The BALLAD of the
CLOAK,
OR
The CLOAKS Knaverie.
|
COme buy my new Ballet,
|
I hav't in my wallet;
|
But it will not (I fear) please every pallet.
|
Then mark what ensu'th,
|
I swear by my Youth,
|
That every line in my Ballet is truth.
|
A Ballet of witt, a Ballet of worthe,
|
t'Is newly Printed and newly come forth:
|
It Was made of a Cloak, that fell out with a Gown,
|
That Crampt all the Kingdom and Crippl'd the Crown.
|
I'le tell you in Brief
|
A story of Grief,
|
Which happen'd when Cloak was Commander in chief:
|
It threw down our players,
|
Imprison'd Lord May'rs,
|
In one day it voted down Prelats and pray'rs,
|
It made people perjur'd in point of obedience,
|
Its Covenant did cutt off the Oath of alleadgeance.
|
Then let us endeavour to pull the Cloak down,
|
That Crampt all the Kingdom and crippl'd the Crown.
|
It was a Black-cloack
|
(In good time be it spoke)
|
That kill'd many thousands, but never struck stroke
|
With hatchet and Rope,
|
The forlorne Hope
|
Did joyn with the Devil to pull down the Pope,
|
It sett all Sects in the Island to work;
|
And rather then fail'd, would have brought in the Turk.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
It seis'd on the tower Guns
|
Those feirce demigorgons;
|
It brought down the Bagg-pipes and pull'd down the Organs;
|
The pulpits did smoak,
|
The Churches did Choak,
|
And all our Religione was turn'd to a Cloak;
|
It brought in lay Elders could not write nor read,
|
It sett publicque faith up, and pull'd down the Creed.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
This pious Impostor
|
Such fury did foster,
|
It left us no penny, nor no Pater noster;
|
It threw to the ground
|
Ten Command'ments down,
|
And sett up twice twenty times ten of its own;
|
It Rowted the King, and villaines elected,
|
To plunder all whom it thought disaffected.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
To Blind peoples eyes,
|
This Cloak was so wise,
|
It took off Ship money but sett up Excise;
|
Men brought in their plate
|
For reasones of State,
|
And gav't to Thom Trumpeter and to his mate;
|
In Pamphlets it write many specious Epistles
|
To Cozen poor wenches of Bodkins and whistles.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
In pulpits it moved,
|
And was much approved
|
For crying out fight the Lords Battels beloved;
|
It Bobetail'd the Gown,
|
Put Praelacie down,
|
It trod on the Mitre to reach at the Crown;
|
And into the field ane armie did bring,
|
To aime at the Councill, but shoot at the King.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
It raised up States,
|
Whose Politick pates
|
Do now keep their Quarter on the Citie Gates;
|
To Father and Mother,
|
To Sister and Brother
|
It gave a Commission to kill one ane other;
|
It took up Mens Houses at very low Rates,
|
And plundr'd our goods to secure our Estates.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
This Cloak did proceed
|
To a damnable deed,
|
It made the best Mirrour of Majesty Bleed;
|
Though Cloak did it not,
|
Yet he set it on foot
|
By rallying and Calling his Journeymen to't:
|
But never had come such a bloodie disaster,
|
If Cloak had not first drawn sword at his Master.
|
Then let us endeavour, etc.
|
Though some of them went hence
|
By sorrowfull sentence,
|
This lofty long Cloak is not mov'd to repentance;
|
But he and his Men,
|
Twenty thousand times ten,
|
Are plotting to doe their tricks ov'r again:
|
But let this proud Cloak to authority stoop;
|
Or Cockburne will get him a button and loupe,
|
Then let us endeavour to pull the Cloak down
|
That baselie did sever the head from the Crown.
|
Lett's pray that the King,
|
And his only Brother,
|
May be glorious, and helpfull one to ane other.
|
Both firmly united,
|
And lovingly such,
|
That, the sacred succession none may darr touch.
|
As Charles three Crownes enjoyes in possession
|
James title is just to them all in reversion.
|
Then let us endeavour to pull the Cloak down
|
That Offers to Quarrel his right to the Crown.
|
Lett's pray, that the King,
|
And our Parliament.
|
In Sacred and secular things may consent,
|
So righteously firme,
|
And Religiously free,
|
That Papists and Phan's suppressed may be.
|
And as ther's one God that doth over-reigne us,
|
One faith, one Worship, one Church may contain us.
|
Then peace, truth and plenty great Brittain shall Crown,
|
And schisme & sedition with their Authors shall down.
|
|
|
|
|
|