A select second husband for Sir Thomas Ouerburie's wife, now a matchlesse widow

Mirum in Modum.

IFeuer Time or Fate produc't such Crimes As may shake hell with horror but to neare, The instant NOW may flow to After-times To drownd thē with amazement, griefe, and feare: For, if the fluxion of this instant NOW Effect not That, noght wil that Time doth know.

Yet Time, as yet, but shewes (as through a glasse) Part of the whole; but, by that parts extent Iudgement may guesse, in euill, it doth passe As farre beyond beliefe, as precedent: Loue fain would hide it; yet heau'ns iustest hate Deems that grace damnd, that it would palliate.

Yet Iustice nought reueales, but for the day Wherein her tryals be; and, that's no more Than the Offender doth himselfe bewray; Which is but part of trecheries greater store: This poyson-plague is so contagious, that Tis fear'd it spreds, to inwards of more state.

Should I my selfe, at whom Loue first doth aime, (And yet not selfe-loue) so offend, I should In Conscience damne my selfe t'an hell of shame; Sith neither Time nor Place such sinne do hold: "For, greatest Crimes but to extenuate, "Is but the Doers crime to aggrauate.

To cloke a fault so fowle, and yet so cleare, Is, in the Sunne, the vgliest Toade to hide With banefull aire; through which it doth appear More vgly farre, and by it more espide. "Then, Penitence, not Impudence, doth win "The greatest grace t'acquit the greatest Sin.

None otherwise then as the Lion's said To spare to spoyle his humble yeelding prey: So, by high'st grace is highest Iustice staid At point to strike, when yeelders mercy pray: But her t'affront with pride, or stubbornnesse, Makes her more horrid; and grace, mercilesse.

Say, Greatnesse; VVhat accompt wilt make to heau'n For making those that tend thee, to attend On nought but mischiefe not to be forgiu'n? Standst thou not charg'd with both their crime & If so; a world of Penitence must cleare end? A sinne so base, perform'd at rate so deere.

And (O!) suppose you heare your captiue's cals, Deepe groanes, and out-cries while in's bowels rag'd An hell ofhe ate; yet moand but by the wals Resounding but his griefe's cries vnasswag'd: In whom the force of Nature (being yong) Wrastled with paine, his torments to prolong.

As Life, and Nature had, with Bane, and Death Cōspir'd, to make him feele more Deaths thā one; So groan'd he stil, as Death would seise each breath He fetcht for life; yet liu'd but still to groane: "Yea, groane alone: and that, in hells of paine, "Augments the griefe: nay, makes it more than raigne.

Hee tooke no meate: but in it Poyson tooke; Nor Drinke he drank, but brewed was with Bane: Yet, as if poyson had it selfe for sooke, It ceas'd to kill, but yet grew more immane: For, so it rag'd within him, that it made His Heart-strings crack; yet did their breach e∣uade.

Iustice (great Arbitresse of all that's done In Time or Place) though outwardly but blinde (Because shee knowes no persons) needs must run Vpon thee blind-old, led thereto by Kind: For, nought stands in her way, but down it goes (Though high as heau'n) to hellish ouerthrowes.

Then deem I MERCY well prouides for such As so offend, by Iustice, so to fall: For, so, thogh for their crime, their soules do grutch Yet haue they Time, and helpes more speciall: Then others further off the stroke of DEATH, To saue their soules, with losing well their breath.

That happie-haplesse Soule (the last of Three That First were Well-misdone, for this misdeede) Being bound to Death, yet spake as being free; And praisd the Iustice that his death decreede: So seem'd, to glorie in his death of shame, Sith it did glorifie hie Iustice Name.

Had Grace met Arte and Nature, in his Head, As Courage in his Heart, with Cunning met: He might haue rul'de those that haue gouerned: But rising with the Sommer-Sunne now set: Did set with him, by whome hee did ascend: Whence brightly falling, grac't a gloomy end.

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A Friend of Faith, or Heau'ns most faithfull Friend Still pray'd to know the number of his Dayes: To be prepar'd the better for his Ende: Then, hee that knowes his latest moment, stayes On •…•…rer Ground, thogh neer Deaths horrid house, Than they that stād on Rocks more dangerous.

A prease of People (prest to pray for grace For him that dies) at heau'ns bright gates do beat: And wings make of their Words to fanne the Face Of Highest Iustice, so to coole her heate: This was His priuiledge, that so did die, Heau'd vp to Heauen, past reach of Infamie.

A violent-death, then, to the soule is mild; But, on the BED of Death, most sterne is Hee: Where oft he makes our Minds & Manners wild; Then, Grace nor Nature with it doth agree: But Hee (Al-wise, repos'd in Passions strife) Held this strait Death, the easiest dore of LIFE.

The force of feare those succors (oft) betray Which Reason offers; but this ill-good Man No councell held with feare in Deaths affray; But, in his Triall, tryde what Reason can Affoord for fence, without distracted mood; So, made his worst of Ill, his best of Good.

To fall from Fortune, sitting on her Knee, From Wife and Children, and what else is deare, Yet from the helpes of Reas'n not once to flee, Is compleat Uertue; making Uice to cleare Her way to GLORY through shames nether hell: This Cast was ill; but, thus, he plaid it well.

So well, a Cast so ill is seldome plaid, Scarse in a world of Time we meete with such: whose worth (too cheap imploid) in iudgmēt waid Was found more deare then cleare on tryals Touch: Abstracting from his fault, worth makes his fame To fly to heau'n, to glorifie his shame.

If those in this sadde Playes Catastrophe, Play their dire Parts, no worse: all Dignitie Is lesse then is their Blisse, and gloryes-Sea, Wherein, ore-wholm'd they shall still liuing dye: "But Courage comes frō Heau'n; & it must giue "That Worth, in Death, on which Fame still shall liue.

But t'is an Hell to all voluptuous hearts, To leaue Youth, Beauty, Honors, Wealth, and all That's deere to Sense, to play such dismall parts; And from the height of State, with shame to fall: "But, what of pure necessitie must bee, "Must well be borne, to honor high-Degree.

For, publike-hate, though for the hatefull'st Cause, Will soone be turn'd to Loue, by playing well Unpittyed parts: Nay, it makes Iustice pawse Ere doome them death, who (neere it) so excell. Thogh Common-hate the great'st Offenders teares, Yet it bewails their wel-born death with Teares.

For, though it burne, as quenchlesse: yet it is Extinguisht quite, by seeing loth'd ones play Beloued Parts, in Death, or Miseries: Their Eyes (that hold their hearts) their hearts doe sway. "A ruthfull Obiect, though most loath'd before, "Is pittyed, when fell Spight can doe no more.

O Diu'll, how canst thou, (beeing, as thou wast In thy Creation most Angelicall; And but in Will, for one prowd Thought, disgrac't) How canst thou ioy in so much griefe of all? Why art so prest, but on meere Fraylties Spells, For Mankindes plague, to leaue the nether Hells?

What Charmes and Incantations haue such strength As frō those Holls to hale thee, there being bound With Chaines of Darknesse, of the shortest length? Lyes it in their words Sense, or in their sound? No; tis no word of Reprobation can Command thy Seruice, but to cousin Man.

Thou art a Spirit: and therefore canst thou looke Into the Brest of NATVRE: and thence take Her chiefest Secrets (from the darkest Nooke) Or Loue, or Lust, t'enflame, enrage, or slake: Thou canst by such make Puppets, tho of lead, To strike Desire, in liuely'st Bodyes, dead.

Thou on the Bodyes oft of blessed Soules, Hast leaue to vse thy pow'r in various kindes; But, for theyr Good: else Hee thy pow'r controules That guards their souls frō harm: trō ill, their minds; Yet waking and asleepe, thou canst to fight Produce but Shades, to make the Minde too light.

And Mindes so light, will lightly nothing weigh Of Shame and heauyest Death, that lye betweene Them, and their Ends: who make it but a Play To drowne a Comedye (through hate and teene) In Blood and Bane: such Turners were of late, Asturnd, vpō these Poles, such Spheares of Fate.

Can Witch-craft, in the Abstract, so bewitch The Mindes of those of Minde and Meanes, to be So base for Lucre, so to touch Shames Pitch As still will cleaue to theyr Posteritie? But Charmes can make no soules to sinne so sore, But such as GRACE had less, for sinne, before.

Now (prostrate) let me, deer Liege, turne my speech To thee, who in thy Iustice lookst' like God: No such Crime spat'st thou; yet, stād'st in the Breach Thy Iustice makes, to stay Heau'ns iustest rod: So thou (like God) dost grieue, whē thou hast cause To cut off those, whom thou hast made, by lawes.

And though thou lose their Bodyes with iust griefe, To please thy iuster Iustice; yet, thy Care (Deare Care!) to giue their fainting soules reliefe, Yer Death, giues leisure: so, doost spoyle and spare, In iust Ires grace: that (tho thou them forgo) The HEAD, doth with the Members suffer so.

Drad Lord, I would, thy patience were not prou'd So much with crimes of so immense extent; And, that thou, sphear of all our State, wert mou'd Vpon no aduerse Poles of discontent: So, should thy lower spheares of rule, obay But thine; and moue, as thine, their diffrent sway.

The Care's a Canker to thy sacred life Thou hast to keepe thy compound people, one. Twixt worlds of aduerse powrs are worlds of strife, Which humane-powre can scarce in shew attone. O, then, who weighs a Burden of such stresse, But is opprest with weight past Heauinesse!

But we, (that lie as farre from wealth as warres) In low obscuritie of state, do see (With sight the more contracted) all the starres That light to see thy cause of iealousie: Whose oppositions, in thy spheare of Pow'r, Oft giue, for which we grieue, thee cause to low'r

But, as an Arch, of many stones composd, Would fall but that they one another let: So, may their odds, in thy states Arch inclosd, Make it more euen; so, more strength to get: Though one Stone fall to ruine, let his place Be soon supplyd by one of greater grace.

Then, the more weight of powre they do sustaine, The firmer will the ARCH be, to vphold Thine HONORS burden, folded in thy TRAIN, And make thy state and stay more manifold. So shall thy stay, when states re-chaosd lie, Make thee great Steward to ETERNITIE.

Finis.