Death's Summons: OR, Conference betwixt Death and the Young Man, the Married Man, and the King.  
DEath stoutly doth poor Man assail,  
And makes his greatest strength to fail;  
●an strives, and comes at all no speed,  
●gainst Death be sure there's no remeed.  The Young Man. 
Who's this so proudly strikes my Gate,  
●s if he were some Prince of State?  
●ome Tyrant surely thou must be,  
That is thy business with me?  
●y Gates are strongly shut, therefore  
●o hence, and trouble me no more.  Death. 
●en thy Gate, let in thy foe,  
●y folly makes thee answer so;  
〈◊〉 Death, thy mortal enemy,  
charge thee now, prepare for me;  
loves know me better ere we shed,  
●hen I have bound thee to thy bed.  The Young Man. 
●hat? Death, why comes thou here so soon?  
〈◊〉 day is not yet come to noon:  
●uldst thou cut down the Flowers in May?  
〈◊〉 set the Sun before midday?  
〈◊〉 strength is firm, I do not fear;  
●efore I counsel thee retire.  
Though thou be yet of tender age;  
That nothing doth my zeal assuage:  
No date of age is set to me,  
Some young, some old, each man must die,  
Prepare thee now, make no delay,  
Thy shifting will not make thee stay.  The Young Man. 
What dost thou mean? Art thou in haste?  
I take thy suit to be in jest.  
Should I prepare for thee, before  
My years in number pass threescore,  
This suit to me is but in vain,  
Thou shalt not yet thy purpose gain.  Death. 
I'm serious always when I speak,  
And do obtain what I do seek:  
Thy folly makes thee to refuse,  
Know thou, no jesting I do use:  
Ere it be long thou shalt receive  
A dart shall wound thee to the grave.  The Young Man. 
I'm wounded sore, yet that's no matter  
Within few days I shall grow better:  
It is no new thing thus to be  
A little pained, and yet not die:  
With Medicine and nature strong,  
My pain shall cease ere it be long.  Death. 
No Medicine shall do thee good.  
Thy nature's strength, and heat of blood,  
Shall not rescue thee from my hand,  
There's nothing can my force withstand:  
So thou shalt quickly have a dart  
That mortally shall wound thy heart,  The Young Man. 
Now I am wounded sore indeed,  
I struggled have, and come no speed;  
I'll strive no more, but will desist,  
I think it best now to solist:  
Have pity, and my youth head spare,  
And do not frustrate my welfare.  Death. 
Thou may solist, yet not prevail;  
Thy arguments they shall thee fail:  
Thy struggling, and thy oratrie,  
Shall both alike come speed with me,  
〈◊〉 know not how to be solisted,  
●y purposes cannot be wrested:  The Young Man. 
〈◊〉 Death! thy talk is very bold,  
Wilt thou not pity young nor old?  
●an nothing now thy fury suage,  
Except I die in flower of age?  
O cruelty! Who can but hate  
Thy dealing, and my case regrate?  Death. 
〈◊〉 care not who thy case lament,  
Their tears shall not make me repent,  
●ll deal with thee on that same score,  
〈◊〉 I have dealt with all before.  
resolve thee freely now to yield,  
●r nothing from me can thee shield.  The Young Man. 
●ad lament! What shall I say?  
●st this now be my dying day?  
〈◊〉 time hath been a moment here,  
●nitie doth now appear.  
〈◊〉 I lay down this body so,  
〈◊〉 knowing whither I shall go?  Death. 
Thy glass is run, thy time is gone,  
It is too late to make thy moan.  
Thy healthy days are slidden by,  
Eternity it draweth nigh:  
Thy days of health they were most fit,  
To view thy sin, and mourn for it.  The Young Man. 
O loving friends, what shall I do?  
Or whither shall I turn me to?  
Death will not spare, God's strange to me,  
No other thing but wrath I see,  
No tongue of Angels can express,  
What is my dole and heaviness.  
O that ye would in time repent  
Your sins, lest Death you thus prevent:  
Do not your precious time misspend,  
Lest it be bitter at your end.  
My sad example may you teach:  
And so with this I end my speech.  
The Married Man. 
WHat is my ease? What means this pain,  
That doth my carnal joy restrain?  
My strength doth fail, my head doth ache,  
And all my bones begin to shake.  
Shall I in earn'st myself persuade,  
That this is Death doth me invade.  Death. 
Go to, thy house in order set,  
For thou must quickly pay thy Debt;  
Which every man doth owe to me,  
Who hath put on mortality,  
●hat I am Death, I make thee sure,  
〈◊〉 Medicine my wound shall cure.  The Married Man. 
I'm wedded, and my children small,  
How can I hearken to thy call?  
Forbear a little, give me space  
My pleasant portion to embrace;  
My infants they are unprovided,  
My suits in Law are undecided.  Death. 
Thy children's age I do neglect,  
Thy married state I'll not respect:  
That portion pleasant in thy fight  
Shall quickly interchange with night;  
Thy children thou shalt not provide,  
Nor any suits in Law decide.  The Married Man. 
O sudden change and unexpected!  
Death was the thing I most neglected:  
I studied nought but here to bide,  
My wife and children to provide.  
Now I am summoned, ere I be  
Well fixed in my felicity.  Death. 
〈◊〉 fixed and an happy state  
To fancy here; it îs too late:  
No biding here I will thee grant,  
Though Wife and Children all should want.  
My Summons thou must now obey;  
No longer time thou hast to stay.  The Married Man 
●d is my case, what shall I say?  
●n summoned now to die this day.  
●y counts with God they are not clear:  
His wrath and justice I do fear.  
My conscience in me damps me so,  
That God appeareth as my fo:  
With fervent suit I thee require,  
That thou wouldst grant me my desire;  
Give me some space yet to begin  
An holy life, and die to sin.  
O how do I abhor to die,  
While I no hope of mercy see.  Death. 
Thy fervent suit shall not procure  
The length'ning of thy life an hour.  
A time was given to repent,  
Which in thy folly thou misspent;  
The time that's gone, thou's not recall,  
No longer time thou purchase shall.  The Married Man. 
O sudden, sad, and doleful day!  
My debt is great, I cannot pay.  
What horrid sight is this to me?  
A fire to burn, worm not to die:  
Eternally to lose the light,  
And have with Devils a constant night.  
Must I endure this saddest case,  
The wrath of God without release?  
O that this might be granted me!  
Still sick to lie, and not to die.  
This I would choose, but no remeed;  
For cruel Death doth cut my thread.   
The King 
WHo's this so bold, I wonder much,  
That dare my sacred person touch?  
〈…〉 not me to be  
Commander of this Monarchy.  
Go, call my Subjects to my hand,  
This cruel Traitor to command.  Death. 
Although thou be a King of power,  
Thou shalt find me thy match, and more  
The King of Terrors calls thee now,  
Lay down thy Crown and to me bow:  
Let all thy Subjects come, and see,  
How stoutly I shall vanquish thee.  The King. 
Physicians all to meet require,  
Of best renown in my empire.  
●et them employ their cunning skill,  
●o free my person from this ill:  
●heir wits together I am sure,  
●hall length of days to me procure.  Death: 
●hy cunning men of greatest skill,  
●hy foolish hopes shall not fulfil;  
●t them conveen, and do their best,  
●heir wit shall not procure thee rest.  
〈◊〉 drog composed by their Art,  
●●all lose my finger from thy heart.  The King. 
●●lt thou not reverence Kings with Crown?  
●t cruelly wilt pull them down.  
〈◊〉 great affairs do so require,  
〈◊〉 yet to govern this empire.  
〈◊〉 absence and my fatal fall,  
●s Kingdom great will ruin all.  Death. 
〈◊〉 Beggar and the King to me,  
〈◊〉 both of equal Majesty▪  
The great affairs of thy empire,  
Shall not obtain thee thy desire.  
Though all thy Kingdoms come to nought,  
I'll have the thing that I have sought.  The King. 
Some great designs I have intended,  
Should I then die, ere they be ended.  
My Armies all go out with fame,  
To purchase me a greater name:  
If I shall die, they will desist,  
And bury me with shame in dust.  Death 
The great designs by thee pretended,  
Thine eyes shall never see them ended.  
Thine Armies great shall not thee bring,  
More honour, nor a longer Reign.  
I make no count to bear the blame,  
To bury thee in dust with shame.  The King. 
Physicians learned, make some Reply,  
It doth now on your honour lie;  
Such excellent advice to give,  
As may your noble Prince relieve.  
Let no expenses be regarded,  
Your pains shall richly be rewarded.  The Physicians. 
O Royal King, it shall be so,  
All cost and pains we'll undergo,  
To mitigate thy cruel pain:  
We love our honour more than gain,  
Yet our advice take in thy hand,  
No Medicine can Death withstand.  The King. 
Must I then die, and no remeed?  
●l Death not my great terror dr●●●?  
〈◊〉 millions I did wale the S●●●d,  
〈◊〉 one commands me with a word.  
●his beseeming to a King,  
●t formerly at will did reign?  Death 
●ugh thou the greatest Monarch be,  
〈◊〉 it beseems you well to die;  
〈◊〉 swelling pride hath darkt thy wit,  
●u never didst resolve to flit.  
●e off thy prating proud, for I  
〈◊〉 boasting tongue from speech will tie.  The King. 
●rmies great, what do you say?  
〈◊〉 ye this violence repay?  
●r King is taken from your head,  
●om ye did greatly fear and dread.  
●ventur'd many lives for me,  
● now alas myself must die,  
●oyal Subjects, sad, alas!  
〈◊〉 sorrowful now is my case.  
●eave this Honour, Glory, Crown,  
〈◊〉 Kingdoms all, and so lie down  
●ust, and nothing more to have,  
●n honourably be laid in grave.  
●s was in me a foolish thought,  
●t Heaven to Kings needs not be bought:  
〈◊〉 now I see in entering there,  
〈◊〉 Beggar may with King's com● ar●  
●ates of Heaven no entering in  
●uch as are not washed from sin.  
〈◊〉 this I never made my work,  
〈◊〉 out of time I now remark,  
●h in Christ's blood to be more worth  
●han Kingdoms, honour, riches, birth;  
And whatsoever they can give,  
At hour of death they'll take their leave:  
O that this might a warning give  
To all that richly here do live!  
All earthly glory hath a date,  
Repent in time, or else too late.  
O take this lesson now from me,  
All is but vain, and so I die.   

The Sincere Believer.  
O Death, what wouldst thou me to say?  
I know what Debt I have to pay:  
I must lay down this mortal life,  
And so for ay to end my strife;  
Though that thou wouldst grant me delay,  
I choose no longer here to stay.  
Thy coming here not ill I take,  
Thou's welcome for thy Master's sake.  
Love-tokens he doth send with thee,  
That shortly I his face shall see.  
My Husband's messenger thou art,  
Come quickly then, and act thy part.  
Come, lose my bonds, and let me go,  
O Death, why dost thou linger so?  
Make haste, O time, my glass, run out;  
Sun, swiftly move thy course about:  
Close up my time, that once he may  
Come solemnize the wedding day.  
Then shall my joyful day begin,  
When I his presence enter in;  
Then shall I taste eternally,  
Which in my life my Faith did see:  
The earnest is so sweet to taste,  
That to enjoy the harv'st I haste.  
The term-day of my grief is come,  
For now I'll ever ceafe from sin;  
Death's body now I shall lay down,  
And shall put on immortal Crown:  
And set my feet on neck of those,  
That in my life were vexing foes.  
Though thou this breath take me fro,  
I will not count thee as my foe.  
No terror thou can be to me,  
Since Christ my life for Me did die,  
O Death, I am thy death, said he,  
O Grave, I am thy victory.  
From hence the bitter sting is lost,  
Thou canst not sound believer boast.  
I'll willingly endure the pain,  
And die in hope to live again.  
Now, holy Father, to thy hand,  
The Spirit thou gave I do commend.  
O that Death would within short space,  
Remove that vail that hides his face:  
That I may see as I am seen,  
And nothing come our face between,  
That I might see that complete sight  
Of Jesus in his glory bright.  
O dearest friends, come, learn at me  
While ye have life, still learn to die.  
Make peace with God in Jesus Christ,  
Then Death and ye shall sweetly tryst.  
Ye need not fear a moment's pain,  
A door shall open to your gain.  
Take not this counsel as a jest,  
〈◊〉 speak to you from what I taste,  
All that this earth could give to me  
●dung, compared with what I see  
behind the vail; then nothing fear  
〈◊〉 ●ose whatever you have here,  
〈◊〉 find the earnest of this joy,  
●ou● wit and strength do all employ,  
The shadows vain on earth forsake,  
Sad reckoning in the end they'll make,  
O that ye saw what I do feel:  
And so I bid you all farewell.   

The Believing Souls So●iloque to itself.  
MOunt up, O Soul, above created glore,  
Take Christ in stead of all thou had before  
On earth below; take life in stead of death;  
Take joy for grief; most willingly outbreathe  
This dying life, not worthy of the name;  
Triumph o'er death, o'er trouble, sorrow, shame  
Put off thy beggar's robe, thy body frail,  
Thy earthly mind that in the mire doth trail,  
Put on that suit that never shall wax old,  
Thyself in Christ's pure righteousness unfold.  
Mount up and reign in perfect joy and love,  
Possess the Throne, that House that is above;  
Not made with hands, eternal in the Heaven;  
Expect thy body from the dust again.  
Joined with thy soul, that both together may  
Sing praise to God, that e'er they saw that day:  
To God the Father, who did plot such thing,  
A sinful worm, ay with himself to reign.  
To Christ, the Son, who his blood fully spent.  
〈◊〉 blameless to the Father to present.  
And to the Spirit, who doth us sanctify,  
Ay Three in One, and ever One in Three,  
Here I desist, because the time is nigh;  
And so I flit hence to eternity.   
FINIS.