A DIALOGUE
Between the Ghosts of the Two last Parliaments, at their late Interview.
------Fuimus Troes.------ Nitimur in vetitum. ------
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Westminster Ghosts Advice.
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FRom deepest Dungeons of Eternal Night,
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The seats of Horror, Sorrow, Pains & spight,
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I have been sent to tell your tender Youth
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A seasonable and Important Truth!
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I feel, (but Oh too late,) that no Desease
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Is like a Surfeit of Luxurious Ease,
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And of all other, the most tempting things,
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Are too much Wealth, and too Indulgent Kings.
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None ever was superlatively ill,
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But by Degrees, with Industry and Skill:
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And some, whose Meaning hath at first been fair,
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Grow Knaves by Use, and Rebels by Despair.
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My time is past, and Yours will soon begin,
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Keep the first Blossoms from the blast of Sin;
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And by the Fate of my Tumultuous ways,
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Preserve your self, and bring serener Days.
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The busie subtile Serpents of the Law,
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Did first my Mind from true Obedience draw;
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While I did Limits to the King prescribe,
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And took for Oracles that Canting Tribe,
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I changd True Freedom for the Name of Free,
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And grew Seditious for Variety;
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All that opposd me were to be accusd;
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And, by the Law I Legally abusd.
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The Robe was summond, M---------d in the head,
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In Legal Murder none so deeply read:
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I brought him to the Bar, where once he stood,
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Staind with the (yet un-expiated) Blood
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Of the Brave Strafford, when 3 Kingdoms rung
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With his accumulative Hackney Tongue;
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Prisoners, and Witnesses were waiting by;
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These had been taught to Swear, and those to dy,
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And to expect Their Arbitrary Fates,
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Come for ill Faces, some for good Estates:
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To fright the People, and Alarm the Town,
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B------ and C--- imployd the Reverend Gown.
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But while the Triple Mitre bore the blame,
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The Kings 3 Crowns were their Rebellious aim:
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I seemd, (and did but seem) to fear the Guards,
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And took for mine the B------ and the W---
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Anti-monarchick Hereticks of Sate,
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Immoral Atheists, Rich, and Reprobate:
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But above all, I got a little Guide,
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Who every Foard of Villany had tryd;
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None knew so well the old Pernicious way
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To Ruine Subjects, and make Kings obey;
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And my small Jehu at a Furious Rate,
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Was driving Eighty back to Forty Eight.
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This the King knew, and was Resolvd to bear,
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But I mistook his Patience for his Fear:
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All that this happy Island could afford,
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Was Sacrificd to my Voluptuous Board.
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In his whole Paradice one only Tree
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He had excepted by a strict Decree;
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A Sacred Tree which Royal Fruit did bear,
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Yet It in pieces I Conspird to tear;
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Beware my Child! Divinity is there.
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This so out-did all I had done before,
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I could attempt, and He indure no more.
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My Un-prepard and Un-repenting breath,
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Was snatchd away by the swift Hand of Death,
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And I (with all my Sins about me) hurld,
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To th utter Darkness of the lower World;
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A dreadful place which you too soon will see,
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If You believe Seducers more than Me.
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Oxford Ghost.
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HAil g[r]eat prophetick Spirit, who could see
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Thr[o]ugh the dark Glass of ripning time, what we
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Too true ha[v]e found, and now too late complain,
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That thou Great Spirit shouldst foretel in vain:
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Full well and faithfully didst thou advise,
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Had we been modestly and timely wise:
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Free may you range, saidst thou, through every Field,
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And what else more luxurious Gardens yield
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Is thine; what ere may please, what ere delight
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The weakest Stomach, nicest Appetite.
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Of all the plenty of so vast a Store
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One thing forbidden is, one, and no more:
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By late and sad experience of whats past
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Probatum est, ipse dixit; Do not tast!
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Swift Ruines there, and sure Destruction,
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How great a truth, had it in time been known.
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Westm. Ghost.
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Vain empty Nothing, that wert lately All,
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How just, and how unpitied is thy Fall:
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Well worthy of the horrours of this place,
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That would no warning take by my Disgrace;
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Glutted with plenty, surfeited with Peace,
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Weary of Blessings, sick of too much Ease:
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Mad restless Troublers of our Israel,
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Who would not quiet be when things went well;
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Of secret base Designs meer managd Tools,
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Rash, unadvised, incorrigible F------
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Brisk Hotspurs, inconsiderately bold,
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By much too violent, and too hot to hold.
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Zeal flew as ift had been to run a Race,
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Duty and Reason coud not keep it pace:
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Insensible, regardless of my Fate;
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Dull Phrygian Sages, wise when tis too late;
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You livd, and then you had an easie way
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Thave provided gainst the Evil Day,
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Who would not then be timely wise, forbear
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Your vain unseasonable Sorrows here.
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Frailty (for men are frail) may err one time,
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But Malice only can repeat the Crime.
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Unthinking Senate, fed with empty words
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Of Patriot Lawyers and Protesting Lords:
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Abusd by Popular and mistaken Friends;
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Servd a dull Property for base hidden Ends.
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Liberty, Property and Religion,
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Sweet Names, and so is REFORMATION.
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Rank sign of sickly and distemperd Times,
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When fairest Names disguise the foulest Crimes.
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The cry of Liberty helpeth Ambition,
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And strait-lacd Conscience choaks Religion:
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Of publick Intrest you had no concern;
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But damnd a Proverb, Ner too late to learn.
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By no experience taught, miscarriage tamd,
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Nor by sad instance of my Fate reclaimd,
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What prejudice and private ends ill usd,
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False Zeal and like Religion ill excusd:
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Who (stiff-neckd) rather woud my Fate repeat,
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Than by new measures be securely great:
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No freedom of debate was left for you,
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When all was movd and managd by a few.
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Your leading M--- J--- and W---
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As if all Wisdom were in them alone:
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A House of Commons crumbld into Three;
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Slaves in effect, and in appearance Free,
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What aild the Pilot, slept he at the head?
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Or was your Judgment by your Wills misled?
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What evil Spirits Influence did prevail,
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That you who might at large securely Sail
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In a full Sea, and from all Danger free,
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Would run upon that Shelf that ruind me?
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These sure and sad effects I well foresaw;
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These real ills, which seeming good would draw;
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From these sad Consequences to disswade,
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I was sent forth, and gladly I obeyd:
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I told you then what now too true you find,
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Where Zeal flies out, and Duty leaves behind
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Tis Wisdoms shame, and Policies defect,
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For still like Causes will have like Effect.
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I sought by wondrous Truth this Point to gain,
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Urgd many reasons, but urgd all in vain:
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None were of force against the Good Old Cause
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Counsel was thrown away, Fool that I was.
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Where men with Law and Prophets would not live,
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To think a Message from the dead should thrive.
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Spight of my fore-sight and my dear bought skill,
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Cassandra I; you faithless Paris still.
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Your boundless Passion did no measures keep,
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Well might you break your Neck with such a leap.
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Men may at distance hover about Kings,
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And by their influence warmd, move earthly things;
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But when those bounds they would exceed, and fly
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Too near the Sun, scorcht, they drop down, and dy.
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What an occasion lost you to improve
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The Princes Favour and the Peoples Love?
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This when considering Posterity
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Shall think upon, theyl hate your Memory;
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And as once ancient Rome, they in their turn,
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Wish you had never dyd, or ner been born.
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Should your Successors tread your steps, they then,
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Though they were Gods, like us shall die like men
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Oh! may the next (for sure a next will be)
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Avoid the Rock that ruind you and me:
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Deeply affected with a just concern
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At our sad Fate, self-preservation learn;
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And merit (by avoiding needless Fears)
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By moderate Councils and praise-worthy Cares,
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A Monarchs Blessing and three Kingdoms Prayrs.
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