---

Might Teares Revive thee I could wish to be

Dissolvd & melted like to Nyobe1

But just conceived Rage, & bitter woe

Drye up the brackish2 streames they cannot flowe.

And can it be amidst thy troupes3 one Arme

5

Could plot such mischeife & enact such harme?

Maye such a massacre be wrought & He

Not Thunderstrooke by th omnipotencie

Where was Joves Lightining4 when this deede was done

how chance his Arme shrunck not, grew deade & num?

10

Ah powerfull God forgive wee ought not prye

Into thy hidden secret Mistery

Wee cannot knowe the suns transparent beames

By his own face but by his guilding streames

Too glorious soe Gods Judgments are, & showne

15

In their effects, by which his pleasure’s knowne,

World-famed Cesar5 fetching his Renowne

Far from those parts where scarce proud Rome was knowne

Heaping up wealth & Glory to the state

By publique hands was slaine, & publique Fate

20

Greatenes howere acheivd doth drawe along

Envy & malice from the stupid throng

The Knyges6 People whoe beloe doe vew

Things done above doe alwaies judge untrue

Treason to them if’t be put home & done

25

Is cald faire Justice, when the Righteous doome7

If it fall shorte they terme it Policy

And a waie to Roote out true Nobilitie

Under this last fell this same Lord with them

That hate noe facts but as they hate the men

30

But wiser saye that truly judge these times

It was the peoples Scandall not his Crimes

In this confusion did the Kings choyce hand

Set him above his foes, gave him command

And power by which he got the day

35

of the inconstant multitude, for they

Began to find now virtues in the Man

The Honord Greate and matchles Buckingham

Where was the man amongst us did not then

Call him both Greate and Good, I & condemne

40

Their censures by thy Judgment when thy eye

Alone could chuse such worthe & dignity

Whoe was held wise that did not seeke to hold

A place from him, all Fathers that were old

Thought it Inheritance enough to give

45

Their children if he knew them, for to live

For thou hadst raisd him to that Eminency

That but thy selfe none was soe greate & high

Ah dreaded Lord did ever one day see

Any in woe and Glory like to thee

50

Evn as Apollo8 in his burning throne

Thow shinst at morne for men to gaze upon

The daies & Howers on each hand did attend

Expecting when thou wouldst employment send

The seasons did awaite thee, Heate and Cold

55

Autumne and Spring yeares Months daies manifold

All seemd at thy direction, Nobles bow

The Gentry are ambitious but to knowe

What is thy pleasure And the yeomen stand

More ready to obey then thou comand

60

Thy howse did seeme a Temple thither flye

The People all to know their desteny

Nor doth the Marygold with more devotion

Attend the sun then did the coarte thy motion

And can such distance be twixt Life and Death

65

And doth all Pompe forsake as with our breath

Shall wee bring back noe more unto the Tombe

Then what wee brought from our poore Mothers wombe

doe all our spangles9 leave us at the grave

And shall wee have noe more then vassalls10 have?

70

And doe the wormes smell out noe difference

Betwixt Perfumes high prise & meerely sence

how dare they venture on an Honord skin

Mighty and Lorded: Noble all within

Ah vaine conceipts the king can have noe more

75

Of Birth and Death then Beggers at the dore

Nor God nor Nature doth respect a Person

For State or wealth but for Religion

Naie our best freinds like Bees refuse that flower

Which death hath but usurpt one litle hower

80

Thy mighty Pallace had not roome for steps

That did attend thee, nor soe many becks11

Hadst thou as they had waies to put them to

And could one stroke these glories all undoe

Thow seemst another Atlas12 of our State

85

The World upon thy able shoulders sate

One hand held Spaine, another hand held France13

Doubtfull to which thy Army should advance

In expectation did both Kingdomes stand

On which should fall thy fatall firebrand

90

Ships were prepard for sword, & ships for fire

And hardy men to act thy high desire

For without boast wee may averre for soothe14

England hath men whose valor’s canon proofe

Our Kingdomes Body did crye out for warre

95

And art thow then condemned to prepare

Wee have noe walls but seas nor forts for Rest

But whats conteyned in a valiant brest

Better then meete a Foe, then staie at home

And enterteine th’Enemy with our owne

100

Whoe warres abroad doth on advantage playe

But they that fight at home, have but one daye

Nor are our actions judgd by the event

They best deserve that doe the best attempt

It lyes not in our power to make the end

105

God only doth in that our arts commend

In peace He was all Grace & Curtesy

Noble and full of magnanimity

Whether his hat or sword did more imply

his able hand deserves a History15

110

As full of valor as of curteous parts

Th one conquering, th other sealing harts

What durst he not unlesse fowle injuries

As farre from them as farre from cowardise

Warre tooke not from him Mildnes, nor soft peace

115

A virtuous & couragious Haughtines

Stout harted Ajax16 and the wise Ulisses17

In this full man might have enjoyd their wishes

Nor was the Grecians sacrifise drawne on

With greater showts & approbation

120

When they let out their walls to let that in

old Priamus himselfe encouraging18

Then this greate Duke when to the feild he came

As if he were their Life their Fate their flame

That thow hadst outside more then common men

125

I shall not neede to trouble much my Pen

To set it downe, each eye will find a tounge

To blase abroad thy knowne Perfection,

To me, me thought thow didst appeare as one

Whome nature made for men to gaze upon

130

That shee must fix their eyes to boast hir Arte

Symetry and Beauty framing every parte,

And yet I had not time to note each linn19

Soe I desird to knowe what was within

But then as I have seene a cabinet

135

Soe rich with pearles, with sparckling Jems soe set

That other Jewell I expected none

When sodainely unto my eyes there shone

A Jewell soe exceeding rare and bright

That all unwares it tooke away my sight

140

Which seemd all flame all fire as if each stone

Were a full sun at height in his horrison

Soe did thy Inward virtues take away

All thought of that same gawdy flesh & claye

compared with thy sowle thy bodies frame

145

did then like brasse & rust upon the same

nor could I avoe20 my selfe to make retorne

To leave that sight for which we now all mourne

But all these praises are but like sweete meate

Which at a deere freinds funerall wee doe eate21

150

Memorialls of our losses, therefore reape

My sadder muse, & lett him rest in peace.

---

Source. PRO SP 16/114/69

Piii16

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here P0. Introduction Pi1. lett Charles & george Pi2. Sith number with thy Pi3. Thy numerous name Pi4. Anagram of George Pi5. A yere of wonder Pi6. The Shepheards struck Pi7. Thus Buck-in-game Pi8. England was sick Pi9. Lord, what are wee Pi10. Beehold this Obsequie Pi11. This little Grave Pi12. The pale horse Pi13. Here lies Leachery Pi14. Here lyes great George Pi15. Great Buckingham’s Pi16. Pride lies heere Pi17. Fortunes darling Pi18. Heere lies a gratious Pi19. Had our great duke Pi20. Great potent Duke Pi21. And art thou dead! Pi22. Pale death, with Iron Pi23. Great Gorge, and art Pi24. Thou that on topp Pi25. What once was said Pi26. If good mens graces Pi27. Great Duke, which art Pi28. At Portsmouth Duke Pi29. Make haste I pray Pi30. No sooner had the Pi31. Great Duke, Although Pi32. Away, away, great George Pi33. My honour, favour, life Pi34. I that my countrey Pi35. Mother / My humble Pi36. The Argument is cold Pi37. Ye gastly Spiritts Pii1. Anagram on John Felton Pii2. Anagram on John Felton Pii3. Felton, awake Pii4. The heavens approve Pii5. Some say the Duke Pii6. The Duke is dead Pii7. Why: is our Age Pii8. Immortall Man of glorie Pii9. I mmortal man of glory Pii10. Enjoy thy Bondage Pii11. Sir, I your servant Pii12. You auntient Lawes Pii13. Feare not brave Pii14. Sorrow and Joy Pii15. Heere uninterr’d Pii16. Here uninterd suspends Pii17. Wants hee a grave Pii18. Is Felton dead? Pii19. Here Lyes the bonnes Pii20. Awake, sad Brittaine Piii1. M alignant characters Piii2. Heere lyes the best Piii3. Dearling off Kings Piii4. You braveing spiritts Piii5. I did not flatter thee Piii6. Yee snarling Satyrs Piii7. Heere lyes thy Urne Piii8. Sooner I may some Piii9. Yet weere Bidentalls Piii10. Reader stand still Piii11. Our countrie Merry Piii12. Honor, worth, greatnes Piii13. What! shall I say now Piii14. Who ever lov’d man Piii15. When Poets use to Piii16. Might Teares Revive Piii17. Death come thy selfe Piii18. Hee that can reade Piii19. Nourishd with sighs Piii20. When in the brazen Piii21. Reader when these Piii22. Noe Poets triviall rage

¹   Nyobe: after her fourteen children had been slaughtered by the gods Apollo and Diana, the grieving Niobe was metamorphosed into a rock that shed tears. <back>

²   brackish: darkened, muddied. <back>

³   amidst thy troupes: Felton was a lieutenant in the expeditionary force that went under Buckingham’s command to the Ile de Ré in 1627. <back>

⁴   Joves Lightining: Jove, king of the gods, used the lightning bolt as a weapon. Here the poet is wondering why Felton’s deed was not immediately followed by divine judgement on the criminal. <back>

⁵   World-famed Cesar: i.e. Julius Caesar, assassinated in 44 BC. <back>

⁶   Knyges: scribal error; read “Kynges”. <back>

⁷   doome: judgement. <back>

⁸   Apollo: the sun god. <back>

⁹   spangles: literally, the glittering metallic strips decorating costumes; figuratively, the earthly pomp and splendour nullified by death. <back>

¹⁰   vassalls: used here in a general sense to connote inferiors, the low-born. <back>

¹¹   becks: commands. <back>

¹²   Atlas: in classical mythology, Atlas held up the heavens. <back>

¹³   One hand held Spaine...France: at the time of Buckingham’s death, England was at war with both Spain and France. <back>

¹⁴   soothe: i.e. sooth; truth. <back>

¹⁵   Whether his hat...deserves a History: this couplet establishes a theme that is then extended over the next few lines, that Buckingham was an exemplar both of courtesy—here symbolized by his mastery of the range of coded gestures for the removal and replacement of the hat—and of skill in battle—here symbolized by his swordsmanship. <back>

¹⁶   Stout harted Ajax: Ajax was a Greek hero in the Trojan War, brave (“Stout harted”) but not wise. <back>

¹⁷   wise Ulisses: Greek hero of the Trojan War, Ulysses (or Odysseus), known for his cunning. <back>

¹⁸   Nor was the Grecians...himselfe encouraging: allusion to the fateful moment when the Trojans brought the wooden horse—ostensibly left as a religious sacrifice by the Greeks—into their city. “Priamus” is King Priam of Troy. The poet is probably thinking of the cheering and singing described in Virgil’s Aeneid, book 2. <back>

¹⁹   linn: probably a poetic contraction of “lineament” (a portion of the body). <back>

²⁰   avoe: i.e. avow. <back>

²¹   sweete meate...wee doe eate: dinners were a traditional accompaniment of funerals. <back>