The Same in English, anonymous

edited by Chad Parks

In 1586, Roman Catholic conspirators attempted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. The men behind the plot were thwarted and sentenced to death. One of them was the young Chidiock Tichborne, who, while in the Tower awaiting his death, penned his famous poem, "Tichborne's Elegy." Later in 1586, after the executions, John Wolfe published Verses of Praise and Joy. The title page describes its contents: "Written upon Her Majesty's preservation. Whereunto is Annexed Tichborne's Lamentation, Written in the Tower with his Own Hand and an Answer to the Same."
The last page of the book is dedicated to a six-line Latin poem entitled, "Ad Serenissiman Reginam Elizabetham, Apostrophe" (An Apostrophe to the Most Serene Queen Elizabeth) followed by its English translation, the poem edited here, called "The Same in English." Both original and translation are anonymous. 

	Reign, live, and blissful days enjoy,
	   thou shining lamp of th'earth.
	The only life of country's state,
	   thy subjects' health and mirth.
	On thee we ground our hope; through thee	5
	   we draw our breath with joy.
	God grant thee long amongst us breathe,
	   God shield thee from annoy.
	To die for thee were sweet, to live
	   were wretched but for thee.           	10
	Without thee death a second life,
	   life double death, should be.

2. thou] Queen Elizabeth.
8. annoy] disturbance.
11 - 12. The syntax of these lines is difficult, but the fundamental concept seems to be that if the plot to kill the queen would have been successful, then life without her would be equal to a double death.

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