University of Virginia Library

To the Reader.

I cannot blame thee, if thou read'st not right,
Or vnderstand'st not; for I know thy sight,
UUith weeping is imperfect, if not blind,
And sorrow does (almost) distract thy mind.

A GRIEFE ON THE DEATH OF PRINCE Henrie, EXPRESSED in a broken Elegie, according to the nature of such a sorrow.

Good Vertue wipe thine eyes. Looke vp and see!
And wonder to behold it. Some there be,
That weepe not; but are strangely merrie, dance,
And reuell. Can the losse of Him aduance
The heart of any man to such a mirth?
Can His graue be the womb, from whence the birth
Of pleasure riseth? Pity them. Their woe
Distracts' em, and they know not what they doe.
Yet note'em better. Be they wicked men,
Their shew of Ioy is voluntarie then.
For now the President of vertu's dead,
Vice hopes to get her courses licenced.
Dead! T'is aboue my knowledge how we liue
To speake it. Is there any Faith to giue
The promises of health or remedy?
Or any Meane to be preserued by;
When Temperance, and Exercise of breath,
(Those best Physitians) could not keepe from death,
The strength of Nature? Was Hee temp'rate? whence
(Then) came Hee subiect to the violence
Of sicknesse? Rather was Hee not inclin'd
To pleasures? Infinitely; still His mind
Was on them; Infinitely; For His loue
No Obiects had, but those which were aboue
The causes of vexation; such, as done,
Repented not the pleasures they begun,
But made them endlesse: Nothing had the might
To dis-effect his Actions of delight.
No; nor His suffrings. For although Hee knew,
That sicknesse came from earth to claime her due;
And to depriue Him of that fortunate
Succession to the greatnesse of the State,
Which Hee was borne to; that did likewise please,
And added nothing vnto His disease.
Of His contentments heere, that was the best.
Therefore the last; that it might crowne the rest.
But these are not the pleasures that decay
The body. How hath death (then) found a way
To One so able? Her was yong and strong.
Vnguiltie' of al disorder that could wrong
His Constitution. Doe no longer hide
It t'was to vs a plague whereof Hee died.
A plague by much more common to vs, then
The last great sicknesse. Many more the men
Who suffer in it. That which now is gone,
Was but the Figure, of a greater One
To follow. Since the first that e'er was borne;
A fuller number was not knowne to mourne.
For all the old Men of the Kingdomes weepe,
Since He that promis'd by His strength to keepe
Their children free from others violence;
And by example from their owne offence;
Is taken from'em. And they would haue died
When He did, but for tarying to prouide
A second care for that they would haue left
To Him, of whose protection th'are bereft.
If we doe well consider their iust woes;
We must include our yong men too, in those:
And grieue for euer: For our old mens teares,
Are rather for the time to come, then theirs.
If they that shall not liue to suffer much
Vnder this cause of sorrow, vtter such
A passion for it; more it does belong
To vs that now are growing to it; yong;
As if our generations had intent,
We should be borne to feele the punishment.
Now let vs willingly giue griefe regard;
Least we be forc'd to doe it afterward,
By Heauen's iust anger. Stay a little. Why
Should yong men thinke the old shall sooner die?
His youths great broken promise wee complaine.
Yet none was greater. And are ours lesse vaine?
Mistake not. As Humanitie now goes;
Hee liu'd a Man as long as any does.
For (onelie) in those Minutes that wee giue
To Vertue, wee are Trulie said to liue
Men, and no longer. If we recken then,
His good houres, with the good of other Men;
His Times whole added numbers will arise,
To his, that tels out foureskore ere he dies.
To prooue this, looke as low as ere you can;
And heare the words of the deiected Man;
The Souldier speakes them. Honour! Now I see,
There is no hope that any Age will be
So good and noble as the ancient were.
None so Heroique euer shall appeare.
For if that Fate, (which cannot be withstood)
Had not decreed, there should be none so good;
Shee would not haue neglected such a worth
As His was, to haue brought that great worke forth.
But hauing purpos'd it should neuer be;
And hearing euery where by Fame, that Hee
Was making one; she kill'd Him .—Marke his eye;
Hee weepes. He weepes; that can more easilie
Weepe Bloud then Water. Then I wonder, how
Or He, or anye other Souldier, now,
Can hold his sword vnbroken; since Hee was,
That gaue them Count'nance. That's the Cause (alas)
They doe not breake them; and a iust excuse.
They weare them now, to keepe them from abuse.
For that great fauour now has made an end;
That their despis'd conditions did defend.
Artes too, are so discourag'd by their harmes;
In losse of Him, who lou'd both them and Armes;
That they would all leaue studie and decline
From Learning; if those Naturall and Diuine
Perswading Contemplations, did not leade
The One to Heauen; the other to the dead;
(Betweene whose parts, they haue diuided His;)
And promise, so, to bring them where Hee is.
But I would haue their studies neuer die;
For preseruation of His Memorie.
How can that perish? That will euer keepe;
Because th'impression of it is so deepe.
When any Painter to the life, that saw
His presence fullie, takes in hand to draw
An Alexander, or a Cæsar; 'his best
Imaginations will bee so possess't
With His Remembrance, that as Hee does limme,
Hee'l make that Worthie's picture like to Him.
And then t'will be a Piece of such a Grace,
For Height and Sweetnesse; as that onely Face
Will make another Painter, that ne'er knew
Him liuing, follow as the other drew.
How great a Character deserues Hee then,
Whose Memorie shall but expire with men?
When a Diuine, or Poet, sets downe right,
What other Princes should bee; Hee shall write
What This was. That's His Character, which beares
My sorrow inward, to goe forth in teares.
Yet some of Ioy too, mix'd with those of Greefe;
That flow from apprehension of releefe.
I see His spirit turn'd into a starre;
Whose influence makes that His owne Vertues are
Succeeded iustlie; otherwise, the worst,
As at His Funerall should proceede the first.
His Natiue goodnes, followes in His Roome;
Else good Men would be buried in His Tombe.
O! suffer this to be a faithfull verse;
To liue for euer, weeping o'er His Herse.

ON THE REPRESENTATION OF THE Prince at his Funeralls.

He that the Life of this Face euer sawe;
The Mildnes in it noting, and the Awe:
Will iudge that Peace did either in her Loue,
So soone aduance Him to her State aboue;
Or else in Feare that He would Warre preferre,
Concluded with Him, He should Liue with Her.
To Both, His aptnesse fluently appeares,
In eu'rie Souldiers griefe, and Schollars teares.