Spirits Lord with speed sustain Poor Nelthrop's gone too and the Lady Lisle Nay more the Gallant Noble Lord Argile Hath Scotland bred a greater Man than he Of Noble Birth and Ancient Pedigree No danger could his High-born Soul restrain He strove his Countreys Liberty t' obtain And it to free from Romish Usurpation Beyond most of the Nobles in that Nation For which his Enemies many snares did lay Both his Estate and Life to take away Who only did design Tranquillity To th' State and to secure't from Slavery Were I but able I 'de advance his Praise And with high strains of grief his Glory raise A Nobleman Just Pious Valiant Wise Able for Counsel or for Enterprize Fit to set Cato Copies if alive Whose sharp discerning Judgment soon could dive Into their Plots though laid as deep as Hell But missing his Design our Statesman fell Success sometimes does not the Wise attend The most Sagacious sometimes miss the end They aim at and yet may not be i' th' wrong The Race is not to th' swift nor to the strong The Battel is not always and we see This Scripture Proverb was made good in thee Farewel Argile my weeping Muse shall burn Her wither'd Laurel at thy mournful Urn Contemn a Monument and scorn a Stone Marbles have flaws and must good men have none But gone he is drop tears my Children all And mourn because that day a Prince did fall Though he be gone his Honour shall not dye My Children shall preserve his Memory Undaunted Rumbold is the next that I Register in my mournful Elegy He both Couragious and Religious was Whose Zeal for 's Countreys Freedom did surpass Most others and although he then did lye Under the scandal and the infamy Of secretly conspiring how to slay His Soveraign Lord in a vile treacherous way Which he deny'd and did abominate When his last Breath he yielded up to Fate So wounded that two Deaths he seem'd to dye Tears drop again mine Eyes I cannot dry When I observe the Babylonish Train Strive all these worthy Mens repute to stain With Lies false Slanders and black Calumny That they unpitied by all might die But to my comfort I now hope the day Is come will wipe all their reproach away That whilst their Souls Triumphing are in Glory Their Fame will cleared be in future Story And that to all good Men their Memory Will precious be to all Posterity But now my Muse back to the West must go And tell what there the Enemy more did do Where cause of grief be sure I cannot lack Brave Patchel next appears with Captain Blake And though I have great store of tears let fall Yet their sad Fate aloud on me doth call To draw the Sluces up and yet once more From my wet Eyes fresh Floods of tears to pour For I perceive whole Troops together come Of Western Sufferers crying Pray make room Why must our names be buried in the Croud And all our worth be vailed in a Cloud Of dark Oblivion Must we always lye Under an Odium of the blackest dye Is nothing due unto our mangled Clay Will none strive our reproach to roul away Can you so partial be What not a tear For us to whom Liberty was so dear Do you disdain to speak in our defence Because some were of no great Eminence Was not our Blood as dear to us as theirs Whose death you do bewail with bitter tears A lust our mean dust be slightly trampled on And disregarded without sigh or groan Ah! Must we ever ever be forgot And must our names like wicked Persons rot No no Great Souls I equally resent The sad misfortune of each Innocent And though some not for want of Ignorance Cry 'gainst your Prince your Arms you did advance Yet your Allegiance sure could never bind Your hands that when Rome's power had undermin'd The Constitution thereby to o'rethrow The Government yet you must nothing do Must every man sit still and quiet be And Law Religion Life in Jeopardy The contrary Jehovah hath made out And thereby our Salvation's brought about Yet Non-resistance is our duty still When Princes Rule by Law but not by Will. When Magistrates pursue that gracious end God by advancing of them did intend Then to resist them is a horrid thing And God to shame will all such Rebels bring But must Superiors be submitted to When they contrive to ruin and undo Their faithful Subjects and o'return the State And their most sacred Oaths do violate Is Government ordained to destroy Or to preserve the Rights that Men enjoy Suppose a Father should be led away T' attempt the Mothers Life and strive to slay His Innocent Children and to those adhere Who unto them malicious Enemies were In such a case as this the Children sure Their Mothers and their own Lives may secure Ought they not then their Fathers hands to bind So to prevent the mischief he design'd Don't Nature teach a Man to save his Life From th' Treachery of Father Child or VVife Must Servants yield and passively consent Their Master from their Bones the Flesh should rent Is it a crime if they won't this indure But seek a better Master to procure Self-preservation 't was that moved you Fore-seeing what was ready to insue To seek such ways to save your selves and me VVhich you thought Just and hop'd would prosperous be And though God did Success to you deny Yet you might act with all Integrity VVhich Heav'n doth seem to Crown now with Applause And to Assert the Justice of your Cause Since 't was ordain'd that spot should be the Scene VVhere the Cause dy'd there to revive't agen And though for what you therein were misled I did lament and many tears have shed Yet I must vindicate you from the wrong You suffer'd have by many a viperous Tongue And will more of your worthy names revive Though at your slips I never will connive Dear Hicks shall slanderous mouths seek to defame And to calumniate so sweet a name Ah! shall detracting malice go about VVith its rude Breath to blow thy Taper out Well! let them all their full-mouth'd Bellows puff It is their Breath that stinks and not thy snuff Oh what a judgment 't were if such as they Should but allow thy actions and betray Th' endanger'd name by their malign applause To good opinion that were a just cause Of grief indeed but to be made the Story Of such false Tongues Great Soul it is thy Glory Ah! is he dead did his poor Body fall By th' rage of man tears cannot him recall Yet might not then have died but his day Might have been lengthned had he known the way To Life and Peace which God hath since found out And for our safety strangely brought about The day he longed for his Eyes had seen If some things had and some things had not been What he saw past Heavens Eye fore-saw to come God saw how that contingent act should sum
The total of his days His All-seeing Eye Though his own could not saw that he should dye That very fatal hour yet saw his death Not so so necessary but his Breath Might have been spared to a longer date Had he imbraced this not taken that Had not a furious Judge condemned thee Void of all pity and humanity Thou might'st have liv'd and seen with joyful Eyes That done for which thou fell'st a Sacrifice Yet that God orders all things right w' are sure The Death of some may Life to more procure But here 's just cause of further Lamentation For one we scarce can equal in the Nation A worthy Preacher who could not comply With what his Conscience could not justifie But hark how th' Enemy doth scoff and jear That a Dissenter's taken in the snare A better Sacrifice there could not come To please the Canibals of Bloody Rome Who do believe there is no Dish so good As a John Baptist's Head serv'd up in Blood. But he 's a Rebel Ay! that that 's the cry Now as to that let 's weigh impartially His dying words now printed which relate He did believe Monmouth Legitimate Or Lawful Son of Charles or else that he Would ne're have acted in the least degree In that design and we may likewise find The rest in general were of that mind And though they were mistaken let 's take care Not to asperse what dying men declare But sober thoughts of them still to retain And not with Obloquy their Memory stain But lo a multitude of Sufferers more Whose Blood for vengeance cries stand at the door Open to them my Muse Ah! do but see What a great number of them still there be Now they are come 't is fit I first make room For the most gallant generous Battiscombe A worthy Person of a great Estate Although he was cut off by cruel Fate The wretched Judge allur'd him to accuse Some other Gentlemen which he did refuse VVith scorn for he abhorr'd his Life to buy By such base and unmanly treachery VVen he o' th' Ladder was he seemed to smile Saying He hoped in a little while He should enjoy a Crown and Diadem Of Glory in the New Jerusalem That from a Land of misery and woe To the Coelestial Paradice he should go Hamling fell too nor was his Innocence Before so vile a Judge the least defence Against the Crimes wherewith they charged him Though altogether free from any Crime VVho neither was in Arms nor did assist Any that were nor any who did List Themselves for Monmouth nay he did advise His Son not to ingage but to be wise And unto Gods dispose leave every thing VVho in due Season would Deliverance bring But he was a Dissenter and for this He must not live for he accused is By two such Rascals as did never care VVhether 't were truth or falshood they did Swear But with the Judges humour would comply And by such Evidence this man must die Next Mr. Brag a Man of good Descent And well known to be wholly innocent VVho though a Lawyer yet no Law could have VVhereby his Life from violence to save When Law and Justice both o're-ruled were And Judge and Jury too resolv'd to steer By the false Compass of the Princes will In vain was the most Learned Lawyers skill None were secure neither the weak nor strong Will was made Law whether 't were right or wrong The Land-mark was remov'd all Common laid And all our English Liberties betray'd But time will fail me therefore I 'll proceed And not forget Smith Rose and Joseph Speed And Evans too shall such a man as he Fall basely and not draw a tear from me Then Madder Kid young Jenkins too all bled Who for his Youth ought to be pitied With Doctor Temple Spark and Captain Lisle Kill'd in cold Blood their malice was so vile And many hundred others who there fell So barbarously there 's scarce a Parallel Of Stirs that were in any former Reign Where so much cruelty was and leaves a stain Upon that time will ne're be wip't away Until the World and all things else decay But notwithstanding so much Blood was shed Some hundreds of poor Souls were banished Bereaved of their VVives and Children dear And into Forreign Countreys driven were And there exposed to all misery And the severities of Slavery The Husband separated from the VVife Depriv'd of all the joys of humane Life Their Goods and their Estates all forfeited And nothing left wherewith to buy them Bread. But should I all their miseries recount They to a mighty number would amount Yet now Great Nassaw's setled on the Throne VVe do not doubt but he 'll regard their moan That on their sorrows he will cast his Eyes And of his Princely goodness ease their cries But stay my Muse for here 's more cause of grief And I have still more cause of Heav'ns relief For now alas two Martyrs I espy On whom were acted a sad Tragedy The one a Person of great worth and name A Citizen of London of much Fame VVho by Time serving wretches that would do VVhat e're might please the Factious Romish Crew VVas doom'd to death by villanous Evidence Though for himself he made a just defence Alderman Cornish was this worthy man That thus unjustly suffered Who now can Forbear to weep or can forbear to tell VVhat to a pious woman then befel Poor Mistress Gaunt most dear thou wast to me Few of thy Sex ever excelled thee â—â— Zeal in Knowledge or in Charity VVho wast condemn'd a cruel death to die Cause thou relievedst men in misery These two I must bewail who in one day By Romish Treachery were swept away 'Gainst whom these Miscreants malice did appear ' Though altogether innocent and clear As doubtless we shall find apparently VVhen their Case stated is impartially As to the woman 't will be shewed ere long That many ways she suffered much wrong VVho by a Jury at Hâ—â—ks-Hall was freed Yet at th' Old-Bailey 'gainst her they proceed A London Jury took her Life away VVhich they may answer for another day On the same day these worthy Christians fell Most of us may remember very well That Gods displeasure ere that day was done Seem'd very evident to every one That his works doth observe and mind his hand In his strange operations in the Land. O come ye Angels lend your glorious Stile Created Beings to lament a while Ye blessed Hosts that sing Jehovah's praise Assist my Muse in lamentable Phrase For now the City Streets ev'n run with Blood Of those Just men who only sought our good Ah! London let all future Ages see Thy grief that Cornish lost his Life in thee Could not their burning thee abate their rage Nor their inslaving thee their wrath asswage Could not Great Russel's death them mollifie Nor Essex's murder stop their cruelty VVould not th' inthralling of Great Brittain do Religion and Liberty to o'rethrow Hast thou not
many years triumpht in Blood Undoing thousands who most faithful stood Unto their Countreys Interest venturing all The Common-weal might not to ruine fall Oh cursed Rome thou 'lt soon thy measure fill Thy wickedness grows and increases still Religion's shame and all the Worlds great curse Why dost thou still proceed from bad to worse And now my Muse methinks we shan't do right To worthy Cornish if we seem to slight His memory by a short Encomium To whom so much is due therefore let 's come And in a few lines more expatiate Upon the circumstances of his Fate Ah! London London did it not surprize Couldst thou behold poor Cornish with dry Eyes Hang'd like a Caitiff on a cursed Tree And acted in the very midst of thee To good men 't was a grievous sight we know Though to some wretches 't was a pleasing show A though with blushes Angels seem'd to see This horrid Act and Heav'n disturb'd to be What chearful looks this excellent Christian had â—s through the Streets he his last Journey made To that in triumph he did seem to go To death as if he certainly did know That Angels thence would carry him to bliss And place him where no pain nor sorrow is To be a Courtier to the King of Kings â—eeding on joy that from Christ Jesus springs The Sun that Morning his bright Beams displays And sends upon the Earth his Golden Rays Smiling while those two Worthies here remain But seem'd to frown as soon as they were slain The Heav'ns their mourning Garments do put on As if they 'd shew two Innocents were gone A Storm of Rain descends from that black Cloud With dreadful Lightning and with Thunder loud As if incensed Heav'n were in a Flame And Christ were coming to dissolve the same Or that the Judge of Judges now was come With all his Saints to give the World its Doom And wronged Cornish should be try'd again By upright Jurors of that blessed Train And in white Robes of Righteousness appear Before Heav'ns King his innocence to clear Jehovah's Trumpet sounding shook the Earth And to great Floods of Rain with Fire gave Birth Heav'n groan'd in Thunder and did weep in Shower Which did continue fiercely many hours Nor do I wonder that God thundered so When two such worthy Martyrs bled below And since the Heav'ns seem so apparently To justifie their Cause why may not I But stay no more of these for I espy Another Hero just before mine Eye Condemn'd a Prisoner ever to remain Who lay as dead but now 's reviv'd again Brave Johnson who can't be omitted here Aâ—â—ious Church-man valiant and sincere A Man of Parts and Learning a Divine Who sought his Countreys good as well as mine Ah! was he whipt Must he too be a Taster Of the sharp Rod like to his Blessed Master In vain would envious Clouds his Fame obscure Reproach to him doth still more praise procure His Lord and Master too was scourged sore For bearing Witness to the Truth before Why then do virulent Tongues attempt to stain The solid Glory which his Soul did gain But yet 't is strange the Mother should consent Her Sons should suffer such sad punishment Wounds from a Friend strike deep but when from Foes We dis-regard slight and contemn their blows And since few others move in the defence Of wounded Honour and wrong'd Innocence I for the kindness which to thee I bear At thy sad Sufferings must drop a tear Had all come from a treacherous Enemy It had not been so great an injury But to be wounded i' th' House of thy Friends This this all other cruelty transeends And then great Soul to be degraded too Was very hard to bear but that you knew This oft-times is the way to Dignity And Honour doth succeed Humility BUT now alas new griefs do me surround Groans from the North my mournful Soul confound My Muse must now take wing and swiftly fly To have a view of Scotland's misery Be silent and attend you soon will hear Their dismal cries will penetrate your Ear. The Sufferings of my Children here were bad But in that Nation they were far more sad No place more like to France man ever saw Where Arbitrary Power stood for Law. Men of all Ranks were seized and did lye In noisome Jayls yet knew no reason why And to insnare them swarms of cursed Spies Abroad are sent under a false disguise Who strove t' incense them to dislike and hate The King and all his Ministers of State And to extort some words from them that so They thereby might unwary Souls o'rethrow If they found any pious just and good Then many snares were laid to suck their Blood By those vile Emissaries who were sent On purpose to intrap the Innocent Suborned Witnesses imployed were Who for their wages any thing would Swear Whâ—â—eby Mâ—â—s Lives Estates and Honours too Are all indangered were they High or Low. The Chiefest Peers and Worthiest Patriots Had many 〈◊〉 the most unhappy Lots Unless they 'd be Debaucht down they must go And suffer as the meanest Rebels do Iâ— to Gods Laws Men faithfully do stand And won't be Subject to the Kings command Refusing what their Conscience offends Th' are judg'd To Caesar then to be no Friends Some Men they try'd and on that very day Condemned and their Lives were ta'ne away No Pray'rs nor Intercessions will they hear A little time to grant them to prepare For Death nay they did impiously say Hell was too good for Rebels such as they Yea they made Lawâ— the thoughts of men to reach Whom oâ— ill words or deeds none could impeach If of the Government they evil think They of Deaths bitter Cup are sure to drink Sometimes they wheedl'd them to a Confession Promising Life upon the same condition Come come say they freely to us declare What your conceptions of the Government are Speak what you think sure you are not afraid Nor will disown what you so lately said Dissemble not in matters of your Faith Since you remember what the Scripture saith That they who won't confess Christ Jesus here He will not own them when he does appear Subscribe to your Profession you shall see How very kind and merciful we 'l be Speak man and let 's your Testimony have If you will both your Soul and Body save Thus do they mock them with Expostulations As Priests and Jesuits do in Popish Nations But all the time they hide their cruel hate While thus they craftily expostulate For in the Council Men concealed stood To witness what they said and shed their Blood And thus with them they dealt most treacherously And many of their Lives depriv'd thereby And when they came to dye they beat a Drum Lest to the light their wickedness should come A very bad Cause sure that could not bear The dying words of those that Sufferers were But those that wary are and won't accuse Themselves of ought they barbarously use With
as the vilest Schismaticks But that 's not all my Children more refin'd From those corruptions do afflict my mind Oh depths of sorrow that disturb my rest Oh racking grief that rends my woful Breast Some are so carnal some so swiftly hurl'd Into the Lab'â—inths of th' inticing World That in the hurries of that crouded Road They find small leisure to attend their God Preferring filthy gain and ill-got wealth Before the means of their Eternal health Some that in words respect me I behold In that sad posture betwixt hot and cold Sometimes they seem for sanctity sometimes Slide with the current of prevailing crimes Their Pulses beat with an alternate motion Now foâ— the world then for some faint devotion Some â—hat unto my Tabernacle were Admitted left me for Egyptians fare These not content with my Celestial Diet Do run with others to excess of Riot Some to be popular away would give Those Gospel-duties that are positive From such as these my sorrows do increase That sell Gods order for a seeming peace Allow such gaps as do pervert the Laws Of my just Right and well-defended Cause But O! how many easy Christians take Their rest in forms and no distinction make 'Twixt shell and kernel that rely on Duty As if it were the sole adorning Beauty Such give the Lord the more invalid part Present their Bodies but deny their Heart Are not some Pastors careless to provide A Word in Season for the Flocks they guide Some are too backward to supply the need Of painful Lab'rers that their Souls do feed Discourag'd by close-fisted Avarice Despis'd neglected through this Hellish Vice. My Workmen languish and have cause of moan To see their toyl so ineffectual grown The most pathetick Preaching scarce can move Some Rocky hearers to the Grace of Love. Must hag-fac'd Envy and foul-tongu'd Detraction Invenom'd Malice and unfaithful Action Ill grounded Slander and uncertain Rumors Backbiting Quarrels and the worst of Humors Be practic'd thus Ah grief of griefs to see Professing people act iniquity To such a pitch some Husbands and some Wives Do lead such shameful such unsavoury Lives Whilst mutually at strife they do impeach That name that should be very dear to each â—uch pride such churlish reprehension For every toy such sharpness and contention As does disgrace Religion and does lay Blocks and offences in a Converts way Ah! why can 't we in Families eschew That which meer Heathens are asham'd to do Their Houses are the Scene of Civil Wars Of Brawls of Discord and Domestick Jars In Grace or Comfort can they find increase Or Heavenly Blessings who are void of peace How oft do Parents ill Example draw Their tender Children to infringe the Law And Sanctions of the Everlasting God Do they not spoil them when they spare the Rod To strange Extreams some Parents do adhere Check not at all or else are too severe On Back and Belly they bestow much cost But care not if their precious Souls be lost Are they not guilty of prodigious folly That teach them Courtship and neglect what 's holy A Child untutor'd a meer lump of sin May justly curse its cause of having been Such as instruct do doubly them beget By timely Lessons lab'ring to defeat Their growth in ill such cure their better part By wise prevention of a canker'd Heart Oh! then 's the time to give 'em Form and Mold For Trees admit no bending that are old Who timely sow such Seed they would have grow Will surely reap according as they sow Some like the Ape that does by hugging kill Prompt on a Child to tip his Tongue with ill In his first prattle but it is less pain To form good habits than reform the vain On th' other hand how many Children do Prove vain rebellious disobedient to Their godly Parents slight their careful teaching Make sport of Prayer and a mock of Preaching Contempt of Parents of what kind so e're Contracts a bitter curse which every where Will find them out But Oh my akeing Soul Beats sad Alarms of grief I must condole The dismal Fate of Youth alas how few The ways of God and holiness pursue But very eager to obey the Devil In quickly Learning every reigning evil Here you may see if you survey the Nation Our youth grown old in vile Abomination Such early Graduates in the Hellish Science Setting both Heaven and Hell at loud defiance Let Grace and Vertue grovel in the dust Their Youth and Strength they 'l Sacrifice to Lust That Sacred Precept in the Word of Truth To mind their Maker in the days of Youth They scorn to heed Ah Fools that would begin Conversion when they can no longer Sin But know preposterous Souls the day of Doom That dreadful Audit of Accounts will come How dare you run this vile career till Death Like a grim Serjeant comes t arrest your Breath When your Tongues faulter and your Eye strings crack When stings of horror do your Conscience rack When Hells Abyss sets ope its spacious Gate And Troops of Devils round about you wait When nought but horror and confusion seizes Upon your Sences when those foul Diseases You got by vile Debauches have at length Destroy'd your Persons and subdu'd your Strength â—s this a Season to detest your Leudness To talk of Vertue or pretend to Goodness Egregious Fools how dare you to delay Your Souls Affairs to that uncertain day Oh! can you trust so grand a work to that Moment of anguish when you know not what When sound your end will be nor yet how soon Though brisk at Morning you may die ere Noon And if unchang'd your certain doom will be To lye in Hell to all Eternity Sion's Children O dismal state O miserable case Enough to daunt all that are void of grace And crush the bragging of the stoutest mind But are there still more grievances behind Sion Still more behind O that there were no more Since they 'r too many that I 've told before Masters and Servants Kings and Subjects err In their Relation does not each prefer Base selfish Ends to gratifie a Lust Before what 's honest and supreamly just Sion's Friend Thus thus I 'm sure it was that year when I Publisht that Book of Sion's Misery For King and People strangely were misled And the curst Popish Plot near smothered And many other horrid shameless crimes I' th' Land were perpetrated in those times But I 'll have done Dread Matron pray declare What th' other Motives of your sorrows are Sion Ah! how much time by Christians is spent In fruitless idle talk how negligent In holy conference strange to each other How dull is each to quicken up his Brother In Gospel-duties O! how few do nourish That Love and Zeal which heretofore did flourish A Love whose flaming heat and gen'rous rays Repleat with Spirit fam'd the former days Pious discourses may reclaim the vile But they are hardn'd in their sins the while Christians converse like