St Peter's Complaynt : Lines 169-186

[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 to Mary, Our Queen and Mother, and dedicated to 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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Titles I make vntruths: am I a rocke,

That with so soft a gale was ouerthrowne? [170]

Am I fit pastor for the faithfull flocke,

To guide their soules that murdred thus mine owne?

A rocke of ruine, not a rest to stay,

A pastor, not to feede but to betray.

    I turn titles into their opposite; am I really as solid and immovable as a rock when I was demolished by such a gentle wind, the words spoken to me by the maidservant? Am I even fit to be the shepherd and pastor of the faithful, guiding their souls, when I brought death to my own soul? I am a rock, but a rock of ruin that collapsed and not a solid base providing strength and support; I am a shepherd of souls, but a pastor who does not feed his sheep and lambs ...but one who betrays.

    169. Titles . . . rocke. Recalling the title Christ gave to Peter:

Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. [Matt. xvi. 13-19]

    171. pastor. Etymology: late 14c. (mid-13c. as a surname), “shepherd, one who has care of a flock or herd” (a sense now obsolete), also figurative, “spiritual guide, shepherd of souls, a Christian minister or clergyman,” from Old French pastor, pastur “herdsman, shepherd” (12c.) and directly from Latin pastor “shepherd,” from pastus, past participle of pascere “to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat,” from PIE root *pa- “to feed; tend, guard, protect.” Compare pasture.

    Cf. Christ’s words to Peter after His Resurrection:

When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. He said to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my sheep. [Matt. xxi. 15-17]

    173. rest. A thing which acts as a support or comfort to a person, esp. Christ or religious faith. Obsolete.

1590   A. Prowse tr. J. Taffin Of Markes Children of God iv. sig. E4v   They beleeue that Christ is the sonne of God,..but yet they vnderstand not that he must die, and rise againe: wherein notwithstanding lieth the principall rest of our faith.

Alternatively, a place to rest or stay, a resting place; 1572  (▸a1500)    Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 59   I pray the, bring me to sum rest, the wedder is sa schill.

    stay. To support, sustain, strengthen, comfort. 1590   E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. xi. sig. Nn4v   Neither may This fire be quencht by any witt or might,..So mighty be th'enchauntments, which the same do stay.

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- 30 -

Fidelitie was flowne, when feare was hatched, [175]

Incompatible brood in Vertue's neast:

Courage can lesse with cowardise be matched,

Prowesse nor loue lodg'd in diuided breast.

O Adam's child, cast by a sillie Eue,

Heire to thy father's foyles, and borne to grieue!

    Fidelity took wing and flew off as soon as fear made its appearance, for these fledgling qualities in Virtue’s nest are quite incompatible. Courage and cowardice could be less easily matched; neither courage nor love could exist in a heart which is divided. 

    O child of Adam, born from foolish Eve, inheriting thy father’s misfortunes and born to sorrow!

    176. neast. Nest.

    177. matched. Match. To join (two people or things) in companionship or cooperation; to put together so as to form a pair or set with (another person or thing). 1585   Abp. E. Sandys Serm. iii. 47   Matching alwaies with iustice mercie.

    178. prowesse. Prowess. Valour, bravery, gallantry, martial daring; manly courage, fortitude. 1569   R. Grafton Chron. I. vii. 176   In this battaile Canutus proued the Loyaltie and manly prowesse of the Englishe men. 

Moral goodness. ?a1425  (▸c1380)    G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iv. pr. iii. 71   So as bounte and pruesse ben the mede to goode folk, also is schrewidnesse itself torment to schrewes.

    179. cast. To give birth to, bear (young); to lay (eggs), deposit (spawn). Obsolete or dialect. 1587   G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 81v   Shee was the fairest hewde..that euer kinde Had cast.

    sillie. Silly. Helpless, defenceless, powerless; Of a person, esp. a woman or a child: 1539   R. Morison tr. J. L. Vives Introd. Wisedome sig. G.viii   Consyder, in what dangers man is, whyle he lyeth lyke a deade carkas, hauynge noo power of hym selfe. Wherfore Christe must soo moche the more instantelye be sought vpon, that he may vouchsafe to defende vs sylly wretches [L. nos tam imbecillos].

    Of a person: lacking in judgement or common sense; foolish, thoughtless, empty-headed; 1611   Bible (King James) 2 Tim. iii. 6   Of this sort are they which creep into houses, and leade captiue silly women, laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.

    180. foyles. Foil. A repulse, defeat in an onset or enterprise; a baffling check. 1573   G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 13   Considering what a foul shame and foil it had alreddi bene unto me. Some versions have toyles.

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- 31 -

In Thabor's ioyes I eger was to dwell:

An earnest friend while pleasures' light did shine,

But when eclipsed glorie prostrate fell,

These zealous heates to sleepe I did resigne;

And now, my mouth hath thrise His name defil'd, [185]

That cry'd so loude three dwellings there to builde.

    I was happy to set up home with Thee on the heights of Mt Thabor, where I wanted to be a faithful and ardent friend — while enjoying the bright and warming radiance of that day; but when His glory, shining as the sun, was eclipsed and brought low by His Passion, I closed my eyes and my heart to these warm feelings of enthusiasm and friendship. 

    And look at me now, my lips have three times His name denied and defiled, the same lips that called out so loudly to make three tabernacles as dwellings for Jesus, Moses and Elias.

Note. These lines refer to Peter’s recollection of the Transfiguration on Mt. Thabor the “high mountain apart”:

“And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus.” [Matt. xvii. 1-8]

    Peter himself refers to this remarkable event in one of his letters:

“For we have not by following artificial fables, made known to you the power, and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ; but we were eyewitnesses of his greatness. For he received from God the Father, honour and glory: this voice coming down to him from the excellent glory: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And this voice we heard brought from heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount. And we have the more firm prophetical word: whereunto you do well to attend, as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation.” [2 Peter i. 16-20]

This text is particularly pertinent to the Protestant innovation of private interpretation of scripture. On the one hand, the poet uses Peter's denial as a metaphor for the denial of their faith by Catholics of this period through fear of the illegitimate 'virgin' queen of England, Elizabeth. In another sense, many in England are being forced through fear to deny Peter (in his primacy) and thus to reject the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ.

180. I eger was to dwell. Vid. supra, 

“Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” 

181. earnest. Of a person: serious, not frivolous; showing sincere and intense feeling or conviction; lacking playfulness. Of feelings, convictions, etc.: intense, ardent; sincerely held. 1597   W. Shakespeare Richard III i. iii. 87   I..haue beene, An earnest aduocate to pleade for him. 

    while pleasures’ light did shine. Vid. 

“And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.”

183. heates. Heat. Intensity or great warmth of feeling; fervour, ardour, animation, vehemence, eagerness, excitement. 1565   J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 238   Amplifications, or heats of speech, the better to stirre vp, and to enflame the minds of the Hearers.

resign. To hand over (a physical object, a possession, an asset, etc.); to give up ownership of or claim to (something in one's possession or charge); to cede. Vid. 1535   W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 713   That all Northumberland And Cumbria he sould frelie resing, Into the handis of this Dauid king. 

    To consign, make over, deliver up to a person, thing, circumstance, etc. Vid. 1561   R. Norvell Myroure of ane Christiane f. 61   My supplicatione I resing Onlie to Thé, and my intent I do present.

184. thrise. Thrice.

185. That cry'd so loude three dwellings there to builde. Vid.  

“...if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.”

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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 157-168

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 to Mary, Our Queen and Mother, and dedicated to 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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- 27 -

Ah! whether was forgotten loue exil'd?

Where did the truth of pledged promise sleepe?

What in my thoughts begat this vgly child,

That could through rented soule thus fiercely creepe?

O viper, feare their death by whom thou liuest;

All good thy ruine's wreck, all euils thou giuest.

    Thou didst forget thy love for Christ . . . whither has it been banished? Thou didst pledge a promise to Christ, but where did it go to die? How did thy thoughts generate this hideous idea that would rip thy soul apart and crawl out? How like a viper, yet thou, seeking to save thy life, shouldst fear the death of all thou dost cherish; thy spiritual ruin is the destruction of the good and thou hast become the source of every evil.  

    157. whether. Whither. To what place? a1616   W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. i. 17   Whether trauell you?

    158. pledged promise. A reference to Peter’s words: 

"Peter saith to him: Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee…" [Matthew xxvi. 35]

    sleepe. 2. figurative. To lie in death; to be at rest in the grave. 1548   R. Hutten tr. J. Spangenberg Sum of Diuinitie R vij b   Euen so wil god bring them wyth him whych haue sleped. 1567   Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 164   The bodie sleipis, quhill Domisday.

    160. rented. Rend. To tear, pull, or rip (something) away from its proper place or current position; to remove (a thing, occasionally a person) by force. 1596   E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. v. sig. P8v   As if she had intended Out of his breast the very heart haue rended.

    161. viper. RS uses this image in his prose to describe the persecutors of English Catholics. In this verse, the sense is that Peter risks the death off everything he holds dear as the price of saving his life through betrayal off Him whom he holds most dear. 

10. The viper (vipera) is so named because it is ‘born through force’ (vi parere), for when their mother’s womb is groaning to deliver, the offspring, not waiting for nature’s suitable time, gnaw at and forcibly tear open their mother’s sides, causing her death. Lucan (Civil War 6.490) says:

When the body has burst apart, the knotted vipers gather.

11. It is said that the male spits his seed into the mouth of the female viper, and she, turned from the passion of lust to rage, bites off the head of the male that is in her mouth. Thus it happens that each parent dies; the male when they mate and the female when she gives birth. From the viper comes the pill that the Greeks call θηριακοὶ. [Isidore of Seville, Etymologies. Book XII Animals (De animalibus)].

     162. wreck. Wreak. 1) Pain or punishment inflicted in return for an injury, wrong, offence. 1587   G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 79v   Such flames of wreake withyn her bowels fride. 2) Harm, injury; damage. 1591   E. Spenser Ruines of Rome in Complaints 33   These same olde walls..is that which Rome men call. Behold what wreake, what ruine, and what wast.

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Threats threw me not, torments I none assayd:

My fray with shades; conceits did make me yeeld,

Wounding my thoughts with feares; selfely dismayd, [165]

I neither fought nor lost, I gaue the field:

Infamous foyle! a maiden's easie breath

Did blow me downe, and blast my soule to death.

    Threats made to me had no effect and I didn’t test myself against the torment of severe pain;

no, my problem was a frightening struggle with shadows — notions haunting my mind made me surrender. My thoughts were as if wounded by my fears and I was discouraged so as to be defeated in my heart. I didn’t put up a fight but neither did I fight and lose — no, I surrendered the field.

What an infamous defeat it was! The gentle breath of a young woman was enough to lay me low and blow my soul into death’s oblivion.

    163. threw. Perhaps in the figurative sense from Throw. a. transitive.  As in wrestling. Vid. l.167. Or from a horse.. ?1573   L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 144   Thei were bothe throwen by their horses, and so died.

assay. c. figurative. transitive. To put to the proof, try (a person or thing); vid. 1545   R. Ascham Toxophilus To Gentlem. Eng.      Therfore did I take this litle matter in hande, to assaye my selfe. To attack anything difficult: ?1606   M. Drayton Man in Moone in Poemes sig. H7v   She the high mountaines actiuely assays.

    164. fray. 1. A feeling of fear; alarm, fright, terror. 2. An assault, attack. c1575   in J. Raine Depositions Courts Durham (1845) 300   After that Crampton had maid a fraye of the said Martyn, one Robert Johnson cauld for the constable, to carry them to the stoks.

    shades. II. A shadow, image, or phantom, and related uses. c1580   Sir P. Sidney tr. Psalmes David xxxix. iv   They are but shades, not true things where we live.

    conceits. Something conceived in the mind; a notion, conception, idea, or thought. Emotional state or disposition; frame of mind.  nn

    165. selfely. Selfly. 2. a. In oneself; in one's heart. Also: in itself; inherently. 

    167. foyle. Foil. a. A repulse, defeat in an onset or enterprise; a baffling check. 1573   G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 13   Considering what a foul shame and foil it had alreddi bene unto me.

    easie. Easy. Not hard pressed: not hurried, gentle; said of motion, a breeze. Of actions: Not difficult; to be accomplished with little effort. 1608   E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 282   They haue a very slowe and easie pace.

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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 139-156

[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 24th 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 Tears of St Peter (1587-1596) 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

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- 24 -

Why did the yeelding sea, like marble way,

Support a wretch more wauering then the waues? [140]

Whom doubt did plunge, why did the waters stay?

Vnkind in kindnesse, murthering while it saues:

Oh that this tongue had then been fishes' food,

And I deuour'd, before this cursing mood!

    Why did the waters of the sea of Galilee, which like all waters normally give way to solid objects, become as firm as a path of solid marble, able to support the weight of of a pitiful wretch, who was more wavering and fluctuating than the waves themselves? When he doubted through his want of faith, why did he start to sink and why did the waters cease to provide a firm support? 

    The tongue of this wretch, so kind and careful when his personal interests were concerned, but unkind and indifferent to others; taking pains to save his own skin but at the same time betraying others, even unto death.

    If only this tongue had been food for fishes, and I myself had been completely devoured before my denial and betrayal of Christ with oaths and curses!

    Note. These lines recall the following incident related in St Matthew’s Gospel:

And having dismissed the multitude, he went into a mountain alone to pray. And when it was evening, he was there alone. But the boat in the midst of the sea was tossed with the waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking upon the sea. And they seeing him walk upon the sea, were troubled, saying: It is an apparition. And they cried out for fear. And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not. And Peter making answer, said: Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee upon the waters. And he said: Come. And Peter going down out of the boat, walked upon the water to come to Jesus. But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? And when they were come up into the boat, the wind ceased. [Matt. 23-32]

    139. yeelding. Yield. a. intransitive. To give way under some natural or mechanical force, so as to collapse, stretch, bend, crack, etc.; vid. 1579   T. Lodge Protogenes 26   Looke for wonders where musike worketh,..the bowels of the earth yeld where the instrument soundeth.

    140. wavering. Waver. 2. To sway to and fro, as if in danger of falling; to reel, stagger, totter. a. Of persons, their sentiments, etc.: To exhibit doubt or indecision; to change or vary; to fluctuate or vacillate (between); to falter in resolution or allegiance; to show signs of giving way. Vid. 1548   N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. i. 20, 21   Why art thou vexed? why doest thou wauer in & out?

1609   W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3   And nice affections wauering stood in doubt If best were as it was, or best without.

141. stay. There are two possible senses: 1) remain in place (whilst he sank); and 2) To cease or desist from some specified activity. Vid. 1590   E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. vii. sig. F8   He hearkned, and did stay from further harmes.  Hence, when Peter’s want of faith cause him to start sinking, why did the waters cease to provide support as solid as marble?

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There surges, depths and seas, vnfirme by kind, [145]

Rough gusts, and distance both from ship and shoare,

Were titles to excuse my staggering mind;

Stout feet might falter on that liquid floare:

But heer no seas, no blasts, no billowes were,

A puffe of woman's wind bred all my feare. [150]

    There on the Sea of Galilee, the depth of water and surging of the waves, naturally ever-changing, together with the squally gusts of wind and the distance I was from the safety of the ship and the shore — all these might be excuses for losing my presence of mind, and even the sturdiest and most valiant might falter on such a shifting, watery base.

    But here there were no seas, with great, swelling waves, and no blasts of the wind; there were only the few words of a woman, her breath being the wind, as it were, that generated the fear within me.

    145. vnfirme. Unfirm. insecure; unstable, unsteady; a1616   W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iv. 32   Our fancies are more giddie and vnfirme..Then womens are.

    148. Stout. There are several possible senses here: 1) Proud, haughty, arrogant. a1616   W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) i. i. 185   As stout and proud as he were Lord of all. Peter’s pride comes before his fall. 2) Valiant, brave; undaunted. a1616   W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) iii. viii. 19   A stouter Champion neuer handled Sword. 3) Strongly built; capable of bearing rough weather. 1622   in W. Foster Eng. Factories India 1622–3 (1908) 114   Hath made us promyse to furnishe three stoutt shippes.

    floare. Floor. 

    liquid. Not fixed or stable. In poetical and rhetorical language often used for: Watery. 1609   W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 39   And anon, behold The strong ribbd barke through liquid mountaines cut.

    149. billowes. A great swelling wave of the sea, produced generally by a high wind; but often used . . . . poetically for ‘the sea’. Vid. 1589   A. Jenkinson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations ii. 358   And much adoe to keepe our barke from sinking, the billowe was so great.

    150.  A puff of woman's winde: a reference to Peter's denial when questioned by a maidservant:

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. [Matthew xxvi. 69-72]

In the particular historical context, the maidservant may also represent the 'virgin' queen Elizabeth. Many Catholics, questioned by her agents about their faith, would also fall into denial and betrayal, through fear of the reprisals. See ll 276 & 288.

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O coward troups, far better arm'd then harted!

Whom angrie words, whom blowes could not prouoke;

Whom thogh I taught how sore my weapon smarted,

Yet none repaide me with a wounding stroke.

Oh no! that stroke could but one moity kill; [155]

I was reseru'd both halfes at once to spill.

    Those cowardly men were well-armed with their swords and clubs, but there was no fight in their hearts. Our angry protests and our attempts to defend the Lord failed to provoke a reaction. Even though I showed how much pain my sword could inflict, nobody retaliated by striking and wounding me. 

Oh no, that could not be. Such a blow could kill only one half; I was being retained to kill both halves at once. 

Note. The scene shifts back to Peter’s actions in Gethsemane when a band of soldiers arrived with Judas and Christ was seized.

As he yet spoke, behold Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the ancients of the people. And he that betrayed him, gave them a sign, saying: Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he, hold him fast. And forthwith coming to Jesus, he said: Hail, Rabbi. And he kissed him. And Jesus said to him: Friend, whereto art thou come? Then they came up, and laid hands on Jesus, and held him.

Then they came up, and laid hands on Jesus, and held him. And behold one of them that were with Jesus, stretching forth his hand, drew out his sword: and striking the servant of the high priest, cut off his ear. Then Jesus saith to him: Put up again thy sword into its place: for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword. [Matt. xxvi. 47-52]

    151. harted. Hearted. 3. Full of heart; spirited, courageous. a1552   J. Leland Itinerary (1711) V. 21   Coltes..better fed then harted or apt for War.

    153. sore. Sorely. To a grievous or serious extent; greatly. With great force or vigour; strongly. To a great extent; greatly, very much. 1606   G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. xxxv. 113   So sore hated was Demetrius among all men.

    Smarted. Smart. 2. transitive. To cause (physical or mental) pain to; to hurt, sting, be painful to. 1558   T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos ii. 30   Than pardon we for pity gaue, this wayling smartes us so.

    155. moity. Moiety. A half, one of two equal parts. 1567   G. Fenton tr. M. Bandello Certaine Tragicall Disc. (1898) II. 259   The one halfe or moytie of their mynde. 

    156. to spill. transitive. To destroy by depriving of life; to put (or bring) to death; to slay or kill. a1545   Now synge We ii, in J. Skelton Poet. Wks. (1843) I. 144   Thus was I spylt, Man, for thy gylte, And not for myne.

Note. The two halves. One interpretation is that the two halves refer to the lives of Peter: his earthly life and eternal life for his soul and risen body in Heaven. A blow from the enemies of Christ would bring to an end his earthly life; but his mortal sin in betraying of Christ would bring to an end the hope of eternal  life.

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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 109-138

[The following posts contain a revised and expanded edition of St Peter's Complaynt.  This poem is 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 was first published on our sister site, Mary's English Dowry, in 2018. I have revised and expanded my original notes. I have also included paraphrases of the stanzas in modern English. The work is offered for EEKPTEE&EA.]

👈The Tears of St Peter -1587 until 1596 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

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- 21 -

 Ah, wretch! why was I nam'd sonne of a doue,

Whose speeches voyded spight and breathed gall?

No kin I am unto the bird of loue:

My stonie name much better sutes my fall:

My othes were stones, my cruell tongue the sling, [125]

My God the mark at which my spight did fling.

    Ah, what a sorry and pitiful wretch! Why was I named Bar-Jonah, the “son of a dove,” when, instead of peace and love,  fearful spite spewed from my lips in a spirit of bitterness? 

    No, I am not related to the bird of love, the dove. My other name of 'the rock' suits me better in my stony-hearted fall from grace; my oaths and curses were stones, my cruel tongue the sling and my Lord, the Son of the living God, was the target for my spite.

121. wretch. One driven out of or away from his native country; a banished person; an exile. A vile, sorry, or despicable person; one of opprobrious or reprehensible character; a mean or contemptible creature. Vid. a1555   J. Careless in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 230   Vnto me moste vile, sinnefull, wicked and vnworthy wretch.

sonne of a doue. Son of a dove. Peter is here referring to his original name and doubtless remembered the words of Christ as reported by St Matthew:

Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. [Matt. xvi. 13-19]

Bar-Jonah means son of Jonah. Jonah: masc. proper name, biblical prophet and subject of the Book of Jonah, from Hebrew Yonah, literally “dove, pigeon.” OEtD. From earliest times, the dove was associated with peace, at first the peace between man and God restored after the Flood:

And having waited yet seven other days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening, carrying a bough of an olive tree, with green leaves, in her mouth. Noe therefore understood that the waters were ceased upon the earth. [Gen. viii. 10-11]

The dove is also associated with the Holy Ghost:

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. [Luke iii. 22]

122. voyded. Void. 7.  a. Of persons, animals, or their organs: to discharge (some matter) from the body through a natural vent or orifice, esp. through the excretory organs; to eject by excretion or evacuation; also, to spit or pour forth (venom). Vid. 1577   B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 124   The more fylth he voydes at the mouth, the better wyll it be for him. Figurative: 1650   H. Vaughan Silex Scintillans 56   That's base wit, That voyds but filth, and stench.

gall. 3. a. Bitterness of spirit, asperity, rancour (supposed to have its seat in the gall). 1577   R. Stanyhurst Treat. Descr. Irelande vii. f. 27/1, in R. Holinshed Chron. I   A pleasant conceyted companion, full of mirth without gall.

123. the bird of love. The dove is associated with romantic love in pagan mythology and art: vid. The Dove by Umberto Eco. The sense here is the scriptural one (vid. 121 supra and e.g., chapter vi. of the Canticle of Canticles).

124. my stonie name. Simon was given the name Peter by Our Lord:

And he [Andrew] brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter. [John i. 42] 

See also Matt. xvi supra, of which the Douay-Rheims note says:

“Peter, signifying a rock, St. John 1. 42, should be a rock indeed, of invincible strength, for the support of the building of the church; in which building he should be, next to Christ himself, the chief foundation stone, in quality of chief pastor, ruler, and governor; and should have accordingly all fulness of ecclesiastical power, signified by the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

‘Upon this rock’: The words of Christ to Peter, spoken in the vulgar language of the Jews which our Lord made use of, were the same as if he had said in English, Thou art a Rock, and upon this rock I will build my church. So that, by the plain course of the words, Peter is here declared to be the rock, upon which the church was to be built: Christ himself being both the principal foundation and founder of the same. Where also note, that Christ, by building his house, that is, his church, upon a rock, has thereby secured it against all storms and floods, like the wise builder, St. Matt. 7. 24, 25."

stonie.  1) referring to Simon’s name, Petrus; 2) ‘Hard’, insensible, or unfeeling, as if consisting of stone; hardened, obdurate. Vid. 1600   W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 3   A stonie aduersarie, an inhumaine wretch, vncapable of pitty.

125. othes. Oaths.

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- 22 -

 Were all the Iewish tyranies too few

To glut thy hungrie lookes with His disgrace?

That thou more hatefull tyrannies must shew,

And spet thy poyson in thy Maker's face? [130]

Didst thou to spare His foes put vp thy sword,

To brandish now thy tongue against thy Lord?

    Were all the injustices, abuses of authority and malice on the part of the Jews who brought about the Lord’s disgrace, were they not enough to satisfy thee? Didst thou feel the need for acts more detestable still, and so thou didst spit thy poisonous betrayal in thy Maker’s face? Didst thou put up thy sword into its place to spare the foes of thy Master, only to brandish thy tongue against thy Lord, so to speak, with cutting words of betrayal?

    127. & 129.  tyranies. 3. a. Tyranny. Arbitrary or oppressive exercise of power; unjustly severe use of one's authority; despotic treatment or influence; harsh, severe, or unmerciful action; with a and plural, an instance of this, a tyrannical act or proceeding. 3. b. Violent or lawless action; violence, outrage, villany. Vid. 1613   S. Purchas Pilgrimage 546   He delights to see men..torn with Elephants. Of these tyrannies he reckons many particulars which he saw.

    These tyrannies began with plots to kill Christ and the malicious words and acts would continue through the Passion. Here are some examples:

"Which when the chief priests and the scribes had heard, they sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because the whole multitude was in admiration at his doctrine."

[Mark xi:18]

"Now the feast of the pasch, and of the Azymes was after two days; and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might by some wile lay hold on him, and kill him."

[Mark xiv. 1]

"And he was teaching daily in the temple. And the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people sought to destroy him:"

[Luke xix. 47]

"And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put Jesus to death: but they feared the people."

[Luke xxii. 2]

"And straightway in the morning, the chief priests holding a consultation with the ancients and the scribes and the whole council, binding Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate." [Mark xv.1]

"And the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death:" [Matthew xvi. 59]

"But the chief priests and ancients persuaded the people, that they should ask for Barabbas, and take Jesus away." [Matthew xxvii. 20]

"Pilate saith to them: What shall I do then with Jesus that is called Christ? They say all: Let him be crucified. The governor said to them: Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying: Let him be crucified. And Pilate seeing that he prevailed nothing, but that rather a tumult was made; taking water washed his hands before the people, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to it. And the whole people answering, said: His blood be upon us and our children." [Matt. xxvii. 22-25]

"In like manner also the chief priests, with the scribes and ancients, mocking, said: He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him now deliver him if he will have him; for he said: I am the Son of God." [Matt. xxvii. 41-43]

"And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus."

[John xix. 38]

    128. glut. 2. a. figurative. To gratify to the full (in earlier use, a sense or appetite of any kind, now, esp., a ferocious or lustful desire). Also to glut a person, to glut his eyes, etc. with, in something. Vid. 1549   J. Cheke Hurt of Sedicion (ed. 3) sig. C2v   You..are better contented to suffer famine..to glutte your lustes, than to liue in quietnesse.

1621   R. Burton Anat. Melancholy ii. iii. iii. 399   A country man may travell from kingdome to kingdome,..and glut his eyes with delightfull obiects. 

    thy. An alternative reading in some editions is their, referring to those Jews who hungered after the death of Christ (see supra).

    hungrie. Hungry. 4. transferred and figurative. Having or characterized by a strong desire or craving. Perhaps a reference to Peter’s keen desire to see what was happening after Christ’s arrest in Gethsemane.  

    130. spet. Spat. Cf. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him: and others struck his face with the palms of their hands. [Matt. xxvi. 67]

131. Didst thou to spare His foes put vp thy sword? This a reference to Peter’s action when he saw Christ being seized in the garden of Gethsemane. 

Then they came up, and laid hands on Jesus, and held him. And behold one of them that were with Jesus, stretching forth his hand, drew out his sword: and striking the servant of the high priest, cut off his ear. Then Jesus saith to him: Put up again thy sword into its place: for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword. [Matt. xxvi. 50-52]

 

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- 23 -

 Ah! tongue, that didst His prayse and Godhead sound,

How wert thou stain'd with such detesting words,

That euerie word was to His heart a wound, [135]

And launct Him deeper then a thousand swords?

What rage of man, yea what infernall spirit,

Could haue disgorg'd more loathsome dregs of spite?

Ah, what a tongue! A tongue that offered up praise to the Lord and declared His divinity. How thou wert stained by the hateful words thou didst utter. His Sacred Heart was wounded by every word of thy betrayal, which pierced Him more deeply than a thousand swords. What rage within a man, what spirit from Hell, could have spewed up more loathsome dregs of spite?

    133. that didst His prayse  . . . sound. Here are some examples of Peter’s praise, 

"Which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

[Luke v. 8]

"And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."

[John vi. 69]

    that didst His . . . Godhead sound: 

"Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."

[Matthew xvi.16]

    135. euerie. Every.

    136. launct. Lanced. 6. a. To pierce with or as with a lance or a lancet; to cut, gash, slit. Also, to slit open; to open. 1590   C. Marlowe Tamburlaine: 1st Pt. sig. A8v   We will lift our swords. And..lanch his greedy thirsting throat.

    138. disgorg’d. 1. a. transitive. To eject or throw out from, or as from, the gorge or throat; to vomit forth. b. figurative. To discharge as if from a mouth; to empty forth; esp. to give up what has been wrongfully appropriated. Vid. 1587   G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 114v   Disgorge thy care, abandon feare.

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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 109-120

[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 24th 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 Tears of St Peter -1587 until 1596 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

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- 19 - 

Is this the haruest of His sowing-toyle?

Did Christ manure thy heart to breede Him briers? [110]

Or doth it neede, this vnaccustom'd soyle,

With hellish dung to fertile heauen's desires?

No, no, the marle that periuries do yeeld,

May spoyle a good, not fat a barraine field.

    Is this what the Lord will harvest after all the effort he put into sowing his word? Did Christ carefully cultivate your heart only to see thorns and weeds spring up? Or doth this strange soil need be spread with dung from Hell so as to bring to fruition the desires of Heaven?

    No, and again no: the mucky compost that perjuries produce will not make a barren field fertile and will actually ruin good soil.

109. toyle. Intensive labour; hard or prolonged exertion which is physically or mentally taxing:  1594   W. Hervey Epicedium Lady Helen Branch 1   You that to shew your wits, have taken toyle.

a1613   E. Brerewood Learned Treat. Sabaoth (1630) 16   The law giuen was manifestly intended to bring seruants release, and remission of their weekely toile. 

110. manure. c. 1400, “to cultivate (land, a garden) by manual labor,” also “to hold property, rule,” from Anglo-French meynoverer (late 13c.), Old French manovrer “to work with the hands, cultivate; carry out; make, produce,” from Medieval Latin manuoperare (see maneuver (n.))  Sense of “work the earth” led to "put dung and compost on the soil, treat (soil) with fertilizing materials" (1590s) [OEtD].

1561   T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. iv. xiv. f. 94v   The word of God..if it light vpon a soule manured with the hande of the heauenly Spirite, it will be moste fruitefull.

breede. To give rise to, engender, develop, produce, create, cause, be the source of. 1598   R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres iv. 120   Warres may breed pouertie, and pouertie breedeth peace.

briers. A prickly, thorny bush or shrub in general; Troubles, difficulties, vexations. 

Note: The best-known example of this similitude of a sower is found in Chapter xiii of  St Matthew’s Gospel:

And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying: Behold the sower went forth to sow. And whilst he soweth some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up. And other some fell upon stony ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away. And others fell among thorns: and the thorns grew up and choked them. And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. [Matt. xiii. 3-9.]

111. vnaccustomed. Not customary; unfamiliar, unusual, strange. 1560   J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cccclij   Such vnaccustomed vices, and not euery where vsed.

113. marle. Earth, soil; the ground. An earthy deposit, typically loose and unconsolidated and consisting chiefly of clay mixed with calcium carbonate, formed in prehistoric seas and lakes and long used to improve the texture of sandy or light soil.1589   G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xxv. 254   The good gardiner seasons his soyle by sundrie sorts of compost: as mucke or marle.

periuries. Perjury. The violation of a promise, vow, or solemn undertaking; a breach of oath. 

“And as he(Peter) 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. xxvii. 71-74] 

114. fat. 5. transitive.To enrich (the soil) with nutritious and stimulating elements; to fertilize. 1594   T. Blundeville Exercises v. f. 265v   The flood Nilus, which by his inundations doth yearely..fatte the Countrie of Egypt.

        barraine. 4.  a. Of land: Producing little or no vegetation; not fertile, sterile, unproductive, bare. 1614   W. Raleigh Hist. World i. ii. xii. §3. 413   Land..exceeding stony and barraine.

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- 20 -

Was this for best deserts the duest meede?

Are highest worths well wag'd with spitefull hire?

Are stoutest vowes repeal'd in greatest neede?

Should friendship, at the first affront, retire?

Blush, crauen sot, lurke in eternall night;

Crouch in the darkest caves from loathed light. [120]

    Was this by way of just deserts the most merited reward? Are the highest personal qualities well paid for by a recompense of spite? Can the most resolute vows be overridden at will in cases of personal need? Should friendship at the first affront withdraw into the background? 

    Blush, thou cowardly fool; creep away into an everlasting night; crawl into the darkest caves so as to hide from a light thou dost loathe.

    115. desert. That which is deserved; a due reward or recompense, whether good or evil.

    duest. Due. 2.  a. (a) More generally: that ought (by right, in fairness, etc., or in the opinion of the writer or speaker) to be given, granted, or carried out; requisite; merited, deserved. Vid. 1591   E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 1237   Hell, his dewest meed.

    meede. Meed. 1. a. In early use: something given in return for labour or service; wages, hire; recompense, reward, deserts; a gift. Later: a reward or prize given for excellence or achievement; a person's deserved share of (praise, honour, etc.). Vid. 1590   E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ii. sig. B8   A Rosy girlond was the victors meede.

    116. worths. Worth. II 6 b. In plural in same sense: a person's merit or excellence. Vid. a1586   Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. ii. sig. P1v   How can you him vnworthy then decree, In whose chiefe parte your worthes implanted be?

1594   C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido iii. iv. 1037   If that you maiestie can looke so lowe, As my despised worths.

    wag’d. Wage. 9. a. To pay wages to. Vid. 1585   T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie iii. xxii. 112 b   Besides that which is giuen vnto them of almes, they are waged either publikely, or of som in particular.

    hire. 3. figurative. Reward, recompense, payment (for work or service of any kind). Vid. 1481   W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 29   Our lorde god shal ones rewarde them their hyre.

c1560   A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxxii. 10   Schort plesour, lang displesour; Repentence is the hyre.

    stoutest. Stout. 1) Firm in resolve, unyielding, determined. 1569   R. Grafton Chron. II. 58   He..with wordes of great consolation did courage him to be stoute in the quarrell he toke in hand. 2) With a hint of the pejorative: c. Of utterances or demeanour: Resolute, defiant. 1553   J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Hist. i. f. 5v   Wherupon Alexander with many stowte and dispiteful wordes departed from his father.

    119. craven. Craven. That owns himself beaten or afraid of his opponent; cowardly, weak-hearted, abjectly pusillanimous. 1597   M. Drayton Englands Heroicall Epist. f. 19   When beggers-brats..Alie the kingdome to theyr crauand brood.

    sot. 1. A foolish or stupid person; a fool, blockhead, dolt. 1598   Floure & Leafe in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 366/2   So sodainly that as it were a sote I stood astonied.

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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 97-108

[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 Tears of St Peter -1587 until 1596 

El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614

Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.

+    +    +

- 17 - 

And could I rate so high a life so base?

Did feare with loue cast so vneven account,

That for this goale I should runne Iudas' race,

And Caiphas' rage in crueltie surmount? [100]

Yet they esteemed thirtie pence His price;

I, worse then both, for nought denyd Him thrice.

    How could I rate so highly in my mind a life so base in reality? How could I reckon up an account showing fear so out of balance with love? How could I through this fear have no fear about rushing to follow the treachery of Judas, and exceeding in cruelty the rage of Caiphas? They reckoned Christ’s price to be thirty pieces of silver, whereas I was worse than both of them because I denied Him three times . . . for nothing.

98. cast . . . account. VI. To reckon, calculate.  37. To count or reckon, so as to ascertain the sum of various numbers, originally by means of counters, to the manipulation of which the word probably refers. c. esp. in to cast accounts, originally to sum up or reckon accounts. Vid. 1581   J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 44 b   You cast your accomptes amisse in your numbryng.

99. & 101. Judas...thirtie pence. vid.

Then went one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, to the chief priests, And said to them: What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? But they appointed him thirty pieces of silver. [Matt. xxvi. 14-15]

100. Caiphas. 

“The death of Jesus being resolved upon, the most unscrupulous means were employed in order to bring it about, and Caiphas is chiefly to blame. The meeting determined upon by the princes of the priests and the elders of the people, "that by subtlety they might apprehend Jesus", was held in the house of Caiphas (Matthew xxvi. 3-5). The hill south of Jerusalem where this house is said by tradition to have stood is called the “Hill of Evil Counsel.” As high-priest, Caiphas was the official head of the Sanhedrin, and consequently responsible for the travesty of a trial to which Christ was submitted by the Jewish authorities, before they handed Him over to Pilate and stirred up the people to demand his death.” [Caiphas, Catholic Encyclopedia]

And Peter followed him from afar off, even into the court of the high priest; and he sat with the servants at the fire, and warmed himself. And the chief priests and all the council sought for evidence against Jesus, that they might put him to death, and found none. For many bore false witness against him, and their evidences were not agreeing. And some rising up, bore false witness against him, saying: We heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another not made with hands. And their witness did not agree. And the high priest rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, saying: Answerest thou nothing to the things that are laid to thy charge by these men?  But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said to him: Art thou the Christ the Son of the blessed God? And Jesus said to him: I am. And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rending his garments, saith: What need we any further witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What think you? Who all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him: Prophesy: and the servants struck him with the palms of their hands. [Mark xiv. 54-65]

102. then: than.

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- 18 - 

The mother-sea, from ouerflowing deepes,

Sends forth her issue by diuided vaines,

Yet back her ofspring to their mother creepes, [105]

To pay their purest streames with added gaines;

But I, that drunke the drops of heauenly flud,

Bemyr'd the Giuer with returning mud.

   

     The sea from her abundant depths sends forth waters which go their separate ways; but they slowly make their way back and show how they have enriched the pure water they received from the source. 

As for me, I received the waters of Baptism and I have drunk from the heavenly source of grace, but I have polluted my soul through sin and, instead of beautiful gifts, I return to the Lord a soul made filthy through betrayal.

Note. One image here refers to water which, being drawn up from the seas and received in the heavens, is purified and returns to earth to feed into streams and rivers, finally replenishing its own source. A second image refers to a mother whose offspring are sent forth, going their separate ways, before finally coming home to share what they have added to the gifts their mother gave them. One interpretation is that the words relate to a man’s soul, uplifted from the waters of Baptism, rises heavenwards. Whilst alive, a man is duty bound to make good use of this gift of supernatural life in his soul. He later returns before his Lord to show what gaines he has added to the gifts given him by the Lord. Another interpretation concerns the Blessed Virgin Mary who, as our mother and the Mediatrix of all graces, sends her children forth into the world; at length, we come quietly back to our mother to show how we have tried to add to the gifts she gave us.  

In the parable of the talents, Our Lord makes clear in a vivid manner what happens to those who fail to do this and instead bemire the giver with returning mud:

But he that had received the one talent, came and said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed. And being afraid I went and hid thy talent in the earth: behold here thou hast that which is thine. And his lord answering, said to him: Wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that ... I should have received my own with interest. Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents. For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: but from him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall be taken away. And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [Matthew xxv. 24-30]

103. The mother-sea. It may not be too fanciful to discern a reference here to the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mediatrix of all graces. Christ designated her as our Mother before He died on the Cross1 and she has fourteen titles as a Mater /Mother in the Litany of Loreto, as well as being hailed as Mater Misericordiæ in the antiphon Salve Regina. St Thérèse of the Child Jesus spoke about this shortly before her death:

“Un soir elle s'écria: «Que je l'aime la Vierge Marie! Si j'avais été prêtre, que j'aurais bien parlé d'elle! On la montre inabordable, il faudrait la montrer imitable. Elle est plus mère que reine!” / “One evening she exclaimed: ‘Oh, how I love Our Blessed Lady! Had I been a Priest, how I would have sung her praises! She is spoken of as unapproachable, whereas she should be represented as easy of imitation. . . . She is more Mother than Queen.’” [L'Histoire d'une Âme]

    Note. The origin of the Blessed Virgin’s name is associated by some with the sea: mare , is, n.: the sea, freq.; ocean; water, flood; one of her titles is Stella Maris, Star of the Sea, which some believe was originally Stilla Maris, droplet of the sea (cf. distilled essence from the..). For more, see The Name of Mary in the Catholic Encyclopedia. 

104. issue. Something which proceeds or results from any source – here, waters.

        vaines: veins. With reference or allusion to veins as channels for water. Vid Obsolete. 1534   J. Fewterer tr. U. Pinder Myrrour Christes Passion f. cxxxv   What drynke..dyd he desyre, whiche is the founten of the lyuely and holsome water, the veyne of lyfe, the ryuer of all pleasure.

Offspring, produce, proceeds, and derived senses. Vid. c1613  (▸1504)    in T. Stapleton Plumpton Corr. (1839) 193   As for such essew as God sendeth them, it is noe doubt but he wyll..provyd for them.

104. vaines: veins. With reference or allusion to veins as channels for water . Obsolete. 1534   J. Fewterer tr. U. Pinder Myrrour Christes Passion f. cxxxv   What drynke..dyd he desyre, whiche is the founten of the lyuely and holsome water, the veyne of lyfe, the ryuer of all pleasure.

105. creepes. Creep. To move softly, cautiously, timorously, or slowly; to move quietly. There may be an echo of another sense suited to the figurative meaning: vid. 1589   W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) v. xxiii. 103   We kisse the Pix, we creepe the Crosse, our Beades we ouer-runne.

1609   W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. iii. 67   To come as humbly as they vsd to creep, to holy aultars.

106. gaines. In plural. Sums acquired by trade or in other ways; emoluments, profits, winnings, etc. Vid. 1600   P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. (1609) xxxi. xlv. 800   The gaines would hardly quit the paines [L. vix operæ pretium erat].

107. flud. Flood (or possibly fluid?) No trace of flud for fluid in OED quotations).

108. bemyre. Bemire. To cover or befoul with mire. Vid. c1532   T. More Let. Impugnynge J. Fryth in Wks. 833/2   If only they that are alredy bymired, were..myred on more and more.

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Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.