Mercurius Benevolens.
Not Prag. nor Pol. not he, nor he.
BUT A well-wishing Mercury.
Shewing th' Abuse of past and present Times,
With well-meant Lessons, & some other Rimes.
NEW, NEW, NEW,
If Newes in minde may ease you;
TRUE, TRUE, TRUE;
Truth cannot sure displease you.
When from the Senate-House, or Court,
Of Newes we have but small report,
Then with an Epigram let's sport.
Patri tuae patriae, Patriae tuo fratri, a portione tua (ut aequum est) distribue.
London, Printed for Hen. Brome, at the Signe of the Gun in Ivy-Lane, 1661.
Go forth my Lines; Jehovah great,
so bless you in your way;
That you to Good may men reclaim,
when they do go astray.
Go forth my Lines; may you be strong,
(though I am weak and old)
To throw down Vice, Vertue to raise,
therein may you be bold.
Short Lessons soon are learn'd with ease, delight:
That way's not long, whose end appears in sight.
To the Readers.
Readers and Friends, may it be understood,
I wish to you, as to my self, that good;
O may we all each other truly love,
As Children of one Father▪ God above.
How joyfull is it evermore to see
Brethren to live in Peace and Ʋnitie.
THe old Year now is past and gone;
the new Year is come in:
Lord make us new, forgive our old,
and keep us from new sin;
That a new Life, with a new Year,
we all may now begin.
Democritus and Heraclitus.
I laugh to see how vain men be:
But when I spie their mischiefs high,
O then I cry, and wish to dye;
So griev'd am I.
I laugh to see the vanities of men,
To see their mischiefs, O I'me grieved then.
Jocund Democritus in me I finde,
And Heraclitus weeping sad in minde:
I cry, I laugh, I laugh, agen I cry,
Perplexed am, would live, yet wish to dye.
Few things we guess at, which we see,
but seldome guess aright:
How shall we guess at things that be
above us infinite?
Alas, in that we all agree,
with us it is dark night.
The Rich should alwayes take care of the Poor;
And the high Magistrate look to the lower,
Else to all Looseness stands open a door.
Where all do rule, there's all misrule:
no man can have his right;
Were all men Kings, none could command:
for Justice men must fight.
Men, whilst they live, upon poor worms do tread;
Worms on mens flesh do feed, when men are dead.
We all are worms; our houses worm-holes be,
A while to live in, not continually:
This is the custome, so hath ever bin,
One worm creeps out, another worm creeps in.
If Prayer could make a poor man to be fat,
He should be sure, to have enough of that.
A poor man sinking cries, and shews his grief:
God help thee, help thee, this is his relief.
Hath God enabled thee? he doth command,
When thou dost pray, to put thy helping hand:
If thou doest not, better thy Prayer refrain;
To pray, not do, thou tak'st Gods name in vain.
O world of vanity, O world of strife!
Who is't can live in thee a quiet life?
Wise-men do order all things to their pow'r,
Which Fools and Knaves disorder ev'ry hour:
Wise-men indeavour to set all at peace;
Knaves like it not, but Brabbles more increase:
Wheres'ere a Wise-man and a Fool is seen,
Be sure a Knave will thrust himself between.
To tax the Poor, is to make more.
To relieve Beggars, from the Poor to take,
As they relieve, so Beggars more they make:
They onely should be taxt, who do abound,
That Poor might thrive, and Beggars not be found.
A Young-man seldome wise doth prove,
until he's sorely bitten:
He scorns advice, till 'tis too late,
when folly hath him smitten.
Amidst our Cups have we no other talk,
But of Religion? let's rise up and walk:
O, let's take heed, O let not ev'ry squall
Dispute Religion, so make none at all.
Children are pretty, and Young-men are witty:
But Old men are fittest to govern a City.
Have Men the pow'r? do Men rule Boyes?
the World all happy peace enjoyes:
Are Boyes set up? do Boyes rule Men?
we must begin the World agen.
A good Wife is a Crown of Gold,
to grace her Husbands head;
A scolding Dame's a Crown of Thorns,
to scratch him, till he's dead.
The Lawyer sure the best esteem
'mongst men deserve to have;
He keeps a Good-man honest still,
yea more he mends a Knave.
O from this World how loth are men to part,
The world, the World is alwayes in their heart.
Man's but an earthen Vessel, and he's found,
A broken Vessel, when he falls to th' ground:
The Vessel broke, the Vessel holds no more,
And useless grown, it's then thrown out o'th' door.
When Death his fatal blow doth strike,
Death makes the Rich and Poor alike:
Here's a Lord, and here's a Slave;
There's no difference in the Grave.
Men all love Money, but to sev'rall ends;
For good use, bad use, no use some intends:
The Prodigal affects it, doth abuse it;
The Miser huggs it, hath no heart to use it;
The Good-man likes it for his needful uses;
The Knave desires it to maintain abuses;
The Wise to do good acts and fools to awe;
Fools love to see't, and play with't like Jack-daw.
O you Rich men of this City,
Are you Christians, and not pitty
Poor men begging for Christs sake?
What accompt think you to make
To God, who made you Stewards here,
When you shall starve his Children dear,
And hoard up for your selves, no other,
What God gave you, to give your Brother.
A great Estate, O never prize,
Wherewith is nought, but screaks and cryes;
A small Estate contenteth meetly,
Where in the Breast the Bird sings sweetly.
Sin brought in Death; from Death we cannot flye:
O mortal Man prepare thy self to dye:
Repent, amend, in heavenly Graces thrive;
And think of dead men, whom thou knew'st alive:
Know this (as they) so thou must to the grave:
Have Faith in Christ: Christ the whole Man will save.
What Good is taught in earnest, or in jest,
Learn it and do it; that you'l finde is best.
A Penny spent, it is not alwayes lost;
Sometimes a Pound is got with that small cost;
And sure this Paper's not so empty bare,
But in it's wrapt a penny-worth of Ware:
Then pay your Penny; you'r my loving Friend,
And I am yours: so in true love we end.