CARMEN-TERNARIUM SEMI-CYNICUM. A DOS, of RIME and REASON: Presented by Major Geo. Wither, to some of his noble Friends, Members of the most honourable House of Commons.
1.
FRiends, by your leave; and, in a
Cynick-time,
If I present you with a
Doggrell-Rime,
Impute it not, I pray you, as a crime:
For, whatsoe're occasion her excites,
My
Muse weighs
what, and unto whom she writes;
And, though she grumbles, neither snarles, nor bites.
2.
'Tis now, a
Pentecost, and six weeks more,
Since I was last a Suitor at your doore;
For, 'twas your
Christmasse Eves-Eve heretofore:
Yea, 'twas the
Morne that next ensu'd the day,
Wherein you did convene to fast, and pray,
That, what you now are planting, prosper may.
3.
God grant your
Suits may better thrive then mine;
God give you of your
hopes a better signe;
And, more to
you, then
you to me incline:
For, if much longer, I be now delay'd,
My just
Demands, to me had best been pay'd,
If, at the first, they had been quite denay'd.
4.
This, is (in
print and writing) since th' Edition
Of that, which first made knowne my sad condition,
At least the twice ten hundreth
Repetition;
Yet, most
Complaints, that I have tendered,
Seem; as if neither heeded, heard, nor read,
And, take effect, like
Prayers to the
Dead.
5.
This, is above the
six and thirti'th yeare,
Since first, my
Muses flung defiance, here,
Against their
waies, who now your foes appeare;
Yet, they who slight your
Cause, have better far'd;
They, who destroy you, have had more regard,
And, oft you heare them, when I am unheard.
6.
This, is the nineth or tenth
now-minted-way,
By which, I've took occasion to assay;
How, I might find acceptance, when I pray;
Yet, nor choise
Times, nor
Seasons, Rimes nor
Prose,
Service to you, hot
Suffrings, by your foes,
Produce ought hitherto; but
empty-showes.
7.
This, is the
seventh year, since I begun
To suffer with you, and to be undone,
For, being, to your
Cause, a
Faithfull-one;
Yet, have my Foes prevailed, by their
Charmes,
To make my faithfulnesse increase my harms,
And, crush'd me, nigh to death, ev'n in your
Armes.
8.
This, is the
third moneth, since a hopefull
signe,
Made shew, as if you joyntly did incline
To be aspitious to such
plaints as mine:
Yet, still, crosse accidents make vold my suit,
With my estate, destroying my repute,
And, I get nought, but
blossoms without
fruit.
9.
Two twelve moneths since, and twice within that space,
Your
House, hath in compassion of my
case,
Refer'd the naming of me to some
Place,
That, till the
Publike shall repay my debt,
I, by my labours, might subsistence get;
But, no effect thereof, appeareth, yet.
10.
A place was once propos'd, for which, to cleare
My debt, I offer made: But,
one sate there,
Who, whilst I beat the bush, did catch the Hare.
Another, I was nam'd to; but, ere I
Could get the same reported, they, who trie
The surest course, found means to put me by.
11.
To twenty other
places, I of late
Was nam'd, wherein, I might have serv'd the
State,
If, I, like other men, had
Friends or
Fate:
But, they that have enough, must, yet, have more;
They, who are needy, must be still kept poore,
And, he gets most, that had too much before.
12.
Nor would I grudge, might I my own receive,
To misse the best preferments you could give;
For, I can find my self work whilst I live:
And, should be better pleased to possesse
My self, in an obscured quietnesse,
Then, in the greatest of your Offices.
13.
And, peradventure, better thrive should I,
If, I could still beleeve, undoubtingly,
That, in this
world, my
portion doth not lie:
For, whatsoever promise she doth make,
Or, whatsoever likely course I take,
I, either nothing win, or lose my stake,
14.
Yea, whosoever are put
out or
in;
Whether you
feast, or
fast, or
lose, or
win,
My portion, to this day, the same hath been;
And, neither
Orders, Votes, nor
Ordinances,
Nor ought else, hitherto, my cause advances;
But, multiplies, cost, troubles, and mischances.
15.
They, who heed this; and, mark how long I sue
For that, which you your selves acknowledge due,
Suppose my
Friends unkind, or, very few:
And, so shall I think too; if, when I see
The
grand-affairs dispens'd withall may bee,
You, more consider not, my wants and mee.
16.
For, though the
Publike cause should be preferr'd,
Some houres, for
private causes, must be spar'd,
Lest, none be left, the
Publike to regard.
Your
Publike actings too, (as I conceive)
Would better thrive, did you more oft relieve
Their
suffrings, whom, your long
demurrers grieve.
17.
Three moneths (at full) you have delay'd to heare
All private
pressures, how extreme soe're;
Yea, though your faithfull friends the
Suitors were:
Yet, you could, then, allow spare time for those,
Who were your wilfull and condemned Foes:
And, grace you did vouchsafe, to some of those.
18.
To none I grudg your mercy: yet, withall
I wish, that you to mind would likewise call,
How, to your
friends, worse things then
Death befall:
For,
Penitents condemned, can but die:
Which, were it in my power, disdain would I,
To ask, what any mortall could deny.
19.
To see our selves, with many mischiefs hemn'd,
Pursu'd by
Foes, and of our
Friends contemn'd,
Is worse, then guiltlesly to be condemn'd.
Yea, to behold their Families undone,
Who, for the
publike, did that hazzard run,
Deserves more pity, then a
dying-grone.
20.
Although the
Publike Wants, be very great,
The Publike-Justice, it doth ill befit
That, some,
large-Favour find; some,
never a whit:
That, some, should likewise have immediate pay;
Some, interest at full, for all delay;
Some others,
nothing, after six years stay.
21.
That he, to whom the
State doth nothing owe,
Should rich, by three or foure
employments grow,
Whilst they pine, who, thereon did all bestow:
And, that those who have spent more pretious time,
To serve you, then the whole earth can redeem,
Should scarce find one half-houre, befriending them.
22.
Consider, I beseech you, how ye may
(Before all
Opportunities are slipt away)
Preserve their
being, who assist you may;
And, let them not be needlessely destroyd,
By whom, your
safety, may be best enjoyd;
And, with whose
hopes, yours, also, will be voyd.
23.
Nor think your selves excus'd, if you deny
To yeeld me at my need, a due supply;
Because, five hundred want as much as I:
For, no good
Principle, they build upon
Who shall resolve, they will be kind to
none,
Because, they cannot succour
ev'ry one.
24.
We who are
Standers-by, do plainly see,
That, if
self-seekers might removed bee,
(Or, would in just, and righteous things agree)
Both
Means, and
Time enough might, yet, be found,
To make the sick
Republike, quickly sound,
And, ease the smart of ev'ry private wound.
25.
Yea, we perceive, that if division were
Well made, of what the
common purse may spare;
(Of
places, which at your disposure are)
And, of your
time and
paines; you might have eas'd
Your selves much more; your best friends, more have pleas'd,
And, kept off
troubles, which on us have seiz'd.
26.
New
States and
Governments, best founded are
By
Justice, and by
Mercy; and, to spare
A
Largesse too, it now convenient were:
At least, we may expect, as well as you,
Subsistence out of that which is our due,
To keep us able, who were alwaies true.
27.
For, what will it availe you, when your friends,
Who, might be serviceable to your ends,
Want means to further what the State intends?
Or, with what courage, can those men go on,
To help you, in that work which is begun,
If, they must perish, e're it shall be done?
28.
What can they hope for, when their
Foe shall raign,
Who, whilst their
Friends rule, sue seven years, in vaine,
(Not
Favors) but, bare
Justice to obtain?
Yet, get nought visible, wherewith to cherish
Their children (which through want are like to perish)
Except perchance a Pension from their Parish.
29.
My case is not so bad: But, if you thought
How neere thereto, I'me drove; how low I'me brought,
And, what hard lessons I am daily taught,
You would excuse this
discomposed-strain,
Believe my head broke, e're you saw my brain;
And, let me sue, and wait, no more in vain.
30.
For, if extremities compell me should
To summe up all, which I in scraps have told,
(And justly might have added, if I would)
They, who observe the love to me pretended,
How known I am, and yet how ill befriended,
Would quite despair, to see their troubles ended.
31.
Fair promises, prove neither flesh nor fish;
My gaines are, hitherto, not worth a rush;
But that befalls me, which my Foes do wish.
For, when to do me right, fit time there was,
Some friends lackt power; some, were not then in place;
And, some, that had the power, had not the grace.
32.
Your
Ordinance, the Lords concurrence lackt,
And, my estate, and credit, will be crackt,
Unlesse, with speed, you turn into an
Act;
Few minutes may compleat it, which I pray
Vouchsafe; For, by the late three moneths delay,
I, six moneths interest, am like to pay.
33.
Bis dat, qui citò dat, the
Proverb saies;
And, 'tis as true, that, he, who long delaies
A
Favour or a
Gift, nought
gives, or
paies.
For, by
delay, thus fareth it with most,
That, by vexation, labour, time, and cost,
The profits of slow Benefits, are lost.
34.
But, I, this
Theam, have long enough persude:
Lest, therefore it may tire you (to obtrude
Much more upon your patience) Ile conclude:
Yea, for a few daies, here Ile make a stop;
And, if I then, accomplish not my hope,
Ile play but one
Card more; and, so, give up.
35.
As much for others sakes, as for mine own
This sense, of private suffrings, I have shown:
And hope, it will with good effects be known,
For, when I mind what work you have to do,
And, how few, put their helping hands thereto,
I can excuse you; and, have oft done so.
FINIS.