A Madrigall on Justice, alluding to the Parliament

All former Laws fall head-long down,

And are themselves now lawless grown;

Equity hath been lately try’d,

And Right it self been rectifi’d;

The rules that shew a Christian how

To live, must all be ruled now;

The lesson here to learn, is brought,

And Ethicks better manners taught;

Religion, and the Churches wealth,

Of late deprived of their health,

Were brought to th’ House, that they might be

Cured of their Integrity;

We found a seam for this great rent,

By Privilege of Parliament.

Most men do now the Buttocks lick

Of their great body Politick;

For not the head, but breech, is it

By which the Kingdom now doth sit;

The world is chang’d, and we have Choyces,

Not by most Reasons, but most Voyces,

The Lion’s trod on by the Mouse,

The lower is the upper House:

As once from Chaos order came,

So do their orders Chaos frame,

And smoothly work the Lands delusion,

By a Methodical Confusion;

These are the things that lately went

By Privilege of Parliament.

They would not have the kingdom fall

By an Ignoble Funeral;

But piously prefer the Nation

To a renowned Decollation,

The feet, and lower parts, ’tis sed,

Would trample on, and off the head,

What ere they say, this is the thing,

They love the Charles, but hate the King;

To make an even Grove, one stroke

Should lift the Shrubb unto the Odke;

Anew-found musick they would make,

A Gamut, but no Ela take.

This is the pious good intent

Of Privilege of Parliament.

In all humilitie they crave

Their Soveraign, to be their Slave;

Desiring him, that he would be

Betray’d to them most loyally:

For, it were Meeknesse sure in him

To be a Vice-Roy unto Pym;

And if he would a while lay down

His Scepter, Majestic, and Crown,

He should be made for time to come

The greatest Prince in Christendom.

Charles at this time not having need,

Thank’d them as much as if he did.

This is the happy wish’d event

Of Privilege of Parliament.

Pym, that ador’d Publicola,

Who play’d the base———

Who got a Lust to sacrifice

The Heroë to the Peoples Eyes,

Whose back-from-Hell-fetch’d-knaverie

By some is nick-nam’d policie,

Would be a Lyon with a pox,

When at the best hee’s but a Fox;

And just like him that set on fire

The hallowed Ephesian Spire,

Hath purchas’d to be largely known,

In that he is an Addage grown:

All this to honest John is lent,

By Privilege of Parliament.

The Valiant House was not afeard,

To pull our Aaron by the Beard;

To hide dark deeds from Gazers sights,

Strove to blow out the Churches Lights,

That squares might run round as their head,

They long to have the Rochet sped:

They Vote down Universities,

Lest men from thence become too wise,

And their benighted deeds display,

Whose works of darknesse hate the day;

Hence they prefer in every Town,

The Petticoat before the Gown;

These blessings to the Land are sent

By Privilege of Parliament.

They put forth Orders, Declarations,

Unacted Laws, and Protestations,

Of which all can be said, is this,

The whole is one Parenthesis,

Because the sence (without all doubt)

Were ne’re the lesse, were all left out.

Petitions none must be presented,

But what are by themselves invented,

Else they not heal, but Cicatrize,

And from the cure a Scar doth rise,

Though Holy Cut, the fault commit,

Yet Long-tail must be paid for it;

Unto this wound was laid a Tent,

By Privilege of Parliament.

They paid the Scottish debt, and thus,

To be more honest, they rob’d us;

They feed the poor, with what think ye,

Why sure with large Calamity,

And once a month they think it fitting

To fast from sin, because from sitting,

They would have winde and storms supprest,

To drive the Hallcyon from her Nest;

Charles is a Picture, they make bold

To use the Scepter he should hold:

They’d pull down one, but give as good

A Golden Crown, made up of Wood,

And thus is Justice justly rent,

By Privilege of Parliament.