Although you'll find it a hard province,
With all your crafty frauds and covins,
To govern such a num'rous crew,
Who, one by one, now govern you:
For if you all were Solomons,
And wise and great as he was once,
You'll find they're able to subdue
(As they did him) and baffle
you.

And if you are impos'd upon,
'Tis by your own temptation done,
That with your ignorance invite,
And teach us how to use the slight.
For when we find y' are still more taken
With false attracts of our own making,
Swear that's a rose, and that a stone,
Like sots, to us that laid it on;
And what we did but slightly prime,
Most ignorantly daub in rhyme;
You force us, in our own defences,
beams and influences;

To copy
To lay perfections on, and graces,
And draw attracts upon our faces :
And, in compliance to your wit,

Your own false jewels counterfeit.

195

200

205

210

Brook being asked the question, whether he were sworn or no? replied, he had not yet kissed the book. The court answered, that was no matter, it was but a ceremony, he was recorded sworn, and there was no speaking against a record. (Walker's History of Independency, part 2. p. 250.)

v. 192. With all your crafty frauds and covins] Covin is a term of law, signifying a deceitful compact between two or more, to the hurt or prejudice of another. (ED.)

For, by the practice of those arts,
We gain a greater share of hearts;
And those deserve in reason most,
That greatest pains and study cost:
For great perfections are, like Heaven,
Too rich a present to be given.

215

220

Nor are those master strokes of beauty
To be perform'd, without hard duty;
Which, when they're nobly done, and well,
The simple natural excel.

How fair and sweet the planted rose,

Beyond the wild in hedges, grows!
For, without art, the noblest seeds
Of flowers, degenerate to weeds.
How dull and rugged, ere 'tis ground,
And polish'd, looks a diamond?
Though Paradise were e'er so fair,
It was not kept so, without care.
The whole world, without art and dress,
Would be but one great wilderness :
And mankind but a savage herd,
For all that nature has conferr'd.
This does but rough-hew, and design,
Leaves art to polish, and refine.
Though women first were made for men,
Yet men were made for them again :
For when (out-witted by his wife)
Man first turn'd ́tenant, but for life;
If women had not interven❜d,

How soon had mankind had an end!

225

230

235

240

And that it is in being yet,

245

To us alone, you are in debt.

Then where's your liberty of choice,
And our unnatural no voice?

Since all the privilege you boast,
And falsely usurp'd, or vainly lost,
Is now our right; to whose creation,
You owe your happy restoration.
And if we had not weighty cause
To not appear, in making laws,
We could, in spite of all your tricks,
And shallow, formal politicks,
Force you our managements t' obey,
As we to yours (in shew) give way.
Hence 'tis, that while you vainly strive
T' advance your high prerogative,
You basely, after all your braves,

Submit, and own yourselves our slaves;
And 'cause we do not make it known,
Nor publickly our int'rests own;
Like sots, suppose we have no shares
In ord❜ring you, and your affairs:
When all your empire and command,
You have from us, at second-hand :

As if a pilot, that

pilot, that appears

To sit still only, while he steers,
And does not make a noise and stir,

Like ev'ry common mariner,
Knew nothing of the card, nor star,
And did not guide the man-of-war :

250

255

260

265

270

Nor we, because we don't appear
In councils, do not govern there:
While, like the mighty Prester John,
Whose person none dares look upon,
But is preserv'd in close disguise,
From being made cheap to vulgar eyes,
W'enjoy as large a power unseen,
To govern him, as he does men :

275

280

Prester John,

v. 277. While, like the mighty Prester John, &c.] an absolute Prince, emperor of Abyssinia or Ethiopia. One of them is reported to have had seventy kings for his vassals, and so superb and arrogant, that none durst look upon him without his permission." See Browne's Vulgar Errours, book 6. chap. 10. p. 353. See the various interpretations of his name, Ludolfi Histor. Ethiopic. lib. 2. cap. I. sect. 13. id. ibid. sect. 23. Sir John Maundevile's Voyages and Travels, edit. 1727. chap. 27, 28, 29. Spanish Maundevile, 2d book, folio 55, 56, 57. The Voyage and Adventures of Hernando Mendez Pinto, chap. 3, p. 5. Purchase his Pilgrims, part 2. lib. 7, chap. 5. p. 1127. J.Taylor's Works, p. 106. Dictionary.

Heylin's Cosmography, 1670, p. 986. Collier's

But if his purpose do not vary,

He means to fetch one more vagary,

To see before his coming back,

The furthest bounds of Prester Jack.

Mr. W. Austin's Panegyric Verses upon T. Coryat and his Crudities. See likewise J. Donne's.

v. 278. Whose person none dares look upon] Sir Francis Alvarez, a Portugal priest, in his Voyage to the Court of Prete Janni, (see Purchase his Pilgrims, part 2. p. 1082.) observes, “That he commonly sheweth himself thrice a year, on Christmas-day, on Easter-day, and on Holyrood-day in September. And the cause why he thus sheweth himself thrice, is because his grandfather, whose name was Alexauder, was kept three years secret after his death by his servants, who governed the coun try all the meanwhile: for until that time, none of the people might see their King; neither was he seen of any, but a few of his servants. And at the request of the people, the father of David, one of their emperors, shewed himself three days; and this King also doth the like." See Le Blanc's Voyages and Travailes, part 2. chap. 11. p. 227.

And in the right of our Pope Joan,
Make Emp'rors at our feet fall down;
Or Joan the Pucelle's braver name,
Our right to arms, and conduct claim;

285

v. 283, 284. And in the right of our Pope Joan,-Make Emp'rors at our feet fall down] This is a notable gird upon Pope Alexander the Third, who had a meeting with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa at Venice. (Sir W. Segar says in the year 1166, Sir Paul Rycaut in the year 1177.) The following account of which is given by Sir W. Segar. (Of Honour, Military and Civil, chap. 27. p. 152.) "The Emperor being arrived at Venice, the Pope was set in a rich chair at the church door. Before the Pope's feet a carpet of purple was spread upon the ground; the Emperor being come to the said carpet, forthwith fell down, and from thence (upon his knees) went towards the Pope, to kiss his feet; which done, the Pope with his hand lifted him up. From thence they passed together unto the great altar, in St. Mark's church, whereon was set the table of precious stones, which at this day is reputed one of the greatest treasures in Europe. Some have reported, that the Emperor did prostrate himself before the altar, and the Pope set his foot on his neck while this was a doing, the clergy sung the psalm of David, which saith, Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis ; which the Emperor hearing, said, Non tibi, sed Petro; the Pope answered, Et mihi, et Petro." (See Sir Paul Rycaut's History of the Popes, p. 246. Mr. L. Howel's History of the Pontificate, p. 341. Wolfii Lection. Memorab. par. 1. p. 375. par. 2. p. 425. Fougasse's History of Venice, by Shute, part p. 109. Misson's Voyage, vol. 1. p. 173, 177.) See an account of Pope Hildebrand's excommunication and barbarous usage of the Emperor Henry IV in Platina and Genebrard. Chronic. ann. 1073.

:

v. 285. Or Joan the Pucelle's braver name] * Joan of Arc, called also the Pucelle, or Maid of Orleans. She was born at the town of Damremi on the Meuse, daughter of James d'Arc, and Isabella Romee, and was bred up a shepherdess in the country. At the age of eighteen or twenty, she pretended to an express commission from God to go to the relief of Orleans, then besieged by the English, and defended by John Comte de Dunois, and almost reduced to the last extremity. She went to the coronation of Charles the VIIth, when he was almost ruined. She knew that Prince in the midst of his nobles, though meanly habited. The doctors of divinity, and members of Parliament, openly declared that there was something supernatural in her conduct. She sent for a sword