The poore Committee-mans Accompt, avouched by BRITANNICUS.
O Yes! Behold here's my accompt,
I'm ready for to make it,
If any man who loves the King
will please to come and take it;
I am not as the Cavaliers
are pleas'd to call me, Traytor;
I am a poore Committees Clerke,
a simple harmlesse Creature;
That this is true you need not doubt,
examine Mr. Needam,
Hee'l tell you true, and sweare it too,
'tis for the Kingdomes freedome.
Free Pole-money, free money lent
upon the Propositions,
Free money rais'd for
Irish Lands,
but God knowes the conditions;
Free money lent on Ordinance,
free Subsidies full fifty,
If our Committees grow not rich,
Ile never think them thrifty;
That this is true, &c.
The fift and twentieth part, Excise,
Customes and Sequestrations;
The Kings Revenues too we have,
besides the great Taxation;
And that great taxe is monthly laid
upon the associated,
Which comes to threescore thousand pounds
a month, if rightly stated:
That this is true, &c.
But O! that Tophe
[...]
Goldsmiths-Hall,
where men make composition,
Which gets (they say) the devill and all,
that
Spanish Inquisition:
If any
Dives should fall sicke,
and dye (as men are sickly)
They would his heire a
Lazarus make,
and they would doe it quickly:
That this is true, &c.
They say they fourescore thousand had,
some make it up a hundred,
Suppose foure hundred pound a man,
a sum scarce to be numbred;
The Bishops Lands are but a toy
with such great summes compared,
Yet those we hope will one day come,
amongst us to be shared:
That this is true, &c.
Ship-money was a hideous thing
these payments are but trifles,
That was injoyned by the King,
all Law and Justice stifles:
These toyes the Parliament injoynes,
therein all Subjects share too,
Yet they who at the Stern doe sit,
for this will take a care too;
That this is true, &c.
Alas! why should such men pay debts,
the Cavaleeres did plunder?
If not, yet they their charges beare,
then is it not a wonder,
The wicked should say they grow rich,
who but contrive the payments,
And of the publike stock take care,
their gains scarce finds them rayments:
That this is true, &c.
These men defie all wicked tongues,
that challenge close Committees,
Let thē throw stones have don no wrong
is't not a thousand pitties,
Such carefull pious men as those,
who have done their endeavors,
To purge the Church and wicked state,
should now be thought deceivers?
That this is true, &c.
Suppose they have a publick stock
sure that must be concealed,
It was but for the publike rais'd,
and it shall be revealed;
We know, that were the stock as great as
Dávids, which amounted
To such a summe, we have such men,
it need not to be counted:
That this is true you need not doubt,
examine Mr. Needame,
Hee'l tell you true, and sweare it too,
'tis for the Kingdomes freedome.