ON THE DEATH OF THE Truly Valiant, and Loyal GEORGE, Duke of Albemarle, Late General of his Majesties Forces, AND Knight of the Honorable Order of the Garter.
A Pindariqu' Ode.
By THOMAS FLATMAN.
‘— Extinctus amabitur Idem.’LONDON, Printed for Henry Brome, at the Gun, near the West-End of St. Pauls, 1670.
ON THE DEATH OF The Truly Valiant, and Loyal GEORGE, Duke of Albemarle.
A Pindariqu' Ode.
Stanza I.
NOw blush thy self into Confusion,
Ridiculous Mortality!
With Indignation to be trampled on
By them that court Eternity;
Whose generous deeds, and prosp'rous state
Seem poorly set within the reach of Fate:
[Page 2] Whose every Trophy, and each Laurel Wreath
Depends upon a little breath:
Confin'd within the narrow bounds of Time
And of incertain Age,
With doubtful hazards they engage,
Thrown down, while Victory bids them higher clime,
Their Glories are eclips'd by Death;
Hard circumstances of Illustrious Men,
Whom Nature (like the
Scythian Prince) detains
Within the Bodies Chains,
Nature that rigorous
Tamberlain.
Stout
Bajazet disdain'd the barbarous Rage
Of that insulting Conquerour;
Bravely himself usurp'd his own expiring Power,
By dashing out his Brains against his Iron Cage.
II.
But 'tis indecent to complain,
And wretched Mortals curse their Stars in vain;
In vain they waste their tears for them that dye?
Themselves involv'd in the same destiny.
No more with sorrow let it then be s'ed,
The Glorious
Albemarle is dead:
[Page 3] Let what is said of him Triumphant be;
Words as gay as is his Fame,
And as manly as his Name,
An
Epinicion not Elegy.
Yet why should'st thou (ambitious Muse) believe
Thy gloomy Verse can any splendors give,
Or make him one small moment longer live?
Nothing but what is vulgar thou canst say,
And misbecoming numbers sing:
VVhat tribute to his Memory canst thou pay,
Whose Virtue sav'd three Realms, and could oblige a King
III.
Many a year distressed,
Albion lay,
By her unnatural off-spring torn,
Once the worlds terror, then its scorn,
At home a Prison, and abroad a Prey:
Her valiant Youth, her valiant Youth did kill,
And mutual Blood did spill:
Usurpers then, and many a Mushrome Peer
VVithin her Palaces did domineer;
There did the bloody Vultur build his nest,
There the Owls and Satyrs rest,
By
Zim, and
Ohim all possest:
[Page 4] Till
(Englands Angel-Guardian) thou
With pity, and with anger mov'd
For
Albion thy belov'd,
(Olive-chaplets on thy brow
VVith bloodless hands held'st up her drooping head,
And with thy Trumpets call'dst her from the dead.
Bright
Phospher to the rising Sun!
That
Royal Lamp by thee did first appear
Usher'd into our happy
Hemisphere:
O may it still shine warm, and clear!
No cloud, nor night approach It, but a constant Noon!
IIII.
Nor here did thy undaunted Valour cease,
Or wither with unactive peace:
Scarce were our civil Broils allay d,
VVhile yet the wound of an intestine VVar
Had left a tender Scar;
When (of our new prosperities afraid)
Our jealous Neighbours fatal Arms prepare:
In floating Groves the Enemy drew near,
Loud did the
Belgian Lion roar;
Upon our Coasts th'
Armada did appear,
And boldly durst attempt our native shore.
[Page 5] Till His victorious Squadrons check'd their pride,
And did in triumph o're the Ocean ride.
Under a gallant
Admiral He fought
YORK whose success a taller muse must sing;
Who so his Country lov'd, that he forgot
He was the
Brother of a King.
Whose daring courage might inspire
A meaner Soul than His with Martial Fire.
With Thunder, Lightning, and with Clouds of Smoke
He did their insolence restrain,
And gave His dreadful Law to all the Main,
Whose surly Billows trembled when He spoke,
And crouch'd their willing necks under His Yoke.
This the stupendious
Vanquisher has done,
Whose high prerogative it was alone,
To raise a ruin'd, and secure an envy'd Throne.
V.
Then angry Heav'n began to frown,
From Heav'n a wasting Pestilence came down
On every side did Lamentations rise,
Baleful sigh, and heavy groan,
All was plaint, and all was moan!
The pious Friend with trembling love,
Scarce had his latest kindness done
[Page 6] In sealing up his dead Friends Eyes
E're with his own surprizing Fate he strove,
And wanted one to close his own.
With Iron Scepter Death bore all the sway
O're our Imperial
Golgotha.
Yet he with kind, tho undisturbed eyes,
Durst stay and see those numerous Butcheries.
He in the Field had seen Death's grisly Face,
Heard him in Niter talk aloud;
Beheld his grandeur in a glittering croud,
And un-amaz'd seen him in Cannons Gape.
Ever unterrify'd his Valour stood
Like some tall Rock amidst a Sea of Blood.
'Twas Loyalty from Sword and Pest sav'd Him alive,
The safest
Armour, and the best
Preservative.
VI.
The Flaming
City next implor'd His Aid,
Successfully it pray'd
His Force against the Fire, whose Arms the Sea obey'd
Wide did the impetuous Torrent spread
Then those goodly Fabricks fell;
Temples themselves promiscuously there
Dropt down, and in the common Ruine bury'd were,
The City turn'd into one
Mongibell.
[Page 7] That haughty Tyrant shook his curled head,
His breath with vengeance black, his face with red.
Then every cheek grew wan and pale,
Every heart began to fail:
And had not our
Annointed's flame
(From heaven towards his Subjects sent.)
Out-blaz'd the furious Element,
What could the furious Element tame?
Nought but thypresence could it spower suppress,
Whose stronger light put out the less.
As
London's noble structures rise
Together shall thy memory grow,
To whom that beauteous Town so much does owe
For its reviv'd tranquillities:
London! joint-Favourite with Him thou wert;
As Both took up a room within our heart,
So now with thine indulgent Sovereign joyn,
Respect His great Friend's Ashes, for he wept o're thine.
VII.
Thus did the
Duke conclude His mighty stage,
Thus did that
Atlas of our state
With His prodigious acts amaze the Age,
While worlds of wonder on his shoulders sate:
[Page 8] Full of glories, and of years
He trod His shining, and immortal way,
VVhilst
Albion compass'd with new Seas of tears
Besought His longer stay.
Saucy that pen that dares describe Thy bliss,
Or write Thine
Apotheosis!
Whom Heaven, and thy Prince to pleasure strove,
Entrusted with their Armies, and their Love.
In other Courts tis dangerous to
Deserve,
Thou didst a kind, and grateful
Master serve,
VVho (to express his gratitude to Thee)
Scorn'd those ill-natur'd Arts of Policy.
Happy had
Belisarius bin,
(VVhose forward fortune was his Sin)
By many victories undone,
He had not liv'd neglected, dy'd obscure,
If for Thy
Prince those Battels he had won,
Thy
Prince, magnificent above his
Emperour.
VIII.
Among the
Gods, those
Gods that dy'd like Thee,
As great as theirs, and full of Majesty
Thy sacred Dust shall sleep secure,
Thy Monument as long as theirs endure:
[Page 9] There, free from envy, Thou with them
Shalt have Thy share of
Diadem.
Amongst their Badges shall be set
Thy
Garter and Thy
Coronet:
Or (what is statelier) Thou shalt have
A
Mausolaeum in thy Princes breast,
There thine embalmed name shall rest;
That Sanctuary shall thee save
From the dishonours of the Grave:
And every wondrous History,
Read by incredulous Posterity,
That write's of
Him, shall honourably mention Thee
Who by an
humble Loyalty hast shown
How much sublimer gallantry, and renown
'Tis to
Restore, than to
Usurp, a Monarch's Crown,
FINIS.