Although the old maxim remains still in force,
That a fanctify'd cause must have a fanctify'd courfe,
If poverty be a part of our trade,

So far the whole kingdom poets you have made,
Nay even so far as undoing will do it,

You have made king Charles himself a poet :

But provoke not his Mufe, for all the world knows, Already you have had too much of his profe.

A WESTERN WONDER.

Do you not know, not a fortnight ago,

How they bragg'd of a Western Wonder? When a hundred and ten flew five thousand men, With the help of lightning and thunder?

There Hopton was flain, again and again,

Or else my author did lye;

With a new Thanksgiving, for the dead who are living, To God, and his fervant Chidleigh.

But now on which fide was this miracle try'd,

I hope we at last are even;

For Sir Ralph and his knaves are risen from their graves, To cudgel the clowns of Devon.

And there Stamford came, for his honour was lame
Of the gout three months together;

But it prov'd, when they fought, but a running gout,
For his heels were lighter than ever.

For

For now he out-runs his arms and his guns,
And leaves all his money behind him ;
But they follow after; unless he takes water,
At Plymouth again they will find him.

What Reading hath coft, and Stamford hath loft,

Goes deep in the fequeftrations;

Thefe wounds will not heal, with your new great feal, Nor Jepfon's declarations.

Now, Peters and Cafe, in your prayer and grace,
Remember the new Thankfgiving;

Ifaac and his wife, now dig for your life,
Or fhortly you'll dig for your living.

A SECOND WESTERN WONDER.

γου heard of that Wonder, of the Lightning and

Thunder,

Which made the lye fo much the louder : Now lift to another, that miracle's brother, Which was done with a firkin of Powder.

O what a damp it ftruck through the camp
But as for honeft Sir Ralph,

beard or eyes,

It blew him to the Vies, without
But at least three heads and
a half.
F

When

Have I fo often past between
Windfor and Westminster, unfeen,
And did myself divide :

To keep his excellence in awe,
And give the parliament the law?
For they knew none befide.

Did I for this take pains to teach
Our zealous ignorants to preach,

And did their lungs inspire;

Gave them their texts, fhew'd them their parts,
And taught them all their little arts,
To fling abroad the fire?

Sometimes to beg, fometimes to threaten,
And fay the cavaliers are beaten,

To ftroke the people's ears;

Then ftraight when victory grows cheap,
And will no more advance the heap,
To raise the price of fears.

And now the books, and now the bells,
And now our act the preacher tells,

To edify the people;

All our divinity is news,

And we have made of equal use

The pulpit and the steeple.

And fhall we kindle all this flame

Only to put it out again,

And must we now give o'er,

And

And only end where we begun ?
In vain this mischief we have done,
If we can do no more.

If men in peace can have their right,
Where's the neceffity to fight,

That breaks both law and oath?
They 'll fay they fight not for the cause,
Nor to defend the king and laws,
But us against them both.

Either the cause at firft was ill,
Or being good, it is fo ftill;

And thence they will infer,

That either now or at the firft

They were deceiv'd; or, which is worst,
That we ourselves may err.

But plague and famine will come in,
For they and we are near of kin,
And cannot go afunder:

But while the wicked starve, indeed
The faints have ready at their need
God's providence, and plunder.

Princes we are if we prevail,
And gallant villains if we fail :

When to our fame 'tis told,

It will not be our least of praise,
Since a new state we could not raise,

To have destroy'd the old.

Then

Then let us stay and fight, and vote,
Till London is not worth a groat;
Oh 'tis a patient beast!

When we have gaul'd and tir'd the mule,
And can no longer have the rule,
We'll have the spoil at least.

To the Five Members of the Honourable

HOUSE

OF

COMMON S.

A

The humble Petition of the POETS.

FTER fo many concurring petitions

From all ages and fexes, and all conditions,
We come in the rear to present our follies

To Pym, Stroude, Haflerig, Hampden, and Holles.
Though set form of prayer be an abomination,
Set forms of petitions find great approbation :
Therefore, as others from th' bottom of their fouls,
So we from the depth and bottom of our bowls,
According unto the bless'd form you have taught us,
We thank you first for the ills you have brought us :
For the good we receive we thank him that gave it,
And you for the confidence only to crave it.
Next in course, we complain of the great violation
Of privilege (like the rest of our nation)
But 'tis none of yours of which we have spoken,
Which never had being until they were broken;
But ours is a privilege ancient and native,
Hangs not on an ordinance, or power legislative.

And