In the British Library copy of Epicedium (see post above) is written (in a hand and ink that looks to me 16th-century or thereabouts):
HELENAE NICOLSON dominae BRANCH
epitaphium lapide Lydio misculptim, &
literis aueeus miscriptum in tumulum
delubro sancta Maria Abchurche
LONDON decoris exructim
Anno a partue virgins, 1594In fahicem memoriam pia pulchra & pudicae femina domina HELEN BRANCH, filia venerablis, GVIELMI NICOLSON ohim ciuis & Pamnarin LONDON quondam per quadraginta ammos (& eo ampliup) vxoris viri dignisim JOHANNIS DIINORS ciuis et etiam Pannarin LONDON cui peperit filium vnum Rogerum, & filias tres, Joannam Ripman, & Plaragaretam omnes fine prote deunctos Nuper (ad annum asque vugezimum) uxoris aurati quondam praecharizimae ciutatis LONDON homoratizimi Plaioris:
ROBERTUS NICOLSON generosus ex fratre nepos vreiufoz heres & dicta Dominae sotus executor, suis fumptubus spontaneis hoc Monumentum pofuit.Nuper fui eti estis:
Nunc sum eti eritis.Quam ter falicem pietas opulentia, forma,
Flecere’ im terris modo suffragante popells:
Suffragante’ Deo fideo, constantia viuoe’
Eternum in calis, te nunc iubet eze beatam.
Nonagenaria obut 10 mo. Aprilis
Annon Salutis 1594 to.
————————————Cuius honoratizimae’ Dominae’ exequinae’ moerentes splendenie
Die unnae ( ) 29 Aprilis 1594 to magna comitant caterua tam ornatizima Domini CVIBERTI BVCKLE tunc turrigeri LONDONI==INI Plaioris, quam venerabilizimocum
Doctorum, Generoforum, confanguineorum, Affirmum, proximorn, caduceatorum; perhomorificaruma Dominarum ‘generosarm & pauperum, honorifice celebrata fuerunt . .Tetratichon suprascriptum Anglice.
Ladie whom Pietie, Plentie, Beautie rare’
thrice hapie made on earth by peoples voices:
By constant lively faith, Heaven doth prepare’
eternal bliss for thee’, wher LOVE reiosies,
Per Robin Nicolson; dicta Dominae nepotem’
Idem Anglice.whom Pietie, Plentie & Beautie made,
thrice happie here, in Earth among the best:
Her lively faith, whose true fauite never fade’
makes home with God in heaven for ever blest.
[The bottom line is unfortunately cut off, but I think it almost certainly reads
Joshua Silueter: 1594]
So at least the English part of that is probably from one of the other pamphlets.
I suspect that the part above the line might be the epitaph from her tomb (the original having been lost in the Great Fire.)
I get from the bolded part that she was a beautiful and modest/chaste matron, dutiful daughter to John Nicolson, and that Robert Nicolson was her executor. Can anyone help with anything more?
Thanks in advance, and please forgive any transcription errors – not easy with handwriting in a language you don’t know.
(I find that Phillips at least wrote quite a few similar elegies, although mostly for aristocrats rather than gentry.)
5 Comments