3FESTA GEORGIANA, OR THE Gentries and Countries Joy, &c.
I.BEloved Albion, Happy Soile,
The eye of Iſlands, Faireſt Land,
Who plac'd by careful Nature ſo doſt ſtand,
Thy fertile plaines do ſcarce require a Toile.
Darling of Neptune, and the Seas,
Whoſe waves do ſeem themſelves to pleaſe
When billowing in their unevened Ranks
They gladly come to kiſſe thy fruitful banks;
And joyful they may be
Honour'd in ſerving thee,
Thy Ships like numerous mountains may
Dance on their waves, & on their billows play.
Whilſt the Caerulean god protects them from all harmes,
And ſtor'd with Gold returnes them with full tides into thine Armes.
II.Happy in every thing that may
Enrich, or make a Kingdome bleſt,
Fully repleniſh'd with all goods, the beſt,
But yet moſt happy in this glorious day:
This day, (the ſum of all our joyes)
For without it they all were toyes,
Fancies Chimaera's, we could only boaſt,
The Gods had ſent their bounties to our Coaſt;
But would not now they were at hand
Permit, or ſuffer them to land;
As if they had a mind to ſhow
Their bleſſings to us, but ſtill let us know,
That though they ſhowred them, down with a plenteous hand,
Until confirm'd by this dayes work, they were at their command.
4III.But now the Seal is paſt, and they
Made ſure to us, the writings ſound
And we may ſafely ſay, the gods are bound
Still to continue them whilſt we obey:
Our happineſſe lies in our will,
Nor can we ever loſe it, till
We firſt break Covenants, and ſo once more
Render our ſelves more wretched then before.
But that's a fooliſh Tennant ſure,
Who having once made forfeiture
Of's Leaſe, when by the Courteſie
Of his good Land-lord, it reſtor'd ſhall be,
VVill deſperately adventure for to break his bonds, forget
The kindneſſe, and a forfeit make again of that and it.
IV.VVorthy St. George, Heroick Knight,
Mirror of valour, for which more
Shall we thy bleſſed Memory adore,
That with the Dragon thou maintain'dſt a fight,
And didſt the beauteous Virgin ſave,
VVho trembling ſtood to meet her grave,
Expecting when her Corps ſhould be made gueſt,
And lodg'd within the jawes of the fierce beaſt;
Or ſhall we Celebrate thy fame
That on thy day, and‖‖George Monck.
‖ by thy name, VVe freed are from a beaſt more fell,
Than three-headed monſtrous Beaſt of hell:
For on this day is fully quell'd a Dragon, who did ſtand,
Not ready to devoure a maid, but this whole flouriſhing Land.
V.No more ſhall Traiterous Villains now
Such fond and fooliſh reaſons bring,
To juſtifie Rebellion 'gainſt their King,
' Cauſe yet the Crown had not enchas'd his brow
Such fiery Dragons now ſhall feel,
St. George can brandiſh ſtill his ſteel;
And that the ſtrong endeavours all are vain
Of thoſe would ſnatch us from our joyes again.
How would the gratefull Romans ſtrive,
To make the memory to live,
Of ſuch a Saint, how would they build
Him Altars, and due Adoration yield!
But if we do deny him that, let's not do this I pray,
That though we Deifie not the Saint, let's Canonize the day.
5VI.A day that needs no outward ſhow
To make it glorious, for within
Our hearts ſhould Pageants of joy be ſeen,
They are the ſacrifices which we owe
To ſuch tranſcendent good, and bliſſe,
To ſuch ſurpaſſing joy as this.
What need the Citizens ſuch fabricks rear,
As if they'd make them touch the very ſphear,
As if they would the ſtarres out vie,
And make St. Pauls Church not ſeem high.
'Twould be far better, could they boaſt
They ſacrific'd their loves, and not their coſt:
But we'el not blame them, ſince ſuch is their joy, they can't with hold,
To offer up to it, the god they moſt adore, their gold.
VII.Let them think ſo, they 'ave done their parts,
Wee'l ſtrive their offering to out do
Though not ſo rich, our victimes are more true;
They offer droſſe, we put up loyal hearts:
Hearts which arm'd with Royal love,
Still ſhall ſoare, and mount above
All their vaſt Pyramids, and high built toyes,
And there reſt fix'd for to confirme our joyes:
Whilſt the Trophees of their coſt,
Will not laſt ſix months at moſt,
But muſt down; Our Loyalty
Wee'l propagate unto eternity,
And make the envions Sun too ſoon ſhrink in his head above,
To ſee he muſt withdraw his beames, e're we withdraw our love.
VIII.Nor will we be wanting ſtill,
To expreſſe our outward full content,
Though heaven to us the bleſſings have not ſent,
To do like them, what we can do we will.
Though we can't ſuch Monuments raiſe,
But the wonder of nine dayes,
Wee'l raiſe our voices three notes higher, ſing
Carols of joy to Glorious Charles our King.
And thus wee'l every year renew
Thoſe ſports ſhall make our joys ſtill new
Freely chant our thoughts, not cares,
Invent no plots, nor ſtudy jealous feares:
Strive to make thoſe our Counſellors, who do no goodneſſe own,
And but for faction and ſchiſm had never yet been known.
6IX.Our mirth ſhall harmleſſe be, yet free,
Mix'd both with love and Loyalty
Wee'l live as if the golden age were now
Return'd, and with the Crown on Charles his brow:
All thoughts of miſchief were exil'd,
Thoſe dayes return'd when we beguil'd
Our time with harmleſſe mirth, before the paines
Rebellion brings, were crept into our veines,
Before that May poles were thought gods,
Or King and Parliament at ods.
Before Lawn ſleeves were judg'd unholy,
Before 'twas thought a ſin to ſeem but jolly;
Before we run our ſelves into that deep abyſſe of ſhame,
And by overthrowing Church and State, Murdring our Sovereign.
X.This is true mirth, will make us bleſt;
Thus wee'l enjoy our ſelves, no fears
Of innovations ſhall diſturb our reſt,
Or headlong ſet's together by the eares:
Wee'l bleſſed live in innocence,
Religion ſhall be no pretence
For Rebels, wee'l not credit Presbyt'ry,
'Cauſe we already know't ſo groſſe a lye.
Our Loyalty ſhall be our guard,
By that all miſchiefs ſhall be bar'd
From breaking in, for to annoy,
Or in the leaſt diſturb our well fix'd joy.
Plenty and riches too ſhall flow, while we enjoy our King,
Allegiance and Obedience 'tis, will peace and plenty bring.
XI.Wee'l laugh at thoſe fond fools who do
Think harmleſſe mirth to be a ſin,
Believe their outward purity but a gin
To draw us to thoſe miſchiefs we muſt rue.
The Rochet and three corner'd Cap,
Shall be no more a Puritan trap
To drive us from our duty, wee'l believe
No longer there's a Dee'le in a Lawne ſleeve.
The High Commiſſion ſhall not fright us,
Alas! they cannot there indite us,
'Twas made for them whoſe purity
Seducing ſnares are, to catch others by.
Whilſt in a doleful tone, Sternehold and Hopkins they diſgorge,
Wee'l to the merry Organs ſing Hymns to the brave St. George.
7XII.To brave St. George, whoſe happy day
Thus puts an end to all our woe,
Our merry ſongs, our joyful hearts ſhall ſhow,
Not in dull ſtraines, for ever and for aye;
No our inſpired ſouls ſhall ſtretch
Out Paeans 'bove the Muſes reach.
Phaebus to yield his harp to us ſhan't grudge,
Were not dull Midas, but skil'd Orpheus Judge:
And yet our Songs ſhall ſomething teach
Not ſuch as Presbyterians preach,
Invectives, but more Loyal ſtraines,
The Products of the Sack flows in our veines:
That cleares our bloud, and makes it good, and that ſhall teach us ſing,
With tides of joy, exalted notes to our new Crowned King.
SONG.
I.REjoyce, Rejoyce,
Strain, ſtrain your voice,
A note or two yet higher,
Let the Bells loud ring,
Whilſt we merrily ſing,
More ſweet than the heavenly quire.
Our Woes are all paſt,
For they could not long laſt,
To vex and torment us more,
Our joyes are made ſure,
And will now endure
More certain than ever before.
Then let us be merry, and drink full cups round
For to day, for to day, for to day our King's Crown'd.
2.By ſo much the more
Were our ſorrows before,
By ſo much our joy ſhall be greater,
Though our griefs did long laſt,
Yet now they are paſt,
Our pleaſures will be but the ſweeter.
We may ſing and carowſe,
We may drink, we may bowſe,
So ſtill we continue but loyal,
Thoſe bleſſings which before
Were deny'd us, we now more
Will enjoy, for our plagues were our tryal.
Then let us be merry, and drink full cups round,
For to day, for to day, for to day our Kings Crown'd.
3.To St. George we will drink,
To St. George we will skink,
And offer whole quarts of Canary,
Wee'l clear our hoarſe throats,
And ſtrike up our notes,
And make the whole world to be merry.
8Wee'l faction forſwear,
And all Rebels Laws dare,
For he needs muſt be loyal that's jolly,
When the Devil firſt gave birth
To Rebellion on earth,
The Midwife was Melancholy.
Then let us be merry, and drink full cups round,
For to day, for to day, for to day our King's Crown'd.
4.Who a health doth refuſe,
Like the race of the Jews,
Let him prove both a ſcandal and ſcorn,
Let his Memory rot,
And his Name be forgot,
As if he had never been born.
'Tis your merry, merry ſoules
Who take freely their bowles,
That ſtill are as conſtant as fate,
Whilſt your dull-beaded ſots
Are conſtruing of plots
To ruine the Church and the State.
Then let us be merry, and drink full cups round,
For to day, for to day, for to day, our King's Crown'd.
XIII.Thus in free jollity wee'l flow,
And yet not ſurfet in our joyes,
A moderation's good, to much annoys,
How far to paſſe, and where to ſtop we know;
The beſt of all things are made worſe
Gorrupted; bleſſings may be made a curſe,
No ſurfet's good, but the exceſſe of things
We love, the worſt of all diſeaſes brings.
All things ſhould have their time, though now
We joy at heavens ſmiling brow,
Yet wee'l not ſpend our joyes unto a dearth,
Leſt their deceaſe ſhould be our ſorrows birth;
We can convert our ſmiles to teares, and make it our due cares
To pray, ſince God hath bleſt us thus, that ſtill he'd hear our prayers.
XIV.Wee'l pray, that as our King is Crown'd
So he may reign for ever, no hard fate
Put Period to his Life, our bleſſings date,
That as in Crownes, he may in good abound:
That no Puritan tricks may move
Subjects from his, him from their love:
That no Rebellion may diſturb his eaſe,
Or break this Kingdomes but new-ſetled peace:
That both belov'd and fear'd, he like a god
On Earth, may live lov'd here, and fear'd abroad:
That we may happy live, to ſee
Brave Royal branches of this Princely tree:
That as a George reſtor'd his Crown, the ſame George may advance,
The Conquering St. Georges Croſſe, into the heart of France.