Celestiall Elegies of the Goddesses and the Muses, deploring the death of the right honourable and vertuous Ladie the Ladie Fravnces Countesse of Hertford late wife vnto the right honorable Edvvard Seymor Vicount Beauchamp and Earle of Hertford. Wherevnto are annexed some funerall verses touching the death of Mathevv Evvens Esquire, late one of the Barons of her Maiesties Court of Eschequer, vnto whome the author hereof was allyed ... By Thomas Rogers |
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 | Deuine sonnets dedicated to the said Lady not long before her decease by the said Author. |
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 | Celestiall Elegies of the Goddesses and the Muses, deploring the death of the right honourable and vertuous Ladie the Ladie Fravnces Countesse of Hertford |  |
Deuine sonnets dedicated to the said Lady not long before her decease by the said Author.
Of Gods holy name, Iehouah, or Tetragrammaton.
That name which Moses on his forehead bare,I in my heart doe worship and adore,
That name which Iewes to name did seldome dare,
May I presume for mercie to implore?
That name which Salomon vppon his breast,
In his diuine Pentaculum did weare,
With great Iehouah Characters imprest,
That name I loue I reuerence and feare:
That name which Aron wore vpon his head,
Grau'd in his holy Miter made of Golde,
That name which Angels laude and furies dreade,
Whose praise no tongue can worthily vnfolde,
That name which flesh is to impure to name,
My sinfull soule with sacred zeale inflame.
Of the Starre which the Magi did worship at Christes Natiuitie, and of his death.
I blaze that starre, which was no blazing starre,But the true figure of eternall life,
The prince of peace was borne then ceased warre,
His birthes beginning ended mortall strife,
This glorious starre did lead the aged wise
To worship th'Infants Godhead in the East,
Which came with gladsome heart & ioyfull eyes,
To see that Babe that made all Israell blest:
O light of Heauen thou wast extinct on earth,
Yet to our soules Celestiall life doth giue
Thy death our life, thy rising our new birth
Thou three daies dead didst make vs euer liue,
Yet at thy death obscur'd was th'earth and skie,
Because he that was God, as man did die.
[Fountaine of grace from whom doth only runne]
Fountaine of grace from whom doth only runne,Water of life to saue our soules from death,
O sauiour of the world, pure virgins sonne,
That in red earth infus'd first vitall breath.
Oh thou whose name was calde Emmanuel,
Ioyning thy Godhead with humanitie,
Thou that for our sakes didst descend to hell,
And ouer death did'st get the victorie:
Oh womans seede that didst from God proceede,
By Prophets said to breake the Serpents head,
Thou that in grace and vertue doest exceede,
Content to die that thou mightest quicken deade,
Thou that didst rayse the dead men frō the tombe.
Earths kingdoms passe, oh let thy kingdome come.
[Antient of daies, and yet still young in yeares]
Antient of daies, and yet still young in yeares,Oh God on earthe, Oh man yet most deuine,
Poore in this world, yet chiefe of heauenly Peeres,
Whose glorie in th' infernall pit did shine,
Borne since old Abrahams daies yet long before,
(For Abraham reioyc'd to see thy daies)
He saw by faith, whom now all powers adore,
The Cerubins doe daily sing thy praise,
O God of tymes, and yet in time a man,
Before all times thy time of being was,
And yet in time thy humaine birth beganne,
Least we should fade vntimely like the grasse,
Oh thou that doest all times beginne and ende,
Graunt all our workes may to thy glory tende.
Of the instabilitie of Fortune and worldlie prosperitie.
Where liues the man that neuer felt a crosse?Whō Fortunes wheel did neuer tumble down
Where liues the man that neuer suffred losse?
On whome the starres of heauen did neuer frowne?
Where liues the man that is in all pointes blest?
Wise, valiant, mightie, wealthy, fayre and strong.
If such a one vpon the earth doth rest
His date of life Heauen doth abridge ere long
Such was King Edward in his youthfull prime
Who might by Phœbus Oracle be deemd
One of the wisest Princes of his time
For wit and learning excellent esteemde
But cruell death maligning his great praise
That in fewe yeares so highly did aspyre
With yron dart infring'd his golden daies
Whom nations farre away did then admyre
Weeds long time growe, the fayrest flowres do fade
The ripest wits grow rotten at the last
All these faire things which God and Nature made
Where is king Salomon the wisest wight
Of mortall men that liu'd vpon the grounde
Doth he not wander in the shades of night,
Whose wisdome through the world was so renound?
What difference betwixt the rich and poore
Irus with Cresus boldly may compare
Both equall are when death standes at the doore
That maketh proudest kings like beggars bare,
Then let the wealthy men respect their end
Not counting themselues happy vntyll death,
Sith heauen to them this wealth doth only lende,
Which they must pay with losse of vitall breath
This made that king of Lidia to crye
When he was by king Cyrus ouercome:
O Solon now thy saying true I trie
No man is happie till his day of dome.
That Monarch now is dead that did possesse,
The golden sands of bright Pactolus waues,
And Tamberlaine whom Fortune so did blesse,
Dead is that mightie king of Macedon,
That wept whē of more worlds he hard some talke,
Sith his victorious sword as then had wonne,
Scarce this one world, where we like pilgrims walk
Who being wounded fell vpon one knee,
Fighting against an hoast of barbarous foes,
Said I am mortall by these wounds I see,
For no such bloode from powers Celestiall flowes.
In beautie Absalon did farre excell,
Most part of men that sprung of humaine seede,
But when against his Sire he did rebell,
Then heauen did power downe vengeance on his head:
The sacred scripture truely doth expresse,
That Sampson did surpasse all men in strength,
But he that did thowsands in fight distresse,
Was by a womans wiles subdu'd at length,
Beautie is like a faire but fading slower,
Riches are like a bubble in a streame.
Great strength is like a fortefied Towre.
Wee see the fayrest flowers soone fade away,
Bubbles doe quickly vanish like the winde,
Strong Towers are rent, and doe in tyme decay,
And dreames are but illusions of the minde,
Let none puft vp with insolence deride.
My Fortunes Autumne in my prime of yeares,
Sith many dismall chances do betide,
To royall princes and State-ruling peeres,
I am content with my disaster chance,
To follow fate sith princes lead the daunce,
Ludit in Humanis diuina potentia rebus.
Et certam præsens vix habet hora fidem.
| Celestiall Elegies of the Goddesses and the Muses, deploring the death of the right honourable and vertuous Ladie the Ladie Fravnces Countesse of Hertford | |