The FIRST PART,
Admiring it as a WONDER.
1.
O Thrice Illustrious Famous City
LONDON,
What Tongue can say that e're thou yet wert undon!
Or who can think thou ever so shalt be,
Since
Fire, which
All Consumes, Increaseth
Thee.
2.
Inferiour unto None, before thou wert,
But now the
Glory of the World thou art:
Thou far transcends that
Phoenix which of old
In
Antient Stories to us have been told.
3.
Who when the
Revolution of her time
Is come, She Burns to Ashes: But in Prime
Again to Admiration she
Revives,
And in her wonted State again she Lives.
4.
Which seems a
Miracle unto the Eyes
Of all the Studious, Learned, and the Wise:
And unto those who oft have heard 'tis so,
Yet know not whether it be True or No.
5.
But this strange wonder which thou shew'st is such
As cannot well be wondred at too much:
I for my part, so often as I view
Thy vast incomparable Buildings New,
6.
Do stand agast to think thereon, and say,
To work thy
Ruin, sure
Fire's not the way:
Fire only as with Gold it works with Thee,
In purging forth thy Dross doth Clarifie.
An Advertisement to the Reader, or rather Singer.
VVHo is desir'd to take notice, That the
MƲSICK Ayre (for Quantities and Humour is chiefly naturalliz'd to Accord with the First Staff of the
Ballad; yet so consider'd upon in the Formality, that it may tollerably well suit with the whole: However, it begs the favour of the understanding Performer to help it a little in certain places;
viz the First Note of the
Treble would sometimes be made a Quaver as in the beginning of the Second Staff, Thus,
[...]
In-fe-riour, &c.
Likewise the Last Note and Word of the Fifth Staff would be made a Quaver, and so suddainly proceed to the Sixth Staff with a Quaver again: Also the First Staff of the Second Part would be altered thus with an odd Note,
[...]
Be-hold ye im-pious, &c.
As by good consideration will be thought very necessary: For 'tis impossible that an Ayre should be so contriv'd, as to agree exactly in proper Life and Humour to every word of so many several Staves as here are. Let this little hint suffice for all, only, pray Sing the whole Song over very slowly, and make your Pauses properly in all places; And because there are added two Feet to the Last Line of the
Ballad, alter the conclusion, Thus,
[...]
Yet still Rich London
cries, Vail Bonnet un—to me.
[...]
The SECOND PART,
Supposing it might be Fir'd by TREACHERY.
1.
BEhold ye impious Fiery Brands of Hell,
Who with your Grand-fire
Lucifer do dwell,
And put in practice his Foul
Hellish Trade
By
Fier-Plots! With
Fire you'll All be paid.
2.
Though little you do dream of such a thing,
Your
Sin's a Crying Sin, and will it bring,
In th' end assuredly, to your Dire Cost;
Behold, I say,
how all your Labour's lost!
3.
What you intended for our woe to be,
Is turned otherwise, (
our Joy) you see:
Our
Glory, and out
great Renown is seen,
Which otherwise perhaps had not yet been.
4.
Go, go ye Envious Dolts; go learn more Wit,
Improve your
Folly; make some use of it:
(VVho of necessity a
Virtue makes,
Deserves due Praise, for that good course he takes.)
5.
I'le put you in a way what you shall do,
Go set a Fire on ROME
and PARIS
too;
And all your old Built Towns; go Burn them down,
That they may be
Rebuilt like LONDON
Town.
6.
If all your
Wit, and
Skill, and
Art can do it,
(And I believe you'l stretch your Brains unto 't:)
O then brave Boyes, perchance you'll seem to be!
Yet still
Rich LONDON
cryes, Vail Bonnet unto Me.
The Ayre with its Thorough-Bass.
[...]
O Thrice Illustrious Famous Ci—ty
LONDON, what Tongue can say that e're thou yet wert undon! Or who can think thou ever so shalt be, since Fire which All Consumes, Increaseth Thee?
[...]
[...]
CHORƲS. London's
the Town of Chief Renown, let En—vy do her worst, shall wear the Crown.