The Downfall of May Games, Title page – Encomium 2
FƲNEBRIA FLORAE, THE Downfall of May-Games: WHEREIN Is ſet forth the rudeneſs, prophaneneſs, ſtealing, drinking, fighting, dancing, whoring, miſ-rule, miſ-ſpence of precious time, contempt of God, and godly Magiſtrates, Miniſters and People, which oppoſe the Raſcality and rout, in this their open prophaneneſſe, and Heatheniſh Cuſtoms. Occaſioned by the generall complaint of the rudeneſſe of people in this kind, in this Interval of ſettlement. Here you have Twenty Arguments againſt theſe prophane Sports, and all the Cavills made by the Belialiſts of the Time refelled and Anſwered. Together with an Addition of ſome Verſes in the cloze, for the delight of the ingenious Reader. By THO. HALL, B. D. and Paſtor of Kings-norton. The Third Edition Corrected.
Yee ſhall keep mine Ordinances, that yee commit not any of thoſe abominable Cuſtoms, which were committed before you, and that yee defile not your ſelves therein; I am the Lord,
Levit. 18. 30.
The Cuſtoms of the people are vain,
Jer. 10. 3.
Populi plaudunt non conſultoribus utilitatum ſuarum, ſed largitoribus Voluptatum,
Aug. de Civit. Dei, l. 2. c. 20.
Bona conſcientia prodire vult & conſpici, ipſas nequitia tenebras timet,
Seneca Epiſt. 98.
LONDON, Printed for Henry Mortlock, at the Phoenix in St. Pauls Church-yard, near the Little North-door. 1661.
An unknown Friend, to the known, and knowing Author, upon his judicial proceedings againſt the MAY-POLE.
NOw ſix times two impannell'd are to paſs
[Alas poor Flora!] upon oneaAn old Roman Strumpet the Goddeſs of May-Games. Goddeſs.
Flora complains, 'gainſt her there's greater odds,
Than when onebUna dolo Divúm, &c. Aeneid. lib. 4. Girl aſſaulted by two gods,
And challengeth your Jury; the whole Liſt,
Shee ſayes, was pack'd by a Miſogyniſt.
BoldcThe Fleſh. Caro pleads her cauſe, and ſpeaks her fears,
Becauſe you do not try her by her Peers,
That y'are unjuſt, and quotes our Old Laws for't,
The Curtizan excepts againſt the Court:
No juriſdiction of Pres-ter-John
Ere reach'd the skirts of this our Curtizan.
Hold then, criesdAdultery. Maechus, eFornication.Porneius is another,
Who withfLaſciviouſneſs. Aſelges, their laſcivious brother,
Pretend to guard their Deity, and do
With zeal, as you the Schools and Pulpit too.
WhilſtgDrunkenneſs. Methos marching with the May-pole rout,
In reſcue of the Priſ'ner, does not doubt
T'protect th'Protectrix of their fruit and flowers,
By watring weeds, with moſt intemperate ſhowers.
Adjourn your Court then, leſt it prove your fate,
To pull the May-pole down upon your pate.
A tree once danger'dhCarm. lib. 2. Ode 13. Horace by its fall,
As he ſcap'd then, ſo now I wiſh may Hall.
Nor for theſe Ranters is my option worſe,
Than that they may mount Hamans wooden horſe;
That who with Flora ſin under th' green tree,
May ſuffer for her upon that that's dry.
Tuus Antifloralis.
To the ingenious Author upon his Judicial Proceedings againſt Dame Flora.
INſtead of Directory Satues, when
I found Poles raiſ'd ſo high, as if they'd been
To entertain the Cuckow, or to vye
The clouds that in the Heavens loweſt flye;
I'gan t' thing whither at length I ſhould come,
To reform'd London, or to Popiſh Rome.
Aron I found my ſelf in London, and
Unſatisfi'd as yet, began t' demand
Th' original of May-poles, where I found
Their Author Flora was, and Rome their ground.
A Declaration there was entred by
A pert Divine, ſhewing th' Idolatry
Of ſuch Erections: h' does a Jury call,
That his proceedings might bee legal all.
It is the ſpeech of thoſe who choſe each light
A freſh god, whom to worſhip until night,
This thing this day my Deity ſhall bee,Hodie mihi
To morrow,Juppiter esto, cras mihi truncus eris, ficulnus inutile lignum. as 'twas yesterday a tree.
Wee ſhall invert the words: a tree to day,
To morrow wee ſhall to it worſhip pay.
A buſh to day, to morrow will begin
To have th' reſpect of him that dwelt therein.
But loe Jerubbaal comes in his might,
(With open zeal, not Gideon-like, ith' night)
Attended, not with ten men of his own,
But a full Jury of the great'ſt renown,
And fells the Grove. Go on brave ſpirit, until
Idolatrous Midian understand thy skill,
And all the ſuperſtitious crew do feel
The mortal fruits of thy enraged steel.
This is no Frog-fight, but the Eunuch's zeal,
Grapling with proud and painted Jezabel.
Beriah Antiſtorali.
THE DOVVNFALL OF MAY-GAMES.
THe times wee live in of late have been very Tropical, and full of turnings, and too many, like Weathercocks, have turned with them. Lately men were exorbitant, and did run out into extream opinions; now they are exorbitant, and run out into extream practices: Before men were fanatick and wilde in their Principles; now men are fanatick and frantick in Practicals; Cantants fremunt, perstrepunt, tumultuantur, & fu…entibus ſimiles inſanire videntur.they rant, they roar, they ſing, they ſwear, they drink, they dance, they whore, they lye, they ſcoff; yea, ſome there are (I hope they are not many) that put their own blood into their drink, and then drink a health to the King, and to the confuſion of Sion and its King; this is reported to mee by perſons of good repute;Nicol. de Clemangis, de novis celebritatibus non inſtituendis. if this bee true, as ſure as God is juſt and true, hee will bee avenged on the actors of ſuch horrid blaſphemy.
Lately wee were troubled with White Devils, who under pretence of extraordinary ſanctity, publiſhed open Hereſie and Blaſphemy againſt God, his Word, his Works, and Ordinances; now wee run madding on the other hand, and are like to be troubled with Black Devils, viz. blaſphemous Drunkards, blaſphemons Health-drinkers, blaſphemous Perſecutors, ſcorners of Piety, Sabbath-prophaners, obſervers of ſuperſtitious and heatheniſh cuſtomes,Vetus fabula, novi hiſtriones. &c. Theſe old Beelzebubs begin to put out their horns again; I doubt not but the Lord in his due time will raiſe up the Honourable Houſes of Parliament,Quid triſtes queremoniae, ſi non ſupplicio culpa reciditur, quid leges ſine moribus vanae proficiunt? Horat. Carm. l. 3. Ode 24. as Carpenters to ſaw off theſe horns, Zach. 2. 19, 20, 21. elſe thoſe that have power in their hands to cut off theſe horns of the wicked, and yet will not, they muſt wear them. Qui non vetat peccare cum poteſt, jubet. 'Twas the ſin of Iſrael that when the Lord by a ſignal hand of providence had delivered them from their Egy…tian bondage, yet they returned in their hearts, and deſires into Egypt again, Act. 7. 39. and longed to bee at their Garlick and Onions, and Fleſhpots there, Numb. 11. 4, 5. and this brought a very great plague upon them, verſ. 33. The Lord commanded Moſes to bid the people go forward, Exod. 14. 15. hee loves to have his people go on in waies of piety and obedience, but if they once go backward, hee will deſtroy them, Iſa. 1. 4. They have forſaken the Lord, and are gone away backward. See what follows, verſ. 7. Their Country is deſolate, their Cities are burnt with fire, and ſtrangers devour their Land in their preſence. And what can Englaud expect, if it go on in Apoſtaſie (as it hath done of late) both in doctrine and manners, but the ſword, peſtilence and famine, and all other fearful judgements; that as wee have been notorious for ſin, ſo now wee ſhould be notorious for ſuffering? Could wee but once keep the narrow way of life, without turning to the right hand or the left, wee might yet bee an happy people, Joſh. 1. 8. The way to Heaven, is like the way over a narrow bridge, under which is a great gulf, into which a man may fall by going too much on the right hand, or too much on the left hand; and to ſay truth, the Devil cares not much on which hand men fall into Hell, ſo hee can but get them thither. Wee all condemn prophane principles, but a man may go to Hell ſooner for prophane practices, for theſe generate prophane principles; when men lead lewd lives, then they invent lewd and licentious Tenents to defend their lewd and looſe practices; as wee ſee in Popery and Quakeriſm, and this brings men at laſt to love and deſire prophane Preachers, and ſuch as will ſing placentia, and claw their ſenſual itch, and then they periſh without remedy, Prov. 29. 18. Iſa. 30. 9, 10.
The Prophet Jeremy complains of ſome in his time,Againſt Healths. See my Comment, on 2 Tim. 3. 3. p 94. that were mad on Idols, Jer. 50. 38. and wee have thoſe in our times that are mad on May-poles, Morrice-dancing, Drinking Healths on their knees, yea in their Hats (as in the Univerſity by Scholars, &c.) doating on old, ſuperſtitious,I have this from an eye-witneſs, and cannot but mourn to think, that thoſe who ſhould bee teachers of others, have learnt no better themſelves, Surgunt indocti & rapiunt coelum, &c. prophane cuſtomes, returning with the dogs of the world to lick up that filth which ſeemingly they had long ſince vomited up. And all this acted preſumptuouſly with an high hand, againſt much light and love,Yea in ſome places Maids drink Healths upon their knees; 'Tis vile in men, but abominable in women. againſt many wooings and warnings, againſt many prayers and vows to the contrary, what could the Lord do more for England than hee hath done, and what could wee do more againſt him,There were two perſons of quality, that ſome years ſince drank this Kings Health upon their knees, and not long after ſought to betray him; this I have from an eye-witneſs of good quality. than wee have done? had hee been our deadly enemy, wee could not have acted more vilely & villanouſly againſt him, both in our principles, and in our practices, than many of us have done; and if after all Gods coſt and care, inſtead of the grapes of obedience, we bring forth the wilde grapes of diſobedience and rebellion, we ſhall provoke the Lord to pull up the hedge, to let in the wilde beaſts, and to conſume us after hee hath done us good, and to repent of all the mercies which hee hath beſtowed upon us. Hee will take away his Goſpel, with all thoſe bleſſings which accompany it, and then woe unto us when the Lord departs from us, Hoſ. 9. 12. When God goes from a people, peace goes, protection goes, comfort goes, health, wealth, and glory goes. I do verily beleeve there hath been a greater flood of open prophaneneſs in ten weeks paſt, than in ten years before. Do wee thus requite the Lord O fooliſh and unwiſe! Is this the thanks wee give him for an hundred years preaching of the Goſpel, and for thoſe ſignal mercies in bringing down blaſphemers, and Anarchical ones without blood ſhed, or almoſt a blow ſtruck. As King Achiſh ſaid ſometimes, Have I need of Mad-men? So may I ſay, Shall we have Mad-men ſtill? ſhall we never come to our wits again, living ſoberly, righteouſly and religiouſly? When ſhall wee once be ſound in judgement, ſincere in affection, and unſpotted in our converſations, anſwering our Goſpel light with Goſpel lives; and our Goſpel-principles, with Goſpel-practices, that all our teaching may riſe at the laſt day for our juſtification, & not for our confuſion. This open prophaneneſs is a great heart-breaking to the faithful Miniſters of Chriſt, and makes them cry in the bitterneſs of their ſpirits, Who hath beleeved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have laboured in vain, and ſpent our ſtrength in vain. If Moſes were angry when he ſaw the people dance about a Goldencalf, well may we be angry to ſee people dancing the Morrice about a poſt, in honor of a whore, as you ſhall ſee anon.
The world begins to loathe Gods Mannah, they are weary of preaching, and ſick of Sermons; and therefore 'tis juſt with God to eaſe them of ſuch burdens, and to lay upon them the heavy yoak of cruel and tyrannical men, that they may know the difference between Gods ſervice, and the ſervice of the Nations.Omne tempus Clod or, non omnes (atones feret. Sen. Epiſt, 98. Men begin to cry out. Iſaiah is too bold, Jeremy too harſh, Amos is too plain, hee muſt go further off. 'Tis theſe preciſe Lots that will not let the people go quietly to Hell, that are the troublers of Iſrael; if once they could but bee ſhut of them then they might ſing, and ſwear, and rant and roar, and be as ſafe as Sodom was when Lot was gone out of it. Let ſuch prophane ones know, that if the Lord ſhould in judgement once remove his faithful Miniſters from an ungrateful world, woes and ſorrows would ſoon ſurprize them. The glory would ſoon depart from England, if once the Ark of God were taken. 'Tis Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, that wicked men long for. As many men were lately for Liberty, and tolleration of all opinions, ſo many are now for liberty, for all licentious practices and if theſe be not reſtrained by the Magiſtrate, who muſt not bear the ſword in vain, eſpecially towards ſuch ſons of Belial, God will take the ſword into his own hand, and will proclaim a Liberty for ſuch Libertines, to the ſword, to the peſtilence, and to the famine, and as hee hath wonderfully brought down thoſe that were for all evil opinions; ſo hee will (in his due time) bring down thoſe that are for all evil practices,—Deus dabit his quoque finem, & funem.
It hath coſt mee ſome pains to finde out the Original of theſe prophane revels, when people ſhall underſtand the ſinful riſe and tendency of them; I beleeve there is no ſober man but will abhor them. The Lacedaemonians the better to deter their children from drunkenneſs, would bring forth a Drunkard, and lay him before them, that ſo they ſeeing his beaſtly condition, might learn to loathe that ſinning ſin of Drunkenneſs; I have preſented theſe …e…e…icious practices naked to thy view, that thou mayeſt be brought to an utter deteſtation of them; for the very rehearſal of them is a good part of their confutation, Haec recitaſſe eſt re…taſſe. It would be a work well beſeeming the Parliament, to improve the power which providence hath put into their hands, for the ſtopping of that general prophaneneſs which hath over-ſpread the Land; and to encourage Religion in the power of it, eſpecially conſidering that noble and princely expreſſion of the King (in his Letter to the Houſe of Commons) That nothing ſhall bee propoſed by them to manifeſt his zeal and affection for the advancement of the Proteſtant Religion, to which hee will not readily conſent. The good Lord at laſt unite the hearts of King, Lords, and Commons, for the promoting of this work of works, without which wee can never expect to proſper.
Had this rudeneſs been acted only in ſome ignorant and obſcure parts of the Land, I had been ſilent; but when I perceived that the complaints were general from all parts of the Land, and that even in Cheap ſide it ſelf, the rude rabble had ſet up this enſign of prophaneneſs, and had put the Lord Mayor to the trouble of ſeeing it pulled down▪ I could not out of my deareſt reſpects, and tender compaſſion to the Land of my Nativity, and for the prevention of the like diſorders (if poſſible) for the future, but put pen to paper, and diſcover the ſinful riſe, and vile prophaneneſs that attends ſuch miſ-rule; that ſo their madneſs being made known to all, they might proceed no further; and the eyes of Gods jealouſie might ſee nothing amongſt us to diſpleaſe him, but that wee walking as becomes his people, hee may rejoyce in us, and rejoyce-over us to do us good for ever.
My record is on high, that I have no ſiniſter end in this work, but deſire to bee found in the number of thoſe that ſtudy the real peace and welfare of the Land: I have therefore expoſed the work to the cenſure of the learnedſt and ſevereſt Criticks that I could gain. I have added ſome Poetry, and made it as inoffenſively pleaſant as might be, that it might take with all, and exaſperate none.
The experience which I have had of Gods bleſſing on my labours againſt Libertines in opinion, hath emboldened mee to go forth in his name againſt Libertines in practice; Theſe mountains, as well as thoſe, ſhall become a plain before Gods people.
I ſhall not trouble you with a crambe his cocta, for I know not of any one that hath in a ſet Treatiſe (not ſcarcely by the by) handled this ſubject, which ſomewhat encouraged mee to ſet upon the work.
I ſhall be conciſe and argumentative, becauſe I would not tire my ſelf nor my Reader, with any tedious diſcourſe in this kinde.