Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A67506
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A journey to Hell, or, A visit paid to the Devil a poem.
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Ward, Edward, 1667-1731.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing W740; Wing W742; ESTC R3697
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25,878
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60
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basking in the Heat My sad Companions were receiv'd by throngs Of envious Spirits arm'd with fiery Prongs Who clap'd their pointed Wings and with a Yell Gave'em a dreadful Welcome into Hell And led'em Captive to a loathsome Cell Whilst I some Rays of Innocence diffus'd Unquestion'd pass'd by all the Guards excus'd As he that visits Bridewell with intent To Goodness learn from others Punishment Does fearless thro' the Prison confines rove Whilst guilty Slaves are to Correction drove Vast streams of melted Minerals ran down 'Twixt glowing Banks of Adamantine Stone Roaring like Cataracts on ev'ry side Flowing with violence like an eager Tide Where Souls unpity'd are condemn'd to dwell Whilst Heav'ns without controul or Hell is Hell They Plow'd the Fiery Surges to get free But sunk again like Monsters in the Sea Or as the Poor on Earth bore down by Destiny Near these were punish'd in Ignifluous Vaults The greatest Spirits for the biggest Faults Where I with pity and amazement view'd Princes of old once stil'd so Great and Good Held so Immaculate so all Divine That Gods could scarce with greater Glories shine High in the State Victorious in the Field Abroad had Conquer'd and at Home had Kill'd Wise in their Conduct and approv'd their Cause Mighty in Pow'r and equal in Applause Flatter'd on Earth by Poets and by Priests Yet doom'd at last to be Infernal Guests How much thought I do we mistake above Who esteem Pow'r a mark of Heaven's Love When thus I saw their grand Fatigues on Earth Their Noble Spirits and Illustrious Birth Their glorious Blood-shed in the wreaking Field For Crowns or to enlarge Dominion spill'd Resistless Arms and Arbitrary sway That forces ravish'd Countries to Obey Their dangerous Battels which they once might boast Crown'd with Success by no Ill-fortune crost Were punish'd here as Princely Ills too great For common sinful Slaves to perpetrate Some Crimson Hero's painted o'er with Blood Storming amidst their sweating Torments stood Rail'd against Kingdoms they had basely won And raving curs'd each sanguine Ill they 'd done Accusing of Severity their Fate Made 'em renounce all Goodness to be Great Thus Tyrants who so lordly once appear'd Rush'd on at all nor God nor Devil fear'd In these dark Regions are decreed to know Tho' once they Rul'd above they must Obey below And change that Splendor which deceiv'd the Crowd For guilty Consciences that cry'd aloud So the proud Combatants before they fell Look'd bright in Heav'n but now look black in Hell Others thro' moody Pride contemn'd their Chains And bore with sullen hardiness their Pains Slighted their Suff'rings patient stood and mute As N l P n when tortur'd with the Boot Whilst some bemoan'd their Doom their Crimes expos'd In Sighs and Tears their sad Despair disclos'd Whose cow'rdly Souls bewail'd their wretched state And beg'd for Mercy but alass too late Railing at Eve on her the blame they laid Who to such Miseries had her Sons betray'd Crying O wretched Soul that art Immortal made From thence I wander'd thro' a stately Porch Where Carbuncles supply'd the Light of Torch Flashes of Fire they darted from on high Like beams of Light'ning from a stormy Sky This Entry to a spacious Cavern led Where Azure Lamps with Oil of Sulphur fed Hung blinking round the subterranean Hall Num'rous as Beauties at a Prince's Ball But dim as Tapers at an Emperor's Funeral I gaz'd around and at a distance off Saw Pillars of rough Adamant sustain the Roof Compos'd of Coral of Igniscent Red Like glowing Bars on Vulcan's Anvil laid Beset with Gems that made a glorious show And Orient Pearl adorn'd the sides below With Furies Whips and Prongs Infernal grac'd Which were as Arms in a Guard-Chamber plac'd Fearless I walk'd still further did intrude And Pluto's Palace with amazement view'd Till to a Bar at th' upper-end I came Gilded with Fire and burnish'd o'er with Flame Within whose Bounds was held th' Infernal Court Without stood ghastly Prisoners All-a-mort Whilst Radamanthus on his Judgment-seat Like an old Bridewell-Judge look'd Grave and Great Awarding Pains proportion'd to the Sin Of Souls condemn'd by Hell's black Guards brought in From mighty Jove's High Court of Justice sent As Convicts to receive their Punishment Fresh enter'd Sinners made the Fiends new Sport Who haul'd th' unwilling Wretches into Court As Serjeants when their Prey want Coin or Bail Lug the poor Prisoner headlong to a Goal CANTO IV. A Train of vicious Priests did first draw near Guarded as Culprits to a Sessions-Bar Some in long Cloaks and Gowns great Coats and Bands With brainless Heads grave Looks and close clinch'd Hands For Spirits by report of old appear In the same Shape they did when living were Or else when Goblings being vex'd and crost At Midnight rove from Pillar unto Post Ghost How should the frighted Bumpkin know his Neighbour's A pratling Devil rises and at large Opens before the Court this following Charge The Pris'ners at the Bar nor learn'd nor wise Nor having Grace of Heaven before their Eyes Have with a carnal Weapon call'd the Tongue Abus'd what 's Righteous and maintain'd what 's Wrong Wounding Religion and oppos'd the Truth And with their Whimsies maim'd and crippl'd both Also by Laziness and Looseness shew They ne'er would practice what they taught or knew But by their Lives on Earth made Mortals think Their only Duty was to Eat and Drink On Pigs and Geese luxuriously they fed By humble Peasants at their Groundcel's laid Who were themselves content with Bread and Cheese Small-Beer Skim-Milk and such like things as these Yet labour'd hard to keep their wanton Guides in Ease Whilst they Carous'd and did on Dainties Dine Squeesing each Bigots Cupboard and his Vine As if their God was Meat and Paradise was Wine And when they'd rais'd their Lust by luscious Food To bless with more encrease the Pious Brood And kiss the Godly Dame was held divinely Good Further they would with Things unjust comply For Gain and ask no other reason why Preach Pro and Con with any Faction side To gain their Ends and gratifie their Pride Yet made the Ign'rant by their Cant believe They could assurance of Salvation give To all that pin'd their Faith upon their Pastor's Sleeve The Laws they taught their very Lives defy'd Enjoying all to others they deny'd The Rich they envy'd and the Poor abus'd Extolling Charity but none they us'd Rail'd at the Miser and his rusty hoard Declar'd how Charity 's in Heaven stor'd Yet never lent themselves one Peny to the Lord But did in riotous Excesses live Coveting all things yet would nothing give As walking in the upper World one Day A Lame poor Wretch stood begging in their way Great were his Wants but their Neglects were such He noch'd down nineteen Teachers on his Crutch On whom thro Heav'n he did for succour call But got not one small Alms amongst 'em all The Cripple turn'd to 's mumping Mate says he If Charity alas be
They valu'd no Man's welfare but their own By study'd means would tedious Suits create And spin each Contest to a long Debate For other Persons plead but get themselves the Estate Justice behind so many Querks they 've put None but the long full Purse can find her out In vain by Thousands has she oft been sought But seldom found but when too dearly bought These her dark Agents to their Country's shame Gilded their Frauds and Knaveries with her Name But seldom would regard the hoodwink'd heavenly Dame Biass'd by Briberies to the strongest side Rich Men were serv'd when Paupers were deny'd For golden Fees each sold his silver Tongue The Money'd Cause was right if starv'd 't was wrong The Poor thus slighted seldom could prevail Large Fees the Pleader turn'd and he the Scale From him to whom the Ballance should encline By right but perishes for want of Coin Contentious Suits and Quarrels they began Oft to th' undoing of the Just Good Man By wilful Flaws in Deeds they might avoid Thus err'd with Pens their Tongues might be imploy'd Till the poor Suff'rers Bags had largely paid For mending Faults their knavish Lawyers made If the Rich Miser ask'd their sage Advice In a bad Case they 'd only say 't was Nice But if their Client to the dregs was drawn And had no Money or Estate to Pawn Tho' good his Cause 't was bad not worth the carrying on So the Youth poyson'd with a Harlot's Eye Is Hug'd and Flatter'd till she sucks him dry But when she 's Jilted him of all she cou'd Foh his Breath stinks and all his Talk is rude Th' Infernal Orator now paus'd a space He hauk'd and spit blow'd Nose and wip'd his Face B'ing thus refresh'd he turn'd his sawcer Eyes And to Attorneys thus himself applies You who in Times of old did Ink-horns wear In Leathern Zones and Pens in twisted Hair Whose Locks were Comb'd as lank and cut as short As best should seem the pleasure of the Court Who now on Earth as num'rously abound As Rooks and Magpies in a new sown Ground These by foul Practice and Extortion thriv'd And beggar'd half the Country where they liv'd Reviv'd old Discords kindl'd up new Flame And sow'd Contention wheresoe'er they came To pick the Purse of each laborious Slave Who Thrashes hard to feed the greedy Knave Buoy'd up with hopes he shall Victorious be He sweats and toils a Week to earn a Fee Then to next Market rides before his Dame And to his Scribe presents with scraping Leg the same Who bids the Booby Client chear his Heart And haughtily does bad Advice impart Fear not says he I 'll make the Rascal smart But when his Purse has yielded up its Store His Cause proves bad if he can bleed no more You told me wrong did several things misplace Agree agree it proves an ugly Case Thus by long Bills stuff'd with unlawful Fees They tax'd the Farmer as themselves should please Improv'd litigious Suits by ill Advice Eat up full Barns and Acres in a trice And plagu'd the sinful Land like Egypt's Frogs and Lice As they from Leathern Belt to Sword arose And from a rural Grey to Town-made Cloaths The greater value on their Pains they laid The more impos'd the Client still obey'd And scrap'd and bow'd more low at ev'ry word he said These were the Locust first from Envy bred Who like the Drone on others Labours fed And such insatiate Appetites they shew As still devour'd and still more hungry grew So the lean Miser that improves his Store Becomes more close and greedy than before And as he grows more Rich the more he grinds the Poor This said the pensive Scribes were all set by And to the Bar they call'd the lesser Fry Those worser Knaves that Pestilential Throng Who in the Rear-Division march'd along The Court amaz'd to see so vile a Train The sable Pleader thus again began Of these my Lord but little need be said The worst of Rogues that Human Race e'er bred In Frauds and Cheats all others these excell A curse to Earth and now a Shame to Hell Treach'rous their Trade and odious as its Name Abhorr'd of all the World from whence they came These at no Crime or Villany would start But boast and glory in each roguish part Hell's sharpest Pains scarce equals their Desert Concluding thus the Judge himself begins And pronounc'd Sentence in the following Lines You in grave Robes most learn'd in Human Laws Who by locutious Arts could damn a Cause Tho' ne'er so just and make the wrong appear When e'er you pleas'd indisputably clear And since these Ills were all for Riches done A melted Mine of Gold shall ever run Upon your greedy Palms and drop upon each Tongue Thus shall your Crimes by this my just Decree Done for the lucre of a golden Fee With Gold be punish'd to Eternity And you the mercenary Clerks o' th' Court Who made your Clients ruine but your Sport And by Neglect or by unlawful Speed Gave Mortals twice the trouble that you need Who held it just in practice of the Laws To widen Discords and prolong the Cause Whilst the large Purse did with advantage fight And conquer'd him that had the greatest Right Then with long Bills the vanquish'd Wretch pursue And make him pay half double what 's his due To you a new-found Punishment I 'll give Amongst old Hags and Furies shall you live There Scratch and Claw and in confusion fight Till Hell wants Darkness and the Heavens Light There shall you strive to mitigate your Pain And reconcile your Foes but all in vain Furies shall scourge you with their Scorpion-Rods Beneath the reach of Mercy from the Gods Thus dwell involv'd in Night eternally at odds And as for you * Bailiffs and Hangmen curs'd even from your Birth The very dregs of all the Rogues on Earth Offspring of Devils and by Nature base Ne'er bless'd with one small Ray of Heav'ns Grace But led to Crimes by such degen'rate Wills That knew no Pleasure but in acting Ills The hottest Mansions of the deep Abyss Where fiery Snakes and Salamanders hiss To those dire Confines shall you all be sent Where Fires at once shall quicken and torment And as you burn Hell's Roof shall open'd be You distant Souls in Paradise may see And by their Joy encrease your own sad Misery Thus Radamanthus spoke Then did the Guards their proper Pris'ners take And by force drag them to the burning Lake Who hung an Arse like Bears when hauling to the Stake CANTO VI. Soon as the Scribes were to their Torments gone I heard another Crowd come trampling on Grave Seigniors led the AEsculapian Rout Some crying Oh! the Stone some Oh! the Gout Holding in ev'ry Interval a Chat Of Acids Alkalies and Hell knows what Some boasting of a Nostrum of his own To all the College but himself unknown Another prais'd an universal Slop Made from the sweepings of a Drugster's Shop Whose