C.

Begone, mine eyes; what would ye see beside?Go now in peace 'neath darkening brows to hide.Once and again, and yet again; behold;With one long gaze His beams in yours enfold.Then go, and guard your treasure safe from foes,And fast in yours those beams of His enclose.To look on Thee, O Christ, this first have I;Then, having look'd on Thee, straightway to die.Cl.

In segetem sacram.Matt. xiii. 24.

Ecce suam implorat, demisso vertice, falcem:Tu segeti falcem da, Pater alme, suam.Tu falcem non das? messem tu, Christe, moraris?Hoc ipsum falx est; haec mora messis erit.

Good seed in the field.

Its sickle it implores with head bow'd low;Its sickle on the corn-field, Lord, bestow.Refusest Thou? The harvest dost delay?The sickle this—hence fuller harvest-day.G.

Coepit lacrymis rigare pedes ejus, et capillis extergebat.Luc. vii. 37.

Unda sacras sordes lambit placidissima: flavaeLambit et hanc undam lucida flamma comae.Illa per has sordes it purior unda; simulqueIlle per has lucet purior ignis aquas.

She began to wash His feet with teares, and wipe them with the haires of her head.

Her eyes' flood lickes His feets' faire staine;Her hair's flame lickes up that againe.This flame thus quencht hath brighter beames;This flood thus stainèd fairer streames.Cr.

ANOTHER RENDERING.

With placid force the gentle waveThat consecrated dust doth lave,And a bright flame of golden hairDoth lave in light those waters fair.Purer the trickling waters shineThrough contact with that dust divine;And purer through the waters' flowThat flame of lucent fire doth glow.Cl.

Quid vis tibi faciam?Luc. xviii. 41.

Quid volo, Christe, rogas? quippe ah volo, Christe, videre:Quippe ad te, dulcis Christe, videre volo.At video, fideique oculis te nunc quoque figo:Est mihi, quae nunquam est non oculata, fides.Sed quamvis videam, tamen ah volo, Christe, videre:Sed quoniam video, Christe, videre volo.

What seekest that I do to thee?

Askest, O Christ, my wish? My Christ I wish to see:To see Thee, O my sweet Christ, to see Thee.But, lo, I see; for now on Thee I fix faith's eye,And gazing so, dimness and darkness fly.But though I see, yet, ah, my Christ I wish to see;And since I see, O Christ, I would see Thee.G.

Christus mulieri Canaaneae difficilior.Matt. xv. 21.

Ut pretium facias dono, donare recusas:Usque rogat supplex, tutamen usque negas.Hoc etiam donare fuit, donare negare.Saepe dedit quisquis saepe negata dedit.

The silence of Christ to the woman of Canaan.

That He a gift more precious might bestow,While she implor'd, discouragements He used.This was to give thus not to give; for, lo,He giveth oft who gives what's oft refused.[62]G.

Beatus venter et ubera, &c.Luc. ii. 27.

Et quid si biberet Jesus vel ab ubere vestro?Quid facit ad vestram, quod bibit ille, sitim?Ubera mox sua et hic, ô quam non lactea! pandet;E nato mater tum bibet ipsa suo.

Blessed be the paps which Thou hast sucked.

Suppose He had been tabled at thy teates,Thy hunger feeles not what He eates:He'l have His teat ere long—a bloody one;The mother then must suck the Son.Cr.

In Christum vitem.Joan. xv. 1.

Ulmum vitis amat, quippe est et in arbore flamma,Quam fovet in viridi pectore blandus amor:Illam ex arboribus cunctis tu, vitis, amasti;Illam, quaecunque est, quae crucis arbor erat.

Christ the true Vine (including the branches).

The vine clings lovingly unto the elm;Love's flame draws thus a tree within its realm:But most, O vine, thou lov'st, whate'er its name,That tree from which the cross of Calvary came.G.

Vos flebitis et lamentabimini.Joan. xvi. 20.

Ergo mihi salvete mei, mea gaudia, luctus:Quam charum, ô Deus, est hoc mihi flere meum!Flerem, ni flerem: solus tu, dulcis Jesu,Laetitiam donas tunc quoque quando negas.

Verily I say unto you, Yee shall weep and lament.

Welcome, my griefe, my joy; how deare'sTo me my legacy of teares!I'll weepe and weepe, and will thereforeWeepe 'cause I can weepe no more.Thou, Thou, deare Lord, even Thou alone,Giv'st joy, even when Thou givest none.Cr.

In gregem Christi Pastoris.Joan. x. 11.

O grex, ô nimium tanto Pastore beatus;O ubi sunt tanto pascua digna grege?Ne non digna forent tanto grege pascua, ChristusIpse suo est Pastor, pascuum et ipse gregi.

Christ the good Shepherd.

O flock, O too much in thy Sheepherd blest,Where are fields worthy thee to feed and rest?Lest worthy pastures nowhere should be found,Christ is to thee the Sheepherd and the ground.B.

ANOTHER VERSION.

O flock, in your great Shepherd all too blest,Where shall fit pasturage be found for you?That His fair flock may ne'er want food or rest,Christ is the Pastor and the pasture too.Cl.

In vulnera pendentis Domini.Matt. xxviii. 26-53.

Sive oculos, sive ora vocem tua vulnera; certeUndique sunt ora, heu, undique sunt oculi.Ecce ora, ô nimium roseis florentia labris!Ecce oculi, saevis ah madidi lacrymis!Magdala, quae lacrymas solita es, quae basia sacroFerre pedi, sacro de pede sume vices.Ora pedi sua sunt, tua quo tibi basia reddat:Quo reddat lacrymas scilicet est oculus.[63]

On the wounds of the crucified Lord.

Thy wounds, O Lord, are mouths and eyes—Let not the strange words breed surprise:Where'er I look, wounds seem to speak;Where'er I look, wounds in tears break;Mouths with ruddy lips disparted,Eyes as of the broken-hearted.Thou, Mary, on His sacred feetRainèdst thy tears and kisses sweet.Now retake thy kisses, tears;Cling thee there, there hush thy fears.See, mouths and eyes are here also;Swift they'll pay back thy loving woe.G.

Paralyticus convalescens.Marc. ii. 1-13.

Christum, quod misero facilis peccata remittit,Scribae blasphemum dicere non dubitant.Hoc scelus ut primum Paralyticus audiit: iraImpatiens, lectum sustulit atque abiit.

The paralytic healed.

The Scribes audaciously blaspheme the Lord,That He a poor man pardon'd with a word.The Paralytic hears all that they say;Indignant takes his bed, and walks away.G.

Tunc sustulerunt lapides.Joan. viii. 59.

Saxa? illi? quid tam foedi voluere furores?Quid sibi de saxis hi voluere suis?Indolem, et antiqui agnosco vestigia patris:Panem de saxis hi voluere suis.

Then took they up stones.

'They took up stones:' What meant they by such rage?What wanted they with them? Their meaning's plain:'Tis their old father's way—O sad presage!He too took up the stones for bread amain.[64]G.

In resurrectionem Domini.Matt. xxviii. 6.

Nasceris, en, tecumque tuus, Rex auree, mundus,Tecum[65]virgineo nascitur e tumulo.Tecum in natales properat natura secundos,Atque novam vitam te novus orbis habet.Ex vita, Sol alme, tua vitam omnia sumunt:Nil certe, nisi mors, cogitur inde mori.At certe neque mors: nempe ut queat illa sepulchro,Christe, tuo condi, mors volet ipsa mori.

On the Resurrection of the Lord.

Thou'rt born, and, lo, bright King, Thy world is born,Is born with Thee from virgin tomb this morn.Hastes Nature to its second day of birth,And a new life in Thee crowns a new earth.Dear Sun, from Thy life all things draw life's breath;Nought thence is forced to die, save only Death.Nor is Death forced—since in Thy grave to lie,Death will itself, O Christ, be glad to die.R. Wi.

Aliqui vero dubitabant.Matt. xxviii. 17.

Scilicet et tellus dubitat,[66]tremebunda: sed ipsum hoc,Quod tellus dubitat, vos dubitare vetat.Ipsi custodes vobis, si quaeritis, illudHoc ipse dicunt,[67]dicere quod nequeunt.

But some doubted.

Earth, quaking, wavers: if that fact be true,The wavering earth forbids you waver too.The very keepers, if their voice you seek,Though speechless, even by their silence speak.R. Wi.

In vulnerum vestigia quae ostendit Dominus, ad firmandam suorum fidem.Joan. xx. 20.

His oculis, nec adhuc clausis coïere fenestris,Invigilans nobis est tuus usus amor.His oculis nos cernit amor tuus: his et amorem,Christe, tuum gaudet cernere nostra fides.

The scars of the wounds which the Lord showed to the strengthening of His disciples' faith.

Thy love these eyes did open;They're watching for us still:These eyes, of love the token,Our faith with love do fill.G.

Mittit Joannes qui quaerant a Christo, an is sit.Luc. vii. 19.

Tu qui adeo impatiens properasti agnoscere Christum,Tunc cum claustra uteri te tenuere tui,Tu, quis sit Christus, rogitas? et quaeris ab ipso?Hoc tibi vel mutus dicere quisque potest.[68]

John sends to Jesus ... saying, Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another?

And dostthouask, who in thy mother's wombSo eager wast to hail Messiah come?Thou ask, and of Himself, if Christ He be?Why, even the very dumb can answer thee.Cl.

In Petrum auricidam.Joan. xviii. 10.

Quantumcunque ferox tuus hic, Petre, fulminat ensis,Tu tibi jam pugnas, ô bone, non Domino.Scilicet in miseram furis implacidissimus aurem,Perfidiae testis ne queat esse tuae.

On St. Peter cutting off Malchus his eare.

Well, Peter, dost thou wield thy active sword;Well for thyselfe, I meane, not for thy Lord.To strike at eares is to take heed there beeNo witnesse, Peter, of thy perjury.Cr.

Manus arefacta sanatur.Marc. iii. 1-5.

Felix, ergo tuae spectas natalia dextrae,Quae modo spectanti flebile funus erat!Quae nec in externos modo dextera profuit usus,Certe erit illa tuae jam manus et fidei.[69]

The withered hand healed.

O happy man, thy right-hand's birth beholding,Erewhile a sad funereal sight enfolding!The hand of no use, by the word Christ saith,Restor'd, is now become the hand of faith.G. & B.

In Pontium male lautum.Matt. xxvii. 24.

Illa manus lavat unda tuas, vanissime judex:Ah tamen illa scelus non lavat unda tuum!Nulla scelus lavet unda tuum: vel si lavet ulla,O volet ex oculis illa venire tuis.

To Pontius washing his hands.

Thy hands are washt; but, O, the water's spiltThat labour'd to have washt thy guilt:The flood, if any can, that can suffice,Must have its fountaine in thine eyes.Cr.

ANOTHER VERSION.

The unjust judge washt his hands at the time:Ah, but no water can wash out thy crime.No water washt it out: if any will,'Tis that which must from thy owne eyes distil.B.

In piscem dotatum.Matt. xvii. 27.

Tu piscem si, Christe, velis, venit ecce, suumqueFert pretium: tanti est vel periisse tibi.Christe, foro tibi non opus est; addicere nummosNon opus est: ipsum se tibi piscis emet.

The stater-giving fish.

A fish Thou wishest, Lord;And without e'er a word,Behold, it swims to Thee,Fetching its own cost, free.Thou needest not to goIn markets to and fro;Nor need'st Thou price to bring—The fish owns Thee its king.G.

Ego vici mundum.Joan. xvi. 33.

Tu contra mundum dux es meus, optime Jesu?At tu, me miserum! dux meus ipse jaces.Si tu, dux meus, ipse jaces, spes ulla salutis?Immo, ni jaceas tu, mihi nulla salus.

I have overcome the world.

Jesus, my Captain, give me victories!Alas, Jesus Himself, my Captain, dies.And if my Captain fall, what hope have I?No hope at all, unless my Captain die.B.

ANOTHER VERSION.

Art Thou my Chief, best Lord, against the foe?But Thou, my Chief, me wretched! liest low.If Thou, my Chief, liest low, what help for me?Nay, if Thou liest not low, no help can be.A.

In ascensionem Dominicam.Act. i. 10.

Vadit, io, per aperta sui penetralia coeli:It coelo, et coelum fundit ab ore novum.Spargitur ante pedes, et toto sidere pronusJam propius solis sol bibit ora sui.At fratri debere negans sua lumina Phoebe,Aurea de Phoebo jam meliore redit.Hos, de te victo, tu das, Pater, ipse triumphos:Unde triumphares, quis satis alter erat?

On the ascension of our Lord.

Through open'd depths of His own heaven He soars,And from His face in heaven a new heaven pours.Scatter'd before Him down the welkin sinksThe sun, and its own sun's near glory drinks.Moon unto sun for light no more beholden,Now from more lustrous sun returns all golden.These triumphs o'er Thyself Thou grantest, Lord;Triumphs no other could suffice to 'accord.R. Wi.

In descensum Spiritus Sancti.Act. ii.

Jam coeli circum tonuit fragor: arma minasqueTurbida cum flammis mista ferebat hiems.Exclamat Judaeus atrox: Venit ecce nefandis,Ecce venit meriti fulminis ira memor.Verum ubi composito sedit fax blandior astro,Flammaque non laesas lambit amica comas;Judaeis, fulmen quia falsum apparuit esse,Hoc ipso verum nomine fulmen erat.

Οὐρανοῦ ἐκτύπησε βρόμος· πόλεμον καὶ ἀπειλὰςἮγε τρέχων ἄνεμος σὺν φλογὶ σμερδαλέῃ.Αὖεν Ἰουδαῖος· μιαρὰ στυγερῶν τὰ κάρηναἜφθασε τῆς ὀργῆς τὸ πρέπον οὐρανίης.Ἀλλὰ γαληναίῳ ὅτε κεῖται ἥσυχον ἄστρῳΦλέγμα, καὶ ἀβλήτους λεὶχε φίλον πλοκάμους,Ἑκθαμβεῖ. ὅτι γὰρ κείνοις οὐκ ἦεν ἀληθὴς,Νῦν ἐτεὸν διότι τῷδε κεραυνὸς ἔην.

The descent of the Holy Spirit.

Booms the thunder through the sky,Flash the lightnings, threats the storm;Cries the Jew with vengeful eye:SeeSINdoom'd in fitting form!But, lo, the lightning, paled to lightMild and calm as ev'ning's star,Binds their brows with nimbus bright,Playing softly i' their hair.To the Jews it is not lightning,Yet the more the name's enlightening.[70]G.

Sic dilexit mundum Deus, ut Filium morti traderet.Joan. iii. 16.

Ah nimis est, illum nostrae vel tradere vitae:Guttula quod faceret, cur facit oceanus?Unde et luxuriare potest, habet hinc mea vita:Ample et magnifice mors habet unde mori.

God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son....

Ah, 'tis too much to give Him for our sake:A drop might serve, why then an ocean take?Here may my life expatiate gloriously—Amply, magnificently, Death may die.R. Wi.

Juga boum emi.Luc. xiv. 19.

Ad coenam voco te, domini quod jussa volebant;Tu mihi, nescio quos, dicis, inepte, boves.Imo vale, nobis nec digne nec utilis hospes;Coena tuos, credo, malit habere boves.

I have bought five yoke of oxen.

I call thee to His Supper,for so The Master spake:Thou sayest 'No,' pretendingthou must thy oxen take.Farewell, O thou unworthyand wholly useless guest;Thy oxen for the Supperin truth were better prest.G.

D. Paulum, verbo sanantem claudum, pro Mercurio Lystres adorant.Act. xiv. 8-18.

Quis Tagus hic, quae Pactoli nova volvitur unda?Non hominis vox est haec: Deus ille, Deus.Salve, mortales nimium dignate penates:Digna Deo soboles, digna tonante Deo.O salve, quid enim, alme, tuos latuisse volebas?Te dicit certe vel tua lingua Deum.Laudem hanc haud miror: meruit facundus haberi,Qui claudo promptos suasit habere pedes.

St. Paul, healing the lame man with a word, is worshipped by the Lystrians as Mercury.

What Tagus, what Pactolus here is rolled?'Tis not man's voice: a God, a God behold.Hail, too much honour thou to men hast done,Of Jove, of thundering Jove the worthy son.Hail, Lord, for why wouldst hide thee from thine own?A God e'en by thy tongue assuredly art known.The praise of eloquence for him was meetWho could persuade the lame to use swift feet.R. Wi.

In S. Columbam ad Christi caput sedentem.

Cui sacra siderea volueris suspenditur ala?Hunc nive plus niveum cui dabit illa pedem?Christe, tuo capiti totis se destinat auris,Qua ludit densae blandior umbra comae.Illic arcano quid non tibi murmure narrat,Murmure mortales non imitante sonos?Sola avis haec nido hoc non est indigna cubare:Solus nidus hic est hac bene dignus ave.[71]

Πῆ ταχύεργος ἄγει πτέρυγ' ἀστερόεσσαν ἐρετμός;Ἢ τίνι κεῖνα φέρει τὴν πόδα χιονέην;Χριστὲ, τεῇ κεφαλῇ πάσαις πτερύγεσσιν ἐπείγει·Πῆ σκιά τοι δασίοις παῖζε μάλα πλοκάμοις.Ποῖά σοι ἀῤῥήτῳ ψιθυρίσματι κεῖν' ἀγορεύει;Ἀῤῥήτ', οὐκ ἠχῆς ἶσα μὲν ἀνδρομέης.Μοῦνα μὲν ἥδ' ὄρνις καλιᾶς ἐστ' ἀξία ταύτης·Ἀξία δ' ὄρνιθος μοῦνα μὲν ἡ καλιά.

To the sacred Dove alighting on the head of Christ.

On whom doth this blest Bird its wings outspread?Where will it suffer its white feet to rest?O Jesus, hovering o'er Thy hallow'd head,Within Thy hair's sweet shade it seeks a nest.There does it breathe a mystic song to Thee,A melody unlike all earthly sound:That Bird alone to this pure nest may flee;This nest alone worthy the Bird is found.W.

In fores divo Petro sponte apertas.Act. xii. 10.

Quid juvit clausisse fores, bone janitor, istas?Et Petro claves jam liquet esse suas.Dices, sponte patent: Petri ergo hoc scilicet ipsumEst clavis, Petro clave quod haud opus est.

The doors of the prison self-opening to Peter.

Good jailor, how is this,These doors thou lockest here?That Peter has the keys'Tis now to all men clear.Thou say'st the doors self-open,And well thou sayest indeed;For by this very tokenHe no other key doth need.G.

Murmurabant Pharisaei, dicentes, Recipit peccatores, et comedit cum illis.Luc. xv. 2.

Ah male, quisquis is est, pereat, qui scilicet istisConvivam, saevus, non sinit esse suum!Istis cum Christus conviva adjungitur, istisO non conviva est Christus, at ipse cibus.[72]

The Pharisees murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Ah, let him perish in his harsh protestsWho sinners checks to be the Saviour's guests!Sinners do entertain Christ as a guest:They spread the table, but He is the feast.G. & B.

In trabem Pharisaicam.Matt. vii. 3.

Cedant, quae, rerum si quid tenue atque minutum est,Posse acie certa figere, vitra dabunt.Artis opus mirae! Pharisaeo en optica trabs est,Ipsum, vera loquor, qua videt ille nihil.

On the beam of the Pharisee.

Grant you can fix upon a needle's endEach smallest object microscopes will lend.Rare beam to look through has the Pharisee,Whereby, in sooth, nothing itself sees he!R. Wi.

Constituerunt ut si quis confiteretur eum esse Christum, synagoga moveretur.Joan. ix. 22.

Infelix, Christum reus es quicunque colendi;O reus infelix, quam tua culpa gravis!Tu summis igitur, summis damnabere coelis:O reus infelix, quam tua poena gravis!

They determined that if any man should confess Him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

Alas, unhappy, own the Christ thou wilt;Unhappy culprit, fearful is thy guilt.The gates of heaven for aye should keep thee close:Unhappy culprit, fearful are thy woes.A.

De voto filiorum Zebedaei.Matt. xx. 20.

Sit tibi, Joannes, tibi sit, Jacobe, quod optas;Sit tibi dextra manus; sit tibi laeva manus.Spero alia in coelo est, et non incommoda, sedes;Si neque laeva manus, si neque dextra manus.Coeli hanc aut illam nolo mihi quaerere partem;O coelum, coelum da, Pater alme, mihi.

Concerning the prayer of the sons of Zebedee.

O brothers twain, may it be yours to fillAt right and left your places as ye will!A seat remains, I trust—a fair one too—Besides those high ones that were sought for you.I pray not that to me some part be given,But heaven itself, kind Father, grant me heaven.Cl.

ANOTHER VERSION.

John and James, take your place at God's command:One at the right, th' other at the left hand.I ask not to be placèd so, or so:To heaven, to heaven, good Father, let me go.B.

Ad hospites coenae miraculosae quinque panum.Joan. vi. 9-13.

Vescere pane tuo, sed et, hospes, vescere Christo;Et panis pani scilicet ille tuo.Tunc pane hoc Christi recte satur, hospes, abibis,Panem ipsum Christum si magis esurias.[73]

To the guests at the miraculous supper of the five loaves.

Feed on thy bread, on Christ too feed, O guest;With Bread on bread forsooth thou shalt be blest.Then shalt thou go, with Christ's bread satisfied,If hungering for the living Bread beside.R. Wi.

De Christi contra mundum pugna.Joan. xvi. 33.

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