FROM THE LIBRARY OF 
 REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D. 
 
 BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
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 // U APR 16 1934 
 
 SELECT PSAI>MS 
 
 IK VERSE, 
 
 WITH 
 
 CRITICAL REMARKS, BY BISHOP LOWTH, 
 
 AND OTHERS, 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE 
 
 S&eautieg of £acrefc fdoetrp* 
 
 AWAKE UP, MY GLORY; AWaKE, LUTE AND HARP. 
 
 PSALM, LVII. 9. 
 
 Icmnon : 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. HATCHARD, 
 
 BOOKSELLER TO HER MAJESTY, 190, OPPOSITE ALBANY., 
 
 PICCADILLY. 
 
 iiTT. 
 
J. Brettell, Printer, Hiritliall-Street, 
 Golden-Square, London. 
 
TO 
 
 WILLIAM VINCENT, D.D 
 
 THE VERY REVEREND 
 THE 
 
 Wtm of 3©e£tmitt£ter, 
 
 THE 
 
 FOLLOWING PAGES 
 
 ARE 
 
 INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY HIS DEEPLY OBLIGED, AND 
 
 MOST GRATEFUL SERVANT, 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
 NOVEMBER 1, 
 
 1810. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IT was the original intention of the Com- 
 piler of this little volume, to have given 
 a complete metrical translation of the 
 Book of Psalms, selected from all the 
 different Versions which he could meet 
 with : from this task, however, after be- 
 stowing some time and pains in the pursuit, 
 he desisted ; convinced, that a very large 
 proportion of the Psalms have never yet 
 had justice done to the beauties of their 
 poetry, by any of their numerous trans- 
 lators. 
 
 b 
 
VI 
 
 He has therefore only selected such as 
 he thought most worthy of the public eye ; 
 many of them indeed are well known, and 
 justly admired ; some he has taken from 
 our older poets, and a few from Manu- 
 scripts in the British Museum. 
 
 For extracting from Bishop Lowth's 
 * Lectures on Sacred Poetry such passages, 
 as apply exclusively to the Psalms, no 
 apology can be necessary ; where-ever a 
 Psalm is given, the observations of this 
 excellent Critic will form a most desirable 
 preface, and even in the absence of the 
 particular Psalm itself in this collection, 
 
 * " These prelections (says an elegant Critic) 
 abounding in remarks entirely new, delivered m 
 the purest and most expressive language, have 
 been received and read with almost universal ap- 
 probation, both at home and abroad, as being the 
 richest augmentation literature has in our times 
 received, and as tending to illustrate and recom- 
 mend the Holy Scriptures in an uncommon degree. 
 —Du. Warton, Note on Pope's Messiah. 
 
VII 
 
 the reader may turn to the common prose 
 translation in his Prayer-Book, to see those 
 beauties, which this learned prelate will 
 teach him justly to appreciate. 
 
 The notes of Dr. Geddes are taken from 
 his new translation of the Psalms, which, 
 it is to be regretted, he did not live to 
 finish ; the work breaks off at the 109th 
 Psalm. 
 
 The earliest English metrical transla- 
 tion the Editor has met with, is a beautiful 
 *MS. on vellum, in the British Museum, 
 which once belonged to the Monastery of 
 Kirkham. 
 
 Mr. Warton quotes from an English 
 version of St. Jerom's French Psalter, in 
 the library of Corpus Christi College, 
 Cambridge, and which he refers to the 
 reign of Henry II. or Richard I ; and an- 
 
 * Psalterium triplicatum Lat. Gal. An£. liber 
 Monasterii de Kirkham. Harl. MSS. 1770 
 
Yin 
 
 other in the Bodleian/'* which, says the 
 historian of English Poetry, cc much re- 
 sembles in style and measure this just 
 mentioned/' and he adds, cc if not the 
 same, it is of equal antiquity/' 
 
 Among the Cotton MSS. is f another 
 copy of this translation. 
 
 In the same repository is a beautiful 
 vellum £MS. containing the seven peni- 
 tential Psalms, from which the 51st hath 
 been selected for the following work. 
 
 The next MS Psalm in point of date, 
 that has fallen in the way of the Editor, is 
 the 142d by the learned Sir Thomas Smith; 
 Secretary to Edward VI. and Queen Eliza- 
 beth ; but though curious as the produc- 
 tion of so eminent a scholar and statesman, 
 it is not sufficiently correct for publication. 
 
 * History of English Poetry, vol. i. p. 23. 
 f Vespasian. D vii. 
 
 + MS. 1853. 4. D. Psalmi Thorn® Brampton, 
 1414. 
 
IX 
 
 Another MS. of the seven penitential 
 Psalms occurs also in the British Museum. 
 
 Robert Smyth, one of the many suffe- 
 rers in the reign of Queen Mary, has 
 rendered the first part of the 1 1 9th Psalm, 
 but not with sufficient merit to entitle it 
 at this day to be brought to light. 
 
 The same library likewise contains a 
 MS translation of fifty Psalms by Sir 
 William Forest, with a poetical preface, 
 and a dedication to the Protector Somerset. 
 
 Another MS f preserved there, contains 
 about forty Psalms, many of which are 
 extremely well done, by Francis and Chris- 
 topher Davison, Joseph Bryan, and 
 Richard Gipps. Francis Davison is well 
 known to all lovers of early English Poe- 
 try, as editor of a valuable collection, 
 called the " Poetical Rhapsodic*' From 
 this MS. the Editor hath selected four 
 
 t Harl. MSS. 6930. 
 
Psalms. The version of the 1st Psalm by 
 Gipps has uncommon merit : as also has 
 that of the 133d by Bryan ; it is indeed, in 
 one passage, deformed by the introduction of 
 art heathen image, which perhaps might 
 have been a sufficient reason for rejecting 
 it altogether, but the eight concluding 
 lines are of such admirable delicacy, that 
 the Editor could not resist the temptation 
 of laying them before the public. 
 
 In the long list of authors, who have 
 translated particular Psalms, occur names 
 of the highest celebrity ; Bacon and Mil- 
 ton have each made choice of his favourite 
 Psalms, and rendered them in verse. Ba- 
 con, however, admirable as he is as a prose- 
 writer, like *Tully, falls infinitely beneath 
 
 * Juvenal's admirable criticism on Cicero's fa- 
 mous verse is well known. 
 
 " O fortunatam natam me consule Romam : 
 " Antoni gladios potuit contemnere, si sic 
 u Omnia dixisset." Sat. x. 192. 
 
XI 
 
 himself, when he turns bis great mind to 
 poetry ; whilst Milton seems to have made 
 an almost verbal translation his primary 
 object, and having thus cramped and fet- 
 tered himself, it is not surprizing that he 
 should fly with cc flagging wing/' and that 
 here at least his cc song with middle flight 
 should soar/' Of Bacon's Psalms^ the 1st 
 and 90th are the best; of Milton's, the 
 84th, the * 1 14th, and the 136th. The 
 
 * « The 114th Psalm, (says an excellent critic) 
 which he has rendered both into English and Greek 
 paraphrase, appears to have attracted his notice, 
 by a particularly beautiful turn of lines found in it." 
 — u The most striking character of his poetical 
 style is formed by the turn of words, 
 
 ' Glory to him, whose just avenging ire 
 
 1 Had driven out th' ungodly from his sight, 
 
 * And th' habitations of the just; to him 
 
 * Glory and praise/ — 
 
 Par. Lost, B. vii. 
 
 ' Serpit odoriferas per opes levis aura Favoni, 
 ' Jura sub innumeris humida nata rosis.' 
 
 Eleg. 3. 
 
Xll 
 
 two last were done,, when he was only 
 fifteen* years of age. 
 Cowley, 
 li Whose muse did make Religion a delight/* 
 has introduced the 114th Psalm in his 
 Bavideis, but it is unworthy of his fine 
 genius. Bishop Hurd has justly remarked 
 of this great poet and excellent man, that 
 cc every thing he wrote, is either so good, 
 cc or so bad, that in all reason a separation 
 <c should be made ; 9 ' the Editor regrets 
 that the only Psalm he can find in Lis 
 works, comes under the latter description, 
 
 With these both his English and Latin poems 
 abound." Cursory Remarks on some of the ancient 
 English Poets, particularly Milton, p. 129. 
 
 * Mr. Warton, in his excellent, edition of Mil- 
 ton's minor Poems, has thrown together some of 
 the most striking stanzas in Milton's Psalms, p. 397, 
 2d edit. 
 
 f Preface to the Bishop's edition of his select 
 Works, 
 
Xlll 
 
 and that he cannot add the name of Cow- 
 ley to his list of authors. 
 
 In Addison we find a model for all fu- 
 ture translators. His versions of the 19th 
 and 22d Psalms have been the theme of 
 universal praise for near a century, and 
 will remain so, as long as the English 
 language continues to be admired. Dr. 
 Warton* informs us, that it was originally 
 Mr. Addison's intention to have translated 
 the whole Book of Psalms into English 
 verse. From the two exquisite specimens 
 just commended, the Editor cannot but 
 regret in common with every lover of sa- 
 cred poetry, that this amiable writer did 
 not translate many others ; but he regrets 
 far more that Dry den never undertook the 
 task of rendering some of the sublimer 
 Psalms, nor Drummond of Hawthornden 
 any of the pathetic ones ; with what spirit 
 
 * Essay on the Genius and Writings of Pope. 
 
XIV 
 
 would the former great poet have para- 
 phrased the 24th, the 68th, or the 89th, 
 and how admirably would the 42d and the 
 13?th have suited the delicious melan- 
 choly of Drummond's muse ! 
 
 The imitation of Psalm 88, is ascribed 
 to Prior, in a small collection of sacred 
 poems, printed at Edinburgh 1751, under 
 the title of c£ Considerations on the 88th 
 Psalm;" these fine stanzas, and his para- 
 phrase of St. Paul's exhortation to Charity, 
 make us regret that this excellent poet did 
 not more frequently invoke Urania ; the pa- 
 raphrase, which is one of the best pieces 
 of sacred poetry in our language, has al- 
 ways been greatly admired, and is pro- 
 nounced by Johnson to be " eminently 
 beautiful." 
 
 x4mong those Psalms, which, by the 
 beauty of their sentiments, the splendour 
 of their images, or the exquisite strains 
 of their poetry, have particularly attracted 
 
XV 
 
 the notice of our countrymen, may be 
 reckoned the 23d, which has been well 
 done by Davison, Herbert, Chamberlayne, 
 Mrs. Howe, and others, Tn Mr. Cottle's 
 Version of the Psalms, the translation of 
 this particular one scarce yields in point of 
 elegance to the celebrated paraphrase of 
 it by Addison. The 114th is also a great 
 favourite with our poets, and, beside many 
 other names, boasts the distinguished ones 
 of Cowley and Milton The l^Tth, as 
 might be expected from its extreme beauty, 
 has been often rendered ; by Francis Da- 
 vison, among many others, (which has 
 usually been printed under the name of 
 Donne) and by the accomplished Sir Phi- 
 lip Sidney ; the 148th by Lord Roscom- 
 mon, and by several other authors ; but 
 the 1 5th, which so admirably pictures the 
 character of him, who cc shall dwell in 
 the tabernacle of the Lord, and rest upon 
 his holy hill," hath never been tolerably 
 
XVI 
 
 rendered ; nor among the numerous trans- 
 lations of the *I37tb, is there one in our 
 language, which does justice to the plain- 
 tive strains of the Hebrew Muse, as she 
 sat by the waters of Babylon, and wept, 
 when she remembered thee, O Sion ! 
 
 For further information on this subject 
 the reader is referred to some judicious 
 considerations oo f Psalmody, prefixed to a 
 few Psalms and Hymns selected with con- 
 siderable taste ; and to Mason's Essays on 
 Church Music. 
 
 * The learned reader need not be told that the 
 15th and 137th Psalms, are two of the most beau- 
 tiful in Buchanan's elegant paraphrase. 
 
 f Psalms and Hymns, selected from various au- 
 thors, &c. by a Country Clergyman. London, Ri- 
 vingtons, Hatchard, &c. 1807. 
 
xvn 
 
 OLD VERSION 
 
 The poetical annals of this reign (Ed- 
 ward VI.) are almost entirely filled with 
 metrical translations from various parts of 
 the Holy Scriptures. Wyatt and * Surrey 
 had translated some of the Psalms, but 
 Sternhold, an enthusiast in the cause of 
 the Reformation, taking* offence at the in- 
 decent ballads which were current among 
 the courtiers ; and hoping to substitute a 
 set of more holy subjects, undertook a 
 translation of the Psalter. A similar at- 
 tempt had been jnade in France, by Cle- 
 ment Marot, and, strange to say, had been 
 
 * Three Psalms by the Earl of Surrey will be 
 found in Mr. Park's edition of Harrington's Nuga* 
 Antiqu.se, vol. ii. 
 
XV111 
 
 made with success : and though Sternhold 
 did not possess the talents of Maroi, his 
 industry has been rewarded by still more 
 permanent popularity. It is rather whim- 
 sical,, that the first versions of the Psalms 
 were made in both countries by laymen 
 and court-poets ; and they translated nearly 
 an equal number: Marot 50, and *Stern- 
 hold 51. Sternhold died in 1549; and his 
 Psalms were printed in the same year, by 
 Edward Whitchurch. 
 
 * Fuller says 37; the passage is worth citing. 
 About this time (1550), David's Psalms were trans- 
 lated into English meeter, and (if not publicly 
 commanded), generally permitted to be sung in all 
 churches. The work was performed by Thomas 
 Sternhold (an Hampshireman, Esquire, and of the 
 Privie Chamber to King Edward the Sixt, who for 
 his part translated thirty-seven selected Psalms), 
 John Hopkins, Robert Wisedom, &c. men, whose 
 piety was better than their poetry ; and they had 
 drank more of Jordan, than of Helicon. — Church 
 History of Britain. 
 
XIX 
 
 John Hopkins, a clergyman and school- 
 master in Suffolk, rather a better poet than 
 Sternhold, added 58 Psalms to the list. 
 Of the other contributors, the chief in 
 point of rank and learning, was William 
 Whyttingham, Dean of Durham, whose 
 translations are marked with the initials of 
 his name ; Thomas Norton, a barrister, 
 and a native of Sharpenhoe, in Bedford- 
 shire, who assisted Sackville in composing 
 the tragedy of Gorbodue, wrote 27. The 
 entire collection was at length published 
 by John Day, in 1 562. 
 
 It certainly is not easy to discover the 
 grand features of Hebrew poetry, through 
 the muddy medium of this translation, but 
 it is a curious repertory, and highly cha- 
 racteristic of the times in which it was 
 written. Metre was the universal vehicle 
 of devotion. Our poets were inspired 
 with a real and fervent enthusiasm, and 
 though the tameness and insipidity of the 
 
XX 
 
 language in which they vented this in- 
 spiration, may surprize and disgust a mo- 
 dern reader, it was probably once thought 
 to derive grandeur and sanctity from its 
 subject, — Mr. Ellis's Specimens of the 
 early English Poets, vol. ii. 
 
 Sternhold and Hopkins (says Dr. Beattie) 
 are in general bad, but have given us a 
 few stanzas that are wonderfully fine. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 
 
 OF THOSE 
 
 WHO HAVE TRANSLATED 
 
 THE WHOLE BOOK OF PSALMS. 
 
 MATTHEW PARKER 
 
 WAS born in the city of Norwich, in the year 
 1504, and admitted into Corpus Christi College, 
 Cambridge, 1520; of which house he afterwards 
 became master, 1544. He died 1575. 
 
 " In the year 1533, or 4, he was appointed chap- 
 lain to Queen Ann Boleyn, who liked him so well 
 for his learning, prudent, and godly behaviour, 
 that, not long before her death, she gave him a par- 
 ticular charge to take care of her daughter, Eliza- 
 beth, that she might not want his pious and wise 
 
 counsel.* " 
 
 * Le Neve. 
 
2 
 
 Queen Elizabeth took the earliest opportunity of 
 rewarding him for his services, for he was conse- 
 crated Archbishop of Canterbury, in the first year 
 of her glorious reign. 
 
 " The Archbishop (says his biographer) published 
 also the Psalms of David, in very elegant English 
 metre, dividing them into three parts, each part 
 containing fifty psalms, which I have not yet come 
 to the sight of.* " These also were his employment 
 in his solitary retirement, in the Marian days, for 
 his own comfort, and for the comfort of his friends 
 in those melancholy times, f 
 
 Parker's Version of the Psalms is an extremely 
 rare book; some account of it maybe found in War- 
 ton's History of English Poetry, where Mr. Warton 
 contrasts his translation of the 18th psalm with the 
 celebrated one of Sternhold: the comparison, I 
 
 • Strype's Life of Archbishop Parker. 
 
 f Dr. Parker was so little affected with his reverse of for- 
 tune, that he seems even to have rejoiced in his situation, of 
 which himself gives the following account : — " Postea priva- 
 tes vixi, ita coram Deo laetus in conscientia mea, adeoque nee 
 pudefactus, nee dejectus, ut dulci«ssimum otium literarium, ad 
 quod Dei bona providentia me revocavit, multo majores et so- 
 lidiores voluptates mini pepererit, quam negotiosum iliud et 
 periculosum vivendi genus unquam placuit." 
 
 Berkenhout Biographia Literaria. 
 
3 
 
 think, is not fairly instituted ; the 18th has generally 
 been looked on as Sternhold's master-piece; the 
 Archbishop's best performance, therefore, should, 
 in all reason, have been sought for, and it would 
 have been found, not among the sublime psalms, 
 but among those distinguished by tenderness and 
 feeling. The specimen I have given, has, in my 
 opinion, considerable merit. The 56th psalm also 
 is extremely well done ; the concluding stanza of it 
 is marked by a very affecting simplicity : — 
 
 For thou my soul hast rid from death, 
 From fall thou keep'st my feet ; 
 
 To walk in light, while life hath breath, 
 Before my God so sweet. 
 
 GEORGE SANDYS, 
 
 Youngest son of Edwyn Sandys, Archbishop of 
 York, was one of the most accomplished persons of 
 his time. He merited much for his travels into the 
 Eastern countries, of which he has published an ac- 
 curate account : but still more for his paraphrases 
 and translations, which were excelled by none of 
 the poets of this reign (Charles I.) His principal 
 
works are, his translation of Job, his paraphrase on 
 the Psalms, and his translation of Ovid's Metamor- 
 phosis. His psalms were set to music by William 
 and Henry Lawes, musicians to Charles I., and his 
 Ovid was one of tne first books that gave Mr. Pope 
 a taste for poetry **. Mr. Dryden pronounced him 
 the best versifier of the last age. He was also an 
 excellent geographer and critic, f His translation 
 of the sacred drama of Grotius, entitled Christus 
 Patiens, is the piece upon which Lauder founded 
 his impudent charge of plagiarism against Milton. 
 He w r as born in the year 1577 : died 1643. 
 
 Granger's Biog. History. 
 
 There are but few incidents known concerning 
 our author, but all the writers, who mention him, 
 agree in bestowing on him the character, not only 
 of a man of genius, but of singular worth and 
 piety. — NicoVs Select Collection of Poems. 
 
 From Sandys's version, probably the best in our 
 language, I have taken several psalms, and might 
 easily have added to the number, but that my pri- 
 mary object has been to be select. Mr. Ellis has 
 lately given the 148th in his elegant specimens, 
 
 * Warton's Essay on the Genius and Writings of Pope. 
 f See Mr Pope's note on Iliad, xxii. v, 197. 
 
which is certainly one of our author's best compo- 
 sitions, and appears to stil. greater advantage in 
 Mr. Ellis's page, as, with his usual taste, he has 
 omitted the six concluding lines, which are inferior 
 to the rest. Our poet has evinced great judgment 
 in the adaptation of different metres to the sense of 
 his author, and shewn himself to equal advantage 
 in all; for, whilst, in the 18th and 89th psalms, he 
 does ample justice to the sublime ideas of the Royal 
 Psalmist, and reminds us of the majesty of Dryden's 
 muse, in the 133rd and 134th he delights us with 
 strains delica*te as those of Horace himself. 
 
 The following passage, from Sandys's Travels, 
 will be a treat to my reader ; it is the opening of 
 his last book : — . 
 
 " Now shape we our course for England. Be- 
 loved soil ! as in scite 
 
 * Wholly from all the world disjoint, so in thy 
 felicities. The summer burns thee not, nor the 
 winter benums thee ; defended by the sea from 
 wasteful incursions, and by the valour of thy sons 
 from hostile invasions. All other countries are in 
 some things defective ; when thou, a provident 
 parent, dost minister unto thine whatsoever is use- 
 ful, foreign additions but only tending to vanity 
 
 • penitus toto divisos orbe Biitannos. — &ir§, Macid* . 
 

 
 and luxury. Virtue in thee at the least is praised, 
 and vices are branded with their names, if not pur- 
 sued with punishments. That Ulysses, 
 
 * who, after Troy subdu'd, 
 Manners and towns of various nations viewed, 
 
 if, as sound in judgment, as ripe in experience, 
 will confess thee to be the land that floweth with 
 milk and honey." 
 
 GEORGE WITHER. 
 
 This poet was born in 1588, and died in 1667. 
 He was a most voluminous writer; but no complete 
 edition of his works was ever published, although 
 no author, perhaps, was ever more admired by his 
 contemporaries . — Mr. Ellis, vol. Hi. 
 
 He has translated the Book of Psalms, in lyric 
 verse : I have selected the 57th, one of the best I 
 could find in the little volume, which is, I believe, 
 not easily to be met with. 
 
 * Qui mores hominum multorum vldit, et urbes. 
 
 Horat de Art. Poet. 14 c 2, 
 
HENRY KING, 
 
 Bishop of Chichester, son of John King, Bishop 
 of London, was born in the year 1591, and educated 
 at Westminster School, from the foundation of 
 which he was elected to Christ Church, Oxford. 
 
 Besides his Translation of the Psalms, he was au- 
 thor of Poems, Elegies, Paradoxes, and Sonnets. 
 London, 1657. Mr. Headley characterizes him, as 
 u an eminent and respectable divine, the greater 
 part of whose poetry (which was either written at 
 an early age, or as a relaxation from severer stu- 
 dies) is neat, and uncommonly elegant." 
 
 This high encomium is more applicable to the 
 Bishop's original Poems, than to his version of the 
 Psalms ;* a stanza, here and there, might indeed be 
 selected, which would justify our elegant critic's 
 lavish praise, but I fear not one whole psalm : our 
 author, too, has so frequently betrayed want of 
 judgment in his choice of metre, that his work 
 must despair of ever regaining the little popularity 
 it once may have boasted. He died 1669. 
 
 The following little poem of Bishop King will 
 shew him deserving of Mr. Headley^ praises; a 
 still more elegant one, " the Exequy," might be 
 adduced, but is too long for insertion. They both, 
 
8 
 
 with other poems of our author, occur in Mr e . 
 Headley's truly " Select Beauties of Ancient Eng- 
 lish Poetry * " 
 
 MY MIDNIGHT MEDITATION. 
 
 Ill-busi'd man ! why shoulcTst thou take such car" 
 
 To lengthen out thy life's short kalendar ? 
 
 When ev'ry spectacle thou <look'st upon 
 
 Presents and acts thy execution : 
 
 Each drooping season, and each flower doth cry, 
 ' Fool! as I fade and wither, thou must die/ 
 
 The beating of thy pulse, when thou art well, 
 
 Is just the tolling of thy passing bell; 
 
 Night is thy hearse, whose sable canopy 
 
 Covers alike deceased day and thee; 
 
 And all those weeping dews which nightly fall, 
 Are but the tears shed for thy funeral. 
 
 * This elegant selection, which had become extremely 
 scarce, has just been re-published in a manner highly credita- 
 ble to the taste of Mr. Sharpe: the work is printed in the mo- 
 dern orthography, in imitation of Mr. Ellis's' Specimen?, 
 Headley's Original Poems are added ; and a life of him pre- 
 fixed by the Rev. Mr. Kett- 
 
RICHARD GOODRIDGE. 
 
 Of this translator little, I believe, is known. He 
 has paraphrased the whole Psalter, and given an 
 additional version of above an hundred psalms. I 
 have selected from him the third, and the 100th 
 psalms; both, I trust my reader will think with 
 me, highly creditable to his poetic talents. 
 
 The third edition of his work was printed 1685. 
 
 SIR JOHN DENHAM, 
 
 The celebrated author of Cooper's Hill, and other 
 Poems, translated the whole Book of Psalms ; but to 
 this translation may be applied what has been 
 justly observed of his other versions, that "they are 
 without the spirit of* his own rules, or the practice 
 of his own example in his original pieces." It has, 
 however, been very highly commended by Felton, 
 in his excellent treatise on reading the classics. 
 
 * " He gave, in the short preface to his second book of 
 Virgil, the best rules for translation that had then appeared, 
 or that will, perhaps, ever appear." 
 
 Cursory Remarks on some of the ancknt English Poets 
 
10 
 
 The reader will, however, find in this selection 
 one or two of Sir John DenhanVs psalms not wholly- 
 unworthy of his high name as a poet. He was 
 born 1615, and died 1688. 
 
 MILES SMYTH 
 
 Was born 1618. Upon the breaking out of the 
 Rebellion, in 1642, he adhered to the cause of his 
 Majesty, and did him service. Having suffered as 
 a royalist, he was, after the Restoration of King 
 Charles II. received into the service of Dr. Gilbert 
 Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury, who appointed 
 him his secretary. He died 1671. 
 
 Wood's Ath. Ox. 
 
 SIMON FORD 
 
 Was born 1619. He describes himself, in his title- 
 page to his Psalms, Rector of Old Swmford, Wor- 
 cestershire. His version was published 1688. In 
 his preface he gives a brief account of St ernhold 
 and Hopkins, and endeavours to defend their trans- 
 lation. His concluding sentence is just, and worth 
 citing : " God hath received a great deal of praise, 
 
11 
 
 and the ordinary sort of Christians a great deal of 
 edification and comfort, by the use of that version 
 of theirs, for above an hundred years, in this 
 church. " 
 
 " He was accounted (says Wood), by those that 
 knew him, a very able scholar, a noted preacher, 
 and a most eloquent Latin poet." 
 
 JOHN PATRICK, 
 
 Preacher to the Charter-House, and brother of 
 Simon, Bishop of Ely, the learned and excellent 
 commentator on the Old Testament, has translated 
 the whole Book of Psalms, and likewise given a cen- 
 tury of psalms, the poetry of which latter work is 
 superior to that of the former. He died 1695. 
 
 "Mr. Patrick of the Charter-House (says Baxter) 
 hath with pious skill and seriousness turned into a 
 new metre many of David's Psalms, and the advan- 
 tage for holy affections and harmony hath so far 
 reconciled the nonconformists, that divers of them 
 use his psalms in their congregations, though they 
 have their old ones, Rouse's, Bishop King's, Mr. 
 White's, the New England's, Davison's, the Scots 
 (agreed on by two nations), in competition with 
 it/'-— Preface to his Poem3. 
 
12 
 
 SAMUEL WOODFORD, D. D. 
 
 Rector of Hartley-Malduit, in Hampshire, and 
 Prebendary of Winchester, was born in the year 
 1636. His Paraphrase of the Psalms shews him to 
 have been deeply infected with what Johnson calls 
 ' our Pindarick infatuation ;* it is miserably execu- 
 ted in * Pindaric, and other metres. His friend 
 Flaxman pronounced it to be " an incomparable 
 version," nee immerito. The specimen I have 
 given is, I believe, the best psalm in the volume, it 
 is certainly very superior to the general cast of his 
 
 * Falsely so called. " The character of these late Pin- 
 darieks is a bundle of rambling incoherent thoughts, expressed 
 in a like parcel of irregular stanzas, which also consist of such 
 another complication of disproportioned, uncertain, and per- 
 plexed verses and rhimes. And I appeal to any reader, if this 
 is not the condition in which these titular odes appeared. 
 
 ct On the contrary, there is nothing more regular than the 
 Odes of Pindar, both as to the exact observation of the mea- 
 sures and numbers of his stanzas and verses, and the perpe- 
 tual coherence of his thoughts. For though his digressions are 
 frequent, and his transitions sudden, yet is" there ever some 
 secret connexion, which, though not always appearing to the 
 eye, never fails to communicate itself to the understanding of 
 the reader." 
 
 Congreve, as quoted by West in Preface to his Translatiaru- . 
 
13 
 
 poetry. A few of his Poems, with some further ac- 
 count of him may be found in the 4th volume of 
 Mr. Nicoll's Select Collection of Poems. He died 
 1700. 
 
 NAHUM TATE 
 
 Was born in the year 1652, and made Poet-Lau- 
 reat to King William, upon the death of Shadwell, 
 which place he continued to hold till the accession 
 of George I. on whom he lived to write the first 
 birth-day ode. He was a man of good nature, 
 great probity, and competent learning ; but so ex- 
 tremely modest, that he was never able to make his 
 fortune, or to raise himself above necessity. The 
 Earl of Dorset was his patron. His share in the 
 2nd part of Absalom and Achitophel is far from in- 
 considerable ; Johnson, indeed, speaks of it as writ- 
 ten by him. It is but an indifferent compliment to 
 his poetical talents to say, he was very superior to 
 his brother translator in their version of the Psalms, 
 He died 1715. 
 
14 
 
 NICHOLAS BRADY, D. D. 
 
 Was born in the year 1659, educated at West* 
 minster School, and elected from the foundation to 
 Christ Church, Oxford, 1678. After passing several 
 years in Ireland, his native country, and where he 
 was prebendary of St. Barry's, Cork, he returned to 
 England, and was appointed Vicar of Stratford on 
 Avon, and Rector of Clapham. He is best known 
 as a poet by his share with Tate in the New Ver- 
 sion : Cibber ascribes to him the 104th psalm. As 
 to his Eneid let us hear Johnson, who, speaking of 
 Dryden's " * noble and spirited translation," and 
 having just refuted the strictures of Milbourne, thus 
 proceeds : " When admiration had subsided, the 
 translation was more coolly examined, and found, 
 like all others, to be sometimes erroneous, and 
 sometimes licentious. Those who could find faults, 
 thought they could avoid them ; and Dr. Brady at- 
 tempted, in blank verse, a translation of the Eneid, 
 which, when dragged into the world, did not live 
 long enough to cry. I have never seen it ; but 
 that such a version there is, or has- been, perhaps 
 some old catalogue informed me." Life of Dry den. 
 
 Dr. Brady published three volumes of sermons, 
 and died 1726. 
 
 * Pope. 
 
15 
 
 LUKE MILBOURNE 
 
 Was Rector of St. Ethelburga's, and Lecturer of 
 St. Leonard's, Shoreditch. His Translation of the 
 Psalms was published 1698. He died 1790. 
 
 He attacked Dry den's Translation of Virgil, in a 
 volume of notes; and is styled by Pope " * the 
 fairest of critics, because he exhibited his own ver- 
 sion to be compared with that which he condem- 
 ned." — Johnson's Life of Dry den. 
 
 * This is in the spirit of the truest humour. The keen wit of 
 Swift, and the chaste humour of Addison are justly proverbial. 
 Pope's humour has, I think, never been duly praised ; the 
 happiest instance of it is to be found in the celebrated paper 
 of the Guardian, in which he draws a comparison between the 
 merits of Philips's Pastorals, and his own ; and while he seems 
 to bestow the palm on those of his rival, in truth throughout 
 prefers and recommends his own ; this Johnson has pronoun- 
 ced to be " unprecedented and unparalleled." 
 
 Another happy specimen occurs in a letter of Pope's to 
 Lord Burlington, in which he admirably delineates the charac- 
 ter of " the enterprising Mr. Lintot, the redoubtable rival of 
 Mr. Ton'son." 
 
16 
 
 SIR RICHARD BLACKMORE, 
 
 A pious man, and laborious writer : the year of 
 Tiis birth is not known ; he died in 1729. Dr. John- 
 son has written his life, in which he generously at- 
 tempts to rescue him from that obscurity in which 
 the ridicule of Dry den and Pope had unhappily 
 involved him. 
 
 The preface to his Psalms shews him to be a bet- 
 ter critic (* on this subject at least) than poet. His 
 idea of what a translation of the Psalms ought to be 
 is very just, and entitled to the attention of future 
 translators ; how feebly he has executed his task, 
 even the partiality of his great biographer will not 
 allow him to dissemble. 
 
 " The lovers of musical devotion (says Johnson) 
 have always wished for a more happy metrical ver- 
 sion than they have yet obtained of the Book of 
 Psalms ; this wish the piety of Blackmore led him 
 to gratify, and he produced (1721) a New. Version 
 of the Psalms of David, fitted to the Tunes used in 
 Churches ; y> which, being recommended by the 
 archbishops, and many bishops, obtained a license 
 for its admission into public worship ; but no ad- 
 
 * For he elsewhere praises Dennis as equal to Boileau ii< 
 poetry ! 
 
17 
 
 mission has it yet obtained, nor has it any right to 
 come where Brady and Tate have got possession. 
 Blackmore's name must be added to those of many 
 others, who, by the same attempt, have obtained 
 only the praise of meaning well." 
 
 I have selected two psalms from his translation, 
 and I believe they are two of his best. 
 
 ISAAC WATTS, D.D. 
 
 / 
 
 This eminently pious man, and very useful wri- 
 ter, was born in 1674, and died in 1748. 
 
 " Few men," says Dr. Johnson, " have left be- 
 hind them such purity of character, or such monu- 
 ments of laborious piety. He has provided instruc- 
 tion for all ages, from those who are lisping their 
 first lessons to the enlightened readers of Male- 
 branche and Locke : he has left neither corporeal* 
 nor spiritual nature unexamined; but has taught 
 the art of reasoning, and the science of the stars." 
 
 Watts's Psalms have been highly commended : 
 but, in my opinion, far beyond their real merits ; 
 passages highly poetical occur indeed in every 
 page, but are they not intermingled with, and dis- 
 graced by, low allusions, colloquial phrases, and 
 c 
 
18 
 
 even sometimes absolute vulgarisms ? He surprizes 
 and delights by occasional beauties, but perpetually 
 disappoints us by falling below the dignity of his 
 subject. "His devotional poetry/' says Johnson, 
 M is, like that of others, unsatisfactory." But our 
 critic, instead of passing that censure on the poet, 
 which he so well deserves, unfairly imputes the 
 blame to his subject. " The paucity of its topics 
 enforces perpetual repetition, and the sanctity of 
 the matter rejects the ornaments of figurative dic- 
 tion. It is sufficient for Watts to have done better 
 than others what no man has done well." 
 
 Dr.. Johnson, I am inclined to think, had a very 
 slight acquaintance with Watts's poetry ; had he 
 properly examined it, he could not have included 
 his life among those of our eminent poets. The 
 science of the philosopher, and the virtues of the 
 saint,m ight justly recommend this excellent man 
 to the notice of the great biographer, and claim im- 
 mortality from his pen ; but surely nothing m to be 
 found in his Psalms, his Hymns, or his volume of 
 Lyrics can justify our British Plutarch in ranking 
 Watts among the chief poets of his country. John- 
 son has raised the temple of poetic fame, and placed 
 the statue of Watts in that niche, which Chaucer, 
 Spenser, or Drayton should have graced. 
 
 Mr. Cottle, in the excellent preface to his own 
 
19 
 
 version, after paying an elegant tribute to the 
 genius and piety of Watts, justly observes ; " Dr. 
 Watts's, for the most part, cannot be considered as 
 a version of the Psalms, but must be regarded as a 
 paraphrase of particular parts, blended with all the 
 language peculiar to the New Testament. This 
 distinguishing character in Dr. Watts's Psalms, 
 where David is made to speak so generally in the 
 language of an apostle, has appeared to some per- 
 sons to be an inconsistency, and such it would be 
 in a professed version ; but Dr. Watts is not to be 
 condemned in this respect, for his Psalms are pre- 
 cisely what he declared them to be. He acknow- 
 ledged them to be imitated only, in the language of 
 the * New Testament, which allowed him a latitude 
 of expression, from which he who gives a faithful 
 
 * " Whilst I express my approbation of Dr. Watts's Psalms, 
 and acknowledge that they are admirably suited to the pur- 
 pose for which they were designed, it cannot for a moment 
 be admitted, that the Psalms, in their strict and literal sense, 
 are not, also, in the highest degree, calculated to express the 
 sentiments of Christians ; and concerning which, every 
 doubt must vanish, when it is recollected that the Psalms of 
 David are not only the language of inspiration, but, as part 
 of the Jewish liturgy, were sung by our Saviour himself, du- 
 ring his humiliation on earth, by the apostles, by the primi- 
 tive Christians, and have been adopted by the Church in all 
 ages. ,J 
 
20 
 
 version is necessarily excluded ; but, on the con- 
 trary, if Dr. Watts is not to be censured for the 
 non-performance of what he never undertook, nei- 
 ther is he to have that ascribed to him, which he 
 never claimed ; and when so large a portion of al- 
 most every psalm is omitted, and (however excel- 
 lent) so much new, and extraneous matter added, 
 candour must admit, that it is a violation of terms 
 to call that a version, which, rightly denominated, 
 is no other than a Collection of Hymns, or Divine 
 Poems, founded upon the Psalms" 
 
 JAMES MERRICK, A. M. 
 
 Was born about the year 1718, was fellow of 
 Trinity College, Oxford, and author of a translation 
 of Tryphiodorus, and other works. His Annota- 
 tions on the Psalms are much esteemed. 
 
 Mr. Merrick's paraphrase has been highly com- 
 plimented, but will not, I think, stand the test of a 
 close examination ; * the strong sense, and sublime 
 
 * u One of my objections to Merrick's Psalins (says Beat- 
 tie) would be, if they are all like the specimen you favoured 
 me with, their unnecessary and paraphrastical diffuse n ess." 
 
 L'febySirlV. Forbes* 
 
21 
 
 beauties of the " * Sweet Psalmist of Israel," are 
 miserably frittered away, m the flowery lines of our 
 author's version, and we look in vain for "fthat 
 divine simplicity, for the want of which nothing 
 can compensate." Indeed, the tinsel, and frippery 
 
 * 2 Samuel, xxiii. 1. 
 
 f My reader will thank me for laying before him the whole 
 passage : " Though the forms of elegance may be caught by imi- 
 tation, its essence is in the mind. The sentiments which have 
 received its stamp, shew the fineness of the mould in which 
 they were cast. If it were allowable for a moment to adopt 
 the poetical creed of the ancients, one would almost imagine, 
 that the thoughts of a truly elegant writer were formed by 
 Apollo, and attired by the Graces. It would seem, indeed, 
 that language was at a loss to furnish a garb, adapted to their 
 rank and worth ; that judgment, fancy, taste, had all com- 
 bined to adorn them, 3'et without impairing that divine simpli- 
 city, for the want of which nothing can compensate. For 
 the graceful negligence of nature always pleases beyond the 
 truest ornaments that art can devise. Indeed, they are then 
 truest, when they approach the nearest to this negligence. 
 To attain it, is the very triumph of art. The wise artist, there- 
 fore, always completes his studies in the great school of crea- 
 tion, where the forms of elegance lie scattered in an endless 
 variety ; and the writer, who wishes to possess some portion 
 of that sovereign excellence, simplicity, even though he were 
 an infidel, would have recourse to the Scriptures, and make 
 them his model." 
 Mainzvaring's ehgant Dissertation, prefixed to his Sermons, p» 27, 
 
22 
 
 with which his poetry abounds induce one to con- 
 clude he had no taste for Dryden, or Pope, but had 
 studied with success in that new school, which has 
 produced the great empiric in English poetry, the 
 late Dr. Darwin. 
 
 Mr. Merrick is further highly censurable for his 
 very frequent use of a metre, extremely ill -adapted 
 to the dignity of his subject; it has been nick-named 
 by Pope the Namby-pamby, and the well-known 
 song of Ambrose Philips, 
 
 " Busy, curious, thirsty fly," 
 is an instance of it, familiar to every one of my 
 readers. Cowley's having made choice of it for his 
 Anacreontics, should have taught Mr. Merrick how 
 little it could comport with the noble strains of 
 David's lyre. 
 
 Mr. Merrick was a scholar, and a man of con- 
 siderable diligence : long practice seems to have 
 given him facility in making verses ; but nature, I 
 think, never designed him for a * poet. He died 
 at Reading, in the year 1769, much and deservedly 
 respected. 
 
 * Saepe enim audivi, poetam bonum neminem (id quod a 
 Democrito, et Platone in scriptis relictum esse dicunt) sine 
 inflammatione animorum existere posse, et sine quodam 
 afllatu quasi furoris. — De Oratore, Lib, iu 
 
23 
 
 From his version I have selected several psalms, 
 and added a beautiful imitation of the 122d, which 
 is to be found in Bishop Home's Commentary on the 
 Psalms. It is translated from a Latin ode, stated by 
 the bishop to be the delicate cygnaean strain of 
 Theodore Zuinger, but which * Mr. Beloe has 
 lately restored to its rightful owner, that most 
 elegant of paraphrasts, the learned and pious 
 Buchanan. 
 
 Mr. Merrick often begins a psalm well, but, un- 
 fortunately, falls off, as he proceeds ; of this the 8th 
 is a very beautiful and striking instance, and my 
 reader may easily find many others. 
 
 The strictures, I have presumed to offer, on the 
 poetry of Watts and Merrick, will, I doubt not, be 
 thought severe by their respective admirers; they 
 are generally considered as our two best versions, 
 and as, in my opinion, they are both extremely 
 faulty, I have endeavoured to point out some of 
 their defects, to prevent their being inconsiderately 
 adopted as models by future translators. Of Dr. 
 Watts it has lately been said, that his qualifications 
 for executing a version of the Psalms were of a very 
 superior order, " whilst, by the compilers of the 
 Biographical Dictionary, we are informed, that Mr.. 
 Merrick's is the best poetical translation of the 
 * Anecdotes of Literature. 
 
Psalms in the language." Such unqualified praise is, 
 I think, one of the numerous proofs of that degene- 
 racy of taste, which had been gaining upon us for 
 several years, till the nervous lines of * Mr. GifTord, 
 the admirable notes on the Pursuits of Literature, 
 and the exquisite f Imitations of the Anti- Jacobin, 
 pointed out to us with what gossomery strains we 
 had too long been delighted. Thanks to these manly 
 writers* symptoms of returning taste begin to ap- 
 pear, and sound, devoid of sense, no longer conti- 
 nues to charm : in prose, the excellent works of 
 Barrow, and Jeremy Taylor are much sought after, 
 and the most finished production of the immortal 
 Bacon, his incomparable essays, have, within these 
 late few years, passed through several editions ; in 
 poetry, Mr. GifTbrd's Massinger has been most fa- 
 vourably received, and a second edition of Mr. 
 Todd's Milton has been called for ; whilst Dryden, 
 that mighty J Master of the Song, has been edited 
 
 * Baviad and Masviad. 
 
 •J- Loves of the Triangles, in particular. 
 
 J He only is the Master, who keeps the mind in pleasing 
 captivity ; whose pages are perused with eagerness, and in 
 hope of new pleasure are perused again ; and whose conclu- 
 sion is perceived with an eye of sorrow, such as the traveller 
 casts upon departing day. 
 
 By his proportion of this predomination I will consent that 
 
25 
 
 by " * the first poet of the age." Let us hope 
 then, that the trash, with which the press so dis- 
 gracefully teems, may experience the contempt 
 that is its due, and that works of established repu- 
 tation may meet with that attention they so justly 
 merit, and may become models of composition 
 to future writers ; above all, that the exemplaria 
 Graeca, the genuine source of all that is pure in 
 taste, or sound in learning, may be looked up to 
 with admiration, and fondly cherished, as relics 
 above all praise, and the parent of them let us hail 
 in the language of him, our great countryman, 
 who so sweetly sung, what he so deeply, so exqui- 
 sitely, felt: 
 
 behold 
 Where on th' iEgean shore a city stands, 
 Built nobly, pure the air, and light the soil, 
 t Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts, 
 And eloquence ; native to famous wits, 
 
 Dryden should be tried; of this, which, in opposition to rea- 
 son, makes Ariosto the darling and the pride of Italy; of 
 this, which, in defiance of criticism, continues Shakspeare the 
 sovereign of the drama. Johnson's Life of Dryden. 
 
 * Mr. Copleston's Defence of Oxford. 
 
 f Atque, ut omittam Graeciam, quae semper eloquentiae 
 princeps esse voluit, atque Mas omnium doctrinarum inventrkes 
 Atheuas, in quibussumma dicendi vis et inventa est, et perfecta. 
 
 De Q r atone % 
 
Or hospitable, in the sweet recess 
 
 City or suburban, studious walks and shades."' 
 
 Par. Reg. h\ 
 
 STEPHEN WHEATLAND, 
 
 AND 
 
 TIPPING SILVESTER. 
 
 Of these joint translators of the Psalms, into he- 
 roic verse, published 1754, I know nothing; that 
 their performance is far from being despicable will 
 appear from the single specimen here presented to 
 the reader, whilst they are entitled to the highest 
 of all praise,, that of giving the sense of their author 
 correctly. Such tameness, however, and want of 
 spirit pervade the whole work, as will no doubt for 
 ever keep it in its present state of neglect and ob- 
 scurity. The book is particularly well printed. 
 
27 
 
 CHRISTOPHER SMART, 
 Born 1722. Died 1771. 
 
 Smart's was an unhappy life, impudent, drunken^, 
 poor, diseased, and at length insane. Yet he must 
 not be classed with such as Boyce and Savage, who 
 were redeemed by no virtue, for Smart was friendly, 
 and liberal, and affectionate. His piety was fer- 
 vent, and, when composing his religious poems, he 
 was frequently so impressed as to write upon his 
 knees. In his fits of insanity it became his ruling 
 passion ; he would say his prayers in the streets, 
 and insist that people should pray with him. He 
 composed a song to David, when in confinement, 
 and being denied the use of pen, ink, and paper, 
 mdented the lines upon the wainscot with the end of 
 a key. — Mr. Southey's Specimens of the later English 
 Poets, vol. ii. 
 
 From his version of the Psalms I have selected 
 the 121st, as best entitled to my reader's attention . 
 
SELECT PSALMS, 
 
 &c. 
 
 TO sundry keies doth Hilarie compare 
 
 The holy Psalmes of that prophetique king, 
 Cause in their natures so disposM they are, 
 That, as it were, by sundry dores they bring 
 The soul of man, opprest with deadly sinne, 
 Unto the throne, where he may mercy winne. 
 
 For wouldst thou in thy Saviour still rejoyce, 
 
 Or for thy sinnes with teares lament and pray, 
 Or sing his praises with thy heart and voice, 
 Or for his mercies give him thankes alway ? 
 Set David's Psalmes a mirrour to thy mind, 
 But with bis zeale, and heavenly spirit joinVL, 
 Henry Peacham. 
 
SELECT PSALMS, 
 
 &c. 
 
 PSALM 1. 
 
 A HIS psalm may be considered as a sort of pre- 
 lude to the whole Psalter. It contrasts, in an ele- 
 gant poetical manner, the happiness of the just 
 man with the unhappiness of the wicked. 
 
 Dr. Geddes. 
 
 How bless'd ! that wicked counsel ne'er obeys, 
 Nor leads a careless life in sinner's ways, 
 Nor, sitting in their chair, full fraught with pride, 
 Will scornfully the righteous deride ; 
 But makes God's holy laws his souFs delight, 
 Recording them each day, and every night. 
 He shall be like the fruitful tree, which grows 
 Upon a bank, by which a river flows ; 
 Whose leaf shall know no fall ; whose fruit deceives 
 No hopeful owner, but exceeds the leaves. 
 But wicked men, as chaff from better corn, 
 With e\ery puff of wind away is borne : 
 So when the judge of heaven and earth shall come 
 To sit in judgment at the day of doom, 
 
32 
 
 They shall not stand before his sight ; but then 
 Their sins shall sever them from righteous men. 
 Thus ill-men perish ; God them not regards, 
 But knows all good-mens ways, and them rewards. 
 
 Gipps. MS. 
 
 PSALM II. 
 
 The subject of the second psalm is the establish- 
 ment of David upon the throne, agreeably to the 
 Almighty decree, notwithstanding the fruitless op- 
 position of his enemies. The character which Da- 
 vid sustains in this poem is two-fold, literal and al- 
 legorical. If, on the first reading of the psalm, we 
 consider the character of David in the literal sense, 
 the composition appears sufficiently perspicuous, 
 and abundantly illustrated by facts from the sacred 
 history. Through the whole, indeed, there is an 
 unusual fervour of language, a brilliancy of meta- 
 phor; and sometimes the diction is uncommonly 
 elevated, as if to intimate, that something of a more 
 sublime and important nature lay concealed with- 
 in, and as if the poet had some intention of admit- 
 ting us to the secret recesses of his subject. If, in 
 consequence of this indication, we turn our minds 
 
33 
 
 to contemplate the internal sense, and apply the 
 same passages to the allegorical David, a nobler se- 
 ries of events is presented to us, and a meaning, not 
 only more sublime, but even more perspicuous, 
 rises to the view. Should any thing at first appear 
 bolder and more elevated than the obvious sense 
 would bear, it will now at once appear clear, ex- 
 pressive, and admirably adapted to the dignity of 
 the principal subject. If, after having considered 
 attentively the subjects apart, we examine them at 
 length in a united view, the beauty and sublimity 
 of this most elegant poem will be improved. We 
 may then perceive the vast disparity of the two 
 images, and yet the continual harmony and agree- 
 ment that subsists between them, the amazing re- 
 semblance, as between near relations, in every fea- 
 ture and lineament, and the accurate analogy which 
 is preserved, so that either may pass for the origi- 
 nal, whence the other was copied. New light is 
 reflected upon the diction, and a degree of dignity 
 and importance is added to the sentiments, whilst 
 tney gradually rise from humble to more elevated 
 objects, from human to divine, till at length the 
 great subject of the poem is placed in the most con- 
 spicuous light, and the composition attains the 
 highest point of sublimity. — Bishop Lovvth. 
 
34 
 
 PSALM III. 
 
 How, O my God, do they increase, 
 Who seek to rob me of my peace ! 
 They say, my soul's forsook by thee, 
 And that thou hast no help for me : 
 But thou my shield art, thou my praise, 
 Thou my dejected head dost raise ; 
 When troubled, unto thee I cry, 
 Thouhear'st, and help descends from high. 
 
 In peace I'll lay me down and sleep, 
 
 And rise : who hurts whom thou dost keep ? 
 
 Thus guarded, though ten thousand were 
 
 About me set, I would not fear ; 
 
 Rise, Lord ! and shield me from their power, 
 
 And break the jaw that would devour. 
 
 Oh ! bless thy people, who alone 
 
 Can'st bless us with salvation. 
 
 Goodridge. 
 
35 
 
 PSALM IV.* 
 
 Thou witness of my truth sincere, 
 
 My God, unto my poor request 
 Vouchsafe to lend thy gracious ear ; 
 
 Thou hast my soul from thrall released. 
 
 * The pious, learned, and eloquent Joseph Hall, 
 Bishop of Norwich, has translated the first ten 
 psalms, under the quaint title of " A few of David's 
 Psalms metaphrased for a taste of the rest ;" from 
 these I have made choice of the 4th, which is very 
 afrectingly rendered. 
 
 This eminent prelate was born in 1574, and 
 died in 1656. f 
 
 Bishop Hall and Archbishop Parker were no 
 strangers to persecution, and in some of the psalms 
 -of affliction, if they have failed to do justice to the 
 beauties of the poetry, they have at least entered 
 deeply into the feelings of David in his days of ad- 
 versity, when " he was desolate, and in misery ; 
 when the sorrows of his heart were enlarged." 
 Psalm xxv. 15, 16. He was indeed a most patient 
 
 f See his short but interesting life of himself, prefixed to 
 the folio edition of his works. 
 
36 
 
 Favour me still, and deign to hear 
 
 Mine humble suit : O wretched wights. 
 
 How long will ye mine honour dear 
 
 Turn into shame through your despites ? 
 
 Still will ye love what thing is vain, 
 
 And seek false hopes ? know then at last 
 
 That God hath chose, and will maintain 
 His favourite, whom ye disgraced. 
 
 God will regard my instant moan ; 
 
 Oh ! tremble then, and cease offending, 
 
 suiFerer, knowing that u whom the Lord loveth he 
 chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he re- 
 ceiveth." u As for this earthly trash," (says this 
 excellent man, in one of his beautiful tracts,) " and 
 the vaine delights of the flesh, which we have so 
 fondly doted on; we cannot carry them indeed 
 away with us, but the sting of the guilty mis-enjoy- 
 ing of them will be sure to stick by us ; and, to our 
 .sorrow, attend us both in death and judgment ; in 
 jumme therefore, if we would be truly contented, 
 and happy, our hearts can never be enough en- 
 larged in our desires of spiritual and heavenly 
 things, never too much contracted in our desires of 
 earthly." — Of Contentation, Sect. 23. 
 
37 
 
 And on your silent bed alone 
 
 Talk with your hearts, your ways amending. 
 
 Offer the truest sacrifice 
 
 Of broken hearts ; on God besetting 
 Your only trust : the most devise 
 
 The w r ays of worldly treasure getting. 
 
 But thou, O Lord, lift up to me 
 
 The light of that sweet look of thine, 
 
 So shall my soul more gladsome be, 
 
 Than their's with all their corn, and wine. 
 
 So I in peace shall lay me down, 
 
 And on my bed take quiet sleep, 
 While thou, O Lord, shalt me alone 
 
 From dangers all securely keep. 
 
 Bishop Hall. 
 
 PSALM V. 
 
 Seems to have been composed during the rebel- 
 lion of Absalom. There is nothing obscure in this 
 beautiful psalm.— Gedpes. 
 
38 
 PSALM VIII. * 
 
 O King eternal and divine ! 
 
 The world is thine alone ; 
 Above the stars thy glories shine, 
 
 Above the heav'ns thy throne. 
 
 * Christopher Pitt, Rhetor of Pimperne, Dorset- 
 shire, to whose Muse my reader owes some of the 
 best psalms in this collection, is the well-known 
 translator of the iEneid, and of Vida. His life has 
 been written by Dr. Johnson, and concludes with 
 the following simple and interesting inscription on 
 his tomb-stone at Elandford : 
 
 In Memory of 
 Chr. Pitt, Clerk, M. A. 
 
 Very eminent 
 
 for his talents in poetry ; 
 
 And yet more 
 
 for the universal candour of 
 
 his mind, and the primitive 
 
 simplicity of his manners. 
 
 He lived innocent, 
 
 and died beloved, 
 
 Apr. 13, 1748, 
 
 Aged 48. 
 
39 
 
 How far extends thy mighty name ! 
 
 Where'er the sun can roll, 
 That sun thy wonders shall proclaim, 
 
 Thy deeds from pole to pole. 
 
 The infant's tongue shall speak thy pow'r, 
 
 And vindicate thy laws ; 
 The tongue that never spoke before, 
 
 Shall labour in thy cause. 
 
 For when I lift my thoughts and eyes, 
 And view the heav'ns around, 
 
 Yon stretching waste of azure skies, 
 With stars, and planets crown'd; 
 
 Who in their dance attend the moon, 
 
 The empress of the night, 
 And pour, around her silver throne, 
 
 Their tributary light : 
 
 Lord ! what is mortal man, that he 
 Thy kind regard should share, 
 
 What is his son, who claims from thee, 
 And challenges thy care ? 
 
 Next to the blest Angelic kind, 
 
 Thy hands created man, 
 And this inferiour world assigned, 
 
 To dignify his span. 
 
40 
 
 Him all revere, and all obey 
 
 His delegated reign, 
 The flocks that through the valley stray, 
 
 The herds that graze the plain. 
 
 The furious tiger speeds his flight, 
 
 And trembles at his pow'r ; 
 In fear of his superior might, 
 
 The lions cease to roar. 
 
 Whatever horrid monsters tread 
 
 The paths beneath the sea, 
 Their king at awful distance dread, 
 
 And sullenly obey. 
 
 O Lord, how far extends thy name ! 
 
 Where'er the sun can roll, 
 That sun thy wonders shall proclaim, 
 
 Ihy deeds from pole to pole. 
 
 Pitt, 
 
41 
 
 PSALM X. 
 
 Thine is the throne : beneath thy reign, 
 Immortal King ! the tribes profane 
 Behold their dreams of conquest o'er, 
 And vanish to be seen no more. 
 
 What eyes, like thine, eternal Sire, 
 Through sin's obscurest depths enquire ? 
 What judge, like thee, on Virtue's foes 
 The needful judgments can impose ? 
 
 The meek observer of thy laws 
 To thee commits his injur'd cause, 
 In thee, each anxious fear resigned, 
 The fatherless a Father find. 
 
 Thou, Lord, thy people's wish can'st read, 
 Ere from their lips the pray'r proceed; 
 'Tis thine their drooping hearts to rear, 
 Bow to their wants th' attentive ear; 
 
 The weeping orphan's cheek to dry, 
 The guiltless suff'rer's cause to try, 
 To rein each earth-born tyrant's will, 
 And bid the sons of pride be still. 
 
 Merrick. 
 
42 
 
 PSALM XL* 
 
 This psalrn seems to have been composed by Da- 
 vid, either during his persecution by Saul, or in the 
 time of Absalom's rebellion. — From the latter part 
 of the first verse to the end of the third is contained 
 the advice of David's timid friends. David's reply, 
 in the fourth verse, is abrupt, but beautifully poeti- 
 cal. — Geddes. 
 
 Why do you prompt my soul to fly, 
 Like the poor bird when danger's nigh, 
 That leaves its parent nest ? 
 
 * Richard Cumberland, esq. whose writings are 
 so well known, and so deservedly admired, published, 
 some years ago, " f A Poetical Version of certain 
 Psalms of David." My reader will, I doubt not, 
 be so well pleased with the two specimens here 
 given, as to have recourse to the work itself. 
 
 f I have rendered into English metre fifty of the Psalms of 
 David, which are printed by Mr. Strange of Tunbridge Wells, 
 and upon which I flatter myself I have not in vain bestowed 
 my best attention. — Memoirs of Richard Cumberland, written by 
 himself, vol. ii. p 274. 
 
43 
 
 God is my hope, and though my foes 
 Prepare their shafts, and bend their bows, 
 I bear a fearless breast. 
 
 ThV truth and justice be overthrown, 
 And earth's foundations inly groan, 
 
 And all is dark despair; 
 Thou, Lord, descending from above, 
 Shalt cover me with wings of love, 
 
 And the sad wreck repair. 
 
 They, who with faith sincere and pupe 
 Adversity's hard lot endure, 
 
 A glorious prize shall gain ; 
 But the oppressors of mankind, 
 Outcast of God, no rest shall find, 
 
 No period to their pain. 
 
 The Lord, in his vindictive ire, 
 
 With storms and showers of sulphurous fire 
 
 These monsters shall destroy; 
 Whilst virtue reaps eternal peace, 
 In mansions where all sorrows cease, 
 
 A heav'n of boundless joy. 
 
 Cumberland. 
 
44 
 
 PSALM XII. 
 
 Was composed, I think, during the rebellion of 
 Absalom. There are great beauties in this psalm, 
 which disappear in a dry prosaic theological ver- 
 sion. The transitions are as bold as those of Pin- 
 dar, and more emphatical. — Geddes. 
 
 PSALM XIII.* 
 
 Offended Majesty ! how long 
 Wilt thou conceal thy face ? 
 
 How long refuse my fainting soul 
 The succours of thy grace ? 
 
 * Nathaniel Cotton was a Physician at St. AI- 
 ban's, where he acquired considerable reputation. 
 Dr. Anderson, in the life prefixed to Cotton's 
 Works, laments that ' Of the family, birth-place, 
 and education of Nathaniel Cotton, there are no 
 written memorials/ Hedied 1788. — Mr. Soijthey's 
 Specimens of the Later English Poets, vqL Hi. 
 
45 
 
 While sorrow wrings my bleeding heart, 
 And black despondence reigns, 
 
 Satan exults at my complaints, 
 And triumphs o'er my pains. 
 
 Let thy returning spirit, Lord, 
 
 Dispel the shades of night ; 
 Smile on my poor deserted soul, 
 
 My God, thy smiles are light. 
 
 While scoffers at thy sacred word 
 
 Deride the pangs I feel, 
 Deem my religion insincere, 
 
 Or call it useless zeal. 
 
 Yet will I ne'er repent my choice, 
 I'll ne'er withdraw my trust; 
 
 I know thee, Lord, a powerful friend. 
 And kind, and wise, and just. 
 
 To doubt thy goodness would be base 
 
 Ingratitude in me ; 
 Past favours shall renew my hopes, 
 
 And fix my faith in thee. 
 
 Indulgent God ! my willing tongue 
 Thy praises shall prolong ; 
 
46 
 
 For oh ! thy bounty fires my breast, 
 And rapture swells my song*. 
 
 Cotton. 
 
 PSALM XV. * 
 
 Lord, who's the happy man that may 
 
 To thy blest courts repair, 
 Not, stranger-like, to visit them, 
 
 But to inhabit there ? 
 
 'Tis he, who ev'ry thought and deed 
 
 By rules of virtue moves ; 
 Whose gen'rous tongue disdains to speak 
 
 The things his heart disproves : 
 
 Who never did a slander forge, 
 
 His neighbour's fame to wound; 
 Or hearken to a false report, 
 
 By malice whisper'd round : 
 
 * The fifteenth psalm is admirably translated by 
 Mr. Tate : the last verse in particular is beautiful 
 and sublime ; though the classical reader will see 
 that the translator had his eye on the " Si fractus 
 illabatur orbis" of Horace. — Dr. Gregory. 
 
47 
 
 Who vice, in all its pomp and pow'r, 
 
 Can treat with just neglect, 
 And piety, though cloth' d in rags, 
 
 Religiously respect : 
 
 • 
 Who to his plighted vows and trust 
 
 Has ever firmly stood ; 
 And tho* he promise to his loss, 
 
 He makes his promise good : 
 
 Whose soul in usury disdains 
 
 His treasure to employ ; 
 Whom no rewards can ever bribe, 
 
 The guiltless to destroy. 
 
 The man, who by this steady course 
 
 Has happiness insured, 
 W T hen earth's foundation shakes, shall stand 
 
 By Providence securM. 
 
 New Version. 
 
 PSALM XVI. 
 
 The Psalmist beautifully expresseth his sole de- 
 pendence oii Jehovah his God ; his contempt of all 
 
48 
 
 profane divinities; his thankfulness for the good 
 things already received, and his firm hope of future 
 favour and protection. — Geddes. 
 
 Father of all ! my soul defend ; 
 
 On thee my stedfast hopes depend ; 
 
 " Thou, mightiest Lord, and none beside, 
 
 u Thou art my God," my heart has cry'd. 
 
 In vain, with grateful zeal I burn 
 Thy boundless goodness to return ; 
 In vain, would gifts by me bestow'd 
 Augment the treasures of my God. 
 
 Yet shall my love on all descend, 
 Whose souls to thy decrees attend, 
 My heart's desire to each incline, 
 Whose saint-like virtue marks him thine 
 
 Thee, Lord, my patrimony, thee 
 The portion of my cup I see; 
 In all my acts, in each intent, 
 Thee to my soul my thoughts present. 
 
 Thee let me bless, the faithful guide, 
 Whose counsels o'er my life preside ; 
 
49 
 
 \Vhose sure defence my gate has barr'd, 
 And planted on my right a guard. 
 
 Each blessing by thy care secured, 
 Life's choicest gifts around me pourM ; 
 For this my heart, for this my tongue 
 Shall meditate the joyful song. 
 
 Mebrick. 
 
 PSALM XVII. 
 
 This psalm appears to have been composed, when 
 David was persecuted by Saul, and obliged to take 
 refuge in the most inaccessible places. It is enti- 
 tled a prayer of David. 
 
 There are many hard passages in this otherwise 
 beautiful psalm ; which it is not easy to render ; 
 and which cannot, and ought not to be literally 
 rendered. — Geddes. 
 
50 
 
 . PSALM XVIII. 
 
 Every reader must observe that this psalm is 
 highly metaphorical, and quite in the Oriental ex- 
 aggerating style. Deep maters — the billows of death, 
 &c. express the greatest degree of calamity and dis- 
 tress ; but Jehovah, who is a rock, a tower, a fort- 
 ress, a shield, &c. can easily rescue from all such 
 perils. His coming down in a thunder-storm, to 
 save David, and terrify his enemies, is wonderfully 
 well conceived ; and the description of the storm 
 itself uncommonly sublime. — Verses 26 — 28. The 
 attributes in these verses, applied to God, seem, 
 harsh, in our refined ideas of the divinity : but in 
 Hebrew they mean nothing more than that God 
 treats mankind according to their deeds and dispo- 
 sitions. — Verse 34. The comparison of his feet to 
 those of hinds, or deer, is peculiarly suitable. 
 When persecuted by Saul, he was often obliged to 
 take refuge on the most inaccessible clifFs of moun- 
 tains ; where both speed and sure-footing were ab- 
 solutely necessary. The whole psalm is a masterly 
 composition. — Geddes. 
 
 Of all writings, ancient or modern, the sacred 
 Scriptures afford us the highest instances of the 
 
51 
 
 sublime. The descriptions of the Deity in them, 
 are wonderfully noble, both from the grandeur of 
 the object, and the manner of representing it. 
 What an assemblage, for instance, of awful and 
 sublime ideas is presented to us in that passage of the 
 18th psalm, where the appearance of the Almighty 
 is described ! " In my distress I called upon the 
 Lord, and cried unto my God : he heard my voice 
 out of his temple, and my cry came before him, 
 even into his ears. Then the earth shook and 
 trembled ; the foundations also of the hills moved 
 and were shaken, because he was wroth. There 
 went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of 
 his mouth devoured : coals were kindled by it. He 
 bowed the heavens also, and came down ; and dark- 
 ness was under his feet. And he rode upon a che- 
 rub, and did fly ; yea, he did fly upon the wings of 
 the wind. He made darkness his secret place ; his 
 pavilion round about him were dark waters, and 
 thick clouds of the skies." Here we see with what 
 propriety and success the circumstances of darkness 
 and terror are applied for heightening the sublime. 
 — Blair's Lectures. 
 
 The Deity is described in a thousand passages of 
 Scripture, in greater majesty, pomp, and perfection, 
 than that in which Homer arrays his gods. The 
 
52 
 
 books of Psalms and of Job abound in such divine 
 descriptions. That, particularly, in the 18th psalm, 
 verses 7 — 10, is inimitably grand. 
 
 So again psalm lxxvii. 16 — 19. 
 
 " The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw 
 thee, and were afraid ; the depths also were troub- 
 led. The clouds poured out water, the air thun- 
 dered, and thine arrows w T ent abroad. The voice 
 of thy thunder was heard round about ; the light- 
 nings shone upon the ground, the earth was moved 
 and shook withal. Thy way is in the sea, and thy 
 paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not 
 known. n 
 
 And in general, wherever there is any descrip- 
 tion of the works of Omnipotence, or the excel- 
 lence of the divine Being, the same vein of sublimi- 
 ty is always to be discerned. I beg the reader to 
 peruse in this view the following psalms, 46, 68, 76, 
 96, 97, 104, 114, 139, 148, as also the 3d chapter 
 of Habakkuk, and the description of the Son of 
 God in the book of Revelations, chap. xix. verse* 
 11 — 17. — Smith's Longinus, p. 38, note. 
 
53 
 PSALM XVIII. 
 
 My heart on thee is fix'd, my strength, my power ; 
 
 My steadfast rock, my fortress, my high tower ; 
 
 My God, my safety, and my confidence, 
 
 The horn of my salvation, my defence. 
 
 My songs shall thy deserved praise resound; 
 
 For at my prayers thou wilt my foes confound. 
 
 Sorrows of death on every side assail'd, 
 
 And dreadful floods of impious men prevailed ; 
 
 Sorrows of hell my compassed soul dismayed ; 
 
 And, to entrap me, deadly snares were laid. 
 
 In this distress I cry'd, and called upon 
 
 The Lord, who heard me from his holy throne. 
 
 He trembling earth in his fierce anger struck ; 
 
 Th' unfixed roots of airy mountains shook ; 
 
 Smoke from his nostrils flew ; devouring fire 
 
 Brake from his mouth ; coals kindled by his ire : 
 
 In his descent bow'd heaven with earth did meet, 
 
 And gloomy darkness roll'd beneath his feet ; 
 
 A golden-winged cherubin bestrid, 
 
 And on the swiftly-flying tempest rid. 
 
 He darkness made his secret cabinet, 
 
 Thick fogs, and dropping clouds about him set ; 
 
 The beams of his bright presence these expell, 
 
 Whence show'rs of burning coals, and hail-stones fell > 
 
54 
 
 From troubled skies loud claps of thunder brake ; 
 
 In hail, and darting flames, th* Almighty spake ; 
 
 Whose arrows my amazed foes subdue, 
 
 And at their scattered troops his lightning threw. 
 
 The ocean could not his deep bottom hide, 
 
 The world's conceal'd foundations were descried. 
 
 At thy rebuke, Jehovah, at the blast 
 
 E'en of the breath which through thy nostrils past. 
 
 He, with extended arms, his servant saves, 
 
 And drew me sinking from th' enraged waves ; 
 
 From my proud foes by his assistance freed, 
 
 Who, swoln with hate, no less in strength exceed. 
 
 Without his aid, I, in that stormy day 
 
 Of my affliction, had become their prey ; 
 
 W r ho from those straits of danger by his might 
 
 Enlarged my soul, for I was his delight. 
 
 The Lord, according to my innocence, 
 
 And justice, did his saving grace dispense : 
 
 The narrow path, by him prescribM, I took ; 
 
 Nor, like the wicked, my great God forsook. 
 
 For all his judgments were before mine eyes, 
 
 I with his statutes daily did advise, 
 
 And ever walked before him, void of guile j 
 
 No act, or purpose did my soul defile. 
 
 For this he recompensed my righteousness, 
 
 And crown'd my innocence with fair success. 
 
55 
 
 The merciful shall flourish in thy grace ; 
 
 Thy righteousness the righteous shall embrace: 
 
 Thou to the pure thy purity wilt show, 
 
 And the perverse shall thy averseness know. 
 
 For thou wilt thy afflicted people save, 
 
 The proud cast down, down to the greedy grave. 
 
 Thou, Lord, wilt make my taper to shine bright, 
 
 And clear my darkness with celestial light ; 
 
 Through thee I have against an host prevaiPd, 
 
 And by thy aid a lofty bulwark scal'd. 
 
 God's path is perfect, all his words are just ; 
 
 A shield to those that in his promise trust. 
 
 What God is there in heaven or earth but ours ! 
 
 What rock but he against assailing powers ! 
 
 He breathed new strength and courage in the day 
 
 Of battle, and securely clear'd my way. 
 
 He makes my feet outstrip the nimble hind, 
 
 Up to the mountains, where I safety find. 
 
 'Tis he that teacheth my weak hands to fight ; 
 
 A bow of steel is broken by their might. 
 
 Thou didst thy ample shield before me set ; 
 
 Thy arm upheld, thy favour made me great : 
 
 The passage of my steps on every side, 
 
 Thou hast enlarged, lest my feet should slide, 
 
 I followed, overtook; nor made retreat, 
 
 Until victorious in my foes' defeat ; 
 
56 
 
 So charged with wounds, that they no longer stood, 
 
 But at my feet lay bathed in their blood. 
 
 Thou arm'st me with prevailing fortitude, 
 
 And all that rose against me hast subdued, 
 
 Their stubborn necks subjected to my will, 
 
 That I, their blood, who hate my soul, might spill. 
 
 They cry'd aloud, but found no succour near, 
 
 To thee, Jehovah, but thou would' st not hear : 
 
 I pounded them like dust, which whirl- winds raise, 
 
 Trod under foot as dirt in beaten ways. 
 
 From popular fury thou hast set me free, 
 
 Among the heathen hast exalted roe, 
 
 Whom unknown nations serve ; as soon obey 
 
 As hear of me, and yield unto my sway : 
 
 The stranger-born, beset with horror, fled, 
 
 And in their close retreats betray their dread. 
 
 praise the living Lord, the rock whereon 
 
 1 build, the God of my salvation ! 
 
 *Tis he who rights my wrongs ; . the people bends 
 To my subjection ; from my foe defends. • 
 Thou raisest me above their proud control • 
 And from the violent man hast freed my soul. 
 The heathen shall admire my thankfulness ; 
 My songs shall thy immortal praise express. 
 A great and manifold deliverance 
 God gives his king ; his mercy doth advance 
 
57 
 
 In his anointed, and will show'r his grace 
 Eternally on David-, and his race. 
 
 Sandys. 
 
 PSALM XIX. 
 
 The subject of this psalm is general; and its te- 
 nor is readily perceived. A fmer argument against 
 atheism was never urged, nor better expressed. — 
 Geddes. 
 
 The other example *, to which I shall refer you 
 on this occasion, is composed upon quite a different 
 plan ; for it declines gradually, from an exordium* 
 uncommonly splendid and sublime, to a gentler 
 and more moderate strain, to the softest expressions 
 of piety and devotion. The whole composition 
 abounds with great variety of both sentiment and 
 imagery. You will, from these circumstances, al- 
 most conjecture that I am alluding to the nine- 
 teenth psalm. The glory of God is demonstrated 
 in his works both of nature and providence. By 
 exhibiting it, however, in an entire state, though in 
 modern verse, you will more readily perceive the 
 order, method, and arrangement of this beautiful 
 composition. — Lovvth, Led. 26. 
 
 * See the Bishop's Note en Psalm 77. 
 
58 
 
 Mr. Addison's paraphrase of a part of this psalm 
 infinitely excels every translation that I have seen, 
 as well in sublimity as elegance ; and is indeed, in 
 my opinion, the most beautiful and perfect speci- 
 men of sacred poetry extant in English verse. — Dr. 
 Gregory's Note on the preceding passage. 
 
 Part of PSALM XIX. * 
 
 The spacious firmament on high, 
 With all the blue ethereal sky, 
 And spangled heavens, a shining frame, 
 Their great original proclaim : 
 
 * Joseph Addison, " t one of the brightest charac- 
 ters to be found in the annals of learning/' was 
 born in the year 1G72, and died 1719. From his 
 life (one of the most beautiful of those by our great 
 biographer) I beg leave to lay before my reader the 
 following noble passage. It is justly observed by 
 Tick ell, that he employed wit on the side of virtue 
 and religion. He not only made the proper use of 
 wit himself, but taught it to others ; and from his 
 time it has been generally subservient to the cause 
 
 f Mainwaring. 
 
59 
 
 Th' unwearied sun, from day to day, 
 Does his Creator's pow'r display, 
 And publishes to every land 
 The work of an almighty hand. 
 
 Soon as the evening shades prevail 
 The moon takes up the wond'rous tale, 
 And nightly to the list'ning earth 
 Repeats the story of her birth : 
 Whilst all the stars that round her burn, 
 And all the planets in their turn, 
 Confirm the tidings as they roll, 
 And spread the truth from pole to pole. 
 
 of reason and of truth. He has dissipated that pre- 
 judice that had long connected gaiety with vice, 
 and easiness of .manners with laxity of principles. 
 He has restored virtue to its dignity, and taught 
 innocence not to be ashamed. This is an elevation 
 of literary character, u above all Greek, above all 
 Roman fame." No greater felicity can genius at- 
 tain, than having purified intellectual pleasure, se- 
 parated mirth from indecency, and wit from licen- 
 tiousness; of having taught a succession of w r riters 
 to bring elegance and gaiety to the aid of good- 
 ness ; and, if I may use expressions yet more awful, 
 of having " turned many to righteousness." 
 
 Johnson's Lizes of the Poets. 
 
60 
 
 What, though, in solemn silence, all 
 Move round the dark terrestrial ball ? 
 What, though no real voice, nor sound, 
 Amid their radiant orbs be found ? 
 In reason's ear they all rejoice, 
 And utter forth a glorious voice, 
 For ever singing, as they shine, 
 " The hand that made us is divine." 
 
 Addison. 
 
 PSALM XX. 
 
 People. 
 Jehovah heai thee in the troublous day, 
 And be the name of Jacob's God thy stay ; 
 Let him support thee from his holy place, 
 And send, from Sion's mount, his aiding grace : 
 Note all thy gifts, and .hy burnt-offerings own, 
 In flames ascended, sunk in ashes down. 
 May he with prudent skill thy thought inspire, 
 Fulfil thy mind, and grant thy heart's desire : 
 If he will save, who shall our hosts annoy ? 
 We'll raise our banners with loud-shouting, joy ; 
 May thine orisons needful succours bring : 
 Save thou, O Lord, our heaven-anointed king. 
 
61 
 
 David. 
 
 The Lord will save me, now I surely know, ^ 
 
 From holy heav'n his gracious ear will bow, f 
 
 His strong right hand shall lay the tyrants low. ' 
 
 People. 
 In chariots they, or foaming steeds, confide, 
 But we have on Jehovah's name rely'd : 
 Vain are their foaming steeds, their chariots all, 
 PIungM headlong in the sordid dust they fall : 
 But, whilst our foes sink in each routed band, 
 We rise, and in our ranks erected stand. 
 
 All 
 Save us, Jehovah ; heavenly Sovereign, hear, 
 When in thine house we ask thy favouring ear. 
 
 Wheatland and Silvester* 
 
 PSALM XXI1L 
 
 This psalm is a happy specimen of Hebrew poe- 
 try, and has been elegantly translated into verse, by 
 Addison and others. It must have been composed 
 after all David's first troubles were over ; most pro- 
 bably in the beginning of his reign. — Geddes. 
 
62 
 
 Although the lyric poetry of the Hebrews is al- 
 ways occupied upon serious subjects, nor ever des- 
 cends to that levity which is admitted into that of 
 other nations, the character of sweetness is by no 
 means inconsistent with it. The sweetness of the 
 Hebrew ode consists in the gentle and tender pas- 
 sions which it excites ; in the gay and florid ima- 
 gery, and in the chaste and unostentatious diction 
 which it employs. The passions which it generally 
 affects are those of love, tenderness, hope, cheerful- 
 ness, and pensive sorrow. In the sixty-third psalm 
 the Royal Prophet, supposed to be then an exile in 
 the wilderness, expresses most elegantly the senti- 
 ments of tenderness and love. The voice of grief 
 and complaint is tempered with the consolations of 
 hope in the eightieth psalm : and the ninety-second 
 consists wholly of joy, which is not the less sincere, 
 because it is not excessive. The sweetness of all 
 these, in composition, sentiment, diction, and ar- 
 rangement, has never been equalled by the' finest 
 productions of all the heathen muses and graces 
 united. Though none of the above are deficient in 
 imagery, I must confess I have never met with any 
 image so truly pleasing and delightful as the follow- 
 ing description of the Deity in the character of a 
 shepherd: 
 
63 
 
 " The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want: 
 
 ** In tender grass he giveth me to lie down ; 
 
 " He guideth me to streams that gently flow." 
 
 Lowth, Let. 25. 
 
 This psalm, says Michaelis, is deserving of all the 
 commendation which our author (Bishop Lowth) 
 has bestowed upon it. If I am not mistaken, it 
 was composed by David, when he was expelled 
 from the holy city and temple : for in the 6th verse 
 he hopes for a return to the house of God. Since, 
 of all the divine mercies, he particularly commemo- 
 rates this, that, in time of necessity, he wants for 
 nothing, and is even received to a banquet in the 
 sight of his enemies, I conceive it to relate to that 
 time, when, flying from the contest with his disobe- 
 dient son, he pitched his camp beyond Jordan, and 
 was in danger of seeing his little army perish for 
 want of provision in that uncultivated region, or of 
 being deserted by all his friends. Affairs, however, 
 turned out quite different : for what he could not 
 foresee or hope, the Almighty performed for him. 
 The veteran soldiers flowed in to him from every 
 quarter, and his whole camp was so liberally sup- 
 ported by the good and opulent citizens, that in 
 this very situation he was enabled to collect an 
 army, and risk the event of a battle. See 2 Sam. 
 xvii. 26—29. 
 
64 
 
 He therefore compares himself to a sheep, and 
 the Almighty to a shepherd : a very obvious figure, 
 and which every day occurred to his sight during 
 his stay in those desert parts. The sheep, timid, 
 defenceless, exposed to all the beasts of prey, and 
 possessed of little knowledge or power of foreseeing 
 or avoiding danger, are indebted for life, safety, 
 and every thing to the care of the shepherd. We 
 must remember also, that the exiled king had for- 
 merly himself been a shepherd. The recollection, 
 therefore, of his past life breaks in upon his mind. 
 ""Jehovah-,*" says he, " is my shepherd, I shall 
 want nothing." It is his province to provide for 
 my existence, and to procure for me those blessings 
 which I am unable to obtain for myself. The ten* 
 tier herb is more grateful to sheep than that which 
 is seeded ; in meadows, therefore, covered with the 
 green and tender grass* he supposes Jehovah to 
 cause him to rest under his care. He was expelled 
 to Lebanon, from the tops of which cataracts of 
 melted snow are constantly failing: these are dan- 
 gerous for sheep to approach, nor is the water suf- 
 ficiently wholesome. He therefore adds, that he is 
 led to waters gently flowing, where the clear stream 
 
 * This metaphor, says Dr. Geddes, naturally occurred to 
 David, from his first pastoral condition, and is most happily 
 applied. 
 
65 
 
 meanders through the fertile plain. The scene 
 which was before his eyes consisted of rude hills 
 and vallies, deep, gloomy, dark, and horrid, the 
 haunts only of the fiercest animals. There is no 
 safety for the sheep in these vallies but in the care of 
 the shepherd. You are therefore presented with a 
 great variety of contrasted imagery in this psalm ; 
 on the one hand, the open pastures, and the flow- 
 ing rivulets, the recollection of which never fails to 
 delight; and, on the other hand, the cheerless and 
 gloomy vallies, which inspire the reader with fresh 
 horror. Descending from figurative to plain lan- 
 guage, he next celebrates the bounty of God in 
 preparing him a banquet in the face of "his ene- 
 mies; and therefore regales himself with the deli- 
 cious hope, that he shall once more be restored to 
 his sacred temple. — Michaelis. 
 
 Mr. Tate (in our common version of the Psalms) 
 has been remarkably fortunate in his paraphrase of 
 the first verses of this psalm ; so much indeed, that, 
 for simplicity, and a close adherence to the spirit 
 of the original, I cannot help preferring it to the 
 celebrated translation of Mr. Addison : 
 
 " The Lord himself, the mighty Lord, 
 
 " Vouchsafes to be my guide; 
 " The shepherd, by whose constant care 
 
 " My wants are all supplied. 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 " In tender grass he makes me feed, 
 
 " And gently there repose, 
 u And leads me to cool shades, and where 
 
 " Refreshing water flows/' 
 
 Dr. Gregory. 
 
 PSALM XXIII. 
 
 The Lord my pasture shall prepare, 
 And feed me with a shepherd's care ; 
 His presence shall my wants supply, 
 And guard me with a watchful eye ; 
 My noon- day walks he shall attend, 
 And ail my midnight hours defend. 
 
 When in the sultry glebe I faint, 
 Or on the thirsty mountain pant : . 
 To fertile vales and dewy meads 
 My weary, wandVng steps he leads, 
 Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, 
 Amid the verdant landscape flow. 
 
 Though in the paths of death I tread, 
 With gloomy horrors overspread, 
 My stedfast heart shall fear no ill, 
 For thou, O Lord, art with me still ; 
 
67 
 
 Thy friendly crook shall give me aid, 
 And guide me through the dreadfu shade. 
 
 Though in a bare and rugged way, 
 Through devious lonely wilds I stray 
 Thy bounty shall my pains beguile, 
 The barren wilderness shall smile 
 With sudden greens and herbage crown'd, 
 And streams shall murmur all around. 
 
 Addison. 
 
 PSALM XXIII. 
 
 Lord ! amid this desert wide, 
 
 Thou art my shepherd, thou my guide ; 
 From day to day, from year to year, 
 
 1 shall not want, for thou art near. 
 
 Thou hast ten thousand gifts bestow'd, 
 And strew' d with flow'rs my mortal road ; 
 Through pastures fair, I take my way, 
 Or by the peaceful waters stray. 
 
 All those who call upon thy name, 
 Shall find thy bounty still the same ; 
 
68 
 
 Goodness and mercy shall attend 
 
 The man who makes his God his friend. 
 
 And when th' appointed time shall come. 
 That I must seek my narrow home, 
 Follow where all the prophets led, 
 Down to the chambers of the dead : 
 
 Close my sad eyes on ev'ry scene, 
 Which once my dear delight had been ; 
 Forsake the fair abodes of men, 
 And dust to dust return again ; 
 
 I will not dread, for thou art near, 
 Thy smile shall calm each rising fear; 
 Thy rod and staff new joy impart, 
 And cheer, with hope, my fainting heart. 
 
 Confiding in Jehovah's power, 
 I then will meet the trying hour ; 
 And hail, with my expiring breath, 
 The cold and lonely vale of death. 
 
 Our fathers pass'd that gloomy road, 
 Awhile, our fathers there abode ; 
 ^None hath in heaven his anchor cast, 
 Who hath not Jordan's billows past. 
 
69 
 
 When death shall summon me away, 
 If thou but smile, my night is day ; 
 That dark and dreary vale once trod, 
 And I ascend to thee, my God ! 
 
 Cottle. 
 
 PSALM XXIV. 
 
 The subject of the following poem is possessed of 
 the highest dignity and splendour, though still no 
 inconsiderable part of the sublimity is to be attri- 
 buted to its general plan and arrangement. The in- 
 duction of the ark of God to mount Sion by David, 
 gave occasion to the twenty-fourth psalm *. The 
 removal of the ark was celebrated in a great as- 
 sembly of the people, and with suitable splendour 
 during every part of the ceremony. The Levites 
 led the procession, accompanied by a great variety 
 of vocal and instrumental music ; and this ode 
 appears to have been sung to the people, when they 
 arrived at the summit of the mountain. The exor- 
 dium is expressive of the supreme and infinite 
 dominion of God, arising from the right of creation : 
 
 * See 2 Sam. vi. ; 1 Chron. xv. 
 
70 
 
 " The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof; 
 
 " The world, and all that inhahit therein. 
 
 " For upon the seas hath he founded it, 
 
 u And upon the floods hath he established it." 
 
 How astonishing the favour and condescension ! 
 how extraordinary the testimony of his love, when 
 he selected from his infinite dominion a peculiar 
 seat, and a people for himself! What a copious 
 return of gratitude, of holiness, of righteousness, • 
 and of all human virtues, does such an obligation 
 demand ! " Behold," says Moses, addressing the 
 Israelites, "the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, 
 is Jehovah's, thy Cod, the earth also, and all that it 
 containeth. Only he had a delight in thy fathers 
 to love them, and their posterity after them, and 
 he chose you above all people as it is this day *.** 
 Such is evidently the reasoning of David in the 
 following passage, though the chain of argument is 
 not quite so directly displayed : 
 
 " Who shall ascend unto the mountain of Jehovah ; 
 " And who shall stand in the seat of his holiness ? 
 " He whose hands are innocent, and whose heart is 
 pure : 
 
 • Deut. x. 14— Id. 
 
71 
 
 H Who hath not put his trust in vanity, 
 
 " Nor sworn for the purpose of deceit. 
 
 u He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah, 
 
 " And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 
 
 u This is the generation that seeketh him ; 
 
 " That seeketh the face of the God of Jacob/' 
 
 Thus far is expressive, on the one hand, of the 
 " infinite goodness, and condescension of God to the 
 children of Israel ; and, on the other hand, of their 
 indispensable obligation to piety and virtue ; since 
 he had deigned to make their nation the peculiar 
 seat of his miraculous providence, and to honour 
 them with his actual presence. We may now con- 
 ceive the procession to have arrived at the gates of 
 the tabernacle. While the ark is brought in, the 
 Levites, divided into two choirs, sing alternately 
 the remainder of the psalm. Indeed, it is not im- 
 possible that this mode of singing was pursued 
 through every part of the ode ; but towards the 
 conclusion the fact will not admit of a doubt. On 
 the whole, whether we regard the subject, the 
 imagery, or style of this composition, it will be 
 found to possess a certain simple and unaffected 
 (and therefore admirable) sublimity ; 
 
 " Lift up your heads, O ye gates ! 
 
 " And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ! 
 
72 
 
 u And the king of glory shall enter* 
 
 " Who is th's king of g^ory ? 
 
 " Jehovah mighty and powerful, 
 
 " Jehovah powerful in war. 
 
 " Lift up your heads, O ye gates; 
 
 " And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors! 
 
 " And the king of glory shall enter. 
 
 " Who is this king of glory ? 
 
 " Jehovah of hosts, he is the king of glory." 
 
 You will easily perceive, that the beauty and sub- 
 limity observable in this psalm are of such a 
 peculiar kind as to be perfectly adapted to the ' 
 subject and the occasion, and to that particular 
 solemnity for which it was composed. You will 
 perceive too, that unless we have some respect to 
 these points, the principal force and eleganee will be 
 lost ; and even the proprieiy of the sentiments, the 
 splendour of the diction, the beauty and order of 
 the arrangement, will be almost totally obscured. 
 If such be the state of the case in this single in- 
 stance, it is surely not unreasonable to conclude, 
 that it is not the only one which stands in need of 
 the light of history to cast a splendour on its 
 beauties. It is surely not unreasonable to infer, 
 that much of the harmony, propriety, and elegance 
 of the sacred poetry must pass unperceived by us, 
 
73 
 
 who can only form distant conjectures of the 
 general design, but are totally ignorant of the par- 
 ticular application *. Thus, of necessity, much of 
 the delicacy of sentiment, much of the felicity of 
 allusion, and the force of expression, must, by the 
 hand of time, be cast into shade; or rather, I 
 should say, total-y suppressed and extinguished. 
 The attentive reader will, indeed, frequently feel a 
 want of information, concerning the author, the 
 age, and the occasion of a poem ; still more fre- 
 quently will he find occasion to lament his own 
 ignorance with revpect to many facts and circum- 
 stances closely connected with the principal subject, 
 and on which, perhaps, its most striking ornaments 
 depend. — Lowth, Lect. 27. 
 
 The sudden change of persons, when, by the 
 vehemence of passion, the author is led, aj it were 
 
 * I wish most earnestly, says Michaelis, that this observa- 
 tion of our author might be properly attended to by the com- 
 mentators upon the psalms : since whoever neglects it must 
 
 of necessity fall into very gross errors Those who will 
 
 not allow themselves to be ignorant of a great part of the 
 Jewish' history, will be apt to explain more of the psalms 
 upon the same principle, and as relating to the same facts, 
 than they ought : whence the poetry will appear tame and 
 languid, abounding in words, but with little variety of des- 
 cription, or sentiment. 
 
74 
 
 insensibly, from the narration of an event to the 
 imitation on acting of it, is frequent in the Hebrew 
 poetry; but sometimes the genuine dramatic, or 
 dialogue form, is quite apparent, and the passage 
 will admit of no other explanation. The twenty- 
 fourth psalm is evidently of this kind, relating (as 
 I endeavoured in my twenty-seventh lecture to 
 prove) to the transferring of the ark to Mount 
 Sion ; and the whole of the transaction is exhibited 
 in a theatrical manner, though the dialogue is not 
 fully obvious till towards the conclusion of the 
 poem — Lowth, Led. 30 
 
 Amongst the various and beautiful instances of 
 an assemblage of figures, which may be produced, 
 and which so frequently occur in the best writings, 
 one, I believe, has hitherto not been taken notice of; 
 I mean the four last verses of the twenty-fourth 
 psalm. 
 
 " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift 
 up, ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall 
 come in. Who is the king of glory ? The Lord 
 strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battles. 
 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, 
 ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall 
 come in. Who is the king of glory ? The Lord of 
 hosts: he is the king of glory/' 
 
 There are innumerable instances of this kind in 
 
75 
 
 the poetical parts of Scripture, particularly in the 
 Song of Deborah (Judges ch. v.) and the Lamenta- 
 tion of David over Saul and Jonathan, (2 Samuel 
 chap. 1.) There is scarce one thought in them, 
 which is not figured ; nor one figure, which is not 
 beautiful. — Smith's Longinus, p. 97, note. 
 
 PSALM XXIV. 
 
 Far as the world can streteh its bounds, 
 
 The Lord is king of all ; 
 His wondrous pow'r extends around 
 
 The circuit of the ball. 
 
 For he within the gloomy deeps 
 
 Its dark foundations cast, 
 And rear'd the pillars of the earth 
 
 Amid the wat'ry waste. 
 
 Who shall ascend his Sion's hill, 
 
 And see Jehovah there ? 
 Who from his sacred shrine shall breathe 
 
 The sacrifice of pray'r ? 
 
 He only, whose unsullied soul, 
 Fair virtue's paths has trod, 
 
76 
 
 Who with clean hands and heart regard* 
 His neighbour, and his God. 
 
 On him shall his indulgent Lord 
 
 Diffusive bounties shed, 
 From God his Saviour shall descend 
 
 All blessings on his head. 
 
 Of those who seek his righteous ways, 
 
 Is this the chosen race, 
 Who bask in all his bounteous smiles, 
 
 And flourish in his grace. 
 
 Lift up your stately heads, ye doors, 
 
 With hasty reverence rise, 
 Ye everlasting doors, who guard 
 
 The passes of the skies. 
 
 Swift from your golden hinges leap, 
 
 Your barriers roll away, 
 Now throw your blazing portals wide, 
 
 And burst the gates of day. 
 
 For see ! the King of glory comes 
 
 Along th' ethereal road, 
 The Cherubs through your folds shall bear 
 
 The triumphs of their God. 
 
77 
 
 Who is the great and glorious king ? 
 
 Oh ! 'tis the Lord whose might 
 Decides the conquest, and suspends 
 
 The balance of the fight. 
 
 Lift up your stately heads, ye doors, 
 
 With hasty rev'rence rise, 
 Ye everlasting doors, who guard 
 
 The passes of the skies. 
 
 Swift from your golden hinges leap, 
 
 Your barriers roll away, 
 Now throw your blazing portals wide, 
 
 And burst the gates of day. 
 
 For see ! the King of glory comes 
 
 Along th' ethereal road, 
 The Cherubs through your folds shall bear 
 
 The triumphs of their God. 
 
 Who is this great and glorious King ? 
 
 Oh ! 'tis the God, whose care 
 Leads on his Israel to the field, 
 
 Whose power controls the war. 
 
 Pitt. 
 
78 
 PSALM XXV. 
 
 THE FORMER PART. 
 
 I lift my heart to thee, 
 
 My God, my guide most just : 
 
 Let not the soul be brought to shame* 
 In thee that puts its trust. 
 
 Let not my foes rejoice, 
 
 And shouts of triumph raise,. 
 
 Nor let on those their malice fall, 
 Who tread thy righteous ways. 
 
 O lead me in thy truth, 
 
 Instruct me in thy law ; 
 Thou God of my salvation, still 
 
 To thee my footsteps draw. 
 
 Thy former favour, Lord, 
 
 In kind remembrance hold; 
 And in thy arms of heav'nly love 
 Thy faithful servant fold. 
 
 Mason *. 
 Altered from the Old Version. 
 * This distinguished poet published some psalms, for the 
 
79 
 
 PSALM XXIX. 
 
 This psalm contains a beautiful description of au 
 eastern thunder-storm. By Grotius it is thought 
 to have been composed after the defeat of the 
 Syrians. 2 Sam. viii. 5. — Geddes. 
 
 Most of those qualities and perfections, which 
 constitute sublimity, and which have been the sub- 
 ject of this disquisition, will be found in a very 
 high degree in the twenty-ninth psalm. The 
 supreme dominion of God, and the awfulness of 
 his power, are demonstrated from the tremendous 
 noise, and the astonishing force of the thunder, 
 which the Hebrews, by a bold but very apt figure, 
 denominate " the voice of the Most High." It is 
 enough to say of it, that the sublimity of the 
 matter is perfectly equalled by the unaffected 
 energy of the style. — Lowth. 
 
 PSALM XXIX. 
 
 Ye mighty princes, your oblations bring, 
 And pay due honours to your awful king, 
 
 use of his own parish, altered with considerable taste, from 
 the Old Version. I have given four from his selection. 
 
80 
 
 His boundless pow'r to all the world proclaim, 
 Bend at his shrine, and tremble at his name. 
 For havk ! his voice, with unresisted sway, 
 Rules and controls the raging of the sea; 
 Within due bounds the mighty ocean keeps, 
 And in their wat'ry cavern awes the deeps : 
 Shook by that voice, the nodding groves around 
 Start from their roots, and fly the dreadful sound. 
 The blasted cedars low in dust are laid, 
 And Lebanon is left without a shade. 
 See ! when he speaks, the lofty mountains crowd, 
 And fly for shelter from the thundering God : 
 Sirion and Lebanon like hinds advance, 
 And in wild measures lead th' unwieldy dance. 
 His voice, his mighty voice divides the fire, 
 Back from the blast the shrinking flames retire. 
 E'en Cades trembles when Jehovah speaks, 
 With all his savages the desert shakes : 
 At the dread sound the hinds with fear are stung, 
 And in the lonely forest drop their young : 
 While in his hallow'd temple all proclaim 
 His glorious honours, and adore his name. 
 High o'er the foaming surges of the -sea 
 He sits, and bids the list'ning deeps obey ; 
 He reigns o'er all ; for ever lasts his pow'r, 
 Till nature sinks, and time shall be no more. 
 With strength the sons of Israel shall he bless, 
 And crown our tribes with happiness and peace. 
 
 Pitt. 
 
81 
 
 PSALM XXX. 
 
 O Lord, I thee will magnify, 
 For thou hast lifted me on high ; 
 Nor madest me a scorn to those, 
 Who were my life's professed foes. 
 O Lord my God, I cry'd to thee, 
 Who hast in mercy healed me ; 
 My soul thou b rough test from the grave, 
 And from the pit of hell didst save. 
 
 all ye saints, your voices raise, 
 
 To sing your Maker's endless praise ; 
 
 Remember still with thanks to bless, 
 
 And magnify his holiness : 
 
 For but a moment lasts his wrath, 
 
 His favour life restored hath, 
 
 Our weeping may endure a night, 
 
 But joy comes with the morning light, 
 
 In my prosperity I said, 
 My basis is for ever laid, 
 
 1 shall not from my place remove, 
 But stand supported by thy love : 
 
 No change of times, or fortune's hate, 
 Can overthrow my happy state, 
 
82 
 
 For thou my mountain mad'st so strong, 
 I shall on earth continue long. 
 
 Yet, whilst exalted in my thought, 
 I was to sudden trouble brought, 
 And, s^oon as thou didst hide thy face, 
 My comforts vanished hence apace. 
 Then unto thee, O Lord, did I 
 With humble supplication cry ; 
 I did to God my plaint address, 
 Thus pouring forth my heaviness : 
 
 O Thou most glorious, most good, 
 What profit is there in my blood ? 
 What triumph canst thou gain by it, 
 When I go down into the pit ? 
 Shall silent dust, or darkness have 
 A tongue to praise thee in the grave ? 
 Or those in earth who closed are, 
 From their low cells thy truth declare ? 
 
 O Lord, thine ear of mercy lend, 
 And, from thy dwelling, succour send, 
 For thou, the cause for which I mourn'd 
 Hast into songs and dances turnM; 
 My sackcloth thou didst off me take, 
 And cheerful robes of gladness make, 
 
83 
 
 That I thy praises might renew, 
 To whom incessant thanks are due. 
 
 Bishop King. 
 
 PSALM XXXIV. 
 
 The Lord I will for ever bless, 
 My tongue his praises shall express, 
 
 My soul his glory boasts ; 
 The humble, who shall this descry, 
 His name with me shall magnify, 
 
 And praise the Lord of hosts. 
 
 I found the Lord, this stopp'd my fears ; 
 To them, who seek him, light appears, 
 
 Nor shame their eyes dejects : 
 Succour divine th" afflicted craves, 
 Which him from his affliction saves ; 
 
 God's angel him protects. 
 
 His blessings we shall see and taste, 
 When on our God our trust is placed : 
 
 Ye saints obey his will ; 
 Then fear no want, though lions roar 
 For hunger, those who God implore, 
 
 His liVral hand shall fill. 
 
84 
 
 Come, children, with attention hear, 
 I will instruct you in his fear : 
 
 What man delights in life ? 
 Seeks to live happily and long ? 
 From evil let him guard his tongue, 
 
 His lips from fraud, and strife : 
 
 Grow up in what is good, and cease 
 From what is ill, inquire for peace. 
 
 God's eyes are on the just, 
 Their cries his open ear attends ; 
 But on th' unjust his wrath descends, 
 
 Their name 's reduc'd to dust. 
 
 The righteous, when they cry, he hears, 
 Delivers them from all their fears, 
 
 And from distress relieves : 
 A broken heart to him is dear, 
 To contrite spirits he is near, 
 
 And his salvation gives. 
 
 Though with afflictions wounded deep, 
 Their bones from breaking he will keep ; 
 
 Death on his foes shall wait : 
 But he his servants' souls redeems, 
 Those, whom for faithful he esteems, 
 
 Shall ne'er be desolate. 
 
 Sir John Denham. 
 
85 
 
 PSALM XXXVII. 
 
 Every one knows the energy with which the 
 Scriptures make the impious man to vanish, who 
 a moment before seemed, like the cedar, to raise 
 his proud head to the skies. " I have seen the 
 wicked in great power, and spreading himself like 
 a green bay-tree : yet he passed away, and lo, he was 
 not ; yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." 
 He is so completely annihilated, that the very 
 place, where he stood, was destroyed. M. Racine 
 has translated this passage as follows : 
 
 J'ai vu T impie adore sur la terre, 
 
 Pared un cedre, il cachoit dans les cieux 
 
 Son front audacreux; 
 
 II sembloit a son gre gouverner le tonnere, 
 
 Fouloit aux pies ses ennemis vaincus, 
 
 Je n'ai fait que passer, il n'etoit deja plus. 
 
 Esther. 
 
 PSALM XLI. 
 
 THE FORMER PART. 
 
 Blest is the man, who yields his store 
 With kind compassion to the poor ; 
 
86 
 
 In time of danger and of dread, 
 The Lord himself will bring him aid : 
 With length of days shall he be crownM, 
 For he a Friend in heav'n has found. 
 
 Nor will that heav'nly Friend forego 
 His help, or yield him to his foe. 
 If age brings on disease, and pain, 
 He will not at his doom complain ; 
 And ev'n if death approaches near, 
 Will meet his fate without a fear. 
 
 For God with hope shall raise his head, 
 Shall smooth with faith his dying-bed ; 
 His deeds of charity shall find 
 Acceptance in his Maker's mind, 
 Who soon shall make his anguish cease, 
 And bid his soul depart in peace. 
 
 Mason. 
 Altered from the Old Version. 
 
 PSALM XLII. 
 
 This poem seems to have been composed by 
 David, when he was expelled his kingdom by hi* 
 rebellious son, and compelled to fly to the borders 
 
87 
 
 of Lebanon, as it is plain he did, from 2 Sam. xvii, 
 24, 26, 27. Undoubtedly, whoever composed this 
 psalm, was expelled from the sacred city, and wan- 
 dered as an exile in the regions of Hermon, and 
 the heights of Lebanon, whence Jordan is fed by 
 the melting of the perpetual snow, ver. 7. Let it be 
 remembered, by the way, that David never betook 
 himself to these places when he fled from Saul, but 
 concealed himself in the .interior parts of Judea. 
 Here then he pitched his camp, protected by the 
 surrounding mountains and woods ; and hither the 
 veteran soldiers, attached personally to him, and 
 averse to change, resorted from every part of 
 Palestine. Here also, indulging his melancholy, 
 the prospect and the objects about him, suggested 
 many of the ideas in this poem. Observing the 
 deer which constantly came from the distant vallies 
 to the fountains of Lebanon, and comparing this 
 circumstance with his earnest desire to revisit the 
 temple of God, and perhaps elevating his thoughts 
 to a higher, celestial temple, he commences his 
 poem : 
 
 " As the hart panteth after the water brooks, 
 " So panteth my soul after thee, O God. 
 " My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God ; 
 11 When shall I enter, and appear before God?" 
 
88 
 
 That is, enter into the temple, from which I am now 
 an exile. He adds a bitterer cause of grief than 
 his exile, namely, the reproaches of the multitude, 
 and the cruel taunt, that he is deserted of his God, 
 and that the Deity, of whom he had boasted, fails 
 to appear to his assistance, than which nothing can 
 be more grating to an honest mind, and a mind 
 conscious of its own piety. Compare 2 Sam. xvi. 
 7,8. 
 
 " My tears have been my sustenance, 
 
 " By day and by night, 
 
 " While they continually say unto me, 
 
 " Where is now thy God ?" 
 
 The repetition of the name of God raises in him 
 fresh uneasiness, and causes all his wounds to bleed 
 again ; this forces him to exclaim : 
 
 « I remember God, and pour out myself in tears : 
 « When I went with the multitude to the temple of 
 
 God, 
 " With the voice of joy and gladness, with the mul- 
 titude leaping for joy." 
 
 He now restrains his tears : 
 
 " Why art thou so cast down, O my soul ? 
 " And why art thou so disquieted within me ? 
 " Hope thou in God, for I still shall praise him/' 
 
89 
 
 He again breaks forth into lamentations, with which 
 he elegantly intermingles a poetical description of 
 Lebanon. There are upon those hills frequent 
 cataracts, and, in the spring season, the rivulets are 
 uncommonly turbid by the melting of the snow : 
 
 " Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy cataracts ; 
 "And all thy waves and thy billows are gone over 
 me. *" 
 
 These form the principal imagery of the poem, and 
 I omit the rest, lest I should fatigue the reader by 
 the minuteness of criticism, which is both useless 
 and impertinent, when the subject wants no illus- 
 tration. — Mich *elis. 
 
 In religious composition, pathetic energy pecu- 
 liarly abounds. The following passage immediately 
 occurs, in which I have always been struck wit the 
 repetitions, as characteristic of the royal author's 
 situation. 
 
 " My tears have been my meat day and night, 
 " while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy 
 
 * Home, Harmer, and Merrick, understand this passage of 
 water-spouts, " more frequent oa the Syrian and Jewish 
 coasts than in any other part of the Mediterranean," and 
 consider David as here describing a storm at sea. 
 
90 
 
 " God ? Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my 
 €i soul; and why art thou so disquieted within 
 " me?" And afterwards — " My heart is smitten 
 " asunder as with a sword, while mine enemies, 
 " that trouble me, cast me in the teeth ; namely, 
 " while they say unto me, Where is now thy God ? 
 " Why art thou so vexed, O my soul, and why art 
 r< thou so disquieted within me ? Put thy trust in 
 " God ; for I will yet praise him, who is the help of 
 " my countenance, and my God." — Psalm xlii. 
 <s The whole is an appeal to the heart. — Green's 
 Observations on the Sublime of Longinus. 
 
 The forty-second psalm (says bishop Lowth) I 
 cannot help esteeming one of the most beautiful 
 specimens of the Hebrew Elegy. The author of 
 this complaint, exiled from the temple, and from 
 the public exercise of his religion, to the extreme 
 parts of Judea, persecuted by his numerous enemies, 
 and agitated by their reproaches, pours forth his 
 soul to God in this tender and pathetic composition. 
 The ardent feelings of a devout heart are admirably 
 expressed, while the memory of former felicity 
 seems to aggravate his present anguish. The ex- 
 treme anxiety of a mind, depressed by the burthen 
 of sorrow, and yet at the same time impatient 
 under it ; overcome by an accumulation of evils, 
 yet in some degree endeavouring to resist them, 
 
91 
 
 and admitting, through the dark cloud of affliction, 
 a glimmering ray of hope and consolation, is finely 
 depicted. In frequent and almost instantaneous 
 transitions he glows with love, and droops with 
 lamentation ; he complains, he expostulates ; he 
 despairs, and yet hopes ; he is afflicted, and again 
 consoled. It is not to be expected that any poetical 
 version should express these sentiments with the 
 force, the energy, and more particularly with the 
 conciseness of the Hebrew, which is indeed not to 
 be imitated in any other language : though it must 
 be confessed, that this poem is more diffuse than 
 the Hebrew poetry in general. The following 
 paraphrase, however, though infinitely short of the 
 original in sublimity, will perhaps serve to evince 
 the correspondence of the subject and sentiments 
 of this poem, with the elegiac productions of modern 
 iimes. 
 
 PSALM XLII. 
 
 As pants the wearied hart for cooling springs, 
 That sinks exhausted in the summer's chase ; 
 
 ^o pants my soul for thee, great King of kings ! 
 So thirsts to reach thy sacred resting-place. 
 
On briny tears my famishM soul has fed *, 
 While taunting foes deride my deep despair; 
 
 " Say, where is now thy great deliverer fled ? 
 
 " Thy mighty God — deserted wanderer, where V' 
 
 Oft dwell my thoughts on those thrice-happy days, 
 When to thy fane I led the jocund throng ; 
 
 Our mirth was worship, all our pleasure praise, 
 And festal joys still clos'd with sacred song. 
 
 Why throb, my heart ? why sink my sad'ning soul ? 
 
 Why droop to earth with various woes oppressed ? 
 My years shall yet in blissful circles roll, 
 
 And joy be yet an inmate of this breast. 
 
 By Jordan's banks with devious steps I stray 
 O'er Hermon's rugged rocks, and deserts drear ; 
 
 Ev'n there thy hand shall guide my lonely way, 
 There, thy remembrance shall my spirit cheer. 
 
 In rapid floods the vernal torrents roll, 
 Harsh-sounding cataracts responsive roar ; 
 
 Thine angry billows overwhelm my soul, 
 
 And dash my shattered bark from shore to shore. 
 
 * Cura, dolorque animi, lacrymaeqae alimenta fuere. 
 
 Orid. Metam. Durell. 
 
93 
 
 Yet thy soft mercies, ever in my sight, 
 
 My heart shall gladden through the tedious day ; 
 
 And midst the dark and gloomy shades of night, 
 To thee Fll fondly tune the grateful lay. 
 
 Rock of my hope ! great solace of my heart ! 
 
 Why, why desert the offspring of thy care, 
 While taunting foes thus point th* invidious dart, 
 
 " Where's now thy God i abandonM wanderer, 
 " where }** 
 
 Why .faint, my soul? why doubt Jehovah's aid? 
 
 Thy God, the God of mercy still shall prove ! 
 In his bright fane thy thanks shall yet be paid, 
 
 Unquestioned be his pity and his love ! 
 
 Gregory's Lowth. 
 
 PSALM XLIL 
 
 With fierce desire the hunted hart 
 Explores the cooling stream ; 
 
 Mine is a passion stronger far, 
 And mine a nobler theme. 
 
94 
 
 Yes, with superior fervors, Lord , 
 
 I thirst to see thy face ; 
 My languid soul would fain approach 
 
 The fountains of thy grace. 
 
 Oh ! the great plenty of thy house, 
 The rich refreshments there ! 
 
 To live an exile from thy courts 
 Overwhelms me with despair. 
 
 In worship when I join'd thy saints, 
 How sweetly pass'd my days ! 
 
 Pray'r my divine employment then, 
 And all my pleasure, praise. 
 
 But now I'm lost to ev'ry joy, 
 Because detained from thee ; 
 
 Those golden periods ne'er return, 
 Or ne'er return to me. 
 
 Yet, O my soul, why thus deprest, 
 And whence this anxious fear ? 
 
 Let former favours fix thy trust, 
 And check the rising tear. 
 
 When darkness and when sorrows rose, 
 And pressed on ev'ry side, 
 
95 
 
 Did not the Lord sustain thy steps, 
 And was not God thy guide ? 
 
 Affliction is a stormy deep, 
 
 Where wave resounds to wave ; 
 
 Though o'er my head the billows roll, 
 I know the Lord can save. 
 
 Perhaps, before the morning dawns, 
 
 He'll reinstate my peace ; 
 For he, who bade the tempest roar, 
 
 Can bid the tempest cease. 
 
 In the dark watches of the night 
 
 F 11 count his mercies o'er ; 
 Fll praise him for ten thousand past. 
 
 And humbly sue for more. 
 
 Then, O my soul, why thus deprest, 
 
 And whence this anxious fear ? 
 Let former favours fix thy trust, 
 
 And check the rising tear. 
 
 Here will I rest, and build my hopes, 
 
 Nor murmur at his rod ; 
 He's more than all the world to me, 
 
 My health, my life, my God ! 
 
 Cottox. 
 
96 
 
 PSALM XLVI. 
 
 It is impossible not to perceive the cool and 
 critical sobriety every where manifested in the 
 structure of this psalm. Had the author been 
 initiated in those approved rules of composition 
 which we so much respect, he could not have con- 
 fined himself more rigorously to his subject, nor 
 have written with stricter unity of design. — 
 Hurdis. 
 
 PSALM XLVI. 
 
 God is our refuge, our defence 
 Rests wholly on his providence ; 
 Which still affords a present aid, 
 When greatest troubles us invade : 
 Therefore we shall not need to fear, 
 Tkough the frx'd earth removed were, 
 Or though the hills, and mountains steep 
 Lay buried in the angry deep. 
 
 Although the roaring waters make 
 
 The mountains with their swelling shake ; 
 
9? 
 
 Yet calmer rivers do embrace 
 God's city, his fair dwelling place: 
 Whose tabernacles, by his love, 
 Are kept that they can never move 
 For he, when dangers her distress, 
 His early succour shall address. 
 
 The nations rage ; the kingdoms are 
 Disturb'd with strife, and threats of war. 
 But he the tempest can allay, 
 And cause the earth to melt away : 
 The Lord of hosts doth us direct, 
 Great Jacob's God doth us protect ; 
 Come see, on those our mischiefs wrought, 
 What desolations he hath brought. 
 
 He maketh strife, and wars to cease, 
 And crowns the bleeding earth with peace ; 
 He breaks the bow, and cracks the spear, 
 In fire the chariots burned were. 
 Lo ! this is God, whose awful sway- 
 Both earth, and heaven must obey : 
 The Lord of hosts doth us direct ; 
 Great Jacob's God doth us protect. 
 
 Bishop King. 
 
99 
 
 PSALM XLIX. 
 
 When, or by whom, this beautiful and philoso- 
 phical psalm was composed, it is totally uncertain. 
 I should be apt to give it to Solomon, or at least 
 to the author of Ecclesiastes. — Geddes. 
 
 PSALM XLIX. 
 
 Ye nations, hear : ye sons of earth, 
 Of highest, or obscurest birth ; 
 Ye, who from wealth's full board are fed, 
 And ye, who eat with toil your bread ; 
 
 My words with just attention weigh, 
 And listen to the hallow* d lay ; 
 My lips shall Wisdom's lessons yield, 
 My heart, with noblest science fuTd. 
 
 Cease, mortals, cease your pride ; nor dream 
 That riches shall from death redeem, 
 Or from the all -disposing hand 
 A brother's forfeit life demand. 
 
99 
 
 But, taught the soul's just price to know, 
 At once the frantic thought forego ; 
 In vain would friendship's zeal essay 
 The full equivalent to pay ; 
 
 In vain the flitting breath to save, 
 And plead exemption from the grave, 
 Though envy'd Ophirs wealthiest mine 
 Its treasures to the purchase join. 
 
 Merrick. 
 
 PSALM L. 
 
 The inutility of ceremonious observance?, without 
 the true worship of the heart : applicable to too 
 many Christians, as well as Jews. Compare Isa. i. 
 11. Jerem. vii. 22. Hos. vi. 6. — Geddes. 
 
 The fiftieth Psalm affords an example of that 
 degree of sublimity, which the mere form and dis- 
 position of a lyric poem can impart to a subject not 
 in itself sublime ; for its subject is of the didactic 
 kind, and belongs to the moral -part of theology. 
 It is at first serious and practical, with very little 
 of sublimity or splendour: it sets forth, that the 
 Divine favour is not to be conciliated by sacrifices, 
 
100 
 
 or by any of the external rites and services of 
 religion, but rather by sincere piety, and by the 
 devout effusions of a grateful heart : and yet, that 
 even these will not be accepted without the strictest 
 attention to justice, and every practical virtue. It 
 consists therefore of two parts : in the first the 
 devout, but ignorant and superstitious worshipper 
 is reproved; and in the second the hypocritical 
 pretender to virtue and religion. Each part of the 
 subject, if we regard the imagery and the diction 
 only, is treated rather with variety and elegance, 
 than with sublimity; but if the general effect, if, 
 the plot and machinery of the whole be considered, 
 scarcely any thing can appear more truly magni- 
 ficent. The great Author of nature, by a solemn 
 decree, convokes the whole human race, to be 
 witness of the judgment, which he is about to 
 execute upon his people; the august tribunal is 
 established in Sion : 
 
 " Jehovah, God of gods, 
 
 " Hath spoken, and hath summoned the earth, 
 " From the rising to the setting of the sun : 
 " From Sion, from the perfection of beauty, God hath 
 shined." 
 
 The majesty of God is depicted by imagery as- 
 
101 
 
 sumed from the descent upon mount Sinai, which, 
 as I formerly observed, is one of the common-places, 
 that supply ornaments of this kind : 
 
 u Our God shall come, and shall not be silent ; 
 
 " A fire shall devour before him, 
 
 u And a mighty whirlwind shall surround him." 
 
 The heavens and the earth are invoked as witnesses, 
 which is a pompous form of expression common 
 with the Hebrew writers* : 
 
 u He shall call the heavens from on high ; 
 
 " And the earth to the judgment of his people." 
 
 At length the Almighty is personally introduced 
 pronouncing his sentence, which constitutes the 
 remainder of the ode ; and the admirable sublimity 
 and splendour of the exordium is continued through 
 the whole. There is in Horace an ode upon a 
 similar subject f, and it is not enough to say, that 
 he has treated it in his usual manner, with elegance 
 and variety, for he has done more than could be 
 expected from a person unenlightened by divine 
 
 * Compare Deut. xxxii. i. Isa. i. 2. 
 t See Ilorat. lib. lii. Od, 23* 
 
102 
 
 truth, he has treated it with piety and solemnity. 
 But that high degree of sublimity, to which the 
 Psalmist rises upon sueh occasions, is only to be 
 attained by the Hebrew muse ; for it is a truth 
 universally acknowledged, that no religion what- 
 ever, no poetic history is provided with a store of 
 imagery so striking and so magnificent, so capable 
 of embellishing a scene, which may be justly ac- 
 counted the most sublime that the human imagina- 
 tion is able to comprehend. — Lowth, Led. 27. 
 
 PSALM L. 
 
 TV uplifted eye, and bended knee 
 Are but vain homage, Lord, to thee ; 
 In vain our lips thy praise prolong, 
 The heart a stranger to the song. 
 
 Can rites, and forms, and flaming zeal 
 The breaches of thy precept heal ? 
 Or fast, and penance reconcile - 
 Thy justice, and obtain thy smile > 
 
 The pure, the humble, contrite mind, 
 Thankful, and to thy will resign'd. 
 
103 
 
 To thee a nobler ofT'ring yields 
 
 Than Shtba's groves, or Sharon's fields ; 
 
 Than floods of oil, or floods of wine 
 Ten thousand rolling to thy shrine, 
 Or than if, to thine altar led, 
 A first-born son the victim bled. 
 
 " Be just and kind," that great command 
 Doth on eternal pillars stand : 
 This did thine ancient prophets teach. 
 And this thy Well-beloved preach. 
 
 PSALM LI. 
 
 No one can read this psalm, but must see all the 
 characters of true repentance in the person who 
 wrote it, and the marks of the deepest sorrow and 
 humiliation for the sins of which he had been guilty. 
 The heart appears in every line, and the bitter 
 anguish of a wounded conscience discovers itself by 
 the most natural and affecting symptoms. — If we 
 learn from this sad example of what the Scripture 
 calls the deceitfulness of sin, to be cautious of the 
 first beginnings of it, and not to indulge those 
 
104 
 
 sensual appetites, which, when given way to, draw 
 men insensibly into crimes, they would have once 
 trembled at the thoughts of committing, we shall 
 make the best and wisest improvement of this 
 melancholy part of David's history, and be. real 
 gainers by his sins and sorrows. 
 
 — felix, quicunque dolore 
 Alterius disces posse carere tuo. 
 
 Tibul. Lib. iii< EL. 6. 
 Chandler's Life of David, vol. ii. 267. 
 
 The soul of shame, of sorrow, of remorse, of sincere 
 repentance, and bitter anguish under the agonies of 
 guilt, breathes strong and fervent, through every 
 line of this hallowed composition. And it is (I 
 doubt not) David's greatest consolation at this 
 moment, when he blesses God for the providential 
 effects of his fall, that those crimes, which wrought 
 his shame, and sorrow, and infamy, have in the 
 humility, the piety, the contrition of them (in this 
 and several other psalms composed upon the same 
 occasion) rescued and reformed millions. 
 
 Delany's Life of David, vol. ii. 97,. 
 
105 
 
 PSALM LI.* 
 
 Mercy, Lord, I calle and crye, 
 Thi mercy is redy in every place, 
 Thowg I have lyved full synfullye, 
 I putte me fully in thi grace. 
 There is no synne before thi face 
 So grete as mercy and pyte, 
 To synfull man thou were neve scace 
 Of ne rcminiscaris Do?nine. 
 
 To me thi mercy multiplye, 
 
 And lese nogt that thou hast bowgt, 
 
 Putte awey, Lord, gracyouslye 
 
 My wicked werkys that I have wrowgt ; 
 
 * Thomas Brampton, 1414. I have selected the 
 51st psalm of this early translator from a beautiful 
 vellum MS. of the seven penitential psalms rendered 
 by him, and preserved in the British Museum. It 
 has, I think, considerable merit as a composition, 
 whilst its antiquity renders it so venerable, as to 
 make me depart from my rule of printing specimens 
 of our earlier poets in modern orthography, and 
 give it verbatim et literatim* 
 
106 
 
 Thowg I tlii mercy deserve nowgt, 
 Gyt it is thi propirte 
 To spare them that mekely sowgt 
 Ne reminiscaris Dornine. 
 
 Wassche me, Lord, ferthermore 
 Fro synne that grevyth me ful ille, 
 That there leve no prevy sore, 
 Ne circumstaunce that longyth ther tylle ; 
 Make me clene fro woord and wylle, 
 And kepe me for thyn honeste. 
 Therefore I presente the this bylle, 
 Ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 I am aknowe my synfull lyif, 
 That I have led fro tendyr age, 
 But gyf thi mercy to me were ryif, 
 To peyne schulde be my pilgrymage ; ■ 
 Myn owen dedys that ben outrage, 
 Before thi syght accusyn me, 
 But to thi mercy I do homage, 
 Ne reminiscaris Domine, 
 
 I have synned to the alone ; 
 And forfetyd ofte before thi sygt, 
 Gyt I will leve my synnes ilk one, 
 Grace and mercy thou hast behygt, 
 
107 
 
 Schewe, Lord, how they do unryght, 
 That seyn thou wylt nogt vewe on me, 
 Whanne I crye bothe day and nyght 
 Ne rerhinisca.ru D omlne. 
 
 Of my modyr I was conceyved 
 In synne, and so was every chylde, 
 After that Adam was dysceyved, 
 Saaf Cryist alone and Marie mylde, 
 The feend ther to hath maad ful wylde 
 My flesch, my soule with nine me, 
 But gyf I kume the bettyr bylde 
 Ne reminiscaris Domme. 
 
 Gyf I my synne will nogt excuse 
 But telle it trewly as it is, 
 I truste thou will nogt me refuse, 
 Thowg I do oft e tyme amys. 
 Thanne thi wisdom will me wis 
 To knowe so weel thi pryvyte, 
 That I schal nogt fayle of thys 
 Ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 Sprenkle me, Lord, with watyr of terys, 
 That myn herte be purgyd clene, 
 Wylle me fro my wylde gerys, 
 And wassche my synne awey be dene, 
 
108 
 
 As snow that fallyth in fyldes grene 
 .Is whyght and brygt so schal I be, 
 Thanne schal the werkyng be ful sene 
 Of ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 My synne gyf I nogt defonde, 
 But aske mercy with sorwefu-U chere, 
 And iny lyif mekely amende, 
 God will my loove gladly here ; 
 He will nogt lese that is bowgt dere 
 Wyth bytter deth up on a tre 
 As longe as we wyll lowely bere 
 Seye, ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 My wicked werkys thou putte awey, 
 And fro my synnes turne thi face, 
 Sorwe and syghyng is my pley, 
 Wher evere I be in ony place ; 
 I am noght worthy to have thi grace, 
 And rygtwysnesse I may nogt fie, 
 But, myghtfull Lord, be nogt scace 
 Of we reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 Myn herte hath be dyffoyled with synne, 
 My spirit was to the untrewe, 
 Clense me, Lord, therfore with innc, 
 A ryghtful spiryte in me renewe, 
 
109 
 
 That I may evere synne esschewe 
 And gyf I forfete of frealte 
 To thi mercy I will pursewe 
 With ne reminiscaris Domine, 
 
 Fro thi face caste thou me nougt, 
 Thovvg I be mitre we and unkynde, 
 Gyf I trespace in dede or thougt 
 Lete nogt thi mercy be behynde, 
 Of my frealnesse, gode Lord, have mynde 
 Thyn holy spirite take nogt fro me, 
 And gyf thou do, how shall I fynde 
 Ne reminiscaris Dumine. 
 
 Fadyr that art of myghtes most, 
 Graunt me gladnesse of soulys hele, 
 Conferme me with the holy gost, 
 And lete me nevere with feendys dele; 
 Forsake me not in wo, ne in wele, 
 For evere I have nede to the, 
 And gyf thou do I will apele 
 To ne reminiscaris Do?nine. 
 
 The weyis that ben to God in hye, 
 Ful gladly I schal telle and teche ; 
 Wher evere I be in cumpanye, 
 Of the only schal be my speche, 
 
110 
 
 To turne synfull men fro wreche, 
 Ensaumple they may take of me, 
 For I cowde never e f'y nde othyr leche 
 Eut ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 I may nogt overcome the feende, 
 His malyce I kan nogt fully felle, 
 He steryth my flesh me to schende, 
 It waxith sturdy and rebelle, 
 Of helthe and hele thou art the welle, 
 Fro fleschly lust thou delyvere me, 
 That rygtfully my tunge may telle 
 Ne reminiscaris Domine, 
 
 My mouthe schal preyse the day and nygt, 
 My lyppes to the schull opyn wyde, 
 The to serve myn herte is hygt, 
 Evere more with the I will abyde, 
 Gyf I my trespace will nogt hyde ; 
 But lowely aske mercy of the, 
 I crye to the in ilke atyde 
 Ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 Of beeste that is unresonable 
 Thou desirest no sacryfyse, 
 That mannys lyvyng be convenable, 
 And redy unto thi servyse ; 
 
Ill 
 
 That is all thi coveytyse ; 
 That J love God as he doth me 
 I may no bettyr offryng devyse 
 Than ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 Gyf thou wilt ofifere to God of hevene 
 A spyrit of girt repentaunce, 
 Thovvg thou be gylty of synnes sevene, 
 A sorwefull herte is Goddy's plesaunce, 
 Syn thou wylt nogt thi self avaunce, 
 God wyll nogt dispysen the, 
 Whil thou wylt make good ordynaunce 
 Of ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 My soule that often hath be distryed 
 Graunte me thi wyll to bygge ageyn, 
 Thi goodnesse was nevere gyt denyed, 
 There hath no man matere to pleyn, 
 All that was, or ever schal be ; 
 And ellys my speche were all in veyne 
 Of, ne reminiscaris Domine. 
 
 OfFryng, and schedyng of beestys blood 
 Were made in awterys, in figure 
 Of Chryisf that deyid up on the rood* 
 To raunsom synfull creature ; 
 
112 
 
 Whan I do ony forfeture, 
 A contrite herte I ofFere to the ; 
 Accepte this, Lord, for rygt rekure 
 Ne reminiscaris Domine* 
 
 Brampton. MS. 
 
 PSALM LI*. 
 
 O Lord, whose grace no limits comprehend, 
 
 Sweet Lord, whose mercies stand from measure 
 free; 
 
 To me that grace, to me that mercy send, 
 And wipe, O Lord, my sins from sinful me ; 
 O cleanse, O wash my foul iniquity; 
 
 Cleanse still my spots, still wash away my stainings, 
 
 Till stains and spots in me leave no remaimngs. 
 
 * Mary, ^ountess of Pembroke, sister to Sir 
 Philip Sidney, and immortalized by Ben Jonson's 
 beautiful epitaph, 
 
 u Underneath this stone doth lie/' &c. 
 
 was eminently distinguished as the patroness of 
 learned men, and was herself remarkable for her 
 
113 
 
 For I, alas, acknowledging, do know 
 My filthy fault, my faulty filthiness, 
 
 To my soul's eye incessantly doth show ; 
 Which done to thee, to thee I do confess, 
 Just Judge, true witness ; that for righteousness 
 
 Thy doom may pass, against my guilt awarded, 
 
 Thy evidence for truth may be regarded. 
 
 learning, and her love of poetry; she translated 
 many of the psalms, still preserved in MS. in the 
 family library at Wilton : from the six, or seven, 
 published in the Nugae Antiquse, I have made choice 
 of the 51st, which is distinguished by simplicity, 
 and does credit to her feelings. 
 
 The accounts of this translation are somewhat 
 contradictory ; Ballard * gives it to our noble autho- 
 ress, whilst Wood ascribes it to her gallant and 
 accomplished brother; it is probable that they 
 translated together, and it is known that they were 
 assisted by Dr. Babington, at that time chaplain to 
 the family, and afterwards Bishop of Worcester. 
 The 137th psalm my reader will recollect having 
 met with in the Guardian ; it is there ascribed to 
 Sir Philip Sidney. 
 
 * Memoirs of Learned Ladies*. 
 
 I 
 
m 
 
 My mother, lo ! when I began to be, 
 
 Conceiving me, with me did sin conceive ; 
 
 And, as with living heat she cherishM me, 
 Corruption did like cherishing receive ; 
 But lo, thy love to purest good doth cleave, 
 
 And inward truth, which, hardly else discerned, 
 
 My truant soul in thy hid school hath learned. 
 
 Then (as thyself to lepers hast assigned) 
 
 With hyssop, Lord, with hyssop purge me so, 
 
 And that shall cleanse the leapry of my mind ; 
 Make over me thy mercy's streams to flow, 
 So shall my whiteness scorn the whitest snow; 
 
 To ear and heart send sounds and thoughts of gladness, 
 
 That bruised bones may leave away their sadness. 
 
 Thy ill-pleas'd eye from my misdeeds avert ; 
 Cancel the registers my sins contain ; 
 
 Create in me a clean, pure, spotless heart ; 
 Inspire a spirit where love of right may reign, 
 And cast me not from thee ; take not again 
 
 Thy breathing grace ; again thy comfort send me, 
 
 And let the guard of thy free Spirit attend me. 
 
 So I to them a guiding hand will be, 
 
 Whose faulty feet have wandered from thy way, 
 And, turn'd from sin, will make return to thee, 
 
115' 
 
 Whom, turn'd from thee, sin erst had turn'd astray. 
 
 O God, God of my health, O do away 
 My loody crime ; so shall my tongue be raised 
 To praise thy truth, enough cannot be praised. 
 
 Unlock my lips, shut up with sinful shame, 
 Then shall my mouth, O Lord, thy honour aing ; 
 
 For bleeding fuel for thy altars flame, 
 
 To gain thy grace what boots it me to bring ? 
 Burnt offerings are to thee no pleasant thing; 
 
 The sacrifice that God will hold respected 
 
 Is the heart-broken soul, the spirit dejected. 
 
 Lastly, O Lord, how so I stand, or fall, 
 Leave not thy i^ved Sion to embrace ; 
 
 But with thy favour buiid up Salem's wall, 
 And still in peace maintain that peaceful place ; 
 Then shalt thou turn a well-accepted face 
 
 To sacred fires, with oiFer'd gifts perfumed, 
 
 Till even whole calves on altars be consumed. 
 
 Countess of Psmbrokr, 
 
16 
 
 PSALM LVIL 
 
 Lord, grant, oh ! grant me thy compassion, 
 
 For I in thee my trust have placed, 
 Display thy wings for my salvation, 
 Until my griefs are over-passed ; 
 To thee I sue, O God most high, 
 To thee that canst all wants supply. 
 
 From their despites who seek to rend me, 
 
 Let help, O Lord, from heav'n be deigned, 
 And let thy truth and love defend me, 
 For I with lions am detained ; 
 
 With men inflam'd, whose biting words 
 Are shafts, and spears, and naked swords. 
 
 Let over heav'n God's praise be reared, 
 
 And through the world his glory shewed, 
 For they, who nets for me prepared, 
 
 They who my soul to ground had bowed, 
 Ev'n they within those traps are caught, 
 Which for my fall their hands had wrought 
 
 O God ! my heart now ready maketh, 
 My heart is for thy praise preparing ; 
 
 My tongue, my harp, my lute awaketh, 
 And I myself, betimes uprearing, 
 
 
117 
 
 Will speak, and sing, in praise of thee, 
 Where greatest throngs of people be. 
 
 For, Lord, thy mercies forth are stretched, 
 " As far as are the spheres extended, 
 Thy truth unto the clouds hath reached, 
 And thou thyself art high ascended ; 
 Let still thy fame and praise, O God, 
 Through heav'n and earth be spread abroad. 
 
 Wither* 
 
 PSALM LXIII. 
 
 The title of this psalm is suitable to the subject. 
 It must have been composed by David, not when 
 he was persecuted by Saul in the wilderness of 
 Ziph, to which period our concordance-writers 
 refer us ; but in his flight from Absalom, after his 
 crossing the Jordan. The wilderness of Judah 
 extended much further than that river. — Geddes. 
 
 In the sixty- third psalm the royal prophet, sup- 
 posed to be then an exile in the wilderness, ex- 
 presses most elegantly the sentiments of tenderness 
 and love. — Lowth, Led. 25. 
 
118 
 
 PSALM LXIII*. 
 
 O Goi>, my first, my last, my steadfast choice, 
 My boundless bliss, the spring of all my joys ! 
 I'll worship thee before the silver moon 
 With silent pace has reach'd her cloudy noon ; 
 
 * Elizabeth Rowe was born in 1674, and died in 
 1737. Her psalms and hymns are well known, and 
 deservedly admired; yet elegant as they are in 
 point of composition, the charms of their poetry, 
 were in the estimation of their fair authoress but a 
 secondary and inferior recommendation ; f the 
 fervent piety, by which they are so eminently cha- 
 racterised, was the first great feeling of her heart. 
 Her "Friendship in Death" is highly esteemed; 
 §he was indeed a distinguished ornament of her sex, 
 
 f all is in his hand whose praise I seek ; 
 
 In vain the poet sings, and the world hears, 
 If he regard not, though divine the theme. 
 Tis not in artful measures, in the chime 
 And idle tinkling of a minstrel's lyre, - 
 To charm his ear, whose eye is on the heart ; 
 Whose frown can disappoint the proudest strain. 
 Whose approbation — prosper even mine. 
 
 Cowpir'i Task— Conclusion of. 
 
119 
 
 Before the stars the midnight skies adorn, 
 Long, long before the slow approach of morn. 
 Thee I'll invoke, to thee glad anthems sing. 
 And with my voice join each harmonious string : 
 The midnight echoes at thy name shall wake, 
 And on their wings the joyful burthen take ; 
 While one bright smile from thee, one pleasing ray, 
 Through the still shades shall dart celestial day. 
 
 As the scorch* d traveler in a desert land, 
 Tracing, with weary steps, the burning sand, 
 And fainting underneath the fierce extremes 
 Of raging thirst, longs for refreshing streams ; 
 So pants my soul, with such an eager strife 
 I follow thee, the sacred spring of life. 
 
 Open the boundless treasures of thy grace, 
 And let me once more see thy lovely face ; 
 As I have seen thee in thy bright abode, 
 When all my pow'rs confess' d the present God. 
 
 There I could say, and mark the happy place, 
 'Twas there I did his glorious foot-steps trace ; 
 'Twas there (O let me raise an altar there !) 
 I saw as much of heav'n as mortal sense could bear; 
 There from his eyes I met the heav'nly beam 
 That kindled in my soul this deathless flame. 
 
120 
 
 Life, the most valued good that mortals prize, 
 Compared to which, we all things else despise ; 
 Life, in its vig'rous pride, with all that's stor'd 
 In the extent of that important word ; 
 Ev'n life itself, my God, without thy love, 
 A tedious round of vanity would prove. 
 Grant me thy love, be that my glorious lot, 
 Swallow'd in that, be all things else forgot. 
 And while those heavenly flames my breast inspire, 
 ril call up all my powers, and touch the tuneful lyre ; 
 With all the eloquence of grateful lays, 
 I'll sing thy goodness, and recite thy praise. 
 The charming theme shall still my soul employ, 
 And give me foretastes of immortal joy ; 
 With silent rapture, not to be exprest, 
 My eager wishes here shall richly feast. 
 When sullen night its gloomy curtains spreads, 
 And soothing sleep its drowsy influence sheds; 
 Fll banish flatt'ring slumbers from my eyes, 
 And praise thee till the golden morning rise; 
 Those silent hours shall consecrated be, 
 And through the listening shades I'll send my vows 
 to thee. 
 
 Mrs. Rowe. 
 
121 
 
 PSALM LXV. 
 
 There is nothing in this psalm to guide us to the 
 time, or occasion of its composition : but its beauties 
 are truly striking. — Geddes. 
 
 How graceful and animated is that rich and 
 flourishing picture of nature, which is exhibited in 
 the sixty-fifth psalm; when the prophet, with a 
 fertility of expression correspondent to the subject > 
 praises the beneficence of the Deity in the watering 
 the earth, and making it fruitful ! — Lowth, Led. 25. 
 
 A majestic propriety of words adds to the beauty 
 of a thought majestic in itself. A passage at the 
 end of psalm lxv. may be instanced : 
 
 " Thou, O God, crownest the year with thy 
 <( goodness ; thy clouds drop fatness : 
 
 " They shall drop upon the dwellings of the 
 " wilderness, and the little hills shall rejoice on 
 ." every side : 
 
 " The folds shall be full of sheep; the valleys 
 " also shall stand so thick with corn, that they shall 
 " laugh and sing." — Green's Observations on the 
 Sublime of Longinus. 
 
122 
 
 There is a beautiful use of the attegory, or chain 
 of metaphors, in the latter part of the lxvth psalm. 
 The description is lively, and what the French call 
 riante, or laughing. It has indeed been frequently- 
 observed, that the Eastern writings abound very 
 much in strong metaphors, but in Scripture they 
 are always supported by a ground-work of masculine 
 and nervous strength, without which they are apt 
 to swell into ridiculous bombast. — Smith's Longinus, 
 p. 132. note. 
 
 PSALM LXV*. 
 
 Sion's true, glorious God ! on thee 
 Praise waits in all humility. 
 
 * Henry Vaughan, called the Silurist, from that 
 part of Wales, whose inhabitants were the ancient 
 Silures, was born on the banks of the Uske, in 
 Brecknockshire, and entered in 1638 at Jesus 
 College, Oxford, being then 17. ' He was designed 
 For the law, but retiring to his home at the com- 
 mencement of the civil wars, became eminent in 
 the practice of physic, and was esteemed by 
 scholars (says Wood) an ingenious person, but proud 
 
123 
 
 All flesh shall unto thee repair, 
 
 To thee, O thou that nearest prayer ! 
 
 But sinful words and works still spread, 
 
 And over-run my heart and head ; 
 
 Transgressions make me foul each day, 
 
 O purge them, purge them all away I 
 
 Happy is he ! whom thou wilt choose 
 
 To serve thee in thy blessed house ! 
 
 Who in thy holy temple dwells, 
 
 And, fill'd with joy, thy goodnes tells ! 
 
 King of salvation ! by strange things, 
 
 And terrible, thy justice brings 
 
 Man to his duty : thou alone 
 
 Art the world's hope, and but thee, none. 
 
 Sailors, that float on flowing seas, 
 
 Stand firm by thee, and have sure peace : 
 
 Thou stilFst the loud waves, when most wild, 
 
 And mak'st the raging people mild. 
 
 and humourous. He died in 1695. — Mr. Ellis, vol. 
 III. 
 
 In Vaughan's poems occur paraphrases of the 
 65th and 121st psalms ; I have chosen the former, 
 and believe that a more favourable specimen of his 
 poetry could hardly be found in either of his 
 volumes. 
 
124 
 
 Thy arm did first the mountains lay, 
 
 And girds their rocky heads this day. 
 
 The most remote, who know not thee, 
 
 At thy great works astonish*d be. 
 
 The outgoings of the even and dawn, 
 
 In antiphones sing to thy name. 
 
 Thou visit'st the low earth, and then 
 
 Water'st it for the sons of men ; 
 
 Thy upper river, which abounds 
 
 With fertile streams, makes rich all grounds, 
 
 And by thy mercies still supply'd 
 
 The sower doth his bread provide* 
 
 Thou water'st every ridge of land, 
 
 And settlest with thy secret hand 
 
 The furrows of it; then thy warm, 
 
 And opening showers (restrained from harm); 
 
 Soften the mould, while all unseen 
 
 The blade grows up alive and green. 
 
 The year is with thy goodness crown'd, 
 
 And all thy paths drop fatness rcund, 
 
 They drop upon the wilderness, 
 
 For thou dost even the deserts bless ; 
 
 And hills too full of springing pride,. 
 
 Wear fresh adornments on each side,; 
 
 The fruitful flocks fill every dale, 
 
 And purling coin doth clothe the vale; 
 
125 
 
 They shout for joy, and jointly sing, 
 Glory to the eternal King ! 
 
 Vaugha*. 
 
 PSALM LXV. 
 
 Let praise to that Almighty Sovereign rise, 
 Who fix'd the mountains, and who spread the skies ; 
 Who o'er his works extends paternal care ; 
 Whose kind protection all the nations share : 
 From the glad climes, whence morn, in beauty drest, 
 Forth goes, rejoicing, to the farthest west ; 
 On Him alone their whole dependence lies, 
 And his rich mercy every want supplies. 
 O thou great Author of th' extended whole ! 
 Revolving seasons praise thee as they roll : 
 By thee spring, summer, autumn, winter, rise ; 
 Thou giv'st the frowning, thou the smiling skies : 
 By thy command the soft'ning shower distills, 
 Till genial warmth the teeming furrow fills ; 
 Then fav'ring sun-shine o'er the clime extends, 
 And blest by thee, the verdant blade ascends ; 
 Next spring's gay products clothe the flow'ry hills, 
 And joy the wood, and joy the valley fills ; 
 
126 
 
 Then soon thy bounty swells the golden ear, 
 And bids the harvest crown the fruitful year r 
 Thus all thy works conspicuous worship raise, 
 And nature's face proclaims her Maker's praise. 
 
 Poetical Calendar, 
 
 PSALM LXVIII. 
 
 This very beautiful psalm has been the cross of 
 Biblical critics, since the commencement of Biblical 
 criticism unto the present day : nor must I presume 
 to flatter myself that I have surmounted all the 
 strange difficulties that here occur. I have, how- 
 ever, endeavoured to make my version at least in- 
 telligible, with as little vexation of the original text 
 as possible. As to the time and occasion of the 
 composition of this sublime piece of poetry, the 
 bulk of interpreters refer it to the translation of the 
 ark from the house of Obed-Edom to mount Zion : 
 but, I confesr-, I cannot acquiesce in this opinion. 
 I think it must have been composed after David's 
 signal and repeated victories over the combined 
 forces of the Edomites, Ammonites, and Syrians, 
 when the ark was brought back in triumph to Jeru- 
 salem. That the ark accompanied the army in 
 
127 
 
 those wars we learn from the words of Uriah to 
 David, 2 Sam. xi. 11. — Geddes. 
 
 The attentive reader will frequently feel a want 
 of information, concerning the author, the age, and 
 the occasion of a poem ; still more frequently will 
 he find occasion to lament his own ignorance with 
 respect to many facts and circumstances closely 
 connected with the principal subject, and on which, 
 perhaps, its most striking ornaments depend. This 
 we experience in some degree in the admirable 
 poem of Deborah ; and this I seem to experience 
 in the sixty-eighth psalm, though it appears to 
 have some affinity with the subject of that which 
 we have just examined (the twenty-fourth), since 
 it adopts, in the place of an exordium, that well- 
 known form of expression which was commonly 
 made use of on the removal of the ark * : 
 
 " Let God arise ; let his enemies be scattered ; 
 
 " And let those that hate him flee from his presence/* 
 
 But almost every part of this most noble poem is 
 involved in an impenetrable darkness. It would 
 otherwise have afforded a singular example of the 
 true sublime ; the scattered rays of which, breaking 
 
 * Compare Num. x. 35, 
 
128 
 
 forth with difficulty through the thick clouds that 
 surround it, we yet behold with a mixture of admi- 
 ration and pleasure. — Lowth, Led, 27. 
 
 Having professed above, that I admired not so 
 much the sublimity as the sweetness of David's 
 lyric poetry, I think it my duty to make an excep- 
 tion in favour of this psalm, than which I do not 
 recollect any thing more sublime in the whole 
 book of psalms. — Michaelis. 
 
 Change of persons gives a lively turn, and forms 
 a digressive elegance in a description. An object 
 thus expressed is represented as if really present, 
 and thereby strikes with redoubled efficacy. 
 
 The royal psalmist, in his description of the 
 effect which God's presence had upon the earth, 
 changes the second person into the third. He first 
 addresses our Almighty Creator ; then he turns to 
 the third person, ver. 7, 8. 
 
 " O God, when thou wen test forth through the 
 rt wilderness, when thou wentest before the people ; 
 u the earth shook, and the heavens dropped, at 
 " the presence of God: Sinai also was moved at 
 w the presence cf God, who is the God of Israel." 
 
 This change greatly heightens the grandeur of 
 the supreme Power. — Green's Observations on the 
 Sublime of Longinus* 
 
129 
 
 Milton's beautiful instance of the striking effect of 
 change of person will immediately suggest itself to 
 the reader : 
 
 " Thus at their shady lodge arriv'd both stood, 
 ** Both turn'd, and under open sky ador'd 
 m The God that made both sky, air, earth and heav'n, 
 M Which they beheld, the moon's resplendent globe, 
 <e And starry pole : Thou also mad'st the night, 
 * Maker Omnipotent!" 
 
 Par. Lost, B. iv\ 
 
 PSALM LXVIII * 
 
 Arise, O God, assume thy might ! 
 
 Shall proud oppressors still unaw'd devour, 
 Still trample on the poor man's right, 
 
 And lewdly scorn thy pow'r ? 
 
 * This fine Ode will be found in a small volume 
 ©f poems by the late William Julius Mickle, the 
 Well-known translator of the Lusiad of Camoens f, 
 * f a man of genius, and of great poetical powers.' * 
 He was bom 1734, died 1789. 
 
 f Pursuits of Literature* 
 K 
 
130 
 
 When roaring from the western deep 
 
 The black -wing'd tempests rush, 
 When o'er the hills with headlong sweep 
 
 The inundations gush ; 
 As then the whirling chafF is driven, 
 
 So swept away shall be, 
 All who despise the laws of Heaven, 
 
 Nor honour pay to thee. 
 
 But, O ye just, with rapture raise 
 Your cheerful voices in his praise ; 
 With sacred awe, and holy mirth 
 Resound the God of heav'n and earth, 
 The God whose mercy knows no end, 
 The poor man's and the widow's Friend, 
 
 The helpless orphan's Sire ; 
 Who round the meek, afflicted, just, 
 Though crush'd and humbled in the dust., 
 
 Is still a wall of fire. 
 
 When thou, O God, didst march before 
 Thy people to the promis'd shore., 
 
 Then shook old earth : the sky 
 
 Shot lightnings from on high ; 
 The rapid Jordan bar'd his bed, 
 The Ocean saw his God, and fled, 
 The lofty cliffs of Sinai nod 
 And tremble at the presence of their thund'ring God. 
 
131 
 
 The Lord Jehovah gave the word, 
 
 And loud the tribes resound, 
 And mighty kings and mighty hostg 
 
 Lay scattered o'er the ground : 
 Dispersed as snow in Salmon's plain, 
 So fell, so lay the mighty slain, 
 And with their purple spoils are crowed 
 
 The tender virgin train. 
 
 Thousands of angels at thy gate, 
 
 And great archangels stand, 
 And twenty thousand chariots wait, 
 
 Great Lord, thy dread command ! 
 Through all thy great, thy vast domains, 
 
 With godlike honours clad, 
 Captivity in captive chains 
 
 Triumphing thou hast led. 
 That thou might'st dwell with men below* 
 
 And be their God and King, 
 From Bashan, and the land of woe 
 
 Shalt thou thy people bring : 
 From Bashan, and the desert shore 
 
 To blooming fields, and cities fair, 
 While sacred songsters march before., 
 And Jacob's princes faint no more, 
 
 Shalt thou the way prepare, 
 
132 
 
 Lo ! Egypt's kings and wisest men 
 
 Shall bend the duteous knee, 
 And Ethiopia, wide and great, 
 Through all her vast extended state, 
 
 Shall stretch her hands to thee. 
 But, awful Sovereign ! who can stand 
 Before the terrors of thy hand, 
 When thy right hand impends the blow 
 To strike a proud obdurate foe ? 
 Yet to thy saints, O God of pray'r, 
 
 How mild thy mercies shine! 
 The tend'rest father's ardent care 
 
 But ill resembles thine : 
 Thy mercies far, oh, far above 
 
 Thy other wonders shine, 
 A mother's ever watchful love 
 
 But ill resembles thine ! 
 
 Mickle, 
 
 PSALM LXIX. 
 
 This psalm is throughout highly poetical, and 
 quite in the style of Oriental poetry. The ca-amities 
 of the Jews, during their captivity, are represented 
 in every image of distress, in the strongest meta^ 
 phorical terms. — Geddes. 
 
133 
 
 PSALM LXDL 
 
 To thee, my God, to thee alone 
 The errors of my heart are known: 
 O let me, in th' accepted hour, 
 In pray'r to thee my spirit pour ! 
 
 Hear, Lord, and to my soul display 
 Thy mercy's all-enliv'ning ray ; 
 Look down, eternal God, look down, 
 Behold me, but without a frown. 
 
 And O ! while pressed with ills I lie, 
 Cast on my state a pitying eye ; 
 And let thy mercy to my grief 
 In full sufficience yield relief. 
 
 So shall thy name my transport raise, 
 And dictate to my lips thy praise ; 
 To thee my voice the song shall rear, 
 Thy mercy, Lord, is ever near. 
 
 Merrick* 
 
134 
 
 PSALM LXXII. 
 
 What has already been remarked concerning the 
 second psalm, may be applied with propriety to this, 
 which exactly resembles it both in matter and form. 
 It might not improperly be entitled the Inaugura- 
 tion of Solomon. The nature of the allegory is the 
 same with the former ; the style is something diffe- 
 rent, on account of the disparity of the subject. In 
 the one the pomp and splendour of victory are dis- 
 played; in the other the placid image of peace and 
 felicity. The style of the latter is, therefore, more 
 calm and temperate, more ornamented, more figu- 
 rative ; not abounding in the same boldness of per- 
 sonification a^> the former, but rather touched with 
 the gay and cheerful colouring of nature, in its 
 most flourishing and delightful state. From this 
 example some light will be thrown upon the nature 
 of the parabolic style ; in particular it will appear ad- 
 mirably adapted to this kind of allegory, on account 
 of its abounding so much in this species of imagery. 
 For as the imagery of nature is equally calculated to 
 express the ideas of divine and spiritual, or of 
 human things, a certain analogy being preserved 
 in each ; so it easily admits that degree of ambi- 
 guity, which appears essential to this figure. By 
 
1S5 
 
 these means the composition is at the same time di- 
 versified and perspicuous, applicable to both senses, 
 and obscure in neither; and completely compre- 
 hending both parts of the allegory, may clearly and 
 distinctly be referred to either. — Lowth, Led. 11. 
 
 On a sublime subject also, but still one of the gay 
 and agreeable kind, I mean the inauguration of 
 Solomon, which is celebrated in the seventy-second 
 psalm, there is such a variety and beauty of imagery, 
 such a splendour of diction, such elegance in the 
 composition, that I believe it will be impossible in 
 the whole compass of literature, sacred or profane, to 
 find such an union of sublimity with sweetness and 
 grace. — Lowth, Led. 25. 
 
 This psalm, or prayer, is supposed to have been 
 made by David in the last stage of his life, in favour 
 of Solomon, newly anointed king : and, if the con- 
 cluding verse be genuine, we cannot admit any 
 other hypothesis. But as this may be an arbitrary 
 note of the redactor of the Psalms into their present 
 form and order, Solomon himself may have been, 
 «nd probably was, the author of this very beautiful 
 composition. Geddes. 
 
136 
 
 PSALM LXXII. * 
 
 Blest Prince of righteousness and peace, 
 
 The hope of all mankind ! 
 The poor, in thy unblemish'd reign, 
 
 Shall free protection find. 
 
 Secure of just redress, to thee 
 
 Th* oppressed his cause shall bring ; 
 
 While with the fruits of sacred peace 
 The joyful fields shall spring. 
 
 Through endless years thy glorious name 
 
 The righteous shall adore, 
 When sun and moon have run their course, 
 
 And measure time no more. 
 
 Thou shalt descend like the soft drop* 
 
 Of kind celestial dews; 
 Or as a show'r^ whose gentle fall 
 
 The joyful spring renews. 
 
 The just shall flourish in thy days, , 
 
 And sacred truth abound, 
 While in the skies the changing mooa 
 
 Restores her nightly round. 
 
137 
 
 Peace shall with balmy wings o'ershade 
 
 Our favoured walls around : 
 With grass the meads, with plenteous corn 
 
 The mountains shall be crown'd. 
 
 A handful scatter'd on the earth, 
 
 Shall rise a wondrous crop; 
 The loaded stalks shall bend like trees 
 
 On Lebanon's high top. 
 
 Thy glory no eclipse shall see, 
 
 But shine divinely bright, 
 While from bin orb the radiant sun 
 
 Darts undiminished light. 
 
 Converted nations, blest in thee. 
 
 Shall magnify thy grace, 
 Call thee their glorious ransomer, 
 
 And hope of all their race. 
 
 With love and sacred rapture firM, 
 
 Thy lofty name we Tl sing; 
 Thou only wondrous things hast done, 
 
 The everlasting King ! 
 
 From all the corners of the earth. 
 Let grateful praise ascend ; 
 
m 
 
 Let loud A mens, and joyful shout s> 
 The starry convex rend. 
 
 Mrs. Rowe. 
 
 PSALM LXXVIL 
 
 By far the greater part of the lyric poetry of the 
 Hebrews is occupied wholly in the celebration of 
 the power and goodness of Almighty God, in ex- 
 tolling his kindness and beneficence to his chosen 
 people, and in imploring his assistance and favour 
 in time of adversity: in other words, the usual sub- 
 jects of these odes are so connected with every part 
 of the Sacred History, as to afford ample scope for 
 those digressions which are most pleasing, and most 
 congenial to this species of composition* Thus., 
 whether the theme be gay or mournful ; whether 
 the events which they celebrate be prosperous or 
 adverse; whether they return thanks to God their 
 deliverer for assistance in trouble, or with the hu- 
 mility of suppliants acknowledge the justice of the 
 Divine correction ; the memory , of former times 
 spontaneously occurs, and a variety of incidents and 
 circumstances, of times, of seasons, of countries, of 
 nations, all the miracles in Egypt, in the wilderness 
 
139 
 
 m Judea, are presented to their recollection t and 
 all these so naturally connect with the subject, that 
 whatever of ornament is deduced from them, so far 
 from appearing foreign to it, seems rather an essen- 
 tial part of the principal matter. It may, therefore, 
 be with modesty asserted of the Hebrew Ode, that 
 from the nature of the subjects which it usually em- 
 braces, it is possessed of so easy an access to some 
 of the most elegant sources of poetical imagery, and 
 has consequently so many opportunities for agree- 
 able digression, that with unbounded freedom and 
 uncommon variety, are united the most perfect 
 order, and the most pleasing uniformity. 
 
 The seventy-seventh psalm will afford some illus- 
 tration of what has been remarked concerning the 
 nature and economy of the Hebrew Ode. This 
 psalm is composed in what I call the intermediate 
 style, and is of that diversified and unequal kind 
 which ascends from a cool and temperate exordium 
 to a high degree of sublimity. The prophet, op- 
 pressed with a heavy weight of affliction, displays 
 the extreme dejection and perturbation of his soul, 
 and most elegantly and pathetically describes the 
 conflicts and internal contests to which he is sub- 
 jected, before he is enabled to rise from the depths 
 of woe to any degree of hope or confidence. In tbe 
 
140 
 
 character of a suppliant he first pours forth hi* 
 earnest prayers to the God of his hope : 
 
 " I lifted up my voice unto God and cried, 
 " I lifted up my voice unto God, that he should 
 " hear me." 
 
 But even prayers afford him no sufficient consola- 
 tion. He next endeavours to mitigate his sorrow by 
 the remembrance of former times; but this, on the 
 contrary, only seems to exaggerate his sufferings by 
 the comparison of his present adversity with his 
 former happiness, and extorts from him the follow-, 
 ing pathetic expostulation : 
 
 " Will the Lord reject me for ever? 
 
 tc And will he be reconciled no more ? 
 
 " Is his mercy eternally ceased ? 
 
 " Doth his promise fail from generation to gene- 
 
 " ration ? 
 " Hath God forgotten to be merciful ? 
 *' Or hath he in anger shut up his pity ?" 
 
 Again, recollecting the nature of the Divine dis- 
 pensations in chastising man, " the change of the 
 right-hand of the Most High ;" in other words, the 
 different methods by which the Almighty seeks the 
 
Ml 
 
 salvation of his people, appearing frequently to 
 frown upon and persecute those u in whom he de- 
 liQ'hteth:" reconsidering also the vast series of 
 mercies which he had bestowed upon his chosen^ 
 people; the miracles which he had wrought in their 
 favour, in a word, the goodness, the holiness, the 
 power of the great Ruler of the universe; with all 
 the ardour of gratitude and affection, he bursts 
 forth into a strain of praise and exultation. In this 
 passage we are at a loss which to admire most, the 
 ease and grace with which the digression is made, 
 the choice of the incidents, the magnificence of 
 the imagery, or the force and elegance of the 
 diction : 
 
 " Thy way, O God, is in holiness ; 
 
 u What God is great as our God ? 
 
 " Thou art the God that doest wonders : 
 
 <c Thou hast made known thy strength among the 
 
 <( nations : 
 ? With thy arm hast thou redeemed thy people, 
 " The sons of Jacob and Joseph. 
 u The waters saw thee, O God! 
 " The waters saw thee, and trembled ; 
 " The depths also were troubled, 
 " The clouds overflowed with Water; 
 " The skies sent forth thunder; 
 " Thine arrows also went abroad : 
 
14S 
 
 " The voice of thy thunder was in the atmosphere , 
 " Thy lightnings enlightened the world, 
 ** The earth trembled, and was disturbed." 
 
 Lowth, Led. 26. 
 
 PSALM LXXVIIL 
 
 I have little doubt of this psalm's being a conti- 
 nuation of the preceding one. It is a beautiful reca- 
 pitulation of all that Jehovah had done for the 
 Israelites; and of their unaccountable ingratitude' 
 and frequent relapses. — Geddes. 
 
 Amongst those poems which by the Hebrew* 
 were adapted to music, and distinguished by the 
 general appellation Shirim, there are some which 
 differ in their nature from lyric poetry, strictly so 
 called. These it will be more regular to class with 
 those compositions anciently termed Idylliums. 
 
 The term Idyllium is a vague and general one, 
 which denotes nothing certain relating to the nature 
 of the poem ; it however appears by use and custom 
 to have obtained a certain and appropriated desti- 
 nation ; and perhaps it may not be improperly de- 
 fined, a poem of moderate length ; of an uniform, 
 middle style, chiefly distinguished for elegance and 
 
113 
 
 sweetness ; regular and clear as to plot, conduct, and 
 arrangement. There are many perfect example! of 
 this kind of poem extant in the writings of the He- 
 brews; some of which, I presume, it will not be un- 
 pleasing singly to point out and explain. 
 
 The first of these poems which attract our notice 
 are the historical psalms, in celebration of the power 
 and the other attributes of the Deity, as instanced 
 in the miracles which he performed in favour of his 
 people. One of the principal of these, bearing the 
 name of Asaph, (Psalm LXXVIII.) pursues the 
 history of the Israelites from the time of their de- 
 parture from Egypt t« the reign of David, particu- 
 larizing and illustrating all the leading events. The 
 style is simple and uniform, but tue structure is 
 poetical, and the sentiments occasionally splendid. 
 The historical, or rather chronological order, cannot 
 be said to be exactly preserved throughout ; for the 
 minute detail of so protracted a series of events 
 could scarcely fail to tire in a work of imagination. 
 The Egyptian miracles are introduced in a very 
 happy and elegant digression, and may be consi- 
 dered as forming a kind of episode. The same sub- 
 ject affords materials for two other psalms, the hun- 
 dred-and-fif:h, and the hundred-and-sixth : the one 
 including the history of Israel, from the call of 
 Abraham to the Exodus; the other, from that 
 
144 
 
 period to the later ages of the commonwealth I 
 both of them bear a strong resemblance to the 
 seventy-eighth, as well in the subject as in th e 
 style (except perhaps that the diction is rather of a 
 more simple cast) ; the mixture of ease and grace, 
 displayed m the exordium, is the same in all. 
 
 These psalms both in plot and conduct, have a. • 
 surprizing analogy to the hymns of the Greeks. 
 Indeed the Greek translators might very properly 
 have given the title of Hymns to the book of Psalms, 
 as that word agrees much more exactly with the 
 Hebrew title Tehillim, than that which they have* 
 adopted. — Lowth. 
 
 PSALM LXXVIII. 
 
 Parent of universal good! 
 
 We own thy bounteous hand, 
 Which does so rich a table spread, 
 
 In this far distant land. 
 
 Struck by thy power, the flinty rocks 
 
 In gushing torrents flow ; 
 The feathered wanderers of the air 
 
 Thy guiding instinct know. 
 
145 
 
 The pregnant clouds, at thy command, 
 
 Rain down delicious bread ; 
 And by light drops of pearly dew 
 
 Are numerous armies fed. 
 
 Supported thus, thine Israel march* d 
 
 The promised land to gain : 
 And shall thy children now begin 
 
 To seek their God in vain ? 
 
 Are all thy stores exhausted now ? 
 
 Or does thy mercy fail ? 
 That faith should languish in our breasts, 
 
 And anxious cares prevail ? 
 
 Ye base unworthy fears, begone, 
 
 And wide disperse in air ; 
 Then may I feel my Father's rod, 
 
 When I suspect his care. 
 
 Doddridge.* 
 
 * Philip Doddridge, one of the most eminent 
 among the ministers of the Protestant dissenters, 
 was born in the year 1702, and died 1751. He was 
 distinguished by learning, candour, and piety. 
 L 
 
146 
 
 PSALM LXXX. 
 
 The voice of grief and complaint is tempered 
 with the consolations of hope in the eightieth 
 psalm. — Lowth, Lect. 25. 
 
 The psalmist (whoever he was), describing the 
 people of Israel as a vine, has continued the meta- 
 phor, and happily drawn it out through a variety 
 of additional circumstances. Among the many 
 beauties of this allegory, not the least graceful is 
 that modesty, with which he enters upon and con- 
 cludes his subject, making an easy and gradual 
 transition from plain to figurative language, and no 
 less delicately receding back to the plain and un- 
 ornamented narrative : 
 
 " Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; 
 
 " Thou hast cast out the nations and planted it, 
 
 " Thou preparedst room before it." — 
 
 After this follow some figurative expressions, less 
 cautiously introduced : in which when he has in- 
 dulged for some time, how elegantly does he revert 
 to his proper subject ! 
 
 " Return, O God of Hosts! 
 
 '* Look down from heaven, and behold. 
 
147 
 
 a And visit this vine : 
 
 u And the branch which thy right hand hath 
 
 " planted; 
 u And the offspring which thou madest strong for 
 
 « thyself. 
 " It is burned in the fire, it is cut away ; 
 " By the rebuke of thy countenance they perish. 
 u Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand ; 
 H Upon the son of man, whom thou madest strong 
 
 " for thyself." 
 
 It will readily be perceived, how in this kind of 
 allegory, the literal may be mingled with the figu- 
 rative sense ; and even how graceful this practice 
 appears, since light is more agreeably thrown upon 
 the subject in an oblique manner, without too bare 
 and direct an explication. — Lowth, Lecture 10. * 
 
 It is not sufficient that the image be apt and fa- 
 miliar, it must also be elegant and beautiful in itself: 
 since it is the purpose of a poetic parable, not only 
 to explain more perfectly some proposition, but fre- 
 quently to give it more animation and splendour. 
 
 * Sec the passage at Urge, in which the nature of Allegory, 
 and particularly of that species of it known in Scripture by the 
 name of Parable, is explained in a masterly manner, audi 
 illustrated by examples selected with admirable tast*. 
 
148 
 
 The imagery from natural objects is superior to all 
 other in this respect; or almost every picture from 
 nature, if accurately drawn, has its peculiar beauty. 
 — Lowth, ibid. 
 
 The eightieth psalm is a beautiful instance of 
 that pathetic complaint, which was poured forth 
 during the public fast, when the rain was withheld. 
 Here God is happily called upon as the Shepherd of 
 Israel, and as the leader of Joseph like a flock; 
 terms which always represent him as their feeder— 
 as their conductor to the green pasture and the still 
 waters.* * Thou Inhabitant of the cherubim/ says 
 the author very boldly, ' shine forth/ He calls 
 upon him as the God who ' rides upon the cherub/ 
 that is, f comes flying on the wings of the wind/ 
 to cause either the lightnings, or the illuminations, 
 or perhaps both, to appear. He invites him to come 
 forth in solemn procession to the presence of 
 Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. c O God/ says 
 he, < cause us to return, and cause thy presence to 
 Rhine, and we shall be saved/ 
 
 The author afterwards bewails that God, instead 
 of occasioning the feast, feeds his people with the 
 bread of tears, and gives them tears only to drink, 
 and that their enemies laugh them to scorn. He 
 then most elegantly pictures his forlorn country, as 
 
 * Psalm xxiii. 1, 2, 3. 
 
149 
 
 exposed to foreign invasion, under the image of a 
 forsaken vine, which the wild boar out of the wood 
 is rooting- up. He prays Go 1 to return and visit 
 this vine, for it is ' burned with fire/ and cut down. 
 The prophet Ezekiel describes his exhausted 
 country under the same image, and in a manner 
 which improves the effect of the psalm before us.* 
 ' Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by 
 the waters : she was fruitful, and full of branches, 
 by reason of many waters. But she was plucked up 
 in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the 
 east wind dried up her fruit : her strong rods were 
 broken and withered ; the fire consumed them. 
 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry 
 and thirsty ground/ — Hurdis. 
 
 We may take also from the Scriptures a very fine 
 example of an allegory, in the eightieth psalm, 
 where the people of Israel are represented under 
 the image of a vine, and the figure is supported 
 throughout with great correctness and beauty : 
 <( Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt ; thou 
 hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou 
 preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take 
 deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were 
 covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs 
 thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out 
 * Ez?k. xix> 10, 12, 13. 
 
150 
 
 her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the 
 river. Why hast thou then broken down her 
 hedges, so that all they which pass by the way, do 
 pluck her ? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, 
 and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Re- 
 turn, we beseech thee, O God of hosts; look down 
 from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine." 
 Here there is no circumstance (except perhaps one 
 phrase at the beginning, u thou hast cast out the 
 heathen,") that does not strictly agree to a vine, 
 whilst, at the same time, the whole quadrates hap- 
 pily with the Jewish state represented by this figure. 
 — Blair's Lectures \ 
 
 PSALM LXXXI. 
 
 The eighty-first psalm is characterised by an ex- 
 quisite union of sublimity and sweetness. It is an 
 ode composed for the feast of trumpets in the first 
 new moon of the civil year.* The exordium con- 
 tains an exhortation to celebrate the praises of the 
 Almighty with music and song, and (as is frequent 
 in these productions of the Hebrews) is replete with 
 animation : 
 
 * See Reland. Antiq. Heb. it. 7. 
 
151 
 
 " Sing unto God our strength ; 
 
 «" A song of triumph to the God of Jacob." 
 
 The different instruments of music are named, as 
 is common in the lyric compositions of all other na- 
 tions : 
 
 " Take the psaltery, bring hither the timbrel, 
 " The pleasant harp, with the lute." 
 
 The trumpet is particularly alluded to, because 
 the solemn use of it on their great festivals was 
 prescribed by the Mosaic law. The commemora- 
 tion of the giving of the law, associated with the 
 sound of the trumpet (which was the signal of 
 liberty)* introduces, in a manner spontaneously, 
 the miseries of the Egyptian bondage, the recovery 
 of their freedom, and the communication with God 
 upon Mount Sinai (the awfulness of which is ex- 
 pressed in a very few words, " the secret place of 
 thunder"), and finally the contention with their 
 Creator at the waters of Meribah. The mention of 
 Meribah introduces another idea, namely, the in- 
 gratitude and contumacy of the Israelites, who 
 appear to have been ever unmindful of the favours 
 and indulgence of their heavenly Benefactor. The 
 
 * £*c Lev. xxiii. 24. Num. xxix. 1. aad Lev. xxv. 9, 19. 
 
152 
 
 remainder of the ode, therefore, contains an affec- 
 tionate expostulation of God with his people, a con- 
 firmation of his former promises, and a tender com- 
 plaint, that his favourable intentions towards them 
 have been so long prevented by their disobedience. 
 Thus the object and end of this poem appears to be 
 an exhortation to obedience from the consideration 
 of the paternal love, the beneficence, and the pro- 
 mises of the Deity ; and we have seen with how 
 much art, elegance, variety, and ingenuity, this is 
 accomplished. In order to complete the beauty of 
 this composition, the conclusion is replete with all 
 the graces of sentiment, imagery, and diction. The 
 sudden and frequent change of persons is remark- 
 able ; but it is by no means harsh, or obscure. Some 
 allowance is however to be made for the Hebrew 
 idiom, as well as for the state of the author's mind: 
 he is not under the influence of art but of nature ; 
 through the impetuosity of passion, therefore, his 
 transitions are frequent from figure and allusion to 
 plain language, and back again with a kind of de- 
 sultory inconstancy. 
 
 In the last lecture I treated in general of the dis- 
 position and arrangement of lyric composition, and 
 endeavoured, in some degree, to define its usual 
 symmetry and outline. But on abstruse and diffi- 
 cult subjects, example is of more avail than the 
 
153 
 
 utmost accuracy of description. To him, therefore, 
 who wishes to form a correct idea of this kind of 
 poem, I will venture to recommend the psalm which 
 we have just examined ; not doubting, that if he can 
 make himself master of its general character, 
 genius, and arrangement, he will feel perfectly 
 satisfied concerning the nature and form of a per- 
 fect ode. — Lowth, Led. 26. 
 
 PSALM LXXXII. 
 
 In this psalm, of uncertain date, God is poetically 
 introduced, as chief judge among the judges of the 
 earth, and giving them a charge to administer 
 justice uprightly. — Geddes. 
 
 PSALM LXXXIV, 
 
 O Lord, how beauteous are thy courts ! 
 Thither my longing soul resorts ; 
 Fainting to see that blest abode, 
 Wherein resides th' Almighty God. 
 
154 
 
 The sparrow finds a place to rest, 
 The untun'd swallow builds her nest ; 
 Within thy walls their young they breed, 
 And them before thy altar feed. 
 
 How blest are they who there may dwell, 
 Thy wonders, and thy works to tell ! 
 How blest are they, whose strength abides 
 In God ! for these he safely, guides. 
 
 These in the thirsty vales are filPd 
 With springs, or show'rs from clouds distilFd ; 
 Passing along from strength to strength, 
 Till they Mount Sion reach at length. 
 
 The God of Jacob lends his ear, 
 The Lord of hosts my pray'r will hear, 
 Thou art my shield, and, Lord, thy grace 
 Inlightens thy anointed's face. 
 
 One day which in thy courts I spend, 
 A thousand others does transcend ; 
 Thy temple-gates Fll rather keep, 
 Than in the tents of princes sleep. 
 
 God, like a shield, gives strong defence, 
 And as the sun, whose influence 
 
155 
 
 Breeds all things for our good ; so he, 
 O God, is blest, who trusts in thee ! 
 
 Sir J. Denham, 
 
 PSALM LXXXVIII. 
 
 Heavy, O Lord, on me thy judgments lie, 
 And curs'd I am ; for God neglects my cry. 
 O Lord, in darkness and despair I groan ; 
 And ev'ry place is hell ; for God is gone. 
 O Lord, arise, and let thy beams controul 
 Those horrid clouds, that press my frighted soul : 
 O rise, and save me from eternal night, 
 Thou that art the God of light ! 
 
 Downward I hasten to my destined place ; 
 There none obtain thy aid, none sing thy praise. 
 Soon I shall lie in death's deep ocean drown'd: 
 Is mercy there ? is sweet forgiveness found ? 
 O save me yet, whilst on the brink I stand ; 
 Rebuke the storm, and set me safe to land. 
 O make my longings, and thy mercy sure, 
 Thou that art the God of power ! 
 
 Behold the weary'd prodigal is come 
 
 To thee, his hope, his harbour, and his home. 
 
156 
 
 No father he could find, no friend abroad, 
 ttepriv'd of joy, and destitute of God. 
 O let thy terrors, and his anguish end ! 
 Be thou his father, and be thou his friend, 
 .Receive the son thou didst so long reprove; 
 Thou that art the God of love ! 
 
 Prior* 
 
 PSALM LXXXIX. 
 
 Our grateful songs, O thou eternal King* 
 
 Shall ever of thy boundless mercies sing; 
 
 And thy unalterable truth rehearse, 
 
 To after ages, in a living verse. 
 
 For what is by thy clemency decreed, 
 
 Shall orderly, and faithfully succeed ; 
 
 E'en like those never-resting orbs above, 
 
 Which on firm hinges circularly move. 
 
 Thus God unto his servant David swore* 
 
 This cov'nant made ; I will for evermore 
 
 Thy seed establish, and thy throne sustain. 
 
 Whilst seas shall flow, or moons increase, and wain* 
 
 The heavenly Hierarchy thy truth shall praise, 
 
 The saints below thy glorious wonders blaze : 
 
 For who is like our God above the clouds ! 
 
 Or who so great, whom human frailty shrouds ! 
 
157 
 
 He to his angels terrible appears, 
 And daunts the tyrants of the earth with fears. 
 Great God ! how great, when dreadful armies join ! 
 What God so strong ! what faith so firm as thine ! 
 Thy bounds the billows of the sea restrain ; 
 Thou calm'st the tumults of th* incensed main. 
 Proud Rahab, like a corse, with blood imbru'd, 
 Hewn down ; the strong with greater strength 
 
 subduM. 
 Thine are the heav'ns ; those lamps which gild the 
 
 skies ; 
 Round earth, broad seas, and all which they com- 
 prise : 
 Thou mad'st the southern and the northern pole, 
 Whereon the orbs celestial swiftly rolL 
 Hermon invested with the morning rays, 
 And Tabor with the evening's, sing thy praise. 
 Thy arm excels in strength ; thy hands sustain 
 The world they made, and guide it with a rein. 
 Justice with judgment join'd, thy throne uphold, 
 Mercy and truth thy sacred brows infold. 
 Thrice happy they, who, when the trumpet calls, 
 Throng to thy celebrated festivals ! 
 They of thy beauty shall enjoy the sight, 
 And guide their feet by that informing light ; 
 Thy name shall daily in their mouths be found, 
 And in thy justice shall their joys abound. 
 
158 
 
 Our ornament in peace, our strength in wars, 
 
 Thy favour shall exalt us to the stars : 
 
 Thou, Holy One of Israel, our King, 
 
 Thou our defence, secure beneath thy wing. 
 
 Thus spake Jehovah by his prophet's voice ; 
 
 Of strenuous David have I made my choice, 
 
 (On that hero have pour'd my sacred oil) 
 
 To guide my people, and preserve from spoil. 
 
 I will support him with my powerful arm ; 
 
 No foe shall tribute force, nor treason harm ; 
 
 His enemies before his face shall fly, 
 
 And those, who hate his soul, by slaughter die. 
 
 Our truth and clemency shall crown his days, 
 
 And to the firmament his glory raise : 
 
 He, from the billows of the Tyrian main, 
 
 To swift Euphrates shall extend his reign, 
 
 Who in his oft-renew'd devotions shall 
 
 Me Father, God, and Great Protector, call. 
 
 My favourite he shall be, and my first birth, 
 
 Rais'd above all the princes of the earth ; 
 
 My mercy him for ever shall preserve, 
 
 And from my promise I will never swerve : 
 
 His seed shall always reign, his throne shall last, 
 
 While days have light, and nights their shadows cast- 
 
 If they my judgments slight, forsake my law, 
 
 My rites neglect, and from my rule withdraw ; 
 
 Then I with whips will their offences scourge. 
 
 With labour, misery, and sorrows urge, 
 
159 
 
 Yet will not utterly my king forsake, 
 
 My vow infringe, or alter what I spake. 
 
 I by my sanctity to David sware, 
 
 That -he, and his should never want an heir, 
 
 To sway the Hebrew sceptre, while the sun 
 
 His usual race should through the zodiack run, 
 
 While men the moon, and radiant stars should see, 
 
 The faithful witnesses of my decree. 
 
 But thou art angry with thy own elect, 
 
 And dost thy late-affected king reject ; 
 
 Infringe the covenant to thy servant sworn ; 
 
 Thou from his brows his diadem hast torn, 
 
 Cast down the rampire, which his strength renowned, 
 
 And all his bulwarks levelled with the ground : 
 
 Whom now his neighbours scorn; a common prey, 
 
 And spoil to all that travel by the way. 
 
 Thou addest strength and courage to his foes, 
 
 Who now rejoice and triumph in his woes, 
 
 Eebatest his sharp sword, unnerv'st his might, 
 
 And mak'st him shrink in fervour of the fight ; 
 
 tjis splendour hast eclipsed ; his renown 
 
 In ruins buried, and his throne cast down ; 
 
 His youth consumed with untimely age ; 
 
 Mark'd out for shame, the object of thy rage. 
 
 How long shall he in thy displeasure mourn! 
 
 Still shall thine anger like a furnace burn ? 
 
 O call to mind the shortness of my days, 
 
 That dream of man, which like a flower decays: 
 
160 
 
 Who lives, that can the stroke of death defend; 
 Or shall not to the silent grave descend ? 
 Where is thy ancient love, thy plighted troth ! 
 Confirm'd to David by a solemn oath ! 
 Remember the reproaches I have borne, 
 Those of the mighty, and their bitter scorn : 
 Traduced ; by thy enemies abhorr'd : 
 Yet, O my pensive soul, praise thou the Lord. 
 
 Amen ; Amen, 
 Sandys. 
 
 PSALM XC. 
 A beautiful poem by Moses. 
 
 Michaelis. 
 
 PSALM XC. 
 
 Thou through all ages art our God; 
 In thee was our secure abode, 
 Before thy compass drew the earth, 
 Or thence the mountains took their birth. 
 
161 
 
 Yet man, who to destruction falls, 
 Thy voice into the world recalls : 
 A thousand years are, to thy sight, 
 Like a past day, or ending night. 
 
 Lost in a swift impetuous stream, 
 We seem but like a waking dream : 
 The flow'r that with the sun did rise, 
 F th' evening hangs the head, and dies. 
 
 So cast into consuming fire, 
 In thy fierce anger we expire. 
 Our darkness yielding to thy light, 
 Our secrets can't escape thy sight. 
 
 We all our days in sorrow spend, 
 And as a tale that's told, they end: 
 Seventy compleats the age of man ; 
 Eighty but stretches out his span : 
 
 And who beyond that measure strains, 
 Upon the rack prolongs his pains. 
 Who knows thy anger's power ? or who 
 Pays thy just wrath the fear that's due ? 
 
 When once we're taught to count our days, 
 Our hearts with wisdom we shall raise : 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 Return, O Lord, lo ! we repent, 
 O free us from sin's punishment ! * 
 
 Blest God, thy sun of mercy raise, 
 And give us bright and happy days ! 
 Measure the years which make us glad 
 Equal with those which made us sad. 
 
 Thy wonders to thy servants show, 
 And let their sons thy glory know ; 
 May that on us its beams reflect, 
 And with its light our ways direct. 
 
 Sir John Den ham. 
 
 PSALM XC. 
 
 1,3. 
 
 O Lord, our sure, our constant aid, 
 
 Our souls' supreme abode ; 
 Who, ere the heavens and earth were made, 
 
 Art one eternal God. 
 
 8. 
 
 In death thou bidd'st our bodies lie ; 
 To life recalFst again, 
 
163 
 
 When Mercy's voice proclaims on high,, 
 u Return, ye sons of men." 
 
 4. 
 
 Thousands of years, Almighty Power! 
 
 Are moments in thy sight, 
 Day passes day, as Hts the hour 
 
 That marks the watch of night. 
 
 13. 
 
 Teach then our souls, life's little space 
 
 With wisdom's eye to see, 
 And waft them, on the wings of Grace, 
 
 To Glory, and to Thee. 
 
 Mason. 
 
 PSALM XCI. 
 
 This beautiful psalm may have been composed by 
 David : and there are parts of it, which make the 
 supposition very probable. See ver. 14 and 16, 
 It has no title in Heb. but in Sept, Vulg. and Arab, 
 it is called " A praise -song of David/' — Geddes. 
 
 The subject of the ninety- first psalm is the secu- 
 rity, the success, and the rewards of piety. The 
 
164 
 
 exordium exhibits the pious man placing all his de- 
 pendence upon Almighty God : 
 
 " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most 
 
 . " High; 
 " Who lodgeth under the shadow of the Omni- 
 
 " potent: 
 e( Who saith to Jehovah, Thou art my hope and my 
 
 " fortress ! 
 " My God, in whom I trust : — 
 
 And immediately leaving the sentence unfinished, 
 he apostrophizes to the same person, whom he had 
 been describing : 
 
 " He indeed shall deliver thee 
 u From the snare of the fowler, from the destroying 
 pestilence." 
 
 The imagery that follows is beautiful and diversi- 
 fied, and at the same time uncommonly solemn and 
 sublime : 
 
 " With his feathers will he cover thee; . 
 " And under his wings shalt thou find protection ; 
 " His truth shall be thy shield and thy defence. 
 " Thou shalt not fear from the terror by night; 
 u From the arrow that flieth by day ; 
 
165 
 
 " From the pestilence that walketh in darkness; 
 M From the destruction that wasteth at noon. 
 " A thousand shall fall at thy side ; 
 " And ten thousand at thy right-hand ; 
 u To thee it shall not approach/" 
 
 How excellent also are the succeeding images, 
 the guard of angels, the treading under , foot the 
 fiercest and most formidable animals; and after- 
 wards, that sudden but easy and elegant change of 
 the persons ! 
 
 u Because he hath loved me, therefore will I de- 
 
 " liver him : 
 " I will exalt him, for he hath known my name." 
 
 If any reader will carefully weigh and consider 
 the nature and dignity of this imagery, having due 
 respect at the same time to the principles of the 
 mystical allegory, I am persuaded he will agree with 
 me, that something of a mystical design is concealed 
 under the literal meaning of this psalm. Without 
 a question, the pious person, the king, or high-priest 
 perhaps, who in the literal sense is the principal 
 character of the poem, is meant in reality to repre- 
 sent some greater andsublimer personage. But leav- 
 ing this part of the subject to the investigation of 
 
166 
 
 the divine, I submit it to any critic of true taste 
 and discernment, whether the third ode of the 
 fourth book of Horace (the beauty of which has 
 been justly celebrated,, and which bears a great re- 
 semblance to that under our consideration) is not 
 greatly excelled by the sacred poet, as well in grace 
 and elegance, as in force and dignity. — Lowth, 
 Lect. 26. 
 
 PSALM XCI. 
 
 Who makes th' Almighty his retreat, 
 Shall rest beneath his shady wings ; 
 
 Free from th* oppression of the great, 
 The rage of war, or wrath of kings : 
 
 Free from the cunning fowler's train, 
 The tainted air's infectious breath, 
 
 His truth in perils shall sustain, 
 
 And shield thee from the stroke of death. 
 
 No terrors shall thy sleep affright, 
 Nor deadly flying arrows slay ; 
 Nor pestilence devour by night, 
 Or slaughter massacre by day. 
 
167 
 
 A thousand, and ten thousand shall 
 Sink on thy right-hand, and thy left, 
 
 Yet thou, secure, shalt see their fall, 
 By vengeance, of their lives bereft. 
 
 Since God thou hast thy refuge made, 
 And dost to him thy vows direct, 
 
 No evil shall thy strength invade, 
 Nor wasting plagues thy roof infect. 
 
 Thee shall his Angels safely guide, 
 
 Upheld by winged legions, 
 Lest thou at any time shouldst slide, 
 
 And dash thy foot against the stones. 
 
 Thou on the basilisk shalt tread, 
 The mountain lion boldly meet, 
 
 And trample on the dragon's head ; 
 The leopard prostrate at thy feet. 
 
 Since he hath fixt his love on me, 
 Saith God, and walked in my ways, 
 
 I will his soul from danger free, 
 And from the reach of envy raise : 
 
 To him I his desires will give, 
 
 From danger guard, in honour place ; 
 
168 
 
 He long, long happily shall live, 
 And flourish in my saving grace. 
 
 Sandys, 
 
 PSALM XCII. 
 
 An ode for the day of the Sabbath.— Street. 
 
 The ninety-second psalm consists wholly of joy, 
 which is not the less sincere, because it is not ex- 
 cessive. — Lowth, Lect. 25. 
 
 PSALM XCII. 
 
 Thou, who art inthron'd above, 
 Thou, by whom we live, and move ; 
 O how sweet, how excellent, 
 Is 3 t with tongue, and heart's consent, 
 Thankful hearts, and joyful tongues, 
 To renown thy name in songs ! 
 When the morning paints the skies, 
 When the sparkling stars arise, 
 Thy high favours to rehearse, 
 Thy firm faith, in grateful verse. 
 
169 
 
 Take the lute, and violin 
 
 Let the solemn harp begin, 
 
 Instruments strung with ten strings, 
 
 While the silver cymbal rings. 
 
 From thy works my joy proceeds ; 
 
 How I triumph in thy deeds ! 
 
 Who thy wonders can express ? 
 
 All thy thoughts are fathomless, 
 
 Hid from men in knowledge blind, 
 
 Hid from fools to vice inclin'd. 
 
 Who that tyrant sin obey, 
 
 Though they spring like flow'rs in May, 
 
 Parcht with heat, and nipt with frost, 
 
 Soon shall fade, for ever lost. 
 
 Lord, thou art most great, most high, 
 
 Such from all eternity ; 
 
 Perish shall thy enemies, 
 
 Rebels that against thee rise; 
 
 All, who in their sins delight, 
 
 Shall be scatter'd by thy might. 
 
 But thou shalt exalt my horn, 
 
 Like a youthful unicorn ; 
 
 Fresh and fragrant odours shed 
 
 On thy crowned prophet's head. 
 
 I shall see my foes' defeat, 
 
 Shortly hear of their retreat ; 
 
 But the just like palnis shall flourish, 
 
 Which the plains of Judah nourish; 
 
170 
 
 Like tall cedars mounted on 
 Cloud^ascending Lebanon, 
 Plants set in thy court, below 
 Spread their roots, and upwards grow, 
 Fruit in their okl age shall bring, 
 Ever fat, and flourishing. 
 This God's justice celebrates ; 
 He, my rock, injustice hates. 
 
 Sandys, 
 
 PSALM XCIII. 
 
 The mighty Lord doth reign on high, 
 And decks himself with majesty; 
 The Lord doth gird himself with might, 
 In battle to maintain his right : 
 Whereby the world doth stand secure, 
 And doth un move ably endure. 
 Thy throne's of equal age with thee, 
 Who never didst begin to be. 
 
 The floods, O Lord, the floods do roar, 
 Their swelling Waves assault the shore, 
 But whilst the highest Lord doth reign, 
 The mighty waves do roar in vain, 
 
171 , 
 
 Thy testimonies firm and sure* 
 Our faith against all storms secure ; 
 And in thy house, Lord, holiness 
 Is ever the most comely dress. 
 
 Ford. 
 
 PSALM XCV. 
 
 The ninety-fifth psalm, repeated always in the 
 morning-service of our Church previous to the 
 psalms of the day, is an irrefragable proof, that the 
 compositions of the Hebrews are not wild and inco- 
 herent, when properly understood, but have as 
 much sobriety, taste, and critical consistency, as the 
 most laboured odes of Italy or Greece. — Hurdis, 
 
 PSALM XCVI. 
 
 A Tery elegant psalm of the same description, 
 full of spirit and beauty, immediately follows that 
 which we have just considered. Here Israel is 
 called upon, in a strain of the most ardent rapture, to 
 
172 
 
 sing to his God and declare his wonders among all 
 people. — Hurdis. 
 
 PSALM XCVI. 
 
 Let all the earth their voices raise, 
 To sing the choicest psalm of praise, 
 
 To sing, and bless Jehovah's name j 
 His glory let the heathens know, 
 His wonders to the nations shew, 
 
 And all his saving works proclaim. 
 
 The heathens know thy glory, Lord ; 
 The wondering nations read thy word; 
 
 In Britain is Jehovah known : 
 Our worship shall no more be paid 
 To gods which mortal hands have made ; 
 
 Our Maker is our God alone. 
 
 He fram'd the globe, he built the sky, 
 He made the shining worlds on high, 
 
 And reigns complete in glory there ; 
 His beams are majesty and light ; 
 His beauties how divinely bright ! 
 
 His temple how divinely fair ! 
 
173 
 
 Come the great day, the glorious hour, 
 When earth shall feel his saving pow'r, 
 
 And barb'rous nations fear his name : 
 Then shall the race of man confess 
 The beauty of his holiness, 
 
 And in his courts his grace proclaim. 
 
 Watts. 
 
 PSALMS XCVI. 10-13; and XCVIII. 7-9, 
 
 Tell in high, harmonious strains, 
 
 Tell the world, Jehovah reigns ! 
 
 He, who framed this beauteous whole, 
 
 He, who fixM each planet's place ; 
 Who bade unnumber'd orbs to roll, 
 
 In destinM course, through endless space. 
 Let the glorious heavens rejoice, 
 The hills exult with grateful voice ; 
 Let ocean tell the echoing shore, 
 And the hoarse waves with humble voice adore ! 
 Let the verdant plains be glad ! 
 The trees in blooming fragrance clad ! 
 Smile with joy, ye desert lands, 
 And, rushing torrents, clap your hands ! 
 
174 
 
 Let the whole earth with triumph ring ! 
 
 Let all that live, with loud applause s 
 Jehovah's matchless praises sing — 
 He comes ! he comes ! heav'n's righteous King ! 
 
 To judge the world by truth's eternal laws. 
 
 Dr. Gregory. 
 
 PSALM XCVIII. 
 
 To God our Lord renew your song, 
 His hand has wonders wrought ; 
 
 Triumphal crowns to him belong, 
 When with his foes he fought. 
 
 The light of his salvation round 
 
 To heathen lands extends, 
 His mercy Jacob's race has found, 
 
 And the world's utmost ends. 
 
 To God, ye nations of the earth, 
 With thankful hearts rejoice ; 
 
 And to the Lord your joy and mirth 
 Express with harp and voice. 
 
 Your cornets, and your trumpets sound,, 
 And let the ocean roar, 
 
175 
 
 And from its clashing waves rebound 
 God's wonders to the shore. 
 
 Floods, clap your hands with loud accord ; 
 
 Ye mountains, dance for mirth, 
 When ye behold the righteous Lord 
 
 Descend to judge the earth. 
 
 Sir J. Denham. 
 
 PSALM C. 
 
 O all the regions of the earth, 
 Bless God ! who gave the world its birth : 
 Your souls to him, and voices raise, 
 Learn, and express the joy of praise. 
 
 God made, and peopled all the lands, 
 Man *s not the work of his own hands ; 
 And what he made, he feeds and keeps, 
 TV Almighty shepherd never sleeps. 
 
 O then, with joy make your address 
 r th' temple of his holiness ! 
 With grateful hearts aloud proclaim 
 The honours of his honoured Name. 
 
170 
 
 For God is good, is good alone, 
 All ages have his mercies known, 
 His truth beyond them shall endure 
 Stedfast, and, as his mercy, sure. 
 
 Goodridge. 
 
 PSALM CI. 
 
 With Venema, Sciler, and Dathe, I think this 
 psalm must have been composed by David, what 
 time he translated the ark to Zion : when he re- 
 newed his resolution of ruling his people and family, 
 according to God's laws. — Geddes. 
 
 Even the w r alls (of the Country-parson's house) 
 are not idle, but something is written, or painted 
 there, which may excite the reader to a thought of 
 piety; especially the 101st psalm, which is ex- 
 pressed in a fair table, as being the rule of a family. 
 — Herbert's Priest to the Temple. 
 
 PSALM CI. 
 
 Of Mercy's never-failing spring, 
 And stedfast judgment I will sing : 
 
177 
 
 And since they both to thee belong, 
 To thee, O Lord, address my song. 
 
 When, Lord, thou shalt with me reside,. 
 Wise discipline my reign shall guide ; 
 With blameless life myself Fll make 
 A pattern for my court to take. 
 
 No ill design will I pursue, 
 Nor those my fav'rites make that do ; 
 Who to reproof bears no regard, 
 Him will I totally discard. 
 
 The private slanderer shall be 
 In publick justice doomed by me ; 
 From haughty looks I'll turn aside, 
 And mortify the heart of pride. 
 
 But honesty, call'd from her cell, 
 In splendour at my court shall dwell ; 
 Who virtue's practice make their care 
 Shall have the first preferments there. 
 
 No politicks shall recommend 
 His country's foe to be my friend ; 
 None e'er shall to my favour rise 
 By flatt'ring, or malicious lies- 
 
178 
 
 All those who wicked courses take 
 An early sacrifice I'll make ; 
 Cut off, destroy, till none remain, 
 God's holy city to profane. 
 
 New Version. 
 
 PSALM CIII. 
 
 My soul, thy best devotion raise 
 
 To bless the Lord, and sing his praise ; 
 
 O never unremember'd be 
 
 The benefits he pour'd on thee : 
 
 Whose pardon does all sins release, 
 
 And keep thy body from disease ; 
 
 Who thee redeemed, to death cast down, 
 
 And doth thy life with mercies crown. 
 
 Who with good things shall fill thy mouth, 
 And eagle-like renew thy youth. 
 He by right judgment hath redrest 
 All such as are by wrong opprest. 
 His ways have known to Moses been, 
 The Israelites his works have seen ; 
 All which his will, and nature shew, 
 To mercy swift, to vengeance slow. 
 
179 
 
 He will not always with us chide. 
 Nor let his anger long abide ; 
 Nor deals according to our sin, 
 Nor have our crimes rewarded been : 
 For high as heav'n is earth above, 
 So large, so boundless is his love ; 
 Removing all our sins as far, 
 As east and west divided are. 
 
 Yea, like a father's to his son, 
 To us is his compassion ; 
 He knows our frame too weak to trust, 
 Rememb'ring that we are but dust : 
 The days of man, like to the grass, 
 Or fading flow'r, to nothing pass, 
 Which blown, and shaken by the wind, 
 Leave neither place, nor print behind. 
 
 His goodness though, confirmed, and sure, 
 To children's children doth endure, 
 Ev'n unto such, whose clear intents 
 Walk after his commandements. 
 The Lord in heav'n prepares his throne, 
 And governs all the world alone ; 
 O therefore bless that pow'rful Lord, 
 Who made, and rules us by his word- 
 
180 
 
 Ye angels that in strength excel, 
 And never 'gainst his word rebel ; 
 Ye winged ministers, wfro still 
 Prepared are to act his will ; 
 Ye heav'nly hosts, and creatures all, 
 Bless him, and at his foot-stool fall : 
 Lastly, my soul thy Maker praise, 
 And bless his goodness all thy days. 
 
 Bishop King* 
 
 PSALM cm. 
 
 O bless the Lord, to bless his name 
 
 Still let my heart be wholly set ; 
 Bless him, my soul, his praise proclaim, 
 
 Nor all his benefits forget : 
 Who all thy errors doth forgive, 
 
 Thy sickness and thy pains remove ; 
 Bids thee, when near destruction, live, 
 
 And crowns thee with his kindest love- 
 He fills thy soul with good, thy youth, 
 
 Like that of eagles, he renews ; 
 Judgment the Lord in right and truth 
 
 To all oppressed and helpless shews, 
 
181 
 
 He made his ways to Moses known, 
 His mighty acts to Israel's seed ; 
 
 He's slow to wrath, to mercy prone, 
 And ev'ry kind and gracious deed. 
 
 He will not still in wrath contend, 
 
 Nor chide, tho' men from justice swerve ; 
 He oft forbears, when we offend, 
 
 And ne'er aftlicts, as we deserve. 
 As high as heav'n th' Almighty's seat 
 
 Is rais'd above this earthly frame, 
 So is his loving kindness great 
 
 To all, who love and fear his name. 
 
 As far, as from the utmost west 
 
 The eastern land at distance lies, 
 So far the pity in his breast 
 
 Removes our past iniquities. 
 To sons the father pity shews, 
 
 So God in pity spares the just ; 
 For He, who our frail nature knows, 
 
 Kindly remembers we are dust. 
 
 Man's days resemble grass, he blooms 
 As in the fields the short-liv'd flow'r, 
 
 Which blasted by the wind consumes, 
 Nor shall its place e'er know it more. 
 
182 
 
 But mercy shall to them, that fear 
 Th' Almighty's name, for ever last; 
 
 To Him their children's children dear 
 Fruits of his faithfulness shall taste, 
 
 Who ne'er his covenant disown, 
 
 But always his commands obey. 
 The Lord in heav'n prepar'd his throne, 
 
 And over all extends his sway. 
 Ye angels, who in strength excel, 
 
 Extol your high eternal God, 
 Who in his court celestial dwell, 
 
 Still watchful to observe his nod ; 
 
 Ye ministers of God most high, 
 
 Ye happy hosts, ye sons of light, 
 Who to obey him ready fly, 
 
 With zeal th' Almighty's praise recite. 
 O let the Lord by all be prais'd, 
 
 By all his numerous works ador'd, 
 Within his wide dominions rais'd : 
 
 My grateful soul, bless thou the Lord. 
 
 Sir Richard Blackmore. 
 
183 
 
 PSALM CIV 
 
 Is one of the Hebrew poems, which has been 
 long since distinguished by universal approbation ; 
 the subject is the wisdom and design of the Creator 
 in the formation of the universe. The exordium is 
 most sublime, and consists of a delineation of the 
 Divine Majesty and power, as exemplified in the 
 admirable constitution of nature. — Lowth, Lect. 8. 
 
 In the book of Psalms may be found many poems, 
 which may be accounted of the Idyllium species. 
 I have principally in contemplation those, in which 
 some particular subject is treated in a more copious 
 and regular manner, than is usual in compositions 
 strictly lyric. Such is the hundred-and-fourth 
 psalm, which demonstrates the glory of the infinite 
 Creator, from the wisdom, beauty, and variety of 
 his works. The poet embellishes this noble subject 
 with the clearest and most splendid colouring of 
 language ; and with imagery the most magnificent, 
 lively, diversified, and pleasing, at the same time se- 
 lect, and happily adapted to the subject. There is 
 nothing of the kind extant, indeed nothing can be 
 conceived, more perfect than this hymn, whether 
 it be considered with respect to its intrinsic beau- 
 ties, or as a model of that species of composition. 
 
184 
 
 Miraculous exertions of the Divine power have 
 something in them, which at first strikes the inat- 
 tentive mind with a strong sentiment of sublimity 
 and awe : but the true subject of praise, the most 
 w r orthy of God, and the best adapted to impress 
 upon the heart of man a fervent and permanent 
 sense of piety, is drawn from the contemplation of 
 his power in the creation of this infinite All, his 
 wisdom in arranging and adorning it, his providence 
 in sustaining, and his mercy in the regulation of its 
 minutest parts, and in ordering and directing the 
 affairs of men. The Greek hymns consisted chiefly 
 of fables, and these fables regarded persons and 
 events, which were neither laudable in themselves, 
 nor greatly to be admired ; indeed I do not recol- 
 lect any that are extant of this sublime nature, ex- 
 cept that of the famous stoic Cleanthes, which is 
 inscribed to Jove, that is, to God the Creator, or as he 
 expresses himself, " to the Eternal Mind, the Creator 
 and Governor of Nature."* It is doubtless a most 
 noble monument of ancient wisdom, and replete 
 with truths not less solid than magnificent. For the 
 sentiments of the philosopher concerning the Divine 
 power, concerning the harmony of nature, and the 
 supreme laws, concerning the folly and unhappiness 
 
 * See Cudworth, Intellect. System, p. 432 j or H. Stephani 
 Poesis Philosoph. 
 
185 
 
 of wicked men, who are unceasingly subject to the 
 pain and perturbation of a troubled spirit ; and 
 above all, the ardent supplication for the Divine as- 
 sistance, in order to enable him to celebrate the 
 praises of the omnipotent Deity in a suitable man- 
 ner, and in a perpetual strain of praise and adora- 
 tion ; all of these breathe so true and unaffected a 
 spirit of piety, that they seem in some measure to 
 approach the excellence of the sacred poetry. The 
 hymn of David, which I have just mentioned, deser- 
 vedly occupies the first place in this class of poems ; 
 that which comes nearest to it, as well in the conduct 
 of the poem as in the beauty of the style, is another 
 of the same author. See Psalm 139. 
 
 Lowth, Led. 29. 
 
 PSALM CIV.* 
 
 My soul, exalt the Lord with hymns of praise, 
 O Lord my God, how boundless is thy might ! 
 
 Whose throne of state is cloth/ d with glorious rays, 
 And round about hast rob'd thyself with light, 
 
 * The few poems this elegant scholar has left 
 behind him, are distinguished by a very interesting 
 simplicity, worthy of his pure classic taste. His 
 
186 
 
 Who like a curtain hast the heav'ns displayM, 
 And in the wat'ry roofs thy chambers laid. 
 
 Whose chariots are the thickned clouds above, 
 Who walk'st upon the winged winds below, 
 
 At whose command the airy spirits move, 
 And fiery meteors their obedience shew : 
 
 beautiful stanzas " on his mistress, the Queen of 
 Bohemia," have always been greatly admired; the 
 104th psalm, which I here give, is much less known, 
 but will, I think, be allowed to reflect great credit 
 on him. It is the finest specimen I have met with, 
 of sacred poetry among our earlier authors, and 
 will be highly acceptable, I doubt not, to every 
 reader of taste. His treatise on Architecture de- 
 serves to be better known. Sir Henry Wotton was 
 born in 1568, entered into holy orders late in life, 
 and died provost of Eton in 1639. 
 
 His life has been written by that excellent bio- 
 grapher Isaac Walton. He was a great traveller, 
 and was ambassador at several courts ; Cowley say* 
 of him — 
 
 In whatsoever land he chanced to come, 
 
 He read the men and manners, bringing home 
 
 Their wisdom, learning, and their piety. 
 
 On the Death of &V Henry Wotton. 
 
187 
 
 Who on his base the earth didst firmly found, 
 And mad'st the deep to circumvest it round. 
 
 The waves that rise, would drown the highest hill, 
 But at thy check they fly, and when they hear 
 Thy thundering voice, they post to do thy will, 
 And bound their furies in their proper sphere : 
 Where surging floods, and valing ebbs can tell 
 That none beyond thy marks must sink,or swell. 
 
 Who hath dispos'd, but thou, the winding way 
 
 Where springs down from the steepy crags dobeat, 
 At which, both fostered beasts their thirsts allay, 
 And the wild asses come to quench their heat ; 
 Where birds resort, and in their kind, thy praise 
 Among the branches chant in warbling lays. 
 
 The mounts are watered from thy dwelling place, 
 
 The barns and meads are filFd for man and beast, 
 Wine glads the heart, and oil adorns the face, 
 
 And bread the staff whereon our strength doth rest v 
 Nor shrubs alone feel thy sufficing hand, 
 But even the cedars that so proudly stand. 
 
 So have the fowls their sundry seats to breed, 
 The ranging stork in stately beeches dwells, 
 
 The climbing goats on hills securely feed, 
 The mining conies shroud in rocky cells : 
 
.188 
 
 Nor can the heavenly lights their course forget, 
 The moon her turns, or sun his times to set. 
 
 Thou mak'st the night to over-vail the day, 
 
 Then savage beasts creep from the silent wood, 
 
 Then lion's whelps lie roaring for their prey, 
 
 And at thy powerful hand demand their food : 
 
 Who when at morn they all recouch again, 
 
 Then toiling man till eve pursues his pain. 
 
 O Lord, when on thy various works we look, 
 
 How richly furnished is the earth we tread ! 
 Where in the fair contents of nature's book 
 We may the wonders of thy wisdom read ; 
 Nor earth alone, but lo ! the sea so wide, 
 Where great and small, a world of creatures glide. 
 
 There go the ships that furrow out their way, 
 
 Yea, there of whales enormous sights we see, 
 Which yet have scope among the rest to play, 
 And all do wait for their support on thee, 
 
 Who hast assigned each thing his proper food, 
 And in due season doth dispense thy good. 
 
 They gather when thy gifts thou dost divide, 
 Their stores abound, if thou thy hand enlarge ; 
 
 Confus'd they are, when thou thy beams dost hide, 
 In dust resolv'd, if thou their breath discharge ; 
 
189 
 
 Again, when thou of life renew'st the seeds, 
 The withered fields revest their chearful weeds. 
 
 Be ever glory'd here thy sovereign name, 
 
 That thou may^st smile on all which thouhastmade, 
 Whose frown alone can shake this earthly frame, 
 And at whose touch the hills in smoke shall vade. 
 Forme, may, while I breathe, both harp and voice 
 In sweet inditement of thy hymns rejoice : 
 Let sinners fail, let all profaneness cease, 
 His praise, my soul, his praise shall be thy peace, 
 Sir Henry Wotton. 
 
 PSALM CIV.* 
 
 Bless God, O my soul, 
 Rejoice in his name, 
 
 O Lord, let my voice 
 Thy greatness proclaim ; 
 
 * The production of a very eminent scholar, who 
 published it some years ago, without his name, and 
 enjoined me to follow his example. It is a name 
 
 
190 
 
 Surpassing in honour, 
 Dominion and might, 
 
 Thy throne is the heaven, 
 Thy robe is the light. 
 
 dear to literature, and by me ever to be revered, 
 and treasured up in a grateful heart. Long may 
 he continue to dignify by his talents, and to grace 
 by his virtues, the situation which he now fills, and 
 which, if a long life of honourable labour in the 
 cause of learning, hath aught of merit, is but his 
 just reward, a reward too long withheld ! 
 
 'AttoAjtov ov!? <xv 
 
 XgOVOS, O VJCCVTWV ZJOtTyg, 
 
 AvvxiTo §{[j.ev sgycov ri\os, 
 Aoi9x oe zJoTfAW avv svctuifAOVi ysvoiT av. 
 Eahuv yag vtto ^a^/xarwv, 
 
 Or out Geov (jloT^cc zjeiAiry 
 Avzxds o^fcoy v-^yiXov, 
 
 Olymp. B. 29 
 
191 
 
 The sky we behold 
 
 A curtain display'd, 
 The chambers of heaven 
 
 On waters are laid : 
 The clouds are a chariot 
 
 Thy glory to bear, 
 On winds thou art wafted, 
 
 Thou ridest on air. 
 
 As rapid as fire, 
 
 Thy Angels on high, 
 Convey thy commands, 
 
 Thy ministers fly. 
 The earth on its basis 
 
 Eternal sustained, 
 Is fixM in the station 
 
 Thy wisdom ordainM. 
 
 The world, when at first 
 
 From chaos compos'd, 
 Was void, without form 
 
 In waters enclosed ; 
 The voice of thy chiding, 
 
 Thy thunder was heard, 
 The waters subsided, 
 
 The mountains appeared. 
 
192 
 
 Thy providence fix'd 
 
 The stream and its source, 
 The sea knows its bounds, 
 
 The rivers their course ; 
 Conveyed through dark conduits 
 
 Springs rise on the hills, 
 They hurst in the fountains, 
 
 They fall in the rills. 
 
 The beasts of the wild 
 
 Their forest forsake, 
 The herd quits the field 
 
 To drink of the lake ; 
 On trees crown' d with verdure. 
 
 Its margin along, 
 Birds, wai'bling sweet music, 
 
 Praise God in their song. 
 
 Descending on hills, 
 
 Clouds plenteousness pour, 
 All nature revives, 
 
 Earth smiles in the show'r ; 
 A garment of verdure 
 
 Apparels the plain, 
 Fruits swell in the garden, 
 
 Fields wave with their £raiw, 
 
193 
 
 With moisture refreshed 
 
 The vine yields its fruit, 
 'Tis balm to our hearts, 
 
 To health a recruit ; 
 With transport we gather 
 
 The richness of oil, 
 *Tis strength to our body, 
 
 Support to our toil. 
 
 The trees full of sap 
 
 With joy rear their head, 
 The cedars their boughs 
 
 O'er Libanus spread ; 
 Secure in their covert 
 
 The bird flees for rest, 
 She sings on the branches, 
 
 She broods on the nest. 
 
 The pine yields a home 
 
 The stork to secure, 
 The goat on his crag 
 
 Defies his pursuer : 
 E'en creatures too feeble 
 
 Themselves to defend, 
 On caves and concealment 
 
 For safety depend. 
 
194 
 
 'Die moon by thy law 
 
 En creases and wanes, 
 The sun keeps the course 
 
 Thy wisdom ordains ; 
 He sets : and the lion 
 
 Roams wide for his prey, 
 But flies to his cavern 
 
 When mora brings the day- 
 Then man with the sun 
 
 His labour renews, 
 *Till evening arrives, 
 
 That labour pursues. 
 Such, Lord, is the wisdom, 
 
 Thy works all proclaim. 
 Let earth, crown' d with riches, 
 
 Rejoice in thy name. 
 
 Nor here only, Lord, 
 
 Thy might we adore, 
 The sea feels thy hand, 
 
 Th* abyss own thy pow'r ; 
 There tribes without number, 
 
 Thy creatures resort, 
 Leviathan gambols, 
 
 And whales take their sport* 
 
195 
 
 There ships spread their sa>te 
 
 The surface to sweep, 
 There fish nimbly glide, 
 
 Conceal' d in the deep ; 
 They all know their season* 
 
 As seasons arise ; 
 And tribes, which thy bounty 
 
 Has made, it supplies. 
 
 Thy will and thy word 
 
 Endues the^n with breath, 
 Consumed by thy blast 
 
 They shrink into death ; 
 Restored at thy pleasure, 
 
 New beings repair 
 To people the waters, 
 
 The earth, and the air. 
 
 Rejoice then, O Lord, 
 
 In glory secure, 
 The works thou hast made, 
 
 Through ages endure : 
 Yet aw'd by thy presence? 
 
 When thou drawest near, 
 Smoke bursts from the mountain* 
 
 Earth trembles with fear. 
 
196 
 
 Thus, Lord, let me sing. 
 
 Thy glory to raise, 
 Delightful the strain 
 
 When tun'd to thy praise ; 
 The vile have their sutP rings, 
 
 The just their reward ; 
 Bless God, O ! my spirit, 
 
 O praise ye the Lord. 
 
 PSALM CXVII. 
 
 The hundred-and-seventh Psalm may undoubt- 
 edly be enumerated among the most elegant monu- 
 ments of antiquity ; and it is chiefly indebted for 
 its elegance to the general plan and conduct of 
 the poem. It celebrates the goodness and mercy 
 of God towards mankind, as demonstrated in the 
 immediate assistance and comfort which he affords, 
 in the greatest calamities, to those who devoutly 
 implore his aid. In the first place, to those who 
 wander in the desert, and who encounter the hor- 
 rors of famine ; next, to those who' are in bon- 
 dage ; to those who are afflicted with disease ; and 
 finally, to those who are tossed about upon the 
 ocean. The prolixity of the argument is occa- 
 
197 
 
 sionally relieved by narration ; and examples are 
 superadded of the Divine severity in punishing the 
 wicked, as well as of his benignity to the devout 
 and virtuous; and both the narrative and precep- 
 tive parts are recommended to the earnest con- 
 templation of considerate minds. Thus the whole 
 poem actually divides into five parts nearly equal ; 
 the four first of which conclude with an interca- 
 lary verse, expressive of the subject or design of 
 the hymn : 
 
 " Glorify Jehovah for his mercy, 
 
 " And for his wonders to the children of men/' 
 
 This distich also is occasionally diversified, and an- 
 other sometimes annexed illustrative of the sen- 
 timent ; 
 
 u For he satisfieth the famished soul, 
 " And filleth the hungry with good." 
 
 " For he hath broken the brazen gates, 
 
 " And the bolts of iron he hath cut in sunder." 
 
 The sentiment of the epode itself is sometimes re- 
 peated, only varied by ditferent imagery : 
 
I9S 
 
 " Glorify Jehovah for his mercy, 
 
 u And for his wonders to thtr children of men: 
 
 ** Let them also offer sacrifices of praise,. 
 
 " And let them declare his works with melody/* 
 
 u Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people^ 
 " And in the council of the elders let them cele- 
 " brate him." 
 
 In all these passages, the transition from the con- 
 templation of their calamities, to that of their de- 
 liverance, which is made by the perpetual repeti- 
 tion of the same distich ; is truly elegant : 
 
 " Let them also cry unto Jehovah in their troubles * T 
 " And from their afflictions he will deliver them i y> 
 
 This however does not appear in the least to par- 
 take of the nature of the intercalary verse. The 
 latter part of the psalm, which comprehends a 
 vast variety of matter, concludes with two distichs 
 expressive of a sentiment, grave, solemn, and prac- 
 tical, and in no respect unworthy of the rest of 
 the poem. — Lowth, Led. 29. 
 
 The beauties of this psalm are many and strik- 
 ing ; and need not be pointed out to the least in- 
 
J99 
 
 teHigent. The transition to ships and the dangers; 
 of mariners in the twenty-third verse is admirable* 
 I doubt if all antiquity can produce a better picture^ 
 — Geddes. 
 
 In Homer aE the horrors of the storm are placed 
 before our eyes ; we shudder at the billows tossing 
 the ship ; we (almost) hear the groans of the distres- 
 sed sailors, and behold the masts torn away by the 
 violence of the wind, and floating on the ocean. 
 
 But, however the energy of Homer ments atten- 
 tion, the inspired writers more immediately de- 
 mand applause. The holy Psalmist thus delineates- 
 a tempest, Psalm evih 
 
 " At the word of the Lord the stormy wind 
 " ariseth, which Iifleth up the waves of the sea. 
 
 " They are carried up to the heaven, and 
 " down again to the deep : their soul melteth 
 " away, because of the trouble, 
 
 " They reel to and fro, a ad stagger, like a drun- 
 " ken man, and are even at their wit's end, 
 
 •* So when they cry unto the Lord in their trou- 
 *' ble ; he delivereth them out of their distress." 
 
 The whole psalm flows in the strain of piety ; 
 and the reader cannot fail to join the holy writer 
 in the reflection, " They that go down to the sea 
 " in ships, and occupy their business in great 
 
200 
 
 " waters ; these men see the works of the Lord, 
 u and his wonders in the deep." — Green's Observa- 
 tions on the Sublime of Longinus. 
 
 PSALM CXVIl. 
 
 O praise th' eternal Lord, 
 
 Ye nations all around ! 
 His goodness thro' the world record, 
 
 His glorious acts resound ! 
 On us, and all our race, 
 
 His mercy largely flows, 
 His truth no time can e'er deface, 
 
 Nor force his pow'r oppose. 
 
 MlLBOUflNE. 
 
 PSALM CXVIL 
 
 From all, that dwell below the skies, 
 Let the Creator's praise arise ; 
 Let the Redeemer's name be sung, 
 Through ev'ry land, by ev'ry tongue. 
 
201 
 
 Eternal are thy mercies, Lord, 
 
 Eternal truth attends thy word ; 
 
 Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore, 
 
 Till suns shall rise, and set no more. 
 
 Watts. 
 
 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 PART XXII. TAU. 
 
 O, let my cries thy heav'nly seat 
 Approach ; my pray'r indulgent meet, 
 And give, for on thy word relies 
 My hope, O give me to be wise. 
 Behold, for mercy lives in thee, 
 Behold me suppliant bend the knee, 
 And let thy promis'd aid dispel 
 The clouds of grief that o'er me dwell. 
 Thy sacred precepts taught to know, 
 How shall my lips, great God, o'erflow 
 With praise, and, touch'd with holy flame, 
 The justice of thy laws proclaim ! 
 While pleased I bow to thy command, 
 Reach, in my rescue, reach thy hand : 
 O thou, whose dictates warm my heart, 
 Thy long-expected health impart ; 
 And let my soul, to life restored, 
 Thy love in lasting hymns record, 
 
202 
 
 While o'er my head its beams shall shine* 
 
 And make thy great salvation mine. 
 
 * Thine eyes in me the sheep behold, 
 
 Whose feet have wandered from the fold ; 
 
 That, guideless, helpless, strives in vain 
 
 To find its safe retreat again ; 
 
 Now listens, if perchance its ear 
 
 The shepherd's well-known voice may hear ; 
 
 Now, as the tempests round it blow, 
 
 In plaintive accent vents its woe. 
 
 Great Ruler of this earthly ball, 
 
 Bo thou my erring steps recall ; 
 
 O seek thou him, who thee has sought, 
 
 Nor turns from thy decrees his thought. 
 
 Meicbxcsl. 
 
 PSALM CXX. 
 
 Thoc God of love, thou ever-blest, 
 
 Pity my suffering state ; 
 When w r ilt thou set my soul at rest 
 
 From lips that love deceit I 
 
 * Mr. Merrick's poetical paraphrase of this verse is so> 
 ceaatifal and affecting, that I cannot refr airs from subjoining 
 it* — Bp» Hg&ne's. Commentary* 
 
203 
 
 Hard lot of mine ! my days are cast 
 
 Among the sons of strife, 
 Whose never-ceasing brawling* waste 
 
 My golden hours of life. 
 
 O might I fly to change my place, 
 
 How would I choose to dwell 
 In some wide lonesome wilderness. 
 
 And leave these gates of helh 
 
 Peace is the blessing that I seek, 
 
 How lovely are its charms I 
 I am for peace ; but when I speak^ 
 
 They all declare for arms. 
 
 New passions still their souls engage, 
 
 And keep their malice strong : 
 What shall be done to curb thy rage* 
 
 O thou devouring tongue \ 
 
 Should burning arrows smite thee through. 
 
 Strict justice would approve: 
 But I had rather spare my foe, 
 
 And melt his heart with love. 
 
 Watts. 
 
204 
 
 PSALM CXXI. 
 
 The hundred- and-twenty-first psalm is of the 
 same kind with the twenty-fourth already noticed, 
 that is, of the genuine dramatic, or dialogue form; 
 and as it is both concise and elegant, I shall quote 
 it at large. The king, apparently going forth to 
 battle, first approaches the ark of God upon Mount 
 Sion, and humbly implores the Divine assistance, on 
 which alone he professes to rest his confidence : 
 
 ". I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, 
 
 " Whence cometh my succour. 
 
 " My succour is from Jehovah, 
 
 * Who made the heavens and the earth." 
 
 The high-priest answers him from the Tabernacle : 
 
 " He will not suffer thy foot to stumble ; 
 
 " He that preserveth thee will not slumber ; 
 
 u Behold, he will neither slumber nor sleep ; 
 
 " He who preserveth Israel. 
 
 u Jehovah will preserve thee ; 
 
 " Jehovah will shade thee with his right hand, 
 
 f( The sun shall not injure thee by day, 
 
205 
 
 " Nor the moon by night. 
 
 " Jehovah will preserve thee from all evil ; 
 
 u He will preserve thy soul. 
 
 " Jehovah will preserve thy going out and thy 
 
 coming in, 
 " From this time forth for ever and ever." 
 
 Lowth, Lect. 30. 
 
 PSALM CXXI. 
 
 Beyond the mountain's hoary brow 
 
 I will my views extend, 
 From whence is help, and who shall now 
 
 The needful comfort send. 
 
 My help is from the Lord of love, 
 
 In welfare, or in woe, 
 Which arch'd the glorious heav'n above, 
 
 And laid the land below* 
 
 Through him thy feet their ground shall keep. 
 
 And move secure and free, 
 Nor shall the blessed watchman sleep, 
 
 Which is on guard for thee. 
 
206 
 
 Behold Jeshurun's ward, that draws 
 
 The veil of thy repose, 
 His active nature needs no pause* 
 
 Nor sleep, nor slumber knows. 
 
 The Lord, thy keeper, is intent 
 
 On his peculiar charge, 
 The Lord all dangers shall prevent, 
 
 Thy breast-plate and thy targe ; 
 
 So that the sun's meridian lamp 
 
 Shall not thy veins inflame, 
 Nor shall the moon-beams, in the damp 
 
 Of midnight, chill thy frame. 
 
 The Lord thy safety shall insure, ^ 
 
 All peril shall he ward; 
 Yea, and thy soul shall rest secure, 
 
 When cherish 5 d by the Lord 
 
 The Lord shall for thy ways provide 
 Through ev'ry sea and shore, 
 
 Thy travel and return to guide 
 From henceforth, evermore. 
 
 Sma&t. 
 
207 
 
 PSALM CXXIL 
 
 This Psalm is in the title ascribed to David, and 
 at is a production worthy of his pen. It is an ele- 
 gant and lively ode, and has ever been admired by 
 the best judges, both for the composition, and the 
 matter of it. 
 
 Chandler's Life of David. 
 
 PSALM CXXIL 
 
 O happy summons ! to the court, 
 And temple of the Lord resort. 
 Jerusalem, our feet shall tread 
 Within thy wails 1 O thou the head 
 Of all the earth, and Judah's throne, 
 Three cities strongly join'd in one ! 
 The tribes in throngs to thee ascend, 
 The tribes, which on the Lord depend, 
 Fat offerings to his altar bring, 
 And his immortal praises sing. 
 There shall be his tribunal place, 
 The judgment-seat of David's race. 
 
208 
 
 Your joys shall with your days increase, 
 
 Who love, and pray for Salem's peace : 
 
 May peace within thy walls abound, 
 
 Thy palaces with joy resound ! 
 
 Ev'n for my friends and kindred's sake, 
 
 May never war thy bulwarks shake ; 
 
 Ev'n for the hope of Israel, 
 
 And house, where God vouchsafes to dwell 
 
 Sandys. 
 
 PSALM CXXIL * 
 
 What joy, while thus I view the day, 
 That warns my thirsting soul away, 
 
 What transports fill my breast ! 
 For lo I my great Redeemer's pow'r 
 Unfolds the everlasting door, 
 
 And leads me to his rest. 
 
 * Theodore Zuinger, of whom some account may 
 be found in Thuanus, when he lay on his death- 
 bed, took his leave of the world, in a paraphrase on 
 the cxxii d Psalm. I have never been able to get a 
 sight of the original ; but one may venture, I be- 
 
200 
 
 The festal morn, my God, is come, 
 That calls me to the hallow'd dome, 
 
 Thy presence to adore ; 
 My feet the summons shall attend, 
 With willing steps thy courts ascend, 
 
 And tread th* etherial floor. 
 
 E'en now to my expecting eyes 
 
 The heav'n-built towers of Salem rise, 
 
 E'en now, with glad survey 
 I view her mansions, that contain 
 Th' angelic forms, an awful train, 
 
 And shine with cloudless day. 
 
 Hither, from earth's remotest end, 
 Lo ! the redeem'd of God ascend, 
 
 lieve, to say, that it has lost nothing in a translation 
 of it by the late learned and pious Mr. Merrick; 
 which is so excellent, that I must beg leave to 
 present it to the reader. Some of the lines are 
 retained in his more literal poetical version, pub* 
 lished in 1765. It may serve as a finished specimen 
 of the noble and exalted use, which a Christian 
 may, and ought to make of the Psalms of David. 
 
 Bishop Horse's Psalms. 
 
 T 
 
210 
 
 Their tribute hither bring : 
 Here crown'd with everlasting joy, 
 In hymns of praise their tongues employ, 
 
 And hail th' immortal King : 
 
 Great Salem's King; who bids each state 
 On her decrees dependent wait; 
 
 In her, ere time begun, 
 High on eternal base uprear'd 
 His hands the regal seat prepared 
 
 For Jesse's favoured son. 
 
 Mother of cities ! o'er thy head 
 
 See Peace, with healing wings outspread, 
 
 Delighted fix her stay ! 
 How blest, who calls himself thy friend! 
 Success his labours shall attend, 
 
 And safely guard his way. 
 
 Thy walls, remote from hostile fear, 
 Nor the loud voice of tumult hear, 
 
 Nor war's wild wastes deplore ; 
 There smiling Plenty takes her stand, 
 And in thy courts, with lavish hand, 
 
 Has pour'd forth all her store. 
 
211 
 
 Let me, blest seat, my name behold 
 Among thy citizens enrolled, 
 
 In thee for ever dwell : 
 Let Charity my steps attend, 
 My sole companion and my friend, 
 
 And Faith and Hope farewell ! 
 
 Merrick. 
 
 PSALM CXXV. 
 
 Those who, with holy confidence, 
 Trust on the Lord for their defence ; 
 SecurM by his protecting hand, 
 Shall stedfast as mount Sion stand. 
 
 And as the mighty hills surround 
 Majestic Salem's hallo w'd ground, 
 So round his people, widely spread, 
 Shall God his guardian influence shed. 
 
 Far from that people shall he still 
 Remove the dangerous powers of ill, 
 Lest they infect his favoured race, 
 And turn them from the path* of grace,. 
 
212 
 
 That God, whose law is virtue's guides 
 Will humble all the sons of pride, 
 And fill alone the righteous breast 
 With Israel's joy, and Israel's rest. 
 
 Mason. 
 (Altered from the Old Version.) 
 
 PSALM CXXVL 
 
 The whole of this Psalm is neat, perspicuous, 
 and connected ; and we may challenge criticism to 
 rival its delicacy, or to parallel its elegance, from 
 any repository of genius* 
 
 Hurdis. 
 
 PSALM CXXVII. 
 
 Man a new Babel does erect, 
 Where God is not the architect : 
 In vain the watchman breaks his sleep, 
 Unless the Lord the city keep. 
 
»3 
 
 In vain we rise before the light, 
 And lose the soft repose of night ; 
 Fed with the bread of care we live, 
 But God to his sweet rest does give. 
 
 He sends his blessings from above, 
 On the chaste fruits of nuptial love ; 
 Like arrows from a giant's bow, 
 Sons shall destroy their father's foe : 
 Whose quiver can such shafts supply, 
 May m the gate his foe defy. 
 
 Sir J. Denham, 
 
 PSALM CXXX.* 
 
 From depth of dole wherein my soul doth dwell, 
 From heavy heart which harbours in my breast, 
 From troubled sprite which seldom taketh rest, 
 From hope of heaven, from dread of darksome hell, 
 O gracious God, to thee I cry and yell: 
 
 * George Gascoigne, a poet of some fame in 
 the early part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 
 was born at Walthamstow, in Essex, and educated 
 at both Universities: after travelling he returned 
 to Gray's Inn, of which he was a member, and 
 
214 
 
 My God, my Lord, my lovely Lord alone, 
 To thee I call, to thee I make my moan ; 
 And thou, good God, vouchsafe in grace to take 
 T^is woful plaint, 
 Wherein I faint, 
 Oh hear me then for thy great mercy's sake ! 
 
 2. 
 
 Oh bend thine ears attentively to hear, 
 Oh turn thine eyes, behold me now I wail, 
 O hearken, Lord, give ear for mine avail, 
 O mark in mind the burthens that I bear; 
 See how I sink in sorrows every where, 
 Behold and see what dolours I endure, 
 Give ear and mark what plaints I put in ure, 
 Bend willing ear, and pity therewithal 
 My wailing voice, 
 Which hath no choice 
 But evermore upon thy name to call. 
 
 wrote there his dramatic and other poems. The 
 latter part of his life he spent at his native village 
 of Walthamstow, where he died in 1578. 
 
 He had the character of a polite gentleman, an 
 eloquent and witty courtier ; et vir inter poetas sui 
 sceculi prsestantissimus. — Berkenhout, Biographia 
 Liter aria. 
 
215 
 
 If thou, good Lord, should'st take thy rod in hand, 
 If thou regard what sins are daily done, 
 If thou take hold where we our works begun, 
 If thou decree in judgement for to stand, 
 And be extreme to see our senses scanned, 
 If thou take note of every thing amiss, 
 And write in rolls how frail our nature is, 
 O glorious Cod, O King, O Prince of power, 
 What mortal wight 
 May then have light 
 To feel thy frown, if thou have list to lower ?! 
 
 But thou art good, and hast of mercy store, 
 Thou not delight'st to see a sinner fall, 
 Thou heark'nest first before we come to call, 
 Thy ears are set wide open evermore, 
 Before we knock thou comest to the door, 
 Thou art more prest to hear a sinner cry, 
 Than he is quick to climb to thee on high ; 
 Thy mighty name be praised then alvvay, 
 Let faith and fear 
 True witness bear, 
 How fast they stand,, which on thy mercy stay. 
 
216 
 
 5. 
 
 I look for thee, my lovely Lord, therefore, 
 For thee I wait, for thee I tarry still, 
 Mine eyes do long to gaze on thee my fill, 
 For thee I watoh, for thee I pry and pore, 
 My soul for thee attendeth evermore. 
 My soul doth thirst to take of thee a taste, 
 My soul desires with thee for to be plac'd ; 
 And to thy word, which can no man deceive, 
 Mine only trust, 
 My love and lust 
 In confidence continually shall cleave. 
 
 Before the break, or dawning of the day, 
 Before the light be seen in lofty skies, 
 Before the sun appear in pleasant wise, 
 Before the watch (before the watch I say) . 
 Before the ward that waits therefore alway, 
 My scul, my sense, my secret thought, my sprite, 
 My will, my wish, niy joy, and my delight, 
 Unto the Lord that sits in heaven on high, 
 With hasty wing 
 From me doth fling, 
 And striveth still unto the Lord to fly. 
 
217 
 
 7. 
 
 O Israel, O household of the Lord, 
 O Abraham's brats, O brood of blessed seed, 
 O chosen sheep, that love the Lord indeed, 
 O hungry hearts, feed still upon his word, 
 And put ycur trust in him with one accord : 
 For he hath mercy evermore at hand, 
 His fountains flow, his springs do never stand, 
 And plenteously he loveth to redeem 
 Such, sinners all, 
 As on him call, 
 And faithfully his mercies most esteem. 
 
 8. 
 
 He will redeem our deadly drooping state, 
 He will bring home the sheep that go astray, 
 He will help them that hope in him alway, 
 He will appease our discord, and debate, 
 He will soon save, though we repent us late. 
 He will be ours, if we continue his; 
 He wilt bring bale to joy and perfect bliss, 
 He will redeem the flock of his elect 
 From all that is, 
 Or was amiss, 
 Since Abraham's heirs did first his laws reject. 
 
 Gascoigns, 
 
2t8 
 
 PSALM CXXX* 
 
 From the deeps of grief and fear, 
 
 O Lord ! to Thee my soul repairs; 
 From thy heaven bow down thine ear: 
 Let thy mercy meet my prayers : 
 Oh! if thou mark'st 
 
 What's done amiss, 
 What soul so pure, 
 Can see thy bliss ? 
 
 * Phineas Fletcher is well known to the reader 
 of English Poetry as the author of the Purple 
 Island; a poem very highly commended by Mr. 
 Headley, who justly observes, that f " it is to 
 Fletcher's honour that Milton read and imitated 
 him," and adds that, " he is eminently entitled to 
 a very high rank among our old English classics." 
 
 After his Purple Island, and Piscatory Eclogues, 
 follow " Certain of the Royal Prophet's Psalms 
 metaphrased;" from these I have selected one, 
 which appears to me very superior to the rest, and 
 well worthy of republication. 
 
 f Beauties of Ancient English Poetry. 
 
2J9 
 
 But with thee sweet mercy stands, 
 Sealing pardons, working fear; 
 Wait, my soul, wait on his hands, 
 Wait, mine eye, oh, wait, mine ear : 
 If He his eye, 
 
 Or tongue affords, 
 Watch all his looks, 
 Catch all his words. 
 
 As a watchman waits for day, 
 
 And looks for light, and looks again ; 
 When the night grows old and grey, 
 To be reliev'd he calls amain : 
 So look, so wait, 
 
 So long mine eyes 
 To see my Lord, 
 My sun, arise. 
 
 Wait, ye saints, wait on our Lord, 
 
 For from his tongue sweet mercy flows ; 
 Wait on his cross, wait on his word, 
 Upon that tree Redemption grows : 
 He will redeem 
 
 His Israel, 
 From sin and wrath, 
 From death and hell. 
 
 P. Fletcher. 
 
220 
 
 PSALM CXXXIII. 
 
 The Hebrews have nothing that corresponds 
 with those fables, to which the Greek and Roman 
 poets have recourse, when amplification is required : 
 nor can we be surprized that imagery so consecra- 
 ted, so dignified by religion and antiquity, and yet 
 of so obvious and established acceptation as to be 
 intelligible to the meanest understanding, should 
 supply abundant and suitable materials for this 
 purpose. The sacred poets, therefore, resort in , 
 this case chiefly to the imagery of nature ; and 
 this they make use of, indeed, with so much ele* 
 gance and freedom, that we have no cause to re" 
 gret the want of those fictions, to which other 
 nations have recourse. To express or delineate 
 prosperity and opulence, a comparison is assumed 
 from the cedar, or the palm;* if the form of ma- 
 
 * The frequent recurrence for metaphorical expressions 
 to natural objects, and particularly to plants and to trees, is 
 so characteristic of the Hebrew poetry, that it might be al- 
 most ca^ed the botanical poetry. This circumstance, how- 
 ever, is not at all extraordinary, if we consider that the 
 greater part of that people were occupied with tHling the 
 earth, and keeping their flocks ; and further that the culti- 
 
221 
 
 jesty, or external beauty is to be depicted, Leba- 
 non, or Carmel is presented to our view. Some- 
 times they are furnished with imagery from their 
 religious rites, at once beautiful, dignified, and sa* 
 cred. In both these modes, the Psalmist most ele- 
 gantly extols the pleasures and advantages of fra* 
 ternal concord in this psalm. — Lowth, Ltd, 12. 
 
 These few select examples of the elegant and 
 beautiful in lyric composition, I have pointed out 
 for your* more attentive consideration ; (see Psalm 
 xxiii.) and I am of opinion, that in all the treasures 
 of the Muses you will seek in vain for models more 
 perfect. I will add one other specimen, which, if 
 I am not mistaken, is expressive of the true lyric 
 form and character ; and compresses in a small 
 compass all the merits and elegance incidental to 
 that species of composition. It is, if I may be 
 
 vation of poetry, instead of being confined to the learned, 
 was so generally diffused, that every valley re-echoed the 
 songs of the shepherds. Hence in the very few remains of 
 the Hebrew writings which are come down to us, I mean the" 
 Scriptures the e are upwards of 250 botanical terms, which 
 none use so frequently as the poets : and this circumstance 
 gives, I think, an air of pastoral elegance to their poetry, 
 which any modern wiiter w.ll emulate in vain, — Michaelis. 
 
222 
 
 allowed to use the expression of a very polite 
 writer, 
 
 A drop from Helicon, a flower 
 
 CullM from the Muses' fav'rite bower.* 
 
 The Psalmist contemplating the harmony which 
 pervaded the solemn assembly of the people, at the 
 celebration of one of their festivals, expresses him- 
 self nearly as follows : — Lowth, Ltd. 26. 
 
 PSALM CXXXIII. 
 
 How blest the sight, the joy how sweet, 
 When brother* joinM with brothers meet 
 
 In bands of mutual love ! 
 Less sweet the liquid fragrance, shed 
 On Aaron's consecrated head, 
 
 Ran trickling from above ; 
 
 And reach'd his beard, and reach'd his vest : 
 Less sweet the dews on Hermon's breast, 
 
 Or Sion's hill descend : 
 That hill has God with blessings crown'd, 
 There promis'd grace that knows no bound, 
 
 And life that knows no end. 
 
 Dr. Gregory. 
 
 ■■ ■ ..!«■■ ■ ■ ■■ .■ . ... -i m 
 
 * Catliwach. Hymn. inApoJ. v. 112. 
 
223 
 
 PSALM CXXXIII. 
 
 O behold with admiration 
 What great good, and contentation, 
 And what joy it is to see 
 Brethren's love and amity : 
 It is like that balmy ointment, 
 Consecrate by God's appointment, 
 And still used to be shed 
 Upon Aaron's sacred head ; 
 Which, unto his beard distilling, 
 And along his vesture trilling, 
 Did embalm the very hem, 
 And the nether skirts of them. 
 As the dew so fat, so pearly 
 Waters Herrnon late, and early, 
 Clothing Sion's sacred hill 
 Like to Ver, and Flora still : 
 So where this kind band is holden 
 Firmly, stiil the age is golden, 
 For God's blessings from above 
 Flow, to grace this feast of love. 
 
 Bryan, MS. 
 
22l 
 
 .PSALM CXXXIIl. 
 
 O BLfesT estate ! blest from above ! 
 
 When brethren join in mutual love. 
 
 J Tis like the precious odours shed 
 
 On consecrated Aaron's head ; 
 
 Which trickled from his beard and breast, 
 
 Down to the borders of his vest. 
 
 'Tis like the pearls of dew that drop 
 
 On Herruon's ever-fragrant top ; 
 
 Or which the smiling heav'ns distill 
 
 On happy Sion's sacred hill; 
 
 For God ha:h there his favour plac'd, 
 
 And joy, which shall for ever last. 
 
 Sandy*, 
 
 PSALM CXXXIV. 
 
 You, who the Lord adore, 
 
 And at his altar wait, 
 Who keep your watch before 
 The threshold of his gate ; 
 His praises sing 
 By silent night, 
 Till cheerful light 
 F th' orient spring. 
 
225 
 
 Your hands devoutly raise 
 
 To his divine recess, 
 The world's Creator praise, 
 And thus the people bless ; 
 The God of love/ 
 From Sion's towers, 
 To you, and yours 
 Propitious prove. 
 
 Sandys, 
 
 PSALM CXXXIV. 
 
 All ye, who God's domestics are, 
 See you with angels wait ; 
 
 And in your courses, like each star. 
 By night shine at heavVs gate. 
 
 Look while ye stand, or kneel, or sit. 
 
 Ye serve, and bless the Lord; 
 Look that your hands God's altars fit t 
 
 And to his praise accord. 
 
 Look ye be clean, for holiness 
 Becomes God's holy place ; 
 
 Watch well, and pray that filthiness 
 None of God's works deface. 
 
226 
 
 Then God, who made the world, and stay- 
 On Sion, grace shall send, 
 
 Till he shall bless, and we shall praise, 
 From hence, world without end. 
 
 Lord Coleraine. 
 
 PSALM CXXXIV. 
 
 Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye 
 
 That his attendants are, 
 Ev'n you that in God's temple be, 
 
 And praise him nightly there. 
 Your hands within God's holy place 
 
 Lift up ; and praise his name. 
 From Si on hill the Lord thee bless, 
 
 That heav'n and earth did frame. ■ 
 
 Scots Version", 
 
 PASLM CXXXVI. , 
 
 Among the historical kind may be enumerated 
 the hundred-and-thirty-sixth Psalm ; it celebrates 
 the praises of ihe Almighty, and proclaims his in- 
 
227 
 
 iinite power and goodness ; beginning with the 
 work of creation, and proceeding to the miracles 
 of the Exodus, the principal of which are related 
 almost in the historical order. The exordium com- 
 mences with this well-known distich : 
 
 " Glorify Jehovah, for he is good ; 
 *' For his mercy endureth for ever :" 
 
 which, according to Ezra,* was commonly sung 
 by alternate choirs. There is, however, one cir- 
 cumstance remarkable attending it, which is, that 
 the latter line of the distich, being added by the 
 second choir, and also subjoined to every verse, 
 (which is a singular case) forms a perpetual epode. 
 Hence the whole nature and form of the interca- 
 lary verse (or burthen of the song) may be col- 
 lected : it expresses in a clear, concise, and simple 
 manner, some particular sentiment, which seems 
 to include virtually the general subject or design 
 of the poem ; and it is thrown in at proper inter- 
 vals, according to the nature and arrangement of 
 it, for the sake of impressing the subject more 
 firmly upon the mind. That the intercalary verse 
 is perfectly congenial to the Idyllium, is evident 
 
 » Ezra iii. 10, 11* 
 
228 
 
 from the authority of Theocritus/ Bion, Moschus, 
 and even of Virgil. I shall add one or two exam- 
 ples from the Sacred Poetry, which will not lose 
 in a comparison with the most perfect specimens 
 in this department of poetry, which those excel- 
 lent writers have bequeathed to posterity : and in 
 order to illustrate as well the elegance of the poem 
 in general, as the peculiar force and beauty of the 
 intercalary verse, the order and conduct of the sub- 
 ject must be particularly explained. (See his note 
 on Psalm cvii.) — Lowth, Lect.29* 
 
 PSALM CXXXVI. 
 
 Lift your voice, and thankful sing 
 Praises to your Heavenly King ; 
 For his blessings far extend, 
 And his mercy knows no end. 
 
 Be the Lord your only theme, 
 Who of gods is God supreme ; 
 He, to whom all lords beside 
 Bow the knee, and vail their pride ; 
 
229 
 
 Who asserts his just command 
 By the wonders of his hand ; 
 He, whose wisdom throned on high 
 Built the mansions of the sky ; 
 
 He, who bade the wafry deep 
 Under earth's foundation sleep, 
 And the orbs that gild the pole 
 Through the boundless aether roll; 
 
 Thee, O Sun, whose pow'rful ray 
 Rules the empire of the day ; 
 You, O Moon, and Stars, whose light 
 Gilds the darkness of the night. 
 
 He with food sustains, O Earth, 
 All who claim from thee their birth ; 
 For his blessings far extend, 
 And his mercy knows no end. 
 
 Lift your voice, and thankful sing 
 Praise to Heaven's eternal King ; 
 For his blessings far extend, 
 And his mercy knows no end. 
 
 Merrick. 
 
230 
 
 PSALM CXXXVII. 
 
 It appears to me very improbable, that any 
 psalms, which breathe a truly sublime and poetical 
 spirit, were composed after the return from Baby- 
 lon,*' excepting perhaps that elegant piece of poe- 
 try the hundred-and-thirty-seventh. — Michaelis. 
 
 The banks of the rivers of Babylon, the Eu- 
 phrates, &c. were so thickly planted with willow- 
 trees, as the learned Bochart informs us, that the 
 country of Babylon was thence called the Vale of 
 Willows, and on these trees were suspended the 
 lyres of the captive Hebrews unstrung. — Persian 
 Miscellanies by Sir William Ousley, as quoted in 
 Pursuits of Literature. 
 
 PSALM CXXXVII. 
 
 Sad and forlorn near Babylon we lay, 
 Where limpid streams in crystal mazes play, 
 
 — — — . — . . M ,L. 
 
 * u Si forte unicum exceperis, eumque longe elegantis- 
 *' si mum, exxxvii," 
 
231 
 
 Strong in our minds unhappySion rose, 
 
 And brought a fresh remembrance of our woes . 
 
 Our silent harps on mournful willows hung", 
 
 Mute were our voices, and our harps unstrung ; 
 
 The scornful victors load our limbs with chains, 
 
 Insult our anguish, and deride our pains; 
 
 With taunts they cry'd, " Repeat a mirthful air, 
 
 " Such as was sung in Sion, once the fair." 
 
 Captive, abandoned, in a foreign land, 
 
 How can we answer this unjust demand ? 
 
 How can we praise the Lord in joyful strains, 
 
 Where sadness pines, and mad confusion reigns f 
 
 O Salem, ever woful ! ever dear ! 
 
 If I forget thee through a dastard fear, 
 
 Let my ungrateful hand forget to play, 
 
 And tune the chords responsive to my lay ; 
 
 If I with trouble, or with care oppress 'd, 
 
 Should blot thy lovely image from my breast, 
 
 May I forget the melody of song, 
 
 And lasting silence dwell upon my tongue. 
 
 On that dire day when hostile squadrons stood, 
 
 Breathing revenge, and thirsting for our blood, 
 
 Remember, Lord, how swoln with envious pride,. 
 
 Inflamed with ire the sons of Edom cryM ; 
 
 Call forth your rage, the stately walls confound, 
 
 And raze the goodly structures to the ground. 
 
 Devoted Babylon ! thy lofty wail, 
 
 The source of all our woes, is doom'd to fall : 
 
232 
 
 That prince shall fame, eternal fame, acquire, 
 Who lays thy city waste with sword and fire, 
 And deaf to children's cries, and parents' moans, 
 Shall dash thy bleeding infants on the stones. 
 
 Lovlin. 
 
 PSALM CXXXVIL* 
 
 On the proud banks of great Euphrates flood, 
 
 There we sat, and there we wept ; 
 Our harps, that now no music understood, 
 Nodding on the willows slept, 
 While unhappy captiv'd we, 
 Lovely Sion, thought on thee. 
 
 * Richard Crashaw, a poet who deserves preser- 
 vation for better reasons than his having acci- 
 dentally attracted the notice of Pope, has origi- 
 nality in manjf parts, and as a translator is en- 
 titled to the highest applause. With a peculiar 
 devotional cast, he possessed one of those ineffable 
 minds, which border on enthusiasm, and when 
 fortunately directed, occasionally produce great 
 things. But he had too much religion to devote 
 his whole strength to poetry, he trifled for amuse- 
 
233 
 
 They, they that snatch'd us from our country's 
 breast, 
 Would have a song carv'd to their ears, 
 In Hebrew numbers, then (O cruel jest) 
 
 When harps and hearts were drown* d in tears ; 
 Come, they cry'd, come sing and play 
 One of Sion's songs to-day. 
 
 Sing ? play ? to whom, ah ! shall we sing or play, 
 
 If not, Jerusalem, to thee ? * 
 
 Ah thee, Jerusalem ! ah sooner may 
 This hand forget the mastery 
 Of Music's dainty touch, than I 
 The music of thy memory, 
 
 ment, and never wrote for fame. To his attain- 
 ments, which were numerous and elegant, all his 
 biographers have borne witness. He died in the 
 year 1650. — Biographical Sketches, prefixed to Mr. 
 Headlcy's very elegant %vork> Select Beauties of an- 
 cient English Poetry. 
 
 He has translated the twenty-third and the 
 hundred-and-thirty-seventh Psalms : Pope considers 
 the twenty-third, as one of his best pieces. I have 
 declined giving this, having so many favourable spe- 
 cimens of it already, and my reader will find the 
 137th not unworthy of this true poet. 
 
234 
 
 Which when I lose, may at once my tongue 
 
 Lose this same busy speaking art, 
 
 Unperch'd, her vocal arteries unstrung, 
 
 No more acquainted with my heart, 
 
 On my dry palate's roof to rest 
 
 A wither'd leaf, an idle guest. 
 
 No, no, thy good, Sion, alone must crown 
 
 The head of all my hope-nurs'd joys ; 
 But.Edom, cruel thou ! thou crydst, down, down 
 Sink, Sion, down, and never rise ; 
 
 Her falling thou didst urge, and thrust, 
 And haste to dash her into dust. 
 
 Dost laugh ? proud Babel's daughter ! do, laugh on, 
 
 Till thy ruin teach thee tears, 
 Even such as these ; laugh, till a venging throng 
 Of woes, too late do rouse thy fears, 
 
 Laugh, till thy children's bleeding bones 
 Weep precious tears upon the stones. 
 
 Crashaw. 
 
233 
 
 PSALM CXXXVII .*■ 
 
 When by the flowing* brooks we sat, 
 
 The brooks of Babylon the proud ; 
 We thought on Z ion's mournful state, 
 
 And wept her woes, and waiPd aloud. 
 
 Thoughtless of ev'ry chearful air 
 
 (For grief had all our harps unstrung) 
 
 Our harps, neglected in despair, 
 And silent on the willows hung-. 
 
 Our foes, who made our land their spoil, 
 Our barbarous lords, with haughty tongues. 
 
 Bid us forget our groans awhile, 
 And give a taste of Zion's songs. 
 
 * Babylon destroyed; or, the 137th Psalm trans- 
 lated. — Had Horace or Pindar written this ode, it 
 w r oul$ have been the endless admiration of the cri- 
 tick, and the perpetual labour of rival translators; 
 but it is found in the Scripture, and that gives a 
 sort of disgust to an age, which verges too much 
 toward infidelity. 
 
 This particular psalm could not well be converted 
 into Christianity, and therefore it appears here in 
 its Jewish form. — Watts' s Rcliquix Juveniles. 
 
236 
 
 How shall we sing in heathen lands 
 Our holy songs to ears profane ? 
 * Lord, shall our lips, at their commands, 
 Pronounce thy dreadful name in vain r 
 
 Forbid it Heaven ! O vile abuse ! 
 
 Zion in dust forbids it too : 
 Shall hymns inspired for sacred use 
 
 Be sung to please a scoffing crew r 
 
 O let my tongue grow dry, and cleave 
 Fast to my mouth in silence still ; 
 
 Let some avenging pow'r bereave 
 My fingers of their tuneful skill ! 
 
 If I thy sacred rites profane, 
 
 O Salem, or thy dust despise ; 
 If I indulge one chearful strain, 
 
 Till I shall see thy tow'rs arise. 
 
 'Twas Edom bid the conqu'ring foe, 
 
 u Down with thy tow'rs, and raze thy walls : J 
 
 Requite her, Lord : but, Babel, know, 
 Thy guilt for fiercer vengeance calls. 
 
 As thou hast spar'd nor sex, nor age, 
 Deaf to our infants dying groans, 
 
 May some blest hand, inspired with rage, 
 Dash thy young babes, and tinge the stones. 
 
 Watts. 
 
237 
 
 PSALM CXXXVIII. 
 
 To magnify the Lord, my soul, 
 
 Thy best affections raise ; 
 Angels shall hear my songs, and be 
 
 The partners of my praise. 
 
 Within thy Church thy constant truth, 
 
 And goodness Til proclaim ; 
 These raise my wonder, and advance 
 
 The glories of thy name. 
 
 In my distress to thee I cry'd, 
 And thou my pray'r didst hear; 
 
 Thou didst support me with thy strength. 
 And with thy comforts cheer. 
 
 Kings shall thy promised goodness know, 
 
 And take occasion thence 
 To praise thy mercy, and admire 
 
 Thy ways of Providence. 
 
 God from his high and glorious throne 
 
 The lowly views and owns, 
 But scorns the proud, and on their height 
 
 With indignation frowns. 
 
238 
 
 Thy former kindnesses prevent 
 My fears ; when in distress ; 
 
 Thy hand shall save me from my foes. 
 Thy pow'r their wrath repress. 
 
 Thy never-failing goodness will 
 
 Complete what is begun ; 
 O never suffer thine own work. 
 
 Nor me to be undone. 
 
 Patrick 
 
 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 Nothing can be more absurd than the error, in- 
 to which some commentators have fallen, in attri- 
 buting some of the sublimest of the Psalms to 
 Ezra, than whose style nothing can be meatier, or 
 more ungraceful. Indeed, I have myself some 
 doubts concerning the hundred-and-thirty-ninth, 
 which I am more inclined to attribute to Jeremiah, 
 or some contemporary of his ; and I think the taste 
 and spirit of the bard, who sang so sweetly else- 
 where the miseries of his nation, may very plainly 
 be discerned in it.— Mi-chaelis. 
 
 That most perfect Ode, which celebrates the 
 
239 
 
 immensity of the omnipresent Deity, and the wis- 
 dom of the Divine Artificer in forming the human 
 body. — Lowth, Led. 8. 
 
 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 Thou know'st me, O Thou only wise, 
 Seest when I sit, and when I rise, 
 Canst my concealed thoughts disclose, 
 Observ'st my labours and repose, 
 Know'st all my counsels, all my deeds, 
 Each word which from my tongue proceeds; 
 Behind, before, by thee inclos'd, 
 Thy hand on every part imposed. 
 Such knowledge my capacity 
 Transcends ; so wonderful, so high ! 
 O which way shall I take my flight r 
 Or where conceal me from thy sight ? 
 Ascend I Heaven ; Heaven is thy throne ; 
 Dive I to Hell ; there art thou known. 
 Should I the morning's wings obtain, 
 And fly beyond th' Hesperian main ; 
 Thy powerful arm would reach me there. 
 Reduce, and curb me with thy fear. 
 Were I involved in shades of night ; 
 That darkness would convert to li^ht. 
 
240 
 
 What clouds can from discovery free ! 
 
 What night, wherein thou canst not see ! 
 
 The night would shine like day's clear flame, 
 
 Darkness and light, to thee the same. 
 
 Thou sift'st my reins, ev'n thoughts to come ; 
 
 Thou cloth'dst me in my mother's womb. 
 
 Great God, that hast so strangely rais'd 
 
 This fabrick, be thou ever prais'd. 
 
 O full of admiration 
 
 Are these thy works ! to me well known. 
 
 My bones were to thy view displayed, 
 
 When I in secret shades was made ; 
 
 When wrought by thee with curious art, 
 
 As in the earth's inferiour part. 
 
 On me, an embryo, didst thou look, 
 
 My members written in thy book 
 
 Before they were; which perfect grew 
 
 In time, and open to the view. 
 
 Thy counsels admirable are, 
 
 And yet as infinite, as rare : 
 
 O could I number them, far more 
 
 Than sands upon the murmuring shore ! 
 
 When I awake, thy works again 
 
 My thoughts with wonder entertain.' 
 
 The wicked thou wilt surely kill, 
 
 Hence you, who blood with pleasure spill. 
 
 Their tongues thy majesty profane, 
 
 They take thy sacred name in vainr 
 
241 
 
 Lord, hate not I thine enemies, 
 And grieve, when they against thee rise r 
 I hate them with a perfect hate, 
 And, as my foe, would ruinate. 
 Search and explore my heart ; O try 
 My thoughts, and their integrity. 
 Behold, if I from virtue stray ; 
 And lead in thy eternal way. 
 
 Sandys. 
 
 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 Thou, Lord, hast searched me out, thine eyes 
 
 Mark when I sit, and when I rise ; 
 
 By thee my future thoughts are read ; 
 
 Thou round my path, and round my bed 
 
 Attendest vigilant; each word, 
 
 Ere yet I speak, by thee is heard. 
 
 Life's maze, before my view outspread, 
 
 Within thy presence wrapt I tread, 
 
 And touch'd with conscious horror stand 
 
 Beneath the shadow of thy hand. 
 
 How deep thy knowledge, Lord, how wide ! 
 
 Long to the fruitless task apply'd, 
 
 That mighty sea my thoughts explore, 
 
 Nor reach its depth, nor find its shore. 
 
242 
 
 Where shall I shun thy wakeful eye, 
 
 Or whither from thy Spirit fly ? 
 
 Aloft to heav'n my course I bear, 
 
 In vain ; for thou, my God, art there ; 
 
 If prone to hell my feet descend, 
 
 Thou still my footsteps shalt attend ; 
 
 If now, on swiftest wings upborne, 
 
 I seek the regions of the morn, 
 
 Or haste me to the western steep, 
 
 Where eve sits brooding o'er the deep, 
 
 Thy hand the fugitive shall stay, 
 
 And dictate to my steps their way. 
 
 Perchance within its thickest veil 
 
 The darkness shall my head conceal, 
 
 But, instant thou hast chas'd away 
 
 The gloom, and round me pour'd the day. 
 
 Darkness, great God, to thee there's none, 
 
 Darkness and light to thee are one ; 
 
 Nor brighter shines to thee display'd 
 
 The noon, than night's obscurest shade. 
 
 My reins, my fabrick's ev'ry part, 
 
 The wonders of thy plastic art 
 
 Proclaim, and prompt my willing tongue 
 
 To meditate the grateful song ; 
 
 With deepest awe my thought their frame 
 
 Surveys : " I tremble that I am." 
 
 While yet a stranger to the day 
 
 Within the burthen'd womb I lay, 
 
243 
 
 My bones, familiar to thy view, 
 By just degrees to firmness grew : 
 Day to succeeding day consign' d 
 TV unfinished birth ; thy mighty mind 
 Each limb, each nerve, ere yet they were, 
 Contemplated distinct and clear; 
 Those nerves thy curious finger spun, 
 Those limbs it fashion M one by one ; 
 And, as thy pen in fair design 
 Trac'd on thy book each shadowy line, 
 Thy handmaid Nature read them there, 
 And made the growing work her care, 
 Conformed it to th* unerring plan, 
 And gradual wrought me into man. 
 
 With what delight, great God, I trace 
 The acts of thy stupendous grace ! 
 To count them, were to count the sand 
 That lies upon the sea-beat strand. 
 When from my temples sleep retires, 
 To thee my thankful heart aspires, 
 And with thy sacred presence blest, 
 Joys to receive the awful guest. 
 Shall impious men thy will withstand, 
 Nor feel the vengeance of thy hand ? 
 Hence, murth'rers, hence, nor near me stay : 
 Ye sons of violence, away. 
 When lawless crowds with insult vain 
 Thy works revile, thy name profane, 
 
Can I unmov'd those insults see, 
 
 Nor hate the wretch that hateth thee ? 
 
 Indignant, in thy cause I join, 
 
 And all thy foes, my God, are mine. 
 
 Searcher of hearts, my thoughts review ; 
 
 With kind severity pursue 
 
 Through each disguise thy servant's mind, 
 
 Nor leave one stain of guilt behind : 
 
 Guide through th' eternal path my feet, 
 
 And bring me to thy blissful seat. 
 
 Merrick. 
 
 PSALM CXLI. 
 
 My God, accept my early vows, 
 Like morning incense in thine house ; 
 And let my nightly worship rise, 
 Sweet as the evening sacrifice. 
 
 Watch o'er my lips, and guard them, Lord, 
 From ev'ry rash and heedless word ; 
 Nor let my feet incline to tread, 
 The guilty path where sinners lead. , 
 
 O may the righteous, when I stray, 
 Smite and reprove my wandering way ! 
 Their gentle words, like ointment shed, 
 Shall never bruise, but cheer my head. 
 
245 
 
 When I behold them prest with grief, 
 Til cry to heav'n for their relief; 
 And by my warm petitions prove 
 How much I prize their faithful love. 
 
 Watts. 
 
 PSALM CXLII. 
 
 With sobbing voice, with drowning eyes, 
 With joined hands, rais'd to the skies, 
 With humble soul, and bended knee, 
 I rise, O Lord, I pray to thee. 
 As my dim eyes a briny shower 
 Of tears into my bosom pour : 
 So I into thy sacred ears 
 Pour out my heart, unload my fears. 
 Though dangers me besieging round 
 My mazed senses quite confound, 
 Thou canst give me a thread, whereby 
 I from this labyrinth may tly. 
 My harmless feet can walk no way 
 But privy snares my foes fore-lay, 
 And looking round about for aid, 
 My friends to know me are afraid. 
 No human succour now is left 
 To me, of help, and hope bereft : 
 
246 
 
 My life is sought by many a one, 
 But ah ! protected is by none. 
 To thee, O Lord, my cries I send, 
 My certain hope, my surest friend ; 
 I have, in this false world's wide scope 
 None other help, none other hope. 
 O hear my cries, for faint I grow, 
 Opprest with endless weight of woe. 
 Me from my persecutors free, 
 Too great, too strong for poor weak me. 
 Bring me from out this hell-black cave, 
 My prison, nay my living grave ; 
 Where fiends, and fiendly-hearted foes 
 My flight on every side enclose. 
 So shall my thankful mouth always 
 Pour forth a fountain of thy praise, 
 And this thine aid shall teach the just 
 On thee their Rock to build their trust. 
 
 Francis Davison, MS. 
 
 PSALM CXLIV. 
 
 My soul, in raptures rise to bless the Lord, 
 Who taught my hands to draw the fatal sword ; 
 Led by his arm, undaunted I appear 
 In the first ranks of death, and front of war. 
 
247 
 
 He taught me first the pointed spear to wield, 
 And mow the glorious harvest of the field : 
 By him inspir'd, from strength to strength I pa9t, 
 Plung'd through the troops, and laid the battle waste. 
 
 In him my hopes I centre and repose, 
 He guards my life, and shields me from my foes, 
 He held his ample buckler o'er my head, 
 And screened me trembling in the mighty shade; 
 Against all hostile violence and pow'r, 
 He was my sword, my bulwark, and my tow'r : 
 He o'er my people will maintain my sway, 
 And teach my willing subjects to obey. 
 
 Lord ! what is man, of vile and humble birth, 
 Sprung with his kindred reptiles from the earth, 
 That he should thus thy secret counsels share, 
 Or what his son, who challenges thy care ? 
 Why does thine eye regard this nothing, Man, 
 His life a point, his measure but a span ? 
 The fancy' d pageant of a moment made, 
 Swift as a dream, and fleeting as a shade. 
 
 Come, in thy pow'r, and leave th' ethereal plain, 
 And to thy harness'd tempest give the rein ; 
 Yon starry arch shall bend beneath the load, 
 So loud tfye chariot, and so great the God! 
 
248 
 
 Soon as his rapid wheels Jehovah rolls, 
 The folding skies shall tremble to the poles, 
 HeavVs gaudy axle with the world shall fall, 
 Leap from the centre, and unhinge the ball. 
 
 Touch* d by thy hands, the lab'ring hills expire 
 Thick clouds of smoke, and deluges of fire ; 
 On the tall groves the red destroyer preys, 
 And wraps th* eternal mountains in the blaze: 
 Full on my foes may all thy lightnings fly 
 On purple pinions through the gloomy sky. 
 
 Extend thy hand, thou kind all-gracious God, 
 Down from the heav'n of heav'ns, thy bright abode, 
 And shield me from my foes, whose towering pride 
 Lowers like a storm, and gathers like a tide : 
 Against strange children vindicate my cause, 
 Who curse thy name, and trample on thy laws ; 
 Who fear not vengeance which they never felt, 
 Trained to blaspheme, and eloquent in guilt : 
 Their hands are impious, and their deeds profane, 
 They plead their boasted innocence in vain. 
 
 Thy name shall dwell for ever on myr tongue, 
 And guide the sacred numbers of my song ; 
 To thee my muse shall consecrate her lays, 
 And every note shall labour in thy praise ; 
 
249 
 
 The hallow'd theme shall teach me how to sing, 
 Swell on the lyre, and tremble on the string*. 
 
 Oft has thy hand from fight the monarch led, 
 When death flew raging, and the battle bled ; 
 And snatch'd thy servant, in the last despair, 
 From all the rising tumult of the war. 
 
 Against strange children vindicate my cause, 
 Who curse thy name, and trample on thy laws ; 
 That our fair sons may smile in early bloom, 
 Our sons, the hopes of all our years to come, 
 Like plants that nurs'd by fostering show'rs arise, 
 And lift their spreading honours to the skies. 
 That our chaste daughters may their charms dis- 
 play, 
 Like the bright pillars of our temple, gay, 
 Polish'd, and tall, and smooth, and fair as they. 
 
 PiFd up with plenty let our barns appear, 
 And burst with all the seasons of the year ; 
 Let pregnant flocks in ev'ry quarter bleat, 
 And drop their tender young in ev'ry street. 
 Safe from their labours may our oxen come, 
 Safe may they bring the gathered summer home- 
 Oh ! may no sighs, no streams of sorrow flow, 
 To stain our triumphs with the fears of woe. 
 
256 
 
 Bless'd is the nation, how sincerely bless'd! 
 Of such unbounded happiness possess'd, 
 To whom Jehovah's sacred name is known, 
 Who claim the God of Israel for their own. 
 
 Pitt. 
 
 PSALM CXLV. 
 
 Thee will I bless, my God and King, 
 Nor cease thy wondrous acts to sing. 
 From earliest morn to latest eve 
 Thy praises on my tongue shall live; 
 To thee my harp shall wake each string, 
 Nor cease thy wondrous acts to sing. 
 
 Great is our God: in vain our praise 
 His excellence in equal lays 
 Would celebrate ; in vain the mind 
 Its height, its depth, essays to find. 
 Age to succeeding age thy might 
 Shall speak, thy works, blest Lord, recite. 
 My tongue thy glory shall proclaim, 
 The faithful witness of thy fame, 
 Bid contemplation's inmost thought 
 Survey the wonders thou hast wrought, 
 
251 
 
 And with assenting myriads join 
 
 To bless the Majesty divine. 
 
 Thy dreaded pow'r shall each rehearse, 
 
 Thy greatness shall my thankful verse 
 
 Inspire, thy righteousness and love 
 
 Our hearts inflame, our songs improve. 
 
 Thee good and kind shall mortals own, 
 
 To anger slow, to pity prone. 
 
 Thy mercies, on the sons of earth, 
 
 On all whom thou hast call'd to birth, 
 
 Far as creation's bounds extend, 
 
 Thy mercies, heavenly Lord, descend. 
 
 One chorus of perpetual praise 
 
 To thee thy various works shall raise, 
 
 Thy saints to thee in hymns impart 
 
 The transports of a grateful heart, 
 
 The splendors of thy kingdom tell, 
 
 Delighted on thy wonders dwell, 
 
 And bid the world's wide realms admire 
 
 The glories of th' Almighty Sire, 
 
 Whose throne shall nature's wreck survive, 
 
 Whose pow'r through endless ages live. 
 
 His promise truth eternal guides, 
 
 And mercy o'er his act presides. 
 
 The feet whose steps to lapse incline, 
 
 With faithful care the arm Divine 
 
252 
 
 Shall prop ; the spirit bow'd with woe 
 His all-supporting aid shall know. 
 From thee, great God, while ev'ry eye 
 Expectant waits the wish'd supply, 
 Their bread proportioned to the day 
 Thy opening hands to each convey. 
 Thy ways eternal justice guides, 
 And mercy o'er thine act presides : 
 Who ask thine aid with heart sincere, 
 Thee ever gracious, ever near 
 Shall own ; their pray'r, in each distress, 
 To thee, thy servants, Lord, address, 
 And find thee, (verging on the grave,) 
 Nor slow to hear, nor weak to save. 
 
 Ye souls among his saints inrolFd, 
 In God your sure defence behold, 
 While fierce destruction at his word 
 Shall bathe in impious blood its sword. 
 
 Long as I breathe, my grateful tongue 
 To him shall meditate the song ; 
 From man's whole race his hallowM name 
 Shall thanks and endless honour claim. 
 
 Merrick. 
 
253 
 
 PSALM CXLV. 
 
 My God, my King, thy various praise 
 Shall fill the remnant of my days : 
 Thy grace employ my humble tongue, 
 Till death and glory raise the song. 
 
 The wings of ev'ry hour shall bear 
 Some thankful tribute to thine ear ; 
 And ev'ry setting sun shall see 
 New works of duty done for thee. 
 
 Thy truth and justice Til proclaim ; 
 Thy bounty flows an endless stream, 
 Thy mercy swift, thine anger slow, 
 But dreadful to the stubborn foe. 
 
 Thy works with sov'reign glory shine, 
 And speak thy majesty divine ; 
 Let Britain round her shores proclaim 
 The sound and honour of thy name. 
 
 Let distant times and nations raise 
 The long succession of thy praise ; 
 And unborn ages make my song 
 The joy and labour of their tongue. 
 
254 
 
 But who can speak thy wond'rous deeds ? 
 Thy greatness all our thoughts exceeds ; 
 Vast and unsearchable thy ways ! 
 Vast and immortal be thy praise ! 
 
 Watts. 
 
 PSALM CXLV. 
 
 My God, my King, I will sing praise to thee, 
 Till like thy name, my songs elernal be ! 
 Ev'ry day, Lord, will I sing praise to thee, 
 Till like thy name, my songs eternal be ! 
 Great is the Lord, and worthy of all praise, 
 And as himself, unsearchable his ways ! 
 One age to count his works will ne'er suffice, 
 Their number to so great a sum doth rise : 
 The next shall take it, and the next from them, 
 And in their songs improve the lofty theme ; 
 Sing to the honour of his Majesty, 
 How far he is exalted, and how high ; 
 Speak of his reverend acts, his greatness show, 
 Above how full of love, of dread below j 
 Of all his goodness, and what he has done 
 Both for his people's glory and his own. 
 The Lord is gracious, does with love overflow 
 Plenteous in mercy, and to anger slow ; 
 
255 
 
 Kind as a father, o'er whose works there shine 
 
 Glories of mercy mixt with rays divine. 
 
 All thy works praise thee, and thy pow'r proclaim, 
 
 Thy kingdom's beauties, and thy holy name. 
 
 Thy saints shall bless thee, and thy acts make known, 
 
 And to posterity continue down, 
 
 How toeternity thy rule extends, 
 
 And that thy empire, Lord, knows neither bounds 
 
 nor ends. 
 The Lord upholds all those who fall, does raise 
 The poor on high, that they may see his ways: 
 On him the eyes of all his creatures wait, 
 To him they look, and he provides them meat, 
 Opens his hand, does their desires fulfil, 
 And as he answers theirs, performs his will. 
 So just is he, so righteous in his ways, 
 That were we silent, stones would speak his praise, 
 And to his afflicted people's pray'rs so near 
 That their requests ere finished granted are, 
 And when to him for help they send their cries, 
 His truth prevents them oft'ner than denies. 
 For the desires of such, who him do fear, 
 Shall be fulfill' d and he their groans will hear, 
 Will crown their love, and with his own right hand 
 Destroy their foes, and on their ruins make them 
 stand. 
 
256 
 
 Let the whole world, O God, sing praise to thee, 
 And like mine may their songs eternal be ! 
 
 Woodford. 
 
 PSALM CXLVI. 
 
 O thou, my soul, praise thou the Lord, 
 
 The Lord of love and God of light, 
 Extend thy powers with one accord, 
 Recount his name in inward sprite, 
 Express thy voice without delays, 
 O thou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
 My heart is set to laud this Lord, 
 
 This Lord so good is God of grace, 
 His lauds my life shall whole record, 
 Yea sure as long I bide in place, 
 My God to thank I will always, 
 O thou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
 O put no trust in princes' power, - 
 
 The God of might is Lord to trust, 
 Yea trust no man, his fruit is sour, 
 No help in him, no credence just ; 
 God's love is sure at all assays, 
 Othou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
257 
 
 Man's breath once past, he turn'th to dust, 
 
 This Lord so strong- he ever last'th, 
 All earthly power decay it must, 
 
 Man's counsels all death's day doth waste ; 
 God's help is firm, without decays, 
 O thou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
 Blest is the man, whose help is God, 
 The God of hosts to Jacob's seed, 
 Full fast with them he still abode, 
 
 Who God will trust, as well shall speed : 
 In him be set all stable stays : 
 O thou, my soul, sing* still his praise. 
 
 This God made heaven and earth between, 
 
 The Lord so grand, so infinite, 
 He made the seas, with all therein 
 
 His truth in word he keep'th full right, 
 His deed from tongue makes never strays. 
 O thou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
 The Lord revengeth oppressed man, 
 This God of right, as is deserved, 
 All wrongs and spites requite he can, 
 He deal'th out bread to hunger-starved, 
 Thrall-men in bonds he useth to raise ; 
 O thou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
258 
 
 The Lord giveth sight to blinded eyes, 
 
 This God so bright to see again, 
 He lifteth the lame from ground to rise, 
 The just doth he in love retain, 
 To fill his life with joyful days ; 
 O thou, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
 In care the Lord all strangers keep'th, 
 
 Qf them sure God he is at need, 
 And orphans loveth, and widows seek'th, 
 Nigh heart he tak'th their cries of dread, 
 Evil minded men to dust he brays, 
 Sing still, my soul, sing out his praise. 
 
 Praise God as king, who reign'th for aye 
 
 As God of thine, O Sion, high, 
 Resort to him, go not astray, 
 
 Knit fast thine heart, shrink not awry : 
 Expel he will all fears and frays, 
 Rouse him, my soul, sing still his praise. 
 
 Archbishop Parker. 
 
259 
 
 PSALM CXLVI. 
 
 O my soul, do thou give praise, 
 
 And sing lays 
 To the Lord God ever-living : 
 And my tongue, till ty'd by death, 
 
 And my breath, 
 Praise to him shall still be giving. 
 
 Put no trust in potentates, 
 
 Nor in states. 
 Nor in wealth, in strength, or feature, 
 For in them no help is found 
 
 Sure, or sound, 
 Nor in any other creature. 
 
 For their staff of life is breath, 
 Which by death, 
 
 Soon is razM ; their corps they cherish, 
 
 When as they soon after birth 
 Turn to earth, 
 
 All their thoughts, plots, counsels perish. 
 
260 
 
 BlessM is he, whose soul so learns, 
 
 And discerns 
 Their false hopes, and them forsaketh. 
 Who the God of Jacob's seed, 
 
 At his need, 
 His sure help and refuge maketh. 
 
 Who hoth heav'n and earth did make, 
 And but spake, 
 
 And the sea, with their hid treasure, 
 
 Who doth keep his word, and oath, 
 Firmly both, 
 
 And, in keeping them, takes pleasure. 
 
 Who doth justice execute, 
 
 Ne'er being mute 
 
 For the wrongfully oppressed; 
 
 Who with plenteous bread doth feed 
 Them that need, 
 
 Loosing prisoners distressed. 
 
 God restores the blind to sight, 
 
 And sets right 
 Limbs distorted, lameness curings 
 And his love to him that still, 
 
 Doth his will, 
 Is for evermore enduring. 
 
261 
 
 God relieves the fatherless, 
 
 In distress, 
 Widows' plaints to him are moving, 
 Strangers safely he protects, 
 
 But rejects 
 Godless men, no good-ways loving. 
 
 God, thy God on Sion hill 
 
 Reigneth still, 
 Still in glory higher raised, 
 He from age to age doth dure 
 
 Holy pure, 
 Let his mighty name be praised. 
 
 Bryan, MS. 
 
 PSALM CXLVI. 
 
 Prepare the voice, and tune the joyful lyre, 
 And let the glorious theme my soul inspire : 
 To thee, my God, I sing ; thy mighty name 
 With heav'nly rapture shall my soul inflame. 
 My tuneful homage shall like incense rise, 
 And glad the air, and reach th' approving skies ; 
 While life informs this frame, the sacred song 
 Shall fill my breast, and dwell upon my tongue. 
 
262 
 
 As some fair structure, whose firm basis lies 
 On strength of rocks, the threat'ning winds defies, 
 So stedfastly my hopes on Heaven are placM, 
 Nor earth, nor hell, my confidence can blast. 
 Let others still for human help attend, 
 And on the flatt'ries of the great depend ; 
 Relentless death shall mock their airy trust, 
 And lay their boasted confidence in dust. 
 As the fantastic visions of the night, 
 Before the opening morning take their flight; 
 So perish all the boasts of men, their pride, 
 And vain designs, the laughing skies deride. 
 
 But he alone securely guarded lives, 
 To whom the mighty God protection gives ; 
 The mighty God, who made the stedfast earth, 
 And gave the springs, that swell the ocean, birth ; 
 Who formM the stars, and spread the circling skies. 
 And bade the sun in all his glory rise : 
 No breach of faithfulness his honour stains, 
 With day and night his word unchang'd remains : 
 On human woes he looks with pitying eyes, 
 To help th' oppressed, and answer all their cries ; 
 The orphan's soft complaint, and widow's tears 
 Obtain redress, and fix his list'ning ears ; 
 His throne from changes stands for ever free, 
 And his dominion shall no period see. 
 
 Mas. Rowe. 
 
263 
 
 PSALM CXLVIII. 
 
 The Ode is in its nature sufficiently expressive of 
 its origin. It was the offspring of the most vivid, 
 and the most agreeable passions of the mind, of love, 
 joy, and admiration. If we consider man on his 
 first creation, such as the Sacred Writings represent 
 him; in perfect possession of reason and speech; 
 neither ignorant of his own, nor of the Divine nature, 
 but fully conscious of the goodness, majesty, and 
 power of God ; not an unobservant spectator of the 
 beautiful fabric of the universe ; is it not probable, 
 that on the contemplation of these objects, his 
 heart would glow with gratitude and love ? And is 
 it not probable, that the effect of such an emotion 
 would be an effusion of praise to his great Creator, 
 accompanied with a suitable energy and exaltation 
 of voice ? Such indeed were the sensations ex- 
 perienced by the author of that most beautiful 
 Psalm, in which the whole creation is invited to 
 celebrate the glory of the most high God : 
 
 " Praise Jehovah from the heavens ; 
 (C Praise him in the heights : 
 " Praise him all his angels ; 
 '.' Praise him all his hosts. "* 
 
 — ■■ . .. ■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■■■ ^ 
 
 * Ps. cfclviii. 
 
264 
 
 Tins hymn is, therefore, most elegantly imitated, 
 and put into the mouth of Adam by our country- 
 Hian Milton, who is justly accounted the next in 
 sublimity to those poets, who wrote under the in- 
 fluence of Divine inspiration. Indeed w r e scarcely 
 seem to conceive rightly of that original and per- 
 fect state of man, unless we assign him some of the 
 aids of harmony and poetical expression, to enable 
 him to testify in terms becoming the dignity of 
 the subject, his devout affections towards his infi- 
 nite Creator. — Lowth, Led. 25. 
 
 This Hymn*, one of the greatest ornaments of 
 Paradise Lost, is, as Bishop Newton justly observes, 
 an imitation, or rather a sort of a paraphrase, of 
 the cxlviiith Psalm, and (of what is a paraphrase 
 of that) the Canticle placed after Te Deum in the 
 Liturgy, all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the 
 Lord, &c. which is the song of the three children 
 in the Apocrypha. — Bishop of Salisbury's Vindi- 
 cation of Milton, against Lauder. 
 
 * These are thy glorious works, Parent of good. 
 Almighty ! 
 
265 
 
 PSALM CXLVIIL 
 
 You, who dwell above the skies, 
 
 Free from human miseries ; 
 
 You, whom highest heaven embow'rs, 
 
 Praise the Lord with all your pow'rs ! 
 
 Angels ! your clear voices raise, 
 
 Him you heavenly armies praise ! 
 
 Sun, and moon with borrow'd light, 
 
 All ye sparkling eyes of night, 
 
 Waters hanging in the air; 
 
 Heaven of heavens, his praise declare! 
 
 His deserved praise record, 
 
 His, who made you by his word : 
 
 Made you evermore to last, 
 
 Set you bounds not to be past. 
 
 Let the earth his praise resound, 
 
 Monstrous whales, and seas: profound, 
 
 Vapours, lightning, hail, and snow ; 
 
 Storms, which when he bids them, blow: 
 
 Flow'ry hills, and mountains high ; 
 
 Cedars, neighbours to the sky; 
 
 Trees, that fruit in season yield ; 
 
 All the cattle of the field; 
 
 Savage beasts; all creeping things ; 
 
 All that cut the air with wings. 
 
266 
 
 You, who awful sceptres sway; 
 You, inured to obey ; 
 Princes, judges of the earth ; 
 All, of high or humble birth ; 
 Youths, and virgins, flourishing- 
 In the beauty of your spring ; 
 You, who bow with age's weight ; 
 You, who were but born of late; 
 Praise his name with one consent ; 
 O how great ! how excellent ! 
 Than the earth profounder far, 
 Higher than the highest star. 
 He will his to honour raise, 
 You, his saints, resound his praise, 
 You, who are of Jacob's race, 
 And united to his grace. 
 
 Sandys. 
 
 PSALM CXLVIII. 
 
 Begin, my soul, th* exalted lay, 
 Let each enraptur'd thought obey. 
 
 And praise th' Almighty's name. 
 Lo ! heav'n and earth, and seas and skies 
 In one melodious concert rise, 
 
 To swell th' inspiring theme. 
 
267 
 
 Ye fields of light, celestial plains, 
 Where gay transporting beauty reigns, 
 
 Ye scenes divinely fair; 
 Your Maker's wondrous pow'r proclaim, 
 Tell how he form'd your shining frame, 
 
 And breathed the fluid air." 
 
 Ye angels, catch the thrilling sound, 
 While all th* adoring thrones around 
 
 His boundless mercy sing ; 
 Let ev'ry list'ning saint above, 
 Wake all the tuneful soul of love, 
 
 And touch the sweetest string. 
 
 Join, ye loud spheres, the vocal choir ; 
 Thou dazzling orb of liquid fire, 
 
 The mighty chorus aid : 
 Soon as grey evening gilds the plain, 
 Thou, moon, protract the melting strain,, 
 
 And praise him in the shade. 
 
 Thou heav'u of heav'ns, his vast abode; 
 Ye clouds, proclaim your forming God, 
 
 Who call'd yon worlds from night ; 
 '* Ye shades, dispel !"— th' Eternal said; 
 At once th' involving darkness fled, 
 
 And nature sprung to light. 
 
Whate'er a blooming world contains, 
 That wings the air, that skims the plains 
 
 United praise bestow : 
 Ye dragons, sound his awful name 
 To heav'n aloud, and roar acclaim, 
 
 Ye swelling deeps below. 
 
 Let ev'ry element rejoice : 
 
 Ye thunders, burst with awful voice 
 
 To Him who bids you roll : 
 His praise in softer notes declare, 
 Each whisp'ring breeze of yielding air, 
 
 And breathe it to the soul. 
 
 To Him, ye graceful cedars, bow: 
 Ye tow'ring mountains, bending low A 
 
 Your great Creator own : 
 Tell, when affrighted nature shook, 
 How Sinai kindled at his look, 
 
 And trembled at his frown. 
 
 Ye flocks, that haunt the humble vale, 
 Ye insects, flutt'ring on the gale, 
 
 In mutual concourse rise; 
 Crop the gay rose's vermeil bloom, 
 And wafts its spoils, a sweet perfume, 
 
 In incense to the skies. 
 
269 
 
 Wake, all ye mountain tribes, and sing ; 
 Ye plumy warblers of the spring, 
 
 Harmonious anthems raise 
 To Him, who shap'd your finer mould, 
 Who tippM your glitt'ring wing§ with gold, 
 
 And tun'd your voice to praise. 
 
 Let man, by nobler passions sway'd, 
 The feeling heart, the judging head, 
 
 In heav'nly praise employ ; 
 Spread his tremendous name around, 
 Till heavVs broad arch rings back the sound, 
 
 The general burst of joy. 
 
 Ye, whom the charms of grandeur please, 
 Nurs'd on the downy lap of ease, 
 
 Fall prostrate at his throne ; 
 Ye princes, rulers, all adore ; 
 Praise Him, ye kings, who makes your power 
 
 An image of his own. 
 
 Ye fair, by nature form'd to move, 
 O praise th* eternal Source of love, 
 
 With youth's enlivening fire ; 
 Let age take up the tuneful lay, 
 Sigh his blest name — then soar away, 
 
 And ask an angel's lyre. 
 
 OCILVIE, 
 
270 
 
 PSALM CXLIX. 
 
 Ye saints, in your assemblies raise 
 
 Your voice to God, new songs to sing ; 
 
 Let Israel his Creator praise, 
 And Sion magnify her King : 
 
 With chearful timbrels let them dance, 
 
 And with their harps his praise advance. 
 
 God's people are his joy, the meek 
 With his salvation shall be crown* d ;• 
 
 Then let his saints his favour seek, 
 And on their beds his name resound : 
 
 Their mouths shall with his praise be fill'd, 
 
 Their hands a two-eg'd sword shall wield. 
 
 The heathen nations to confound, 
 
 In chains he leads their captive kings, 
 
 Their lords, in iron fetters bound, 
 Before his judgment-seat he brings : 
 
 Such honour, in his sacred word, 
 
 God gives his saints. Praise ye the Lord. 
 
 Sir J. Denham. 
 
271 
 
 PSALM CXLIX. 
 
 Praise ye, and glorify the Lord, 
 Let him for ever be ador'd, 
 
 And, 'midst the saints assembled, sing 
 New songs of praise, for mercies new ; 
 Joy in thy Maker, Israel, shew, 
 
 And, Sion, triumph in thy King. 
 
 Extol the Lord, ye sacred choir, 
 On the sweet timbrel and the lyre, 
 
 And with soft pipes sound forth his praise ; 
 God in his people takes delight, 
 He'll rescue by his saving might 
 
 The meek, and them to honour raise. 
 
 Triumph, ye saints, with chearful voice, 
 With shouts for glory won rejoice, 
 
 And on your beds express your joy : 
 Be in your mouths hymns to the Lord, 
 And in your hands a two-edg'd sword, 
 
 Your foes the heathen to destroy. 
 
 To bind their potentates with chains, 
 In iron links their noble trains, 
 
272 
 
 And pour on aliens wrath decreed : 
 The saints shall this great honour have, 
 To quell their foes, and Sion save, 
 
 Praise ye the Lord, O Jacob's seed. 
 
 Sir Richard Blackmore. 
 
 PSALM CL. 
 
 Praise God, who in the holiest dwells, 
 Praise him that in his pow'r excels, 
 
 Praise him, whose might all might out-vie;* 
 Praise him for greatness far renown'd, 
 Praise him with the shrill trumpet's sound. 
 
 Praise him with harps, and psalteries. 
 
 Praise him with timbrels, and the dance, 
 Praise on the ten-string'd lutes advance, 
 
 Praise him with organ's sweet accord ; 
 Praise unto him with cymbals sing, 
 Praise with high sounding cymbals ring> 
 
 Praise, all that breathe, O praise the Lord ! 
 
 Smyth. 
 
273 
 
 PSALM CL. 
 
 Now all your tuneful voices raise, 
 And rend the air with notes of praise ; 
 God in his holiness adore, 
 God in his firmament of pow'r, 
 God in his noble actions great, 
 God in his high supernal state. 
 
 Fill the loud trumpet to his fame, 
 Let harp and lute resound his name ; 
 With timbrels in the dance rejoice, 
 Give the melodious flute a voice, 
 Whilst the enraptur'd minstrel flings 
 His fingers o'er the sounding strings ; 
 Bid your loud, well-tun'd cymbals sound, 
 And spread the chorus all around : 
 Let praise by ev'ry living breath be giv'n, 
 And the whole world send up one voice to heav'n. 
 
 Cumberland. 
 
275 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 IN PSALMUM LXXXII PARAPHRASIS. 
 
 Formidare Deum discite judices, 
 
 Qui magnis procerum ccetibus interest, 
 
 Et suffragia re gum 
 
 Pendit consiliantium, 
 Secretusque foro praesidet arbiter. 
 Quo tandem nocuos fine fovebitis 
 
 Auctores scelerum, nee 
 
 Cedet gratia legibus ? 
 
 Quisve justitiae stat pudor, aut modus 
 Venales animae dicite ; cernitis 
 
 Ut vos praeda superbi 
 
 Actoris vocet orbitas, 
 Et simplex pueri fallere nescii 
 iEtas fraudibus obnoxia divitum 
 
 Nullo vindice ? tandem 
 
 Pupillis, et egentibus 
 
276 
 
 Gratis jura date, et pauperis exteri 
 Causam justifico solvite calculo, 
 
 Quin ilium sine labe 
 
 Fortuna tenui gregem 
 Crudeli dominorum eripitis jugo, 
 Assertumque sui jus inopi datis 
 
 Turbae ? saucia vestram 
 
 Libertas ad opem fugit. 
 
 Saevae ludibrium triste potentiae ; 
 
 Sed surdis canimus : quippe animos tenet 
 
 Alta inscitia legum, 
 
 Et socordia pertinax 
 Defendit triplici pectora nubilo, 
 Densatum tenebris est iter, horrida 
 
 Vis caliginis atrae 
 
 Caeca mentem agitat via. 
 
 At res se interea publica consili 
 Expers mole sua praecipitat ; ruunt 
 
 Fundamenta; soluta 
 
 Compages patriae labat. 
 Sic est : vos, fateor, gloria nobilis - 
 Terrarum dominos evehit ad deos, 
 
 Heroasque supremi 
 
 Auditis soboles poli 
 
277 
 
 Rectoris : veniet mors tamen ultima 
 Rerum meta ; pari lege necessitas 
 
 Plebem deprimit unam, 
 
 Et regum pueros : sua 
 Nee servat tumidos purpura principes. 
 At tu, magne Deus, tu potius veni 
 
 Judex, et tibi dictas 
 
 Gentes imperio preme. 
 
 GROTIUS. 
 
 ODE TIREE DU PSEAUME XIX. 
 
 Mouvemens d'une Ame qui s'eleve d la connoissancc 
 de Dieu par la contemplation de ses Ouvrages. 
 
 Les cieux instruisent la terre 
 
 A reverer leur Auteur. 
 Tout ce que leur globe enserre 
 
 Celebre un Dieu Createur. 
 Quel plus sublime cantique 
 Que ce concert magnifique 
 
 De tous les celestes corps ? 
 Quelle grandeur infinie ! 
 Quelle divine harmonie 
 
 Resulte de leurs accords ! 
 
278 
 
 De sa puissance immortelle 
 
 Tout parle, tout nous instruit. 
 Le jour au jour la revele, 
 
 La nuit Fannonce a la nuit 
 Ce grand et superbe ouvrage 
 N'est point pour Thomme un langage 
 
 Obscur et mysterieux : 
 Son admirable structure 
 Est la voix de la Nature, 
 
 Qui se fait entendre aux yeux. 
 
 Dans une eclatante voute 
 
 II a place de ses mains 
 Ce soleil qui dans sa route 
 
 Eclaire tous les humains. 
 Environne de lumiere, 
 Cct astre ouvre sa carriere 
 
 Comme un epoux glorieux, 
 Qui des Faube matinale 
 De sa couche nuptiale 
 
 Sort brillant et radieux. 
 
 L'Univers a sa presence 
 Semble sortir du neant. 
 
 II prend sa course, il s'avance 
 Comme un superbe geant. 
 Bientot sa marche feconde 
 
 Embrasse le tour du monde 
 
279 
 
 Dans le cercle qu'il decrit ; 
 Et par sa chaleur puissante 
 La nature languissante 
 
 Se ranime et se nourrit. 
 
 O que tes ceuvres sont belles ! 
 
 Grand Dieu, quels sont tesbienfaits ! 
 Que ceux qui te sont fideles 
 
 Sous ton joug trouvent d'attraits ! 
 Ta crainte inspire la joie ; 
 Elle assure notre voie ; 
 
 Elle nous rend triomphans : 
 Elle eclaire la jeunesse ; 
 Et fait briller la sagesse 
 
 Dans les plus foibles enfans. 
 
 Soutiens ma foi chancelante, 
 
 Dieu puissant, inspire-moi 
 Cette crainte vigilante 
 
 Qui fait pratiquer ta Loi, 
 Loi sainte, Loi desirable, 
 Ta richesse est preferable 
 
 A la richesse de Tor ; 
 Et ta douceur est pareille 
 Au miel dont la jeune abeille 
 
 Compose son cher trcsor, 
 
230 
 
 Mais sans tes clartes sacrees 
 
 Qui peut connoitre, Seigneur, 
 Les foiblesses egarees 
 
 Dans les replis de son coeur ? 
 Prete-moi tes feux propices : 
 Viens m'aider a fuir les vices 
 
 Qui s'attachent a mes pas : 
 Viens consumer par ta flamme 
 Ceux que je vois dans mon ame, 
 
 Et ceux que je n'y vois pas. 
 
 Si de leur triste esclava^e 
 
 Tu viens degager mes sens, 
 Si tu detruis leur ouvrage, 
 
 Mes jours seront innocens : 
 J'irai puiser sur ta trace 
 Dans les sources de ta grace ; 
 
 Et de ses eaux abbreuve, 
 Ma gloire fera connoitre 
 Que le Dieu qui m'a fait naitre, 
 
 Est le Dieu qui m'a sauve. 
 
 J. B. Rousseau. 
 
281 
 
 PSEAUME CXXI. 
 
 David etant d la guerre, composa ce Pseaume, pour 
 demander V assistance divine, en laquelle seule il 
 protcste de se confier. 
 
 Je regarde de toutes parts, 
 Qui me peut sauver des hazards 
 
 D'une longue et penible guerre, 
 Les hommes me trompent toujours, 
 
 Le Dieu du ciel et d© la terre 
 M'est seul fidel en son secours. 
 
 Israel, qui gardes sa loi, 
 
 Ne crains point que jamais pour toi 
 
 Cet amoureux Pere sommeille, 
 Qu'il te laisse tomber a bas 
 
 Et que sa bonte nonpareille 
 Ne guide et n' asseure tes pas. 
 
 Non, il ne sommeillera point, 
 Ce Dieu de qui l'honneur est joint 
 
 A tes triomphes, a ta joie ; 
 Comment seroit-il endormi ? 
 
 Comment laisseroit-il en proie 
 Ses enfans k son ennemi ? 
 
282 
 
 Quelle faveur i quelle bonte ! 
 Un Dieu, de qui la majeste, 
 
 Avec tant de splendeur eclate, 
 A toujours un soin paternel 
 
 Pour toi, que ta revoke ingrate 
 Rend presque toujours criminel. 
 
 Rien ne peut lasser son amour, 
 Dans l'ardente chaleur du jour, 
 
 Ses ailes te tiennent a 1' ombre, 
 Et la lune au front argente, 
 
 Pour toi, dans sa carriere sombre, 
 N'a point de maligne clarte. 
 
 Enfin, le Seigneur que tu sers 
 Pour ta garde a les yeux ouverts ; 
 
 Que toujours leur clarte te luise, 
 Qu'il donne la force k ton bras, 
 
 Et que dans la guerre il conduise 
 Et tes desseins, et tes combats. 
 
 Godeau. 
 
INDEX 
 
 TO 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Matthew Parker 1 
 
 George Sandys 3 
 
 George Wither 6 
 
 Henry King 7 
 
 Richard Goodridge 9 
 
 Sir John Denham . . . . . ib. 
 
 Miles Smyth .10 
 
 Simon Ford ....... ib. 
 
 John Patrick 11 
 
 Samuel Woodford, D. D. . 12 
 
 NahumTate 13 
 
 Nicholas Brady 14 
 
284 
 
 Luke Milbourne 
 
 Sir Richard Blackmore . 
 
 Isaac Watts, D.D. 
 
 James Merrick, A. M. . 
 
 Stephen Wheatland and Tipping Silvester 
 
 Christopher Smart . . 
 
 PAGE 
 . 15 
 
 . 16 
 . 17 
 
 . 20 
 . 26 
 
 . 27 
 
IN'DEX 
 
 TO 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 PSALM 
 
 I 
 
 % (jjipps 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 31 
 
 Ill 
 
 . Goodridge - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 34 
 
 IV 
 
 . Hall - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 35 
 
 VIII 
 
 . Pitt - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 38 
 
 X 
 
 . . Merrick 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 41 
 
 XI. ... 
 
 . . Cumberland 
 
 - 
 
 . 
 
 42 
 
 XIII. . . 
 
 . . Cotton 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 44 
 
 XV.... 
 
 . . New Version 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 46 
 
 XVI 
 
 , . Merrick 
 
 - 
 
 . 
 
 47 
 
 XVIII. . 
 
 . Sandys 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 53 
 
 XIX. . . 
 
 . . Addison 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 58 
 
 XX. . . . 
 
 , . Wheatland and Silvester 
 
 60 
 
 XXIII. . 
 
 i Addison 
 I Cottle - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 66 
 67 
 
 XXIV. , 
 
 , . Pitt - 
 
 - 
 
 . 
 
 75 
 
 XXV. . 
 
 . . Mason 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 78 
 
 XXIX. . 
 
 . Pitt -• 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 79 
 
 XXX. . 
 
 . . King - 
 
 
 - 
 
 81 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 . Denham 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 83 
 
286 
 
 T5ALM PAGE 
 
 XLI Mason .... 85 
 
 XLII I Gregory .... 93 
 
 £ Cotton - - - - lb. 
 
 XLVI King ----- 96 
 
 XLIX Merrick 98 
 
 L Unknown - 102 
 
 j j C Brampton - - - 105 
 
 ' 1 Countess of Pembroke - - 112 
 
 LVII Wither - - - - 116 
 
 LXIII Mrs. Rowe - - - - 118 
 
 T XV 5 Vaughan - 122 
 
 \ Unknown - - - -125 
 
 LXVIII Mickle .... 129 
 
 LXIX Merrick - - - - 133 
 
 LXXII. . . . Mrs. Rowe - 136 
 
 LXXVIII. . . Doddridge 144 
 
 LXXXIV. . . Denham - - - - 153 
 
 LXXXVIII. Prior 155 
 
 LXXXIX. . Sandys - 156 
 
 Yp J Denham - - - 160 
 
 AC I Mason - 162 
 
 XCI Sandys - 166 
 
 XCII Sandys - - - - 16S 
 
 XCIII Ford - 170 
 
 YrVT J Watts 172 
 
 AC VI. . . f Gregory .... 173 
 
 XCVIII. . . . Denham - - - - 174 
 
 •C Goodridge - - - - -. 175 
 
 CI New Version - - - , 176 
 
 ^ U1 JBlackmore - 180 
 
 mv jWotton - - - 185 
 
 *7 V I - 189 
 
 i^wtt S Milburne - 200 
 
 cxvn. . . | Watt8 _ . 4 . _ r ib< 
 
287 
 
 PSALM PAGE 
 
 CXIX. (Part 22d) Merrick - 201 
 
 CXX Watts - - - - -202 
 
 CXXI Smart - 205 
 
 pyyjt 5 Sandys - - - * - 207 
 
 ^ AA11 I Merrick - 208 
 
 CXXV Mason - 211 
 
 CXXVII Denham - 212 
 
 r>vw S Gascoigne - 213 
 
 LAAX i Fletcher - 218 
 
 (Gregory - 222 
 
 CXXXIII. . . 1 Bryan - 223 
 
 I Sandys - 224 
 
 ( Sandys - - - ib. 
 
 CXXXIV. . . 2 Lord Coleraine - 225 
 
 £ Scots Version - 226 
 
 CXXXVL . . . Merrick - 228 
 
 ("Lovlin - 230 
 
 CXXXVII. . .J Crashaw - 232 
 
 (Watts - 235 
 
 CXXXVIII. . . Patrick - 237 
 
 cxxxix. ..JS nd ?\ " " " S? 
 
 ( Merrick - 241 
 
 CXLI Watts - 244 
 
 CXLII Davison - - - - 245 
 
 CXL1V Pitt - 246 
 
 (Merrick - 250 
 
 CXLV J Watts - - - - 253 
 
 (Woodford - - - 254 
 
 (Parker - 256 
 
 CXLVI. . .. J Bryan .... 259 
 
 ( Mrs. Rowe - - - 261 
 
 CXLVIII. ...]n an i dyS " " " T£ 
 
 I Ogilvie - 266 
 
 CXLIX i L 
 
 Blackmore - - 271 
 
288 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PT C Smyth ---.-.- 272 
 
 ^ I Cumberland - 273 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 LXXXII Grotius - 275 
 
 XIX J. B. Rousseau - 277 
 
 CXXI Godeau - 281 
 
 JFini*. 
 
 Printed by J. BRETTELL, 
 
 Marshall-Street, Golden-Square London.