A TIMELIE CAVTION
Comprehended in thirty seven Double Trimeters,
occasioned by a late Rumour of an Intention,
suddenly to Adjourn this Parliament:
And Superscribed, to those whom it most
concerns; September 10. 1652.
Amicj Legite; Veridicum Credite, Veritatem Diligite.
By G. W. A faithful servant to this Republik.
IT made a
Dumbe Child
speak, to see,
His
Fathers
life, in Ieopardy:
And, such a
Passion
swells in me.
To vent it, therefore, leave I crave;
For, dread of
sadder things
I have,
Then
single Murthers,
or a
Grave.
I find most men regardless grown,
Of
Public dangers,
and their own,
Yet, my
Conjecture
shall be shown,
That, when my
words
are proved
true,
It may appear, I some things knew,
Which might have been of use, to
you.
Birth's,
then unborn, are eight years old,
Since in
Aenigmas, one
foretold,
What, many, do fulfilled behold;
And at that time, some
Hints
had we,
Of things, that would attempted be,
In
Fifty two,
and
Fifty three.
Now hearken, therefore, and give
Creed,
To him, who biddeth you take heed,
How,
other men,
and
You,
proceed;
That,
You,
together may abide,
Till we
expedients
can provide,
For what is likely to betide.
Else,
they
who seem to be your
Friends,
May prosecute, for private ends,
What, your
apparent
Foe intends;
And, when dispersed abroad you are,
Accomplish that, which many fear,
And prove as false as they appear.
For, we, who search the depths to find:
Of what is secretly
designed,
Perceive
Old mischiefs,
new refined;
Which, if no
pour
the same prevent,
Will from each other, shortly rent,
Each Member of this
Parliament.
T'is thought, that some are gone away,
To that intent; and, that some stay,
To win the rest, their
Game
to play:
So, when you are seduced become,
To leave your
Charge,
and stragle home,
None shall to them be troublesome.
It is confessed to be true,
That, of your
Ship,
there are but few,
To whom her
Pilotage
is due;
And, so longe time upon the
Seas,
It hath been tost, that, now, to
these
There should allowance be of,
Ease.
Yet, since the
Vessel
(bruiz'd and torn)
A
Tempest,
of twelve years hath borne,
And promiseth a rich
Return;
Bear up;
and stoutly persevere:
For, your wished
Harbor,
now is near;
And, you, may speedily be there.
As
Paul,
said once, to those who saild,
With him (when each man's courage faild,
And their endeavors naught availd)
So, say I now;
Continve, still,
Within the Shipp and, wait his will:
Who can your honest hopes fulfill.
For, if yourselves you shall betake,
To that
Retreat,
which some would make;
You hazard all, unto a
Wrack:
And, where you
Safety
think to find,
They will
•
o you prove more unkind,
Then
Rocks,
or
Wherlpools, Waves,
or
Wind.
Although
yourselves
you must
renew,
Before those wishes will ensue,
Which, your
endeavors
do pursue;
Yet, in your
Weakness
doth remain,
That
Strength,
whereby, God will sustain,
And build up, what he doth
Ordaine.
We, therefore, justly may suspect,
That, they who zealously project,
A
Change;
will find no good effect;
Till God hath ripend
you,
and
them,
To join more seriously with
him,
In building
New Jerusalem.
Or, till a
dotage
on those things,
Which brought destruction on our
Kings,
On us, the same
Correction
brings.
For, then, of this
event
be su
••
;
Disoraer,
shall
Disorder cure,
Till none remains, that is impure.
Be therefore warned, and be wise;
And, what these
Trimeters
advise,
Do not, disdainfully, despise:
Nor think, I, from
good manners
err,
Though, I thus venture, to prefer,
These
Lines,
for your
Remembrancer.
On your
well-being,
mine depends;
And, though you are not all my
Frinds,
My love, to all of you extends:
And, whilst I have abiding here,
You, now and then, are like to hear,
What I
believe, think, hope,
and
fear.
You better know, then I can tell,
Amid'st what
Enemies
you dwell;
And, what they fear, who wish you well.
Your
Prudence
also, may surmise,
What mischieves, might this
Land
surprise,
If, at this
Juncture,
you should
rise.
Not without Cause,
we have, of late,
Provok'd a
Foe,
which to this
State,
Expresseth an unequal'd hate:
And (truth to say) there could not be,
Accord twixt us,
till
They
and
We,
Had mean, each others
Pour
to see.
For,
self esteem,
on tother side,
Had puffed them up, with so much
pride,
That, till by some
Euents
we tried,
What
mischievs,
from our
Emnities,
Unto each, other, might arise;
We could have had no long-lived
Peace:
But,
They
and
We,
shall now perchance,
Know shortly, what will most advance,
Our
Weales;
and foot a better
Dance:
Mean-while, it will concern us near,
That, you should keep together, here,
And, in a
well-filled House
appear.
For, such a
Breach,
with such a
Foe,
And,
other things,
requiring so
Invite a speedy
calling in
Of those, that longe have absent been,
And, make you, daily, fit so thin.
Then, hence depart, not, yet, a way;
Nor loose an
hour,
whilst here you stay;
But, do your
duties,
whilst you may.
For, your
short time,
doth swiftly run,
And many, things are to be done,
E're you, with
safety,
can be
gone.
Who can be sure (if you
Adjorne,
He shall not drop in to his
Vrn,
Before this
Parliament
return?
Nay, who can tell us, that it shall,
Return?
Or, what
sad-thing,
to all
This
Nation,
may meanewhile befall?
Establish therefore, e're you go,
Some
Settlement;
that, we may know,
What, in
Immergencies,
to do.
Remember,
too, what heretofore,
Was
Promis'd;
And, when you give over,
Leave no man crying, at your
door.
I mean, leave none, who, justly there
May make
Complaint;
or, whom to hear,
O
•
to relieve, obliged you are.
At least wise, leave them
so,
that, they
Acknowledge your
Compassion
may,
And, bless you, when they go away.
Your
Mercy,
to your
Foes,
extends.
Do
Justice,
also, to your
Friends,
On whose
well-being,
yours depends:
For, you can neither
Sit,
nor
Rise
In safe or honorable wise,
Whilst their
Complaint,
neglected lies.
But, who both
Friends,
and
Foes
can please?
Or, hope, to bring to pass, with ease,
Such
difficult-effects,
as these?
YOU
may; for, my good
Angle
sings,
The probable Accomplishings,
Of
these,
and of much
harder things.
There is a
day,
now rear at hand,
Injoyned by your own
Command,
To crave
GOD'S
blessing, on this
Land:
And, he, yet, gives both
Time,
and
Place,
To seek the favor of his
Face:
Yea, seems to offer, his
embrace.
Then, in your
hearts,
yourselves prepare,
(As soon as you this
Warning
hear)
Within his
presence,
to appear.
And, as
one Person,
let us
all,
That
day,
before his
Foostoole fall,
Upon his
holy name,
to call.
So,
he,
shall
help,
and
teach
us, too,
What to
believe,
what things to do;
How long to
stay;
what time to
go;
And, gard our
Coast,
much better, than▪
Our
fleets,
and our three
Armies,
can,
O
•
, all the
strength,
and
wit,
of man.
But, tis a
hundred,
though, to
one,
If my
Advise
be thought upon,
Till
Opportunities
are gone:
For though this
Age
doth much approve,
Of
Revla tons
from above,
And, what the
Spirit
seems to move,
Yet, most are so in love with
Lies,
And,
Pride, self-ends,
and
vanities
So deafs their
Eare,
so dimms their
Eyes;
That, such are credited by few,
who always tell them what is true:
And, what this may
protend;
Judge
you.
And, judge aright of his
Intent,
Who,
Public damage
to prevent,
Thus ventures,
private detriment:
For,
They,
whom
you
most ought to fear,
As soon as they, this CAVTION hear,
Will either
Frowne,
or
Carpe,
or
Jeer.
And, hope, to pick
occasion
hence,
So to prevaricat the sense,
That, some in Power, may take offense;
To, bring upon him, back again,
(Like Clouds returning after Rain)
The
Troubles,
he did late sustain.
But,
he,
now
Forty years,
and more,
Dispights, without Despair, hath bore;
And, if he live another
Score,
Shall see his
Foes,
as he hath done.
Drop, yearly, hence, by
One
and
One,
Till, all, who malice him, are gone.
And, as their
Number
groweth less,
So, shall they, every day increase,
Who truly seek, the
Public Peace:
And, He, or
his;
And
you,
or
your,
shall see
Oppressions
fatal hour,
And, JVSTICE, gain the
Sovereign pour
•
▪
LORD! be it thus; and give thy
Grace,
To all that are in
Public place,
To join in bringing this to pass:
Uouchsafe them
Patience,
too, to bear,
Their
Trials;
who, must suffer, here,
Until thy
Kingdom
shall appear.
A POSTCRIPT▪
Twas said (since forth these Lines were sent)
The lately
Rumored Intent,
Of an ADIOVRNE, was not approov'd
By many; nor, in
Publik,
moov'd:
And,
he,
from whom this
Caution
came,
Is glad, it was a
Lying-Fame:
And, these
Expressions
had forbore,
Might he have heard so much before.
Yet, since, Just cause, that
Rumovr
gave,
Of what, in these few
Leaves,
you have;
Since, also, there be
Various Uses,
Of all, that
Providence
produces;
Some use of
these,
there may be, too
Among you, therefore,
let them go.
For, when leaves fall from every Tree,
Ev
•
n,
WITHER'D Leaves,
in season be;
And, (at the worst) will serve the turn,
To make
dull-Fires,
more apt to burn.
Some things, do
Seeme;
And,
are not, so:
Some,
Are;
and, thereof,
make no show.
London,
Printed by
John Clowes,
and are to be sold by the
Book sellers in
Westminister-Hall,
and Else-where
FINIS.