The Whole Works of William Browne of Tavistock ... Now first collected and edited, with a memoir of the poet, and notes, by W. Carew Hazlitt, of the Inner Temple |
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AN EPISTLE
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 | The Whole Works of William Browne |  |
AN EPISTLE
OCCASIONED BY THE MOST INTOLLERABLE JANGLING OF THE PAPISTS' BELLS ON ALL SAINTS' NIGHT, THE EVE OF ALL SOULES' DAYE, BEING THEN VSED TO BE RUNG ALL NIGHT (AND ALL AS IF THE TOWNE WERE ON FIRE) FOR THE SOULES OF THOSE IN PURGATORYE. WRITTEN FROM THOUARS TO SAUMUR, TO MR. BRYAN PALMES.
Palmes and my friend, this night of Hollantide,
Left all alone, and no way occupyed:
Not to be idle, though I idle be
In writeing verse, I send these lynes to thee:
Aske me not how I can be left alone,
For all are heere so in devotion,
So earnest in their prayers for the dead,
And with their De profundis soe farr led,
And so transported (poore night-seeing fowles)
In their oraisons for all Christian sowles,
That knowing me for one but yesterdaye,
May be they dreamt me dead, & for me praye.
This maye coniectur'd be the reason why
I haue this night with me noe company,
I meane of that Religion; for indeed
But to consort with one that sayes his creed
In his owne Mother tongue, this daye for them
Were such a crime, that nor Jerusalem,
Not yet Romes voyage (for which I am sorry)
Could free those friends of mine from purgatorie.
And had I gone to visit them may be
They at my entrance might haue taken me,
(If that I spoke in English,) for some one
Of their good friends, new come from Phlegeton;
And so had put them to the pains to wooe
My Friend Fryer Guy and Bonaventure to;
To publish such a Miracle of theirs,
By ringing all the Bells about mine eares.
Left all alone, and no way occupyed:
Not to be idle, though I idle be
In writeing verse, I send these lynes to thee:
Aske me not how I can be left alone,
For all are heere so in devotion,
So earnest in their prayers for the dead,
And with their De profundis soe farr led,
And so transported (poore night-seeing fowles)
In their oraisons for all Christian sowles,
That knowing me for one but yesterdaye,
May be they dreamt me dead, & for me praye.
This maye coniectur'd be the reason why
I haue this night with me noe company,
293
But to consort with one that sayes his creed
In his owne Mother tongue, this daye for them
Were such a crime, that nor Jerusalem,
Not yet Romes voyage (for which I am sorry)
Could free those friends of mine from purgatorie.
And had I gone to visit them may be
They at my entrance might haue taken me,
(If that I spoke in English,) for some one
Of their good friends, new come from Phlegeton;
And so had put them to the pains to wooe
My Friend Fryer Guy and Bonaventure to;
To publish such a Miracle of theirs,
By ringing all the Bells about mine eares.
But peace be to their Bells, say I, as is
Their prayer euery day pax defunctis;
For I am sure all this long night to heare
Such a charauary, that if ther were
All the Tom Tinkers since the world began,
Inhabiting from Thule to Magellan;
And those that beat their kettles, when the Moone
Darkning the sun, brings on the Night ere Noone:
I thinke all these together would not make
Such a curs'd noyse as these for all soules sake.
Their prayer euery day pax defunctis;
For I am sure all this long night to heare
Such a charauary, that if ther were
All the Tom Tinkers since the world began,
Inhabiting from Thule to Magellan;
And those that beat their kettles, when the Moone
Darkning the sun, brings on the Night ere Noone:
I thinke all these together would not make
Such a curs'd noyse as these for all soules sake.
Honest John Helms, now by my troth I wish,
(Although my popish hostess hath with fish
Fed me three dayes) that thou wert here with speed,
And some more of thy crue, not without need,
To teache their Bells some rime or tune in swinging,
For sure they haue no reason in their ringing.
(Although my popish hostess hath with fish
Fed me three dayes) that thou wert here with speed,
And some more of thy crue, not without need,
To teache their Bells some rime or tune in swinging,
For sure they haue no reason in their ringing.
For mine owne part, heareing so strange a coyle,
Such discord, such debate, & such turmoil,
In a high steeple, when I first came hither,
And had small language, I did doubt me whether
Some had the Towre of Babell new begun,
And god had plagued them with confusion:
For which I was not sorry, for I thought
To catch some tongue among them, & for nought.
Such discord, such debate, & such turmoil,
In a high steeple, when I first came hither,
And had small language, I did doubt me whether
294
And god had plagued them with confusion:
For which I was not sorry, for I thought
To catch some tongue among them, & for nought.
But being much deceiu'd, good Lord! quoth I,
What pagan noise is this? One that stood by,
Swore I did wrong them, for he me aduised
The Bells vpon his knowledge were baptizd.
My friend, quoth I, y'are more to blame by farre,
To see poore Christian creatures so at jarr,
And seeke not to accord them; as for me,
Although they not of my acquaintance be,
Nor though we never have shooke hands as yet,
Out of my Love to peace, not out of debt,
See theres eight soulz, or ten, it makes not whether;
Get them some wyne, see them drinke together:
Or if the Sexton cannot bring them to it,
As he will sure have much adoe to doe it;
Tell him he shall be thank'd, if soe he strives
With special care to take away their knives;
And for their cause of stirre that he record it,
Untill a gen'ral councell doe accord it.
Till when, Ile hold, what ere the Jesuits say:
Although their church erre not, their steeple may.
What pagan noise is this? One that stood by,
Swore I did wrong them, for he me aduised
The Bells vpon his knowledge were baptizd.
My friend, quoth I, y'are more to blame by farre,
To see poore Christian creatures so at jarr,
And seeke not to accord them; as for me,
Although they not of my acquaintance be,
Nor though we never have shooke hands as yet,
Out of my Love to peace, not out of debt,
See theres eight soulz, or ten, it makes not whether;
Get them some wyne, see them drinke together:
Or if the Sexton cannot bring them to it,
As he will sure have much adoe to doe it;
Tell him he shall be thank'd, if soe he strives
With special care to take away their knives;
And for their cause of stirre that he record it,
Untill a gen'ral councell doe accord it.
Till when, Ile hold, what ere the Jesuits say:
Although their church erre not, their steeple may.
W. B.
| The Whole Works of William Browne | |