vntimely deaths disgracefull come About this necke my bribing hands reward Before this suddaine and vnlookt for faâ—e Did fall thus heauy on me when my staâ—e Did flourish among men to mind I call An accident of note which then did fall Bewitcht with loue to that too common vice In this our age of hazardy and dice I loosing once my coine for few thereby Haue euer gainers beene did wish that I When I againe did vse the dice might come To die this shamefull death which by the doome Of righteous heau'n againe I vsing game As I had wisht to mee vnlook't for came Vaine gamesters that too commonly vse Strange deprecations when ye doe abuse Your selues in game by my sad fall take heede And let your word be euer as your deede Least your hand meete mine in the selfe-same dish For heau'n doth often heare when men doe wish But of no sinne had my most sinnefull soule Beene euer sicke yet this one sinne most foule This act of poyson to my house a staine With future times for euer shall ramaine The die of blood on murderers hand doth stay No teares no time can wipe the same away But if true teares of forrow may with you As all true sorrowes teares with heauen may doe Mooue pittifull regard of my sad fall Ye then remembring how I fell withall Will out of charity with lesser blame Censure my fault when ye shall heare the same Thus quit by death from doome of Law and heauen Out of free mercy hauing me forgiuen Let all calumnious tongues their mallice cease That so my soule may euer liue in peace O let the world abate her sharpned tongue And since I haue done pennance for thy wrong Thou wronged Knight what can thy ghoast now craue Grieue thee no more goe rest thee in thy graue Thy foes decline proud Gaueston is downe No wanton Edward weares our Englands crowne This said he vanisht and an other stood In the same place midway aboue the flood Whose strange demeanour with amazement strooke Vs that beheld him for with startled looke And haire stiffe standing as a man agast He star'd vpon the Knight from whom in hast Into the flood he would haue shrunke away Had not I thinke that fury forst his stay Which while he liu'd his guilty soule pursu'd Till he his owne offence had freely shew'd A man he was of stature meanely tall His bodies lineaments true shap't and all His limbes compacted well and strongly knit Natures kind hand no errour made in it His beard was ruddie hewe and from his head A wanton locke it selfe did downe dispread Vpon his backe to which while he did liue Th' ambiguous name of Elfe-locke he did giue And now fantasticke frenzie as before When he did liue did seeme to vex him sore The shamefull rope which 'bout his shoulders hung Hither and thither carelesly he dung And as a catiffe of that cursed crewe Whom sad despaire doth after death pursue Howling and yelling while the teares did run Downe by his cheekes at last he thus begun Since that slie serpent of soule-slaying-sin Which feedes vpon the guiltie minde within Each wicked breast doth force me to reueale Vnto my shame what I did long conceale Giue eare ye cursed Atheists all that been Ye vnbeleeuing dogges in shape of men That thinke the name of God and his great Lawe But things deuis'd to keepe the world in awe Who mocke the times last dreadfull day to come Which at the length your wicked deeds shall doome And ye blasphemous Exorcists that are With Plutoes factors so familiar Here vpon earth that ye each day doe deal For transportation of blind soules to hell Whom fooles doe wisemen call giue eare to me And in my wretched fate your follies see I was aye me that still I was not so When Aprill buddes of youth themselues did show Vpon my chin a Student in the Law From which fantasticke thoughts my minde did drawe To the more pleasing studie of that art Of Physicke to the which though little part Of learning gaue me helpe yet strong desire To know that worthy science set on fire The fond affection of my forward will To search the secrets of that noble skill But he who from that facultie shall fall To which ineuitable fate did call Him at the first forsakes that happie way Which he should go and haplesse runnes astray Diseas'd with vanities fantasticke fiâ—tes Which ague-like doth vex our English wittes Who thinke at home all homely and doe plough Deepe furrowes vpon Neptunes waterie browe From forreine shoares to bring the worst of bad And in exchange leaue there what good they had The seas I past to helpe out my weake skill In th' Aromatike Art but O the ill Which there our ignorant English oft do finde Did first corrupt my vncorrupted minde O vaine conceit of those that doe repute In euery Art the most admired fruite Of any braine if of domesticke wit But base and triuiall if compar'd to it Of forreine heads that onely vs can please And such hath beene our Englands old disease There did I finde O neuer had I found Murthers close way to kill my foe the ground Of that deuise thou wronged Knight whereby Thou most vntimely wert inforst to die There was I taught with vaine words to command The spirits from below who still at hand Will ready bee as seeming to obay Those soule-blind men whom they doe most betray Thus hauing as I thought my minde enricht With deepest knowledge and with pride bewitcht To blow that vaine blast on the trumpe of fame Which through the world I thought might bear my name I backe return'd for England there to showe That wondrous skill which I would seeme to knowe There as the Fowler doth with whistle call The silly birds vntill they hap to fall Into his net so did my name each day Once blowne abroad lead simple fooles away From helpfull heauen to seeke aduise in hell And there for toyes themselues and soules to sell But in this path long thus I did not tread Which downe vnto the house of death doth lead Before that old slie serpent did beginne T' entice me to that selfe-accusing sinne Of horrid murther shewing me the way By art of poyson closely to betray What life to death I would nor did he leaue Vntill my soule he did so farre bereaue Of euery feeling sense that wicked I Did closely poyson her that vs'd to lie In mine owne bosome that shee beeing dead Might to me liuing leaue an empty bed After this fact that to my gultie soule It might not as it was seeme vgly foule My subtile foe did whisper in my eare These seeming happy newes how fame did beare My name vpon her wings with loud report Of my strange deedes as farre as to the Court Where hauing beene employ'd I with all skill Apply'd my selfe to please no damned ill I did refuse not making any doubt While greatnesse wings did compasse
Sir THOMAS OVERBVRIES Vision With the ghoasts of Weston Mâ— Turner the late Lieftenant of the Tower and Franklin By R. N. Oxon. In poenam insectatur vmbra PRINTED FOR R. M. T.I. 1616. SIR THOMAS OVERBVRIES Vision WHen poyson O that poyson and foule wrong Should euer be the subiect of my song Had set loud Fame vpon a loftie wing Throughout our streetes with horrid voice to sing Those vncouth tidings in each itching eare How raging lust of late too soone did beare That monster murther who once brought to light Did slay the man whose vision I recite Then did th' inconstant vulgar day by day Like feathers in the wind blowne euery way Frequent the Forum where in thickest throng I one amongst the rest did passe along To heare the iudgement of the wise and know That late blacke deede the cause of mickle woe But from the reach of voice too farre compel'd That beast of many heads I there beheld And did obserue how euerie common drudge Assum'd the person of an awefull Iudge Here in the hall amidst the throng one stands Nodding his head and acting with his hands Discoursing how the poysons swift or slow Did worke as if their nature he did knowe An other here presuming to outstrippe The rest in sounder iudgement on his lippe His finger layes and winketh with one eye As if some deeper plot he could descrie Here foure or fiue that with the vulgar sort Will not impart their matters of import Withdraw and whisper as if they alone Talk't things that must not vulgarly be knowne And yet they talke of naught from morne till noone But wonders and the fellowe in the moone Here some excuse that which was most amisse Others doe there accuse where no crime is Accusing that which they excus'd anon Inconstant people neuer constant known Censure from lippe to lippe did freely flie He that knew nothing with the rest would crie The voice of iudgement euery age shall finde Th' ignoble vulgar cruell mad in minde The muddie spawne of euery fruitlesse braine Daub'd out in ignominious lines did staine Papers in each mans hand with rayling rimes Gainst the foule Actors of these wel-knowne crimes Base wittes like barking currs to bite at them Whom iustice vnto death shall once condem I that beheld how whispering rumour fed The hungrie eares of euery vulgar head With her ambiguous voyce night being come Did leaue the Forum and returned home Where after some repast with greife opprest Of these bad dayes I tooke me to my rest And in that silent time when sullen night Did hide heau'ns twinckling tapers from our sight And on the earth with blackest lookes did lowre When euery clocke chimb'd twelue the midnight houre In which imprison'd ghoasts free licence haue About the world to wander from their graue When hungrie wolues and wakefull dogges do howle At euery breach of aire when the sad owle On the house top beating her balefull wings And shreeking out her dolefull ditty sings The song of death vnto the sicke that lie Hopelesse of health forewarning them to die Iust at that houre I thought my chamber dore Did softly open and vpon the floare I heard one glide along who at the last Did call and bid me wake at which agast I vp did looke and loe a naked man Of comely shape but deadly pale and wan Before me did appeare in whose sad looke As in the mappe of griefe or sorrowes booke My eye did reade such characters of woe As neither paintings skill nor pen can showe With dreadfull horrour almost stricken dead At such a sight I shrunke into my bed But the poore Ghoast to let me vnderstand For what he came did waft me with his hand And sorrowes teares distilling from his eies His poyson'd limbs he show'd and bad me rise Which fearefull I not daring disobey Rose vp and follow'd while he lead the way Through many vncouth wayes he led me on Ouer that Towers fatall hill whereon That scaffold stands which sithence it hath stood Hath often lickt vp treasons taynted blood Thence ouer that same wharfe fast by whose shoares From Londons bridge the prince of riuers roares He in a moments space by wondrous power Transported me into that spacious Tower Where as we entred in the very sight Of that vast building did my soule affright There did I call to minde how or'e that gate The chamber was where vnremorfefull fate Did worke the falls of those two Princes dead Who by their foes were smothered in their bed And there I did behold that fatall greene Where famous Essex woefull fall was seene Where guiltie Suffolks guiltlesse daughter Iane The scaffold with her noble blood did staine Where royall Anne her life to death resign'd Whose wombe did beare the praise of women kind And where the last Plantaginet did pore Her life out in her blood where many more Whom law did iustly or vniustly taxe Past by the sentence of the bloody axe And here as one with suddaine sorrow stroke The Ghoast stood still a while with dolefull looke Fixt on the ground and after sad sighes giuen With eyes and hands vp-lifted vnto heauen As calling them to witnesse of his woe In sad complaint his griefe he thus did show Great God of heauen that pittiest humane wrongs To whom alone reuenge of blood belongs Thou that vpon the wings of heauen do'st ride And laugh'st to scorne the man that seekes to hide And ouer-burie guiltlesse blood in dust Thou know'st the paines of my impoyson'd ghoast When men more changing then th' inconstant winde Or doe not know or knowing wilfull blinde Will not behold dead Ouerburies griefe But thinke his losse no more then losse of life Ye friends vnkind and false that after death Doe let your friendship vanish with the breath Of him that 's dead and thinke since truth begun To trie my cause more satisfaction done Then all my wrongs require giue eare and say When I haue told my griefe if from the day That mans first blood to heauen cri'd out of earth For vengeance 'gainst the first mans eldest birth Vntill this time if man for life so lost More iustly may complaine then my dead ghoast I was aye me that I was euer so Belou'd in court first step to all my woe There did I gaine the grace of Prince and Peeres Knowne old in iudgement though but young in yeers And there as in this Kingdomes garden where Both weedes and flowers doe grow my plant did beare The buddes of hope which flowring in their prime And May of youth did promise fruit in time But lust foule lust did with a hand of blood Supplant my plant and crop me in the budde Yet to my selfe had I my counsells kept Or had I drown'd my cares in rest and slept When I did breake my quiet sleepes and waite To serue a false friend and aduance his state I had not met with this inhumane wrong But might
perhaps haue happy liu'd and long Did euer fortune pinch him with constraint That little wealth I had supply'd his want Did euer cares perplex his feeble braine What wit I had his weakenesse did sustaine Did euer error make him doe amisse What wisedome I had learn'd was euer his My wit my wealth and wisedome with good chaunce In his great honours May game lead the daunce I doe not falsly boast the gifts of mind Best wittes can iudge my Wife I left behind Vnto the world a witnesse may remaine I had no dull conceit no barren braine But as a dogge that at his pray doth ame Doth onely loue the water for his game Which once obtain'd he playing then no more Shakes off the water when he comes on shore So my great Friend no friend but my great Foe Safe swimming in that way which I did showe Through dangers waters after honours game Did shake me off when I had gain'd the same Vaine man too late thou do'st repent my wrong That huge great sayle of Honour was too strong For thy great boate wanting thy friend to steare In this thy weakenesse and my worth appeare O hadst thou kept the path by me begunne That other impious race thou hadst not runne In wayes of vice thy steps I did not guide Onely for vertue Ouerburie di'd But had in gratitude no further gone I had not wail'd with many a piteous grone These poysoned limbes O how will future times Blushing to heare such execrable crimes Beleeue report when then it shall be said Thou wast that man that man that me betray'd That sauage man that wanting meanes or heart Or rather both to meete with my desert Too cruell didst deuise to stop my breath To end thy care and my deare life by death Death oh no death but thousand deathes in one For had it bin but meere priuation Of loued life my greiued Ghoast had fled Without such paine and anguish to the dead O wretched foes why did yee take delight To excercise your hate with such despight Vpon a guiltlesse man what had I done But that yee might when as ye first begunne Your tragicke plot and did my life awaite With single death haue satisfied your hate Was it ah was it not enough to giue One poyson first and then to let me liue Till ye did please to giue an other then An other and an other but as men All made of flint to laugh my plaints to scorne And scoffe at me while I alas did mourne When in my chamber walls the very stones Sweat droppes for teares to heare my greiuous grones As sencelesse they would simpathize my woes Though my sad cries were musicke to my foes Let ages past vntill the worlds first day Shew all records of antique times and say If euer any did by poyson die That at his death had greater wrong then I. It was not one dayes space nor two nor three In which those cruell men tormented me Month after month they often did instill The diuers natures of that banefull ill Throughout these limbs inducing me to thinke That what I tooke in Physicke meate or drinke Was to restore me to my health when all Was but with lingring death to worke my fall Oh how my Ghoast doth quake when it suruayes This fatall house where I did end my daies And trembles as it suffered now againe Onely to thinke vpon that woefull paine When the slow poyson secretly did creepe Through all my veines and as it went did sweepe All ease with paine all rest with griefe away From euery corner of my house of clay Then did I loath my life but could not die Sometimes to God sometimes to men I crie To giue me ease of my tormenting hell Whose paine no pen can write no tongue can tell In vaine my tongue thou vtterd'st forth my cries To wicked men with teare-tormented eyes In vaine mine eies in you the teares did stand While I to heauen for helpe did lift my hand In vaine my hands were ye stretcht forth to heauen My time was set my life to death was giuen Tongue eyes and hands did often plead in vaine Nothing but death could ease me of my paine And death at last to my desire did yeeld Who with such furious force did take the field T' assayle my soule that 'gainst his matchlesse might In greater torment neuer man did fight With poison'd dart he at my life did strike The venome seazing on me vulture-like With torment tore my entrayles thence did runne Into my vaines and boyling there begunne A fresh assault which beeing a while withstood By natures force at last did seaze my blood Then victor-like possest of euery part It did assaile my yet not yeelding heart The soules cheife seate where hauing vanquisht all The powers of life while I to God did call For grace and mercy after sad sighs giuen With greiuous grones my soule fled hence to heauen O thou sad monument of Norman yoke Whose great foundation hee whose conquering stroke Did stoope our neckes to Norman rule first laid Looke thy records of those to death betray'd Within thy fatall chambers and there see If any murdered lost his life like mee Those royall roses of Plantaginest Which that white boare of Yorke that bloody beast Hath rooted vp within those walls of thine In death felt little paine compar'd to mine Thou knowest that King son to that kingly Knight Beneath whose sword in Agincourts great fight France fell vpon her knees thy flore did staine With his deare blood by bloody Richard slaine Thou didst looke on when Clarence blood was shed And didst behold how hee poore Duke halfe dead Yet bleeding fresh in Malmesie-but was dround Whose body sithence neuer could be found Thou sawst when Tirrels bloody slaues did smother This kingdomes vncrownd King and his young brother Those princely babes of Yorke thou heardst them crie When they betwixt the sheets did strangled die But to their paine death did swift end assigne Thou know'st their greifes were not so great as mine T' was not for naught that thy first builders hand Did temper blood with burned lime and sand So to conglutinate thy stony masse And bring the Conquerours will and worke to passe Well may it be thy walls with blood were built Where so much guiltlesse blood hath since bin spilt But here an end of all my paine and woe Death shuts vp all our greatest greifes for so All men would thinke but past all thought of minde My greatest greife alas is yet behind Oh why should fiercest beast of all the wood When hee hath slaine his foe and lickt his blood End hate in death and man with man in strife Not end his malice with the ende of life Can they be men and lords of beasts that beare Their Makers image and will yet not feare That ill which beasts abhorre in brutish minde Men O no men but monsters against kind Such monsters were my tyger-hearted foes Who