A Rot Amongst THE BISHOPS, OR, A Terrible Tempest in the Sea of CANTERBURY, Set forth in lively EMBLEMS to please the judicious Reader:

Incidit in Syllam qui vult vitare Charibdim,
Ovid.

By THO: STIRRY.

LONDON, Printed by R.O. & G.D. MDCXLI.

To the Reader.

IT is not unknowne to all (Iudicious Reader) how many imps of ingenious witts, upon this Subject, have issued forth into publike view. so that he would seeme to powre water into the Ocean, or to mend she Crowes eyes, that should attempt to adde any thing to what is already pub­lished. Know therefore that so various and wonderfull are the works of the Almightie, that they are altogether unsearchable and past finding out: so that although thou­sands have gon before me, yet may I come after and gleane more then sufficient. so many 1000 choise rootes are there in the Garden of our God, that although many have cropt Flowers enough to compose fragrant and delectable Nose­gayes, yet is their choise enough left for me to gather on; [...]ut to be contemned. Neverthelesse farre be it from me, out of a vaine ostentation, to arrogate any thing to my selfe, for I am privie enough, I must confesse in this way, to my owne insufficiencie, and therefore I will not be a Iudge of other mens labours, but I come,, with an after­dish as one that desires to furnish the same Feast: if it be pleasing to your Pallats; I need not feare your stomacks; for it is but small and light of digesture; fall to it, it is an Aegyptian Dish drest after the English Fashion. For be­fore [Page]that immortallizing knowledge of Letters; the Ae­gyptians were wont to expresse every thing by Hierogly­phicks, or silent Parables, and therefore I doubt not but you will easily satisfie in this doubt: why I call the first emblem, a ship of Alexandria: but perchance some may be offended with me, because I have chosen this Subject rather then any other, let them know that I have Autho­rity for it; for if the Almightie shall be pleased in this our age, as Mr. Quarles of Neverdying Memory speaks, to see these proud Popish Prelates, as Shroving Cooks, for every one to spend a Cudgell at to the Worlds end; I see no reason but I as well as others may throw one stick at them. Thus hoping that your pleasure, in reading, will be equivalent to mine, in writing.

Farewell
Yours in the like Service THOMAS STIRRY.

The Invocation.

AWake my soule, cast off thy drowsie Thoughts,
Which clog thy mind, let not such earthly faults
Adhere to thee; awake, and soare up higher,
And joyne in consort with the shrill-mouth Quire
Of heavenly Seraphims, and to them incline,
So shalt thou make thy Musicke halfe divine.
Crave not assistance from the sacred hill,
Nor dip in Helicon thy feathered quill.
The water's muddy, and Vrania's vaine
Is farre inferiour to thy heavenly straine.
Invoke them not, thy God whom thou dost hallow
Will be thy Muse, and thy divine Apollo.
His sacred influence thy braines inspire,
And fill thy brest with his Heroick fire.
Hee' ll touch thy tongue, and teach thee how to sing
His wondrous Works that he to passe doth bring.
Hee' ll guide thy hand, that thou maist learne to play
On six-and-twenty strings. Oh hast away
My ravisht soule: Let not this dunghill earth
Detaine thy thoughts, and rob thee of thy mirth.
Which heaven ordain'd to please thy tender eares,
And glad the fainting hearts of all that heares.
Rouze up my soule, untie thy furled sayle,
The Wind blows faire, Thou hast a prosperous gaile.
Mount up th' Olympian hill, and therhence bring
An ayre-dividing pinion from the wing
Of some bright Cherubim, that thou maist write,
What wonders heaven hath wrought in mortall sight.
And now oh first and last, so guide my pen,
That first and last I may declare to men
The secrets of thy will, and shew thy praise,
Grant me thy favour, I' ll not seek the Bayes.
EMBLEME I.
The Church & Com­monwealth of Engalnd.
high Comission
Processe
Licence
the Oath
et: Cet:
Dr. Duck
Laud
Dr. Lamb
Wren
hell

And he found a Ship of Alexandria, sayling into Italie.

Acts 27.6.
THe Infernall Tempter, when he first begun
To trade for soules, no labour did he shun;
He could not stay (for hast) to take advice,
But trots on foot as farre as Paradise,
Where he not ceast to use (be't good or bad)
Such Retorick the Land of Darknesse had:
And all to gaine that pure immortall breath.
Blown from the spring of life, then free from death;
And having got but one poore soule in store,
Forthwith to it he addeth many more.
But now who lives, and doth not plainly see,
That under Heavens Star-spangled Canopie,
Ther's scarce a place, or Countrey to be found,
Wherein this Hell-born crew doth not abound;
Deceiving soules, and griping in their hands
The wealth and riches of the fruitfull Lands,
Witnesse this Iland, which not long agoe,
Was in subjection to this Hell-borne foe:
For who can say he did not see, or heare,
What sway the Lordly Prelates late did beare?
None scarce durst preach without these Lords admission,
But streight were hoist aboard their High Commission,
Which in full Sayle here fixt before thine eye,
Adumbrats plaine, that wicked Hierarchie;
'Tis now in pomp, and makes a glorious fight,
Though now 'tis faire, it may be foule ere night.
Now Winds obey, and send a Soveraigne gale,
Which makes those Sea-Men thus hoyst up their Sayle,
And o're blest Albions Church and State to ride,
Discharging Canons in their furious pride;
Whence flew the Oath, Et Caetera; after came
A good strong Halter to conclude the game;
The Duck takes wing, and to the Topsayle flyes,
And on the Flag a Processe neatly tyes;
The Sayles have got a Licence, to proclaime,
No preaching 'thout a Licence in their name;
Their Colours are displaid, that all may see,
How in this Ship the Devill and they agree.
[Page 2] Hell mouth's wide open, sure it is to show,
Both Ship and Saylers with the Devill must goe.
Hundreds of yeares hath heavens resplendent eye
Run his diurnall course, since men did spie
This Hell-built Ship, spreading her swelling Sayles
O're Englands Church, and Common-wealth, with gailes
Blown from the lower darkned world beneath,
Such as the damn'd infernall Furies breath.
And ever since this Church-consuming band
Of Romish vermine, hath impair'd our Land:
For whatsoe're these holy Seamen spide,
They would not rest, but night and day they try'd
To get 't aboard their High-Commission Boat,
Which every tyde t'wards Italy did float.
And that these sacrilegious Pirates might
With greater foree and safety vent their spight
Against Gods people and deprive them quite
Of Christ's soule-saving Gospels heavenly light,
See here what helpe the Devil doth them afford,
He is their Pilot; he't was brought aboard
That new made Canon; 'twas his damned plot,
To ram in to 't that truth confounding shot,
That he that would not by their Laws be led,
This hell-cast bullet streight should strike him dead
But he that sits in heaven did them deride,
He turn'd the streame in height of all their pride:
For turne the leafe and there in brief I'll show.
What wofull shipwrack now they undergoe.
EMBLEME II.
Iustice
Processe
licenc

Then the Mariners were afraid, and they cryed every man unto his God, &c.

Jonah 1.5.
Who made
accompt that times,
so soon would change; who knew
when heavens justice would appeare,
and bring the Prelates fall so neare?
even now in all mens sight.
They were in prime,
and sayd.
of mortall men why should we be afraid?
But now
that time is gone,
the present (Now) is theirs,
wherein by heavens ruling hand,
these Iudges now Delinquents stand,
opprest with griefe and feares
that are unknown,
and bow
to blest impartiall Iustice frowning brow,
Our Land
Was sore opprest,
our Church and Common-wealth
groan'd beneath the Tyranny
of this oppressing Hierarchy.
But what they got by stealth,
with them can't rest,
they stand
Trembling beneath the power of Iustice hand.
Vnlade
the Ship they cry'd,
perchance by that we may
preserve our lives, and Lordly state.
But Reformation was too late,
for they too long bore sway;
now shall their pride
be layd,
which makes these Romish Seamen sore afraid.
The Wind
of the Commons,
't was not the Common wind
that did this mighty Tempest raise,
which put these Prelates in amaze,
[Page 5] they can no harbour find.
For sure no one's
inclin'd
to pitty those that have bin wilfull blind.
Help us,
they cry we perish.
Now Gallows claime thy right.
Our Ship will now no longer saile.
Our Canons at our need doth faile,
which did our Lordly might
uphold and cherish
And thus
In deadly feare their case to us discusse,
hoping to have a [...]al [...]e by moving us.
EMBLEME III.

The righteous are delivered out of trouble, and the wicked is in his roome.

Prov. 8.
A Pirate is no sooner brought a shoare,
But layd in prison, there hee's kept in store,
'Till Iustice saith his time shall be no more.
Even-so, this Prelate was no-sooner free
From peoples rage, but Iustice did decree,
Where he sent others there himselfe should be.
Where he shall lye with horrour in amaze,
And reape the fruit of his oppressing wayes,
When Iustice hand shall consummate his dayes.
Time was when he in England shin'd as bright
As Cynthia's night-lamp with her borrow'd light,
But now his Grace is found some graines too light.
For now 'tis known he study'd alteration,
Vniting Rome to Englands thriving Nation;
He was sole Author of this strange translation.
'Twas he that sought to bring a dismall night
Vpon our Land, by vailing of the light
Of Christs eternall Word, which shines so bright.
But now the Cloud's disperst, her golden head
Shines thrice more glorious, and the Clouds are fled.
But had they stay'd th' had dire disasters bred.
'T was thou that didst Gods people over-reach;
'T was thou that stopt the mouths of them that preach,
And wer't a hindrance that they could not teach.
Some thou didst prison, some thou mad'st to flee;
Remember these, 't is heavens just decree,
What thou didst doe, should now be done to thee.
Now they their wonted joyfull freedoms have,
And thou art fast, and now dost freedome crave:
But thou must hast unto thy darksome grave.
And Thou O everlasting Three in One,
Shew him that mercy he would shew to none,
EMBLEME IIII.
DEUT. 32.29.

Oh that he were wise, that he would understand this, that he would consider his latter end.

ARch-Polititian, art thou not asham'd
To live thus long, and now at last be blam'd
For want of wit? thy folly now despise,
And let your Lordship learne to be more wise.
How long didst thou uphold thy High Commission?
And imitate the Spanish-Inquisition.
How dar'st thou owne that damned Canon-law?
The like to which ther's no man ever saw.
'T is this that makes men hate thee, and despise,
O would thy gracelesse Grace had bin more wise.
'T was thy goodwill the people should not look
In any other but the Service Book;
Vnlesse 't were such which for to sport and play,
Did give them licence on the Sabboth day.
By this you thought you should their soules surprise,
O would your little Grace had bin more wise.
You lov'd few words, and therfore would not preach,
But filenc'd such as dayly us'd to teach.
Your ayme was alway to have alterations,
And by your Altars thought to alter Nations.
But God Almighty crost your enterprise,
O would your Popish Grace had bin more wise:
For now be sure that all your golden Coapes,
You must exchange for new spun hempen Ropes.
And thou which ofttimes didst thy body screw,
Into such shapes Prometheus never knew,
Before thy Altar, be it no dispraise,
Thou shalt be straightned, and so end thy dayes.
Consider this, and every day conjecture,
That Pulchers bell doth toll to Tyburne Lecture,
FINIS.

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