Sarpedon’s Speech to Glaucus, in the Twelfth Book of Homer

Friendship and Single Life, against Love and Marriage

On Mr. Abraham Cowley, his Death, and Burial amongst the Ancient Poets

A Speech against Peace at the Close Committee

To the Five Members of the Honourable House of Commons, the humble
Petition of the Poets

A Western Wonder

A Second Western Wonder

A Song

On Mr. John Fletcher’s Works

To Sir Richard Fanshaw, upon his Translation of ‘Pastor Fido’

To the Hon. Edward Howard, on ‘The British Princes’

An Occasional Imitation of a Modern Author upon the Game of Chess

The Passion of Dido for Aeneas

Of Prudence

Of Justice

The Progress of Learning

Elegy on the Death of Helfry Lord Hastings, 1650

Of Old Age

THE POETICAL WORKS

OF

EDMUND WALLER

WALLER’S POETICAL WORKS.

MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.

OF THE DANGER HIS MAJESTY [BEING PRINCE] ESCAPED IN THE ROAD AT ST ANDERO.[1]

Now bad his Highness bid farewell to Spain,
And reach’d the sphere of his own power—­the main;
With British bounty in his ship he feasts
Th’ Hesperian princes, his amazed guests,
To find that watery wilderness exceed
The entertainment of their great Madrid. 
Healths to both kings, attended with the roar
Of cannons, echo’d from th’affrighted shore,
With loud resemblance of his thunder, prove
Bacchus the seed of cloud-compelling Jove; 10
While to his harp divine Arion sings[2]
The loves and conquests of our Albion kings.

Of the Fourth Edward was his noble song,
Fierce, goodly, valiant, beautiful, and young;
He rent the crown from vanquish’d Henry’s head,
Raised the White Rose, and trampled on the Red;
Till love, triumphing o’er the victor’s pride,
Brought Mars and Warwick to the conquer’d side: 
Neglected Warwick (whose bold hand, like Fate,
Gives and resumes the sceptre of our state) 20
Woos for his master; and with double shame,
Himself deluded, mocks the princely dame,
The Lady Bona, whom just anger burns,
And foreign war with civil rage returns. 
Ah! spare your swords, where beauty is to blame;
Love gave th’affront, and must repair the same;
When France shall boast of her, whose conqu’ring eyes
Have made the best of English hearts their prize;
Have power to alter the decrees of Fate,
And change again the counsels of our state. 30
  What the prophetic Muse intends, alone
To him that feels the secret wound is known. 
  With the sweet sound of this harmonious