He us'd to lay about and stickle,

Like ram or bull at Conventicle:

For difputants, like rams and bulls,

Do fight with arms that fpring from fculls. Laft Colon came, bold man of war, Deftin'd to blows by fatal ftar;

440

Right expert in command of horse,
But cruel, and without remorse.
That which of Centaur long ago
Was faid, and has been wrefted to
Some other knights, was true of this,
He and his horfe were of a piece;
One fpirit did inform them both,
The felf-fame vigour, fury, wroth:
Yet he was much the rougher part,
And always had a harder heart,
Although his horfe had been of those
That fed on man's flesh, as fame goes:
Strange food for horfe! and yet, alas!
It may be true, for flesh is grafs.
Sturdy he was, and no lefs able
Than Hercules to clean a stable;
As great a drover, and as great
A critic too, in hog or neat.

He ripp'd the womb up of his mother,
Dame Tellus, 'caufe fhe wanted fother,
And provender, wherewith to f.ed
Himfelf and his lefs cruel fteed.

It was a question whether he

Or 's horfe were of a family

More worshipful; till antiquaries

(After they 'ad almost por'd out their eyes) Did very learnedly decide

The business on the horse's fide,

And prov'd not only horfe, but cows,
Nay pigs, were of the elder house:
For beafts, when man was but a piece
Of earth himself, did th' earth poffefs.
Thefe worthies were the chief that led
The combatants, each in the head
Of his command, with arms and rage
Ready, and longing to engage.
The numerous rabble was drawn out
Of feveral counties round about,
From villages remote, and fhires
Of east and western hemispheres.
From foreign parishes and regions,
Of different manners, fpcech, religions,
Came men and maftiffs: fome to fight
For fame and honour, fome for fight.

445

450

455

And now the field of death, the lifts,
Were enter'd by antagonists,

And blood was ready to be broach'd,
When Hudibras in haite approach'd,
With Squire and weapons to attack them;
Bat first thus from his horfe befpake them.
What rage, O Citizens! what fury
Doth you to thefe dire actions hurry?
What cftrum, what phrenetic mode
Makes you this lavish of your blood,
While the proud Vies your trophies boaft,
And unreveng'd walks Waller's ghoft
What towns, what garrifons, might you,
With hazard of this blood, fubdue,
Which now y' are bent to throw away
In vain untriumphable fray?

Shall faints in civil bloodshed wallow
Of faints, and let the Caufe lie fallow?

490

495

500

510

515

What good can Reformation do?

The blood and treasure that 's laid out

"can fweetly inform us of the shuttle-swiftnefs "of the times, and practically tread out the vi"ciffitude of all fublunary things till the web of "our life be cut off: and here are mechanics, of "my profeffion, who can feparate the pieces of "falvation from those of damnation, measure "out every man's portion, and cut it out by a "thread, fubftantially preffing the points, till "till they have fashionably filled up their work "with a well-bottomed conclufion."

Ver. 441. Colon.] Ned Perry, an hoftler.
VOL. II.

Ver. 503. 504.] Mr. Walker obferves, "That "all the cheating, covetous, ambitious perfons of "the land, were united together under the title "of the Godly, the Saints, and fhared the fat of "the land between them ;" and he calls them the Saints who were canonized no where but in the Devil's Calendar.

Ver. 513, 514.] The Prefbyterians, in all their wars against the King, maintained still, That they fought for him; for they pretended to diftin guifh his political perfon from his natural one; his political perfon, they faid, muft be, and was, with the Parliament, though his natural perfon was at war with them.

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And make all eries about the Town
Join throats to cry the Bishops down?
Who having round begirt the palace
(As once a month they do the gallows)
As members gave the fign about,

Set up their throats with hideous shout.
When tinkers bawl'd aloud to fettle
Church-Difcipline, for patching kettle;
No fow-gelder did blow his horn
To geld a cat, but cry'd Reform;
The oyster-women lock'd their fish up,
And trudg'd away, to cry No Bishop;
The moufe-trap-men laid fave-alls by,
And 'gainst Evil Counsellors did cry;
Botchers left old cloaths in the lurch,

575

585

590

550

And fell to turn and patch the Church;

Some cry'd the Covenant, instead

455

Hath Public Faith, like a young heir,

555

550

For this taken up all forts of ware,
And run int' every tradefman's book,
Till both turn'd bankrupts, and are broke?
Did Saints, for this, bring in their plate,
And crowd as if they came too late?
For when they thought the Caufe had need on't,
Happy was he that cou'd be rid on't.
Did they coin pifs-pots, bowls, and flaggons, 565
Int' officers of horse and dragoons?
And into pikes and mufqueteers
Stamp beakers, cups, and porringers?
A thimble, bodkin, and a spoon,
Did ftart up living men, as foon
As in the furnace they were thrown,
Juft like the dragon's teeth being fown.
Then was the Caufe of gold and plate,
The Brethrens' offerings, confecrate,

570

Ver. 586.] It was a common practice to inform God of the tranfactions of the times. "Oh, my "good Lord God (fays Mr. G. Swathe, Prayers, 66 p. 12.) I hear the King hath fet up his standard "at York against the Parliament and city of Lon"don. Look thou upon them, take their caufe "into thine own hand; appear thou in the caufe "of thy Saints, the caufe in hand-It is thy caufe, "Lord. We know that the King is mified, ce

luded, and deceived by his Popifh, Arminian, " and temporizing, rebellious malignant faction "and party, &c""They would (fays Dr. "Echard) in their prayers and fermons tell God, "that they would be willing to be at any charge "or trouble for him, and to do, as it were, any "kindness for the Lord; the Lord might now "trust them, and rely upon them, they thould "not fail him: they should not be unmindful of "his bufinefs; his work fhould not stand still, "nor his defigus be neglected. They muft needs "fay, that they had formerly received fome fa

vours from God, and have been, as it were, "beholden to the Almighty; but they did not "much question but they should find fome op"portunity of making fome amends for the many "good things, and (as I may fo fay) civilities "which they had received from him. Indeed, as "for thofe that are weak in the Faith, and are "yet but babes in Chrift, it isfit that they fhould "keep fome distance from God, should kneel "before him, and stand (as I may fay) cap in "hand to the Almighty: but for thofe that are "ftrong in all Gifts, and grown up in all Grace, "and are come to a fulness and ripeness in the "Lord Jefus, it is comely enough to take a great "chair, and fit at the end of the table, and, with "their cock'd hats on their heads, to fay, God, "we thought it hot amifs to call upon thee this " evening, and let thee know how affairs ftand; "we have been very watchful fince we were laft "with thee; and they are in a very hopeful con"dition; we hope that thou wilt not forget us; "for we are very thoughtful of thy concerns: "we do fomewhat long to hear from thee; and if "thou pleafeft to give us fuch a thing (y)

Difcover'd the Enemy's design,

And which way beft to countermine ? Prefcrib'd what ways it hath to work, Or it will ne'er advance the Kirk?, Told it the news o' th' lait exprefs, And after good or bad fuccefs Made prayers, not so like petitions As overtures and propofitions (Such as the Army did prefent To their Creator, the Parl'ament); In which they freely will confefs, They will not, cannot acquiefce, Unless the work be carry'd on In the fame way they have begun, By fetting Church and Common-weal All on a flame, bright as their zeal, On which the Saints were all agog, And all this for a Bear and Dog? The Parlament drew up petitions To'tfelf, and fent them like commiffions, To well-affected perfons, down In every city and great town, With power to levy horfe and men, Only to bring them back agen? For this did many, many a mile, Ride manfully in rank and file, With papers in their hats, that thow'd As if they to the pillory ode? Have all thefe couries, thefe efforts, Been try'd by people of all forts,

Or the French League, in which men vow'd

655

we fhall be (as I may fo fay) good to thee in "fomething else when it lies in our way." See a remarkable Scotch Prayer much to the fame purpof, Scourge, by Mr. Lewis, No. xvi. p. 130. edit. 1717.

Ver. 602.] Alluding, probably, to their fancy expoftulations with God from the pulpit. Mr. Vines, in St. Clement's Church, near Templebar, ufed the following words: "O Lord, thou

haft never given us a victory this long while, "for all our frequent fafting: what doft theu mean, O Lord, to fling into a ditch, and there to leave us?" And one Robinfon, in his Prayer at Southampton, Aug 26, 1642, expreffed himfelf in the following manner: O God, O God, 66 many are the hands that are lift up against us: "but there is one God, it is thou thy felf, O Fa"ther, who does us more mifchief than they all." They fecmed to encourage this faucinefs in their public fermons. "Gather upon God (fays Mr. R. Harris, Faft Sermon before the Commons) and hold him to it as Jacob did; prefs "him with his precepts, with his promifes, with "his hand, with his feal, with his oath, till we "do down, as fome Greek Fathers boldly fpeak: that is, if I may fpeak it reverently "enough, put the Lord out of countenance; put him, as you would fay, to the bluth, unless we "be mafters of our requests."

To fight to the last drop of blood.
Thefe flanders will be thrown upon
The Cause and Work we carry on,
If we permit men to run headlong
T' exorbitances fit for Bedlam,
Rather than Gospel-walking times,
When flightest fins are greatest crimes.
But we the matter fo fhall handle,
As to remove that odious fcandal:
In name of King and Parl'ament,
1 charge you all, no more foment
This feud, but keep the peace between
Your brethren and your countrymen,
And to thofe places ftraight repair
Where your refpective dwellings are.
But to that purpose firft furrender
The Fiddler, as the prime offender,

660

665

ed and made for the extirpation of the Proteftant Ver. 651.] The Holy League in France, defignreligion, was the original out of which the Soference only of circumftances) moft faithfully lemn League and Covenant here was (with diftranfcribed. Nor did the fuccefs of both differ deftruction of vast numbers of people of all forts, more than the intent and purpofe; for, after the both ended with the murder of two kings, whom they had both fworn to defend. And as our Covenanters (wore every man to run before another in the way of Reformation, fo didt he French, in the Holy League, to fight to the last drop of blood. 3 [D] 2