"But do thou pray for him that desires "this to thee, and endeavours it.

"JER. TAYLOR."

From a genius so sweet and fertile, so energetick and sublime as that of Taylor, some effort of the muse might be expected; and it is not unreasonable to suppose that his cultivation of poetry was more extensive than appears in his publications.

Some instances of his talent in this sort of composition are subjoined to the Golden Grove, called "Festival Hymns." Being all on religious subjects, they partake of that defect which is incidental to divine poetry, and fail in endeavouring to express what indeed is beyond the reach of human language, the mysteries of religion and events concealed by the veil of futurity. They have also defects peculiar to the prevailing taste of the age in which they were written. But still there is an elevation of thought and dignity of expression in some of these poems which demonstrate them to be the production of no ordinary mind. Of this the following may be produced, as affording the best specimens.

OF HEAVEN.

O beauteous God, uncircumscribed treasure
Of an eternal pleasure,

Thy throne is seated far

Above the highest star,

Where thou prepar'st a glorious place,
Within the brightness of thy face,

For ev'ry spirit

To inherit

That builds his hopes upon thy merit,
And loves thee with a holy charity.

What ravished heart, seraphic tongue, or eyes,

Clear as the morning's rise,

Can speak, or think, or see,
That bright eternity,

Where the great King's transparent throne

Is of an entire jasper stone?

There the eye

O'th' chrysolite,

And a sky

Of diamonds, rubies, chrysoprase,

And, above all, thy holy face,

Makes an eternal clarity.

When thou thy jewels up dost binde, that day

Remember us, we pray;

That where the beryl lies,

And the chrystal, 'bove the skies,

There thou mai'st appoint us place,

Within the brightness of thy face,

And our soul

In the scrowl

Of life and blissfulness enrowl,

That we may praise thee to eternity.
Allelujah.

THE SECOND HYMN FOR ADVENT; OR CHRIST'S

COMING TO JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH.

Lord, come away,

Why dost thou stay?

Thy road is ready, and thy paths made straight

With longing expectation wait

The consecration of thy beauteous feet.
Ride on triumphantly, behold we lay

Our lusts and proud wills in thy way.

Hosanna! welcome to our hearts. Lord, here

Thou hast a temple too, and full as dear

As that of Sion, and as full of sin,

Nothing but thieves and robbers dwell therein:

Enter and chase them forth, and cleanse the floor;

Crucify them, that they may never more

Profane that holy place,

Where thou hast chose to set thy face.

And then if our stiff tongues shall be
Mute in the praises of thy Deity,
The stones out of the temple wall
Shall cry aloud and call

Hosanna! - and thy glorious footsteps greet.

We are reminded in these lines of some passages in Cowley, and some turns of expression in the earlier poems of Milton, who, though with the adverse party, is said to have held the writings of Taylor in high estimation.

CHAP. VIII.

FROM 1655 TO 1660.

'HE age in which Taylor lived, though discouraging to the feeble-minded, was in favour of the vigorous and the strong. Both genius and piety burn with greater fervour and brightness in proportion as the world becomes less engaging and persecution is the test of Christian fortitude. Powerful opposition calls into action all the energy of resistance. And the storm that drove the human creature to seek shelter in the vale of the mountains, only urged the spirit to break forth at every aperture.

Alive to every passing occurrence, the soul of Taylor manifests itself on every occasion. From the first day of his seclusion till he removed into Ireland, he seems to have allowed few subjects connected with the questions of those times to escape him. Most of these he handled with an adroitness that proved his versatility of genius and command of learn