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
|
Table of Contents for this work | | All on-line databases | Etext Center Homepage |
Martin Lluellyn
To The Kings Most Excellent Majesty.
24 May
Thomason dated his copy 24 May. The copy now in Bodley (O) is evidently an earlier, uncorrected state of the first printing, corrected at LT; both presumably precede the large paper folio. The Bodley copy repeats lines 41-42; while the later printing adds lines 45-46: other textual variants are reported.
Thursday 24 May was declared a day of thanksgiving; Charles had set out from Breda the day before and Monk had set out from London to meet him. In Cambridge, William Godman preached Filius Heroum, subsequently published with verses.
Lluelyn also wrote: An Elegie On the Death of the most Illustrious Prince, Henry Duke of Glocester (Oxford, Printed by Henry Hall Printer to the University, for Ric. Davies 1660), LT 1080(13*), date illegible.
Martin Lluelyn (1616-81) was born in London, went up from Westminister to Christs' Church Oxford in 1636. In 1643, he fought for the king in the rank of captin. With the collapse of the royalist cause, he took up the study of medicine and was admitted doctor of Physick in 1653 by the Oxford and the College of Physicians. At the Restoration he was made personal physician to the king, retiring to Great Wycombe in Buckinghamshire in 1664 to practice medicine (Woods 2: 528-59)
On the need to insist that chas was not restored by foreign agency, (lines 69ff) compare Higgons.
[ornament]
TO THE
KINGS
MOST EXCELLENT
MAJESTY.
1: GREAT Prince of Cares and Us, by dark Fates hurld,
2: Round each false Corner of the treach'rous World;
3: Our doubtfull Joyes and Sighs distracted be,
4: Whether We first Bewaile, or Welcome Thee.
5: Whose wandring Feet can scarce that Soil disclose,
6: Which hath not bred, or else increas'd Thy woes.
7: Or Thee, or Thine, each Nation did enfold.
8: So wide a Ruine no one Clime could hold.
9: At Home, were drawn to most extensive length,
10: The Shafts of all our Stratagems and Strength,
11: 'Gainst Thy soft Bosome; when, to cruell Times,
12: But to be born our Prince, was all Thy Crimes.
13: When such, whose hands were stain'd in Sacred Gore,
14: And must secure past Ills, by acting more;
15: By interchanged mischiefs graspe the State:
16: Not to Relieve the Pressures, but Translate.
17: Our weapon'd Guardians raise them, their arm'd hand,
18: Makes each their Image, our dread Idoll stand
19: And though their brain-sick eyes could hope to see,
20: No dawn of Cure, no Hellebore but Thee.
21: Thou that sole Anchor of a floating Rout,
22: Art still as Anchors are, alone cast out.
23: Abroad, thy griefs do their cold Friendships prove,
24: Who welcome now Thy Stay, strait Thy Remove.
25: It doth more greivous to a Guest befall,
26: To be Dislodg'd, then not Receiv'd at all.
27: If once a bold Usurper do pretend,
28: To thunder Menaces, or be their friend;
29: Thy fraile Allies, on Thy reception frown,
30: And a Confederate-Rebel weighs Thee down.
31: Thou must take wing afresh, a politick spight,
32: Makes Thee to flie, ev'n from Thy place of Flight.
33: O where have then Thy carefull dayes been spent,
34: Whose very Exile suffer'd Banishment!
35: But being now return'd our Numerous Prince,
36: By Birth, and Virtues first, by Sufferings356 since;
37: May Peace her Olive to Thy 357 Scepter bring,
38: And England know no Halcyon 358 but her King.
39: Thy Sacred Father in Thy memory weare
40: Piously firm, but not too sadly there.
41: No mean Unequall blood discount His Fate:
42: Let Veins despaire, Seas cannot expiate.359
43: May Loyall Breasts with unrevolting breath,
44: Attone Thy wrongs, and His 360 more clamorous death.
45: Live men Thy sacrifice; the slaughterd Foe
46: Is a Friend lost: Subjects take Vengeance so.361
47: Camillus thus his injuries brake through,
48: And came at once Romes blush, and Rescue too.362
49: No Crimson-guilty Streams, nor innocent gore,
50: Do tyde our Sea-tost Prince back to his Shore,363
51: What lingring time long wisht, but could not see,
52: Wrought by Thy martyr'd Sire, nor yet by Thee.
53: What Birth, nor Brains, Treasure, nor Force could do,
54: Our kind necessity hath rais'd Thee to.
55: And You attain your long disputed height,
56: A Glorious Conqueror without a Fight.364
57: But though our Tears confesse, and sign it true,
58: That our own streights and wrongs have righted You;
59: Yet do those forcing streights extort no more,
60: Then what our generall Groans implor'd before.
61: For though we shiver in a thousand Rents,
62: Of querulous Sects, and unappeas'd intents:
63: Yet in this one we center, and agree;
64: We still request a King, and that King, Thee.365
65: Come then and bind us up with tender hands,
66: O Thou the Balsome of these bleeding Lands.
67: Ore-look the false, by prospect 366 on the True;
68: And let the Many, expiate the Few.
69: Had You by Forreign Strengths regain'd Your Right,
70: You might at once Restore us, and Affright.
71: For Spanish Aides, had scarce the credit won,
72: Of Spanish Succours, but Invasion.
73: Your wisht Approach it self might so, amate,367
74: And Your Return had seem'd Our Eighty Eight.
75: Our hopes Restorer France did fear to be,
76: And Spain though Hospitable; was not He.
77: Renowned Monck alone to Us, and You;
78: Is France, and Spain, and these three Kingdoms too.
79: With what Amazement our lost Phansies burn,
80: At this Your 'nigmaticall Return,
81: Mysterious Prince! three Kingdoms long disdain,
82: And now their Jubilee; their Cure, and Pain.
83: Nor could the Issue lesse at length appear,
84: When we recount Your preservation here;
85: When at a Miracles expense, You show,
86: Whose Care You were, ev'n in Your Overthrow.
87: When Worc'sters hapless day proclaim'd it true,
88: That to Escape, was more then to Subdue.368
89: Success crowns Rebel-fame, Yours higher flies,
90: Nor are You Fortunes minion, but the Skies.
91: When Tarquin had receiv'd his exil'd Fate,
92: Not Porsena his Royal 369 Advocate,
93: Nor potent Armes his Restoration shape;
94: Oppos'd by his own Pride, and Lucrece Rape.
95: His Armies, are by Armies overcome.
96: And Porsena's grave Legats reason'd home:
97: In Fights or Parlyes still they disagree;
98: He strugling to be King, Rome to be Free.
99: How different are these Sames! Your exiles friend,
100: Princes nor Aides, nor Intercessors send.
101: You use no Advocate, but mild Delay:
102: And we no Freedome find, but to Obey.
103: After Your tyring Exile, we disclose,
104: You do Return the Prince we did Expose:
105: And in Your tempted Pilgrimage, we find,
106: That you have chang'd your Aire, but not your Mind,
107: While to their Wants, or Weakness, most become
108: Tame Proselytes, and to Impatience some,
109: Thy breast was proof 'gainst all, &rais'd Thee Powers,
110: To stand our Faiths Defender, when scarce Ours.
111: No soft perswasive Errors bright Array,
112: Nor rugged stormy Usage, could dismay
113: Your fixt Resolves. You still your own sure Prince!
114: Whom Wants did oft Distress, but ne'r Convince.
115: And though Thy coole Revolt might soon have lead,
116: Thy Ravisht Crowns to Thy Rejected head.
117: Those beckning Gems want Lustre to allure,
118: Nor seem'd it great to Raign, but to Endure.370
119: And now, though to be King is dignity,
120: Next Heavens transcendent Charter, great and high,
121: Yet some, in Forraign Empires seem Thy Peer,
122: And justly challenge Kingdoms, as Thou371 here.
123: Others Usurpe, their panting Nations Lords,
124: And carve out guilty Scepters with their Swords.
125: And though Injustice difference their Claim,
126: Yet All are Kings, and therein are the same.
127: But by a madding People chas'd away,
128: And mad again, till they restore Thy sway.
129: Woed to a Crown, and Courted to a Throne,
130: There You are Prince; there You are King alone.
131: Let more Imperious Potentates rejoyce,
132: To be their Subjects Soveraigns, Thou their Choice.
MARTIN LLUELYN
372
M. D. Lond. socius.
373
Sufferings] LT, OW, WF; sufferings L
Thy] LT, OW, WF; thy L
Halcyon] LT, OW, F; Halcyon L
Lines 41-42 are repeated from the bottom of p. 4 at the top of p. 5 in O, OW.
His] LT, OW, WF; his L
Lines 45-46 missing from LT, O, OB, OW, WF; supplied here from the large-paper folio in L.
gap in LT; gap missing O, L, OW
Shore,] LT, OW, WF etc; Shore; L
gap missing O, L, OW; present WF
Compare Dryden
prospect] LT, OW, WF; Prospect L
OED: dismay, daunt, dishearten.
lines 85-88 underlined in OB
Royal] LT, O, OW, WF; Royall OB, L
lines 117-118 underlined in OB
Thou] LT, OB, OW, WF; You O, L
MARTIN LLUELYN] LT, OB, L, WF; MARTIN LLUELYN M. D. O, OW
M. D. Lond. socius.] L, LT, OB, WF; Coll. Lond. socius. O, OW
[ornamental header] TO HIS HIGHNESSE THE DUKE OF YORKE. Heroick Prince,374
YOUR bright Return doth equall glories reare,
To what You still return a Conquerer.
Nor hath your Sword abroad more Terrors won,
Then Your Renown hath purchas'd375 hearts at home.
5: Hence You create like cheerfull comforts here,
As when you did with safety Disappeare.
And ballance Times aright, the Blisse is one,
To travaile Home, and be securely Gon.
This only difference we must avow,
10: That what were then but Joyes, are Triumphs now.
Fear in our hearts, kept our Expressions low;
And though we did Rejoyce, we durst not Show.
Our Joyes are now no Stealths, but open clad;
Without the Felony of being Glad.
15: And what can check our Joys376? who receive
A Prince, whose losse forsaken Nations greive.
Whose Vigour, now, shall Spanish Caution warm?
And spirit grave Approach, into a Storme.
Thy Poize, must temper French Excesse no more:
20: Nor form that Valour, which was Rage before.
These adverse Camps, had each the bless'd event,
To heal Defects, by Thee their Supplement.
From whose divided Prowess either gains:
The Pondering learns Careere; the Giddie, Rains.
25: Each thus improv'd, a Peace must needs ensue.
Contest is vain, where Neither can Subdue.
MARTIN LLUELYN
M. D. Coll. Lond. socius.
Heroick Prince] L; om LT, O. OB, OW, WF
purchas'd] LT, O, OB, OW, WF; Conquer'd L
Joys?] LT, O, OB; Jo's L, OW, WF
[ornamental header]
TO HIS HIGHNESSE
THE
DUKE
OF
GLOCESTER.
Illustrious Prince,
1: THough, midst Your Countries flames You fled exil'd,
2: Like young Telemachus, a Frighted Child.
3: By soft Distinctions yet Thy flight's allay'd,
4: Nor wert Thou Forc't an Exile, but Convey'd.
5: The Courteous Tyrant will Thy harmes prevent,
6: And bids Thee to be safe in Banishment.
7: The glozing Crocodile doth fawn, and slay,
8: As he markt Thee 378 his Pilgrim, not his Prey.
9: Guids to Your youth, and Wayes, are joyntly lent,
10: You are for Amicable Ruine meant.
11: Dire Monster! thus to aggravate Thy wrongs,
12: Like Sirens; by the Musick of his Songs.
13: This Friendship, yet, from that fierce Tyger won,
14: Well may You aske; what 379 mischief have I done?
15: And rack Your crystal Innocence, to prove,
16: What Crime in You, commends You to his Love.
17: Dismiss that scrutiny: if he forbears,
18: 'Tis not his Kindnesse, but his Surfeit spares.
MARTIN LLUELYN M. D. Lond. socius.
Thee] LT, OW, WF; thee L
what] LT, OW, WF; What L
FINIS.