A New Presbiterian Ballad to the Old Tune of
The clean contrary way.
|
I.
|
ALass poor Whiggs, our Senat's gone,
|
Our Glory's now a setting:
|
The Popish Plot's laid at our door,
|
A Bastard of our getting:
|
Our bloody Cheats, and Shifts and Tricks,
|
And all our Devillish Play
|
Will be disclos'd and we prov'd Saints
|
The clean contrary way.
|
II.
|
Discoverers will Discovered be,
|
As paultry Purjur'd stuff,
|
And we the Hellish Plotters, that
|
Prepar'd such Hell-hound-Proof:
|
We had the face to guild their Vice,
|
And them like Saints display,
|
And wheedled them to swear the Truth
|
The clean contrary way.
|
III.
|
We made their piteous Nonsence good,
|
And Contradictions true,
|
And relisht their unlikely Tales,
|
So blundring like blind Hugh.
|
What car'd we, if they damn'd themselves?
|
So we obtain'd the day,
|
And meritorious make our work
|
The clean contrary way.
|
IV.
|
When men did scruple to believe
|
Things, so absurd to Reason,
|
We scorned Reasons Ballance, and
|
We still cry'd, Treason, Treason:
|
When the Informers halted had
|
Our hubbubs bore the sway,
|
Affrighting folks into their Wits,
|
The clean contrary way.
|
V.
|
Such Toolls we rak'd for Evidence,
|
Like those, that search in Ditches,
|
And darksome holes for poysonous Toads,
|
And hungry sucking Leeches:
|
We gull'd Fitz-harris for more guile,
|
The guiltless to betray:
|
For which he'l reap a sweet reward
|
The clean contrary way.
|
VI.
|
We made the Papists Traitors all,
|
That none the Snare might scape,
|
And all the Royal Protestants
|
We would bring in the Trap:
|
They must be Romanizers too,
|
Whate'r they do or say
|
And zealous wishers to the Pope
|
The clean contrary way.
|
VII.
|
The Realms Religion, that's by Law
|
In its Establishment,
|
We made as if afraid to lose,
|
Though from it we dissent;
|
The Church of England in the dust
|
That Level we would lay
|
To shew ourselves true Protestants
|
The clean contrary way.
|
VIII.
|
The long-black-rebel-Parliament
|
We stood to vindicate,
|
We blossom'd new in th' good Old Cause
|
Of Commonwealth and State;
|
Yet Monmouths Duke cry'd up the while
|
And us'd him like a Toy
|
A future Monarch he's design'd,
|
The clean contrary way.
|
IX.
|
'Twas such, as we, for Charles the first,
|
With many a Protestation
|
His Glory did so much pretend,
|
His Weal and Preservation;
|
But drew the Sword against his Friends,
|
And forc'd them all away,
|
And him forlorn they did preserve,
|
The clean contrary way.
|
X.
|
Twas such, as we, the second Charles
|
Did scornfully disown,
|
Call'd him the common Enemy
|
Debar'd him from his Throne:
|
Who now, but we, cry out of Plots,
|
And for his safety pray,
|
And stand up stout in his defence
|
The clean contrary way.
|
XI.
|
Twas such, as we, in Scotland late
|
Twice actually Rebel'd,
|
And (Maugre all the Mercy here)
|
Our English venom swel'd:
|
We to Oblivions Act so kind
|
Unkind Oblivion pay
|
Like cherisht Vipers yielding thanks
|
The clean contrary way.
|
XII.
|
Yet we assum'd the confidence
|
Tho conscious of what's past,
|
To busy our Petitions bold,
|
So frequent and so fast:
|
Instead of Blest, we Blasted are,
|
Alack and welladay!
|
And we henceforth shall trusted be
|
The clean contrary way.
|
|
|
|
|
|