he hath given you which is greater the opportunity or occasion of laying out your abilities A good commodity and a good penny-worth are as great a benefit as a good purse Lastly he hath given you which is greatest of all an heart to give g 1 Chron. 29.12 13 14 15 16. David praiseth him for all these three for riches to build for an house to be built for God and for an heart to lay out those meanes in that worke all these three for one yee have freely received Math 10.8 and therefore freely give I shall adde but a word more 't is to mind you that the exiled Saints which sojourne amongst you are the chiefe auxiliaries of this City Flying Lot did preserve that City which preserved him and was a Zoar unto his owne Zoar so these men doe line your workes and double the files of all your Regiments and that partly by their presence but chiefly by their prayers for the continuall safety honour and happines of this great City which hath been the fountaine of Liberality and the Atlas of Parliaments and in this prayer he heartily joyneth who doth subscribe himselfe Your Servant in the Lord Iesus Jo. Bond. Savoy Ian. 20. 1644. Occasus Occidentalis OR JOB IN THE WEST JOB 19.21 Have pity upon me have pity upon me O yee my friends for the hand of God hath touched me WEE are met together this day Introduction from the to weepe over the bleeding country of our nativity and in our weeping are forced to imitate banished Hagar in the holy History Let us looke a little upon her example Gen. 21.15 16. and borrow thence a bucket or two to set our pumpes a going It is said of her And the water was spent in the bottle and shee cast the Child under one of the shrubs and she went and sate her downe over against him a good way off as it were a bow-shoot for shee said Let me not see the death of the Child and shee sate over against him and wept Loe there a tender mother weeping over her gasping child here forlorne Children inforced to mourne over the dying mother the bottle of all our helpes and hopes being quite exhausted There Hagar had the sad priviledge to be neere her departing Ishmael if shee pleased and shee went and sate her down over against him But wretched we are driven off at the distance of some scores of miles beyond the sight and cries of our dearest brethren However let us not suffer our selves to be deprived of that last priviledge namely to lift up our voices and weepe To helpe us in this seasonable and necessary dutie I confesse it cost me some time and labour to find out a sufficient Text for I thought with my selfe that a single verse nay some one particular Chapter of lamentation would bee too narrow a field and circuit for a full discourse of our ample miseries but it must needs bee a whole volume some booke of sorrow to make up a Text broad enough to take in all our notes and so at last the choice was easie namely either out of the Lamentations of Jeremy or out of this booke of Job This latter I have chosen the rather because it doth not onely hold forth the sore but also the salve it shewes us both the miserie of Job and the issues thereof How aptly this Easterne historie doth parallel our Westerne subject will easily appeare if we consider either the Occasion or Division of this Booke First â—ccasion and as for the occasion some doe conceive that it was written by Moses while he led the people of Israel in the wildernes to teach them selfe-submission and holy contentation by setting before them the patience of Job and the end of the Lord. And so St. â—â—m 5.11 James doth apply this patterne Behold we account them happy which endure You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitifull and of tender mercie Thus Iobs patience may be our patterne and that end of the Lord our incouragement Others are of opinion that Moses did pen this holy poem for such it is generally in Midian to cheer up his country-men the Israelites under the yoke of their Egyptian bondage And thus also the whole book is a proper lesson for our selves and Counties Or Parts of this Booke viz. if you consider the parts of this volume its fitnesse for our use will yet more evidently appeare in that the whole book doth hold forth unto us the threefold condition of Iob which is parallel to the three spirituall estates of every saint First here is Jobs status constitutus or institutus if I may so call it his primitive condition and that is very holy very happy It is expressed in the first five verses of the first Chapter This is Jobs full-sea and it may be compared to mankinds state of innocencie in paradise which was in perfect holinesse and perfect happinesse The Second is his status destitutus his declining middle estate of calamity This is set forth from the fifth verse of the first Chapter to the last Chapter Now was his ebbing-water and it may be compared to the lapsed or fallen condition of man in Adam The Third is his status restitutus his condition of reparation more prosperous and happy then his beginning throughout Chap. the last Now it was spring-tyde or the highest-water with him And this is like to the sanctified and glorified estate of the Saints in heaven Our native West hath long injoyed the first of these and is now suffering the second why may it not like Iob arrive in the conclusion to the last and best of all O let us cry mightily for that Third condition this day The lot of my Text and of our Countrie at present are fallen a like upon the second and saddest of those Three generalls Coherence even upon Iobs destitute afflicted tormented estate which is set downe very pathetically in this whole Chapter from the beginning to my text In the Chapter immediatly foregoing Bildad the Shuite and his fellow physicians doe draw a false conclusion against Iob from true premisses for according to the common Logick of the vulgar they doe therefore conclude him wicked because he was wretched In this Chapter the holy man doth labour to confute their inference Analysis of the Chapter as also to move his friends to a more charitable construction and a more serious consideration of his extream suffering and to that end he doth spread before them in this Chapter an exact map of his present miseries and afflictions As ship-wrackt men of old were wont to describe the whole figure of their wrack in a painted table which they dayly shewed up and downe to move compassion in the beholders In this table of Iobs sufferings First he complaines that he is destitute of succours 1. Complaint and comforts from God above
laid against us Object 1 The Westerne folke will some say are an unworthie people Answ Beware of drawing sinfull inferences from sorrowfull premisses by concluding that such a man or people are wicked because they are wretched sinners because sufferers This was the false sophistry of Iobs three friends for which the Lord doth as it were enjoyne them penance Iob. 42.7 8. and amerceth them in the end of that book Nay this was the barbarous Malta-logick of those Islanders amongst whom St. Paul was cast ashoare at Mâ—lita And when the Barbarians saw the venemous beast hang on his hand Acts 28.4 they said among themselves No doubt this man is a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the Sea yet vengance suffereth not to live But when he shook off the beast into the fire Vers 5. they did as easily change their opinions to the other extreame and indeed none are more light and lavish in applauding then those which are most rash and severe in censuring But this fault I find may overtake the disciples themselves â—â—h 9. â— 2. When they saw a man that was blind from his birth they asked Iesus Master who did sin this man or his parents that he was born blind Christs answer telleth us that the Lord hath many other principall ends and causes for afflicting his people besides their sins as there his end was that the works of the Lord should be made manifest Vers 3. so in Iobs case he meant to set up a paterne of patience and of the reward thereof And in that of Paul he intended to honour the person and ministery of his servant in the eyes and hearts of the Barbarians Object 2 But the Objector chargeth againe telling us that Cowardise and Covetousnesse lost the West Answ I might first answer generally in the words of an * Iraset qâ—an donaâ—e vilius conslat Mart. acute Heathen that it is more cheape and easie to fall out with the distressed then to relieve their distresses But I will speake particularly to the severall charges of Cowardise and Covetousnes First to that of Cowardise I could returne many answers viz. 1. To the Charge of Cowardise 1. Who is he I pray you that is the God of the spirits of all flesh whose prerogative it is especially in war-like actions both to heighten the spirits of the faint and to flatten the courage of the mighty And when did the Lord so evidently and ordinarily exercise this his spirituall prerogative as in the present warres of his people in this Land Doubtlesse brethren it is not all Cowardise and treachery which we doe commonly call so in these times though I confesse there hath been too much of both sorts almost continually amongst us and I could wish that the extraordinary finger of God in this spirituall particular might be more observed and acknowledged 2. Secondly remember that those Westerne combustions did begin with the present generall and publike warres So that it was then the very Tyrocinium of all our Souldiery the first and suddaine shooting of Guns in earnest at which it is common even for valiant men a while to winke at the firing and to startle at the report of an Ordnance these and such-like allayes might be given But 3. Thirdly I doe answer by denying that charge of Cowardise upon that * At Minedip Hills in Sommerset about 30000. Commons appeared at once for the Parliament in the beginning against the Generallny of their Gentry In Devon at 2. several times at least 10000. each time all completely armed and paid by the same County And great forwardnes in the rest of the Counties Cornwall it selfe not excepted Country as unjust and for proof of that deniall could easily bring forth a whole cloud of publike and reall witnesses as the numerous frequent free appearances of great armies of common people upon slender summons or rather upon bare leave to appeare their willing tedious attendances at their own charges and begging permission to fall on c. And all this amidst often and heavy discouragements Some Counties going on against the streame of those which should have been their Leaders but did destroy the way of their Pathes Others had such Leaders as as would have caused them to erre Isai 9.16 yea as would have guided them as that Prophet led the blind-fold Syrians into Samaria instead of Dotham yet still the poore willing Commons leaving both the Kings high-way and their Malignant Gentry continued appearing waiting marching and fighting though in many places like sheep without a shepheard untill it hath pleased the Lord out of his secret Counsell and for our sins to give us up as a prey to the will of our enemies 2. To the Charge of Covetousnesse Secondly for answer to the charge of Covetousnesse aske of others and they shall tell you Aske the publike and private Treasurers for Ireland-subscriptions both gifts and adventures for the Parliament Propositions and for our own particular Westerne warres and fortifications all these will abundantly certifie you But as that proportionist did draw the whole stature of Hercules by the print of his foot so I could give you out of one of those five Shires best knowne to my selfe a guesse of the cordiall munificence of the whole 150000â— out of Devon Exon. Beside their sufferings If many scores of thousands have been laid out by one single County then admire the vast expences of all the five But it is still objected Object 3 Your enemies were few and contemptible at the first Alas Answ so were the enemies of the whole Kingdome at the beginning perchance fewer then ours remember the little cloud at Nottingham and by that you may see Secondly that the race is not to the swift Eccles 9.11 nor the battell to the strong but time and change happeneth to them all saith the wise Preacher especially thirdly when the Lord of Hosts createth trouble to a sinfull people and giveth commission to his revenging sword to passe through a Land beleeve it then they are not all your strength and counsell power and policy that can sheath up or keep off such an enemy But why did you lose so vast Object 4 so rich so populous a Country so easily Answ I answer First 1. doubtlesse the meritorious causes were our sins and the safest construction and best application that we Westerne exiles can make of our sufferings will be to take up that of lamenting Jeremiah Lament 3.39 Wherefore doth a living man complain It is a mercy that we are men and not beasts that we are alive this day and not fallen among the slaine a man for the punishment of his sinnes that is the Lord hath done us no wrong we doe suffer justly yea mercifully for our trespasses Let us search and try our waies and turne again to the Lord That is selfe examination and selfe-reformation Verse 40. are our most proper and profitable
So much concerning reproofe Vse 2 In the second place this Doctrine of pitie will afford us a patheticall exhortation Exhortation to pity the West In the beginning whereof I must tell you though the Text and historie are altogether Easterne yet this branch of application must be wholly Westerne and therefore I would have you now to take the words as the common cry of all the distressed Counties Cities Market-towns Parishes houses and persons of the Iob-like West this day Suppose brethren that you heard all the well-affected of those Counties and such I dare generally to call them still on the one part roaring to his Majestie as sometimes that mother did cry to the King of Israel when shee had eaten her son for hunger Help my Lord O King 2 Kings 6.26 And then imagine his Majestie answering them in the words of David upon another occasion I am this day weake 2 Sam 3.39 though anointed King and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me they were his sisters two sons Ioab and Abishai Make that supposition upon the one side But then suppose them on the other part crying and yelling to us and to all their scattered brethren in the words of the Text with addition Oh yee Protestant Christian English hearts Men brethren and friends Have pitie upon us have pitie upon us for the hand of God hath touched us But I suppose you are ready to meet this exhortation with an objection Object Why wee are all come together for this very end to pity the West it is the great desire of our bowels and the onely businesse of this day to pity them But tell us now how can we how may we doe this worke effectually and to purpose Answ Brethren it was my chiefe intention Helps to this dutie which are in appearing this day in this place and hath been my principall endeavour in my preparations such as they are to help you in this great duty at present I shall therefore desire your serious and affectionate attention My method in the whole work shall consist of two generall branches I shall endeavour to spread before you First 1. the causes for which we ought really to pitie the West and this Generall will afford us some excitations and incentives to the duty 2. Secondly the meanes by which wee may pitie them indeed and this generall shall yeeld us some instructions and directions for that friendly service First First excitations to quicken us to consider Viz. for our excitation and quickning wee must consider what are the evils of those parts because the object of pity is Malum Evill Now their evils and indeed all evils are of two sorts 1. Culpall evils or the evils of sin these are both the first and worst of all evils and therefore are in the first and chiefe place to be lamented Ier. 2.19 as saith Ieremiah who was a man well skilled in lamentations Know therefore and see that it is an evill thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God 2. Penal evils or the evils of suffering these are the fruits and effects of the former 1 Cor. 15.56 as St. Paul saith the sting of death is sin that is miserie without sin may buzze hisse and scratch a little like a Hornet or Adder that hath lost his sting but it cannot pierce and poyson as wee see in every meer affliction of the Saints Sin alone putteth the venom the deadlinesse into death it selfe 1. First then let us weep and lament over the Countries of our nativitie Westerne sins search for these because of their sins and ours in them Let us bewaile principally the greatest provocations that are and nave been commited in those parts When Iobs three friends are said to come every one from his owne place for to mourne with him and to comfort him Iob 2.11 there is a word used for to comfort which signifieth likewise to mourne with the mournings of repentance to shew that if wee would pitie and comfort our Countries and our selves to purpose this is the right end to begin at namely in the first place to bewaile both their sins and our own Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin And 't is that alone which putteth all the mortall bitternesse into our cup of trembling So Ieremiah once againe Ier. 4.18 This is thy wickednesse because it is bitter because it reacheth unto thine heart Or thus this is from thy wickednesse that he meaning the enemie the Chaldean is bitter that he reacheth unto thine heart And immediatly there followeth an alarme because of warres my bowels my bowels because thou hast heard Verse 19. O my Soule the sound of the trumpet the alarme of warre Whence wee learne by the Lords methode in punishing what must be our order in lamenting First the sins then the sorrows of a Countrie are to be mourned over The want of this due order is charged against the false Prophets of Iudah as one cause I conceive of her ruine Thy Prophets have seen vaine and foolish things for thee Why Lam. 1.14 they have not discovered thine iniquitie Why What good could that discoverie doe her To turne away thy captivitie Labour wee therefore to turne away the Westerne Captivitie by discovering and bewailing our Westerne iniquities Object But how may this be done in a due measure so as to avoid both the impietie of Cham who discovered his fathers nakednesse and the Partialitie of Ely who was too indulgent to his owne familie Answ I shall endeavour equally to decline both of these extreames and yet to give you some speciall matter of humiliation and to that end take these two hints helps or directories for our more effectuall inquiry after the sins of our Country 1. Search after them by their effects and 2. By their proportions 1. By their Effects which are Banishing sins First you may be guided to find them out by their effects Doe but aske the word of God What provocations especially have an ejecting exiling banishing effect that is doe cause mens houses and Countries to cast them out For I find that there is such a speciall sort of sins in Scripture Jerem. 9.19 Because we have forsaken the land because our dwellings have cast us out Yea I find in the word that divers sorts of sins have this effect Let us put two or three Quaeres to the children of the West concerning these every one shall be taken out of the word of God I will onely put the questions leaving to your selves the pressing of them upon your selves 1. Quaere luke warmnesse both Revel 3.15.6 Brightman First Quaere concerning Luke-warmenesse I find that sin notoriously branded as an Ejector as an Exiler not only of Persons but of whole Churches at once I know thy works saith God to Laodicea and England is by Expositors compared to that Church that thou art neither cold nor
c Tho. Wise Esquire other might justly be called The prudent man though in yeares hee was not the ancient and both were taken away by a kind of d The small Pox. imperillous disease in our times of greatest need Next what thinke you of the losse of that e Sir Fran. Popham Knight greatest and most cordiall Knight of Somerset was not hee by an eminency the ancient and the honourable And to him adde f Sir Peter Wroth Knight another honest worthy Knight that served for the same County who was likewise called away in the midst of the worke These two were I take it the onely paire of right Parliamentary Knights of that County Also in Wilts wee may reckon g Sir Henry Ludlow Knight another precious and worthy Knight which the Lord hath snatched away from his Country Nay lastly even Cornwall it selfe may complaine that of her little handfull of good members which doe hold fast to this Cause shee hath lost a principall h Sir Rich. Buller Knt. finger All these were Parliamentary Supporters of the West And wee doe all know that when the owner of an house doth pull away the posts and pillars thereof it is a signe that hee doth intend either to build it better or to demolish it 2. In the Assembly But this is not all wee have had a deplorable losse in Prophets too Three of the five Westerne Counties had but five of their Ministers sitting in the Assembly of Divines and 〈◊〉 a Mr Henry Painter of Exon. Mr Peal of Dorset two of those five hath the Lord taken away from us in these parts even a paire of workemen that were some of the charets and horsemen of the West both of them were eminent for piety and abilities But give mee leave to mourne especially over that b Mr Painter B.D. eldest pillar of fire which did for so many years support and enlighten the true Religion in the West give mee leave to call him the mighty man and the Counsellor that is the Champion and the Oracle of persecuted Ministers and people in those parts yea the hammer of Schismaticks and the salt of the most Western City which did not onely preserve it in great part from the putrefaction of Prophanesse but from the rawnesse of Novelties In a word hee was so publike a good that for him that whole City hath cause to weare blacks Thus the Lord hath taken away from us the Prophets And now to fill up our sorrowes I could tell you finally of the losse of the man of warre and the Captaine of fifty that is of some considerable Martiall pillars 3. In the Armies Col. Wil. Gould Lievt Col. Martin I could instance upon knowledge in that precious piece of activity upon whose good name biting Envie may breake her teeth but shee shall never be able to devoure it And in that other pious Commander in the same Town who having defended his Charge to the utmost yet afterwards died with griefe because hee could doe no more But I forbeare to draw forth this threed any farther because the clue is growne so big already Thus have I done with the Causes for which wee ought really to pity our Western Brethren with all those excitations and incentives to compassion which that Generall did afford us Secondly Means and instructions to direct us in the duty of pitie viz. 1. In generall from the example of Iobs 3. friends In their visit note Secondly we come now to the meanes by which we may pitie the West to purpose And this Generall as I promised must yeeld us some instructions and directions in that brotherly Christian duty These instructions may be of two sorts 1. Some more generall and borrowed from the example of the friends of Iob mentioned in this historie 2. Others more particular and as it were independent taken onely from the subjects or instruments of our compassion First in generall as we have already found in this book of Iob a paterne and parallel of miserie so may wee fetch out from thence a Copie of compassion even from the pitie of Iobs three friends it is described Chap. 2. in three Verses viz. Verse 11 12 13. They doe containe the visit of Iobs friends in which we may observe 1. The occasion 2. The ground 3. The end and intendment of their coming The occasion of their visit 1. The occasion Verse 11. was the report of all the evill that was come upon Iob Now when Iobs three friends heard of all the evill that was come upon him then they came This may hint unto us the duty of enquiring and listning after our distressed friends and Country which shall be the first branch of reall pitie The ground of this visit was a mutuall agreement 2. The ground or a voluntarie compact made between them for they had made an appointment together to come c. This doth intimate unto us the duty of assembling and consulting together for the good of our afflicted brethren which will be the second branch of friendly pitie The end 3. The end hence and intendment of their visit is expressed to be twofold 1. To communicate with him in his sorrows to mourne with him 2. To communicate to him their comforts and to comfort him Then their solemne mourning is expressed through the next verse v. 12. and the cause thereof ult But these last two verses I shall not touch upon onely let us run thorow the former three branches of reall compassion The first branch of reall pity 1. Duty Enquiry c. Iob. 2.11 is to hearken out and make enquiry after our distressed brethren Thus Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar were induced to pitie Iob by the hearing of their eares When they heard of all this evill that was come upon him then they came every one from his owne place c. Marke the very hear-say or report of the afflictions of friends ought both to take our eares and to move our hearts But alas for the Adder-like deafenesse of multitudes now amongst us that will not heare in that eare as we say for feare lest their hearts and then their purses should be pickt open for they doe interpret every sad relation to be the preface to a petition Yea many men are like the people neer the falls of Nylus growne deafe by the continuall noise of dolefull reports Surely the Lord will boare such eares at last Others there are which doe account it a cheaper and a wiser way not to beleeve any sad reports at all but generally to cry them downe as false and uncertaine pamphlets rather then to be at the paine of letting them into their hearts and these are like churlish Nabal which did choose rather to call David a run-away and to suspect the truth of his messengers then to be at the charge of rewarding and relieving them The sword may one day find out these men also But chiefly wee must observe
of generall and particular judgement the day of publike and speciall tryall and these dayes we ought to look unto as at the doore at all times but especially then when the plague is begun 3. Duty Communication of good and evill when one foot of it is over the threshold This was the second branch of the reall pitie of Iobs friends viz. their appointed meeting together to visit him The third branch of their friendly visit is contained in the End thereof and that is expressed in the Text as I said to be two-fold 1. To communicate with him in his sorrows To mourn with him 2. To communicate to him their comforts And to comfort him But these two for brevities sake we will twist together they are indeed the both hands of reall friendship the one is the giving hand with which we doe freely strip our selves of any of our comforts reaching them forth to our distressed friends this is commanded by the Apostle when he saith Distributing to the necessity of the Saints Rom. 12.13 The other is the receiving hand with which we doe take off their burthens laying them upon our own shoulders and this also is enjoyned by the same Apostle when he commandeth Beare ye one anothers burthens Gal. 6.2 and so fulfill ye the law of Christ It is one great commandement or law of Christ that wee love one another It is another that wee doe to others as wee would they should doe to us Iohn 1â— 34 Luke 6.31 Both these lawes doe bind us to both those duties of communicating And indeed as the lawes so the example of Christ doth enforce the same thing for with one hand he doth reach forth unto his Saints both his merit and Spirit and with the other hand he doth beare our iniquities and takes upon him our infirmities Let us therefore make him our Lord and patterne in labouring to doe the offices of Christian friends to our distressed Country-men with both hands not contenting our selves onely with stripping our selves of our owne comfort and to give it unto them 1 Sam. 18.4 as Ionathan in token of friendship stript himselfe of the robe that was upon him and gave it unto David and his garments even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle but let us also make the sorrowes and sufferings of our afflicted brethren to be our owne But of this kind of compassion I have spoken somewhat already in my excitations The rest that remaineth I shall bind up together and thresh out in the 2. â—â— particular Second Generall which I promised was called the more particular means of reall pitie it may be amplified by the speciall members and weapons by which our compassions are acted and expressed In few words then would we perform the duty of friendly pitie in deed and in truth Then we must do it Corde Ore Opere with our hearts with our mouthes with our hands or actions First First Corde with our hearts The heart is the fountaine of all reasonable living motions and if any actions have not their rise from thence they are artificiall or but brutishly naturall labour wee therefore to engrave a map of our miserable Country upon our hearts Queen Mary is reported to have said after the losse of Callice to the French that whosoever should rip up her dead body might find Callice in her heart Her reason was because that last footing of England in France was lost under her raigne and government Brethren our native Counties have been lost in our time and partly also by our sins Oh let us therfore carry the West continually in our hearts Quest What carry it in our hearts you will say What is that How may it be done Answ I meane Answ let us carry in our thoughts and affections all those Cards of the five Westerne Counties which I have drawne before your eyes already but because that draught is somewhat imperfect I would onely adde unto it two or three termes of art in this place they may be borrowed from Paul in a verse of his to the Ephesians where labouring to expresse the great love of God in Christ Ephes 3.18 he giveth it severall dimensions that ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth depth height of that love There is the whole trina dimensio as they call it all the three dimensions of misery to be observed in the present maps of the West As namely the latitude the longitude yea the profundity of their sufferings First would you know the breadth of our Western miseries Surely 1. Latitude of the miseries of the West Camden Speed they are as broad as a tract of land containing from East to West as our Geographers doe measure the five Counties above two hundred miles and from North to South generally the whole continent betwixt the Northerne and Southerne seas In which tract there are commonly accounted five Cities Market-Tomnes one hundred thirty and one diverse of which may compare with some of your Easterne and Northerne Cities Of Parishes one thousand foure hundred nintey and those also not as in some other Counties narrow and thin but generally very spatious very populous In short the Westerne tract that is now so miserable doth containe that whole kingdome of the West Saxons * Berks. Hamps two Counties only excepted which of old like Moses his rod did devour all the other six kingdoms of that Heptarchy and I have cause to thinke that at this day could there be but a competent number of helpfull forces afforded unto that Country like a bucket of water that is poured into a drie pump to set it going it would not onely be able to defend it selfe but might send forth many comfortable streams towards the refreshment of other parts of the kingdome Sure I am by experience that when the ill-affected of but one of those five Counties had over-flowne the Western banks which for a long time did beate back their streams they did in a short space turne the tide thorrow the whole kingdome This is a touch concerning the latitude or breadth of the Western miseries 2. The Longitude Secondly would you know what is the longitude or length of this map of miserie that is how long time those parts have bin over-flowne Surely I must answer that the calamities of the kingdome and of the West doe beare the same date even from August in the yeare 1642. unto this present hath the fire of warre been blown up and down in those Counties and ever since about July in the yeare 1643. when the West received her deaths wound at the Devizes hath the enemie been master of the field in that little kingdome only I confesse some blood did run to the heart in Exon after that blow and it was cherished to the utmost by that poor beleagured Citie there being I beleeve scarcely an hired souldier behind of his pay so much as