University of Virginia Library

Iohn Taylors last Voyage, AND ADVENTVRE, PERFORMED from the twentieth of Iuly last 1641. to the tenth of September following.

To his Friend Mr. John Tayler, on his voyage and Iourney.

Iohn Taylor Water-Poet Anagramme: Loapety-Troianroweth.

Strange Newes! There is arrived at our Key;
A wandring Poet alwaies in his way;
Whose wilfull Errors makes him thus to vaunt,
Æneas-like, I came from Troyonvant.
I rowed in Rivers sometimes checkt by Milles,
Steer'd under Bridges, and came over Hilles.
The Oares of pleasure and of profit brought
This Water-Poet hither in his boat;
And hence he must, but yet he will I trow
To the Brittaines rather then the Latines row:
English will serve him rightly to rehearse
His crooked travells in good prose or verse.
When as the winds of fancy cease to blow him,
If he have watermen to row or tow him;
Expect Relations, I beleeve in fyne
The Poets waterworkes will goe in wine,
And all his dry-land passages appeare
With casuall events both here and there.
Now I doe wish he may accomplsh it
Without expence of any thing but wit.

IOHN TAYLORS LAST VOYAGE, AND ADVENTVRE performed from the twentieth of Iuly last 1641. to the tenth of September following.

Of famous Rivers, Brooks, Bournes, Rills, & Springs,
Of Deepes and Shallowes my invention Sings,
Of Rocks Impenetrable, fourds and Mills,
Of Stopps, and Weares, Shelves, Sands, and mighty Hills,
Of Navigable passages (Neglected)
Of Rivers spoyl'd, men begger'd and deiected.
Of Tame, of Isis, Seaverne, Wye and Teme
Lugge, Loden, Doyre, and Monnoes Pearly Streame,
Of these, of more than these, and of their Vses,
And of their miserable strange Abuses.
I truely treate, that men may note and see
What blessings Navigable Rivers bee,
And how that thousands are debar'd those blessings
By few mens Avaritious hard oppressings.
I also shew how those faults may be mended
And no man have just cause to be offended.
And with a paire of Oares (for that intent)
I once from London unto Lincolne went,
Whereas a passage seven miles was cut thorowe
From Lincolne into Trent, and to Gainsborowe;
That way I past, and into Humber past
To Hull, from thence to Owse, and Yorke at last,
Another Voyage to the West, againe
I (with a Wherry) past the raging Maine
From London to the Isle of Wight and thence
To Salisbury (with Time and Coynes expence)
Since when our gratious soveraigne did ordaine
The Viscount Dorchester to take the paine
To view what wrongs the River Thames did beare
I served then, and every Stoppe and Weare
And all impediments, I found I writ
And (hoping for amendment) printed it.
For care was taken, and true industrie
That from faire Oxfords University
To London I Annottomiz'd the flood
And shew'd it's qualities both bad and good.
Promise was made, Thames wrongs should bee reform'd
And some small helps were speedily perform'd
But yet not halfe is done that then was spoken
(All promises are either kept or broken)
For as a monument, of our disgraces
The Rivers too too fowle in many places.
I have describ'd heere many an injury
In three great Rivers, Severne, Thames, and Wye)
Besides two Rivers Avon, one makes speede
To Bristol, (and doth make it rich indeede.)
And would Bathe cure that Rivers great amisse
That City would be richer then it is,
But each man to himselfe beares private love
And no man will the generall griefe remove.
The other Avon Ruines past Gloster West
From Bristols Avon fifty miles at least,
It glides to Stretford Towne from Coventry
And into Severne falls at Tewxbury.
Of Rivers, many writers well have done
Grave Camden, Draytons Polyolbyon,
And painefull Speede, doth in his Mappes declare
Where all these Brookes and waters were and are,
But yet not any one have sought (but I)
To finde their wrongs, and shew some remedy.
I shew the meane neglect of Navigation
For few mens profit, publique lamentation,
To encrease some five or fixe mens Treasury
Whiles twenty thousand lives in misery,
From shore to shore brave Rivers are dam'd so
That not a woodden dish hath roome to go,
No not a hand breadth, but that all is stop'd
And from the poore man all reliefe is stop'd.
It is the goodnesse of our God to give
To us foure Elements, whereby we live:
Those Elements, Fire, Water, Ayre are nam'd
And Earth (of which althings are made and fram'd,
And all those blessings, the great God of Heaven
(Some more, some lesse to every man hath given.
By ayre and breath (and breath no man buy
Ayre serves all creatures in community)
And though earth yeeld materialls for the fire
Which many a sonne (by right) holds from his sire,
Yet sure me thinkes the water should be free
For passage, for all men of each degree.
And though the Rivers in proportions are
Shar'd thine, or mine, or this or that mans share,
Yet sure, when God gives water, boates to beare
It should not be stop'd up, with Mill or Weare.
And now my meaning plainer to disclose,
A little while I'le turne my Verse to Prose.

[For who can (but with pittie) here behold]

For who can (but with pittie) here behold
These multitudes of mischiefes manifold,
Shall Rivers thus be barr'd with stops and locks,
With Mills, and Hills, with gravels beds, and rocks:
With weares, and weedes, and forced Islands made,
To spoyle a publique for a private Trade?
Shame fall the doers, and th'Almighties blessing
Be heap'd upon their heads that seeke redressing.
Were such a businesse to be done in Flanders
Or Holland mongst the industrious Netherlanders,
They to deepe passages would turne our hils,
To Windmills they would change our watermils.
All helps unto these rivers they would ayd,
And all impediments shall be destroyed:
Our vagabonds (the wandring brood of Caine,)
They would inforce those runnagates take paine,
Whereby much profit quickly would accrue,
(For labour robs the hangman of his due.)
In common reason, all men must agree:
That if these Rivers were made cleane and free,
One Barge, with eight poore mens industrious paines,
Would carry more than forty carts or waines.
And every waine to draw them horses five,
And each two men or boye, to guide or drive.
Charge of an hundred horse and eighty men
With eight mens labour would be served then,
Thus man would be imployd, and horse preserv'd,
And all the Countrey at cheape rates be serv'd.
'Tis said the Dutchmen taught us drinke and swill,
I'm sure we goe beyond them in that skill,
I wish (as we exceede them in what's bad)
That we some portion of their goodnesse had:
Then should this worthy worke be soone begun,
And with successefull expedition done?
Which I despaire not of, but humbly plead,
That God his blessings will increase and spread
On them that love this worke, and on their heires,
Their goods and chattels, and on all that's theirs?
I wish them blest externall, and internall
And in the end with happinesse eternall.