[Page 175]

TO Mr. Henry Bendish.

August 24. 1705.
Dear SIR,
THE following Song was yours when first compos'd: The Muse then described the general Fate of Mankind, that is, to be Ill-match'd: And now she rejoyces that you have escaped the common Mischief, and that your Soul has found its own Mate. Let this Ode then Congratulate you Both: Grow mutually in more compleat Likeness and Love; Persevere and be Happy: Accept from the Press what the Pen more privately inscribed to you.
[Page 176]

The Indian Philosopher, OR Matches made Above, But Broke in coming down.

September 3. 1701.
I.
1 WHY should our Joys transform to Pain?
2 Why gentle Hymen's Silken Chain
3 A Plague of Iron prove?
4 BENDISH, 'tis strange the Charm that binds
5 Millions of Hands should leave their Minds
6 At such a loose from Love.
II.
7 In vain I sought the wondrous Cause,
8 Rang'd the wide Fields of Natures Laws,
9 And urg'd the Schools in vain;
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10 Then deep in Thought, within my Breast
11 My Soul retir'd, and Slumber drest
12 A bright Instructive Scene.
III.
13 O're the broad Lands and 'cross the Tide
14 On Fancies Airy Horse I ride,
15 (Sweet Rapture of the Mind)
16 Till on the Banks of Ganges Flood
17 In a tall Ancient Grove I stood
18 For Sacred Use design'd.
IV.
19 Hard by a Venerable Priest
20 Ris'n with his God the Sun from Rest
21 Awoke his Morning-Song;
22 Thrice he conjur'd the Murm'ring Stream;
23 The Birth of Souls was all his Theme,
24 And half Divine his Tongue.
V.
25 "He Sang th' Eternal rolling Flame,
26 " That Vital Mass, that still the same
27 "Does all our Minds compose;
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28 " But shap'd in twice ten thousand Frames,
29 "Thence differing Souls of differing Names,
30 " And Jarring Tempers rose.
VI.
31 "The mighty Power that form'd the Mind
32 " One Mould for every Two design'd,
33 "And bless'd the New-born Pair:
34 " This be a Match for This, he said,
35 "Then down he sent the Souls he made
36 " To seek them Bodies here:
VII.
37 "But parting from their warm Abode
38 " They lost their Fellows on the Road,
39 "And never joyn'd their Hands:
40 " Ah cruel Chance, and crossing Fates!
41 "Our Eastern Souls have dropt their Mates
42 " On Europes Barbarous Lands.
VIII.
43 "Happy the Youth that finds the Bride
44 " Whose Birth is to his own ally'd,
45 "The Sweetest Joy of Life:
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46 " But Oh the Crowds of Wretched Souls
47 "Fetter'd to Minds of different Moulds,
48 " And chain'd t' Eternal Strife!
IX.
49 Thus Sang the wondrous Indian Bard,
50 My Soul with vast Attention heard,
51 While Ganges ceas'd to flow:
52 "Sure then, I cry'd, might I but see
53 " That gentle Nymph that twinn'd with me,
54 "I may be Happy too.
X.
55 "Some Courteous Angel tell me where,
56 " What distant Lands this unknown Fair
57 "Or distant Seas detain?
58 " Swift as the Wheel of Nature rolls
59 "I'de fly to meet and mingle Souls,
60 " And wear the Joyful Chain.

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Title (in Source Edition): TO Mr. Henry Bendish.
Author: Isaac Watts
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Genres: address; ode

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Watts, Isaac, 1674-1748. Horæ lyricæ: Poems, chiefly of the lyric kind. In two books. ... By I. Watts. London: Printed by S. and D. Bridge, for John Lawrence at the Sign of the Angel in the Poultrey. MDCCVI., 1706, pp. 175-179. [20],267,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T82397; OTA K067329.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

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