True Louing Sorow

And first my Muse findes, that his Graces name
Significantly makes an Annagram.
LEWIS STEWARDE, Annagram VERTV IS WEL EAS'D.
His Vertues such continuall paines did take
For King and Country, Church and peoples sake:
That for Earths courtly toyle, to him 'twas giuen
His UERTU IS WEL EAS'D i'the Court of Heauen.

Great God, that to thyselfe wilt take thine owne
By sundry wayes, and meanes to Man vnknowne,
Whose Eye of prouidence doth still perceiue
When, where, why, who to take, or else to leaue,
Whose mercy, and whose Iustice equall are,
Both Infinite, to punish or to spare,
All men doe know, that men to dye are borne,
And from the Eearth, must to the Earth returne.
But Time and Circumstance coniecture may,
For some great cause thou took'st this Duke away.
Amongst vs lurkes so many a foule offence,
Which giues thee cause to take good men from hence:
And that this Prince was Good as well as Great,
His life and timelesse losse doth well repeat.
Deuout and zealous to his God aboue:
True to his King, as did his seruice proue:
Discreet in Counsell, Noble in his minde,
Most Charitably, Honourably kinde.
So Affable, so Hopefull vnto all,
And so Repleat with vertues generall,
That we may say, this Land in losing Him:
Hath lost a gratious Peere, a prop, a limbe.
It must be true, that well he spends his dayes,
Whose actions doe attaine all peoples praise:
And surely I suppose he doth not liue,
Who of this Duke a bad report can giue.
So full endu'd he was of all good parts,
With noble Courtesie he wan all hearts,
To loue and honour his admired minde
So well adicted, and so well enclinde,
That as a Diamond in Gold transfixt
His vertues with his Greatnesse was so mixt,
That he as one of an immortall Race
Made Vertue vertuous, and gaue Grace to grace.
Then since his goodnes, was so generall,
The losse of him is Gen'rall vnto all:
This being true, let's recollect our spirits
And weigh his worth, with our vnworthy merits;
And then our frailties truly will confesse
God tooke him hence for our vnworthinesse:
Death was in Message from th'Almighty sent
To summon him to Heau'ns high Parlament,
He chang'd his Gracious Title transitorie,
And (by the grace of God) attain'd true Glory;
And as his King had his integritie;
So did the Commons share his Clemency,
Which was so pleasing to his Makers sight,
That Bounteously he did his life requite
That Lambe-like, mildely hence he tooke him sleeping,
To his Eternall euer-blessed keeping.
Thus as his name includes, so God is pleas'd
(From worldly sorrowes) VERTV IS WEL EAS'D.
No sicknesse or no phisicke made him languish,
He lay not long in heart-tormenting anguish,
But as Gods feare was planted in his brest,
So at his Rest, God tooke him to his Rest.
When like a good Tree, laden full of fruit,
Of Grace, of Vertue, Honour, and Repute:
Euen in his best estate, too good for Earth,
Then did his soule put on a second Birth.
And though his part of fraile mortality,
In Monumentall Marble here doth lie:
Yet thousands weeping soules, with deepe laments,
As his most wofull mourning Monuments,
I daily see, whose visages doe show
That He's inter'd within their hearts below;
Whose faces seemes an Epitaph to beare,
That men may Reade who is intombed there.

Me thinkes the Sable Mourners did appeare,
As if in forme they numbring Figures were;
As 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Whilst all that view'd, like Ciphers did combine
Their mourning with the Mourners to vnite,
Which made their Lamentations infinite.
And Infinite are now his Ioyes Aboue
With the Eternall God of peace and loue:
Where for a mortall Dukedome he hath wonne,
(Through boundlesse merits of th'Almighties Sonne)
A Kingdome that's immortall, where he sings
Perpetuall praise vnto the King of Kings.
Thus what the Earth surrendred, Heau'n hath seaz'd
Most blest LEWIS STEWARDE, UERTU IS WEL EAS'D.