An elegie vpon the death of the right honorable, most noble, worthily-renowned, and truly valiant lord, Robert, Earle of Essex & Evve &c. His Excellency, late Lord Generall of all the forces raised by the Parliament of England in defence of the Protestant religion. Who departed the 14th. day of September, 1646. / William Mercer.

An elegie vpon the death of the right honorable, most noble, worthily-renowned, and truly valiant lord, Robert, Earle of Essex & Evve &c. His Excellency, late Lord Generall of all the forces raised by the Parliament of England in defence of the Protestant religion. Who departed the 14th. day of September, 1646. / William Mercer.

Table of contents

AN ELEGIE Vpon the Death of the Right Honorable, most Noble, Worthily-Renowned, and truly Valiant Lord, ROBERT, Earle of ESSEX & EVVE, &c. His Excellency, late Lord Generall of all the Forces raised by the Parliament of England in defence of the Protestant Religion. Who departed the 14th. day of September, 1646.

The first Elegie.

The second Elegie by the same AUTHOUR.

§

[Page]

[Page]

AN ELEGIE Vpon the Death of the Right Honorable, most Noble, Worthily-Renowned, and truly Valiant Lord, ROBERT, Earle of ESSEX & EVVE, &c. His Excellency, late Lord Generall of all the Forces raised by the Parliament of England in defence of the Protestant Religion. Who departed the 14th. day of September, 1646.

The first Elegie.

CEase great Surveyer of this glorious Ball,

To shine; you twinkling Constellations all,

Stand in your Spheares, as if you all were fixt,

And fram'd to make all human Mortals vext;

Restrain your light; doe not one glimpse bestow

Fot our delight, sad mourners here below:

You were created in celestiall kinds

To glad the mirthfull and solatious minds

Who, rapt as 'twere, and ravisht with your glories,

Might therein walk, and shun disastrous stories:

But lo! your comforts uselesse now, we mourn,

You need not more, your heavenly Tapers burn

But be as we are; all beclouded over

With Sable Mantles; and doe not discover

Your Orbs a while, but let us live alone

Dark as the Night-Owles, sadly to bemoane

Our so much losse; and having wept a time,

Give light again; to let us know our crime

Of gu [...]lt, whereby we greatly did provoke

Your high Creator, thus to strike this stroke

Against the State; whose standing did consist

As much in him, as could in one be wisht:

Our admir'd ESSEX, who still aimed at

The height of Honour; yet Immaculat.

But ah! He's chang'd, then let us cast our eyes

To doe their duties at his Obsequies:

Alasse! what duties can our eyes perform?

Nothing but weep, as 'twere, a Winter storm

Of such continuance, as with watry Flouds

The Earth may swell, and swallow up the Clouds.

Could those sad teares, in sorrow we would weep,

And shed, till such an inundation deep

Did flow so far, as till a new deluge

Should threat our ruine, yet we would not grudge

Once to regain so great a good as this,

(Pardon the passion of my partiall wish)

Whose worth the vertuous, and the very bad,

Bemoan (now loft) because, they living, had

A Patrone to their vertue; and the worst

Were wonne by his example; thus both lost;

But now O! march you multitude of Mourners,

Seale up this Jewell, wast all your waxen burners

About his Tomb; and take no Trophies hence,

This is the last, and least, due recompence

Can be perform'd; O! happy then, that Ark

Where lies inshrin'd, such goodnesse in the dark.

Farewell, brave Lord, in vain our suits we sue,

Soul rest in peace; To thee once more adieu.

The second Elegie by the same AUTHOUR.

REeader, the reverend dutie which I owe

To this great Haeros, I would have thee know,

Moves me to write, though some more learned hand

Will try this task, and in my room will stand

To state the Case; lest I Eclipse the light

Of his great glory, and impair that right

Due to his worth; yet let me adde one Verse

Upon his Dolefull, though adorned Hearse;

Whose Boundlesse vertues, ornaments of Fame,

Befits the Gods to glosse on such a Theame.

Religious Patron, Peerlesse, Pious Peere,

Affections Load-stone lies inshryned here;

Highest in honor, bounty, zeale, and love,

Whose rare Perfections (in a Spheare above

My rurall pen) were plac't; who did transcend

Nature its limits in Courage; had no end

In all those parts and attributes of grace

Could be confer'd from Heaven on Human Race,

Whose losse all Nations ought lament and mourn,

And powre out Seas of teares about his Ʋrn;

By nature Noble, unblemisht, and renownd,

Unparaleld for prudence; most profound;

Religion, Valour, Fortune, Faith and Wit,

All were combin'd; Here was a patern fit;

A matchlesse mind, magnanimous and just,

True, Constant, upright in his highest Trust;

Belov'd of all, whole goodnesse did reflect

Upon the best; and had so strong effect

(By influence infused from above)

Upon the bad, they could not chuse but love.

The gods convey'd by their supernall power

All worth to him; yet vanquisht in an houre

He was by Fate; though all the force which Mars

Did make, could not subdue him in the Wars.

His acts did adde, unto his Nations honor,

His rare exploits did prosper so, he won-her

More stedfast faith, more upright truth and peace,

As never can be canceld in no race.

Time shall expire, and all in it shall rot,

But his brave Name shall never be forgot,

Whose so rais'd fame and excellencies shall

Survive the world, yea and its Worthies all.

In brief, what Age might speak so proud a word,

So good a Man, and yet so great a Lord?

William Mercer.

§

§

London Printed by I. C. 1646.

Information about this book

Title statement

An elegie vpon the death of the right honorable, most noble, worthily-renowned, and truly valiant lord, Robert, Earle of Essex & Evve &c. His Excellency, late Lord Generall of all the forces raised by the Parliament of England in defence of the Protestant religion. Who departed the 14th. day of September, 1646. / William Mercer.

Mercer, William, 1605?-1676?

Edition statement

1646

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A89060

ID [STC]

Wing M1738

ID [STC]

Thomason 669.f.10[84]

ID [STC]

ESTC R210635

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99869414

ID [PROQUEST]

99869414

ID [VID]

162618

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Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A89060)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 162618)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 246:669f10[84])

Source

— An elegie vpon the death of the right honorable, most noble, worthily-renowned, and truly valiant lord, Robert, Earle of Essex & Evve &c. His Excellency, late Lord Generall of all the forces raised by the Parliament of England in defence of the Protestant religion. Who departed the 14th. day of September, 1646. / William Mercer., Mercer, William, 1605?-1676?.

Extent

1 sheet ([1] p.)

Printed by I.C.,. London :: 1646.. (With decorative border.) (In verse: "Cease great Surveyer of this glorious Ball," ...) (Annotation on Thomason copy: "7tbr. [i.e. September] 29 [with a line through it]".) (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

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