A Proclamation in the Name of the King of Kings, Part 3
VERSES written by Mr. George Wither upon three Trenchers with Oker, during his cloſe-Impriſonment, and carried to the Lieutenant of the Tower by the ſaid Priſoners Keeper.
George Wither, cloſe Priſoner, to the Lieut. of the Tower.
SIR, I have been a Priſner now ſix times,
For no worſe faults, than juſt Reproofs of Crimes.
Nigh fifty years acquainted with the pow'r
Of Jaylors; and, ſhall ſhortly know the Tower,
To be the beſt, or elſe the worst of all
Confinements, which did hitherto befall.
All my defenſive Arms are took away,
Now therefore, I aſſume ſuch as I may:
And, ſince my Lot affords no better Tools,
A Trencher mark't with Oker, Lead, or Coals,
Shall be my Buckler, Sword, and Advocate
To you, in this my much oppreſt eſtate.
Theſe, long experience taught me to provide,
When ſuch a ſtrait was likely to betide;
And, if you take them from me, you will do
More than your Order doth oblige you to,
Or Charity allows: for, I'm not free
To come to you, nor will you come at me;
Though wiſe, and good, and honourable men,
Have thought me worth a viſit (now and then.)
When I was in the much deſpiſed Jayl
Of Newgate; ſome from thence were freed by Bail,
Though charg'd with Theft & Murder; and I may
Expect that Priviledge as well as they:
But, kiſſing goes by favour; and I lack
The Silver Key, which way thereto doth make,
And by the want whereof, I find this place
Affords not unto me, the common grace
Allow'd to Rogues; nor ſo much as a Slave
In Turky, or in Barbary may have:
For, they have Bread and Water at the leaſt,
And Place aſſigned them, wherein to reſt,
VVithout extorting more than can be had
(Unleſs their Fleſh could into Coyn be made)
VVhereas the Mercy which this place affords
(In Age and Sickneſs) had been naked boards,
And ſtones for bread, had not my Wife, by giving
VVhat Charity beſtow'd to keep her living,
Prevented for a week, what was deſign'd
To me, thence-forward, if we caanot find
Enough beforehand, weekly to bring in,
And ſave the ſtripping of me to the skin:
By which means, that Impeachment now intended,
May not be drawn up, till my Life is ended;
So, they will loſe their labour, who aſſay.
To mould my Puniſhment another way:
VVhichWhich I conceiv'd, would more vexation be
To ſome, than all my Suffrings are to me,
Priſners ſhould gently uſed be, (if mild)
Not curriſhly oppreſſed and revil'd:
For (though neglected) we have ſtill a Law,
VVhereby ſuch Jaylors may be kept in awe.
Know, Sir, that much abuſe to me is done;
Which is not an Abuſe to me alone,
But likewiſe to your ſelf, and to the nature
And priviledge of ev'ry humane creature.
For which cauſe, being willing to prevent,
Both your Diſhonour, and my Detriment,
I this way have contrived to declare
My mind; and that, I my Affronts can bear;
Though (to my knowledge) ſince my name was Wither
I was not Villain call'd, till I came hither;
Nor from ought, for preſerving healthy, debarr'd;
Though, oft my uſage hath been very hard.
The mercy of preceding times was ſuch,
That Priſners here, were not oppreſt ſo much:
For, all Cloſe-Priſners, (for what Crime ſoere
Accuſ'd) ſuppli'd with all things needful were
In their degrees; ev'n a… the Princes coſt:
Which Priviledge, though now it ſeemeth loſt,
Cuſtom had made ſo legal… when due,
That, till of late, it was de…y'd to few.
And, whenſoever claim'd your Predeceſſors,
If they denyed it, we… thought Tranſgreſſors.
They who infring'd … Custom, firſt did bring
Diſhonour to the Nation, and the King.
Them, cloſely impriſon, who have nought
To feed them and thereof, then take no thought)
Is worſe than killing them; yea, ſuch a ſin
As hath by …nfidels abhorred bin.
Where's nothing left, there nothing can be got;
And, to oppreſs, becauſe men have it not,
Is an inhumane, and a brutiſh evil,
That's found in none, but an incarnate Devil.
Sir, by profeſſion, you a Chriſtian are,
And, I hope, this mind, is from you ſo far,
That you all civil uſages will daign,
So long as in your keeping▪ I remain.
A Cat no more can yeeld you, but her skin.
If Sheep do pay the Fleeces they are in,
They'l grow again, ſo you from Curs preſerve them,
And ſhut them not ſo cloſe up, that you ſtarve them.
That which concerneth other men, and me,
This day, another day your caſe may be:
For, Changes are not fixt with ſuch a Pin,
But, that thoſe things may happen, which have bin.
Conſider it: If Mercy you extend,
'Twill make a better man than I your Friend;
And much more honour you, than all your pow'r,
As Alderman, Lieutenant of the Towre,
And Member of the Commons, if ſevere
You prove to me, beyond what I can bear:
For, if through want, I periſh in theſe bands,
My Blood will be required at your hands;
And, you will find, that I am own'd by Him,
Who juſtifieth, when man doth condemn.
Do as your heart inclines: If you deny me
Things needful, GOD himſelf will then ſupply me
With ſtrength to bear it, till I ſhall enjoy
That Freedom, which no mortal can deſtroy:
And when the World hath done the worſt ſhe can,
Good men will ſay, I was an honeſt man,
To GOD, Prince, Conſcience, and my Country true,
What-ever, on my Tryal, ſhall enſue.
Yea, though with rigor I may ſuffer all
That's threatned, and ſeems likely to befall,
I do not yet perceive, which way GOD can
Be honour'd more by any mortal man,
Than by the Joy and Courage he may give him.
When others think they moſt extreamly grieve him,
If I had ſuffred leſs ſince I begun
To ſerve Him; I his Work could not have done;
And, what I now ſhall ſuffer, may add more
Unto his Honour, than all heretofore.
And, from that, whereto Conſcience doth invite,
My Puniſhment, will not one man affright
Who owns my Principles; and ſhall have grace
To act them ſoberly, in his own place.
Sir, I have twenty times as much to ſay,
But, here I am compelled to make ſtay:
For lo, this Trencher will contain no more,
And, Paper muſt not come within my door.
Your Priſoner, Geo. Wither.
Hearing it reported, that the Diurnal women cryed the news of his Impeachment for Treaſon, he compoſed this Epigram.
I Am preferr'd from Newgate to the Tow'r;
And, as the Summers heat mends Ale that's ſowr,
So, here my ſtate is mended; and what follows,
May be, for ought I yet perceive, the Gallows.
Hark! what is that which now the woman cryes,
Who, this day ſelleth weekly Truths and Lyes?
How! an Impeachment againſt Major Wither?
Theſe words, methinks, ſeem not well put together.
But, let them paſſe, until I know the reaſon;
Perhaps, a kind of whiſteling of Treaſon
I am thought guilty of: and if ſome ſay
The Fox's ears are horns, who help it may?
Theſe Novels, only pleaſe, or elſe affright,
Children & Fools, who know not black from white,
Nor right from wrong; and quite contrary things
They'l tel next week, to what this week forth brings.
However, Friends, be not thereof afeard,
He that ſhall ſtand accuſed, muſt be clear'd,
Or elſe condemn'd, before that any one
Can juſtly ſay, that right or wrong is done.
The Commons do intend to vindicate
Their Honour; and I am not griev'd thereat,
For, it concerns them; and the Reputation
Of their Houſe is the Honour of the Nation.
If that which I have writ, ſeditious be,
Or ſcandalous, 'twas not ſo made by me:
But, rather, by ſome Members of their own;
For, to all other men, it is unknown;
And was by me, compoſ'd with an intent,
Both Scandal and Sedition to prevent,
As that Remonſtrance truly hath averd,
Which to their Speaker I long ſince preferd.
I did but part of that in private write,
Which genrally was fam'd, that make I might
Good uſe thereof: And, if that be a crime,
I know it was not ſo in former time,
Nor will be ſo hereafter, unleſs we
To univerſal Ruine deſtin'd be.
If their Proceed againſt me be ſevere,
The more my Innocency will appear
To prudent men; And, if I wronged …e,
The more GOD will be merciful to me
He that beneath his Wings hath his abidings,
Needs not to be afraid of evil tidings,
Though they cry'd, Fire & Brimſtone is deſcending;
For, Angels alwayes are on him attending.
If they, as conſciencious be, as wiſe,
Upon whom now an Impoſition lies
To charge me; They, perhaps, when they have weigh'd
What I have done, with what I've writ and ſaid
In my defence; will to that ſenſe incline,
Whereby the Honour of their Houſe, and mine,
May joyntly be preſerv'd, and make good uſe
Of that which hath been deemed an abuſe.
I know diſcreet men cannot be ſo mad,
To make that worſe, which is already bad,
Or, not to leave one ſingle perſon free
To ſpeak Truth plainly, when juſt cauſe may be.
For, they ſo understand, what doth belong
To Free-men, and to Slaves, to right and wrong;
That, to excuſe the breach of any Laws,
I ſhall not need a Favour worth two ſtraws,
If Juſtice may take place, (as I conceive
It will, when they my Innocence perceive.)
Yea, peradventure, they, who yet ſeem Foes,
Will be to me ſo friendly in the cloſe,
That they will by their Juſtice, honour gain,
And, me into their favour entertain.
One bitter herb ſpoils not a pot of Broth,
(Though ſome the ſingle taſt thereof may loath)
But, makes the ſame perhaps much wholſomer
Than if it totally omitted were.
The beſt among us, at the beſt are ſinners,
And, in true Penitence, but new beginners,
Who need forgiveneſs: and, GOD will beſtow
Such Mercy, as to other men we ſhow.
'Tis …ot the cutting-off of one mans ears
Will ſtop the Voice which ev'ry body hears;
Nor poſſible, if Tongue and Life they take
From me, to make all men afraid to ſpeak:
Nor is't in Whirlwinds, which the Rocks do rend,
Whereby GOD will into mens hearts deſcend,
Sunſhine makes us thoſe Robes aſide to lay,
Which furious Tempests cannot tear away:
And, they whom Threatnings cannot work upon,
By Gentleneſs and Kindneſs may be won
To yeeld up their own Judgments, and their Will,
Sometime for good, and otherwhile for ill.
GOD by his Grace, preſerve me from that ſnare,
And then, come what come will, I nothing fear.
For, chiefeſt cauſes of the greateſt Evils,
Are theſe; kind Foes, good Witches, and white Devils.
Ingenii Largitor Venter.
Hunger will break Stonewalls, and make Fools witty;
When others will not we our ſelves muſt pitty:
For, he that wholly doth himſelf neglect,
Cannot his Neighbour heartily affect,
And, if we love not thoſe whom we have ſeen,
The Love of GOD in us hath not yet been.
By what Expedient, I ſhall henceforth get
A means to vent my thoughts, I know not yet.
My Black-lead took away; and worn out quite
My Oker-penſil is; therefore Good-night.
All I can now do, is to ſit and think,
What might be writ with Paper, Pen and Ink.
GEO. WITHER, Cloſe-Priſoner.
FINIS.
End of the text · George Wither, A Proclamation in the Name of the King of Kings (1662)