Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, VIRGINITIE, by JOSEPH BEAUMONT


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

VIRGINITIE, by                    
First Line: Jewell of jewells, richer far
Last Line: All creatures come in virgin puritie.
Subject(s): Mary. Mother Of Jesus; Virginity; Women In The Bible; Virgin Mary; Vestals


JEWELL of Jewells, richer far
Then all those pretious Beauties are,
Which to our West
Stream from ye East:
The Way
Of Day,
The Morne though deck'd wth Heavnly Modestie
Blusheth not halfe so gracefully as Shee.

For She it was who did let in
A Brighter, & a Nobler Sun,
Then e'r did rise
To Mortall eyes:
A Sun
Whom none
Of all ye Heavns could hold; Gods Son was Hee
And thine, Immaculate Virginitie.

Would any curious Critick know
A thing more white, & chast then snow?
First wash his Eye,
Then let Him prie,
For Shee
Will be
Clowded wth in her veile: Though much more bright
Then Day, She meekly shrowds her selfe in Night.

Lillies are cleanly, white & sweet,
And yet they have but dirty feet;
Their Roots from Earth
Never look forth,
But grow
Below.
Onely this spotlesse Flowre, wch plants her Root
Deep in ye Heavns, did never fowle her foot.

For there She grew & flourished
Before old Time began to bud:
Yea & brought forth
A Stem more worth
Then all
The Ball
Of Heavn & Earth: The VIRGIN SIRE alone
Eternally begat his VIRGIN SONNE.

The yeouthfull beauteous Spirits above
With this fair Flowre fell All in love.
No marrying there
As Wee have here;
But They
All say,
Let dirty wormes below goe wed; whilst Wee
Copie our VIRGIN MASTERS Puritie.

Yet by your leave Sweet Spirits, now
These wormes have crept far after You.
Great Gabriell
Remembers well
What He
Did see
At Nazareth, a Virgin Spotlesse Thing,
Purer then was His Archangelick Wing.

Wherfore when He had thither flew
Behind his back his Wings he drew,
And straitway all
His Plumes let fall;
He spyde
The Bride
Of Heavns Great Dove: (How pure & chast was Shee,
Which was the Virgin Spouse of Chastitie?)

With Reverend Voice & bended knee
Haile, full of Grace, to Her said Hee,
This complement
From Heavn was sent:
No Name
Became
This Soule but That; whose awfull Presence made
Gabriel of Her, as She of Him afraid.

Hee never saw his Brethrns face
Blush wth a more celestiall grace:
And had He spyde
About Her side
Such Things
As Wings,
He would have been familiar, & have said
Good morrow Brother, to this Sacred Maid.

All hail Great Queen of Chastity
That Name is due from Us to Thee,
Whose Pattern all
Our World doth call
To come;
And some
Faire Voluntiers have ventur'd on to fight
Under Thy Colours, which are Lilly-white.

They have resolv'd to fight wth Thee
The Battells of VIRGINITIE;
And to resigne
Their Corps like Thine
Sinceer
And clear
Unto their Maker, from whose Hand We see
All Creatures come in VIRGIN PURITIE.





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