HALESIADOS. A MESSAGE FROM THE NORMANS, TO THE GENERALL of the Kentish Forces. WITH The GENERALLS Answer to the NORMANS Letter. Also two State-Pasquils,
- 1. The Independent Suspended.
- 2. The Leveller Listed.
—Famam spectate parentum.
Printed in the Yeare, 1648.
HALESIADOS. A Message from the Normans, to the Generall of the Kentish Forces.
WOnder not Albion, that these lines are sent
From th' Norman Duke to th' Generall of Kent.
For wee'r concern'd i'th' quarrell you are in,
And must expect you be what you have been
Victorious Champions; as, to give your due,
You shew'd your selves when we invaded you.
Your hearts, no doubt, are same, brave Kentish-men,
Fighting for that which you pretended then,
Your Liberties, Laws, Priviledges, Rights,
All which you gain'd in being Opposites
To our time-memoriz'd Progenitour.
Whose valiant hand spred his Commanding Power
O're all the Brittish Ile to Thames fam'd flood,
And by you onely in his march withstood.
Shall those victorious State-triumphant Bayes
Which deckt your Phanes & Temples in those dayes,
From you receive their Winter: and decline
Through your remisnesse in this feverish time?
Have you no minde to vindicate your wrongs,
Which shrilly Eccho with as many tongues
As there be Nations? If your easie rage
Be so soon calm'd, why did ye first engage
Your County in this action: or foreslow
Th' pursuit of that which ye resolv'd to doe?
When th' Actor's on a Stage, he must not start,
His reputation prompts him to his Part.
And tell us, are ye not in self-same sphere
Of active worth and resolution here?
[Page 2]Are not the Eyes of all Spectators on you,
Wishing you may performe what do's become you?
And will ye make retrait, when you may wing
Your fame, and right a State-devested King?
Is this the Copy which your valours shew
To other parts in imitating you?
But you will say, "There's not a helping hand
"That would supply our breach, were we at stand:
"All's out of joynt: the fabrick of our State
"Findes onely fuell to a Civill hate.
"The People strive to please the Consuls will,
"The Consuls in their Synods act what's ill:
"The City times it; cares not who's opprest
"So she may eye her private interest.
Admit all these; you have a free-borne State,
Which were no County your Associate,
If ye reteine your valour, can oppose
Th' insulting braves of such licentious foes
Who forrage on your fortunes: and would eat
The labours of your hands for which ye sweat.
These came not to you, as we came to treat,
Or to debate, but violently beat,
And with their vaunts amate your Countrey Bores
By acting Execution at their doors.
Where be those Legats which ye sometimes sent
Unto our Army from the Wilde of Kent?
These sleighted our Proposalls, and would pledge
Their lives before they lost their priviledge.
These could contest before by spritely power
With Brittains sole subduing Conquerour,
And stand upon their tearms, till they had got
That Grant which other Counties purchas'd not.
Nought could decline their aimes: — and is it just
Such valiant Spirits now should sleep in dust,
And lose their memory unto your shame,
Whose actions gave your County life and fame?
Who could endure to see an ancient Shrine
Rear'd to preserve the honour of his line,
[Page 3]And spreading family, to rubbish dasht,
And not remember th' ashes that were plac'd
In that obsequious Urne? — The Case is yours:
Those who deriv'd their Liberties from ours;
Those who dis-valued popular command,
And would be free-indeniz'd in a Land
Subject to servile awe, lie there among you;
Would ye then know by us what does become you?
Preserve their fames; let not a matchlesse State
By spurious blood become degenerate.
Let those rich monumentall Columns bear
The Names of those for which they mounted were:
And in their Modells, represent them too
In acting those atchievements they would doe.
Now, should you answer, that you have not cause
To fight as they did, since ye have your Laws
And Liberties confirm'd: nor ought deni'de
That might by Law of Armes be rectifide:
Hear your incensed friends: — what can be free
Before an Independent Enemie?
When Soveraignties contemn'd, the Law abus'd,
And Senatours just for their purpose chus'd;
When Arms make Laws: — nay, when Astraeas seat
Such Centaurs and such Lapithees beget,
As th' HALL where JUSTICE sometimes sat aray'd
In purple, now's a SANGUINE SHAMBLES made
Begor'd with Christian bloud; that 't may appear
Justice has nought but Swords to manage there.
What canst thou challenge for thy self, brave Kent,
But that thou hast so many ages spent
In the fruition of thy Libertie,
But now ore-aw'd by lawlesse tyrannie?
What a poor honour is't for man to say,
Once in my time I had a prosperous day?
Nought to oppose my wishes; all successe
To crown the Abstract of mine happinesse.
But Evning crowns the day: 'tis present state
Which humane frailty onely levells at:
[Page 4]Those glorious beames of his which shone so clear,
When they'r removed from his Hemisphear,
And with a sable sullen Cloud impall'd,
How may those vading rayes of his be call'd
But Lights before his Death? Whose twinkling shine
Conducts him in the Exit of his time.
And such are you; — for wherein could ye vant
That you had freedomes other Counties want;
As for example,
The Son no loser by his Fathers attainture.
Father goes to th' bough,And's Son enjoyes his State, and goes to th' plough:
With sundry other priviledged powers
Conferred on you by our Ancestours:
When ye are stript of these, and made as nak't,
As if such Bounties ye had ne're partak't?
Now tell us, do you not deserve the nooze
If what they got, your Cowardize shall lose?
Rouze up your Spirits then, and now prevent
This imputation to the Wilde of Kent.
Reteine your pristine prowesse, and make good
That antient-line all-uncorrupted blood,
Which ye derive from them from whence ye came,
And who have chalk'd the way to crown your fame.
But you will ask; how is't that Normans are
So interested in their Kentish care
For shielding of the honour they have got?
Wee'l tell you, GENERALL, if you know it not.
Ballance the skale aright, and you'l confesse
That we, in our concerns can doe no lesse.
Ye, for an Impreze on your parcels set
That Kentishmen were never conquer'd yet.
Nay, that ye conquer'd us, when we did shew
Our Soverainty o're all your Isle save you.
And will you now that Badge of Honour lose
By yeelding up the buckler unto those
Who are of such contemtible race
They dare not look a Norman in the face?
How may this correspond with valour, say,
You to quell us, who are more stout then they
[...] whom yee'r crush'd? For tell us, are not these
Whom ye give way to plunder where they please;
Souldiers of fortune, and the dregs oth' Land,
Who would for pay be at the Turks command?
And must this Hand-full put brave Kent to th' rout,
Who should they fall have small hope to recruite?
Must these their Orange-colour Ensigns reare
Before your Maid-stone and your Rochester
With a victorious Entry and Surprize?
Can Normans hear this, think you, with dry eyes?
For if the issue of these Acts prove true,
We were but Cowards to subscribe to you.
But we'l renue no wounds; wee'l onely make
This Application: as your fames at stake
It is too rich a gage for you to lose,
Or prostitute to such inferiour foes.
Be your selves still: let's hear by next report
There's not a Town, Grainge, Citadell nor Fort
Your sword has not re-gain'd. — By sacred Powers,
Those precious ashes of your Ancestours,
Your glorious Conquests, and whatsoere is dear,
We do conjure you, like your selves appear
Death-fleighting Kentists: this will make you great,
I'th' Court of Honour, and restore your Seat
To her proceeding fame: Our Ears and Eyes
Thirst after your succeeding Victories:
Crown our desires, so shall your actions bring
Fame to your selves, and freedome to your King:
And be such patterns unto others too,
As Pious Zeal may do the same you do.
Let's hear this from you, and wee'l ne're repent
Since Kent roles others, to be rul'd by Kent.
'Tis no dishonour, so our Stories shew,
To be subdude by them that can subdue.
The GENERALL of Kent's Answer to the NORMANS Letter.
YOurs we receiv'd; and we confesse, we are
Bound to your princely favours for your care
Of our succeeding honour; which shall be
So fortifide with Subjects loyaltie,
As no Rebellious hand shall e're undo
That loyall Contract wee'r obliged to.
The Spirit of the Camomile is showne
By rising higher when it is trod down:
And precious Odours never smell so sweet
As when they'r pounded: then they breath their heat
And balmy liquor: — you, perchance, may hear
That we have born as much as Men can bear;
Taxes and Onerous Levies, as if sense
Had lost it self by Souldiers insolence.
All this we grant: our State has been distrest;
Our wrongs petition'd; but still unredrest;
With guilded promises, we oft were fed,
And by Committees into errour led:
For when we hop'd they would our wrongs look o're,
Our hopes grew weaker then they were before:
Delayes spun our Conclusions, which wrought such
Deep impression, as our County sought
To right their wrongs, when Justice would not doe it,
By force of Armes; and so we flew unto it.
But this induc'd us most: Some did complaine
That diverse just petitioners were slaine
Who came from neighb'ring Counties for redresse,
Which they conceiv'd would prove remedilesse
Without the Senats order: but so farre
Were they from help, as they commenc'd a warre
Upon those naked Plaintiffs, who lay dead
Even in that Roome where Justice us'd to tread,
By Military Cohorts, who were sent
To execute this tragicall Event.
[Page 7]This much inrag'd our Spirits: So as we
Presenting to our thoughts this injurie,
Or barbarous practise rather, we intended
To lose our lives, or have these errours mended.
Nor was our Senate slower in their care
To have their powerfull Army to prepare
To answer our Petition in the field,
The onely choice Receipt (for so they held)
Apt to deterre Petitioners hereafter
By this presentment of a Kentish slaughter.
Now you expect th' Event 'twixt us and them,
And you shall have 't with an impartiall pen
Portray'd to life: For we do scorne our tongue
Should right our valour, and doe truth a wrong.
Chusing our ground, and our Battalia set
Chearfull as if we at a Banket met,
Some for a Treaty look't, but they spake higher,
The Generall commanded to give fire:
Nor was this Charge unanswer'd to our foes,
Shot answers Shot, and Blowes encounter Blowes.
But to joyn issue, we will here divide
Those losses that occurr'd to either side.
'Tis true, that we have lost two of our Towns
By the remisnesse of unmannag'd Clowns;
Who would no long time Martiall Order keep,
Lest by their absence they might lose a sheep:
For this Plebeian Heard is such a Beast
It ever tenders private interest:
His way is how he may some profit win,
A Crown at stake is nothing unto him.
But in our losse and theirs the Stories erre,
For though they took Maidestone and Rochester,
There was no breach but sealed with their blood,
All which our Foes have lately understood;
For we beleeve, they'l scarce, for all their boast,
Recrute so many as their Conquest lost.
Five hundred Foot, we know lie buried there
Under those ruines: neither doe we fear
[Page 8]The Remnant of their Army: Well we know
When Forces are at height, they must grow low
And feel their degradation: — When the Sun
To th' highest period his Cariere hath run,
He suffers a decline: his shade contracts:
Part of his former rigour too he lacks.
So Lakes and Moats dry up that have no Spring,
So all unbounded Powers that want a King:
So Trees grow haplesse, when they drop their fruite;
So Armies hopelesse, when they want recrute.
Some of their Party (peradventure) scoffe,
And say, we came far better on then off:
But when they play their Cards (as they must play)
They'l grant we came far better off then they.
Our Body holds compleat, prompt to receive
Active Commands when they occasion have:
But theirs are so disheartned of late,
Through want of present pay, and peoples hate,
For though each man may have five shillings pay
(Auxiliar's we mean) for every day,
Scarce one of five, they were discourag'd so,
Will march one foot, but run before they go.
There are indeed, some Senat favorites,
Who in these Stories of our age delights:
And these will tell you, how our Maidstone wives
Preferr'd the Publick good before their lives.
How they imbrude their hands in Husbands blood,
Because the Saints were by their force withstood.
But there's small truth in this: these wives through fear
Might pull their Husbands back, or shed a tear,
Or beg a peace: — (— no Amazonian time
For femal Spirits to be masculine!)
But to imbrue their hands i'th' blood of men
Is a meere fiction, odious to our pen.
They speak the like, would credulous ears believe them,
Or for authentick histories receive them,
That when they were at Maidstone Conquerers,
They took in Kent two thousand Prisoners.
[Page 9]But what were these? Infants that hung at th' teat,
Old men, whose toothlesse age requir'd chew'd meat;
Weak helplesse women, Criples, and such like,
Who wanted strength to stand, much more to strike;
These were those Conquer'd captives which they took,
To be registred in Primaleons Book.
And yet these Booties, to increase the wonder,
Put them together, fall short of their number.
Now to your princely self: — 'tis your desire
That Kentish Spirits should reteine that fire
Which our Progenitours did sometimes shew
When they receiv'd their Liberties from you.
Let not your HIGHNESSE doubt on't; wee'r the men
Both for our hearts and hands, that we were then.
Our GENERALL like haile will fall upon them,
And crush those Foes to dust that sought to wrong them:
Hee'l pound to powder these rebellious Slaves,
And cause the Furies caper o're their Graves.
Their late proscribed Lords call'd home againe
Must not secure their House: SAY'S Plots are vaine,
Nay, should they all those rotten Imps restore,
Wee'd graple with them at their Senats door.
Patience abus'd is boundlesse fury made,
We finde by whom our Country was berai'd.
To chastice these, our forces have decreed
To Sacrifice their Blood to right their Head.
If we turn tail, and not our State deliver,
May long-tail'd Kentists be cashir'd for ever:
If time-succeeding Annals shew not these,
Wee'l forfeit Charter of our Liberties.
Mean time suspend your judgement: and reteine
Opinion of us, as our Actions gaine:
And if we prove same men we were before,
Hold us true Kentish: we doe crave no more.
The Jndependent Suspended.
Referring to the Sacriledge lately committed at S. Giles Church i'th' Fields.
SAint Giles, though such as here reteine thy Name,Have got into the Proverb to be lame:
Thy swift pursuing feet must not be so,
In the revenge of a licentious foe;
Lest Independents Act of Priviledge
Commit upon thy Temple Sacriledge.
But some will say, that Act's mis-understood,
Whats'ere they did, was for the Churches good.
O no! This Crime must aggravate our grieves,
To see the House of Prayer a prey for theives.
If this continue, our imperious foes
May pitch on Tiburne for their Rendezvouze.
The Leveller Listed.
YOu, Sir, who from a pure pretensive zeale
Observe the Rule of Plato's Common-weale;
Who would have all in Common; not for love
But Envy, seeing others rankt above
And you below. — Nor is it onely state
That your Anarchiall Modell levells at.
Blood mixt with blood: wound parallel'd with wound,
Priority laid levell with the ground.
Listed in these designes you strive to be,
And so you may: We hear from Tartarie
How Prince and People are at great debate
'Bout their precedent quality of State;
For this SUPREMACY does so much move them,
They'l scarce endure Heav'n to be sphear'd above them.
Imbark you in this Action, and be gone;
Leave us alone, and we shall knit in one.
Charon the Tartars Ferriman's a shore,
And waited long to waft your Worship o're.
If you recoile; let Brandon have a care
To nooze your levell betwixt earth and aire.
FINIS.