Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A35335
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Naboth's vinyard, or, The innocent traytor copied from the orginal of Holy Scripture : in heroick verse.
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Caryll, John, 1625-1711.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing C745A; ESTC R4677
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8,457
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19
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their Prince they disobey Fear not the Law but by the Judge be fear'd Else as the Pedants gravely wag their Beard Kings must of their Prerogatives be stript As Children are for breach of Grammar whipt Then trust my skill I 'll bring you quick relief To heal the wounds of your unseemly Grief Both you and Naboth your just Rights shall have You shall possess his Vineyard he his Grave Thus with her oyly words she skins his Sore But adds new Poyson to the ulcerous Core And that false Comfort leaves in Achabs mind Which Villains in their thriving Mischiefs find She summons then her chosen Instruments Always prepar'd to serve her black Intents The chief was Arod whose corrupted youth Had made his Soul an Enemy to truth But Nature furnisht him with Parts and wit For bold Attempts and deep Intriguing fit Small was his Learning and his Eloquence Did please the Rabble nauseate men of sence Bold was his Spirit nimble and loud his Tongue Which more than Law or Reason takes the Throng Him part by Money partly by her Grace The covetous Queen rais'd to a Judges place And as he bought his Place he Justice sold Weighing his Causes not by Law but Gold He made the Justice-Seat a common Mart Well skill'd he was in the mysterious Art Of finding Varnish for an unsound Cause And for the sound Imaginary Flaws With him fierce Jezabel consults the way How she for harmless Naboth Snares may lay Madam says he you rightly judge the course Unsafe to run him down by open Force In great Designs it is the greatest Art To make the Common People take your part Some words there are which have a special Charm To wind their Fancies up to an Alarm Treason Religion Liberty are such Like Clocks they strike when on those Points you touch If some of these unto his Charge you lay You hit the Vein of their Tarantala For to say truth the trick did never fail Loud Calumny with them does still prevail I Madam of these means no scruple make Means from their End their Good or Badness take Naboth a Rebel to his Soveraign's Will By any ways we lawfully may kill Whilst thus he pour'd his Venom in her Ear A spightful Joy did in her Face appear She said your faithful Counsel I approve You have chalkt out the way we are to move But still you leave untoucht the hardest part Which most requires your Industry and Art Where is the Crime where are the Witnesses It is my Province Madam to find these Reply'd the Judge and that our Project may Take faster hold let there a solemn day To seek the Lord by Fasting and by Prayer Be set apart This will exactly square With the whole Model of our Work design'd This will the People draw Body and Mind To act their Parts in Naboth's Tragedy This builds the Stage on which the Wretch shall dye As Glasses by the Sun 's reflected Ray The silly Lark into the Net betray So will the People by the dazling thought Of Godliness religiously be caught When the Queen saw that her Design would take She with impatient haste the Conference brake Of Av'rice and Revenge such is the thirst That with the least Delay the Patients burst Lose no more time she cry'd with speedy care Letters and Orders for our Seal prepare Such as the Work requires For 'till I gain This Point each Moment is an Age of pain Since first for acting God proud Angels fell Still to ape Heaven has been the Pride of Hell As the bright Spirits always attend his Throne And what he wills they execute as soon Our Fury so could not conceive the Fact More nimbly than her Agent Fiend did act Stay Hell-Hounds stay why with such rav'nous speed Must the dear Blood of Innocence be shed Blind is your Haste and blinder is your Rage Hell no successful War 'gainst Heaven can wage You shoot at Naboth but your selves you wound With poyson'd Darts for which no Cure is found The Poyson drawn from a remorseless Heart Baffles Divine much more all Humane Art What will your Rage effect but lasting shame In this in the next World Eternal Flame With all your subtle Arts of Perjury And all the Varnish of your Bloody Lye To make him Guilty and you Rightful seem Hell for your selves you build and Heaven for him Arod had always Tools at his Command Of a fit temper for his Work in hand But here no Villains of a common size In Wickedness or Cunning would suffice Yet two he found which did as much exceed All common Rogues as common Facts this Deed. Malchus a puny Levite void of sence And Grace but stuft with Noise and Impudence Was his prime Tool so Venomous a Brute That every place he liv'd in spued him out Lyes in his Mouth and Malice in his Heart By Nature grew and were improv'd by Art Mischief his pleasure was and all his Joy To see his thriving Calumny destroy Those whom his double Heart and forked Tongue Surer than Vipers Teeth to death had stung Python his Second was and his alone For he in Ills no other First would own A braver Impudence did Arm this Wight He was a Russian and no Hypocrite And with audacious and loud Villany He did at once Vertue and Fame defie These two though Malchus wore the longer Cloak Were evenly pair'd and drew in the same Yoke No Forresters with keener Appetite In running down their hunted Game delight Than these the Slaughter of the Guiltless view Whom their Malicious Calumny pursue This goodly Pair were by their Teachers Art Fully prepar'd and tun'd to play their part A Fast is then proclaim'd this serves as Leaven To raise the People's Lump with News from Heaven They in the dark when bid to seek the Lord Are sure for His to take the Preachers word These when they tole their great DIANA-Bell Look up to Heaven and do the works of Hell Always State-Fasts some strange Events portend And often in a Godly Mischief end The fair Pretence is that the Lord may weed Treason and Blasphemy from Abraham's Seed Great and just God! will it be always so When thy Rebellious Creatures here below Their black Designs of deepest Mischief frame Shall they still stamp on them thy holy Name Make thee All-good a Party in their Ill Thy very Word abuse to break thy Will By which their Leaders draw the Vulgar in With harmless Minds to perpetrate their Sin By which the Just are by the Impious slain And Abel still is sacrific'd by Cain How can thy Justice and thy Thunder sleep When such affronts on thee and thine they heap How can the Earth forbear with open Jaws To swallow these Contemners of thy Laws Hold Muse Thy Zeal now grows to Mutiny Thou dost ignobly from thy Colours fly Under the Standard of the Cross we serve And from our Leaders ways we must not swerve By Form of Law He did submit to dye
Accus'd of Treason and of Blasphemy All-powerful He without revenge or strife Endur'd the loss of Honour and of Life This is the way which he his Followers taught Which him to Triumph us to Safety brought Then in this way let us march bravely on Which will our Innocence with Glory Crown And let us pity those whom prosp'rous Sin Harden's and does on Earth their Hell begin Now comes the Solemn and the bloody Day In which all Israel meets to fast and pray But Impious is that Fast and Prayer which parts From Lips polluted and from hardned Hearts In the first rank of Levites Arod stood Court-favour plac'd him there not Worth or Blood Naboth amongst the Tribes the foremost Place Did with his Riches Birth and Vertue grace A man whose Wealth was the Poor's common stock The Hungry found their Market in his Flock His Justice made all Law-contentions cease He was his Neighbours safeguard and their Peace The Rich by him were in due bounds contain'd The Poor if strong imploy'd if weak maintain'd Well had he serv'd his Country and his King And the best Troops in all their Wars did bring Nor with less bravery did he lead them on Warding his Country's danger with his own Scarce were the Rites and Ceremonies past Which by the Law attend their publick Fast When Malchus raising up his hands and Eyes With bended knees thus to the Judges cryes Hear me great Seed of Levi Hear me all Israel's ten Tribes I for your Mercy call Seal me a Pardon who too long have been A dark Concealer of a Crying Sin Heaven does this day my wounded Conscience heal And bids me the hid Blasphemy reveal Naboth stand forth 'T is thee of Impious breach Of God's and the Kings Laws whom I impeach At this the Tribes a various murmur raise His boldness some abhor'd and some did praise Some would have Naboth by a Publick Vote Without more Form found Guilty of the Plot. Others the Law alledge that no Offence Can be judged so on single Evidence While thus they waver Arod takes his kew Our thanks to Heaven in the first place are due He said which with such gracious speed prevents Our Prayers and all false Traytors curst Intents Speak Malchus then and this Assembly give Of the whole Plot a perfect Narrative And whilst this service you to Israel do Know that we hear you and believe you too Malchus applauded thus in publick view Did now almost believe that he spoke true This arm'd his Face with Brass his Heart with Steel That he no shame and no remorse could feel Then he the Story of his Plot at large Unfolds and lays to guiltless Naboth's charge How with the Aramites he did conspire His Country to invade the City fire The Temple to destroy the King to kill And the whole Realm with Desolation fill He told how he himself the Agent was In close Consults to bring these things to pass Nor did he fail with proper Circumstance Of Time and Place to garnish his Romance The Priests astonisht are the People gaze And the dumb Judges horrour does amaze Then out steps Python and with dextrous Art Weaving his Story seals a Counterpart To all that Malchus had before depos'd And with deep Oaths the Accusation clos'd Now on poor Naboth all their Eyes were set Some red with Anger some with Pity wet But the fierce Rabble gladly would prevent His Tryal by an instant Punishment Whence this unnatural Pleasure to destroy From what ill Root grows this malignant Joy Beasts worry Beasts but when their Hunger calls But Man on Man with a full Stomach falls 'T is not our Wants of Nature to redress That we this Rage to our own Kind express But for the Mischief's sake we Pleasure find It lies not in our Body but our Mind Our Seed receives a double Taint and Stain From Rebel Adam and from murd'ring Cain Naboth thus charg'd had need for his defence Of all his Courage and his Innocence It was a Tryal of no Vulgar Kind To shew th' Heroick temper of his Mind But the transparent Brightness of his Soul E'en through his Eyes their Malice did controul For his Accusers when he sternly view'd Their tortur'd looks their rack of Conscience shew'd But to his Judges with a manly grace He lowly bow'd and pleaded thus his Case My Lords by these false Oaths this bloody Lye God and the King are more abus'd than I For I poor Worm weigh nothing in the Scale When their high Wrongs for Reparation call When God's dread Name when his and the Kings Laws Are thus blasphem'd 't is their and not my Cause Pharoah Goliah and that Heathen Brood Less impiously blasphem'd our Soveraign Good They believ'd not his Being nor his Might And blindly what they Nothing thought did slight These know him and him knowingly defie And signing with his awful Name their Lye Make him a Party to their Perjury Nay in this horrid Enterprise they do Their curst Endeavour to destroy him too For Truth and He in Essence so partake That when you make him False you him unmake These Vipers in the Bosom of our Law Will eat it through its very Heart-strings gnaw For when with artificial Perjury They make God's Sacred Name espouse their Lye Forthwith that Lye Omnipotent becomes And governs all below it saves or dooms Disposes of our Honour Life and State Gives rule to Law and arbitrates our Fate No rage of Famine Pestilence or War Can with this Legal Massacre compare If perjur'd Villains may a Shelter find To make their Inrodes thus on Humane Kind Laws for Chastisement of the Guilty meant Will turn their Points against the Innocent As Cannons of a newly enter'd Town From their own Walls the Houses batter down My Lords if you this Villany endure Judges themselves will not be long secure And so I leave my Cause in your wise breast The Temple where Truth 's Oracle should rest Thus Naboth spoke with that undaunted meen Which only in bold Innocence is seen But least the People's Fury should relent Arod their calmer thoughts did thus prevent Naboth what you have said in your defence Adds to your Guilt clears not your Innocence When the Kings Evidence you perjur'd call Know that your very Plea is Criminal Shall Malefactors with Reproaches tear Their Fame who for their King and Country swear What Thief what Felon may not do the same To purge themselves the Witnesses defame Against two Oaths so positive and plain All your harranguing Rhetorick is vain Should stout Denying pass for Innocence The Court must be as weak as your Defence Less Confidence your bloody Crimes behov'd So weakly answer'd and so strongly prov'd Is it not doubly sworn that you conspir'd With Aram's King this City to have fir'd And in that hurry to destroy the King And into Israel Bondage and Idols bring Stung with these dire Reproaches Naboth again Offer'd to speak but offer'd still in vain For when the Bench did thus his Guilt proclaim Their Words like Oyl inrag'd the People's Flame Who hardly staying till the Sentence past Like hungry Wolves they rush with furious haste Hurrying poor Naboth to a planted Stake Where in his Death their cruel Joy they take Their Hands and Tongues they equally employ And him with Stones and Calumnies destroy Some gather Flints and some the Victim ty'd Ready for Sacrifice He loudly cry'd Heaven bless the King And I forgive ye all O! may this Innocent Blood no Vengeance call On you my Brethren Off'ring more to say A murdring show'r of Stones took Voice and Life away Thus Naboth fell Kind Heaven so may I fall Rather than stand so high and Criminal As covetous Achab and his bloody Queen Or serve the Malice of such Lust and Spleen Or judge with Arod or with Malchus swear Or with the Rabble opprest Vertue tear Naboth though cast thou art by Humane Laws Heaven's Writ of Errour has remov'd thy Cause And judg'd it so that it shall stand from hence A lasting Record of wrong'd Innocence All to thy Ashes shall their Duty pay Friends shall their Tears Foes weep their Blood away For lo the great Elijah Heaven's Envoy Has now surpris'd them in their guilty joy Caught in the very Fact and Place where they Rejoice pluming and hovering o're the Prey What have I found you in this Field of Blood For so thy Title to 't shall be made good More by thine own than Naboth's graceless King I from thy dreadful Judge thy Sentence bring Says Heaven's bold Herald Achab heartless grew And the Queens Fears did all her Pride subdue At this loud Thunder-stroke Know wretched Pair Continues he The Vultures in the Air Wolves in the Field shall be the living Tomb Of all that 's born from Jezebel's curs'd Womb And Achab's Seed shall be the worthy Food Of Birds and Beasts that live by Prey and Blood Thy Race no more shall mix with Human Kind But nourish Beasts and so with them be join'd Thou Achab here in this ill-purchas'd Ground Shalt bleed thy last from a fresh mortal wound Mastifs shall lick thy Blood and it shall be As sweet to them as Naboth's Blood to thee And thou curst Woman Eve and Serpent too Cause of thine own and of thy Husband's woe Thy broken Limbs and into pieces rent Shall be of Dogs the Food and Excrement Low falls thy Body lower thy Soul will sink Thy Memory ever shall remain and stink And so he left them Thunder-struck and dumb Stung with their present Guilt and Fate to come FINIS 〈…〉 v. 42. v. 13. 28. v. 34. Chap. 21. v. 2. v. 3. v. 4. v. 5. v. 6. v. 6. v. 7. v. 7. v. 7. v. 8. v. 10. ◠10. v. 10. v. 12. v. 12. v. 13. v. 13. v. 13. * Poet speaks v. 13. v. 13. v. 19. v. 18. v. 20. v. 19. v. 24. v. 19. v. 23. 2 K. c. 9. v. 33.