He could deep mysteries unriddle,
As easily as thread a needle :

goo For as of vagabonds, we say, That they are ne'er beside their way, Whate’er men speak by this New-light, Still they are sure to be i' th’ right. 'Tis a dark-lantern of the Spirit,

sos Which none see by but those that bear it; A light that falls down from on high, For spiritual trades to cozen by; An ignis fatuus, that bewitches, And leads men into pools and ditches,

51. To make them dip themselves, and found For Christendom in dirty pond ; To dive, like wild-fowl, for salvation, And fish to catch regeneration. This light inspires and plays upon

SIS The nose of saint, like bag-pipe drone, And speaks, through hollow empty foul, As through a trunk, or whispering-hole, Such language as no mortal ear But spirit'al eaves-droppers can hear :

526 So Phoebus, or some friendly Muse, Into small poets song infuse, Which they at second-hand rehearse, Through reed or bagpipe, verfe for verse. Thus Ralph became infallible

525 As three or four-legg'd oracle,

The Ver. 511.] Alluding to Ralpho's religion, who was, probably, an Anabaptift or Dipper,

The ancient cup, or modern chair;
Spoke truth point blank, though unaware.

For mystic learning, wondrous able
In magic, talisman, and cabal,
Whose primitive tradition reaches
As far as Adam's first green breeches;
Deep-lighted in intelligences,
Ideas, atoms, influences;
And much of Terra Incognita,

Th’intelligible world, could say;
A deep occult philofopher,
As learn'd as the Wild Irish are,
Or Sir Agrippa, for profound
And solid lying much renown'd:
He Anthroposophus, and Floud,
And Jacob Behmen, understood;
Knew many an amulet and charm,
That would do neither good nor harm;
In Roficrucian lore as learned,
As he that Verè adeptus earned :
He understood the speech of birds.
As well as they themselves do words;
Could tell what subtlest parrots mean,
That speak and think contrary clean;
What member 'tis of whom they talk
When they cry Rope, and Walk, knave, walk,
He'd extract numbers out of matter,
And keep them in a glass, like water,

Ver. 546.] Alluding to the Philosopher's Stone.

553

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Of sovereign power to make men wise ;
For, dropt in blear thick-lighted eyes,
They 'd make them see in darkest night,
Like owls, though purblind in the light.
By help of these (as he profest)
He had First Matter feen undrest :
He took her naked, all alone,
Before one rag of form was on.
The Chaos, too, he had descry'd,
And seen quite through, or else he ly'd ;
Not that of Pasteboard, which men shew
For groats, at fair of Barthol'mew;.
But its great grandsire, first o'th' name,
Whence that and Reformation came,
Both cousin-germans, and right able
T'inveigle and draw in the rabble:
But Reformation was, some say,
O'th' younger house to Puppet-play.
He could foretel whats'ever was
By consequence to come to pass :

565

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As

Ver. 573.) The rebellious clergy would in their prayers pretend to foretel things, to encourage people in their rebellion. I meet with the following instance in the prayers of Mr. George Swathe, minister of Denham in Suffolk : " O my good Lord God, I praise thee “ for discovering the last week, in the day-time, a vi“ fion, that there were two great armies about York, " one of the malignant party about the King, the « other party Parliament and professors ; and the bet

ter side should have help from Heaven against the

or worst;

As death of great men, alterations,

575 Diseases, battles, inundations : All this without theclipse of th' sun, Or dreadful comet, he hath done By inward light, a way as good, And eafy to be understood :

580 But with more lucky hit than those That use to make the stars depose, Like Knights o'th' Poft, and falsely charge Upon themselves what others forge; As if they were consenting to

585 All mischiefs in the world men do : Or, like the devil, did tempt and fway 'em To rogueries, and then betray 'em. They 'll search a planct's house, to know Who broke and robb’d a house below;

590 Examine

« worft ; about, or at which instant of time, we heard

the foldiers at York had raised up a sconce against " Hull, intending to plant fifteen pieces against Hull;

against which fort Sir John Hotham, Keeper of “ Hull, by a garrison, discharged four great ordnance, « and broke down their sconce, and killed divers Ca“ valiers in it.--Lord, I praise thee for discovering this

victory, at the instant of time that it was done, to xo my wife, which did then prefently confirm hér droopsing heart, which the last week had been dejected “ three or four days, and no arguments could comfort “ her against the dangerous times approaching ; but “ when The had prayed

to be establihed in faith in thee, " then presently thou didít, by this vision, strongly * possess her soul that thine and our enemies should be "overcome.”

Examine Venus, and the Moon,
Who stole a thimble or a spoon ;
And though they nothing will confefs,
Yet by their very looks can guess,
And tell what guilty aspect bodes,
Who stole, and who receiv'd the goods :
They 'll question Mars, and, by his look,
Detect who 'twas that nimm'd a cloke;
Make Mercury confess, and 'peach
Those thieves which he himself did teach.
They 'll find, i' th' physiognomies
O'th' planets, all men's destinies ;
Like him that took the doctor's bill,
And swallow'd it instead o'th' pill,
Cast the nativity o' th' question,
And from positions to be guest on,
As sure as if they knew the moment
Of Native's birth, tell what will come on't.
They 'll feel the pulses of the stars,
To find out agues, coughs, catarrhs,
And tell what crisis does divine
The rot in Sheep, or mange in swine;
In men, what gives or cures the itch,
What makes them cuckolds, poor or rich;
What gains or loses, hangs or saves ;
What makes men great, what fools or knaves :
But not what wise, for only' of those
The stars (they say) cannot dispose,
No more than can the astrologians :
There they say right, and like true Trojans.

605

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