ECCLESIASTICAL SONNETS
XXIX. DANISH CONQUESTS
ECCLESIASTICAL SONNETS
WOE to the Crown that doth the Cowl obey! Dissension, checking arms that would restrain The incessant Rovers of the northern main, Helps to restore and spread a Pagan sway: But Gospel-truth is potent to allay Fierceness and rage; and soon the cruel Dane Feels, through the influence of her gentle reign, His native superstitions melt away. Thus, often, when thick gloom the east o’ershrouds, The full-orbed Moon, slow-climbing, doth appear 10 Silently to consume the heavy clouds; ‘How’ no one can resolve; but every eye Around her sees, while air is hushed, a clear And widening circuit of ethereal sky.