks:
To fecure your felf from thefe,
Be not too fecure in ease ;
Lot one eye his watches keep,
eye doth fleep;

Whilft the other

So you fhall good fhepherds prove,
And for ever hold the love

Of our great God. Sweeteft flumbers
And foft filence fall in numbers

On your eye-lids: fo farewel,

Thus I end my evening's knell.

Beaumont and Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdefs. If ev'ry trick were told, that's dealt by night; There are few here, that would not blush outright. Tourneur's Revenger's Tragedy. Stand, night, upon thy noonstead: and attend My fate's fecurity; If ever blackness pleas'd, Or deeds, to which men may resemble thee, Turn then thy footy horfe, and with their feet

Beat

Beat back the rifing morn: and force the fun
Forbear his luftre; till this black deed's done.

Mafon's Muleaffes.

The fable mantle of the filent night,
Shut from the world the very joy fome light:
Care fled away, and fofteft flumbers please
To leave the court for lowly cottages:
Wild beafts forfook their dens on woody hills,
And fleightful otters left the purling rills;
Rooks to their nefts in high woods now were flung,
And with their spread wings fhield their naked young;
When thieves from thickets to the cross ways ftir,
And terror frights the lonely paffenger:

When nought was heard but now and then the howl
Of fome wild cur, or whooping of the owl.
Brown's Paftorals.
Night, that doth bafely keep the door of fin,
And hide grofs murders and adulteries;
With all the mortal fins the world commits
From the clear eye fight of the morning!
Thou that ne'er changeft colour for a fin,
Worfe than apoftacy; ftand centinel this hour,
And with thy negro's face, veil my intent :
Put out the golden candles with thy fogs,
And let original darkness, that is fled
With chaos to the center, guard my steps.
How hufh'd is all things! and the world appears
Like to a churchyard full of dead.

Death's picture, fleep, looks as if paffing bells
Went for each vital spirit; and appears
As if our fouls had took their gen'ral flight,
And cheated nature of her motion.
Then on unto thy practice-none can defcry
The black intent, but night and her black eye.
Valiant Welfoman.
For there's no diff'rence 'twixt the king and clown,
The poor and rich, the beauteous and deform'd,
Wrapt in the veil of night, and bonds of fleep;

05

Without

Without whofe pow'r and sweet dominion,
Our life were hell, and pleasure painfulness
The fting of envy, and the dart of love,
Avarice talons, and the fire of hate,

Would poifon, would distract, and foon consume
The heart, the liver, life, and mind of man.
The fturdy mower that with brawny arms
Wieldeth the crooked feythe in many a swath,
Cutting the flow'ry pride o"the velvet plain,
Lies down at night, and in the weary folds
Of his wive's arms, forgets his labour pait :-
The painful mariner, and careful smith,
The toiling ploughman, all artificers,
Moft humbly yield to my dominion:
Without due reft nothing is durable.
Lo thus does Somnus conquer all the world
With his moft awful wand; and, half the year,
Reigns o'er the best and proudest emperors!

Lingua

Night's filent reign had robb'd the world of light;
To lend, in lieu, a greater benefit

Repose and fleep; when ev'ry mortal breast

Whom care or grief permitted, took their rest.

May's Continuation of Lucan.

-Yonder's the night too, ftealing away

With her black gown about her;

Like a kind wench, that had staid out the

Laft minute with a man.

Those who the greateft wand'rers are,
Wild birds, that in the day
Frequent no certain way,
And know no limits in the air;
Will ftill at night difcreetly come
And take their civil reft at home.

Suckling's Goblins.

Sir W. Davenant's Siege of Rhodes.

N Ꮸ

NOBILITY

It moft behoves the honourable race,

Of mighty peers true wisdom to fuftain; And with their noble countenance to grace The learned forheads, without gift or gain: Or rather learn'd themselves behoves to be; That is the girlond of nobility.

But ah! all otherwife they do efteem

Of th' heav'nly gift of wifdom's influence, And to be learned, it a bafe thing deem; Base minded they that want intelligence: For god himself for wifdom moft is prais'd, And men to God thereby are nighest rais'd. But they do only ftrive themselves to raise

Through pompous pride, and foolish vanity ; In th' eyes of people they put all their praise, And only boat of arms and ancestry:

But virtuous deeds, which did those arms first give
To their grandfires, they care not to atchieve.
Spenfer's Tears of the Mufes.

Ne do they care to have the ancestry
Of the old heroes memoriz'd anew;

Ne do they care that late pofterity

Should know their names, or speak their praifes due: But die forgot, from whence at first they fprong,

As they themselves fhall be forgot ere long.

What doth avail to have a princely place,
A name of honour, and a high degree,
To come by kindred of a noble race,

Spenfer, Ibid.

Except we princely, worthy, noble be? The fruit declares the goodness of the tree. Do brag no more of birth, or lineage then ; For virtue, grace, and manners make the man. Mirror for Magiftrates.