A TURN-COAT of the Times.
Who doth by experience profess and protest,
That of all professions, a Turn-Coat's the best.
Tune is, The King's Delight, Or, True Love is a Gift for a Queen.
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AS I was walking through
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Hide-Park as I us'd to do,
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some two or three months ago
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I laid me all along
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Without any fear of wrong,
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And listen'd unto a Song;
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It came from a powdered thing
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As fine as a Lord or a King,
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he knew not that I
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was got so nigh,
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And thus he began to sing.
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I am a Turn-coat Knave,
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Although I do bear it brave,
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and do not shew all I have,
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I can with tongue and pen
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Court every sort of men,
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And kill 'em as fast agen.
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With Zealots I can pray,
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With Cavaliers I can play:
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with Shop-keepers I
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can cogg and lye,
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And couzen as fast as they.
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When first the Wars began,
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And Prentices lead the Van,
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I that did let them on,
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When they cryed Bishops down,
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In Country, Court and Town,
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Quoth I, and have at the Crown.
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The Covenant I did take,
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For form and fashions sake,
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but when it would not
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support my plot,
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'Twas like an old Almanack.
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When Independency,
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had superiority
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I was of the same degree;
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When Keepers did command,
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I then had a holy hand
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In Deans and in Chapters land:
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But when I began to spy,
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Protectorship drew nigh,
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and Keepers were
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thrown o'er the Bar,
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Old Oliver then cry'd I
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WHen Sectarists got the day
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I used my yea, and nay;
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to flatter and then betray,
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In Parliament I gat,
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And there a Member sat,
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To tumble down Church & State,
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For I was a trusty trout
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In all that I went about
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and there we did vow
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to sit till now,
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But Oliver turn'd us out.
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We put down the house of Peers,
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We killed the Cavileers,
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and tippl'd the widows Tears
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We sequestred mens Estates,
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And made 'em pay monthly rates
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To trumpeters and their mates.
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Rebellion we did Print,
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And altered all the Mint;
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no knavery then
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was done by men,
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But I had a finger in't.
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When Charles was put to flight
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Then I was at Wor'ster fight
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and got a good booty by't,
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At that most fatal fall
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I killed and plundered all,
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The weakest went to the wall,
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Whilst my merry mates fell on,
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To pillaging I was gone,
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there is many (thought I)
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will come by and by,
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And why should not I be one.
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We triumphed like the Turk,
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We crippled the Scottish Kirk
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that set us at first to work,
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When Cromwell did but frown
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They yielded every Town,
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St. Andrews Cross went down
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But when old Nol did dye,
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And Richard his Son put by,
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I knew not how
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to guide my plow,
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where now shall I be thought I.
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I must confess the Rump
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Did put me in a dump,
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I knew not what would be trump
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When Dick had lost the day
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My gaming was at a stay,
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I could not tell what to play,
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When Monk was upon that score.
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I thought I would play no more
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I did not think what
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he would be at,
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I ne'er was so mumpt before.
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But now I am at Court,
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With men of the better sort
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and purchase a good report;
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I have the eyes and ears,
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Of many brave Noble Peers;
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And slight the poor Cavileers,
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Poor knaves they know not how,
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To flatter, cringe and bow,
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for he that is wise
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and means to rise,
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He must be a Turn-coat too.
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