University of Virginia Library

Dr WILD'S Humble Thanks For His MAJESTIES Gracious Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, March 15. 1672.

No, not one word, can I of this Great Deed,
In Merlin or old Mother Shipton read!
Old Tyburn take those Tychobrahe Imps,
As Silger, who would be accounted Pimps
To the Amorous Planets, they the minute know
When Jove did Cuckold old Amphitryo.
Ken Mars, and made Venus wink and glances,
Their close Conjunctions, and mid-night Dances;
When costive Saturn goes to stool, and vile
Thief Mercury doth pick his Fob the while;
When Lady Luna leaks, and makes her man
Throw't out of Window into th'Ocean.
More subtle than the Excise-men here below,
What's spent in every Sign in Heaven they know.
Cunning Intelligencers! they'l not miss
To tell us next year the success of this;
They correspond with Dutch and English Star,
As one once did with CHARLES and Oliver.
The Bankers also might have, had they gone,
What Planet governed the Exchequer, known.
Old Lilly though he did not love to make
Any words on't, saw the English take
Five of the Smyrna Fleet, and if the Sign
Had been Aquarius, they'd made them Nine.
When Sagitarius took his aim to shoot
At Bishop Cosin, he spyed him no doubt;
And with such force the winged-Arrow flew,
Instead of one Church Stag he killed two;
Glocester and Durham when he espy'd,
Let Lean and Fat go together he cry'd.
Well Wille Lille, thou know'st all this as well
As I, and yet wouldst not their Lordships tell.
I know thy Plea too, and must it allow,
PRELATES should know as much of Heaven as thou:
But now Friend William, since its done and past,
Pray thee, give us Phanaticks but one Cast,
What thou foresaw'st of March the Fifteenth Last;
When swift and sudden as the Angels flye,
Th'Declaration for Conscience-Liberty;
When things of Heaven burst from the Royal Breast,
More fragrant than the Spices of the East.
I know in next years Almanack thou'lt write,
Thou saw'st the King and Council over-night,
Before that morn, all sit in Heaven as plain
To be discern'd, as if 'twere Charles's Waine,
Great B, great L, and two great AA's were chief,
Under Great CHARLES to give poor Fan's relief:
Thou sawest Lord Arlington ordain the man
To be the first Lay-Metropolitan.
Thou saw'st him give induction to a Spittle,
And constitute our Brother TOM-DOE-LITTLE.
In the Beors Paw, and Bulls right Eye,
Some Detriment to Priests thou did espye;
And though by Sol in Libra thou didst know
Which way the Scale of Policy would go;
Yet Mercury in Aries did decree,
That Wool and Lamb should still Conformists be.
But hark-you Will, Steer-poching is not fair;
Had you amongst the Steers found this March-Hare,
Bred of that lusty Puss the Good Old Cause,
Religion rescued from Informing Laws;
You should have yelpt aloud, hanging's the end,
By Huntsmens Rule, of Hounds that will not spend.
Be gone thou and thy canting-Tribe, be gone;
Go tell thy destiny to followers none:
Kings Hearts and Councils are too deep for thee,
And for thy Stars and Dœmons scrutinue,
King CHARLES Return was much above thy skill
To fumble out, as 'twas against thy will.
From him who can the Hearts of Kings inspire,
Not from the Planets, came that Sacred Fire
Of Soveraign Love, which broke into a Flame;
From God and from his King alone it came,
So great, so universal, and so free!
This was too much great CHARLES, except for Thee,
For any King to give a Subject hope;
To do thus like Thee, would undo the Pope;
Yea, tho' his Vassals should their wealth combine
To buy Indulgence half so large as thine:
No, if they should not only kiss his Toe,
But Clement's Podex, he'd not let them goe.
Whil'st Thou to's shame, Thy immortal glory
Hast freed All-Souls from real Purgatory,
And given All-Saints in Heav'n new Joys, to see
Their friends in England keep a Jubilee.
Suspect them not, Great Sir, nor think the worse;
For sudden Joys like grief confound at first.
The splendour of your favour was so bright,
That yet it dazles and o'rewhelms our sight.
Drunk with her cups, my Muse did nothing mind,
And until now her feet she could not find.
Greediness makes Profa'ness in th'first place,
Hungry men fill their bellies, then say grace.
We wou'd make Bonfires, but that we do fear
The name of Incend'ary we may hear:
We wou'd have Musick too, but 'twill not doo,
For all the Fidlers are Conformists too.
Nor can we ring, the angry Churchman swears,
By the King's leave the Bells and Ropes are theirs:
And let 'em take 'em, for our Tongues shall sing
Your Honour louder than their Clappers ring.
Nay, if they will not at this Grace repine,
We'l dress the Vineyard, they shall drink the Wine.
Their Church shall be the Mother, ours the Nurse.
Peter shall preach, Judas shall bear the Purse.
No Bishops, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, we
But only Ministers desire to be.
We'l preach in Sackcloth, they shall read in Silk.
We'l feed the Flock, and let them take the Milk.
Let but the Black-birds sing in bushes cold,
And may the Jack-dawes still the Steeples hold.
We'l be the Feet, the Back, and Hands, and they
Shall be the Belly, and devour the Prey,
The Tythe-pigg shall be theirs, we'l turn the spit,
We'l bear the Cross, they only sign with it.
But if the Patriarchs shall envy show,
To see their younger-Brother Joseph go
In Coat of divers colours, and shall fall
To rend it, 'cause it's not Canonical:
Then may they find him turn a Dreamer too,
And live themselves to see his Dream come true.
May rather they and we together joyn
In all what each can; But they have the Coyn,
With Prayers and Tears such service much avail:
With Tears to swell your Seas, with Prayers your Sails;
And with Men too from both our parties; such
I'm sure we have, can cheat, or beat, the Dutch.
A Thousand Quakers, Sir, our fide can spare;
Nay, two or three, for they great Breeders are.
The Church can match us to with Jovial Sirs,
Informers, Singing-men and Paraters.
Let the King try, set these upon the Decks
Together, they will Dutch or Devil vex.
Their Breath will mischief further than a Gun.
And if you lose them, you'l not be undone.
Pardon, dread Sir, nay pardon this course Paper,
Your License 'twas made this poor Poet caper.