Poema in Obitum Illustrissimi Principis Ruperti
Latine Redditum
Non carmine Pindarico (ut illud) sed, (ut vocatur,)
Lapidario
(Quod est medium inter Oratoriam et Poesin)
Vide sis Emanuelem Thesaurum, in Patriarchis.
Authore Anonymo.
I.
Proculdubio non sumus quod videmur,
Et nosmet ipsos aequo plus aestimamus,
Obliti quod, veluti Creatis omnibus,
Et nobis etiam Fato succumbendum.
Homo, totius Terrarum Orbis Dominus,
(Heu quam superbe, quam fastuose sonat!)
Paucos et incertos illudit annos,
Nunc spe deceptus, nunc metu cruciatus,
Per angustum Vitae curriculum,
10Tandem ad taciturnas labitur Tenebras.
Et quando morimur, quam cito Turba tremula,
Jamdudum Nutus terrore percita,
Venerationem solitam (cum Catenis) exuunt
Et ad libitum despectas tractant Reliquias.
Potentissime Princeps!
Quem prodiga Natura, et Ars industria
Ad celebritatem immortalem adaptâssent,
Cui plus addere non valuit ipsius ultima Benignitas;
Unde venit quod Nomen tuum Venerandum
20Themati meo prostitueretur?
Per Viros Doctiores ingrate neglectum,
Et indoctâ meâ Musâ delineari relictum!
II.
Dicite mihi, Viri peritiores, si legistis
In pulchris Mortuorum Catalogis
Nomen adeo formidate Magnum,
Tantis Mirâclis et inaemulo amore refertum;
In quo omnes Charites & Virtutes concertârunt.
Adeo terribile, et adeo dulce Nomen.
Ostendite mihi Stellam in Firmamento Honoris
30(Sit etiam Primae Magnitudinis)
Quae a tenebris hujus Mundi erepta
Majorem Mundo fulgorem praestitit;
O Viri eruditi, ostendite mihi unam,
Quae tam splendido Radio effulget.
Rupertus est Constellatio—
Praelucens Arcturum et Pleiades.
Et si olim Stella Juliana praefulsit
Ignes minores, quantum illos Luna,
Posteritas forsitan mirabitur, quare
40Hero illo multo Divinior,
Nullum (post ejus Apotheosin)
In Galaxiâ jubar relinqueret
Sole clarius Meridionali.
III.
Quo pacto Musa mea tremens laudes tuas recitabit?
Laudes tuas, etiam Pindari Carmine excelsiores!
Unde volatum sumet audacem,
Ut in altum sublevetur
In Numeris Masculis et Blandis,
In numeris adaequatis
50Coelesti Famae tuae sublimitati?
Si a Nobili tuâ Genealogiâ
Sanguis Regalis in Venis tuis scintillans
Humilem et Plebeiam dedignatur Eulogiam,
(Nam de Te modice loquens Blasphemat)
Si a claris Bellicis facinoribus incipiet,
Et Virilia incunabula decantet,
Rebellis jamdudum sentivit Britannia,
Quantis Mirandis Cunae tuae claruere,
Loricis fasciatus, Tympana lachrymas demulserunt,
60Et Tubarum clangores somnum allicierunt:
Sic olim Alcides praematurum dedit specimen
In primo Infantiae Diluculo,
Angues teneris collidens manibus
Qualia in aetate provectâ superaret Monstra.
IV.
Auguste Princeps, in quo Mars et Minerva suas
Vires contulere ingentem formare Animum
Praeclaris Posteris in Exemplar designatum,
Quoties Turmae Rebelles coram te profugerunt
Genii tui Numine terrefactae?
70Cum de Nube Sulphureâ
Fulminibus dedisti sonoris
Leges tuas tremendas
Perduellibus insolentibus,
Frustra vexilla explicârunt perfida,
Frustra pugnârunt, frustra fuderunt preces,
Armis tuis Victricibus attonitae.
Donec Superi, causis adhuc incognitis,
Causis secretis et profundis
Connivêre paulisper, quasi obdormientes,
80Et peramatum Christum suum dereliquisse videbantur.
In Coronam triumphavit prosperum Nefas
Et Regum optimum a Solio deturbavit,
Ne annuntietis hoc in Gath aut Ascalon,
Monarcharum optimus impiâ vi corruit,
Immaculata Victima pro Sontibus fudit sanguinem:
Inclinavit se, cecidit, ubi inclinaverat cecidit mortuus
Martyr beatus in Sacro suo Cruore Baptisatus.
V.
Nec valuerunt Turbines in Anarchiâ istâ vertiginosâ,
Invicte Princeps, fidelitatem tuam vibrare,
90Nam retrocedens pugnasti more Parthico,
Et semper Idem remansisti,
Inter pecora, et pisces squamosas,
In terrâ Behemoth, in mari Leviathan:
Infractus adhuc et adhuc Bonus
Fidelitati firmiter perseverasti
Inter fremitus Fluctuum Popularium.
Sic olim Cato pari animi constantiâ
Causam desponsavit, quam Dii omnes repudiârunt.
Donec Planetae benigniores, stupentes aspicere
100Imparilem et impavidam tuam fortitudinem,
Erubuerunt, et Percussi Patris filium reduxerunt,
Ne tu illum in Solio Imperiali collocares,
Tu unicâ tuâ manu solus.
Qui Solis istius splendores oblitus fuerit
Quo Clementissimus redivit Carolus,
Nunquam sentivit laetae Sionis gaudia
Cum diu pulvere et cineribus lugisset;
Nunquam intellexit quali Raptu
Oculos extollebat attonitos
110Templi Secundi Structuram renascentem videns.
VI.
Cum Carolus Clemens introitum fecit
Coelum erat undique serenum,
Nulla male-ominosa Nubes apparuit
Umbram dare tenebricosam,
In Equitatum istum Triumphalem.
In illa primâ et felici Scenâ
Praedixere Superi Regimen ejus Halcyoneum
In quo sicut illi, in aeternum probaret
Benignissimas Methodos praepotentis Amoris.
120Et cum magna flagitia Vindictam eius provocarent,
Pectus ejus humanius Rei compateretur poenas.
Ut Leo ferox, mitis ut Columba.
Hic sileat Musa—quod reliquum est Angeli praedicent,
Angeli isti qui assiduâ curâ
Tentorio ejus quam proxime inserviunt
Somatophylaces à Rege Omnipotente delegati,
A Rege Omnipotente, cujus Majestatem praefert,
Cujus in terrâ gerit Diadema
Et diu gerat per multos, multos annos.
VII.
130Quid autem, (Illustris Anima) quid dicemus?
Quale Tributum Piae tuae Memoriae solvemus?
Mors tua obtundit et mutum reddit Dolorem.
Regna et Imperia lugubres planetus faciunt
Ab extremâ Ruinâ per te redempta.
Posthac è longe Peregrinantes venient,
Et ad Tumulum tuum Oblationes tribuent,
O Magne Princeps foris verende, et domi venerate!
Jovis Ales, qui dudum Solem tentare ausus est,
Et in mollibus Germanorum lusit vexillis,
140Nunc alas demittit, et caput declinat,
Nunc repetit Victorias a Te potitas,
Et sero nimis tuum implorat auxilium.
Orbis Christianus deplorat Damnum,
Dum truculentus Mahomet Turbinis instar volat
Et impotenter bacchatur in male-sustentatam Crucem.
Sanguine et ruinâ volutans Europa jacet.
Tu in tranquillâ et plenâ senectute
Semotus a tumultuoso Mundi Theatro
Rabiosâ eius insaniâ intactus dormis,
150Famae securus et ab omni obtrectatione liber.
Qui ampliorem attineret felicitatem,
Vel usque ad Coelos ocyus volaret,
Oportet esse plusquam Mortalem,
Nec unquam prorsus dignari mori.
Poema in Obitum, &c.] Heading: 'Vide sis' = vide, si vis.
Emanuel, &c.] Pepys read his 'new Emanuel Thesaurus [Tesaufro] Patriarchae' on Jan. 23, 1660⁄1. It was a genealogy of Christ and a very popular book.
22 delineari] deliniri in the text. 'Fidelitati' in l. 95 should be the ablative. In 63 'teneribus manibus' was probably a printer's blunder, but the author must be credited with such erroneous forms as 'sentivit' and 'lugisset'.
On the much lamented Death of our late Sovereign Lord King Charles II. of Blessed Memory.
A Pindaric Ode.
Stanza I.
Alas! Why are we tempted to complain,
That Heav'n is deaf to all our cries!
Regardless of poor mortals' miseries!
And all our fervent pray'rs devoutly vain!
Tis hard to think th' immortal Powers attend
Human affairs, who ravish from our sight
The Man, on whom such blessings did depend,
Heav'n's and mankind's delight!
The Man! O that opprobrious word, The Man!
10Whose measure of duration's but a span,
Some other name at Babel should have been contriv'd
(By all the vulgar World t' have been receiv'd),
A word as near as could be to Divinity,
Appropriate to Crown'd Heads, who never ought to die;
Some signal word that should imply
All but the scandal of mortality.
'Tis fit, we little lumps of crawling Earth,
Deriv'd from a plebeian birth,
Such as our frail forefathers were,
20Should to our primitive dust repair;
But Princes (like the wondrous Enoch) should be free
From Death's unbounded tyranny,
And when their godlike race is run,
And nothing glorious left undone,
Never submit to Fate, but only disappear.
II.
But, since th' eternal Law will have it so,
That Monarchs prove at last but finer clay,
What can their humble vassals do?
What reverence, what devotion can we pay,
30When these, our earthly Gods, are snatch'd away?
Yes, we can mourn, Yes, we can beat our breast,
Yes, we can call to mind those happy days
Of pleasure, and of rest,
When Charles the Merciful did reign,
That Golden Age, when void of cares,
All the long summer's day,
We atoms in his beams might sport and play:
Yes, we can teach our children to bewail
His fatal loss, when we shall fail,
40And make babes learn in after days
The pretty way of stammering out his praise,
His merited praise, which shall in every age
With all advantage flame
In spite of furies or infernal rage,
And imp the wings, and stretch the lungs of Fame.
III.
Excellent Prince, whom every mouth did bless,
And every bended knee adore,
On whom we gaz'd with ecstasy of joy
(A vision which did satisfy, but never cloy)
50From whom we dated all our happiness,
And from above could ask no more,
Our gladsome cup was fill'd till it ran o'er.
Our land (like Eden) flourish'd in his time,
Defended by an Angel's Sword,
A terror 'twas to those abroad,
But all was Paradise to those within:
Nor could th' Old Serpent's stratagem
Ever supplant his well-watch'd diadem.
Excellent Prince, of whom we once did say
60With a triumphant noise,
In one united voice,
On that stupendious day,
Long live, Long live the King!
And songs of Io Paean sing,
How shall we bear this tragical surprise,
Now we must change Long live, for Here he lies?
IV.
Have you forgot? (but who can him forget?)
You watchful Spirits that preside
O'er sublunary things,
70Who, when you look beneath, do oft deride,
Not without cause, some other petty Kings;
Have you forgot the greatness of his mind,
The bravery of his elevated soul,
(But he had still a Goshen there)
When darkest cares around his Royal heart did wind,
As waves about a steady rock do roll:
With what disdain he view'd
The fury of the giddy multitude,
And bare the Cross, with more than manly fortitude,
80As he had learn'd in sacred lore,
His mighty Master had done long before?
And you must ever own
(Or else you very little know
Of what we think below)
That when the hurricanes of th' State were o'er,
When in his noontide blaze he did appear,
His gentle awful brow
Added fresh lustre to th' Imperial Crown,
By birthright, and by virtue, more than once his own.
V.
90He was! but what he was, how great, how good,
How just, how he delighted not in blood,
How full of pity, and how strangely kind,
How hazardously constant to his friend,
In Peace how glorious, and in War how brave,
Above the charms of life, and terrors of the grave—
When late posterity shall tell:
What he has done shall to a volume swell,
And every line abound with miracle
In that prodigious Chronicle.
100Forgive, unbodied Sovereign, forgive,
And from your shining mansion cast an eye
To pity our officious blasphemy,
When we have said the best we can conceive.
Here stop, presumptuous Muse! thy daring flight,
Here hide thy baffled head in shades of night,
Thou too obscure, thy dazzling theme too bright,
For what thou shouldst have said, with grief struck dumb,
Will more emphatically be supplied
By the joint groans of melancholy Christendom.
On the Death of King Charles II.] First printed in folio in 1685.
25 Browning somewhere in a letter laughs at this line, in the form 'Kings do not die, they only disappear', which is neither Flatman's nor Waller's, from whom he borrowed the notion, nor Oldham's, who has it likewise, though both these have the 'disappear'. The thought is not foolish: it means, 'their names and works live after them'. But Browning's knowledge of Flatman, as of other out-of-the-ways, is interesting. He might have made him a 'Person of Importance'.
To His Sacred Majesty King James II.
Dread Prince! whom all the world admires and fears,
By Heav'n design'd to wipe away our tears,
To heal our wounds, and drooping spirits raise,
And to revive our former halcyon days,
Permit us to assure ourselves, that you
Your happy brother's fortune will pursue,
For what great thing is that you dare not do?
Whose long known, unexampled gallantry
So oft has shaken th' Earth, and curb'd the haughty Sea.
10And may those Stars, that ever o'er you shone,
Double their influence on your peaceful throne.
May you in honourable deeds outshine
The brightest heroes of your Royal line,
That when your enemies shall the sceptre see
Grasp'd in a hand enur'd to victory,
The rebels may like Lucifer fall down,
Or fly like phantoms from the rising Sun.
Extremum Hunc Arethusa mihi concede Laborem.
Virgil.