The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America Part 6

I Might excuse my selfe in Part, with a speech _Lycurgus_ used in the like exigent of State, _senectute fio audacior, publica necessitate loquacior_, but it much better becomes mee with all lowlinesse and uprightnesse, wherein I have failed to pray pardon on both my knees, which I most humbly and willingly doe; only, before I rise, I crave leave to present this six-fold Pet.i.tion.

That you would be pleased

To preserve the Sacred reputation of Parliaments, or, wee shall have no Common-wealth.

To uphold the due estimation of good Ministers, else, we shall have no Church.

To heale the sad dislocation of our Head, throughly, perfectly, or, wee shall have no King.

To oppugne the bold violation of divine Truths, else wee shall have no G.o.d.

To proceed with what zeale you began, or what you began can come to little end.

To expedite worke with what speede you safely may, else ignorant people will feare they shall have no end at all.

Hee that is great in Counsell, and Wonderfull in Working, guide and helpe you in All things, that doing All things in Him, by Him, and for Him, you may doe All things like Him.

_So be it._

A respective word to the Ministers of ENGLAND.

Farre bee it from mee, while I dehort others to slight you my selfe, or to despise any man but myselfe, whom I can never despise enough: I rather humbly intreate you to forgive my boldnesse, who have most just cause to judge my selfe lesse and lesse faithfull than the least of you all, yet I dare not but bee so faithfull to you and my selfe, as to say

They are the Ministers of _England_, that have lost the Land; for Christs sake, put on His bowels, His wisdome, His zeale, and recover it.

I pray let me drive in half a dozen plaine honest Country Hobnailes, such as the Martyrs were wont to weare; to make my work hold the surer; and I have done.

1. _There, lives cannot be good, There, Faith cannot be sure, Where Truth cannot be quiet, Nor Ordinances pure._

2. _No King can King it right, Nor rightly sway his Rod; Who truely loves not Christ, And truely fears not G.o.d._

3. _He cannot rule a Land, As Lands should ruled been, That lets himself be rul'd By a ruling Romane Queen._

4. _No earthly man can be True Subject to this State; Who makes the Pope his Christ, An Heretique his Mate._

5. _There Peace will goe to War, And Silence make a noise: Where upper things will not With nether equipoyse._

6. _The upper world shall Rule, While Stars will run their race: The nether world obey, While People keep their place._

The Clench.

_If any of these come out So long 's the world doe last: Then credit not a word Of what is said and past._

ERRATA AT NON CORRIGENDA.

Now I come to rubbe over my work, I finde five or six things like faults, which would be mended or commended, I know not well which, nor greatly care.

1. For _Levity_, read, _Lepidity_, ---- and that a very little, and that very necessary, if not unavoydable.

_Misce stult.i.tiam Consiliis brevem --Dulce est desipere in loco._ Horat.

To speak to light heads with heavy words, were to break their necks: to cloathe Summer matter, with Winter Rugge, would make the Reader sweat.

It is musick to me, to heare every Dity speak its spirit in its apt tune: every breast, to sing its proper part, and every creature, to expresse it self in its naturall note: should I heare a Mouse roare like a Beare, a Cat lowgh like an Oxe, or a Horse whistle like a Red-breast, it would scare ---- mee.

_The world's a well strung fidle, mans tongue the quill, That fills the world with fumble for want of skill, When things and words in tune and tone doe meet, The universall song goes smooth and sweet._

2. For _audacity_, read, _veracity_, or _Verum Gallice non libenter audis_. Mart. Flattery never doth well, but when it is whispered through a paire of lisping teeth; Truth best, when it is spoken out, through a paire of open lips. Ye make such a noyse there, with Drums and Trumpets, that if I should not speak loud, ye could not hear me: Ye talke one to another, with whole Culvering and Canon; give us leave to talk Squibs and Pistoletto's charged with nothing but powder of Love and shot of Reason: if you will cut such deep gashes in one anothers flesh, we must sow them up with deep st.i.tches, else ye may bleed to death: ye were better let us, your tender Countrymen doe it, than forraine Surgeons, who will handle you more cruelly, and take no other pay, but your Lives and Lands.

---- ---- _Aspice vultus, Ecce meos, utinamque oculos in pectore posses Inserere: & patrias intus deprendere Curas._ (Ovid. Ph[oe]b.

_He that to tall men speakes, must lift up 's head, And when h' hath done, must set it where he did: He that to proud men talkes, must put on pride; And when h' hath done, 'tis good to lay 't aside._

3. For, _Yes, but you speak at three thousand miles distance, which every Coward dare doe_, read, _if my heart deceives me not, I would speak thus, in the Presence Chamber or House of Commons_; hoping _Homer_ will speak a good word for me.

[Gr: Tharsaleos gar aner en pasin ameinon Ergoisi.] ----

Omnibus in rebus potior vir fortis & audax Sit licet hospes, & e longinquis venerit oris.

When Kings are lost, and Subjects cast away, A faithfull heart should speak what tongue can say: It skils not where this faithfull heart doth dwell, His faithfull dealing should be taken well.

4. For, _affected termes_, read, _I hope not_ ---- If I affect termes, it is my feeblenesse; friends that know me, thinke I doe not: I confesse, I see I have here and there taken a few finish st.i.tches, which may haply please a few Velvet eares; but I cannot now well pull them out, unlesse I should seame-rend all. It seemes it is in fas.h.i.+on with you to sugar your papers with Carnation phrases, and spangle your speeches with new quodled words. Ermins in Minifer is every mans Coat: Yet we heare some are raking in old musty Charnel books, for old mouldy monosyllables; I wish they were all banisht to _Monmouths.h.i.+re_, to returne when they had more wit.

_Multa renascentur quae jam cecidere, cadentque Quae nunc sunt in honore vocabula, si volet usus._

(Hor.

I honour them with my heart, that can expresse more than ordinary matter in ordinary words: it is a pleasing eloquence; them more, that study wisely and soberly to inhance their native language; them most of all, that esteeme the late significant speech, the third great blessing of the Land; it being so enriched, that a man may speak in many tongues in his Mothers mouth; and an uplandish Rusticke, more in one word than himselfe and all the Parish understands. Affected termes are unaffecting things to solid hearers; yet I hold him prudent, that in these fastidious times, will helpe disedged appet.i.tes with convenient condiments, and bangled ears, with pretty quicke pluckes. I speake the rather because, not long since, I met with a book, the best to mee I ever saw, but the Bible; yet under favour, it was somewhat underclad, especially by him who can both excogitate and expresse what hee undertakes, as well as any man I know.

_The world is growne so fine in words and wit, That pens must now Sir =Edward Nich'las= it.

He that much matter speaks, speaks ne'r a whit, If 's tongue doth not career 't above his wit._

5. For, _You verse it simply, what need have we of your thin Poetry_; read, _I confesse I wonder at it my self, that I should turne Poet_: I can impute it to nothing, but to the flatuousnesse of our diet: they are but sadden raptures soone up, soone downe.

--_Deductum dicere Carmen_, is highly commended by _Macrobius_.

_Virgil_ himselfe said, _Agrestem tenui meditabor arundine musam_.

_Poetry's a gift wherein but few excell; He doth very ill, that doth not pa.s.sing well.

But he doth pa.s.sing well, that doth his best, And he doth best, that pa.s.seth all the rest._