Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A14918
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The mirror of martyrs, or The life and death of that thrice valiant capitaine, and most godly martyre Sir Iohn Old-castle knight Lord Cobham
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Weever, John, 1576-1632.
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1601
(1601)
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STC 25226; ESTC S111646
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22,568
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94
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Here Cobham liues oh doe not say he liues But dying liues or liuing howerly diesâ— A liuing death exilement alwaies giues A banisht man still on his death bed lies Mine high estate is low misfortunes graue My power restrain'd is now a glorious slaue What in exilement to my sect befell Daigne to vnfould mellifluous Mercurie Nay stay why shouldst thou to the world tell That with thy tong all eies abhord to see Yet greefe kept in ofttimes doth grow more fell For riuers damm'd aboue the bank doe swell This Act proclaim'd and disanuld in many Twice twentie hundred soules were martyred Out of the land to Spaine and Germanie Bohemia Fraunce and Scotland others fled Who would not flie what patient man can bide In Clergie men ambitious hautie pride Sir Roger Acton Browne and Beuerley Knight Squire and Preacher valorous vertuous good In Chrâ—stenmas vpon Saint Thomas day Gainst certain Priests vpon a quarrell stood For which so hainous and inhumane wrong They were attacht and into prison flong Now was the month which Ianus hath to name Of old new christened by Pompilius And wondrous proud that he had got such fame Added feeld-purging Februarius Ianus bifronted one which bids adew Vnto the old yeare entertaines the new When Roger Acton Beuerley and Browne Of Heresie conuicted by the Act To Thicket feelds vpon an hurdle drawne Were hang'd and burn'd O more then monstrous fact And through the Realme all Artists it would cumber By that fore Act the martyres all to number Some two yeares after was a mutinie An vproare tumult or rebellion In Saint Gyles feelds the which conspiracie Acton and I some doe affirme begone But the Kings power not able to with-stand We fled were taken burned out of hand Which time tree-garnisht Cambriaes loftie mountaines Did ouer-shade me with their beetle browes And by Elysiums Nectar-spouting fountaines Acton did march in Saint-triumphing showes From Wales returne I could not then to fight From Heauen Acton would not if he might Twice told two twelue months now the howers haue broke Their morning slumbers on the Sun to tend And bring his horses to the charriots yoke Mark now the period of my dolefull end The Clergie mallice not ore-blowne will haue me Though heauen and earth all had sworn to saue me With lordlie gifts and kinglie promises They fed Lord Powis gouernour in Wales He came to me pretending holinesse To true Religion for a time he falls And last his Iudas kindnes did bewray me Seeking all meanes how that he might betray me Powis his promise faine would haue forsaken Before the meanes for my attach he wrought I was not one so easie to be taken With his owne blood his bribes he dearlie bought But I not able to withstand his strength Not Hercules gainst two was tooke at length In greatest greefe this one thing made me glad Though hard t is fasten mirth with miserie That in mine absence Arundell was dread Which was resolu'd before my death to see But seld comes better he though void of grace Yet was a man the Deuill came in his place Thus ill at worst doth alway gin to mend And by example good doth often gaine That by degrees so rising in the end To perfect goodnesse it returnes againe So since his time they haue so risen still Thriuing in good as they decaid in ill Now goodnesse raised to her highest pitch In snow-white robes is sent vs for a gift The radiant splendour of this Empire ritch Whose shining lustre heauens doth enlight O that I could a spirit in thee breathe Whose life preserues diuinitie from death By Chichley Archbishop of Canterburie And Bedford Prorex oh the King was absent Of Treason I 'm condemn'd and Heresie A double crime a double punishment My iudgement giuen of death the day and hower Appointed I am sent back to the Tower Death the pale daughter of black Erebus What fashion to appeare in doth not know But councell takes of Nox and Morpheus What forme most terrour and amaze will show Hell Sleepe Night Death are troubled to deuise What new found shape might please these tyrants eies Two fyrie coursers foming clottred blood Whurries at last Death bound in iron chaines Whil'st goblings gaping like a whirle-poole wood Doe lash their goarie sides with steeled yaines Blood and reuenge by in a chariot ride Millions of furies scudding by their side Which all at once doe vomit Sulphure flakes Throw scorching brands which wrapt in brimston choke The trembling Audience that affrighted quakes To vew the Sun eclipst with steaming smoke To heare deuils ghosts and feends howle roare yell Filling the earth as though they empted hell To Thickets feeld thus was Oldcastle hurried The gallowes built of purpose wondrous hie Neare to the top of which as one lies buried In three cold chaines mine aged corps doe lie The faggots fyr'd with me the gallowes burne I call on God and to the fyre I turne The Prelates curse alowd the people crie One would rebell another him aswageth One sighs to vew anothers blubred eie One murmuring railes another inlie rageth All weep some howle some faint some swound some die Deafing the heauens darkening the skie The bundels cracke with that the mourning Aire Comes whisking round to coole the raging flame When he perceiues his breathes but bellowes are Rather to kindle then to coole the same He turnes himselfe to water and he raines To quench the fyre and ease me of my paines The fyre red-blushing of his fact ashamed Clad him in Smoke the smoke to Aire he turned That aire to water water earth receiued Earth like the fyre to melt to water burned Earth Water Aire Fyre symboliz'd in one To quench or coole Oldcastles Martyrdome But now I gaspe I fry I drop I fall My Chaines doe yeeld Spectators stand agast To make the which abhorred more of all My Bootes and Spurs must in the fyre be cast O death strange death which to describe at large Would aske sweete Ouids wit and Nestors age If wits pearle-dropping Opobalsamum In Amber-streaming Eloquence were drie Vnto my bleached cindars she might come And take a fluent Helicon supplie Mine Ashes bath'd in th'vnguent of her eies A siluer-fethered Phaenix would arise Ah no! my bodies snow-white burned ashes Those harmlesse reliques cast were in the riuer Whose salt-fresh-meeting waues betwixt them washes Like Lethe my remembrance not to liue here My vertues fame is like my bodies death Kindled with a blast and burnt out with a breath And in this idle age who 's once forgotten Obliuion dims the brightnesse of his glory Enuie is ripe before his bones be rotten And ouerthrowes the truth of vertues story Despoil's his name and robs him of his merits For naught but fame man after death inherits Nor can my soule within the sable night When all but louers welcome carelesse rest Like to some subtle shade or wandring spright With goarie sides and deeper lanched brest Holding in tho'ne hand wildfyre in the other A torch to stifle th' aire with pitchie smother With deep sunke eyes lanke cheeks and pallide hew Dismembred armes sharpe visage doubtfull sight Enter some watchfull Poets secret mew His heauenly thoughts and quiet studies fright With hollow voice commaunding him set forth Immortall verse for my entomblesse worth Then should the world on brasen pillers view me with great Achilles in the house of Fame His Tutor'd pen with Tropheis would renew me And still repaire the ruin of my name But I 'm inuirond with the Elisian feelds Which for departed soules no passage yeelds But Wickleues soule now beares me company And Ierome Prages within the highest heauen These were my comfort in calamitie Whose ioyes Rome sayes her curses hath bereauen Thus if they could they would denie vs t' haue In heauen our soules as in the earth our graue Iewes burie him which railes on Moses lawes Turkes him which worships not their Alkaron Tartarians him which Cham no reuerence shawes The Persians him which worships not the sun More rigorous cruell then this Romish crew Then Persian Turke Tartarian or Iew. Their dead in banquets Scithians deuoure Their dead with dogs Hircanians do eate Phagi with fish with foule th' Assirian poure The Troglodites to wormes are giuen for meate More heath'nish papists they deny me t' haue In beast fish foule in man or worme my graue Becket was wounded in his priests apparrell In Romes defence his death was glorious I burnt vnburied drown'd for Christs owne quarrell My death to most was ignominious He prais'd adornd and for a martyr sainted Whilst I Romes scoffe my rites of buriall wanted For Beckets sake erected was a tombe Like an Egiptian high Pyramides Millions of bare-foote pilgrims yeerely come With tapers burning to his holynes Till Henry th' eight by Cromwells good procurement Cast downe this mocke-ape toy this vaine alurement The glorious beutie of this brightest shrine The treasorie of euer-springing gold Becket is set now doth Oldcastle shine Him for a Saint within your Kalends hold Thus fooles admire what wisest men despiseth Thus fond affects doe fall when vertue riseth Wit spend thy vigour Poets wits quintessence Hermes make great the worlds eies with teares Actors make sighes a burden for each sentence That he may sob which reades he swound which heares Mean time till life in death you doe renew Wit Poets Hermes Actors all adew FINIS
their subiects reuerence to them beare As we our selues so must the common wâ—â—lth Some sicknesse sometimes suffer sometimes health As some disease or bed infecting bile Whose pricking ach sharpe agonie and stings Must be sustaind and suffred for a while Till time to his maturitie him brings Not rashly then but as the Surgeon will Least suddain handling all the bodie spill Euen so a Tyrant Realmes infectious bile Must not be robd of his regalitie Till death him of his regiment beguile Or wise men for this griefe find remedie Not rashly then for altring of a State Breedes often outrage bloodshed and debate Euen as the head the bodie should commaund And all his parts to peace or warfare lead So with a mightie Monarch doth it stand His subjects parts and he himselfe the head But if those parts do grudge and disobay Head bodie Monarch subiects all decay A God a King are conuertible voices Then Kings like Gods should gouerne and beare sway What Gyants broode in vprore so rejoices That gainst the Gods his banners will display Though with his huge weight Pelion Ossa prest And fought with Ioue he neuer got the best How many blessed Patriarches suffred wrong By cruell Tyrants sin-reuenging rod And haue endur'd such heauie bondage long Accounting it a torture sent from God The Tyrant as a man may be rejected His place and office yet must be respected What punishment for practizing belongs But punishment nor practise will I name Men more doe follow most forbidden wrongs When by forbidding they doe know the same For Parricide the Romaines made no Law Least such a sin the people so might knaw Now Arundell resorts vnto the King By Popish charmes inchaunting him thereto To send Cytations fore them me to bring What was it not but Clergie men could do The Sumner came to Cowling but as one Afraid turnd back his message left vndone The Kings doore-keeper in the silent night Iohn Butler sent for was by Arundell For this heauen-martyring deede he doubtlesse might In Cerberus place haue kept the doore of Hell With great rewards and warrantize from blame He caus'd him cyte me in king Henries name This kiss-betraying Iudas writ I stood Who with a lie thus left me in the lurch But still the Bishop thurstie of my blood Caus'd writs be set on Rochesters great Church In paine of curse commaunding me remember To appeare at Ledeâ— th' eleuenth of September All were rent downe He excommunicates And cites a fresh with curse and interdiction Compels the Lay power them he animates T' assist him in Apostataes conuiction In more reproach and vile contempt to haue me Such like opprobrious names the Bishop gaue me At last thus tost I writ my faiths confession Vnto the foure chiefe Articles answered Of Penance Shrift Saints transubstantiation Which gainst me all by Arundell were laid I come to Court and written with me bring My Swans last funerall dirgee to the king Which to receiue Henry began to grudge Marke but the power of Clergie men those daies Commaunding me deliuer it to my judge Here Arundell both sword and miter swaies The Archbishop But with a flat deniall I did appeale vnto the Pope for triall But this deny de in presence of the king Without vainglorious ostentation I proffred an hundreth Knights to bring Esquiers as many for my iust purgation Not once depending on their safe protection But to the King shew dutifull subjection Againe I offred in my faiths true quarrell By law of Armes to fight for life or death With Christ'n Heathen Turk Iew Infidell The king excepted any that drew breath They answered me I was too valorous bold Then in the Tower they laid me fast in hold Valour the sonne of mightie Ioue esteemed Where blooddie Mauors borroweth his name Of old Philosophers onelie vertue deemed Learnings bright sheild the register of Fame Which to expresse the Grecians could afford For Valour Mauors Vertue but one word Death scorning Arioth why is not regarded Thy Sun-resplendant kingdome conquering power Is Mars-amazing Turnaments rewarded With Traitors meede impris'nment in the Tower From bearing Armes valour hath me exempted Why was my challenge else not then accepted Sir Robert Morley then the Towers Lieutenant Twice to be briefe did bring me to appeare In Plutoes court before this Rhadamant The Arguments of my strong faith to heare Yet he no faith had was it not a wonder That he was faithlesse all the Church Faith vnder In all mine answeares taking great aduise As a true faith-professing Protestant Not superstitious nor too fond precise Whose firme resolue no tyrannie can dant So with mine answeares as it seemd amazed My iudgement on the soddaine forth they blazed To heauens all seeing light vpon my knees The sentence giuen humblie did I fall With heau'd-vp hands pray'd for mine enemies In his great mercie to forgiue them all Bound hand and foote back through the Sluce I 'm led The gazers eyes like sluces in his head Whilst there I lie in midnight-dark immur'd My friends emblazoned forth mine injurieâ— Whereby the Priests great obloquie incur'd Both of the Commons and Nobilitie In pollicie to haue this tempest staid They to my Bils an abjuration made A parlament was cald at Leicester Because I had such fauour bout the citie They would not haue it kept at Westminster This act establisht was O more then pittie That such strange acts should be establisht euer Which man from wife from goods lands doth seuer That whosoeuer in the mothers tong Should reade or heare the sacred Scriptures scand For this so hainous heauen-offending wrong From him his heires should lose his goods and land Gainst Heauens and gainst the Kings great majestie He should be hang'd for treason burnt for heresie O murder-poisned ruthlesse Rhadamants Blood thurstie Neroes brainsicke Bacchides Earth swallowed Typhons currish Coribants Beare-fostered Dracons damn'd Busirides Liue by your euill know for euill done Liues with the father dyes not with the son Now to release my bodie from the Tower How might the Tower include so old a castle Case-altring bribes I vs'd not strength nor power But with my wit out of her bonds I wrastle The prentice bard of freedom thus aduentures To break his bonds and cancell his indentures Riches in thraldome no contentment bring All lordship 's lost when libertie is gone What vaileth it a lion be a king Closely shut vp within this tower of stone Man was made free and lord o're euery creature To be in bondage then is gainst his nature The husband man more glad is at the plough That browne-bread crusts and restie bacon eates Then th' imprisoned king that hath inough Of wastell cakes and far more lushious meates No bird takes solace by her songs in hold Although her meate be curds her cage of gold Nor vnto mee that lay in prison bound In musicke mirth was or in riches pleasure Iingling of fetters had no merie sound My griefe too much for ioyes on earth