Classic Poem

Mirvm in Modvm

I F euer Time or Fate produc't such Crimes
As may shake hell with horror but to heare,
The instant NOW may flow to After-times
To drownd them 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 pricedent:
  Loue fain would hide it; yet heau'nx 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 trecher its 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 yeelder's mercy pray:
 But her t'affront with pride , or stubbornnesse ,
 Makes her more horrid, and grace , mercilesse.

Say, Greatnesse , What 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 and end?
 If so; a world of Penitence must cleare
 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 of heate; yet moand but by the wals
Resounding but his griefe's cries vnasswag'd:
 In whom the force of Nature (being young)
 Wrastled with paine , his torments to prolong.

As Life , and Nature had, with Bane , and Death
Conspir'd, to make him feele more Deaths than one;
So groan'd he stil, as Death would seize 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 brewèd was with Bane
Yet, as if poyson had it selfe forsooke,
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 cuade.

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 prouldes 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 rulde those that haue gouernèd
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 .

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 direr Ground thogh neer Deaths horrid house
 Than they that stand 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 and 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 Vertue , making Vice to cleare
 Her way to GLORY through shames nether hell
 This Cast was ill ; but thus, he plaied 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 iudgment 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-whelm'd they shall still liuing dye:
 ‘But Courage comes from Heau'n: and 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
Vnpittyed parts ; Nay, it makes Iustice pawse
Ere doome them death, who (neere it) so excell
 Though Common-hate the great'st Offenders teares.

 Yet it bewalls their wel born death with Teares .
For, though it burne, as quenchlesse: yet it is
Extinguisht quite, by seeing loth'd ones play
Belouèd 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 from those Hells to hate 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 from harm : from ill, their mindes
 Yet waking and asleepe , thou canst to sight
 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 Bone: such Turners were of late,
 As turnd, vpon these Poles , such Spheares of Fate

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

Now (prostrate) let me, deer Leige , turne my speech
To thee , who in thy Iustice lookst like God:
No such Crime spar'st thou: yet, stand'st in the Breach
Thy Iustice makes, to stay Heau'ns iustest rod:
 So thou (like God ) dost grieue when 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 rellefe,
Yer Death , giues leisure : so, doost spoyle and spare
 In iust Ires grace: that (tho thou them for go)
 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 aducrse 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 advurse 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 State Arch inclosd,
Make it more euen; so, more strength to get:
 Though one Stone fall to ruine, let his place
 Be soon supply'd 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.