Classic Poem

As rife as to my thought repaires
that drearie doleful day,
And most vnluckie houre (alas)
that hent my friends away:
So oft my brest is like to burst,
and ribs to rend in twaine:
My liuer and my lungs giue vp,
my hart doth melt amaine,
And to decipher inward griefs
that crush my carcasse so:
The sluces of mine eyes do slip,
and let their humor go.
Out flies the floud of brackish teares,
whole feas of sorow swell,
In such abundance from my braine,
as wo it is to tell
Why do I then conceale their names?
what means my sluggish pen,
To hide the haps and lucklesse lot
of these two manly men?
Sith silence breeds Asmothering smart,
where sundry times we see,
That by disclosing of our mindes
great cares digested bee.
Wherefore my mournfull Muse begin, &c.

So Fortune would, the cankred kernes,
who seldom ciuil are,
Detesting golden peace, tooke armes,
and fell to frantike war
Vp rose the rude and retchlesse rogues,
with dreadfull darts in hand,
And sought to noy the noble state
of this our happy land
Whose bedlam rage to ouerrule,
and fury to confound,
The L of Essex chosen was,
a noble much renownd.
Away he went, awaited on
of many a courtly knight:
Whose swelling harts had fully vowed
to daunt their foes in fight
Among the rest (I rue to tell)
my Sydnham tooke the seas:
Gyles Bampsield eke aboord he leapt
his princes wil to please.
Whose martial minds and burning brests
were bent to beare the broile
Of bloodie wars, and die the death,
or giue the foe the foyle.
And treble blessed had they been,
if fortune so had willed,
That they with hawtie sword in hand
had died in open field.
For fame with garland of renowne,
vndoubted decks his hed,
That in defence of Prince and Realme
his life and bloud doth shed.
But out (alas) these gallant imps
before they came to land:
To shew their force and forward harts,
by dint of deadly hand
Before they fought amid the field,
or lookt the foe in face,
With sodain storme, in Irish streame
were drownd, a wofull case
Vp rose with rage a tempest huge,
that troubled so the surge,
As shipmen shrunke, and Pylot knew
not how to scape the scourge.
And yet no dread of doubtfull death,
no force of fretting fome,
Nor wrath of weltring waues could sta
those martiall mates at home.
Not angry Aeols churlish chaffe,
that scoules amid the skies:
Nor sullen Neptunes surging suds
mought daunt their manly eyes.
Vnworthy they (O gods) to feed
the hungry fish in flood:
Or die so base a death as that,
if you had thought it good
But what you will, of force befals,
your heauenly power is such,
That where and how, and whom you lift,
your godheds daily touch
And reason good, that sithence all
by you was wrought and done,
No earthly wight should haue the wit
youre wreakefull scourge to shonne.
Well, Sydnham, Bampfield, and the rest,
sith wailing doth no good,
Nor that my teares can pay the price
or ransome of your blood:
Sith no deuise of man can make
that you should liue againe,
Let these my plaints in verse suffis
your soules, accept my paine.
If ought my writing be of power
to make your vertues known,
According to your due deserts
which you in life haue shown.
Assure yourselues, my mournfull Muse
shall do the best it can,
To cause your names and noble minds
to liue in mouth of man
And so adue, my faithfull friends,
lamenting lets my quill:
I loued you liuing, and in death,
for euer so I will.
Accept my writing in good worth,
no fitter means I find
To do you good, now being dead,
nor ease my mourning mind.
No better life than you haue led
vnto my selfe I wish:
But happier death, if I might chuse,
than so to feed the fish.
The gods allow my lims a tombe
and graue wherein to lye:
That men may say, thrise happy he,
that happened so to die.
For kindly death is counted good,
and blessed they be thought,
That of their friends vnto the pit,
vpon the beere are brought.
But for my selfe, I reckon those.
more blest a thousand fold,
That in the quarel of their prince,
their liues and blood haue sold.
As you mine ancient mates did meane,
for which the mightie Ioue,
In heauen shal place your souls, although
your bones on rocks do roue.