TEARES ON THE DEATH of Meliades.
EDINBVRGH, Printed by Andro Hart, and are to be sold at his shop on the North-side of the high streete, a litle beneath the Crosse, 1613.
TEARES ON THE DEATH of Meliades.
O Heauens, then is it trew that thou art gone,
And left this wofull Ile her losse to mone,
Meliades, bright day-Starre of the West,
A Comet blazing terrour to the East:
And neither that thy Spirit so heauenly wise,
Nor Bodie [though of earth] more pure then Skies,
Nor royall Stemme, nor thy sweete tender Age,
Of cruell Destinies could quench the rage?
O fading hopes! O short-while-lasting joy
Of earth-borne man, that one houre can destroy!
Then euen of
Vertues spoyles Death Trophees reares,
As if he gloried most in many teares.
Forc'd be hard Fates, doe Heauens neglect our cryes?
Are Starres set onely to act Tragedies?
And let them doe their worst, since thou art gone;
Raise whome they lift to Thrones, enthron'd dethrone,
Staine Princely Bowres with blood, and euen to
Gange,
In Cypresse sad, glad
Hymens torches change.
Ah thou hath left to liue, and in the time,
When scarse thou blossom'd in thy pleasant Prime.
So falls by Northen blast a virgin Rose,
At halfe that doth her bashfull bosome close:
So a sweete Flourish languishing decayes,
That late did blush when kist by
Phoebus rayes.
So
Phoebus mounting the Meridians hight,
Choak't by pale
Phoebe, faints vnto our sight:
Astonish'd Nature sullen stands to see
The Life of all this All, so chang'd to be,
[Page]In gloomie gownes the Starres about deplore,
The Sea with murmuring mountaines beates the shore,
Blacke Darkenesse reeles o're all, in thousand shoures
The weeping Aire on Earth her sorrow poures,
That in a palsey, quakes to see so soone
Her Louer set, and Night burst forth ere Noone.
If Heauen alas ordaind thee yong to die,
Why was't not where thou mightst thy valour trie?
And to the wondring world at least set forth
Some litle sparke of thy exspected worth?
Meliades, O that by
Isters streames
Mong sounding trumpets, fierie twinckling gleames
Of warme vermilion swords, and cannons roare,
Balls thicke as raine powr'd by the
Caspian shore;
Mong broken speares, mong ringing helmes & shieldes,
Huge heapes of slaughtred bodies long the fieldes,
In Turkish blood made red like
Marses starre,
Thou ended had thy life and Christian warre!
Or as braue
Burbon, thou had made olde
Rome
Queene of the world, thy triumph and thy tombe.
So Heauens faire face to comming worlds which reedes,
A booke had beene of thy illustrous deedes.
So to their nephewes aged Syres had told
The high exploits perform'd by thee of olde;
Townes raz'd, and rais'd, victorious, vanquish'd bands,
Fierce Tyrants flying, foyl'd, kild by thy hands.
And in deare Arras, Virgins faire had wrought
The Bayes and Trophees to thy countrie brought:
While some great
Homer imping wings to fame,
Deafe
Nilus dwellers had made heare thy name.
[Page]That thou did not attaine these honours spheares,
Through lacke of power it was not, but of yeares.
A brauer youth, pale
Troy with trembling walls
Did never see, nor she whose name appalls
Both
Titans golden bowres, in bloodie fights
Mustring on
Marses field, such
Mars-like knights.
The Heauens had brought thee to the highest hight
Of wit and courage, showing all their might
When they thee fram'd.
Ayme that what is braue
On earth, they as their owne so soone should craue!
Meliades sweete courtly Nymphes deplore,
From ruddy
Hesp'rus rising to
Aurore.
When
Forth thy nurse,
Forth where thou first did passe
Thy tender dayes, [who smylde oft on her glasse,
To see thee gaze] Meandring with her streames,
Heard thou had left this round, from
Phoebus beames
She sought to flie, but forced to returne
By neighbour brookes, she gaue her selfe to mourne:
And as she rush't her
Cyclades among,
She seem'd to plaine, that Heauen had done her wrong.
With a hoarse plaint,
Cleyd downe her steppie rockes,
And
Tweid through her greene mountaines cled with flocks,
Did wound the
Ocean, murmuring thy death;
The
Ocean that roar'd about the earth,
And to the
Mauritanian Atlas told;
Who shrunke through griefe, & down his white haires rold
Huge streames of teares, which changed were in floods,
Wherewith he drown'd the neighbour plaines & woods.
The lesser brookes as they did bubling goe,
Did keepe a consort vnto publicke woe.
[Page]The Shepheards left their flockes, with downe cast eyes
Sdaining to looke vp to the angrie Skyes:
Some brake their pipes, and some in sweete-sad layes
Made senslesse things amazed at thy praise.
His reed
Alexis hang vpon a tree,
And with his teares made
Doven great to be.
Meliades sweete courtly Nymphes deplore
From ruddy
Hesp'rus rising to
Aurore.
Chast Maids which haunt faire
Aganippe Well,
And you in
Tempes sacred shade who dwell,
Let fall your harpes, cease tunes of joy to sing,
Discheueled make all
Parnassus ring
With Antheames sad, thy Musicke
Phoebus turne
In dolefull plaints, whilst Ioy it selfe doth mourne.
Dead is thy Darling who decor'd thy Bayes,
Who oft was wont to cherish thy sweete layes,
And to a trumpet raise thy amorous stile,
That flotting
Delos enuied might this Ile.
You
Acidalian Archers breake your Bowes,
Your brādons quench, with teares blot Beauties snowes,
And bid your weeping Mother yet againe
A second
Adons death, nay
Marses plaine.
His Eyes once were your darts, nay euen his Name,
Where euer heard, did euery heart inflame.
Tagus did court his loue with Golden streames,
Rheine with his Townes, faire
Seine with all she claimes.
But ah (poore Louers) Death them did betray,
And not suspected made their Hopes, his Pray!
Tagus bewailes his losse with Golden streames,
Rheine with his Townes, faire
Seine with all she claimes.
[Page]
Meliades sweete courtly Nymphes deplore
From ruddy
Hesp'rus rising to
Aurore.
Faire Meades amidst whose grassie velvet springs
White, golden, azure flowres which once were kings,
In mourning blacke, their shining colours dye,
Bowe downe their heades, whiles sighing
Zephyrs flye.
Queene of the fieldes, whose blushes staines the Morne
Sweete Rose, a Princes death in purple mourne.
O Hyacinthes for ay your
Al keepe still,
Nay, with moe markes of woe your leaues now fill.
Your greene lockes Forrests cut, in weeping Mirres,
The deadly Cypresse, and inke-dropping Firres,
Your Palmes and Mirtles turne; from shadowes darke
Wing'd
Syreins waile, and you sad
Echoes marke
The lamentable accents of their mone,
And plaine that braue
Meliades is gone.
Stay Skye thy turning course, and now become
A stately Arche, vnto the Earth his tombe;
Ouer which ay the watrie
Iris keepe,
And soft-eyed
Pleiades which still doe weepe,
Meliades sweete courtly Nymphes deplore
From ruddy
Hesp'rus rising to
Aurore.
Deare Ghost forgiue these our vntimely teares,
By which our louing mind, though w
[...]ares.
Our losse, not thine [when we complaine] we weepe,
The glistring walls of Heauen for thee doe keepe,
Beyond the Planets wheeles, boue highest source
Of Spheares, that turnes the lower in his course.
Where Sunne doth neuer set, nor vgly Night
[Page]Euer appeares in mourning garments dight:
Where
Boreas stormie trumpet doth not sound,
Nor clowdes in lightnings bursting, minds astound.
From cares cold climates farre, and hote Desire,
Where Time's exild, and Ages ne're expire:
Mong purest spirits enuironed with beames,
Thou thinks all things below, t'haue bene but dreames;
And joyes to looke downe to the azur'd barres
Of Heauen, poudred with troupes of streaming starres:
And in their turning Temples, to behold
In siluer robe the Moone, the Sunne in gold,
Like yong eye-speaking louers in a dance,
With majestie, by turnes retire, aduance.
Thou wonders th'Earth to see hang like a ball
Closd in the gha
[...]ly Cloister of this All:
And that poore m
[...] should proue so madly fond,
To tosse themselues for a small foote of ground.
Nay, that they euen dare braue the pow'rs aboue,
From this base stage of change, that cannot moue.
All worldly pompe, and pride thou seest arise
Like smoake thats scattred in the emptie skies.
Other Hills and Forrests, other sumptuous Towres
Amaz'd thou finds excelling our poore Bowres;
Courts voyd of flatterie, of malice Minds,
Pleasures which last, not such as reason blinds.
More sweeter songs thou heares and carrollings,
Whilst Heauens do dance, and quire of Angells sings,
Then moldie minds could faine, euen our annoy
[If it approach that place] is chang'd in joy.
Rest blessed spirit, rest, satiat with the sight
[Page]Of him whose beames (though dazeling) doe delight,
Life of all liues, Cause of each other cause,
The Spheare and Center where the mind doth pause:
Narcyssus of himselfe, himselfe the Well,
Louer, and Beautie that doth all excell.
Rest happie Ghost, and wonder in that Glasse,
Where seene is all that shall be, is, or was,
While shall be, is, or was, doe passe away,
And nothing be, but an Eternall day.
For euer rest, thy praise Fame may enroule,
In golden Annales, while about the Pole
The slow
Boötes turnes, or Sunne doth rise
With scarlet scarfe to cheare the mourning Skies.
The Virgins to thy tombe may garlands beare
Of flowres, and with each flowre let fall a teare.
Meliades sweete courtly Nymphes deplore
From ruddy
Hesp'rus rising to
Aurore.
W. Dr.
FINIS.
OF IET,
Or
PORPHERIE,
Or that white stone
PAROS affoordes alone,
Or these in
AZVRE dye,
which seeme to scorne the
SKYE:
Here
Memphis Wonders doe not set,
Nor
ARTEMISIAS huge frame,
that keepes so long her Louers Name:
mak no great marble
Atlas tremble with gold
To please a vulgar eye that doth beholde.
Phoebus, the Muses, Loue, hath raised of their teares
A Chrystal tombe to him where through his worth appears.
STay Passenger, see where enclosed lyes,
Wits Paragone, and Natures daintiest frame,
Vertues faire Temple, Wonder vnto Fame,
In whome was found the best Heauen could deuise:
At least that part the Earth of him could claime,
Of Elements combind that did arise,
For as to his braue Spirit, and glorious Name,
The one the World, the other fills the Skyes.
Arabian odours, Mirtles youthfull Bayes▪
Roses, and that sweet floure
[...]ares,
Spred on this stone, while I these dolefull layes
Sigh forth, and wash it ouer with my teares.
Then goe and tell from
Gades vnto
Inde,
Thou saw where Earths perfections were cōfinde.