The passions of the spirit

Canto. 4.

OH ioy aboue all ioyes. that euer were! Could I conceiue but halfe thine excellence, Or how to hope to giue attendance there, Where thou dost keepe thy royall residence, And on my knees thy holy name adore:

Were my soule well, shee should desier no more:

To see the day that from an high is springing, To guide our feete into the way of peace, To heare the Virgins playing, Angells singing, The Psalmes of glory that shall neuer cease. To heare the sound of such a heauenly queare, Would it not ioy the soule to see and heare?

To see the Saints and Martyrs in their places, By highest grace with heauenly glory crowned: To see the kysses.

and the sweet imbrace Of blessed soules, by constant saith renomed, To see the ground of all these sweet agreeing Were not these sights all sweetly worth the seeing?

The Diamond, Rubie, Saphir, and such like Of pretious gemmes that are the worldlings ioyes, And greatest princes for their crownes doe seeke, To heauenly treasuers are but trifling toyes, Wherewith the holy citie all is paued, And all the walls are round about in-graued:

Nor hee that sits on the supernall throne, In maiestie most glorious to beehold, And houlds the septer of the world alone, Hath not his garment of imbrodered gold: But hee is clothed in truth and righteousnesse, The heauenly garments of true holynesse.

Oh could my soule out of some Angells wyng By humble sute obtaine one onely pen: Might wright in honour of my glorious king, The ioy of Angells and the life of men.

That all the world might fall vpon their faces, To heare the glory of his heauenly graces.

But since I see his wonder worth is such, As doth exceed, the reach of humane sence, And all the earth vnworthy is to touch The smallest title of his excellence: Let mee referre vnto some Angells glory The happy writing of this heauenly story.

Where this sweet King that on the white horse rideth, Vpon the wings

of the celestiall winde, Neere whose sweet aier no blasting breath abideth, Nor stands the tree, that hee doth fruitlesse finde, Doth make all tremble where his glory goeth, Yea, where his mildnesse most his mercie showeth.

Where heauenly loue is cause of holy life, And holy life increaseth heauenly loue: Where peace establisht without feare of strife, Doth proue the blessing of the soules beehaue: Where thirst, nor hunger, griefe, nor sorrow dwelleth, But peace in ioy,

And ioye in peace excelleth.

Oh ioyfull feare on vertuous loue ••ll founded! O vertuous loue, in mercies glory graced! O gracious loue, on faith in mercy grounded! Oh faithfull loue, in heauenly fauour placed! Oh settled loue, that cannot bee remoued! Oh glorious loue, of glory so beeloued!

Where virgins ioye, in their virginitie, The vertuous spouse in vndefiled bed, And true deuines in true deuinitie,

The gratious members in their glorious head. The sinners ioye, to escape damnation: And faithfull soules. in their saluation.

Where sicke men ioy, to see their sweetest health, The prisoners ioy to see their libertie, The poore reioyce to see their sweetest wealth, The vertuous to adore the deitie: And I vnworthie most of all to see, The eies of mercie cast one looke on mee.