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EBBA 32257

Huntington Library - Miscellaneous
Ballad XSLT Template
Lamentation,

COme all ye tender Mortals that have Ears,
And to my mournful Story lend your Tears.
Not Childrens Tears, nor such as Women shed,
Losing the dear Associates of their Bed;
But deeply cut with an afflicting Sense,
Let your sad hearts their purple Streams dispense.
Hang down your wondring heads, and blushing show
Your deep amazement by your sinking Brow.
With Silence, Horror, and Attention wait,
Whilst my sad Muse doth the dire Tale relate.
My Tongue-tyd Muse, which nere before could speak,
Yet now must open, or my Heart will break.
But oh! I Tremble, and I dare not Name
The dismal Cause of my Poetick Flame.
Fain I would speak, and ease me of my Pain,
But my great Horror strikes me dumb again.
What Iron Tongue can with due Temper speak,
Or Marble Heart declare, unless it break?
That JAMES the Mighty, Once-lovd JAMES is gone
In silent Night, all Guardless, and Alone,
Withdrew from His great Kingdoms, and His Throne!
JAMES the late Sovreign of His Subjects Hearts,Now Unlamented from His Throne departs!
JAMES the Great Source and Origin of Laws,
When He Himself from their Defence withdraws,
Subjects Himself unto the Rabbles Jaws!
Whose lawless Fury, and outragious Powr,
(Which God forbid) would MAJESTY devour.
Malicious Scriblers too with barbrous Pen,
Are crueller than Lyons in a Den!
Oh that there is such Impudence in Men!
Who lately did before Him Trembling stand,
And flew to finish but His least Command.
With awful Reverence and Terror struck,
They would have paid Obedience to His Look:
Wholly regardless of that Sacred Name,
Desert the Head from whence their Honours came.
Who brooded safe under His powrful Wing,
Now barbarously use the Name of KING;
And not alone deny their helping Sword,
But utterly refuse Him their good Word.
Nobles and Commons, Subjects and Soldiers too,
At once consent their MONARCH to undo;
And tis their Duty, Conscience tells them so.
Oh Monarch! Oh unhappy Monarch! why
Should all at once abandon Loyalty,
Under the great Defence of Honesty?
Who always have been Faithful to the Crown,
And with their Blood and Fortunes servd the Throne,
That Service must in Faithfulness disown.
Long, ROYAL SIR, have the damnd Snares been laid,
Wherein Your MAJESTY is thus betrayd.
Hell and ROMEs Emissaries did Combine
The English Monarchy to Undermine.
ROME could not bear to have that Jewel lost,
Which to her thirsty Coffers brought in most.
And since our Land forsook the Romish Yoke,
And wisely from her Cursed Fetters broke.
Rome, to recover her delightful Gain,
Many a Plot did secretly maintain,
To bring this Nation to her Foot again:
But frustrated in evry such Design,
By an ore-ruling Providence Divine,
Your MAJESTY exalted to the Throne,
Secure she stood in so endeard a Son,
So firmly bound to her Religion.
Who (when a Subject) to her firmly stood,
Despisd his Right, tho of Successive Blood,
And publickly avowd the Holy Cause,
Against the highest Intrest, and known Laws.

What coud she doubt of such a zealous Son,
When safely guarded with His Sacred Crown,
And urgd too with the Queens eternal Moan!
Whom Nature had obligd to th Holy See,
(Sure she Espousd it to Extremity!)
Now then with restless, and redoubled Rage,
She all her Engines doth to work engage
The apostatized Nation to reduce
Unto the Universal Mothers Use.
But I forbear to search the Wound too deep,
And (as a Subject) will my Distance keep:)
Nor mention what it was she did intend,
When to her Arts she did our Monarch bend.
But humbly, and with bleeding heart implore,
His MAJESTY would take her Part no more:
But (having bought at most expensive Rates
This dearest Eye-salve) would perceive her Cheats:
Wisely reflecting into what a state
Her Treacheries have brought the JUST and GREA
And under the specious Name Religion,
The happiest MONARCH of the Earth undone.
Religion, said I! Ay, a curst One tis,
Which perpetrates the worst of Villanies,
Under the meritorious hopes of Bliss.
See then, O Royal Sovreign, see
Into that bloody Harlots Treachery,
And resolutely break her slavish Yoke:
Say but that healing word, and when tis spoke,
Let the lost Whore perceive she is forsook.
Tell all Your bleeding Nation, tell the World,
How by ROMEs cursed Arts You thus were hurld
Into the fatal Pit, and freely own
The sevral Facts she would have had You done.
Nothing orecomes like Free Confession.
Shall I Your Lord and Sovreign fall
Into my meanest Subjects basest Thrall,
And (like a little Criminal) tell all?
Yes, MONARCH, that You shall (pardon dread Lord)
The over-freedom of that hasty word.
But tis indeed the only Cure is found,
For the sure healing of the desprate Wound.
Tis better far ingeniously to own
An Error done, than that it should be known
By other means, Who truly doth Repent,
Is in the next Degree to Innocent.
Say then, Dear Sovreign, most sincerely say
Yove thrown that cursed Intrest quite away,
Wholly dislodgd it from Your Sacred Breast,
Will never deal again with ROMISH Priest,
Only to drive them from their Hellish Nest.
This done, You shall be more than ere adord,
To all Your Glories happily Restord.
Take it (for once) on a mean Subjects word.
So shall Your Majesty secure Your Soul,
And all Your great Impending Storms Controul.
So shall the Most Illustrious PRINCE Your Son
With Joyful heart his dearest Father own,
Think hes well paid for all hes undergon.
So shall Your Nobles with all Joy protest,
Theyre infinitly in such a Convert blest;
So all Your Clergy will Devoutly Pray,
All former Errors may be done away,
And ROME our great Expences shall defray.
So all the Commons will Allegiance swear,
And thankfully all Damages Repair:
So all the People shall Heart-Offerings bring,
And loudly Shout and Cry
God Save the King.


FINIS.

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