St Peter's Complaynt : Lines 787-792 [Conclusion]

Please pray for the soul of Esther Clark. R.I.P. She gave a 
framed copy of this painting to the author in the 1980's.

These posts contain revised and expanded notes to St Peter's Complaynt, considered by many to be the last poem written by St Robert Southwell ("RS") before his martyrdom on the 21st of February 1595.  The original series of posts was first published in 2018 on our sister site, Mary's English Dowry. I have expanded my original notes so as to provide a more detailed critical apparatus - with fairly extensive use of quotations from the period in which RS wrote. I have also included paraphrases with the aim of making the poet's language more accessible to modern readers.

The work is offered on behalf of my family to Our Blessed Lady, Regina Martyrum et Consolatrix Afflictorum. For EEKPTEE&EA.

👈The Tears of St Peter (1587-1596) 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

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- 132 -

Redeeme my lapse with raunsome of Thy love,

Traverse th’inditement, rigors doome suspend;

Let frailtie favour, sorrow succour move,

Be Thou Thy selfe, though changling I offend.

Tender my suite, clense this defiled denne,

Cancell my debts, sweete Jesu, say Amen.

    Sweet Jesu:

Redeem me from the dire consequences of my sin,Thy love serving as the ransom;

Strike out the accusation against me and suspend the harsh judgement hanging over me;

Take account of my weakness and my contrition; let them count in my favour and come to my assistance;

Stay as Thou art — unchangingly steadfast — even though I changed and became unfaithful; 

Grant my petition and cleanse the soul I defiled with my sin, washing away all my iniquity.

    Sweet Jesu, Amen.

    787. Redeeme. To ransom (a person) from slavery, captivity, or punishment; to save (a person's life) by paying a ransom.

Its etymon  = classical Latin redimere to buy back, to recover by purchase. 1508   J. Fisher Treat. Penyt. Psalmes sig. xx.iiii   In his treasoure hous is rychesse innumerable, wherwith..he may redeme all ye world from the prysone & captyuyte of ye deuyll. 1557   Bible (Whittingham) Rev. v. 9   Thou wast killed, and hast redemed vs to God by thy bloude.

    raunsome.  The action or means of freeing oneself from a penalty; a sum of money paid to obtain pardon for an offence or imposed as a penalty, esp. one exacted for a significant offence; c1592   Faire Em sig. D1   Thy death should paie thy ransome of thy fault.

    lapse. A falling from rectitude. Probably used in a stronger sense: A falling into ruin. 1605   F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. I4   His [sc. Adrian's] whole time was a very restauration of all the lapses and decayes of former times.

    788. Traverse. To deny (an allegation) formally; to dispute or challenge (an accusation, claim, finding, etc.).

1588   W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (new ed.) iv. xiii. 542   To Trauerse an Enditement..is to take issue vpon the chiefe matter therof, which is none other..then..to deny the point of the Enditement.  

    inditement.  indictment. The action of indicting or accusing, a formal accusation; 1581   W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (1588) iv. v. 484   I take an Enditement to be the Verdite of the Iurors, grounded upon the accusation of a third person. 

    rigor. rigour. Harsh inflexibility (in dealing with a person or group of people); severity, sternness; cruelty. 1555   R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. xi. f. 158   Their rygour and fiercenesse ageynst suche as stoobernly..contemned them.

    doome. doom. A judgement or decision, esp. one formally pronounced; a sentence; mostly in adverse sense, condemnation, sentence of punishment. 1596   E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. v. sig. E3v   Then was that golden belt by doome of all Graunted to her.

    suspend. To put a stop to,; to intermit the use or exercise of, put in abeyance. 1540   Act 32 Hen. VIII c. 48 §1   The same rentis by longe tymes shalbe suspendid and not due to be paid.

1560   J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. clxv   The Emperour doeth suspende all suites and actions in the lawe commenced againste the Protestauntes.

    789. frailtie. Moral weakness; instability of mind; liability to err or yield to temptation. a1538   T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 13   They consydur not the fraylty of man, wych seyng the best folowyth the worst.

    favour. Propitious or friendly regard, goodwill. 1611   Bible (King James) Esther v. 8   I haue found fauour in the sight of the king.

    move. There are several possible meanings here. It may be noted that number 4. below would continue the metaphor contained in the previous line which pictures legal proceedings (Traverse th’inditement & rigors doome suspend) and which may also include tender my suite in line 791.

    1.To operate as a motive or influence on the will or belief of (a person); to prompt, actuate, impel (to an action, or to do something). c1515   Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lii. 177   What hathe moued the thus to do?

    2. To rouse or excite feeling in (a person); to affect with emotion, esp. with tender feeling or compassion; to stir (the feelings, etc.); 1611   Bible (King James) Mark i. 41   And Iesus mooued with compassion, put foorth his hand, and touched him.

    3. Of God or some other spiritual or supernatural force: to prompt, impel (to do something). 1549   Forme & Maner consecratyng Archebishoppes sig. C.iiii   Do you trust that you are inwardly moued by the holy ghost to take vpon you this Office and ministracion..?

    4. To propose formally in a court or deliberative assembly that something be done, or to do something.  1578   J. Rolland Seuin Seages 265   Quhen this was mufit to all the counsall thair Thair was na man the questioun culd declair.

    The compressed word order in this line may be resolved into the following two options, which almost amount to the same thing:

1. Let frailtie move favour. Let sorrow move succour. 

2. Let favour move frailtie. Let succour move sorrow. 

    790. Be Thou Thy selfe. The traditional Christian teaching is that God does not change.

“They shall perish but thou remainest: and all of them shall grow old like a garment: And as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art always the selfsame, and thy years shall not fail.[Psalm CI 27-28]

“Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today; and the same for ever.” [Hebr. xiii. 8]

    changling. A person likely to change attitude or allegiance; a fickle or inconstant person; a turncoat. 1539   R. Morison Exhort. to styrre All Eng. Men (new ed.) sig. Dii   We become chaungelynges, and for a tryfle leaue that we haue hitherto godly folowed. 

    Peter sees his own changeable behaviour as a contrast to the unchanging steadfastness and fidelity of Christ. Consider the following examples:

“Peter saith to him: Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me. Simon Peter saith to him: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him: He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all.” [John xiii. 8-10]

“And Peter answering, said to him: Although all shall be scandalized in thee, I will never be scandalized. [34] Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, that in this night before the cock crow, thou wilt deny me thrice. [35] Peter saith to him: Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee.”[Matt. xxvi. 33-35]

“But Peter sat without in the court: and there came to him a servant maid, saying: Thou also wast with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied before them all, saying: I know not what thou sayest. And as he went out of the gate, another maid saw him, and she saith to them that were there: This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I know not the man. And after a little while they came that stood by, and said to Peter: Surely thou also art one of them; for even thy speech doth discover thee. Then he began to curse and to swear that he knew not the man.”  [Matt. xxvi. 33-35 & 69-74]

    791. Tender. 1. To offer or advance (a plea, issue, averment; evidence, etc.) in due and formal terms; 1542–3   Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 2 §2   If..the saide Collectoures..tendre paiement of all suche money..within the saide three monethes.

    2. An alternative, if unlikely, reading here is : kind, loving, gentle, mild, affectionate. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xxiv. [xxv.] 6 Call to remembrance, O Lorde, thy tender mercies & thy louing kindnesses. The sense is then: my suit is a loving one. . .

    suite. suit. 1. A process instituted in a court of law for the recovery or protection of a right, the enforcement of a claim, or the redress of a wrong; a prosecution before a legal tribunal; = lawsuit. 1576   A. Fleming tr. C. Plinius Novocomensis in Panoplie Epist. 252   Busily occupied in matters of suites of lawe. 

    2. The action of entreating or petitioning a person to do something; petitioning, supplication. 1592   T. Kyd Spanish Trag. iii. sig. G3v   The King sees me, and faine would heare my sute.

    clense this defiled denne. Cleanse this defiled den. The word den recalls Christ’s action in cleansing the Temple:

“And he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.” [Matthew xxi.13]

“And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew. And to them that sold doves he said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic.” [John ii. 14-16] 

The image represents Peter’s soul, which should be regarded as the temple of the Holy Spirit, turned into a “defiled den,” a temple defiled by sin.

“Or know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own?” [1 Cor. vi. 19]

    cleanse my soul. “Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” [Psalm L. 4] 

    792. Cancell my debts.  “debts,” is another word for “sins,” as in:

“And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” [Matthew vi. 12]

    Amen. Hebrew 'āmēn certainly, verily, surely, used as adverb of 'āmēn faithfulness, truth < 'āman to confirm, to support.

It is highly fitting that Peter, having suffered so much from his unfaithfulness, should conclude by linking the word 'āmēn (faithfulness) to Jesus.

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Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St Peter's Complaynt : Lines 775-786

Please pray for the soul of Esther Clark. R.I.P. She gave a 
framed copy of this painting to the author in the 1980's.

These posts contain revised and expanded notes to St Peter's Complaynt, considered by many to be the last poem written by St Robert Southwell ("RS") before his martyrdom on the 21st of February 1595.  The original series of posts was first published in 2018 on our sister site, Mary's English Dowry. I have expanded my original notes so as to provide a more detailed critical apparatus - with fairly extensive use of quotations from the period in which RS wrote. I have also included paraphrases with the aim of making the poet's language more accessible to modern readers.

The work is offered on behalf of my family to Our Blessed Lady, Regina Martyrum et Consolatrix Afflictorum. For EEKPTEE&EA.

👈The Tears of St Peter (1587-1596) 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

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- 130 -

Lazar at pitties gate I ulcered lye,

Craving the reffues crummes of childrens plate;

My sores, I lay in view to mercies eye,

My rags beare witnesse of my poore estate:

The wormes of conscience that within me swarme,

Prove that my plaintes are lesse then is my harme.

    Lazarus was a poor beggar, full of sores, who lay at a rich man’s gate looking for scraps from his table. I am also covered in sores and ulcers — they are sin's disfigurement of my soul. Having lost the riches of grace, I find myself in abject poverty. I now lie outside the gate of the kingdom of Heaven, where I beg for pity and in my hunger beg for crumbs of comfort from the blessed sons of God who are seated at the heavenly banquet. 

    My conscience lays bare the wounds of my sin before the merciful gaze of the heavenly Father. Stripped of the rich apparel of His grace, I am left with wretched rags and tatters that bear witness to my state of utter poverty. Like a dying body eaten alive by worms, I feel relentless pains gnawing at my conscience. They are proof that my cries of remorse are less than the hurt and injury caused by my sins.

    Note. Apart from the general meaning of the word lazar (see 775. infra), there is also a reference here to the parable of Dives and Lazarus:. Note the echoes of certain words: Lazar / Lazarus, gate / gate, ulcered / full of sores, crummes / crumbs. 

“There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen; and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, Desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover the dogs came, and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom: And he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame. And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted; and thou art tormented.” [Luke xvi. 19-25]

    Unlike Lazarus, Peter is shown at pitties gate, which may represent the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven. He looks for crumbs from the plates of “children,” “for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” [Matthew xix. 14]

    775. Lazar. A poor and diseased person, usually one afflicted with a loathsome disease; esp. a leper. 1577   R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1713/2   They prouided for the Lazer to keepe him oute of the Citie from clapping of dyshes, and rynging of Belles. 1610   P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 522   Lazers..so they used to tearme folke infected with the Elephantiasie or Leprosie.

    pitties. pity.   The disposition to mercy or compassion; clemency, mercy, mildness, tenderness. 1602   B. Jonson Poetaster ii. ii. sig. Dv   A little proude, but full of pitie .

The sense of Latin pietās ‘piety’ was in post-classical Latin extended so as to include ‘compassion, pity’ (Vetus Latina), and it was in this sense that the word first appears in Old French in its two forms pitié and pieté . Gradually these forms were differentiated, so that pieté , which more closely represented the Latin form, was used in the original Latin sense, while pitié retained the extended sense. In Middle English, both pity n. and piety n. are found first in the sense ‘compassion’, and subsequently in the sense ‘piety’, and the differentiation in sense is not complete until the 17th cent.

    gate.  Multiple references in Scripture to the word gate / door include the line where Christ likens Himself to “the door/gate”:

“I am the door [ostium]. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved: and he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures.” [John x. 9]

    ulcered. ulcered = ulcerated. 1610   J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God i. xi. 21   One farre more sumptuous did the ministring Angels prepare for the poore vlcered begger, in the sight of God.

    776. craving. Crave. 1. To ask earnestly, to beg for (a thing), esp. as a gift or favour.  a1592   R. Greene Frier Bacon (1594) sig. C3v   To craue some succour of the iolly Frier.

    2. To long or yearn for, to desire earnestly; 1577   B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 86   Who so ploweth his Olyue Garden, craueth fruite.

    reffues.  refuse. Adj. Discarded as being superfluous or of poor quality; spare, waste; worthless. Also figurative. 1598   Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 3 Last Bks. iv. v. 42   Vnlesse some base hedge-creeping Collybist, Scatters his refuse scraps on whom he list.

    childrens plate. In the parable, Lazarus hopes he may be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Peter, however, likens himself to an outcast at pity’s gate and he  hopes he may be filled with the crumbs from the plates of “children.” The word children recalls Christ’s words about children and His teaching about divine filiation: 

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.” [Matthew v. 9]

“That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.” [Matt. v. 45 ]

“But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” [Matthew 19:14]

“For you are all the children of God by faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ.” [Gal. iii. 26-27] 

“For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba (Father).” [Rom. viii.14-15]

    777. sores. The wounds his sin has inflicted upon him (and perhaps including the harm and hurt they have caused to Christ and others).

    778. estate. State or condition in general, whether material or moral, bodily or mental. 1605   London Prodigall i. i. 224   I hope he died in good estate.

    779. worms.  Here indicating the thoughts eating away at Peter’s conscience but also betokening the terrible fate awaiting the unrepentant sinner in eternity..

“Thy pride is brought down to hell, thy carcass is fallen down: under thee shall the moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering. How art thou fallen from heaven . . .” [Isaias xiv. 11]

“And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.” [Mark ix. 46-47] 

    Another Jesuit priest wrote about “worms of conscience” in “A pleasant and profitable treatise of Hell,” (Hieremy Drexelius. S.J., 1581-1638):

“This is the Sixth Torment of Eternity in Hell, which Christ in the conclusion of one Sermon repeats thrice . . . Amidst these swarms of Worms the damned shall behold, as St. Gregory testifie1, the glory of the blessed: To the end that sinners in pain, may be more tormented, let them see their glory, whom they despised; and receive new torture from their punnishment, whom they vainly loved. Thus the damned behold the bliss of Saints, but at a great distance.” 

    780. plaintes. plaint. The action or an act of plaining; audible expression of sorrow; (also) such an expression in verse or song, a lament. 1588   R. Greene Pandosto sig. C4   Pandosto would once a day repaire to the Tombe, and there with watry plaintes bewaile his misfortune.

    then. than. 

    harme. Evil (physical or otherwise) as done to or suffered by some person or thing; hurt, injury, damage, mischief. Often in the set phrase ‘to do more harm than good’. Grief, sorrow, pain, trouble, distress, affliction. Also with a and plural. to make harms (quot. c1480): to make lamentation. 

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- 131 -

With mildnesse, Jesu, measure mine offence;

Let true remorse Thy due revenge abate;

Let teares appease when trespasse doth incense;

Let pittie temper Thy deserved hate;

Let grace forgive, let love forget my fall: [785]

With feare I crave, with hope I humbly call.

    O Lord Jesu, hear my prayer, and judge my sin in the mildness of Thy mercy: 

let my true and sincere remorse soften the due punishment of Thy vengeance; 

let my tears of contrition extinguish Thy wrath which mine iniquity hath inflamed;

let Thy tender heart’s pity soften Thy judgement, in spite of the hatred my sin deserves;

let Thy grace forgive my fall from grace; and

let Thy love blot out my iniquity.

    In fear and trembling I beseech Thee: O Lord, hear my prayer! 

    Out of the depths, but in confident hope, I Thee implore: let my cry come unto Thee!

       781. Jesu.

“Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.” [Acts iv. 12]

    mildnesse. mildness. As an attribute of people, their actions, etc.: the quality of being mild; graciousness, gentleness, placidity; even-tempered calmness. a1530   W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) f. 31v   To haue myldnes, gentylnes, and good maner in all our conuersacyon.

a1616   W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) iv. v. 20   This is it that makes me bridle passion, And beare with Mildnesse my misfortunes crosse. 

     Mildness as a divine attribute is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testament:

“For thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.” [Psalms lxxxv. 5]

“Now I Paul myself beseech you, by the mildness and modesty of Christ, who in presence indeed am lowly among you, but being absent, am bold toward you.” [2 Corinthians x. 1]

     measure. 1. Of a person: to ascertain or determine the magnitude or quantity of (something); (of a thing) to be the means of ascertaining or determining the magnitude or quantity of (something). a1616   W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. ii. 22   Till you had measur'd how long a Foole you were vpon the ground.

     2. transitive. To go over with one's eye, to peruse. 1590   E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. xii. sig. Oo6v   Full dreadfull thinges out of that balefull booke He red, and measur'd many a sad verse.

“For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” [Matthew vii. 2]

     3. To judge or appraise. 1586   G. Pettie & B. Yong tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (rev. ed.) iv. f. 195v   We ought perfectlie to..understand the sentences of our auncestors, and measure them with their customes.

     782. revenge. Perhaps here with the following sense: Punishment of a wrongdoer; chastisement. 1561   T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. f. 54   There is a certayne speciall reuenge proclaymed agaynst them that vse his name in vayne.

“Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” [Romans xii. 19]

“For we know him that hath said: Vengeance belongeth to me, and I will repay. And again: The Lord shall judge his people.” [Hebrews x. 30]

     abate. 1. To put an end to (a condition, state of affairs, etc.). 1585   Abp. E. Sandys Serm. iv. 67   S. Paul abateth this opinion.

     2. To cause to cease; to do away with; spec. to terminate or dismiss (a legal proceeding). 1583   Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum ii. xiii. 56   If he once come to denie..that..the euidence which his aduersarie bringeth is not true..or any such like exception which is vaileable to abate the action or barre the partie.

     3. To lessen, diminish, or reduce. 1574   A. Golding tr. A. Marlorat Catholike Expos. Reuelation 33   Charitie is lyke fyre, whyche is easyly put oute if it be abated.

     783. trespasse.  A transgression; a breach of law or duty; an offence, sin, wrong; a fault. 1526   Bible (Tyndale) Matt. vi. f. vijv   And forgeve vs oure treaspases, even as we forgeve them which treaspas vs.

     incense. v. To inflame with wrath, excite or provoke to anger, make angry, enrage, exasperate. 1596   E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. iii. sig. O7v   Much was the knight incenst with his lewd word. 

     784. hate.  The Book off proverbs speaks of that which God hates:

“Six things there are, which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth: [Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief, A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.” [Prov. vi. 16-19]

     785. grace. This word has several layers of meaning. 1. Mercy, clemency; pardon, forgiveness. 1559   W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Suffolk xxv   There was no grace, but I must loose my head. 2. As a quality possessed by human beings: benevolent divine influence regarded as an enduring force in the individual human, having its seat in the soul. 1560   Medit. Penitent Sinner sig. X.iiv, in A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias   From troubled sprite I send confused crye, To craue the crummes of all sufficing grace.

    let love forget my fall. 

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.” [Psalms L. 3]

“Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.” [Psalms L. 11]

     786. with feare.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: “ [Proverbs ix. 10]

     Cf. the words of the Psalmist and St Paul:

“Fear and trembling are come upon me: and darkness hath covered me.” [Psalm LIV. 6]

“Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.” [Philippians ii. 12]

     crave. 1. To ask earnestly, to beg for (a thing), esp. as a gift or favour. a1592   R. Greene Frier Bacon (1594) sig. C3v   To craue some succour of the iolly Frier.

     2. To long or yearn for, to desire earnestly; 1577   B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 86   Who so ploweth his Olyue Garden, craueth fruite.

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Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

St Peter's Complaynt : Lines 763-774

Please pray for the soul of Esther Clark. R.I.P. She gave a 
framed copy of this painting to the author in the 1980's.

These posts contain revised and expanded notes to St Peter's Complaynt, considered by many to be the last poem written by St Robert Southwell ("RS") before his martyrdom on the 21st of February 1595.  The original series of posts was first published in 2018 on our sister site, Mary's English Dowry. I have expanded my original notes so as to provide a more detailed critical apparatus - with fairly extensive use of quotations from the period in which RS wrote. I have also included paraphrases with the aim of making the poet's language more accessible to modern readers.

The work is offered on behalf of my family to Our Blessed Lady, Regina Martyrum et Consolatrix Afflictorum. For EEKPTEE&EA.

👈The Tears of St Peter (1587-1596) 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

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- 128 -

I dare not say, I will, but wish I may;

My pride is checkt, high wordes the speaker spilt.

My good, O Lord, Thy gift, Thy strength my stay: [765]

Give what Thou bidst, and then bid what Thou wilt.

Worke with me what Thou of me dos’t request,

Then will I dare the most, and vow the best.

    I dare not say “I will,” but I know in my heart I really want to. My pride has rightly been rebuked and needs to be kept in check. It was pride's high-sounding words that brought about the ruin of my soul. 

    All that is good and beneficial for me, O Lord, comes as a gift from Thee; all that I need to support me and keep me steady comes from Thy strength.

    Grant me what I need to do Thy bidding and then bid me do what Thou wilt. Work a miracle within me so that Thy will may be done. Then, O Lord, I will dare even to the utmost and vow to do what is best in Thine eyes.

    763. but wish I may.  Two possible meanings are: 1. but I wish that I could say “I will”; or 2. but I can say that I wish to say “I will”. The syntax permits either or both interpretations. Peter cannot yet bring himself to utter the words “I will”; but he knows that he wants (or wishes) to do so.

    764. My pride is checkt. These words, following on from “I dare not say” in 762. & 763.,  reflect a fear on the part of Peter that, in his pride, he will yet again fall short in translating his “high wordes” words into action. 

    checkt. checked. Check. 1. To reproach, taunt, revile. To rebuke, reprove, reprimand. 1590   E. Webbe Rare & Wonderfull Things (new ed.) sig. Dv   With these speeches they did checke me, and I saide, that I trusted God..would defend my prince better, then to deliuer her into the handes of her enimies, wherefore they did greatly reuile me.

2. To restrain, control.To stop. a1616   W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. iv. 211   If I can checke my erring loue, I will, If not, to compasse her Ile vse my skill.

    high wordes. See, for example his declaration after the Last Supper:

“And Peter answering, said to him: Although all shall be scandalized in thee, I will never be scandalized. Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, that in this night before the cock crow, thou wilt deny me thrice. Peter saith to him: Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee.” [Matt. xxvi. 33-35]

    spilt. Spill. 1. To destroy by depriving of life; to put (or bring) to death;  l. 1575   J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus iii. f. 36v   Quhilk spilt hir self for luif of Pyramus. To destroy or ruin (the soul) by offending, or causing to offend, against moral laws. 1556   in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 246   Other..lamented, to see him spill his soul, wretchedly.

    2. To allow or cause (a liquid) to fall, pour, or run out.  Figurative. In quot. 1577   = ‘to divulge, let out’; (see sense 16a for 20th-c use). 1577   E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. (new ed.) 257   Although it be a shame to spill [1574 spoyle, ?1575 spell] it, I will not leaue to say that which..his friendes haue said vnto me.

    high wordes the speaker spilt. There are two senses here, deriving from the two meanings of spilt and the two ways of reading the word order, i.e., 1. high wordes spilt the speaker and 2. the speaker spilt high wordes. 

    765. good. n. That which is good or beneficial; that which is morally right or virtuous; righteousness. The good aspect or part of anything; the good, virtuous, or beneficial qualities in something. Cf. goodness. 1509   S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) vi. 26   It is alwaye at mannes pleasaunce To take the good and caste the evyll under. 

    The welfare or benefit of a person, group, etc.; well-being, happiness, prosperity. 1579   J. Knewstub Confut. Heresies f. 45v   For his owne good and benefite. 

    stay. Something that supports or steadies something else; figurative. A thing or a person that affords support; an object of reliance. 1560   Bible (Geneva) Isa. iii. 1   For lo, the Lord God of hostes wil take away from Ierusalem and from Iudah the stay and the strength: euen all the stay of bread, and all the stay of water.

1563   2nd Tome Homelyes Matrimony sig. X.xxxiv   For there is no stronger defence and staye in all our lyfe, then is prayer.

    bid. To command, enjoin, order, tell with authority. 

1535   Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings iv. 24   Do as I byd the.

1597   W. Shakespeare Richard II i. i. 163   Obedience bids I should not bid againe. 

1600   W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iii. 30   He wil not stand when he is bidden . View more context for this quotation

a1616   W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iv. ii. 54   Ile be bid by thee. 

767. Worke. Work. v. transitive. To cause, bring about, produce as a result; to accomplish, achieve, attain. To act in order to bring (something) about; to make (an outcome) happen; to plan, devise, contrive. Also: to manage or contrive (a matter or situation) so as to achieve a particular result. 1561   T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer ii. sig. M.i   He ought to worke the matter wisely.

1621   J. Taylor Unnaturall Father in Wks. (1630) ii. 137/2   He resolued to worke some meanes to take away their..liues.

768. dare. v. transitive. To dare to undertake or do; to venture upon, have courage for, face. 1631   T. May tr. J. Barclay Mirrour of Mindes ii. 135   To dare all things, but nothing too much.

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- 129 -

Prone looke, crost armes, bent knee, and contrite hart,

Deepe sighs, thicke sobs, dew’d eyes and prostrate praiers, [770]

Most humbly beg releafe of earned smart, 

And saving shroud in mercies sweete repaires.

If justice should my wrongs with rigor wage:

Feares, would despaires: ruth, breed a hopelesse rage.

    With downcast eyes and arms crossed, on bended knee and with a contrite heart, with deep sighs, much sobbing and eyes wet with tears, I offer a most humble prayer: to implore that I may be delivered from the pain sin brought upon me, and that I may be healed and kept safe by Thy sweet and tender mercy.

    If I were to pay the price for my sins strictly according to justice, then fear would drive me to despair and, in the absence of any hope, remorse would make me lose my mind.

    769. Prone. 1. Having a downward aspect or direction; Of (the posture or attitude of) a person or animal: such that the belly is next to the ground, or lies beneath the body; lying face downwards or on one's belly; Also figurative. 1610   G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 30   He lowted lowe With prone obeysance. 

    2. Ready in mind (for some action expressed or implied); eager, willing. 1553   T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique i. f. 2v Though..our will [be] prone, yet our fleshe is so heauie.

    crost. crossed.

    bent knee. Consider the examples given in Scripture:

“Now when Daniel knew this, that is to say, that the law was made, he went into his house: and opening the windows in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem, he knelt down three times a day, and adored, and gave thanks before his God, as he had been accustomed to do before.” [Daniel vi. 10]

“For every knee shall be bowed to me, and every tongue shall swear.” [Isaias (Isaiah) xlv. 24] 

“That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:” [Philippians ii. 10]

    hart. heart.

    770. thicke sobs, dew’d eyes. This line recalls the words of the Gospel:

“And Peter remembered the word of Jesus which he had said: Before the cock crow, thou wilt deny me thrice. And going forth, he wept bitterly.” [Matthew 26:75]

“And Peter going out, wept bitterly.” [Luke 22:62]

    thicke. thick. Of actions: Occurring in quick succession; rapid, frequent. a1616   W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. vi. 68   He furnaces The thicke sighes from him.

    dew’d. dewed. dew. transitive. To wet with or as with dew; to bedew; to moisten. a1616   W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. ii. 344   Giue me thy hand, That I may dew it with my mournfull teares. 1552   R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum   Dewed or wete wyth dewe, roratus. 1593   R. Southwell St. Peter's Complaint 33   Dew'd eyes, and prostrate prayers.

prostrate. figurative and in figurative contexts. Laid low in mind or spirit; submissive or abject; 1591   E. Spenser Virgil's Gnat in Complaints sig. K2v   For loftie type of honour..is downe in dust prostrate. a1616   W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) i. iii. 96   Looke gracious on thy prostrate Thrall. 

    praiers. prayers.

    771. releafe. Alleviation of or deliverance from distress, anxiety, or some other emotional burden; 1601   J. Marston et al. Iacke Drums Entertainm. ii. sig. D4v   Thats the best reliefe: To drowne all care, and ouerwhelme all griefe.

    smart. Sharp, often intense, physical pain, esp. such as is caused by an external agency (a blow, sting, etc.) a1530   W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) iii. f. CCiiiiv   He suffred the sharpnes & smart of payne, ye suche as neuer was suffred.

    772. shroud. Cf. line 745., where Peter talks of his soul's funeral, saying that his "shroud" is "self-contempt." Here, the sense may rather derive from:  A place or dwelling which affords shelter; a retreat; a shelter. A thing serving as a covering or protection; a defence; a covering, screen, veil. 1576   G. Gascoigne Complaynt of Phylomene in Steele Glas sig. Mv   Vnto a selly shrowde, A sheepecote closely builte Amid the woodds.

    repaires. repair. 1. A place to which a person (or animal) goes or travels, esp. habitually or frequently; a dwelling place, an abode; a usual meeting place, a haunt. a1500  (▸?c1450)    Merlin 669 (MED)   The catte hadde ther his repeire and was ther slain.

    2. The action of repairing a damaged, worn, or faulty object or structure by replacing or fixing parts. 1524   R. Copland tr. J. de Bourbon Syege Cyte of Rodes in Begynnynge Ordre Knyghtes Hospytallers sig. Cv   The sayd bulwarke was goten and recouered agayne, and with all dylygence were made new repayres & strengthes to the sayd place.

    773. wage. To pay wages to. To reward for something done. 1562   Certayn Serm. preached in Lincs. in H. Latimer 27 Serm. ii. f. 104   At oure tyme, phisike is a remedy prepared only for riche folkes, not for poore: for the poore man is not able to wage the phisicion.

    774. When the compressed syntax is opened up, it reads: Feares would breed despaires: ruth (would) breed a hopelesse rage. 

    ruth. Contrition, repentance; remorse. Vid. ?a1603   E. Grymeston Miscelanea (1604) sig. F4v   Thou pardon promisest Where hearts true ruth is showne. Sorrow, grief, distress; lamentation. 1591   E. Spenser tr. Petrarch Visions ii, in Complaints sig. Z2   O how great ruth and sorrowfull assay, Doth vex my spirite with perplexitie.

    rage. 1. Violent anger, fury. 1575   U. Fulwell Flower of Fame f. 27v   I can not scuse his rage and hautie pride, That forced mee my vnkle to offende.

    2. Madness, insanity; a fit or attack of madness. 1608   W. Shakespeare King Lear xxi. 76   Be comforted good Madame, the great rage you see is cured in him. 

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Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

St Peter's Complaynt : Lines 751-762

Please pray for the soul of Esther Clark. R.I.P. She gave a 
framed copy of this painting to the author in the 1980's.

These posts contain revised and expanded notes to St Peter's Complaynt, considered by many to be the last poem written by St Robert Southwell ("RS") before his martyrdom on the 21st of February 1595.  The original series of posts was first published in 2018 on our sister site, Mary's English Dowry. I have expanded my original notes so as to provide a more detailed critical apparatus - with fairly extensive use of quotations from the period in which RS wrote. I have also included paraphrases with the aim of making the poet's language more accessible to modern readers.

The work is offered on behalf of my family to Our Blessed Lady, Regina Martyrum et Consolatrix Afflictorum. For EEKPTEE&EA.

👈The Tears of St Peter (1587-1596) 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

+    +    +

- 126 -

Christ, health of fever’d soule, heaven of the minde,

Force of the feeble, nurse of Infant loves,

Guide to the wandring foote, light of the blind,

Whom weeping winnes, repentant sorrow moves;

Father in care, mother in tender hart: [755]

Revive and save me slaine with sinnefull dart.

    Christ, who saves souls burning with sin’s fever; who fills troubled minds with the peace and joy of His heavenly presence; who lends the strength of His arm to support the weak and infirm; who patiently tends hearts learning to offer Him their love; who guides souls, like a good shepherd leading His precious sheep and lambs lest any stray into danger; who enables the blind to see and offers to all the light of eternal life;  who never fails to respond to the tears and contrition of sinners; who is a dutiful father, ever watchful and caring for His children; and who has a mother’s tender heart, overflowing in love for her little ones.

    Do Thou save me, sweet Christ, and restore the life I lost when wounded by the dart of mortal sin!

    751. fever’d. Christ’s miracles of healing include several that involved fever affecting the body, e.g.,

    Peter’s own mother-in-law:

“And Simon's wife's mother lay in a fit of a fever: and forthwith they tell him of her. [31] And coming to her, he lifted her up, taking her by the hand; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.” [Mark i. 30-31]

    A certain ruler, whose son was sick at Capharnaum.

“He asked therefore of them the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him: Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him.” [John iv. 52]

    heaven. Christ came down from Heaven and gives through Himself a taste of Heaven to His faithful fflock. 

“This is the bread which cometh down from heaven; that if any man eat of it, he may not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven.” [John vi. 50-51]

    752. Force. Physical strength, might, or vigour. 1576   A. Fleming tr. Solon in Panoplie Epist. 194   Chosen men, hugest in stature, and fullest of force. There are many references to God's might and strength in Scripture. Here is one from the lips of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

“Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.” [Luke i. 49-50]

    nurse of Infant loves. Christ nurtures and tends love when it has just come into being, helping it to grow and blossom. Consider too:

“Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger.” [Ps. viii. 3]

“At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them,  And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew xviii. 1-3]

“Then were little children presented to him, that he should impose hands upon them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” [Matthew xix. 13-14]

    753. Guide to the wandring foote.

“Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.” [John xiv. 6]

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.” [John x. 11]

“For you were as sheep going astray; but you are now converted to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.” [1 Peter ii. 25]

    light of the blind. There are numerous instances of Christ healing those who suffer from physical or spiritual blindness:

“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” [John viii. 12]

“The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” [Matt. xi. 5]

    754. Whom weeping winnes.  Amongst other exmamples, consider Mary Magdalen’s tears (the subject of a work in prose by RS: “Mary Magdalen’s Funeral Tears”)

“And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that he sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment; And standing behind at his feet, she began to wash his feet, with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment . . . And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much [Luke vii. 37-38, 44-47]

     winnes. win. To overcome the unwillingness or indifference of; with various shades of meaning: to attract, allure, entice; to prevail upon, persuade, induce; to gain the affection or allegiance of; to bring over to one's side, party, or cause, to convert. 

    with adverb or prep. (away, over; from, to, etc.). Here, “who is won over by weeping.” 1542   N. Udall in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Lit. Men (1843) 5   Thei have thereby woonne to goodnes innumerable persons.

    755. Father in care. Among the numerous examples of paternal love in Scripture, consider that of the prodigal son’s father:

“And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: Because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” [Luke xv. 24]

756. dart. A pointed missile weapon thrown by the hand; a light spear or javelin; also applied to pointed missiles in general, including arrows, etc. figurative. 1509   S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure xli. i   Deth with his darte arest me sodenly.

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- 127 -

If King Manasses, sunke in depth of sinne,

With plaintes and teares recovered grace and crowne:

A worthlesse worme some mild regard may winne,

And lowly creepe, where flying threw it downe. [760]

A poore desire I have to mend my ill;

I should, I would, I dare not say, I will.

    King Manasses of Judah forgot his duty to the Lord God and introduced idolatry, sinking thereby into the very depths of sin. He later repented of his sins with tears and deep contrition. His prayers were answered and he obtained mercy from the Lord, regaining his crown. If this was possible for such a one, then I too may hope for divine favour as I languish, a worthless wretch, in the depths where my pride cast me down.

    My desire to mend my ways and to make amends is sadly wanting. I know what I should do, and I want to do it, but I still dare not actually say the words: “I will...”

    757. King Manasses, sunke in depth of sinne. The story of his idolatry and repentance is recounted in 2 Paralipomenon (2 Chronicles). Here is an excerpt:

“And he did evil before the Lord, according to all the abominations of the nations, which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel: And he turned, and built again the high places which Ezechias his father had destroyed: and he built altars to Baalim, and made groves, and he adored all the host of heaven, and worshipped them. He built also altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said: In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built them for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of Benennom: he observed dreams, followed divinations, gave himself up to magic arts, had with him magicians, and enchanters: and he wrought many evils before the Lord, to provoke him to anger. He set also a graven, and a molten statue in the house of God,” 

“Therefore he [the Lord] brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of the Assyrians: and they took Manasses, and carried him bound with chains and fetters to Babylon. And after that he was in distress he prayed to the Lord his God: and did penance exceedingly before the God of his fathers. And he entreated him, and besought him earnestly: and he heard his prayer, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom, and Manasses knew that the Lord was God.” [2 Paralipomenon (2 Chronicles). 2-7, & 11-13]

    Manasses.  Hebrew: מְנַשֶּׁה‎ Mənaššé, “Forgetter”; king of Judah.

    758. crowne. Manasses lost his crown when captured by the Assyrians.

    759. worme. worm. In his humility, Peter considers himself a worthless worm, betraying his Saviour, to whom the Psalmist attributed the following words, a thousand years before the crucifixion: 

“But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people.” [Psalms xxi. 7]

    The comparison of a sinful man to a worm is made explicit here:

“And fear not the words of a sinful man, for his glory is dung, and worms:” [1 Machabees ii. 62]

    760. Where flying threw it downe. This is a reference 1. to Peter’s pride, examples of which include:

“And Peter answering, said to him: Although all shall be scandalized in thee, I will never be scandalized.” [Matt. xxvi. 33]

“Peter saith to him: Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee.” [Matt. xxvi. 35]

    Peter was “thrown down” by his sins of cowardice and betrayal when he denied his Lord.

    2. to Lucifer, the archetype of pride followed by a fall, described by Isaiah:

“Thy pride is brought down to hell, thy carcass is fallen down: under thee shall the moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning? how art thou fallen to the earth, that didst wound the nations? And thou saidst in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in the mountain of the covenant, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High. But yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, into the depth of the pit.” [Isaias xiv. 11-15]

    3. There is perhaps an echo of the story of Icarus (see line 614. supra), recounted in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Bk VIII:183-235). Daedalus and his son Icarus are prisoners of king Minos. They contrive to escape by fashioning wings from feathers and wax. The father warns his son:

“‘Let me warn you, Icarus, to take the middle way, in case the moisture weighs down your wings, if you fly too low, or if you go too high, the sun scorches them.’ Alas, the boy began to delight in his daring flight, and abandoning his guide, drawn by desire for the heavens, soared higher. His nearness to the devouring sun softened the fragrant wax that held the wings: and the wax melted: he flailed with bare arms, but losing his oar-like wings, could not ride the air.  Even as his mouth was crying his father’s name, it vanished into the dark blue sea, the Icarian Sea, called after him.”

    761. poore. poor. 1. afflicted or characterized by poverty. figurative, usually with reference to a person's soul, spirit, etc.a1616   W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iii. 166   He that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that, which not inriches him, And makes me poore indeed.

    2. Used to express deprecation (for reasons of modesty, in polite formulae, etc.) of oneself, one's actions, or something belonging to or offered by oneself: of little worth or pretension; lowly; undeserving. 1603   W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. v. 135   For my owne poore parte, ile go pray.

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Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.