1CARMINA GOLLOQƲIA: OR, A Demonaical and Damnable Dialogue, between the Devil and the Independent, &c.
Devil.MY Dear adopted heire, mine only ſon,
Thou that haſt fought, and all my battails won
Inlarg'd my kingdom, and with thouſand ſouls
Fill'd up the Catalogue of my ſulphury rowles;
Did not Religion (ſon) diſguiſe thee right
To exerciſe both policy and might,
'Tis like a ſhip-mans hoſe, which as you pleaſe
Will any way wreſt to give the owner eaſe:
'Tis like a ſhooing-horne that will draw
Any thing one, and make it ſeeme a law,
A ſtalking-horſe, where under we may lurke
Till we have accompliſh'd our intended work,
'Tis a brave guilded maſk that blears the eye,
And makes a lye ſeem true, and truth a lye.
Independent.I do confeſs (dear father) you have don
As much for me, as e're you did for ſon;
For which I vow hereafter for to ſac're
Thoſe dues to you I owe unto my maker,
2 And more and more endeavour art and powers,
T'aſſure your hopes that I'm obliged yours;
Yet am I but a paſſive inſtrument
In your wiſe hands, to prefect the intent,
The conqueſt that I won, belong to you,
And I hold it juſt to give the Devill his due,
The Saints of God, although I cannot ill them,
Yet I by thouſands, Robbe and Spoile, and Kill them.
Dev.And muſt perſiſt my ſon, for untill they!
Be beaten down, my Scepter cannot ſway.
In.I've tane away their darling and protector,
And (heartleſſe) left them, headleſſe ſons director.
Dev.But I'm afraid his paſſion hurt us more
Then all his actions in his life before:
It rent our maske, and like t'have laid ope
All our Ambuſhments, and ſiniſter ſcope,
So that we now muſt preach, and prate, and ſtraine
Both art and armes, t'inveſt our ſhape againe.
In.Fear not (my Syre) our ſale tongu'd brother Lenthall,
Is a brave toole, I'le warrant he'le invent all;
Direct but his tongue, (dear patron of our lies)
And he'le patch up the rent of our diſguiſe.
Dev.I doubt it (ſon) whether the name of King,
(The peoples I doll) doth a terrour bring;
That a Plebeian rabble ſhould depoſe,
Him whom th' Almighty, for Lieutenant choſe:
Or rather (as I gueſſe) cauſe we pretended
We fought to have abuſes but amended,
For Englands glory, and for Charls His good,
Not for His Scepter much leſſe for His bloud,
Have ſeiz'd the peoples judgement, as they dare,
Their grumbling ſhews they diſcontented are;
3 Our King beheaded! what harmleſſe Angel ſmile,
Could our miſ-grounded zeal thus far beguile,
To think our Church and State could be amended
By killing Him, who ſhould have both defended:
O horrid folly! where were our wits? our faith
To credit him who lies, what e're he ſaith;
A Godly zeal, before which we thought right,
Proves now the Devil, turn'd to an Angel bright,
But now enlightned, and adviſed well
We him defie that taught us to Rebell;
Satan no more, nor all his ſmooth tongu'd tooles,
At once ſhall make us traytours, thieves and fooles,
Thus cryes the people, and what e're they cry,
Concludes a helliſh act, that Charls ſhould die.
In.Tuſh let them twat, aſſure but you your promiſe,
Unto your famous Deputy Sir Thomas,
And your dear minion Cromwell, who can ſpeak
And fight, and preach, by vertue of his beake;
Keep theſe your friends (as there's no other doubt,
And we ſhall yet bring matters brave about.
Dev.Fear not (my child) and that thou better may
Diſcerne thy friends, and thoſe who me obey,
In honour of that Noſe of Noſes, each
Mans Noſe ſhall be a conduit for his ſpeech,
And thoſe who keep my laws, and Cromwels duly,
Shall dwindle their lies, which a ſniv'ling truly, truly.
In.But father you were ſaying we muſt preach,
Tell us what doctrine is moſt fit to teach;
We are unlearned, know not what to ſay,
Dev.But I'le inſpire you when you preach or pray;
Thou ſe'ſt already, I have ſtopt the mouth
That did oppoſe me; looke from North to South,
4 And there's not any orthodoxall tongue
Allow'd to tell my vaſſals they'r i'th' wrong.
The way is clear, and that thou maiſt do well
Take from before their thoughts the fear of Hell,
This leſſon taught it quickly will appear
Who loves God for love, and loves him but for fear;
And I believe a ſmall Arithmetick
Will tell the number that to God will ſtick,
For from the guilt, take puniſhment of ſin
And love of God will not reſtraine 'em in:
This to do better take a way the Law
Give them the Reines, force not but ſlylie draw,
The Law being ta'ne away, ſin is not known
And ſo the game is up, the dayes our own;
Tell them that Chriſt hath dy'd there needs no more
But a bare belief, the reſt may paſſe o'th' ſcore,
That heavens their own by letters pattent granted,
And there's no ſin can damn the Covenanted:
Stile groſſeſt ſins, ſlips of infirmity
And Chriſtian duties falſe Idolatry.
And haſt thou not read how I at firſt did fanne
My powerfull breath into the new made man,
Who with ſoft glozes of my palliation,
Of his eſtate deſir'd an allienation,
Becauſe (forfooth) 'twould make free and brave,
A Leveller with God (before a ſlave)
This bait of freedome (by experience try'd)
Hath won me more then all the ſhifts beſide:
This is, ſo ſweet a morſell that the beſt
Shall ſcarce reſiſt but yeild down with the reſt,
And their affections better for to ſteale,
Tell them his God your Doctrine doth reveale
5 Enthuſiaſmes, and ſoule ſweating ſence,
And couch't in fair, yet ſniv'ling eloquence,
And let the actions (for a ſeaſon) read
As you were Gods Embaſſadors indeed;
For (I by Gods permiſſion) can appear
Like God himſelf to thoſe we do not fear,
This is enough (my ſon) this will intice'em
And gold, and glory, to ambition hoize 'em;
That caſt them headlong to my horrid vault
Where I remaine juſt for the ſelf ſame fault.
In.What are the Presbyterians, their opinion,
Belong not they wholly to your dominion?
Dev.Yet, they're mine own, yet I have more ado
To compaſſe one of them then two of you,
They play with bait as though they would be gon,
But thou canſt ſwallow ought (mine only ſon)
He is the baſtard, thou the lawfull heire,
He may be reft but thou'rt entailed here;
I'm father to you both, but this in worſt
Thou with my ſelfe, but he abroad was nurſt;
In.Now I'm reſolv'd yet I had like forgot
Laſt ſummers oppoſition to the Scot,
For as two brethren living both together,
May fall at variance even about a feather,
Yet when a ſtranger comes to injure either
They then unite fraternally together;
So when the Royall party came againſt us
We differ'd not, but joyntly both advanc'd us
In oppoſition to the right, (truely)
Enſtiling them the common enemy:
But brother-hood is ſtrong, and I ſurmis'd
We ſtill were ſo, but with falſe names diſguis'd,
6 But father tell me, there's a rumour flying,
Which be it true our comforts are a dying,
How Charls the Second wi•h his Royall band
Prepared are, for to invade the Land,
To aſſume His lawfull Crown, and Regall rod,
To beat down thee, and thine, and ſet up God,
To give the Laws both Civill and Divine
Their proper vigor, and to cancell thine;
This's the reſult of neighbour Nations all,
This muſt thou quaſh, or take a beaſtly fall.
Dev.Fear not my child, I ſeldome yet did faile thee,
When the true Royaliſts came for to aſſaile thee,
Yet thou muſt know my ſon (to both our grief)
I'm but a ſervant, not a Lord in chief,
Our maker dread in the Almighties chaines,
At his free-will, my purpoſes reſtraines,
But I'le indeavour if he give me way
To act my part within their ſecond play,
Where God hath ſowne his wheat, I'le ſow my tares,
Pride and ambition, and a thouſand cares,
But yet (alas) I wofully preſage
They will retort againſt me all my rage.
To London they in triumph great will come,
And place King Charls upon His Fathers Throne.
In.Why truly this is ſad, yet I deſire
Your diligence might quench this kindling fire:
We all are yours you know, what do you doubt
That any of us may chance to face about?
That you ſo ſhort a period have ſet
Unto our reigne? what do you fear your net
's not ſtrong enough to hold your hampered ſlaves?
Muſt all our trophees turne into our grave?
7Dev.Remember (ſon) that thou haſt reigned long,
And vengeance only unto God belong;
The cryes o'th' poor, Widows and Orphans tears,
Have ſcal'd the heavens, and pierc'd th' Almighties cares,
Fight dog, fight bear, I weigh it not a chip,
What's that to me, I have thee now o'tho 'hip;
Thou like a Tyrant, long enough haſt ſway'd,
The Feaſt is pleaſant till the Reckoning's paid:
But I'le away, and to their Councels hye,
And I'le aſſure thee live untill thou dye:
Dev.Fare ill, fare well, adiew,
In.Nay father ſtay
Set me on work before you go away,
I'm dutifull enough;
Dev.Then ſee my ſon
Thy actions in their wonted channell run;
Plunder, ſequeſter, pole, pill, fleece and flay them,
Uſe them as Spunges (dry'd) diſpatch and ſlay them
With ſudda in death, the lives of Nobles ſtop,
But poorer ſneakes bleed a way drop by drop,
And more and more, ſtill as our foes increaſes,
So let our rage; as Lizards cut in pieces,
Threats with more malice, though with leſſer might,
And even in dying, ſhew their living ſpite,
And ſo adiew, untill we meet in Hell,
In.Both to depart (they ſay) bids oft farewell.
8Similes Similibus gaudent.
I To Weſtminſter do direct this book,
To Butcher Bradſhaw, and his turn-ſpit Cook;
Here may they ſee their Parent, and the root
Whence all their Treaſon firſt was ſet on foot:
For why, the Devil is Synechdochicall,
Speaking to one what he intends to all.
And though I know their Patron's alwayes nigh'em,
(Becauſe they ſit and hold their Charter by him)
Yet here they may perceive their ſervice paſt
Shall be rewarded, either firſt or laſt.
Theſe are the Devils two hands to bring about
The trophees, of Tom foole and Copper ſnout;
And I ſuppoſe, ſo loath they're to deſpiſe it,
They'le guild my fiſt with Greeks, and patronize it,
For Gods ſake they'le do nothing, 'cauſe they owe
All to their father Nick, ſave outward ſhowe.
But if theſe Tyburne Twins do rage and fret,
And threat my throat with tying from my meat
To uſher them, then ſhall they know that I,
As I have liv'd, am well reſolv'd to dye.
Thou that art honeſt, read; thou'rt welcome hither,
To hear the Devil and's Child confer together;
And I'm perſwaded, all thou here wilt read
Shall be agniz'd an Article of thy Creed.
FINIS.