Win at First, Lose at Last: Or, A New Game at CARDS.
Wherein the King recovered his Crown, and Traytors lost their Heads.
To the Tune of, Ye Gallants that delight to play.
|
YE merry hearts that love to play
|
At Cards, see who hath won the day;
|
You that once did sadly sing,
|
The Knave o'th'Clubs hath won the King:
|
Now more happy times we have,
|
The King hath overcome the Knave,
|
The King hath overcome the Knave.
|
Not long ago, a Game was play'd,
|
When three Crowns at the stake was lay'd;
|
England had no cause no boast,
|
Knaves won that which Kings had lost:
|
Coaches gave the way to Carts,
|
And Clubs were better Cards than Hearts.
|
Old Noll was the Knave o'th'Clubs,
|
A[n]d Dad of such as Preach in Tubs:
|
Bradshaw, [?]reton, and Pride,
|
Were three other Knaves beside:
|
And they play'd with half the Pack,
|
Throwing out all Cards but black, etc.
|
But the just Fates threw these four out,
|
Which made the Loyal Party shout;
|
The Pope would fain have had the Stock,
|
And with these Ca[r]ds have whip'd his Dock[.]
|
But soon the Devil these Cards snatches,
|
To dip in brimstone and make Matches.
|
But still the sport for to maintain,
|
Lambert, Haslerige, and Vain,
|
And one-ey'd Hewson took their places,
|
Knaves were better Cards than Aces;
|
But Fleetwood he himself did save,
|
Because he was more Fool than Knave.
|
Cromwel, tho' he so much had won,
|
Yet he had an unlucky Son;
|
He sits still and not regards[,]
|
Whilst cunning Gamesters sets the Cards,
|
And thus, alas! poor silly Dick,
|
He play'd a while but lost the trick.
|
The Rumpers that had won whole Towns,
|
The spoils of Martyrs and of Crowns,
|
Were not contented, but grew rough,
|
As tho' they had not won enough;
|
They kept the Cards still in their hands,
|
To play for Tythes and Colledge-Lands.
|
The Presbyters began to fret,
|
That they were like to lose the set;
|
Unto the Rump they did appeal,
|
And said it was there turn to deal;
|
Then dealt the Presbyterians, but
|
The Army swear that they will cut,
|
The Army swear that they will cut.
|
THe Foreign Lands did all wonder,
|
To see what gallant Games of [u]nder,
|
That they that Christmas did forswear,
|
Should follow Gaming all the Year,
|
Nay more, which was the strangest thing,
|
To play so long without a King, etc.
|
The bold Phanaticks present were,
|
Like bu[t]tlers with their boxes there:
|
Not doubting but that every Game
|
Some profit would redound to them:
|
Because they were the Gamesters Minions,
|
And every day broach[t] new Opinions, etc.
|
But Cheshire men (as Stories say)
|
Began to shew them Gamesters play:
|
Brave Booth and all his Army strives
|
To save the Stakes or lose their lives:
|
But Oh, sad fate, they were undone,
|
By playing of their Cards too soon, etc.
|
Thus all the while a Club was trump,
|
There's none could ever beat the Rump:
|
Until a Noble G[e]neral came,
|
And gave the Cheaters a clear slam:
|
His finger did out-wit their noddy,
|
And [s]crew'd up poor Jack Lambert's body.
|
Then Hasl[?]rige began to scowl,
|
And said the General play'd foul:
|
Look to him P[a]rtners, for I tell ye,
|
This Monk has got a King in's belly:
|
Not so quoth Monk, but I believe,
|
Sir Arthur has a Knave in's sleeve.
|
When General Monk did understand
|
The Rump were peeping into's hand,
|
He wisely kept his Cards from sight,
|
Which put the Rump into a fright:
|
He saw how many were betray'd,
|
That shew'd their Cards before they plaid.
|
At length, quoth he, some Cards we lack,
|
I will not play with half a pack,
|
What you cast out I will bring in,
|
And a New Game we will begin,
|
With that the Standers-by did say,
|
They never yet saw fairer play, etc.
|
But presently this Game was past,
|
And for a second Knaves were cast,
|
All New Cards, not stain'd with spots,
|
As was the Rumpers and the Scots,
|
Here good Gamesters plaid their parts,
|
They turned up the King of Hearts, etc.
|
After this Game was done, I think,
|
The Standers-by had cause to drink:
|
And the loyal Subjects sing.
|
Farewel Knaves, and welcome King:
|
For till we saw the King return'd,
|
We wisht the Cards had all been burn'd, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|