Discover'd the Enemy's defign,
And which way best to countermine ?
Prefcrib'd what ways it hath to work,

Or it will ne'er advance the Kirk?
Told it the news o' th' last express,
And after good or bad fuccefs
Made prayers, not fo like petitions
As overtures and propofitions
(Such as the Army did prefent
To their Creator, the Parl'ament);
In which they freely will confefs,
They will not, cannot acquiefce,

:

394

600

Unless

"Almighty but as for thofe that are strong in all "Gifts, and grown up in all Grace, and are come to

a fulness and ripeness in the Lord Jefus, it is comely "enough to take a great chair, and fit at the end of the "table, and, with their cock'd hats on their heads, "to fay, God, we thought it not amifs to call upon "thee this evening, and let thee know how affaire "stand; we have been very watchful fince we were "laft with thee; and they are in a very hopeful con"dition; we hope that thou wilt not forget us; for we "are very thoughtful of thy concerns: we do fome"what long to hear from thee; and if thou pleaseft to "give us fuch a thing (Victory), we fhall be (as I "may fo fay) good to thee in fomething elfe when it lies in our way." See a remarkable Scotch Prayer much to the fame purpofe, Scourge, by Mr. Lewis, No. xvi. p. 130. edit. 1717.

Ver. 602.] Alluding, probably, to their faucy expoftulations with God from the pulpit. Mr. Vines, in St. Clement's Church, near Temple-bar, ufed the

following

Unless the work be carry'd on
In the fame way they have begun,
By setting Church and Common-weal
All on a flame, bright as their zeal,
On which the Saints were all agog,
And all this for a Bear and Dog?
The Parl'ament drew up petitions

To 'tfelf, and fent them, like commiffions,
To well-affected perfons, down

In every city and great town,

With power to levy horse and men,
Only to bring them back agen ?
For this did many, many a mile,
Ride manfully in rank and file,

605

610

615

With

following words: "O Lord, thou haft never given us "a victory this long while, for all our frequent faft"ing: what doft thou mean, O Lord, to fling into a

ditch, and there to leave us?" And one Robinson, in his Prayer at Southampton, Aug. 25, 1642, expreffed himself in the following manner: "O God, O God, many are the hands that are lift up against us: but there is one God, it is thou thyfelf, O Father, who does us more mifchief than they all." They seemed to encourage this faucinefs in their public fermons. "Gather upon God (fays Mr. R. Harris, "Faft Sermon before the Commons) and hold him to it "as Jacob did; prefs him with his precepts, with his "promifes, with his hand, with his feal, with his oath, till we do duaWTEN, as fome Greek Fathers boldly fpeak: that is, if I may fpeak it reverently enough, put the Lord out of countenance; put him, as you would fay, to the blush, unless we be mafters of our requests."

With

papers in their hats, that fhow'd

As if they to the pillory rode ?

Have all these courses, these efforts,

How will Diffenting Brethren relifh it?
What will Malignants fay? Videlicet,
That each man fwore to do his best
To damn and perjure all the rest ?
And bid the Devil take the hin'moft

630

Which at this race is like to win most.

They 'll say our business, to Reform

635

The Church and State, is but a worm;

For to subscribe, unfight, unseen,

T'an unknown Church-difcipline,

What is it elfe, but before-hand
T'engage, and after understand?
For when we fwore to carry on
The present Reformation,
According to the purest mode

Of churches best-reform'd abroad,
What did we elfe but make a vow

640

645

To do we know not what, nor how?

For

655

If we permit men to run headlong
T'exorbitances fit for Bedlam,
Rather than Gospel-walking times,
When flightest fins are greatest crimes.
But we the matter fo fhall handle,
As to remove that odious fcandal:
In name of King and Parl'ament,
I charge you all, no more foment

This feud, but keep the peace between
Your brethren and your countrymen,
And to thofe places ftraight repair
Where your respective dwellings are.

660

665

But

Ver. 651.] The Holy League in France, defigned and made for the extirpation of the Proteftant religion, was the original out of which the Solemn League and Covenant here was (with difference only of circumftances) most faithfully tranfcribed. Nor did the fuccefs of both differ more than the intent and purpose; for, after the destruction of vaft numbers of people of all forts, both ended with the murder of two kings, whom they had both fworn to defend. And as our Covenanters fwore every man to run one before another in the way of Reformation, fo did the French, in the Holy League, to fight to the laft drop of blood.

But to that purpose first surrender

The Fiddler, as the prime offender,

Th' incendiary vile, that is chief
Author and engineer of mifchief;
That makes divifion between friends,
For profane and malignant ends.
He and that engine of vile noise,
On which illegally he plays,

670

Shall (dictum factum) both be brought
To condign pun'shment, as they ought.
This must be done, and I would fain fee
Mortal so sturdy as to gainsay;

€75

For

Ver. 673-676.] The threatening punishment to the Fiddle, was much like the threats of the pragmatical troopers to punish Ralph Dobbin's waggon, Plain Dealer, vol. I. “I was driving (fays he) into a town 66 upon the 29th of May, where my waggon was to "dine: there came up in a great rage feven or eight "of the troopers that were quartered there, and asked "What I bushed out my horfes for?" I told them, ""To drive flies away." But they faid, "I was a Ja«cobite rascal; that my horfes were guilty of high trea"fon, and my waggon ought to be hanged."-I an"fwered, "It was already drawn, and within a yard "or two of being quartered; but as to being hanged, "it was a compliment we had no occafion for, and "therefore defired them to take it back again, and "keep it in their own hands, till they had an oppor"tunity to make use of it."-I had no fooner fpoke "these words, but they fell upon me like thunder, "ftript my cattle in a twinkling, and beat me black " and blue with my own oak-branches."