Echos from the Sixth Trumpet, Part 10
A THANKFUL RETRIBUTION, Imprinted 1649.
THis was written to expreſs the Author's gratitude to ſome few Members of Parliament, who without his ſeeking, had propounded an Expedient whereby to ſatisfie his juſt Demands; but being without effect, that which was neglected, is here again revived, as pertinent to conſideration at this time.
Though Wiſhes are but words, Thanks are no more;
And my Oppreſſions make me not ſo poor,
But that I have yet Thanks enough to pay
For Fifty thouſand Wiſhes in one day;
And I much thank you—
Page the Second.
But truly I expect not yet to ſee
The World neglect her own, to think on me;
Nor do I ought for my Advantage crave,
Whereby the Publick may diſprofit have:
I rather wiſh, That what is truly known
By Service and by Grant to be mine own,
Might be confer'd, or means at leaſt, whereby
My Labours might ſupport my Family
Till I receiv'd my dues. For that would pleaſe
My longing more, then all thoſe Offices
Which others covet, and wherein few can
At once grow rich, and be an honeſt man;
And, wherein (as Affairs are manag'd now)
He that would fain be honeſt, knows not how.
I value not my ſelf ſo high, to ſet
My heart on what I am not like to get:
No, nor ſo low, but that (if I had wings
To reach them) I would flye at th' higheſt things
Your Houſe could give me, or the world could ſhow me,
Yet ſet them at a diſtance far below me:
For, he who of himſelf eſteem ſhall make
By thoſe things which the World may give or take,
(Or he who by his Trappings, or his Place
Doth prize himſelf) his Manhood doth debaſe.
If I well know my heart, I ſeek no more
Of this Worlds Honour, or of her vaſt ſtore,
Then what ſufficeth to defray the Debts,
Which Duty and Neceſſity now ſets
Upon me; or which may yeeld means to do
Thoſe Works which God may ſeem to call me to,
And keep up that frail part of me which dyes
Or lives unactive, without due ſupplies.
Yet when I did perceive with what diſdain
Some did your friendly motion entertain,
And how they jeer'd thereat, it tempted me
To wiſh your Motion might vouchſafed be,
That I might ſee how mad the Fools would grow
With Envy, if they liv'd to ſee it ſo.
One ſaid the Place was fitter to reward
A Member of your Houſe; and it appear'd
Thereby to me, that he had quite forgot
(As others do) the Self-denying Vote.
Some ſeem to think, that ſeeing I am poor,
(Whate're they owe me) they ſhould give no more
Then ſutes my preſent Fortune; as if I
With my Eſtate had loſt my Dignity,
And he had got it, who ſince t'other day
Is grown Sub-Grandee from a beggar-boy,
By ſuch an Occupation, as hath yet
Neither improv'd his Honeſty or Wit:
But, let theſe make the beſt of their New Lot,
So mine they wrong not, I envy them not;
And, 'tis my honour, rather then my ſhame,
Now to be poor; becauſe I poor became
Not by mine own default; and in a time
When to be very rich, implies a crime.
For, who with honour to great Wealth can riſe,
When all the Land is full of poor mens cries?
Or, what ſhame thereby him can ſeiſe upon,
Who wants, when Kings and Kingdoms are undone?
Or poor became, becauſe he lent and gave
His whole Eſtate the Neighbourhood to ſave?
And what at laſt will unto ſuch ſucceed,
Who, when they may, relieve not that mans need?
I covet not the Place propos'd for me,
(Although as capable thereof as he
Who did poſſeſs it) for, I know too well
Wherein that man his Neighbours muſt excel,
Who hath an aim ſo high, except there ſhall
Some extraordinary Change befall:
And, me (I think) it would advance no more
Then did that Office I held heretofore.
For, in theſe Iſles I have already had
A Place more honourable (though not made
So much account of) then 'tis to ſupply
The greateſt Office in your Chancery.
Yea, more then to poſſeſs the place of him
Who in that Court is Officer Supream.
And as a mark of Honour, bears about
A Silver Seal in an Embroidered Clout.
I have been honour'd to draw up Records
For him that's King of Kings, and Lord of Lords;
To be unto this Iſle Remembrancer,
And, as it were, a Publick Regiſter
To that Supream, High and moſt awful Court
From whence proceeds no Sentence, no Report,
No Order or Injunction, no Decree,
Edicts or Dooms, but ſuch as Righteous be;
And where the Judg will to no ſide be ſway'd
By Eloquence, or Force, or brib'd, or pray'd
To be more merciful, or more ſevere
Then Juſtice and true Clemency may bear.
Yea, although at this preſent heeded not
By many, (and by others quite forgot)
I have enroll'd, and regiſtred to ſtand
Upon Record, what Mercies to this Land
Have been vouchſaf'd; what ought to have bin done
To keep away the Judgments coming on:
Shown how the King, and how the People might
Have ſcap't the hands which both of them now ſmite:
Foretold the War before it came to paſs;
Who ſhould begin the Quarrel in this place:
What ſad Effects would follow; what regard
My words would find, how they ſhould me reward,
With many other things, which will appear
In thoſe Records, whilſt men ſpeak Engliſh here:
And thouſands will in future time confeſs
Thoſe things fulfill'd which I did fore-expreſs,
Who ſhall, it may be, likewiſe live to ſee,
That GOD obſerves who have abuſed me.
For hitherto, though I deſpis'd appear,
He ſpares my life, upholds my Spirit here;
Feeds me by his own hand, ſometimes by men,
By Ravens and by Angels now and then.
Twice when my pow'rful Foes had by their might
Deprived me of my Subſiſtence quite,
He did ſupply my wants when I nor knew
Nor thought how Oyl or Meal I could renew;
Againſt proud Prelates, and corrupted Peers,
He did maintain about me many years
A Watchful Guard, which kept me from their Pow'r
When me they did endeavour to devour;
And from my troubles did releaſe me too,
By doing what ſome though would me undo:
Yea, when the greateſt Lyon loudly roar'd,
And rouz'd againſt me; when the bloudy Sword
Was drawn upon me; when a Poyſonous Peſt
Breaths killing Vapours; when I was oppreſt
On ev'ry ſide; and when I was forſook
Well nigh of all, GOD notice of me took;
Sav'd me from ſpoil, from ſlaughter, from infection,
And honor'd me, ev'n by his own protection.
This being ſo, my Scorners whom I hear
At your Propoſal do both grudg and jeer,
Have no ſuch cauſe (as their miſdeemings may
Suppoſe they had) your motion to gain-ſay:
'T was fear, perhaps, I might have made the Place
Henceforth leſs profitable then it was,
For if that Regiſter ſhall conſcience make
At ev'ry Hearing ſuch true Notes to take
Of what is Order'd, and ſo careful be,
To draw up ev'ry Sentence and Decree;
As not to leave that doubtful which the Court
Intruſts to his diſcretion and report,
Ambiguous Orders would not ſo enlarge
The Clients trouble, and his needleſs charge,
Either by words too many, or too few,
(Or of leſs weight then to the ſenſe was due)
New motions to beget, and thereupon
New Orders, till both parties are undone.
When to prevent this, due care ſhall be took,
You will not ſo much for great Places look,
To gratifie your Friends, as you will then
To execute them, ſeek out fitting men.
No Place will then be thought too good for thoſe
Who for your ſakes have made their friends their foes
They ſhall then get, at leaſt, their own again,
Who hitherto have ſpent themſelves in vain;
And out of zeal unto the Common Good,
Adventur'd Liberty, Eſtates and Bloud,
Whilſt others (by their patience, coſt and ſweat)
Grow, to their Countreys damage, Rich and Great.
Then they who have been innocently wife,
Will ſee in what their Wealth and ſafety lies;
And, then it may be, ſome fair Lot among
My Brethren, will befall me ſhort or long.
When ſuch a Change I find, I ſhall begin
To doubt almoſt, what Climate I am in.
I ſhall not, for a good ſpace after, take
The boldneſs to profeſs I am awake,
Or, that a Reformation in hath crept,
Whilſt I was either in the dark, or ſlept;
And ſhall of our diſtractions hope to ſee
A better end, then likely now to be.
Then thoſe things which we yet hear and behold
With fear and ſorrow, ſhall with joy be told;
And then ſhall I no whit diſpleaſed grow,
Whether I ſit higher, or more low;
Or, whether they who me ſhould think upon,
Give me that Office, or a worſe, or none.
For whatſoe're befalls, I ſhall be fed,
And ſo ſhall mine, whilſt other men have bread.
From your well-wiſhings theſe expreſſions flow;
From theſe perhaps another fruit may grow;
From that another, and from thoſe again
Another, till your wiſhes you obtain,
And our Endeavours (though what we intend,
Succeed not) ſhall be proſperous in the end.