A Memorandum to London, Poem 4 – Part 2
June 15, 1665. A PRECAUTION Relating to the time preſent.
Two years are paſt, ſince what precedes was writ
When here, Exceſſive Rains occaſion'd it.
The preſent Drougth, now makes us as much fear,
A Dearth may probably conclude this year:
For want of timely moiſture, in the ſpring,
Hath in the Bud, ni…t many a growing thing;
And that Defect continuing to this day,
Starves herbs, and turns the ſtanding graſs to hay.
The Winter corn, as yet, prick up their ears;
But, to decay, the Summer Crop appears;
And both (if GOD prevent not) may conſume
Before our uſual harveſt time is come.
As, when to cure, or give their Patients eaſe,
(Who long have ſuffred by a ſtrong Diſeaſe)
A good Phyſitian firſt applies for cures
His beſt known helps in ſuch diſtempratures,
That f…iling, tries another; and that done,
Doth then, through ev'ry courſe of Phyſick run,
Repeats it often too; and as Events
Occaſion it, makes new Experiments:
Ev'n ſo, hath GOD proceeded with this Nation,
To bring us to a timely Reformation;
Yet, our habitual wickedneſs is ſuch,
That, nothing works upon us very much,
Except it be the quite contrary way:
For, when we ſhould Repent, and Faſt and Pray,
We Feaſt and Triumph: when we ſhould releaſe
The Priſoner, we the Freeman do oppreſs.
When we the poor and needy ſhould relieve,
The Rich we begger, and the poor we grieve.
When Princes ſhould put mourning Garments on,
Each Vaſſal is arayed like a Don.
The meaneſt Pinnaces weare Silken Sailes,
And like the Peacock ſpread their gaudy Tailes.
Yea, in the ſteed of due humiliations,
In publick, here are publick provocations,
Still multiplied quite throughout the land,
Ev'n whilſt we lie beneath GOD's heavy hand,
And manifeſtly ſee, both ev'ry bleſſing
Withdrawing, and Plagues ev'ry day increaſing.
He therefore juſtly may, if ſo he pleaſes,
Do, like Phyſitians, when they find Diſeaſes
To, be incurable. They then permit,
Such Patients to take what courſe they think fit;
Leave them to any Emperick, who will
Pretend to that wherein he hath no skill;
Send them to Epſom, or the Tunbridge water,
Or, that at Lewſham (to which tis no matter)
Or to that Country Air, where firſt they drew
Their breaths, to try what thereon will enſue.
Thither, if GOD ſends after them a Bleſſing,
Tis more then they deſerve, and worth confeſſing:
For, tis of his meer Grace; And, this, ſometimes
He doth vouchſafe ere men repent their Crimes.
Such mercies none can ſound, much leſs expreſs;
For they are infinitely fathomleſs.
And if they work not, in a timely day,
GOD's will be done, is all, that I dare pray.
The Authors Epitaph.
Compoſed by himſelf, upon a Common fame Of his being dead and buried. It hath a ſhort Preface prefixed, and an Epilogue added after it, for a Copartment to ſet it off.
The Preface.
RUmors of things that ſhall be, are begun
Sometimes, before they actually are done,
That, we thereby forewarned, may prepare
To entertain them, when in Act they are;
And, four times, at the leaſt, (though yet I am
Surviving it) my death hath been by Fame
Divulged ſo, that ſome, no credit give
To thoſe men who affirm that I yet live.
At this time alſo, a Report doth goe
That, I was lately dead and buried too:
Perhaps, not without being fore-deſign'd
That I, in priſon might be hunger-pin'd:
For, having nothing left, that was mine own,
Or ought allow'd, ſave what ſhould be beſtown,
By their compaſſion, who have me preſerved
From being in my cloſe Confinement ſtarved,
I might have dy'd indeed through want of bread,
Had all my Friends believed me to be dead.
It may have likewiſe, an Ill Conſequent,
If, I ſhall be releaſt; which, to prevent
I have compos'd this following Epitaph,
Thus Prefaced, with this ſhort Paragraph,
And, ſent it to my Friends, that, they may know
I live, and live in hope, that what I owe
To them, repaid (in life or death) ſhall be,
By GOD, although, not probably by me.
That, alſo, what this Epitaph expreſſeth
May mind me of my duty, till life ceaſeth;
And, be by others, with ſome profit read,
Both whilſt, that I am living, and when dead.
The Epitaph.
By way of Epitaph, thus ſed
George Whither, when Fame voic'd him dead.
IF, I did ſcape the dooms of thoſe,
Whoſe heads and limbs, fed Rats and Crows,
(And, was not thrown into the fire
Or water, when breath did exſpire)
Then, here, (or ſomewhere elſe) my Bones,
Lie raked up, with Earth and Stones.
Their burial place, you ſhall do well
To learn from thoſe men who can tell,
And in what mode inter'd they were;
For, I do neither know nor care,
Or, what was either ſung, or ſaid,
By others, when I there was laid;
Nor any whit, ſuſpitious am
That, they ſhall be expos'd to ſhame
Nor fear I troubling of their reſt,
By thoſe who living men moleſt,
Becauſe, how e're the world ſhall pleaſe
To uſe them, they ſhall be at eaſe,
When that, which her deſpight intends
To me, ſhall ceaze on her own friends
As it befel to ſome, of late,
If that be true, which fame doth prate.
My Life was nor too long, nor ſhort,
Nor, without Good and Ill Report;
And, profited, as many waies
I was by Scandals, as by praiſe.
Great foes I had, and very many,
Friends too, a few, as kinde as any
And, ſeldome felt their earthly hell,
Who love, and are not lov'd as well:
For, that, whereof they had ſharp ſenſe,
I knew, but, by intelligence.
A Wife I had, as fit for me
As any one a live could be;
Yea, as if, GOD, out of each other
Had made us, to be joyn'd together.
And, whilſt ſhe lives, what ere is ſed
Of my Death, I am but half dead.
Beſide the Iſſue of my Brain,
I had ſix children, whereof twain
Did live, when we divided were,
And, I, alive was buried here.
When, Portious, I had none to give
God gave them (as I, did believe
He would) a means, whereby to live:
Which is here mention'd, to this end,
That others, may on him depend.
I priz'd no Honours, bought or ſold,
Nor wiſh'd for youth, when I was old,
But, what each Age, Place, and Degree,
Might beſt become, beſt pleaſed me.
I coveted nor Eaſe, nor Wealth
(No, not enjoyment of my health)
Ought further, then it had relation
To GODs praiſe; and my Souls Salvation.
When I ſeem'd rich, I wanted more
Then e're I did when deemed poor;
And, when in Body, moſt confind,
Enjoy'd moſt freedom in my mind.
I was not Factious or Seditious,
Though thereof, many were Suſpitious,
Becauſe, I humor'd not the times,
In Follies, and deſtructive crimes.
In things, that Good or Evil were,
I had abundantly my ſhare;
And, never wiſh'd to change my Lot
For what another man had got,
Or, that, in any time or place,
My Birth had been, ſave where it was
So wiſe I was not to be mad
Though much oppreſt; or, to be ſad
When my Relations did conceive
I had exceeding Cauſe to grieve:
For, GOD, in ſeaſon, ſtill ſupplide
Thoſe needful things the world denide,
Diſpoſing ev'ry thing, ſo well
To my content, what ere befel,
That, thankful praiſe to him was due;
And, will be, for what ſhall enſue.
I ſold not Honeſty, to buy
A formal Garbe of Sanctity;
Nor to hate any was inclin'd,
Becauſe, they were not of my mind;
Nor fear'd to publiſh truths in ſeaſon,
Though termed Hereſie or Treaſon,
But, ſpake, what I conceiv'd might tend
To benefit both foe and friend;
And, if in Love, they ſeem'd ſincere,
With their Infirmities, could bear.
I practis'd what I did believe,
And pinned upon no mans ſleeve,
My Faith or Conſcience; for, ther's none
Judgd, by what other men have done.
My ſins were great, and numerous grown;
My Righteouſneſs, was not mine own,
Yet, more prevail'd by Grace divine,
Then if it had been wholly mine.
I loved all men, feared none
Except my ſelf, and GOD alone;
And, when I knew him, did not make
Eſteem of ought, but for his ſake.
On him, in life time I depended,
By Death are all my troubles ended,
And, I ſhall live again, ev'n here,
When my Redeemer, doth appear,
Which (by what I have ſeen and heard)
I know, will not be long defer'd;
Nor that Raign, here on Earth, among
His Saints, which they have look'd for long.
But, that, which we ſhall then behold,
May better be believ'd then told;
Becauſe, we may preſume as well
To put the Sea into a ſhell,
As to demonſtrate, unto men▪
Of fleſh and blood, what will be then.
Nor oft, nor much deſire had I,
Long time to live, or ſoon to die;
But, did the work I had to do,
As I enabled was thereto;
Then, whether it ſeem'd Good or Ill,
Left that, and all things, to Gods will;
And, when this mind is not in me,
That, I am dead, aſſured be.
Do Reader, what I have well done;
What I have err'd in, learn to ſhun;
And, when I muſt no more appear,
Let this, be thy Remembrancer.
The Epilogue.
THis, I perceive will take up too much Room,
Within a Church, or, on a Chappel Tombe;
And, peradventure, need a larger Stone
Then my eſtate will buy to write it on:
Ile therefore, let it wander on betwixt
The two Poles, till it finds where to be fixt:
For, though it ſeems brought forth before the time,
It may, whilſt it continues in this Clime,
Some way advantage me, by bringing that
Into my minde, which I might elſe forget,
That, Whilſt I live, I might conform thereto
So far forth, as I am oblig'd to do.
Moreover, I ſhall know, (when this is read)
What will be ſaid of me when I am dead;
Which, that man cannot hear, who ſhall not have
An Epitaph, till he is in his Grave.
Some part thereof, may likewiſe uſeful ſeem
To others, who my words, now diſeſteem:
For, through the ſpatious earth, I know not ought,
That is, or may be ſaid▪ or done, or thought,
But, hath a tendance, if we heed it will,
Either to what is good or what is ill:
A Single haire, or fluttring of a Bird,
May providentially, ſometimes afford
Hints, or precautions, to incline us, to
What we ought to Obſerve, beleive, or do.
This, alſo will be, as it were, to ſome
A Meſſenger, who from the dead is come,
To Preach what is agreeable to Reaſon,
(Although it be a Preachment out of ſeaſon)
But, now, both dead and living Preachers too,
Are ſleighted, whatſoe're they ſay or do.
And, if ſuch Predicants found no regard,
Where Moſes and the Prophets were not heard,
What, probably, from thoſe can be expected
Who Chriſt and his Apoſtles, have neglected?
Yet, from dead Letters, and from men deceaſt
There comes (from what in lifetime they expreſt)
A voice ſometimes, to which men will incline,
A willing ear; and ſo, there will from mine.