Miscellany poems by Tho. Heyrick ...

To the Right Honourable Katherine Countess of Rutland.

THE Cautious Heathens, er'e they would admit Their Poets of their Deities to treat, First at their Altars made them Homage pay, And purge their Dross and looser Strains away: That the Exalted Purified mind Might Notions fit for Heavenly Beings find. So the bold Artist, that of You would speak, Should Patterns from Celestial Natures take; And stamp his Soul in an Angeli••k Mold; Er'e he Your Vertues should attempt to' unfold. In highest Sciences we words do want; Expressions, that may give our Notions vent: Thus Rhet'rick dumb at Your Perfections grows; Our Language then, that 'tis defective, shows. And thô those Flowers, which other Tongues refine, She doth unto her Treasures wisely join; All's yet too low for Subjects so Divine. Homer the Language of the Heavens could tell, Mysterious Secrets of the Gods reveal: He that, how Good, of Great You are, would show, Had need the Depth of Heavenly wisdom know: For all we deal with here doth flag too low. Angels the Mighty work should undertake, And shew what Words they for such Merits make. Had You liv'd in those Fabulous Ages, when The Heavenly Seats he••d Colonies of Men; When every Spark of Worth or Mounting Fire Durst up into a Deity aspire;

What Deities had Your Perfections showd, How many from Your Single Worth had flow'd? Each Vertue had a God or Goddess given, And You could from Your Self have peopled Heaven. Nor of this Age alone extends Your Fame, The Times to come shall spread Your Glorious Name. And wheresoer'e the Name of MANNERS flies, (A Name that doth all Excellence comprize) As down the Ages it doth pass along, You'l be the Subject of their Gratefull song: And with Your Beauteous Offspring fix it fast, Coëval with the World and Time to last. And as Great Caesar's haughty Name did come Successively to all, that govern'd Rome; Your Name, like Incence, shall descend to story, And be the Age's Bliss and Sexe's Glory. And all, whose Generous Breasts aspire to Fame, With decent boldness shall assume Your Name, Which in all Ages shall be understood Significant for what is Great or Good. Had but the Early Centuries, that could find The Vertues and the Graces Woman-kind, Seen the Fair Draughts of Your Celestial Mind: New Sexes to their Deities they 'had given, Nor left one Single God to rule in Heaven.