WESTROW REVIVED A Funerall Poem without Fiction Composed by Geo Wither Esq That GOD may be glorified in his Saints That the memory of Thomas Westrow Esq may be preserved and that others by his exemplary Life and Death may be drawn to imitation of his Vertues Blest are the Dead who dye in CHRIST For from their Labours they do rest And whether they do live or dye His Saints are precious in his eye To the READER READER peruse this thorow For to Thee It most pertains though WESTROW named be And gives as by the way some short hints there To what Intents He chiefly doth appear And whereof if good heed shall not be took Somwhat ere long more fully will be spoke Both Moses and the Prophets many a day Have spoken and a Greater one then they Hear them For when GOD sendeth by the DEAD His Messages will come with much more Dread Then Comfort and few men with good effect Shall hear these the former do neglect Be wise or else But I le now say no more The Feet of messengers are at the door LONDON Printed by F Neile in Aldersgatestreet 1653. WESTROVV REVIVED The first CANTO The Authors musings here are shown The Night ere ought to him was known Of Westrowes death whereof the Morrow Assur'd him to his greater sorrow Then that which he hath more to say Is put off to another day T Was midnight and I had my self undrest In hope the nights remainder for my rest Had been allowd and in that hope all those Distractings which my minde might discompose Quite threw aside and hastned to the place Where that refreshment offer'd an embrace But in sleeps posture ere I down was laid A Thought within my heart start up and said Westrowe thy best and most deserving Friend Lies feeble and approaching to his end By thee unvisited though two days now Are past since of his weakness thou didst know How canst thou answer such a grosse neglecting Of one so well so truly thee affecting A second Thought thus answer'd thereunto To make amends to morrow I will go In hope since I for this neglect am griev'd A just excuse will kindly be receiv'd And that Love-reall shall not through defect That 's accidental suffer by suspect To morrow said a third thought comes too late His Lifes Commission is quite out of date And that which might have been enjoy'd to day Is by procrastination lost for aye Thou too too long thy purpose hast forbore And never now shalt hear or see him more Yet be not grieved that it happens thus For he is safe And as good Lazarus Lost nothing by a sickness unto death Save only that suspention of his breath For some few days which did a means provide Whereby both GOD and he were glorifide In greater measure so it may be thou Shalt hereby have occasions offered now Of that whereby hereafter may be made Advantages which could not else be had Advantages cride out another Thought Alas what good effect can forth be brought By such an Accident if I shall hear That to be true which yet is but my fear How can my pretermission ought produce Of any future comfortable use Or to what likely profitable end Can such a comfortles privation tend In Fancies Tennescourt thus to and fro My Thoughts were tost and plaid at hazzard so That very much distemper'd I became With that unlook'd for and unpleasing game Their silent Dialogue made such impressions Upon my heart and so inhanc'd my passion That all the night ensuing they did keep My mind on him and bard mine eyes from sleep I likewise have so frequently perceiv'd My souls presagings true that I beleev'd This sad surmize and thereon did proceed To muse as if he had been dead indeed And buried too From whence broak in upon me Such apprehensions of the Favours done me And of his kindnesses in my oppressions That they exacted from me those confessions Which in the following pages wil ensue To give what to his memory is due Dear GOD if humane mercy so indears So sweâ—t so pretious if that Love appears And so obliging which enjoy'd may be By Creatures what is that which flows from thee If little sparklings may beget a flame What may be thought of that from whence they came And why from him should not my soul ascend To clasp thy love oh my Eternal Friend Who wert and art and wilt continue so When all the World shall into nothing go Some will at first perhaps with prejudice Peruse what in this Poeme I expresse On this Occasion judging that hereby I somewhat would beyond the verity Insinuate to make small things appear More in the show then they in substance are But they shall see at last that I pursue My Theame no farther then I make it true And bear me witnes ere this hath an end That I have done but what becomes a Friend That real cause occasion'd my unrest And that of him my thoughts are here exprest Without hyperboâ—es without devising Or adding what the World calâ—s Poetizing And that I rather put upon the score Lesse then I ow his memory then more But to the matter being full of grief By what my fear had rais'd up to belief To say within my self I thus began Westrowe that noble single hearted man Whom GOD had in a time of need bestown To be my Friend is now no more his own Alas nor mine Westrowe that heretofore Was to the Widdow Fatherless and poor A Husband Friend and Father them to feed To cloath and harbor in the time of need Westrowe GODS faithfull Almner he from whom No needy soul who for relief did come Went empty if his needines requir'd Undoubtedly the succor he deserv'd And then as GOD doth he did alms bestow Upon the good and bad on Friend and Foe Yea and when none did ask what he could grant Sought where to find out those who stood in want And often was directed unto them By Providence in acceptable time That Westrowe now hath left us to bemoan Our losses For thereby he can have none Nor meant us any But is gone away That our contentment he make perfect may By his well-being in a safe possessing His portion in an everlasting Blessing And that we may look off from him to heed His Love from whom all mercies do proceed Westrowe is gone and we remaining have No more of him but what is in his Grave There now he resteth and exchanged hath Life mortifide for an inlivening death And him I do behold in contemplation So represented by transfiguration As having laid that earthly vail aside Which from the World his better parts did hide That I will now disclose them therefore stay And know him Reader ere thou go away Nor few nor mean Advantages he had Relating to this life But these were made Of small account with him and used so As if with them he little had to do Except for others sakes For he denide
A rarely memorable-one Illustrating a matchles Friend And so this Canto hath an end THe foll'wing evening after I had heard That verifide whereof I was afeard The night before I then a fresh inspir'd To give my Musings utterance retir'd And that no interruptions I might find Put all my own concernments out of mind For he that honestly one work would do Must not the same time be imploy'd on two But on the paper ere I fixt my pen Such things as possibly by other men Might be objected question'd or alleadg'd To hinder that wherein I was ingag'd Rush'd in upon me and delaies had wrought Had I not on a sudden kickt them out And given some of them ere they would go Areasonable civell answer too Among the rest One vvho scarce vvent avvay Well satisfide vvith ought that I could say Thus question'd me Art thou become so vain To think by charmes and words to raise again The dead to life or to preserve the Name Of freinds deceased by surviving Fame Among this Generation wherein none Or few regard what shall be said or done To that effect Canst thou have hope to bring By poesie which an unhallowed thing Is now accounted any due respect To him whose memory thou dost affect Or think that thou maist dignifie his Herse By such a despicable thing as verse Canst thou hope this when he that versifies Seems but a coyner of facetious Lies When lovers of the muses are so scanty That there are hardly two in five times twenty Who if thy Poem serious be will heed it Or if they will that have the wit to read it More gracefully then if an Asse should play Upon a Harp or to the Viol bray For neither heeding accents points or time They only make a clinking on the Rime More harshly grating on juditious ears Then scraping trenchers which none gladly hears And what of all thy musings have th' effects Been hitherto but troubles and neglects This being urg'd I thereto made reply Thus in my self Admit all this quoth I Mo wiseman fears to do what should be done Through dread of that which may mis-fall thereon Nor so much cares what may thereof be thought As to be always doing as he ought It is the Muses duty to be there Most active where most Difficulties are And most couragiously there to advance Their Standards where appears most Ignorance That to succeeding Ages they may leave Those things which present times will not receive It is a portion whereto they were born To be exposed to contempt and scorn And t is their honour to have wisely dar'd Just things for which the world gives no reward Though Poets are despis'd and will yet more Contemned be and thrust behind the doore As Ignorance gets ground and as the Base Shall rise to sit in honourable place There was a time when Princes did contend In Poetry and Poets to befriend And when the one shall consecrate his Muse True Piety and Virtue to infuse And men in power by Righteousness maintain Their dignity it shall be so again The Muses in times past so awfull were That they made Kings to fawn and Tyrants fear The Vulger they made Hero's Hero's GODS Drew Trees and Beasts out of the salvage woods To follow them That is they drew together Blockish and bruitish men as rude as either Wild Plants or Beasts and them allur'd unto What reasonable creatures ought to do Their Charm threw down the vicious to that hell Where everlasting Infamy doth dwell Raisd up the well deservers from the Grave The life of never dying fame to have Yea by their charms they have expel'd the devill The furious and the melancholy evill And not alone in former Generations Among the learned and most civill Nations Had Poesie esteem and good effects In spight of envy malice and neglects But also here and lately some have lived Who by their musings honor have received And been enabled by their inspirations To vindicate the Muses reputations Yea in his measure ev'n the barbarous Bard Is of his people so belov'd or fear'd That whom soere he pleases by his rimes He makes to be the minion of the times Within his Orb And they among us here Who of this faculty the masters are As to the language can th' affections raise And move the Readers passions various wayes By their composures though they do abuse His gift who did that faculty infuse As I my self have done till he that gave it Inform'd me better to what end I have it Then why with confidency may not I Hope by the help of sacred poesie So to embalm my Friend by that perfume Which fluently will by extraction come From his own vertues that a sweet breath'd fame Disfused from the Orders of his Name May draw some after him and make them grow In love with what doth from those Orders flow And thereby wooe them to an imitation Of him and to a virtuous emulation If David in an fun'rall song preserved The memory of that which well deserved In wicked Saul his foe why may not I Seek to preserve a good mans memory Why may not I with warranty commend The matchles love of my deceased Friend Why may not I as fully as I can Illustrate my beloved Jonathan If also they whose poesie affords Little save empty shews and swelling words Forc'd Metaphors and frothy strains of wit Which on the Jancy ticklings do beget Perused are with some effect that 's good And are most pleasing when least understood Why may not I be read by two or three With more advantage both to them and me Then by a thousand that are pleas'd with chaff And at my plain expressions jeer and laugh Why may not I who have advantages Of truth and real merits which helps these Impostures had not trophies hope to Rear That shall more lasting and more fair appear Then such as they build who composures fain Out of the durty notions of their brain Or from the vapours that strong drink infuses To dignifie the subject of their mufes Why may not I this faculty imploy To build up that which others do destroy By their abusing it and hope thereby So to repreeve it from that Obliquie Which now it suffers that the best of men May fall in love with poesie agen And not as now they do avert their eyes As if asham'd of him that versifies For this is part wherto my Poems tend Though peradventure I may miss my end Let it not therefore seem a prophanation Of Piety unto this Generation That I adventure to redeem from blame The gift by some employed to their shame Since it was first confer'd on each receiver To raise up his own spirit to the giver And then to rouse up other mens affections From carnal popular and vain dejections Or that to take my Reader by the ear I lay among my verses here and there Some books with reason baited which sometime Doth eatch those who expected nought but rime Nor let
mine Or his from whom I might that ayd receive Which to obtain from GOD I did beleeve And mark his goodnes Oh! all you that read it So mark it and with seriousnes so heed it That if I should forget it you may be Remembrancers hereafter unto me As I have been to you in former time Of what concerns this Nation and this Clime In this distresse he meets me of whom here I am discoursing And with pleasing chear Salutes me thus Amid thy troubles now How is it with thee George how farest thou I answer'd SIR I live though I am poore And of my welfare cannot say much more Take heart said he These dayes will have an end And future times will better thee befriend I sought thee at thy house not with intent To trifle out an hour in complement But lovingly brought thither by a fear Lest more lay on thee then thou well mightst bear For thy Petitions I have heard and seen Of those transactions I have witnes been Whereby thou wert oppressed and wherein Thy Country hath no lesse abused been I also publickly have heard debated Thy claims and when they were allow'd and stated Saw what was justly or unjustly done And am assured GOD will look thereon Yea I have so well heeded what thou hast Both lately and in former time exprest For GOD and also for thy Countries sake Whereof ensuing times will notice take That I my self to be obliged thought To seek thy welfare and from GOD have brought This token of his love thus having said Just twenty pounds into my hand he laid Of currant gold whereat as one amaz'd On him with overflowing eyes I gaz'd Not able for the present to afford The retribution of one thankfull word For out of me my heart away was gone To GOD who made him do what he had done But after recollection SIR said I He â—hat hath mov'd you to this charity Will doubtlesly with interest repay What you have ministred to me this day For GOD himself alone and none but he Who knows in what distresses all men be Could you to me so timely have directed Opprest with wants and of all friends neglected Or so inlarg'd your heart to bring relief Proportionable to my present grief And therefore now I l'e tell you in what state You find me that you may rejoyce thereat By making you assur'd that you have wrought A work which in it self rewards hath brought That will requite it fully though I liv'd To let slip out of mind what I receiv'd Then told him all that is before exprest And so much more as did infer the rest That might have follow'd if GOD had not sent His charity my ruine to prevent The same impression which his Act had made On me my words on him effected had And I am confident that had I given To him the greatest gift on this side Heav'n He had not gone away with more content Then in his being made an instrument Of such a timely mercy and that he So opportunely too should meet with me Now judg if this be true which I protest Except the words wherein it is exprest And some few circumstances to supply The story with a formal decency Is real truth and no poetick strain More adding then the Essence did contain Judg now what I could honestly have lesse Hereof declar'd then here I do expresse Consid'ring what he was to me till then And what I was to many other men For at their dore for whom I had of late My life adventur'd lost my whole Estate And those expos'd who were more dear to me Then life and livelyhood destroy'd to be Ev'n at their dore I perishing was left Of credit and Estate at once bereft To let me thereby know and knowing heed That in the times of triall and of need T is none of those Acquaintance or those Friends Which we our selves get or whose love attends On our Prosperities nor that which we Think obligations upon them to be Nor publick Faith nor Vows nor Protestations Either of Princes Parliaments or Nations Nor that which is nor that which we suppose A merit in Us or for Virtue goes Which for helps are to be relide upon In great extremities But GOD alone And that in our Desertions he can make Not only strangers pity on us take But also from the malice of our Foes Raise us up help salve mortall wounds by blows Cure us by sickness make us rich by losses Give us true joy in grief Content in Crosses A life by dying and the first beginning Of justifying righteousness by sinning Yea by the hiding for a time his Face Assurances of everlasting grace And to confirm my oft experiment Hereof GOD made this Friend an Instrument To give me of that mercy one pledg more Of which he gave me many heretofore And yet this is not all for ere those weights Which lay upon me and the many streights Then pressing me removed were and past Which some yeers and some months to boot did last In times of like need he continued on That work of mercy thus by him began Till in this manner he upon his score Had set me twenty hundred Crowns and more Without desiring Band or Bill or Note To testifie the lending of one groat Or urging me betwixt our selves to say I ow'd him ought or that I would repay Thus much for this time For t is cold and late And that you may have time to ruminate On what is said I le now break off and borrow An hour or two from my affairs to morrow So much of what remaineth to recite As seemeth pertinent And so good night The third CANTO The Author sheweth to what end This Poem was design'd and pen'd Next he proceeedeth to unfold What is begun and left untold Relating to his Friend and Him And gives you then a breathing time WHen I have spent the day as oft I do In vvheeling round and trudging to and fro Through that meander which do what I can Still further leads then when I first began From my desired rest and nothing leaves me But new assurance that the World deceives me And yet still keeps me active with a thought That I am thereby doing what I ought Because ev'n by persuing what is vain A knowledg of some usefulnes I gain Which els could not be had I take content In suffering what I labour to prevent Permitting GOD to order as he pleases Me and my something and my nothing nesses And in the night when all to rest are gone I muse on things more worthy thinking on And how to others and my self I may Add somewhat by our losses in the day Nor are my watchings in that stollen leisure So painfull as some think but full of pleasure Nor do my solitary Musings tend To that deceitfull and unfruitfull end As is perhaps thought in those lucubrations Wherein I take my loanly recreations For that which me all night doth waking keep Refresheth more my spirit
then my sleep The subject which this hour employes my pen Makes my dead friend to live with me agen I visit him and oft he visits me With inter-courses which no eyes can see Within my Chamber none els being there Me thinks we two as if alone we were Converse together and he brings unto My memory and thought what I should do To order so my life that when I dye No living soul may be more glad as I. Sometime with him I walk unto his grave To view what kind of lodgings dead men have And whether I can see among them there Such dreadfull things as flesh and blood doth fear Yea there at midnight I have with him been And every corner of the grave have seen By Contemplation which sees many sights Not to be view'd by ordinary lights Yet there I did behold no greater dread Then when I sleep most sweetly in my bed Sometimes he comes into my mind and brings A multitude of temporary things To be by many thought of who yet live And were of that late Representative Which from it honor and it being fell Because they nor beleev'd nor acted vvell Of somethings too that neerly vvill concern The wise till they are grovvn too wise to learn He me remembers by those conferences Which vve oft had vvhen he enjoy'd his senses And whereupon I oft did more then guesse At what was verifide in their successe Yea and sometimes he makes me think upon The present Powre and on what 's yet undone And should be done and will be done ere long Unles it grows in self opinion strong And sleights that counsel which may save the State As their Foregoers did till 't was too late Sometime the thought of him translates me hence To Heav'n where what transcends intelligence And my expression is to me disclos'd By fraction and by notions discompos'd Which nay the lesse a certainty declare Of some things which for edifying are Sometime again for we can any whither Go safely we descend to Hell together By contemplation and there take full views Of that which on Hypocrisie ensues And on each other failing and offence Perpetuating an Impenitence And thence assume occasion to improve My thank fulnes for that eternall love By whom I am secured from that place Through his preventing and assisting grace By thinking upon him who in his grave Lies thoughtles of what thinkings I can have Thus I my self employ and by things past The ordering of future things forecast And find a means whereby I do refresh My Spirit whilst imprison'd in the Flesh And wherefore judg you I my time thus spend Is it to tell the World I had a Friend How vain were that since I am not to know It cares not whether I have Friends or no. And loves to hear of no respect that 's shown To any whom she takes not for her own Is it to gain a gratiousnes with those Who have what he hath left at their dispose That were to fall ten thousand leagues below My spirit and more base in me would show Then it would do in them to look upon With such a thought what here by me is done For these my retributions are as free From self ends as his bounty was to me And rather should be paid back ten time double Then I would loose my freedom for that buble It is to please his near and dear relations With large applauses and commemorations Of him that 's gone Alas that doth but keep Sorrows awake which els would fall asleep Doth but his knowledg in the fiesh renew Which keeps his better being from their view Adds brine to thirst and to devouring fire Casts Oyl which makes it but to flame the higher And if no better use could hence be rais'd It came to far lesse then not to be prais'd Is it to honor him that 's in his Grave That were the simplest thought the fool could have What honor can they want who tryumph there Where sulnes of eternall glories are What honor can he have from earthly things Or glory from a fame with paper vvings Which cannot make a flight for many miles Beyond the compasse of these British Isles Or from an Epitaph on stone or brasse Read by a fevv in some obscured place Or hovv vvill it concern or please him novv Who to himself vvould not in life allovv Those attributes of honor vvhich appear'd Then due nor for an empty title car'd And vvould have been displeas'd if he had knowvvn I vvould on him this trifle have bestovvn Onely because it to his honor tends Although therewith compos'd to other ends Beside although it somwhat may concern His reputation I am not to learn That these Blasts for the most part oftner rear A dust to cloud it then preserve it clear Or stirs up envy hate or evill-will To brawl which else it may be had lain still For to the Flower that spreads the fairest blooms The Cankerworm and Caterpiller comes Moreover they who least deserving are May in this kind of honor have a share With best Desert and buy with what was theirs A better Monument then this appears Is it for some advantages design'd Unto my self sure no for none I find Hereby acquirable nor had I brought My poverty to light if I had sought Self-honor seeing there is nothing more Dishonourable thought then to be poore Well then if it were neither so nor so What is my purpose in what now I do Ev'n this That from the best man whom I knew Here living I might set forth to your view A self-deniall through the want of which The Common-wealth grows poore and poore men rich That also by him in whose charity GOD did appear in my necessity Others may be provok'd through his examples To shew more love unto those living Temples In which he dwelleth and at least forbear To ruine them although they have no care Of their Repair For this is one of those Deficiencies which multiplies our woes And through defect whereof our former cost And present hopes will suddenly be lost As they have been unless we do with speed Put what is yet but words into a Deed Not dreaming still that we from GOD can hide What is by men apparently espide For though we will not see what we behold Nor credit what we know true being told It shall in spight of all our impudence Let in a Fear against which no defence Can possibly be made and then the doom We fear'd in secret openly shall come He of this self-deniall vvas a Teacher Yea and as vvell a Pattern as a Preacher Who taught vvith power such principles as these And not as do our Scribes and Pharisees I vvrote this partly likewise in requital Of his rare kindness and by his recitall Of vvhat he vvas to stir up imitation In all those vvho had any near relation Unto his fleshly being and thereby To pay my debt to his posterity And that if vvell improved it might be Some
You shall be welcomed with come ye blessed Who fed and cloath'd me when I was distressed These things consider'd this which I begun Pretending some reproof intendeth none But rather is that debts be not forgot A memorandum only or a note Subscribed with my hand for intimation That you with me shall have his obligation Whose word is pass'd already to restore Whatever shall be lent unto the poor And who doth good to every one intend Whose heart he moves the needy to befriend Yet that mean time I may not failing be To pay as much in hand as lies in me Receive this Benediction Whensoere The day of fiery tryall shall appear To prove your Faith and purge you quite from all Your selfnes which ere long time will befall Let then your Faith be strong and GOD be seen A friend to you as you to me have been And let your charity before him stand To manacle and weaken every hand That would oppress those whom you leave behind Let them GODS favour in all troubles find Be safe preserved in all times and places By his free mercies and preventing Graces And let this prayer stil about GOD'S Throne Be fluttering till he saith so be it done These Verses for his large benevolence Were for a long time all his evidence Nor would he more receive though many a time Security was offer'd unto him And once it was in words like these denide When first I your necessity supplide My purpose was not meerly to relieve Your present need but likewise ayd to give That by your own endeavour with my cost You might recover that which you have lost The State hath no part satisfied yet Of your allow'd and overlong due debt And till that shall be done I will expect No payment neither ought to that effect But his assistance having made me strong That to recover which had been by wrong Detained from me in a private hand And having somwhat more at my command I thought my self oblig'd as I was able To render some returns proportionable To my Estate So he accepts at last Security for part and left the rest Of which to him I somewhat yearly brought Without his asking as expecting ought By any thing expressed untill that Were pay'd me which is owing by the State Or till the residue I could repay By some enablement another way This shews it is no frivilous occasion From whence this Poem springs or Obligation To be as inconsiderable slighted Which me to this acknowledgment invited But rather in regard of GOD and Man An act which ought as fully as I can To be exprest That for it I might give The praise to GOD and men th' example have For by his charity GOD'S love appears I was thereby preserved many years From perishing Thereby likewise together VVith that assistance which I had from other Concurring helps which have the same way been To me by GOD'S good providence sent in I got to be possessor of the gate Of those who were mine enemies of late And thereby also partly to expresse To others in their need my thankfulness Thereto the Noble and much Honored Bradshaw and Dixwell ayde contributed Among some others who are not forgot Although their kindnes I here mention not Yea GOD for me so likewise did dispose The purpose of my avaritious foes That doubly it advantag'd me and more Then all those loving friends had done before VVhich suddenly improoving my Estate Beyond what I did hope or aimed at The World doth seem to think and some do say That I to thrive have practised her way And on my conscience would now love me too If truly she beleev'd it had been so For nothing renders her a Foe to me But that she fears my words and deeds agree And that though baits and snares for me are laid To serve her ends I shall not be betraid Now having finished this little story VVhich hath a neer relation to GOD'S glory As well as to the honour of my Friend With some brief inferences I will end But lest these may detain you overlong Here pause and read them in the following Song The fourth CANTO Of Christian love the large extents The sad the bad the mad events Of discord here the Muse displaies That Idol SELFNES open laies Some other things to heed commends And then with praise and Prayer ends WHat shall that Musing profir which affords Nothing but bare Relations or meer words Or what will things avail that shall be read Concerning those who sleep among the dead If no advantages at all they give To benefit or better those that live Sure none Lest therefore these may justly passe For tingling Cymbals or for sounding Brasse Some useful notes or notions I le discover On this occasion ere I passe it over And though I cannot talk as others do He preach my way and preach to purpose too Of many things which merit mention may Wherein my Friend hath pattern'd out the way Of walking and of practise three things here Shall be insisted on as those that are Deserving speciall heed Such as if we Well imitate a true ALL HEAL shall be End all Quarrels Take off from our eyes The blinding scales and filmes of prejudice Which keeps us dark and from a right perceiving of truth and in a wilfull misheleeving An imitation thereof would bring hither Outward and inward peace and knit together CHRISTS disunited members so that love Would ripen knowledg Knowledg help improve A saving Faith That Faith renevv the Will A will renewed would GODS minde fulfill And therewith so acquainted make us grow That we should learn to Act as vvell as know The first of these is Love love not extending It self to these or those but comprehending All things created with an imitation Of CHRIST by meekness in his conversation With Publicans and sinners and vvith such As knew but little and beleev'd not much Such vvas CHRISTS love and if I do not miss According to man's measure such vvas his For though that vail of flesh vvhich others vvear And that vvhich clothed him vvhen he vvas here Disguiz'd his inward man and made him pass For one of those vvho running of a Race Doth beat the air in vain yet they vvhose eyes Observed him vvhen he vvas neer the prize Savv he had usde the means and chose the ground Which best advantag'd him and would be crown'd When many at a loss themselves would find Who better dieted and disciplin'd Were thought to be For none could know so well What best befitted him as he might tell Near to his latter end he had attain'd Such love to all and therewith so unfain'd A longing both to win and to be won Unto the Truth that he was Fo to none So much as to himself and by forbearing By hopefulness long-suffering patient hearing And meekness without bitterness of spirit True quietness of heart he did inherit Within himself and waited when GOD'S leisure Would of his grace to others fill the