Gloucesters MYTE, DELIVERED VVITH the mournefull Records of GREAT BRITAINE, into the Worlds Register.

For the inrolement of the euerlasting Fame and perpetuall remembrance of our late most gratious Prince HENRIE.

With Motiues to Repentance. The ma­teriall points touched, appeare in the next Page.

LONDON Imprinted by William Hall, for Ionas Man, 1612.

The Contents.

OF the inseparable perturbations annexed to this our mortall life.

The shortnesse of our earthly pilgrimage.

The vnspeakeable griefe of the State, City of London, & other parts of the Kingdom, vpon the dangerous sicknes of our most gratious Prince.

Our feeble strength to repulse Death.

That the greatest Princes of the world (notwith­standing their Treasur [...]s and commands in the world) are subiects.

The departure of our most deare Prince out of this life.

Our vnworthinesse of him.

His estimation and value.

His loue to vs, our zeale to him.

His euerlasting remembrance.

With other Additions leading to Repentance.

TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL, SIR RICHARD TRACIE Knight.

AS a Wheate Corne or other graine (Right Worshipfull) lying long buried in the bowels of the earth, d [...]th in the end not­withstanding, spring vp and yeel [...]e that encrease, that eit [...]er the weaken [...]sse or strength of the body can afford. Euen so the interior zeale of mans heart (though it lye long shr [...]wded in the breast with the vaile of res [...]raint) will at last (neuerthel [...]sse) come forth and shew the af­f [...]ction therein conceiued and nourished.

At what time your Wo [...]ship came in great Poste to your neighbour Towne of T [...]wkesbu­ry [Page] in the County of Gloucester (opened the late Queenes death) and proclaimed the Kings Ma­iesty: where (at your first entrance) another & my selfe (vpon strait charge giuen by the Officers of the said Towne) stood as it were Centinell (though little expecting such an alarum) I con­ceiued a kind of grudge towards you for newes on the one side, but honoured you (and still doe, and great cause) for the other. To heare of her death did kill the heart: but intelligence of so gratious a King did raise it vp. The assu­rance of the Gospell war life to the soule. And that the expected danger at the Queenes death, was euen with her death stifled to death, did augment the astonishment.

In what perplexity would that louing sonne stand (I beseech you) that should at one in­stant heare of the sinister death both of father and mother? and while the tale were yet in tel­ling, the father liuing, and in health should pre­sent himselfe in presence, but withall assuring of the death of the tender mother.

Jn what perplexity (I say) would that son rest, in what confusion of minde and spirite, betweene ioy on the one side, and griefe on the [Page] other? comforted by the life of the one, dismai­ed by the death of the other? Ioy and griefe at [...]ne instant equally weighing in the ballance of the heart, striuing for victory.

Such was the sorrow of many thousand lo­uing Subiects at that day, and the same also a­mong the rest was mine (Right Worshippefull) The which, by how much the more was great, by so much the more it made a deepe impression of zeale in my heart towards you. The print whereof hath euer sit hence lien hidden therein: and euen now (with the graine) hath found passage to creepe out and yeeld you this poore fruit, as a manifestation thereof. It is small I con­fesse, and blasted in comming vp (and great cause too, for the root in bringing it forth, hath beene nipt with many vnkind frosts which hindred the growth.) Yet, as it is I present it. For good reason is, that you sowing the seed should reape the croppe. You cast the graine into the ground of my heart in a time of griefe, and now reape in a like season.

Receiue it therefore as your owne I beseech you, and in so doing, you shall adde life to the Tree, hereafter to yeeld you fruit of more plea­sing [Page] rellish. In the meane time, I leaue it to your fauourable acceptation, and you & yours to the Lord, who in mercy so blesse you in this life, that in the life to come you may attain that happinesse which is prepared for the elect of God. At my lodging in S. Giles in the fields, in Middlesex (where the hand of God hath set me) December 14. 1612.

Your VVorships for euer most humbly deuoted and at command THO: ROGERS

Gloucesters MYTE,

SAd discontent, inuites vs to her feasts,
And we copartner-like, attendance make,
Feede on her fruites, drinke of her flowing breasts
And euery taske of hers wee vndertake.
Shee welcomes vs, we imitate her guise,
Shee walkes with vs, and in our lodging lies.
And as the shadow doth the Sunne pursue,
Shee followes vs (her feeble shady sunne)
As wee one lesson learne, she giues a new,
Still tut'ring vs, till mortall race be run.
VVe need not seeke her, shee our footing finds,
Shee wreathes about vs, as the yuie windes.
And as the head is to the body ioynde,
Or wine with water equally commixt,
Or as the Carracters on copper coinde
Inseparably; euen so are fixt
Woes, perturbations, and growing strife:
Vnto our euil, short and wretched life.
Thus pilgrim-like, as strangers on the earth,
We through the Sea-waues of this world wade
Still at vnrest, eu'n from our naked birth,
Three woes ensue, for one woe that doth fade.
If at some time a little Sun doth show,
Anon the rugged gusts, doth it ore-blow.
Our smoothest walks, are but as Rocks of stone,
Our softest rests, are as the Bramble sprayes:
Our best delights are chock'd with woefull mone
And all our earthly hopes disturbing frayes.
Our lease of life at such vncertaine tane,
Ere at the full it dieth in the wane.
What are our pathes, though pleasing to the foot
What is our rest, though Downe our bedding be?
When loe, the Axe lies hewing still root,
What pleasure take we in our dying ttee?
Our longest life, is as a minutes breath,
For in the mid'st of life, wee are in Death.
The present State an instance now doth yeeld,
For, when our ioys were full (our Pearle wee lost)
Pale Death in armes, intruded to the field,
Brake the array, discomfited the Hoast.
So thus our little sweet, still mixt with gall,
Shews, whil'st we rise in ioy, in griefe wee fall.
With deare Elizaes ioy did woe insinuate,
And more and more did rule, as grew the doubt:
The doubt increas'd, and did our ioy extenuate,
In Court, in City, and the Realme throughour:
Who could restrain, but teares of grief to shower
On the sad fading, of so sweet a flower.
A King most humbly su' [...], with teares of woe,
A Queen deepe plung'd in flouds of equal strife,
A Prince and Princesse (and a Million mo [...])
Ma [...]e supplication for a Peerelesse life.
And as they vsed were, be su'de vnto:
Themselues as others did, most humbly do [...].
They th [...]n on bowed knees, sad suitors wer',
And thoughts were words, for to expresse the mind
(For thoghts are most of force, whē grief doth bar
The tong to speake, & ey [...]s with teares are blind.)
Then sighes and groanes, the Orators of griefe,
VVere the Post-messengers to seeke reliefe.
VVho number can the sands vpon the shore?
Or in the clearest night, tell heauens starres?
Such one may count, the many did deplore,
And spread th [...]ir colours, in thos [...] mournful wars.
VVhose hearts with sorrow swel'd, abridg'd the tongue
Vse of the office did to it belong.
The woefull hart, that bu [...]t [...]n vnderwent,
Distilling moisture, till the wels w [...]re dri [...],
VVhich did dissolue in tear [...]s the speech, and s [...]nt
It dropping downe, in silence from the eye.
Y [...]t eyes not silent, for they did vnfold,
The woes which lay within the heart inrol'd.
Heart, tongue, and eyes, and eu'rie sense did ioine,
In equall simpathie, of equall sorrow:
And with one stampe, their [...]quall grief did coine,
Each one of other, equally did borrow.
And (as th' Apothecary) they were found,
Of manies sorrow, to make one compound.
But as a little boat, vpon the seas,
Be'ing ouercharged, with too large a saile
Or to the simple str [...]ngth of sillie fleas,
Or poore weake courage of a feeble Snaile,
To withstand storms, or w [...]ight of laden wheele,
Is ours gainst Death, when we his arrow feele.
The great [...]st Monarchs that doe breath aliue,
Who for their high degree, the r [...]st excell·
And in the field of Mars, as chiefe do thriue,
And by the Mines of gold and treasure dwell.
They all are subiects, though they raign as kings
They must obey, whē Death his message brings.
What is their birth when he doth Summons giue
VVhat is their Discipline of Mars in force.
Though they surrender would their State to liue
For to repell the strength of feeble Mors.
Yet (loe) the worlds wealth cannot auaile.
Who can against the hand of God preuaile?
Sweet Prince, his soule is fled, and now doth rest,
In immortality with Christ on high,
Among'st the holy Saints, in glory blest,
To liue and raigne with them eternally.
And as his Soule is thus, to ioy prefer'd,
So is his body, as a King inter'd.
For why should we, a pearle so rich detaine [...]
Who is deseruing him, are found so poore:
Why should hee on this wicked earth remaine.
That was a Iewell of so rich a stor [...]?
Sith wee vnworthy of so great a blisse,
In being to our louing God remisse.
To thinke of him, our hearts with sorrow bleed,
Our losse by him, the world cannot count,
A Pearle, a Diamond, a Gem, a Seed,
That for his va [...]ne, did the Earth surmount.
Adew sweet Prince, yet when we bid adew,
The teares with griefe, doe in our eyes renew.
Loues zeale commands, we shal not leaue thee yet
Thou like the Loadstone, doest draw the mind,
Who can thy deare and worthy selfe forget,
A Prince so vertuous, and louing, kind
Although our bodies here, on Earth we haue,
Our hearts interred lie with thee in graue.
Our Soules are siluer-plates thy Fame to hold,
Our zeale [...]ich Diamonds to make th'impression,
The Characters we print, refined gold,
To keepe thy name, all ages in succession.
Th [...]n sleepe sweet Henry, Prince of endles Fame,
Whil'st we record, thy euerlasting Name.

A Motiue to looke into the frailty of his life.

LOoke backe O man, vnto the fickle stay
Of thy short race, which here thou hast to run
View how the Flowers of the field d [...]cay,
Which for the smooth, and fin [...]st web are spun.
Sith thus the Gard'ner felles the Oliue tree,
What store or reckoning will he make of thee?
FINIS

The manner of our sorrowing for sinnes. Sathans subtleties in betraying vs. A dis­swasion from the loue of the world. The continual mer­cies of our louing God proffered by his word and Ministers. Our hardnesse of hart (notwithstanding.) Our punishme [...]t by losse of our ver [...]uous Prince.

LOok how the dews, lie sprinkled on the grasse
VVhich sable night begets, & leaues behind?
And how on sodaine it away doth passe,
(VVhen the Sun (rising) from the cast dothwind)
And sinking downe doth in the Earth remain,
Till Sun be set, and then returns againe.
Like so, repentant dewes hang in our eyes,
VVhen wee night threatnings of our God do see,
VVhich ouerpast, our dewie sorrow di [...]es,
And we vnmindfull of his mercy be.
No longer then his iudgements are in view,
Wee are repentant, (but in sinne renew.)
Thus with the Dogge, wee to the vomite turne▪
And with the Swine, into the filthy mire:
VVe freeze in piety, in sinne we burne,
The pampring of the lusts, is our desire.
These silly beasts excell vs in their kind,
They reason want, we haue, and yet more blind.
For, as the venem'd dart within the skinne.
Doth more and more infect, and p [...]rill breed:
Till it the Mastership at last doth winne,
To end the life of Adams wretched seed.
Euen so Sathan by his sub [...]il [...] w [...]ies
Wades in, diues deeper, and the soule beguiles.
Why fix we then our thoghts on melting treasur?
Why doe our hearts incline to earthly vanity?
Why build we on the Sands, & leaue to measure
The sinking ebbes and fals of our mortality?
Why doe we pleasure take in fading shewes?
Which die and vanish as the summer dewes.
Oh, sith these earthly things, our hearts attract,
And steales them from the fauour of our God:
(Whil'st our transgressions, on heapes are packt,
And as our mortall foes against vs plod,
Why wed we such a Strumpet then to wis [...]?
That wounds the soule, betraies, & kils the life.
VVe daily by the rules of truth are taught,
And dayly instances by death doe see:
How that our rended ships with sinne are fraught,
And in what perill, on the seas wee bee.
Yet hoi [...]e wee sailes, respectlesse of our guide,
And so in danger thrust into the tide.
The louing Pilot of our safe transport,
(To shunne our wracke vpon the raging deepe,)
Stands on the shore, and mildly doth exhort
Vs to returne, and in the calme to keepe.
VVithin the Hauen where our ship may ride,
Out of the danger of the drowning tide.
And farther (for his voice too low is found,
For vs that Addar-like are d [...]afe to heare.)
He sendeth out his Trumpeters to sound,
That we draw in, vnto the land more neere,
To An [...]re in the Road where he doth he,
VVhere peacefull calmes abide eternally.
Yet like the Heyfer that vntamed is,
Wee pull our stiffed neckes f [...]om out the yoke:
Our hearts of Adamant, is our amisse,
We still to anger do our God prouoke.
VVhich sinne of ours d [...]nying to obey,
Hath caus'd him thus to take our hope away.
Sith disobedience is a sinne so high,
To draw down iudgments from the hand of God,
Oh let vs by repentance draw more nigh,
To shun his wrathfull ire, and fearefull rod.
Lest as he now hath pluckt the O [...]iue spray,
He take the Tree, and other Plants away.

Our Happinesse vnder the late Queene. Feares expected at her death. Prai [...]rs & Supplications to God. Gods vnspeakable Prouidence and Mercy in preseruing vs by his Maiesty. Our Thankefulnes for the time. Our remisn [...]sse af­terward. Our punishment by losse of (the worlds treasure) our most gracious P [...]ince.

POore Creatures reasonlesse, when they do war
Will backe retire, to gaine a further force,
Then Man may not be iustly said to iarre,
That looketh backe, from Man to g [...]ine remorse.
Oh blame him not, that turneth back & reades
A princel [...] Motiue that to vertue leades.
When the admired Queene of high renowne,
Did guide the Scepter in her worthy hand,
And on her Royall head did weare the Crowne,
And raigning rul'd in peace this famous land.
No night was seene, our day did not decline,
The word of light did in the darkenes shine.
The tongue nor pen, by art cannot vnfold,
The supplicat'ons that pr [...]f [...]rred were,
Vnto the Lord of life, (our strength our hold)
To stirre him vp, our humble suites to heare:
That when this star should lose her earthly light
Another happy Sunne, might shine as bright.
And loe, such was the mercy of our God,
That he our praiers did not then despis [...]:
But cast aside his iust deserued rod;
(For as our old Sun set, our new did rise.)
And still kept day, and c [...]a [...]d away the night,
Without abridgement of a minutes light.
Where are the eyes that dazeled with the lustre?
Where are the hearts that praises then did yeeld?
Where are the flocking troups that thē did muster
With rauish'd soules, into that peacefull field?
They are decayde, the day was soon forgotten,
Our thankefull prayses in the dust lie rotten.
But why are we thus to our God vngrateful [...]:
Why are we stil so blindly led astray?
How can we be vnto our soules so hateful?
Or vnto him our light, our life, our stay?
VVho (as the Compas doth the shipmen guid)
Prese [...]u'd vs then in mid'st of roughest tide.
Oh blessed Lord, why was thy mercy such
To giue vs life when we deseru'd to die?
Why was thy loue and fauour then so much,
Our bleeding wounds with Balm [...] of lif [...] to dri [...]?
More iustice were, if iustice thou had'st shown,
Into the lake of Death, wee had been throwne.
And now were thrown, such is our froward wic­kednes
In pulling down thy wrath vpō our heads
In that we doe neg [...]ect thy proff'red blessednes,
Which to the end of endles glory leades.
If we of duetie vnto thee could boast,
The worlds hop [...]full Prince wee had not lost.
LOrd turne our hearts that wee our sinnes may see
And henceforth labour to appease thine ire;
And by repentance ioyne our soules to thee,
As thou in loue and mercy do'st require,
That with the Virgins wife, we enter may,
(Before the gate be shut) into thy ioy.
Oh blesse likewise most humbly we thee pray,
Our King and Queene, and all their Royall race,
[...]o thou their strength, their fortresse and their stay,
Support, defend, and shield them with thy grace.
(And though our sins haue caus'd a branch to seuer)
Preserue the trees and other plants for euer.
FINIS

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