O My Dear Heart, my Love and Joy, my own ſweet Jonny, why ſo ſad?

Jonny! I thou mayeſt well call me ſo, for I have made it appear to all the world (For all I was accounted a Grand Polititian) that I am but a Jonny.

Prithee be of good cheer, (dear Chuck) and receive a little comfort from the embraces of thine own dear Wife, who hath a long time, as a deſolate widow, mourned for want of thee.

Sweet Jonny, dear Chuck, and what not? am I not full enough of grief already, but thou the wife of my Boſome, muſt (like the wife of Job) add unto mine afflictions, by flouting me with ſuch ridiculous Titles, as Jonny and Chuck, which in plain Engliſh is no more then Fool or Chicken.

Tis a wonder to me (ſweet heart) that you are thus tranſported with paſſion; I did not expect ſuch ſtrange kind of greeting after ſo long abſence: I pray be contented with Gods providence, you know that the Saints muſt ſuffer afflictions in this world.

Saints! what doſt thou tell me of Saints, who am as much a Saint as my horſe; For all my zealous pretence to Religion, I expect my Portion in in this world, and let who will take the other for me.

Why? but (my Joy) pluck up thy heart, thy caſe is not ſo bad yet, but it may alter for the better: Thou maiſt become a Lord again in time, although thou art now but J. Lamb. Eſq And as for me, I think I may deſerve the name of a Lady as long as I live by the vertue of Old Nolls breeches: But he is dead and gone, and I am here, and who knows but I may once more live under a Pro­tector, which may chance to be thy ſelf, for all the Parliament is now Rampant?

Away fool, away, I have not patience to hear thee longer building caſtles in the aire, and like the poor Cavaliers, flattering thy ſelf with vain hopes, which are never likely to come to paſſe. I confeſſe I ever thought to make my ſelf great: And all my actions under what pretence ſoever, were directed at the Butt of mine own Intereſt; And when I turn'd out the preſent Parliament, I did believe I had laid a good Foundation to my own Ambition, and thought my ſelf but a ſtep or two below the Soveraignty; but my waxen wings were ſo frozen, by the frigidity of the Northern climate, that I could not move them, but was forced to fall to the ground, and now muſt ſuffer diſgrace for my aſpiring deſires, being made a laughing ſtock before the whole world. But it doth not grieve me ſo much to be Jeered by the Cavaliers (of whom I deſerve no otherwiſe) as to be flerted by ſuch ſilly Rogues as the time-ſerving News-mongers, who are the Heliotropes that turn about with every Baſtard Sun that ſhines in the Firmament of Government. But ſome ſay Col. Hewſon muſt be han­ged for murder if he be catcht: And faith I think it good Policy for me to hang my ſelf: For ſo I ſhall not onely cheat CHARLES STƲART, but the Parliament alſo of their revenge, and then I ſhall be rancked with Alderman Hoyle in Monte­lions Calender for the next year: For notwithſtanding the Act of Indemnity, I fear I ſhall be fetch't o're the Coales, ere it be long, and Col. Berry will not ſcape e'm for all they are the Badge of his gentility.

But hold, my dear, be not ſo deſparate as to entertaine ſuch thoughts, but hope the beſt: Be­ſides, it is not your condition alone, but divers others are cloud­ed as well as you, and ſome eminent perſons, as Sir Henry Vane, and the Lord Fleetwood.

Sir Henry Vane is now be­come Vayne Sir Henry, his wiſdome hath deceived him, as well as mine did me. And to ſay truth, the wiſeſt of men may miſſe it ſometimes. But as for Fleetwood, he is but a Fool, and I never eſteemed otherwiſe of him; For my intention was to make a Stalking-horſe of him, or (if you will) a Stirrop where­by to mount into the Saddle of Supremacy: But I was diſap­poynted by the activity of Sir Arthur Haſlerig and his complices whoſe ſubtilty I never dream't of: But as for the City I never was in fear of it: For a verier Fool then Fleetwood is able to keep them under, ſo long as a Red-coat remains in it. Yet, to ſpeak as I think, if they had but a reſolute Lord Major, they would bite, as well as barke. And now I ſpeak of the Lord Major, I would I were in his Coate: For notwithſtanding he hath loſt as fair opportunities as poſſibly could be deſired to free the City from ſlavery, yet, I could find a way whereby ſtill he might aſſert his De­claration of Decemb. 20. yea, and bring it to paſſe, in ſpight of this cantell of a Parliament now ſitting at Weſtminſter.

But good Husband, ſince you are ſo wiſe in the affaires of others, I wonder why you were ſo ſlur'd in your own concerns: You might have plaid Have at All, and fought with Monck, or you might have declared for a Free Parliament, and ſo have made not only the City, but the whole Nation your Friends: Nay, had I been as you, before I would have ſubmitted to the mercy of mine enemies, I would have renounced all my former actions, and have de­clared for CHARLES STƲART.

Introth wife, thy pride and haughtineſſe hath ever been a Spur to my ambitious attempts; and it had not been amiſſe if I had made uſe of thy helpe in the proſecution of them, ſince at a dead lift, there's no wit like the wit of a woman: But now thou ſpeak'ſt of CHARLES STƲART, I was adviſed by a wiſe man, aſſoon as I had turned out the Parliament, to ſend for him in; the refuſal of which Council I now too late repent: I confeſſe (deare wife) that any of theſe wayes might poſſibly have prevented my ruine; Or I might have aſſerted Liberty of Conſcience, and then all the Sectaries in the Nation, viz. Quakers, Anabaptiſ•s, &c. would have flocked unto me as Bees to their Hives: And I ſhould have been looked upon as another John Baptiſt, and fore-runner of Jeſus Chriſt, by the Fift Monarchy party, who ex­ſpect his perſonal Raign on Earth, the time of his comming being ſo neer, that Major General Overton, looks every day for his Landing at Hull. But what the Devil do I talke of what I might have done, ſince now I am undone? I ſhould rather think of ſome way to avoyd the ſtorme impending over me: But there's now no meanes left whereby I might helpe my ſelfe, but meerly to rely on the mercy of the Parliament, which I hope to find, being comprized within the late Act of Indemnity. But ſome may wonder why thoſe that Engaged with Booth, ſhould loſe their Eſtates as Rebels, and Traytors, and that I and my Confederates, who really effected, what Booth and his party but barely attempted, ſhould notwithſtanding hold our own, as if we never had offended: Why, I muſt tell thee, wife, that there is great reaſon it ſhould be ſo: For as the Jſraelites ſpoyled the Egyptians, ſo it is lawful for us, who ſtile our ſelves the Saints, and people of God, to rob and ruine the Cavaliers, with all that adhere unto them: And although we are divided into many Facti­ons, each ſtriving to be greater then other; yet, ſince we are Brethren, as Simeon and Levi were, we ought not to proſecute one another to the de­privation of Life or Eſtate. But for all this I know not what the Parlia­ment means, no more then they know what Monck meanes, in coming to wait on them with an Army at his Heeles. He is a cunning Fox, and had need look well to himſelfe, or they will Lurch him in the End, as well as they have me. I feare I ſhall go to Lobs pound very ſhortly, and, it may be to the Gallowes after: But ti's good enough for me; I might have taken time by the fore-lock, If I had looked well about me: They ſay every dog has his day, and ſo I had mine, if I could have made good uſe of it. But I find Morpheus is ready to lock up my ſences, and to give a little reſt to my reſtleſſe mind: wherefore I ſay no more, but