Angliæ speculum: or Englands looking-glasse.: Devided into two pats [sic], / by C.VV. Mercer.

Vpon the Dedication of my Booke.

I Did intend, but now I come too late, it was the Printers fault, who did not get My Glasse in time, for this was all my drift, to give my Lord this, for a new-years gift: But it is never out of time to take; this I created for your Lordships sake. And gives you here, what best I may, and can, My humblest service, whilst I am a man.

W. M.

TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, MOST VALIANT AND THRICE worthily Renowned LORD, ROBERT Earle of ESSEX, and EVVE, &c. His EXCELLENCIE, My most Noble Lord and Patron.

The continuance of all chief Honors, and true Happines in highest measure, in this life, and the fruition of all felicity in the Life to come, Is VVished, By the most humblest, and unworthyest, of all your Excellencies Servitours, William Mercer.

Anagr.

I'm reall, rec'iv' me.

Vers.

I give my self herewith, I'm reall, rec'iv' me, if I were ten times better, ye might have me,

[illustration] portrait of Robert Devereux Earl of Essex

ROBERTUS ILLUSTRISSIMUS & EXCELLENTISSIMUS HAEROS COMES ESSEXIAE PROQ TUTAMINE CŌITIORM ANGLIAE NUPERRIME DUX SUPREMUS

I once resolu'd that nothing should be seen, And so presum'd to interpose, a Screen. Becaus I thought the Multitude with greed, Would love to looke upon the Peece, not read. But in the end, determind for to take, Aside the Curtaine, for the Figur's sake. That seeing first, this Haero's in the face, They then might read, but in the second place, Englands brave Gen'rall, in its just defence, Yet but the Shaddows of his EXCELLENCE.

W. Marshall sculpsit.

TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, THE EARLE OF ESSEX, HIS EXCELLENCY:

Anagr. 1.

Earl Robert Deavorex's Anagr. A real dexterous Orbe.

Ʋers.

A real dexterous Orbe, so fix'd, agreeing, by whom we liv'd, we mov'd, and had our being.

Earle Robert Deavorex. Anagr. 2.

Our rare exalter robd,

Ʋers.

Our rare exalter robd, brave Essex, hee Is robd from us, so we must ruin'd be.

Robert Deavorex, Anagr. 3.

Brave Or'tor ex'eed,

Ʋers.

Brave Or'tor exceed, why? say exceed, Your Excellence surpasse them all, indeed.

Robert Deavorex. Anagr. 4.

Vexe art, or Robd,

Ʋers.

Vexe art, or Robd, forloe envious men, Vse art to rob thee, vex and rob them then.

Sonnet Acrostick.

Rare and renown'd exalter of our Faith, Of all our hopes, robd, as it were by death, Belov'd, above expressions of my pen, Esteem'd by Angels, as much as by men, Renown'd for ever, for thy feits in warre, The times to come shall us exceed as farre, Day after day, to sing thy praises then, Even as we now, distinguish thee from men: Vnto those Trophees, which we take in hand, Or to those Bayes, which on thy Temples stand, Return we will, and on these princely browes, Even place those Trophies, and those Bayes with vowes, Xceeding joyfull, and surpassing all, to eternize our Noble Generall.

W. M.

TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, MY most Noble Lord Generall his Excellency, and my most honourable Patron.

BEhold I come, and humbly on my knee, present my self in thankfulnesse, to thee. Renowned Champion, chosen first in chief, For Parliament, and Protestants relief: To thee brave Essex, singular, and such, Who never can be magnified too much: To thee, who when fair Englands worthies went, And weigh'd thy worth, by votes in Parliament, And thee compar'd with all those prudent men, Whose vertues were laid to the touchstone then, To thee, I say, who was so well belov'd, The resolutions could not be remov'd, Of neither noble, nor the mean degree: But all did smile, and condiscend to thee: To thee, even thee, who if I dare protest, Did then accept, when no m••n thought it best To be beginner, nor to put his hand To contradict his Soveraigns command, To thee whose courage, by consent, I say, Was found the fittest to command the day: And still to thee, who with a loyall heart, Did far remove all private thoughts apart: And whose impartiall prudence, did by far Exceed the usuall stratagems of warre: To thee, who ventur'd when the Royall power, Appear'd in person, and proclaim'd the houre,

Wherein he would, with his triumphing band, (As he did term them) all his foes withstand; Did sound his Trumps, and caused beat the drum, Whose noise did seem to say O! dare ye come? To thee, I say, who then with courage great, Did Eccho back those voyces with delight, And said, O come, let us defend our faith, We shall prevail, astonish not at death: To thee, I say, so pregnant, I approach, And all thy actions, worthily avouch, To thee, I owe, and really will pay, Even what I am, what I can do, or say, Thy far fetched vertues are above my wing, I cannot soar to such a sacred thing, Yet to my power, I must present as much As is, and hopes, thou wilt accept of such, I was a witnes, of the weaker kind, To thy undaunted and magnifique mind: And had the honour for to have command, By thy Commission, Signed with thy hand: Was one who first, was entered in the time When souldiers sins were reckoned for a crime, And ever since, continued still, for one, Till thou laid down thy high Commission: O! at the first, when no man would ingage, Nor go to act upon that Tragick stage: Nor undertake to meddle with the thing So thought, for to reflect upon the King: But thou, whose faith and courage did exceed The subtle number, saw the present need: For to oppose those errors then begun, And did apply thee to it, did not shun

The sentence which thy soveraigne did expresse, Knowing thou meant his lawes not to transgresse: But when all others of the higher sort, For such a charge, confest they all came short: Or if they knew that they could manage it, There was some secret, which they thought not fit: Therefore forbore, but standers by did see, They all determin'd, thou wert onely he Who could, and must, or if thou wouldst not do it, All must be quiet, no man will go to it. Some did desire it in their hearts, but that Was all the thing in secret aimed at, They fain would rise to have commanded all, But durst not run the hazard of a fall: Here was the fault, they had some private aim: Therefore I cease, and say no more of them. But Noble Essex thou wert all in all, And must be chosen Englands Generall: Thou hadst no thought of Soveraignity, Nor searcht in things conceived privately: But undertook it for the Kingdoms good, And for thy Princes priviledges stood: No private aims importun'd thee, but still The publicks profit was thy practice, till Thou hadst trod down the number most of those, Who did presume to be imployd as foes: O! how thy spirit did appear abroad, As onely thou establisht were by God, And how thy courage in the eyes of all, Did make the armies cry aloud, and call, Go on, go on, brave Essex is our guide: Behold, his presence makes us to confide:

Thou didst appear, like Phaebus in his sphaere, Thy Armies as the starres into the aire, The boundlesse Ocean of thy noble veines, Gave influence to many thousand straines: Nor didst thou so diminish yet thy store, The more thou furnishd, still thy stock was more: And as it prov'd, the spirits even of those Appeard much sharper then the present foes We now pursue; but policies in war May oft prevail, and give advantage far: Their former courage makes me more and more Think, that they are not what they were before: But now I must impart one passage yet, I cannot choose, but must remember it: Like as the Sun sends out his beams of light, But all of them returns to him at night: So likewise those who had their power of thee, When thou forbore, no more abroad would be: Who having done thy part abroad, thought sit For to afford thy presence, and to sit In that assembly of the highest strain, From whence thou cam'st, and where thou art again. To thee I come, imploring thou wilt be My noble Patron, for to shelter me, Which if thou wilt, ther's none I will avouch, That for thy Names sake, dare presume to touch Those enterprises, humbly I present Vnto my Lord, without a Complement.

W. M.