Poems consisting of Epistles and Epigrams, Satyrs, Epitaphs and Elogies, Songs and Sonnets With variety of other drolling Verses upon several Subjects. Composed by no body must know whom, and are to be had every body knows where, and for somebody knows what [by John Eliot] |
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An exortation for the battering down of those vanities
of the Gentiles which are comprehended in a
May pole written by a Zealous brother from Blackfryers.
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 | Poems consisting of Epistles and Epigrams, Satyrs, Epitaphs and Elogies, Songs and Sonnets |  |
103
An exortation for the battering down of those vanities of the Gentiles which are comprehended in a May pole written by a Zealous brother from Blackfryers.
The mighty Zeal which thou hast new put on,Neither by Prophet nor by Prophets son,
As yet prevented doth transport me so
Beyond my self, that though I ne'r could go
Farr in a verse, and all rimes have defy'd
Since Hopkins and good Thomas Sternhold dy'd
Except it were the little pains I tooke,
To please good people in some praier booke
That I've set forth or so; yet must I raise
My spirit for thee, who shall in thy praise
Gird up her loynes, and furiously run
All kind of feet, but Satans cloven one.
Such is thy Zeale, so well dost thou express it,
And wer't not like a charme I'de say, Christ bless it.
I needs must say 'tis a spirituall thing
To raile against the Bishop or the King.
Nor are they mean adventures we have bin in
About the wearing of the Churches linnen:
But these were private quarrells, this doth fall
Within the compass of the generall.
Whether it be a Pole painted and wrought
Farr otherwise then from the wood 'tis brought,
Whose head the Idolmakers hand doth crop,
104
Looks like the calf at Horeb: at whose root
The unyoakt youth doth exercise his foot.
Or whether it reserves its boughs, befriended
By neighbouring bushes, and by them attended
How canst thou chuse, but seeing it complain,
That Baal's worship'd in the groves again.
Tell me how curst an egging, with a sting
Of lust do these unwieldy dances bring.
The simple wretches say they mean no harme,
They do not surely, but these actions warm
Our purer blouds the more; for Satan thus
Tempts us the more that are more righteous.
Oft hath a brother most sincerely gone
Stifled in prayer, and contemplation.
When lighting on the place where such repair
He views the Nymphs, and is clean out in's prayer.
Oft hath a sister grounded in our truth,
Seeing the jolly carriages of the youth.
Been tempted to the way that's broad and bad,
And wer't not for our private pleasure, had
Renounc'd her little ruff and goggle eye,
And quit her self of the Fraternity,
What is the mirth, what is the melody
That sets them in this Gentiles vanity?
When in our Synagogues we raile at sin,
And tell men of their faults which they are in,
With hand and voyce so following our theams
That we put out the Sides men in their dreams,
105
Better and hollower then doth a tabor?
Yet such is unregenerate mans folly,
They love the wicked noise, and hate the holy.
Routs and wilde pleasure do invite temptation,
And this is dangerous for our damnation.
We must not move our selves, but if we are mov'd
Man is but man: and therefore those that lov'd
Still to seem good, would evermore dispence
With their own faults, so they gave no offence.
If the times sweet enticing, and the bloud
That now begin's to boyl, have thought it good
To challinge liberty and recreation,
Let it be done in holy contemplation.
Brothers and sisters in the fields may walk
Beginnings of the holy word to talk,
Of David and Uriah, lovely wife,
Of Tamar and her lustfull brothers strife;
Then underneath the hedge that wooes them next
They may sit down, and there act out the text.
Nor do we want how ere we live austere
In winter Sabaoth nights our lusty cheer;
And though the Pastors grace which oft doth hold
Half an hower long make the provision cold
We can be merry, thinking ne'r the worse
To mend the matter at the second course.
Chapters are read, and hymns are sweetly sung
Ioyntly commanded by the nose and tongue.
Then on the word we diversly dilate
106
Where at the length an unappeased doubt
Feircely comes in, and then the lights go out.
Darknes thus makes our peace, and we contain
Our fiery spirits till we set againe.
Till then no voice is heard, no tongue doth go,
Except a tender sister shreike or so:
Such should be our delights, grave and demure,
Not so abominable and inpure
As those thou seek'st to hinder, but I feare
Satan will be too strong, his kingdom's heer.
Few are the righteous, nor do I know
How we this Idoll e're shall overthrow,
And since our sincere Patron is deceas't
The number of the righteous is decreast.
But we do hope these tim'es will on, and breede
A faction mighty for us, for indeede
We labour all, and every sister joynes
To have regenerate babes spring from our loynes;
Besides what many carefully have done
Getting the unrighteous man a righteous sonne.
Then stoutly on, let not thy flock range lewdly
One their old vanities, thou Lamp of Beawdly.
One thing I pray thee, do not too much thirst
After Idolatries last fall, but first
Follow this {su}te more close, let it not goe
Till it be thine as thou would'st have't, for so
Thy successors upon the same entayle
Hereafter may take up the Whitson Ale.
| Poems consisting of Epistles and Epigrams, Satyrs, Epitaphs and Elogies, Songs and Sonnets | |