His strength to suffer, and his will to |

But oh thou | bounteous | Giver of | all | good, Thou art of all thy | gifts | thy- | self the | crown!

Give what thou canst, with- | out thee we are | : poor; |

And with thee | rich, take what thou | wilt a- | way. 1771771

SONNET TO CYRIAC SKINNER.

Milton.

Cyriac, this three years' | day these | eyes 1

argue not |

nor | bate

Of sun, or | moon, or | star,

the year,

Or man or woman. 7 Yet I

Against Heaven's | hand or | will,

a jot

Of heart or hope; but still | bear | up and |

steer

Right onward.

What sup- ports me

dost thou ask? |

Con- tent though | blind, had I no | better guide.

To serve therewithmy | Maker and pre- | sent ។ |

My true ac- | count, | lest he re- | turning

chide;

Doth God ex- | act day | labor, || light de- | nied? |

I fondly ask:|1 1|1 But | patience to pre-vent

That murmur, | soon re- | plies, God doth not need |

Either man's work, or his own gifts; 1 who best

Bear his mild | yoke, | they | serve him | best; | his| state

Iskingly; thousands at his | bidding | speed, | And post o'er | land and | ocean

without | rest;|

and

They also serve | who | only | stand wait. 771771

APOSTROPHE TO LIGHT.

Milton.

Hail | holy | Light, offspring of | Heaven | first born,

Or of the e-ternal co-e- | ternal | beam,

| |

May I ex- | press thee | un- | blamed? Since | God is light, |

And never

but in | unap- | proached | light | Dwelt from e- ternity, dwelt | then in | thee, ||

Bright | effluence of | bright | essence | increate 191991

Or hear'st thou | rather, pure e- therial | stream,

1

Whose fountain | who shall | tell || Be- | fore the sun

Before the | Heavens | thou wert, and I at the voice |

Of God

| as with a | mantle, | didst in- {

vest

The rising world of | waters || dark and deep

Won from the void | and | formless | infi

nite.

Thee I re- visit | now

with | bolder | wing, |with | ||

though|

Es-caped the | Stygian | pool

long de- | tained |

In that ob- scure so- | journ while |

in my flight, ||

Through | utter borne,

and through | middle | darkness |

With other notes | than to the Or- | phean | lyre | Isung of chaos and e-ternal | night. ||11| Taught by the heavenly muse to venture | down | The dark de- | scent and up to re

as- cend

Though hard | and | rare; |11| Thee I revisit safe

។

And feel thy sovereign | vital | lamp; 11 but thou Re-visit'st not these eyes, that roll | in | vain, |

|

To find thy piercing | ray, and I find | no | dawn;

11

So thick a drop se- | rene hath | quench'd their | orbs ។ | ។ ។ | |

Or dim suf- fusion | veil'd.1177/Yet

not the more

Cease I to wander || where the | Muses | haunt, | Clear springor | shady | grove, or sunny | bill,

Smit with the | love of | sacred | song; 19 but chief

Thee Sion, and the flowery | brooks be- | neath, 1|

That wash thy | hallow'd | feet,

bling | flow, |

Nightly | times

and | war

I | visit: | nor some- I for-get

Those other two | equalled with | me in | fate, | So were I equalled with them in re- | nown | | Blind | Thamyris | and | blind Mæ- | onides, | And Ty- |resias | and | Phineas, || prophets | old: ។ | ។ ។ |

Then feed on | thoughts, that voluntary | |

move

Har-monious | numbers; as the | wakeful | bird || Sings darkling and in | shadiest | covert | hid Tunes her noc- turnal | note. 1991 Thus with the year 1

Seasons re- turn, but not to me returns |

Day or the sweet ap- | proach of | even | and morn ; ។ | ។ ។ |

Or sight of vernal | bloom, | or | summer's |

Surrounds me, from the | cheerful | ways of |

men

Cut off, and for the | book of | knowledge | fair with a uni- | versal | blank|

Presented