Jeremias Redivivus: OR, AN ELEGIACALL LAMENTATION ON The Death of our ENGLISH JOSIAS, CHARLES the FIRST, King of Great Britaine, &c.
Publiquely Murdered by His Calvino-Judaicall SUBJECTS.
⟨said to by written by Walther Mountacute⟩
— Quis talia fando
Myrmidonum Dolopumve aut duri miles Ʋlyssis
Temperet à lachrymis?—
⟨may. 30⟩ Printed in the Yeare, 1649.
AN ELEGIE Ʋpon KING CHARLES the First, Murthered publickly by His Subjects.
WEre not my Faith boy'd up by sacred bloud,
It might be drown'd in this prodigious floud;
VVhich reasons highest ground doth so exceed,
It leaves my Soul no Anch'rage, but my Creed;
VVhere my Faith resting on th' Originall,
Supports it felf in this the Copies fall;
So while my faith floats on that Bloudy wood,
My reasons cast away in this Red floud,
Which ne'r o'reflowes us all: Those showers past
Made but Land-flouds, which did some vallies wast;
This stroke hath cut the only neck of land,
VVhich beetween us, and this Red Sea did stand,
That covers now our world, which cursed lies
At once with two of Aegypts prodigies;
[Page 2] O're cast with darknesse, and with bloud o'rerun,
And justly, since our hearts have theirs out-done;
Th' inchanter led' them to a lesse known ill,
To act his sin, then 'twas their King to kill:
Which crime hath widdowed our whole Nation,
Voided all Formes, left but privation
In Church and State; inverting ev'ry right;
Brought in Hels State, of fire without light:
No wonder then, if all good eyes look red,
VVashing their Loyall hearts frō bloud so shed;
The which deserves, each pore should turn an eye,
To weep out, even a bloudy Agony.
Let nought then passe for Musick, but sad cries;
For Beauty, blood-les cheeks, & bloud-shot eyes.
All colours soile, but black; all odours have
Ill sent, but Myrrh, incens'd upon this Grave:
It notes a Jew, not to believe us much
The cleaner made, by a Religious touch
Of this Dead Body; whom to judge to die
Seemes the Iudaicall impiety.
To kill the King, the Spirit Legion paints
His rage with Law, the Temple and the Saints:
[Page 3] But the truth is, He fear'd, and did repine,
To be cast out, and back into the Swine;
And the case holds, in that the Spirit bends
His malice in this Act, against his ends:
For it is like, the sooner hee'l be sent
Out of that body, He would still torment:
Let Christians then use otherwise this blood,
Detest the Act, yet turne it to their good;
Thinking how like a King of death He dies;
VVe eas'ly may the world and death despise:
Death had no sting for Him, and its sharp arme,
Onely of all the troop, meant Him no harme.
And so He look'd upon the Axe, as one
VVeapon yet left, to guard Him to His Throne;
In His great Name, then may His Subjects cry,
Death thou art swallowed up in Victory;
If this our losse a comfort can admit,
Tis that his narrowed Crowne was grown unfit
For his enlarged Head, since his distresse
Had greatned this, as it made that the lesse;
His Crown was falne unto too low a thing
For Him, who was become so great a King;
[...]
[...]
[Page 4] So the same hands enthron'd him in that Crowne
They had exalted from him, not pull'd downe.
And thus Gods Truth by thē hath rendred more,
Then ere mens falshood promis'd to restore;
VVhich, since by death alone, he could attaine,
VVas yet exempt frō weaknesse, & from paine;
Death was enjoyn'd by God, to touch a part,
Might make His passage quick, ne're move His heart
VVhich ev'n expiring, was so far frōdeath,
It seem'd but to command away His breath.
And thus His Soul, of this her triumph proud,
Broke, like a flash of lightning, through the cloud
Of flesh and bloud; and from the highest line
Of humane virtue, pass'd to be Divine:
Nor is't much lesse His virtues to relate,
Then the high glories of His present state;
Since both then passe all Acts, but of belief;
Silence may praise the one, the other grief.
And since, upon the Diamond, no lesse
Then Diamonds, will serve us to impresse:
I'le only wish, that for His Elegie,
This our Josias, had a Jeremie.
FINIS.