A FUNERAL SPEECH UPON The Death and Burial OF CHARLES DYMOKE, Esq. LATE CHAMPION To the King and Crown of ENGLAND.  
Who died at Oxford, in July 1643. and was interred at Scrivelsby in Lincolnshire, September the 6th, 1652.  
By R. Thornton.  
London, Printed in the Year 1653.   

A FUNERAL SPEECH UPON The Death and Burial OF CHARLES DYMOKE, Esq LATE Champion to the King and Crown of England, etc.  
IT was a heavy case, when the dead bodies of God's Servants were given for meat to the Fowls of the air, and the flesh of his Saints to the beasts of the field; when their blood was shed like water on every side of Jerusalem, and there was no man to bury them. If this (as yet) be not our case, who thereby must not think them greater sinners than ourselves, it is Gods doing in the midst of judgement to remember mercy, and it is marvellous in our eyes, for these wretched times have already seen many holes, no graves, many graves, and no burials, but thanks be to God, and praise thou the Lord O my Soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name, as for all other blessings, so in particular for this public and pious meeting in that we are now come to the last period of a sad and solemn Funeral long since begun, and ever since not more expected by any, than desired by those whom it most concerns And now lest any here present should mistake the meaning of this solemnity, or report it for a dumb show, give me leave to ask them in our Saviour's language, What went ye out to see? Torches, Mourners, Escotcheons, the Hearse, the Grave; all these are but silent expressions of his condition and mortality, to whom such Obsequies, justa funerum, do of right belong.  
But since by his death and this employment. I may say (with job,) My Harp also is turned into mourning, and my Organ into the voice of them that weep: suffer me a little from a troubled fountain, renovare dolerem, to pour a few tears upon his dry bones; though I cannot revive, yet I may bewail his worth,— his worth, who dying amongst the schools of the Prophets above nine years since, and being there imbalmed with sweet Odours, and all this while preserved in a College Chapel, the very place of his former education, & that under such state as became a Person of his quality, is thus brought hither to his resting place, his long home, the ancient Sepulchre of his Fathers.  
Where now you may behold a Sceleton, a glimpse of that body, which (being alive) was the Cabinet of a religions soul, a deep understanding, a sound judgement, a noble mind, a high & commanding spirit. Hence he became wise in his designs, obedient in his principles, just in his actions, valiant in his resolutions, and temperate in his whole life and conversation; which (being adorned with comeliness of person and behaviour, with affability of carriage and a courtly presence,) made him a companion for Princes at their pastimes, for Magistrates at their Benches, for armed men at their weapons, for learned men at their books, for holy men at their prayers and devotions.  
These were the virtues of a son, whose father died in his childhood.  
These were the virtues of a child, brought up by his mother in her widowhood  
These were the virtues of a young man, the only son, the only child of his Parents.  
These were the virtues of one, who by ancient worth and descent was a Champion.  
And these be the virtues of a Champion, who by his place & title had no equal, no sharer, not one like him in the whole Kingdom: Nay, the hazard is too great, there will never be the like again.  
The subject was such without all question, the virtues may be questioned unless they be further justified.  
And yet we may behold them bred (as it were) in the bone, nursed up in the Cradle, and flourishing in his youth, such as (no doubt) had brought forth abundance of fruit in due season, had his strength of body, and the command of his fortunes, been answerable to the courage and magnificence of his spirit; Nay, all these virtues (though springing like himself to a great height) were yet enlightened, not consumed, by the flames of these times, these unhappy times made them more beautiful and exemplary, in that he was not carried away with every wind of doctrine, but upon mature deliberation, and consultation too, settled in the ways of truth and soberness, so that in the midst of these divisions & distractions, I do not wonder to see him die as he lived, not by the sharpness of the sword, but subject to infirmity and sickness, a crystal vessel soon broken by divine providence; Nay I consider it (with others of like merit, vessels of honour) taken away from the evil to come, as being fit for the glory of a new Jerusalem, which is at unity in itself.  
Only (methinks) this rich Cabinet of flesh and blood wanted an exchange to set it forth, (I mean) an exchange of like nature & quality, a conjugal society, that so a living representation of itself might have commended it, from generation to generation.  
For my part I labour not to advance his worth, beyond the reach of envy: as being himself more virtuous then to escape it.  
Nor will I say, but amongst so many Flowers of note, there might be now and then some spotted leaves, to obscure a little the lustre and brightness of his proceed; He may well die without a friend, who lives without a fault.  
Only I cannot say, God speed the plough, which ploughed upon his back, and made long furrows, as though he also were earthly minded, and (there by) stood in need (like his land) to be tilled himself, and turned upside down; whence perhaps it came to pass, that whilst some thought him not so careless of his fortunes, as their craft could wish: others thought him not so open handed, as his condition, or their necessities required; and so the report stuck close to him, (of sticking close to himself) a report which some others made too common by their credulity, thus tearing in pieces that reputation, which they could neither write nor read: But if we may judge by way of comparison, & every one set forth in their proper colours, the ploughers (no question) had not then so much mistake their soil, as (now I presume) they did, for, ex melioriluto, experience found, he was not a greater Heir of land, than discretion how to use it, had he but lived to see (by the faithfulness of his servants) as much experience of the one, as of the other.  
The truth is, his predecessors freedom became afterwards a heavy burden upon his shoulders, which (together with other men's harms, and a wise example) made him seem a little partatueri, willing to know his own estate, and by knowing to preserve it, answerable to that wisdom of Solomon, Be diligent to know the state of thy Flocks: and might not this be well done for example sake, the better to show himself careful, and to make others the more industrious, for how can a man think to find his kindness worthily accepted, or his friend sufficiently thankful, who knows not himself what he gives or grants?  
Sure I am this body wanted not (as many do) a free and bountiful hand, when either the honour of his reputation, his love of learning, or his patronage required it. Instances of this nature might once have been drawn from the breath of our Nostrils to the soles of his Feet, (being like that precious ointment, which from the top of Aaron's head, ran down to the skirts of his clothing) but now the poor man's box, and the legacies which he gave his servants, are the best witnesses, together with his care & readiness not to pull down but repair Churches, this by name, as being the place designed by himself, for a more lasting monument of his predecessors being, his own well-being, and devotion.  
Here (methinks) before I go hence, I could willingly call to your remembrance, the riches of his Library, the glory of his buildings, the orders of his family, and the provisions of his house; were it not, that when the Qu. of Sheba came, and saw the wisdom of Solomon and his building, the neat at his table, the sitting of his servants, the attendants of his Ministers and their apparel, 'tis said, there was no more spirit in her. So I fear a relation of this nature, though qualified with all respects of civility and discretion, would make some spirits droop or raise up others beyond their due proportion.  
But let it suffice, time was when I might have told you in the day time, he had the favour of his Prince, the loyalty of a subject, the prayers of the Church, and the decent burial of a good Christian; burial did I say? yes, that's past already: a burial not daubed with untempered mortar, but solemnly performed according to the public service of the Church of England, upon like occasion; from which form of divine service, we now only borrow this echo, Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, and so we cover him with his own mould, the bowels of his Ancestors, a noble and renowned family.  
Thus then in a word you may see and apply too, he who once was clothed in soft raiment, is now wrapped up in sheets of lead, and he who was so frequently brought up in King's houses, and loved them too, is now ex congruo, lodged in one of God's houses, the blessing of a goodly heritage, his own patrimony; where we leave him with this memorial, worthy to be written in letters of gold, He died Champion to the King and Crown of England, and now (like his title) lies in the dust expecting a speedy and glorious Resurrection, which that we may all obtain, The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us, and let all the People say, Amen.  
FINIS.