Classic Poem

T R uth I could chide you Friends, why, how so late?
My Watch speaks Eight and not one pin o' th State
This day undone, can such remisnesse fit
Your Active spirits, or my more Hellish wit?
The Sun each step he mounts to Heavens Crown,
Whilst Pym commands, should see a Kingdome down;
Y'ave spurs enough I'me sure to make you run.
HOPES guilty, FORTUNES crackt, and th' ILLS y'ave done.
Thus Whilome seated was Great James his Heir,
Just, as you see me now, ith' Kingdoms Chair:
There the Great Seal, there Richmond, Hertford sate,
There Marshall, Dorset, Bristoll's temperate pate,
But there sate Pembroke , life of Loyalty,
There Holland , flower of Fidelity.
We are no lesse then Charles in power and state,
You are our Junctoes, who were his of late;
Here sits K — — — Holy Say , and Seal ,
With Wharton, Warwick, Brookes inspired zeal:
Stroud, Hampden, H — — Haslerigge , bold spirits,
Bold Martin, Ludlow, Vain , unmatched wights,
But their Church-Elder, Whites Religious beard,
There sits Abomination Statists: Perd:
Charles wear at York thy Crown that pretty thing
We must most humbly be at London King.
But what's the businesse of the House this day,
How speaks my note, Commissioners of Array,
The nineteen Propositions to be scand
A second time, M — — — Train-band,
Letters from Tristram Whitcombe , and from Hull ,
From Amsterdam , the Admirall; how full
Of high concernments are we Sirs, advise
How we most warily may weigh our prise:
I do conceive it must be our first play,
Be't right or wrong, by Vote to damn th' Array,
If ever that take footing and advance,
Farewell Militia, and our Ordinance,
But what will the appearance be? yet stay,
Who dares our leading Votes and Wills gamsay?
Should any haughty spirit presume so far,
What serves the Tower for then, or the Bar?
But if we fear the businesse will not bend
As may be most conducing to our end:
By some feigned wile it must be our next Plot
To put it off, and a new time alot,
And just Jumpe for our turn: these Letters shall
From Whitcombe, Hotham , or our Admirall,
(Though forg'd untruths) be interpos'd and read,
To spend the time, and maze the Peoples head;
If the next day we yet suspect to find
Such whose just Conscience cannot be inclin'd
To be made Vassals to our desperate sence,
'Tis easie to procure a Conferrence,
Which shall out-spin the leisure of the morn,
Then we'le resume the House, and so adjourn
Till five at night, the moderate wearied thus,
Will quit their seats and leave us, none but us;
There's President for this, this was the feat
That pluckt the Bishops from the Barons seat,
This wrought good Orders, manag'd many a Vote,
This Art must my Disciples learn by Rote.
But if the Accommodation chance to spring
Into debate, then your Artillery bring,
And lay that flat, that cold: my Genius starts
With fear to find ith' House two Loyal hearts;
Seem though we must teeth outwards to comply,
And humbly kisse the feet of Majesty,
Yet live we cannot, but obedience dead,
Nor stand elsewhere but on the Kingdoms head;
Calmes proper are for guiltlesse sons of Peace,
Our Vessels bear our best in storming Seas;
Charles must not reign secure whilst reigns a Pym ,
The Sun if it rise with us must set with him;
You have one pleasure which must be exprest
To Leicester, Pembroke, St. — — — and your rest,
Bid Essex, Percy , and your Quondam Grom
O'th stool, to wait us in the Princes Room:
Some of your subtilly may in Cottons walk,
Sit and allure Affections by your talk,
'Twill be a work worthy your nimble wit,
To gain the Devil and us a Proselyte.
So, to your businesse, yet ere you be gone
Take my advice, then blessing light upon
Your nimble Votes, and first be sure you shroud
Your dark designs in a Religious Cloud,
Gods Glory, Churches Good, Kings head Supreme,
A Preaching Minister must be your Theame;
Next structure of your Babel to be built,
Must speciously be varnisht o're, and gilt
With Liberty, Propriety of lives
And fortunes, 'gainst th' high stretcht Prerogatives.
And then a Speech or two most neatly spent,
For Rights and Privilege of Parliament;
These two well mixt, you'le need no other lures
To gain the People, and to make them yours.
If Charles displeased, with some witty, tart
Message (and justly too) shall make you start,
Saying ye have put him to his Guard, be sure
Ye then be loud enough, and first cry Whore,
War rais'd against the Parliament, a great
Hinderance of the Irish Ayde, and strong Abet
Unto the Rebels: then if any thing
You have may blast the Honour of the King,
Be it bad enough, no matter from what hand,
Wee'l Vote it true, and then to believe command;
But on your memories if I impose no more,
You cannot misse your way when I'me before:
Rise Synna, Sylla, Marius, Gracchus Ghost,
With the rest of the whole Mechanick Host,
Romes greatest Earth-quakes, and this little trunck
Make with your desperate Spirits deeply drunk,
Up from your drousie urnes, the Ghost of those
My Ancestors that Richard did depose,
Drop fresh into my breast, my soul inspire,
And strongly actuate me with your fire,
That theirs thus mixt with my Malitious Gall,
Mine may with theirs fully possesse you all.
Go and exceed their Villanies as much more
As theirs did all attempts that was before;
Act past example, that it may be known
You copied no example but your own.
And if in after times, when silently
We sleep, another firebrand chance to be,
'Twill be chief Crown and Glory unto him,
To say he playd his Prancks like you and Pym .