University of Virginia Library

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1057

St. LEWIS; THE KING:

OR A LAMP OF GRACE, lighting the Great (in the right way) TO GLORY

Translated; and Dedicated To My gracious Lord, Prince Charles.

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1058

AD EVNDEM PRINCIPEM Opt. Max.

EPIGRAMMA; Ex Lat. I. O. convers.

[In Arthvr's Castle, lies My Hart's Last Cvre]

Eiusdem Augustissimi ANAGRAMMA Quadruplex. Carolvs Stvartvs, Princeps.

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1059

A HYMN OF St. LEWIS (The Ninth of that Name) King of France.

For, never was there more accomplisht King,
Whose royall heart had more replenishing

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1060

Of Princely Vertues, fit for Powerfull hand;
Or to bee wisht in Mindes of High Command.
Nay; would the Heav'ns, their Treasures all producing,
All Gifts of Body and of Minde conducing,
Mould for Mankinde a Prince or Potentate
Worthy to govern th'Vniversal State;
They could not give the World (and Wee, much less,
Wish) One more worthy; with more due Address
To take into his Royall hand the Helm,
In stormfull Times so apt to over-whelm.
So much the Star, which rules in Birth of Kings,
When Hee was destin'd to These Managings,
Milde and propitious, in His heart connext,
First, fear of God , and love of Ivstice next:
Vertves, whose habit Happinesse doth nourish:
Makes Common-wealth flowe, and The Church to flourish:
Serves best for Base to each illustrious State:
Gives mightiest Kings calm Crowns, and fortunate:
Causeth their Subjects fear them lovingly:
Keeps Them, in Dangers, ever danger-free.
For, the Almighty printing in their Face
Milde-Maiesty, sweet-Terror, dreadfull-Grace,
And heaping Hap vpon them every-where;
The Good fear for them; Them, the Evill fear.

But twelve times Sol through the twelve Signes had gon,
When Heav'ns assign'd him to his Fathers Throne;

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1061

And to the hands of his Man-Childehood left
The glorious Burthen of This Sceptres heft:

Which well hee proov'd to those Rebellious Peers,
Who, making light of his then-tender yeers,

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1062

And measuring his in-side by his age,
Troubled his State with storms of Civill Rage:
Armed against him many a Tower and Town,
Aimed by Ambush to surprise his Crown.
When Hee, to heal, by necessary Ill,
This Ill, before th'Impostume over-fill,
With Sword in hand their first Assault prevents;
And, as His Subjects, bravely them convents,
To come and cast them arm-less at his feet;
Or else, as Foes, his armed Force to meet:
From Him, their true Liege (if true French they bee)
Arm'd in the Field, to take This Offer free,
Revenge, or Pardon, of their past Mis-deeds,
And all the Mischief which the same succeeds.
The one, his Power should press them to, perforce;
Th'other, their Duties, vrged with Remorse:
If their blinde Fury did the one contemn,
Th'other should pour Death and Disgrace on them.

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1063

In heav'nly Annals are his Acts inrold:
His Royall Gests are yet in Asia told:
In Affrike, yet his Valour is renownd:
Through Europe euer shall his Uertues sound;

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1064

And every-where Ninth Levvis (Great in Fame)
Seems, not a Man's, but very Vertve's Name.

In brief, to vndertake to tell at large
All his Exploits, were a more waighty Charge
Then can the powres of my weak Soul support:
And such a Web to weave in worthy sort,
Behoves the hand of a more happy Wit,
Both warp and woof with golden Threds to fit.
I therefore, quitting th'hopefull Arrogance
Sprung from ignoring of our Ignorance,
Shall think My Labour crown'd sufficient,
If this my speaking Pencil, Phœbus lent

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1065

To colour Verses, can but duly lim
Least-glittering Raies that shin'd with Praise in Him.

Deuoured of this Zeal, and dreading ay
Lest Hee be charged at the later Day
By th'onely Iudge, with Vice and Ignorance
Of those Hee chose, through all the folds of France,
To Feed the Flocks vnder his Power alli'd:
When's royall office bound him to provide,
With wondrous Care did hee their lives explore,
Who-ever had commended them before:
And never gave hee the supream Degrees,
Th'Ecclesiastick sacred Dignities,
But vnto Those whose Life and Learning too
Were Eminent, both to direct and doo;
To feed, as Shepheards; as a Watch, to ward;
To heal the Sick, Sound from the Wolf to guard;
And, carefull Stewards, in due time to break
The Bread of Life both to the strong and weak:
Not Those whose Eyes deep vail'd with Ignorance;
Or Knowledge stain'd with Sinnes Exorbitance,

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1066

Made like th'old woodden Mercuries, erect
In publike Waies, the Passage to direct,
Who with their finger the Right Path did point,
But, with their foot could never move a joynt.

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1067

For, neither spar'd Hee Rigor nor Reward,
Where Hee had hope, by gentle hand or hard,

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1068

To conquer Vice, and that same servile Vein,
Which loves not Goodnes, but for Goods and Gain;
And with a heart whose Gold-Thirst never sat is,
Will never till the Field of Vertve, gratis.

O! how hee hated Those light, lothsom, Places,
Where Venus sells her to all lewd Embraces!
The Shepheard, finding, vnder Stacks or Stones,
A Nest of Hornets, or a Swarm of Drones,
Or Knot of Vipers, is not bent more fierce
Their Cels to spoil, Themselues dispatch, disperse,
Then Hee was eger, and against Them bent
Seuerest Lawes, with sharpest punishment;

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1069

Clensing with Fire those foule Augéan Stalls,
And, to the ground, razing their filthy VValls;
Lacing with lashes their vn-pittied Skin,
VVhom Lust or Lucre had bestow'd therein.
Him-Selfe, so chaste of Body, and of Minde
(If Fame say true: who seldom soothes behinde)
That neuer Hee (Rare in a Princes Life!)
Knew other Venus, then his Queene and Wife.

His People He so lou'd, and their Prosperitie,
That, easing them of former Kings seueritie

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1070

In Imposts, Tributes, Taxes, and the rest,
Where-with his Kingdom had been sore opprest:
He wont with Tears to bathe his Cheeks (they say)
When vrging Cause compelled him to lay
On his poore Subiects any new Excise,
Neuer so needfull, iust, or light to prize:
Which yet his Pittie rarely did permit;
And onely when Bellons (pressing it)
Against out Lillies some such Storm had blown,
As hath too-often Empires ouerthrown.
For, for the Charge of needfull Dignitie,
And royall State beseeming Maiestie,
Hee neuer sought from other Source to drain,
Then th'euer-Springs of his owne iust Demain;
Detesting th'vse of other Potentates,
Who, but to gild their Pride in pompous States,
Pilld all their Subiects with extreame Excesse,
And then consuming it in Showes and Feasts,
And scorning those whom they had eaten-vp
(With-out Compassion) in a golden Cup
Caroused deep their wretched Peoples blood,
Whom God had giuen Them to protect, in good.

But, wither run I, on so harsh a string,

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1071

Out of my Tune; to tell how This good King
Reprou'd bad Princes of his Time, for pressing
Their People cause-less with vncessant Sessing!
Let's re-assume our Song, our proper Theam:
Let's passe-by Vice: and rather couering them,
Then Them recounting in eternall Story,
Let vs returne to sing of Vertues Glory.

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1072

Smooth Soothers, poysoning by the Eare the hart,
Pernicious Weeds, who (Ivie-like) subuert,
Distort, destroy the Trees you Climbe vpon;
Still feeding Vice with such Contagion,
That seldom, Soules who with Applause approue
Your praising them, do ought Praise-worthy loue:

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1073

Vizards of Homage, Vertues Pestilence,
Right ill-come were You to This Vertuous Prince,
Who, shunning aye Your banefull Whisperings,
As common Poisoners of the publique Springs,
Abhorr'd your presence, and could better brook
A miss-Fault-finder, then a Fawner's look.
So much a Noble Minde, remote from Vice,
Louing true Honor, loatheth Flatteries.

Kings of his Time, raigning in East and West,
Reuéring him for such, his Greatnes blest:
Th'Afflicted Princes chose him for Refuge;
The Strong, for Friend; and Those at Strife, for Iudge,
When they grew weary to dispute their Cause
By th'old sharp Argument Kings Furie drawes,

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1074

When, Mars vsurping milde Astræa's room,
In sted of words, their Swords must giue the Doom;
When Iniurie with Iniury repelling,
And strength of Lawes by stronger Lawes refelling
(To back their Own, or Others claim to barr)
They seek their Right in Might; their Peace, in War.

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1075