SAINT PETERS Complaynt - by Robert Southwell: 433- 468/792

O Turtle twins all bath'd in virgin's milke,
Upon the margin of full-flowing bankes:
Whose gracefull plume surmounts the finest silke, [435]
Whose sight enamoreth heaven's most happy rankes,
Could I forsweare this heavenly paire of doves,
That cag'd, in care for me were groning loves.

Twice Moses wand did strike the stubborne rocke,
Ere stony veynes would yeeld their christall blood: [440]
Thy eyes, one look, serv'd as an onely knocke,
To make my heart gush out a weeping floode,
Wherein my sinnes as fishes spawne their frye,
To shew their inward shames, and then to dye.

But o, how long demurre I on his eyes, [445]
Whose looke did pearce my heart with healing wound:
Launching impostumde sore of perjured lies,
Which these two issues of mine eyes have found:
Where runne it must, till death the issues stop,
And penall life hath purgde the finall drop. [450]

Like solest Swan, that swimmes in silent deepe,
And never sings but obsequies of death,
Sigh out thy plaints, and sole in secret weepe,
In suing pardon, spend thy perjured breath.
Attire thy soule in sorrowes mourning weede: [455]
And at thine eies let guilty conscience bleede.

Still in the limbeck of thy dolefull breast,
These bitter fruites that from thy sinnes do grow:
For fuel, selfe accusing thoughtes be best,
Use feare, as fire, the coales let penance blow. [460]
And seeke none other quintescence but teares.
That eyes may shed what entred at thine eares.

Come sorrowing teares the ofspring of my griefe,
Scant not your parent of a needfull aide:
In you I rest, the hope of wish'd relief, [465]
By you my sinfull debts must be defraide.
Your power prevailes, your sacrifice is gratefull,
By love obtayning life, to men most hatefull.

Notes

'And the Lord turning looked on Peter'

[59] And after the space, as it were of one hour, another certain man affirmed, saying: Of a truth, this man was also with him; for he is also a Galilean. [60] And Peter said: Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, as he was yet speaking, the cock crew.[61] And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he had said: Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. [62] And Peter going out, wept bitterly.[Luke 22]

[l433] Turtle twins: In the Canticle of Canticles, Christ calls his spouse: she languishes with love: and describes him by his graces.

[12] His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams. [Canticle Of Canticles (Song Of Solomon) 5]

[l439] Moses wand: Christ turned and looked at Peter (the 'rock') who was so struck by the gaze that he began to weep, tears pouring from his eyes. Moses struck a rock and caused life-giving waters to pour forth:

[5] And the Lord said to Moses: Go before the people, and take with thee of the ancients of Israel: and take in thy hand the rod wherewith thou didst strike the river, and go. [6] Behold I will stand there before thee, upon the rock Horeb: and thou shalt strike the rock, and water shall come out of it that the people may drink. Moses did so before the ancients of Israel: [Exodus 16]

[l445] demurre: demur - To linger, tarry, wait; fig. to dwell upon something. Obsolete. Peter sees Christ's gaze and then cannot but retain the look in his memory. It pierces his heart but  the wound, paradoxically, is a healing wound and his heart is broken with contrition.

[l447] impostumde: impostume - To gather into an abscess or impostume (a purulent swelling or cyst in any part of the body; an abscess.)

[l448] these two issues: the tears issuing or pouring from his eyes.

[l457] Still:  Extract or produce by distillation. Obsolete.
limbeck: alembic - An early apparatus used for distilling, consisting of two connected vessels, a typically gourd-shaped cucurbit (cucurbit n.1 1) containing the substance to be distilled, and a receiver or flask in which the condensed product is collected. Occasionally also: spec. the lid or head (head n.1 19f) of the cucurbit together with its tube or beak which connects the two vessels. Now hist. 1563   T. Gale Certaine Wks. Chirurg. iv. ii. f. 33   Destill them in a glasse alembike accordyng to arte.

[l464] Scant: stint or limit in respect of provision; put or keep on short allowance.