A Liuing Sadnes, In Duty consecrated to the Immortall memory of our late Deceased albe-loued Soueraigne Lord, The Peereles Paragon of Princes, IAMES, King of great Brittaine, France and Ireland.
Who departed this Life at his Mannour of Theobalds, on Sunday last, the 27. of March, 1625.
London Printed by E. All-de for H. Gosson.
TO THE MOST HIGH AND PVISSANT PRINCE, CHARLES by the Grace of God, the first of that Name, and second Monarch of the whole Iland of Great BRITTAINE:
His vndoubted Royalties being vnited vnder one and the same his most glorious Crowne, the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland;
Gods Immediate Vice-Gerent; Supreame head of all Persons, and Defender of the true, ancient Christian Faith, in these his Empires and Dominions.
MOst Mighty Monarch
of this mourning Land,
Vpon the Knees of my submissiue minde:
I begge Acceptance at your Royall
hand,
That my Lamenting Muse
may fauour finde.
So iust, so much-beloued neare and farre:
Which generally did Loue, and Duty binde
From all, and from me in particular.
But as your Maiesty
vndoubted are
The Heyre
vnto his Vertues and his Crowne:
I pray, that whether HEAVEN
send Peace or War
You likewise may inherit his Renowne.
And as Death
strucke his Earthly Glory
downe,
Left you in Maiestie,
and mourning Chiefe:
Yet through the World apparently 'tis knowne
Your Sorrow
is an vniuersall Griefe.
Let this recomfort then your
Princely heart,
That in this
Duty, all men beares a part.
Your Maiesties most humble and obedient Subject and Seruant: IOHN TAYLOR.
YOV Gushing Torrents of my Tearedrown'd eyes,
Sad Partners of my hearts Calamities.
Tempesteous Sighs, like windes in Prison Pent:
Which (wanting vent) my grieued soule hath Rent,
Deepe wounding Grones (Companions of vnrest)
Thronges from the Bottome of my Care-Craz'd Brest,
You three, Continuall fellowes of my mones
(My Brinish Teares, Sad sighes, & Pondrous Grones)
I doe entreate you neuer to depart
But be the true Assistants of my heart,
In this Great
Sorrow, (that my Trembling Quill
Describes) which, doth our land with mourning fill.
Ah
Death! could nought thy hunger satisfie,
But thou must Glut thy selfe with
Maiestie?
Could nothing thy Insatiate thirst Restraine,
But Royall Blood of our Dread Soueraigne?
In this thy spight exceedes, beyond all Boundes,
And at one Blow, 3. kingdomes filld'st with wounds.
When thou that fatall deadly stroake did'st strike,
Then
(Death) thou playd'st the
Tyrant-Catholicke.
Our griefes are
Vniuersall, and the Summe
Cast vp, the blow doth wound all Christendome.
[Page 2] But wherefore
(Death) doe I on thee Exclaime?
Thou cam'st in the Eternall Kings Great name,
For as, no mortall Power can thee preuent,
So thou doest neuer, Come, but thou art sent.
And now thou cam'st vpon vnwelcome wings,
To our best King, from the blest King of Kings,
To Summon him to change his Earthly Throne,
For an Immortall, and a Heau'nly one.
(When men vnthankfull, for a good Receau'd,
'Tis Iust that of that good they be bereau'd)
His Gouernment, both
God and
Men did please,
Except such spirits as might complaine of
Ease,
Repining Passions wearied with much
Rest,
The want to be
Molested, might
Molest.
Such men thinke
Peace a Torment, and no
Trouble
Is worse then
Trouble, though it should come double.
I speake of such, as with our peace were Cloy'd,
Though
Warre I thinke, might well haue bin Imploy'd.
True
Brittaines, wish iust warres to Entertaine,
(I meane no Aide for
Spinola, or
Spaine)
But Time and Troubles would not suffer it,
Nor
Gods Apointment would the same permit.
He is Inscrutable in all his wayes,
And at his pleasure humbleth, and will raise,
For
Patience, is a vertue he Regardeth,
And in the End, with victorie Rewardeth.
But whither hath my Mournefull Muse digrest?
From my beloued Soueraigne Lord deceast:
Who was to vs, and we to
him, Eu'n Thus,
To bad for him, and he,
to good for vs.
[Page 3] For good men in their Deaths, 'Tis vnderstood
They leaue the
bad, and goe vnto the Good.
This was the cause, why God did take from hence,
This most Religious, Learned, Gracious
Prince,
This Parragon of Kings, this Matchlesse Mirror,
This
Faiths defending Antichristian Terror,
This Royall al-beloued King of
Harts,
This Patterne, and this Patron of good Arts,
This cabinet of mercie,
Temperance,
Prudence, and
Iustice, that doth
man aduance.
This Magazine of Pious
Clemencie,
This fountaine of true
Liberalitie,
This minde, where vertue dayly did increase,
This Peace-full Seruant to the God of
Peace.
This second great
Apollo, from whose Raies,
Poore
Poetrie did winne Immortall
Baies,
From whence the sacred
Sisters, Treble Trine
Had life and motion, Influence diuine,
These
vertues did adorne his
Diadem,
And
God, in taking
him, hath taken
them.
Of all which
Blessings, (we must needs confesse)
We are depriu'd for our vnworthinesse.
A good man's neuer mist till he be gone,
And then most vaine and fruitlesse is our mone,
But as
Heau'ns fauours, downe to vs descended:
So if our thankfulnesse had but Ascended,
Had we made Conscience of our wayes to sinne,
So soone of him, we not depriu'd had bin.
Then let vs not lament his losse so much,
But for our owne vnworthinesse was such.
[Page 4] So from th' vnthankfull
Iewes, God in his wrath
Tooke good
Iosias, by vnlook'd for death.
And for our sinnes, our ignorance must know,
We haue procur'd, and felt this cureles blow.
And
Christendome, I feare in losing him,
Is much dismembred, and hath lost a limme.
As by the fruite the tree may be exprest,
His workes declar'd, his learning manifest.
Whereby his wisedome wan this great renowne,
That second
Salomon wore
Brittaines crowne.
His pen restrain'd the strong, relieu'd the weake,
And graciously he could write, doe and speake.
He had more force and vigour in his wordes,
Then neigh'bring Princes could haue in their swordes.
Fraunce, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Germanie,
Spaine, Sauoy, Italie, and
Muscouie,
Bohemia, and the fruitfull
Palatine,
The
Swisses, Grisons, and the
Veltoline,
As farre as euer
Sol, or
Luna shin'd
Beyond the Westerne, or the Easterne
Iude.
His counsell, and his fauours were requir'd,
Approu'd, Belou'd, Applauded, and Admir'd:
When round about, the Nations farre and neere,
With cruell bloodie warres infested were;
When
Mars with sword and fire, in furious rage,
Spoyl'd and consum'd, not sparing Sex or age;
Whil'st mothers (with great griefe) were childles made,
And
Sonne gainst
Sire oppos'd with trenchant blade:
When brother against brother, kinne gainst kinne,
Through death and danger did destruction winne.
[Page 5] When Murthers mercilesse, and beastly Rapes,
Theft, Famine (Miseries in sundry shapes)
While Mischiefes thus great Kingdomes ouerwhelme,
Our prudent
Steeresman held great
Brittaines Helme,
Conducting so this mighty
Shippe of State,
That strangers enuide, and admir'd thereat.
When blessed
Peace, with terrour and affright
Was in amazed and distracted flight
By bloody
Warre, and in continuall Chase,
Cours'd like a fearefull Hare, from place to place:
Not daring any where to show her Head,
She (happily) into this Kingdome fled.
Whom Royall IAMES did freely entertaine,
And graciously did keepe Her all his Raigne.
Whilst other Lands (that for her absence mourne)
With sighes and teares doe wish her backe returne.
They finde in loosing
Her, they lost a blisse,
A hundred Townes in
France can witnesse this,
Where
Warres compulsion, or else composition
Did force Obedience, Bondage, or Submission.
Fields lay vntild, and fruitfull Land lay wast,
And this was scarcely yet full three yeares past.
Where these vnciuill ciuill Warres destroy'd
Princes, Lords, Captaines, men of Note imploy'd,
One hundred sixty seauen, in number all,
And Common people did past number fall.
These wretches (wearied with these home-bred Iarres)
Loue
Peace, for being beaten sore with
Warres.
Nor doe I here inueigh against just Armes,
But 'gainst vniust, vnaturall Alarmes.
[Page 6] Iust Warres are made, to make vniust Warres cease,
And in this sort Warres are the meanes of
Peace.
In all which unmoyles,
Brutaine was at rest,
No thund
[...]ing Cannons did our
Peace molest.
No chu
[...] Drum, no Rapes, no slaught
[...]ing wounds;
No Trumpets clangor to the Battaile sounds
:
But euery Subiect here enioy'd his owne,
And did securely Reape what they had Sowne.
Each man beneath his Fig-tree, and his Vine
In
Peace with plenty did both Suppe and Dine.
O GOD how much thy Goodnesse doth or'eflow,
Thou hast not dealt with other Nations so!
And all these blessings which from Heauen did spring,
Were by our Soueraignes wisdomes managing.
Gods Steward, both in Office, and in Name,
And his account was euermore his aime:
The thought from out his minde did seldome slippe,
That once he must giue vp his Steward-shippe.
His Anger written on weake water was,
His P
[...]tience and his Loue were grau'd in Brasse:
His Fury like a wandring Starre soone gone,
His Clemency was like a fixed one.
So that as many lou'd him whilst he liu'd,
More then so many by his Death are grieu'd.
The hand of
Heauen was onely his support,
And blest him in the Nobles of his Court,
To whom his Bounty was exprest so Royall,
That he these twenty yeares found none disloyall;
But as bright Iewels of his Diadem,
They faithfully seru'd him, he honour'd them.
[Page 7] And as in life, they were on him relying,
So many of them vshered him in dying.
Richmands and
Linox Duke, first led the way,
N
[...]xt
Dorsets spirit forsooke hir house of Clay.
Then
Linox Duke againe, Duke
L
[...]dwicks Brother
Was third, and good
Southampton fourth another.
Lord
Wri
[...]thsly next,
Southamptons Noble Sonne,
The race of his mortality did runne.
Next dyde olde
Charles, true honour'd
Nottingham
(The Brooche and honour of his House and Name)
Braue
Belfast next, his vitall thr
[...]ed was spunne,
And last the Noble Marquesse
Hambleton.
These in the compasse of one yeare went hence,
And lead the way to their beloued Prince.
And our deceased
Soueraigne quickly went,
To change Earths Pompe, for glory permanent.
Like
Phoebus in his Course h'aroase and ran
His Raigne in
March both ended and began.
And as if he had bin a Star that's fixt
His Rise and Set were but two dayes betwixt,
And once in two and twenty yeares 'tis prou'd,
T
[...]at the most fixed Starres are something mou'd,
But in his end, his Constancy we finde
He had no mutable or wauering minde:
For that Religion which his tongue and pen
Did still defend with God, maintaine with men:
That Faith which in his Life he did expresse,
He in his Death did constantly professe;
His Treasure and his Iewels, they were such,
As I thinke
Englands Kings had ne're so much.
[Page 8] And still to men of honour and desert,
His Coffers were as open as his heart.
Peace, Patience, Iustice, Mercie, Pietie;
These were his Iewels in variety:
His
Treasure alwaies was his Subiects Loue,
Which they still gaue him, as th' effects did proue:
Which like to Earths contributary streames,
Payde homage to their Soueraigne Ocean,
Iames:
He knew, that Princes
Treasure to be best,
Thats layde vp in the loyall Subjects brest;
And onely 'twas the Riches of the minde,
To which he couetously was inclinde.
Thus was he blest in Person, blest in State,
Blest in his first, and in his Latter date:
Blest in his education, blest in's learning,
Blest in his Wisedome, Good and Ill discerning,
Blest in his Marriage, and in his royall Race,
But blessed most of all in
Gods high Grace.
He did his
God deuoutely serue and feare,
He lou'd him, and his loue he held most deare:
He honour'd and obayde him faithfully;
He in his fauour liu'd, and so did dye:
His duty vnto
God he knew the way
And meanes, to make his Subiects him obey:
He knew that if he seru'd his
God, that then
He should be seru'd, and fear'd, and lou'd of
Men:
And that if he
Gods Statutes did respect,
That
Men would feare his Statutes to neglect.
Thus his Obedience vpward, did bring downe
Obedience to his Person, and his Crowne.
[Page 9] He did aduaunce the good, supprest the bad,
Relieu'd the poore, and comforted the sad:
The widow, and the orphant fatherlesse,
He often hath suppli'd in their distresse,
For why, to rich and poore, to great and small,
He was a common
Father vnto all.
His affabilitie and Princely partes,
Made him a mighty Conquerour of
Hartes:
Offenders whom the law of life depriues,
His
Mercie pardon'd, and preseru'd their liues,
To prisoners, and poore captiues miserie,
He was a Magazine of charitie,
For losses that by sea, or fire did come,
He hath bestowed many a liberall summe.
Besides, for Churches, it most plaine appeares,
That more hath bin repair'd in twentie yeares
(In honour of our God, and Sauiours name)
Then in an hundred yeares before he came.
Our ancient famous
Vniuersities,
Diuine, and
Humane learnings
Nurseries:
Such dewes of
Grace, as the Almighties will,
Was pleased (through those
Limbecks) to distill.
Which (spight of
Romish rage, or
Sathans hate)
Hath caus'd the glorious gospell propogate:
Our
(light of learning) IAMES, did still protect them,
And as a nursing
Father did affect them.
Thus was
He, for our
soules, and bodies health,
Defender of both Church and Common-wealth.
For
Ireland, he hath much reduc'd that nation,
Churches with Land endowed, caus'd much plātation.
[Page 10] Whereby
Ciuility is planted there,
The Kings
Obedience, and th' Almigties
Feare.
These Deedes this worthy godly
Prince hath done,
For which he hath perpetuall praises wonne.
Ah! what a gracious
Man of
God was this?
Mercy and
Iustice did each other kisse;
His
Affability whilst he did liue,
Did make all
Men themselues to him to giue.
Thus liu'd Great IAMES,
and thus Great IAMES
did dye,
And dying thus doth liue Eternally.
With
Honour he did liue, and Life forsooke,
With
Patience like a
Lambe his Death he tooke:
And leauing Kingly cares, & Princely paine,
He now inherits an Immortall Raigne:
For royal grieu'd, perplexed Maiestie,
He hath a Crowne of perpetuitie:
For miserable Pompe thats transitory,
He is aduanc'd to euerlasting glory.
And as he lou'd, and liu'd, and dyde in
Peace,
So he in
Peace did quietly decease:
So let him rest in that most blest condition,
Thats subiect to no change or intermission;
Whilst we his Seruants, of him thus bereft,
With grieued and perplexed hearts are left;
But
God in mercy looking on our griefe,
Before he gaue the wound, ordain'd reliefe:
Though duteous
Sorrow bids vs not forget
This clowde of
Death, wherein our
Sunne did set,
His
Sonnes resplendent Maiestie did rise,
Loadstone, and Loadstarre to our hearts and eyes:
[Page 11] He cheeres our drooping spirits, he frees our feares
And (like the
Sunne) dryes vp our dewie Teares.
All those
his seruants that lamenting Grieue
King
Charles his Grace and fauour doth Releeue:
But as they seru'd his Father, so he will
Be their most louing Lord and Soueraigne still,
As they were first to their Master liuing (being dead)
They are releeued, and recomforted.
Thus Charitie doth in succession runne,
A Pious
Father leaues a Godly
Sonne:
Which
Sonne his Kingly Gouernment shall passe
His Kingdomes
Father, as his
Father was.
For though Great
Iames inter'd in earth doth lye
Great
Charles his breast intombes his memorye,
And heer's our comforts midst our discontents
Hee's season'd with his
Fathers Documents.
And as th' Almighty was his sheild and speare,
Protecting him from danger euery where:
From most vnnaturall foule Conspiracie,
From Powder plots, and hellish Treacherie,
Whilst he both liu'd and dyde, belou'd, Renound,
And Treason did it selfe, it selfe confound,
So I inuoke th'
Eternall Prouidence
To be to
Charles a Buckler and defence,
Supported onely by the
Power Diuine
As long as
Sunne or
Moone or
Starres shall shine.
To all that haue Read this Poeme.
I Boast not, but his
Maiestie that's dead
Was many times well pleasd my lines to read:
And euery line word, syllable and letter
Were (by his reading) graced and made better,
And howsoeuer they were good, or ill
His Bounty shewed, he did accept them still;
Hee was so good and gracious vnto me,
That I the vilest wretch on earth should be
If, for his sake I had not writ this verse
My last poore dutie, to his Royall
Hearse,
Two causes made me this sad
Poeme write,
The first, my humble dutie did inuite,
The last to shunne that vice which doth include
All other vices, foule ingratitude.
FINIS.