To which be pleas'd to Bow And what their prayers did then let ours doe now With this Exhortation to her Sonnes in the briefe Enumeration or Repetition of some things formerly spoken by way of Allusion Shee Concludes HEare then my Bells call to the Church and Death Reuiew my Graues There the full point of Breath Know thy proud flesh a Prison to thy Soule The Crosse a Badge did Death and Hell controuse 〈…〉 thou the Lawe of Heau'ns eternall Loue The Acts and Statutes of that Court Aboue Loue thou the sights the blessed Angels see Serue thou the God with whom All pleasures be Obey his Royall Substitute thy King Let loue among you haue an endlesse Spring Leuell your words and Actions to the will Of Him has power to pardon or to spill And I shall soone be well and you in Me And I in you All our best wishes see The Authors comfortable Conclusion and thankfull Remembrance of Gods great mercies in the happy surcease of this dangerous Contagion and preseruation of those who are yet liuing THus much for this Cloude of miserie now to that gloriouâ— Sunne of Gods mercy which most graciously rising vpon vs hath begun to dissolue dissipate and dispell it in the decrease of those that dye of this heauily bewayled Contagion Vpon which looking let vs say with Dauid What shall I returne to the Lord c. Withall make this promise and zealously striue to performe it That that God that in his Anger remembers Mercy That desires not the death of a Sinner but rather than he returne and liue may continue this mercy to vs and speedily if it be his blessed will and pleasure say as he said to that destroying Angell in the time of his Kingly Prophet It is sufficient hold now thy hand That so we heere at home and those abroad that as if they could slye from God slew from vs may againe meete he decently merry Liue louingly assist one another willingly and finally that All together to him that of â—othing hath made vs that lost hath Redeemed vs that erring reduced vs that Ignorant hath taught vs that sinning hath gently chastised vs that dispayring hath comforted vs that falling hath raised vs that standing hath held vs that going hath lead vs that Comming hath receiued vs And that from this and many other dangers hath deliuered vs. Wee may shew our selues euermore thankfull still pray still praise him that so this span of Life ended we may falling in death rise againe to that Life that shall neuer end Foure things euer to bee Remembred Thinke on thy Sinne That thou maist grieue On DEATH That thou thy sin maist leaue The Last great Iudge That thou maist feare On MERCIE that thou not dispaire FINIS Towling night and day Digression The King his returne from Spaine The Queenes arriuall The neglect of our duties remembred Her Counsell to flye to him from him we cannot All things made for man man for God Deaths Triumph A great helpe to liue is to remember we must die The Wife The Husband Parents Children The summ of their misery Yes Prayer Our Crosse dealing one with another Our sinnes the cause of our fichnesse These Crosses the Badge of Death Her incitement to Prayer and â—oly duties The necesty of them ¶ Her Termes Her Parament LONDON Westminst Oxenford Her Petition ¶ Her Pageants What they should be What they shall be What they are Her briefe Petitions Of this Massacre in generall Whole Families taken away The Flight of Citizens Her Sons â—ith her â—ender Hearts anâ—uish for it 1. Her greeâ— for them that mind not Hers. 2. Met and stayed like Felâ—ons 3. Shew their Passes like Rogues Their enâ—tainmeÌ„t Marke 〈◊〉 miseâ—â— Hardly welcome Hard â—odging â— Their miseries in their sicknesse 9. The tendance 10. Many there as with vs dye in the common way 〈◊〉 Ditche The s 〈◊〉 God a Dâ—uell Her Apostrophe in Groues sighing His Proclamation is Falling an Prayer Niniu buckler Hezekiahs Prayer His life prolonged by Prayer 〈…〉
THE WEEPING LADY OR LONDON LIKE NINIVIE IN SACK-CLOTH Describing the Mappe of her owne miserie in this time of Her heauy Visitation with her hearty Prayers Admonition and Pious Meditations as the occasions of them offer themselues in Her PASSION Written by T. B. Lord haue mercy on vs. Weepe Fast and Pray Printed at London by B. A. and T. F. for MATHEVV RHODES and are to be sold by Nath Browne in the Long Walke neere Christ Church 1625. THE EPISTLE TO the READER COurteous Reader Briefly thus If looking in my Booke you see Men imprison'd in their owne Houses and abroad none if heere you see a multitude of Crosses and abroad none if heere their equall number of Bils with LORD HAVE MERCIE VPON VS and abroad none and shall say Thus they haue beene but are not I answere That they Haue is enough why they are not I know not that they yet might be we all know in the losse of Husbands Wiues Children Seruants Kindred our Neighbours and common Acquaintance A wound smarts no lesse couer'd then discouer'd For some decrease in the number let vs praise God and pray to God for the continuance of this mercy begun till this sad Visitation be ended My intent in erecting this poore Monument of Misery was to make this Ladies Teares out-liue Her Teares That when by the infinite Mercies of God they shall bee wip'd off and all Her Sores made whole we may in the view of this and other more worthy Remembrances of Her re-view them in them those infinite Mercies and in both be made mindfull of them end eternally thankfull for them Which God grant Thine THO BREVVER Lord haue mercy on vs. Weepe Fast and Pray TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL GENErous and euer-worthy Louer of Goodnesse and Pious Endeauours WALTER LEIGH Esquire SWORD-BEARER to the Honourable LORD-MAIORS of this Famous Citie of LONDON Right Worthy Sir A Sad Sharer of the common miseries of these sad times prompted by his owne Sorrowes ha's though too weak a Pencil-Man for such a Piece vndertaken to draw that Sorrow to the Life that ha's drawne many thousands to Death my Title speaks my meaning The Wounds of this VVEEPING LADY To haue drawne Her in her Health the Idea or Conceptions of the most pure and pregnant VVits might haue been deficient such was Her Beauty Her Splendor such were her change of Colours Glorious within and without in Embroydered Garments But now such is her Change Shee ha's no Change wearing only one Suit and that the sad habit of Mourning In thus presenting Her I present you with nothing but grones Sighs tears shreaks folding of armes bearing of brests wringing of hands pale looks deiected eies bleeding hearts most heauy bitter condolements How vnpleasing this might be to many I am not ignorant but imboldned by that of the Preacher The Heart of the Wise is in the House of Mourning c. my hopes are faire of her fauorable and gracious receiuing To whom better to present this Lady of so many Honourable Lords then to your worthy Selfe I know not your Worship hauing been to many now to This Her Last equall in fame with any from Her First a prime and much respected Officer beating the Sword that most impartially guards Her and wounds Her Enemies Shee is now on the mending hand and our hope in Him that what he wil doe can doe is strong for the dayly decrease of her sorrowes the speedy returne to Her solace and fulnesse of Beauty and lustre For which among many Thousands of Her afflicted Sons and Daughters incessantly praying I rest Euer Bound to your VVorshiâ—â— pleasure T. B. THE WEEPING LADY OR LONDON LIKE NINIVIE in SACK-CLOTH IERIM 9.21 Death is come vp into our windowes and entered into our Houses LIke tender Plants beate with too great a showre Or like a Tree that 's blasted or a Flowre Pluckt from the Roote Decembers gloomy shade The Sunne ecclips'd Youth to disease betraid Or like to any thing that Chance or Time Or Heauens iust Anger scourges in the Prime Disroabing it of Ornament of Grace And seating what 's opponent in their place Sits now the Mistresse Lady of her kinde That Queene whose Beauty did attract the minde Of All to see it to admire to loue And in their Functions serue it to approue Her worth and their owne duties ó like these Or sadder Figures of Her sad disease Lies London now beate blasted wither'd shooke Of strangers pittied of Her owne forsooke But to diuide Her sorrowes and to bring The wounds sighes teares and each particular sting Of Her afflicted Bosome to your Eye Liues not in my Intention Nor if I Had such a Will had I the power to speake My Griefe for Hers too strong makes me too weake Her selfe doe that for what 's in Sorrowes breast The Bearer of it can decipher best I onely drawe the Curtaine and thus show This Queene of Cities now the Queene of woe London the Anatomizer of Her owne miseries as out of a broken slumber thus speakes HOw saine would Sorrow sleepe But as my Head Would touch the Pillow of that downy Bed The mournfull sound of sighings of deepe groues Vision of Teares and vniuersall mones That doe present themselues before me keepe That Comfort from me and command me weepe Her Bells continually Towling O Heare the Instruments my soule did loue My Bells that summon to the Spouse the Doue The Oracle of Heau'n Now sadly sound Nothing but frightfull summons to the ground Nothing but calls to Death nothing but Knells All notes of Griefe for All are passing Bells Nay more to adde to my Affrights affright Death will haue all Times minutes and by Night Command this dolefull Towling as by Day We know who sends him and we must obey What change there is in all things vnder Fate How sadly now they found And but of late When their shrill voyces did proclaime the Gaine Of Englands Heart out of the Hate of Spaine What Dulcet sounds they had And while they plaid To th'mounting flame of Bonfires that were made Ioying His safe Arriuing Since that Time What musicke made they when the pride and prime Of all her Sex MARIA in our Land Made Her most wisht Arriuall Hand in Hand Ioyning two royall Sisters to Aduance The Glories of them both Great Britaine France But I too farre in this Digression goe My joy almost made me forget my woe The woes of my disease The Sore that treads My Beauty vnder foot The Sore that spreads O're all my Happinesse The Sore that makes Me to be loath'd and left The sore that takes My Sonnes and Daughters from me And the Sore That makes this mournfull musick sound all o're My spatious Circuit round about my Walls For round about them are the dreadfull Calls Of Death in their sad language Had we heard Their Calls vnto the Temple and prepar'd Zeale and Diuine affection that the word Sowne in our soules
might as it ought afford A fruitfull Haruest of good workes no doubt We had not heard these clangors flye about Thus to affright to wound vs. But 't is Iust Those sounds we would not heare these sounds we must Till Heau'n be pleas'd to still'em That He may Le ts flye to meet him Weepe and Fast and Pray The Graues still greedily gaping O See like wounds digg'd in my tender side My multitude of Graues that gaping wide Are hourely fed with Carcasses of Men Those hardly swallowed they 'le be fed agen Gorg'd with my Sonnes and Daughters as if Hee All things were made for were but made to be A prey to wormes As if the end of Birth Were 〈◊〉 to cry to labour and in Earth Haue his eternall period As if Breath Were a Childes bubble and the sport of Death For so Hee triumphs now so now He kills So empties Houses so the Graue he fills Those Tenements of his Where many lye Too many manyes not like things that dye Assur'd in their Redeemer that they shall Rise to a Beeing whence they ne're can fall But I ha' done Passion thy power is strong The rest in weeping teares are sorrowes Tongue Sleepe sleepe in peace my Children in your dust Wee see what t' is to brittle life to trust And Her still fayling Adjuncts For thus fades The Pompe of flesh And enter'd those darke shades From Court or from the Village All are one Degrees in Life there are in Death there 's none Her Houses their Masters Prison O See my Sonnes and Daughters that suruiue Their Houshold massacr'e halfe dead aliue In their owne Houses buried or as bad Enjayl'd imprison'd In that passion clad That to behold them makes Affection wring My Heart to Blood mine Eyes into a spring Maternall loues Companions See the Wife Sadly bemone the losse of halfe Her life I' th' losse of her poore Husband See her sit While sighes doe sighes and teares doe teares beget Ready to follow him from this sad vale To His eternall Mansion See the pale And gastly seate of death vpon the face Of Husbands for their Wiues Behold the Race Of griefe in Parents for the sad depart Of Sonnes and Daughters Sonnes and Daughters smart To see the stroake this strange Disease doth giue Vpon those Liues by which they Be and Liue. See them debard all meetings of delight See them debard society and sight Of Kindred and Familiars See them there Bard the best pleasure that doth Passion cheare Their Recreatiue walkes losing their share Of what all taste the sweet and wholsome Ayre A poore mans only physicke See them loose The benefits of those poore Trades they vse To summe vp all their miseries in one See them i' th' Dongeon of laments and mone Yet thus it must be by the Lawes and Loue Of me their Citie and of that Aboue For 't is by Heau'n commanded Thou great God That more delightst in Mercy then thy Rod. Ioyning them both together be to these In their need plenty in their Languor ease And in the midst of this infectious flame Let thy good Angell come and be the same To them and me their Mother that He was To those i' th' midst of burning Flames did passe Vntouch'd or vnoffended In thy Hand Is Life and Death All power in thy Command Her Multitude of Crosses O See me full of Crosses see and weepe To see the Crosse thus like a Gangrene creepe From part to part vpon me Nor i st strange Wee weare these Crosses they are Heau'ns exchange Of Crosses with 's Wee Crosses had before The Rich-mans Crosse vpon the hungry Poore In griping and ingrossing which to quit Need ha's agen with a dexterious Wit Crost them in Cheats and Theeuing Woe is me The many Crosses of a Terme to see Strange Crosses in strange Cases Then a sleight The Crosse of Measure and the Crosse of Weight The Crosse of honest-seeming to deceiue The Crosse of Swearing to make men beleeue What Truth is rackt to looke on And for these Crosses of Sinne the Crosses of Disease Sticke like a brand vpon 's vpon vs fall The First on many but the Last on All. But to the Crosse agen which doth present In all but in my Sorrowes all Content Saint George his Crosse Englands the Badge of Ioy Is heere the Badge of Him that doth destroy No Champion euer like Him For His power In thousand Places Thousands in one Hower Turnes to the Pit before Him Gainst this losse O lets petition Heau'n and that this Crosse This Viol full of Anger may bee staid Which till it be by the Almighty laid Wee patiently must beare it 'T is decreed For Hee for Vs vpon a Crosse did bleed Has told vs plainly we His Crosse must beare Or nere ascend His Dwelling Where no care No Chance no Change Time or Defection dwels But All so full of Glory it excels The Compasse of Mans thought Toth' Crosse we then Add Lord haue Mercy vpon vs All. AMEN O See my Termes cut off in them the Law That eeuen Line Iustice her selle doth draw Guiding to pious dealing Like a Mute Nor hinder wrong nor help a rightfull Suite While my Infection spreads Woes woe succeed Of all Demurres heere 's a Demurre indeed ¶ See how the City ha's disturbd the Court How my Disease ha's troubled the Import And weighty Businesses of that High Seat Where Royall Charles and his graue Synod treat The grounds of all our safety And at last Dissolu'd that Royall meeting heere and plac'd Mine and my Sisters Dignity and Grace Vpon a Handmaid to vs. Ore which Place Thou God of Mercy all thy Mercies spread And there and heere and euery where strike dead This All-deuouring Monster Let thy loue Make this an Act in thy great Court aboue ¶ O See how my Disease has seem'd to checke The loue and dutie is prepar'd to decke My streetes with stately Pageants Things should weare Much Cost much Art and in their structures beare The fulnesse of Inuention where the Eye May feast it selfe on the varity Of specious Formes and Figures and the Eare The soule of all those rich Inuentions heare Deliuer'd in Choyce language I presume That thus they shall be when they shall assume Their costly Robes preparing But alas They yet stand bare and naked and men passe By them as by my selfe for that Disease That dyms my lustre has denyed it these And all those Beauties my large Bounds embrace Repaire sweet Mercy what sad frownes deface O see how thicke these shafts of vengeance flye How thicke they fall how thicke Men fall and dye Which way so e're we turne vs If your eyes Can see for Teares see how this Tyrant plyes The cruell part Hee 's acting How He sweepes Whole Familyes before him and then keepes In dismall emptinesse Possession there Where life
againe would enter but that Feare Do's for a time deterre him For this Foe Inuisible Inuincible a Blow Giues aboue all resist O see my Streets To many Death-beds for this Monster meets Men boldly there and strikes 'em heere Men tread To sight in safety there o' th' sodaine dead See see O see how thicke from all my parts Gallants in Coaches and their Goods in Carts Flye my poore wounded Body where before That their rich splendor might in mine be more They would embrace me hugge me But the Flight Of these moue little That would kill me quite Is that my Sonnes They that vpon my Brest Haue had repose a long and tender rest And from it suck'd the Substance made them grow Great in the Worlds Opinion In my woe Want and distresse forsake me These that Hee That was a Bond-man and by me made Free That tooke his Oath to loue me and submit His best Endeuours to mee to beget Guard and maintaine mine Honors But no more Thus Swallowes Winter flye the Rich the Poore Vpon Relation of the many Miseries that many of those that flye the City doe fall into in the Countrey Her Teares Sighes and Passion augmented O My full Tyde of Anguish Yet myne Eye Drops not so fast so much to see them flye As in that Flight to see them headlong runne To greater dangers then they flye to shun In multitudes we finde it and still thus Deplore their Sorrowes though they mind not vs. Heere Bils and Halberts meete 'em where as one Had dar'd the Law in some great mischiefe done They must be staid examin'd and there show What place they came from to what place they goe Th' occasions of their trauaile and before Some Constable can hardly tell three score Must shew their Passes And from place to place Passing through Villages through this disgrace Passe till they end their Iourney And what then What comfort find they poore distressed Men When through these scornes and loathings they haue got The place to which they trauaile Are they not With great suspition much amaze and feare As if each part about them seem'd to bearo Plagues and infections in them entertain'd At Halberds point at distance and constrain'd In their least pitty to a priuate Roome Though nere so sound they are and in the Doome Of that Imprisonment some part o' th' load Of what they shun at home they meet abroad But this is but disgrace See some poore soules Vnder necessities more harsh controules Made strangers to acquaintance nay the Sonne A stranger to his Father Brothers shun The Partners of their Blood and Mothers 〈◊〉 Those they haue hugg'd and dandled as they me O let me weepe weepe blood and through that glasse Looke yet a little further where alas Wee may behold some of my Sonnes that here Had soft and easie lodging lodging there In Stables Barnes out-Houses nay be glad To sleepe in Houils thinke no roome too bad That had a couering o're it some be faine To lodge where neither ' gainst the Wind the raine Nor the Suns fury they could shelter haue Heau'n only couering them and they their Graue Then as a sad Companion to their woe For miseries doe seldome single goe Behold them in these Lodgings faint and weake Their Purses many may some comfort speake But purchase none or little and that too But dealt among them as a man should doe Such duties to a Lyon to a Beare Or some such sauage Creature in great feare Fling some poore pittance to them and then flye Heere 's all their tendance let them liue or dye See some o're taken with so faint a breath Ere halfe their Iourneyes done they Inne with Death I' th' common way they tread on as they goe Fall to the ground and dye great numbers so In Rodes in Ditches in the open Field The debt of Breath thus to their Maker yeeld And wherâ— they dye are buried Some agen So bold we are to sinne to adde more sinne On Sledges Barrowes Dung-carts any thing The wisedome of those places please to bring Are borne to places more remote and some Like Dogges are hal'd with Cart-ropes to a Tombe Fit but for Dogges and Caryon into which As they are found th' are tumbled Poore and Rich Their rich Apparell their rich Pockets All Nay Gold it selfe they bury that must fall To'th' place it came from so that by this Rod That seemes a Diuell now seem'd once God Oh I could weepe my selfe into a Stone Or my as senslesse Image in the mone Of my poore Sonnes and Daughters that with me Had had farre better vsage But in vaine I weepe for them Now to my selfe againe So as preparing to a Bridall Bed In what a Path of Hearbs and Flowers men tread Which way so ere they wander For each Street Seemes now a Garden All as greene as sweet But Oh my sad my sicke my bleeding Heart These are no Nuptiall strewings heere no part Of such a Ioye 's appearing For O see These Paths are for the Dead and such as be The halfe dead traine attends them Euery where Nothing but Graues but Coffins but the Beere And bearing breathlesse Bodies to the Ground Delight 's an Exile now pale Mourning Cround ¶ See how my Streets are emptied how my Trade Io which there is another Sicknesse made Lyes as 't were dead and Buried See O see The Shops of those are Dead and those that Flee So euery where shut vp a man may say What 's all this Time but Grim DEATHS HOLIDAY ¶ Yet see my emptinesse too 〈…〉 mone For not a Friend a Friend without a groue Sighes and sad Language meet See Death destroy All our expected pleasure all our ioy Till Heau'n shall stop his Progresse Vnawares Our Feasting's turnd to FASTING Play to PRAYERS Most fit it should bee and most fit wee praise That Holy KING that made these Holy DAIES That has commanded what his God commands That Second God to vs that vnderstands That the best Buckler to defend the stroake Heau'n layes on Sinners which their sinnes prouoke Iâ—â—eeping Niniuies That Prayers and Teares When Hezekiah was beset with feares Procur'd an Angell in his cause to fight Whose vnresisted power in one night A hundred fourescore and fiue thousand men Laid dead before him Hee who knowes agen When God had purpos'd this good King to death By Prayer He chang'd that purpose and got breath For fifteene Summers longer He that knowes How when the fiery Serpents wounded those Murmur'd at Moses when good Moses prayed Those Serpents lost their stings that Plague was staied So Lord stay this this Serpent whose sharpe sting Has pierc'd to many and let Mercy spring In thy good pleasure to vs. From the Deepe 〈◊〉 anguish Lord we call we pray we weepe â—nd doe as they did By this Serpent strooke Wee on a second on our Sauiour looke Expecting cure