To Mr. Norris, on his Idea of Happiness. Sarah Fyge Egerton Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. T125148 Egerton, Sarah Fyge, 1668-1723. Poems on Several Occasions, Together with a Pastoral. By Mrs. S. F. [poems only] London printed, and are to be sold by J. Nutt, near Stationers-Hall 1703 pp. 27-31. [20],117,[3],15,[1]p.; 8⁰.

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To Mr. Norris , on his Idea of Happiness . I. If Pythagorick notions would agree , With sublimated Christianity ; What mighty Soul , shall I allow , Informs thy Body now ; For when did such appear , Sure the belov'd Disciple's Soul is here . Not us'd since then , but kept above , And taught a more extatick Love ; The Understanding more inlarg'd and free , Each generous Faculty Refin'd , Improv'd , made more compleat , In the seraphick Seat . The brightest warmest of th' exalted Quire , Flaming with Rays of beatifick Fire ; Such seems thy elevated Soul to be , And not the usual sort gave to Mortality . II . The great , the Eternal God of Love , Took Pity on us from above ; He could no longer see , Our Souls wrapt in Obscurity : But sent thee like , a bright celestial Ray , To clear our Sight , and to direct the Way ; To the Etherial Courts of Bliss , The only great , and lasting Happiness . The active native Principle of Love , We found did move By an internal Influence , But 'twas toward some object of the Sense : Effects and Causes were not understood , We only knew we wisht for Good , And would with Joy each glimpse pursue , Resolve to fasten there , and think 'twas true . In vain we thought our Love was fixt , For all those Joys were intermixt With Disappointments and Deceit , Our strugling Souls themselves did cheat : Still they desir'd and lov'd , but were not blest , Nor found they Rest , Till thy bright Pen markt out the happy Prize , Taught us at once to love and to be wise . III . Thou dost disect our weak distemper'd Soul , Discover'st the Disease and mak'st us whole ; Prescrib'st such Methods , which if we obey , We shall no longer doat on Clay , Which long our vitiated Souls have fed , But shall have Appetite to Celestial Bread . We shall no longer fondly play , With Trifles on the way , But climb the Hill with a delightful hast , And feast our Souls at thy divine Repast . But lest , like doubtful or unthankful Guest , We should neglect the Royal Feast ; Thou , to incourage our appearance there , Hast kindly given us a Bill of Fare . IV . By powerful Energy of Thoughts divine , Thou didst thy Soul raise and refine , With strong Impulse it did upward move , Mounting on eager Wings of Love ; Through all th' inferior Courts it made its way , To the bright Spring of everlasting day ; Did all the amazing Glories see , And what it shou'd hereafter be , Saluted by the soft Seraphick Quire , Who's Anthems all its Faculties inspire , But flasht to mighty Rays of sacred Fire . For the refulgent Glories were too great , It could not bear such Raptures yet , Till Immortality had made it more compleat : It could no longer stay , no longer view , Then down again it flew , Did with Angelick Radiance shine , Inspir'd with Sapience divine . It doth its bright Etherial Voyage tell , And in what Bliss departed Souls do dwell : All this in pure and pregnant Elegance we hear , Plain as Corporeal Organs can declare , That when we read thy Lines we almost think we're there .