St Peter's Complaynt : Lines 385-396

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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- 65 -

O eyes! whose glaunces are a silent speach, [385]

In cipherd words high mysteries disclosing;

Which, with a looke, all sciences can teach,

Whose textes to faithfull harts need little glosing;

Witnesse vnworthie I, who in a looke

Learn'd more by rote, then all the Scribes by book. [390]

    Thine eyes, O Lord, cast glances which communicate - like speech - but in silence, their hidden words disclosing lofty and mysterious thoughts. Thine eyes can with one look impart any knowledge which hearts that are faithful will understand with little need for interpretation. I am myself an unworthy witness yet in one look even I learned in my heart more than any of the Scribes ever did from all their book-learning.

    386. cipherd. Cipher. v. To express by characters of any kind; esp. to write in cipher or cryptogram. To express, show forth, make manifest by any outward signs, portray, delineate. 1594   W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. K2   The face of eyther cypher'd eythers heart.

    388. glosing. Gloss. v. To insert glosses or comments on; to comment upon, explain, interpret. To introduce a gloss, comment, or explanation upon a word or passage in a text. Also in wider sense, to make comments or remarks. 1579   E. K. in E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Ep. Ded. §4   Which maner of glossing and commenting.

    390. rote. by rote: in a mechanical or repetitious manner: (esp. of learning, etc.) acquired by memorization without proper understanding or reflection; (also) with precision, by heart.  1526   W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. HHHvii   If it were, than I myght..say my seruice by rote and custome.

    Scribes. A member of the ancient Jewish class of professional copyists, editors, and interpreters of Scripture and the Law; spec. such a person chiefly serving as a jurist. Cf. Pharisee.

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- 66 -

Tough malice still possest their hardned minds,

I, though too hard, learn'd softnes in Thine eye,

Which yron knots of stubborne will vnbinds,

Offring them loue, that loue with loue wil buy.

This did I learne, yet they could not discerne it; [395]

But woe, that I had now such neede to learne it!

    The hearts of the Scribes remained hardened with a merciless malice; my own heart too was hard but I learned softness from Thy gentle gaze, a gaze which can untie the toughest knots of stubborn wills; it does this by offering them love, and in this way love is repaid with love.

    I came to understand this but the Scribes were not able to discern it. What a tragedy that I now had such a need to learn this lesson!

    391. Tough. “The two printed texts of ‘St Peters Complaynt’ issued earlier in 1595 both read ‘though’ for ‘tough’.” [RS-DS] It seems possible to argue for either option: on the one hand, ‘though’ in line 392 might be considered an inelegant repetition of ‘Though’ in line 391; on the other hand, RS may have intended a deliberate parallelism between the malice of the Scribes and the hard heart of Peter, revealing a similarity but with the difference that Peter, unlike the Scribes, finally learn’d softness.

    396. woe.  A state or condition of misery, suffering, or emotional distress; misfortune, trouble. A cause of misfortune, trouble, or sorrow. 1578   T. Blenerhasset 2nd Pt. Mirrour for Magistrates Sigebert f. 45   Welth is my woe, the causer of my care.

    Interj. Used to express grief, pity, regret, disappointment, or concern. a1555   J. Bradford in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 297   Then shall they crye woe, woe, that euer they dyd as they haue done.

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Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.