A DIALOGUE Between the Ghosts of the Two last Parliaments, at their late Interview.
— Fuimus Troes.— Nitimur in vetitum.—
Westminster Ghost's Advice.
FRom deepest Dungeons of Eternal Night,
The seats of Horor, Sorrow, Pains & spight,
I have been sent to tell your tender Youth
[...]
[...]sonable and Important Truth!
[...], (but Oh too late,) that no Desease
[...] a Surfeit of Luxurious Ease,
[...] of all other, the most tempting things,
[...] too much Wealth, and too Indulgent Kings.
[...] ever was superlatively ill,
[...] by Degrees, with Industry and Skill:
[...] some, whose Meaning hath at first been fair,
[...]ow Knaves by Use, and Rebels by Despair.
[...] time is past, and Yours will soon begin,
Keep the first Blossoms from the blast of Sin;
And by the Fate of my Tumultuous ways,
Preserve your self, and bring serener Days.
The buisie subtile Serpents of the Law,
Did first my Mind from true Obedience draw;
While I did Limits to the King prescribe,
And took for Oracles that Canting Tribe,
[...] chang'd True Freedom for the Name of Free,
And grew Seditious for Variety;
All that oppos'd me were to be accus'd;
And, by the Law I Legally abus'd.
The Robe was summon'd,
M—d in the head,
[...] Legal Murder none so deeply read:
[...] brought him to the Bar, where once he stood,
Stain'd with (the yet un expiated) Blood
Of the Brave
Strafford, when 3 Kingdoms rung
With his accumulative Hackney Tongue;
Prisoners, and Witnesses were waiting by,
These had been taught to Swear, and those to dy,
And to expect Their Arbitrary Fates,
Some for ill
[...]es, some for good Estates:
[...]
[...]ght the People, and Alarm the Town,
B—and
O— imploy'd the Reverend Gown.
But while the
Triple Mitre bore the blame,
The Kings 3
Crowns were their Rebellious aim:
I seem'd, (and did but seem) to fear the
Guards,
And took for mine the
B—and the
W—
Anti-monarchick Hereticks of Sate,
Immoral Atheists, Rich, and Reprobate:
But above all, I got a little Guide,
Who every Foard of Villany had try'd;
None knew so well the old Pernicious way
To Ruine Subjects, and make
Kings obey;
And my small
Jehu at a Furious Rate,
Was driving
Eighty back to
Forty Eight.
This the King knew, and was Resolv'd to bear,
But I mistook his
Patience for his
Fear:
All that this happy Island could afford,
Was Sacrific'd to my Voluptuous Board.
In his whole Paradice one only Tree
He had excepted by a strict Degree;
A
Sacred Tree which
Royal Fruit did bear,
Ye It in pieces I Conspir'd to tear;
Beware my Child! Divinity is there.
T
[...]is so out-did all I had done before,
I
[...]ould attempt, and He indure no more.
My Un-prepar'd and Un-repenting breath,
W
[...]s snatch'd away by the swift Hand of Death,
A
[...]d I (with all my Sins about me) hurl'd,
To th' utter Darkness of the lower World;
A dreadful place which you too soon will see,
If You believe Seducers more than Me.
Oxford Ghost.
HAil great prophetick Spirit who could see
Through the dark Glass of rip'ning time, what we
Too true have found, and now too late complain,
That thou Great Spirit shouldst foretel in vain:
Full well and faithfully didst thou advise,
Had we been modestly and timely wise:
Free may you range, saidst thou, through every Field,
And what else more luxurious Gardens yield
Is thine; what e're may please, what e're delight
The weakest Stomach, nicest Appetite.
Of all the plenty of so vast a Store
One thing forbidden is, one, and no more:
By late and sad experience of what's past
Probatum est, ipse dixit;
Do not tast!
Swift Ruine's there, and sure Destruction,
How great a truth, had it in time been known.
Westm. Ghost.
Vain empty Nothing, that wert lately
All,
How just, and how unpitied is thy Fall:
Well worthy of the horrours of this place,
That would no warning take by my Disgrace;
Glutted with plenty, surfeited with Peace,
Weary of Blessings, sick of too much Ease:
[...]ad restless
Troublers of our
Israel,
Who would not quiet be when things went well;
Of secret base Designs meer manag'd
Tools,
Rash, unadvised, incorrigible
F—
Brisk Hotspurs, inconsiderately bold,
By much too violent, and too hot to hold.
Zeal flew as if't had been to run a Race,
Duty and Reason cou'd not keep it pace:
Insensible, regardless of my Fate;
Dull
Phrygian Sages, wise when 'tis too late;
You liv'd, and then you had an easie way
T'have provided against the Evil Day,
Who would not then be timely wise, for bear
Your vain unreasonable Sorrows here.
Frailty (for men are frail) may err one time,
But Malice only can repeat the Crime.
Unthinking Senate, fed with empty words
Of
Patriot Lawyers and
Protesting Lords:
Abus'd by
Popular and
mistaken Friends;
Su'd a dull Property for
base hidden Ends.
Liberty, Property and Religion,
Sweet Names, and so is
REFORMATION.
Rank sign of sickly and
distemper'd Times,
When
fairest Names disguise the
foulest Crimes.
The cry of
Liberty helpeth Ambition,
And
strait lac'd Conscience choaks
Religion:
Of publick Interest you had no concern;
But damn'd a Proverb,
Ne'r too late to learn.
By no experience taught, miscarriage tam'd,
Nor by sad instance of my Fate reclaim'd,
What prejudice and
private use ill us'd
False Zeal and
like Religion ill excus'd:
Who (stiff-necked) rather wou'd my Fate repeat,
Than by new measures be securely great:
No
freedom of debate was left for you,
When all was mov'd and manag'd by a few.
Your leading
M— J— and
W—
As if all Wisdom were in them alone:
A
House of Commons crumbl'd into
Three;
Slaves in effect, and in appearance
Free,
What ail'd the
Pilot, slept he at the head?
Or was your Judgment by your
Wills misled?
What
evil Spirit's Influence did prevail,
That you who might at large securely Sail
in a full Sea, and from all Danger free,
Would run upon that Shelf that ruin'd me?
These sure and sad effects I well foresaw;
These real ills, which seeming good would draw;
From these sad Consequences to disswade,
I was sent forth, and gladly I obey'd:
I told you then what now too true you find,
Where Zeal flies out, and Duty leaves behind:
'Tis Wisdoms shame, and Policies defect,
For still like Causes will have like Effect.
I sought by wondrous Truth the Point to gain,
Urg'd many reasons, but urg'd all in vain:
None were of force against the
Good Old Cause.
Counsel was thrown away,
Fool that I was.
Where men with Law and Prophets would not live,
To think a Message from the dead should thrive.
Spight of my fore-sight and my dear bought skill,
Cassandra I; you faithless
Pans are still.
Your boundless Passion did no measures keep,
Well might you break your Neck with such a leap:
Men may at distance hover about Kings,
And by your influence move earthly things;
But when those bounds they would exceed, and fly
Too near the Sun, scorcht, they drop down, and dy.
What an occasion lost you to improve
The Prince's Favour and the Peoples Love?
This when considering Posterity
Shall think upon, they'l hate your Memory;
And as once ancient
Rome, they in their turn,
Wish you had never died, or ne'r been born.
Should your Successors tread your steps, they then,
Though they were Gods, like us shall die like men.
Oh! may the next (for sure a next will be)
Avoid the Rock that ruin'd you and me:
Deeply affected with a just concern
At our sad Fate, self-preservation learn;
And merit (by avoiding needless Fears)
By moderate Councils and praise-worthy Cares,
A Monarchs Blessing and three Kingdoms Pray'rs.
LONDON, Printed for AL. BANKS, Anno Domini, MDCLCLXXXI.