 | Miscellaneous works of George Wither |  |
A Word on the behalf of Mr. Zachary Crofton Prisoner in the Tower.
Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye the same unto
them; for this is the Law and the Prophets,
Matth. 7. 12.
Since all men erre, and one way, or another,
Occasion what mis-happens to each other,
I cannot but be sensible of that,
Which may bee mine, and ev'ry mans estate.
CROFTON's a Prisoner, and, some say, must dye;
Yet, I, from none, can learn the reason why.
If his declaring for the COVENANT,
Be all his Crime, a reason I shall want,
To satisfie mee, by what Law wee shall
Conclude that his Offence is Capital;
Or, how, that can imputed be for sin,
Which, by no Law, hath yet forbidden been.
GOD, bless the King and State; and so mens reason
Preserve, that, we may once know Truth from Treason,
Lest we at last be brought into a snare,
And, be uncertain, when we Traitors are:
For, though it safely might bee justifi'd
That, rather than GOD, Men should be obey'd;
Such, may not be their own Friends, who condemn
That man, who pleaded both for GOD, and them,
And, to the hazzard of his life persists,
In vindicating their Joynt-Interests,
To no mans disadvantage, except those,
Who, are to GOD and Men, apparent foes.
Occasion what mis-happens to each other,
I cannot but be sensible of that,
Which may bee mine, and ev'ry mans estate.
CROFTON's a Prisoner, and, some say, must dye;
Yet, I, from none, can learn the reason why.
If his declaring for the COVENANT,
Be all his Crime, a reason I shall want,
To satisfie mee, by what Law wee shall
Conclude that his Offence is Capital;
Or, how, that can imputed be for sin,
Which, by no Law, hath yet forbidden been.
GOD, bless the King and State; and so mens reason
Preserve, that, we may once know Truth from Treason,
Lest we at last be brought into a snare,
And, be uncertain, when we Traitors are:
For, though it safely might bee justifi'd
That, rather than GOD, Men should be obey'd;
Such, may not be their own Friends, who condemn
That man, who pleaded both for GOD, and them,
And, to the hazzard of his life persists,
In vindicating their Joynt-Interests,
To no mans disadvantage, except those,
Who, are to GOD and Men, apparent foes.
Mee thinks, it is great pity, that, a man
Who, to GOD, King and Church, both may, and can
Be serviceable; and, who doth profess
His Judgement, in meer conscientiousness
Without design'd contempt, unto the State,
Or, purposing a mutinous debate,
And, never gave just cause to be suspected,
He was to either of them disaffected,
(But, unto both of them, good service did,
When they of Faithful Servants had most need;
And, hath but done his duty, to oppose
Those Harpies, which to all Good men are foes)
Should by mistake, or, by mis-information,
As one, who had deserved no compassion,
A Sufferer with Malefactors be
Because, hee sees not, what he cannot see;
Or, else, because he cannot credit give
To what, he findes no reason to beleeve;
For, who will care for life, where Prelacy
Attains to such a height of Tyranny,
That, it inslaves both Soul and Body too?
And, where, of what we should beleeve and do,
No certainty, can by their LIGHT be known,
Nor leave obtain'd, to make use of our own,
Though voluntarily the King ingag'd
To let the Conscience be so priviledg'd;
And, Mercy, in some other things, did show
Whereof, the Prelacy will not allow.
Who, to GOD, King and Church, both may, and can
Be serviceable; and, who doth profess
His Judgement, in meer conscientiousness
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Or, purposing a mutinous debate,
And, never gave just cause to be suspected,
He was to either of them disaffected,
(But, unto both of them, good service did,
When they of Faithful Servants had most need;
And, hath but done his duty, to oppose
Those Harpies, which to all Good men are foes)
Should by mistake, or, by mis-information,
As one, who had deserved no compassion,
A Sufferer with Malefactors be
Because, hee sees not, what he cannot see;
Or, else, because he cannot credit give
To what, he findes no reason to beleeve;
For, who will care for life, where Prelacy
Attains to such a height of Tyranny,
That, it inslaves both Soul and Body too?
And, where, of what we should beleeve and do,
No certainty, can by their LIGHT be known,
Nor leave obtain'd, to make use of our own,
Though voluntarily the King ingag'd
To let the Conscience be so priviledg'd;
And, Mercy, in some other things, did show
Whereof, the Prelacy will not allow.
Whether the COVENANT, by right, or wrong,
Were made, or burnt, it doth not now belong
To private men to question: For, when dooms
Are past in Parliament, the Case then comes
Before GOD's Judgement-Seat; and, woe to them,
Who, that, which hee approves of, shall condemn.
Till, therefore, he, thence answers their appeal
Wise men, their private thinkings will conceal,
And, him implore, to whom referr'd it is,
To right what's wrong, and pardon what's amiss.
Were made, or burnt, it doth not now belong
To private men to question: For, when dooms
Are past in Parliament, the Case then comes
Before GOD's Judgement-Seat; and, woe to them,
Who, that, which hee approves of, shall condemn.
Till, therefore, he, thence answers their appeal
Wise men, their private thinkings will conceal,
And, him implore, to whom referr'd it is,
To right what's wrong, and pardon what's amiss.
What, Fame reports by Crofton to be done
I, singly and sincerely musing on,
Do finde, by that; whereof inform'd I am,
That, hee more merited reward than blame,
Unless, that, wherein other men have err'd
(Without his fault) may be to him transferr'd.
The Covenant hee took, but did not make it;
Nor forced any one to take, or break it;
But, in his place alone, the same maintain'd
(To his own hazzard) as it appertain'd
Unto the honour, peace, and preservation
Both of the Royal persons, and the Nation,
As he thought it oblig'd; and as it stood
In force, relating to the Will of GOD
And, no jot further; unless, wee suppose
Hee err'd, in pressing it, to bar out those
Who, have been, still are, and will be agen,
Foes unto GOD, to Kings, and Common men,
As soon as they themselves enabled finde,
To do the work, for which they were design'd.
For, that, which CROFTON most insisted on,
(As purpos'd by the Covenant to be done)
Is an exploding of the Hierarchy
Brought in, by Antichristian-Prelacy,
(To whose support, his Oath cannot extend
Who, CHRIST's Faith, is obliged to defend.)
And, if that, be a fault, GOD, mee forgive,
For, therein, I resolve, to dye, and live.
I, singly and sincerely musing on,
Do finde, by that; whereof inform'd I am,
That, hee more merited reward than blame,
Unless, that, wherein other men have err'd
(Without his fault) may be to him transferr'd.
The Covenant hee took, but did not make it;
Nor forced any one to take, or break it;
80
(To his own hazzard) as it appertain'd
Unto the honour, peace, and preservation
Both of the Royal persons, and the Nation,
As he thought it oblig'd; and as it stood
In force, relating to the Will of GOD
And, no jot further; unless, wee suppose
Hee err'd, in pressing it, to bar out those
Who, have been, still are, and will be agen,
Foes unto GOD, to Kings, and Common men,
As soon as they themselves enabled finde,
To do the work, for which they were design'd.
For, that, which CROFTON most insisted on,
(As purpos'd by the Covenant to be done)
Is an exploding of the Hierarchy
Brought in, by Antichristian-Prelacy,
(To whose support, his Oath cannot extend
Who, CHRIST's Faith, is obliged to defend.)
And, if that, be a fault, GOD, mee forgive,
For, therein, I resolve, to dye, and live.
The stress of his Case, as appears to mee,
Lies there; if, hee of ought else guilty bee,
I, leave him to excuse himself; for, never
Saw I his face, nor shall perhaps for ever.
But, hee's in durance, and I fain would do
As, in his Case, I would bee done unto;
And, peradventure, it will needful bee
That, fome, ere long, should do as much for mee.
There are, besides those actings, which do fall
Within the duties of our Common-call,
Some, having so peculiar Relation,
To GOD's Designments in our Generation,
That, they not onely do the force abate
Of what is call'd, The Reason of the State,
But, of those Precepts also, at sometimes,
Whose violations are most hainous Crimes,
In any other case; as may appear,
By many proofs, which I will now forbear.
GOD, doth a Generation-work design;
For, ev'ry man: These, are a part of mine,
And, I had rather dye ten deaths for one
Than take ten lives, to let it bee undone.
Till that is done, mee, Lord vouchsafe to keep;
And, David-like, then, let mee fall asleep.
Lies there; if, hee of ought else guilty bee,
I, leave him to excuse himself; for, never
Saw I his face, nor shall perhaps for ever.
But, hee's in durance, and I fain would do
As, in his Case, I would bee done unto;
And, peradventure, it will needful bee
That, fome, ere long, should do as much for mee.
There are, besides those actings, which do fall
Within the duties of our Common-call,
Some, having so peculiar Relation,
To GOD's Designments in our Generation,
That, they not onely do the force abate
Of what is call'd, The Reason of the State,
But, of those Precepts also, at sometimes,
Whose violations are most hainous Crimes,
In any other case; as may appear,
By many proofs, which I will now forbear.
GOD, doth a Generation-work design;
For, ev'ry man: These, are a part of mine,
And, I had rather dye ten deaths for one
Than take ten lives, to let it bee undone.
Till that is done, mee, Lord vouchsafe to keep;
And, David-like, then, let mee fall asleep.
| Miscellaneous works of George Wither | |