Old Jacobs Account Cast Up and Owned, Poem 4 – Elegy
In obitum Suſanna Piiſſimae Sponſae magnanimi illius Renoldi Exercitûs imperialis Commiſſarii publici: Sic allocutus eſt conjux.
QUo cuis unfaelix, nunquam ſat flebile fatum?
Non mala ſat ſentis niſi ſis ſub pondere ſtratus?
Connubiine diem celer es celebrare reverſum?
Feſtinant nimium dicis tua carbaſa ventis.
En quid habet thalamus? Lectum mors occupat atra.
Quid facis ah Fatum? Cujus praecordia rumpis?
Clepſydra quid properas graciles diffundere arenas,
Quid peragis; viduum gaza de ludere mundum;
Te nihil attonuit, qui tantis emicat ignis
Ingenii radiis? Te nil tot fulgura mentis:
Nil pietas, nil cara fides; nil inclyta virtus?
Eximius candor nil; nobilitaſ que parentam:
Suadet, ut infauſtum poteris divertere telum?
Parcarum quid ſunt niſi nomina vana recenſes;
Parcere quae nostrae nondum didicere Renoldae.
Si pietatis opus, Si quid pia numina Spectant:
Omnia circumſtant. Nec deſunt ſemina vitae
Ne ſcia ſolae ne cis: quae Sanctâ paſcitur aurâ,
Poſſumus interne nullum mortale videre;
Sed quod ad huc maneat poſt vani tempora mundi.
Creditur aeternii hominem vixiſſe diebus,
Si deerant maculae. Quae ſunt hôc pectore mendae?
Pulchra Venus naeros circumtulit: Inclyta nullas,
Continet Haec ſorces animo ut ſic corpore pura.
Mors injuſſa venis, non eſt tibi lata poteſtas;
Ut ſponſa dirimas. In me convertito telum.
Quid facii ah! jaculi fi ſit, mea pectora tentet;
Adſum qui morior; me, me, tua ſpicula ſternant.
Siccine faeminio gaudes viciſſe triumpho:
Siccine deliciam noſtri proſternis amoris:
Viſcera quid ſolitas ſervatis corpore fedes?
Turgida quid fugiunt cordis ligamina ruptum?
Quid rutilas ocule? extinguatur luminis ictus:
Vel ſi gratus eris Domino ſis fletibus aptas
Vivere quid valeat; pereunt cum gaudia vitae?
Vita, corona, decus, ſummi quo que gloria vote
Interit. Ah! poſsis non at que marite perire?
Et juvat, & poſſum, poteris nec morte revelli.
Te ſequar ô conjux: tumulo tumulabimur uno.
Et quae vita negat tumulo ſolatia carpam,
Dixit: & innexis haerens cervice lacertis,
Jam moriturus erat, dilapſum luctibus iſtis
Suſtentat ſponſae Genius, Chariſsime, dicit;
Salve; qualis amor, dolor, aut quoe gratia rara,
Impulit? ut ſcociam, me ſub diſcrimine tanto
Queras? ah conjux: tua ſum, tua dicar, oportet,
Exanimata licet. Te per lata oequora actum
Quaeſivi: cupiens junctiſsima junctior eſſe.
Ora que noſtra tuum fruſtra clamantia nomen,
Implerun gemitus. Quorum ſuſpiria corpus.
Orbarunt animâ. Chriſti quae brachia verſus
Tendit cui ſolo ſis conjux chare ſecundus.
Cujus ob amplexus ſperno tot gaudia terrae.
Ipſe mihi Sponſus: propero▪ Mi Chare, valeto
Terrea terrenis liceant, magnalia capto.
Surge, age, da plauſus, lugubres exue veſtes:
Die Caelis Chriſtum Terris me habuiſſe Renoldum
Hoc juvat Angelici reſonent connubia caetus
Jo Chriſte veni decoratum ſuſcipe ſponſm?
Laeta dies Jani terrâ caeliſ que benigna;
Poſtera me terris junxit que noviſsimae caelis.
Poſtera erat faelix; bao ſed faelicior istâ.
Talia fata, fugit; Sed non revocanda vocatur.
Sponſa mane, Sponſum que tuum laeto ore ſaluta.
Quae ſervare potes, num Tu cruciabis amantem?
Plura dolor prohibet. Sed junctis corpore pennis
Illa fugit: Chriſti teneriſ que amplectitur ulnis.
Quae diſceſſa tegit maeſto velamine vultus,
Corda que tantorum quorum ſit digna parentum,
Quae libet haud potuit miſeros mens diſcere luctus
Et patris, matriſ que ſuae, fratrum que , ſororis.
Conjugis at fixum remanet ſub pectore vulnus;
Formam quod violat, maciem que in corpore fecit.
Nec ſtudioſus amor fuit hic de more parentum:
(Si quis enim reliquus) tanti ſit digna doloris.
Sic quoties ponto properat Sol lucidous alto
Diſceſſu fuſcum Nox induit atra colorem.
Sed valeant planctus, valeant ſuſpiri…, noſmet
Dilecta propere Satagamus jungere Chriſto.
Sub umbrâ conjugis pientiſſimi Sic flevit. J. M:
Epitaphium.
Vivere non volui; Potui nec fata ſubire:
Me trahit hinc ſponſus; me trahit inde Deus.
Est Mihi ſponſus amans; mihi ſunt chari que parentes;
Omnibus at melior Tu mihi Chriſte, veni.
A Funeral Elogie on the death of his Dear Siſter Mrs. Suſanna Reynolds.
WHat meant your dim ey'd Moraliſts to praiſe
The home-ſpun virtues of their former days.
Or what vain Poets when they Deifie
Their gay clothed Nature with Eternity,
Had they but ſeen thy life and fall
They'd burn their Books, and turn Atheiſtical.
Away Bablers, here you all may ſee
Your Goddeſſe ſtained with Mortality,
Here's Conſtance, Prudence, every Deity
Enthrald by death, as much as Piety.
Here's Greatneſs, Goodneſs, or what ere you term,
Your Summum B…num found to be infirm
Your active virtues in its operation
Hath found an exile by Impoſthumation:
Nay more, here's Heaven joy and Earths delight
Robb'd of her being, ſtole away by night.
O Covetons Jales thus to impropriate
The worlds treaſure to your own eſtate,
Stand off prophaner Orgies, weel lament
Our ſaddeſt loſs in love call'd penitent,
Since that our joy center'd in one
Our loſs admits no conſolation:
Yet glorious is that Loadſtone, ſweet that love
That thus extracts her ſoul for joys above.
Unhallowed converſations diſagree
With her whoſe Element is Piety.
If that an Inqueſt on her lives accompt
Had but been made, you might have found her moun
Each day degrees, firſt in affectation,
And then in a ſpiritual converſation.
Long ſince ſhe was above, and now ſhee's gon,
To take compleat poſſeſſion
Not that ſhe wanted here, blind fortune nere
Was more propicious to the worlds Heir.
To ſay ſhee's bleſt is vain, tis but to croud,
Her vaſt enjoyments, in a breathed Cloud.
Thus weak ey'd Mortals cannot well deſcry
In bodies chain'd, her ſtate and gallantry:
Yet if the curious fancy dives to know
Her further Bliſs, then let him go;
For only viſion can deſcribe the ſtory
Of her Immence, Eternal weight and glory.
Yet whileſt we ſee what ſhe contem'd, we gueſs
Her portions great, that counted this the leſs.
She to Chriſt Coll's gon, where Saints commerſe,
Where Chriſt & ſuch bleſt ſouls take ſweet converſ.
Whoſe thred of life, Nature ſo finely ſpun
It burſt aſunder whilſt the Glaſs did run.
Sic flevit, Hen. Milden.