bottomles Gulph of my owne transgressions With Caine I haue beene a Murderer and with Iudas a Betrayer of the Innocent My body is a Slaue to Sathan and my wretched Soule is deuoured vp by Hell Black haue bin my thoughts and blacker are my deeds I haue beene the Diuells instrument and am now become the Scorne of Men a Serpent vpon earth and an Out-cast from Heauen What therefore can become of me miserable Caytiffe if I looke vp to my Redeemer to him I am an Arch Traitor if vpon Earth it is drowned with Blood of my shedding if into Hell there I see my Conscience burning in the Brimstone lake God of my Soule and Body haue mercy therefore vpon mee Saue me O saue me or else I perish for euer I die for euer in the world to come vnlesse sweet Lord thou catchest my repentant Soule in thine Armes O saue mee saue me saue me FINIS Iames Franklin A Kentishman of Maidstone his owne Arraignment Confession Condemnation and Iudgement of Himselfe whilst hee lay Prisoner â—n the Kings Bench for the Poysoning of Sir Thomas Ouerbury I Am Arraign'd at the black dreadfull Barre Where Sinnes so red as Scarlet Iudges are All my Inditements are my horrid Crimes Whose Story will affright succeeding Times As now they driue the present into wonder Making Men tremble as trees struck with Thunder If any askes what Euidence comes in O 't is my Conscience which hath euer bin A thousand witnesses and now it tells A Tale to cast me to ten thousand Hells The Iury are my Thoughts vpright in this They sentence me to death for doing amisse Examinations more there need not then â—han what 's confest heere both to God and Men. The Crier of the Court is my black Shame Which when it cals my Iury doth proclaime 〈◊〉 as they are summon'd they appeare To giue true Verdict of the Prisoner They shall haue heauy Fines vppon them set Such as may make them dye deep in Heauens debt About mee round sit Innocence and Truth As Clerkes to this high Court and little Ruth Because my facts are barbarous damn'd and base The Serieants that about mee thick are plac't To guard me to my death when I am cast Are the black stings my speckled soule now feeles Wich like to Furies dog me close at heeles The Hangman that attends me is Despaire And gnawing wormes my fellow-Prisoners are His first Inditement for Murder THe first who at this Sessions loud doth call me Is Murder whose grim visage doth appall me His eyes are fires his voyce rough windes out-rores And on my head the Diuine Vengeance scores So fast and fearfully I sinke to grownd And wish I were in twenty Oceans drownd He sayes I haue a bloudy villaine bin And to proue this ripe Euidence steps in Brow'd like my selfe Iustice so brings about That black sinnes still hunt one another out 'T is like a rotten frame ready to fall For one maine Post being shaken puls downe all To this Indictment holding vp my hand Fettered with Terrors more then Irons I stand And being ask'd what to the bill I say Guilty I cry O dreadfull Sessions-day His second Indictment for poysoning ANother forthwith bids me come to'th Barre Poyson that Hel-borne cunning Sorcerâ—r That windes himselfe into a thousand formes And when the day is brightest flings downe stormes This hath an Angels face a Mermaids tongue This is the Coward Sinne which like a Pill When 't is most guilded is most sure to kill Whether this Hel-hownd strike at Morne or Night So trecherous close and speedy is his fight That Armors all-of-proofe nor Towers of Stone Can barre his bloody Execution This Snake with the smooth skin hiss'd out my name Mongst others more and venom'd me with shame That rancles to the soule It sayes that I For a poore golden handfull did defie Heauen and Saluation when I gaue consent To teare the bowels of an Innocent With lingring poysons of themselues too strong But that their working God put off so long That darker deeds by this the light may try Which now perhaps in worser bosomes lye To this Inditement holding vp my hand Fettered with Terrors more then Irons I stand And being askd what to the Bill I say Guilty I cry O dreadfull Sessions-Day His third for raising of Spirits c. IN rushes then a heape of Accusations For all those Godlesse damn'd Abhominations Rais'd by the black Art and a Coniurers spelles As to call Spirits euen from the deepest Hells To fetch back theeues that with stoln goods are gone And calculate natiuities such a one Credulity of fooles and women made me And to that glorious infamy betraide me A Cunning man a Wise man were my stile Art knew I none nor did I euer reach A bough of learnings tree what I did teach To others or did practise it was all Cheating false apish diabollicall To this being likewise ask'd what I can say I guilty cry O dreadfull Sessions day This Diuells coate to my body made I fit Braue was the outside thrid-bare was the wit His Iudgment FOr these thick Stygian streams in which th' ast swoÌ„ Thy guilt hath on the laid this bitter doome Thy loath'd life on a tree of shame must take A leaue compeld by Law er'e old age make Her signed pass-port ready Thy offence No longer can for daies on earth dispense Time blot thy name out of this bloody roule And so the Lord haue mercy on thy soule His speech what he could say for himselfe O wreched Caitiffe what perswasiue breath Can call back this iust sentence of quick death I beg no boone but mercy at Gods hands The King of Kinges the Soueraigne that commands Both soule and body O let him forgiue My treason to his Throne and whilst I liue Iebbits and Racks shall torture limbe by limbe Through worlds of Deaths I le breake to fly to him My birth day gaue not to my mothers wombe More ease then this shall ioyes when e're it come My body mould to earth sinnes sinke to Hell My penitent soule win Heauen vaine world farewell A Funerall Elegie vppon the vntimely Death of the honorable Knight Sir Thmas Ouerburie who was poysoned in the Tower WHy in this world to liue should men desire Since death so many waies our liues expire What happines hath man vpon the earth But mountaine misery for Mole-hill mirth A moments Ioy mixt with an age of woes Each drop of comfort flouds of cares o're flowes For 't is decreed by ineuitable Fate The greatest men are not most fortunate The head that weares a Crowne weares many cares The which before old age makes hoary haires And humaine honors like a fading flower Which florisheth and fadeth in an hower The meane estate doth onely longest last Not being subiect to each wandring blast Of ticklish Fortunes euer-turning wheele Whose fickle turnings oft makes Greatnes reele If all the windes East West and North and South Should raging burst from blustring Eol's mouth The lowly shrub stands euer rooted fast When lofty Pines and Cedars downe are cast And though the mighty oft the weake opprest Of all estates the meane sleepes most in rest Thou worthy OVERBVRY to thy Hearse I consecrate this sad lamenting Verse Hadst thou beene some vnlearned rusticke hindâ— Hadst thou beene basely borne and base inclind Hadst thou had nothing in thee that was good So sooâ—e foule murther had not suck't thy blood But being in all parts a man compleate Great in regard in goodnes farre more greate Who like a Starre in Brittaines Court did shine Learn'd in the Lawes both Humaine and Diuine A Scholler full of Gentleman-like parts Whose noble carriage won a world of hearts That Arts like painefull Bees did daily striue To fill with sacred loue his learned hiue Which thou as did befit thy worthy worth With admiration often wouldst powre forth So courteous valiant sober and so wise And one that fawning could not temporise So well proportion'd of such comely feature So fully fraught with a true honest nature So hopefull and so louing and belou'd Whose life and actions euery tongue approu'd That expectation mark'd him out to be A man of absolute Integrity Of Zeale Capacity and Eminence To serue his God his Country and his Prince But Sathan that old enemie of man As he with Abels murther first began He still hath spew'd from out his damned den Inhumaine thoughts in bloody Caine-like men And as the blood of that first slaughtered Saint For vengeance to Iehouah made complaint So did the blood of OVERBVRY cry For Justice to the Throne of Maiesty Oh Physick great preseruer of mans breath Heau'ns Habeas Corpus against dismall death Most honorable treasury of health Renowned Piller of each Common-wealth Lifes louing Champion how art thou abus'd When poyson's with thy Antidots infus'd But this vnusuall damnable abuse No bleamish is to lawfull Physicks vse No more then Phoebus glorious beames are soyld With shining on a stinking dung-hill moyld Thus to thy praise whose praise doâ—h passe my skill My poore vnlearned most obsequious quill Doe offer these poore slender lines of mine Vnworthy for that worthy worth of thine Which though thy soule be in eternall rest Thy friends may thanke me for I did my best FINIS I. T. REaders you that are desirous to see the reward of the Adulterer and the Adultresse paid by Gods owne hand there is a little Table called the Spectacles where you may see it more at large
The Iust Down 〈…〉 Ambition Adultery and Murder Where-vnto are added 3. notorious sinners Weston M. Turner and Fra 〈…〉 With his Arraignement Confession and E 〈…〉 Who all suffered Death for the 〈…〉 der of Sir Tho Ouerbury poysone 〈…〉 the Tower of whom to these discourses ioyned an Elegy vpon the death of Sir Thomas Ouerbury The iust Downfall of three notorious Sinners vâ—â— Weston Mistris Turner and Fraâ—â—klin Who all suffered death for the Murder of Sir THOMAS OVERBVRY who was poysoned in the Tower LOoking lately into the customes of this Age and coniecturing the inward affections of men I gather that the world is the house of confusion and the inhabitants thereof set vpon mischiefe for the seauen Capital Sinnes are growne to such a custome that our eyes want no allurements to bewitch our eares no perswasions to seduce nor our senses no subtlety to affect Which seizing on the hearts of men haue brought forth many pernicious children to the hurt of Nature some like Centaures begotten of clouds as Ambition some like Serpents nourished in dunghils as Sensuality some like Vapors raysed vp to bee consumed as Flattery and such like generally all dangerous and full of trouble therefore is it in the sense of man most fitting to haue the painting taken off from these foule faces the couers pulled off from these cups of Poyson and the couert of this bed of Serpents ripped vp that wee may discerne what hath long time beene hidden cunningly The first that presents himselfe vpon our Stage If we call Ambition catching at nothing but Stars 〈◊〉 onely for Greatnesse this is hee that cunningly can inuent stratagems to his own ouerthrow giuing Pens occasion to write Tragedies if hee rise from obscurity as many haue done hee laboureth to be skilfull in those things which are most pleasing to the greater sort and tollerable among the Commons His study is for prayse and not for Vertue His lookes like Mausolus Tombe faire and comely without but within nothing but rotten bones and â—orrupt practises his apparrell increaseth with his â—ortune and as worldly affaires direct him so suâ—eth he both fashions and affections in his study he â—ffecteth singularity and is proud in beeing Author of a new Stratagem if hee chance to come into the â—ye of the World he then creepes into the fauour of some great Personage in feeding whose humors to relieue his wants he makes intrusion into som heritage and matcheth not according to his birth but to the increase of his fortune and by that meanes by hooke or crooke hee attaineth to some place in the Court Then begins he with guifts to win hearts by fained humility to auoyd hatred by offices of friendship to bind his equals by cunning insinuations to worke his Superiors by which meanes he is held to be worthily a Statesman Being growne to this step higher the authority likes him not without the stile wherein if any crosse him looke for poyson in his cup or conspiracy in his walkes yea so pestilent is his nature that like fire raked vp in embers he neuer sheweth but to consume both himselfe and others if he perceiue any that by ripe iudgement conceiteth his courses with him he ioyneth as if he sought his onely protection vnder the wing of his Glory but the very truth is he hath no other intent but this to clip the wings of his renowne for feare he flye beyond him if the nature of the Nobleman whom he enuieth be gentle hee bringeth him in feare either of his own seruants in his household or his familiars that loue his honour or else some mislike betwixt his Prince and him sworne and confirmed by flatteries and intelligences till the noble-man looseth either his land authority or place and hee attaine both his stile and promotion yet play he neuer so cunningly such vncertaine honors beget daily dangers make him careles of his soules prosperity for then there entreth intohis mind a delightfull sin called curiosity by which to make him more able in other mischiefs he giues entertainment to witches and charmers and consorts himselfe with nouell-mongers and strange inuenters of banquets to set lust on fire and that can deuise confections to besot youth with luxury that for an ireful man can worke strange reuenges for a fearefull a strong tower to keepe him in to be excellent at poysons to kill lingringly like the Italian But again to our purpose To the Ambitious man ther is coÌ„monly belonging a rusticke troupe of Flatterers Bauds Adulterers Soothers and such like that hating 〈◊〉 vertue makes sin seeme pleasing which 〈◊〉 in the flexible heart such a sweet desire of forbidden pleasures that it euen surfets and growes sicke with excesse Lust and Adultery I meane which I describe in this maner It is the most insolent of all things it troubles the mind and taketh away the Empire of liberty it confounds Memory kils Prouidence and treads downe good Counsell Offends not hee the Law that takes possession of another mans free-hold and makes a Common of his Neighbours Inclosure Adulterers I say haue no Spirit to goodnesse nor will they bee by any Councell moued to godlinesse for their felicity is in the surfets of the flesh and the pleasures thereof bring nothing but too deare repentance the Adulterer spights him most that examines his proceedings and plots his ouerthrow that doth but touch his infirmities Oh! what an enemy is it to vertue the onely wrack of wealth and plaine high way to pouerty The Adulterer is so blinded in heart and so hardened withall that he can hardly look vp toward Heauen to behold Gods iust Iudgements yet so iust and sure they are that in all ages this vile sin hath been seuerely punished as by the example of Iudas iustice on Thamar Dauids adultery with Vrias wife punished in his son Absolon thousands of men dyed in the fields of Moab for this fault threescore thousand of the children of Israell were put to the sword for the rauishing onely of a Leuites Wife of all sins it is in nature the most odious and brings with it the greatest shame vnto 〈◊〉 it is a sin that hath made the earth drunke with blood to the confusion of many Townes and Cities Sodome and Gomorah were consumed with fire for Incest and Adultery Troy a proud City made a plow-land for the same sin It was the onely adulteries of the French that caused a Massaker of foure-score thousand by the ringing of one bell Let not the Strumpets eye saies one of the Sages of Greece shine vpon the countenance of young men least with the Basaliske it pearce vnto the death for her malice is as lightening and more raging then the shee Beare vpon her attends malicious hatred whose felicity is onely to reioyce at the harmes of others giuing more affliction to them that are most troubled with affliction where if any offend her she admits no reconciliation but liues as a partiall iudge in her own cause
Lord be praised hath beene and will be carefully followed by the learned and worthy Magistrates of this Kingdome whom the Lord God prosper and protect in all their proceedings to which let all true hearts say Amen MistrÃs Turners Teares for the Murder of Sir Thomas Ouerbury who was poysoned in the Tower of London IF euer teares fell from a Wretches eies I am that Creature waues on waues doe rise So fast and swell so high they drowne my soule In her owne crimes as numberlesse as foule Oh had my cradle bin my sodaine Graue In peace my Soule had slept which is a slaue Now both to sinne and shame I had not then Been of God hated and so scorn'd of Men. Vnhappy was the Wombe that lent me breath Would it had bin the Charnell-house of Death Had I bin stisled there theÌ„ had my flight To heauen bin like a Doues with winges more white O would to God the Day when I was borne Had from the Calender of time beene torne Where now it stands accursed and does beare The marke of a most fatall Character Many a Widdow reading there my name Will curse it the leafe that holds the same Children as yet vnborne comming to spell Will take it for a Furies name in Hell And casting by the Booke no more will read But onely learne to heape vppon my head VVishes of mischeefe though in Graue I lye For to confound mee euerlastingly But leauing this let my sad Story tell Both from what height I fall how I fell That though time present does not mone my state Yet times to come may pitty my hard fate My birth was faire my bringing vp was good My dayes were golden in my widdow-hood And might haue been so still but climbers hye Beyond their reach must downe and so doe I. Plenty and I at board together sate I fed with Diues dranke in richest plate VVore ritch attires tasted all worldly pleasure But nere had care to hoord vp heau'nly treasure VVith Eue I might haue liu'd in Paradise But that a Serpent did my Soule intice To touch forbidden fruit which relish'd well In chewing but being downe it smelt of Hell T was not one onely Apple to deuoure For which I long'd my hunger gap'd at more At a whole tree I look'd it was a Tree Me thought the goodliest mortall eyes could see This Tree I climb'd and as I pluckt it grew Still fresh and fresh the boughs were euer new The branches euer greene bushy and faire It seem'd the Darling both of sunne and ayre But when my Soule lookt vp with open eyes I saw the top-bough brauing euen the skies VVhen the root stuck in Hell where looking in I knew it then to be the tree of sinne And though my Conscience told me I should fall If that I leand to nothing could appall My setled resolution I would on Though still before me stood damnation From this I pluckt the guilded fruit of pride Like Queen-apples they shew'd for euery side VVas ruddy and alluring but what trust Is in vaine earth being toucht they turne to dust FroÌ„ this I suckt EnchantmeÌ„ts which drunk well And luscious sweet yet prou'd the milke of hell Hence did I gather poysonous drugges to kill Such as withstood my friends or crost my wil. Lust often lay within my widdowed sheetes And taught me how to tast forbidden sweetes And that toward hell I might go one step furder The last and worst I went into was murder O crying sinne which smothered nere so deep In caues which silent night her selfe does keep Bound vp in darknes like the steeme of Hell which none can peirce yet the black deed to tell Euen graues of dead men rotten long agoe VVill open wide Vengeance walks often slow To our weak sight but when to Strike it stands On Heau'ns high Tower it hath a 1000. hands Th' Almighties Arrowes fly both sure strong And where they hit great Oakes fall all along No hidden mark but stands within his eie And that he cleaues when forth his wrath does flie Witnesse my selfe and others who defying The busiest searching Sun-beam from descrying Where Villany lay lurking wrapd in clouds so safe we thought as dead men in their shrouds When to Mans Sense t was as impossible Mountaines to moue as find a tongue durst tel Our buried plots See! they are rent and torne By Gods least finger and we left in Scorne Our maskes pluckd off our faces now appeare writ Such as they are indeed not as they were Plain on our browes are our close mischiefes Who most did hide now most discouer it The Wolues are caught in snares the shepherd now Knows that a Lamb was slain by whom how The blood of whom by cruell friend so spilt Flowes like a Sea yet washes off no guilt If any aske mee why I was so led And why so neere to hell I ventured I was bewitch'd for what I did behold Was a most bitter Pil but wrap'd in gold That liquorish baite intic'd me take it downe As wholesom Physick but with shaÌ„e t is known No poison can so soone destroy the Soule The out-side glorious but the inside foule O Gold thou glittering diuel that confoundest The Richest Fairest Strongest wisest Soundest Would God as He to Indians is vnknown That so their Drossy God were theirs Alone Soules would not tumble then so fast to Hell Nor of my Fall should I this Story tell Terror to Soule and Body had not Heauen To sinnes more high and horrid pardon giuen Pardon of thee sweet Iesus then I craue What thou hast Bought and Payd for deerely Saue Men let me beg forgiuenes from you too Because I did more then my Sex should doe And you of Modest dames that beare the note And my blacke Name quite from your tables blot As I am lost so let my fault I craue And write Obliuion on my wretched Graue You Fathers whome of Children I bereaue You Children whom of Parents I deceaue You Wiues whom Husbandles my Guilt does make Forgiue me All of All this Leaue I take Heauen frownes to looke vpon me and my Sin Earth trembles that by her I fed haue bin My very breath poysons the Aire about me Hell onely is within me and without me Yet in despite of Hell from Heauen comes down Mercy I see holding a glorious Crown Oâ— immortality ouer my faint head Iesus in that and thee I 'me Comforted Strengthen my weake heart Death is fearefull grim One finger of thy Hand can vanquish him Giue to my fleeting Soule a prosperous gaile That I to Blest Ierusalem may Saile FINIS Master VVestons Teares for the Murder of Sir Thomas Ouerbury who was poysoned in the Tower of London GOD of my Soule and Body haue mercy vpon mee the one I haue cast away by my folly the other is likely to perish in thy Fury vnlesse in thy great mercy thou Saue it My Sinnes are deepe Seas to drowne mee I am swallowed vp in the