The Dark Lantern
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A96745.0001.001
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
The dark Lantern, Containing A dim Discoverie, in Riddles, Parables, and Semi-Riddles, intermixt with Cautions, Remembrances and Predictions, as they were promiscuously and immethodically represented to their Author, in his Solitary Musings, the third of November 1652. about Midnight.
Whereunto is annexed, A POEM, Concerning A Perpetual Parliament.
By Geo. Wither Esquire.
LONDON, Printed by R. Austin, and are to be sold by Richard Lowndes at the white Lion in PAUL'S Churchyard, near the little North Door. 1653.
To the Reader.
THese Poems were delivered forth to be published about three months past, with an expectation that they should have been imprinted forthwith, and had either an accidental or a negligent delay preventing their publication the last Term; and perhaps (I being absent) they were afterward purposely delayed, that they might come forth at the beginning of this Easter Term, by their design, who more considered the Booksellers advantage, then how much the hastening of them might concern the public; by which means it was not finished, until that very day whereupon the Parliament had an unlooked for period: and yet peradventure, in regard of the many timely Cautions and Remembrances, which have been heretofore despised, or neglected, Providence hath permitted these to be delayed, until their publication came too late, for effecting that which was intended.
Howsoever it will be useful to some other ends; at least to testify to the world, that what is now come to pass, was foreseen, and endeavors used for prevention thereof, which might probably have had good success, if contempt of many forewarnings had not hindered the same, it may be, to make way for the accomplishment of somewhat, fore-declared in my Britain's Genius; in which Poem, I labored as much in vain to reduce the late King, to make use of that means which would have effected his restoration, as I have hereby done to preserve the Parliament: and I heartily beseech Almighty God, that I may not have occasion to be as fatal a Remembrancer to them who are now in Throne; lest worse things happen to them, then to their Predecessors, which I am assured will follow, if their proceedings (which I yet suspect not) be not really designed, and made answerable to their fair pretendings. There are many faults escaped in the printing, by reason of my absence, and a Copy hastily, and not very plainly written, some of which are here corrected, the rest I leave to be amended, as you find them.
PAge 5. line 25. for corall read carnal. p. 32. l. 9 r. Then such as Innocencies cause, &c. p. 49. l. 29. r. Aegypts thrall. p. 72. l. 13. for foot r. fork.
TO THE PARLIAMENT, AND PEOPLE OF THE Commonwealth of England.
SO let me speed, in all that I pursue,
As, in what
follows,
I mean well to you:
And, as I bear a loving faithful
heart,
To all of
you, united
and
apart;
Although, I peradventure, may appear
On some
occasions,
bitterly severe,
To those, in whom, I
private-failings
see,
Which, to the
Public
may obnoxious be;
To make them
judge themselves,
and scape the
doom,
Which, from another
judgment,
else may come:
For, at no
single person,
have I struck,
By any
line,
or
passage,
in this
book.
If here, I further seem to have presumed,
Or, more upon myself to have assumed,
Then may be
warrantable
thought, at first,
Examine it, before you judge the worst;
And, try by
circumstances
(as ye may)
What
Spirit,
hath directed me this way;
Or, for what likely
ends,
or for whose
sake,
I could, or dared, this
attempt
to make;
Except it were for GOD'S, for
your,
and
mine,
As they with one another, do intwine.
Yea, search, if my
Religion, studies, ways,
Or,
manners
(which have been throughout my days,
Before your eyes) may any
sign
afford,
That, I have, hitherto, in
deed,
or
word,
Been an
Impostor;
or, presented you
With ought, that hath been
useless,
or
untrue;
And as that justly may incline your mind,
Let these
expressions
acceptation find.
If
madness,
they appear; consider well,
That, such
miscensurings
have often fell
On
sober men,
when those deluding crimes,
Were prevalent, which reign in these our times.
If
foolish,
they be thought; remember this,
That, truest
wisdom,
seemeth
foolishness
To
worldly prudent men,
when, God, forth brings
To fool their
wisdom,
despicable things.
Men, hear
fools
gladly, when themselves are wise,
And, meekly pity rather then despise
Their folly, learning, thereby, sometimes too,
More, then by their own
wisdom,
they could do:
But,
wise, mad foolish,
or, what ev'r I am,
To do this
work,
into the world I came;
To these
times,
was reserved; to this
end,
taught;
And, to the sight of many things, am brought,
Which, else I had not known, nor would have seen,
But, that, I tied, (as by the leg) have been,
(
Ten years
together,
ten days
work to do)
To
know
them, whether I so would or no.
And, when I knew them, I would fain have done
My own
work
first, or else, like
Jonas
run
To
Tarsis,
or
Lundee,
or any whither
(Adventuring through
Seas,
and
Tempests
thither)
Much rather, then to have proceeded on,
In doing that, which I, at last, have done.
For, I am like the
world,
in many things,
And, oft so tempted by her promisings
Of
ease
and
safety,
in another
course,
That, I, with much strife, did my heart enforce,
To prosecute her
duty;
as ye may,
Perceive, if,
you
the following
tract
survey.
But, my own
thoughts,
would neither let me sleep,
Nor suffer me a
waking-peace
to keep,
Or, follow my
affairs
(though they were brought
Neer to a point, of coming quite to naught)
Till, I, my
musings,
had in
words
array'd
To be, by
you,
and
other men,
survey'd.
All those
affairs,
aside, I, therefore threw,
To cloth my
meditations,
for your view;
Which, being finished, I can now lie down
And sleep, as well as any man in Town.
The
times
are dangerous; and, I am told,
By that which is my
Guide,
I should not bold
Beyond
discretion
be; which makes me talk
In
riddles,
and with this
Dark Lantern
walk:
That, I may see my way, and not be seen
By everyone, whom I may meet, between
My goings
out,
and
in:
and that it may
Give
light
to some, who are beside their way,
As I occasion find; and, where I see
The
light
that's offered, may accepted be.
But, what my
visions
are, as in relation,
Unto this
Parliaments
perpetuation
I plainly shall unfold; because, it may
Concern you all, with good advise to weigh.
Yea, fearlessly, my free thoughts, I will show,
What
liking,
or dislike, soe're ensue.
For, though to all
intents
by me designed,
They may not reach; it much contents my mind,
That I have freed my
soul.
by thus employing
My
Talent,
to an inward rests enjoying;
And, raised a
Witness
up, that may declare
To
future times;
what GOD'S proceedings are.
If this find
acceptation,
it will be
A
sign
of future peace, to
you,
and
me.
If, you reject it; I will fit my
mind
To bear the
troubles,
which are yet behind:
Bewail, our manifold procrastinations,
Of GOD'S intended
blessings,
to these
Nations.
Possess the
little portion,
I have got
As
lost,
or, else, as if I had it not;
And, strive to wean my
heart,
from things abroad,
To seek my
rest;
and
peace,
alone in GOD:
A
refuge,
so secured to me, that, neither
My
frailties, faults,
or
foes;
or these together:
Or
friends,
or
Trustees
failings, either may
Hazard, or forfeit; tear, or fool away.
Your most humble, and most faithful Remembrancer, Geo. Wither.
A DARK-LANTERNE, OFFERING A Dim Discovery, in Riddles, Parables, and Semi-riddles, intermixt with Cautions, Remembrances, and Predictions, as they were promiscuously, and immethodically represented to their Author, in his solitary musings, the third of November 1652. about midnight. And, concluding with the Result of a Contemplative Vision, revealing a probable means of making, even this present Parliament, to be both perpetual, and acceptable to these Nations to the end of the World.
He,
that goes
with
this LIGHT, his way may find:
Him,
that
against it
comes, it maketh blind.
HE, from whose perfect Light, all true
Lights
come,
Spake
Parables;
yea, spake naught else, to some;
And,
Providence,
by many various ways,
Of
dispensation,
to the
world
convayes
The means, of carrying on, those
works
which tend
To
man's perfection,
at his
later end;
And, to the wónderfull accomplishment,
Of what,
eternally
is his
intent;
Bringing oft times about, the
self-same things,
(Or, such like) towards their accomplishings;
That,
prudent men,
might understand thereby
What
he
designs, and therewith all comply.
When
Jacob's
Off springs (who, for many ages
Were
figures, types, examples,
and presages
For
future times,
and
states
) became perverted,
And, grew to be so blind, and stubborn hearted,
As to despise the
warnings, precepts, cautions,
And good
advise,
which for their preservations
Their
Prophets
had perspicuously declared;
GOD, justly, sent unto them afterward,
His mind in
Parables,
whereof but few
The
meanings,
or
interpretations
knew:
And as they more and more, from him declined,
(And, from the
truth
) the more he couched his mind
In
dark expressions,
till they nothing saw
But what their
pleasure
made to be a
Law.
Prince, Prophet, Priest,
and
People,
then, became
Wholly corrupt; a scandal, and a shame
To their
Professions,
and to all their
Nation,
By an unlimited prevarication;
Whereby, the means ordained to recure them,
Was rendered instrumental to obdure them,
By their own
fault,
and those
hypocrisies,
Which, justly, drew a
veil,
before their eyes.
For, whereas, usually in times preceding,
GOD'S
errands,
were made plain, at their first he eding,
So, also, were their
Priests,
and
Prophets,
then,
Renowned, wise, and honorable men,
Even in their
outward being;
which, did add
Repute to that, which in command, they had:
But,
He ardsmen,
and
fruit-gatherers,
afterward
(With such as brought no motives of regard,
According to the
flesh
) were sometime sent;
Which, in their
hearers,
did but scorn augment.
And, thus,
contempt
increased: the
truths
then told,
Were not alone, wrapped up in manifold
Strange
ambiguities, obscure expressions,
Dark
Metaphors,
or much beclouded
Visions,
Which few could understand; but, some, likewise
Illustrated their
words,
and
Prophecies,
(Or, rather veiled them) with
circumstances,
Which, did enlarge their hearers ignorances;
As also their
disdains:
for, otherwhile,
They personated things, absurd, and vile,
In vulgar apprehension: such as seem
Deserving rather
slighting,
then
esteem;
Yea such, sometimes, as
wicked
did appear
To those, who
morally
men righteous were:
As when, they were made
signs
unto that
Nation,
Of their
shame, nakedness,
or
desolation,
And of GOD'S
lasting love,
although they had,
By their
adulteries,
him
jealous
made.
As with the
Jews,
he, formerly hath done,
GOD will proceed with us; and hath begun
Already, so to judge (and visit here)
As he did
them,
when they rebellious were.
He, so, by
changes,
moves us to repent;
And,
judgments
blends with
mercies,
to th' intent
That, he, into capacity might woo us
Of that great
good,
which he desires to do us.
This,
makes him, sometime
smile,
and sometime
frown;
Now,
raise us up;
tomorrow,
pull us down:
This day,
he, to our
strongest enemies,
Renders us dreadful: They, whom we despise
That night
triumph; and make us glad to fly
Into
our
chambers,
and there sneaking lie;
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Whilst they deride, insult, affront and jeer us,
Who, some few hours before, did greatly fear us.
This, makes him often fool our wisdom so,
That, we are at a
non plus,
what to do;
And, then, in our distress, to make our
want,
Weakness,
and
failings,
more predominant
For our
deliverance,
in a fatal hour,
Then all our
wealth,
our
wisdom,
and our
power.
This,
makes him lead us through the
wildernesses
Of
doubts, dispairings, troubles,
and
distresses
To our desired
Canaan,
as be led
His
Chosen
heretofore; and, as he did
To them in their respective aberrations,
So hath he done, and will do, with these
Nations.
As their, right so, our
Princes,
for oppressions
Are driven from their
Thrones,
and their possessions,
To eat (even with confusion of their faces)
Their bread with scarcity, in uncouth places;
Where, peradventure, they were mindful made
Of those
forewarnings,
which they timely had.
Our
Lord's
(as their
Remembrancer,
foretold,
When they had greatest likelihood to hold,
And to increase their
greatness
) this day, see,
Their
House of Parliament,
destroyed to be,
Even by
itself;
and, that they are become
Vagrants abroad,
or, else
despised at home.
Some of their
Palaces
and
Piles of State,
Are rasit, defacit, or left quite desolate,
For
Zim,
and
Jim;
for
Vermin
and such fowls,
As
Daws,
and
Ravens;
great and little
Owls.
Our
Priests,
that were the glorioust
Hirarchy,
And proud'st in
Europe,
next the Papacy;
(Who, by the same pen warned, did return
Sharp persecutions, injuries and scorn)
Are now despoil'd of all the pomp they had,
Dishonor'd, poor, and despicable made.
Their fair
Cathedral Temples
stand forsaken,
With still increasing
ruins,
rent and shaken;
And, in their steeds, those
persons
are deputed,
Whom they most hated, and most persecuted.
The
Threats
long since pronounced, now prevail,
The
Priest
and
Prophet,
are become the
tail;
And mere Mechanics made
dispensers
are
Or those things, which to them committed were:
Persons,
of so
mean gifts,
and small respect,
That, truth out of their mouths, gets but neglect;
Except with such, as undervalue not
Good wine,
though offered in an
earthen pot.
For our
unthankfulness,
and disregard
Of
nobler Teachers,
whom, we long have heard,
Without improvement; for,
hypocrisies,
Meer
outside worship,
and
formalities,
In
prayers, fasts,
and
praises;
and, for, giving
That which cost
nothing,
for great
boons
receiving:
For our
backslidings,
and, then,
persevering
In
frequent sinning,
after
frequent bearing:
For
actions,
not agrecing with our
saying:
For
painting, gilding,
and for
overlaying
Our
Corrall structures,
with
feigned piety:
(
False gold,
producted by our
Chymestry
)
For falsifying, with a brazen brow,
The
serious promises,
which we did vow
To GOD and
men,
before the face of heaven,
When we into extremities were driven:
For adding to
devouring slames,
more
fuel:
For being, in our very
mercies,
cruel:
For turning carelessy, our
eyes,
and
ears,
From
Widows
prayers, and from
Orphans
tears:
Yea, though
Remembrancers
did (as it were)
In public, often pull us by the ear,
To mind it; yea, where many
standers by,
Observ'd it; and, our gross stupidity.
For these things; and, for many such as these
God, having spoken to us, in our days,
By
ordinary Preachers;
now, begins
By
others,
to reprove us for our sins:
Not only such, as
reason
may allow,
Though called from the
Shop board,
or the
Plough;
But, such, as we seem justly to contemn,
As making
truths
adhor'd, which come from them.
In steed of
Teachers,
trained up in the
Schools
Of
Arts,
and of the
Prophets; children fools,
Women
and
madmen,
we do often meet,
Preaching, and threatening
Judgments,
in the street:
To some, pronouncing
blessings;
to some,
woe;
Scatt'ring their
bread,
and
money,
as they go,
To such as need; (though, in appearance, none
Can poorer be, then they, when that is gone:)
Yea, by strange
actions, postures, tones,
and
cries,
Themselves they offer to our
cars
and
eyes,
As
signs
unto this
Nation,
of some things
Thereby
portended;
which (although this brings
Contempt upon their
persons
) may be so,
For ought, the wisest of us, yet doth know;
As were those
actions,
personated by
Some
Prophets,
whom the
Jews
did vilify.
It may be on that
darkness,
which they find,
Within their
bearts,
a sudden
light
hath shined,
Reflexions making, of some things to come,
Which leave within them,
musings
troublesome
To their
weak spirits;
or, too intricate
For them to put in order, and relate;
As they will easily believe on whom,
Such, more then natural,
out-beamings,
come)
And, that, hath peradventure, thrust them on
To act, as men in
ecstasies
have done;
Striving, their
Cloudy Visions
to declare
(And, of what consequence, they think they are)
Till they have lost the
Notions,
which they had,
And, want but few degrees, of being
mad.
This,
Providence
permitteth, to correct
Our deafness, and our former disrespect
Of
nobler instruments,
whose
lights
did shine
More clearly; and, who, laying
line,
to
line;
Precept,
to
Precept; in
and
out of season,
Taught reasonably, even
truth's,
transcending
reason:
Or, else, it hath permitted been, to make us
Less heedful, of the
plague,
that may or'etake us;
By
tokens,
and by
symptoms,
to us giving,
That, seem not worth our
heeding,
or
believing.
And, I, perhaps, among
these,
may be
one,
That was let loose, for service to be done,
In order to such
kinds:
(as, I believe
I am; as when I am gone, some will perceive,
Though, none observe it now) For, though I dress
The
mind,
and
matter,
of my
messages,
In
measured words,
with some such other
fancies,
As are allowed in
Poetic frenzies,
And, pass for sober
garbs:
yet, now and then,
I blunder out, what
worldly prudent men
Count
madness;
and, what, oft, the best men, too,
Dislike awhile, and wish me not to do.
But, I best know my
warrant;
and proceed
As I am moved, with little fear, or heed,
What others judge: for, till some
slips,
or
errors
Expose me, to be liable to
terrors,
Ther's nothing, to my
hurt,
can dreadful be,
Save my own
flesh,
and
be
that gave it me.
And, as this makes me,
madly
seem to dare;
Even so, that seeming
madness,
doth prepare,
And draw some, out of
novelty,
to heed,
What, they had never, else, vouchsafed to read:
And, these my
ridlings
now, are an
invention
Designed partly, unto that intention;
And, partly likewise, to amaze those
Readers,
Who, to my
purposes,
are
counter-pleaders.
When, others think, the
times
afford me may
Enough to speak of, I have naught to say:
When my
heart
calls upon me, I cast by
My own
affairs,
and to that
call
apply,
As I occasions find, uttring sometimes,
My thoughts in
prose,
another while in
rimes;
One while, by
sharp,
and
bitter strains
reproving;
Sometimes, by
admonitions,
calm, and loving;
Yea,
Jigs
of
recreation,
sometimes sidling;
And, now, I am fallen into a fit of
Ridling.
Riddle my Riddles,
then, you, that have heard
Truths,
oft, and plainly spoke without regard,
(Except it were, in
mischioss,
to combine
Against their
peace,
who cast their Pearls to
swine
)
Riddle
them if you can: For, in them lies,
A dim
character
of our
destinies.
Within these
Problemes,
those things couched are,
Which I, once thought, more plainly to declare:
But, from that
purpose,
have now changed my mind,
That,
seeing,
you might
see,
yet still be blind:
That, you might
read,
and yet not
understand
The
work,
which GOD and
men,
have now in hand:
Or, which of those things will be
first,
or
last,
Lest,
future fates
appear by what is
past:
And, that, your
misinter pretations
may
Produce those
good effects,
which you delay:
For, to that purpose, all, which I unfold,
Histerologically
shall be told.
Yon,
likewise, who oft read, in serious wise,
Shiptons Predicts,
and
Merlins Prophecies;
Or, vain
conjectures,
from the
constellations,
Wherewith,
Impostors,
have long fooled these
Nations,
Neglecting that, the while, which both
foreseen,
And,
brought to pass,
in your own days, hath been:
Riddle those Riddles;
or, at least peruse them,
And, if you find them frivolous, refuse them.
Riddle
these
Riddles
too, even
you,
that seek
The
common-peace,
with hearts upright and meek:
You,
that have understanding to discern
The
present times;
and, willing are to learn
Good lessons from a
Pismire:
For, to
you,
By this
Dark Lantern,
I shall give a view,
Of things
far off,
and
rubs
now in your way,
Whereat, through want of
light,
you stumble may:
And, likewise, of
effects,
whereto, perchance,
You,
by these
glimmerings,
may raise
advance.
Observe them well, without enquiring, what
Their
Authors
meaning was, in
this,
or
that,
Till, you
yourselves,
have searched, how they
in reason,
Suit our
affairs,
our
persons,
and the
season,
According to your
judgments:
for, that, shall
Be somewhat to the
purpose,
though not
all.
But, where no sense that's likely, you can rear,
Leave it, as that, which lies without your
sphere;
For, that, which SHALL BE, will receive a
being,
From each dissenting
Readers
disagreeing;
From that man's
knowledge,
who the sense hath got;
From that man's
ignorance,
who knows it not;
And he that
would,
and he that
would not
too,
Shall help effect, what GOD intends to do.
Thus, through a
long lane,
I have drawn you in,
Where my new
Grove of Riddles
doth begin,
With, now and then, a
plain Lawn
intermixt,
And, here and there, a small
sherewood
betwixt;
With such
digressions,
that, you will sometimes doubt,
Whether I lead you, further
in,
or
out.
But, 'tis a
wild plot,
where are
walks,
and
bowers,
Made for my own
content,
as well as yours:
And, if they tedious seem, you may be gone
At next
low gap,
you see, and no harm done.
The
harvest
of our
Aera
now draws near,
And, faithful
Laborers
will then appear
To order that
fair field,
where in was sown
The
Corn,
which now with
tares
is overgrown:
And, to distinguish
Wheat,
from that which had
Resemblance of it, both in
stalk,
and
blade.
Yet, every day,
Impostors
creeping in,
Will, by
pretended holiness,
begin
To plant
themselves;
seeking their
lusts
to feed,
By scattering
adulterated-seed;
And lab'ring, to destroy those
means,
whereby
Truth
may appear in perfect purity.
In little time, shall many
changes
be,
And
interchanges,
which will make men see
Their
wisdom
to be
folly;
their chief
might,
Flat
feebleness;
their high esteemed
light
Meer
darkness;
and, that, most things by them done,
Will have
effects,
which they nev'r thought upon.
In that
Catholicon,
or
Mithridate,
Which
Providence,
confected hath of late.
To temper, or dispel, what hath diseas'd
The
Body Politike;
it hath been pleased
(As finding it, a
mixture
requisite)
Vipers,
and
mortal poisons,
to unite
With
wholesome things;
yea,
mineralls
and
mettle,
Sulphur,
and
Steel,
fixed matter, to unsettle:
The
Serpents brains,
with faithful
Turtles hearts:
Of
Lions, Lambs,
and
Foxes,
some choice parts:
Somewhat of
Hares,
that swift and fearful be:
Somewhat of
Snailes,
in whom we nothing see,
But slowness, and, by well compounding these,
A
cure
preparing is, for our disease:
Fire, Water, Earth,
and
Air,
(though disagreeing,
In qualities) if well mixed, give a
being
To
that,
which cannot
be,
by any
one
Or, any
two,
or
three
of these alone:
And, so, at last, shall every
contradiction,
Among us, add some
Dos,
to our perfection:
Yea, they who
pulldown,
and they who
erect
Shall in the
close,
concur in one
effect;
That,
he,
who's
all in all,
may have due praise
By every
contradiction
in our ways;
And, that, out of their
discords,
he may bring
A
Diapason,
making everything
Assent together, in the consummation
Of his
designment,
at the worlds
creation.
For, whilst this
medicine
fermenting lies,
The
wheels
of
temp'r all contrarieties
Move on; and, every day, abroad will send
Productions,
few, discerning to what
end:
And, yet, each
individual circumstance,
Somewhat, the
Grand-designment,
shall advance,
Yea,
foolings, failings, fraud,
and
treachery
As well as
truth,
and
true sincerity,
Shall add thereto; and, herein, will alone,
The diff'rence be; such, as have justly done
Their
duties;
and, in doing them persevere,
(Or, willingly, and knowingly endeavor
As they are able) will enjoy the
bliss,
Which, they who counter-operate shall miss.
I.G.N.R.N.S. with, other some,
Such like, confederated are become,
To ruin this
Republic;
and, have laid
Designes,
whereby it may be soon betrayed,
And, infamous, insensibly, become,
With all
wise men
abroad, and here at home.
These
(though but few observe it) have, long, had
A purpose these three
Islands
to
invade;
And, to possess them, with a
people
far
More barbarous then
Kernes,
and
Redshanks
are.
Some of their
Party,
to promote their
ends,
Do yet appear to be our faithful
friends;
And, into every place of
Power,
and
Trust,
Themselves,
and their
confederates
have thrust.
In
Towns
and
Boroughs, Cittadells
and
Cities,
In
Courts,
and
Councils,
and in all
Committees;
In offices of
profit,
and
command,
Throughout the
Commonwealth,
at
Sea,
and
Land
They have
Abettors;
and, so bold they grow
That, every man almost, their aims may know;
And, their
attempts,
although but
fools
they are
Are at this present time, improved so far
That, they have shaken that, wherein consists,
Our honor, and our noblest
interests;
And into practice, they begin to draw
Among us here, the
Clagefurtian
Law.
M.N.O.P.
Demas, Diotrophes,
Peripatetics, Stoics, Pharisees,
With others, who, in judgment diff'ring be,
Will, altogether, as one man agree,
To fortify their
private interest,
Indangering (by what shall be possessed
Unduly) that, which is to others due:
Untill the
faithful Shepherds
do pursue
Their
claim
aright; the same deriving from
Their
Foster-Fathers,
whence, it first did come;
And, of whom, it was long since propheci'd
That, GOD, by them, a
portion
would provide
For those, he sends forth, to preserve the
beauty
Of
holiness,
when, man, forgets his duty.
Some other
accidents,
time will beget
Which may be marked out, by our
Alphabet:
By,
and
for
envy, jealousy, and pride,
Shall, A. B. C. be laid awhile, afide.
Despised also, V. and I. shall be
P P. and S. against C S. and P.
Shall then conspire; and, for a
Salve
employ
That, which itself, and all things, doth destroy,
If
Alpha
and
Omega,
help not more
Then all the other letters, did before:
For,
common helps,
will be applied in vain,
The fury of their
madness,
to restrain.
The causes, whence this hazard will arise,
Are such as this; observe it, and be wise.
The
Temple
of the
God's,
which heretofore
Stood open to the prayers of the poor,
Is closed up, and few admitted in,
But, such as are conveyed by a
gin,
Contriv'd so narrow, that the people say
It was choked up, the first, or second day:
And, with distemper, they exclaim, that this
Of all their
grievances,
the greatest is:
Because it puts their patience, to more trials,
Then, if of
Justice,
they had quick
denials:
Turnes
hopes
into
despairs;
converts their
lives
To
living deaths,
their
b
•
lmes
to
corosives.
The
Saints
likewise, that must propitiate,
On their behalfs, and offer at the gate
Of
justice
and of
mercy,
their petitions
Are not so sensible of their
conditions;
Nor from all
partiality
so free
As
Mediators
always ought to be.
This, makes one grumble in his privacies;
Another, gapes out open
blasphemies:
Some, with such indignation filled are,
As, if they
Giant-like,
would make a war
Against their GOD'S (if, lookers on, may guess,
By their distempers, of their purposes)
And, universally, there is a
cry
So lamentable, and raised up so high,
That, if these
Deities,
shall not in time,
With due compassion, bow their ears to them,
And, their just
Prayers,
and
requests
fulfill,
A higher power,
these plaints examine will,
And these
inferior God's,
shall tumble then,
From heaven like
Lucifer,
and die like men:
Riddle this Riddle,
and resolve me whether
This
Temple,
be
Pantheon,
or some other,
Wherein
Subdeities,
invoked are:
What
Temple
e're it be; we wish it were
More open; lest upon those
God's,
it bring
Contempt, or worse, and ruins everything
To them subordinate: for, hence doth flow
Most other
grievances,
complained of now;
And, hence rise those
confusions,
which increase
Our
troubles,
and procrastinate our peace.
From hence is it, men's
suits
prolonged are
Beyond their lives; and after
twice five year,
As far from ending, as when they begun;
Yea, endless, till poor
Suiters
are undone,
At these words, an
Illusion
cried,
take heed;
And, further do not in this strain proceed;
Lest, some
Interpreters,
interpret, so,
Thy
Riddles,
that the
Ridler
they undo.
The sudden
caution,
startled me a while;
Yet, back returned it with a strong recoil;
Suggesting, that I over-much bewray'd
Their
nakedness;
and them too open laid
Whose shame I ought to hide, and, that so far
It may provoke them, who soon angry are,
As thereby to endanger at the least,
My
quiet,
and my
private interest.
How, therefore, this
objection
I past over,
E're further I proceed, I will here discover.
Against these
doubts,
my
Genius
up arose,
And, quite out of my heart, their poison throws;
Assuring me, I had no cause to fear
What other men's
interpretations
were;
Or, to suppose the safety of this
Nation
Were not more worthy of a preservation
Then their
repute,
who are quite senseless grown,
Both of the
public danger,
and their own.
Or think it better that a general
Disease o'respread us, rather, then to call
A
Scab,
a
Scab,
or, timely to declare
The cure of these things, which destructive are.
It
told me,
(and with arguments not weak)
The
cause,
and
time,
required me now to speak
Without respect of persons; and, that, I
Was bound unto it by my
fealty.
It
told me,
'twas a
duty
whereunto
I was ordained; and, which I am kept to do.
It
represents unto me,
from what strong
And spiteful
Adversaries;
and, how long,
I have preserved been, since I begun
To do such
works,
when they were to be done.
It
bids me
to record, by what strange ways,
(And means unlikely) I have all my days,
Deliverances
obtained; even when I had,
Oppressions,
that might make a
wise man
mad;
And, not one
friend,
me, in those straits to own,
But, such as GOD still raised me up unknown.
It bids me mind, how oft (when I have had
No other help) his
Providence
hath made
The
malice of my fees,
things to project
Against me, which my
succor,
did effect;
And, without which, I probably had lost
Just
expectations,
with much pain and cost.
It bids me mark, how many there are still,
(Who, without cause, have born me evil will)
That daily do expect to see me stumble,
When they may add a kick, to make me tumble:
How, in those
High Assemblies,
where they deem,
It may most disadvantage my esteem,
They whisper out
detractions;
or, speak loud
Those things, which cannot justly be avow'd:
How
enviously,
they often make relations
Of what GOD gives, beyond their expectations;
With such periphrases, as may infer
That, my
supplies,
were got as ill as their.
It wills me, likewise, seriously to heed,
How, they in other things, with me proceed;
How, by their
spite,
all public favors done me.
Bring naught, as yet, but cost, and troubles on me,
Which had e're this destroyed me, had I not
Preventions,
from a
Power
above them got;
And, by these
mercies,
it conjures me to
What,
conscience,
and my
judgment,
bids me do.
It minds me to be mindful of that
pour,
Which hath preserved in every
evil hour.
How plentifully, I have still been fed.
Even when I saw not means, of next days
bread
But, what was in their hands, who would not spare,
The least
supply,
when most distrest we were.
How, my
repute,
with
good men,
was maintained,
When with
unjust aspersions,
I was stained:
And, when our
Princes,
on their
Judgment Seats,
Thundred against me, nothing less then
threats.
It
charms,
to observe, that, though I get
Little or nothing, of that
public debt
Which was assigned, and which hath now been due
Ten years
(by claims approved just and true,
On
treble trials
) and, though ever since,
It yields me naught, but troubles and expense;
That GOD, hath naythelesse, improved of late,
My
Mite,
into a competent estate;
Meerly, by such unlikely means, as those
Which
Jacob
used, when in the
watering troughs,
He laid his
whit led sticks,
till he was paid
The
wages,
which his Master had delaid.
It calleth on me, to look back upon
Those works, which have within my days been done;
(And chiefly those, which stand in some relation
Unto
myself,
together with this
Nation
)
What
strange effects,
and
unbelieved things,
Have followed my
fore conjecturings:
What
risings,
and what
fallings,
I have heeded:
What
mercies,
and what judgments have succeeded
Our
various paths.
It urgeth me to weigh,
What may bety'd me, if I disobey
The
motions of my heart,
and what
event
He may expect, who shall be negligent
To do his
duty,
when his
eye
perceives
What GOD intends; and, when his heart believes,
He dreams not; but, is really required
To act, according, as he is inspired:
And, somewhat tells me, that, if after all
These
mercies,
and
remembrances,
I fall
From my
resolves;
GOD justly may expose,
And leave me, to the malice of my foes.
Lest, yet, my
frailties,
or
self interest,
Or
carnal reasons,
somewhat might suggest
To blow all this away; it, comes sometimes,
At
midnight
(as it did of late) and chimes
Dreadfull
Alarms,
which, do awaking keep
Mine eyes, when other men are fast asleep:
From
darkness,
then, it fresh advantage taking,
(And from vain thoughts, which too oft keep me waking)
Thus, it invades me; what is that, which thou
Li'st muzing on, and ruminating now?
Art thou contriving, how to lay
foundations
For thine own
family,
when
Kings,
and
Nations,
Are tumbling down? and, when impartial
fates,
Are overthrowing
Monarchies,
and
States?
Is this a time to settle, when there are
Earthquakes,
that shake the
mountains,
everywhere?
Is this a time to
plant,
when thunder-strokes,
Root up
high Cedars,
and break down
strong Okes?
Is this a time to
purchase,
when the trouble,
And hazards, make the payments more then double?
Or wheel thee (as by trial thou hast found)
Into a fruitless and a tedious round?
But, if a
seasonable time,
it be
For others, can it so befall to
thee,
Whilst thou delayest his
affairs,
from whom,
The means to make thy
purchases,
must come?
When, GOD, to build thy
house,
hath now begun,
Wilit then, to finish it to others run?
As if,
he,
who from
nothing,
heretofore
Thus far,
hath brought thee, now, could do no more?
Oh take good heed, what
course,
thou dost pursue,
(And, what neglect) lest else, thy
course,
thou rue.
God, hath already, made thee to possess
The
gates
of those that were thine
enemies:
And by a
means unlooked for,
restored
That, which was taken from thee by the
Sword:
Houses,
by others built, to thee are granted,
Orchards
and
Gardens,
which thou hast not planted,
He gives, in recompense for what was lost
In
public service;
yea, without the cost
Of this
Republic;
and, had more bestowne
E're now, perhaps, if thou to do thine
own
Had'st not delayed
his work,
and, to thy
hope
For this (it may be) he will put a
stop.
Why, then, with
frnitlesse musings,
busied are
Thy
thoughts,
on what, must be another's care?
Deferring that, which thou art called unto,
And seeking daily, somewhat else to do?
Art thou afraid, lest thou thereby mayest lose
Thy late
recruits?
or, reinrage thy foes?
Or, mar thy
quiet?
cursed is that fear;
And,
thou
too, if therein thou persevere:
For, when a
temp'r all blessing,
makes us worse,
It is a
plague,
beyond a
tem'prall curse
And, if thou take not heed will quite deprive thee
Of that which
Providence,
did freely give thee.
But, who are they? or, where inhabit those
Who dare to take away, what, GOD, bestows
If thou adhere to him? whom needest thou fear,
If in thy duty, thou shalt persevere?
Nay, rather, which of
those,
that seem to be
Most
dreadful,
shall not be afraid of thee
If he be guilty? and who (though on high
He bears his head) shall not, in privacy,
Think on thy
lines,
with
trembling,
when he hears
What they declare, and what his
conscience
fears?
If
thou,
said my
good Angel,
hast not, yet,
Quite shaken off, thy
fears,
and
fanting fit;
Consider, wisely, of this
Generation,
In those things, which have thereto, nigh
relation:
Sum up together, that, which thou hast heeded
In those thou
fear'st:
mark, how they have proceeded;
What, they
have been;
what, at this
time,
they
are;
What, they
may be,
before they are aware;
What, they
design,
in what
paths
they are going;
What, they have
done;
what, they are daily
doing;
What
Labyrinths
involve them; what,
confusions
Enclose them round, as also what
conclusions
Are following; and, then, thou wilt not fear
Their
power
as
foes,
nor for their friendship care.
If, still, some
outward interest,
be that
Which thou desir'st to save; consider, what
Thereto conduceth: for, sometimes, the
thing
We fear to loose, is
kept
by
hazarding:
And, lost in seeking to preserve the same,
By other
means,
then that, through which it came.
If,
thou,
permit the
proud,
without a check
To follow their
career,
they'll break, their neck.
And, with
themselves
(as our
affairs,
now stand)
Endanger all the people of this Land.
Where, then, wilt thou be safe? or, where wilt thou
Injoy with peace, what thou possessest now?
But, if a
word in season,
thou shalt speak,
Who knows, what
instruments despised and weak
May compass? and, who knows, but that, of
them,
Who, heretofore thy
cautions
did contemn.
Some, touched may be, with sense of their condition,
And, turn back, from the
path-ways
of
Perdition?
And, who knows not, that many may be found
(Whose
actions
blameless are, whose
faiths
are sound)
That, by these
hints,
may heart and courage take.
Their
Neighbors,
from their dreamings, to awake?
At least, therein thy
duty
having done,
If any be secured, thou shalt be
one.
When these things were inspired, and duly weighed,
My heart, which was a little while dismayed
From prosecuting, what I had begun,
Assum'd new courage, and went boldly on:
And, these
expostulations,
may perchance,
Some others, to the like
resolves
advance
On like
occasions;
unto which intent,
These few short steps, beside my way I went:
For I confess, my
theam
I following not,
Have rambled out, as if I had forgot
What I at first proposed; and instead
Of
Riddles,
to plain language do proceed.
But, I will wheel about, and with the
rein
Turn
Pegasus,
into his path again;
Though, he, in his
digressions
(as we say
Of
Beggers
) never is beside his way.
Once on a time
(thus did
old tales
begin,
E're I was born, or thought I should have been)
A
foolish people
over much at ease,
Their
wantonness,
and
vanity
to please,
Among their
may-games,
brought home from the
wood,
Trees,
which had else, till now, unheeded stood.
Of
these,
they made, by
hewings, knocks,
and
smoothing,
That, look like something, which resembled nothing.
And, out of knotty,
shapelesse logs,
did hew
Some
statues
not uncomely to the view.
These, e're quite shaped, with some
jeers,
and
mocks,
They set up higher, upon other blocks.
Then, them repolished, and painted so,
That, of what
stuff
they were, few men could know.
Beginning then, their own work, to admire,
They raised them higher every day and higher,
Till
Idols
they became; with whom, they grew
At first, familiar, and did them bestrew
With
flowers
and
garlands:
shortly after, they
Bow'd humbly down before them, every day;
Till
custom,
had their judgment more befooled;
But, then (when
these,
mishrin'd they did behold,
Sparkling with
Jewels,
and with gold array'd)
They, of their own
Creations,
grew afraid.
And, at the last, (as at the last, all do
That whoring after their own
fancies
go;)
These fools,
repented of their
superstition;
Bewail'd the slavery, of their condition;
With some appearances, of an intent
To grow more
wise,
as well as to repent:
Yea, to
blaspheme,
their new made GOD'S they spared not,
And, would have pulled them down again, but
dared not.
For, by their
flattring attributes
(long, given)
They had advanced them, to a
sphere,
or
heaven,
Where, uncontroul'd, a power they exercised
According to their
lust;
and those despised
Whose
hands
had made them, & whose
breath
had blown them
Too high, for their
ambitiousnesse,
to own them.
Yea, by their
incantations,
these, had brought
Strong
spirits,
into what their hands had wrought;
Inliv'ning, and enabling them unto
Those
actions,
which their
makers
might undo.
Yet, persevere, this
blockish
people will
To make such
idols,
and advance them still;
Till both they, and their
idols
are destroyed
Unless the GOD of God's, my fears makes void.
For, most men being of a
slavish
mind,
Are nat'rally to
slavishness
inclined:
And to fulfill their brutish lust will fawn
Upon a Dog, and lay their souls to pawn.
Riddle
this
Riddle,
if you can, and tell
What
People,
this may be, and where they dwell:
Which I believing you with ease may do,
Will add this following
Parable
thereto.
There was a time, when silly
Bees
could speak,
(A people, of much industry, though weak)
And, these, among themselves, made grievous moans,
As being much oppressed, by their
drones;
Who (having made intrusions among those
That had an uncontrollable dispose
Of their
Republic
) did in sundry wise,
Incroachments make on their
proprieties;
And, greedily, unto themselves derive,
The
fatness,
and the
sweetness
of the
hive.
Complaints in private,
no redress obtaining,
Increast to
open,
and
avow'd complaining:
Which finding like successes, they begun
To
buz,
as when their
swarming time,
draws on:
Then, to
shut up their cells,
to
shake their wings,
To
leave their wonted work,
and
show their stings.
The
Drones,
at first, were startled much thereat;
But, being not so
wise,
as they are
fat;
Neglected still, the
course
which might prevent
The
mischief
then appearing imminent:
Which, when I saw, I would no longer stay;
But, said, GOD
help them;
and so come away.
This
Parable,
if rightly moralliz'd,
Affords a meaning not to be despised.
And so doth this which follows: as I went
On
Pilgrimage
unto the
Parliament,
Dispersed in my way, I saw the
cocks,
(Which kept the
hens,
and
capons
from the
fox
)
With broken wings, with backs, without a feather
To hide their naked bodies, from the weather;
With plumelesse
tails,
with scarred
necks
and
breasts;
With empty
bellies,
and with
combs,
and
crests,
Cut quite away; and scraping with their
feet
On dunghills, for their food, and in the street,
So despicably, that it could appear
By nothing save their
spurs,
what once they were:
And,
Popinjaies,
and
Parrets,
clothed and fed,
By what the
valor
of these purchased,
(And, trimmed with ill got
feathers
) strutted by,
Casting upon them a
disdainful eye:
Which when I saw, methought (I tell you true)
It was no good presage; pray,
what think you?
News,
if you look for, I but little know,
Save, such as this next
Parable
doth show.
A
fair ship,
now lies floating on the floods,
Well filled with
Passengers,
well fraught with goods,
Labring to fix an
Anchor
on the strand
Of her wished
harbor,
which lies near at hand.
By many storms, much
tackling,
she hath spent;
Her
Masts
are shater'd; and her
shrowds
are rent:
Her
ammunition,
and her
stores
are wasted,
Her
bread
and
bevorage
is evil tasted:
Her
keel
springs leaks, through her uncawked
seams;
Her
knees
are weakened, bruized are her
beams:
Her
Pump
is broke, no
Cable
sound hath she;
And,
Anchors
have been slipped, till none there be:
Her
Helm
hangs loose, her
Cards
have great defects;
Her
compass
likewise often misdirects:
And everywhere, she crazinesse doth feel,
From
Prow
to
Stern,
from
topmast,
to the
Keel.
In this condition, too and fro she drives,
And, on the waves, with much ado, yet
lives:
For, now of late again, the
Seas
go high;
A
stiff gale
blows, and she exposed doth lie
To many hazards, close without the
Bar,
Betwixt two
Forelands,
which in kening are:
If she were
fitted,
forth again to stand
To
Seaward, Pirates
threaten; if to
Land
She makes; the rocks lie scattered, here and there,
In which, as great, or, greater dangers are:
And, which is worse, they, who in her abide,
Are
mutinous;
and, some what else beside:
Some
ignorant,
some
treacherous,
and, some
Ambitious,
how, possessors to become
Of what is other men's: yea, some of those
Who, have this goodly ship at their dispose,
Have in delays, their
time,
and stores, misspent,
For private ends; or, for accomplishment
Of
worse designs:
and, in this great distress,
(In part through
fear,
in part through
guiltiness
)
So much amuz'd, and so amuzed are,
That, they are at a loss, what
course
to steer,
Themselves to save; and compass their
design;
Without which, to no
course,
they will incline
The Owners, and the Passengers, have waved
No means, whereby this
Vessel
might be saved:
For, to that purpose, they have not alone,
Put hand, to all things needful to be done;
And, faithfully, unto their labor stood;
(Even with the frequent hazard of their blood)
But also, willingly away have cast
Their goods; yea, some have thrown forth to the last
Of all their outward
visible estates:
Few of her
Masters,
or her
Masters Mates,
In her extremities, adventring ought;
Although their
Cabbins,
with rich goods are fraught.
The danger still increaseth; and those few
In place of
trust,
who to their
trust
are true,
Perceiving all endeavors rendered vain
By their decrease, to whom doth appertain
That
Uessells
charge; they labor'd seriously
To find out an expediment, whereby
Some other
Pilots
might be timely sent
Their near approaching shipwreck, to prevent.
And, that by making of their
Canons
roar,
They might invite help, from the
neighbring shore.
The
motion
pleased all, save such as had
Self-ends
to fear; and, these a
faction
made
So strong against it; that, this
Uessell,
yet
Hulls
there, with many perils, round beset;
Not knowing (without hazard) either how
To ride safe, tack about, or venture through
The narrow Channell; whose hid winding lies
Obscured from their knowledge, and their eyes:
And, one
dark night,
or, but one
tempest
more,
Might wrack her on the sands, or on the shore.
But, maugre all these hazards;
she
at last,
In her wished
barbour,
shall an anch or cast;
For, to the
Leeward,
lies an
unseen Bay,
Where, through the soft
Ouze,
run aground she may
Without a bruize; and, shall
recruits
take in,
Even where 'twas feared, she should have splitted been.
You therefore, who conceive your interest
To be concerned by what is here expressed,
Prise God alone, when fafe this
Ship
shall be,
For none could have secured her, but
he.
And let not those, to whom the same relates
Slight what this
Parable
insinuates,
Which next ensueth: for, it hath an use,
That much to their advantage may conduce.
A
homebred Lion
(of a hair unknown
In
Africa
) by being overgrown,
And dreadful to his
Keepers,
will thereby
Awake the rage of
smothered jealousy,
And lose his
tail;
except between his
paws,
He couch his
head,
and hide his
teeth
and
claws;
Or
Rampant
grow; and what will follow then?
Ask those you credit, they are
Cunning men:
Of
me
you ask in vain; for 'tis my
fate,
Seldom to be believed, till 'tis too late.
But that stout
Lion
by his prudency
May easily improve this
jealousy,
Both for the
Public safety,
and th' increase
Of his own
honor,
also, if he please;
And I do probably presume he will,
If my
well-wishes,
have not fooled my
skill.
Before that time, they who have took delight
In
deeds of darkness,
will put out the
light
By which the
footsteps
of their
foes
are known,
And whereby they might
see
to guide their
own:
Insteed whereof, perhaps erect they shall
An
ignis fatuus,
which will hazard all.
To each man then shall
Providence
dispose
That, which for his
chief happiness
he chose:
The
dogs,
who to their vomit do retire,
And
swine
(who love to wallow in the mire)
Themselves with their
beloved fil
•
h
shall fill;
And they that are
unclean,
shall be so still.
The
willful Adder,
who doth stop his ears,
And will not heed the
Charmer
whom he hears,
Shall feel a
voice
within him, that will shake him
Out of his dumps; and from his deafness wake him,
When 'tis too late to hear what might prevent
The dint of his forewarned detriment.
The
Leaches
shall by
salt
a vomit take;
Or else continue sucking, till they break.
The
Bubbles,
who in
emptiness
do find
Their
pleasure,
shall be puffed up with
wind
Till (being blown to
nothing
) there appear
No
signs,
that in the world such
bladders
were.
The
sons of earth,
who with the
God's
make war,
Shall heap up hills on hills, till crushed they are
Even by their own
Designes;
the
Dogs
that prey
Upon their
Flocks,
and tear their wool away,
Shall
bark
no more, but only
snarl
and
grin,
And run about the fields without a skin.
The
shrubs
and
Briars,
which more proud are grown,
Then were the
Cedars,
lately broken down;
Among their
leaves
and
thorns,
a
fire
do hide,
Which on a sudden will consume their pride.
The
grubs
and
maggots,
but e're while so small,
So poor and weak, that they could hardly crawl,
Have got
bulk, strength, new forms, aspiring wings;
Yea dreadful
teeth,
and
horns,
and
claws,
and
stings:
But, by a
storm,
whereof they have no dread,
They shall consume as fast as they were bred:
Within the circuit of our
Northern Clime
Not long before, or after these, in time,
Out of the putrefied
barbed steed,
Shall generated be a num'rous breed
Of noisome
hornets,
which abroad will fly,
Much mischief doing, and next winter die.
Friends
possibly may meet (our
Proverb
says)
But
mountains
never; yet in these our days,
That
Proverb
's crossed: for
hills
have often met,
With purpose on each other to beget
A longed for issue; and it is believed
By many, that they somewhat have
conceived
Of great
concernment:
but you will see the
birth
Prove nothing, but a
moldring lump of earth;
(As they themselves will be, till
clay
and
dust,
Seek better things, then to fulfill their lust:)
For none can answer now our expectation,
But that
great hill,
whence cometh our
salvation.
All this from objects which are found within
Our
British Orb,
hath preconjectur'd been;
But those that follow next, to me appear
By things which I observe without our
sphere.
The blasted
Orange,
and the
crooked Vine,
With many
trees
on either side of
Rhine
Shall twist together, that beneath their
shade,
A shelter for the
Thistle
may be made,
Till they perceive what
curse
is in pursuit
Of that rejected
plant,
root, branch, and fruit;
And then they'll wiser grow; lest they may become
Exposed justly to the self-same doom.
Mean while, the
tawny Olive
shall assay
His roots into those
Uallies
to convey,
From whence it was displanted; and effect
His purpose, by a
Wile
which few suspect;
Except the
Willow,
and the
Oke
foresee
What for their mutual good should thought on be:
And both the
frogs
and
mice,
which are in fight,
Be wary what is watched for by the
Kite.
By which means they shall break a
grand design
Which is on foot, their States to undermine;
And they who of this
Peace
first movers are,
Shall of that blessing reap the greatest share.
Observe this well: if ever you shall see
(As possibly it may permitted be)
That from it
height,
the RED-CROSSE shall decline,
The
half moon
for that time shall
Northward
shine,
(With an ill influence upon the Seas)
Beyond the
Pillars
of great
Hercules,
And
Southward
not be retrograde again,
Till that a
reascension
shall attain.
But
losses
are sometimes a gainful
prize;
By
over-sights,
men grow to be more wise;
And they who know not yet what may concern
Their welfare, will perhaps more wisdom learn,
When more experience makes their judgment stronger,
By suffering
loss
and
scorn
a little longer.
We, on this side the
water,
are not yet
Confus'd enough that
Order
to beget,
Which must estadlish us; and shall therefore
Pursue
self-interest,
a little more.
With
new wine
our
old bottle
must be filed,
(Endangring
wine
and
bottle
to be spil'd)
Till such as are in
pour
be pleased to hear
The counsel of a
slighted engineer:
With
new cloth
our
old garment
patch'd must be,
(Whereby the
rents
made wider ye shall see)
Till every
old rag
be worn out, and then
The
Robe
so rent, shall be renewed agen:
And they that own it, be secured more,
And much more dignified, then heretofore;
If they who must complete it make their
choice.
By
lot divine,
as well as
human voice:
Whereto
self-seekers
never will agree,
Untill enforced by some
straits
it be.
But when this comes to pass, there shall appear
A
new light
shining in our
hemisphere,
That will disperse the
clouds
and
fogs,
which make
So many cross each other, and mistake
The way of
safety;
then we shall perceive
Our
Opposites
desire to interweave
Their interests with ours; and to have share
In that which God will for these
Isles
prepare:
Wherein if we accord, we shall possess
Each other, and the world in Christian peace;
Till he approacheth to ascend the
Throne,
Who must unite
all Nations
into
one.
Then shall the
blazing Comets,
which have seemed
Fixt stars,
and been by many so esteemed,
(Even of the greatest magnitude) down from
Their heights be thrown; and more despised become
Then
Glowormes,
or those
rotten chips,
that glare
In
darkness,
as if
real lights
they were:
Then every
single person
shall be brought
Unto his
Test;
and that which he hath wrought
Shall pass a
fiery Trial,
such as were
Made fat with
public spoils;
and
clothed
are
By ruining of others; will that day
Be
hungry, poor,
and
naked
sent away,
And rendered the scorn of everyone,
Whom they oppressed, despised, and trampled on.
Then they, who large
indulgences
contrive
For others, that themselves they may forgive;
Who cunning are, at
fast
and
loose
to play;
Who
take
to
morrow,
what they
give
to
day;
Who make their
seeming favors,
means unto
Those
mischiefs,
which their
malice
could not do.
Who
Spider-like,
weave
cobwebs,
with pretence
To catch the noisome
flies
which give offense.
When none but harmless
Bees
their
engines take,
For, through them
wasps
and
hornets
passage make.
They, who do sacrifice unto the dead
That wherewithal the living should be fed;
Even when they (wanting what should life preserve)
Lie naked, harborless, and like to starve.
And then such as
innocents
cause betray,
And justify the wicked, then shall they
Who add more
grease
to
fatness;
and where's none
Scrapit off, the flesh that's left unto the bone.
Then shall all these, and such like, to their doom
With fear, with trembling, and amazement come,
And undergo deserved punishment,
Unless beforehand timely they repent:
In which condition they may yet receive
Remission,
and in future safety live.
Then also they, who now are forced to take
The juicelesse apples of
Asphaltis Lake,
(Insted of that which was the price of blood,
Limbs liberty,
and of their livelihood)
Shall better be rewarded; and confess
There is a GOD that loveth
righteousness.
Then they who have received
stones
for
bread,
(
Scorpions
for
fish
) shall with
good things
be fed.
Then they, who served like
Tantalus
have been
(With
fruits
and
waters,
which their lips and chin
Have often touched in vain) shall that enjoy,
For which they fruitless labors now employ:
Yea, they who got but
gall
and
vinegar,
When in their greatest
Agonies
they were,
Shall see what
Samson's
Riddle hath implied,
On them, and their oppressors verifi'd:
Out of their
eaters
carcasses, will meat
Extracted be; and sweetness they shall get
Out of the bones and ruins of the
strong,
By whom they formerly received wrong.
Then ravenous
Wolves,
shall
Lambs
and
Kidlings
feed,
The
thistly field
shall bring forth precious seed:
The
Crocodile
shall tears of
kindness
weep;
The
Ramping Lion
to the cross shall creep:
And such things as were noisome heretofore,
Shall make our future benefit the more.
Then, from the
buried Ox,
will forth arise,
A swarm of thrifty
honey making flies,
That shall with
sweetness,
and with
plenty
store
These
Islands,
from the
midland,
to the
shore;
And, spread their
floating hives
over all the
Seas,
'Twixt both the
Tropics,
to th'
Antipodes,
(And all without) that
blessings
which now are
Somewhere enjoyed, may then be everywhere;
To make
preparatives
for that which brings
Into
one body,
all dispersed things.
Other events, that seem of consequence,
I do foresee approachings, not far hence:
But so obscurely, that I cannot say
(Without some doubtings) whereto tend they may
For, far beyond my apprehension lies
The chain of those concealed contingencies
Which draw on
future things:
and that frail
glass
Through which the
light,
disclosing them, must pass,
Is so defective, that it may perchance
Misrepresent them in some circumstance.
Yet by th'
inlightnings,
which the
sacred Writ
On
sanctified reason
doth beget,
If we will weigh, consider, and compare
Those WORDS and
works,
which
past
and
present are,
To GOD and men relating; we of some
Things
future,
may aright informed become.
Yea, out of question, by
these
are foreshown
To all intents, as much as need be known,
Relating either to our private fates,
Or unto
Kingdoms, Commonwealths,
and
States:
If thereto, for the right end, men apply
Their sense in
faith,
and with
humility.
To find what sense my
Parables
contain,
No man that's wise, shall need his wits to strain;
For e're three years, are three months past the middle
Most men the meaning of them will unriddle,
Without an
Oedipus;
and think that he
Who made them, had
Cassandra
's destiny.
But these mere trifles are, respecting that
Of whose approach I tidings can relate:
For long it shall not be, e're that be done
Which will cut off all tyrannies in
one:
Yea that which many thousands have expected,
Hundreds of years, shall fully be effected,
Before the
Wheel of Time,
now rolling by
Hath past M. D. C. L. X. V. and I.
Which numbers how to calculate aright,
From this that follows take a little light.
First, to begin it, you must learn to find
What
year
the
Roman Empire
first declined,
All whose Characters, used in
numeration,
Thus placed, according to their
valuation,
Explain a
mystery:
for of that
State
Whereto they did belong, they showed the date:
And at that season 'twill completed be,
In which
Rome
looks for her next JUBILEE.
My
Ridling
fit now leaves me for a time;
And here I will put a period to my
Rhime.
My inward perturbations are past over,
My
brains
begin, by settling, to recover
Those wits, whereby I may, like other men,
Converse; and follow my affairs agen.
My
night adventures
I have passed thorough,
And they who meet me in the streets to
morrow
Will searce believe how mad I was this
night,
Untill they shall peruse what I now write;
And most of them, will then, (it may be) deem,
That others are more mad, then I yet seem.
The Perpetual PARLIAMENT. BEING The Result of a Contemplative Vision, revealing a probable means of making this Parliament to be both perpetual, and acceptable to these Nations, if they so please.
A Paradox, though this appear to some, Consider it, lest else, a mischief come.
IS that designed? then it is time to vary
My
Thems,
lest, on a sudden, all miscarry.
Riddles adien, let clouds away be blown,
And my
Dark Lantern,
quite aside be thrown;
That e're it be too late, I down may charm
The Spirits conjur'd up, to do us harm:
For in my
contemplations
I have had
A
Vision,
which hath some discov'rie; made,
And in a
plain song
I intend to sing,
How we may
concord,
out of
discords
bring,
Order
out of
confusions,
and restore
That
Peace,
whose late infringements we deplore;
Where, to begin the
work;
how to proceed,
That which is yet but words, may be a deed,
And to declare our means of
settlement,
to be an
everlasting Parliament.
It may appear, (and will be thought perchance)
At least much rashness, if not arrogance,
That I adventure to employ my pen
Upon a
subject,
which more able men
Have hitherto declined, and which of late,
Hath ground administered of much debate,
(And much dispute) to Counsels of renown,
Without a full
resolve,
as yet made known:
But these are
blasts,
whereof small heed I take
For
chaff
and
feathers
only, they can shake;
And he that all things hath at his dispose,
Is pleased some
expedients
to disclose
To poor and simple persons, now and then,
Which he conceals from
wise,
and
noble men:
He, sometimes calls men from within the grates,
To Counsel grave, and
mighty Potentates;
And they in
meekness
have embraced the same
Without a jealousy of any shame
Which might thereby reflect disparagements
Upon their wisdom, from those
instruments.
Nor is there any cause, why such as are
Made instrumental, those things to declare
Which may be serviceable, should therefore
Esteem their wisdom, or themselves the more;
Since they have nothing, but what they receive,
And are but
earthen pipes,
to help derive
To others, what into themselves they take,
Not so much for their own, as others sake.
And if assume ought to myself I would,
I nothing know, that arrogate I could
By what shall be proposed, more then they,
Who have not to this end a word to say,
If they desire to serve you; when they shall
Meet such occasions, as I met withal.
For, as when two great
Armies,
long engaged,
Having each others fury so inrag'd,
That over all the fields there are bespread,
Disorders
raised out of
despair
and
dread;
Such renovations on the hills and valleys,
Of
charges
and
retreats;
of
routs and rallies,
So loud a noise of
drums,
and
guns,
and
eries;
Such clouds of
smoke
and
dust
to blind their eyes;
Such
stops
by them that
slain
and
wounded
lie,
Such
througs
and
tumults
among those that fly,
And, such
confusions,
that the
Chief Commanders
Know not what course to take; if then,
by-standers,
Upon a
neighb'ring hill,
shall thence discern
Where some advantage lies, which may concern
Their
friends engaged;
and from among them
one
Shall (ventring down) inform them what is done;
Where their foes weakness lies; and how they may
Rally their
broken troops,
and win the day,
What great thing hath he done, whereof to boast?
Or what dishonor hath that
Army
lost,
By his officiousness? or what's his gains
But knocks perhaps, or woundings for his pains;
From those, it may be, of his
Party
too,
Who know not what he thither came to do.
This is my case; who for such
services,
(And such adventures heretofore as these)
Have gained so little, that none needs envy
The profit which I have received thereby;
Or, those advantages I might expect,
If that which I propose should take affect;
Considering, how many still there be,
To make my best deeds mischievous to me.
But, whatsoever shall thereon succeed
With what is now intended, I will proceed,
As my
peculiar work;
and to be done
By no man, if I let the same alone.
For, (as it by my
Journal Books
appears)
Somwhat above the term of forty years
I have been on the
hills of contemplation,
A
voluntary Watchman
for this
Nation.
I, oft, when none to second me I knew.
In times of greatest danger stood
perdue.
I oft was pris'ner took, and did enlarge
My self, at all times, at my proper charge.
I, more then once, to scape my Foes made shift,
With nothing, but my
life,
and
raiment
left;
And have persuaded been (even ever since
J reached the years of ripe intelligence)
That (next unto his service) GOD, in chief,
Gave me my being, faculties and life,
To serve my
Country,
and to have an eye
On those who hindered her prosperity;
And, to employ my studies and my wit,
Jn searching out what might advantage it,
Though no man should regard it; yea, though still
J
injuries
received for my
good will:
And this hath oft produced such fruits as these,
Judge me, or use me for it as they please;
J shall, at last, be paid for all J do:
And, so shall they, who dare oppose it too.
Having thus
prefaced,
to anticipate
Miscensures,
J, my
Visions
thus relate.
When with sad thoughts J many nights and days,
Had overlooked my
one,
and
others ways,
Considering seriously, both what they were
And in what posture, our
affairs
now are;
I saw so much
confusion,
and
disorder,
The Chaos daily, so much widing further
By
new confusions,
and so few, that see
Or credit, in what hazards we now be,
That in these overwhelmings I almost
Was swallowed up, in danger to be lost:
And doubtless in those
whirlpools
lost had been,
But that the
clew,
by which I ventured in,
Did bring me forth, and set me on a
Station
Where I might view them, without
perturbation;
With
safety
too, and with so true a
light
That, thereby plainly, I discover might
From whence this Chaos springs; and by what course
We might (if possible) drink up the source,
Or make some such diversion, as would win
An
entrance,
where
good order
might begin.
As I stood musing, how this could be done,
A
voice
within me said; this
works
for none
But him to do, who first did out of
naught
Bring
something;
and from
something, all things
brought.
Then said my heart, LORD, though this
work,
to thee
Belongs alone, yet instruments there be,
By which thou workest all things here below;
Some instrumental means, now therefore show,
Whereby this may be done; and, then alone
Shalit reap that honor which infues thereon.
Insteed of
vocal answer
hereunto,
A firm persuasion,
that it should be so
Possest my
soul;
and that he whosoever
Would faithfully and seriously endeavor
A
restauration,
either should acquire
The full accomplishment of his desire;
Or so much toward it, as might at least
Secure him in his noble interest.
Herewith well satisfied, aside I threw
My own affairs, and privately withdrew
Into myself, in season to begin
That undertaking which I now am in;
And whereto you, by these
long lanes
are led,
To signify that I have considered
The
Propositions,
which to light I bring,
With good
precautions,
and examining.
One
afternoon,
as on my couch I lay,
About the
ev'ning twilight
of the day,
My
contemplation
introduced there,
A
mask,
that might beseem a
theater;
And many grave
spectators:
for thereby
Was represented our late
tragedy
From that time, when the
Prologue
did begin,
Even to the very
act,
we now are in;
With each material circumstance, which might,
Be usefully presented to my sight,
Pertaining to this
Nation,
and to those
Who
are,
or
have been,
thereto friends or foes.
It likewise drew a
map
before mine eyes,
Of all our past, and present miseries,
With those
distractions,
and those
contradictions.
Which do prolong or multiply
afflictions:
As also of each
actor
and his
actions
Confusedly wrapped up with their
transactions,
As they to me, and other men appear,
When we do look upon them in our fear;
Or as they passed by us day by day,
Whilst we among the same confusions lay.
This
mummery
withdrew: and then me thought,
It back again, each
part
and
actor
brought,
Distinctly represented, so that I
Might perfectly discern with
reasons eye,
What in themselves they were; and that we had
Of many things a
wrong conjecture
made.
That some, which to our practice were commended,
Have to our shame, and our destruction tended:
That others, which we judged might destroy
Our
interest;
produced what we enjoy.
That wicked
projects,
other while brought forth
As good effects, as those of
real worth,
(Though not without a woe, to them, by whom
Offences,
and
prevarications
come)
That some, which good appeared, were nothing so,
That, others, making but an evil show,
Were (if considered simply) very good,
Or, better then they seemed, if understood
According to the
time,
and present state
Of these
affairs,
whereto they did relate.
A
Curtain
then was drawn aside, that showed
A
Table,
whereon portraited I viewed
A
Directory,
teaching me the use
Of all that I had seen, with their produce:
Which could my memory, have brought away,
Had done this work (which I intend today)
Much better, then this
picking
out again,
What their impression left upon my
brain.
A thousand sev'rall things (some, neither fit
For my expression, nor in season, yet
To be divulged) were brought as in
procession
Before me, in an orderly
progression.
Sometimes confusedly, there passed by
Strange
Apparitions,
which away did fly,
E're I could well disern them; or my
thought
Take notice, to what purpose they were brought.
Sometimes
bright shinings
from a light I had,
Which cheered my
heart,
and made my
spirit
glad.
Another while, a
darkness
me surrounded,
Which, all my
notions,
for a time, confounded,
And saddened so my
spirit
by privations,
That I well near lost all those
observations
Which I had made sometimes appeared to me
Such things, as in our
Antimasks
we see
Ridiculous,
and worthy laughing at;
Sometimes
things terrible,
and after that
Appearances,
which promised to some,
Much
comfort, peace,
and
happiness to come;
And so the
Vision
vanished, and the
day
By that time to the
night
had given way.
But by
what represented
thus hath been,
By well considering what I have seen;
(By
spelling out,
what every character
Held forth, and what things evidenced were
By
readring all together
) found hath been
Where that
great work
must first of all begin,
Which may make up our
breaches,
when thereto
Our selves we settle, as we ought to do.
In brief, I saw, that in the
settlement
And
constitution
of this
Parliament
Upon a just
foundation
laid with speed,
A course of
restauration
might succeed;
And draw on by
degrees,
a means to bring
Into
right order,
every other thing
Conducing to our
Weal;
and if we take
That way whereof proposal I shall make,
I dare adventure, if it do not thrive,
To lose my head, or be inter'd alive.
I have attained assurance (and without
So much as any shadow of a doubt
That by this
Parliaments
misconstitution
We are uncapable of that fruition
Which we expect; that for the most part thence
Proceed the causes of our indigence
And myseries; and that 'tis naythelesse
The
chief,
or
sole means
left of our redress.
Even this in being now, this which men seek
To bring into contempt, and to dislike.
This, which they (justly too, in some respect)
Have labored to make of no effect,
And to annihilate, as if thereby
(And thereby only) they should perfectly
Injoy their full desires, and be secured
From all the troubles hitherto indur'd.
Even by this
Parliament,
God will effect
That future settlement which we expect,
If we too long delay not the pursuit
Of an impartial rativall recruit.
For though the body of it being made
Of many members, hath among them had
(And hath yet) overmany so corrupted
That they have not alone much interrupted:
The activeness of those that have been sound,
But are oft likely also to confound
The whole at once, by seeking how to please
Their
lusts,
or
friends,
or how themselves to ease:
Yet by their faithfulness, who have been true
Unto their trust, and active to pursue
The
public interest,
redeemed we are
From that captivity in which we were;
And many things enjoy of him esteem
(Though by some wants,
enjoyments
less do seem)
Whereof we had e're this been quite dispoil'd,
If they in their endeavors had been foir'd.
It therefore were an Act of
Tyranny,
(Of high injustice, and of cruelty)
To wrap up these, with those that have misdone,
Because some fail, to have respect to none;
But cast off all at once, and from us thrust
With men unrighteous, those that have been just.
For if we weigh things well, it is their praise,
That they have marched through uneven ways,
(Oft, ill accommodated) and have long
Opposed without weariness, a strong
And cunning enemy; that they have been
Assail'd by some without, and stob'd within
By
bosom foes;
that they were lamed too,
In their own
limbs,
yet forward still did go
With perseverance: and that also they
Stand for us in the gap, even to this day;
It is their glory, rather then their blot,
Though their good purpose they accomplish not.
It is from these that we denominate
This
Parliament;
in them is lodged the fate
Of this
Republic;
yea, what e're it seem,
This, as I said, is that which must redeem
Our late lost honor; and if e're this shall
Dissolved be, down all our
Structures
fall,
Not to be raised, without the cost of more
Then hath been spent upon it heretofore.
For what should keep it up? can wise men think,
They shall uphold it, that it may not sink,
Whom these depute? who while they do subsist,
Preserve, with much care, their own interest?
Can any of us, reasonably believe
The power which to their
Substitutes
these give,
When they themselves are outed, shall be able
To keep up strongly, that which is unstable,
Untill a
Phoenix,
yet unhatch'd arise
Out of their ashes, with renewed supplies?
When, having far less power, and less esteem,
(As being an extraction out of them
Who are prejudicated) they shall contend
With those
immergencies,
that may ascend?
But, grant it possible, what way shall we
Contrive, whereby this power dissolved may be
Without a
force,
that may endanger more
Our
safety,
then it hath done heretofore?
(Since by a Law, it was perpetuated
Which is not rashly to be
abrogated;
And which without enforcement, can by none
Repealed be, save by
itself
alone?)
It were not rational we should petition
That they now sitting (weighing their condition)
Dissolve it should, till they can be assured,
How they may for the future be secured,
For giving their
entrusted power
away,
To those they know not; or, to such as may,
Ruin both
them,
and those too, for whose sake,
They served, that reasonless resolve to make;
Yea, should they leave to such
uncertainties,
(And, to such hazards, as might thence arise)
This
Commonwealth,
it were an Act unjust,
And, an unanswerable breach of trust.
This Parliament, though (by and for our sin)
Her
vigorous actings
have delayed been,
Through those
obstructions,
which it long hath had,
And, is by many foul
bespatterings
made
Unacceptable; though, that it should reign
O're them, the
sons of Belial,
do disdain:
Although, some also (without cause) have thought
That, to defame it,
I myself,
have sought
(Because thereto misunderstandingly,
They such
invectives,
and
reproofs
apply,
As were intended only against those,
Who seeming to be
friends,
were secret
foes.
)
Yet since it first begun (even all along)
I have perceived what
works
thereto belong,
And ever had a care how to prevent
Their
scandal,
by a plain distinguishment
Of
Doves
from
Crowes,
and of men's
private factions,
From
public,
and
authorized transactions.
For as that man, who can nor hear, nor see,
And half whose limbs, corrupt and rotten be,
May possibly be all the means reserved,
By which a
noble house
may be preserved
From
extirpation;
so, how bad soe're
This
Parliament
may be, (or may appear)
I am assured, by many a circumstance,
It is that means by which GOD will advance
This
Commonwealth,
unto that
settlement,
Which may accursed
Anarchy
prevent,
If those
conditions
be not long neglected,
Whereby our happiness may be effected.
As heretofore, when
Sarah
was bereaved
Of that which gave her hope to have conceived,
She, naythelesse, obtained a lovely son,
In whom a
num'rous Off-spring
was begun:
And whence did spring that
light,
and that
salvation,
Which is the happiness of every Nation;
Even so, when we had wanted many a year,
The likely
Symptoms
of enjoying here,
Another
Parliament;
yea when a stop
Was raised and proclaimed, against the hope
Of such a mercy, when naught did appear
But that whereby dispairs increased were:
When
Tympanies
had swoln our
Sarah's
womb,
And made it rather seem to be the
Tomb
Of
dead things
only, then to quicken ought,
Which for our comfort could from thence be brought;
Lo, then, (and not before) it did conceive
A son of
Consolation,
to revive
Our drooping hearts; and which, if
faithlesnesse
Deprive us not of what we may possess,
Will free us from all
tyrants,
and restore
Those
rights
which they usurped heretofore:
And not restore our
liberties
alone,
But propagate the blessing here begun,
Throughout the world, until all other
Nations
Are freed from their
Oppressors
usurpations.
Before the
sons of Jacob
entrance found
Into their
promised Land,
they had a round,
Or Progress to fulfill, and many years
They in the
Desarts
were
Probationers,
By sev'rall
hardships,
thereby to improve
The
seeds of faith,
new sown at their remove
From
Egypt;
and by
signs
and
wonders
shown)
To make unto themselves their frailty known.
But they at each restraining of their lust,
Brake forth into repinings and distrust;
Yea into flat
rebellions,
into rearing
Of
Idols
(when his Law GOD was preparing)
Into a wicked causeless murmuring
Against the means of their delivering
From
Aegypts
trial; and into wishes vain
That they might thither back return again.
For which of many hundred thousands none
Enjoy'd the
promised rest,
but two alone.
And we are just like them; yea, we have done
Since God, to bring us from our
thrall
begun,
The very same things in the
wilderness
Of our
Probation;
and our carcasses
Shall there be left, unless we do betimes
Make an
attunement,
for our passed crimes;
And with unfainedness that
course
pursue
Which leads unto the rest, that is in view.
So shall our Leaders, likewise, who comply
With such
transgressors,
and unsanctifie
Their power: so shall, moreover, those
Who with our
Dathans,
and
Abirams
close
In their conspiracies, and quite from all
Their likely hopes, and present glory fall.
For on
conditions,
(as King
John
had
His
Throne
) the people's heads, they have been made,
And if they shall from those conditions swerve,
They must expect the portion they deserve.
Let them endeavor, therefore, how they may
Remove that
fear
and
jealousy
away
Which doth possess the people, and withdraws
Their
good affections,
with apparent cause:
Let
those,
(
even those, who have among the rest,
Been least to blame, and have deserved best
)
Consider, that by such as careless are
Of those great
burdens,
which they seem to bear,
The
weight
increaseth, and, that they so fast
Decrease, on whom their weightiness is cast,
As will e're long over whelm them, if with speed,
They do not to some remedy proceed.
Let them take notice, that the people rage
At their
delays,
as likely to engage
In some
disorderly resolve,
unless
They see that followed with more seriousness
Which they desire; either a
Parl'ament
New made, or somewhat that's equivalent:
For thereby, they conceive, (and that thereby
Alone) their
sufferings
may have remedy.
And somewhat to that end (although not so
As most would have it) may be sit to do.
Yea, if I have not misadvised been,
Our cure must with the
Parliament
begin.
Assist ye therefore, to promote the same,
Lest ye partake with sinners in their shame.
There is a course, whereby without disgrace,
Or
danger,
you may bring that
work
to pass,
And free yourselves from that great cost and pain,
Which without
thanks,
or
profit
you sustain;
Afflicting others too, by those
confusions
Which are increased by your irresolutions.
Untill a better, therefore shall appear,
Be pleased that
expediment
to hear,
And, if of those
preventions,
or that
good,
It promiseth, you find a likelihood,
Take heed, that no self-interest, divert
That
Approbation,
whereunto your heart
Inclineth you; for God will find it out,
And cross the
counter-work
you go about.
In
England,
and in
Wales,
there is a
Shire,
For every
week
that's numbered in the year.
By
twelve,
according to the
months
divide
The
Counties,
with their persons qualified
For
Knights
and
Burgesses,
proportioning
As near as may be, to an equalling
The
number
of the
whole,
so, or so many
Unto each
month,
without omitting any.
Ascertain then, the
month
and
day,
wherein
Each
twelfth part
an
election
shall begin;
(The
middle of the week,
appearing best
As being furthest from the day of
rest
)
On each first
Wednesday,
of each month, let those
By whom their
Deputies
are to be chose,
Respectively convene in every Shire,
Upon that
month,
and
Wednesday
every year,
Which is to them assigned; and having chosen,
(At
months
end) let each
twelfth part,
of the dozen,
Send up their
chosen men,
to represent
Their
Shires
and
Boroughs
in the
Parliament:
And on that very day, in which they come,
Let all their
Predecessors
give them room.
Thus one
month
some; and
month
by
month
forever,
Let each
twelfth part,
still orderly persevere
To take a
turn,
till every share hath had
A
month
in every year; and having made
Their
choice,
let them still
enter
and
withdraw
Successively, by a
perpetual Law,
No man a
place of trust,
supplying there,
At one
election,
longer then one year.
Thus, as the
Thames,
doth still continue
one,
And is the self-same river, though there run
A new supply of waters every day
Along the channel, so continue may
This
Parliament,
by annual supply,
To be the self-same everlastingly,
With very little charge or molestation
To those who
choose,
or represent the
Nation.
Thus may this
Parliament,
be both together
Successive,
and perpetual; yet neither
Enjoying such a
perpetuity
As can occasion future
tyranny,
Or present
grievances;
not that
succession,
Which may bring danger by an
intermission:
But make that
constitution,
which will add
All power, which may from both of them be had,
Either to compass, what good men affect;
Or to prevent the mischiefs they suspect,
What I intend may plainly be conceived;
And to that end, some things may be contrived
Much better, if your wisdom shall refine
The rudeness of my proffered design;
And by authority, some
rules
provide
Whereby th'
elected
may be qualified;
And their
Electors
too; for 'twere unjust,
In things of this
concernment,
those to trust
Who have disturbed our
Peace,
until a time
For their
Probation
be allotted them:
And till they likewise, by some good desert,
Make manifest a
reconciled heart,
Atested, and approved by those
Judges,
Who shall suspend their former
privileges.
And since, even they who are the best affected
To
Public welfare,
often have elected
Such as deceive their hopes; since there's no eye
But GOD'S, that sees the hearts hypocrisic:
Since it appeareth in the best
Record,
(Even in the
volumes
of the
sacred Word
)
That
lots
were needful in the choice of those,
On whom they did a
Supreme Trust
impose:
Yea, since, even when the purest
Congregation,
In all the world, had with deliberation,
(And from among the most approved men,
Which to their knowledge lived among them then)
Elected
two;
a
lot
was also cast,
That GOD'S
Election
might on theirs be placed,
To send forth him, who was to be employed
In executing of the place then void:
Since also GOD'S
Election,
join'd with our,
May
peradventure
on the
Elected
pour
New gifts;
since we by doubtless warranty
May with that ancient
President
comply:
Since it will probably give good content
To prudent men, and may oft times prevent
The
choice
of those, whom for sinister ends,
A numerous
corrupted Party
sends:
Why may not? nay, why should not
two
be chose
For every place that's void, and
one
of those
Be sent by
lot?
that GOD may have a
voice,
And join with men in making up their
choice?
Since they, who must this
Nation
represent
Are GOD'S
Vicegerents
in the Government,
As well as our
Trustees?
who would not more
Conside in such a
choice,
then heretofore
They did in others? or, then they will do
In them, who shall not now be
chosen
so?
Why was it not? why should it not be thus,
If this the
Kingdom
be of GOD WITH US?
But that
self-seekers
find, were this admitted,
They by
reputed fools,
should be out-witted?
And get no
Jnlet,
others to devour
Hereafter, by an evil gotten power?
Yea, wherefore hath the
lot
been from among
All our
Elections
kept away so long,
But that
Usurpers,
and
Intruders
know
It would their
Kingdoms
wholly overthrow;
Make them afraid, that CHRIST would reign indeed
Among us, (as they sometimes hear and read)
And that they should hereafter never come
To revel (as they have done) in his room:
Nor will they, doubtless, if this take effect,
Except it be our failings to correct;
When GOD shall by permission for our sin,
Reject the
lot,
and let a
Knave
come in.
If therefore some
Prevision
might be made,
That we should
lots
to our
Elections
add,
A great security would thence redound,
And much contentment therein might be found.
Moreover, as an
out-work
pertinent
Remisseness in
Electers
to prevent,
(Upon whose due performance much depends,
Which to the
public woe,
or
welfare
tends)
It were not labor lost, if whensoe're
To execute that duty we appear,
Some short speech might be made, or
cautions read,
Whereby it should be offered to our heed,
How much it will concern us, to take care
What
choice
we make, and what the danger; are
Which may ensue; lest for sinister ends,
(For fear of
great men,
or to please our
friends
)
We may displace our
trust,
and cast away
Our selves, and all, forever, in one day.
To which intent, our
Orator
should show
What
trust
it is, which we that day bestow:
What
benefits
may gen'rally arise
By choosing men
courageous, honest, wise,
And fearing GOD; what
perils
will ensue
(Which by forepast
examples
he may show)
If
cowards, fools, ungodly
men, and
vicious,
Or to the
present Government
pernicious
Elected be; he likewise may declare
How
qualified
such persons should appear,
And warn them, that they never do unhallow
Their
choice,
with any such as these that follow.
Men over-talkative, and loving much
To hear themselves speak;
for not many such
Can keep or give good
counsel;
and they'll prate
Much precious time away, in vain debate.
Your
common Gamesters:
for, they are unjust
Unto themselves, and them we should not trust
With other men's
estates,
who have been known
To lose, or hazard, desperately their own.
Men to their pleasure overmuch addicted,
For
Public works,
will be by these neglected.
Such as apparently are
Avaritious,
Or of
Promotion greedily ambitions:
For if their ends thereby acquire they may,
These may be hir'd, their
Country
to betray.
Such as indulge their lust,
and famed are
Ju their uncleannesses to persevere;
For they will leave their Charge, to please their whore,
And shame their fellows, if they do no more.
Of
irreligious persons
make no choice,
For these will very seldom give their
Uoice,
But in the
Negative,
to any motion.
That may be for advancement of
Devotion.
Choose none who are defam'd in any kind,
As being vicious;
for these means will find
To hinder all
enactings,
which restrain
Ill manners;
or to
sober life
pertain.
Elect
not
children:
for it is unfit
That in our
Supreme Counsel
they should sit,
To Vote in
Grand Affairs,
whom
Law
restrains
From managing, what to
themselves
pertains.
Choose none,
who are observed to withhold,
Their
long due debts, when they discharge them could;
Or
outlaw'd persons;
for, unfit are they
To make our
Laws,
who will not
Laws
obey.
Choose none, who shall solicit, or
propose
That they for your Law makers may be chose;
(And their
Electors,
by the old abuse,
Of
feasting, wine,
and
banquetings
seduce:)
For they, who shall uncall'd, themselves advance
To that
great work,
have much more
arrogance
Then
worth;
and it is also ten to one,
They for themselves, have something to be done.
And lastly, take good heed, that none get in
By your
Elections,
who have active been
Against this
State,
till you, of them have had
Good proof, whereby secure you may be made:
For he that hath into subjection brought,
A
Thief,
who on the way, to rob him sought,
And straight way trusts him, with his
sword
and
horse,
Takes not a very safe, or prudent course.
This being done, (as in preceding ages)
Let those who are
Elected
have their wages
Well paid, and rendered proportionable
To what the times require, to make them able
To serve their Country in the
Parliament
Without their private cost or detriment:
For both our
Laws,
and
equity
requires,
That
Laborers
should be allowed their hires:
Yea, 'tis a kind of
bribery,
in those
Who offer, without
wages
to be chose;
And
Boroughs,
which unable seem to bear
That
charge,
not worth the representing are.
Beside, their
choice,
is (for the most part) made
By some
Malignant Stewards;
or, or'e awe'd
By misaffected
Landlords,
to the wrong
Of what to them, with others doth belong:
And their
objections
are but
cavillings,
Who shall allege, that these
est ablishings
Infringe their
Antient Right:
for, be it known,
The
Commonwealth
no
privilege
can own
Destructive to it
self:
much rather, we,
Who now, by
Conquest,
teinvested be
With what was lost, are bound to settle it,
Not as our foes wish, but as may befit
The present, and the future preservation
Of
safety, peace,
and
freedom
to this
Nation.
Moreover, as upon the
House of Peers,
It was the custom, in preceding years,
That there the
Sages of the Law,
attended;
To whose debate such
points
were recommended,
As to the Law related; so, let some
Selected be, and summoned to come
To whom each matter questioned relates,
To be advised withal, in their
debates,
As needful it shall seem; whether the cause
In
controversy
shall concern the
Laws,
War, Merchandize,
or whatsoever may
Require their best experience on the day
Thereto assigned: that every work begun
May by it proper
instrument
be done.
Which will prevent much
doing,
and
undoing,
And make
now comers,
in short time, as knowing,
As they that have sat long, and finish more
In
three weeks,
then in
three months
heretofore.
These
outworks,
will much strengthen, and secure
The
works within:
yet that they may endure
All sieges, underminings, and scaladoes,
Battries, assaults, and stormings, with Granadoes,
By soes without, and treacheries within,
To build a
Cittadell,
let us begin
Upon some
Fundamentalls;
and provide
They may forever, unrepeal'd abide.
Let it inviolably be decreed,
That
Cities, Shires,
and
Boroughs
do proceed
Once every year, upon the time assigned,
(On penalty of being deeply fin'd)
To make
Elections;
that we never may
For time to come, be headless for one day.
Let it be
overlasting banishment
To him, who shall to change this
Government
From being a
Republic,
motion make:
And to act further if he undertake,
Let it be death, with total confiscation
Of his
estate,
without commiseration;
Unless the great Disposer of all things,
(Who, as he lists, sets up and pulls down Kings)
Shall thereto by a conquering
power
compel;
And, not to do it then, were to rebel.
Whoever with the
public Treasury
Shall stand entrusted; and doth knowingly
Defraud the
Commonwealth;
or shall purloine,
(Whether it be in
goods,
or
ready Coyne
)
The worth of
twenty ounces in pure plate,
Let it be loss of
life,
and of
estate.
Whoever this
Republic
shall betray
Maliciously, or for advance or pay,
Resigne his
Trust;
or cowardly give up
What he had means to keep, or likely hope;
Let it (when proved) be
death without reprieving,
Or any hope of temporal forgiving.
Whoever shall from any
foraigne State,
Or
Prince,
take pension; or negotiate
With them, or with their
Agents,
when they are
With us in
Treaties,
or in open war,
In
State affairs,
unless the
State
gives leave;
Let him, without a
pardon,
death receive.
Above a
month
together suffer none
To sit hereafter in the
Speakers
throne,
On some great penalty: Because thereby
Both
public wrongs,
and
private injuries
May be occasioned. Impose the like
On him that shall absent himself one week
From
Parliament,
without a good cause shown;
Or, that without leave shall depart the Town.
Let some
appearance
every day be made,
That this
great Body
never want a
Head
That's visible; and to prevent what may,
Unthought upon, befall us in a day.
Yea, on the
Sabbath,
for an hour or two,
Convene; for, 'tis a
Sabbath-work
you do:
And
Venice,
hath by long experiment
Found, that this Caution may be pertinent;
Nor will it over-burthensome appear,
When they are to continue but one year.
Let none in
Parliament
have toleration
To mention ought to their
disreputation,
Who absent are; except they undertake
Of what they shall aver good proof to make,
On pain of an
expulsion;
or, permit
An
Intimation,
likely to beget
A misconjecture, to the injury
Of him, that is not present to reply:
But let th'
Accusers
and their
Accusations
Be known, that those may have due vindications
Who are traduced; For, no man should enjoy
A
privilege,
his neighbor to destroy.
Moreover, lest the
Parliament
become
(By multiplying Suits) more burthensome
Then all those other
Courts,
of whose oppressions
We have complained, (and render our conditions
Less curable) let it admit no Cause
But such as hath no remedy by Laws
In force; or, for a
non-fruition
Of
Justice,
by their
partial execution.
For, by removing of such
grievances,
And to provide against immergencies
Which may occur (both in affairs
abroad,
And here at
home
) they will have still their load.
If not: the being of a
Parliament
Thus constituted, doubtless, will prevent
So many mischiefs, that it will return
Large recompenses for all charges born.
Let it
expulsion
be from thence, forever,
With some great
mulct,
for any whosoever,
That, as a
Member
of the
Parliament,
Shall sit two years together; yea, though sent.
And, let no
Lawyers
practice for a Fee,
Or plead, whilst of the
Parliament
they be:
Or any, who there siteth as a
Peer,
Be
Judge
of any
supreme Court
that year;
Or, during that
employment,
execute
A Place, permitting not a
Substitute;
That, in
Appeals,
none may infringe the
Laws,
By being
Judge
and
Partie
in one Cause.
And, that to all men,
justice
may be done,
Among your
Fundamentalls
make this
one;
That whatsoever shall be taken from
One, few,
or
many
(through all times to come)
In
public wants,
and
dangers,
be repaid
By
equal Taxes,
generally laid:
And, that they shall not
make,
or
abrogate
A
Law,
diminishing one man's estate
More then another's, without recompense,
On whatsoever occasion or pretence.
Yea, let all men's estates reduced be
To less then
forty shillings, yearly Fee,
Rather then
friend
or
foe,
should justly say,
The
public faith
were broken, any way.
Which would enrich us, and
innoble
more
Then, if our
hills of chalk,
were
silver over;
Our
sand
pure
gold;
our
pebbles, pearls
of
price,
Our
fields
as fruitful as old
Paradise;
And, every
son,
which forth each
mother
brings,
As
Prince,
or
Lord,
and all their Fathers
Kings.
Then to prevent, the drawing those together,
Who, for
by-ends,
would fortify each other;
Let him that place in
Parl'ament
supplies,
Who shall by
letter, word,
or otherwise,
Either
contrive, solicit,
or
propose
Another, during that time, to be chose,
Be from his
Trust,
exiled with disgrace,
Never to be admitted, to that place.
And, that all
Fundamentalls
ratifi'd
In
Parl'ament,
forever may abide
Inviolated; let no man be sent
A
City, Town,
or
Shire,
to represent,
Till by
Indenture,
under hand and seal,
He stand engaged to the
Common-weal,
And his
Electors,
that by no endeavor,
He shall
repeal,
or any way forever
Weaken these
Fundamentalls;
but assay,
At all times, to enlarge them what he may:
For,
Parl'aments
(as heretofore our
Kings
)
Are but
Trustees;
and therefore in such things,
As to the public damage may redound,
As well as they, should Act within some bound.
By these
provisions,
(with some other such
Made
Fundamentalls,
we might very much
Advantage this
Republic;
and as far
As
human industries
enabled are,
(To promise
safety and establishment
)
Secure from change the
present Government,
Till men may dry-shod walk upon the sand,
From
Deal,
and
Dover,
Cliffs to
Calais
strand;
Or,
Penmin Maure,
be set on
Snow-down
hills,
And,
Time
unto their
springs,
turns back the
rills.
This,
would be like the
river,
wherewithal
The
Tyrant Queller,
cleansed th'
Augean stall,
(As
Poets
fain) and wash away that soil,
And blood, and filth, which doth our beauty spoil.
By
these means,
we might both in one, contrive
A true
successive Representative,
Compleated in a safe
establishment,
For ever, of the self-same
Parl'ament,
Producing all their just desires together,
Who seek the
one,
or who desire the
other;
And with prevention of all harms, that may
Be feared, by th' one or other way.
By
these means,
we shall never be without
A
Supreme power,
or live in any doubt
Of
harmful change,
if wisely we pursue
This
course;
and to
ourselves
continue true.
By
these means,
there will still be an
appearance
Sufficient, to keep up a perseverance,
In all
great undertakings,
with due order,
And with such quick dispatch, the suits to further
Of men oppressed; that, they may hope to see
Those
plaints
determined, which yet endless be;
And never will have end, till
wit
or
force,
Reduce us unto this, or some such
course.
By
this expedient,
they that are in
place
At present, may resign without
disgrace
The
Trust
they have, to take a while their ease,
(Or follow their affairs, as they shall please)
And after
one year,
back perhaps return
To reassume the burdens they have born.
Hereby a likely means will be contrived
Of that
security,
which is derived
From
many Counselors:
and, distribution
Of
burdens,
will make easy execution;
More quick, yea, and more cheap dispatches too,
For those, who shall have ought with them to do.
By
these means,
if, a
worthless Member
come
Among our
Worthies,
to supply a room,
His heart may changed be; whereas, now, they
Who came in honest, are oft drawn away
From their first
Principles,
with them to close,
Who, mean to gain, what e're the
Public
lose:
Or, at the worst, he must from thence be gone
Before much
mischief,
can by him be done.
And, such as do confederate and plot
That, for themselves, advantage may be got,
(Though to their
Countries
loss, and
neighbors
wrong)
Shall want the
time
and
means,
which doth belong
To such
contrivements,
as are frequent now,
When, most, each others
minds,
and
interests
know:
For, by
new Parties,
monthly, coming in,
They'l
break,
as fast as they to
knit
begin;
And,
Gins,
which heretofore effects have took
By
kindred
and
alliance,
will be
broke.
By
these means,
they, who do command, today,
Shall learn again to
morrow,
to
obey.
Many, shall be encouraged to enable
Themselves, in public, to be serviceable;
And, in few years, some thousands more then now,
The
common interest,
will learn to know;
And, how they may advance it, when they come
From that
grand School,
to live again, at home;
And, think themselves, obliged, everywhere,
To further it, as well as sitting there.
By
this means,
every man, within his
Orb
Shall be restrained; and none have power to curb
Supreme authority;
or, to aspire
By his ambition to a
Station
higher
Then shall be
safe
to all, and judged fit
For this
free State,
with prudence to admit:
Nor shall the
da
•
ingst tyrant
in the land
Presume to move a
tongu
•
,
or lift a
hand
Against that power; o
•
plot, vent,
or
concceal
Ought which may damnify this
Common-weal.
Yea, by this
means,
we calmly shall reduce
The
Parl'ament,
unto it genuine use,
Without advent'ring what may intervene
By
Intervalls;
and, what hath feared been
(Not without cause) by hazarding to call
A
new one;
or, by an
additional
Supply
to
this;
as now
affairs
relate
To home
designs,
and
our next neighbring State:
But, if we fail in any
circumstance,
Here mentioned, we never shall advance
The
Public interest
to that effect,
Which by this
Parliament
we might expect;
Nor scape that
tyranny,
which is designed
By
those,
who are contrarily inclined:
For, they that would be
tyrants
(knowing those
Who did the
Regal tyranny
oppose
Still zealous, for the
people's liberty
)
Will to effect their purposes comply
With any party; and, then, by
displacing,
By
disenabling,
or else by
disgracing
The
well-affected,
at last, compass that
Which is by them, in secret almed at,
(Unless prevented) and involve us more
In
servile slaveries,
then heretofore.
For, doubtless, most of those who did befriend
The tyranny of
Kings,
will to that end
Adhere to these, in hope by doing thus,
To be revenged at last, on
them
and
us.
These are no such Proposalls, as may hatch
A
Cocatrice;
or, be abused to catch
A
private interest.
No
impostures
are
Beneath a fair pretence obscured here:
Nor doth their
Author
act the
Mountebank
To any end: For, he expects not thank
For ought by him designed; nor, cares for more
But to discharge the debt upon his score;
And (if occasion be) to find a
gap,
Through which, without a
mischief,
he may scape.
Which, if he do, he will confess, 'tis more
Then ever he could boast of heretofore;
Or, any other, who thus interrupted
The
willful practice
of a
power corrupted,
Unless that GOD, whom nothing can withstand,
Secur'd him, by an over-ruling hand;
Or, by a miracle did change their heart,
As when he did great
Nineveh
convert.
This is the sum of that, which I remember
Kept me awake, some nights of this
November,
When my
affairs,
which then at hazard lay,
Had tired in vain my body all the day;
For, my
necessities
required the one,
My
conscience
cried, the toother must be done;
And, if, now ought the worse thereby I fare,
My
lot,
as I am able, I will bear.
Much more was represented to my view,
Which I am unprepar'd (as yet) to
show,
And you to hear: but, if I had a
pen
As acceptable, as some other men,
(And undisturb'd) it might produce perchance,
That, which the
Public weal,
might much advance:
Or, had I but a volubility
Of
tongue,
to help my
fluid
memory;
Or, durst declare my
thoughts,
e're them I see
Array'd in
words,
that, weighed they first might be:
Yea, could I
speak,
as many now can do,
More in
one hour,
then they e're thought in
two,
(Or, then I can be understood in
three
)
Much more esteemed would my
Proposalls
be.
Here I had fixed, but, that there comes to mind
A
supplement,
remaining yet behind,
Of somewhat represented, as relating
Unto this
Parliaments
accommodating,
With due
conveniences;
and with supply
Of things pertaining to the
Majesty,
Of
Supreme Senates:
For, though, doubtless, they
Are best adorned, who themselves array
With
holiness;
though, they have most renown
When
righteousness
and
mercy,
is their Crown:
And, though the dignity of
Governments,
Consisteth not in outward
ornaments,
Or, neat
accommodations;
yet, the
wise,
Having regard to man's infirmities,
Did in all ages, by their joint consents,
Add to
essential things,
such
accidents
As might to those men, make their worth appear,
Who could not see, what in
themselves,
they were:
And, that they who discerned it, might not find
Discouragements,
in that which is
enjoin'd,
To which end, we prescribe unto the sick,
A
gilded pill,
and trim with
Rethorick,
Our
Arguments,
thereby to palliate
What, we to others would insinuate.
And, to this end, were tipifi'd to me,
Some things,
which will, perhaps, hereafter be,
Mark them, if they be worth your heed: if not,
Let them be passed over, as forgot.
Methought, I saw WHITEHALL new modeled out;
With
Tow'rs
adorned, with
strong walls
fenc'd about;
With
buildings,
having much
variety
Contriv'd into a neat
conformity
Of
fair aspect,
and duly beautifi'd
With
Gardens, walks,
and with what else, beside,
Did render it magnificently fit
For their abode, who did inhabit it.
Beside the
Fabrics,
destined unto
Meer
public use,
and
common works
to do;
As, in the
Firmaments
wide Orb, there are
Twelve mansions;
so,
twelve structures,
saw I there,
In each of which (as in the
Zodiake,
The
twelve celestial signs,
their Stations take)
The
Senators,
who
month by month,
were chose,
Had their distinct abodes; each one of those
In
lodgings,
by himself; yet, altogether
In one
pile,
who, in one
month
were sent thither:
That, for conveniency they might be near
On all occasions; and, that every
Shire,
Might thereby find the easier
addresses,
And, quick dispatches in their businesses.
A
constant Table,
of one meal a day,
Was there prepared for a frugal pay,
That none might be compelled to stray forth
To places unbeseeming men of worth:
And, all things pertinent to preservation
Of
health,
with every fit accommodation,
Was there contrived, so, as that they might
Pursue the
Public service,
with delight.
No famliy, was licens'd there, to host;
No, not a
wife
(except a week, at most,
In guest-wise) lest the
public services
Might be disturbed by household businesses:
Or, least the drudgeries, or nastinesse,
Occasion'd by a numerous access
Of children, servants, and their visiters,
Might spread diseases, in infectious years:
And lest among them, some, through want of grace,
Might bring an
evell name
upon that place.
Nothing uncomely, or disordered there
Could I behold; no noises did I hear,
Or such loud clamors, as have oft been heard,
Among the rude
Jncommers,
and the
guard;
But, such an
lawful silence,
as if there
The Turks
Grand Signior,
always present were
By
Mutes
attended. To offend the eye,
Or
smell,
no
dung,
or
sinks,
did open lie.
I saw not thee, a despicable shed;
No
Coach house'd
there, or any
Coach horse
fed:
No
little children
in the
garden
sprawling,
Or, in the
Galleries,
or
Chambers
yawling:
No
Bakers Boy
went tooting of his horn:
No
Milk pails
there, from place to place were born,
As in those
Courts,
and
Allies
which we see
Pester'd with
Inmates,
and
poor lodgers be:
Nor was there born
through any passage
there,
(Save such, as out of
common concourse
were)
Unscemly burdens, or, ought else permitted
But what the honor of the place befitted.
A
Guard
was needless then for their defense,
(Since,
justice, mercy,
and true
innocence,
Are
guard
enough, and keep more safe, by far,
Then if an armed
Phalanx
doubled were)
They had true peace within; and through the land
No man against them, durst to lift a
hand;
But, everyone was ready to attend them,
And with their
lives,
as their
life,
to defend them.
Yet, for
magnificency,
and to further
The preservation of
respect
and
order,
In times of
concourse;
and that no
address
Be made, but with all due
respectiveness,
They had an
able Band
of men selected
Out from among those persons
well-affected,
Whose faith and
valor
had been well approved
In
public services;
who, had unmoved
Stood firm in trials, and whose conversation
Had gained them an honest
reputation;
And these,
armed, governed, decently array'd
In
liveries alike,
and
duly paid,
Appear'd to give attendance altogether
When
Princes,
or
Ambassadors
came thither:
And, in their
turns,
at other times, to do,
That
service,
which they were enjoin'd unto.
Rhen, forasmuch, as
outward habits
draw
Respect unto men's persons, there, I saw
That custom, which all
Senators
did hold
In strict observance, through most times of old,
The
Knights
and
Burgesses
who represent
The
Nation,
entered not the
parliament
In
common habits
only; but, each one
A
robe.
or
upper garment,
did put on
Peculiar to that
Semate,
differing neither
In
fashion, stuff,
or
color
from each other.
To signify (as I conceive) thereby
Their
brother-hood,
and their
equality;
And that, they being thereby
differenced
From
vulgar persons,
might be honored
According to their
place,
and known among,
And by the people, as they past along
Into the
Senate;
or, as to and fro,
from place to place, on their affairs they go.
Moreover, when that they had laid aside
Their
Senate robes,
about their necks I spi'd
A
golden Wreath,
which thereat pendent had
A
Tablet,
whereon was enamelled,
The
British Isles,
within the
Ocean
placit;
And with a Verge of curled waves embracit:
Which was bestowed upon them for a badge
of
honor,
and likewise to privilege
Their
persons,
wheresoe're they were unknown;
That
due respect
might everywhere be shown,
And no
affronts
received. These
badges
were
From man to man, (and still from year to year)
Resign'd to their
Successors,
to be born
By those whom their
Electors
should return.
Much more I saw, which should I here relate,
Would yet appear, things worthy laughing at;
(As these declared, already do to some)
But, when the days of their admittance come,
(Which I believe draw near) it will be found
That these
Previsions
had some likely ground;
And that the
heart,
from whence all this did flow
Meant
well to you, though these things prove not so.
Hear me with patience, but a few words more,
And, to their freedom, I will your ears restore.
As
country folks,
to keep out
Witches,
do
within the
threshold,
nail a
horses shoe,
So did I, at the
fore-door
of this
piece,
Insert a
charm,
to keep out
prejudice:
And, now, if some way else, it in be brought,
That, at the
Back-door,
I may thrust it out,
I will fix a
Si quis,
(or it may be mo)
Upon the
Postern Gate,
before I go.
If any think the
posture
we are in
Will still as prosperous be, as it hath been,
Or, that GOD will this
Nation
still deliver
By
miracles,
although we shall persevere,
In
high prosumptions,
and
supreme neglect
Of that
compliance,
which he doth expect;
They greatly are deceived: For, know, the end
Of most things, on
contingence
doth depend.
We of this
Nation,
having walked upon
The
Pythagorean
Y or,
Ypsilon
Are come unto the foot thereof,
this day,
Where lies before our face a
double way,
The
one
of them directeth us unto
Prosperity;
the
other
to our
woe:
On this hand,
Bliss,
on that hand,
Curses lie;
Proceed
this way,
and live;
go that,
and
die.
Even
David's
temp'rall Kingdom, (though there had
Large promises, concerning it, been made)
Was on his heirs entailed, for their fruition,
Not absolutely, but upon
condition;
Which, being broken; all th'
external power
And
glory
of it vanished; so shall our.
Moreover,
if that any
shall believe
Our
hazards
are far less then I conceive;
Let them not trust to such a
dream
as that,
Lest they discover, when it is too late,
The
dangers
threatening us: For, I have been
Inform'd aright, what perils we are in.
And, whereas, of those things which passed by
From time to time, I sought to satisfy
My
private knowledge
only, (that I might
Assured be I had observed aright)
If I had thereby gathe'rd proofs, to show
To other men, the truth of what I know,
I should of such things demonstration give,
As few suspect, and fewer would believe;
And you would see, that we are in a course
Like his, who in a dark night rode his horse
O're
Chepstow bridge,
upon a single board,
When loud to him, the
dreadful waters
roar'd,
(Beneath the broken arch) and seemed to say,
Oh fool! take heed, there's danger in the way.
And some, perhaps, if they assured were
What
hazards
they have past, would die through fear,
As it is said he did, when he had sight,
Next
morn,
of what he scaped
over-night.
We think perhaps, we all this while have been
Upon as plain firm ground as
Richmond-green,
Or in a
Course,
wherein as safe we run
As on the race at
Bausted-downs
at noon;
When we are rather dancing over the tops
Of tottering
pinnacles,
on
rotten roper,
Where, but that we by providence are kept,
We down had fell, at every Stride we stepped.
Yet, for the most part, every
loss
and
straight
Which we are in, makes us but lay more weight
Upon the weak; and each
Deliverance
Doth but increase our
pride
and
arrogance.
As if we were resolved, without heed
of
judgments,
or of
mercies,
to proceed,
Untill
confusion
should compel us to
What we might
orderly,
and
timely
do.
Lastly,
if any
shall be pleased to say,
Or dream (as peradventure many may)
That, with
affairs
I intermeddle here
Which pertinent to my
Superiors
are,
And not to me: To all these
be it known,
The
business
which I treat of is mine
own.
I claim, in this
Republic,
with the best,
A
share,
proportioned to my
interest;
And
freedom,
boldly to express my mind
As often as I just occasion find.
the
common liberty,
and
common peace
Are truly
mine,
and no man's, more, or less:
I
fought
for it, and I
pay
for it, thrice my
share,
According to the
part,
which many bear.
My
Countries
wrong is
mine;
her grief my sorrow,
And therefore they that wound her thrust me thorough.
They, who her
wealth
or
honor
fool away,
Fool me, when in that kind the fools they play:
And, therefore they, who thereto
Traitors
be,
Are therein also
Traitors
unto me;
And no man can without apparent wrong
Restraint impose upon my
pen,
or
tongue,
In pleading of her
cause;
nor will I fear
To act my
own work
in my proper
sphere.
For, though I have not power to make a
Law,
Or raise an
Army
which can keep in awe
Her
private enemies,
and
open foes;
Yet, I have
charms
equivalent to those,
In some respects; which operate unseen
Those
ends,
whereto they have intended been;
And will have due
effects,
in their despite
Who seek to trample on the
common Right.
In this assurance, here I will add a close,
To this, and leave th'event to GOD'S dispose;
Who, if we shall neglect (a few weeks more)
Good counsel,
as we have done heretofore,
Will break down that, which might preserved have been,
And, on another
Base
his
work
begin.
Nov. 30.
FINIS.