A DIALOGUE Between the FLAG OF St. MARTIN's Steeple, AND THE Standard AT THE TOWER.
LONDON, Printed by D.E. and fold by A. Baldwin, near the Oxford Arms in Warwick-Lane. MDCXCVIII.
[...]
TO THE Right Honourable JOHN Lord JEFFERYES, Baron of WEM, &c.
MY LORD,
THE Noble Character you are Master of, And the kind Reception your Lordship has been pleased to give to Things of this Nature has embolden'd me to make this Present to Your Lordship. And the Your Lordship's Hours are generall Employ'd in more serious Exercise [Page]yet the Perusal of so Trifling a Pamphlet, may so soften your more severe Studies, as it may be counted a Diversion, if it cannot have the Name of a Pleasure. My Lord, since the Corruption of the Age has been such, as to render Things Animate ill employers of their Reason, it is but just that the Things which are Inanimate, should serve as so many Instructions to 'em; and to give Beasts, and Things void of Speech, the use of their Tongue, cannot be counted as Harm, since to take it from Man, who makes so ill use of it, would [...]arry the appearance of Justice with it. The two Flags which [...]rave Your Lordship's Acceptance, [...]ontend for Religion and Loyalty, [Page]and I cannot but think I have done Justice to that of the Court, in making it prevail in the Dispute, since the Church's has so far made a Forfeit of Both, as to have no very good Plea to Either. But, my Lord, there needs no giving your Lordship a light into my Design, who will but too soon (for its Author) give Your Judgment of it. All I have to do, is, to ask Your Lordship's Acceptance, and that You would be pleas'd to pardon the Deficiencies of,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's Most Obedient Servant. W. P.
A DIALOGUE Between the FLAG of St. Martin's Steeple, AND THE STANDARD at the TOWER.
SInce Beasts, Fish, and Birds
Now Discourse, and use Words,
And Steeples, and Spires fall a Preaching;
There's a way, without doubt,
For a Standard and Clout,
To shew likewise their Talent of Speech in.
St. Martin's Flag.
[Page 2]DEar Brother Flag,
You have heard of the Drag—
Half a word is enough to the Wise;
But Lord, how Grashopper
Look'd to Monster so proper,
And of such a terrible Size!
I, faith that same Beast,
Tho' I once was your Jest,
And the Subject of Mirth and your Laughter,
With His Talons and Nails
Has quite turn'd the Scales,
And I'm now made a Man for hereafter.
And Egad Sir, when Majors,
Went to Halls to say Pray'rs,
It was almost as much as it cou'd.
I must needs tell you now,
Without Flatt'ry or Bow,
I'm as good as your self for the future,
Tho' you bear a great Name,
Our Flags are the same,
And our Qualities also should suit here.
Standard.
[Page 4]VAin, Silly, poor Rag,
Show his Majesty's Flag,
The Respect which is due to his Place,
Nor dare to intrude
With Discourses so rude,
And with Words so presumptuous and base.
Dog, look where I stand,
And the City command,
From the King's Royal Tower and Pallace.
Whilst to humour the People,
You are plac'd on the Steeple,
Tho' you'd done as much good on the G—
One would think 'twas enough
For the Parson to Huff,
And force Tythes and Respect from the Croud;
Because he looks Great,
And takes on him some State,
Must the poor Parish-Clout too be proud?
St. Mar. Flag.
A Clout Sir! for shame,
Use a decenter Name,
Since I stand on a place that's divine,
Tho' I cost not so many
A Pound, and fair Penny,
Yet my Clout's a Flag as well as thine.
And I think I say right,
If with Main and Might,
I have done as much good full as you.
In short, tho' your Streamer
May powerfull seem here,
'Cause with Ditches and Guns so surrounded,
I have known Sir, a time,
When my Bell-Ferrys Chime
Has those Guns, and those Ditches confounded:
When your Huffers and Dingers
Were affraid of my Ringers,
Tho' commanded by stout Sir Ned Hales:
And those you call'd Vermin,
My Porters and Carmen,
Made your Lace-coated Hero's turn Tails.
Standard.
YEs, my Friend, that is certain,
Thou deserv'st a great part in
The Blessings this Nation has bought:
But methought it look'd odly,
To see Clergy so godly,
Dissent from the Doctrines they taught.
And with Bell, Book, and Candle,
Curs'd those who dar'd handle
A Text, which should offer Denyal!
But when Right Divino
Grappl'd at the Church Rhino,
And the Tythe-Pigs were like to be seiz'd;
Then St. Martin's and Bow,
Turn their Yes, Yes, to No,
And their Hearers might do as they pleas'd.
Prithee where's the Great doing
To help Save from Ruine
A people the Church had quite Craz'd?
But now keep your distance,
I want no Assistance
From such Raga Muffins, it's certain,
Had Tower Flag had that Lyon
In those times, as I on,
Let me tell you, a Fart for St. Martin.
St. Martin's Flag.
YOu are much in the Wrong,
To use a foul Tongue,
To a Church where a Prelate did Teach in:
Tho' the Parson's speak ill,
Yet the good Bishops still,
Have an Excellent way in their preaching.
Consider, tho' you are
Counted Best, and the Truer,
That holy Things will be the Finest:
And it is but in vain
For a Thing that's Prophane
To pretend to Cope with the Divinest.
Your Silk does indeed
My Calicoe exceed,
Yet Sir, tho' you stand on the Tower:
I am fix'd on a Place,
Which teaches more Grace,
And should have more Honour and power.
And I am in a Station,
(Notwithstanding your Passion)
More great, and exceedingly better.
Tho' I stand like a Fool here,
My Master as Ruler,
Your Sovereign Lord does preserve;
And tho' he's a King,
It's no uncivil thing,
If I say, that your King does him serve.
Standard.
[Page 12]I Must own Sir, it's true,
Give all Folks their due,
That the place which you stand on is holy;
But for you to lay claim,
To be counted the same,
It looks both like Madness and Folly.
Because Bishop and Priest
The Steeple has bless'd,
Must a Flag of those Blessings partake?
And because it is seated
On a Place Consecrated,
Be holy for that Place's sake?
By my Troth, Sir, you'r out,
In looking so Stout,
And fancying you'r e're a jot better,
Because you'r so near
House of Goodness and Pray'r,
Must it's Goodness belong to your Seat here?
No, my Friend, you'r mistaken
In such merry making,
And are very much out of the Road;
I've a much better Plea,
And the Proverb for me
Says, Near the Church, is far from God.
St. Martin's Flag.
HOw? A Court Standard dare▪
With a Church to compare,
And pretend to Religion, and Vertue?
Your Flag is too fine
For Matters Divine,
Or to deal in Religious Cares;
Lord! How Man with Lac'd Coat,
Would be reckon'd to doat,
Should that Coat of his be at Pray'rs!
St. Mar. Fl.
THat my Men in great Places,
And my Coats daub'd with Laces,
Don't pay much Respect to the Church,
Is because your Black-Coats,
So oft change their Notes,
And leave those whom they guide in the Lurch.
Besides gather the Mob
To break Windows and Rob,
E're since on that Place thou hast stood?
Has that Flag of thine
Been so Loyal as mine,
(For that is a Subject's Chief Glory)
Or such glad Tydings shown
To Suburbs and Town,
As my Standard which Streams now before ye?
Stand.
[Page 16]YEs, I think, Sir, much more,
To the best of my Pow'r,
I was always before-hand with you:
Neither Vict'ry nor Rout,
But I was hung out,
For the Joyful Spectators to view.
I was ready and willing,
When Men Iniskilling
Had one single Rapparee seiz'd.
Strait my Zeal to disclose,
And tell what cursed Blows,
Those Champions could give if they pleas'd.
With my Flag o [...] my Staffe
How I'd twitter and laugh,
To think that our Side was the Winner.
And that we had got
The unmerciful Sot,
And safely Secur'd the damn'd Sinner.
Whilst your's all this while,
Would not give one poor Smile;
So far was your Standard from Laughter:
Nor had, on my Soul,
Any Flag on your Pole,
Or show'd any Joy for the Matter.
Stand.
[Page 18]PRithee, what of all this,
Where Have I done amiss
Because I took on me due State?
And as 'twas my place,
Would never debase
My Standard, in Matters not great?
One poor silly Thief
To his Ruine and Grief,
May be Triumph enough for your Clout;
But Thousands must die
Before such as I,
Will vouchsafe to Rejoyce or hang out.
Wherefore, make no Denyal,
But that I am most Loyal,
Since I ne'er yet have giv'n that Offence,
And never did shew
Such Rejoycing as you,
At the Birth, Sir, of you know what Prince.
St. Mar. Fl.
A Good Reason why Sir,
Because at that Time, I Sir,
Was in Being, which then you were not:
Had you then had your Birth,
You'd have shew'd as much Mirth,
As the rest of us Flags, for a Pot.
But had not the Church,
Been afraid of Court Birch,
St. Martins had plaguily Mutter'd.
For to put such damn'd Slights
In our Freedoms and Rights,
As a spurious Welch Heir, was a hard Case.
'Slife, Sir, if I durst,
I had ne're been the first;
But I mightily love a whole Carcass.
However I've since,
Atton'd for that Prince,
And have been more Zealous and Hearty;
Stand.
PRithee, what have you done,
For such Crimes to Attone,
Or recover your Primitive Fame?
If your Flag did not dare,
Your Sermons and Pray'r,
Might ne'r have made use of his Name.
St. Mar. Fl.
[Page 22]DOne? By all that is holy,
I admire at your Folly;
Sure, your Reason, and Eyes too, are blind:
As if my Deserts,
And Love for True Hearts,
Were Vertues too bright for thy Mind.
Why, Man, did not I
Let my Colours fly,
As soon as the News came to Town,
That Russel had beat,
And sunk the French Fleet,
And with Powder and Ball, knock'd 'em down?
But, Egad, Sir, I strove,
To shew my Zeal and my Love,
And caus'd many Halloo's and Whoops.
In the mean while, you chose
To defer your fine Shows,
Till the News was Confirm'd by Express.
And then, Sir, you drew
Your Flag out, 'tis true,
And in Troth, Friend, how cou'd you do less?
Stand.
[Page 24]FAith, Sir, I'm too Just,
To take News so on Trust,
As your unadvis'd Rag has been wont;
Great Folks in my Station,
Ought to use Meditation,
And first to consider upon't.
But to Joy for a Peace
Before Wars did cease,
And let lose your poor Flag for a Truce;
What else was it thought,
But a Business of Nought,
It look'd so much like an Abuse?
St. Mar. Fl.
[Page 25]THat was nothing but Zeal
For the good Common-Weal;
And tho' the Peace was not then Sign'd,
Yet I knew that it must,
And what the Clergy mistrust,
Must always fall out as Divin'd.
My good Dr. L—
Vow'd he'd lay a Tester;
And to each Overseer declar'd,
That Peace was as sure,
As he had Soul's Cure,
And he bad me deny't if I dar'd.
Or a Servant as I,
Dare make a Reply,
To so Knowing and Learned a Master?
Stand.
BUt you saw, Friend, at last
Your Belief went too fast,
And your positive Parson had Err'd:
Pray, where had been the Harm,
If you'd ne're took Alarm,
And your Joys for some time had defer'd?
Our Flags then had join'd
To combate the Wind,
And made a most faithful Report
Of the Joys and Increase,
Which should flow from the Peace,
And the Church been as true as the Court.
But I find 'tis in vain
To attempt to restrain
The Pride of your Soul at this time;
Wherefore, Sir, Adieu,
Neither Honest nor True,
But always by Interest guided;
Whom Preferment alone,
Makes adhere to the Throne,
And from all but the Great ones divided.
Since Pride won't let you know
The Respect which you owe,
I reser't to another Dispute,
Tho', if you'd lay'd Claim
To Sense, or to Shame,
By my Soul, Sir, you'd long since been mute.
FINIS.