---

“On Sir Thomas Overbury”

Hadst thou lik other Sirs and knights of worth

Sicknd and died, bene strecht out and laid forth

After thy funerall sermon taken earth

And left noe deed to praise thee, but thy birth

Then Overbury by a pass of the heires

5

Thou mightst have tyded henc in two-houres teares

Then had we worne thy spring of memorie

Noe longer then thy friend did rosemarie1

Or when the doale2 was dealing for thy sake

And thou hadst sunck in thin owne wine and cake3

10

But since twas so ordeined and thought fitt

By them who knew thy truth and thy witt

Thou shouldst be poysond; death hath don thee grace

Rackt thee above the region of thy place

For none heares poyson nam’d, but makes reply

15

What Prince was that, what statesman that did die

In this thou hast outliv’d an Elegie

Which were to narrow for posteritie:

And the ranck poyson which did seem to kill

Working afresh in some historians quill

20

Shall now preserve thee longer ere thou rott

Then could a poeme mixt with Antidote

Now needst thou trust noe herauld with thy name

Thou art the voice of justice and of fame

Whilst som detesting their owne conscience strive

25

To pay the use and interest of lives

Enough of time and if it pleas the law

Enough of blood4 for naming bloud I saw

He that writes more of thee must writ of more

Which I affect not, but referre men ore

30

To Tyburne,5 wher they may define

What life of man is worth by valuing thine

---

Source. Folger MS V.a.97, p. 20

Other known sources. Corbett 18; Overbury A2v; Bodleian MS Ashmole 47, fol. 112r; Bodleian MS Firth d.7, fol. 138r; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 117, fol. 261v; BL Add. MS 10309, fol. 152r; BL MS Egerton 2230, fol. 72v; BL MS Harley 6931, fol. 65v; BL MS Sloane 1792, fol. 74r; BL MS Stowe 402, fol. 24r; Folger MS V.a.125, fol. 14r; Folger MS V.a.319, fol. 22v; Folger MS V.a.322, p. 49; Folger MS V.a.345, p. 106; Rosenbach MS 239/22, fol. 49v

H25

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here H0. Introduction H1. There was an ould H2. In England there lives H3. From Roberts coach H4. Robbin of Essex H5. A page, a knight H6. Heere lyes hee H7. When Carr in Court H8. The Sommers sun H9. I.C.U.R H10. Poore Pilote thou hast H11. The wealth he gott H12. Why how now Robine H13. From Car a Carter H14. Dazal’d thus with hight H15. If ever woe possest H16. A bird ill hatchd H17. She with whom troops H18. from Cathernes docke H19. Me thinks I see H20. Looke, and lament H21. Libellous Anagram H22. Anagram on H23. Sir you are one H24. Once dead and twice H25. Hadst thou lik other H26. Hesperides, within whose H27. The house of the Howards H28. Here under lyes

¹   spring of memorie...rosemarie: sprigs of rosemary, the herb of remembrance, were carried by mourners at funerals (“spring” is probably a scribal error). <back>

²   doale: dole; funerary gifts given to the poor. <back>

³   wine and cake: allusion to the funeral meal. <back>

⁴   Enough of blood: Corbett is suggesting that enough people had already been hanged for Overbury’s murder. This might well be read as an appeal for the King to show mercy towards the Somersets. <back>

⁵   Tyburne: one of London’s chief sites of execution. Two of the four Overbury murderers to be hanged were executed at Tyburn. <back>