---

“Petitio”

Looke, and lament, behould a face of Earth,

In bewtie heavenly, great in place, & birth.

Nor is her soule in bewtie less excellinge,

In whome soe manie Vertues have their dwellinge.

Much Noble Nature, Bewtie, Charitie,

5

Much in goodnes, witt, and pietie,

Nor is the fayrest peece without a staine,

In fayrest peeces spotts appeare most plaine.

Sence of dishonour, in best myndes most stronge,

Made her desire, t’avenge soe vile a wronge1

10

By meanes unlawfull, which have given offence,

To Lawe, to God, to Kinge; In recompence

of one Soule lost, the Lawe hath taken fowre,2

And this hath suffer’d much by Legall Powre.

God doth shew mercie for the fowlest thinge

15

to penitents.3 Doe thou soe Mightie Kinge.

“Respontio”

It’s strange to se a face soe highe in birth,

And heavenly, to converse soe much with earth,

Naye more with hell; her soule noe less excellinge

In what? In Vice where all these had their dwellinge.

Much brybinge, broakinge, Pride, & Infamie,

5

Much of her Mother,4 new adulterie,

This ugly soule hath yet a fouler staine;

Though in foule soules, greate synns appeare least plaine.

Murther a Cryinge sin, in her more stronge,

for drawinge bosome frends,5 into the wronge.

10

Then blame not God, nor kinge to take offence,

Nor yet our Lawes to take in recompence.

For owne6 soule lost, soe lost, wer’t foure tymes foure,

And this of all deserves strickt Legall power.

The Livinge Lorde still suffers in this thinge

15

Were’t but for that. Proceede in Justice Kinge.

---

Source. BL Add. MS 25707, fol. 46r

Other known sources. CUL Add. MS 29, fol. 18r

H20

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here H0. Introduction H1. There was an ould H2. In England there lives H3. From Roberts coach H4. Robbin of Essex H5. A page, a knight H6. Heere lyes hee H7. When Carr in Court H8. The Sommers sun H9. I.C.U.R H10. Poore Pilote thou hast H11. The wealth he gott H12. Why how now Robine H13. From Car a Carter H14. Dazal’d thus with hight H15. If ever woe possest H16. A bird ill hatchd H17. She with whom troops H18. from Cathernes docke H19. Me thinks I see H20. Looke, and lament H21. Libellous Anagram H22. Anagram on H23. Sir you are one H24. Once dead and twice H25. Hadst thou lik other H26. Hesperides, within whose H27. The house of the Howards H28. Here under lyes

¹   Sence of...wronge: the argument here is that Overbury’s bitter attacks on Frances Howard wounded her honour and inspired her to kill him to avenge the insult. <back>

²   the Lawe...fowre: by May 1616, four conspirators had been hanged for their parts in Overbury’s murder: Richard Weston, Anne Turner, Sir Gervase Elwes and James Franklin. <back>

³   penitents: Frances Howard was the only one of the accused murderers to confess her guilt and show penitence during her trial. <back>

⁴   Mother: Catherine Howard, Countess of Suffolk, widely scorned as a woman of ill-repute, and rumoured to have been the mistress of Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury. <back>

⁵   bosome frends: presumably an allusion to Frances Howard’s confidante, Anne Turner, who was hanged for her part in the murder conspiracy. <back>

⁶   owne: one. <back>