The Players Petition to the Parliament

Heroick Sirs, you glorious nine or ten,

That can depose the King, and the Kings men.

Who by your Sublime Rhetorick agree,

That prisons are the Subjects libertie:

And though we sent in silver at great rates,

You plunder, to secure us our Estates.

Your serious subtilty is grown so grave,

We dare not tell you how much power you have,

At least you dare not hear us; how you frown

If we but say, King Pym wears Charles his Crown,

Such a word’s Treason, and you dare not hear it,

Treason to speak it, and yet not to wear it.

O wise mysterious Synod, what shall we

Do for such men as you e’re forty three

Be half expir’d, and an unlucky season

Shall set a period to Triennial Treason,

When the fields pitcht, and some, for all their skill,

Shall fight a Bloody Battel on Tower-Hill;

Where Master Pym, your wise judicious Schollar,

Ascends his Throne, and takes his Crown in Coller;

When Canterbury coming forth shall wonder

You have so long secur’d him from the Thunder

Oft King-hunting Prentices, and the Mayor

Shall jussel zealous Isaack from his Chair.

Fore-seeing Brookes, thou drewst a happy lot,

’Twas a wise Bolt, although ’twas quickly shot;

But whilst you live, our loude Petition craves,

That we the true Subjects, and the true Slaves,

May in our Comick mirth and Tragick rage,

Set up the Theatre, and shew the Stage,

The shop of truth and fancy, and we Vow

Not to Act any thing you disallow:

We will not dare at your strange Votes to Jear,

Nor personate King Pym with his State-flear;

Aspiring Cataline shall be forgot,

Bloody Sejanus, or who e’re would Plot

Confusion to a State; the Warrs betwixt

The Parliament, and just Henry the sixt,

Shall have no thought or mention, cause their power,

Not only plac’d, but left him in the Tower;

Nor yet the Grave advice of Learned Pym,

Make a Malignant, and then Plunder him.

All these and such like actions as may mar

Your soaring Plots, and shew you what you are,

We will omit, lest that your mention shake ’um,

Why should the men be wiser then you make ’um.

Methinks there should not such a difference be

’Twixt our profession and your quality,

You meet, plot, talk, consult, with minds immense,

The like with us, but only we speak sense

Inferiour unto you; we can tell how

To depose Kings, there we are more then you,

Although not more than what you would; then we

Likewise in our vast Privilege agree,

Only yours are the longer; and controules,

Not only Lives and Fortunes, but mens Souls,

For you declare by Ænigmatick sense,

A Privilege over mens Conscience,

As if the Trinity would not consent

To save a Soul without the Parliament.

Wee make the People laugh at some vain shew,

And as they laugh at us, they doe at you;

But then i’th Contrary we disagree,

For you can make them cry faster then wee:

Your Tragedies more really are exprest,

You murder men in Earnest, wee in. Jest.

There we come short: But if you follow’t thus,

Some wise men fear you will come short of us.

Now humbly, as we did begin, Wee pray,

Dear School-masters, you’d give us leave to play

Quickly before the King come, for we wou’d

Be glad to say y’ave done a little good

Since you have sate, your Play is almost done,

As well as ours, would it had ne’er begun;

For we shall see, e’er the last Act be spent,

Enter the King, Exeunt the Parliament.

And hey then up go we, who by the frown

Of guilty Consciences have been kept down:

So may you still remain, and sit and Vote,

And through your own beam see your brothers mote,

Until a legal trial do shew how

You us’d the King, and hey then up goe you:

So pray your humble Slaves with all their powers,

That they may have their due, and you have yours.