THE Progress of Honesty Or a VIEW OF A COURT AND CITY A PINDARIQUE POEM By T. D. Altera jam teritur bellis Civilibus aetas Suis ipsa Roma viribus ruit Horace LONDON Printed for Ioseph Hindmarsh at the Black Bull in Cornhil 1681. The Progress of HONESTY Or a VIEW of COURT and CITY I. ONE Summers Evening when the wearied Sun Was hastning to go down And dewy Thetis th' Ocean did inspire With gentle Calms to court his amorous fire I left the busie Town To entertain my thoughts one hour alone The winds to their deep Caverns did retreat And only a cool Breeze Did softly kiss the Trees To temper the past days unruly heat A time it was when Nature seem'd t' imploy Her self in general joy And every thing was pleas'd in th' Water Earth and Sky The wanton Fishes danc'd within their Streams The Beasts unyok'd from Teams Ran lowing to the distant Mead To greet their much lov'd Mates to sport and feed And on each lofty Tree or covert Bush The Lark the Linnet Nightingale and Thrush Did in their chirping language sing Long lays of Love and of the smiling Spring Of scatter'd grain near some rich Farmers house And of their Misses vows Of Snares and dangerous Limetwigs then began That oft their Friends trapan Here joint invectively they long divisions ran And curst th' unnatural Craft of silly yet conceited Man II. In the dark Center of a lonely Grove For Melancholly fram'd and Love A Rock there stands that props th' adjacent hill Craggy and mossy made by unknown skill Of wondrous height and magnitude Impenetrable Stone and rude From whose aspiring top a stream did pour Swift Cataracts whose fall and dreadful rore Wonder and Terror bore Here Nature th' Pageant Mansion to adorn It s hollow Sides had into Conduits worn Whose depth and bottom none did ever see But only God and she 'T was here her private Storehouse she did keep Here mighty Treasures heap Safe as in Neptunes Closet of the deep I much delighted with the cool Recess Of this miraculous place Laid my self down to rest and meditate Upon the Worlds and my uncertain state And all the Prodigies of Fate When a kind Eccho near me drew A Voice me thought I knew And so it was for when again it spoke Looking toward the farthest side o th' Rock I saw two persons th' one was sad and mute Whilst t'other awfully held grave dispute Whom when to view he did himself extend I knew to be my good old Friend III. A wondrous man born of Celestial Race The Beams of Honour Vertue Grace Shone in his comely reverend face On which you might perceive Many a smarting Wound and Scar He for his King and Country had receiv'd In bloody Field and Loyal War Reward for which he ne'er ignobly sought But the Oblivion of his Merits thought His own misfortune not his Princes fault About his Neck a Golden Medal hung Which he atchiev'd when young A Caesar's figure there was coin'd which he With his own hand had given the badge of Loyalty Yet ne'er could Fame his Constancy divide With an ungenerous Pride His heart was humble full of Modesty As Virgin Infancy Plain were his thoughts ne'er taught the tedious Rules By Pedant Fools Of humming Colledges or buzzing Schools And yet by th' vigour of his Wit could reach The depth of Natures Mysteries and preach All the Morals wise Philosophy could teach None sure was ere renown'd as he Religious good of heavenly pedegree Ador'd by all the vertuous world his name was Honesty IV. The other was his Son 't was strange to see Such bitter fruit spring from so good a Tree Vicious and vain he was a wanton Youth That wandred from the Truth Treading in slippery paths rash Error was his Name Never the heir to his great Fathers fame But of his Mother frailties shame His Eyes the flaming Tapers of reproach Kindled at some late deboach Lookt glowing red and on his flesh were seen Some marks of wounds but not such as had been The scars of honour but of infamy The Effects of Wine Night Brawls Temerity When for suburbian Jilt he fought and she Most impudently swore He solely enjoy'd the Indies that she bore Yet the salacious Whore Was at that hour ingag'd to fifty more His Pockets swell'd with Challenges and News Lascivious Pamplets Billet Deuxs And Tickets from the Beldame of the Stews Deaf to reproof he was and hugg'd his Crimes A modish Fop a Creature of the times One that could flatter every Golden Clod And call my Spindle Lord that made him drunk his God Adore the reverend wrinkled Lady Quaint And swear she 's more celestial than a Saint Protest not Venus Doves had been White as her Faces skin Though he could see no part of it for Paint Stubborn as Eli's Sons or Iacob's envious brood Stranger to wise men and a foe to good And most ungrateful lov'd his Father less Because he did his Crimes express And held the Mirror up to shew his wickedness But as the Eternal does his mercies shew And grant Remission below To Mortals that rebellious grow Thus proving divine Mystery And that to live from passions free Is only th' Province of the Deity So the reverend Sire after a stream had run From his Eyes aged fountains thus begun To pitty and instruct his just precipitating Son V. Where wilt thou fall ah why thy self destroy Rash heedless Boy Why dost thou snatch at a deluding bait That hooks thee to thy fate O thou unfortunate Look here and borrow thy old Fathers eye Look well and through this Perspect shalt thou spy The World drest in her vanity See here Ambition plotting how to climb Up to a seat sublime And now aloud resounds his fame Now like a Meteor does he flame Whilst all the air is fill'd with ecchoes of his name But see the wheel of chance is turn'd And what was so admir'd is scorn'd The Blazing Comet shines not that before Enlightned the Horizon o're The Exhalation's spent and seen no more See there where Faction with his hundred hands And Treasons numerous as sands Impious though Old stands preaching in a Tree Stirring the long Ear'd rout to mutiny From infancy a Traitor known One that would fight for Conscience but had none Hark how the Mobile shout that ecchoing peal Portends the downfal of some Common-Weal Some Monarch now To th' force must bow Of brutish Ignorance pretended Zeal Next turn thy eye and view Religion's state And there perhaps thou'lt find too late The canting Parasite gilt Fortune serves Whilst the truly Pious starves 'T is the sly fleer and supple knee unties The Purse of gouty Avarice And we may boldly now declare The Clergy thrive by Flattery more than Prayer See how that reverend Doctor vails his Cap To you prophane Court Ape Sure he has some suit to beg That thus he sneaks and scrapes a Leg Whilst t'other proudly keeps him bare Thus we may
see Learning's the footstool of Court-vanity VI. See next where Beauty comes Parent of darling Sin That charming Demon of the skin That Victor that great Monarchs rules That Paradise of loving fools That gets more Souls Than Heaven and all the Miracles within That Soul of Joy that Tyrant o're the blood That blessing yet a curse though heavenly yet not good That potent power that with resistless Art Reigns all in all and all in every part O how she shines and does her Nets prepare Look how they crowd into her snare And think eternal Bliss is there Till Sickness shades the glaring light Then what they once thought bright Appears a horrid Spectre hideous to the sight But these Remarques fond Boy are few Search Nature through And thou shalt find a thousand new A strange vicissitude of things From Pesants even to Kings Then patient Merit shalt thou find ill us'd Vertue and Wit by Ignorance abus'd Knowledge low as the Grave dejected lies Whilst in all places Vice doth only rise In th' Country City Court new Crimes we see A most unnatural change in each degree And nothing scorn'd or slighted more than Honesty VII Thus spoke the good Old Man with modest grace And here a second shower apace Fell on his Beard like Jems and deckt his reverend Face But Error who had with much impatience sate And heard his Father moral Truths relate Like Libertines within a Temple shut Who having no way to get out Are forc'd a while to be devout With an unwilling mind obeyed Till stung with rage to hear the Court reprov'd The Court he so much lov'd Raising his drowsie head this answer made To th' aged Sir that pleasures reap in vain All pleasure seems a pain The choicest Banquet is but made a waste To one that has no taste And therefore you whose insipid Palat's down Past help of all th' Physicians in the Town Failing to relish rail at th' Courtly treat On which with joy and greediness we eat Because your Stomach cannot be preserv'd You wish all others starv'd So th' wither'd Beldame youthful once and gay That in December now reflects on her past May Missing with grief th' effects of Love She formerly could prove Grows mad and with true Womans malice stung Hates all her Sex and wishes damn'd the Beautiful and Young Wretched is he replied the Sire that tries To make a senceless Idiot good or wise He cultivates with endless toil A barren rocky and unfruitful Soil Where Thistles only grow and not one valued Grain can rise Think not rash Fool that I the Court deprave 'Cause I no favour have Honesty in itself 's rewarded more And is like Charity to the Poor Repaid from the eternal Store I only for thy sake Did some Reflections make To teach thee how the Vertuous to prefer Before the Rich the Lewd or Popular The Court 's a spacious Garden and it breeds Both fragrant Flowers and noisom Weeds Hemlock and Jessamine flourish and sprout forth As if of equal worth Which to distinguish is well worth thy care And that my fame thou maist no more abuse By pleading ignorance for excuse In silence give attentive ear And I 'le describe both good and bad in each true character VIII Titus the Second reigns he whose celestial mind Stiles him the joy of human kind So good that if 't were possible there could be Another Heaven-born God and Man Since our great Saviours Reign By the bright Host above I 'd swear 't is he In every Kingly Grace he does abound For Wisdom lov'd for Clemency renown'd And in each Art the Learned ere desir'd Most skilful and admir'd What mystick Knowledge human Nature blest That dwells not in his Breast What Vertue ere did Heaven to man impart That centers not within his Royal Heart Or what inspiring Rhetorick did belong To th' wise old Poet's Song That flows not now from his Oraculous Tongue Look in his face and Heaven has pourtray'd there The Grandeur that true Majesty should wear Awful his brow and terrible his frown On such as dim the Lustre of his Crown Yet may the Loyal in each Feature see Such marks of God-like Clemency That whilst they tremble they 're delighted too And with a silent veneration view He loves his People and their Faith defends The best of Masters and the best of Friends Patient though wrong'd never to passion driven Just as his Laws and merciful as Heaven His Heart is humble though his Throne is high So constant that Hells worst Plots he dares defie And smile at trembling Traitors that stand by Who ere but he a just Revenge could quell When his great Father fell Who could forgive the impious Mobile But only he That has more heavenly Pity than Mortality Yet still the barbarous Rebels him infest Still they his lov'd and dear-bought Peace molest And murmur at his Reign though in it blest Like Brutes they feed upon the fat o' th Land In Peace they live and Nature Stores command Yet use his Bounty to no other end But to have power to offend Whilst Mercy sways these Saints a War maintain They 're never quiet but when Tyrants reign And as a stubborn Child that oft' has prov'd His Mothers fond Indulgency and Love Vext at some trifle stamps lies down and cries Blubbers and swells and her command denies Until at last she out of patience grows And quells the little Rebel with pathetick blows So th' Factious never true Allegeance wore Till conquered and kept poor For as a famous Bard did sing of Yore Nothing Rebellion plants in English Blood But too much Plenty and a Prince too good But ah no more fond Muse no more He needs not thy poor Praise therefore give o're He like the Sun shines every where so bright There can be no additional light No more than thou canst see With Mortal Eyes Celestial Mystery Or with a Plummet sound endless Eternity IX Next Resolution comes the Great the Good Allied to him in Vertues as in Blood A Hero for his Constancy renown'd And in Mysterious Politicks profound Positive fixt and setled to his Will And dares do any thing but Ill Revenge his wrongs though they like Hydras grow A faithful Friend but a most dreadful Foe Bravest in danger valiant but not rash For when the Belgian Streamers brav'd the British Cross Then on the bloody Deck he seem'd to grow Whilst Fate affrighted aim'd the Shot too low Aw'd with the Terror of his dauntless Brow A Loyal Prince and Wise secure of Fate Of Honour nice in every Action great Not fond of Sway but if by right his own In his Lifes Scale he weighs a Throne His haughty Soul ne'er understood To humour the Mechanick Brood The People like rough Waters are to him On which he swims against the Stream Nor fears the danger of the wildest storm His courage and his Fate contemns all harm In his Religion firm but not precise Admires the Counsel of the Wise
debate The Peoples Doubts and Errors of the State And makes him in the Publick Hall Ecchoing with Noise and Nonsense loudly baul There is a time by custom counted fit When numerous crowds in consultation meet To pry into the States condition And severally play the Politician By force then proud Green Apron Tyrants sway And Legislative Orders bluntly disobey Not force of Arms for few need fear They so couragious will appear But powerful vote ear deafning voice And indefatigable noise Two Tribunes for the People then are chose Bulwarks 'gainst foreign and domestick foes And those in the Election soonest thrive That dare intrench upon Prerogative And raise rebellious Tenets high Upon the neck of Loyalty But that such Villany should dwell In purblind Zeal To place in Office of such weighty trust A Rebel amongst all his Tribe the worst Is the severest Instance that we lie Slaves to the Yoke of impudent Presbytery XVI Ungrateful Vulgar had you none to chose But one that all Obedience did refuse Could you with no less Fiend begin But Lucifer himself must be drawn in Of zealous Rabbies still you had enough Prophets for Oath Bravoes for Proof Could not this serve but you must fall More low and into Office call A factious Fury worse than all Like th' stubborn Israelites of old you move And their Enthusiastick Whimsies prove Ashteroth and Moloch Idols famous known Goggle Eyed Baal Gawdy Accaron They left nor longer in their errors trod The Calf of B was the darling God That only was design'd To be ador'd by Calves of worser kind The bellowing many headed Beast That groan'd as if by Tyranny opprest Yet were themselves the cause of their unrest But now we talk of causes and of fears Observe who next appears And see to the great Mart Villanios come That Plots abroad and Pimps at home That to be Tribune rackt his haggard Wit But wiser Judgments voted him more fit To be a Scavenger and cleanse the Street Swore he was better skill'd by approbation To purge a Nuisance than a Nation Which injury so near to his heart did grow That he resentment of the wrong to shew Immur'd himself three days in Bales of Callico There resolutely took the sullen pains To shrowd his popular projecting brains A mighty loss this to the Tribe did seem For now no more advise was given by him Let th' tottering Nation sink or swim Until as peevish Lovers woo That rail and swear each others hatred true At last forget their Oaths and think 't no sin To kiss the Perjury off and love again So he though when enrag'd an Oath had made And solemnly forsworn the Canting Trade Yet such a natural Itch he to Rebellion had That willingly all wrongs he could forget To Club again and plague the State XVII Happy the Man my Son whose honest heart Disloyalty could ne'er subvert That like a Diamond keeps its constant trust As that its beauty free from rust Which nothing can destroy but its own dust Cherishing noble Loyalty Till Fate unclews Mortality And sends him crown'd with Vertue to find room Amongst fam'd Heroes in some honour'd Tomb There th' Body sleeps but th' royal Mind Within Fames brightest Altars is enshrin'd Sublime as heaven and shall be Eterniz'd in posterity And as a Phenix in th' Arabian Groves Whose pangs of age kind death removes Breeds from the ashes of her spicy Urn The Cedars top where she did burn Another off-spring that will be Far more admir'd than she So he that Loyalty does prize Loyalty the noblest Vertue of the Wise With honour'd praise is ever stor'd Alive renown'd when dead ador'd Lov'd by the pious and the brave And shall like sacred Virgil have Eternal Laurels grow around his Grave Whilst Faction that lean wither'd hag That can of nothing but her Treason brag With Infamy is spotted like the Plague Do but that Nations misery survey That glories in her will to disobey Observe the fate of that most wretched thing That for his interest abjures his King And with an unrelenting eye Thou 'lt see the one with fears distracted lie The other infamously die Wouldst thou live well my Son and free from ill Still let thy Conscience sway thy Will Let that and Reason still controul And guide th' inconstant Orders of thy Soul Wild Passion let Religion rule And look upon an Atheist as a Fool He that a Deity denies As some sly Devil in disguise That with his hellish Tenets would deceive Weak credulous fools that can believe Look on thy Countries grievance like a friend And pity faults thou canst not mend But seek not by unlawful course To lance its wounds and make 'em worse Remember when Rebellion bloody grew The Rebels with the State were ruin'd too To generous ends bestow thy wealth Be temperate for th' sake of health And if amongst life's chances thou dost prove Ever so mad to fall in love To thy charm'd Senses aid thy Reason call Or Beauty will confound 'em all For as a Poet whose free Fancy roves In sacred Rapture to Elizian Groves Imagines flowry beds and hills of joy Where naked Angels sleeping lie Builds golden Palaces with Crystal Pillars grac'd And Diamond Doors on golden Hinges plac'd Creates embroider'd Grotts where Cupids dwell Adorn'd with luscious Fruit and Flowers of Sense-delighting smell And though he knows himself did this create He 's fond as if 't were true and loves the dear conceit Such beauteous Woman is such fancied still Her Smiles can save her frowns can kill Her person such Divinity does wear That tast and smell and all perfection's there Extatick Rapture transport all That we Elizium can call If then in this soft snare Her blooming Cheek her Eye or Hair Thy heart her prisoner she retains And thou wantst power to break the chains To the great God o' th' Grape thy self assign And there 's a sovereign power in Wine Shall give thee instant liberty From all her Charms and she And in a moment make thee free As frozen Age or as unfeeling Infancy Here stopt the reverend Moralist whose look Sufficiently confirm'd the Truths he spoke Joyful he was to see his words had won Resentment in his Son Whose cloudy Aspect did declare Within his brest what passions were at war He now on bended knee low as the earth Begs pardon of the Author of his birth For errors past and vows to be Henceforth the Child of his Morality With joyful look the Sire his Convert grac'd Thrice blest the kneeling Youth and thrice embrac'd And as the Kingly Prophet once did Absalom Forgave his sins of youth caress'd and brought him home And now the glittering God of day Had through opposing Elements made way In Neptunes deep Recess withdrew His Rays from mortal view With borrowed Beams th' inconstant Moon Possest his place and counterfeits a Noon Laborious Nature seem'd at rest And soft repose crown'd Man and Beast When to my peaceful Lodging I retir'd Well pleas'd at what I heard and Honesty admir'd FINIS Books printed for and sold by Ioseph Hindmarsh at the Black Bull in Cornhill REliquiae Raleighanae being Discourses and Sermons on several Subjects By the Reverend Dr. Walter Raleigh Dean of Wells and Chaplain in Ordinary to his late Majesty King Charles the First Sermons upon Faith and Providence and other Subjects By the late Reverend William Outram D. D. Prebend of Westminster and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty An impartial Account of the Arraignment Tryal and Condemnation of Thomas late Earl of Strafford and Lord Lievtenant of Ireland before the Parliament at Westminster Anno Dom. 1641. The Loyal Citizen reviv'd a Speech made by Alderman Garroway at a Common-Hall on Tuesday the 17 of Ianuary 1642. upon occasion of a Speeech delivered there the Friday before by Mr. Pym at the Reading of his Majesties Answer to the late Petition The Good Old Way or a Discourse offered to all true hearted Protestants concerning the Ancient Way of the Church and the Conformity of the Church of England thereunto as to its Government Manner of Worship Rites and Customs By Edward Pelling Rector of St. Martin Ludgate and Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Summerset