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English Puritan & Reformed

Dr Wilds Humble Thanks

Robert Wild (1609-1679) · 1,122 words · 5 min

The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/B06583.0001.001

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

D r WILD's Humble Thanks For His MAJESTIES Gracious DECLARATION for Liberty of Conscience, March 15. 1672.

No, not one word, can I of this Great Deed,
In Merlin, Old Mother Shipton read!
Old Tyburn take those Tychobrahe Imps,
As Silger, who would be accounted Pimps
To the Amorous Planets; they the Minute know,
When Jove did Cuckold old Amphitryo,
en Mars and made Venus wink and glances,
Their close Conjunctions, and mid-night Dances.
When costive Saturn goes to stool, and vile
Thief Mercury doth pick his Fob the while:
When Lady Luna leaks, and makes her man
Throwit out of Window into th' Ocean.
More subtle than the Excise-men here below,
What's spent in every Sign in Heaven they know;
Cunning Intelligencers, they will not miss
To tell us next year, the success of this;
They correspond with Dutch and English Star,
As one once did with CHARLES and Oliver.
The Bankers also might have, had they gone,
What Planet govern'd the Exchequer, known.
Old Lily, though he did not love to make
Any words o 't saw the English take,
Five of the Smyrna Fleet, and if the Sign
Had been Aquarius, then they'd made them Nine
When Sagitarius took his aim to shoot
At Bishop Cosin, he spied him no doubt;
And with such force the winged Arrow flew;
Instead of one Church Stagg he killed two;
Gloucester and Durbam when he espy'd,
Let Lean and Fat go together he cried.
Well Wille Lily thou knew'st all this as well
As I, and yet wouldst not their Lordships tell.
I know thy Plea too, and must it allow,
PRELATES should know as much of Heaven as thou:
But now Friend William, since its done and past,
Pray thee, give us Fanatics but one Cast,
What thou foresaw'st of March the Fifteenth Last;
When swift and sudden as the Angels fly,
Th' Declaration for Conscience-Liberty;
When things of Heaven burst from the Royal Breast,
More fragrant than the Spices of the East.
I know in next year's Almanac thou wilt write,
Thou saw'st the King and Council over-night,
Before that morn, all sit in Heaven as plain
To be discerned, as if 'twere Charles's Waine,
Great B, great L, and two great AA's were chief
Under Great CHARLES to give poor Fan's relief:
Thou sawest Lord Arlington ordain the man.
To be the first Lay Metropolitan.
Thou saw'st him give induction to a Spittle,
And constitute our Brother TOM-DOE-LITTLE.
In the Bears Paw, and the Bulls right Eye,
Some Detriment to Priests thou didst espy;
And though by Sol in Libra thou didst know
Which way the Scale of Policy would go;
Yet Mercury in Aries did decree.
That Wool and Lamb should still Conformists be.
But hark-you Will, Steer-poching is not fair;
Had you amongst the Steers found this March-Hare,
Bred of that lusty Puss the Good Old Cause,
Religion rescued from Informing Laws;
You should have yelpt aloud, hanging's the end,
By Huntsmens Rule, of Hounds that will not spend.
Be gone thou and thy canting-Tribe, be gone;
Go tell thy destiny to followers none:
Kings Hearts and Councils are too deep for thee,
And for thy Stars and Doemons scrutiny.
King CHARLES Return was much above thy skill
To fumble out, as 'twas against thy will.
rom him who can the Hearts of Kings inspire,
Not from the Planets, came that Sacred Fire
Of Sovereign Love, which broke into a Flame;
From God and from his King alone it came.

To the KING.

SO great, so universal, and so free!
This was too much great CHARLES, except for Thee,
For any King to give a Subject hope:
To do thus like Thee, would undo the Pope.
Yea, though his Vassals should their wealth combine,
To buy Indulgence half so large as thine;
No, if they should not only kiss his Toe,
But Clement's Podex, he'd not let them go.
Whilst Thou to's shame, Thy immortal glory,
Hast freed All-Souls from real Purgatory;
And given All-Saints in Heaven new Joys, to see
Their friends in England keep a Jubilee.
Suspect them not, Great Sir, nor think the worse;
For sudden joys like grief, confound at first.
The splendor of your favor was so bright,
That yet it dazzles and o'rewhelms our sight;
Drunk with her cups, my Muse did nothing mind;
And until now, her feet she could not find.
Greediness makes profa'ness i' th' first place;
Hungry men fill their bellies, then say grace.
We would make Bonfires, but that we do fear
The name of Incend'ary we may hear.
We would have Music too, but 'twill not do,
For all the Fiddlers are Conformists too.
Nor can we ring, the angry Churchman swears,
(By the King's leave) the Bells and Ropes are theirs.
And let 'em take 'em, for our tongues shall sing
Your Honor louder than their Clappers ring.
Nay, if they will not at this Grace repine,
We'l dress the Vineyard, they shall drink the Wine.
Their Church shall be the Mother, ours the Nurse.
Peter shall preach, Judas shall bear the purse.
No Bishops, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, we,
But only Ministers desire to be.
We'l preach in Sackcloth, they shall read in Silk.
We'l feed the Flock, and let them take the Milk.
Let but the Black-birds sing in bushes cold,
And may the Jack-dawes still the Steeples hold.
We'l be the Feet, the Back and Hands, and they
Shall be the Belly, and devour the Prey,
The Tythe-pigg shall be theirs, we'll turn the spit,
We'l bear the Cross, they only sign with it.
But if the Patriarchs shall envy show
To see their younger-Brother Joseph go
In Coat of divers colors, and shall fall
To rend it, 'cause it's not Canonical:
Then may they find him turn a Dreamer too,
And live themselves to see his Dream come true.
May rather they and we together join
In all what each can; But they have the Coyn :
With Prayers and Tears such service much avail:
With Tears to swell your Seas, with Prayers your Sails ;
And with Men too, from both our parties; such
I am sure we have, can cheat, or beat, the Dutch.
A Thousand Quakers, Sir, our side can spare;
Nay, two or three, for they great Breeders are.
The Church can match us too with Jovial Sirs,
Informers, Singing-men and Paraters.
Let the King try, set these upon the Decks
Together, they will Dutch or Devil vex.
Their Breath will mischief further than a Gun.
And if you lose them, you will not be undone.
Pardon dread Sir, nay pardon this coarse Paper,
Your License 'twas made this poor Poet caper.

ITER BOREALE.