Epicedium, a funerall song, vpon the vertuous life, and godly death, of the right vvorshipfull the Lady Helen Branch

EPICEDIVM , In obitum illustrissimae mulieris dominae Helenae Branch , vxoris multum venerandi equitis Iohannis Branch , quondam pernobilis ciuitatis Londini Maioris perquam honorabilis . YOu that to shew your wits haue taken toyle , In registring the deeds of noble men : And sought for matter in a forraine soyle , ( As worthie subiects of your siluer pen ) Whom you haue rais'd from darke Obliuions den . You that haue writ of chaste Lucretia , Whose death was witnesse of her spotlesse life : Or pend the praise of sad Cornelia , Whose blamelesse name hath made her fame so rife : As noble Pompeys most renoumed wife . Hither vnto your home direct your eies : Whereas vnthought on , much more matter lies . Matter that well deserues your golden stile , And substance that will fit your shadowes right , Whereon his wits a Scholler well may file : Whereof a Poet needs not blush to write , When strangers cau●●s should be banisht quite . And this bright Comet ▪ of whose splendant raies , My too-vnworthie pen shall giue a sight , A Ladie was of whose deserued praise A farre more learned Artist ought to write : Lesse wits should speake of starres of lesser light . Yet since their waies , by her light many finde , I ( mongst the rest ) may shew my thankfull minde . When first her life gaue essence to her light , She was the daughter of a worthie fire , And Willi●m Nicolson his name it hight : To whom dame Fortune gaue his hearts desire , Rich , and yet free from haut ambitions fire : Yea double rich by such an ofspring faire , Who from her cradle , and yoong infancie Gaue certaine augures of her vertues rare , And what a matron she in time would be : Her seemely graces wrought her fathers glee . And for her beautie he gaue her the name Of her , whom Troy did make so much of fame . Only her face vnto her name was like , Her vertues rather shone like Phoebes pride , Or her whose shaft did rash Acteon strike , When from his light her selfe she sought to hide . Well might she vaunt of Iudiths wit beside , Nor was Pollixena so much admir'de For maydens blush , and seemely modestie : Nor faire Virginia halfe so much desir'de For comely grace , and ciuill curtesie : As she was praisde of high and low degree . As hard it was her constancy to moue , As Cleopatra from Anthonius loue . And thus she liu'd ( whiles she a mayd did liue ) Till fathers care , and maydens ripened yeares , Did to a worthie man as wife her giue : Like taketh like , all ages ch●ose their peeres , And now do end her parents cares , and feares : For as her life did make them happie deem'd , And as her blisse did make to thriue their ioyes , So by her losse they had vnhappie seem'd , And her mishaps had fram'd their dyre annoyes : The husbandman his fields for corne imployes . And happie he , who from his happie seed , Doth reape a great grandfathers name , for meed . Iohn Mynors was her louing husband cald , Who blest her aged parents by his sonne : And with three daughters more their ioyes enstald : ( But foule oft falles , when faire is well begun ) For long these liu'd not but their glasse was run . We daily see when Phoebus in the skie Is highest mounted , straight he gins descend : And when good-haps do sit so wondrous high , They must decline ( although not haue an end ) For each extreame , of force must paire , or mend . T is better alwaies bide calamitie , Then once feele , ioyes and then taste miserie . They gone , with them was gone the fathers blisse , And with his blisse , the mothers comfort goes : And with her comfort went her husbands misse , And by his misse , increast her treble woes . On what worlds prop , may man his trust repose ? The yoonger grasse doth wither ere the hay , The stronger flieth , and leaues the weake behinde , The childes life ere the fathers flits away , The husband dies , ere wife hath death assignde , Daughters sonne , husband dead , she life doth finde . Yet dide her ioyes : the mirth which she could haue , Was with her teares , to wash their thirstie graue . Now ( like to her who drunke her husbands dust ) She for her husband , lou'd her husbands trade , A Chronicle of which needs be they must , Who by that loue full wealthy haue bene made : The witnesse liues , the fame then cannot fade . And like to them who do adopt successors ) She , for her children , did regard the poore , Of whom there liue , that may be iust professors , Who oft haue bene relieued at her doore , Nor this was all , for they haue had much more ▪ For Christ his will she executed faithfully , Prison'd , sicke , naked , poore , she gaue his legacie . And thus she liu'd ( whilst widow she did liue , ) Till husbands death , and widowes dried teares Were almost out of minde , and griefe did giue A place vnto the course of some spent yeares . ( Vnwise whose house doth fall and no new reares , ) Then was she grafted in a worthie stemme , And of a green-leau'd Branch the blossome prou'd To him more deare , then was the richest gemme : And so togither they both liu'd and lou'd , And still her Orphanes care the mother mou'd . For though nor Branch , nor blossome frute did beare , Yet both in good workes alwaies fruitfull were . In time this Branch so farre abroad did spread , That ouer London it did cast his shade : ( A neast where many vertuous birds are bred ) Of whom , some on this Branch their neasts haue made : Long flourish may his leaues , and neuer fade . And though the stocke , the Branch , the blossom sweete Wants sap , is withered , and is falne away , Yet doth a yoong plant , spring vp at their feete , Which shall their greene leaues vp in safetie laie , And they vnscattered , maugre blasts shall staie . Yea from the roote , the iuyce this plant hath gotten , Shall make them flourish , when their roote is rotten . The Branch being dead , the blossome gan to droupe , Like to a parcht flower in the dogdayes rage : The ●hepheard fled , to th' wolfe the lambs must stoupe , Youths heate being past , there 's small resist in age : And now no comfort could her cares asswage . Yet still in vertuous deeds she spent her daies , Poore virgins thereof still can make report , Those naked persons well may tell her praise , Whom she hath cloathed in a seemely so●t : ( Surely a treasure laid in a strongest ●o●t ) But now hath death cut off her ve●tues prime , In ripened haruest of her golden time . Her faithfull end , was like her godly life , Wedn'sday the tenth of Aprill , and no more It was , when as was seene her breaths last strife : The yeare was fifteene hundreth , ninetie foure , And gratefull Abchurch hath her bones in store . You two strong props that vndershore the vine , From whose ripe clusters sweetest Nectar flowes , Whereof do drinke , the famous Muses nine , Performe more full , what dutie doth impose , Bring hither Cypres sad , see where it growes . Embalme with Mirrhe , and sticke with Rosemarie , Time is the onely hearbe which rests for me . Quae te propellat ( nimium propensa ) Cura mors ? O te properans veloci Penna quis turbet ? Dare terga cogat Quod medicamen ? Aequè tu regis deruis superbi Regias , & sic inopum cucumas . Cura sunt morti iuuenes senesque Semper eadem . Sola post mortem , remanet in aeuum Virtus , quae nunquam peritura probis , Fama florescet , licet ipsa cumbunt Corpora in vrnis . W. Har. FINIS .