SATYR TO HIS MUSE, &c.
HEar me dull Prostitute worse than my Wife,
Like her the shame and clog of my dull Life,
Whose first Essay was in a Tyrants praise,
Bawdy in Prologues, Blasphemous in Plays,
So lewd thou mad'st me for the Church unfit,
And I had sterv'd but for a lucky hit,
When the weak Ministers implor'd my Wit;
Stols't me from Business where I might have made
A Solid fortune to thy Barren Trade,
My Father wisely bad me be a Clerk,
Thou wisperd'st, Boy be thou a Tearing Spark,
I from that Fatal hour new hopes Pursu'd,
Set up for Wit and Aukwardly was Lewd,
[Page 4] Drunk'gainst my Stomack 'gainst my Conscience Swore,
Against my Will I Marry,d a rank W—
After two Children and a Third Miscarriage,
By Brawny Brothers hector'd into Marriage,
Affected Rapes and Lusts I'd never known,
As if that all
Gomorrah was my own.
Nor Love nor Wine cou'd ever see me Gay,
To writing bred I knew not what to Say,
With Scolding Wife and Starving Chits Beset,
When I want Mony and no Friend will Treat,
Cheard with one Cup of thy
Castalian Spring,
I can Abuse the Church, my Friend, and King;
Tell him, he's jilted, foold, led by the Nose,
Then like
Almanzor turn upon his Foes;
Libel his Mistresses and Statesemen too,
Then o're his Whoring life old
David Throw,
By whom
Vriah was so basely Slain,
But our good Monarch spares his
Castle—
And
Oates his Plots and Treasons swears in vain;
[Page 5] Defame the Men that gave me Meat and Clothes,
And then Deny it with a thousand Oathes.
Adriel to Please, call
Rochester a Fool,
Sidley a Capuchin, and sharp
Dorset Dull.
I like
Borosky by the false
Count hir'd,
On
Scroop my Blunderbuss of Satyr fir'd,
In cool Blood call'd him Fool, Knave, Coward too,
What more to
Hall or
Cranborn cou'd I do,
Who long enjoy'd e're I began to Woe,
Thoul't say perhaps what is all this to thee,
If I a Coward, Cuckold, Villain be;
Oh but thou shouldst thy sacred aid Refuse,
When I Invoke it to so base an use,
Blunt of my Murdring Pen, the killing Point,
And Honestly refuse the Odious Hint,
But thou ne're com'st so gladly to my call,
As when on merit unprovok't I fall,
Is there a Patriot to be defam'd,
Lady abused or Virtuous Action blam'd,
[Page 6] Thou with Officious hast rankst ev'ry word,
And giv'st thy Raging
[...] a sharp Sword,
Devils to Witches are not more at Hand,
Than thou when I an Helli
[...] task Command,
To thee ungratful! what has
Monmoth don,
That Parson like thou cal'st him
Absalon,
And by that Name dost Foolishly infer,
He from old
Davids Head the Crown woud Tear?
Was he Ambitious he had kept his Place,
Stood high in
Davids a
[...] the Peoples Grace,
And warlike chief of the
Praetorian Bands,
To the whole Nations Hearts had joynd their Hands,
Of Public good dissembled his deep Care,
With the false
Iebusite a while kept Fair,
Then in some great decisive glorious Day,
Make those vile Cormorants disgorge their Prey,
Our Church, Riligion, Freedom and our Laws,
Those Darling-Morsels of their longing Jaws,
(Wife
Stanly thus till
Bosworths fatal Day,
Did seeming Faith to Cruel
Richard Pay,
[Page 7] But left the Tyrant in the heat of fight,
And brought success to
Harry's drooping right.
Monmoth's brave mind cou'd no disguise endure,
Still Noble ways preferring to secure;
While
David lavishes his Peoples love,
He buys the Purchase, with design t'improve;
And like some prudent Kinsman reconvey
What the wild Heir hath vainly thrown away,
Lest the Great Ancient Family decay.
Good honest
David, why wou'dst thou have made,
Of such a Son, and Parliaments, afraid?
Which whilst he Sways, what Faction dares dispute,
Or who can say, He is not Absolute▪
Thro' them he may command the Peoples Purse,
And spend their Wealth and Blood without a Curse;
By Laws they wou'd a Popish Heir Exclude,
Not by Rude Force, or a Tumultuous Croud.
Against
Navarre the Factious Princes Leagu'd,
And the right Heir the Papal World Entrigu'd;
[Page 8] When a long War had plac'd him on the Throne,
The State Religion he was forc'd to own;
The harmless People took it in good Part,
The Zealous Church yet Stab'd him to the Heart,
Taught by all Story there was no defence,
But they must change their Faith or change their Prince;
Who wou'd not here the like extreams Prevent,
And settle things by aid of Parliament.
Thou only Court presiding at the Helm,
Which mak'st all others useful to the Realm;
Inferiour Judges Trembling to decree,
What may hereafter be Condemn'd by thee,
The Chancellors and ill Staesmens only Dread,
For it is thou alone can reach their Head,
By theefell
Wolsey and
false Clarend
Abandon'd by their Kings but here undon;
Both overwhelm'd for daring to Remove,
Or Stem the Torrent of their Masters Love,
The one fair
Bullen to his Prince deny'd,
The other made Lov'd
Stuart Richmond's Bride,
And with the Royal Blood for ever mingled
Hide,
[Page 9] To their own Ruine can men all Agree,
And none the precipice but Courtiers See.
Courtiers who Importune the Sovereign,
To Pardon Robbers Cut-throats for their gain.
Who live on Ideots, Lunaticks forfeits Fines,
And cannot Thrive but when the Nation Pines,
Unhappy we if rul'd by such, whose Rent
Consists in Breaches of the Government.
Some few there are with great Estates indeed,
Yet Labour with Imaginary need,
Strange sort of Fools who for one Pension more,
Inslave themselves and all they had before,
Others with titles and new Earldoms Caught,
Wou'd give up all for which the Barons Fought,
They're equally unfit for Government.
Who nothing have or nothing will Content.
Who bad thee, in
Achitophel's vile Name,
Old
David's Errors and his Faults Proclame.
Or say "Plots True or False are needful things,
"To set up Common VVealths and pull down Kings,
[Page 10] "That
David (whom thou dost with reverence name)
"Charm'd-into ease, grows careless of his Fame;
"And brib'd with Petty sums of Forreign Gold,
"Is grown in
Bathshebas embraces Old,
"That like the Prince of Angels, from his Height,
"He now comes downward with diminish'd Light.
If
David once ill Language lay to Heart,
Who shall the Poet from the Traytor part.
The peoples voice, of old, the voice of God,
Thou call'st the voice of an unruly Crowd;
Crowds are the Fools,—
That Flock to thine, and
Durfeys Loyal Plays,
And give Implicite Claps on your Third Days;
About the Stage of Mountebanck they VVait,
And Whoop at Cudgels, or a broken Pate,
But have like thee, no Interest in the State.
Rule as thou wilt the Realm of
Mexico,
And under
Iron Yokes make
Indians Bow,
But with old
England what hast thou to Do;
[Page 11] VVho from our Kings an useful Power wou'd take,
(Nor have they Power but for the Peoples Sake,)
Disarm themselves and Anarchy Bespeak,
King's may do good at their full Stretch of VVill,
And need not for a strain, or Law stand still;
They spare with Mercy, tho with Judgment Kill,
Confin'd like God, only from doing Ill:
Thus in our Papal fire, to save the Town,
Some houses were blown up, and some pull'd down;
None blam'd the Order, since 'twas understood
A private mischief, for the public good.
Tho we all perish, yet we must forbear
The Sacred Title of a Popish Heir,
If we thy foolish Politicks shou'd Hear;
A Sovereign Power somewhere there must be,
In King, in Lords, in Commons, or all Three,
Deriv'd from God, and only less than His,
VVhich can do all, and nothing do Amiss;
The Sacred Tyes of marriage can Dissolve,
And Children in their Parents crimes Involve,
[Page 12] Making those Bastards, who had else been Heirs,
And Injur'd Husbands, legal VViddowers:
Cut off Entails, make New repeal old Laws,
And of contending Kings, decide the Cause.
Thus from the Helm our Learned
Richard thrust,
Confes'd their Power, and own'd their Sentence just.
And on the Throne our brave Fourth
Edward State,
Whilst
Harry liv'd a Prisner of the State.
Alphonso thus depos'd for his weak Life,
Pedro enjoy'd his Kingdom and his Wife;
There
jus Divinum barks not at his Right,
Damns not his Rule by Day, nor Love by Night;
In his Defence each private man may Kill;
Must then a Nation Perish, and stand Still?
If for our Laws, Faith, God, we may not Fight,
When can a Christian Sword be in the Right?
Oh the Prodigious Wit, and wond'rous Sting;
To call
Achit' phells Son, Unfeather'd two leg'd Thing?
So by old
Pluto man was once defin'd,
Till a pull'd Cock that Notion undermin'd.
For all but Courage, VVit, and Honesty.
As loud he roard 'gainst the Prerogative,
As sharply blam'd as Stingily wou'd give,
Till his own wants oblig'd him to recieve,
And on his cheated Sire he cou'd no longer live,
VVhose whole Estate when he in Trust had got,
Thy honest
Amiel grudg'd him Pipe and Pot.
Thy
Hushai next a true Friend e're a Man,
So soon his Dearness with his Prince began,
VVas but Fourteen when
David was Abroad,
Less fit for a Kings Friendship than a Rod.
VVhich he deserv'd when he with Tears Reply'd,
And in full house the Loyal Baby Cry'd,
How cou'd one
German Journey teach his Youth,
And add Experience to his native Truth;
Abroad he learn'd to live upon his Prince,
As e'vry Fool, Whore, Bully has don Since,
To other Merit he has no pretence.
[Page 14]
Bazzillais Praise I coud rehearse again,
And make the second Labour of my Pen;
Wise, Valiant, Loyal, Rich, of high Descent,
Born all that Fortune for her Darlings Meant,
Who nobly Scorn'd a private Happiness,
When he beheld his Sovereign in Distress,
To Armes he flew, but with bold
Catoes Fate,
Espous'd the Cause that fortune seem'd to Hate,
Striving to save the Head that wore the Crown,
He pull'd the mighty Ruine on his own.
But why extoll'st
Ierusalems lewd
Sagan,
At Drink and Whores indeed a very Dragon;
Not
Magdalen possest in all her Prime,
With her Ten Devils cou'd have Equall'd Him.
Why woul'st thou call thy
Adriel a Muse,
And
David of his hasty rise Accuse,
When we all know the same obliging Hand
Gave him his George, and
Churchil his Command,
Iermin his Country house,&
Bromwich his point Band.
[Page 15] Or
Iotham flatter'd that vain sickle thing,
Famous for Jests upon the Church and King;
One while
Pythagoras's harmles Food,
For Thoughts and Politicks must cool his Blood;
And then again with Whores and Lusty Wines,
Revels all Night, and thinks him mad that Dines;
Quibles, Jokes, Puns, and Trifling Wit he has,
And like the
Sweed is very Rich in Brass;
Against the Court, and
David's-self he Roard,
How ill he Govern'd, and how worse he
[...].
VVou'd swear a
Parrot had more VVit than
Nelly,
VVith her Parch'd Face wrinckled more than
P—ths Belly;
Yet now to both, like Popish Saints he Prays,
Which shews he will not Burn in
Iames's Days;
In his Plain Band, and Honesty in show.
He only aim'd at
Danby's overthrow,
Which when obtein'd, this Patriot had his Ends,
And farewell all his plain well meaning Friends;
There was no Plot, no Popish Duke to Fear,
With
Danby all our Dangers Disappear;
[Page 16]
Danby thus setting to prevent dark Night,
This paler Moon shews forth its clearer Light,
Misguides our Councellors with her glim'ring Ray,
And all our Men of Business lose their VVay,
Our Parliament's dissolv'd, new Members Meet,
An
Oxford Journey must allay their Heat,
But the true English Interest Appeard,
The
Silversmiths for their
Diana Feard;
Popery wou'd pass on us in no Disguize,
No Flowers cou'd hide that Serpent from our Eyes;
VV'are in Such hast dissolv'd that in the Street,
New chosen with dissoving Members Meet,
And then a Paper in good
David's Name,
Must the proceedings of the House Defame,
Sheriffs, and Juries packt, Justices made,
Knights of th' Address, and all false colours laid▪
To Cheat their Party with a vain Conceit,
The People, Parliaments both Fear and Hate,
VVhat
Samson in a Dungeon Captive Blind,
In spiteful rage, for cruel Foes Design'd,
[Page 17] The House of Commons must be thought to do
Against themselves, and those that Trust them too.
The Head shall sooner fear its own Right-Hand,
Parents their Smiling Infants Death Command;
The chearful Birds sit silent in the Spring,
Than Lords and Commons hurt the Realm or King,
They may, thy Heroes, that small Faithful Band,
Pretious Counsellors, who dare singly Stand
`Gainst the Collective Wisdom of the Land;
David in Exile had more Friends than thou,
Wilt to his Best, his Happiest Days allow;
Why sounds thy Trumpet in the time of Peace,
Art thou afraid our Differences shou'd Cease;
That thus thou talk'st of Rebells, Treasons, more
Than any
Irish Witness ever Swore?
Soldiers of Fortune, thus to drive a Trade,
Care not what Ruine, or what Slaughters Made.
But hear me Prophesy, and Mark me well,
E're Thrice the Rose renews its Fragrant Smell,
[Page 18] People and King shall join like Man and Wife,
And both Abhor the Engines of their Strife;
No more shall they endure a hackny Pen,
And thou Cashier'd, shalt to the Stage again,
Please none but silly Women, or worse Men;
David shall find Duty an empty Word,
(For different Faiths can never have one Sword;
The Knot of Friendship is but loosely ty'd
`Twixt those that Heavenly Concerns divide;)
He then shall with his Parliament agree,
And Lives and Fortunes shall their Language be;
Monmoth be Blest for all that he hath done,
While thy vile Heroes to their Pardons run.
FINIS.