The Upright Man and His Happy End, Poem 2 – Poem 3
To the never-dying Memory of that thrice Noble Person and Patriot, the Honourable Francis Pierepont Esquire, who departed this Life at Nottingham the 30th. day of Ianuary, 1658.
IT's somewhat to be Nobly born, and much
T'inhoerit thousands by the year; what such
A birth, and birthright speakes, i'th' world appeares
By the homage paid on all hands unto Peeres,
And their Coaequals; whom all men Adore
As Supreme powers: and to say no more,
Such civil Adoration is their Due,
Which bids that monstrous Parity Adieu,
That All-confounding Monster, whose lean Iaws
Gape wide to swallow both Estates and Laws.
Long may the Grandieur of this Nation be
Stockt with such Gentry and Nobilitie,
As share the Glory of their An'cetries,
And carry it on to their Posterities.
But yet all this at highest speakes but low,
A worldly Glory at the best; a flow
Of earthly influences, which altogether
Cannot exceed the Line of this life: neither
Add one Cubite to a better. See'em
Nothing'd in death to us: us so to them.
'Tis sad when Great ones have no other Birth
T'enoble them than what they have from th' Earth;
Better unborn, than not be born again;
The new birth is the noblest: there's a vein
Of bloud runs in the heart of the believer
Bespeaks him Heavenly-born; and never
Doth that Birth fail. So born doth never dy,
But hath in Death Life t' all aeternity.
How glorious then must he be, to whose Herse
We sadly pay the Tribute of this Verse,
Whose Noble linage, great Estate, and all
Contentments, flowings from them, he could call
Things on this side true Happiness? else-where
He sought and found that Happiness, which ne're
Shall end, or fade; and whose foundation
Th' Aeternal Spirit laid in Regeneration;
True saving Grace the Diamond in the Ring,
Shin'd brighe in his sweet Nature; every thing
Had such a gratious lustre in him, as
The Good appear'd still with the Great, and was
Above it rather: His Humility
Exalted him; greater you could not see
Lodg'd in a noble brest; his Spirit might
Be read in's Habit, void of pride, and quite
Another thing than vain: without ostent
Both, for the one was as the other meant.
That holy heat of love, which in his brest
Faith had enkindled; he with warmth exprest
In's deer affections, to Gods ordinances,
His Ministers and people; his observances
Of holy duties. private, personal
Grac't with his walking answerable, were all
Fair evidences at the least of his
Syncerity never to fall short of bliss.
Bring forth the person, rich, poor, old or young
Can justly say, he ever did him wrong.
Me thinks I see the Counery round about
In a bemoaning Posture, groaning out
Their sighs: with this condoling Sympathy,
We have lost our Patriot; and hee's mist already.
Me thinks I hear the City making moane
One to another our best Neighbour's gone,
The Ministry especially: we have lost
A stay, a prop, a Patron, and almost
Our selves in losing him, who was indeed
Our Friend, and still we found him so at need.
A friend to Truth, and Peace, but no divider,
That heal'd our breaches, never made them wider.
How full of bowels to the Poor? what day
Past without works of mercy to them? nay
Scarce any Meal, but at his Gates he fed,
Whole Troups of hungry souls, with daily Bread.
When Winters cold, or blustrings, made their stay
At's Gates less comfortable; he would say
Let in the Poor, and serve'um: if he saw
Any among'um naked; he would draw
Out his Compassions to them, and command
Cloaths to be put upon'um, his own hand
Rather than fail would do it; how did the Knell
These rung at's death outgroan the passing Bell?
To none an enemy, but to those whose sin
Proclaim'd them to be so to God; wherein
He could not hold; but with a holy Zeal
Break forth, and sometimes ring an angry peal.
An innocent in doing ought was Evill,
A very Bungler in the works o'th' Devil.
A Soul fitted for heaven, where Glorious Grace
Triumph's with him, in's ever Mansion Place.
His dearest Consort then, may not return
Her comforts back again upon his Ʋrn
With showers of tears; which still dissolve afresh
With thought, or mention of his Name: much less
Nothing her self with grief; a greater Honour
Cannot in this life be conferr'd upon her
Than this of hers: that she did once possess,
All in her Deer'st save endless Happiness.
John Viner, Minist. verb: Westmen.
In obitum celeberrimi viri Francisci Pierepont Armigeri, Carmen funebre.
O Si vel pietas, vitae cand…rve moverent
Supremos Divos, Tartareasve domos!
Si summum Ingenium, studium{que} notabile cursum
Fatorum potuit sistere, vivus adhuc,
Et gratus vivis, mortis contempserat iram
Pierepont, verus Nobilitat is honos.
Sed durae nimium Parcae nec talia curant;
Fatorum rabiem sistere nemo queat.
Thus Englished.
O That these links of Noble Birth, high Parts,
Candor that gave him int'rest in all hearts;
Bounty inlarged, unsoil'd integrity,
Wel-temper'd zeal, well-fixed piety
Had made a chain t'have ty'd th'Immortal guest
His Heav'n born soul to th'Mansion of his breast!
Then the much loved Pierepont still should live,
By's own Embalming self-preservative;
We should not then sit down by weeping cross,
Computing his great worth, and our great loss:
This's all we say to make the reckoning even,
He though thus good, was not too good for heaven.
Laurence Palmer.