The lamentation of Melpomene, for the death of Belphæbe our late Queene With a ioy to England for our blessed King. / By T.W. Gentleman.

The Lamentation of MELPOMENE , for the death of BELPHAEBE , our late Queene . O In what vncoth place or gloomie Cell , Shall sad Melpomenes tragicke spirit dwell ? The chearful day torments my chearles hart , And euery splendent star woundes like a dart . If euer Muse had cause to mourne in deed , Now fits the time : and now the hart should bleed : Now should each member ioyne it selfe in one , And make a symphacie of griefe , and mone . Let coloured Silkes be dy'd to sable blacke : A Mourning habite fits each Mourners backe . Day change thy selfe to euerlasting Night , Sunne , Moone , and Starres , forgoe your glitt'ring light , Dissolue you Mountaines , and you durate Rockes , Lament you Shepheards , and your tender Flockes : Let Teares distill in such a bundant wise , That like the Ocean billowes they may rise . Caos , not Cosmos let the World be cleaped , Let woe on woe , and care on care be heaped : For loe ; the Lampe that whilome burnt so cleare , Is quite extinct , and darknesse doth appeare . A glorious Lampe ; a goodly Light it was , Which whil'st it burnt , all other did surpasse . No place so farre remote but day , and night It was illuminated with this Light . Whilome it was the chiefest light alone Of England , Fraunce , Ireland , and Calydone . Few Lampes like this ( yea few ) or none at all Are worthy of the like memoriall . The chast Belphaebe is of life depriu'de , Merrour of Chastetie , when shee suruiu'de : Shee like a Rose mong'st many weedes was placed , They grace'd by her , and shee by them disgraced . Therefore the Fates suppos'd the earth too bace To succour one of such immortall race : And for a plague to men sent meager Death , To take away her sweete Ambrosian breath . What hart so hardie ? ( if it mortall beene ) But will lament the death of such a Queene , Which like a Goddesse , not an earthly creature , Appeared both in hauiour , and in feature . Prudence , and Constancie possest her minde ; A rare memoriall for all women-kinde : No vertuous lore , ne well beseeming graces , But liu'd in her , each in their seuerall places . The Fates had chosen her Earths Soueraigne , And by the Fates , Earth hath her lost againe . After long darknesse on the earth , came light , And now againe ensewes eternall night : Dianas sister Lady of the day , From earth to heauen hath tane herspeedy way ; Second to none in Wisedome sure was shee , The Queene she was of true feminitie . Well could I wish if Destenies thought good , Her habitation on Parnassus stood : And that from Ioues great Court she were accited , And with my sisters in pure zeale vnited . Neuer till now did griefe my hart surpresse , And now t is cloy'd with too much heauinesse : I must resigne my place : I cannot chuse , And beare no more the name of Tragicke Muse ; For I am Metamorphised with griefe ; Griefe without end , and endlesse to reliefe . If Heauen , or Hell , do harbour any soule Whose hart is made of such a sencelesse moule , That Death and Hell ; that God , or cruell Fate , Cannot with true compassion annimate , Let him possesse my place vpon the Hill : For I le resigne it with a right goodwill . I le trauerse through the world in Pilgrimage , And vnder-take Belphaebes Patronage ; I le massecar my selfe , lament , and mone , Whil'st there remaines no day to tell but one , In the remotest place from any wight , Where neither Sunne nor Moone do lend their light : There will I make a close-light shadowing Cell , And till Times date be out , I there will dwell , Dreaming on horrors , gastly sightes , and feares : Sadde thoughtes and I will liue espoused Spheares . I le teach the Screech , and the hissing Snake , To beare a burden to the mone I make : I le learne the Syluaine Birdes to hand their winges , When once my melancholie Organt singes Sadde Canticles , of her immortall prayse , Who lyuing , blest the world with golden dayes . Both Peace and Iustice flourish'd in her age : Such was her foresight , such her counsaile sage , If Vertue , Learning , Manners , Beautie , Witte , Immortall fame to mortall creatures gitte . Thrice happie shee , for these in her remainde , As in her course of life was well explainde : Morata should her surname be by right , For shee with manners was most richly dight . Her body was a Temple , where did raigne The true tipes of a vertuous Soueraigne . Shee vtterly detested Romaine Lawes , The Popish Relickes , and the olde Priestes Sawes : The Trueth she honour'd with vntaunted minde , And with Trueths girdle did her Loynes combinde . Worthy she was to liue Sibillas dayes , Her worth did equallize Sibillas prayse . Had the three Sisters which the life doth guide , Not mans felicitie so much enui'de : Yea , and against the Gods appoyntment toe , Attempt the thing they wisht them not to doe : Loe , such preheminence hath Destenies , To do what so they list ( though Ioue denies . ) See how the labouring Ant begins to droope , See how the loftie headed Stagge doth stoope , The Grasse doth wither and the Fieldes waxe baire , The Birdes leaue singing , and Detest the aire And to the rockie clystes with speed do flie , And fraught with anguish do despaire , and die . Salt teares distill from all good Subiectes faces , Which on their cheekes make goodly milke-white traces Sables is common , and in estimation : He that wantes Sables is not in the fashion . Why these are sights well fitting my sad spirit : Now shall my hart his long wisht ease inherit , When euery creature doth conioyne in one , Belphaebes parture from the world to mone . Shee is departed , dead , and gone long since , And hath in Heauen a place of recidence : From Earth she came , and thither's gone againe ; In Heauen she is , and there shall still remaine . O Virgin chast , O Phenix of thy kind , Which being gone , leaues not thy like behind . O Lampe of light , O Starre celestiall , Thy matchlesse beautie was Angelicall , With thee did die the worldes felicitie : With thee decay'd all antique dignitie . She is captiued in an endlesse Chaine , No hope of future comfort doth remaine . In her lay all mens hope and loue : she dead , All hope and fauour is for euer fled : She was mens ioy , in her they onely ioy'd , By her departure , they are much anoy'd : Thus hope , and fauour , ioy , ( yea euery blisse ) Since her miscariage , euer fair'd amisse . Let men and women breake their hartes with grones , Let Babes and Children spend the time in mones : Let sorrows soppes mixt with a bitter gall , Suffize the hunger of both great and small . Let teares distill , and straine their tender partes , Let griefe be Nector to reioyce their hartes . No man suruiue that hath no teares to spende , He that doth weepe vntil his teares haue ende , Vnto the lowest earth let him take way , And borrow teares of wofull Hecuba : Which many Pooles hath caus'd to flow with teares , Since her last date of twise three hundred yeeres . Awake you Feendes , whose nature is to sleepe : Awake I say , and straine your selues to weepe : Somnus arise , deaths messenger awake , And to some mournefull taske your selues betake , The time commaundes , and time must be respected : Time cannot be recal'd that is neglected . You that haue all this while slept in a traunce , Enwrapped in a cloude of ignoraunce , Hap'ly may thinke that causelesse I lament , And euery teare I shed is vainely spent : But know the cause : Eearthes soueraigne Queene is dead . Dead sure she is , imbalm'd , and wrapt in Lead : For this cause sorrow , and lament with mee ; Follow you after , I le chiefe mourner be : My harts condolement shall excell you all , For it is made of Lyuer , more then Gall. Why , now you are compassionate I see , I weepe before , you after seconde mee , And now you sight , your colours come and go : A certaine figure of your inwarde woe . Now poaste againe to Plutos regiment , Vnfold to him this sodaine accident , Go Messenger of death , and Somnus Goe , Be you the messengers of pale fac'd woe : Let teares hereafter be your choycest drinke , With teares fill all your Riuers to the brinke . Let Heauen and Hell for euer mourne I say , Night be there euer , neuer be there day . Continue thus vntill the Fates relent , And she from whence she came aliue be sent . Mount winged Fame , and furrow through the aire , Make Heauen resound with echoes of dispaire : Proclayme sadde tydinges of this lucklesse chaunce , And with thy Trumpe awake dull ignoraunce . Sound loude , for he is deafe , and nothing knowes , He neuer greeues nor pines at anyes woes , He sets , and neither stirres , nor speakes whole dayes . He answeres none , nor mindes what any sayes . Not farre from Lethe this aged Sire doth dwell , This Lethe a spacious Riuer is in Hell , Whose nature is to dull the Memorie Of those that drinke thereof ; or dwelleth bie . Fame spread thy winges in Heauen , in Earth , in Hell , To euery mister wite , her downefall tell . Come Sorrow come , and helpe me to lament , My fainting spirits now are almost spent : My speech begins to fayle , my limbes waxe faint , Ere I ascend the top of my complaint . Then heere I le stay , in this darke vale I le rest , And in dum shewes my griefe shall be exprest . Die hart with sorrow and eternall paine , Vnlesse Belphaebe do reuiue againe . Now whil'st Melpomene lay in a sound , Dewing with teares melancholy ground , His absence was deplor'd on Parnass hill , Teares did from euery Muses eyes distill . Some in a furie rent their golden lockes , Some hang'd the head , some stampt , the brest some knocks , Some inly sigth , and others wrong their handes , To shew their state wherein their sorrow standes , At length in secret Synod they decreed , To sende Terpsicore abroad with speed , To search remote , and melancholy nookes : Which his sad humour with contentment brookes , Much ground he trauerst ouer hill , and daile : T was long eare aught his trauaile did auaile . Still as he went , vpon his Harpe he playde , By which Melpomene was much dismayde , When as the sound did to his hearing flie , For grieued mindes do Musicke quite defie . At last directed by the powers Diuine , He saw whereas the wandring Muse did pine : Goodly he louted , and soone him bespake , That to Parnassus he would iourney make . To take possession of his long voyde place , And liue among'st the rest of heauenly race . Melpomene to him made no reply , But like a sencelesse stone vpon the ground did lie , Terpsicore with speed flew backe againe , And tolde the Muses of their brothers paine , Which he left speechlesse on the frigorous ground , Either quite dead , or in a deadly sound . With that the Muses much amazed flies Vnto the dwelling of the Destenies , To know their brothers sodaine cause of griefe , And whether they would send his woes reliefe . The Fates recomforted their grieued hartes , And bade them neuer dread Deaths sharpe poynt dartes : Tolde them at large , the cause of his lament , And how to giue his griefe a suddaine vent : Soone they tooke leaue , and to the place did flie , Where the sadde Muse lay wrapt in miserie : They rubde his temples , lifted vp his head , In his pale face , pale death was figured , At length some sparkes of life in him appeard , Which all their late dead hartes reuiu'd and chear'd . With chearefull words they chear'd him , and him prayde No more to grieue , no more to be dismayde . The Fates ( quoth they ) in priuate so decreed , That she for whom thou weep'st , by death should bleed , And they which by deaths cruell hand are slaine , Nor sigthes , norsingulfes can reduce againe : And know , the Fates haue seated in her place , Though not a Woman , yet of heauenly race , A goodly KING , to be earthes Soueraigne : Which Iustice , Peace , and Vertue , will maintaine . Then ioy a new , recall thy wonted rest : The Fates were kinde , that thee from death hath blest . These wordes , his woe did somewhat mittigate , And he assum'd againe his former state : With winges of ioy they furrowed through the skie , And soone ariued at Parnassus hie : Where now each Muse enioyes his hartes content , Spending the time in wanton meriment : Thankes be to those auspicious powers aboue , That hath established this concordant loue . FINIS . Mors septra ligonibus equat .