 | Satires and miscellaneous poetry and prose |  |
224
HONOR
Dishonor, tho a Negative, is Real
But Honor Nothing but a Jugler['s] Spell.
Has no more virtue in't, nor Influence
Then th' Antient Powder, of Experience:
That Smoke, the vaprous Excrement of Fire,
Do's not more Naturally strive, t' aspire.
That aime's at no Designe, but to exempt
The Mean, and Despicable, from Contempt:
And when they have no Honor of their owne
To take a Dispensation of the Crown.
A Priviledg of Pereage, and Free Grant,
T' indulge the frayl Nobles with what they want;
A Royall Bill of Store, and many times
A Pardon for th' Intollerablest Crimes
Which make's the New-Atchievments pass, instead
Of Honorable, Heroique Act, and Deed.
And servs for Compensation to Supply
The Reall wants of tru Nobility.
But Honor Nothing but a Jugler['s] Spell.
Has no more virtue in't, nor Influence
Then th' Antient Powder, of Experience:
That Smoke, the vaprous Excrement of Fire,
Do's not more Naturally strive, t' aspire.
That aime's at no Designe, but to exempt
The Mean, and Despicable, from Contempt:
And when they have no Honor of their owne
To take a Dispensation of the Crown.
A Priviledg of Pereage, and Free Grant,
T' indulge the frayl Nobles with what they want;
A Royall Bill of Store, and many times
A Pardon for th' Intollerablest Crimes
Which make's the New-Atchievments pass, instead
Of Honorable, Heroique Act, and Deed.
And servs for Compensation to Supply
The Reall wants of tru Nobility.
For those that only Clame the Priviledge
To Ride to execution, on a Sledge
Disdaine Inferiors, of less Deserts
That only are allowd to Ride in Carts.
To Ride to execution, on a Sledge
Disdaine Inferiors, of less Deserts
That only are allowd to Ride in Carts.
The Turks caress a Drunken Prisoner
And Drub them, till they greater men Appeare
Then they would owne themselves, t' have been before,
To set a greater Ransom on their score.
And Drub them, till they greater men Appeare
Then they would owne themselves, t' have been before,
To set a greater Ransom on their score.
And Painters made all Signes o' th' Saracen
As big as Gyants, tho but Little men;
Because the Christians in the holy wars
Were sometimes beat by such smal Conquerors,
To save their Credit, Drew their Heads and Faces
As fierce as Gog-magogs, or Goliasses.
As big as Gyants, tho but Little men;
Because the Christians in the holy wars
Were sometimes beat by such smal Conquerors,
To save their Credit, Drew their Heads and Faces
As fierce as Gog-magogs, or Goliasses.
225
Contempt of Honor in the Great is worse
Then want of Conscience, in Inferiors.
Then want of Conscience, in Inferiors.
And when there are two Persons, that within
The Species only, hardly are of kin,
A great and lesser, both lay Claims t' allyance,
With æqual Scorn of both sides, and Defyance:
For Little Familys, are sure to claime,
To be the Best Descended of the Name:
And Antient Houses, that are under Hatches
Have been Restord to Honorable by matches;
And New ones half-gentile, Half-Mungrels,
Have been erected into Great, from Dung-hills.
How many Kitchin-mayds, and homely Drudges
Have been espousd by Aldermen, and Judges?
And Whetstone-Sinners, virtuous Ladys dubd
As soon as Churchd of Child-bed-Claps, and tubd.
The Species only, hardly are of kin,
A great and lesser, both lay Claims t' allyance,
With æqual Scorn of both sides, and Defyance:
For Little Familys, are sure to claime,
To be the Best Descended of the Name:
And Antient Houses, that are under Hatches
Have been Restord to Honorable by matches;
And New ones half-gentile, Half-Mungrels,
Have been erected into Great, from Dung-hills.
How many Kitchin-mayds, and homely Drudges
Have been espousd by Aldermen, and Judges?
And Whetstone-Sinners, virtuous Ladys dubd
As soon as Churchd of Child-bed-Claps, and tubd.
The Raggedst Begger is the most Clinquant,
And He the Richest that is most in want.
For those that have the Plentifullest Stores,
Of Broken Limbes, and Vermin, Scabs and Sores
And own the Greatst Variety of Patches
Are held the most Considerable Matches.
So thievs abroad are held the most Gentile
That oftest stand for Breaking on the wheel
Have don their Exercises best to Boyl,
For Forging Coyn, in Kitchen-stuf, or Oyl,
On Gibbets strivd to take their last Farewels
And Hang themselvs for their own Passing-bels;
Have undergone the French Strapado oftest
Down from the Top to Bottom and the loftiest.
And He the Richest that is most in want.
For those that have the Plentifullest Stores,
Of Broken Limbes, and Vermin, Scabs and Sores
And own the Greatst Variety of Patches
Are held the most Considerable Matches.
So thievs abroad are held the most Gentile
That oftest stand for Breaking on the wheel
Have don their Exercises best to Boyl,
For Forging Coyn, in Kitchen-stuf, or Oyl,
On Gibbets strivd to take their last Farewels
And Hang themselvs for their own Passing-bels;
Have undergone the French Strapado oftest
Down from the Top to Bottom and the loftiest.
All wild, but Generous Creatures, Live of Course
As if they had Agreed for better, or worse:
The Lion's constant to his only Miss
And never Leav's his Faithfull Lioness.
And she as Chast and tru, to him, agen
As virtuous Ladys use to be to Men.
The Docile and Ingenious Elephant,
T' his own, and only fœmal, is Gallant:
And she as Tru, and Constant, to his Bed:
That first Injoyd her single Mayden-Head.
But Paltry Rams, and Bulles, and Goats, and Boars
Are never satisfyd with New Amores,
As all Pultrons with us delight to Range,
And tho but for the worst of all, to change.
As if they had Agreed for better, or worse:
The Lion's constant to his only Miss
And never Leav's his Faithfull Lioness.
And she as Chast and tru, to him, agen
As virtuous Ladys use to be to Men.
The Docile and Ingenious Elephant,
T' his own, and only fœmal, is Gallant:
226
That first Injoyd her single Mayden-Head.
But Paltry Rams, and Bulles, and Goats, and Boars
Are never satisfyd with New Amores,
As all Pultrons with us delight to Range,
And tho but for the worst of all, to change.
| Satires and miscellaneous poetry and prose | |