Elegy Upon the Death of Reverend Thomas Shepherd, Title page – To the reader
AN ELEGIE UPON The Death of the Reverend Mr. THOMAS SHEPARD, Late Teacher of the Church at Charlstown in New-England:
By a great Admirer of his Worth, and true Mourner for his Death.
Iſai. 57. 1.
The righteous periſheth and no man layeth it to heart, and merciful men are taken away, none conſidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Zech. 1. 5, 6.
Your Fathers where are they? And the Prophets do they live for ever? but my words and my ſtatutes, which I commanded my ſervants the Prophets, did they not take hold of your Fathers?
Heb. 13 7.
Remember them which had the rule over you, who have ſpoken unto you the word of God, whoſe Faith follow, conſidering the end of their converſation.
CAMBRIDGE, Printed by Samuel Green. 1677.
To the Reader.
(1)
REader! I am no Poet: but I grieve!
Behold here, what that paſſion can do!
That forc'd a verſe, without Apollo's leave,
And whether th' Learned Siſters would or no▪
My Griefs can hardly ſpeak: my ſobbing Muſe
In broken terms our ſad bereavement rues.
(2)
I wonder what the learned World ſtill ailes,
To tune and pace their ſorrows and complaints
In Rhythm and Verſe! He that his croſſes wailes
Indeed, would vent his griefs without reſtraints.
To tye our grief to numbers, m…aſures, feet,
Is not to let it looſe, but fetter it.
(3)
Is this it? that a Poets ſofter heart
Of great impreſſions ſuſceptible is?
He wiſely doth perform his mourning part
In Verſe, leſt grief ſhould time and meaſure miſs.
But griefs unmeaſurable would not be
Curb'd, and rein'd-in by meaſur'd Poetry.
(4)
Stop, ſtop my Pen! leſt Iſrael's ſinger ſweet
Should be condemn'd, who, in that Song of th' Bow,
To vent his paſſionate complaints thought meet,
And to bewail his great Friends overthrow.
King David in an Elegiack Knell,
Rung out his dolours, when dear Jona'than fell.
(5)
No matter what's the trifling Poets Ʋſe,
Th' Imperious Law of cuſtome we deride:
We have Diviner Warrant to produce,
The Soveraign, Sacred Poet is our guide.
He wept his Friend in verſe: then let us try,
Now Shepard's faln, to write his Elegy.