All the acts, refolves, and orders, made
By the old long Rump-parliament,

Through all the changes of its government:
From which with readinefs he could debate
Concerning matters of the state,

All down from goodly forty-one to horrid forty-eight.

XV.

His friendship much our monfter fought By inftinct, and by inclination too :

So without much ado

They were together brought.

}

To him obedience Libel fwore, and by him was he taught.

He learnt of him all goodness to deteft;

To be afham'd of no difgrace;

In all things but obedience to be beast;

To hide a coward's heart, and fhew a hardy face.
He taught him to call government a clog,
But to bear beatings like a dog

T' have no religion, honesty, or sense,
But to profess them all for a pretence.

Fraught with these morals, he began
To compleat him more for man :
Distinguish'd to him in an hour

'Twixt legislative and judicial power;
How to frame a commonwealth,

And democracy, by stealth;
To palliate it at first, and cry
'Twas but a well-mixt monarchy,
And treafon falus populi ;,

}

Into

Into rebellion to divide the nation,
By fair committees of association;

How by a lawful means to bring
In arms against himself the king,
With a diftinguishing old trick,

'Twixt perfons natural and politic;

How to make faithful fervants traitors
Thorough-pac'd rebels legislators,

And at last troopers adjutators.

Thus well inform'd, and furnish'd with enough
Of fuch-like wordy, canting stuff,

Our blade fet forth, and quickly grew
A leader in a factious crew.

Where-e'er he came, 'twas he firft filence broke.
And fwell'd with every word he spoke,

By which becoming faucy grace,

He gain'd authority and place:

By many for preferments was thought fit,
For talking treafon without fear or wit;

For opening failings in the ftate;

For loving noify and unfound debate,

And wearing of a myftical green ribband in his hat.
XVI.

Thus, like Alcides in his lion's skin,

He very dreadful grew.

But, like that Hercules when Love crept in,
And th' hero to his diftaff drew,

His foes that found him faw he was but man:
So when my faithlefs Clio by her fnarc

}

}

Had brought him to her arms, and I furpriz'd him there, At once to hate and fcorn him I began;

Το

To fee how foolishly she'd drest,
And for diverfion trick'd the beast.
He was poetry all o'er,

On every fide, behind, before
About him nothing could I fee
But party-colour'd poetry.
Painter's advices, litanies,

Ballads, and all the fpurious excefs

Of ills that malice could devise,
Or ever fwarm'd from a licentious prefs,

Hung round about him like a fpell:
And in his own hand too was writ,
That worthy piece of modern wit,
The country's late appeal.

But from fuch ills when will our wretched state
Be freed and who fhall crush this ferpent's head?
'Tis faid we may in ancient legends read
Of a huge dragon, fent by fate

To lay a finful kingdom waste :

So through it all he rang'd, devouring as he past,
And each day with a virgin broke his fast:

Till wretched matrons curft their womb,
So hardly was their loss endur'd :

The lovers all despair'd, and sought their tombs
In the fame monfter's jaws, and of their pains were cur'd.
Till, like our monster too, and with the fame

Curft ends, to the metropolis he came :

His cruelties renew'd again,
And every day a maid was flain.

The

The curfe through every family had past,

When to the facrifice at laft

Th' unhappy monarch's only child must bow:

A royal daughter needs must suffer then, a royal brother

now.

XVII.

On him this dragon Libel needs will prey;
On him has caft

His fordid venom, and prophan'd
With fpurious verfe his spotless fame,
Which fhall for ever ftand
Unblemish'd, and to ages last,

When all his foes lie buried in their fhame.
Elfe tell me why (fome prophet that is wife)
Heaven took fuch care

To make him every thing that's rare,

Dear to the heart, defirous to the eyes.
Why do all good men bless him as he goes ?
Why at his prefence fhrink his foes?

Why do the brave all ftrive his honour to defend ?
Why through the world is he diftinguish'd most
By titles, which but few can boast,
A moft just master, and a faithful friend?
One who never yet did wrong

To high or low, to old or young?

Of him what orphan can complain?

Of him what widow make her moan?
But fuch as with him here again,
And mifs his goodness now he 's gone.

If

If this be (as I am fure 'tis) true;
Then pr'ythee, prophet, tell me too,
Why lives he in the world's esteem,

Not one man's foe? and then why are not all men friends with him?

XVIII.

Whene'er his life was fet at stake

For his ungrateful country's fake,

What dangers or what labours did he ever fhun?
Or what wonders has not done?

Watchful all night, and busy all the day,
(Spreading his fleet in fight of Holland's fhore)
Triumphantly ye saw his flags and streamers play.
Then did the English lion roar,
Whilft the Belgian couchant lay.

Big with the thoughts of conquest and renown,
Of Britain's honour, and his own,

To them he like a threatening comet shin'd,
Rough as the fea, and furious as the wind;
But conftant as the ftars that never move,
Or as women would have love.

The trembling genius of their ftate
Look'd out, and strait fhrunk back his head,
To fee our daring banners fpread :

Whilft in their harbours they

Like batten'd monsters weltering lay;

The winds, when ours th' ad kifs'd, fcorn'd with their flags to play;

But drooping like their captains' hearts, Each pendent, every streamer, hung: The feamen feem'd t' have loft their arts;