THE CITIE LETANY.

To the CITIE:

Was't not enough you rays'd a Warre
Against your gracious King?
And so did the whole Kingdome marre,
Who suffer for your sin.
Or that Gods Worship you pull'd downe,
And Error did advance,
That so King NOL might weare the Crowne,
And HARRY MARTIN dance.
Were not these Crimes sufficiently
Able to damne you all?
But like base Groomes, submissively
You 'fore your Slaves must fall.
May you be therefore all horn-mad,
And in the open places,
May Snap-sack Boyes your pi'd Hens tread,
And that before your faces.
—Nemo me impuné lacessit.

Printed in the Yeare, 1648.

THE Citie Letany.

WEE have beene blinded (God he knowes)
And led away with specious showes,
Taking those for our Friends, were Foes
Therefore, to our infinite woes.
From being Schismatically inclin'd
Gainst Bishops, Officialls, or any of that kind,
From walking to Westminster to put the Sophies in mind,
Libera nos.
From driving the King away from White-ball,
From sending our servants for Justice to call,
As when great Strafford we caused to fall,
Libera nos.
From persecuting our Soveraigne with Fire and Sword,
From murthering Bishops, and such Acts abhor'd,
From Grand Committees, and their Counsell boord,
Libera nos.
From fighting a Battell at Edge-hill againe,
Where many Reverend Cuckolds were flaine,
From hunting after the King in vaine,
Libera nos.
From being beaten and stript to the skin,
The case that we once in Cor [...]wall were in,
Which we confesse was a scourge for our sin,
Libera nos.
From pulling downe Crossus, and pictures of Men,
From tearing Bookes of Common-Prayer agen,
From entring a Con-ven-ticle, and then—
Libera nos.
From being noosed by the Westminsterians,
The Lyurnall, and the witty walking Oc­currances.
From giving cred it to our wise Pamph [...]eterians,
From being this day Independents, & the next Presbyterians,
Libera nos.
From being Reformed out of our Lands,
And being wounded by
Informers.
invisible hands,
From that Religion on blood which stands,
Libera nos.
From eating our God, and killing our KING,
The damnable Dittie the Jesuits sing,
Though Peters and Dell believe no such thing,
Libera nos.
From Rainsborough, and his Levelling
The late Adjutators, five whereof were taken a­way, and five hundred left behind.
Crew,
That hate the old way, yet can't find a new,
From Hewsons Boyes that our bags would view,
Libera nos.
From Parliament-men that will drink on the score,
From Mildmay and his painted Whore,
From begging our owne at the Parliament dore,
Libera nos.
From being
As the Parl. did the Citi­zens at the first, using them onely as men use Post-Horses, tyre them out, and then leave them to reco­ver and now they have made the most of those Tray­terous fooles, they leave them to the mercy of a mercilesse Army.
drawne in, and then left in the lurch,
When we are rob'd of our freedom, our K. & our Church,
From the Divell i'th' Temple, and God in the Porch,
Libera nos.
From a parti-colour'd Synod, that for foure shillings a­day,
Will as their Pay-masters bids them say,
And their Mother the Church of England betray,
Libera nos.
From an heard of Hinch-boyes, or an Independant Priest,
Such as Symson, Peters, Dell, and the rest,
Knoles, Saltmarsh, Goodwin, and the boyes most blest,
Libera nos.
From the Councell of Warre that intend to scoure us,
From the hugy Army that so over-pow'r us,
From the Men at Westminster that intend to devour us,
Libera nos.
From John of London, that
John Lilburn, who was in his minoritie an Apprentice to a Cloth-wor­ker in Read­ing, and now by his Facti­ous underta­kings is be­come as fa­mous as Jack Cade.
Sheare-man of Reading,
Who for his fam'd Pamphlets is worthy the heading,
From his gain-saying, and Overton's bidding,
Libera nos.
But seeing we are like to lose all we have,
And nothing but our sinnes to save,
'Tis therefore time that now we crave,
Libera nos.

The Citizens having found their Error, and how grosse­ly they have beene abused by this pretended Par­liament, returne to their first principles: (And say)

THat it may please thee, we once more
May have the Trading we had before,
And to that end our King restore,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to Assent,
Our everlasting Parliament
May with fore-past
Which would they b [...] were a great happinesse, since then w [...] were in some hope to reco­ver our selve [...] but for ought I see, dispai [...] ­ing of their owne safetie they are reso [...] ­ved to bury themselves the ruine of this Nation
mischiefes be content,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to disperse
Them all about the Universe,
With their fellow Jewes for to converse,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, in any wise
To rid us of the damn'd Excise,
Free Quarter, or any such Dutch device,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, back to call
Our Epistles, and our Gospels all,
And give our Government Episcopall,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, by thy power Divine,
To confound those Traytors, who had a designe
The English Monarchy to undermine,
Quesumus te.
And for that purpose, to send to Hell
The two vile Traytors, Peters and Dell,
With Faux and Catesby for to dwell,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to seat thine owne
Anointed once more on His Throne,
And confound base Rebells every one,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to Illuminate
The peoples eyes to see their state,
And to right themselves e're it be
[...]or should [...]y delay, & [...] take hold the present [...]portunitie, [...] suffer the [...]nding for­ [...] to settle [...]mselves in [...]onstant [...] their Ty­ [...]ts instate [...]mselves in [...] infringea­ [...] power, [...]y may for [...]r bid fare­ [...] all free­ [...]e & hap­ [...]esse, and [...]ever ex­ [...]t to be [...]den and [...]pised as [...]es and [...]ailes.
too late,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, it may be seene
How greatly we have deluded beene,
What wrongs hath beene offer'd to King and Queene,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to ring out the knell,
And to silence the Parliaments passing-bell,
For 'tis time they went now to Gehenna to dwell,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to make knowne the silly
Undertakings of (the State-Quack) William Lilly,
With the tricks of Syballs, and his Shoe-lane Filly,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, K. Noll, and his
Ireton.
Son,
May into so many Errors run,
That their heads may fall off when our troubles are done,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to give Hammon an heart
To play a Loyall Subjects part,
To guard his King from those would him subvert,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to lay ope to view
The Serpentine windings of the Trayterous Crew,
Who have meerly deluded us with a faire shew,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to stop the Coine
Which from the poore they doe purloine,
From passing over the Salt brine,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, their Ship to crack,
When as they plow on Neptunes back,
And let themselves behold their owne wrack,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, those that land
On the Dutch shore, or Virginia's strand,
May be rob'd and slaine by some Salvadge hand,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to send with them
Our Essexian Parliament, Club-men,
With our Citie-Sectaries, and Tub-men,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, send also away
Cornelius Burges, who tother day
Gave thankes in Pauls that his wife scap't a
At a Christ­ [...]ing, where [...]he women [...]trove so far [...]or the prece­ [...]ency, that in [...]he end they [...]ent to cuffs, [...]ornelius his [...]ife being the [...]hiofe stick­ [...]er, was sorely [...]eaten.
fray,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, to restore
Those noble Gentlemen, that heretofore
Have fought (for their King) to the knees in gore,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, the King may returne
While the Trump doth sound, and the Faggots burne,
While true Subjects rejoyce and falfe Rebels do mourne,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, his Queene and Son
May behold him glorious, as once they have done,
Before these cursed Times begun;
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, those that say,
They will not have our Charles to sway,
Like Dighton may rot, piece meale away,
Quesumus te.
That it may please thee, for the time that wee
Have tasted dire adversitie,
We may have true Tranquillitie,
Quesumus.
That it may please thee, give us hearts to see
How much we have smarted, and how worthily,
For disobeying our King and thee,
Quesumus.
That for the future, we yeelding God his owne,
And giving Caesar what in his Word is showne,
Warres, dire Calamities, may no more be knowne,
So shall we sing this Song each one,
Benedicamus Domine.
FINIS.

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