I cannot keep my purpose, but must give Sorrow and Verse their way; nor will I grieve Longer in silence; no, that poor, poor part Of natures legacy, Verse void of Art, And undissembled teares, CARTWRIGHT shall have Fixt on his Hearse; and wept into his grave. Muses I need you not; for, Grief and I Can in your absence weave an Elegy: Which we will do; and often inter-weave Sad Looks, and Sighs; the ground-work must receive Such Characters, or be adjudg'd unfit For my Friends shroud; others have shew'd their Wit, Learning, and Language fitly; for these be Debts due to his great Merits: but for me, My aymes are like my self, humble and low, Too mean to speak his praise, too mean to show The World what it hath lost in losing thee, Whose Words and Deeds were perfect Harmony. But now 'tis lost; lost in the silent Grave, Lost to us Mortals, lost, 'till we shall have Admission to that Kingdom, where He sings Harmonious Anthems to the King of Kings. Sing on blest Soul! be as thou wast below, A more than common instrument to show Thy Makers praise; sing on, whilst I lament Thy loss, and court a holy discontent, With such pure thoughts as thine, to dwell with me, Then I may hope to live, and dye like thee, To live belov'd, dye mourn'd, thus in my grave; Blessings that Kings have wish'd, but cannot have. IZ. WA. * * * * * PREFACE TO SIR JOHN SKEFFINGTON'S HEROE OF LORENZO. 1652. [The Heroe, of Lorenzo, or, The way to Eminencie and Perfection. A piece of serious Spanish wit Originally in that language written, and in English. By Sir John Skeffington, Kt. and Barronet. London, printed for John Martin and James Allestrye at the Bell in St Pauls Church-yard. 1652.] _Let this be told the Reader_, That Sir _John Skeffington_ (one of his late Majesties servants, and a stranger to no language of _Christendom_) did about 40 years now past, bring this Hero out of Spain into England. There they two kept company together 'till about 12 months now past: and then, in a retyrement of that learned knights (by reason of a sequestration for his masters cause) a friend coming to visit him, they fell accidentally into a discourse of the _wit_ and _galantry_ of the _Spanish Nation_.