Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A33144
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A poem on the death of our late soveraign lady Queen Mary by C. Cibber.
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Cibber, Colley, 1671-1757.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing C4282; ESTC R18465
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4,706
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22
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A POEM ON THE DEATH OF Our Late Soveraign Lady Queen MARY By C. Cibber Tantoene animis Coelestibus Irae Virg. Aen. LONDON Printed for John Whitlock near Sationers-Hall MDCXCV To the Most Illustrious WILLIAM Duke of Devonshire Marquiss of Hartington Baron of Hardwick Lord Lieutenant of the County of Darby Lord High Steward of his Majesties Household One of his Majesties Most Honourable Privy-Council and Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter May it please your Grace THE succeeding Peice tho' it be my first attempt in Poetry never gave me the usual Pain and Cowardice of a Young Beginner For I knew my Reputation was as safe under the Protection of so Great a Name as my Person under your fuccessful Conduct at the time of His Majesties happy Landing to secure what Hav'n and Nature both oblige us to Defend our Lives and Liberties Then might be seen the Trust which ev'n Almighty Providence repos'd in you when to your watchful Care it recommended the endanger'd Person of the Apparent Heir to her Late Majesties Crown and Virtues to such a Care as made the Thoughts of Danger Vanish For when the Nation was Allarm'd with Threatning Massacres She by your Sword was like the Forbidden Fruit defended while her Faithless and unthinking Foes were driven from Paradice And tho' this Glorious Undertaking was attended with an Undaunted Courage yet it succeeded in a Bloodless Feild and if to save Mankind be more a God-like Virtue than to Destroy Then sure the Lawrels you have so acquir'd are more Durable than were they dy'd in Crimson Here I must restrain my forward Fancy that will attempt those Truths it ne're can finish But 't is the Fate of Greatness to have her Picture Common and undertook by every Dawber from which number I dare not exempt my self But if I have any merit 't is that I have too well studied your Graces Perfections to think my Genius capable of their Portraicture while the greatest Justice I can do them is in my silent Admiration The same reason I confess ought to have deterr'd me from my following Presumption But That 's a Crime which I can ne're repent of since at the same time it gives me an Opportuninity of declaring that Respect and sincerity wherewith I really am Your Graces Most Devoted and Most Humble Servant Colley Cibber A POEM c. TUn'd to the solemn strains of general Woe Do thou my Muse thy Pious sorrow show And let the mighty Consternation prove That Grief tho'Cold as much of Heat may move As the first Raptures of aspiring Love Hark! how the dismal Trump of busie Fame Does to the worlds unwilling ears proclaim Our Royal Mistresses lamented Fate And Deaths proud Triumph or'e the Just and Great Not the Dread Call of Heaven at the last Day When Souls unsentenc'd shou'd for Judgment stay Cou'd more amazing Terror then infuse Than Europe shook with at the wounding News Fate by this unexpected loss has shown The force of Grief before was never known Ev'n Envy that Injurious Hypocrit That at her Virtues Noon affirm'd it Night Now blind with gazing on her Lustre lies And sheds her Praises at her watring Eyes Her murm'ring Foes that thought themselves Opprest Are now in undistinguish Sables Drest For each Religion did its Faith enjoy She One defended but did none destroy Unless to bring the day destruction be When Bigotts wander in Obscurity Thus tho' to different Paths of Faith w'incline Yet all Opinions in their Sorrow joyn So Jarring Rivals when the Fair one dyes Like long lov'd friends embrace with weeping Eyes When Heav'n after the Universal Flood With new-born Souls th' unpeopled world renew'd Her Brighter Spirit sure was kept above As the best Pattern of Immortal Love Yet after Thousands of revolving Years In frailèr flesh th' Imprison'd Soul appears But as the Sun till in the Westen Skies Le ts none behold him with undazl'd Eyes So here on Earth her Virtues shone so bright That none cou'd praise 'em till they saw 't was Night She 's Sett Nor cou'd this Tedious life endure Too long a Penance for a Soul so Pure Alas she long'd her first Abode to see And mourn'd her Absence from Divinity Grac't with her Fellow-Angels as she went She rain'd her Virtues from the Firmament And if a stream of Virtue 's found below It must from her the Boundless Ocean flow Now tho' the Sea supplies all Streams that run Yet that it self is guided by the Moon So was her brighter Soul by strict Devotion So Constantly her Pious Vows she pay'd So fixt her thoughts that even in Dreams she Pray'd So fast her wants her giving God reliev'd Her Pray'rs were still but thanks for Gifts receiv'd Her Faith unbounded gave her Reason Law VVhen this commanded th' other stood in Awe Religious Discord she might well prevent For in Example she was Argument Her Fruitful Soul with Endless Virtue blest VVith Various Flowers was like a Garden drest VVhere Choice stood unresolv'd which Scent was best Alternate Odours still perfum'd the Air Occasion was the Season of the Year VVhich like the Kind returning Spring reviv'd Each Good that slept for tho' it slept it liv'd One Tree there was which Cold and Frost cou'd bear The Bay-Devotion flourisht all the Year But as the Fruit alone commends the Tree So did Her Virtues praise her Piety Of which the Eldest-born was Charity And this the Needy to their Comfort knew For while She liv'd They Charitable grew Heav'n did but lend the Sums it might bestow And took Receits for all it did allow For still She Intrest paid to th' Poor below And if their number did increas'd appear Sometimes she from her private Wants wou'd spare And Trusted Heav'n was in Debt to Her How many Parents have their Children sav'd From threatning Want by her sure Alms reliev'd What Tribes has she receiv'd from hands unknown Which She with Joy Adopted as her own Methinks I see a Starving Mothers Grief Strugling 'twixt Nature and her Babes relief Unable to endur◠the Infants Cry And yet it need less able to supply At length she yields to hard Necessity And must we part She cry's my Darling Joy Must Absence all our Harmless Love destroy Then sighing Kisses it and huggs it close And dreads to part but more her hopes to loose Resolv'd at last she stops her flowing Eyes And strait to Court unseen the Babe Conveys Secure of Nourishment she leaves it there And next day finds it in the Nurses Care Thus least hereafter some show'd want Relief Her Early Pitty was preventative The Old who seem'd to pine in Cold Despair Reviv'd their Hopes and Crown'd 'em still in her So when our Saviour the Diseas'd did Cure He brought from Distant parts the Sick and Poor Who by some Fam'd Physicians Art giv'n ore Swell'd with new Hopes now feel their Pains no more At least with greater ease their ach endure Half heal'd by Faith er'e they can reach the
Cure And as in Tribes the new Beleivers came The Dumb the Lunatick the Blind and Lame They Walkt they Saw they Spoke and prais'd his Name Ne're did a Life so short more Good produce In which each Minute was of Double Use So soon she Finisht her Appointed task Her Virtue labour'd more than Heav'n did ask That when her hasty Soul arriv'd above She did their equal Joys and Wonder move All knew the Place near Gods Right Hand was Hers But thought it Vacant yet for several Years Now tho her Charity did Boundless Reign Yet not the Poor the Greatest Loss sustain For She to many a Subsistance left Tho' of The Foundress not the Dole Bereft Our Grief alas yet rises in Degree As those that mourn her do in Quality Next to the Poor are those of Noble Arts Which she encourag'd to their best Deserts Musâ—ick and Poetry not long agoe Our Nations Pride were almost Treason Now But that they both our Tides of Grief can move As well as heretofore our Joys or Love At Court the Rising Flood of Pious Teares Yet Greater still as does the Loss appears Where all like walking Ghosts in Grief are seen For a lost Friend a Mother and a Queen But oh the Rapid Force that sweeps away Great Caesars Quiet and his Chearful Day Now now my Muse let loose thy Streams of Woe Let 'em unbounded as the Ocean flow Swell with big Sighs the Raging Tempest high Then mount and ore the distant Danger fly And in thy Transient view survey the Soul VVhom all around the Angry Billows rowle Behold the Shipwreck of our Monarchs Joy VVhich Thirsty Death in Fields cou'd ne're Destroy Thus Mariners the Seas Abroad o're come Yet sink with all the Fraight in sight of Home Why why Ye Pow'rs must Bleeding Majesty So vast a VVound receive from Destiny Is 't not enough to see a Nation Groan But must the Loss be doubled on a Throne VVhy did ye Gild with such a Glorious Sun His Happy life and let it set so soon The light that slowly dies leaves sight behind But when 't is snaâ—cht away it strikes us Blind VVithout Regret we spare the Absent Day Resting secure of his Returning Ray But when for ever he resigns his Light 'T is worse than Death to live in such a Night In such a Night who moves is sure to stray In such a Night our Guide might loose his way And tho th' unguarded Flock shou'd quite be lost The Shepard first is Hurt and feels the Affliction most Thus our Great Master in his Grief has shown He lov'd the life Departed as his own In vain alas wou'd weak Philosophy Prescribe us Rules to Govern Passions by For when a Joy of such Important weight Is taken out Grief turns the Ballance strait Reason but holds the Scales and sits to see The Joy remov'd if it Proportion be So tho' each Thought new sorrow shou'd Create T' wou'd be to what he lost but equal VVeight And what he lost his Griefs alone Relate For what was Obvious to each Common Eye Declar'd more Virtues did in secret lye VVhich from the Darkned world were still And to her Mourning Lord alone reveal'd Tho' from her Orb she gave Promiscuous Light Some shortned Raies He kept from Human sight And only lets our Dazled Fancy Rove To form the Virtues of her Fruitful Love Tho' Heav'n no Off-spring from her Bed design'd But Bad her Live the Phoenix of her Kind Her Love was Fruitful still for love's i' th Mind Her Soul was Married to her Monarchs VVill VVhich he cou'd scarce declare she wou'd so soon fulfill Desire of Pleasing as the Child of Love They Both like Tender Parents did approve She more of Mothers fondness might express He seldom sought it but ne're lov'd it less Had such a Bride to Solomon been given He ne're had wander'd for his Amorous Heav'n Her unexhausted Charms had fixt his Love Nor cou'd a Change his Happiness improve So firm a Union Nature never made In whom we had the sure Foundation lai'd Of a most Perfect and Immortal Bliss Till Death convinc'd our fancy'd Happiness Fondly secure of their Eternal Sway. T' our selves we promis'd Everlasting Day For while so Bright their Godlike Virtues shone Abroad His Courage and Her Care at Home What cou'd we think of such an Heavenly Pair But they Immortal as their Actions were For till one dy'd we thought that Heaven was here All the poor help weak Reason can afford To calm the sighs of her afflicted Lord Is when each Nation shall the News receive As they the Loss so they 'll divide the grief Nay ev'n in Louis She must Nature stir If not his Sorrow yet at least his Fear He Dreads that Her 's the Fate of France may prove Knowing her Death our Monarchs Soul does move Who by this loss secure from Greater Harms His Foes regardless now may dare to Arms And having nought that more his mind can Load He doubts will Double all his Rage Abroad Yet hold my Muse thy wandring Wing retain A mournful Thought now lures thee back again When to the Restless Toiles of Horrid War Our King Inexorable shall repair Whom shall he leave our Guardian Angel Here Or when his Hard-fought Battles he has Won VVhere shall be joyful throw his Lawrels down VVhose Grateful Love his Conquests now shall Crown Secure of Late we spar'd our VVarlike Prince E're our Domâ—stick safty fled from Hence Who while Her Absent Hero led the War Taught us the Pleasure of Obedience Here. Yet let him go and safe return with Spoile Our Greif alas prevents a Civil Broil Whatere's Abroad at Home it must be Peace The Woes we feel Rebellion can't redress We 're Crush't to Concord by our Miseries Look down Bright Saint from thine AEtherial Seat And view the Pious Ruins of thy State Asswage the Torrent of our Monarchs Woe Which o're his Drowning Reason seems to Flow Return the Hero's Part that reign'd in Thee When thou in Smiles didst meet Mortality Teach him thy Early Fate like Thee to bear Nor let him Woman in his Greifs Appear Let Happy Dreams inform his Restless Mind To what Advantage thou hast life resign'd Give to his Joyful View thy Crowns of Bliss And to his Thoughts restore their Wand ring Peace While to his Sorrows this Releif is Giv'n H 'as lost a Queen on Earth and gain'd a Freind in Heav'n FINIS