A DISCOURSE BETWEEN
LAW AND CONSCIENCE
When they were both Banished from PARLIAMENT. In the first Parliament of K: James the Seventh.
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LAW to CONSCIENCE.
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HOW now, my Lord, how is it so,
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That thus in sable-weed ye go?
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what means this sudden alreration,
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That you have lost your Veneration,
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And due Benevolence that ye owe
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Unto your Country, now brought low?
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In yonder Court ye ought to sit,
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A Free-born Member ye're of it,
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And well acquainted with the Laws,
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Go and Defend your Ancient Cause.
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Conscience Reply,
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ALace said Conscience well you wit,
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In yonder Court I dar not sit,
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Unless that I betray my Right,
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And dictat Laws against my light,
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Your Parliament it looks awry,
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For I sat in it yesterday,
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And Voted never a Vote but an,
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And they against me did exclame,
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With lustie words both high and bigg,
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They swore that Conscience was a whigg,
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For him they have no veneration,
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Cause banish him out of the Nation;
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And prayed the Clark to word it better,
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Then to put Conscience in a Letter,
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To send unto his Majestie,
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Who bears a mortal feed at me;
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For treason, which they say, I thought,
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Into the year fortie eight,
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For which I wandred too and fro,
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Even since the year sixty two,
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That I was banished from the Court,
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By Lords and Earls of great report,
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Though I should famish starve and die,
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Yet none of them would harbour me,
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I rapped rudely at their Gat,
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But never enterance could get,
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I knockt and challeng'd as I can,
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Yet non recev'd a banished man,
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The little shelter that I found,
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Was in the Presbyterians ground,
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Yet many of them me sore abus'd,
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And most untenderly me us'd,
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Some took Bonds, some took the Test,
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Some to the Kirk were sorely prest,
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Some with their course untender walk,
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Some with their proud unseemly talk,
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Some with their giddie wild opinions,
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Would banish me from these dominions,
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And now since they have serv'd me so,
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To forraign Lands I think to go,
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To see what residence I find,
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Pray Brother Law, what us your minde?
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Laws Answere.
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ALace! my Lord, how can I hear,
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Your dollourous and heavie chear,
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When your afflicted, I do mourn,
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We both upon one wheel do turn,
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If Conscience once do lose the Van,
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Law is a broken bankrupt man,
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When conscience turns like weather-cock:,
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Then they will cut the Nazeren Locck,
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My strength lyes in the Penal Laws,
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Cut they off these, well lose the cause,
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Our honours both in this doth stand,
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A Dum Man yet wan never Land,
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We will be trusty to our Nation,
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An humble sute is my intent,
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That we may sit in Parliament.
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Conscience Reply.
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My Brother Law where is your wits,
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Think you of us they will permit,
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To sit in court who thus have us'd us,
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And formerly hath thus abus'd us,
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Should I my wrongs denominate,
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Or could my grief demonstrate,
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What I have suffer'd would appear;
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From them above this twenty year,
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It's long since they me cauteriz'd,
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But now they have me stigmatiz'd:
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And for to make me hold my peace,
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They put hot iron upon my face,
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Like Collilian they will me make,
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Some suffer'd shipwrack for my sake,
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How can you think that such men minde
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Our Laws, and Conscience to befriend
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Or ever give a free consent;
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That we should sit in Parliament,
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My dearest Brother then I pray,
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Tthat you may not retard away.
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Laws Answere.
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ALace! my Lord, will you be gone,
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Then I may mourning go alone,
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If Noble Conscience leave the Land,
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Who then will Popery withstand,
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For Law will prove a broken Reed,
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When Conscience goes in Pilgrims weed,
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You Protestants may be a gaest,
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And may prepair you for a blast,
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When Law and Conscience are abus'd:
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And worse then broken Merchands us'd,
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In Abay's they will shelter find,
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But none to us will prove so kind,
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But yet I humbly do you pray,
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My dearest Lord go not away;
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To yonder Parliament address,
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Some friend you have will entercess,
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Themselves, what you and for your plead,
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Some place at Court may yet be had.
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Conscience Reply
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MY Brother, I would be content,
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T' regain my place in Parliament,
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But for these men they'l never grant it,
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A pick at me they never wanted,
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I know there's severals to pretend,
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For to propose me as their end,
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But let them once be contradicted,
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They'l look as if they were convicted,
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If but one Lord should them control,
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They'le swear it was an Hyperbole,
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Like as I often have it found,
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Pretended friends give many a wound,
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Have alwayes falsly prov'd to me;
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Farewel Brother, farewell ye
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Laws Answer.
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MY dearest Lord, my Counsel take,
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Not for my own but Country's sake,
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If you desert these Courts and go,
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To forraign Lands and live them so,
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They will establish with their hand,
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That Popery shall overspread the Land,
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Once more I humhly you intreat;
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And beggs this favour I may get,
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To signifie you are content,
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To supplicate the Parlament.
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Conscience Replyes.
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WEll Brother Law, I am content,
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To supplicat the Parliament,
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And your to blame Brother not I,
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If they shal raise the HU and CRY,
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Come let us joyn with Veneration,
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For to present this supplication,
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For to Vot freely for thee Laws,
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Your Countrey, and your Ancient Cause.
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The humble Address of Conscience and Law,
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To the house of Parliament.
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MY Lords, and Gentlemen, here lyes
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Two Objects ly before your eyes,
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Conscience and Law two Nobles born
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To whom the Country once was sworn,
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But now defered as you see,
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By horred perjur'd Treacherie,
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Yet we're content to pardon that,
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And humbly here to supplicat,
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Ye would be pleas'd to permit,
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Us in the Parliament to Sit,
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To serve our Countrie and our Cause,
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And to defend the Penal Laws;
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My Lord, our Loyaltie you know,
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Some further proofe we mind to show,
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We shall Vot nothing but whats good,
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Our wrong is great to be gainstood,
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My Lord Comissioner, if your Grace,
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Would harken to our words of peace,
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We would you teach, how you should be
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True to your King, your vows and Me
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And my Lord Chancellour we would crave
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That Popish tenets you would leave,
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The Ancient Faith ye would imbrace,
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Else you will ne're condol our case.
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And you Lord Bishops, where you sit,
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We little trust to your commit,
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You who betrayed our Ancient Cause,
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You would take off the Pennal Laws,
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Conscience nor Law you'l never defend,
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What ever truths you do pretend;
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I know once Us two ye lov'd dear,
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But we're foresaken for a Kings ear;
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And for obeying mans command,
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Ye are thrust from the Holy Land.
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You honorable house of Commons all,
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For your assistance we do call,
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Keep Law and Conscience in the Land,
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And against Popery stoutly stand,
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If you refuse so just a thing,
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Then know I am, repute a King,
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And I will exercise my Law,
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On you when you can not withdraw,
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And make you were you better fellows,
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Like Judas run unto the Gallows!
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Or else like Spira to discover
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Your knavery all the World over;,
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And for the mischief you have acted,
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My terrors make you go distracted,
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My Scepter over you I'le Sway.
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In Time and in Eternitie.
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This to your wisdom we commend,
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And on your Answer we Attend.
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