Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A34821
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The foure ages of England, or, The iron age with other select poems / written by Mr. A. Cowley.
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Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing C6671; ESTC R18757
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34,076
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77
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're unjust And negligent giv'n to delight and lust And what 's done there to give the more offence They still interpret in the worser sense In all they make great showes of what they 'l do They 'l hear the poor and help the needy too For in all civill Discords those that are Disturbers alwaies counterfeit the care Of Publike good pretending they will be Protectors of the Peoples Libertie The Priviledge o' th' State the good o' th' King The true Religion yet all 's but to bring Their owne designes about they 'l ruine all That they may rise though the whole Kingdome fall By these delusions us'd with dext'rous Art They drew all factious spirits to their part The childish People gazing at what 's gay Flock to these showes as to a Puppet-Play Like drunken men they this way that way reele And turne their minds as Fortune does her wheele They long for noveltie are pleas'd with showes And few truth from truth-seeming Error knowes Their love like French-mens courage does begin Like powder and goes out as soon 's 't is in The thing or person whom they dearly love Within a moment hate and disapprove They measure every Action by th' event And if they 're crost by some ill accident Whoever serves them nere shall recompence With all his vertuous deeds one slight offence So wretched is that Prince that Church that State That rests upon their love or on their hate They 'l all be Kings and Priests to teach and sway Their Brethren but they can't indure t' obey Nor rule themselves and that 's the only cause Why they 've pluck'd down Religion and the Lawes And yet will settle neither that they might Have faire pretences to make people fight For by this cunning every factious mind Hopes to find that to which he 's most inclin'd They like Miscellionists of all minds bee Yet in no one opinion can agree Their Planet-heads they in Conjunction draw As empty Skulls meet in a Golgotha Each head his severall sence though senslesse all And though their humors by the eares do fall In this they jump to disobey and hate What ere 's injoyn'd them by the Church or State And all strive to be Reformation-men Yet putting out one evill bring in ten CHAP. XV GReat men that would be little Kings did come Some led by discontent b' ambition some Others of ruin'd fortunes but a mind To pomp to sloth and luxury inclin'd Who long'd for civill warres that they might be Instal'd in wealth or we in miserie These bobtail'd Beares would faine like Lyons raign And Clownes would drive or ride in Charles his Wain These by their greatnesse were the heads of Faction The Commons must be hands and feet of Action That must by force defend if they had need Their grand design Thus on their plots succeed All humours stir'd none cur'd jarr yet conspire To be all fuell to begin the fire Some go in wantonnesse to see and some Must go because they cannot stay at home Villaines that from just death could not be free But by the Realms publique calamitie They 're like the Milt which never can increase But by the bodies ruine or disease That with our money must recruit their chests And only in our trouble have their rests Such as in luxury in lust in play Have prodigally thrown their states away Convicted persons Bankerupt Citizens That spend their own and long for other mens Servants which from their Masters hither flee And change their bondage for this libertie Men of high thoughts and of a desp'rate mind Wild Gallants whose vast thoughts were not confin'd To'th' Circle of the Lawes and all whom want Or guilty Conscience made extravagant Flock'd in to make up this new Colonie Where hainous Crimes had got a Jubilee And as in this so 't is in every state Men of low fortunes envy still and hate The good extoll the bad they disapprove All ancient Lawes and novelties do love Disdaine their own estates and envy those Whose wealth above their ruin'd fortune goes These are secure from troubles for they 're poore And come what can they can't be made much more Nor was 't a small incentive to behold How the poor Skowndrells wallowed in Gold How Kingly in their diet and array And how they do their betters daunt and sway To whom they had been vassalls heretofore And been perhaps relieved from their doore This made the Peasant who did work for 's hire Or beg or steal leave ploughing and aspire To imitate the rest as well's he can First steales a horse and then 's a Gentleman A young Phisitian well may guesse th' events Of medicines made of such ingredients For how unlikely is 't things should go right When th' Devills Souldiers for Gods cause do fight 'Mongst these they stole the hearts of some that be True meaning men of zeale and piety Though ignorantly zealous still possest By their strange Doctrine that none could be blest That were not Actors who did neuters stand God would spue out Opposers out of hand Should be cut off No mercy they decreed To th' Enemy though Christ should intercede No pardon but their goods moneys and all As guerdon of their facts to them should fall Wealth pleasure honour that were wont to be The generall spurrs to all Activitie Were largely promis'd unto every one Just as they found his inclination It was esteem'd an ordinary grace For broken Citz to get a Captaines place The wealthy Citizens whose glut'nous eye Gaz'd on the publique faith that Lotterie Though they for feare or shame were loth to do it They 'd cut down Boughs and cry Hosanna to it They brought their plate and money to this Bank Hoping for Prizes but draw forth a Blank Themselves reserve the Prizes and this stands Still gaping like the bottomlesse Quicksands You might track plate like beasts to th' Lyons den How much went in but none came out agen Here was our Primum mobile of woe This was the Mother and the Nurse on 't too Thus many were drawn in But those that were Not mov'd by love were driven on by feare CHAP. VI THe adverse part perceiving their intents Prepar'd them powers for their own defence The Gentry for the basenesse they did do Were quite discountenanc'd and justly too They grew degenerate and Gentility Was but a Nick-Name or a livery Which every wealthy Clown might have and weare And be stil'd Worshipfull They took no care To keep their blood untainted from the stain Of vulgar sordidnesse and so maintain The glory of their Ancestors that be Deriv'd to them from vast eternitie But mixt the Blood that had inrich'd their veines With each ignoble Slave or Trull for gaines Learning wit vertue birth report that be Essentiall bases of Gentilitie Vail'd all to wealth and that 's the Cause we find So many rich in purse so few in mind How many Justices did wealth advance That had nothing to show but ignorance They liv'd like
does Eutrapelize And give them wealth to plague them good men hold They 're fetter'd slaves although those fetters gold CHAP. XIX HOw many slow-wormes had we in our Land 'Twixt whom beasts no difference could stand That having wealth liv'd here and spent their own And having suckt out that Leech-like are gone Whose life if 't were a life cannot be found Guilty of one good Act that might redound Unto their kindreds friends or Countries good But ev'n like Belly-slaves provide for food Whose minds were not emblazon'd with those gifts That man above a bruitish Creature lifts They weare no soules within or if they do They count them burthens nay and troubles too Their bodies do like Sodomes Apples stand And they but Pleonasmes of our Land Luxurious wantonnesse did still prevent Their naturall desire of nourishment They us'd Provocatives to eat drink sleep From hunger thirst and cold themselves to keep The Cankers and the Bellies of the State Whose limbs stand uselesse as if out of date And when they die this only may be said Here lies one that was borne that liv'd and 's dead By whom death lost his labour he 's no more But a dead lump and so he was before CHAP. XX OUr giddy phansy surfeited with pride In various habit ev'n the French out-vy'd So great was our luxurious wantonnesse 'T was sin the Sun should twice behold one dresse Fashions had still a Clymax clothing went From warme to comely thence magnificent Our naturall haire not shed by Venerie Was shav'd by Pride and we our heads belie With womens excrements which might be known Only because we bought it 't was our own Lech'ry first taught this evill to our Nation Now what it wore for need we weare for fashion Women transform'd to men men women grew We by the shape scarce one from t'other knew Such boldnesse those these such effeminatenes Possessâ—d that both seem'd one Androgenes Faces bely'd with paint and York put there Where nature did at first write Lancaster When angry teeth fell out and brake their sums By the pollution of their stinking gums Be got by sweet-meats or that trait'rous sawce The rebell to good stomacks wholsome Lawes Women had Regiments of teeth in pay And drew out severall Cent'ries every day To stop the Breaches that should Poets write Their teeth were Ivory it may be right Their heads with massy-ruffs were bulwark'd round And yoak'd in bands which scarce a measure found With such impostures and a thousand more As if we were not proud but pride all o're This brings new sins new sins new plagues draw on So Pride's preamble to destruction A Kingdomes blisse is but conditionall When they from Grace they straight from Glory fall For whatsoever unto vice doth tend Begins in sin and must in sorrow end The Iron Age CHAP. I. THe cup of trembling which so oft has bin Quaft round about us is at last stept in And we must drink the dregs on 't we that be Sever'd from other Nations by the Sea And from our selves divided by our sin Need now no forraign foes wee 've foes within What need an enemy the walls to beat When the defendents sins doe ope the gate God who at first did man to man unite Sets man 'gainst man in a Cadmean fight Limb jarrs with limb and every member tries To be above 's superiour Arteries The Elements and humours that before Made up a compound body now no more Kisse in an even tempr'ature but try T' un-make themselves by their Antipathy And 'cause divided Kingdomes cannot stand Our Land will be the ruine of our Land The State 's now quite unhing'd the Ingineers That have been ham'ring it these many yeers Now ply it home striking while th' iron's hot And make our jarrs th' ingredients of their plot Which b'ing contriv'd by some whom Schism and pride Had long ago inflam'd now when they spi'd The peoples minds inclining to their will Set on their work and more and more instill Sedition by themselves and instruments To fill the peoples minds with discontents But privately at first untill at length They had increas'd their number pow'r and strength CHAP. II. THen first a Meteor with a Sword breaks forth Into this Island from the boist'rous North Darting ill influences on our State And though we knew not what they aimed at They went to make us Denizons o' th' Tombs While they religiously possesse our roomes These from the entrailes of a barren soile On an imagin'd wrong invade our Isle Upon pretence of Liberty to bring Slav'ry to us and ruine to our King Whose yelling throats b'ing choakt at last with that Which cures all Gold they aimed at A private project to ingage the rout Of English Scots to bring their ends about And spoile the Crown so what they could not do By force by fraud they slily work us to They came to help us that themselves might get And are deare Brethren but we pay for it Hence hence our tears hence all our sorrow springs The curse of Kingdomes and the Bane of Kings CHAP. III. THen they in publique meet and 'cause they knew All their successe upon the people grew They feel their pulses and their cures applie Be 't good or bad still to their phantasie What e're they love to praise and what they hate In every act to give a jerk at that What e're they would have done must not b'impos'd By humane Law but with Religion gloz'd And when Lawes penall are too weak to do it Then their Lay-Levites presse the Conscience to it Who are maintained to preach and pray and pray As if they had Commissions of Array From Heav'n to make men fight they cry Armes armes What e're 's the Text the Uses are alarmes Though they seem pale like Envy to our view Their very pray'rs are of a sanguine hue And though they 've Iacobs Voice yet we do find T hey've Esaus hands nay more they 've Esaus mind Their empty heads are Drums their noses are In sound and fashion Trumpets to the warre These dangerous fire-brands of curst sedition Are Emissaries to increase division These make Gods Word their pander to attain The fond devices of their factious Brain Like Beacons being set themselves on fire In peoples minds they uproares straight inspire Or like the Devill who since from heav'n he fell Labors to pull mankind with him to hell In this beyond the Devill himself they go He sow'd by night they in the day-time sow He while the Servants slept did sow his tares They boldly in Gods Pastors sight sow theirs They 've tongue-ti'd Truth Scripture they 've made a glasse Where each new Heresie may see his face CHAP. IX THey make long speeches and large promises And giving hopes of plenty and increase Cherish all discontented men at hand To help all grievances they crouch and stand Congying to all and granting every Suit Approve all Causes Factions and impute All scandalls to the Court that they