See how with roses, and with lilies shine,
Lilies and roses, flowers of either sex,

The bright bride's paths, embellish'd more than thine,

With light of love this pair doth intertex!

Stay, see the virgins sow,
Where she shall go,

The emblems of their way.—

O, now thou smil'st, fair sun, and shin'st, as thou would'st stay!

With what full hands, and in how plenteous showers Have they bedew'd the earth, where she doth tread, As if her airy steps did spring the flowers,

And all the ground were garden where she led! See, at another door,

On the same floor,

The bridegroom meets the bride

With all the pomp of youth, and all our court beside!

Our court, and all the grandees! now, sun, look,
And looking with thy best inquiry, tell,
In all thy age of journals thou hast took,
Saw'st thou that pair became these rites so well,
Save the preceding two??

Who, in all they do,

Search, sun, and thou wilt find

They are the exampled pair, and mirror of their kind.

2 Save the preceding two, &c.] The king and queen. In Love's Welcome at Bolsover, Jonson compliments this illustrious pair on the strictness and purity of their union; if that can be called compliment which is merely truth. In all his domestic relations, Charles I. stood unparalleled; he was an indulgent master, a faithful and affectionate husband, and a tender parent.

This must have been a very splendid ceremony. Both the king and the favourite were to be gratified by assisting at it, and it is probable that few of the young nobility were absent. Charles himself acted as father to the bride, and gave her away.

Force from the Phoenix, then, no rarity

Of sex, to rob the creature; but from man,
The king of creatures, take his parity

With angels, muse, to speak these: nothing can
Illustrate these, but they
Themselves to-day,

Who the whole act express;

All else, we see beside, are shadows, and go

It is their grace and favour that makes seen,
And wonder'd at the bounties of this day;
All is a story of the king and queen:

And what of dignity and honour may
Be duly done to those

Whom they have chose,

And set the mark upon,

less.

To give a greater name and title to! their own!
Weston, their treasure, as their treasurer,

That mine of wisdom, and of counsels deep,
Great say-master of state, who cannot err,
But doth his caract, and just standard keep,
In all the prov'd assays,

And legal ways

Of trials, to work down

Men's loves unto the laws, and laws to love the

crown.

And this well mov'd the judgment of the king
To pay with honours to his noble son
To-day, the father's service; who could bring
Him up, to do the same himself had done:
That far all-seeing eye

Could soon espy
What kind of waking man

He had so highly set; and in what Barbican.3

3 He had so highly set; and in what Barbican.] An old word for a beacon, fortress, or watch-tower:

Stand there; for when a noble nature's rais'd,
It brings friends joy, foes grief, posterity fame;
In him the times, no less than prince, are prais'd,
And by his rise, in active men, his name
Doth emulation stir;

To the dull a spur

It is, to the envious meant

A mere upbraiding grief, and torturing punishment.
See now the chapel opens, where the king
And bishop stay to consummate the rites;
The holy prelate prays, then takes the ring,
Asks first, who gives her?-I, Charles-then he
plights

One in the other's hand,

Whilst they both stand

Hearing their charge, and then

The solemn choir cries, Joy! and they return, Amen!

O happy bands! and thou more happy place,

Which to this use wert built and consecrate!
To have thy God to bless, thy king to grace,
And this their chosen bishop celebrate,
And knit the nuptial knot,

Which time shall not,

Or canker'd jealousy,

With all corroding arts, be able to untie!

"Within the Barbican a porter sate,

Day and night, duly keeping watch and ward.'
Fairy Queen, b. ii. cant. 9. WHAL.

One of the streets of London takes its name from an edifice of that kind, anciently standing there. Stow thus describes it: "On the north-west side of this city, near unto Red-cross street, there was a tower commonly called Barbican, or Burhkenning, for that the same being placed on a high ground, and also being builded of some good height, was in old time used as a watch-tower for the city." Ed. 4to. 1603, p. 70.

The chapel empties, and thou mayst be

gone

Now, sun, and post away the rest of day:

These two, now holy church hath made them one, Do long to make themselves so' another way: There is a feast behind,

To them of kind,

Which their glad parents taught

One to the other, long ere these to light were brought.

Haste, haste, officious sun, and send them night Some hours before it should, that these may know

All that their fathers and their mothers might
Of nuptial sweets, at such a season, owe,
To propagate their names,

And keep their fames

Alive, which else would die;

For fame keeps virtue up, and it posterity.

The ignoble never lived, they were awhile
Like swine, or other cattle here on earth:

Their names are not recorded on the file

Of life, that fall so; Christians know their birth Alone, and such a race,

We pray may grace,

Your fruitful spreading vine,

But dare not ask our wish in language Fescennine.

Yet, as we may, we will,—with chaste desires,
The holy perfumes of the marriage-bed,
Be kept alive, those sweet and sacred fires
Of love between you and your lovely-head!
That when you both are old,

You find no cold

There; but renewed, say,

After the last child born, This is our wedding-day.

Till you behold a race to fill your hall,

A Richard, and a Hierome, by their names Upon a Thomas, or a Francis call;

A Kate, a Frank, to honour their grand-dames, And 'tween their grandsires' thighs,

Like pretty spies,

Peep forth a gem; to see

How each one plays his part, of the large pedigree!
And never may there want one of the stem,
To be a watchful servant for this state;
But like an arm of eminence 'mongst them,
Extend a reaching virtue early and late!
Whilst the main tree still found
Upright and sound,

So

By this sun's noonsted's made

great; his body now alone projects the shade. They both are slipp'd to bed; shut fast the door, And let him freely gather love's first-fruits. He's master of the office; yet no more

Exacts than she is pleased to pay: no suits,
Strifes, murmurs, or delay,

Will last till day;

Night and the sheets will show

The longing couple all that elder lovers know.