with the Netherlanders but with France Portugal and Swethland also Witnesse his disciplining of the Army his encouraging of Trade and Merchandizing his general care for the preservation of the whole the timous preventing of Hostilities abroad and the speedy crushing of Cockatrices in the egge at home his neglecting of a Crown when offered with many pressive and expressive Parliamentary perswasions his passing so many advantagious bills the last Parliament Begun Anno 1656. his unspeakable condescension to do the meanest offices for the welfare of unthankful men insomuch that he was pleased to acknowledge that in the juncture of broyles he did but execute the trust of a Constable to keep all quiet and what is Constabularius but a stable-Groom to make unruly horses tame and stand together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith * Ethioâ—ic Heliodorus the Prince did seem to serve so that what an Italian Discourser said there was never any State so swadled in its infancy as the Roman was by the first King may be better said of this Protector And what * Pro Deiotare multa sunt tuae clementiae Monumenta sed maxime eorum incolumitates Cicero said of King Deiotarus let me say of him that truly many were the Monuments of his kindnesse but especially this the Peoples safety and preservations 4. In his valour from the Garrison of Ely to the last Worcester fight his faith many times subdued before he struck a stroak and his name was more terrible than that of * Turcomastix Scanderbeg Plus nominis horror Quam tuus ensis aget When England Scotland and Ireland were all in a blaze he was the Ransomer of the Nations and the common extinguisher and quench-coal The Army at Marston-moore were put into a quaking ague but at the report of his being in hurt and in danger At Tredagh he stood himself in the breach before the mouth of the thundering Cannon where gallant Colonel Castle and others were slain He was the long Parliaments battle-axe on every turn as Edgar Etheling he was Englands darling and the Parliament could be no lesse without him than Henry the eighth could be without the assistance of Thomas Cromwel Earle of Essex the root of this Glorious Branch He was called Malleus Monachorum in specie Martyrolog but Renowned Oliver was Malleus Inimicorum the mawle of enemies in the very genus and if the Lord Protector in the Reign of King Edward the sixth purchased so much honour in one battle at Muscleborough field in the year 1548. then much more were the laurels of him who disputed so many hot battels with successe at Preston Marston-moore Dunbar Worcester Nazby c. Quae Regio in terris nostri non plena laboris So that I may speak of him what was spoken of Charles the great that he was a good Prince and a valiant Souldier and such was his valour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that as Scipio by Rome and Camillus by Fabius Maximus so he was envied living and is now admired being dead Sublatum ex oculis quaerimus invidi * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Ajace As Sophocles speaks men never prize a mercy but when it is gone and saith Solomon Prov. 17.16 There is a price in the hand of a fool and he hath no heart to it and one thing more I cannot bury in silence he alwayes gave very honourable termes and articles of war and was as punctual in making them good which rendred himself in the eyes of the vanquished and the world truly honourable * Sparguntur in omues In te mixta fluunt quae Divisa beaâ—â—s Efficiunt collectatenes Claridian Those lines of Honour which by refractions ran dispersedly in others in him were knit up as their natural centre and what made others happy in division was in him a Colledge of vertues solemnly met and seated 5. In his Prudence and mannaging of Affaires both Military and Civil as Pliny saith of Mauricius the Emperour * Vir gravâ— pruleaâ— multis experimentis eruditus qui futura possit ex praeteritis providere Epistol he was a man grave prudent taught by many experiences and who could fore-see things to come by what was past As for Civil Affairs he had with Vespasian learned what was the overthrow of the Lutinist Nero in winding the pins of Government sometimes too high and sometimes letting them down too low and * Chytraeus in Herodotum that the destruction of Astyages Croesus and Xerxes was cruelty pride and ambition and that the establishment of the Common-wealth of Cyrus Dioces Darius Miltiades Themistocles Pausanias and others was by prudence he did as Charles the fifth said of a good Ruler like Saturne the highest planet move slowly doing all things with deliberation * Ne quid respublica caperet detrimâ—mi that the Common-wealth might take no harme And as for Military Affairs his prudence was not inferiour both in the Discipline of the Army and in his frequent Orations at the heads of Regiments before engaging to encourage them both against the fear of the enemy and death Nulla vox humana existima tur dulciùs He rodotores maximas narrare adeò ut Musae à veteribus fingantur ore Herodoti esse locutae as if every Muse had given books to this Herodotus No mans voice is thought to relate great things more sweetly than Herodotus so that the Muses were feigned by the Ancients to have spoken in his mouth of whom thus Frisius sings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. In his diligence about the guards at night insomuch that about the evening dusk he would ride Incognito as a private Souldier to take a view of the Guards and the Souldiers duty His presence like that of Europus King of Macedonia did animate them and the speech of Sulpitius Galba to his was still in reciprocation Ego vester vos mei I am yours and you are mine 7. In his love and affability as was evident in addresses to him as I my self was an eye-witnesse at Barkhampsted 1647. when the head-quarters were there That what * Omnes semper in Deiotaro virtutes sed praecituè singularis admiranda frugalitas fuit fortis justus severus gravis magnanimus largus beneficus liberalis Hae sunt Regiaelaudes Tully said of King Deiotarus may be to him applied all these vertues were eminent in Deiotarus but especially his singular and admirable frugality he was strong just severe grave magnanimous large kind and liberal These these are the Royal praises of the glorious Saint 8. In his death in that he died 1. With much assurance as to himself like holy Paul 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith and though the Senate hath deservedly adorned him dead with a Crown and other Regal Ensignes which living he refused There is laid up for him a Crown of righteousness a Crown
PEPLUM OLIVARII OR A good Prince BEWAILED BY A GOOD PEOPLE Represented in a SERMON October 13. 1658. Upon the death of OLIVER Late Lord Protector By George Lawrence A. M. Minister of Crosses Hospital 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homeri Iliad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Achilles Theodosius tanâ—us Imperator recessit à nobis Non totus recessit reliquit enim nobis HONORIUM filios suos iâ— quibus eum debemus agnoscere Ambrosius in Obitu Theodosii When the Inhabitants of the Land saw the mourning in the floor of Arad they said This is a grievous mourning wherefore the name of it was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ABEL MIZRAIM Genesis 50.11 LONDON Printed by E. M. for Samuel Thomson at the Bishops head in Pauls Church-yard 1658. TO THE THRICE ILLUSTRIOUS RICHARD LORD PROTECTOR OF ENGLAND SCOTLAND IRELAND AND THE Dominions Thereunto belonging May it please your Highnesse TO accept this poor Oblation as a Testimony of my unspeakable grief and sympathie for the losse of your Renowned father OLIVER LATE LORD PROTECTOR and as a paremphasis and acknowledgment of thankfulnesse for your Highnesse personal undeserved respects to Your most Loyal And Humble Subject George Lawrence PEPLUM OLIVARII OR A good Prince BEWAILED BY A GOOD PEOPLE 2 CHRON. 35.24 All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah IN the twentieth Verse is Described the subsequent manner of Josiah's death The Coherence after he had done so many Glorious Actions and especially his unexampled Preparation of the Temple That we may understand saith Cajetan That Divine Grace even in the time of the Old Testament is granted to the very friends of God not according to life temporal though it be very much desired And the occasion was this Pharaoh Necho or the lame King of Egypt came to fight against the King of Assyria 2 Kings 23.29 Whom some suppose to be Hadadrimmon or Adad the sonne of Tabrimon who was Benhadad 1 Kings 15.18 Josiah's confederate and reigned in Carshemish from whom or the abundance of Pomegranates the City and the battelfield seeme to take their names Which * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. place was eminent for the mourning of Ahab slaine at Ramoth Gilead say Jonathan Adrichomius and others and especially for the mourning for Josiah wounded and slaine in the Valley of Megiddo Zech. 12.11 But that Benhadad was at this last fight computers do deny he being dead many years before this engagement of Josias And therefore more probable it was Nebuchadnezzar the elder who was both King of the Assyrians and Babylonians and Carchemish by Euphrates was his present hold which being a Syrian City mentioned in Esay 10.9 and Jerem. 46.2 sent many forces saith Josephus against the Medes and Babylon who had often worsted the Assyrians What was the cause now is not known but it is apparent that there was continual hatred betweene them The Truth and Antiquity of which story as to its substance is attested by Herodotus in his second book called Euterpe Lavater saith That Interpreters write that the King of Assyria had expelled the King of Syria out of Carchemish whom Necho intending to restore brings his forces through Judah the nearest way having received a Commission to make haste and Josiah fearing National troubles withstood this lame yet flying Necho And Albeit Necho sends him Ver. 21. 1. Ambassadours of Peace 2. Informs him of a special Commission from God 3. Disswades him from intermedling 4. And though he tells him of the danger as having received a prophecie from the Prophet Jeremy that he should go to Carchemish and prevaile saith Hierom in his Hebrew Traditions yet notwithstanding all his arguments Josiah provokes Necho and drawes forth to fight in the Valley of Megiddo Note That the best of Gods people have their oversights and failings which many times they cannot see to redresse before it be too late James 3.2 In many things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we stumble all Humanum est errare Homo sum * L. 1. Histor Alieno Imperio felicior qudm sao Tacitus saith of Sulpicius Galba that he was more happy in anothers Kingdome than his own But Josiah was more happy in his own Kingdome than anothers And though some things may plead for Josiah as 1. His zeal against a proud cruel and lofty person 2. His assistance of a Confederate 3. His defending his own Land from Invasion 4. Necho's pretended Commission might have been a meere Collusion though the effect shewed otherwise 5. Expedition and haste to prevent an Incursion yet Josiah was not blamelesse 1. Because hearing of Necho's Commission he was incredulous For God can speak by wicked men as Balaam Caiaphas yea by brutes as by Balaams Asse 2. Because he was self-confident persisting in his resolved course 3. Because he asked not counsel from God saith Cajetan He must be in haste indeed who taking a long journey will not pray a short prayer Whence we may learn 1. That there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles 7.20 2. That God leaves his many times to try them 2 Chron. 32.31 3. That though God doth punish such yet he moderates his corrections Seen in Asa Jehosaphat Amaziah Uzziah Hezekiah and here Josiah Though he dies in Megiddo yet in the peace of his Kingdome and he lives in heaven 4. That the wisest hath no cause to trust in his own wisdome Eccles 7.16 17 18 Prov. 23 4. Cease from thine own wisdome For though Josiah thirty years was a wise holy and happy Prince yet he erred at last in bringing warre on Egypt Many and great be the errors of wise men which made Cicero himself exclaime against himself O me nunquam sapientem our own wisdome is a weak Reed which will quickly fail 5. Be not Censorious saith Job ch 12.5 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a Lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease 6. Beare with the infirmities of the weak Rom. 14.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Receive such as mothers their sick and weak children into your bosome 7. It is our best wisdome to flie to the true Oracle for wisdome and to pray Lord order my steps in thy Word Psal 119.133 and to cry Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not Psalme 17.5 8. Adde watchfulnesse Matth. 26.41 Josiah is now come to the bloody field Verse 22. the Valley of Megiddo taking its name from a Town or Castle near adjoyning for the word generally notes a Town or Castle saith Strigelius Armageddon mentioned in Rev. 16.16 notes the place of cutting in pieces or the destruction of a Troop saith * In his consent of Scripture Broughton of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in Eusebius and Mageddon the Mount of Megiddon It was a City whose King Joshua took Josh 12.21 And hence it appears Tunc tua res agitur that Necho marching beyond his bounds moved Josiah to
immarcessible 1 Pet. 5.4 Quarta Perennis Seneca as he lived vertuously so he chearfully died with this verse in his mouth Vixi quem dederit cursum fortuna peregi And as Frisius said of Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shined as the morning starre amongst the living and dying the evening star amongst the dead And though he had been in deaths often and faced death as often as he fought battles and though his death had been attempted by Sundercombe and others yet he died not a violent but a natural death in his own personal peace and peace of his Kingdomes being full of dayes and lies now in the bed of honour and on the third day of September 1658. he received his Writ of ease from all his more than Herculean labours which had been a day one year after another viz. Anno 1650. Anno 1651. rubrick't with two remarkable victories at Dunbar and Worcester as Antipater died on the same day of his rising 2. With much grief to others Octavian and Titus Vespasian were not more lamented of the former it was said Would to God he had not been born or never died and of the latter that he was * Amor Victor deliciae humani generis the Love Conquerour and delights of mankinde to whom Speed compares our Henry the fifth And such was the lamentation of the Emperour Severus that * Aut non nasci aut non mori debaisse the Senate of Rome said he should either not be borne or not die Our English Senate much laments his death of whom it may be said as of David Acts 13.36 After he had served his own generation by the will of God he fell on sleep 1 Chron. 29.28 He died in a good old age full of dayes riches and honour and Solomon his son reigned in his stead On whom the Criticks made this Epitaph Here lies David who when he was a boy Slew Lyons and Bears In his middle age great Goliah When he was a little older great enemies The Philistins And in his old age overeame himself 9. In his fame * Statius Notum per saecula nomen His memory as of the just is blessed Prov. 10.4 and shall be an everlasting foundation ver 25. whence the Rabbins in their quotations of any eminent Authour deceased usually subjoyne this honourable commemoration BENEDICTAE MEMORIAEN or such an one of blessed memory Memoria ejus sit in Benedictione The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance HAPPY Psal 112.6 OLIVER of HAPPY MEMORY this the second motive 3. Consider your own sins Our sins have hastned the Protectours removal as unthankfulnesse pride animosities avarice formality and licentiousnesse These were the ague fits which have expelled his breath and our obduracy the stone which hath sunk him to the grave And we may say as Bradford said of the death of King Edward the sixth King of England Our sins made holy Oliver die 4. Consider our own losse The losse of a General is a general losse The losse of him is a complexion or rather a complication of losses We have lost a Captain a Shield the Head an Heire of Restraint the Breath of our Nostrils an Healer a Shepherd a Father and a Nursing Father a Corner-Stone a Builder a Watchman an Eye a Saviour a Steers-man and Rector a Pilot and a Common Husband 5. Lastly consider our miseries which we deserve even the miseries which befell Judah and Jerusalem after Josiah's death in the dayes of Jehoahaz Jehoiakim and Zedekiah desolation of Cities Temple Families and a Captivity stricter and longer than a Babylonian which the Lord in mercy turn from us and turn us to him by true and unfeigned repentance O England repent repent And now considering all these incentives who can refrain from weeping Quis enim tam tristia fando Myrmidonum Dolopúmve aut Diri Miles Vlyssei Temperet à lachrymis And if any should ask me what is the cause of so much mourning I answer with Ambrose telling the cause of his grief to a friend for the decease of an eminent person demaunding the question * Quia di ficile esset similem ei invenire Because it would be a hard thing to finde one like to him Saith God of Solomon 1 Kings 3.12 There was none like him neither after him should arise any like him Anglia Nec primum similem visa es nec habere sequentem He hath wonne the Palme Victory hath setled the Olive Peace and hath left his friends to hang * Plectra dolo retacent muta dolore lyra est their Harps upon the Willow Truly I may say his Deeds deserve a full distinct and faithful Chronicle which were so superlative that a succeeding generation of no little faith would scarce suppose them credible yet of him I may dare say as was said of the Royal Princesse Prov. 31.29 Many Princes have done vertuously but Renowned OLIVER hath excelled them all But here an Asthma stops me for with * Si omnia corporis mei membra verterentur in lacbryma◠holy Hierom if all the members of my body were converted into tears yet in this short variety of words I fear I should have silenced more than what is spoken and with * Silere meliùs putem quâm parum dicere Salust him of Carthage better may I judge to say nothing more than speak a little And therefore here die away my mourning pen and let thy Manumitter sob the rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easing his heart-bound grief by weeping forth this Epitaph HIC JACET TOTIVS ANGLIAE SCOTIAE ET HIBERNIAE INDVPERATOR ET TOTIVS CHRISTIANISMI MIRACVLVM OLIV ARIVS But now methinks I hear the treading feet and the reviving voice of his Royal Successor saying Why make you this ado and weep hath not my father of admired fame by the advice of Parliament provided a succession to prevent the Rivalry of all pretenders and ten thousand woes O my Lord you are the Honorius of our deceased Theodosius his eldest son the rightful heir you do patrize and walk in your fathers steps you are entred into the Harvest of your fathers dear-bought labours and may you and yours reap the sweetnesse of them to many generations But yet give me leave to vent these Votes and pray 2. Directions to prevent miseries after the Protectours death 1. For your Highness That the God of Counsels would direct you your Council Armies and the whole Land that you may be a father of thousands of millions and that your seed may possesse the gate of them that hate you that Jacobs legacy to Joseph may be your portion Gen. 49.26 Surpassing blessings may crown your Head that the advice of your languishing father on his death bed may not be forgotten Tu Civem Patremque geras lu consule cunctis Nec tibi nec tua te moveant sed publica vota As Theodosius counselled Honorius That in the strength of Jesus Christ * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch you would rouze and bestir your self for without Christs assistance the government of three Nations would quickly sink you * Grande opus sub quo sudaret Olympifer Atlas ◠A work so great Would make Olympus-bearing Atlas sweat And that the wilde dream of raving Porphyrius in Gildas Britannia est fertilis Provincia Tyrannorum may by your godly and prudential Regency be prov'd a lye 2. That your Subjects would study loyalty peace and love that you may not be ashamed of them nor they afraid of you and that they may be as willing upon all occasions to serve you as Ittai and his servants David 2 Sam. 15.15 21. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Said Ignatius in an Epistle to the Smyrneans The people ought to honour the Prince for there is none more excellent and near to God in the University of things than he And 3. That both you and all might mind our own mortalities while we are called upon to bewail the death and sicknesses of others Said Elihu to Job chap. 36.18 Because there is wrath beware lest he take thee away with his stroak But here I shall conclude with the vote of Tertullian to Trajan the Emperour wishing your Highnesse * Vitam prolixam Imperium securum Domum tutam Exercitus fortes Senatum fidelem Populum probum Orbem quietum LONG LIFE A SECURE REIGNE A SAFE HOUSE VALIANT FORCES A FAITHFUL SENATE A GOOD PEOPLE AND A QUIET WORLD FINIS