GREAT BRITAINS Bitter Lamentation OVER THE DEATH OF THEIR Most Valiant, and Most Puissant GENERAL George Lord Monck, Lord Duke of Albemarle, &c.
LONDON: Printed by Tho. Johnson for William Miller, at the Gilded Acorn in St. Pauls Church-yard, near the Little North door. 1670.
Great Britains Bitter Lamentation, &c.
GReat DƲKE, the Wonder of these later Times!
When, since the Judges rul'd long dead & gone,
We were, as Judah, punish'd for our Crimes,
He, like to Jephtha, Sampson, Gideon,
Was rais'd Deliverer us to restore,
When men afflicted, did Gods aid implore.
verse 2 The Scriptures say that Moses face did shine
So bright, that Israel durst not come near,
Till with a Vail he hid those Rays Divine,
That struck the Rebels with a pannick fear;
Our Leader was by Nature vail'd, which Hue,
He remov'd, when he Rebellion slew.
verse 3 He stood behinde a Curtain, where he saw
Others, himself unseen; and for a space,
When that he pleas'd, he would the Curtain draw,
Opening the Casement, the Amnion of's Face:
And wise men say, Great Honors win he shall,
That's born with's Face wrapt in his Mothers Caul.
verse 4 If ever man had Gyges Ring, 'twas he,
To walk invisible, and not be seen;
Yet his just Actions did with Light agree,
As if that Masque he wore had never been;
He us'd it not works wicked to conceal,
But secret Plots of Rebels to reveal.
verse 5 When long Intestine Wars this Land annoy'd,
Our fair Andromeda sought to devour,
This Dragon was at last by him destroy'd,
Bringing in again the Lawful Power,
Freeing the Captive-People from their Chains,
And will be famous whilest the World remains.
And many years we sought for help in vain;
'Twas not an easie Task he undertook,
To bring three Kingdoms dead, to Life again;
Great Britains Bars and Bolts rent in sunder,
No man bore the weight Lord Monck stood under.
verse 7'Twixt Hope and Fear mens mindes were divided;
Our Woe or Weal stood on that Days Success,
Lord Monck's the Umpire by whom all's decided,
On him then lay three Kingdoms Happiness;
He held the Ballance, and next under God,
He then had leave to keep, or burn the Rod.
verse 8 Some doubt, some rage, some wonder, others pray.
Some boldly ask the Question, Who is this!
That stormy Winds, and boist'rous Seas obey,
On whom depends our chiefest Earthly Bliss?
This is Lord Monck ne're to be forgotten,
His Name shall live when we are dead and rotten.
verse 9 Let his Epicaeds and Threnodies have room
Within your Archives, always to be found,
And let his Statue to the Day of Doom,
With Kings and Princes stand on equal ground;
That as th' ungrateful World doth flit away,
These may be Witnesses another day.
verse 10 Remember but the streights that we were in,
When this stout Heros for us bravely drew
His Conquering Sword, which past through thick and thin,
Till all our Enemies he did subdue,
Yet by his Prudence made the Conquest good,
The like ne'r heard, scarce spilt one drop of blood.
verse 11 For the observ'd a middle Course to steer,
And then at Anchor would he safely ride,
Nor Sylla, nor Carybdis did he fear,
He left them both sometimes on either side;
Keeping an even Trace, as he thought meet,
As wise as Daedalus that fled from Creet.
verse 12 No man but he that sayl'd upon this Rhomb,
Like to the South, the North-west Passage found,
[Page] Which prov'd to be the shortest Loxodrome,
To all that were for his long Voyage bound;
He chose one Point i'th'Compass, that did bend
Directly to the Port he did intend.
verse 13'Gainst Wind and Tide it was in vain to strive,
The Current ran too strong for to prevail,
When others sunk, he kept himself alive,
He fetcht a Compass, and let fall his Sail;
Like Jason and his Arganauts of Greece,
That sayl'd to Colchis for the Golden Fleece.
verse 14 Or like the Sun within the Zodiack,
By the First Mover forc'd another away;
At the same time he did two Motions make,
And by Degrees got forward every day;
Though the diurnal Waft did him confine,
He mounts to th' Tropick by a Spiral Line.
verse 15 He fought to make those Words prophetick good,
Stampt on the Georges by Royal Command,
Religio Protestantium, Salus Regni,
Libertas Populi Anglicani.
For which our Sovereign Charles did spend his Blood,
To keep down Anarchy with's sacred Hand;
Preferring always before his own Health,
The Kingdoms, Churches, and the Peoples Wealth.
verse 16 This Honour he obtain'd by Loyalty,
True Valour's always faithful to the Crown,
From hence let all men learn Fidelity,
Kings ne'r want Subjects to pull Rebels down;
We love his Memory most for this thing,
He made three Kingdoms say, God save the King.
verse 17 Some are to Kings, and some to Subjects dear,
Its hard to finde a Man can please them all;
Such was his Merit whilest he lived here,
He was belov'd of both in general;
Maugre all malice, and his Foes despite,
He was the Kings, and Subjects Favorite.
In Peace a true Monastique Life he lead,
Sequestred from the world, scarce nam'd at all;
As not alive, but dead and buried:
The day he made our Peace, he rang his Knell,
First did our work, then bid us all farewel.
verse 19 Stout as Hercules, yet refusing Praise,
For when the Souldiers gave him praise was due,
He strove for to divide the Crown of Bays;
Part of that Praise, saith he, belongs to you.
Debetur Gloria vobis, Non solus vici.
Moses for Meekness, and in setting forth,
The mildest Esteemer of his own worth.
verse 20 No noise were heard, when greatest things were done,
As if not willing that the world should know.
The deepest Rivers ever stillest run,
The shallow Streams do murmur as they go;
All things he did, the reason may be gest,
Were forg'd within the Shop of his own Brest.
verse 21 The sturdy Sword-Fish that came posting in,
To bring sad News of what should shortly fall,
Told us that God was angry for our sin,
Would take from us our Worthy General;
Whose Death three Nations ought to lament,
We pray God send us grace for to repent.
verse 22 We know not yet the Treasure we have lost,
Nor should we want, scarce for to finde his like,
When things were out of order turn'd and tost,
Then was the Iron hot for him to strike;
His Valour and his Wisdom joyntly stand,
'Tis hard to say which had the upper-hand.
verse 23 A faithful Friend at need to Monarchy,
Th' opprest Subjects Helper to their Right,
Rebuilder of Collapsed Hierarchy,
The plundred Lawyers Advocate by might;
Thus all Degrees, as I pay mine in Verse,
Owe something as a Tribute to his Herse.
[Page] verse 24 The Prince and Peoples Joy, Phanatiques Rod,
Restorer of the Breach; what shall we say?
Great Britains Paladium, sent from God,
Whose valiant Acts no Time can wash away:
He was both lov'd and fear'd, and knew full well,
Were it in Peace, or War, for to excel.
verse 25 Read all the Histories were pen'd of old,
Search all the Monuments that you can finde,
Count all the famous Stories that are told,
Call the Nine Worthies, and the rest to minde;
Those that most dear to them their Countreys held,
Our Loss is more than can be parallel'd.
verse 26 Let no Detractors from him derogate,
Saying, As much some other might have done,
He doubtless was the Man ordain'd by Fate,
None prosper'd like him since the Wars begun;
St. George for England men were wont to call,
With him compar'd, was St. George Typical.
verse 27 To shew in time another George should come,
To whom most Subjects should due Homage pay;
At last St. George succeeded in his room,
Whom cruel Death hath lately snatcht away;
Let all true Hearts lament with doleful cryes,
Let Tears like Rivers trickle from your eyes.
verse 28 This Winter cold began to grow so strong,
When we began his Death for to bemoan;
Great fear there was should it continue long,
All men, like Niobe, would freeze to stone,
Because we were of him we lov'd bereft,
Resolv'd to weep till there's no moisture left.
verse 29 The Land is dark, whilst most are cloth'd in black,
Ninety 's the Elevation of our Pole,
Or else our Sun is some Degrees gone back,
To give the People leave for to condole
Our Loss; no Drapers can supply our Needs,
That all that would be clad in Mourning-weeds.
verse 30 Such publick Persons cannot die alone,
A general Mortality we dread;
[Page 7] The Choice he made, soon after him was gone,
Living no longer, when her Lord was dead;
The Stars that are depriv'd of the Suns light,
Do lose their lustre, waxing dark as Night.
verse 31 Yet he hath left a gallant Sprout behinde,
A hopeful Plant to stand up in his room,
To keep his Grace's Vertues still in minde,
A richer Monument than any Tomb
Of Brass or Marble; the Just cannot die,
Just men are in Eternal Memory.
verse 32 Quarter this Isle, and at each Corner set
Pyramides of Brass, and place them thus
With rich Inscriptions, men may ne'r forget
What our Tutelar Saint hath done for us,
Uniting Hearts divided, setling Peace,
As when the Winds are laid, the Billows cease.
verse 33 When true Nobility was quite forgot,
And Gentry from Pageantry were not known;
When most men seem'd to be what they were not,
And no man living knew what was his own,
He pull'd their Vizards off, and did decree
Who had the Right, no Blepharo but he.
verse 34 The West his Birth count their chiefest Glory,
The Conquer'd Scotch extol him in the North,
The beaten Dutch will be the Eastern Story,
The South his Life and Worthy Deeds set forth.
The East, the West, the North, the South remain
Debters to his strong Heart, and prudent Brain.
verse 35 As Sampson did by Night, when he by Day,
Pull'd down the City Gates with might and main,
They fear'd he would have carry'd them away;
He pull'd them down, to set them up again:
For which they claim, as he oblig'd them all,
To be Chief Mourners at his Funeral.
verse 36 To mourn as men without hope, is forbid,
For they that die, to Life again shall rise,
And therefore was Moses dead Body hid,
Lest th' unbelieving Jews should idolize
[Page 8] Funeral Pomps for great Thanksgiving,
The Dead gain nothing by't, but the Living.
verse 37 The Name of George was famous long before,
As if there lay some Vertue in that Name,
Say but St. George, you need to say no more
To scare the Rebels, and Fanaticks tame:
George Duke of Buckingham, whose Fame loud rings,
Was most belov'd of subjects, by two Kings.
verse 38 More might be said, which can give no offence,
Of Famous Georges, both in Church and State,
For their good Deeds, 't is the last Recompence,
That mortal men may have immortal Date:
We must forbear, it cannot be exprest
The Joys they finde in Everlasting Rest
verse 39 When Great Gustavus Honors did confer
On Warlike Persons that deserv'd it best,
Noble Lord Craven then he did prefer,
Giving him Honor far above the rest;
In such like words, Sword flourisht o're his head,
Rise up best Souldier ever England bred.
verse 40 Who can dam up our overflowing Tears?
Or stanch the Wound that yet so fiercely bleeds?
The Land is fill'd with Jealousies and Fears,
Till one for Valour like his GRACE succeeds;
Whilst the world lasts, let such men never cease,
To fight our Battels, and preserve our Peace.
Vivat Rex Maximus Carolus Secundus, & IllustrissimusJacobus Dux Eboracensis, & tota Inclytissima Progonies Regalis,
Animitus precatur.
Insignissimi Caroli Richmondiae & Lenoxii, Ducis, Capellanus humilimus, & Rector Parochiae de Fotes-Cray, in Comitatu Kantij.
Johannes Rowland.
FINIS.