THE DOWNFALL OF GREATNESS. For the loss of GOODNESS.  
A POEM: OR, A short Survey of Thomas Lord Wentworth, Late Earl of Strafford, Lord Lieutenant General of His Majesty's Army, General Governor, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Precedent of the Council established in the North parts of England, and of the County and City of York, one of His Majesty's most honourable Privy Council, and Knight of the Noble Order of the Garter.  
His History, and Tragedy: Who was accused, and impeached of high Treason, arraigned, found guilty, condemned, and beheaded on Tower-hill, May 12. 1641.   portrait of Thomas Wentworth 1593-1641) first Earl of Strafford and Lord Deputy of Ireland 
Printed in the Year, 1641.   

THE DOWNFALL OF GREATNESS FOR THE LOSS OF GOODNESS.  

IN this (as in a mirror) you may see  
Wentworth, want worth, his life and tragedy,  
He was a Peer, once Pillar of this Land,  
Who a whole Kingdom had at his command;  
Indeed, What had he not? The confluence  
Of all things make men happy, Eminence  
'Bove others, Learning, Knowledge, Eloquence,  
The favour of his Prince, familiarity  
With his Pe●res; he had volubility  
Of his tongue, with the strength of memory,  
Honours, offices, wealth, and potency.  
He wa● a man of admirable parts,  
Expert and skilful both in arms and arts;  
Soldier, and Scholar, able to compare  
With Ajax, or Ulysses, for his rare  
Perfections; a grand Counsellor of State;  
Counsel might make him see, not shun his Fate.  
This great man's execution long expected,  
Did come at last, and quickly was effected;  
So mortal was his life, that daring death  
Deprived him at one stroke of vital breath.  
Why then, hail death! Lord of the land of clay!  
Emperor of Churchyards, King of Golgotha!  
Seeing neither Arms, nor Arts, nor Caesar's smile  
(Whose glorious beams do bless this British Isle)  
Can guard him from deaths fatal blow; fix this  
Oh Truth, in every Statists soul, All bliss  
Borrowed from breath is transient: even as boys  
With Cards build Castles, so titles are but toys,  
Erected, and straight ruined with a breath;  
But virtue survives Marble, Time, and Death.  
Honour's are bubbles, Phantasms that delude  
Dull souls: by them stout Strafford was subdued.  
His haughty mind aspiring got a fall  
So ponderous, that it caused his funeral.  
Unfortunate he was from's Mother's womb,  
And so continued hath unto his Tomb.  
Some are slain by ambition, some by lust;  
He like a stone was cut in his own dust.  
His Rule in Ireland' its well known to all,  
Was potent, tyrannous, and tragical.  
His life was a sad play, his Mother's Womb  
From which he ent'rd, was the Tyring-Roome;  
Wherein with Nature's gifts he was so dressed,  
That he had acted well, he had been blest  
To all Eternity; happy had he been,  
Had he considered but the stipend of sin,  
And called himself t'account his unto Master.  
H'had not then met with any such disaster.  
But wretched man himself of's self bereaves,  
And like a silkworm his own sorrow weaves.  
So inconsiderate and stupid, that he  
Seldom prevents his future misery,  
Careless and dreadless, it was his malignant Fate  
Instead of love, t'incur the people's hate,  
That hastened his death. May his example prove,  
There is no happiness on earth like love.  
May it warn great men, who are high in blood,  
To be as'ith ' State great, so in mind good;  
And may it be a caveat unto all  
That stand, to take heed lest like him they fall.  
Oh, what is glory? or the life of man?  
Much like a vapour, far less than a span.  
What's th' Earth's pomp? a ship of vanity,  
In which man sails through a Sea of misery;  
And never is in happiness, or rest,  
Till he land at Heaven's haven, that Port blest.  
He that does well, and's constant, he shall find  
Peace in his conscience, comfort in his mind.  
He that does ill, Let him remember this,  
There is a thing called direful Nemesis.  
judgement (though slow) is sure; And honours flood  
Ebbs into air, when man is great, not good.  
View it in him, whose splendour was we see  
A well writ Prologue to his Tragedy.    

A POSTSCRIPT TO THE PRECEDENT POEM.  
THe fairest Prospect unto honour lies from the hill of virtue, and the best way to happiness, is in the high road of holiness. He that lives well, cannot die ill; And 'tis not what a man has, but what he is, that makes him shine an eminent star in the Sphere of the State.  
Stemmata nil faciunt, as the Poet accutely; & nobilitas sola est atque unica virtus, 'tis only virtue which is the truest Nobility, and that which makes man r●ally noble. Hence it is, that Nobilitas parta is fare better than Nobilitas parta, to be borne great, and to live sordid, is ignominious and wretched; but merit, and the nob●e actions of the mind fare transcend the generosity of high-born progenitors. Hinc illae Lachrimae that from a pure fountain should spring a foul stream; from a good root a bad branch, 'tis much ●o be deplored. So true it is that the princely Prophet, Man being in honour, hath no understanding, but is like the Beasts that perish. 'tis verified in the subject of this discourse. Honos to him was Onus, his preferment his perdition, his pomp was his pain, and his rising his ruin, The higher he was, the heavier was his fall: with Phaeton he soared too high, and with him aiming at the Sun's Sphere, to be mounted in Charles wain; from the altitude and utmost pitch of Majesty, he fell to the profundity, extremity, and abyss of misery. Had h● been holy as he was honourable, righteous as rich, pious as politic and as prudent for the Sta●e, as he was pestilent to the State, he had been the grace of his Country, the glory of his age, and a mirror of succeeding generations, to his eternal fame; had he been what he was not, he had never arrived to such a sad disaster as he did.  
He was a man of admirable abilities; Eloquence, Learning, Courage and valour were his servants to command; all which he might have employed to the glory of God, the honour of his Majesty, the good and benefit of the Church and Commonwealth; but he perverted those good endowments, which nature and the God of nature was pleased liberally to confer upon him, and employed them to his own ends, for the effecting and accomplishing of his heinous do, and facinorous designs.  
His capital crimes were Ambition, Pride, Injustice, Cruelty, and Treachery, Cum multis aliis, which for brevity sake I omit. He endeavoured to subvert the Laws, the ancient and fundamental Laws and Government of the King's Realms of England and Ireland. And whereas he alleged at his trial in Westminster Hall, that he never introduced an arbitrary and tyrannical Government, although he hath not effected it, (God be thanked, being prevented) yet he intended it. He exercised tyrannous and exorbitant power above and against the Laws, over the liberty, states and lives of his Majesty's subjects. He was the firebrand and incendiary of the wars between the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland.  
The better to preserve him and his confederates, he laboured (as much as in him lay) to dissolve Parliaments, and to subvert the rights, liberties, and privileges of Parliaments, and the ancient course of Parliamentary proceed. He who was under the Law did assume to himself a power above Law, yea without and against Law. He was a terror to the City, and an eyesore to the Country; his look was grim, his anger intolerable, his rage implacable. He was tyranny in the Abstract; without any bowels of compassion. How many honest men did he cause to be committed? compelling the great Council of the Kingdom of Ireland to condescend to his commands; trampling on the Peers, oppressing his Mejesties' subjects, and insulting over people of all ranks, quality, and condition whatsoever. When he was first sent into Ireland with commission and authority, it was not long after, but he pursued his intents, and produced them into acts. Such horrid offences and nefarious crimes did he perpetrate and commit, of so exorbitant and transcendent a nature, that they indang'rd a general insurrection against Majesty itself. To contract what I might protract, He attempted at one blow the ruin of the three Kingdoms, and their posterity, to bring them into perpetual captivity, which is treason, and in the highest degree. These were his plots and projects, these were his crimes and offences. For which by the high and honourable Court of Parliament, he was convicted, and condemned to suffer death, in the place and on the day before mentioned.  
jam illum premit nox, The Sun of his Summer's day is now set, and the sad night of dreadful death is come upon him. Let not the headless multitude (or rather that many headed monster, bellua multorum capitum) censure and condemn this great man, as one utterly lost. We ought to judge charitably of him, who died in the fear of his Maker, and faith of his Redeemer. He had sweet Christian expressions of his Repentance, of faith, his obedience and humble subjection to the will of God. Without doubt, God did open his eyes, both before, and at the hour of his death; And though his latter days were his bad days, (yet in the judgement of charity) his last day▪ way his best das.   
FINIS.