English Puritan & Reformed

To His Majesty on his Happy Return

Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) · 2,008 words · 9 min

The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A40679.0001.001

Project Note

This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.

This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.

Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.

However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.

This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.

Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org

A PANEGYRICK TO HIS MAJESTY, ON HIS Happy Return.

By THO. FVLLER B. D.

LONDON, Printed for John Playford at his Shop in the Temple, 1660.

A PANEGYRICK On HIS MAJESTIES HAPPY RETVRN.

       1.
       
         A
        
        T
        
         Wor'ster
        
        great God's goodness to our Nation,
       
        It was a
        
         Conquest,
        
        Your bare
        
         Preservation.
        
        When 'midst Your fiercest foes on every side
       
        For Your escape God did a
        
         LANE
        
        provide;
       
        They saw You gone, but whither could not tell,
       
        Star-staring, though they asked both
        
         Heaven
        
        and
        
         Hell.

       2.
       
        Of foreign States You since have studied store,
       
        And read whole Libraries of Princes over.
       
        To You all
        
         Forts, Towns, Towers
        
        and
        
         Ships
        
        are known,
       
        (But none like those which now become Your
        
         OWN
        
        )
       
        And though Your
        
         Eyes
        
        were with all
        
         Objects
        
        filled,
       
        Only the
        
         Good
        
        into Your
        
         Heart
        
        distilled.

       3.
       
        Garbling men's manners You did well divide,
       
        To take the
        
         Spaniards wisdom,
        
        not their
        
         pride.
        
        With
        
         French activity
        
        You stored Your Mind,
       
        Leaving to them their
        
         Ficklenesse
        
        behind;
       
        And soon did learn, Your
        
         Temperance
        
        was such,
       
        A sober
        
         Industry
        
        even from the
        
         Dutch.

       4.
       
        But tell us, Gracious Sovereign, from whence
       
        Took You the pattern of Your
        
         Patience?
        
        Learnit in
        
         Afflictions School,
        
        under the
        
         Rod,
        
        Which was both
        
         used
        
        and
        
         sanctified
        
        by God;
       
        From Him alone that Lesson did proceed,
       
        Best
        
         Tutor
        
        with best
        
         Pupil
        
        best agreed.

       5.
       
        We, Your dull Subjects, must confess our crime,
       
        Who learnt so little in as long a time,
       
        And the same
        
         School,
        
        thus
        
         Dunces
        
        poring looks
       
         Mend
        
        not
        
         themselves,
        
        but only
        
         mar
        
        their
        
         Books.
        
        How vast the difference 'twixt
        
         wise
        
        and
        
         fool?
        
        The
        
         Master
        
        makes the
        
         Scholar,
        
        not the School.

       6.
       
        With rich conditions
        
         ROME
        
        did You invite,
       
        Hoping to purchase You their
        
         PROSELYTE,
        
        (An empty soul's soon tempted with full
        
         Coffers
        
        )
       
        Whilst You with sacred scorn refused their proffers.
       
        And for the
        
         FAITH
        
        did earnestly
        
         CONTEND
        
         Abroad,
        
        which now You do at
        
         Home DEFEND.

       7.
       
        Amidst all
        
         Storms, Calm
        
        to Your Self the while,
       
        Saddest Afflictions You did teach to smile.
       
        Some faces best become a
        
         Mourning Dress,
        
        And such Your Patience, which did
        
         grace Distress,
        
        Whose Soul despising want of worldly pelf,
       
        At lowest ebb went not beneath it Self.

       8.
       
        God's
        
         IUSTICE
        
        now no longer could dispence
       
        With the
        
         Abusing
        
        of His
        
         PROVIDENCE,
        
        To hear
        
         SUCCESSE
        
        his
        
         APPROBATION
        
        still'd,
       
        And see the
        
         Bastard
        
        brought against the
        
         Child.
        
        [
        
         Scripture
        
        ] by such, who in their own excuse
       
        Their
        
         Actings
        
        'gainst God's
        
         Writings
        
        did produce.

       9.
       
        The
        
         Independent
        
        doth the
        
         Papist
        
        shun,
       
         Contrary ways
        
        their
        
         violence
        
        doth
        
         run,
        
        And yet in such a
        
         Round
        
        at last they met,
       
        That both their
        
         SAINTS
        
        for
        
         MEDIATORS
        
        set;
       
        We were not
        
         ripe
        
        for
        
         Mercy,
        
        God He knows,
       
        But
        
         ready
        
        for His
        
         Justice
        
        were our
        
         Foes.

       10.
       
        The
        
         Pillar,
        
        which
        
         God's people
        
        did attend,
       
        To them in
        
         night
        
        a constant
        
         Light
        
        did lend,
       
        Though
        
         Dark
        
        unto th'
        
         Egyptians
        
        behind;
       
        Such was brave
        
         MONCK
        
        in his reserved mind,
       
        A
        
         Riddle
        
        to his Foes he did appear,
       
        But to Himself and You,
        
         Sense
        
        plain and clear.

       11.
       
        By
        
         Means
        
        unlikely God atchieves his
        
         End,
        
        And crooked ways straight to his Honor tend;
       
        The great and ancient Gates of
        
         LONDON
        
        Town,
       
        (
        
         No Gates, no City
        
        ) now are voted down,
       
        And down were cast, O happy day! for all
       
        Do date our hopeful rising from their fall.

       12.
       
        The
        
         Matter
        
        of Your
        
         Restitution
        
        's
        
         good,
        
        The
        
         Manner better,
        
        without drop of Blood,
       
        By a
        
         dry Conquest,
        
        without foreign hand,
       
         Self-hurt,
        
        and now
        
         Self-healed,
        
        is Our Land.
       
        This silent Turn did make no noise, O strange!
       
        Few saw the
        
         changing,
        
        all behold the
        
         Change.

       13.
       
        So
        
         Solomon
        
        most wisely did contrive,
       
        His
        
         Temple
        
        should be
        
         STIL-BORN
        
        though
        
         ALIVE.
        
        That stately Structure started from the
        
         ground
        
        Unto the
        
         Roof,
        
        not guilty of the sound
       
        Of
        
         Iron Tool,
        
        all noise therein debar'd;
       
        This
        
         Virgin
        
        -Temple thus was
        
         seen,
        
        not
        
         heard.

       14.
       
        When two
        
         Protectors
        
        were of late
        
         proclaimed,
        
        Courting men's tongues, both missit at what they aimed,
       
        True
        
         English hearts
        
        did with just anger burn,
       
        And would no Echo of
        
         GOD SAVE
        
        return:
       
        Though
        
         smiling silence
        
        doth Consent imply,
       
        A
        
         Tongue-tied Sorrow
        
        flatly doth deny.

       15.
       
        But at Your MAJESTIES first Proclamation,
       
        How loud a
        
         Stentor
        
        did invoice our Nation?
       
        A
        
         Mouth
        
        without a
        
         Tongue
        
        was sooner found
       
        In all that Crowd, than
        
         Tongue
        
        without a
        
         sound
        
        ;
       
        Nor wasit a wonder men did silence break,
       
        When Conduits did both
        
         French
        
        and
        
         Spanish
        
        speak.

       16.
       
        The Bells aloud did ring, for joy they felt
       
        Hereafter Sacrilege shall not them melt.
       
        The
        
         Bonfires
        
        round about the Streets did blaze,
       
        And these
        
         NEW LIGHTS Fanatiques
        
        did amaze:
       
        The brandisht Swords this Boon beg'd before Death,
       
        Once to be
        
         showed,
        
        then buried in the Sheath.

       17.
       
        The
        
         Spaniard
        
        looking with a serious Eye,
       
        Was forced to trespass on his Gravity,
       
        Close to conceal his wondering he desired,
       
        But all in vain, who openly admired.
       
        The
        
         French,
        
        who thought the
        
         English mad
        
        in mind,
       
        Now fear too soon they may them
        
         Sober
        
        find.

       18.
       
        The
        
         Germans
        
        seeing this Your sudden
        
         Power,
        
        Freely confess another
        
         Emperor.
        
        The joyful
        
         Dane
        
        to Heavens cast up his Eyes,
       
        Presuming
        
         suffering Kings
        
        will sympathize.
       
        The
        
         Hollanders
        
        (first in a sad suspense)
       
        Hop'd, that
        
         Your Mercy
        
        was
        
         their Innocence.

       19.
       
        As aged
        
         Jacob
        
        with good news intranc'd,
       
        That
        
         Joseph
        
        was both living and advanced,
       
        The great surprise so deeply did prevail
       
        On the good
        
         Patriarch,
        
        that his
        
         Heart did fail,
        
        Too little for to lodge so large a joy,
       
        For sudden happiness may much annoy.

       20.
       
        But when he saw (with serious intent
       
        To fetch him home) the
        
         Waggons
        
        his Son sent,
       
        That
        
         Cordial
        
        soon his fainting
        
         Heart
        
        did cure,
       
        'Twas past suspicion, all things then were sure:
       
        The Father his old Spirits did renew,
       
        And found his
        
         fears
        
        were
        
         false,
        
        his
        
         joys
        
        were
        
         true.

       21.
       
        Such
        
         Our
        
        Condition: At the first
        
         Express
        
        We could not credit our own Happiness;
       
        Told of the Coming of Your MAJESTY,
       
        Our fainting Hearts did give their Tongues the Lye.
       
        A
        
         Boon
        
        too big for us (so ill we live)
       
        For to
        
         receive,
        
        though not for GOD to
        
         give.

       22.
       
        But when we saw the
        
         ROYAL FLEET
        
        at
        
         Dover,
        
        Voted to wait and waft Your
        
         Highness
        
        over,
       
        And valiant
        
         Montague
        
        (all virtues Friend)
       
        Appointed on Your
        
         Person
        
        to attend,
       
         Joy
        
        from that moment did expel our
        
         grief,
        
        Converted into
        
         slow,
        
        but
        
         sure
        
        belief.

       23.
       
        Th' impatient Land did for Your presence long,
       
         England
        
        in swarms did into
        
         Holland
        
        throng,
       
        To bring Your Highness
        
         home,
        
        by th' Parliament
       
         Lord's, Commons, Citizens, Divines
        
        were sent:
       
        Such honor Subjects never had before,
       
        And hope that never any shall have more.

       24.
       
        With all degrees Your Carriage accords,
       
        Most Lord-like Your Reception of the
        
         LORD'S,
        
        Your Answer with the
        
         COMMONS
        
        so comply'd
       
        They were to admiration satisfied;
       
        Civil the
        
         CITIZENS
        
        You entertained,
       
        As if in
        
         LONDON
        
        Born, Y'ad there remained.

       25.
       
        But, Oh! Your short, but thick expressive lines,
       
        Which did both please and profit the
        
         DIVINES,
        
        Those Pastors, when returned to their Charge,
       
        For their next
        
         Sermon
        
        had Your
        
         words
        
        at large,
       
        With some Notes from Your Practice; who can teach
       
        Our
        
         Miters
        
        by Your Living what to preach.

       26.
       
        The
        
         States
        
        of
        
         Holland
        
        (or
        
         Low-Countries
        
        now)
       
        Unto Your SACRED MAJESTY did bow,
       
        What
        
         Air,
        
        what
        
         Earth,
        
        what
        
         Water
        
        could afford
       
        Best in the Kind, was crowded on their Board:
       
        And yet, when all was done, the
        
         ROYAL GUEST,
        
        And not the Chear, He, HE did make the Feast.

       27.
       
        Th' officious Wind to serve You did not fail,
       
        But scour'd from
        
         West
        
        to
        
         East
        
        to fill Your Sail,
       
        And fearing that his
        
         Breath
        
        might be too rough,
       
        Prov'd
        
         over-civil,
        
        and was scarce enough;
       
        Almost You were becalm'd amidst the
        
         Main,
        
        Prognostick of Your
        
         perfect peaceful
        
        Reign.

       28.
       
        Your
        
         Narrow Seas,
        
        for
        
         Foreigners
        
        do wrong
       
        To claim them, (surely doth the
        
         Ditch
        
        belong
       
        Not to the
        
         common Continent,
        
        but Isle
       
         Inclosed
        
        ) did on You their
        
         Owner
        
        smile,
       
        Not the least loss, only the
        
         NASEBY
        
        mar'ls
       
        To see herself now drowned in the
        
         CHARLES.

       29.
       
        You land at
        
         Dover,
        
        shoals of People come,
       
        And
        
         KENT
        
        alone now seems all
        
         CHRISTENDOM.
        
        The
        
         Cornish Rebels
        
        (eight score Summers since)
       
        At
        
         BLACK-HEATH
        
        fought against their lawful Prince
       
         Henry
        
        the Seventh, which place with
        
         Treason
        
        stained
       
        Its Credit, now by
        
         Loyalty
        
        regain'd.

       30.
       
        Great
        
         LONDON
        
        the last station You did make,
       
        You
        
         took
        
        not it, but
        
         LONDON
        
        You did
        
         take:
        
        Where some, who
        
         saved themselves
        
        amongst the Croud,
       
        Did
        
         lose their hearing,
        
        shoutings were so loud.
       
        Now at
        
         WHITE-HALL
        
        the Guard, which You attends,
       
        Keeps out Your Foes,
        
         God keep You from Your Friends.

       31.
       
        Thus far
        
         fair Weather
        
        on Your
        
         Work
        
        attended,
       
        Let
        
         Showres
        
        begin now where the
        
         Sun-shine
        
        ended.
       
        Next day We smiled at th' weeping of the Skies,
       
        With all Concerns how Providence complies!
       
        The
        
         City
        
        served, next followeth the
        
         Village,
        
        And,
        
         Trading
        
        quickened, God provides for
        
         Tillage.

       32.
       
        One Face, one Form in all the Land appears,
       
        All (former
        
         Foot
        
        ) now
        
         Hors'd
        
        to
        
         CAVALIERS.
        
        As for Your Enemies, their cursed Crew
       
        Are now more hard to find out, than subdue.
       
        'It is very
        
         Death
        
        to them, they cannot
        
         die,
        
        Who do know
        
         whence,
        
        not
        
         whither,
        
        for to fly.

       33.
       
         France
        
        flouts,
        
         Spain
        
        scorns, and
        
         Italy
        
        denies them
       
        Any access, the
        
         Dane
        
        with
        
         Dutch
        
        defies them;
       
        Unto
        
         New-England
        
        they were known of old,
       
        And now no footing for them on that mold.
       
        Rich
        
         Amsterdam
        
        (the
        
         Staple
        
        of all
        
         Sects
        
        )
       
        These
        
         bankrupt Rebels
        
        with contempt rejects.

       34.
       
        Thus cruel
        
         Cain,
        
        who pious blood first spilled,
       
        Was
        
         Pursevanted
        
        after by his
        
         Guilt,
        
        With
        
         MURDERER
        
        imbranded on his face,
       
        Kept his
        
         Condition,
        
        though he changed his
        
         place:
        
        Wandering from
        
         Land
        
        to
        
         Land,
        
        from
        
         shore
        
        to
        
         shelf,
        
        His guilty Soul nere wandered from itself.

       35.
       
        Let them themselves in unknown Lands disperse,
       
        Or if they please with
        
         Cannibals
        
        converse,
       
        Like unto like, that all the World may see
       
         KING-KILLERS
        
        and
        
         MEN EATERS
        
        do agree:
       
        In no Land they'll increase, 'tis Natures love
       
        Unto Mankind, all
        
         Monsters
        
        barren prove.

       36.
       
        Long live Our Gracious
        
         CHARLES, Second
        
        to none
       
        In
        
         Honor,
        
        who ere sat upon the
        
         Throne:
        
        Be You above Your Ancestors renowned,
       
        Whose
        
         Goodness
        
        wisely doth Your
        
         Greatness
        
        bound;
       
        And knowing that You may be
        
         What You would,
        
        Are pleased to be only
        
         What You should.

       37.
       
         EUROP
        
        'S Great
        
         ARBITRATOR,
        
        in Your choice
       
        Is placed of
        
         Christendom
        
        the
        
         CASTING VOICE
        
        ;
       
        Hold You the
        
         Scales
        
        in Your Judicious Hand,
       
        And when the equal
        
         Beam
        
        shall doubtful stand,
       
        As You are pleased to dispose one
        
         Grain,
        
        So falls or riseth either
        
         France
        
        or
        
         Spain.

       38.
       
        As
        
         Sheba's Queen
        
        defective
        
         Fame
        
        accused,
       
        Whose nigardly Relations had abused
       
        Th' abundant worth of
        
         Solomon,
        
        and told
       
        Not half of what she after did behold:
       
        The same Your case,
        
         Fame
        
        hath not done You right,
       
        Our
        
         Ears
        
        are far out-acted by our
        
         Sight.

       39.
       
        Your
        
         SELF
        
        'S the
        
         Ship
        
        returned from
        
         foreign Trading,
        
         England
        
        's Your
        
         Port, Experience
        
        the
        
         Lading,
        
        God is the
        
         Pilot
        
        ; and now
        
         richly
        
        fraught,
       
        Unto the
        
         Port
        
        the
        
         Ship
        
        is safely brought:
       
        What's
        
         dear
        
        to You is to Your Subjects
        
         cheap,
        
        You sow
        
         •
        
        d with
        
         pain,
        
        what we with
        
         pleasure
        
        reap.

       40.
       
        The most renowned
        
         EDWARD
        
        the
        
         CONFESSOR,
        
        Was both Your
        
         Parallel
        
        and
        
         Predecessor,
        
        Exil'd He many years did live in
        
         France,
        
        (From low Foundations highest Roofs advance)
       
        The
        
         Yoak
        
        in
        
         Youth
        
        with
        
         patience
        
        he bore,
       
        But in his
        
         Age
        
        the
        
         Crown
        
        with
        
         honor
        
        wore.

       41.
       
        The
        
         COMMON LAW
        
        to him the English owe,
       
        On whom a
        
         better gift
        
        You will bestow:
       
        That which He
        
         made
        
        by You shall be
        
         made good,
        
        That
        
         Prince
        
        and
        
         Peoples
        
        rights both understood,
       
        Both may be
        
         Bankt
        
        in their
        
         respective station
        
        ;
       
        Which done, no fear of future
        
         Inundation.

       42.
       
        Oppression, the
        
         KINGS EVIL,
        
        long indur'd,
       
        By others caused, by
        
         YOU
        
        alone thus cured:
       
        GOD only have the
        
         glory,
        
        You the
        
         praise,
        
        And we the
        
         profit
        
        of our peaceful days,
       
        All Foreigners the
        
         pattern,
        
        for their State
       
        To
        
         envy
        
        rather than to
        
         imitate.

FINIS.