William Strode

Here you will find the Poem A Song On The Baths of poet William Strode

A Song On The Baths

What Angel stirrs this happy Well,
 Some Muse from thence come shew't me,
One of those naked Graces tell
 That Angels are for beauty:
The Lame themselves that enter here
 Come Angels out againe,
And Bodies turne to Soules all cleere,
 All made for joy, noe payne.


Heate never was so sweetely mett
 With moist as in this shower:
Old men are borne anew by swett
 Of its restoring pow'r:
When crippl'd joynts we suppl'd see,
 And second lives new come,
Who can deny this Font to be
 The Bodies Christendome?


One Bath so fiery is you'l thinke
 The Water is all Spirit,
Whose quick'ning streames are like the drink
 Whereby we Life inheritt:
The second Poole of middle straine
 Can wive Virginity,
Tempting the blood to such a vayne
 One sexe is He and She.


The third where horses plunge may bring
 A Pegasus to reare us,
And call for pens from Bladud's wing
 For legging those that beare us.
Why should Physitians thither fly
 Where Waters med'cines be,
Physitians come to cure thereby,
 And are more cur'd than we