---

Great Gorge, and art thou gonne?

t’were childishe for a man to moane

for one soe well departed.

thou hast thy cuntryes free good wille

although it’s plaine, thou livinge still

5

to her was hollowe harted.

I will not slander one that’s dead

to saye that Buckinghame is fledd

to any place off reste,

Or that hees in cælestiall sleepe

10

or Christians true for him doe weepe

or holy crosse him bleste,

Yett I am sure hele ryse againe,

I will not saye to eternall paine

which he soe well deserved.

15

Coulde not the reliquices1 off his Lambe2

or his owne deere Idolatrous Damme3

From Felton him preserve.

But I will leave this censure free

to any that will Judge for mee

20

how god hath him disposed;

I am pleased; he lived and dyed moungst French4

he wanted but a Madride wench5

his eyes, for to have closed.

---

Source. CCRO MS CR 63/2/19, fol. 69r

Pi23

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here P0. Introduction Pi1. lett Charles & george Pi2. Sith number with thy Pi3. Thy numerous name Pi4. Anagram of George Pi5. A yere of wonder Pi6. The Shepheards struck Pi7. Thus Buck-in-game Pi8. England was sick Pi9. Lord, what are wee Pi10. Beehold this Obsequie Pi11. This little Grave Pi12. The pale horse Pi13. Here lies Leachery Pi14. Here lyes great George Pi15. Great Buckingham’s Pi16. Pride lies heere Pi17. Fortunes darling Pi18. Heere lies a gratious Pi19. Had our great duke Pi20. Great potent Duke Pi21. And art thou dead! Pi22. Pale death, with Iron Pi23. Great Gorge, and art Pi24. Thou that on topp Pi25. What once was said Pi26. If good mens graces Pi27. Great Duke, which art Pi28. At Portsmouth Duke Pi29. Make haste I pray Pi30. No sooner had the Pi31. Great Duke, Although Pi32. Away, away, great George Pi33. My honour, favour, life Pi34. I that my countrey Pi35. Mother / My humble Pi36. The Argument is cold Pi37. Ye gastly Spiritts Pii1. Anagram on John Felton Pii2. Anagram on John Felton Pii3. Felton, awake Pii4. The heavens approve Pii5. Some say the Duke Pii6. The Duke is dead Pii7. Why: is our Age Pii8. Immortall Man of glorie Pii9. I mmortal man of glory Pii10. Enjoy thy Bondage Pii11. Sir, I your servant Pii12. You auntient Lawes Pii13. Feare not brave Pii14. Sorrow and Joy Pii15. Heere uninterr’d Pii16. Here uninterd suspends Pii17. Wants hee a grave Pii18. Is Felton dead? Pii19. Here Lyes the bonnes Pii20. Awake, sad Brittaine Piii1. M alignant characters Piii2. Heere lyes the best Piii3. Dearling off Kings Piii4. You braveing spiritts Piii5. I did not flatter thee Piii6. Yee snarling Satyrs Piii7. Heere lyes thy Urne Piii8. Sooner I may some Piii9. Yet weere Bidentalls Piii10. Reader stand still Piii11. Our countrie Merry Piii12. Honor, worth, greatnes Piii13. What! shall I say now Piii14. Who ever lov’d man Piii15. When Poets use to Piii16. Might Teares Revive Piii17. Death come thy selfe Piii18. Hee that can reade Piii19. Nourishd with sighs Piii20. When in the brazen Piii21. Reader when these Piii22. Noe Poets triviall rage

¹   reliquices: the relics of saints, and thus objects of specifically “popish” veneration. <back>

²   Lambe: Dr. John Lambe, astrologer-physician, convicted witch and presumed associate of Buckingham. <back>

³   own deere Idolatrous Damme: Buckingham’s mother (“Damme”), Mary Compton, Countess of Buckingham, was a known Catholic convert and thus, in Protestant eyes, “Idolatrous”. <back>

⁴   he lived and dyed moungst French: although this line refers generally to Buckingham’s moral foreignness, it may also allude specifically to his travels in France as a young man and during his court ascendancy, his military expedition to France in 1627, and to the fact that in the room with him when he was assassinated were several prominent Huguenots, there to consult with Buckingham about the relief of La Rochelle. The “french” was also common slang for syphilis. <back>

⁵   Madride wench: like the similar allusion to the “Madrille wench” in “Oure crossrow’s turnd, a signe off monstrous luck” (like this poem, only found in William Davenport’s collection), this seems to refer to Buckingham’s alleged sexual adventures in Madrid in 1623. <back>