AN ELEGIE Vpon the most deplorable death of Prince Henry Eldest sonne to the King of Bohemia : Who vpon the 9th of Ianuary last passing to Harlem , most vnfortunately perished . ETernall Teares , Griefes , that shall never end , With murmures utter'd in lamenting verse ; Sad accents , and such lines that forth may send Sounds , such as Widdowes houle about the hearse Of their dead Husbands ; words whose force may bend Relentlesse hearts , and flinty bowels pearce : Come to my plaints , bring Characters of woe , That endlesse griefe , unvalued losse may show . Me thinkes my hand as with a Fever shakes , Which when I to the trembling leafe apply , More ghastly white then earst , for griefe it quakes , And seemes with us to have a Sympathie : But willingly this mournfull dye it takes Badge of our passions , sorrowes liverie , Which as it drops from my unstedfast penne , Seemes to lament the generall losse of men , In this young Prince most likely to revive The glorious Triumphs of his an●●strie ; This floure of youth , in whom did Nature strive With Education for the victorie : Each seeming Conqueresse , so they both did thrive , And grew so soone to such an excellencie , Whom angry Fortune scarcely taught to feare , Nor hopes vaine breath aloft could ever beare . Drench't in the Sea , lest the enamourd Earth Love-burnt might chance to prove Trinacrias losse , And from her burning Entrals send a breath Like that which comes from Aetnas sulph'ry fosse ; Or lest a floure should from his Vrne have birth That might have power , the power of Fate to crosse : And like th' immortall Nectar of the skye , Enfranchize men to immortalitie . Batavia , rather should thy shores downe fall , And the fierce waues their ancient Lordship fill ; Rather should time backe summon and recall The bloody Actors in thy former ill : Rather in former seates should Fate install Proud Austria , D'Alva , Parma , Longeville In this revenge backe to reduce a flood , And make where once was Sea , a Sea of blood . What profits it though Nereus did resigne Some of his Kingdome to the Continent , When he his generall forces did combine , And froth-immantled all in rage he went Against that straight which Albion did confine , Which with his boystrous fury downe he rent ; And broke that Isthmus that did joyne before Our chalkie cliffes vnto the Belgicke shore ? If like a cruell Lord he doth demand Such chiefe , such duties for the unnaturall soile ; And doth exact a due for barren sand Of greater worth then was the richest spoile His waues could ever gaine , or the bright strand Of the faire East , sought with so dangerous toyle , Did ever vie against the Sun , or gold Pactolus streames , or Tagus sands enfold . Rather should brav'd Iberia keepe the Ore Brought from the ransackt Indias wealthy ground ; Better our ioyes were disanull'd before Report did ever such a prize resound , Rather should Holland backe againe restore The riches in that conquerd fleet she found , Then that it more should hurt when it was gain'd , Then had it in our enemies hand remain'd . Thus by our gaine we lost , our joy 's our woe , So th' angry heavens our hopes still countermand , Our Conquest proves our fatall overthrow ; The Nerves of warre bring weaknesse to our Land , Thus while we most do rise , most downe we goe , Ever residing on the tottering sand Of expectation , which each blast doth crosse , And every gale can turne to greater losse . High Providence , could humane wit but sound The deepe abyssus of thy mysteries : How soon should we on Heav'n our Comfort ground Not on conjectures , possibilities , Which then most vaine , when trusted most are found But broken reedes are all our policies . The Heauen 's will have our hearts , and take away Those things the soonst that cause them most to stray . Thus both our Henries soone away did goe , Showne to the earth , not suffered to remaine , Now in the Heaven , more bright then ere did show Proud Cyllarus riders o're the liquid plaine Of the vast Oceans Empire , Fa●es bestow On them by turnes to shine upon the maine , Ours both together glister , joyntly live To Heaven and Earth their light at once they give . Did Silver footed Thetis cause thee dye , In thee the Pelian stemme to contemplate , Or Pallas wearie of Virginitie , T' enjoy thy love compact with envious Fate , To bring thee up above the golden skie : She worth thy love , thou worthy such a mate , And leade thee up , sith all the world denide A match for her like thee , thee such a bride ! Or did those Heroes that in Paradice Enjoy those sweets th' inamel'd plaines doe yeeld ; Or masking in their Robes of greatest prize , In gentle rankes passe o're the flowry field : Where every Vale , each mount , each fall , each rise , With thousand kinds of rarities is fild : Where noiselesse floods doe branch the youthfull mead , Birds sweetly dumbe aeternall silence lead ; As hence secure of Fate they cast their eyes ( Their eyes all seeing , passing all they see ) In this sweete Prince they view those qualities That brought their soules to such felicitie , When envying us , they with the Fates devise To bring him , ( worthy of their company ) Which as they found him , took him straight away : Their strong desires admitting no delay . Arion , thou hadst power to charme with string A fish to beare thee safe vnto the shore : Could not thy plaints ( sweet Prince ) have power to bring Something amidst the waues to passe thee o're Whose voyce was better Musicke ? Did what bore So sweet a burden feare abandoning , And with the traytrous winds and ayre agree To keepe thee still , to deale so cruelly . Enjoy sweet Spirit thine aeternall rest , Our losse , not thine , is cause of this our woe ; Above the golden spheares live ever blest , Possesse the Crowne the Heavens on thee bestow , In stead of earthly diadem ; possest By glorious Saints , so maist thou euer show Thy light , not set a fained Starre in skie , But plac't a Saint in greater dignitie .

This most hopeful young Prince passing with his Father , and some few Attendants to Harlem to viewe the Plate-fleete lately surprised by the Hollander , being in a small Passage-boat , was ouer-set with a ship of greater burden from Amsterdam . His Father , with two or three Followers were saued by entring ropes cast out of the greater ship , which ta kt instantly about for their reliefe . The Prince himselfe labouring to saue his life , attained some height vpon the mast of the small vessel that was sunke , where calling for succour , & none comming to his aide , he was for some space heard crying : from which part of the ship the next morning they took him starued and frozen to death , whose corpes his Father brought to the Court the day following , being for the circumstance of his death , as well as for his hopefull parts infinitely lamented .

FINIS . R. ABBEY .