---

“On the death off the Lord Brookes”

Reader, Ile be sworne uppon a booke

here lyes the right vyle the Lord brooke

who, as I have a soule to save

did not deserve to have a grave.

For, would I might never goe further

5

he was accused off a horrible murther,1

because it was thought, he begane

to cutt, one Raphe Stewarde his man;2

wich for my parte, by gods glydd3

I beleve he never did,

10

Ile naturde he was, eles let me nere wagge,

For he was never knowen, to lend his frend a nagge,

and would to heaven that I were fledd,

iff he locked not upp clippinges off bread,

besides, I would I never might stirre more

15

but for charge, he had lyen with a whoore

and it would make a man verie sicke

to thinke, how ill he rewarded the musicke;

naye, there be a huge companie that thinke

he writte noe legacies, for sparinge off Inke;

20

and I protest as I hope to live

off all thinges on earth he loved not to give;

soe costive4 he was, and wearie of shifte

that he would not helpe himselfe, at a dead lyfte;

he calde his executer, Raggamuffine

25

because he was soe expensive, as to buy a Coffine;

for I praye (quoth he, to what intente

should wormes be well howsed that never paide rentte;

and by this blessed light that shines,

he thought itt verie simple, to pay tythes to Devines;

30

and when he was dyinge he disputed at large,

whether, his soule, might travell without charge,

and juste as his soule, was about to begonne,

because, corne was deare, he eate browne bread att Communion;

solytarie, he was, for goinge alone,

35

noe bodie would goe with him, but that’s all one;

to fagotte in winter, by Dragon & Bell,5

most men are off opinion he went to hell;

well, I would I might never goe out of this roome)

he will be verie melancholly, at the day off Doome.

40

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Source. CCRO MS CR 63/2/19, fol. 72r

R1

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here R0. Introduction R1 Reader, Ile be sworne R2 Surely the face R3 Vainglorious man R4 Come arme thy self R5 See what a love R6 A health to my Lady R7 U. R. I. C. R8 Landless Will: R9 Two Parliaments dissolv’d

¹   he was accused...murther: the accusation of “murther” is at best figurative, given that Haywood committed suicide after fatally wounding Greville. In the context of the poem, which charges Greville with outrageous parsimony, Haywood’s actions become an almost unavoidable consequence of Greville’s failure to provide for his servant. Hence, according to the poem’s strained logic, Greville commits murder. <back>

²   Raphe Stewarde his man: i.e. Ralph Haywood, Greville’s servant. He may have been known as “Raphe Stewarde” because of his likely role in Greville’s household. <back>

³   gods glydd: unclear; possibly the poet intended “God’s ’lid” (i.e. “God’s eyelid”), a colloquial oath of the time. <back>

⁴   costive: literally “constipated”; also, figuratively, “niggardly, stingy”. <back>

⁵   to fagotte in winter...Bell: unclear. <back>