Epigrams of That most wittie and worthie Epigrammatist Mr Iohn Owen ::

Whiles thou didst Liue, thou nought wouldst giue,
Thou Leau'st All, now thou canst not Liue;
Like Greedy Hogge thy Life was Led,
Like Greazie Porke, thou now ly'st Dead.

Epig. 36. From Bad to Worse .

He's Dasht 'gainst Scylla, from Charibdis flying,
Which hopes to Salue his Sore, by Phisike Dying:
Fooles voyding Vice, the Contrary commit,
Are those to shunne Strife, which on Lawyers hit.

Epig. 47. Against a Foolish-Writer .

O, I could wish thy Paper were All-blacke;
Or that it did Least Spot of blacknesse lacke.

Epig. 51. Females.

Yong-wenches Coy, and Wanton are,
Faire-Maides, are Infamous:
Witty are Wily, full of Craft,
Lustfull, Lasciuious.

Epig. 52. Foure Law-Termes.

The Lawyers haue foure Termes, to which they frame
A most significant and proper name:
First, Michelmasse, from th' Angell Michael,
For Lawyers Purses then with Angels swell.
The next is Hillary a name most fit:
For this Terme makes the Lawyer merry, sit.
And Easter-Terme, like Church-mens Easter-Booke,
Much Gold and Gaine then to themselues they hooke.
Trinity-Terme, so call'd, because the Law.
Three Persons alwayes doth together draw;
To wit, the Iudge, Lawyer, and Clyent poore,
Who trauailes vp to pay the Lawyers-Score.

Because on our English Gold was stamped the Image of the Angell Michael.

Epig. 57. To Faustine .

That my Booke 's Good (thou Faustine) saidst to me,
If it be Good, would I my Booke might be.

Epig. 65. A Widdow .

He which for's Wife a Widdow doth obtayne,
Doth like to those which Buy-Clothes in Long-Lane;
One Cote's not fit, Another's too-too-old,
Their faults I know not, but th'are manifold.

Epig. 78. Doctor Ios. Hals Vowes and Meditations .

Thou Uowed'st Vowes, fit to be Vow'd,
Worth Reading Workes dost write:
He's blest that Reades thy Uowes, if hee
To doe them take delight.

Epig. 95. The forsaken Louer .

Even as Hell-fire doth Burne, but doth not Shine:
So thine not Shines, but sorely burnes my Heart:
But towards Thee, like Heau'nly fire is mine,
It Shines on Thee, not burnes thee, that's my smart:
Oh if thy Loue still burne and giue no Light,
My shining flame, it selfe will waste out quite.

Epig. 98. The Epitaph of Crœsus and Irus .

Vnder this Stone, lyes Crœsus buryed;
Wher's Irus then? Here, All are Poore when Dead.

Out of the second Booke.

Epig. 9. Wheele-Greace.

Men, th' Axeltree doe Greaze, that they may n't screake;
But, Lawyers must be Greaz'd to make them speake.

Epig. 17. Against a certaine Drunkard .

Mvch Prattling causeth greatest Thirstinesse,
Thy Wife Talkes more then Thou, why Drinkes Shee Lesse?

Epig. 49. Veni, Vidi, Vici.

Christ.

Into this World, Cœlestiall Cæsar came,
Mans Misery with Mercies-Eye Hee Saw;
He, Death O're-came to his immortall fame,
Then, Him, to's Throne of Mercy did with-draw;
He came, O're-Came, He Saw, fore-saw all things,
All this He did, that we might Raigne as Kings.

Epig. 58. A Pure Sacrifice .

This World was once the Temple of the Lord;
The Crosse, the Altar; Christ the Sacrifice;
Christ, God and Man, our High-Priest paid the Price,
To th' Altar like a Lambe fast bound with Cord.

Epig. 71. Of the King, Law and People .

The King's the Shepheard; Men, are Sheepe;
Lawes, are their Pasture faire;
The Flocke being Ill, the Kings great Skill,
By 's Lawes their Hurts repaire.

Epig. 78. The Deuils Force and Fraud .

The Diuell, like a Lion fierce,
Runnes all the World about;
Each wand'ring Soule that he may Slay,
Like Wind his Rage flyes-out:
Yea, like a Foxe most fraudulent,
Satan spreads priuate Nets;
Thus whom by Force he cannot force,
By subtill Snares he gets.

Epig. 79. Precept, Practice.

The learned Preachers Words, though plaine,
To Plaine-men Truth may Preach;
But Pastours pious Practice, doth
A Holy-Life them Teach:
That Doctour is Diuine, indeed,
Which by Good-Workes, proues Words;
More Harme doe Ill. Examples breed,
Than Good-Words, Good affords.

Epig. 84. Against Couetous-Men .

Sell all that thou hast, and giue it to the Poore.

Ah, Killing-Letter, Out-Alas,
What's this? thus Diues cryes;
What meanes the Holy-Ghost? sayes hee,
Sell All? can such be wise?
What meanes the Holy-Ghost? Thou Wretch,
He meanes, what Thou ne're thought;
He will Giue All vnto the Poore,
And thou wilt Giue them Nought.

Epig. 87. Man, a Hunter, a Fisher, a Fowler .

Man, Hunts for Wealth and Riches store,
Spreads Nets for Dignities;

And like a Fisher, sounds the Depth
Of Deepest Mysteries;
But whiles, fond Man doth fish to know,
With Pride, Preferments watcheth;
And Auaricious, Riches seekes,
He shame and blame oft catcheth.

Epig. 26. Christ a Diuine, a Phisician, a Lawyer .

Christ , a Diuine, Phisician, was whiles heere;
In Heau'n He shall a Iudge most Iust appeare.

Epig. 43. Baptisme, to a Iew .

Baptisme doth Wash, but Circumcision Wound:
The Lawes dire Launch, Christs Washing makes most sound.

FINIS.

Out of the third Booke.

Epig. 9. Matrimoniall Rule.

The Nightly Gouernment, is due
Vnto the Female kind;
And vnto Masculines, to Rule
Ith' Day, it is assign'd:
And this we see Experience prooues,
For Cynthia Rules the Night:
And Phœbus rayes his Rule displayes,
Who in the Day shines bright.

Epig. 10. Against a certaine Proud-Woman .

A feather o're thy Head thou hast,
And Corke vnder thy feet;
Both these declare, though thou be faire,
Thee to be fond and fleet.

Epig. 11. Faith.

My Eyes ith' Skies the twinkling Starres,
The Pole, Opinion spyes:
So with mine Eye I view Heauen high;
My Faith, my God descryes.

Epig. 13. Contempt of the World .

Wouldst Liue a Good-Life? then, this Life despise;
'T's a wretched Life this Life highly to Prize.

Epig. 19. Knowledge, Loue.

Two things there be, which I must Know,
And two things I must Loue;
God and My-selfe, God and my Friend,
These, Knowledge, Loue, approue.

Epig. 21. Of God and the World .

God is not in this World, the World's in God:
We are ith' World, O, would we were in God.

Epig. 22. The right of First-fruits and Tithes .

God 's Alpha and Omega, therefore Hee
Must of thy Goods the Tithes and First-fruits, see.

Epig. 50. Grauity, Leuity.

Though, Grossenes, Lightnes, cleane contrary bee,
A Light-Head, Grosse-Head, I'd not wish to Mee;
Both which are bad: and such a Wife I hate,
A Light or Lewd, a Grosse or Grieuous Mate.

Epig. 52. Schoole-Diuines.

What profits all thy Learned-Skill?
If Vertue thou neglect;
Leaue off to Search the Truth of Things,
And Good Things more affect.

Epig. 58. Democritus, Heraclitus.

Democritus , Mens falls and faults,
In his Times, did Lament;
Heraclitus, Mens Foolishnesse,
Did Laugh-at with Contempt:
And euer more such Wretches vile,
And Fooles will still remayne:

That, if they Liu'd, from Laughes and Teares,
They neuer could refraine.

Epig. 60. Against Arrogant, Ignorant Linus .

A two-fold Ignorance hath thee
O Linus, captiuated,
Thou Knowest Nought, yet Nought to Know,
Thou wilt not be Conceited.

Epig. 65. Against a Couetous Niggard .

To Count thy Coyne is nothing worth,
T' Encrease the Heape's as small;
As much to Multiply; Deuide,
Then I'le thee wealthy call.

Epig. 67. Against the Writers of this Age .

We Crop the Tops of others Crop,
Old-Writers Workes most rare:
The most of vs which now doe write,
Old-Writers Eccho's are.

Epig. 69. The Authours Desire. A Good-mans Desire .

With Wealth I wish-not Bags and Chests to stuffe
Too-much, Too-little's Ill; Enough's Enough.

Epig. 78. Christs Life and Death .

Mvch hath Christ Done and Much Endur'd,
All, for vn-worthy Mee,
His Passions shew'd Him to be Man,
His Actions, God to bee.

Epig. 79. The Wise-Mens Starre .

A Starre to Math'maticks vnknowne,
At Christs Birth shining bright,
The Gentile-Typing Wise-Men led
To Christ the Lord of Light:
This Heau'nly Guide did with them bide,
Till they found Christ their King,
Heau'n grant I pray, Faith, my Starre, may,
Me also to Him bring.

Epig. 83. Of the Deluge and Worlds-End .

The crying Crimes of Noahs Times
For foule-Lust-burning Loue,
Were Drown'd & Drench't, that Heat was Quench't,
With Water from aboue:
This Freezing Age of Frosty Loue,
And Key-cold Charity,
Will in due Time, for this Cold Crime,
Make All with Fire to fry,
By Compositions, thus Phisicians
Make Contraries to Cure,

And Heau'ns Phisician, Frost with Flames,
Water with Fire can Pure.

Epig. 86. Of the Iust and vniust.

Pleasure, the Good; but Paine attends the Bad:
This frights th' Uniust; tother the Iust makes glad.

Epig. 88. Our Redeemer .

Worth Sight, but Thee, ith' World I nothing See,
And I am wise in nothing but in Thee;
My Sunne thou art, by Grace Shine in my Heart,
Thou, Thou, alone my Sole, Sweet Sauiour, art.

Epig. 91. A Paradox .

To Hell, though euery wretched Atheist goes,
In Hell's no Atheist; there, He, Hell well knowes.

Epig. 94. Difference betwixt a Good King and a Tyrant.

A Good-King marks what's godly, iust and right,
A Tyrant mindes his strict Command & Might;
I, Good-Kings Power preferre 'fore Tyrants Pray,
Th' Ones threates are treates, the Others Pay's, Decay.

Epig. 95. Against a certaine ------.

For Mad-men Bedlem; Bridewell's for a Knaue,
Choose, wheth'r of these two, thou hadst rather haue.

Epig. 98: Life-Bloud.

Moses the Life of All, ith' Bloud did place:
My Life, in Christs Bloud hath his onely Grace.

Epig. 100. Against a Foolish Writer .

Thy Booke's æternall (if such Bookes may bee)
Beginning none, nor End of it I see.

Epig. 102. Vpon the Death of Prince Henry. 1612 .

Dead is that Prince, whom Dead we may lament,
With Flouds of Teares, till Teares last Drops bee spent,
Our Albions Hope, Glory of Britaines King,
Arts Prop, Warres Piller, Vertues hopefull Spring.
To whom none e're came neere, but his deare Brother,
Saue his sweet Sister, neuer such Another.

A Prince much Honour'd Liuing; Lou'd when Dead,
His Nations Light, Delight, whiles Life Hee led.
Whiles I these things with Teare-swolne eies sigh-out,
From both my Springs Teares gush-forth all about.
Beleeue me (Reader) if what's Griefe thou know,
Sighes stop my Speech; I weepe, Teares ouer-flow.

His Epitaph.

Heere lyes (dry Eyes, reade not this Epitaph)
Kings, Queenes, Prince, Princesse, Peoples hopeful Staffe.

Omnis Gloria Deo debita.