Mr. Hampdens Speech occasioned upon the Londoners Pe-
tition for PEACE.
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BUt will you now to peace encline,
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And languish in the maine designe,
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and leave us in the lurch;
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I would not Monarchy destroie,
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But only as the way tinjoy
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the ruines of the Church.
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Is not the Bishops Bill denid,
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And we still threatned to be trid?
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you see the King embraces
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Those counsells he approvd before,
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Nor does he promise which is more
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that we shall have their places.
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Did I for this bring in the Scot,
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(For tis no secret now) the plot
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was s and mine together;
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Did I for this returne againe?
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And spent a winter then in vaine
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once more tinvite them hither.
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Though more our money then our cause
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Their brotherly assistance drawes
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my labour was not lost;
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At my returne I brought you thence
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Necessity, their strong pretence,
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and this shall quit your cost.
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Did I for this my Country bring,
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To helpe their Knight against their King,
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and raise the first division;
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Yet I the business did decline
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Though I contrivd the whole designe,
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and taught them to petition.
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So many nights spent in the City
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In that invisible Committee,
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the wheele that governs all;
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From thence the change in Church & State,
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And all the mischiefes beares their date
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from Haberdashers Hall.
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Did we force Ireland to despaire?
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Upon the King to cast the war
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to make the world abhor him;
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Because the Rebels used his name,
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Though we ourselves can doe the same
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while both alike are for him.
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Then the same fire we kindled here
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whilst we pretend to quench that there,
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and wisely lost that Nation;
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To doe as crafty beggars use
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To maine themselves only tabuse
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the simple mans compassion.
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Have I so often past between
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Winsor and Westminster unseen?
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and did myselfe divide,
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To keep his Excellence in awe,
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And give the Parliament the Law,
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for they knew none beside.
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Did I for this take paines to teach
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Our zealous ignorance to preach,
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and did their lungs inspire
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Read em their texts, shewd them their parts
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And taught them all their little arts
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to fling abroad the fire
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Sometimes to beg, sometimes to threaten,
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Then say the Cavaliers are beaten,
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and strooke the peoples ears;
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And straight when victories grow cheap,
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And will no more advance the heap
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to r[a]ise the price of fears,
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And now the books, and now the bells,
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And now our arts the Preacher tells
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to edifie the people;
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All our Divinity is news,
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And we have made of equall use
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the pulpit and the steeple.
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And shall we kindle all this flame
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Only to put it out againe,
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and must we now give ore,
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And only end where we begun,
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In vaine this mischiefe we have done
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if we can do no more.
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If men in peace may have their right,
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Where is this necessity to fight
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and break both law and oath?
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Who say that they fight for the cause,
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And to defend the King and laws,
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but tis against them both.
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Either the cause at first was ill,
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Or being good it is so still,
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and thence they will infer
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That either now, or at the first
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They were dceived, or which is worst
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that we ourselves may erre.
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But plague and famine will come in,
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For they and we are near of kin,
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and cannot go asunder;
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For while the wicked starve indeed,
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The Saints have ready at their need
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Gods providence and plunder.
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Princes we are if we prevaile,
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And gallant villaines if we faile
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when to our fame tis told,
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It will not be our least of praise
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When our new state we could not raise
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we have destroid the old.
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Then let us slay, fight, and vote
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Till London be not worth a groat,
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oh tis a patient Beast,
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When we have gald and tird that mule,
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And can no longer have the rule,
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weele have our spoile at least.
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