Thomas Cole

Politician

On the south wall of St Margaret's church Westminster, near the vestry door, is a brass, consisting of two plates, to Member of Parliament Thomas Cole. It shows kneeling figures of a man and wife at a faldstool with one son and two daughters. A shield of arms ("pily of three sable, between ten martlets, three and two, of the same") and a long inscription form the rest of the memorial. The brass has been attributed to the workshop of Gerard Johnson. Cole was buried in the church on 25th November 1597. He was probably a son of Thomas Cole (died 1571) and Elizabeth (Hargrave). He served as M.P. for the City of Westminster and was at Barnard's Inn in London with a residence at Romford in Essex. Among his posts were Keeper of Ponds at Westminster and Hampton Court, Overseer of the poor and churchwarden of St Margaret's. His executor was his former tutor Dr John Day. The inscription, which may have been written by his wife Margaret who put up the brass, or by Day reads:

Sacrum Doloris. Shall teares, the silent messengers of greife, Dissolve their streames into a sea of moane: Noe, Noe, in vain you sacrifice releife, over his tombe with eyes, with voice, with groane. For Cole, assigned by god the poore to pitty, the widowes comfort, and eke the orphants sire, who tuned each string of hate to loves sweet ditty is dead, aye me, will death the best desire: remorsles death thy wrath in him is ended, mauger thy darts his praises cannot dye; thou hast his body: but his soule's ascended into the place of joyes eternitye. And though his corps interred: lye dead in grave, yet still his vertue, life and beinge have. Anno Domini 1597. In Parliament a Burgess, Cole, was placed; in Westminster the like for manye years: But not with saints above his soule is graced, and lives a Burgess with heavns royall peares. O blessed chaunge from earth, where death is kinge, to be united there, where angells singe. [a short piece of Latin follows which is translated on the brass] Thus in English, The grave my bodye, heavne my soule doth keepe, the world my fame the rest in death do sleepe. Margaret Cole posuit [put this here].

This monument unites two constant lovers. He that is dead and her that lives in death: his body shee his spouse, in honnor covers, wishinge her daies were shortned, with his death. But shee must live; yet livinge shall be mated with him in death: while death her life hath dated. Full twenty years and odd their leauge was firme, wittnes the world, their children and their love; nothinge but death, by death could give ye tearme, or farewell to their faith, by false remove. Of breach of concord, noe tounge can accuse them, unless base envye by her saints abuse them. O envye not the dead, but dye to synn, expect the harvest of this dead mans bliss. Desire the crowne with envye cannot winn, amend in you, in others whats amiss. So death shall be your herrauld to procure rest to your soules, with christ for to endure. Margaret in woe distill thes teares to comfort, and in thy childrens love addresse thy anguish, three live with thee, then love their livinge consort, noe longer in thy husbands sorrow languish. But immitate thy Cole in vertues lawes, that thou maist live, where vertue pleads his cause.