SCOTLANDS WELCOME TO HER NATIVE SONNE▪ AND SOVERAIGNE LORD, KING CHARLES
WHat dark-drawne shads, haue my sad face ore
[...]pred?
Since
Iames, the just, my peacefull
King, hath fled
To court the King of
Kings; and
Hierarchies
Of glorious
Angels; the sweet harmonies
Of
Saincts and
Martyrs; environing round
The old
Eternall; with the joyfull sound
Of
Alleluhiaes; singing fore the
Throne,
Holy, Holy, Lord,
to Heavens, Holy One;
The Lamb of GOD, hembd in, with burning glore
Praise, Might, Dominion, Majestie,
and Power;
Where my
Monarchick Sainct, for ever blest,
Is crownd, and raignes, in long eternall rest.
I, I, I find, my griefe, and chiefest care,
Proceeds from wanting, of his
Sonne, and heyre,
So long vnviewing
Mee, and my sad bounds;
Whose absence, prick'd
Mee, with ten thousand wounds
Of doubts, and apprehensions, if, or not,
My lawfull
King, would haue his Lawfull lot:
[Page]Whi
[...]st diverse yeares and months I am re
[...]ute,
A mo
[...]ing
Widow, left in
[...]able Sute.
[...], and most true it is, the Proverbe proues,
That age is still injurd, by younger loues:
And so am I, thine eldest
Region made,
A preye to darke obliuions winter-shade,
Even as young
Nuptialls, make olde
Widowes stay,
Wnwedded, till some lingring
Husbands day,
Where, when advyce, makes resolution fast,
The cords of
Reason, bynds him at the last.
So now, O now hee comes! O happy,
Tyme!
To warme the bowells of my northren
Clyme,
And to reveiwe that
Loue, my
Sire left.
Plight in my bosome, when the
Heavens him rest:
For which I'le make him welcome, Play the part,
Of a kind
Mother, with a chearefull
Heart.
What meanes this goodly sight? these trouping traines?
Which trace the
Marine: trade the curling plaines?
Crossing neare
Tweed, my border-bounding
Rod,
Would enter on my Lists, a
Demi-God:
Second'd with
Meteors, glistring him about,
And met with
Miriads, of my noble rout.
O some rare noveltie! some
Heros deare!
Who with his Prime, brings in my Springtyde here,
The
Load-star of my
Fortunes, and the
Cime,
Of my best
Scopes, most pure, and most sublime,
My flowre of
Albion, O! the solide way!
And center of my
Hopes, my
Lyfe, my
Stay:
Even
CHARLES the first, that ev'r brookd that Name,
And
Regall title, of my
Diademe.
Than welcome
Sonne, my
Husband, and my
Father,
All these to
Mee, thou art, each one, or either,
My
Sonne, and why?
Dumfermling beares record,
I am thy
Patrian Mother in a word:
My
Husband too, by right from
Parents bred,
When with my
Crowne, thou hast my freedome wed:
[Page]And last my
Syre, so can thy Scepter swey,
Whilst thou beares rule, I'me bund for to obey:
And now to welcome
Thee, what
Lesbian layes?
With
Lyrick-tripping songs; what
Roundelayes?
In
Saphick-seasond mirth brust from the
Muses,
And
Cataphalion Creeks; where
Triton vses,
To make the
Sea-Nymphs daunce, O! shrill tund notes,
Sprung from
Invention; thundring, through sweet throates
Of eu
[...]r springing joyes:
Rome nere had
In all her Triumphs past, one day more glad;
Than thou auspicuous
Prince, shall now imbrace
From
Millions of kynd
Soules; the passing grace,
Of Loues extreamest force, lyke as on
Earth,
Seven Town-set Loues, Heart-swelld for
Homers birth.
Then what dark clowds dissolue? what showry shades?
Dissolue in Sun-shyne clearenes? what sparkling wades?
In thy transplendant rayes? what parching beames?
My worlds eye-sight imparts? what glistring gleames?
From
Heavens star-spangled
Roabe? what joyes abound?
Within my
Bowells? O! what pleasant sound?
Loues harmony affords? O! what rare
Fleece?
Acoast, myne
Arathusean Springs from
Greece,
With
Acedalian Triumphes; O! what a blis?
And happynes, of
Iubile is this?
To see my
Monarch, enter in my bounds
To heale the sores, of my long bleeding wounds:
Whilst I, an
Virgine, haue contingd my trueth,
Vnspotted to my all redoubted
Youth.
Lyke to that floure,
Panthoas into
Creet,
That scornes the Sun-shyne day? and loues to greet.
The siluer
Moone, in opning golden leaues,
But to the day-tyme none, then onely grieues;
And will not with none other hearbs cohere,
But with it selfe, and from it
Cynthia deare,
So thou the
Aurore, of my long worne night
Reverts to giue, thy chast
Panthoas light!
[Page]Then welcome
Soveraigne, welcome to my Soyle,
Where thou shalst pleasure, and content recoyle;
Here water
Nymphs exult, here
Zephire blowes
A
Pandedalian luster to my
Rose:
The aire resounds thy welcome, winds their part,
And a
[...]l good Subjects, one true voice, one heart:
Two
[...] closing, clasp
Thee, in their armes
Where cl
[...]uddy
Sil
[...]an tip-toed, stately charmes
With sweet allur
[...]ments, shaddy pyping
Pan,
Whilst worlds of voyces, seeme one singing
Man.
So eccheing Birds, from sweet redoubling notes,
Sing
[...]earing welcomes, though through diverse throates,
Ingraft from fragrant Springs,
Font-gushing streames
Me
[...]ting through
Meeds, to welcome
Thee from
Thames:
Three floods sprung from one Hill,
East, West, and
South
Clyde, Tweed, and
Annan, each with gaping mouth,
[...]oth bellowing roare, and kyndly tumbling slyde,
To greet thy gratefull
Loue, as they divide:
So
Don, and
Nith, swift
Dee, and head-strong
Tay
Lake-linking
Levin, Meandring Forth, and
Spay;
Would melting murmure, rusling on fish'd Pearles,
This sweet, sweet
Eccho, welcome, welcome
Charles,
The
Hills rebound,
Bellowmound threats the
Skies,
And piramized
Tinto would surprise
Earths high
Aethereall Seat; whilst
Goatfield hill,
In
Arrane greets the
Mayne, with
ecchoes shrill
Of Heart-growne joyes, whiles that her snow-whyte Tops,
S
[...]oup downe, and kindly thine affection lops.
The
Vayles exhale deep cryes, the whistling rounds,
Of Earths seven-
Aeol'd Towres, performe like sounds;
All bid
Thee welcome, LITHGOVV bids
Thee too;
For what in meane hee wants, goodwill shall doe.
Let
Edinburgh,
EDINBVRGHS welcome.
my
Metropole, persite
The rest, with
Pageants, of admird delite:
Where
Mercury shall speake, with syde-hung wings,
A
[...]d
Iuno
[...]isse
[...]oft
Pallas; Venus brings
[Page]Her golden Apple;
Loue and
Riches carp,
Gainst
Wisedome, on, their God
Appolloes Harp:
There shall shrill Trumpets sound, lowd thundring Drummes,
With roaring Cannons, cry, Hee comes, Hee comes:
Where, when receau'd, by that illustrious
Towne,
Along thou rydst to
Church, grac'd in renowne:
Where thou shalst heare, flow from a zealous heat
Divine drawne doctrine, mixt with welcomes great:
Besides rare speeches, at each
Pageant made,
To cherish thine arrivall; make the glad
With lovely sights and prayses; Poets straine,
Sprung from quick DRVMMONDS fierce
Castalian veine.
The Sermon done, their
Provost shall conduct
Thy sacred Person, the way, which they construct
Straight to their Banquet-house, and feasting place;
Where rarest dainties shall present thy face:
There
Ceres joynes with
Bacchus; Hymen trowes,
To tye to them thy
Loue, by solemne vowes;
For to maintaine, their libertie and right,
Being their comfort, when they want thy sight.
And ah! too much it is, for that kind
Towne,
To want thy
Court and
Presence; what pulles downe
Best
Citties now on
Earth? But want of trade,
And Courtly Commerce; O!
a Soveraigne head!
Where now I leaue them, to giue
Thee content,
For I'le debord no more from mine intent.
That fright-fled wandring
Prince, from
Ilions fire,
Neu'r coasted
Carthage, with more glad desire;
And the
Barbarian shoare; to find the grace,
Of loving
Dido, and her pittying face;
Than thou from this,
Numidia of thine,
Gets meeting, greeting, treating to bee myne:
And gladder far, to see thy safe returne,
Than
Africks soile, could in affection burne,
Vnto a Stranger; for thou comes not so,
As if promiscuous, neither friend nor foe.
[Page]Nor comes thou with sterne bloody collours flying,
Or with a doubtfull mynd,
[...]spqn
[...]
as one a dying:
Nor lyke these
Turkish fyre-brands of Hell,
The race of
Ottoman; that loue to quell,
All forts of People;
Persian, Greeke, and
Iew,
Arabian, Moore, and
Christian, would subdew,
The
Universe to bee, but one
Dominion,
Wherein, the
Spanyard too, would bee his
Minion:
Nay; thou comes better, so the
Heavens appoynted,
Even, in the name of GOD, the LORDS anoynted:
So,
[...] receaue
Thee, as the righteous
Heyre,
O
[...]
Mee, and myne inheritance, most fayre,
Which shall not crowne
Thee, lyke these groaning bounds,
Hemb'd in about, with the
Hircanian rounds:
Nor comes thou to encroach, on
Indian Soyles,
To pillage
Peru; and to cast the spoyles
Of minrall
Mettalls, on sterne bloody
Mars,
Wherewith sad
Epitaphs, bedeck
Mens Herse:
Nor, as the
Worlds Vsurper,
Philip did,
When hee betrayd
Navarre, vnder plots hid:
Nor as hee seazd, on
Portugale, and tooke,
From lost
Emanuell, the golden Booke:
Nor like to
Petro, basely murthring downe,
The
French, at
Vespers, for the
Sicile Crowne:
Lyke instances, I many could afford,
But
Tyme, it traitours
Mee, and in a word,
O! thou comes well! and with a Conscience just;
Of right indubitable;
Reason must,
On
Thee, confer my neuer-conquerd Crowne,
Which now shall Crowne
Thee, with the old renowne,
Of thine
Auncestors; and which birth
Thee brings,
Descended from one hundreth, and seuen
Kings:
Which they by worth,
Scotlands Crowne mever onquerd.
and I by valour kept,
Whilst myne encroaching foes, with
Irne I whipt.
But by thy leaue, (Sir,) I must let
Thee see,
What kynd of Crowne, I now present to
Thee;
[Page]
A Mayden Crowne, vnconquerd, neuer wone,
Since
Fergus, my first
Monarch it begunne:
And so from him, to
Kenneth who subdued,
The
Pights, and in their blood his hands imbrewd:
Whence bloody battells, and braue chivalrye,
From race, to race, kept and maintaynd it free:
Whilst neither
Danes, nor
English, Saxons could,
With awfull
Romans, this Crowne, get, or hould,
Such were my forces, in my
Champions strong,
That still keept, it and
Mee, from forraine wrong,
What should I speake of
Wallace, Bruce, and Grahame?
The
Dowglasses,
The
[...] of Scotish worthies
and
Stewarts, of great fame?
With thousands moe, of much renowned worth,
Which my true
Chronicle, vively sets foorth,
But leaue
Thee there to reade, what deeds were wrought,
And for thy matchles
Auncients, stoutly fought,
How many hundreth thowsand Lyves were lost?
Which from my bowells sprung; nay; I dare boast,
Of
Millions which to saue, this Crowne for
Thee,
And purchase freedome, car'd not for to dye.
So lyke I sweare, if lyke were to invade,
My Crowne, their fates, in fields of blood, should wade:
Than let not evill Counsell,
Thee invest,
Nor trechrous
Sicophant, thy peace molest:
For I haue none, which burrow, of
Mee breath,
But rather far, will spend their lives on death;
Than suffer this, myne auncient right to goe,
To moderne friendship, ones my cruell foe,
And now to saue, this
Virgin Crowne for
Thee,
There is no
[...]oe, can fright
Mee, make mee flee,
From right, from field, from battell, force, or fight,
So long as I haue Lyfe, blood, Lungs or might:
Whilst now; what
Kingdome can their
Prince renowne?
With lyke invinced, freedome of a Crowne:
Looke to my valour Past? and thou mayst spy,
Where diuerse Nations, got of Mee supply.
[Page]
Fraunce can approue my
Manhood, I relieu'd
Their State from thraldome, when it was surgrieu'd:
Witnesse, our mutuall
League, witnesse their guard
And m
[...]ne their naturaliz'd, for my reward.
Like
Belgians sweare, their strength▪ their stoutest hand,
And
Warriours best, are bred within my Land:
The
Almaynes too record, what I haue done
And what my
Souldiers, aunciently there wone:
Looke to my Sister
Swethland, and behold!
What birth I send them, desp'rate, stout, and bold:
For
Polland shee's my Nurse, brings vp my
Youth,
Full thritty thousands, yearely, of a trueth;
Than loades them with, the fatnesse of her
Soyle,
Which, I, in their due tyme, doe still recoyle:
Than look to
Denmark, where twelue thousands ly,
Serving thine
Vncle, sharpest fortunes try.
Last,
Some certaine numbers of valiant Scots
step I o're to
Ireland, and doe see,
Full Fourty thousand
Scots, arm'd Men, there bee:
Besides, at home, one hundreth thousands moe,
Young, stout, and strong, well arm'd for
Thee, to goe;
To challenge
Destinie, and cruell
Fate,
And all
Vsurpers, dare menace
[...] my
State:
Then slight mee not (Dread Sir) since I, and Myne,
Still vow, to serue
Thee, as wee haue done Thyne:
For by this count, and much more, thou mayst see,
What forces great, my bounds, reserue for
Thee.
The
World, Mans Theater, and commoun
Stage,
Wherein, each acts his part, in youth or age;
Can not, nor could, produce, a Manlyer kynd
(Of
Hearts invincible, of constant mynd;
Stout, strong, and
Durable, Couragious too,
Ever still, formost, where, there's most adoe)
Than those my
Martiall Sonnes; whose
Hearts now yeeld,
Their hands, their swords, to fight for
Thee, in field:
Being
Buffles in cold,
Elephants in rayne,
Camels in hunger,
Lyons after gaine.
[Page]And now obsequious to thy new-reard
Crowne,
Would lay their goods and liues before
Thee downe:
Then bee thou jocund; and redound them thankes,
In private and in publict, by their ranks:
Thy great
Grand-father, O!
King Iames the fift,
Was
merry, stout, and
wise, Henrie vnwift;
The flower of
Princes, mirrour of his tyme,
Made
Christendome admire his
Manly pryme:
So
Thou his second self, by worth succeeds,
And Nature too, to all his vertuous deeds:
Then let thy chearefull face, with joviall rayes
Illuminat thy Peoples loue and praise:
Thus, thy late
Syre, Salomon; my
King,
When hee surveighd mee last, did comforts bring,
And joyes abundant to this
Albion land;
Which hee by death did feaze into thy hand.
So,
The
[...] nation.
so, I come to crowne
Thee, whilst the
Heavens
O'reshaddow
Thee with
Seraph'd Cherubins:
Whence, glorious
Angels flee with joyfull wings
Of
Peace and
gladnes from the
King of
Kings;
To blesse this sacred work, and happy vnion,
Twixt
Prince and
People; O! thry
[...]e blest communion!
The Springs
Poaeneian flow, sweet
Demthen Rills,
Swell from steep
Pindus; Permessis, gushing fills
The
Sorean-fonted
Meeds; the forked
Tops,
Dissolue, and melt in
Heliconean drops.
From whence the
Nymphall nyne take flight, and come,
Crownd with
Rose garlands, Delphian bayes, and some
With
Laurell Mantles of the
Oliue hew,
To grace this
Coronation, Sir; of You:
And leaue the
ceremoniall rest to bee
Done by the Bishop of
Sainct-Andrewes; Hee
Shall blesse
Thee, anoynt
Thee, in word, in deed,
Then set my golden
Crowne on thy blest
Head:
Whilst thou in Purple
Roabes of
State shall stand,
To blesse thy
People, with thy tongue and hand:
[Page]Which done, their
Hearts and
voices shall cry thus,
GOD saue and keepe King CHARLES long for vs.
O Hellespont! now gr
[...]anes to beare the lode!
Of kynd
Leanders loue to
Hieroes God.
Whilst both my
Sword, and
Scepter downe are layd
Be
[...]ore thy Face, in signe I am a
Mayd:
Which
Guerdo-knot, none can vnty, nor twist,
Till thou my
Phillipides, lyke and list:
Now thou art crownd, and since I crownd thy
Syre.
Iust, thre
[...]core two yeares presently expyre:
Though
Crownes bee
Crownes of Care; GOD grant my
Crowne,
May
Health, Wealth, Loue, and
Peace to Thee redoune;
Which long may thou enjoy, and thy
Race,
So long as
Sunne, or
Moone, keep course or place,
Now comes my
Parliam
[...]nt,
The Parliament.
now comes these tymes,
Where thou and they should vindicate grosse crymes:
Sit then in
Iudgement, and bee carefull too,
For to performe what thy great charge should doe:
First then confirme both wholesome Lawes and good,
And stablish
justice; let thy
Grace conclude
A finall resolution, for my
State
in
Counsell and in
S
[...]ssion; ah! of late
A foggy mist dissolu'd, and broke asunder;
My
Pillars from the
Marble pauement vnder:
As ludges should bee just, so should they bee
As prompt, for to doe justice speedily;
And not with long delayes, to wring the ly
[...]e
Of poore Mens causes, to a doubtfull strife:
Which often blinds the right, and turnes the wrong,
Victorious over reason; O! sad song!
When equity is curbd; and squink respect
Involues the trueth into a base neglect;
Els in
Buccardo, sealing misregard
For
fauour, friendship flattry, or
reward:
So thus too oft is justice wrung and wounded,
And wholesome lawes for private ends confounded.
[Page]But meanewhile, I thy greatest
Care recall,
To settle true
Religion, and enstall
Good godly Men and sound, in
Prelats function,
Mou'd by devoution, and conscious compunction:
So shall the
Gospell floorish, and thy lyfe
Made peacefull, happy, from seditious stryfe.
A
[...] for my
Clergie, I affirming vow,
The
[...] trueth to GOD, and then to You;
There are no People, nor no Land so blest,
With Godly Preachers, and GODS word profest
With more sinceritie, taught, showne, and preach'd,
Than in my
Kingdome, there was never teach'd
Profounder doctrine; more divine resounds
In CHRISTS reformed
Church, than in my bounds:
Which to per
[...]ite, an vniformall mynd,
GOD grant his
Sacrament may passage find:
And scruplous stops may bee hewne downe, and made
As plaine, as
Christ Himselfe;vs taught and sayd.
Now I'le degresse, and leaue this vpper part
Of
Church and
State to GOD, and thy just Heart:
I haue no lower house of
Parliament,
To punish or represse each detriment;
Prest greivance, or abuse of
Commonweale.
But what my suffrings must to
Thee reveale;
Then heere they are, and ponder them, I pray
Thee,
And let not these my just complaints dismay
Thee;
But rather cause amend them, and redresse
These grosse enormities, which I'le expresse.
True and most true it is,
The abuse of the commoun.
[...]
my chiefest health
Consists (Dread Sir) most in the
Commonwealth:
Which ah
allace! hath never heeretofore
Beene soundly pitch'd, lesse grounded, and far more
Disdainefully cast off, for who are they
That ever stroue a Commonn course to swey?
There is no
Providence, nor publick good
Graft in my bosome, my
Townes are d
[...]nude
[Page]Of
P
[...]licie and
Venters; Men please themselues,
And care not though my fortune split on Shelues:
Haue I not
Floods and
Seas, good
Ships and
Ports?
Braue
Sea-men, Pilots, Skippers, and
Consorts;
But where's the
Merchand that will freely enter,
To put these
Men to work; and byde the venter
Of doubtfull successe; nay; there's none I see,
That now dare hazard further than his eye:
Yet
Mans not borne to please himselfe alone,
That were
idolatrizing loue to one:
But totally for GOD, partly for friends,
Partly for Countrey, last for his owne ends.
As for my
Trades, they're ruind with decay,
There few or none imployd: My
Nobles play
The curious
Courtizan; that will not bee
But in strange fashions; O! what Noveltie
Is this? that
London, robbes Mee of my gaine:
Whilst both my
Trades and
Merchands suffer paine.
Nay; I must say, there is no courtly guyse,
Nor frivole toyes though frenchifyed thryse,
Bee't in or out of fashion, Myne must haue it;
Though neither meanes nor honesty would craue it.
But since they will proue fooles, yet why should Strangers
Enjoy the profit from fantastick
Rangers,
And not myne owne? There is no Nation can,
Compare with my best
Trades; match man for man.
Besides my
Nobles,
Supers
[...]uous posting to Court.
see my
Gentry too
Post vp, post downe; their states for to vndoe:
Nay, they will morgadge all; and to bee breefe,
Ryde vp with gold, and turne againe with greefe:
Who better far might stay at home, and liue,
And not their meanes to louelesse labour giue.
It grieues Mee, I should yeeld them yeerely rent,
Whilst vainely it in Neighbour Lands is spent:
B
[...]t
[...] and behold the end,
My Lands change
Land-Lords, whilst my
Youngsters spend.
[Page]Nay there's a gen'rall ruyne through my bounds,
Which makes my sydes to shiver: O! what wounds
By
Prodigals I get? There's not a stroake
These
Spend-thrifts thrust, but brings Mee in some yoke:
And thus they take my money all away
To spend abroad; whilst it should rather stay,
For to enrich my
Bowels; and to barter,
For Cornes and Merchandise in evry quarter.
Then Post and Post againe, Post altogether
To
Bag-shot, then to beggrie; nay, and whether?
To roote from
Earth their memorie and Name,
Stamping themselues on
Hippodromes of shame:
I care not for their falls, their lands ly still,
Though changd from hand to hand, from ill to ill:
And like the
Weather-Cock, from Airt to Airts,
Their locall grounds are changd from pairt to pairts:
Now heere's a wedset, there's a flying off,
And heere's the prison, there's a
Iaylours scoff:
In comes
Thom Tumbler with his bags and bellie,
To alter
Tackes and
Rentals; I must tell
Thee,
I pitty my poore
Commouns, and their toile,
Made to new Vpstarts and their greed a spoile.
How can my
Tennants liue? How can they thriue?
How can they growing stand? When dead aliue,
Slane by oppression, extortion, debate,
From Laird to Laird, in their
Camelion State:
The
Tennants suffer all, allace poore Soules!
Still preyd vpon, by
Bankerouts and
Fooles:
Then it's no wonder, though my land bee poore,
When now most
Land-Lords play the errand whoore,
In shifting
Rents and
Styles, as many tymes,
As
Lais, Corinths Strumpet did of crymes.
Beleeue Mee Sir,
Revocation.
I feare this revocation,
Make many one revoke both state and station;
My
Lords they post vp dayly to thy
Court,
And ly there Months and Yeares; and doe resor
[...]
[Page]To
London, as their Livings lay and Land,
In midst of
Cheapsyde, Kingstreete, or the
Strand:
My
Gentry too and
Knights, and oft
Commissioners,
In this repenting excesse turne
Practitioners;
Still vp and downe they make a play of Posting,
And laugh at lavish expence; fall a boasting
Who of
[...]est courts thy
Court, whilst here at home
Their
Wiues and
Children cry, when will they come?
Yea, yea, they come, but with an empty hand,
And to turne back, morgadging heere more land:
Wherein I vow, that
England turnes a curse
To mee, and my spent
Gentry, and their Purse.
I graunt their
Tongues can make my
Gallants spend,
And suck them dry, till all come to an end:
And why? cause in a
Rodomunto, they
Play the
Orlando Furioso aye:
As well in humours, as in lavish charges,
Which makes most femals weare such skar-clift
Targes,
Where deepest strokes in strugling force are given,
Till both Mens Ribs and Rigs are backward driven:
Whilst the Defendants swallow vp such meanes,
As Reapers doe, that both cut downe and gleanes:
Then in a word, its glutttonie and lust,
That brings so many headlong to the dust.
For now at eu'ry startling peevish thing,
Iack, Thome,
and Robin
post vp to the King:
And will not to thy
Counsels judgement stand,
Plac'd heere as
Lights, the Sword of thy right hand,
To judge, if
Iudges, judge aright or not,
And may declare on each sinistruous Spot:
Which by thy selfe was done, and set a sunder,
The
Counsell plac'd aboue, the
Iudges vnder:
But (Sir) I humbly beg, it were well done
To punish these distractions, out of tune,
And send them back, to censurd be, and stand,
Submissiue to the justice of this Land:
[Page]Els they will vexe
Thee, and such custome bring,
That
Woemen too will post vp to the
King.
Then let an Act bee made, in my regard,
That neither
Lord, nor
Earle, Knight, nor
Laird,
Shall post more vp to
London, but remayne
At home, and spend their rents, where growes their graine:
And to succumbe themselues, and their debate,
Vnto the
Lords and
Pillars of my State:
For which, as duety owe, they being bund,
Posting shall cease, and Iustice here bee fund:
Nay I dare say, since thy late
Fathers death,
His buriall, and his Funerall, in Faith,
There Millions two of gold from Mee transported,
And spent at
London, where my
Gallants sported;
And leaue at home (GOD Knowes) a threed bare count,
Which far beyond their yearelie rents surmount.
Then deare and tender Sir, let this bee stopt,
Thine absence is enough, should I bee lopt
From
Top and
Middle, to the naked root;
Whilst from my
Commouns all these moneys sprout:
The
Merchand hee complaines, the
Trads-man mournes,
The
Tennant sore oppressd, in sorrow turnes,
His helplese plaints; and I mongst all must tremble,
To see myne owne bred brood with mee dissemble.
Where are these late past dayes?
The decay of good house keeping.
when
Mars surviu'd;
And
Nobles keept good houses, Servands liu'd,
Well horsd, well arm'd, well lou'd, well clothd, well fed,
And when my Lords with such lyke troupes were cled;
O! there was plenty, and abundance too
Of eu'ry thing that Nature had to doe:
Then Lairds keept Courts, and eu'ry Lord at home
Liu'd lyke a
Prince, or
Cardinall of
Rome;
Yea, and contract'd no debt, morgagd no land,
But wore the cloth their wiues wrought with their hand,
And now where Kitchins smoakd, good cheare hath beene,
There's cold and hunger, and bare walls now seene:
[Page]The reason why? their sinnes procur'd GODS wrath,
And brought destruction on themselues with death.
How many ruind
Towers, and wast falne walls
Stand namelesse now, few know their stiles, and calls:
Heere stands
Castle blood, and their
Castle pryde;
Yonder
Castle oppression, and
lust beside;
Heere
Castle Gluttonie; there
Castle Oathes;
Heere
Castle Falshood, Incest that neu'r loathes
Of
Castle Perjurie; and lower downe
S
[...]ands
Desolation in a threed bare
gowne:
And now, though most stand namelesse and vnknowne,
Yet by these
Verdicts may their stiles bee showne:
All which, though
Moderne, some I haue as fast,
Ryde post to
Nothing, and can roaring wast.
Now
Coatches,
The vanitie of prodigals.
Cuntbotches, Lust and
Play,
And vaine
Apparell, rot their rents away:
In stead of serving Men, they now keep Lads,
To fetch them brow-lac'd
Whoores, wrapt vp in Plads:
Els Boy-posting newes, to goe prepare
Roome; for his Master, shortly will bee there:
Where, when abroad this gallant rydes alone,
With
Iack his
Lacquey neare him, trotting on:
Either to
Limbo in the
Brothell-house,
Els to the
Taverne for a deep Carrouse:
Where straight to
Cards and
Dyce hee fly'th amayne,
And for advantage, leaues the house his gaine.
So, so, their scores of
Chaulders and their
Bolles
Are brought from
Mountaines downe to litle
Moles:
They haue no deadly fead, that's gone of late,
But they're at deadly fead with their owne state:
And care not for
Allyes, blood, wiues, nor
friends,
Kinred nor
bairnes, saue their owne wasting ends:
Whose
Riggs speake
English, and their salted
furres,
Forgetting
Scots, can speek with gilded Spurres.
So
Lawyers seaze on part,
Lawyers.
and right it stands
For lawlesse
Lairds to haue Law-byding Lands:
[Page]And would the
Wrytters too, could find lyke flashes,
But now the
Pen, on
Paper seldome dashes:
I'ts strange the
Tongue, should gaine more than the
Pen?
And pleading better payd, then paynefull
Men:
There's here, a
Labyrinth, I'le not come in,
And for to bee obsequious, were a sin:
But here I vow, they're happy thryse and blest,
Who least frequents them, liues at home in rest:
Then
Lairds, and
Lawyers, Scriuners flock together,
They're blind that runne, a course they know not whether;
Ah! what makes now, my
Countrey looke so bare?
Thus voyd of planting,
the want of planting
Woods and,
Forrests fayre:
Hedges, and
Ditches, Parks, and closed grounds,
Trees, Strips, and
Shaws in many fertile bounds:
Bnt onely that the
Land-Lords, set their Land,
From yeare, to yeare, and so from hand to hand;
They change and flit their
Tennants as they please,
And will not giue them
Leasse, Taks, Tymes, nor ease,
To prosper and to thryve; for if they should,
As soone they thrust them, out of house and hould:
And hee who bids most farme, still gets the Roome,
Whilst one aboue anothers head do'th come:
Or els to rayse his rent, or kisse the Doore,
This is the cause, my
Commons, liue so poore,
And so the
Peasants, can not set nor plant
Woods, Trees, and
Orchards, which my
Valleyes want,
But leaue
Mee halfe deformd, so they're distressd:
And by their greedy
Masters, still oppressd:
Then now to succour this, the onely way,
Is, that their farmes were brought, to penny pay,
And leasses let at large, for yeares or lyves,
Failling the
Husbands, to their liuing Wyves:
To
Heyers or
Friends, and when their Tackes declyne,
To bee renewd againe; paying their Fyne,
And yearely moneyes: then the
Lord or
Laird,
Hee needes not of a doubtfull yeere regard:
[Page]So
England, and
Ireland, all
Europe's brought,
To leasse and penny-rent, but victuall nought,
Then might poore
Tennants thryve, set, build, and plant,
And bee relieu'd with that, which now they want,
And till such tyme, this Land can never bee,
Brought from the jawes, of willfull povertie,
As for my
Tythes, which Nobles most recoyle,
It is another grieuance,
The wrong fall vse of Tythes
to my
Soyle,
Should
Tythes belong to
Laicks? should Church rent?
Bee giv'n to temp'rall
Lords; by
Gods intent,
Tythes were for
Leuits; not for
Haulks nor
Hounds;
Nor no reward, of
Sycophanting sounds.
Tythes may bee calld
Gods rent, and they pertaine
Still to his
Priests, his service to maintaine,
The very
Turkes and
Mahometan leyes,
Allot their
Daruishes, religious feyes,
Yea, sauage
Sabuncks, of
Lybia, the odde,
As
Tythes they dote, to serue their
Garlick God:
Then how much more, should Trueth to meanes bee placd,
When brutish
Ignorants, are so imbracd:
Nay more then
Clergy, Tythes should too sustayne,
My
Seminary Schooles with yeerely grayne:
My
Colledges decay, they haue no rent,
More then the
Schollers bring, for boording meant:
Thus
Learning goes to ruyne, Books grow skant,
Meanes they haue none, and maintenance they want,
There is no gayne, nor no preferment neither,
Now following learning, nor desert, but rather,
The greatest
Dunsse, if rich, is soonest plac'd,
And rarest
Schollers, lacking meanes defac'd,
Thus
Airts grow
Airtles, wit repyning wit,
When
Asses must in
Lyons Cabines sit.
Tythes too should build blest
Hospitals, and doe
Erect
Schooles, Bridges, and sustaine them too:
But where they should doe good, they doe most ill,
Being abus'd by vse, and corrupt will,
[Page]For (Sir,) take heed, what greef is this and crosse?
To my poore
Commouns, and a yearely losse;
That when their
Cornes are shorne, stoukd, dead, and dry.
They can not get them teinded; Nay; and why?
Some grudge or malice, moves despight to wound,
The hopefull
Haru'st, and rot their
Cornes on ground,
This is no rare thing, on their
Stowks thats seene,
Snow-coverd
Tops, below they're grass-growne greene,
Which often breeds great famyne, and great skant,
And plagues my
Commouns, with a Heart-broke want.
For which they grieue, in this long deformation,
And hope to haue from
Thee, a reformation:
Which GOD may grant, and blesse thy judgment too,
For to considder, what
Oppressours doe.
So, so▪ reclayme them, deale them at thy pleasure,
For GOD and godlynesse and for thy Treasure,
Which being in thine hand, and then to farme
Them back on
Lords; will bread a double harme,
For worse, and worse, my
Commouns shall bee crost,
And all thy good intentions, therein lost:
Then let my
Tythes, be brought to money rent,
For
Thee, from
Land-Lord, and the poore
Tennent:
So may they sheare, and lead, and stakke their
Corne,
At Mid-night, Midday, afternoone, or Morne,
Which shall bee their advantage and my gayne,
When
Barnes, and
Yards. are fill'd with tymely grayne,
I haue some
Sycophants ly at thy
Court,
Disturbers of my peace, and there resort,
Still hatching of mischiefe; projecting ends,
Which to my
Countreyes ruine onely tends:
And though they burrowd,
Lyfe, Lands, Birth and
Blood,
Of
Mee, they're still repaying ill for good:
For having spent their meanes, so now their braynes,
They spend in forging of seditious straynes:
Still this, or that devysing, runne such courses,
That for their crosses, they're repayd, with curses,
[Page]Nay; I must call them,
Bandits, Rebells bred,
And
Fugitiues, from
jure Poena fled:
Then, then, (dread Sir) take heed, such
Snakes may sting,
And wound the judgment of a prudent
King.
As for this
Valuation who can tell?
Valuation
Whats meant thereby? or can my
Preachers well,
With one out of each
Parish; lay the ground,
What euery Land is worth, or may be found:
No; no, its labour lost, and I pray
God,
Wee bee not scourgd for it, by his just rod:
A lesser fault, then this made
Israell quake,
When
David of his
People count would make,
But value, stock, and brock, Tythes, fruites and all,
God must giue encrease,
the vi
[...]issitude of by mes.
or the reckning fall.
So
Tymes, vntymely haue their tyme mispent.
On base
Ingratitude, and bounty shent:
Whats worth, without wealth? merit without Loue?
Birth without Vertue? greatnes without
Iove?
Bairnes without duetye, Parents, without care?
Friends without Credit? Towne without repayre?
Lyfe without Learning? Servants without paynes?
Faith without good works? Comerce without gaynes?
Hope without repentance? Wit without Reason?
Greefe without Patience? Mirth out of season?
Command without Pow'r?
Prince without People?
State without gouernment? Church without Steeple?
Preachers without rent? Poets but reward?
Rich Men without rueth? Honour but regard?
Iudges without Iustice? Agents but sees,
Clarks without decreets?
Lawyers without pleas?
Tillage without soyle? Trafficque without peace?
Grace without godlynes? Sheep without fleece?
Pryde without puissance? Loue vnles acquent?
Wyves without Children? wealth without Content?
All which are toyles, lost labour, lost in vayne,
And drudging care, for profit without gayne,
[Page]Discordant things still contrare ends oppose,
The cause not the effect, wee should suppose:
So
Fates agree; so accidents and
Clymes,
Conclude, this age, must see such woefull
Tymes
So
Grammer Schooles are ruynd,
The decay of Schooles
Learning rare,
Boords are so deare, and Stipends waxe so bare;
That good house-houlders, Country-men I spy,
Can hardly boord their
Bairnes abroad, and why?
Broughs are so fingring;
Schoole-Masters so needy;
Lore at such rate, and
Victuallers so greedy;
That now most
Bairnes, with Sheep, and Ploughs are found,
Which makes so many
Ignorants abound,
With Rustick Caryage; Manners harsh and rude,
And decent Comlynes, is quite seclude:
For what makes Nature, civill myld and meek?
Kynd wyse, affable, gentle, slow to speek?
But good education: well bred, well taught.
In
Morall Precepts, and divynely fraught,
With learned
Wisdome: whence discretion flowes,
And Vnderstanding too: for Learning growes,
To bee the light of Nature; and I fynd,
Its the ornament, of a pregnant Mynd:
And though it were, but for to read, and wryte,
It is a needfull vse; and yeelds delyte,
To euery good
Conception; giues direction,
To know aright, and so serues for correction,
And thus the
Ruther, which behauiour rules,
Though graft in Nature, is refynd by
Schooles.
So would to GOD. in tyme a course were tane.
That
Schooles, and
Schollers, were repayrd againe,
Another great abuse, is this that when,
Men runne in
Suretyship for other Men;
Or els morgadgd in debt; yet will not pay.
Their
Creditors, nor thy just Lawes obey:
But scorning, horning, Caption Rebells turne;
And in despight of Pow'r, all where sojourne.
[Page]Arm'd with
Rebellion, Pistols, Sword and Dagger,
Threatning to kill, they roare it out, and swagger:
They boast their
Creditours, and plague the Poore,
Even rambling through, best Townes, from doore to doore,
Whilst neither
Shrieue, nor
Iustice will lay hould,
Vpon these
Rebells: nay; although they could,
They will not, why? some one respect or other,
Dry
[...]e in de
[...]ayes, whilst they thy Lawes downe smother.
And thus this Land, is ouer runne and crost.
With lawles
Bankerouts and
Iustice lost.
Some newly broke, as civill
Cheaters doe,
Guard
Barwick,
Bankerouts.
and makes
Barw
[...]ck guard them too
It sti
[...]l keeps
Garrison, all Men may see
In stead of
Souldiers, now fled
Spendthrifts bee:
This border Towne, lyke to that seat of
Rome,
From Sword and Spoyle, to cousenage is come;
The one absolving sin: the other debt,
Though neither can nor could, such freedome get:
Nay;
Barwick, jumps with
Rome, in more then this,
Slaughter, Adultry, Incest, whats amisse?
In ciuill Law, or
Church, it will protect them,
Though
Iustice Vengeance, crying sins detect them,
Then who should curbe, this sheltring? or restrayne it?
But thou gainst whom,
The dishonest abuse of fugit
[...]e ma
[...]ages.
and thy lawes they maintaine it.
There's too of late a new eclipsd miscaryage,
But rather ane abuse, of honest marryage:
For now young persons, fauncyeing other loues,
Without consent of Parents (thus it proues)
Or of their pastors approbation, neither
Of Towne nor Parish, nay, of Friend or Father;
Away they goe to
England; there they're marryed,
And sometymes too, lyke Partyes turne miscaryed
Where fayling of Church rites, this yoke they draw,
That lawles Loue, may be made loueles Law.
For if the
English Preest, be not
Palmestrat,
He will not marry, they turne
Ambodextrat:
[Page]How can like Nup
[...]ialls stand, and stand with reason,
Although the preest conjoynes them: O! what treason?
Of fugitive deceat, is this to see.
When mine owne brood, from my kynd bowells flee,
From Parents loue, from lawfull Pastors pow'r,
For to be matchd by stealth: and would devoure,
Religion into shame; whilst thou base Preist,
Turnes back from being Preacher, to a Beast;
What canst thou say, if such incestuous be?
Els vyld Ad
[...]ltrers, brand with infamie,
Or els betrothd to others; at which tyme,
Perhaps lyable to some criminall cryme;
And dares thou brand thy selfe, and marryage stayne,
For one poore peece of gold, for three, or twayne,
Nay; as by vnlawfullnes, they come to it,
Euen as vnlawfull, art thou call'd, to doe it,
O!
Prelats then, and
Iudges of this
Land!
Which both for
Church, and
State should justly stand,
Away with this, O let such Nuptialls bee!
Hel'd as injust,
Conceald woneys.
and punishd rigrously.
Now for conceald Moneyes, I dare protest,
The searching of them, breeds a commoun Pest;
The
Purcifant, he goes abroad to summond,
Thome, Will, and
Dick the heard scarce worth a
Dunmond,
This
Ambodextrat Villane, he warnes All,
Before the
Exchequer; and if they fayle,
A penaltye ensues; els fill his hand
Or goe for
Edinburgh, where come they stand,
Wai
[...]iag, and waiting to be try'd and heard,
The
Messinger he comes not; they're debard.
From audience and dismissd: and thus they're crost,
With paynes great charges, and their labour lost,
Then judge great
Sir, and yee my
Iudges, judge,
If this and lyke, wracks not the Ploughing
Drudge.
For
Chamberlaues, Baillyes and Lairds Court Clarkes,
I see the Projects, of their subtile warks:
[Page]The first they fat themselues, by greed by stealth,
And out of ruyne, worke their
Mynes of wealth,
Bringing most Lords to nought, els in such debt,
That they're not able, out of it to get:
The
Baillie oft makes crooked the right causes,
Takes from both
Factions brybes; with fals forgd clauses
will haue deceat calld trueth; if not the
Baillie,
Will make the
Plaintives part, a double Faillie:
The
Clarks exact on all, they will haue feyes,
Payd and repayd for Acts, although but leyes,
Then help these faults, yee
Earles, Lords, and
Knights,
And let Domestick Servants, rule your rights,
Yea serious, bee your selues to ta
[...]e a count,
Of all your dewtyes, as your
Fathers wount:
So shall your States, and Rents, encrease and stand,
And poore
Oppressd ones freed from Factors hand,
As for my
Kyne and
Cattell, they're transported,
And
Sheep,
Transporting of Cattell.
with
Gallowedian Nages consorted,
To all the
English quarters, heere and there,
Lea
[...]ing my fields, halfe destitute, and bare,
Of their wont plenty and aboundance great,
Of all kind
Bestiall; that content could get,
But see this droving, and this caryeing out,
Makes flesh both scarce and deare, all where about;
That now few houses great or small are kept,
As they were wont, being thus of
Cattell stript:
And if it were not, for good store of fish,
There many Mouths, would find an emptie
Dish:
Then cause this (Sir) be helpd by strait restraint,
To quench the murmure, of a gen'rall plaint,
Now come I to my
Cornes my
Wheat and
Talloun,
Myne
Yarne, Linning-Cloth, Oyle many a galloun;
Salmon, Salt, Herrings, Killing, Sethes,
and Colle,
With
Skin, and
Hyde, transported still to
Polle:
Of which I grant there's some, might spared bee,
For mutuall
Commerce, and
Commoditie:
[Page]But for my
Wheat my
Talloun and my
Hyde,
Let them be fenss'd, within my selfe to byde,
That
Leather growing cheap, Woemen may weare,
More fyner Shoes, for
Leather now is deare,
And so is tawning, Tawners haue such crosses,
With taxd
Gabelloes; miserable losses,
I will not here insist, although I could,
Lay open this infliction, as I should,
But since the maner, makes the meane so plaine,
I'le stryke no deeper, in a bleeding veyne.
Transporting of Cornes
And should my Cornes be caryed to thy soes,
For foure or fyve Mens ends; should gen'rall woes,
Be sowne abroad this
Kingdome; should Dearth, be rays'd?
When wee haue equall-plenty,
God bee prays'd:
Fy, fy, on sinfull greed! O shameles blot!
That
Merchands, would haue dearth, when GOD will not:
Nay they will pay before hand, rayse the pryce,
For which my
Lords, approue them in their vyce:
And why? because they gayne; but ah alas?
The
Tennents left, into a woefull cace:
Thus
Pollicie breads famine, and base greed,
Brings wealth to
Churles, to my
Commouns need,
Then
(Royall Sir) prefer my
Commounweale,
Aboue cursd
Misers, never truely deale:
And for transporting Cornes, let Acts be made,
Hence forth they may at home, bee stopd, and stay'd.
There other Towne-bred
Merchands too, I know,
Vnder a peeuish,
Disembing pur
[...]tanicall merchands.
Puritanick show,
Of yea, and nay, forsooth its so, and ban not,
Its good, the Pryce is small, cheaper I can not,
Would weight a Mans purse, with his Lyfe and worse,
With fals
Hipocrisie, themselves they curse:
When neither
Conscience, Religion, nor
Trueth,
They more respect, than
Harlotes, do of Youth.
But serving
Tymes, they serve their ends; and why?
For gayne they sell, and for to gayne they buy:
[Page]By
[...], they care nor; fordeceat,
[...] of their vpstart State,
[...] faishood eu'ry way,
[...] turnes Merchand pay,
[...] the
[...] Man, that can deceaue,
His
[...], though he play the errand Knave,
[...] their wit, on guyle they make their drift,
[...] craf
[...], to court, each
Catchpole shift,
Whilst neither Law, nor Reason, they regard,
[...] death transport them, to their last reward.
Now where are all my robust
Gallants? where,
[...]
Are my
Bellona-Threatners, doe, and dare?
Nay; here's the very Quintissence, of trueth,
That Peace, and Idlenes, haue spoyld my Youth.
With
Cards and
Drunkennesse, lashivious
Lust:
And all
Prophanenes, swearing and distrust:
That now their Bodyes, are not half so strong,
As Nature l
[...]nt them, to giue or free wrong:
And growne effeminat, weare
Woemens loks,
Freize-hanging combd, o're Shoulders, Necks, and Cloks;
That many doubt, if they bee
Mayds, or
Men,
Till that their
Beards sprout foorth, and then they ken:
And yet their shame, hangs still about their
Heads,
Whilst shaking Ha
[...]re, approue their foolish deeds,
Saint
Paul forbids it, and hee tells them playne,
In doing which they're more, then shameles vayne;
And
Absaloms Lyfe, hayre-hung, betwene two Trees,
Might be a
Cauiat, for such vanities:
For Manly excercise, is shreudly gone,
Foot-ball and Wrestling throwing of the Stone:
Iumping and breathing, practises of Strength,
Which taught them to endure, hard things at length.
And now
T
[...]bacco that base stinking weed,
That
Indian witchcraft,
The d
[...]se of T
[...]bacco
smeaking in their head;
Turnes
Virile Acts, and delicat discourse,
To Pet, and Pypes, reciprocall recourse:
[Page]Nay; they're so bent, though when its spent to flashes,
They'le smoake it out, even Asses, sucking Ashes,
It was a damn'd devyce, a fatall curse,
To honesty, and health, and to the Purse,
It spoyles their
Memory, and blinds their sight,
Dryes vp the moisture of the carnall
Wight:
It smarts the brayne, and stupifiy'th the Wit,
Benumbes the sense, and here's the plague of it;
Most brauest Mynds, turnes
Coxcombs, Fooles and
Sots,
And now more slayne thereby, then my best
Scots,
For in a word, it is a drunken feast,
Depraving Man of senses, turnes him beast:
Some
Students too, deserue to haue a dash,
For they can let it flee, smoake, flame, and flash,
And meane while wring out from Inventions brayne,
Some curious
Sermon, in a whil
[...]ing strayne,
And so can
Nobles, Gentry, Ploughmen too,
Each glory to doe that, which others doe.
Some take it for the fashion, some for Rheume.
Some for the Tooth-ach, others for the fleume:
Some for the Head-ake, some for Melancholy.
Some for to sharp their wits, and banish folly:
Some for their Pallet, in their warbling throt,
Some for good fellowship, to Pype and pot:
Some to quench Anger, some to put off tyme,
And some excessively, make vse a cryme,
Some
Rodomuntoes, take it roaring downe,
And then rebelch it, lyke a spewing
Clowne:
Some eate and chaw it, letting downe the juice,
And others steep it, for an open Sluce:
Some snuff, and sneize it, and convert in dust,
This greene
Negotian leaf, in blak spent lust,
Some hungerbit, or Stomack-sick at least,
Convert
Tobacco, in
Duke Vmphraes feast:
Casting
Barmudoes, in
Virginian blocks,
They lock
Verin
[...]es in, with Venting Knocks,
[Page]And some when drunk, to make them sober mynded,
Till both their sense, and sobernes grow blinded:
Then here's the slaurye, of this slabby sin,
Another Pype, another Pot, brings in:
The one bene spent, the other not they call,
For each of either, as their turnes may sall,
Whose
Strombolizing Nosethrills, Aetna faces,
Makes halting
Vulcan, change his
Lemnian places,
To build his
Forge, on foule
Cymberian veynes,
Dying in blak, their Bowells,
Guts, and braynes,
Whilst apprehension, makes their fond conceat,
To wast their bodyes, and exhaust their State.
Some
Ladyes too, haue head-akes in thier Toes
And for remeed, takes
Phisick at their Nose:
Some suck it stinkingly, and with distast,
And yet forsooth, they take it to liue chast,
Mixt with
Perfumes, and Oyles, sweet Seeds, and snuff,
They swallow downe, in gluts this
Pagane stuff,
Wresting another tast, then Nature can,
Lyke to their paynted
Cheekt, deceauing Man;
Some for the
Chollick; some for belly-ake,
And some do loue amayne, the
Pype to take,
That now most female,
Ladyes of each sort:
Doe make of
Pypes, and
Vapour but a sport.
Yet I confesse, its far more kyndlyer too,
For Woemen to suck
Pypes, then Men to do:
The one is Naturall, though oft abusd,
The other in neither, to bee excusd:
And last of all,
Tobacco, I defyne,
To be the
Tuba Bachi, God, of wyne,
Inviting
Drunkards, clustring every where?
To swagger, sweare, debosh, and revell care.
And I could wish,
Against the wearing of Pla
[...]ds.
that
Edinburgh would mend!
This shameles custome, which none can commend:
Should
Woemen walke lyke
Sprits? should
Woemen weare,
Their
Winding-sheets alyue? wrapt vp I sweare,
[Page]From head to foote in
Plads: lyke
Zembrian Ghostes;
Which haunt in Groaues, and
Shades; lyke
Fayry Hostes,
Or winter wandring Wreaths: Base masked Whoores,
Buskd lyke
Callabrian Witches; Skin-clungd Moores;
With fyre-scorching Tayles;
Aethereall Wights,
Or Nightly
Eremies, that nev'r delights;
But lyke cursd
Fiends in darknes; being the trick,
Of
Turkish Courtezans, and to bee quick,
Of
Mercenary Harlots; Now base
Iads,
Must Candle-light bee viewd; O! sin-worne
Plads,
With
Drunkennes, and
Whoredome: who can avow?
This beastly
Habit; Towne, I speeke to you.
Looke to your Streets, at night see how they flock?
Lyke buriall-busked
Bedlers; and provoke,
Good goers by to gaze, yea, often stand,
Till they invest them, with a Shouldring hand:
Where is their punishment? where is good order?
Where civill comelynes? O to what border?
Is honesty now fled; When thus I see,
That richest,
Wyues, with
Harlots masked bee:
For in a word there's none, twixt both can judge,
In show, the
Matrone, from the commoun Drudge:
Then as the
Hangman, had late pow're to mend it,
The
Gallows or the
Borrough-Loch must end it.
My Land is to surcharged, with cursing evill,
The abuse of banning & cursing.
Diuell take the lears, the whole-ware still the Diuell;
Fiend a bit,
Fiend take you, the
Diuell, an inch!
Diuell take them,
Soule and
Body; there's a pinch:
How
Diuell doe you? the
Diuell to you that speeres,
And some curse
Heaven, and
Hell, and by them sweares,
Some cursing make, conditionall diversion,
Diuell take
Mee, God saue all; O? there's reversion?
That even the
Chyld, the first word it can mumble,
Is
Diuell, Diuell, Diuell, so
Babes begin to stumble,
And why? cause
Parents ban; the Servands tongue,
Spew curses forth corrupting, old and young,
[Page]But ah! poore
Wretches! what a curse of euill?
Is this at ev'ry word, to name the Diuell:
This, this, and lyke, makes now this
Ile abound,
With
Hellish Snakes, for Diuells allwhere are found:
There's nether
Russia Lituan, or
Leif Land,
Norway, North
Swaine, my
North Iles, nor
Lapland,
Can yeeld moe
Witches, Warloks, Charmers too,
Then my
Mayne Lands, even at this present do:
And though that some be brunt, there hundreths moe,
I hope ere long, shall through the fyre goe.
For tyme and tryall, earnest care may make,
The Diuell to vanish, and his servants quake:
Then
[...]aue your banning, and your cursing words;
For
Yea, and
Nay; the happyest speach affords.
But now belyke the
Colles, this happy yeare,
Against Coles And Witches.
By burning
Witches, are growne wondrous deare,
And so they are, but sure the
Flemings make it,
Although the
Commouns, commounly mistake it:
But if my
Colles to imposts, ones were put,
They soone would stay, the
Hollanders were shut:
Yet
Colles and
Witches haue a nearer vnion,
First here by vse, then hence by dark communion:
Some
Colles are fund, in Earths profoundest Gell,
Which
Colliers hould adjacent neare to Hell:
And will not let, blynd
Limbus ly betwene,
For
Colliers haue in darknes,
Lynx- bred eyne:
Where sometymes they, with
Stygian streames are crost,
Throwne downe to
Lethe, in oblivion lost:
Whence
Colles, bene Nyghbours next, to
Plutoes Pit,
Are sent as
Messingers, from gaping it:
To hurle downe below, with posting fyre,
These damn'd
Gehemists, to their endles hyre:
Thus
Hell and
Witches, Diuells, and
Warloks bee,
Linkd in with
Colles, in hot affinitie:
Which GOD may grant! long may their vnion stand,
Till
Witchcraft quyte, be rooted from this
Land,
[Page]For cheating
Brockers, and cursd
Vsrers they,
Iu eu'ry Towne,
Against Brockers,
and Corner, beare great swey:
They're
Money-Mongers, and they know tymes, slaurye
When need brings Vertue, halting to their knavery:
The
Brocker, must haue Pawnes, and double Pawnd;
And cares not for no caution, writ, nor Hand.
But quarterly, monthly, by week, or day,
Must haue the
Gabelle, of his cheating pay:
Els fayling of the Tyme, off goes the Pawne,
And thus is povertie, in bondage drawne.
The
Vsrer will take suretye,
Against Vsurer
[...].
Bonds, and Bills,
Or els
Morgadgement, at disposers wills:
For fyftene a hundreth, yea, sometymes twenty,
And fills his
Coffers, with such ill wonne Plenty:
Yea, lets it all runne on, till day and date,
Be long expyrd; and than to rayse his State,
Out flies horning, Caption, fensing Commands,
Imprisonment;
or els comprysing Lands.
Whilst the distressd
Debter, rests pinchd, or slayne,
Vnder the crueltye, of this
Tigers gayne:
O! miserable wealth! O! wretched greed!
That eats the very bowells, out of need:
But for to mend this, whilst they're plaguing fangd,
The
Brocker should be scourgd, the
Vsrer hangd,
There's to a needfull
Cauiat,
Concerning uagabonding Greeks.
I'le set forth,
For en'ry
Noble Lord, and
Man of worth,
For
Bishops, Preachers, euery towne, and place,
Where vagabounding
Greeks, vse now to trace▪
Deluding and deceauing you, with leyes.
And
Testimonials fals; base forgeryes.
Of blynd inveiglings; making you beleeue,
They must their wives, their Bairnes, or friends releiue;
From slauerye, and from thraldome; by
Turks there ta
[...]e,
Either in
Greece, in
Asia, Iles, or
Mayne
Whom they would haue redeemd; from bondage brought.
And Ra
[...]semes payd, for what dissembling wrought.
[Page]But I assure Thee, as GOD liues in Heauen,
There's no such matter; nether are they driuen,
To any such distresse; my reason's here,
The
Greeks, vnder the
Turke, borne eu'ry where;
Haue freedome peace, and safety; liue as free,
As any Subjects heere, can, or may bee:
For now the
Turke, being
Lord. and they too sworne,
How can he thrall them, they his Subjects borne:
Nay; neither
Tythes of Children,
Female Dote,
They pay more now, for
Achmet, rent that lot;
Yet when they payd them both, their lyues and Lands.
Were then as free, as ours are in our hands.
And far les for
Religion, can they bee,
Exyld or thrald, or els where, forcd to flee:
Whilst there's libertie of
Conscience giuen,
To
Greeks and all kynd
Christianes vnder Heaven,
Through all his large
Dominions: want nought els,
Saue onely this, the vse of ringing Bells:
Nay I vow God; they liue more free of cares,
Vnder their Lords, then Myne do vnder theirs:
Then be no more deceau'd; recall tymes past!
How
Greeks, haue gulld you, goulding them so fast,
But if you will bee fooles, when knaves thus passes?
Yee merit what they make you,
Dolts and
Asses.
My
Hostes,
The flatry of Hostillaries.
and
Hostesses, in every house,
Can make their
Guests so welcome they'le carrouse:
With merryment and laughter; tell a Tale,
Of
Robin Hood, and
Wallace; make their Ale,
Flee out of Pynts in Quarts: but being come,
To whats to pay? the
Hostesse beats the
Drumme!
Vp, vp,
Good-man; away; there's one in haist!
Must speeke with you, Come? fy, he's almost past,
The
Hoste thus gone, the honest
Guest must stay,
And for
Thome Tratler, all the reckning pay.
So now,
The scarcity of small Moneyes.
my Coyning-house, doth idle stand,
And there no Pictures, stampd with Irne nor hand:
[Page]There are no moneyes going, nor golden collours,
Sa
[...]e
Dutch, and
Holland, Saxone, Austrian dollours:
Now all are
Dollors; Dollors ought can doe,
And when they want them, they haue
Dollours too:
For but them, with them,
Dollors frequent be,
Dollors in want, and
Dollers when they flee:
But worst, ther's no small money can bee had,
Nor change for gold or silver; Men are made
Often for lack of change, to leaue, or losse
Whole, half, or part, of their twyse Dollourd drosse
Men can not buy nor fell; Men can not barter;
And
Hostlaries smart too in eu'ry quarter.
So
Charity is curbd; Men can not giue
Their Almes, that would faine the poore relieue:
Then (Sir) there's
Copper, Copper too is cheap,
Grieue not thy government, nor Moneyes keep,
Of so small valew, from thy
Commouns hand,
Which still breeds wealth, and
Commerce in my Land:
In this both
Spaine, and
Italy are blest,
With
France and
Germany, and
Holland best;
Where most part of their moneys are in brasse,
And freely too from hand to hand do passe:
Then (Sir) cause coyne,
Plaks, Achesons, and
Turners;
Ought will suffice to stop the mouths of
Mourners.
Now eu'ry office beares the name of Lord,
The abuses of d
[...]verse offices falsly
[...] Lords.
And honour much injurd by wrong record:
First then, for Lords of Session, none should be
Call'd Lords for no respect, of what degree;
Saue onely two,
Lord Chauncelor for his place,
And the
Lord President; the rest I trace
But worshipfull and reverend, they're no more,
All
Europe with the lyke, the lyke decore;
And next my
Shrieue, by heritage, or yeare,
Must be call'd Lordship, els he will not heare:
Then there's Lord
Provost plac'd in eu'ry towne,
And
Iack made Lord was yesterday a clowne.
[Page]Yea, some-where there's Lord
Baillie, and Men must
Vpon his Sheep-drawne shaddow Lordship thrust:
So
Deanes of Gild are Lords; O Burges boords!
Whilst Towne and Church
Treasurers too are Lords;
And yet their Lordships in a commoun tale,
Can mixe their graue discourse with Pynts of Ale.
S
[...]me Kirks and Colledges afford I see
Lord
Rector, Lord
Archdeane, Lord how do yee?
So also is Lord
Lyon grauely Lorded,
Who more for worth than stile, is here recorded:
Next, there Lord
Doctor of the shyting Potion,
Who for some
recipe, (not for devotion)
Must be palmestrat, with red imag'd Ore,
For which his Lordship thanks the good
grandgore.
In comes Lord
Commisser, and he protests
For
Clyents and decreets, whilst yet, there rests
Some fatall Testments, which he must recall,
To be confirmed, then thanks death for all:
Then there's Lord
Constable with his Nights Crue;
Of frozen
Bussards, that will call on you,
Come to the Lord
Constable, come, or go
To prison▪ speek, what say you? yea; or no;
The
Passenger, before his greatnesse come,
One single quart will stryke his Lordsheep dombe.
And last, to Lord them all, there are
Trone Lords,
Which beare sad
Burdens, bund with rops and cords,
That sometimes serue the
Hangman, Scaffolds make
For execution, and for justice sake:
All which are Lords; of diverse ranks each Creature,
Even from the judges to the scume of Nature:
But if that any Kingdome can afford,
In all the world, the like name of a
Lord;
I'le be c
[...]ntent to pawne my
Pilgrimes lyfe,
For he best knowes how to decyde such stryfe:
Yet
anagram me Lordes, O now take heed!
And yee shall find my Lords turne
drols indeed:
[Page]And so most are, (both
Colledges exceptd)
And true
Lord Barons, falsly intercepted
By
Ruffian Fopperyes; which corruption brings,
On Noble stiles, not given them of
Kings;
Which if it be not help'd whats more ado?
But stile my
Pilgrime, LORD TRAVELLER too.
As for my
Castles,
The
[...] of Castles and Sea Ports.
and my
Marine Ports,
The first decay, the other, they want forts:
Would
Leith, Inchkeith, and
May, were sconsd and block'd,
As for
Dunbertane it is stongly rock'd:
But more by
Nature, than by
Airt I see,
Whose mouldring walls brought low, defective be:
Which if thine eyes surveigh, Thou'll cause amend it,
And for its situat strength (doubtles) commend it:
Blaknes that Dungeon must be still kept dry,
Least with the levell ground it swaking ly:
Yet stately
Snadoun, Strivelings Castelld beauty,
It still reserues for
Thee a thankfull duety:
Yea; if when need, a fort of great
Defence,
Whence linking
Forth, Meander-crook'd, runnes thence.
As for thy
Pallace, LITHGOVV,
Fawlkland too,
And
Halyrude-house, Mansions, when ado;
Though now well kept, I feare long absence may,
Turne thine
Auncestors Stations to decay:
And no great wonder, how can they abide?
When
Thou and
Thine shall els where still resyde:
For
Edinburghs fortresse it stoutely stands,
High-tip-toe rockd, o'relooking Sea and Lands:
Where
Iames the Iust, of blest renowne, thy
Syre,
Was borne, and got the Crowne of this
Empyre.
Would
Soundbroughhead, in
Zetland were intrenchd,
And
Skalloway, neare
Laxford too reflanchd;
And that
Orcadian Kirkwall, eke rampierd,
With
Cafasound, that harbour much admir'd:
Then would these Iles, Septentrion safer bee,
When made defensiue gainst the
Hostile S
[...]:
[Page]But for most other parts, few can offend them,
S
[...]a-sandy Shelfs, and Craggy Coasts defend them:
As for my westerne Iles, they need no hould;
Each
[...]ander himselfe is Bulwark bould:
Yet (Sir) looke to it, least my
Forts decay,
And these thy
Mansions fall, and rot away.
Now come I to
Land-passages, and see,
I find defects, would GOD could helped bee:
Where are these
Bridges, over Rivers plac'd?
Which sometymes haue my
Body maynely grac'd
Nay; they're ruind, els vtterly decay'd
Whose vntected
Arches, spoi
[...]'d, are quite deray'd:
Most waters now haue neither
Bridge nor
Boat,
Which makes so many sink, or helplesse float.
What should I speake of
Perths outragious
Tay?
That shortly twyse hath tane her
Bridge away:
The d
[...]fect of Bridges.
But wayle the losse, that
Towne receav'd thereby;
And for remeed to
Thee, my
Sou'raigne cry!
O Gracious Sir! cause build that Bridge againe,
And flank each
Columne with hornd
Arches twaine:
T
[...] stones more long and larger than before,
The
Arches wyder, doubling on each Shoare:
Which made more high and wyde, the strugling flood,
May ca
[...]mely vent, and not proue half so rude:
For which good work, the
Countrey being easd,
Thou shalst be praisd, and GOD therein well pleasd.
There many other
Rivers, Brookes, and
Strands,
Streames, Rills, and
Torrents, march-divyding
Lands:
Would faine be bridg'd, made passable and plank'd,
Men might find way, and
Benefactors thank'd:
But where's the
Earle, Baron, Laird, or
Knight?
Will prove so charitable, though he might:
[...] ▪ there's no
Commoun-wealth, nor commoun works,
[...] of them building Nests for Chimney
Storks:
But to
[...] trueth, in times past, and of late,
[...] and Cl
[...]ister had their swagg
[...]ing state:
[Page]Th
[...]se good and beneficiall deeds abounded,
Which now by vs are ruind, rent, and wounded:
And yet my
Nobles, brooke these
Tythes and rents,
Supply'd this charge, which many one repents:
For them, what good they doe therewith, its knowne,
They fat thems
[...]lues, then leaue it to their owne.
Then to helpe this, cause eu'ry
Land-Lord, lo!
Through whose just bounds, thy
Market Streets do goe;
To build, sustaine, repayre, whats in decay,
And over lets, to make free passage way:
But if this task may seeme to great for one,
Then let the
Shyre helpe him where it's done:
And as the work to modifie the meane,
Wherein the vulgars formost still are seene:
So shall this Nation blesse
Thee, praise them too,
When
Landed Men this
Christian good shall do.
Now for my losses, by the
Hostile Sea,
Incursary Losses by Sea.
These long fiue yeares, in numbers many be:
The
Divelish Dunkirker ransacks my Ships,
And with the scourge of Pryde my fortune whips,
Along the shivring tops of rouzing billowes,
Menassing
Mars and
Neptune; all he swallowes
Within the throat of
Hatred; and he fills
Their
Flandrian Ports with
Masts, as high as Hills;
My Men are captiues, and their goods are lost
To them, and theirs; thy foe of too free cost,
Enjoyeth all, and then, at randon lets
Mens liues and freedome; if he ransome gets:
And ly even as they please on
Aermouths coast
Or
Humber mouth, where all my Ships are lost:
Where then my
Cursars? Where thy Men of war?
Nay, when they see them, hover off a far;
And basely suffer thine
Enemies to prey,
Vpon thy subjects, making no supply:
If this be right, or if warres be intended?
I wish a better course, els they were ended.
[Page]Besides these Sea-bred griefs;
The misery of War.
ah! now I see,
Through spatious
Europe a deformitie:
What strange combustions, tumults, and vproares?
Are here and there, alwhere the Sword it goares:
O wretched Tyme! most barbarous and rude,
To see the
Christian World, drunk dead with blood;
And not one Kingdome left without cursd jarres,
So vniversall are these woefull warres:
Kings against
Kings, Nation against
Nation,
Perfites the Prophecy of
Desolation:
The like deludge, reciprocating stryfe,
Was not, since last,
Rome lost her
Tribune lyfe:
O woefull warre! which lessens wealth, and strength,
And brings the ruynes of ruine at length:
It doth dishonour
Honour, and degrad
The mighty Man from what his greatnesse had:
Even like the rage of the impetuous flood,
Debording from his banks, leaues slyme and mood.
To choke the fertile plaines, supplants the rootes
Of
Hearbs and
Trees, defaceth quite the fruits
Of grapes and grayne; and often breaks the walls
Of strongest
Townes, whereon destruction falls.
Even so the fury of the bloody
Warre!
In breking downe the bonds of Peace, debarre
The links of
Loue and
Alliance, quite defaceth
The libertie of
Nature, and disgraceth
The ornaments of
Tyme, and cuts the throat
Of Martiall
Darlings; then casts vp the lot
Of desolation, which destroyeth all,
Which can to meane, or mighty Men befall:
What though to lyfe, we all but one way came▪
Yet diverse wayes we go out of the same:
So fatall
Sword decrees
Deaths worst and best;
Mans Epilogue
to be, nunc mortuus est.
Then heere's the
Catastrophe! warfare brings,
For
Pre
[...]er losse the present thought of things.
[Page]As
Christendome may curse that
Counte of
Torne,
The day that he was got, bred, breathd, or borne:
For diverse causes in
Matthias tyme,
Which ah of late! turn'd to a vulgar cryme.
So may a lesser World, a greater cur
[...]e
Impose on some, whose ruind drifts were worse:
But tush, let
Fortune wag, the
Balls runne on;
The
Wheele in pieces chatter, all is One:
There is a day, when
Tyme shall bring to dust,
There falshood and false houours most injust:
Let
Caperculion, Musick Nigromancers,
French fidling playes,
and blind dissembling Dauncer
[...],
Enveigle heavie
Tymes, and runne the
Snout
Of trecherie vpon a fakeles rout:
There is a
Maskerat, will ones discover
The lenth twixt
Reize and
Calz, from
Calz to
Do
[...]r.
Take heed of
Sinons teares, take heed of this
False-smyling
Clepho, with a
Iudas kisse:
Mongst sweetest flowres the link-layd Serpents ly,
And lurking sting, the harmelese goers by:
So vnder fairest words, the fal
[...]est heart
Doth pry, and dyue, to work some grievous smart;
For it is incident to Courteours still,
To speak one way and haue another will:
But much more in the
Minion, who pretends
A Sou'raigne
Mateship for his trechrous ends:
Which, though his greatnesse springs not from true merit,
But from the pow'r of loue, which
Kings inherit:
Yet often, and too often, ab! I find,
That
Kingly favours, breed a false, false mynd:
And seldome eu'r escapes without retort,
So doubtful are the dangers of a Court.
So present tymes,
[...]
may for example trade
On
Duke de Lerma, whom
Don Phillip made
His
Mineon, and his
Oracle, his guide;
The
King being simple, meek, and mollify'd▪
[Page]This m
[...]ane borne gentle-man, now made a
Prince,
Did swallow vp ambition; and from thence,
The dr
[...]gs of Avarice, dishonest greed,
And fr
[...]m his
Prince hee stole, not having need;
In nyne yeares tyme, full eight
Millions of gould,
Wh
[...]st
Phillips Loue was dearer bought, than sould:
At last d
[...]te
[...]t'd, and all his knaveries knowne,
His Spanish
Motto in these words were showne:
El mayor ladron del Mondo; Para non morir aorcado,
Vestiose, de collorado, &c. and englishd thus,
The greatest Theefe, the oldest Knaue'
That Hell,
the Divell,
or Spane
could haue;
To shunne the
Gallowes, hee with speed,
Did cloth himselfe in collour red.
For he turnd
Cardinall, and gaue the
Pope,
Two hundreth thousand Crownes to slee the rope▪
So had this
Duke his
Mineon, eke a
Don,
Made
Marques too, call'd
Roderick Calderon:
Who following
Lermaes footsteps, wax'd so bould,
That he stole too four
Millions of pure gould:
Which being discoured for his fellonie,
This courtly Theefe hee was condemn'd to dye:
The lyke and like againe I could produce,
But this may serue for to shut vp the sluce.
O! if that Kings! as they are Kings would look,
Admonitious f
[...]
[...]ing
[...]
And read lyke records of as blak a book:
Sure they would see great errours they commit,
In giving trust to any
Parasit;
But thou blest King, thou art not cary'd so,
Thou canst discerne thy friend from secret foe:
And will not be the same that thou do'st seeme,
How fond soever vulgare censures deeme:
Yet in times past, the like erronious errours,
Haue bred to
Kings and
Kingdomes, helples terrours:
Who from himselfe bequeaths himselfe, and
State.
(And in his crowne would haue a rivall
Mate)
[Page]Vnto anothers gouernment, and will;
God knowes some
Puppy, voyd of wit and skill
He is but half a Man, and not his owne,
Yea sometymes scarce, the half that I haue showne,
For he thats led, and ruld by others pleasure,
In judgement, nor in justice, keeps no measure.
As KINGS are absolute, so, should they be,
As absolute, in sound dexteritie.
Saue in great matters, than to be advysd,
By
Counsells graue, or they be interprysd:
If not and so, that one, must needs rule all,
Be't Lyf, or
Honour, Liberty, or thrall:
Looke to the events, doubtfully confusd.
Whilst or the
Bird be hatchd the
Egge is bruisd;
What
Dauid sayd of lyke? I'le praysing tell,
He begd of GOD, to send them quick to Hell:
So KINGS haue perishd, and their
Kingdomes falne
In cruell bondage, and their
People thralne:
Lyke made young
Osman, loose his
Princely Lyfe,
Which filld his
Kingdomes, with intestine stryf,
So the last
Hungar King, was crossd and sackt,
And by his
Minion, sould, ruynd, and wrackt:
But why? should I, examplify, so much,
Since thou hast deep experience of such:
Yet he is happy, makes anothers fall,
A warning to prevent vntymely thrall.
Ah! and thryse ah! so
Germany is layd,
The ruine of Germany.
Vnder the
Spanyards foote; and
Austria made,
The head of that
Empyre: greef beyond sorrow,
To see proud
Tirants, from ten
Princes burrow:
Such helples loanes; that neither sword nor might,
Nor Law nor Reason, can recall their right.
O! that one blow! one
Tyme! O! angry fates!
Should ruyne both
Religion there, and
States:
Cursd be the spight of that vntymely doome,
Which
Spaine divyseth, and confirmd by
Rome:
[Page]
Spaine seekes dominion, and the
Popes impart,
Them power to swallow all, so they haue part:
And
Thee, a
[...]d thy three
Kingdomes too, they would,
Cast in the fornace, of a
Spanish Mould.
Yet Tyme may lash,
The Span▪ yards insatiable greed of
[...].
the force of thy prowd foe,
And make ambition, subject to lyke woe:
Who seeks
Kings ruine, and would domineere
O're all the
Vniverse, yea, and vpreare,
The base record, of
Vandals Gothes, and
Hunnes,
Of whome they're come
Men, Daughters, Wyues, and
Sounes,
Whose greed most
Indian Soyles, can not contayne,
Nor large
Americk the old, and new namd
Spaine:
The Sea
[...]coast
Affrick Townes;
Atlantick Iles;
Nor
Ballearen; nor
Sardinian Styles:
The fat
Suilian playnes, got by the blood,
Of murtherd
Gaules, can not his pryde includ,
Nor the
Apulian, Callabrian Lands, and more,
The Seate of
Naples, the
Lavorean Shoare:
The
Millane Dutchy, nor
Pavian bounds;
The racked
Belgia, nor the high
Burgounds;
The
Pyrheneian Navarre, the
Voltelyne;
Can not this
Monsters Monarchy, confyne:
For if he could, he would, himselfe invest,
From
Pole, to
Pole, and so from East to West:
Yet doubtles Tyme, his pryde and greed shall dash,
And raze his might, for so can fortune lash.
Thou mayst recall herein▪ that cruell payne.
And bloody Tortures,
Lithgows
[...] and cruell torturs inflicted vpon him in Malaga.
LITHGOVV had in
Spaine,
Which for CHRISTS sake, his Countrey and thy
Syre
He patiently endur'd, O! thou mayst admyre:
His constancy for Trueth, and for that
Treason,
Injustly layd on him, beyond all reason:
Being in tyme of Peace, and no suspect,
Of breach; but what they falsly did detect:
And hauing too, thy
Fathers Seales, and
Hand,
For to protect him, to the
Aethiope Land:
[Page]Whose lyse, the
English factors seeing surgrieud,
By meanes of Noble
Aston, him relieud:
What Tongue? what Pen? what Mynd can well expresse?
Or Heart conceaue? his Torments mercyles:
Nay; none but thy late
Father, rightly weighd,
And
Parliament; how they his Peace inveighd:
For which (deare royall IAMES,) had full regard,
His Suffrings, and his Trauells, to reward:
Yea, graciously maintaynd him, tooke delight,
To heare his rare discourse, of forraine sight:
Then
(Sir) make fals, this Proverbe, turne his Debte
[...],
There seldome, comes
(Men say) a Father better,
Say though hee had not for thy
Crowne, bene croft,
Rackd, bruisd, disjoynted, and his
Fortunes lost:
With all these moneyes, thy
Syre did him gift,
And Thow Thy self, for to advance his drift:
With Papers, Observations, Patents, Seales.
Which now are lost, and lost for aye, he feeles:
Yet doe his Trauells merit, his rare adventers:
His wandring long, beyond the Earths full Centers:
His curious drifts, his slighting wretched gaines;
His much-admyrd attempts! his matchles paines,
His Fame hee wonne thereby, to Mee and Myne,
Leauing my stamp, on Earths remotest
Shryne:
And where I was not knowne, did annalize,
My Name in records, of true
Sacrifice:
Yea did acquaint Mee, with each kynd of thing.
That pregnant Knowledge, could contentment bring;
Strengths, Townes, Castles,
Cittadales and
Forts,
Distance of places,
Regions, Iles, and
Ports,
Their maners too, and living, rites, and Lawes,
Customes and gouernment, Religious Sawes:
Of
Turke, and
Iew, Arabian, Greek, and Moore,
Sabunck, and
Coptie, the
Egyptian glore:
The
Cypriot, Tartyr, Creet, and
Turcoman,
The grosse
Armenian, Sun-burnt
Affrican;
[Page]The
Abasine and whyte
Moore; the
Nestorian,
The
Chelfane, Iacobin, Syriack Georgian;
The
Amaronite, Lybian, and
Nigroe black,
B
[...]sydes all
Europe, in a word to take:
All these and reasons, many hundreds moe,
Deser
[...]e that
(Sir) thou shouldst appease his woe.
For he's the first, of
Trauells, ever wrot,
Since my all-Virgine Wombe, first bred a
Scot:
The Prince of
Pilgrimes, Father of them all,
And greatest
Traueller, Earths circling Ball,
Can
Europs eye affoord: O happy
Man!
Whose mynd feasts, on rare sights; which none els can;
There Thousand Thousands, eu'ry where complayne,
That thy just bounty, should him not sustayne,
But hath imposd vpon him, a sore greef,
To make my Bowells, yeeld him now releef:
Where ah! there's nought, but povertie and pryde,
And misregard to
Merit, so wele try'd:
I could be more
Pathetick, in his greef,
But that were too indulgent, I'le be breef,
Then
(Sir) For my request, thy
Soyle, thy
Nation,
Help LITHGOVVS want, relieue his desolation.
Then shall thy bounty praise
Thee, place thine
Heart,
On merits Glory, gracious to desert.
To speek of ruind
Churches, vntectd, vnwalld,
Left vnprovyded,
[...] Churches.
stipend-vnenstalld,
Into my Borders,
Iles, and High-land parts,
Which deep experience, to my sight imparts.
It would too tedious be, and prolixe proue;
So I'
[...]e desist, the helpe ly'th in thy Loue;
Which euer yet, thou zealously exprest,
For GODS true Glory, in thy lyse profest.
But true it is, the
Lairds which owe the ground,
Are causes why, they thus abusd are found.
But more than this, there
Preachers, that are placd,
Within my
Maine▪ and orderly imbracd
[Page]Yet can not get their stipends, and
Church rent,
Withont contestion, and great discontent.
The
Parish Laird, or Lord, objects some clause,
Ministers wrongd by their Parish Lairds
Against the
Pastors, Ministeriall cause,
Els thus in robbing, of his yearely fee,
To force him both, from Church and Parish flee:
This done for law they goe, to plead it out,
Till slyding yeares, and months, runne thryse about.
Which now makes
Edinburgh, each
Session bee,
So full of Preachers, swarming as I see:
Whilst ah, their flocks at home, are evill taught,
And
Gods blest
Sabboth, too prophanely fraught,
With drunken Vyce, and lewd laschivious sin,
Which without Doctrine, soone comes creeping in:
Thus many Preists are plagud; and vnrelieu'd,
The people perish, honest hearts are grieud,
The Lairds triumph, in their ambitious hate,
And care not for GODS worship, nor Mans state,
Which if it be not helpd O grieuous crosse!
I feare
Religion, shall haue the losse.
So with this grieuance, I bequeath the rest,
To be reformd by
Thee, and soone redrest:
Then weigh them right, into thy judgement just,
That these confusions may be brought to dust:
So shall this
Land be happy, liue in rest,
By thy good
Gouernment; when Trueth thryse blest,
Shall Crowne thy Iustice; and when Vyce shall be,
And errours grosse, repayrd in equitie.
The
Parliament done,
A recommendetiou of all the Protestant Nobles to his Maiestie.
now I must commend,
Some Nobles to thy Loue, and so I'le end:
Make much of
Hamilton, my
Princely Peere;
Thy choysest Subject, and thy
Cousing Deare.
Whose
Syre, whose
Grandsyre, whose
Pedegree,
For faithfull service, to thy Crowne and
Mee;
Deserve the
Mausolaeon Tombe; Cariaes wonder,
To blaze thereon, their
[...]ame; and for to thunder.
[Page]To Tymes succeeding; in mem'rie of worth,
Their Noble actions: set so lyvely forth:
To each declyning Age: That even his part,
Their former Lyves, stamps in his hopefull Heart:
Whose greatnes is my Mirrour, and whose light,
Illuminats my
Westerne bounds by right:
Whence gratefull CLYDE, redounds from chearefull banks,
To that
Illustrious Youth, ten thousand thanks.
To pen, and praise to
Thee,
The house of Mar.
that house of
Mar,
In Mee were odious; since thou knowst how far;
It do
[...]h surpasse most others: for that
Lord,
Deserues my
Chronicle, for to record,
His
Providence, and
Wisdome; whilst his deeds,
Do trample vpon Vertue; whence succeeds:
So many
Sonnes and
Daughters: O! rare birth!
Whome GOD may long blesse, and preserue on Earth:
That as their
Syre, in his matchles fame,
So they them selues, may still retayne the same;
Whilst Glory, vpon Glory, shall redowne,
To them and Theirs, an euer-fixd renowne:
As for that hopefull Youth,
Montrose.
the young
Lord Grahame,
Iames Earle of
Montrose; whose war-lyke Name,
Sprung from redoubted worth, made Manhood try▪
Their matchles deeds, in vnmatchd
Chiualry:
I doe bequeath him, to thy gracious Loue,
Whose Noble Stocke, did euer faithfull prove:
To thyne old-agd
Auncestors; and my bounds,
Were often freed, from thraldome, by their wounds:
Leauing their roote, the stamp, of fidele trueth,
To be inherent, in this noble Youth:
Whose Hearts, whose Hands, whose Swords, whose Deeds, whose Fame
Made
Mars for valour, cannonize the
Grahame.
Wherein
Muntieth,
Munteith.
that auncient
Earle may,
Plead for his part, whose right retaines it aye,
In
One, and the same
Stock, being branchd, and graft,
By discent in it, and whose Lawrell shaft:
[Page]Of Honour aymes it, for his worth may clayme;
The
Caledonean Mantle, in the
Grahame.
To rouze the trueth, which still must passage find,
Rothouse.
Of worthy
Rothus, and his learned Mynd;
I doe admyre him, for his gifts most rare,
Which few can paralell, nor yet compare;
With him for auncient Blood, nor present worth,
Which pregnant deeds, and Learned parts set forth.
Now plead I for the Earle
Home,
The
Earle Home.
and see,
That
Martiall Name, did much for Thyne, and Mee:
They were my
Bulwark, in the easterne Border,
And keept my Nyghbour foes, in awfull order:
For
Home, deryvd of
Homo, is a
Man,
And
Merse, of
Mars, so
[...]
Home, and
Merse, I scan:
Whose auncient services, and moderne Loue,
Deserve of
Thee great thanks, rewards of
Iove:
Who by just merit, weare the
Sanguine Rose,
Of all these Confynes, which my Lists enclose.
So paynt I foorth, with pensile-drawing hand,
That noble Mirrour,
Marshall of my land:
There's Noble
Cassells too,
The Earls▪ in generall.
and gallant
Mortoun,
Deserue, as they enjoy, Auspicuous Fortune,
With
Murray, Ainzie, Sutherland, and
Lorne,
Lithgow, Eglintoun, Wigton,
and Kingorne:
Buckcleuch,
and Buchan, Hadington, Glencarne▪
Roxbrough, Galloway, Sea-Forth, Tillibarne;
Cathnes, Dumfermling, Kellie, Lawderdale;
Perth, Louthian too;
Crawfurd, and
Annandale,
And last, though first, so first, and last now looke,
Vpon thy blood and kinsman,
Lennox Duke.
All which are
Peeres, by true
Religion Crownd,
And Honour too, thy faithfull friends renownd.
Though here I place most, not as order growes,
But from my kyndnes, as affection flowes,
Let
Heraulds rank them, its enough for Mee,
To show their Names, and keepe true Poesie.
[Page]As for Lord
Barons, Lyndesay and
Cath Cart,
Boyd, Rosse,
[...]ord Ba
[...]ons.
and
Yester, Forbus, pious
Heart:
Lord Viscont Dupline, Chauncelor
of my State,
With
Marcheston, as good, as now made great:
Sinclair, and
Saltoun; Lowdon, in the West,
With
Elphingston, and
Burley, I protest:
Borthwick, and
Dalyiell, Oglebie, and
Skune,
Cowper,
and Ramsay, Bruntilland, Lord Doune:
Lovit, Halyrudehouse, Cranston, Blantyre,
Kinclevin, Balmarinoch, Lindores, Kintyre:
Madertie, Torphichen,
and Viscont Aire;
Carnagy, Drumlanerk, Weems,
and Traquaire:
Dessurd, and
Iedburgh, Colvin: And how far.
May I, even with the best, bring
Lochinvar:
With
Luce, and
Waghton, Iohnson, too and
Keire,
Who know'th but they may
Lords be the next yeare?
Drum and
Glennorchy too, I well may rank,
In way of Honour, sitting at their flank.
All these bee thyne, thy
Darlings, and the knot,
Which tye my freedome, to each worthy
Scot;
Being religious Lords, and wele reformd,
From Superstition, and to trueth conformd:
And if some be not so, (dissemblers then)
They're scoffing Atheists, irreligious Men:
For if the inward, with the outward show
Agree not; then they're
Hipocrits I know.
But each and all of them, doe make profession,
Of CHRISTS reformed
Church, by cleare confession▪
As for my
Papist Lords, its hard to say,
The Condition of Papist Lords.
Whether the
Pope, or
Thee, they best obey.
For Mee, I will not count them, nor make doubt,
But they may soone be tould, being here left out,
But this I may avouch, though they're enclynd,
In show to
Thee; Rome keeps their heart and mynd:
Contayning more, seven Hills within her walles,
And why, not too, their silly Hearts and Saules:
[Page]For there are holes and Caues, and ruind Pits,
And
Vineyards too, to which my
Papist flits:
Yea; stinking Pudles, of
Sodomitick lyues,
Where best the
Boy with the
Cardinall thryues.
Yea; and this
Pope Vrban, ones my Protector,
To
Masculine mis'rye was
Architector:
Witnesse Bullogne, Ravenna, Ferrare Torine,
Ancona
too, plac'd by the Adrian Marine,
What then
Romes Legat, that's now
Pope committed?
It were an odious thing to be omitted:
For when my Youths, he then surnamd my head
Came to him, seeking succour: O! then with speed!
If that the face was good, he soone calld in,
And gaue them Crownes, with blak
Gomorrahaes sin:
Witnesse
Iack Ogelbie, thou canst report,
What way this
Pope, thy screeking
Bomb did court?
For which this
Lad beene grieu'd in very spight,
He stole nyne hundreth Crownes, and took the flight,
From this same
Pope, then
Card'nall Barbarino;
And came to
Venice, crossd the
Alpes to
Rhino.
I could tell tyme and place, and how he vsd
This Youth with many moe, whom he abusd:
But now
Divell fetch him, what should I reveale?
He lou'd my
Lads posteriour parts too wele:
In
Rome and
Italy was never seene,
A greater
Sodomit than he hath beene:
He was my
Scots Protector, and infected them,
With beastly filthinesse, so he protected them.
Then heere's their
Pope, his Holinesse indeed;
CHRISTS
Viccar, S
t.
Peters heyre, their
Churches head!
O!
Monster against
Nature! O
Desolation!
O
filthy Wretch! O vyld abomination!
Downe stinking Sow, downe Beast to
Plutoes Cell,
In stead of
Heaven, keepe there the Ports of
Hell.
Now Priest haue with thee, for a single bout,
For well could I (if tyme seru'd) paynt thee out▪
[...]
[Page]What's now thy
Masse? (come tell me) nay its such;
A foolish sopprie, that I dare avouch.
It is the sink of Sinne, the nest of errour;
The gulfe of
Superstition; and the
Mirrour
Of blinded
Ignorance; whose mumbling mood;
Even in the action is not vnderstood.
And there's the
Masse, Idolatrie compleets▪
The
Priest, his owne
Creator frames and eats:
But more thy
Blasphemy; O subtile foxe!
That dares to lock thy GOD within a
Boxe;
To be consum'd with
Mothes, and wormish gnats,
Yea; worne with
Tyme, and eaten vp with
Rats:
As for thy
Miracles, and penny-
pardons,
Thy purging
Pit, Indulgences, and
Guerdons:
I know what thou confessd, thou touldst mee plaine,
They were but forged leyes, for getting gayne:
I could at length show hundreths of like errours:
Whose works, and wayes, of
Hell, are meerest
Mirrours▪
O what delusions? and what Divelish drifts?
Of cursd suggestions, in the jugling shifts;
Of false Opinion, intricat their braines
With blind diversion; and with halting straynes,
Of bould Presumption; thus dare cast the Mould,
Of their incestuous lust; for now behould!
They trust in their owne labours, and degresse
From GODS true worship, in their mumbling
Masse.
But for my Noble Brood,
[...]eignoance of
[...]apists.
and crew of
Papists,
They liue more by opinion, as do
Atheists.
Than any sound construction; for tradition
Is all they looke for in their superstition:
Yet when my
Church threats excomunication,
As soone they find some wrested dispensation,
Or els forbearance: why? Because they're Earles,
And court
Thy Court, to beg
Thy favour
Charles:
Let this be help'd, for both to hould, and hunt,
Is more than ever sound
Religion wont.
[Page]And call to minde what
David he would do,
First clenge his
house, and then his
Kingdome too:
Say, if the Spring be sowre, how can the streame
Be sweet; or how can light from darknesse gleam
[...]?
For great
Ones they are
Presidents, and may
Bring good or bad into a commoun swey:
So People by example, more than
Loue,
Are brought to follow what
Superiours moue.
O! if I might, as
Pastors ought and should
GODS judgements show, and not for flattry hould;
I soone would show the cause why GODS offended,
And plagues vs so in all our, drifts intended.
But now allace! Mens earthly mynded
[...]avour:
Can wound their zeale, and blind their sight for favour:
Yet of all
Preachers, which my bounds contayne,
There's onely
Ramsay of
Drumfreis takes payne;
To curb, and to convert, or els bring vnder
These stinging
Wasps of ignorance the wonder;
For he is placd in midst of the worst fry,
Of all these
Locusts, which GODS word deny.
But true it is,
Lack of Charity.
these
Idole-servers may,
Laugh at our coldnesse in good works this day:
There is no Charity, nor true intent,
By the disposers of it, done, or meant;
As ringing
Bells cite others to the
Church,
But they themselues neu'r enter at the
Porch:
So many
Cymballs sound through diverse throates,
And rayse their voyces contrare to their notes:
Whilst all their
Tunes in such distracted mirth,
Are clog'd with clay, heart-grown vnto the Earth:
Which LITHGOVVS surveigh of my bounds, I know,
More amply shall in plainer tearmes show:
There's heere a mystery, which few can tell,
Vnles
Theology the passage spell.
Yet aboue all, let
Priests, and
Papists be,
For
[...]'d to convert, or banish'd quite from Mee:
[Page]And show them no more ruth, then they show Myne,
In
Spaine, and
Rome, who strictly punish Thyne:
For it stands good, that lyke, for lyke againe,
Should be inflictd, lyke punishment, lyke paine.
Now touch I
Menstrie, fraught with crimson flames,
Sir Willi
[...]m Alexander Lord
[...]
[...]f Scotland
Of
Acedalian fyre; whom
Hymen frames,
The
Muses Darling; whilst
Appollo vowes,
To sit betwene the
Temples of his browes;
And there knit
Garlands, twist with
Delphian bayes,
To crowne his sacred strayne, with divyne prayse:
Whence hee proclaymes him,
Prince, of
Poets all,
That ever
Albion bred, or could enstall:
But what I most admyre, and must commend,
Are these his rare adventures, he do'th send:
Hence t'
Americk; whence
Cannada confynes,
His new layd limits:
Reason too combynes,
A constant resolution, there to plant,
My
Noua Scotia; where nothing can want,
For grounds both fat, and fertile; their cur
[...]ing plaines,
Are cled with Woods; there wealth to Countrey
Swaines,
May copiously aryse: Their
Rye and
Wheat,
With Cornes and grayne, might soone be brought compleet:
There
Pastorage excells, their fish abound,
There flying Foule, and speedy
Cerfs are found:
The Soyle, a Climat cleare, the Seasons fayre,
Where fragrant fruits surpasse, Hearbs grow most rare▪
To which if that my Nobles, would but lend,
Their helping hands, and their provision send,
Of Folks and Bestiall, Seed, and euery thing,
O what encrease should this Plantation bring!
In doing which, they should enlarge my Name,
Making my bowells, famous, in their fame:
And to which end, I vow, my
Pilgrime would
Adventure too, provyding he had gould.
There CHRIST shall be professd, the
Gospell preachd,
And savage
Bruites borne there, Salvation teachd:
[Page]For which braue
Menstrie, in his matchles merit,
Shall prayse on
Earth, reward from
Heaven inherit:
Then
Alexander, let that
Province be,
Call'd
Alexandria, from this Name of
Thee;
That after Ages may the same record,
Thou was the first
Plantator there, and
Lord;
Which simpathizeth well with that great King,
The
Macedonian Conqu'rour, who did bring
The easterne World in bonds, made
Ganges be,
The
Frontier of his
fortunes; leaving
Thee,
This
Patrimoniall place, the westmost
Mayne;
For to renew his memorie againe:
So
Menstrie, Thou, with
Asiaes great Commander,
Shall twise succeed, a second
Alexander.
Last plead I for my selfe, now my request,
Most Royall Sir, flowes from a prostrat brest;
Scotlands recommendation to his Maiestie.
Even from the
Torrid Zone of myne affection;
I beg
Thy deepest
Loue, and deare
Protection:
That twixt
Thy Heart and
Soule, two
Tropicks great,
I vnder-plac'd, may find
Thy radiant heat:
Whose tender Care, whose Deeds, whose Zeale Divyne,
May be
Heavens Aequinox to Mee, and Mine:
That from
Thy Beames, I frozen, may recoile,
As hot a flame, as Parcheth,
Aethiops Soile:
So shall these
Circles, Hemi-spheares of
Loue,
And these fix'd
Planets, which no storme can moue;
Be my sole
Zodiack, and the
Horizon,
For to perfite, and crowne my glistring
Zone:
That
Thou my
Worlds great eye, and thy designes,
May happy be, through
Heavens Celestiall signes:
So shall my
Faith, and duety, be the
Polles,
Whereon the
Axle-Tree, of thy
Scepter rolles:
Whence let these rayes
Antartick, thy best glory
Reflexe on Mee, thine
Artick Soile, growne hoary▪
And though my
Saturne Cape salutes the
Starre,
Which guides most Pilots, yet who can debarre?
[Page]Mine
Iles, and Mayne dimensious bounds to yeeld
Thee, Martialists, the best on earth for field:
I am thine eldest
Daughter, and my
Birth;
Thy nearest
Subjects living vpon
Earth.
But why plead I so much? Why paint I forth?
My
Sonnes in their illuminary worth:
Since thou art postng back to
Isis banks,
And leaues me naked, onely cled with thanks
[...]
Now must I spinne my long spunne web,
Scotland
[...] sorrow for his Maiesties quick returne.
and knit
Penelope, within the length of it:
Whilst
Memphis groanes, to see sad
Sparta mourne,
Twixt two arryvalls, and a quick returne:
Ah! well I see the Suune, when at the hight,
Must soone declyne to bring on darksome night:
And are my joyes fled, my
Darling gone,
Like to the shaddow of some wandring
One;
I, I, thy stay to Mee, and Thy goodnight,
Seem'd but the glauncing of a
Faulcons flight;
Which makes my
Bowells roare, my griefe resounds it,
There's none can heale my sore, but
Thow who wounds it.
That shearing Sword, which sharply stroke the
Heart,
Of bleeding
Loue, when
Aeneas did depart;
Neu'r rent kynd
Dido with a deeper wound,
Than thy departure makes my Soule to stound:
Even like
Palmeno, paunting on his Bed,
Still wishing Death, or els his ayme to wed.
But more kynd
Turtle-set, O Heart-growne-griefe!
To groane, till
Heavens soone send my playnts reliefe;
I see ebbe foords, though shallow, bellowing roare,
Whilst deepest streames, in silence court the Shoare;
So mighty Cares grow mute, when slender woes
Find choisest tearmes, slight sorrowes to disclose:
As deepest
Loue is ever safest kept,
So is pale griefe more sadly closd, than weept:
What then, though woes get words, I'le deeply mourne
With sighs, salt teares, and sobs, till
Thy returne.
[Page]The wasting
Winter of the
Sommers gayne,
Neu'r wishd the
Spring, the
Spring, the
Harust againe;
With more celeritie, than I implore
Thy Presence, were as oft renew'd, and more.
Lyke to the Day-worne
Pilgrime, shut from light;
Closd with dark Coverts of the clowdie night,
Longs for the
Aurore of the sequell Morne,
To see the face-blushd
Thetis Sonne, new borne:
So I wrapt vp, within the gloomy shade
Of sad oblivion, am a
Mourner made;
Till thy returne, (like to
Nocturnall dew,)
Resume, refresh this flame, that burnes for you:
Which soone I wish might be reveiu'd and seene,
Cled with like glory, as
Thow now hast beene:
Which if it were reciprocall, O well!
My Comforts could aboue my griefe excell:
Yet since
Thine absence must my
Patience proue;
I'le cease to mourne, but never cease to loue.
Then in a word, (though thousands ly in store)
I'le end, and thus, on my low knees implore;
Yea
Heavens which shaddow, and protect just
KINGS,
With MIGHT and MERCY; deoperculat wings,
Of LIGHT and GLORY, still saue, and defend
Mine happie MONARCH, both in lyfe, and end,
With present BLESSINGS, future HOPES in IOVE,
PEACE heere on EARTH, and hence eternall LOVE.
FINIS.