The City Poet too was there,

In a black Sattin Cap and his own Hair,
And begg'd that he might have the Honour
To beget a Pageant on her

For the City's next Lord Mayor.
Her Favours the to none deny'd:
They took her all by turns afide.
Till at the laft up in the rear there came
The Poets Scandal, and the Mufes Shame,
A Beast of Monftrous guife, and LIBELL was
his Name.

But let me paufe, for 'twill ask time to tell How he was born, how bred and where, and where he now does dwell.

IX.

He paus'd, and thus renew'd his Tale.
Down in an obfcure Vale,

'Midft Fogs and Fens, whence Mifts and Vapours
Where never Sun was feen by Eyes,

Under a defart Wood

Erife,

Which no Man own'd, but all wild Beafts were bred, And kept their horrid Dens, by prey far forrag'd fed, An ill-pil'd Cottage food,

Built of Mens Bones flaughter'd in Civil War,
By Magick Art brought thither from afar.
There liv'd a widow'd Witch,

That us'd to mumble Curfes eve and morn,
Like one whom Wants and Care had worn;
Meagre her Looks, and funk her Eyes,
Yet Mischiefs ftudy'd, Difcords did devife.
Sh' appeared humble, but it was her Pride:
Slow in her Speech, in femblance fanctify'd.
Still when the spoke she meant another way;
And when the curft, fhe feem'd to pray.
Her hellish Charms had all a holy dress,
Ard bore the Name of Godliness.

All her Familiars feem'd the Sons of Peace.
Honeft Habits they all wore,

In outward fhow moft lamb-like and divine:

ર

}

But inward of all Vices they had ftore,

Greedy as Wolves, and fenfual too as Swine. Like her, the Sacred Scriptures they had all by Heart, Most easily could quote, and turn to any part, Backward repeat it all, as Witches Prayers do, And for their turn, interpret backward too. Idolatry with her was held impure,

Becaufe befides her felf no Idol fhe'd endure. Though not to paint, fh'ad arts to change the Face, And alter it in Heav'nly fashion.

Lewd Whining the defin❜d a mark of Grace, And making ugly faces was Mortification.

Her late dead Pander was of well-known fame, Old Presbyter Rebellion was his Name:

She a fworn Foe to KING, his Peace, and Laws, So will be ever, and was call'd (blefs us!) THE

GOOD OLD CAUSE.

X.

A Time there was, (a fad one too)

When all things wore the face of Woe, When many Horrors rag'd in this our Land, And a destroying Angel was fent down,

To fcourge the Pride of this Rebellious Town. He came, and o'er all Britain ftretch'd his conqu❜ring Till in th' untrodden Streets unwholfome Grafs[hand: Grew of great ftalk, its Colour grofs, And melancholick pois'nous green;

Like those coarfe fickly Weeds on an old Dunghill
Where fome Murrain-murther'd Hog, [feen,
Poifon'd Cat, or ftrangled Dog,

In rottennefs had long unburied laid,
And the cold Soil productive made.
Birds of ill Omen hover'd in the Air,
And by their Cries bad us for Graves prepare ;
And, as our Destiny they seem'd t' unfold,
Dropt dead of the fame fate they had foretold.
That dire Commiffion ended, down there came
Another Angel with a Sword of Flame:

Defolation foon he made,

And our new Sodom low in Ashes laid. Diffractions and Diftrufts then did amongst us rife When, in her pious old Difguife,

This Witch with all her Mischief-making Train Began to fhew her felf again.

The Sons of old Rebellion ftrait fhe fummon'd all; Strait they were ready at her call:

Once more th' old Bait before their Eyes fhe caft.

That and her Love they long'd to taft ; And to her Luft the drew them all at last.

}

So Reuben (we may read of heretofore) [Whore. Was led aftray, and had pollution with his Father's

XI.

The better to conceal her lewd intent
In fafety from obferving Eyes,

Th' old Strumpet did her self disguise
In comely Weeds, and to the City went,
Affected Truth, much Modefty, and Grace,
And (like a worn-out-Suburb-Trull) past there for a
Thither all her Loyers flock'd, [new Face.
And there for her fupport the found

A Wight, of whom Fame's Trumpet much does With all ingredients for his bus nefs ftockt, [found, Not unlike him whofe Story has a Place

In th' Annals of Sir Hudribras.
Of all her bus' nefs He took care,

Andevery Knave or Fool that to her did repair,
Had by him admittance there.

By his Contrivance to her did refort

All who had been difgufted at the Court.

Thofe whofe Ambition had been croft,

Or by ill Manners had Preferments loft, Were those on whom the practis'd moft her Charms, Lay nearest to her Heart, and oft'neft in her Arms. Int'reft in every Faction, every Sect she fought; And to her Lure, flatt'ring their Hopes, the brought All thofe who use Religion for a Fashion.

All fuch as practife Forms, and take great Pains To make their Godlinefs their Gains,

And thrive by the Distractions of a Nation,
She by her Art enfnar'd, and fetter'd in her Chains.
Through her the Atheist hop'd to purchase Toleration,
The Rebel Pow'r, the beggar'd Spend-thrift Lands,
Out of the King's or Bishop's Hands.

Nay, to her fide at laft fhe drew in all the rude,
Ungovernable, headlong Multitude:

Promis'd ftrange Liberties, and fure Redress
Of never-felt, unheard-of Grievances:

Pamper'd their Follies, and indulg'd their Hopes, With May-day-Routs, November Squibs, and burning Paft-board Popes.

XII.

With her in common Luft did mingle all the Crew,
Till at the laft the pregnant grew,

And from her womb, in little time, brought forth
This monstrous, most detefted Birth.
Of Children born with Teeth w'ave heard,
And some like Comers with a Beard;
Which feem'd to be fore-runners of dire Change:
But never hitherto was feen,

Born from a Wapping Drab, or Shoreditch Quean,
A form like this fo hideous and fo ftrange.
To help whofe Mother in her Pains, there came
Many a well-known Dame.

The Bawd Hypocrifie was there,

And Madam Impudence the Fair:

Dame Scandal with her fquinting Eyes,
That loves to fet good Neighbours at debate,
And raise Commotions in a jealous State,
Was there, and Malice Queen of far-spread Lies,
With all their Train of Frauds and Forgeries.
But Midwife Mutiny, that busie Drab,

That's always talking, always loud,
Was the that first took up the Babe,
And of the office moft was proud.

Behold its head of horrid form appears:
To fpight the Pillory it had no Ears.
When ftrait the Bawd cry'd out, 'twas surely kin
To the bleft Family of Pryn.
But Scandal offer'd to depose her word,
Or oath, the Father was a Lord.

The Nose was ugly, long, and big,
Broad, and fnowty like a Pig;

Which fhew'd he would in Dunghills love to dig; Love to caft ftinking Satyrs up in ill-pil'd Rhymes, And live by the Corruptions of unhappy Times. XIIL

They promis'd all by turns to take him,
And a hopeful Youth to make him.
To nurse he ftrait was fent

To a Sifter-witch, though of another fort,
One who profeft no good, nor any meant:
All day the practis'd Charms,by night she hardly flept.
Yet in the outcafts of a Northern factious Town,
A little fmoaky Mansion of her own,

Where her Familiars to her did refort,
A. Cell the kept.

Hell fhe ador'd, and Satan was her God;
And many an ugly loathfome Toad
Crawl'd round her walls, and croak'd.
Under her Roof all difmal, black, and fmoak'd,
Harbour'd Beetles, and unwholfome Bats,
Sprawling nefts of little Cats;

All which were imps the cherish'd with her blood,
To make her Spells fucceed and good,

Still at her rivell'd Breasts they hung, when e'er mankind fhe curft,

[nurft.

And with thefe Fofter-brethren was our Monster
In little time the Hell-bred Brat
Grew plump and fat,

Without his Leading-ftrings could walk,
And (as the Sorceress taught him) talk,
At feven years old he went to School,
Where firft he grew a foe to Rule,