Imagined Farewell Verses by George Wyatt (d. 1624) to his Deceased Daughters

In the entry for the burial of George Wyatt in the parish register of Boxley, Kent, George Case, Vicar of Boxley, Kent, included some (not entirely linguistically correct) Latin verses, almost certainly written by George Case himself, which were imagined to have been penned by George Wyatt and addressed to his deceased daughters.^[1]

Latin

"Epitaphium per Prosopopeiam ad filias praemortuas:

Ite, meae, quondam felicia pignora, Natae,

Quo Deus et verum melior natura vocavit,

Ite, sequor. Quid nunc juvat hiis subsistere terris?

Hiis? Ubi plena malis sunt omnia; plena laborum,

Nullaque justitiae, pietatis nulla cupido.

Bella, ubique arma, minae, ac ubi pullulat haeresis omnis,

Jurgia, furta, doli, caedes, vis, atque rapinae,

Lites continuae; et quae sunt inimica quieti,

Luxus et ebrietas, et amor sceleratus habendi;

Et furor, et quicquid studiis agitatur iniquis.

Altera nam Babilon, Egiptus, Sodoma, Mundus.

Quin agite, O! natae, fugiamus sedibus istis,

Quaeramusque solum, pietas ubi sancta moratur,

Atque habitat tuto Reverentia Numinis alti.

Sat nos, sat miserae complevimus aspera vitae

Munia, et innumeras curarum trivimus horas.

Jam fidei falcanda seges meriesque (sic) laborum.

Et pater et patriae spectanda est gloria nostrae.

Faelices igitur dissutis corporis hujus

Stramineis tectis, quibus est fas scandere coelos.

Quin vos, O generis nostri, michi delicta propago,

Discite justitiam moniti et non temnere Numen,

Ut quando est vobis sedes vertenda, supremi,

Proemissis nobis, teneatis gaudia Regni."

English Translation

Go, my daughters, my once happy children, whom God and a truly better nature have called, go - I follow. What delight is there now in living on this earth? On this earth? Where everything is full of evils, full of labour, with no desire for justice or holiness. Where everywhere there arise wars, weapons and threats, quarrels, thefts, deceit, murders, violence, robbery, perpetual disputes, and things inimical to peace: debauchery and drunkenness, and wicked greed, and rage, and all things stemming from wicked inclinations. In short, Babylon, Egypt, Sodom, the World. What should you do, O daughters? Let us flee from these abodes, let us seek only the place where holy piety is found, and reverence of the High God dwells. It is enough, it is enough that we have fulfilled the harsh duties of life, and endured the innumerable hours filled with cares. It is now time to reap the harvest of faith and reward of labour. And heeding the Father of our country should be our glory. Be happy therefore that the straw coverings of this body are unstitched, so that you can ascend to heaven. Yea, you, of my race, whom I propagate and are offences to me, be warned to learn justice, and not to despise God, so that when the time comes to leave your abode, you may have the joys of the Kingdom that have been promised to us."