Sonnets, Sonnet IX

Peace to thy ashes, to thy mem'ry fame, Bright paragon of merit feminine, In forming whom kind nature did inshrine A mind angelick in a faultless frame;

Through ev'ry stage of changing life the same, How did thy bright example ceaseless shine, And ev'ry grace with ev'ry virtue join To raise the virgin's and the matron's name?

In thee religion chearful and serene, Unsour'd by superstition, spleen, or pride, Through all the social offices of life To shed it's genuine influence was seen; This thy chief ornament, thy surest guide, This form'd the daughter, parent, friend, and wife.