Epitaph on S.P., a Child of Queen Elizabeth's Chapel

by Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson

Weep with me, all you that read
 This little story;
And know for whom a tear you shed,
 Death's self is sorry.
'Twas a child that so did thrive
 In grace and feature,
As Heaven and Nature seemed to strive
 Which owned the creature.
Years he numbered scarce thirteen
 When Fates turned cruel,
Yet three filled zodiacs had he been
 The stage's jewel;
And did act (what now we moan)
 Old men so duly,
As, sooth, the Parcae thought him one,
 He played so truly.
So, by error, to his fate
 They all consented;
But viewing him since (alas, too late),
 They have repented,
And have sought (to give new birth)
 In baths to steep him;
But, being so much too good for earth,
 Heaven vows to keep him.





Last updated May 12, 2023