Stay thee a short space here, good passer-by,
Upon thy way;
Wherein a little while thou too must lie,
Haste as thou may.
Certes thou knowest that thy life-long quest
Leads hither--to the long, long sleep and rest:
Grudge thee not, then, the tribute of a tear,
Whilst, ling'ring, to this stone thou drawest near.
It will reward thy stay,
It will thy tears repay,
To know
Below
lies
William,
Of the family of Harris,
The most splendid name
Where all have fame.
Knowing that such an one did live,
And how he liv'd--great, noble, wise--
Know how all mortal hopes are fugitive;
Height gauging depth with 'Here he lies.'
{ As infant Essex }
Whom { As youth Cambridge } saw.
Ah, miserable and lamenting both, that they
See not his golden locks in years grow gray!
He was
A student of Christ College,
A fellow of Pembroke Hall:
To have him
The two Colleges did strive
In rivalry of love:
But the great God put in His negative,
Calling him Above,
To gain ampler knowledge
In the Heavenly College,
Of which he was on earth a student consecrate;
So, when Death summon'd him, he went elate.
So wise his wit,
By genius lit,
In himself alone
Many in one,
You had a College, where
Graces and Muses fair
With Religion, you might see
Twin'd hand in hand in amity.
{ Eloquence as an Orator }
{ Poetry as a Poet }
Whom { Each as a Philosopher } owned:
{ All as a Christian }
{ By faith the world }
{ By hope Heaven }
Who { By love his fellow-men } conquered;
{ By himself himself }
Of whom
The ripen'd mind under a youthful face;
Severest virtue under courtliest grace;
Few years his, yet mellow'd as in age;
A modesty that did all hearts engage:
These self-reveal'd and self-revealing,
That all his life seem'd but a fine concealing.
Yea, ev'n in his death 'twas so;
For being thus at length laid low,
He chose no boastful tomb to tell
How good the life that in him fell:
By so much greater is the guest,
Smaller the mound where he doth rest:
Yea, in his death there was diminution:
Great was the guest, but see how small the stone.
On that very day he died in which the
Church of England reads its even-song:
He was snatch'd away, lest the wickedness
of the times should contaminate his understanding,
viz. 15th October A.S. 1631.[135]