Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
B04759
|
A poem upon the right of succession to the crown of England,
|
|
1679
(1679)
|
Wing P2716A; Interim Tract Supplement Guide C.20.f.4[216]; Interim Tract Supplement Guide 1872.a.1.[7]
|
2,506
|
1
|
A POEM Upon the Right of Succession to the Crown of England THat precious Gem call'd Loyalty grows scarce Faction would turn it to disgraceful Farce When England's great Prerogative does grow Into contempt by Tumult Monarch's foe Whose subril secret Jesuitick Gins Would turn the frame of Nature off its Pins A painted zeal must back what they decree Heav'n must be mock'd t' uphold their treachery As if they judg'd That would maintain their Cause Whose beams outshine it to support our Laws Bless'd in the Hemisphere of peaceful days Beneath the warm the bright and sacred rays Of glorious Majesty by whose sweet care Our Laws and Liberties maintained are Blush then disloyal Mortals let your shame All wild attempts against your Reason tame Think not your selves that are but Subjects Kings You know Religion teacheth better things Must all our ancient Laws then tumble down By turning this to an Elective Crown No lawful President you can disclose Whereby you power have Kings to depose Or turn the circulation of the Blood An adverse way not to be understood But through a byass'd odd fantastick zeal Which being grasp'd is slippery like an Eel Late reeling Times sufficiently have shown Th' effects of Masquerade Religion When Charles the Great whose memory shall live Could not their murtherous Principles survive And our most Gracious Soveraign Charles that now Does rule our Land from thence did he not grow Immediate Heir to sway the Scepter here And though-Religion made the Point seem clear Yet theirs forsooth could him no Crown afford For by th' divine assistance of their Sword Their piety forc'd him forth his native Land Against both Law Nature and Heav'ns Command Are these the pious things you 'd act again Fie from dissembled Loyalty abstain For those who dirt do at the right Heir fling Can ne'r be sound in heart towards their King As well by Nature as by Laws divine The first-born are preferred in the Line Of Consanguinity why then shall we Dare to oppose God's heavenly Decree Heav'n may but sure I am no Power on Earth Can rob him of that Crown whose claim 's his Birth When God it sends Descent the Scepter brings By that we pay Allegiance to our Kings Though humane Laws sometimes wax out of date By length of time a far more happy Fate Attends the Law of Nature a long course Of time can't turn her from her former source As well may man the heavenly Orbs controul And to his will make those great Circles rowl As well may he command the Firmament As intercept or hinder this Descent Which when it comes that Particle of time Th' undoubted Heir unto the Throne does climb He 's King compleat by Nature's justest Law And our Allegiance doth as justly draw As Child to Parent does obedience show The same do Subjects unto Princes owe. No Power on Earth no Law no Parliament But the Great God can exclude this Descent An usurp'd Power though gloss'd with the consent O' th' populace can ne'r be permanent They 're ever curs'd with some strange bloody Fate Furious Distempers over-rule that State Until surcharg'd with sickness and with blood At length they vomit up th' unwholsom food That lately seem'd to nourish their sick brest Till Loyalty doth give 'em ease and rest What strange Convulsions History doth tell Of States that did the lawful Heir expel The Second William govern'd once this Realm By Usurpation and the mighty Helm By Henry the First being occupi'd Until their elder Brother Robert di'd Who to obtain that Crown that was his due Colour'd this Land of a dread scarlet hue It ended with his death th' imperial Crown Then by Descent for Henry's was known Next unto Maud the Empress of that Name The only Heir of Henry it came When Stephen he usurp'd it as his own How heavily did this sick Nation groan Till Justice seem'd to take that pious care Once more to settle it on the rightful Heir Examples are numerous almost as words Which more compleat in Histories records You 'l find but to omit a search so far The late unnatural intestine War Speaks loud enough the wounds continue green When Charles the First had been the bloody Scene Of their Impiety this Land was wrack'd Its Bowels torn Nature's chief Fabrick crack'd As 't were at such disorder till in th' end As each thing doth unto its Centre tend The Clouds dispers'd and drove away despair When in the Throne appear'd the much wrong'd Heir Whom God preserve and may he ever be From treach'rous and disloyal Subjects free Princes are God's Anointed and the Crown None can detain but Heav'ns great Prince alone When Nature's Law hath been impeach'd such things Are wrought by Power divine or th' King of Kings By that great Power they rule and by no less And as he rais'd them he can them depress The God of Nature can't his Rules controul And make it seem against himself to rowl Then let not Fancy to our weak thoughts bring That it is lawful to Create a King From out o' th' Line for being i' th' Bible seen That Heirs to Crowns have interrupted been You may as well allow with the same zeal That we by Law may pilfer rob and steal Because the Israelites commanded were To spoil th' Egyptians of their choicest Chear Unto the Law we bound are at this rate But not the strict Example t' imitate All our King's Officers 't is not unknown Are sworn t' uphold the Rights of England's Crown The Commons too before they Voice can claim I' th' House are duly sworn to right the same How can we judge of this but as a blot When such an Oath 's most willingly forgot It 's sin we think to let a Papist raign But Perjury we 'll piously maintain For a great vertue when self-Interest In whispers tells us all goes for the best That Monster Faction evermore did range In these three Kingdoms to promote a Change Which being upheld by Frenzy Pride and Scorn Of Monarchy 't is that 's the wounding Thorn To publick Peace and makes the greatest Scars That fills mens mouths with Armies Blood and Wars 'T is That deposes Princes blackens Fame Whitens the Negro makes the sound man lame A Prince o' th' Blood is now a petty thing And if we durst we 'd tell you so 's a King Virtue 's bright lustre can her not protect From base Ingratitude and Disrespect It once hath been admired in that Prince And still may be his glorious defence Against the Tongue of ev'ry sensless Brute That dares Succession to the Crown dispute But may our Good our Gracious King long raign Whose Breast all precious Vertue doth contain May he raign and live long enough to find His Subjects all united in one mind And may a Gem so precious from his Crown Not be defil'd nor rudely taken down And that Injustice shou'd it not impair Heav'n hath bequeath'd it to his dearest Care Numb 27.9 10. Gen. 4.7 Deut. 21.17 Coke's 7th Rep. 10. vers 11. Calvin's Case 1 1 Sam. 16.1 Exod. 11.2 12.35 5 5 Eliz. c. 1.