Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A70131
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The mourning swain a funeral eclogue [sic] humbly offer'd to the memory of the Right Honourable James Earl of Abingdon / written by Mr. Robert Gould ...
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Gould, Robert, d. 1709?
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1700
(1700)
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Wing G1428; ESTC R2706
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10,797
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28
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THE Mourning Swain A FUNERAL ECLOGUE HUMBLY Offer'd to the MEMORY Of the Right Honourable JAMES EARL of ABINGDON Written by Mr. ROBERT GOVLD AND Dedicated to His Grace the Duke of Leeds LONDON Printed for the Author and Sold by John Nutt near Stationer's-Hall 1700. To His Grace the Duke of LEEDS c. THe Sun almost an Annual Race has ran Since the Decease of this Prodigious Man So long ago and such the Nation gave These Faithful Tears were wept upon his Grave They who can see when Nature sways in Chief Will find 'em shed in an Extream of Grief Without her aid in vain we strive by Art To Limn a weeping Eye and bleeding Heart In Private writ in Private to the Plains I thought to have confin'd these Rural Strains An Ev'ning Concert for the Mourning Swains When on their Oaten Reeds His Name they 'd raise All Tun'd to their departed Patron 's Praise But call'd from thence in Publick to appear My self by being Worthless fenc'd from Fear I fly to YOU with this Illustrious Name To stand between Detraction and his Fame With Merit Envy ever did commence And Vice is still suppressing Excellence Like feeble Eyes that shun the Glaring Light ' Twou'd cover what it cannot bear in Night Your nearness to the HERO in His Blood And the yet nearer Tye of being Good Your joint Endeavours and Your joint Success In lab'ring for Your Country's Happiness Your Mutual Friendship with such Concord knit That Love ne'er made so dear a Union yet All these Regards make's this Address your Due It can My Lord belong to none but YOU The Honour of this Celebrated Name Return'd in some degree from whence it came Guide of his Life and Guardian of his Fame Justly the Lines may safely seek where late 'T is found by an affrighted tott'ring State When to the Verge of Anarchy it drew Hurri'd along and all her Fears in view She sighing cast her Eyes for Aid on YOU YOU who so oft when wander'd from the way And lost in Night have led us to the Day Loud was the Storm and now advancing nigh There seem'd no hope of help from Policy Here Bigottry like Scylla threat'ning stood Horrid with Wrecks and painted o'er with Blood There like Charibdis Tyranny appear'd Fearful to sight and Hideous to be heard And yet between 'em lay the happy Coast Which either we must Make or all be lost Here 't was and greatlier ne'er employ'd before Your Counsels did our Peace and Pow'r restore When they had took their leave to come no more Where does the wond'rous Penetration lie Or is all Nature opn'd to Your Eye That thus YOU forward look among the Fates And seem a Second Providence to States For ever on Your Country's good Intent YOU Foreign Ills divert and Home prevent No more an Empty Title to the Main Our Squadrons boast by Your Advice they Reign Europe and Africa Triumphant saw Our Navy Ride and give the Ocean Law While those who thought t' Invade us now retire And leave their Shoars to Spoil and Hostile Fire If the Physician oft divert our Fate By feeling how the Blood does Circulate What may HE do that know's the Pulse of State Be Fevour Faintness Frenzy the Disease Or if a Lethargy the Vitals seize Be it Luxurious Peace or Lawless Might Or Legislative Rage for Ravish'd Right Be it a less'ning Fame or less'ning Trade The Neighb'ring Strength increas'd or ours decay'd The Remedy is certain you advise And we are ne'er so Low but then we Rise And yet in spight of this unweary'd Care Among us there a sort of Monsters are Whose Tongues like Jews wou'd not their Saviour spare But y' are Secure and all their Malice vain Such Vertue is too rich a Dye to stain As when a Nymph breaths on a Crystal-Glass The Damps a while obscure her Beauteous Face A Dimness on the fair Reflection lie's And sits between her Image and her Eyes But soon the self-assisted Mirror 's clear The Envious Shades dissolve into the Air And all her former lovely Lineaments appear So what e'er Spight with black'ning Breath can say The Lustre of your Worth does purge away Breaks through the sullen Gloom and settles Day But while alas the too advent'rous Muse Ambitiously her Noble Flight pursues She finds the Weight above her Pow'r to raise And sinks beneath the Pressure of Your Praise A Life like Yours a History does claim An ample Fabrick that may hold Your Fame Where an Immortal Pillar shou'd be Grav'd The Prince's y 'ave oblig'd and Kingdom 's sav'd And Lo for what can veil the Muse's Eyes I see methinks a fam'd Historian rise Impartial Great Elab'rate Learn'd and Wise One on whose Works the Graces all shall smile So just a Subject claims the justest Stile No other but the best of Pens shou'd show The Future Ages what the Present owe. To LEEDS and O too early from us torn That other God-like Man whose Loss we Mourn Your Glory will not less Illustrious shine To have His Name Immortal made with Thine He shall to the succeeding Times display How You both stood when hopeless of the Day Rescuing th' Rights that others did betray The Slaves that for Precarious Pow'r and Place To French Designs subject the British Race Born to be FREE and ne'er to be o'ercome But when by a brib'd S n te Sold at Home THE Mourning Swain A FUNERAL ECLOGUE ON THE Much Lamented DEATH Of the Right Honourable JAMES Earl of ABINGDON Menalcas Damon Alexis Menalcas HE Sinks he dies away Alexis Friend 'T is thy Menalcas calls some God descend And save the Swain from an untimely End Ha! he grows Paler still O Damon you Are come as you Prophetically knew The Aid I wish'd and what his Griefs wou'd do Damon I heard the broken Sobs and faul'tring Breath And Groans like those the Wretched give in Death What sad Occasion Menalcas Ask not yet our Grief But lend the Swooning Shepherd quick Relief Chafe chafe his Temples forward gently bow The Body this or nothing else will do Thô when his Spirits to their Seat return He lives to Grief and but revives to Mourn Damon What un-foreseen and sudden stroak of Fate Is this that Nature sinks beneath the Weight That Life retiring shuns th' unequal Fight And if it Conquers must o'ercome by Flight Men. The worst that cou'd the wretched Youth attend Bertudor's Dead his Master Patron Friend Bertudor than which yet a Worthier Name Was e'er took up or sounded off by Fame I brought him word the Noble Soul was flown And fear the fatal News has wing'd his Own Is this to be your Image cruel Pow'rs How are we Yours when with'ring Grass and Flow'rs Vapours and Bubbles are so truly Ours But see the Blood does to his Cheeks ascend And lab'ring Life returns How fares my Mourning Friend Alexis Again Do I yet draw this hated Breath And flying Life can be but mock'd with Death Will not the Partial
Pow'rs that rule above Permit this last best dearest Act of Love To Die and by that Test our Sorrows prove Must we be doom'd in Being to remain Renew'd to Grief and but preserv'd for Pain Ah! dear Menalcas what an ease 't wou'd be Cou'd we at Will shake off Mortality Cou'd with our Tears our Lives dissolving fall And Grief had long Oblivion at her call But 't will not be in worst Extreams as now The Soul wou'd rest in Death and Swoon's too go When strugling Nature gives us back to Woe Damon O fatal Sounds O endless Sourse of Moan And is indeed the brave Bertudor gone Alexis Did you e'er find unhappy News untrue He 's Dead and I shou'd now be Dying too Ah! what for us remains till Life is done But Wrongs Distresses Obliquy and Moan The Sheep must suffer when the Shepherd's gone Menalcas We all indeed the fatal Loss shall rue Heavy to Us but heavier yet to You You were acquainted with the Hero Young He knew you early and he lov'd you long Alexis He found me helpless and of Friends bereft Of Parents and the little they had left The VVorld look'd frowning on my Early Years And I seem'd destin'd by my Stars to Cares He took me rais'd me fix'd me in his sight By Precept and Example kept me Right But Ah! the Lamp is gone and I am hid in Night He taught me Good then gave that good regard But still it still was short of the Reward VVith the new day new Favours he 'd impart Then make the VVorld believe 't was my Desert And Shall O shall this BENEFACTOR go And we not sing his Worth and sigh our Woe The last sad Task that Gratitude can do Shall Time or Rage be suffer'd to efface The Mem'ry of this best of British Race Shall Fame amidst such Merit silent lye Shall e'er the Springs that water Grief be dry No! no! while Vertue does on Earth remain And Flocks and Herds feed on th' Oxonian Plain While Learning there and Piety encrease And Truth can rest in the soft Arms of Peace While there is VVealth employ'd to Gen'rous Ends VVhile there are Sweets in Love and Faith in Friends So long the Muses shall his Loss deplore That rain'd a Golden Show'r on them and Manna to the Poor Damon How various are the ways of Providence How crooked oft they seem to Human Sense He 's gone for whom there 's not a Soul but Grieves And yet his Foe the Treach'rous Jockney Lives He Lives nor does degenerate from his Breed That never did one Honourable Deed Yet lives in prosp'rous Fortune high in Trust But barb'rous to Desert and plung'd in Lust He lives that yet ne'er did a Loan restore E'er pay a Debt or e'er relieve the Poor He lives that wou'd subvert the Church and State And ride 'em loaded with Despotick Weight He lives that nothing Impious e'er did shun He lives a longer race of Vice to run He lives and yet the good Bertudor's gone Menalcas If Vertue met with a so early Fate Can Vice presume to hope a longer Date If Temp'rance thus at Noon is snatch'd away Can wild Excess expect to end the day Alexis It does it does and every Wish succeeds On Down it lies and on Ambrosia feeds ' No inward Pang it feel's or future Reck'ning dread's The Best alas are Summon'd first to go Have least Success and least Regard below The haughty mount and on the Humble tread Depress 'em Living and Revile 'em Dead Their Honours won with Blood are from 'em torn And by their Mortal Foes insulting worn No Disappointments e'er th' Unjust attend The Just have God but not Man their Friend Hence Providence is oft mis-understood Scoff'd by bad Men and doubted by the Good While undistinguish'd Right and Wrong are hurl'd And Knave and Fool between 'em share the World Menalcas 'T is not for Man with a too daring Eye To look into the Secrets of the Sky Or if he shou'd in vain he strives to see Through the dark-woven folds of Destiny As the Meridian Sun all flaming bright Gaz'd on confounds and quenche's Human Sight So Reason fail's and sink's beneath the Weight Of Will Omniscience Providence and Fate But Thou great Soul disburthen'd of thy Freight Ar't Landed now on 'tother side of Fate To Thee those Distributions all are clear That so perplex and so confound us here 'T is true thus much by Reason's understood Affliction is the Test that try's the Good Where e'er it Visit's 't is by Heaven's Command Not shuffl'd out as Vice wou'd understand With blinking Eyes and a promiscuous Hand If prosp'rous Fortunes are to most a Snare Why not th' Afflicted God's peculiar Care Expos'd to black'ning Tongues and faithless Friends Only to ply their Souls for Nobler Ends For Regions where we 're known and know aright Where day is never to resign to Night And flying Time no more can bound Delight Shou'd Pleasure here run smooth with equal Feet And Life thô long no Disappointment meet Shou'd Hope succeed in ev'ry VVish it make 's And Grief ne'er seize the Soul it once forsake 's Shou'd ev'ry Pious Man be Fortune's Care Humility be cloath'd and Pride be bare Shou'd the first Honours be by VVorth possest Shou'd that still rise and Vice be still deprest VVhat e'er hereafter more were to be giv'n VVe shou'd rest here and seek no other Heav'n But since this never was nor will be so Not Revelation scarce can plainer show That Vertu 's not to wear her Crown below This Contemplation shou'd your Griefs remove Our very Suffering a Reward does prove It must not be on Earth and it must be Above Alexis With this Menalcas firmly I agree But it not lighten's our Calamity Bertudor thô to endless Joy he 's gone Has left us cause for a whole Age to Moan When great Elijah did on high ascend And Heav'n's bright Chariot his Ascent attend What Joy was it to his remaining Friend He in his Loss deplor'd his Country's Fate Their Civil Strife's and cruel Haz'ael's Hate Nor yet is ours a fix'd unmurm'ring State When will deliv'rance from Oppression come If such as He are call'd so early Home When will our Publick Fears and Private Hate Be o'er if thus we lose such Props of State Who when the Royal Cause is sunk so low Will set so vast a Fortune at a Throw And with such Skill divert th' impending Blow Who in the Gap when Force wou'd Right devour Will stand so firm against unbounded Pow'r Stemming the Tide of violated Laws Till he has made the Just the Prosp'rous Cause O Britain Thou whose Happiness He sought Whose Happiness He wou'd with Life have bought Thy Peace his constant Aim and still intending Thought Let thy sad Genius now put Sables on And through the Land diffuse unless'ning Moan That ev'ry Eye may VVeep and ev'ry Breast may Groan And thou O Learned Town whose Sacred Name Has been so long th' envy'd Theme of Fame Thou