THE CAMBRIDGE ROYALLIST Imprisoned.
TWas then, when as the Fame of
Ruperts Force
Call'd the confiding Counties all to Horse,
And drew the Bacon-eating Cavaliers
(By the convenient Handle of their eares)
To leave their tough dunne Wives behind, and come
(Their Calve-skin Breeches turn'd into a Drumme)
Tout-stinke our streets at
Cambridge, when as I
(Being guiltie found of too much honestie)
By two Malignants was,
Conscience and
Reason,
Betray'd t'an act of Vertue, now call'd Treason:
The Committee was straight inform'd; A youth,
With goodly goggle eyes, and large
[...]vry mouth,
Is sent for me. — He knocks at Doore:
Who's there?
A Friend;
Duns, I deke you all, Come neere!
The word scarce spoke, there comes one rushing in,
All arm'd with
Eare, his B
[...]f
[...] was o'th' same skin▪
What could One thinke this was? Some monstrous Creature,
Tann'd, whilst it was alive, whose Visage Nature
Broach'd i'th' wrong place; Faith, I took't for a Man.
(Boldly I must confesse) and thus began:
What wouldst thou Friend, what brought thee to this place?
He answers me from th'other side his face;
Y'are a Malignant Sir, and Rebell, wee
Are sent to fetch you to the Committee.
Good words my Friend; if you or I must bee
A Rebell, I some hope of Comfort see,
Your Mouth doth just i'th' hanging posture stand:
With that his Browes fierce bristles startled, and
I yield up, Sir, Ile goe along with you:
Walke on;
Nay leave me in the Chamber though,
Good Lord, y'are all so complementall. Downe
We goe, and both marcht up into the Towne:
And which way now?
Nay, good Sir keepe the wall:
Excuse me, Sir;
Nay as you live you shall:
Why 'tis the windie side, and credit mee
Your strange perfumes make my head ake. Thus wee
Marcht to the Towne-Hall; where being straight
[...]et in,
Such company such smoake, such stinke, such dinne,
Such swearing did salute me, that I fell
On wondring how we came up stayres to Hell,
For this could be no lesse; on every side
Such sawcer-eyes appear'd such horrid, wide,
And gaping mouthes, such teeth, such thorny haire,
Which you might see through th' lanterne of their eare,
So short, so strangely notcht, that you might know
It never had bin cut, but sindged so;
Beside each horne-pipe voyce seem'd to betray
Where good Saint
Dunstans Tongs had spoyld the way:
Happy the men must fight with these, thought I,
For they shall nothing but their backs espie.
Six Volley of Curses 'gainst the Schollers, heere,
Went off for entertainment, and a Jeere.
Or two were past for Complement; but I,
Like a brave-suffering Man, pass'd silent by.
They spent themselves about me: One steps out,
And cryes,
Rupert's a Coward; all the Rout
Clap hands to th' Basket-hilt, and
Draw, then cry,
Oh that we had that Divell Rupert
by.
Out ye damn'd Garlick-eating Rogues, D'you thinke
You don't alreadie vent sufficient stinke,
But you must call for one, whose very Name
Will dye your Scarffes and Breeches of the same?
Three redion; houres amongst these hell-hounds wee
Bravely en lur'd; when comming in we see
A spruce young Rebell, who scarce yet did know
Whether he fought against the King, or no;
Who had bin Scholler once (t'our shame be't spoken)
Since a young Marchant, and since that time broken,
Now damn'd to th' service of the Rebels: hee
Proffer'd his utmost paines to set us free.
I, though it vex'd me, any of them should
Doe ought which even Complement might call good,
Yet had not so much valour to deny
Quarter, though from a Rebell, willingly
Accept his courteous offer; thinking then,
The greatest Good could befall innocent men,
Was to be soone accus'd: With that away
We went to th' Beare, where then our Judges lay;
Where by the Captaine we were brought before
A veryer Beast then that which hung at doore,
A strange fat unlickt, bald-fac'd fellow, who
Was round all ore, head, face, back, belly too:
This thing was Knighted once, but into's skin,
Beside the tallow and guts, were crowded in
A Foole, a Knave, a Mad-man, in whose Rights
He since hath stil'd himselfe not Knight, but Knights.
He having tun'd his Pipes with six or seven
Good ratling Oathes, began to speake;
'Fore Heaven
Gentlemen this is strange, By — it is;
And if it were but my case as 'tis his,
(Meaning the Colonels)
I'de hang you all:
For looke you, Sir, if any Body shall
Abuse the Parliament, as some of you
May chance, and I have witnesse of it too,
Iudge me, confound me, if you had but don't,
The best amongst you should heare further on't,
This Mooneling I did now perceive to bee
A kind of
Haselrigge to the Committee,
Onely brought unto doe he knew not what,
And gladly would have kept him out of that
Mad Wildernesse of Non-sence, and began
To aske him,
What the matter was? The man
Mad at this Interruption, tells us plaine,
We all must back to th' Court of Guard againe;
The Divell sure (thought I) entred this Rogue
In the same humour that he did the Hogge.
But obstinate he was, we all are sent
To th' Hell from whence we came, and downe we went.
But our spruce Youngster who before reliev'd us,
Now in the height of our Despaire repriev'd us,
And by stealth kept us in the House: the Mind
Of him who finding Gold, did leave behind
His Rope, was not so glad as ours; for heere
We found a handsome Roome, good wholesome Beero,
Some hopes of Supper too, nor did we lack
The promise of incomparable Sack.
And say'st thou so, my Lad? Let's have it then;
Fill my Bowle full, you Rogue. Come Gentlemen,
A Health t'our friends, and him above the rest,
Who's meant by th' Phillip and Clap upon the brest.
How now, who's drooping there? who dares be so
In the Kings Cause, and on the Kings day too?
Pox on't, 'tis scurvie; Ile tell thee, we shall bring
(When we are merrie or lowsie) for the King
As much of spirit as when we fight for him.
Come, heere's to thee Jack,
'Tis a Cup of good Sack,
Let the Plunderers come,
VVith their Fife and Drumme,
Let in Bullet i'th' House,
VVe care not a Lowse,
Ile fill up my Cup,
And take it all up.
Then through their Chambers weele send such a Rattle,
Shall summon the Rogues in their Dreames to Battel;
And when we begin but our Voyces to reare,
It shall strike such a terror in every Prick-eare,
That shall make the Round-heads
Leape out of their Beds,
And sweare Prince Rupert's
there.
VVhat was't I began,
King Charles
was the Man?
'Tis he that must now
Clayme just title too.
That gallant brave food
Of rich sparkling bloud,
That Liquor must make,
VVhich now thou dost take,
I tell thee 'twill bring such spirits to thee,
That shall in the face of a Rebell flee;
And entring in, without any controule,
Shall find out that durtie thing call'd thy Soule,
And hunt it about,
Till they drive it out,
By the way most stinking and foule.
Come fill my Cup full,
Heere's to the taking of Hull,
To the Man that shall bring
The great Cuckold to th' King,
To him that shall make
Northampton
to quake,
To all that dare fight,
And dye with delight.
Then let them all come; what fearest, thou Man?
Doe but spend what thou hast, let them take what they can:
And since that the Rogues with their Armes doe endeavour
Our selves from our King and our Money to sever,
VVeele send it by stealth,
In drinking his Health,
And give't him that way soever.
This Rapture ended, wee see comming in
A good Man of the Tribe of
Anakim;
A prettie beard-lesse Squire followed him nigh,
Being a Gigge of his, some seven foot high:
They tell us, Supper's comming up; wee say,
Let it come up,
[...]'th' meane time drinke away.
Supper being done, the mirth w'enjoy'd before
Returnes continues some five houres, or more;
Mysterious Malignant Healths abound,
Which we by Signes and Characters put round;
The last of which
Sm
[...]miniously went up,
Each Letter in the Name Christened a Cup.
And now a
[...] things conven
[...]ent being done,
Our Brace of
[...] Ho
[...] and Sonne,
Made very sleepie, out hea
[...] Captaine sun
[...],
Our Hostesse kiss'd our gentle Keepers drunke,
A bri
[...]ing Cast gone round, to Bed we goe,
And sleepe like valiant Prisoners round
[...]y too;
Our Martiall Jaylors by us are layd all.
Drunke o'th' ground, durt to durt: i'th' Morne they call.
We lowse our selves, and rise, then goe to bee
Question'd by the
Sanedrim i'th' Committee.
But heere things prove quite contrary; No man
Can tell why we are brought there: We began
T'examine them, What was our fauit? Our foe.
The gentle Knight said, he did nothing know,
But that we might be honest: onely apace
He swore that we were Rogues, and hanging was
Too good for us: Another starts, and sayes
We wore Kings Colours (
God so, Hide thy face,
Good fellow Prisoner, that pale reddish Blew
Will else betray us) Another swore, he knew
Each of us had a Pope in's belly; some
Said we dranke Healths unto they knew not whom:
Our Keepers knew no hurt, unlesse 'thad bin
Drinking of Sack, honest
Iack Falstaffes sinne,
That could not any accusation bring,
(Though Royall Drinke and Laquor for the King)
One said he thought that we Malignants were;
That very word made us to tarry there:
For now their Cabinet Counsaile thought it fit
To keepe us, till we should some Crime commit.
This vex'd me (I confesse) and to my thought
Some of my dayly Meditations brought.
Curse on your Parliament Justice; I did know
This was your way, and I have felt it now:
Alas, we know your arbitrarie hate
Is growne to be both our Ste
[...]ne Law and Fate;
We know how oft y'are forc'd the Name to change,
And what you can't call Punishment, is Revenges
If you doe hap to light on a confest
Offender, 'tis but Fortune at the best.
To be thought honest Men, is to betray
Our selves and fortunes (an unluckie pray)
To your vast cruell Avarice: We know
What horrid ills you must hereafter doe,
By Sequestration and Proscriptions; Crimes
Which shall absolve th'
Irish in after-times.
Oh may these Wrongs sit heavie on you, when
You meet the King i'th' Field; May your Ills then
Stick fast and strongly to you on all parts.
And send a gastly trembling through your hearts;
May you then thinke of GOD, and p
[...]us grow,
And then Despaire prove Cowardise in you;
Be your owne Sp'rites amongst you, to possesse
Your Coward hearts with thoughts of gu
[...]ltinesse,
And feare of Vengeance: May each good mans prayer,
Whom you have wrong'd, flye strong against you there;
And your miraculous Misfortunes bring
You to confesse, you fight against the King.
And sure we shall at last our wishes gaine,
So vigorous hatred cannot be in vaine:
If Murther, Rapine, and Injustice bee
Enough t'orewhelme you, sure these eyes shall see
Your Villanies unmaskt, and you so low
And poore, that e'en my selfe shall pittie you.
And thou my Knight, whom a more sordid Fate
Hath made below so strong, and fierce a hate,
My venerable Judge, to whom I owe
Six L
[...]ce and my Imprisonment, shalt grow
More famous now (if ought my Verses can,
Or those my Friends can make) thou shalt b'a Man
Greater then Fate hath made thee (if Ballets bee
But capable of Immortalitie)
Children and Market-maids in after-times
Shall see thee drest in most vile Tunes, and Rimes,
And Ale-houses as yet not built, shall see
Thy Picture pasted on their Mantle-tree:
Nere looke to dye, thou shalt be laught at still,
Longer then
Nashos Harvy, or
Triplets Gill.
FINIS.
Sent from the same Scholler from Cambridge, whose name is R. B. to his Royall friend at Oxford, T. S.