Linenotes

Title] —— on Christmas Eve. In the year of Our Lord, 1794.

[1-23]

This is the time, when most divine to hear,
As with a Cherub's 'loud uplifted' trump
The voice of Adoration my thrill'd heart
Rouses! And with the rushing noise of wings
Transports my spirit to the favor'd fields
Of Bethlehem, there in shepherd's guise to sit
Sublime of extacy, and mark entranc'd
The glory-streaming Vision throng the night.
Ah not more radiant, nor loud harmonies
Hymning more unimaginably sweet
With choral songs around th' Eternal Mind,
The constellated company of Worlds
Danc'd jubilant: what time the startling East
Saw from her dark womb leap her flamy child!
Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on Earth!
Yet thou more bright than all that Angel Blaze,
Despiséd Galilaean! Man of Woes!
For chiefly in the oppressed Good Man's face
The Great Invisible (by symbols seen)
Shines with peculiar and concentred light,
When all of Self regardless the scourg'd Saint
Mourns for th' oppressor. O thou meekest Man!
Meek Man and lowliest of the Sons of Men!
Who thee beheld thy imag'd Father saw.
His Power and Wisdom from thy awful eye
Blended their beams, and loftier Love sat there
Musing on human weal, and that dread hour
When thy insulted, &c.

1796.

[109:A] And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly Host, praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace. Luke ii. 13 1796.

[109:B] Philip saith unto him, Lord! shew us the Father and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. John xiv. 9 1796.

Angel-blaze] Angel-Host 1803.

Diviner light flash'd extacy o'er Heaven!

1796.

[32-4]

What mists dim-floating of Idolatry
Split and mishap'd the Omnipresent Sire:
And first by Terror, Mercy's startling prelude,
Uncharm'd the Spirit spell-bound with earthy lusts.

1796.

From Hope and stronger Faith to perfect Love

1796.

embosom] imbosom 1796, 1797, 1803.

[64-71]

They cannot dread created might, who love
God the Creator! fair and lofty thought!
It lifts and swells my heart! and as I muse,
Behold a Vision gathers in my soul,
Voices and shadowy shapes! In human guise
I seem to see the phantom, Fear, pass by,
Hotly-pursued, and pale! From rock to rock
He bounds with bleeding feet, and thro' the swamp,
The quicksand and the groaning wilderness,
Struggles with feebler and yet feebler flight.
But lo! an altar in the wilderness,
And eagerly yet feebly lo! he grasps
The altar of the living God! and there
With wan reverted face the trembling wretch
All wildly list'ning to his Hunter-fiends
Stands, till the last faint echo of their yell
Dies in the distance. Soon refresh'd from Heaven &c.

1803.

[74-7]

Swims in his eyes: his swimming eyes uprais'd:
And Faith's whole armour girds his limbs! And thus
Transfigur'd, with a meek and dreadless awe,
A solemn hush of spirit he beholds

1803.

[78-84]

Yea, and there,
Unshudder'd unaghasted, he shall view
E'en the Seven Spirits, who in the latter day
Will shower hot pestilence on the sons of men,
For he shall know, his heart shall understand,
That kindling with intenser Deity
They from the Mercy-Seat like rosy flames,
From God's celestial Mercy-Seat will flash,
And at the wells of renovating Love
Fill their Seven Vials with salutary wrath.

1796.

[81-3]

For even these on wings of healing come,
Yea, kindling with intenser Deity
From the Celestial Mercy Seat they speed,
And at the renovating &c.

1803.

soft] sweet 1803.

[96-7]

Darkling with earnest eyes he traces out
Th' immediate road, all else of fairest kind

1803.

the burning Sun 1803.

The Cherubs and the trembling Seraphim 1803.

[119-21]

om. 1803.

[135-41]

O Fiends of Superstition! not that oft
Your pitiless rites have floated with man's blood
The skull-pil'd Temple, not for this shall wrath
Thunder against you from the Holy One!
But (whether ye th' unclimbing Bigot mock
With secondary Gods, or if more pleas'd
Ye petrify th' imbrothell'd Atheist's heart,
The Atheist your worst slave) I o'er some plain
Peopled with Death, and to the silent Sun
Steaming with tyrant-murder'd multitudes;
Or where mid groans and shrieks loud-laughing Trade
More hideous packs his bales of living anguish

1796.

pious] pious 1796-1829.

mazy surge] tortuous-folds 1796.

imbreathe] inbreathe 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829.

An] A 1834.

an] a 1834.

om. 1796, 1803.

[254-5]

The wafted perfumes, gazing on the woods
The many tinted streams

1803.

In extacy! 1803.

Blessed] O Blest 1796, Watchman: evil 1803: Blessed 1797, 1828, 1829.

by] at Watchman.

bloody] gore-stained 1803.

plants] rolls 1796.

[277-8]

Ye whom Oppression's ruffian gluttony
Drives from the feast of life

1803.

[280-1]

Dost roam for prey—yea thy unnatural hand
Liftest to deeds of blood

1796.

Dost] Dar'st Watchman.

[283-4]

Nights of pollution, days of blasphemy,
Who in thy orgies with loath'd wassailers

1803.

O loathly-visag'd Suppliants! ye that oft 1796: O loathly-visag'd supplicants! that oft Watchman.

[291-2]

Rack'd with disease, from the unopen'd gate
Of the full Lazar-house, heart-broken crawl!

1796, Watchman.

[293-6]

O ye to scepter'd Glory's gore-drench'd field
Forc'd or ensnar'd, who swept by Slaughter's scythe
Stern nurse of Vultures! steam in putrid heaps

1796.

O ye that steaming to the silent Noon,
People with Death red-eyed Ambition's plains!
O Wretched Widow

Watchman.

Cow'rest 1796.

stream] steam 1796, Watchman, 1797, 1803.

And upward spring on swiftest plume of fire Watchman.

Hunted by ghastlier terrors 1796, Watchman. Haunted] Hunted 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829.

[345-8]

When on some solemn Jubilee of Saints
The sapphire-blazing gates of Paradise
Are thrown wide open, and thence voyage forth
Detachments wild of seraph-warbled airs

1796, Watchman.

beatitudes] beatitude 1796, Watchman, 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829.

Seize on] Have seiz'd Watchman.

[359-61]

The Saviour comes! While as to solemn strains,
The Thousand Years lead up their mystic dance
Old Ocean claps his hands! the Desert shouts!
And soft gales wafted from the haunts of spring
Melt the primaeval North!

The Mighty Dead 1796.

The odorous groves of Earth reparadis'd

1796.

[370-2]

Down the fine fibres from the sentient brain
Roll subtly-surging. Pressing on his steps
Lo! Priestley there, Patriot, and Saint, and Sage,
Whom that my fleshly eye hath never seen
A childish pang of impotent regret
Hath thrill'd my heart. Him from his native land

1796.

Up the fine fibres thro' the sentient brain
Pass in fine surges. Pressing on his steps
Lo! Priestley there

1803.

[378-80]

Sweeping before the rapt prophetic Gaze
Bright as what glories of the jasper throne
Stream from the gorgeous and face-veiling plumes
Of Spirits adoring! Ye blest years! must end

1796.

they bend] he bends 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829.

May image in his wildly-working thought 1796: May image, how the red-eyed Fiend outstretcht 1803.

feverous] feverish 1796, 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829.

Between 391, 392 Destruction! when the Sons of Morning shout, The Angels shout, Destruction 1803.

The Mighty Spirit 1796.

om. 1803.

blaze] Light 1803.

and novice] noviciate 1796, 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829.