A Funerall Monument: or the manner of the Herse of the most Renowned Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and Ewe, Viscount Hereford, L. Ferrers of Chartley, Bourchier and Lovaine, Englands late Lord Generall, who deceased Septemb. 14. 1646. VVith a briefe Recitement of his valour and fidelity in the Kingdomes just Cause, against the Enemies of Religion, Parliament and Kingdome, whose Funerall is to be solemnized on Tuesday the 13. of October, 1646.

[funeral cortege]
ENgland's great Essex Death hath snatcht away,
That faithfull friend, in her distressed day:
London, thou know'st with what a willing mind,
This Peere adventur'd, when thy men did find
Such rare encouragements from their Generall,
With resolutions, being inflamed all,
To live and die with Him, they all were bent,
In maint'nance of just Lawes, and Parliament.
What hardships He indured for thy good;
Nothing too deare, he thought, for England stood:
Opposing those unnaturall home-bred Foes,
That unto ruine did themselves expose.
Let Worcesters faithfull sons now him bewaile,
That did relieve them when their help did faile.
Let adverse Enemies, sound Fidelity,
At Edge-Hill Battell, where undauntedly
This Generall did appeare, in dangers great,
Adventuring to give the foes defeat;
Reading, Cirencester, thy Acts let sound,
And Glocesters tydings, when reliefe was found,
By means of this thy Friend, whom now lament,
In thy most sad distresse, thus did attempt.
And you that know the gain at Newbery,
Seeing this Generall, how undauntedly
He then encourag'd you, for Englands right,
When Royall Forces fled, he stood the Fight;
Croyland and Barnstaple shall sound his praise,
That gain'd them liberty, in inthralled dayes.
Mount Stamford, Plympton, Saltash, Launceston,
And Greenvile-house, proclaime his praise, each one;
With many other, whose laborious paine,
Most noble Essex valiantly did regaine:
Whom though by times untimely stroake deceast,
His fame still lives, that enemies decreast.
And now to you, unthankfull hearts, a while
I shall addresse me; you that durst revile▪
And mutter out, whilest basely you neglect
Your duties you do owe with great respect.
At first, how many prayers did ascend
From thousands, that did afterwards offend
In murmuring at all Gods dispensation,
Forgetfull of this Isles abomination:
This, this, O England, hath prolong'd thy warre,
With great unthankfulnesse, of which beware.
And now Malignants, by your base expression
Full often utter'd 'gainst this worthy Champion,
Fearlesse of death, that durst look death i'th face,
When your stout friends have fled, to their disgrace:
Goe search the Records of the Warres progresse,
And then constrain'd, you all can say no lesse.
By might or Majesty who prosper shall,
When as injustice is the cause of all?
That opposition which thus long hath dur'd,
And at the last perpetuall shame procur'd,
This sin cries loud, and vengeance is not farre
From you, that thus procured Englands Warre,
Which hath been mannag'd by your contribution,
This you'l lament, before your dissolution.
Take timely warning, therefore, and repent,
For this reviling of the Excellent:
Though he be gone to his appointed place,
Your sinnes remaine that have sought his disgrace:
And therefore now, to mourn for Englands losse,
Add somthing towards it, by that sins remorse.
But now to that, which is my chiefe intent,
To you, I meane, that really lament
This trusty friend to England, in distresse,
Do you bewaile, for I can do no lesse.
What great advantage did he stand upon,
When freely for this bleeding Nation
He offered up himselfe, to lead on those
That did the proudest enemie oppose.
Should you forget those great Returnes of prayer,
Which by this Instrument accomplisht were,
The stones would utter out your base neglect,
And this great sin would sadly back reflect.
With what rejoycing, in your saddest dayes,
Did you erect loud songs of thankfull praise
To God, that in so many great attempts
Preserved and regarded Innocents;
Expos'd in battell shrill, wherein there fell
Full often many; that did first rebell:
Yet God the Lord of Hoasts did still appeare,
To guard his servants, that did truly feare.
Your trust committed to this Generall,
Whose losse we now lament, and let tears fall,
Let them dissolve themselves into a flood,
For losse of him, that hazzarded his blood
Full oft in Field, against the trecherous,
Wilfully bent to ruine him and us.
Since tall Oakes, deeply rooted, do begin
To fall, be warned, let not murmuring
Remove more Oakes, that yet unmoved stood
In great combustious stormes, for all our good.
This noble Champion, like an unmov'd rock,
In battell that adventur'd many a shock,
Amidst the Forces, fearlesse, where grim death
Gave way to him, yet now, hath catcht his breath;
Since teares are small expressions for this losse,
That calls for flouds, fit to expresse remorse;
The master-peece of friendship now discover,
Rais'd up with sense of losse, bedew'd all over,
With dolefull Ditties, now let freely fall
Those fit expressions for this Funerall;
Whose fame now stands, Acts Chronologicall
Perpetuall, his fame to after-ages shall
Sound out in praise, his trust that faithfully
Discharg'd, whom now thus most solemnly
We celebrate, most worthy great desert,
And justly as becomes, with sadded heart;
Love to his Countrey, and Religions Cause,
Now He's dissolv'd, speaks lowd against all those
That were not mov'd with such consideration,
But in distresse were helplesse to this Nation:
Essex was constant, free from that great sin,
And thus unmoved, liv'd and di'd therein;
VVith King & Countrey both, and Commonweale,
Our noble Essex faithfully did deale.
Noble Devereux sadly's bid Adieu,
And much lamented for, as 'tis our due.
The Parliament hath now receiv'd a losse,
This noble Peere is gone, their number's lesse;
London hath also lost a precious friend,
VVhom none but death could put unto an end.
He's worth lamenting for, that at her need
Unto poore England was a friend indeed.
Then shall a Kingdome, and a Parliament,
Shall great and good men for this losse lament;
Shall rich and poore bemoane this Sable Herse,
And shall not thou and I bedeaw the Verse,
That speaks out cause sufficient to bemoane
This losse of him (before us) that is gone:
Death being arm'd hath cut down such an Oake,
Prepare to meet, and so prevent his stroake.
From earth, great Essex, Englands Generall,
Hath led the way, that we must follow all.

Printed for J. Hancock in Popes-head Alley. 1646.

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.