University of Virginia Library

A FVNERALL ELEGIE, IN THE SACRED MEMORY OF THE Right Reuerend, Right Honourable and Learned Father in GOD, Lancelot, Lord Bishop of VVinchester, Deane of his Maiesties Chappell, Prelate of the Right Honourable Order of the Garter, and one of the Lords of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuie Covncell:

Who departed this life at his house in Southwarke, on Munday the 25th. of September last, 1626, and was Honourably Interred in Saint Sauiours Church in Southwarke, the XI. of Nouember.

A silly Taper, or a Candles light,
Are vaine additious to make Sol more bright:
Nor can one little water-drop augment
The mighty bounds of Neptunes continent:
The raging Winds that threaten sea and shore,
For one mans breath is not increas'd the more,
Nor can a handfull of vnstable sand,
Rayse mounts of earth, or amplifie the land.
So I, that am (the meanest man of men)
Meane wanting learning, meaner for the pen,
With glimering taper, or a drop of raine,
Cannot increase the light, inlarge the maine,
Or any way in fitting tearmes set forth,
Right Reuerend Winchester, Admired worth:
For all the learned Poets of these dayes
Might write, and speake in his deserued prayse,
And spend their inke and paper, and their spirits,
Yet adde no fame or honour, to his merits.
But as pure snow shewes whiter to the eye,
When cole-black Crowes, or swarty Rauens are by:
Or as the darknesse makes light seeme more cleare,
So will his Vertues in my lines appeare.
To speake his passage in this vale of strife,
In London he had being first and life:
Whose Parents (as became their reputation)
Did bring him vp in worthy education,
As Pembrooke-Hall in Cambridge witnesse will,
Whereas his noble memory liues still.
So passing on in this his mortall race,
Aduanc'd by grace, from higher place to place,
First to the Deanery of Westminster,
Next to the Bishopricke of Chichester:
King Iames did next to Elye him preferre,
Which learned Prince made him his Almoner,
Till (by Gods prouidence) not his desire,
He was to Winchester translated higher;
Deane of the Royall Chappell, and beside,
The Garters Prelate he was dignifide.
Then gracious Iames, did in his wisedome see,
This worthy Lords vpright integrity:
In whom all loyall vertues were innate,
Made him a priuy Councellour of State.
And as his honours still did higher grow,
His minde in meeke humility was low;
Thus like a blessed Samuel, was he
Ordayned from his infancy, to be
A valiant souldier of Christs faithfull Campe,
And in Gods Church a learn'd illustrious Lamp.
And as the Lord to Abraham did say,
Goe from thy Country, and thy Kin away;
And from thy Fathers house I charge thee goe,
Vnto the Land that I to thee will showe:
So this right reuerend Lord, was from his youth
Cal'd from the world, to Gods eternall truth,
And being one in Heau'ns high businesse sent,
Though in the world, yet from the world he went.
For though the world is, as 'tis vnderstood,
Mans natiue Country, as he's flesh and blood;
Yet is his worldly part a prison foule,
Wherein in bondage lyes his purer soule,
Which soule is heauenly, & makes heauen her aime,
And here she's in the World, not of the same.
So this deceased Subiect of my muse,
He liu'd and grieu'd to see the worlds abuse;
And like a Ieremy, with sad laments
He sigh'd and grieu'd, bewayling the euents
Which haue, and doe, and daily still are like,
Vpon this woefull age of ours to strike.
He saw and grieu'd at what all men should grieue,
How goodnesse small respect, could here achieue;
And how the chiefest good that men doe craue,
Is pompe and wealth, and rich apparell braue:
How man will for his body haue good food,
Good fire, good cloathes, good house, and lodging good,
And all the care's how these goods may be had,
And few men cared though their soules be bad:
Thus the fraile World, & impious times transgression,
Strooke in his Christian heart, griefes deepe impression,
That all that worldly was, he quite forgot,
And vs'd the World, as if hee vs'd it not:
Hee (by the Spirit of God) perceiued plaine,
That all earthes pompe and glory is but vayne:
And therefore with a lowly minde and meeke,
He did Christs righteousnesse Kingdome seeke:
For which, (euen as our Sauiours word is past)
His earthly treasures were vppon him cast:
For still the word of God confirm'd shall be,
I'le honour them (saith he) that honour me.
His heart was free from an ambitious thought,
No popular applause of men he sought;
His pride was godly, a true Christian pride,
To know Christ, and to know him crucifide;
And though fraile men are with vaine toyes intis'd,
Hee wish'd to be disolu'd to be with Christ.
His charity was not in out-ward show,
No Pharisey-like Trumpet ere did blow,
To make the World applause with speech or pen,
When he in pitty pelp'd the wants of men.
Two Schollers in th'Vniuersities,
He (priuate) gaue most bountifull supplies:
To Prisoners he sent many a secret summe,
And the receiuers nere knew whence it come:
God gaue to him, and for his sake agen
He gaue it backe to helpe distressed men:
Yet close and priuate, should his almes still be,
That God might hane the glory, and not he.
Where ere hee lodg'd, or where his house hee kept,
His piety and charity nere slept:
Where still his gifts hath close and secret beene,
And (to the view of men) but seldome seene.
When late our sins did Gods high wrath incence,
That he destroy'd vs with the Pestilence;
And that the poore did pine, the rich were fled,
And Charity seem'd buried with the dead;
Then this true godly, honorable man,
Did with a zeale and loue most Christian;
Knowing Saint Sauiours Parish to be large,
Opprest with poore, and at excessiue charge;
Meanes small, necessity exceeding great
Many to feede, and little foode to eate:
In this extreamity, this worthy Peere,
Did in his charitie so good appeare,
That by his bounty many soules were cherish'd,
Which (but for him) vndoubtedly had perish'd.
The like he did in succouring the destresse,
Of many places in his Diocesse.
He well remembred God had rais'd him high,
In state of eminence and dignity;
But yet his memory deseru'd more prayse,
Remembring to what end God did him rayse;
For men all of Degrees, estates, and rankes,
Will giue to God some superficiall thankes,
Confessing he hath in their state them set;
But yet the end wherefore, they quite forget,
Therefore he well and wisely vnderstood,
That he had great promotions to be good;
And that he was endued with earthly pelfe,
To giue, and haue least ioy of it himselfe;
And as a steward iust, what he possest,
Hee still distributed to the opprest.
And though mans merrits challenge nothing can,
Yet God so loues a iust and righteous man;
That here hee liues with his protection guarded,
And after with eternall life rewarded.
His learning was approoued to be such,
As scarcely any one man had so much:
Yet though in Scholler-ship he did excell,
His chiefest honour was, he vs'd it well.
When Romes chiefe champion famous Bellarmine,
Imploy'd his studies and his best ingine,
To proue the Papall dignity had power
O're Councells, Fathers, King or Emperour,
Or Church, or sacred text Cannonicall,
Or any thing which we may mortall call;
And that these errours printed were in Rome,
And scattred, and divulg'd through Christendome:
Then Winchester, did for the Gospells right
So learn'd, so grauely and profoundly write,
His Booke that was Tortus Tortorum call'd,
Which made the Roman Clergy all apal'd.
He shew'd them there how vainly they did vaunt,
How far from truth they were disconsonant:
And how the Pope was prou'd the man of sinne,
Maugre his mighty Bulwarke Bellarmine.
Thus he (defending our Religion)
Shooke Antichristian Romish Babilon,
Proouing our faith to be true Catholike,
And in antiquity Apostolike.
Indeede his learning so transcendant was,
And did so farre my silly praise surpasse,
That I my wit and studies may confound,
And in an Ocean bottomelesse be drown'd.
Ile therefore cease to touch that lofty straine,
So farre aboue the Circuite of my braine;
His chiefest learning was, Gods Law he learn'd,
Whereby to liue and dye hee well discern'd,
As Malachy of Priests did Prophecy,
His lips preserued knowledge plentiously,
That sauing knowledge, which Iohn Baptist brought
Saluation, and remitting sinnes he taught;
Yea all his knowledge were to these intents,
To know God, and keepe his Commandements.
A single life he liu'd, but his desert,
And vertue, was in singlnesse of heart:
Well he knew Marriage or Virginity,
Were (of themselues) no perfect sanctity;
For mis-beleeuing Infidels doe eyther,
Yet haue no perfect holinesse by neither:
But where the gift of continence is giuen
With single life, it is the grace of Heauen;
And this blest gift was still in him so ample,
That he both liu'd and dy'd a rare example.
Thus liu'd he 70 yeeres, iust Dauids span,
(Times circuite, for the Pilgrimage of man)
And in a good age, Dauid-like deveast,
With Honour, Daies and Riches fully blest.
And for more honour of his hoary haires,
Yeeres grac'd his person, vertue grac'd his yeeres:
His port and places were of eminence,
But 'twas his goodnesse was their excellence:
So that although his honour was compleat,
He grac'd it more in being good then great.
His seruants of a Master are depriu'd,
Who shewed himselfe to them whilst he suruiu'd,
Not as an Austere Master, but still rather,
A louing, and a wel-beloued father:
His loue to them was in his gifts and cares,
And theirs for him, is in their sighes and teares.
Foure brothers, and two sisters they were late,
But three haue finish'd their suruiuing date;
Lancelot (the chiefe) Nicholas and Thomas, they
Haue left this transitory house of clay;
And as from but one father they did spring,
So in one house they had their finishing.
But Roger, Mary, Martha, you are left,
And though you of your brethren are bereft,
They are but gone, that you may come to them
To Glory, to the new Ierusalem.
Yet God's your father, as hee's theirs (in blisse)
And Iesus Christ to you a brother is.
But note the prudence, and the prouidence,
Of this good man whom God hath taken hence.
He well fore-saw his bodies dissolution,
And therefore for his goods iust distribution,
Hee for his sole Executor elected
A man (that like himselfe) the world respected:
For as my Lord all earthly pompe did hate,
And did esteeme this world at little rate:
As he did vertue loue, and vice abhor,
So (without doubt) doth his Executor:
And therefore he committed this great trust,
To one he knew was honest, plaine and iust.
Now for conclusion, for a finall end,
Long time this Reuerend Father did attend,
He knew that he to Nature was a debter,
And therefore long'd to change this life for better.
His heart was open still to welcome Death,
His great desire was to expire his breath,
He knew it is a passage must be past;
A journey that all flesh must goe at last:
A port of rest, a ceasing here to sinne,
An end, where endlesse glory doth beginne.
For though conuulsions, sighs, and sickly groanes,
Our parents, friends, & kindreds teares and moanes,
The bells sad toling, and the mourning weede,
Makes Death more dreadfull then it is indeede,
Yet wise men all in generall agree,
Tis naturall to dye, as borne to be,
And as man cannot here auoyd his birth,
So shunne hee cannot his returne to earth.
The Pilgrimage, the race, the glasse is runne,
The threed is spun, the victory is wonne;
And Honourable Winchester is gone
Vnto the Lambe, that sits vpon the Throne:
For as I well haue scan'd vpon his name,
And of it made a double Anagram:
(And Anagrams oft-times include a fate)
And 'tis no doubt but they explaine his State,
For hauing past with troubles, griefes and cares,
This transitory life, this vale of teares;
Yet Lancelot Andrewes name, doth this portend,
All sure, All due content, Crownes all attend.