275

Some for the Rump; and fome, more crafty,
For Agitators, and the Safety:

Some for the Gospel, and maffacres

To fee an empire all of kings,

240

Of fpiritual Affidavit-makers,

Deliver'd from th' Egyptian awe

Of juftice, government and law,

And free t' erect what spiritual cantons

Should be reveal'd, or gofpel Hans-towns,
To edify upon the ruins

Of John of Leyden's old outgoings,

Who, for a weather-cock hung up

Upon their mother church's top,

And now fulfill'd by their fucceffors,
Who equally mistook their measures.

For, when they came to fhape the model,
Not one could fit another's noddle;

245

250

That fwore to any human regence
Oaths of fupremacy and allegiance;
Yea, though the ableft fwearing Saint,
That vouch'd the bulls o' th' Covenant:
Others for pulling down th' high-places
Of Synods and Provincial Claffes,
That us'd to make fuch hoftile inroads
Upon the Saints, like bloody Nimrods:
Some for fulfilling Prophecies,
And th' extirpation of th' Excife;
And fome againft th' Egyptian bondage
Of Holy-days, and paying Poundage:
Some for the cutting down of Groves,
And rectifying bakers' Loaves;

280

285

But found their Light and Gifts more wide
From fadging, than th' unfanétify'd;

While

every individual Brother

Strove hand to fift against another,

And ftill the maddeft, and most crackt,

260

As men moft fit t' hold-forth the Word,
And wield the one and th' other fword:
Some were for carrying on the Work
Against the Pope, and fome the Turk:
Some for engaging to fupprefs
The camifado of Surplices,

295

Were found the bufieft to tranfa&t;
For, though most hands dispatch apace
And make light work (the proverb fays)
Yet many different intellects

Are found t' have contrary effects;
And

many heads t' obftru&t intrigues,
As floweft infects have moft legs.
Some were for fetting up a king,
But all the reft for no fuch thing,
Unlefs king Jefus: others tamper'd
For Fleetwood, Desborough, and Lambert:

265

Ver. 269, 270. Others tamper'd-For Fleetwood, Defborough, and Lambert.] Fleetwood was a lieutenant-general; he married Ireton's widow, Oliver Cromwell's fecond daughter; was made Lord 250 Lieutenant of Ireland by Cromwell, Major-general of divers counties, one of Oliver's upper houfe: his falary fuppofed to be 6600l. a year.-Defborough, a yeoman of 60 or 70 per annum; fome fay a plowman. Bennet, fpeaking to Defborongh fays, "When your Lordfhip was a plow

Ver. 241, 242.] Dr. James Young obferves, "That two Jefuitical prognofticators, Lilly and Culpeper, were fo confident, anno 1652, of the total fubverfion of the law and gospel-ministry, "that in their fcurrilous prognoftications they predicted the downfall of both; and, in 1654, "they foretold that the law thould be pulled "down to the ground,-the Great Charter, and "all our liberties, deftroyed, as not fuiting with "Englishmen, in their bleffed times; that the "crab-tree of the law fhould be pulled up by the

roots, and grow no more, there being no rea"fon now we fhould be governed by them."

Ver. 267, 268.] Harry Martyn, in his fpeech, in the debate Whether a King or no King, faid, "That if they must have a King, they had "rather have had the last than any gentleman "in England. He found no fault in his perfon, "but office."

Ver. 269.] Alluding to the Fifth Monarchymen, who had formed a plot to dethrone Cromwell and fet up King Jefus,

66

man, and wore high fhoon-Ha! how the Lord "raifeth fome men, and depreffeth others."-Defborough married Cromwell's fifter, caft away his fpade, and took up a sword, and was made a colonel; was inftrumental in raifing Cromwell to the protectorship; upon which he was made one of his council, a General at Sea, and Majorgeneral of divers counties of the weft; and was one of Oliver's upper houfe. His annual income was 32361, 135. and 4d.

Ibid. Lambert.] Lambard, In the first edition 1678. Altered 1684. He was one of the Rump Generals, and a principal oppofer of General Monk in the Restoration of King Charles II. The writer of the Narrative of the late Parliament fo called, 1657, p. 9. obferves, "That Major-gene"ral Lambert, as one of Oliver's council, had "1000l. per annum, which with his other places, "in all amounted to 65121. 38. 4d."

Ver. 272. Agitators.] In 1647, the Army made choice of a fet number of officers, which they called the General Council of Officers; and the common foldiers made choice of three or four of

That Gifts and Difpenfations hinder'd,

And turn'd to th' outward man the inward: 300
More proper for the cloudy night
Of Popery than Gospel-light:
Others were for abolishing
That tool of matrimony, a Ring,

With which th' unfanétify'd bridegroom
Is marry'd only to a thumb
(As wife as ringing of a pig,

That us'd to break up ground, and dig);
The bride to nothing but her will,
That nulls her after-marriage still:
Some were for th' utter extirpation
Of Linfey-wolfey in the nation;
And fome against all idolifing

The Crofs in fhop-books, or Baptifing:
Others, to make all things recant
The Chriftian or furname of Saint,
And force all churches, streets, and towns,
The holy title to renounce :
Some 'gainst a third eftate of fouls,
And bringing down the price of Coals:
Some for abolishing black-pudding,
And eating nothing with the blood in ;
To abrogate them root and branches;
While others were for eating Haunches
Of warriors, and, now and then,
The Flesh of kings and mighty men :
And fome for breaking of their Bones
With rods of iron, by fecret ones;
For thrashing mountains, and with fpells
For hallowing carriers' packs and bells;
Things that the legend never heard of,
But made the Wicked fore afeard of.

The quacks of government (who fate
At th' unregarded helm of state,
And understood this wild confufion
Offatal madness and delufion,
Muft, fooner than a prodigy,
Portend deftruction to be nigh)

305 Confider'd timely how t' withdraw,
And fave their wind-pipes from the law;
For one rencounter at the bar
Was worse than all they 'ad 'fcap'd in war;
And therefore met in confultation

310 To cant and quack upon the nation;
Not for the fickly patient's fake,
Nor what to give, but what to take;
To feel the pulfes of their fees,
More wife than fumbling arteries;
315 Prolong the fnuff of life in pain,
And from the grave recover-Gain.

320

325

330

each regiment, mostly corporals and ferjeants, who were called by the name of Agitators, and were to be a Houfe of Commons to the council of officers: thefe drew up a Declaration, that they would not be disbanded till their arrears were paid, and a full provifion made for liberty of confcience,

Ver. 308. That us'd to.] That is to, edition 1678. That ufes te, editions 1684, 1689, 1694, 1700, 1704. Altered 1710, as it ftands here.

Ver. 317, 318.] The mayor of Colchester banifhed one of that town for a malignant and a cavalier, in the year 1643, whofe name was Parfons; and gave this learned reafon for this exemplary piece of justice, that it was an ominous

name.

Ver. 323. This was the fpirit of the times. There was a propofal to carry twenty Rovalifts in front of Sir Thomas Fairfax's Army, to expofe them to the fire of the enemy; and one Gourdon moved, "That the Lady Capel, and her children, "and the Lady Norwich, might be fent to the "General with the fame directions, faying, their "hufbands would be careful of their fafety; and

when divers oppofed fo barbarous a motion, "and alledged that Lady Capel was great with "child, near her time, Gourdon preffed it the more eagerly, as if he had taken the General for a man mid-wife." Nay, it was debated at

66

"Mong thefe there was a politician

With more heads than a beaft in vifion,
And more intrigues in every one
Than all the whores of Babylon;
So politic, as if one eye

Upon the other were a spy,

That, to trepan the one to think

The other blind, both strove to blink;
And in his dark pra-matic way

As bufy as a child at play.

335

2.40

343

翔

a council of war, to maffacre and put to "fword all the King's party: the queftion P was carried in the negative but by two vot "Their endeavour was, how to diminish "number of their oppofites, the Royalifts a "the Prefbyterians, by a matfacre; for w "purpofe many dark-lanterns were provided a

winter, 1649; which coming to the com "rumour of the Town, put them in dange "the infamy and hatred that would overwhe "them; fo this was laid afide." A bill brought in, 1656, for decimating the Royal but thrown out. And this fpirit was but much encouraged by their clergy. Mr. Can in a Thanksgiving Sermon before the Comma April 23, 1644, P. 46. fays, "If Chrift wili

up his kingdom upon the carcafes of the fa "it well becomes all elders to rejoice and g "thanks. Cut them down with the fas "justice, root them out, and confume them "with fire, that no root may fpring up aga a

Of this fpirit was Mr. George Swathe, mic of Denham, in Suffolk, who, in a prayer, Ju-t 1641, or 1642, has the following remarkt words; "Lord, if no compofition will ent "controversy between the King and the Par "ment, but the King and his party will a "blood, let them drink of their own cup: "their blood be fpilled like water; let t "blood be facrificed to thee, O God, for the f "of our nation.”

Ver. 351.] This was Sir Anthony-Ashley Co per, who complied with every change in the

times.

For, as old finners have all points O' th' compafs in their bones and joints; Can by their pangs and aches find All turns and changes of the wind, 365 And, better than by Napier's bones, Feel in their own the age of moons; So guilty finners, in a state, Can by their crimes prognofticate, And in their confciences feel pain Some days before a shower of rain: He, therefore, wifely caft about All ways he could t' infure his throat,

380 In politics and state affairs;

385 He fcorn'd to fet his own in order,
But try'd another, and went further;
So fuddenly addicted still
To 's only principle, his will,
That, whatfoe'er it chanc'd to prove,

390 Nor force of argument could move,
Nor law, nor cavalcade of Ho'born,
Could render half a grain lefs ftubborn;
For he at any time would hang,
For th' opportunity t' harangue;

395 And rather on a gibbet dangle,

And made the ftouteft yield to mercy,
When he engag'd in controversy;
Not by the force of carnal reason,
But indefatigable teazing;
With vollies of eternal babble,
And clamour, more unanswerable.
For though his topics, frail and weak,
Could ne'er amount above a freak,
He ftill maintain'd them, like his faults,
Against the defperat'it affaults.

And back'd their feeble want of fenfe
With greater heat and confidence;
As bones of Hectors, when they differ,
The more they're cudgel'd, grow the stiffer.
Yet, when his profit moderated,
The fury of his heat abated;

For nothing but his intereft
Could lay his devil of contest:

It was his choice, or chance, or curfe,
T'efpoufe the caufe for better or worse,
And with his worldly goods and wit,
And foul and body, worship'd it:
But when he found the fullen trapes
Poffefs'd with th' devil, worms, and claps;
The Trojan mare, in foal with Greeks,
Not half fo full of jadith tricks;
Though fqueamish in her outward woman,
As loofe and rampant as Dol Common;
He ftill refolv'd, to mend the matter,
T'adhere and cleave the obftinater;
And ftill, the fkittifher and loofer
Her freaks appear'd, to fit the closer:
For fools are stubborn in their way,
As coins are harden'd by th' allay;
And obftinacy's ne'er fo ftiff,
As when 'tis in a wrong belief.
Thefe two, with others, being met,
And clofe in confultation fet,
After a difcontented paufe,
And not without fufficient caufe,
The orator we nam'd of late,

Lefs troubled with the pangs of state
Than with his own impatience
To give himself first audience,
After he had a while look'd wife,
At laft broke filence, and the ice.

Between a right and mongrel-church,
The Prefbyter and Independent,

That stickle which fhall make an end on 't;
As 'twas made out to us the last
Expedient, (I mean Margaret's faft)
465 When Providence had been fuborn'd
What anfwer was to be return'd:
Elfe why fhould tumults fright us now,
We have fo many times gone through
And understand as well to tame

470 As, when they ferve our turns, t'inflame!
Have prov'd how inconfiderable
Are all engagements of the rabble;
Whofe frenzies must be reconcil'd
With drums and rattles, like a child,
475 But never prov'd fo profperous,

As when they were led on by us;
For all our fcouring of religion
Began with tumults and fedition;
When hurricanes of fierce commotion
480 Became ftrong motives to devotion
(As carnal famen, in a storm,
Turn pious converts, and reform);
When rufty weapons, with chalk'd edges,
Maintain'd our feeble privileges,

485 And brown-bills, levy'd in the City,
Made bills to país the Grand Committee;
When Zeal, with aged clubs and gleaves,
Gave chace to rochets and white fleeves,
And made the Church, and Sate, and Laws,
490 Submit t' old iron, and the Cause.
And as we thriv'd by tumults then,
So might be better now again,
If we knew how, as then we did,
To use them rightly in our need:

Quoth he, There's nothing makes me doubt 495 Tumults, by which the mutinous

Our laft outgoings brought about,

More than to fee the characters

Of real jealoufies and fears,

Not feign'd, as once, but fadly horrid,
Scor'd upon every Member's forehead ;
Who, 'caufe the clouds are drawn together,
And threaten fudden change of weather,
Feel pangs and aches of state-turns,
And revolutions in their corns;

500

Betray themselves inftead of us;
The hollow-hearted, difaffected,
And clofe malignant are detected;
Who lay their lives and fortunes down,
For pledges to fecure our own;

propenfion to loquacity would certainly have e erted itself on fo important an occafion; and h rhetoric and jargon would not have been le politic or entertaining than that of the two of

Ver. 485, 486.] This cabal was held at White-tors here characterised. hall, at the very time that General Monk was dining with the city of London. I heartily with the Poet had introduced the worthy Sir Hudibras into this grand affembly; his prefence would have continued an uniformity in this Poem, and been very pleafing to the spectator. His natural

Ver. 521.] Alluding to the impudence of the pretended faints, who frequently directed Ga Almighty what anfwers he should return to the pravers. Mr. Simeon Afh was called the G challenger.