EPITAPH

ON THE MONUMENT OF MR. HENRY BRIGHT, IN WORCESTER CATHEDRAL,

Composed by Doctor Jos. HALL, then Dean of Worcester.

Mane, Hospes, & lege.
Magister HENRICUS BRIGHT,
celeberrimus Gymnasiarcha,
qui Scholæ Regiæ istic fundatæ
per totos Qudraginta Annos summâ cum
laude præfuit:

Quo non alter magis sedulus fuit scitusve aut dexter in Latinis, Græcis, Hebraicis,

Literis feliciter edocendis :

Teste utrâque Academiâ, quam instruxit affatim numerosâ pube literariâ:

Sed et totidem annis eoque amplius Theologiam

professus,

et hujus Ecclesiæ per septemnium Canonicus major, Sæpissime hic & alibi sacrum Dei Præconem magno cum zelo & fructu egit:

Vir pius, doctus, integer, frugi, de Republicâ
deque Ecclesia optimè meritus,

à laboribus perdiu

pernoctuque ab anno 1562 ad 1626,

strenuè usque extant latis, 4to Martii suaviter requievit in Domino.

* See Fuller's Worthies of England in Worcestershire.

ANGELUS E CELO AD ANGELUM ECCLESIÆ N. AD COELUM TRANSEUNTEM.

AVE Pater Sancte,

Gratis dilecte, gratiâ jam plene,
Dominus tecum, túq; cum Domino,
Semper fuit, semper es futurus.

Benedictus tu inter viros, inter angelos..

Proso-metrica.

En age, ociùs hanc nostram ascendas alam,
Simulq; ascendamus hanc scalam savoμana:
Quin et properare jussit expectans Dominus,
Idémq; cupiunt conservi omnes,
Gestientes videre, aventes exosculari.
Uterq; te manet gratulabundus Adamus
Et qui perdidit, et qui servavit.

Jamjam aperuit sinum,

Fidus Fidorum Pater Abraham:

Brachiisq; extensis adstat Parallelus Israel,
Cum charissimo filio cognomine Josepho.
Fratrésq; omnes in amplexum ruituri.

Quid moraris, quid miraris

Lumina hæc pervia?

Quid Lunam argenteam noctis reginam?
Quid aureum solem diei regem ?

In sidera errantia quid errant oculi?

In fixa quid figis Lumina?

In Ascensu.

Quorsum (post solem) duodena signa pervagaris?

Non est hoc veri nominis, nec numinis Ceelum
Non hæc aula Jovis 'Αρισομεγις8 :

Sed ejusdem camerata cella.

Nec sunt hæc lumina verè coelestia
Sed umbra luminum super-coelestium.

Attolle oculos, aspice justitiæ solem,
Suo jam culminantem
Fixo æternoq. meridie.
Hujusq; radiis gloriâ plenam,
Formosam lunam verè lucinam,
Scilicet quæ peperit lucem parentem.
Ecce Patriarcharum bis sena signa
Totidemq; Apostolorum antitypum Senatum.
Ecce Saturnum grandævum Adamum :
Jovemq; legiferum Mosen:
Martem, bellicosum Josuam :

Eliam, Mercurium, post coelica peracta jussa
Ad coelum impigrè revolantem.
Ecce Hesperum solis præcursorem
Johannem Baptistam.

Ecce Pleiades Empyreos,

Septem Fratres, stellas Asiaticas :

Ecce agmina minorum syderum,
Variantis magnitudinis,

Omnia tibi lucem præbent Venturo.

Adjunge latus debito choro,

Auge destinatam constellationem,

Sed primum, coeli amicus, induas amictum coelestem.

Hanc scilicet gloriæ albam,

Pro terreâ direptâ pallâ ;

Illam victricem palmam,
Pro extorto pastorali pedo:
Istam coronam sideream,

Pro tenui decussâ cydari.

Vide Arborem vitæ de quâ toties legisti,

Hujus nunc fructum legas,

Et æternum vivas.

J.W. M.A.

UPON THE MUCH-LAMENTED DEATH OF THE

REV. FATHER JOSEPH, LATE LORD
BISHOP OF NORWICH.

OUR Father dead? can any dumb-born son
Forbear to cry, Die, and we are undone?
Ah! could our cries his flying ghost recall,
"T had soon returned to its wonted stall:

But since

From hence

It must; blow high our deep-fetch'd sighs, and land
This high-priz'd treasure on the heav'nly strand.
That's all we can, for without his own skill
Of tongue and fancy, can't the briskest quill

His worth

Set forth,

Yet cry we must, and though in uncouth tones,
And dreary accents of confused groans,
Tell the mis-deeming world-

What rich embroidery of wit and grace,
Like sparkling diamonds set in golden case,
Like the pure white and red, in beauty's cheek,
With sweet contention that precedence seek,

Possest

That breast.

How sweet a dresse of smiling gravity
Sate on that reverend brow; how solidly
Fraughted with Gospel treasure at its home,
That soul's arriv'd like ship from Indies come.
See in that mind a land-skip of all graces
Pourtray'd to life, rank'd in their proper places.

Here love and peace imbrace, there meekness, sanctity:
Below at distance sits humility;

See yonder charity, with arms expanded,
With tender bowels open-handed;

There patience stoops, and bends her shoulders low
To bear that load the unworthy world will throw
On wronged innocence. Then tap'ring to the sky
You'l see pure zeal, devotion, piety.

All these unfucus'd, candid, and serene;
Not like the modern garb, to serve the scene
Of ends and interests; mere pageantry,
To gull such souls as see with half an eye.
Such stales of vertue's, but a saint-like cheat,
Glasse to his chrystal, glowworms to his heat.
Was ever soul ravish'd in meditation,

Wound up on high in contemplation

Divine,

Like thine?

Such know the beating of thy pulse whose traffick

Was wholly so cherubick and seraphick,
That it evince, 'tis not hæretical

To say, angels may be corporeal.
His holy life, a silent check to all
The rout of vices, was: his

pen

the maul

Of sects

And smects.

His name did more perfume the church,

than

gum

Of Stacte, Onycha, and Galbanum
Did Moses' sacred tent; and certainly

Whilst Hall's remembered, Bishop cannot die.
And that will be, till books shall be calcin'd,
With the elements above; and all refin'd,
At the last conflagration-

*

Learned Armagh to honour this his day,
His Usher was, and heaven-ward led the way.
When aged Durham † shall remove his station,
How great, how glorious a Constellation

* Abp. Usher. + Bp. Morton.