Now England's horrid Civil Wars began,
When God a sinful Nation meant to fan.
When sin grown high & bold, out-faced the Light;
When Pride and Faction pleaded Divine Right.
When most their Love, & some their Patience lost;
When proud malicious men must not be crossed:
When wise men seemed fools, & fools seemed wise;
And when the worst were best in their own eyes?
When Piety with Lazarus was loathed;
And Sin with Purple and fine Linen clothed:
And when the sacred Tribe, despising Souls,
Through love of wealth & honour blowed the coals!
⟨p. 48⟩When Demas for the World deserted Paul;
And their own matters were first sought by all:
When they that sought their good things in this life
Had banished Love, & filled the Church with strife
Where striving factions Charity defied,
And carnal Counsels did the Church divide!
When swinish Gadarenes did Christ refuse,
And the profane his servants did abuse.
When Holiness the common Foe was deemed,
And nothing more intolerable seemed.
When holy Truth and Preachers were despised;
And wicked means to cast them out devised!
When sin presumed to make a mock of grace,
And folly spit reproaches in Christ's face!
When vulgar rage had found this common vent;
And impious scorn on Godliness was spent:
When sin was not so much opposed as God,
Then were we ready for the bloody Rod.
When those sins reigned that must not now be named
But by Heaven's Justice shall at last be shamed.
When old condemned vanities and crimes,
Became the Reverend Virtues of the Times,
Then God in Judgment sate to plead his Cause,
And judge the proud despisers of his Laws.
Banished Love doth festered hearts forsake:
Blindness, suspicions, wrath possession take:
Each man unto the fire his Fagot brought,
And each against another quarrels sought.
The whirlwind in the North did first arise,
And raise the dust which troubled English Eyes.
⟨p. 49⟩And though Heaven's mercy there prevented blood,
The Irish fury shed a crimson flood.
The French blood showed the temper of the Nation,
Their Faith and Faithlessness keep Moderation,
Their Bartholomews hot dog-days thirst had cost,
*Thirty or forty thousand lives at most.
But Ireland's Romish Zeal was hotter far,
And in their preparation to a War,
*Two hundred thousand they surprised and slew,
Not that their Will so small a measure knew.
But here God checked their Power, & heard the cries
Of dying Innocents, which pierced the Skies:
Now England's horrid Civil Wars began,
When God a sinful Nation meant to fan.
When sin grown high & bold, out-fac'd the Light;
When Pride and Faction pleaded Divine Right.
When most their Love, & some their Patience lost;
When proud malicious men must not be crost:
When wise men seemed fools, & fools seem'd wise;
And when the worst were best in their own eyes?
When Piety with Lazarus was loath'd;
And Sin with Purple and fine Linnen cloath'd:
And when the sacred Tribe, despising Souls,
Through love of wealth & honor blow'd the coals!
⟨p. 48⟩When Demas for the World deserted Paul;
And their own matters were first sought by all:
When they that sought their good things in this life
Had banisht Love, & fill'd the Church with strife
Where striving factions Charity defy'd,
And carnal Counsels did the Church divide!
When swinish Gadarens did Christ refuse,
And the prophane his servants did abuse.
When Holiness the common Foe was deem'd,
And nothing more intollerable seem'd.
When holy Truth and Preachers were despis'd;
And wicked means to cast them out devis'd!
When sin presum'd to make a mock of grace,
And folly spit reproaches in Christ's face!
When vulgar rage had found this common vent;
And impious scorn on Godliness was spent:
When sin was not so much oppos'd as God,
Then were we ready for the bloody Rod.
When those sins reign'd that must not now be nam'd
But by Heav'ns Justice shall at last be sham'd.
When old condemned vanities and crimes,
Became the Reverend Virtues of the Times,
Then God in Judgment sate to plead his Cause,
And judge the proud despisers of his Laws.
Banish'd Love doth feaster'd hearts forsake:
Blindness, suspicions, wrath possession take:
Each man unto the fire his Fagot brought,
And each against another quarrels sought.
The whirlwind in the North did first arise,
And raise the dust which troubled English Eyes.
⟨p. 49⟩And though Heav'ns mercy there prevented blood,
The Irish fury shed a crimson flood.
The French blood shew'd the temper of the Nation,
Their Faith and Faithlesness keep Moderation,
Their Bartholomews hot dog-daies thirst had cost,
*Thirty or forty thousand lives at most.
But Ireland's Romish Zeal was hotter far,
And in their preparation to a War,
*Two hundred thousand they surpriz'd and slew,
Not that their Will so small a measure knew.
But here God checkt their Power, & heard the cries
Of dying Innocents, which pierc'd the Skies:
- *Thuanus, Davila.
- *The Earl of Orery's Answer to a Petition.
