A SPEECH Made to his EXCELLENCY GEORGE MONCK General, &c.
The Twelfth day of
Aprill, M. DC. LX. At a Solemn Entertainment at VINTENERS-HAL. Wherein His Illustrious Virtues are shaddowed forth under the Emblem of a
VINE.
WElcome (Great Sir) thrice welcome to this Hall;
We 've nothing else to welcome you withall.
All else is but your own; to You we owe,
Life, Liberties, Estates, Religion too:
All else is in your Power, only our hearts
Are
free to welcome and admire your arts.
Time was, when we were forc't to court our Chains,
And kisse the Rod which jerk't us for our pains:
We durst not cry for fear of t'other lash,
But smooth'd our browes, and blubber'd faces washt.
Our
Lurdan Masters made us them reward,
For
keeping of our Liberties in Ward.
But unto You, our hearts aspire to fall
A
willing Sacrifice, this Festivall;
Nor think it (Sir) a hollow complement,
We deal in Wine,
Wine only truth doth vent.
Now give us leave to borrow from our Trade,
Something which may your radiant Virtues shade:
And what may better Suit you than the
Vine,
That Noble Plant, which does such worth enshrine?
First, in its
leaves which
hide and
guard the cluster,
It notes your
modesty, which hides your lustre;
It shews your
secrecy; by which secur'd
You have a Bloudless Victory procur'd:
O happy soul! whose
silence could do more
Then Arts and Armes, then Retorick and Pow'r.
You have Three Nations redeem'd, and yet,
Not spilt one drop of bloud in doing it.
You gently did the Strength and Weapons steal
Out of their hands, before they could it feel.
Let
Rome and
Tully boast; let
Athens bless
Demostenes, and thundring
Pericles:
Give me the man who works without a noise,
Who spares his tongue and hands, but Wit imployes.
Again, the
Vine's not spent in
leaves and paint,
But under its own
fruitful load doth
faint;
That load which
lightens men of all their cares,
And
fainting spirits with new life repairs.
Thus You (my Lord) oppress your self with pains,
To
bring forth unto us more
easie gains.
Under your
watchful eyes we
sleep secure,
Under your
armes our Commerce we
ensure.
Peace, Freedom, Laws (both humane and divine)
Are the delicious fruits of You our Vine.
These are your first-fruits, and they tast so sweet,
We
long for those which hang
not ripened yet:
There's something still remains to
crown the rest,
To bind all fast, and make us firmly blest.
Some are already
drunk with what-they tast,
And in a drunken fit quarrel for hast.
We wrestle yet with
jealousies and threats?
'Tis time must ripen all with kindly hears.
There are Phanatiques that on
both sides rage,
'Till by your art you coop'em in one cage:
And while you check
Religious lunacies,
Restrain likewise
prophaner luxuries.
Secure all stakes;
all sober men Engage;
This will embalme your Name to future age.
And as the Vine
adorns its prop and
spreads,
And twists the branches of the tree it
Weds:
So do your Virtues
spread about these Lands
Which You
Espouse, and linke them all in bands
Of sacred
wedlock; all men do combine
In You, and mingled Interests
intwine.
You
moderate, You
hush, and silence all
Our
jangling factions and
confused brawle.
Bind all unto Your self, and each to other;
Let none Engrosse You, be a common Brother
The
Vine (as in the Parable we read)
Refus'd to
domineer with lofty head.
Though
Brambles may in
Lordly rule delight
To
scratch, and
tear, and
rend down all by
might:
The
humble Vine seeks no such
rampant tops,
But lowly
creeps unless advanc't by props:
Thus You
aspire not unto
gay Dominion;
Whose happiness is
meerly in opinion:
It is presum'd you'd rather
make a King
Then your own hands, to Sway a Scepter bring;
This will Immortalize and blaze your story,
And Crown your head with spendant beams of glory.
If any other Speech be Printed, pretended to be spoken in Vinteners-Hall, they are Counterfeits, and none true but this.
Tho. Jordan.
⟨April .13.⟩