Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A37007
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The progress of honesty, or, A view of a court and city a pindarique poem / by T. D.
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D'Urfey, Thomas, 1653-1723.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing D2764; ESTC R3727
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12,651
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28
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But cares not to be Catechis'd Or new untrodden paths be shown As if the way to Heaven he had not known Or that his Soul were not his own His Conscience will be guided by his sense Not by the vulgar's impudence So th' Roman Heroes rather chose to die By their own noble hands than by an Enemy X. Deep in a hollow dark and dreadful Cave Black and gloomy as the Grave That never saw a lucid Ray Of the Suns face nor cheerful day But shaded o're with baleful Ivy seem'd The Cottage of some melancholly Fiend On whose top ever sate the ghastly Owl Shrieking her baleful note and horrid howl Far from the pleasing chirp of other fowl Old Discord did with pale-fac't Treason dwell Near neighbours and much nearer friends to hell There in a Grott where never leaf was seen Nor any thing that 's green But stumps of rotten Trees and Thorns that long had blasted been Treason in darkness lay his Lodging furnisht was With Ponyards Pistols Daggers many a Glass With mortal liquid substance fill'd That Loyalty had often kill'd When ne'er a Sword could do 't in Honour's field Discord's Apartment different was seen He had a Lawyer been One that if Fee were large could loudly bawl But had a Cough o' th' Lungs if small And never car'd who lost so he might win His Shelves were cramm'd with Processes and Writs That dull'd poor Clients wits Long Rolls of Parchment Bonds Citations Wills Fines Executions Errors and eternal Chancery Bills This blessed Pair thought this obscure retreat A place most for their purpose fit To forge their villanies and exclaim On Resolution's Name And blast his spreading Fame Which to perform and safe to stem this Stream They make Religion the Theam The Rabbles bugbear and the Courtiers dream And only th' Wise Mans shining beam Religion ever made the grave disguise Of horrid Villanies And now the News does various thoughts inspire Now now the Train has taken fire And straight 't is buz'd about the Town Religion 's rac't the Charter King and Crown In danger This the Vulgar swallow down Then rail at Resolution and find flaws Even in his Title swear the Good Old Cause Is lost and broke are all the Canon Laws XI In this impetuous Torrent of the State Young Marcian rises fam'd of late For Conduct Courage and Advantages of Fate Mighty in Office Publick in Report Powerful in th' Army and Belov'd at Court Born on the Peoples Shoulders with such Pride As Indian Kings on conquered Princes ride Heaven markt him for uncommon Dignity None Favour'd more nor none more Great than he Till Hells curst Agents caus'd his Sense to stray Out of his oncelov'd Path his Loyal Way And counsell'd him to disobey Friendly to his Destructien him advise That on his Ruine they might rise And more the weakness of his Youth to try And swell his Illegitimate Ambition high With hopes to gain a Crown Which they by right knew ne'er could be his own Two wretched Sons of Belial rose Unhappy Resolution to oppose And swore for Marcian much but more for cloaths Their deep mouth'd Oaths to th' lofty Skies were sent That there would be a Change in Government A Massacre and Princes were to die The Lord knows when or how or why Yet some affirm it truth and some a lie Strong Proofs were made and the Law was satisfied And being justly tried Fate turn'd his mortal point and the shorn Elders died But all so constant and with such humility That even I impartial Honesty Offer'd some pittying Tears the effects of human Charity A Crown which with magnetick influence draws The Souls of great ones to its charming Laws Tempts fathom'd Marcian to espouse the Cause In shew at least then for his sake The shouting Rabble mighty Bonfires make The blazing Faggots did each Street adorn As if he did from Victory return Unhappy Flames which since he finds to true Sing'd both his Grandeur and Discretion too But when their Prince the rightful heir of Fame To prove his Innocence from Exile came No Arches were adorn'd no Triumphs made He Gorgon like made the wild herd afraid No joyful Shouts or welcome Bells Nor Lights set out but all like Snails Shrunk their Phanatick Horns into their Shells XII T' encourage all a Nobleman appears For Wit and Valour famous many years And choosing Knights o' th' Shires A Poet Souldier Lover all that can Make up an extraordinary man In whom his Enemies most own Perfection in excess external shown But in his Intellect unknown Sometimes for th' King then for the Mobile But what is Wit if it want Loyalty A witty Rebel is no more Than like a handsome publick Whore Infamous and contemn'd by th' wise and good And only useful to the lewd Yet if we ere could judge of hearts By knowledge or by parts We our Parmenio should prefer Equally brave with his great Ancestor For if Rebellion buds where grows such sense The Devil converted preaches Abstinence In his right hand a Peer he led Of whose worth more hereafter shall be said With a young Baron fil'd just fledg'd i' th' Laws And newly then corrupted to the Cause Usher'd by bold Sir Tophas and in 'tother A lean warpt canting Linsey-Woolsey Brother Next a fat Author wadled into view For Satyr famous and Sedition too A Gog and Magog in each outward part But th' least of Pygmies in his sence and art Distracted Nature swore there was no kin 'Twixt his external gifts and those within His Soul just dwindled to a voice Rails at her thoughtless choice And th' Body sweating out its wrongs Coughs answers from distempered Lungs Tells th' invisible Fantome that 'T was her lean quality made him so fat Useless in all unfit to think Or do but only sleep and drink And forc'd in this great dearth of sence T' have refuge only from his impudence To side with the Factions that would Monarchs rule And grow a positive busie prating fool There are a sort of men a mungrel race That Loyalty like Coin deface And think that kind of Honesty is best That suits most with their carnal interest That loves their Prince only by fits Just as the humour or their business hits And ne'er will his Prerogative maintain But when they 're charm'd with hopes of gain Or from his power expect Something they could not else effect A suit against himself their votes persue For that they 'l wheedle fawn and woo Yet swear they 're loyal all and true So th' Citizen that his Soul has pliant made And bound his Conscience 'Prentice to his Trade The person ever does most kindly treat That he designs to cheat XIII The honest Wretch that Vertue does adore Is certain to be poor The garment cannot this nice age adorn 'T is out of mode not decent to be worn A rugged Maxim which we treat As a Theam useless grown and obsolete Whilst other Tenets th' erring Court does guide Flattery Folly Pride Lust and