UPON His Majesties LATE DECLARATIONS FOR TOLERATION, AND Publication of War AGAINST THE HOLLANDER.
A POEM: By T. S. of GRAYES-INNE, Esq;
Regum est— Parcere Subjectis, debellare Superbos.
London: Printed by J. C. for Samuel Heyrick, at Grayes. Inne-Gate in Holborn, 1672.
UPON HIS MAJESTIES LATE Declarations, etc.
SO
Jove, when he hath made his Anger known,
And finds the Trembling World his Justice own;
Discards his Thunder, and with man complies;
And at the last receives his Sacrifice.
The Penal Laws 'gainst
Non-Conformists made,
Just like
Joves Thunder, these three Kingdoms aw'd:
But this Indulgence shews that Kings can be,
Although as Dreadful, Merciful as he.
The Title of
Supremacy is now
Not lessen'd, but increas'd: all
Sects allow
Charles their Supreme, and him as
Head obey;
Owning themselves
Conformists from this day.
Thus hath his Mercy added to his Store:
He's
Head of
Churches now, but
one before.
No more shall wandring
Zeal miss-guide our feet;
All now are fixt, and ready to submit:
Our hands and hearts unan'mously shall joyn,
And 'gainst th'Imperious
Hollander combine.
The Cause so Just, that Heavens, to do us right,
Would plague them some way, were we not to fight.
Perfidiou
[...]
States! whose Faiths no Leagues can binde;
But, like your
Ships, still move with every winde.
Like floating
Delos, may your
Island be
By
Pioneers unstak'd, and sent to Sea;
VVhere barking waves, set on by angry windes,
Pursue you till you have out-past the
Lines:
And if they ever six it, may it be
'Mongst Strangers unto all Humanity.
And since your
Vassal-Fleet denies to do
That
Homage which unto our
Sov'raign's due;
Our
English Oaks, fram'd into winged Forts,
The strength of Cities, and the pride of Courts,
Shall on the Surface of the
Ocean move,
Our Right, as well o're
Sea as
Land to prove:
A Right so Ancient, not to be deni'd
Since old
Canutus checkt the forward Tide,
And
Xerxes-like, his Sov'raign Power to show,
Did limit its
Proud Waves how far to flow.
Is't not enough t'ingross abroad the
Trade,
But must you too our
Narrow-Seas invade?
From whose Exub'rous Spoils, you now are grown
From sneaking Fisher-men, proud names to own;
As
Hagen's
Mogen's, High and Mighty States,
And bid Defiance to all Potentates.
In your Distresses, our Protections gave
You safety; whence you now your Beings have:
Unto our
Empire you now did then agree,
And own'd us
Sov'raign both by
Land and
Sea;
But now, Imperious
Ʋpstarts, you are grown
So proud, as ev'n your
Fost'rer to disown.
So the ungrateful Serpent, (
Aesop shows)
Stead of
Reward, his spiteful
Venom throws
Upon those
Courteous Hands that did replieve
His fading life, and him with warmth relieve.
And since you both alike ungrateful are,
You with the
Serpent his
Old Curse shall share;
Not to be beaten only, or out-right
Be slain; but always creep when we're in sight.
We'll make the
Belgick Lyon Couchant lye,
And sculk himself for fear, when we pass by.
And now, methinks, I see Confed'rate Gales
Of lucky
Windes inspire our
Navy's Sails:
And first of all, the
Prince, for State and Power,
Proud of her Royal Burthen, quits the shore;
From whose Broad Sides thick-planted Canons show
Safety to us, and danger to our
Foe.
Here
York's brave
Heroe, in whose single Brest
The scatter'd valours of
Fam'd Warriours rest;
With Resolution, big as Fate, commands;
And parting, shoots at the departing Strands:
His Complement the grateful
Streams repeat
Unto those
Groves, that to the
Royal Fleet
Contributed their strengths, who nimbly move;
Grown sensible, not thorow
Fear, but
Love.
The Generous Billows emulous to bear
So brave a
Fabrick, croud to take their share;
And o're their
Frothy Necks the Vessel rides,
And dances to and fro with sportive Tides.
And thou, Great
Oss'ry, in whose spriteful
Veins,
Nobility and Valour joyntly Reigns;
With
Digby, sprung from valiant
Hero's Races,
Who both add Honour to your several places;
Whom nothing but Allegiance, and to right
Our Nations wrongs, engaged you to sight.
Go on, and make a difference appear
Between a Courage hir'd, and
Volunteer:
You were Commanders born; such to obey:
You fight for
Honour only, they for
Pay.
Behold the brave
Levina now, who brings
A
General Wonder with her Canvas wings:
Within whose
Wooden Walls a valiant Brood
Of twisted Nations, not well understood,
Unite their
Valours; and in several
Tongues,
Betray their
Zeals, to right our Nations wrongs.
A Second
Babel, fitted for the Seas;
Both for its
Height, and choice of
Languages.
Next, the Resolved
Kempthorn her succeeds;
Preferr'd to
Honour, not by
Friends, but
Deeds:
His valiant Acts are Registred by
Fame,
And
Algiers Pyrats still shall Dread his Name.
The
Azure Flags, upon his
Masts, appear
Like the
Blew Aprons which the
Sea-Nymphs wear:
Which shews, that with those
Nymphs h'hath often been
Familiar, and their Father
Neptune's Friend.
The
Loyal London follows next to these;
Some call her the
Metropolis of the
Seas:
About whose walls, not
Thames, but
Seas now cling,
Wondring to see a
City thus on wing.
Venice no more shall
Neptune's Darling be,
That stays ashore, whilst this pursues the
Sea.
Here valiant
Spragg, (like the
Lord Mayor) appears;
Only this difference:
Spragg his own Sword bears,
My
Lord's supported is by other hands;
This rules the
Sea, whilst t'other rules the
Lands.
Nor is there wanting, to encrease his State,
A
Cap of Maintenance: since his sober Pate,
Still to his active hands commends Advice;
'Tis happy to be
Valiant and
Wise.
Brave
Harman, now his
Fiery Ordeal's past,
Submits unto his
Watry Tryal last;
Whose sober valour shall encrease his Glory,
And gain new Plumes t'enrich a future Story.
Jordan, within whose Aged veins does flow
A Spriteful Blood, not quench'd by Ages Snow;
Like Reverend
Nestor, on the
Deck appears,
As well for Prudent Conduct, as for Years.
The
Sov'raign he Commands (a Ship for fight)
Design'd as well for
Wonder as
Delight.
Great was his Skill contriv'd so proud a Frame;
But greater was his Minde design'd the same.
Holmes, whose
Resolves are not to be out-done,
Having of late new
Wreaths of Honour won,
Assumes a Courage fit for
English men;
And newly off, bravely falls to't agen.
The
Michael, once more, shall the
Dutch perplex,
As once its
Patron did the
Devil vex.
His Dreadful Name, ever since
Scevelin-Fires,
Affrights the
Dutch; both Children, and old Sires.
All fly, if
Holmes appear, and yield him place;
He gains a Conquest by his very Face.
And now my modest
Muse, jealous lest she
Should be suspected of Dishonesty,
And have her Credit blasted by ill Tongues,
Forward enough to offer
Virgins wrongs,
Retires, and dares not further board the
Fleet;
And faith the Author's glad enough of it.
FINIS.