Quaint Gleanings from Ancient Poetry | Page 5

the Angel,
she strait gave Commission;
She pluck'd off her Smock from her
Shoulders Divine,
And charg'd him to hasten to England's fair Queen.
"Go to the Royal Dame,
To give her the same,
And bid her for ever
to praise my Great Name,
For I, in her favour, will work such a
Wonder,
Shall keep the most Insolent Hereticks under.
IV.
"Tell James (my best son) his part of the matter
Must be with this
only to cover my daughter;
Let him put it upon her with's own Royal
Hand,
Then let him go travel to visit the Land;
And the Spirit of Love
Shall come from above,
Though not as
before, in form of a Dove;
Yet down He shall come in some likeness
or other
(Perhaps like Count Dada), and make her a Mother."
V.
The Message with Hearts full of Faith was receiv'd,
And the next
news we heard was Q. M. conceiv'd;
You great ones Converted, poor
cheated Dissenters,
Grave Judges, Lords, Bishops, and Commons
Consenters,

You Commissioners all
Ecclesiastical,
From _M_...[4] the Dutiful
to _C_...[5] the Tall,
Pray Heav'n to strengthen Her Majesties Placket,

For if this Trick fail, beware of your Jacket.
[Footnote 3: Maria Laura d'Este.]
[Footnote 4: John, Earl of Mulgrave, Lord Chamberlain of the
Household.]
[Footnote 5: William, Earl of Craven.]
THE PATRIOTS.
WRIT ABOUT THE YEAR 1700.
I.
Ye worthy Patriots, go on
To heal the Nation's Sores,
Find all
Men's Faults out but your own,
Begin good Laws, but finish none,

And then shut up your Doors.
II.
Fail not our Freedom to secure,
And all our Friends disband,
And
send those Men to t'other Shore
Who were such Fools as to come o'er

To help this grateful Land.
III.
And may the next that hears us pray,
And in Distress relieve us,
Go
home like those without their Pay,
And with Contempt be sent away

For having once believ'd us.
IV.
And if the French should e'er attempt
This Nation to invade,
May
they be damn'd that list again,
But lead the fam'd Militia on,
To be

like us betray'd.
V.
As for the Crown you have bestow'd,
With all its Limitations,
The
meanest Prince in Christendom
Would never stir a Mile from home

To govern three such Nations.
VI.
The King himself, whom once you call'd
Your Saviour in Distress,

You in his first Request deny'd,
And then his Royal Patience try'd

With a canting sham Address.
VII.
Ye are the Men that to be chose
Wou'd be at no Expences,
Who
love no Friends, nor fear no Foes,
Have ways and means that no Man
knows
To mortify your Senses.
VIII.
Ye are the Men that can condemn
By Laws made ex post facto,

Who can make Knaves of honest Men,
And married Women turn
again
To be Virgo and Intacta.
IX.
Go on to purify the Court,
And damn the Men of Places
Till
decently you send them home,
And get your selves put in their room,

And then you'll change your Faces.
X.
Go on for to establish Trade,
And mend our Navigation,
Let India
invade,
And borrow on Funds will ne'er be paid,
And Bankrupt all
the Nation.

XI.
'Tis you that calculate our Gold,
And with a senseless Tone,
Vote
that you never understood,
That we might take them if we wou'd
Or
let them all alone.
XII.
Your Missives you send round about
With Mr. Speaker's Letter,
To
fetch Folks in, and find Folks out,
Which Fools believe without
dispute,
Because they know no better.
XIII.
With borrow'd Ships, and hir'd Men,
The Irish to reduce,
Who will
be paid the Lord knows when;
'Tis hop'd whene'er you want again,

You'll think of that Abuse.
XIV.
Ye laid sham Taxes on our Malt,
On Salt, on Glass, on Leather,
To
wheedle Coxcombs in to lend;
And like true Cheats, you dropt that
Fund,
And sunk them all altogether.
XV.
And now y'are piously enclin'd
The Needy to employ;
You'd better
much your time bestow
To pay neglected Debts you owe,
Which
makes them multiply.
XVI.
Against Prophaneness you declar'd,
And then the Bill rejected;
And
when the Arguments appear'd,
They were the worst that e'er were
heard,
And best that we expected.
XVII.

'Twas voted once that for the Sin
Of Whoring Men should die all;

But then it was wisely thought again.
The House would quickly grow
so thin,
They durst not stand the Tryal.
XVIII.
King Charles the Second knew your aim,
And Places gave, and
Pensions;
And had King William's Mony flown,
His Majesty would
soon have known
Your Consciences Dimensions.
XIX.
But he has wisely given you up
To work your own desires,
And
laying Arguments aside,
As things that have in vain been try'd,
To
Fasting calls, and Prayers.
CHORUS--
Your Hours are choicely employ'd,
Your Petitions lie
all on the Table,
With Funds Insufficient,
And Taxes Deficient,

And Deponents innumerable.
For shame leave this wicked
Employment,
Reform both your Manners and Lives;
You were
never sent out
To make such a Rout,
Go home, and look after your
W----s.
JUSTICE IN MASQUERADE; OR, SCROGGS UPON
SCROGGS.
A Butcher's Son's Judge Capital
Poor Protestants for to enthral,
And England to enslave, Sirs;
Lose both our Laws and Lives we must

When to do Justice we entrust
So known an arrant Knave, Sirs.
Some hungry Priests he did once fell,
With mighty Strokes sent them
to Hell,

Sent presently away, Sirs;
Would