---

Yet weere Bidentalls1 sacred, and the place

Strucken with Thunder was by spetiall grace

Neere after trampl’d over; if this blowe

That struck me in my height, and laid me lowe

Came from the hand of heaven lett it suffice

5

That God requir’d noe other sacrifice.

Why doe you bruise a reed, as if your rodd

Could wound mee deeper then the hand of God?

Who2doe you judge mee ere the Judgement day

As if your verdict could Gods Judgments sway?

10

Why are you not contented with my blood?

For hate of mee, why make you Murther good?

Hee that commends the fact doth it againe

And is the greater Murtherer of the twaine

Highe, and revealed Mallice that can’st drawe

15

Heaven out of hell, and checke Gods proper lawe

Nadab and Abihu that thus accord

To offer your strainge fire before the lord

Take heed ’twill burn you,3 ’tis a daingerous thing

Hee that doth blesse a murtherer kills a king.

20

I nowe have past your pikes, and seene my fate,

My princes favour, and the peoples hate

Strong blearey’d hatred, whose repyneing4 sight

Feede all on darknes and doth hate that light

Shewes any goodnes in mee. Was I all

25

Massa Corrupta,5 and Stigmaticall?6

Was I all ill? Yet those that ript me7 found

Some of my vitalls good; some inwards sound.

I had a hart scorn’d dainger, and a braine

Beating for honor; life in every vaine

30

Nor was my liver tainted: but made blood8

That might have serv’d to doe my countrie good

Had not you lett it out. Nor was my mynd

Soe fix’t on getting as to make me blynd

And to forgett my Honor, or my Frend

35

Witnes those now who need noe more depend,

And those whose merritts I have made and rais’d

Will find out something more that may be prais’d

All doe not mourne in jeast, ther’s some one eye

Shedds tears in earnest when it sawe me dye.

40

And whatsoever their remonstrants9 make

I never lost my selfe but for their sake.

That God forgive them, for the rest Ile say

I lov’d the King and realme as well as they.

---

Source. Bodleian MS Malone 23, pp. 134-35

Other known sources. Eliot 101; Bodleian MS Ashmole 38, p. 142; Bodleian MS Dodsworth 79, fol. 162r; Bodleian MS Eng. Poet. e.14, fol. 15r; Bodleian MS Eng. Poet. e.97, p. 57; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 26, fol. 97r; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 62, fol. 35r; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 153, fol. 9v; BL Add. MS 19268, fol. 32r; BL Add. MS 25707, fol. 160v; BL MS Egerton 2725, fol. 78v; BL MS Harley 6383, fol. 27v; CUL MS Gg.4.13, p. 109; LCRO MS DG 9/2796, p. 7; Beinecke MS Osborn Bagott Papers Chest 1, no. 16

Piii9

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   Bidentalls: the Romans considered the spot where lightning had struck—the bidental—to be sacred. The bidentals were consecrated by sacrifice and walled off. <back>

²   who: probable scribal error; “why” (Eliot). <back>

³   Nadab and Abihu...’twill burn you: Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, “offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Leviticus 10.1-2). <back>

⁴   repyneing: i.e. repining; complaining, discontented. <back>

⁵   Massa Corrupta: “a corrupt mass”. <back>

⁶   Stigmaticall: worthy to be branded; villainous. <back>

⁷   those that ript me: Buckingham was disembowelled post mortem in Portsmouth to allow for embalming. His heart and innards were buried in St. Peter’s Church, Portsmouth. <back>

⁸   made blood: the liver was believed to manufacture the body’s blood. <back>

⁹   remonstrants: probably an allusion to the Remonstrance against Buckingham passed in the 1628 Parliament. <back>