RELIGIONS COMPLAINT To the honourable Ladyes of Scotland, lamenting for the torne estate of that Kirk and Kingdome.
REmark (Madams,) remark my mourning mood,
I am Religion, who was borne in blood,
In blood I grew, and as I first began,
I feare my last gasp like the Pelican
Shall bee in blood; for at the Worlds first houre,
When on this earth there livde but only foure,
Ev'n then for my sake One of that small band,
His blood cryde vengeance at my Fathers hand:
And then when men increasde and multiplyed,
I was by mortalls basely vilifyed,
For which it pleasde my Father in his wrath,
To send a flood that swallowed up the earth,
Eight persons only safe, (O fearefull cace)
Neglect of mee destroyde all humane race:
And yet this hideous deluge in short space,
Was streight forgot by mortalls wanting grace.
Thereafter for my cause great warres began,
That mercilesse and cruell hearted man
Did dreg the Infants from their mothers wombes▪
Made sucklings cradles to become their tombes,
Ravishing women, wasting everie Land,
Burning faire buildings against Gods command,
Defacing Temples, and monuments rare,
Acting all wrath without remorse or feare,
And let mee (tender Ladyes) make complaint,
It calmes a wofull heart when woes get vent)
And let mee tell what wrongs, what injuries,
What foule disgraces, and what calumnies
Which I have suffered, and all those that love
My Name; to heare it, it would quickly move
An heart of flinty stone to melt in teares,
To retrograde it would compell the spheares,
Yea, it would cause the red Sea part asunder,
To heare my griefes, which doe surpasse all wonder:
And you (chast Dames) let teares fall from your eyes,
To heare mee tell my dismall Tragedies:
When first from Egypt I was put to flight,
With six hundreth thousand warriours of might,
I was persued by Pharao▪ where, if I,
Had not beene sav'd by God mirac'lously,
[Page] I had beene perisht: yet in end I [...]and
For cursed Egypt a Canaan land:
Then was I taken in a litle space
By Nebuchadnezer in most base disgrace,
And kept in bondage as a lawfull pryse
While Zedechiah wanted both his eyes:
Then did Antiochus ov'r mee tyrannize,
Dischargde my offrings, and my sacrifice.
Yea, my owne countrie-men the Iewes, I meane,
When as the Saviour of the world was slaine,
Gave mee a deadly blow, and for that blow
The Romans did their kingdome overthrow,
Did make them slaves, and did them all disperse,
Like vagabounds throughout this Vniverse.
Then after Christ came Arrius with his word,
And in my bellie thought to have sheatht his sword,
Yea with the venome of his stinking breath,
(I meane his doctrine) hee infect the earth,
Hee kindled such a great combustious fire,
That kindoms against kingdoms did conspire,
And altars against altars contradicted,
And all that lovde mee were with death afflicted,
So that in end I was perforc'd to flie
From Asia forfeare of crueltie
To Europe, where I did in heart suppose,
To find safeguard to save mee from my foes,
No sooner had I feeble footing got
In Europe, but I was constraind to trot,
And for to pack mee hence with diligence,
For the proud Persians with all violence,
The barbarous and bold Arrabians
The Ethiopians and Assyrians,
This omne-gathrum rout of rudest rascalls,
Are cald Saracens the Turks damnde Vassalls,
They seazde upon mee under this pretence,
To get renowne and high preheminence,
To Mahumet, and to his Alcaron,
To drowne my Name in deepe oblivion.
And had not GOD with Godfrey tane my part,
I had beene gone in despite of my heart:
At length to Scotland I betooke my self,
Where, for three hundreth yeares space and an half,
I was most truely both profest and preacht,
And to the people most sincerely teacht,
While that Rome with her filthie stinking puddle
(For which I still her anathem and wouddle)
Polluted my faire Sanctuaries all,
And to blind superstition made mee thrall.
Vntill the time brave Knox, my Darling deare,
Brought from Geneva reformation heere,
And Norman Leslie, everiewhere renownd,
Gave Beton for my cause a gasping wound,
And ever since I have remainde among you,
And for my sake no man had power to wrong you,
And whiles the French with the Italian,
The Switzer with the loftie proud Alman,
The Turk with Christians, Africa with Spaine
The Persian with the Turk in high disdaine
Wag'd warre: yet still my all-protecting Grace
Remaind with you in plentie and in peace:
Yet all those straits, and all those torturing tossings,
Which I have tryde, Laught them ov'r as sportings;
But now alas, I'me wounded to the death,
Since my defender Charles, my life, my breath,
Hath taken armes against you for my sake,
My swelling heart will quickly burst and breake,
Vnlesse I whisper in his gratious eares,
That my meek soule abhorrs all jarrs and w [...]rrs:
I doe not love mad Vulcans reuthlesse thunders,
Nor yet no battells massacrizing hunders.
An olive branch sent with a Dove of peace,
Is all I beg most humbly from his Grace:
Both land and people are his owne: and heere
Hee was begot, borne, bred for many a yeare,
Heere is the roote of all his royall race,
Heere rocked in his cradle was his Grace,
Heere did your Ladiships with tender hands,
Invest his Highnesse in his swadling bands,
And heere when as his Grace began to weepe,
With sweet balowes you lulld his eyes asleepe,
And so it doth surpasse all sense and wit,
To think his Grace [...]an his own soyle forget,
And to storme-foorth his princely wrath on babies,
On widowes, orphans, mayds and sakelesse Ladyes▪
The prudent heathen, (as records imparts)
Did love their countrie dearer than their hearts:
Creta, great Iove did love above all lands,
And Iuno lyked Samos fruitlesse sands,
Apollo did the flowrie Tenedon
Despise: and als the zephyrus Claron,
But his sweet Delos where Latona lyes
Hee loves above all earth beneath the skyes,
Vlysses lov'd his Mountaine highland soyle,
Ithace, where no pleasure is but toyle.
As deare as Creta was to Iovè, wee knoe,
As deare as Samos was to rich Iuno,
As loving as the kindly Delos bee
To bright Apollo: so the same are yee
Vnto your Prince: or els I wish a rope
Who loves not, may prove their horoscope.
Then (thou IEHOVA) who all Kings commands▪
(For all their hearts are hammer'd by thy hands)
It's thou that made them Gods on earth, wee ken,
Yet thou hast said, that they shall die as men.
Teach him to fling Romes frogs, my foes, away
And pacifie his royall rage, I pray.
By
P. M.
FINIS.