After he had awhile look'd wife,

At laft broke filence, and the ice.

Quoth he, there's nothing makes me doubt

Our last outgoings brought about,

More than to see the characters

Of real jealousies and fears

Not feign'd, as once, but fadly horrid,

Scor'd upon ev'ry member's forehead;

Who, 'cause the clouds are drawn together,

And threaten fudden change of weather,
Feel pangs and aches of state-turns,

500

And revolutions in their corns ;

And, fince our workings-out are crost,

505

Throw up the caufe before 'tis loft.

Was it to run away we meant,
Who, taking of the covenant,
The lameft cripples of the brothers

Took oaths to run before all others,

510

But in their own fenfe, only swore,

To strive to run away before,

And now would prove, the words and oath
Engage us to renounce them both?

'Tis true the cause is in the lurch,
Between a right and mongrel-church;

The presbyter and independent,

That stickle which fhall make an end on 't,
As 'twas made out to us the last
Expedient,—I mean Marg’ret's fast;
When providence had been fuborn'd,
What answer was to be return'd:
Elfe why should tumults fright us now,
We have fo many times gone thro',

And understand as well to tame

As when they serve our turns, t' inflame?

Have prov'd how inconsiderable

Are all engagements of the rabble,

515

520

525

Whose frenzies must be reconcil'd

With drums, and rattles, like a child,

But never prov'd so profperous,

As when they were led on by us ;
For all our scouring of religion
Began with tumults and fedition;

530

When hurricanes of fierce commotion

535

Became strong motives to devotion;

As carnal feamen, in a storm,

Turn pious converts, and reform,

When rusty weapons, with chalk'd edges,
Maintain'd our feeble privileges,

And brown-bills levy'd in the city,

Made bills to pass the grand committee:
When zeal, with aged clubs and gleaves,
Gave chafe to rochets and white fleeves,

540

And made the church, and state, and laws, 545 Submit t' old iron, and the caufe.

And as we thriv'd by tumults then,
So might we better now agen,
If we knew how, as then we did,

To use them rightly in our need:

550

Tumults, by which the mutinous

Betray themselves instead of us;
The hollow-hearted, difaffected,

And close malignant are detected;

Who lay their lives and fortunes down,
For pledges to fecure our own;

And freely facrifice their ears

T' appease our jealousies and fears :
And yet, for all these providences,
W' are offer'd, if we have our senses,
We idly fit, like stupid blockheads,
Our hands committed to our pockets,
And nothing but our tongues at large,
To get the wretches a discharge:

555

560

Like men condemn'd to thunderbolts,

565

Who, e're the blow, become mere dolts;

Or fools befotted with their crimes,
That know not how to shift betimes,
That neither have the hearts to stay,
Nor wit enough to run away:

;

Who, if we could referve on either,
Might stand or fall at least together;
No mean nor trivial folaces
To partners in extreme distress,
Who use to lessen their despairs.
By parting them int' equal shares ;
As if the more they were to bear,
They felt the weight the easier;
And ev'ry one the gentler hung,
The more he took his turn among.
But 'tis not come to that, as yet,
If we had courage left, or wit,

570

575

580