MacLean, Gerald, editor. The Return of the King : An Anthology of English Poems Commemorating the Restoration
of Charles II / edited by Gerald MacLean
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
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Thomas Forde
"Upon His Sacred Majesty";
in
Virtus Rediviva
October
Titlepage: Virtus Rediviva / A Panegyrick / On our late / King CHARLES the I. &c / of ever blessed Memory. / ATTENDED, / With severall other Pieces from the / same PEN. / Viz.[bracketing I-IV] / I. A Theatre of Wits: Being a Col-/ lection of APOTHEGMS. / II. Fo/enestr... in Pectore: or a Century of / Familiar LETTERS. / III. Loves Labyrinth: a Tragi-comedy. / IV. Fragmenta Poetica: Or Poeticall / Diversions. / Concluding, with / A PANEGYRICK on His / Sacred Majesties most happy / Return. / [rule] / by T. F. / [rule] / Varietas delectat. / [rule] / Printed by R. & W. Leybourn, for William Gran-/ tham, at the Sign of the Black Bear in St. Pauls / Church-yard neer the little North door; / and Thomas Basset, in St. Dunstans Church-/ yard / in Fleet-street. 1660. / [ruled box]
A series of secondary titlepages then appear: the first of which is usually present in all copies of the 1661 "edition": VIRTUS REDIVIVA: / OR, A / PANEGYRICK / On the late / K. Charls the I. / Second Monarch / OF / GREAT BRITAIN / [rule] / By THO. FORDE. / [rule] / Honoris, Amoris, Doloris ergo. / Propositum est mihi Principem Laudare non Principis facta, nam / laudabilia multa etiam mali faciunt. Plin. Panegyric. in Trajan. [rule] / [design: rose, thistle, fleur-de-lys, harp] / LONDON, Printed by R. and W. Leybourn, for William / Grantham at the Black Bear in St. Pauls / Church-yard, neer the little / North Door. 1660.
Continuous signatures through the volume lead to the section titlepage which reads:
Fragmenta Poetica: / OR, / Poetical Diversions. / WITH / A PANEGYRICK / UPON HIS /SACRED MAJESTIE'S / Most happy Return, on the / 29. May, 1660. / [rule] / By THO. FORDE, Philothal. / [rule] / LONDON, / Printed by R. and W. Leybourn, for William / Grantham, and are to be sold at the Signe / of the Black Bear in St. Pauls / Church-yard. 1660.
The Folger Library copy at WF 138401 contains frontispiece portrait of C1; "Printed by R. and W. Leybourn, for William Grantham at the Black Bear in St. Pauls Church-yard, neer the little North Door." Fragmenta Poetica is missing from this copy, which collates: tp-A4, pp. 1-27 (sigs A-C3), + C3-[D2]; unpaginated pages give: Oweni Epigr. in Regicidas (C3v), An Elegie on Charls the First, &c. (C4-[D1]), An Anniversary on Charls the First, &c. 1657 ([D1-D1v]), Second Anniversary on Charls the First, 1658 [signed T. F.] ([D2-D2v]). A manuscript version of the first twenty lines at O=Eng poet e.4(167) is dated "1672."
Thomas Forde is not to be confused with the Devonian puritan divine of the same name, but there is no entry for our Forde in Woods or the DNB entry: Who was Thomas Forde???
other works include:
Lusus Fortunae: The Play of Fortune. Printed for R. L. 1649. LT E.1348(1) full title in RESTLIST; 7/96 -- a small 8to with pious meditations.
BUT The Time's anatomiz'd in severall Characters. By T. F[ord, servant to Mr. Sam. Man.] London: Printed for W. L. 1647. The insertion is adopted from the ms interlineation in the LT copy; Hazlitt, Handbook p. 208. -- this is the other Thomas Ford, the Devonian puritan divine.
Hazlitt and the NCBEL suggest that the brs Panegyrick signed "T. F." (cf file: FLAT) is by Ford, not Flatman: who said it was by Flatman?? Wing lists this as Flatman.
The various reprintings of Forde's works during 1660, suggest that he was at some pains to make a name for himself as a writer.
Forde dwells on the sufferings of the English during Charles's exile while blaming the parliamentary leaders. He praises Charles for being forgiving rather than vengeful.
[ornamental header]
Upon His Sacred Majesties
most happy Return, on the
29th. of May 1660.
AWake dull Muse, the Sun appeares,
Open thine eyes, and dry thy teares:
The Clouds disperse, and Sable night
Resignes to Charles his conquering light
5: Batts, Owles, and Night-birds flie away,
Chac'd by the beames of this bright day.
A day design'd by Destinie,
Famous to all Posteritie.
First for the birth of Charles, and now
10: 'Tis His Three Kingdoms Birth-day too,
Wee mov'd before, but knew not how,
We could not say we liv'd, till now.
Like Flies in Winter, so lay we,
In a dull, senceless Lethargie.
15: Toucht by his healing beames, we live,
His Presence 1 a new life doth give.
Each loyall heart strook by his Rayes,
Is fill'd with gratitude and praise.
Those Phaoetons who had got the Raine, 2
20: And needs would guide great Charles his Waine;
Have found their Folly in their Fate;
And Pho/ebus now assumes his State.
The Trees who chose a woodden King,
To be their shade and covering:
25: Whilst they injuriously decline
The fruitful Olive and the Vine
Consuming fire from the Bramble came;
They read their Folly by the Flame.
True Emblems of our giddy age,
30: Not rul'd by Reason, but by Rage:
The tayle would quarrel with the Head,
And no longer would be Led:
Th'inferiour Members soon give way,
And the Tayle must bear the sway,
35: Blind as it was, (to our 3 misery)
With many a Sting, but never an Eye.
Then were we drag'd through mire & stones,
Which bruisd our flesh, and brake our bones,
Our feet and Legs foundred and lame,
40: We saw our Folly in our Shame.
We praid, but no releif could find,
The Tayle was Deaf, as well as Blind:
Drums, Trumpets, Pulpits with their sound,
All our intreaties did confound;
45: Till pittying Heaven heard our cry,
And God vouchsafes, what men deny.
After a twelve years suffering,
Just Heaven Proclaims Great Charles our King:
Free (like Ulisses) from the harms
50: Of Forreign Syrens tempting charmes.
And now our Joyfull Land doth ring,
With I" P'an's to our King:
All England seemd One bonfire, Night
Seem'd to contend with Day for light.
55: For Bells our Kingdome hath been fam'd,
And the Ringing-Island nam'd:
More truly now, when every Bell
Aloud the joyful news doth tell.
That Charles is landed once again,
60: With Peace, and Plenty, in his Train.
No more shall brother brother kill,
Nor sonnes the blood of fathers spill:
No more shall Mars & Madness rage,
Peace shall bring back the Golden-age.
65: No more shall Loyalty be Treason,
Errour truth, and non-sence reason;
Nor will we sell our Liberty,
For a too-dear bought Slavery.
No more shall Sacriledge invade
70: The Church, nor Faction make a trade
Of Holy things; nor Gospel be
Lost in a law-less liberty.
No more hope we to see the time
When to be innocent's a crime.
75: No more, no more shall armed might
Though Wrong'd, o'recome the weaker Right.
Now shall all jarring discords be
Drown'd in the pleasing Harmony
Of peacefull lawes, whose stiller voice
80: Shall charme the Drum & Trumpets noise,
The Church shall be Triumphant, more
Than it was Militant before.
The withered Lawrell, and the Bayes
Revive to crown our happy dayes
85: These, and all other blessings we
Great and Good Charles, Expect from thee:
Whose Vertues were enough alone,
To give Thee Title to the Crown.
You Conquered without Arms, Your Words
90: Win hearts, better than others Swords.
Pardons are Your revenges, we
Joy in Your Boundless Victory.
What others use to do with blowes,
You by Forgiving kill your foes:
95: Your mercy doth your Sword reprieve,
And for their faults, You most do grieve.
Your Martyr'd Fathers charity
(His last and greatest Legacy)
You most do prize. Could we but tread
100: That pace of virtue which you lead,
How quickly should we all agree,
To live in Love and Loyalty!
Whilst others their rich Presents bring,
All I can give's GOD SAVE THE KING.
FINIS
[1] Presence] Ptesence
[2] Compare Fairebrother's description of Parliament as Phaeton.
[3] was, (to our] was,,('to ur ä