The conversion, confession, contrition, comming to himselfe, & advice, of a mis-led, ill-bred, rebellious round-head which is very fitting to be read to such as weare short haire, and long eares, or desire eares long / written by John Taylor.

The conversion, confession, contrition, comming to himselfe, & advice, of a mis-led, ill-bred, rebellious round-head which is very fitting to be read to such as weare short haire, and long eares, or desire eares long / written by John Taylor.

Table of contents

Title page

The Conversion, Confession, Contrition, comming to himselfe, and advice of a Misled, ill-bred, Rebellious ROUND-HEAD.

The Conversion, Confession, Contrition, comming to himselfe, and advice of a Misled, ill-bred, Rebellious ROUND-HEAD.

[Page]

[Page]

HE goes farre that never turn's, but if I had not turn'd squarely and quickly from my Orbicular Singularity, or Circular Rotundity, I might corporally have turn'd Round under the Gallowes, and spiritually gone Roundly to the Devill. Therefore know all you (my seduced, abused, misled and bewitched Brethren) that though in this following discourse, I doe treat particularly or single of my selfe, yet I would have you understand, that my intention is generall too, and of as many as have been wickedly Cheated by the Devill or his Agents, Factors, and Broakers, of their Soules, their Consciences, their Loyalties, their Lives, their Goods, their Wits, their Monies, and what not?

Be it knowne unto all men (I could have said Neverint Vniversi, but that I loved neither Latine nor Vniversity) that I was an honest Weaver, and in my quondam time, or dayes of yore, I Whileom dwelt in White-Chappell neare, that great Magazine of mischiefe, London, where I liv'd poorly, painfully, patiently, and contentedly; neither wanting or abounding, not greedy or needy, having neither debters to pay me, or my selfe any debts to pay. Thus did I spend my diebis illis in a Mellifluous, dulcet, Candid Halcion of Harmony, which continued to the expiration of a Iury of Almanacks, (for so long I liv'd single, & wore Batchelers buttons, till I was at the yeares or age of Whipper-ginnie) and then I was unluckily Ingeminated [Page] to a Reverend Corpulent Mid-wife (or mad-wife) one whose experienc'd Gravity, and Grave experience, did quickly asswage the fervor of my concupiscentiall cupidity, that before the Consumption of one Moones various Perambulation, my old new Bride, had so Metamorphis'd my flexible Pericranian, that I Resolv'd to waver from a Weaver, intending to cast the Beame out of mine eye, which was no sooner in, but the Shuttle entred into my Braine, so that (before I was aware) my head was turn'd with a trice, as Round as a Top or Whirligigge.

For my Motherly wife had at the least 500 daughters, maydes, wives, widdowes, married, and unmarried, all Breeders (or Teeming women) the most, or greatest number of which, were exceeding zealous in sundry Religions (scarce three of them in threescore in one opinion) all devout in diversities, and all differing in their devotions; and from all these (my sincere wife Saphira) had sucked so many documents and doctrines, that she could discourse and dispute of all points of Religion, beyond her understanding; all which she made me so perfect in, that I was quickly perfectly mad, and imperfectly out of my wits; for I had as many new diseases in my mind, as a horse could have in his body; first the Wind Chollick of selfe love, and Ambition made me presume to seeme to know more, and interpret the Scriptures more neare the originall, then all the learned and Reverend Bishops and Doctors could doe. Secondly, I was Broke-winded with a Round whirlewind of Tautology, that I held him the Rarest man that could talke longest, and beleeved the greatest lyes to be certaine truths. Thirdly, I was troubled with the Staggers, that betwixt the Dura Mater of schismaticall opinions, & the Pia mater of the true Protestant doctrine, there were some whimsies infus'd, which made my Braines constantly inconstant, tost to and fro (like a dogge in a Blanket) giddily from one new purified Conventicle to another, and (like a Iade) I had all paces within the Circumclusion of my supernodicall Noddle, I could Pace, Amble, Trot, Hand-gallop, Wild-gallop, Fals-gallop, Tongu-gallop, to all the private meetings, holy Assemblies, seditious Consultations, Brownisticall Rebellions, Anabaptisticall, fustian fopperies, zealous Treasons, and most devout disobedience; I travell'd to every Contentious Congregation, and Edified most wickedly wheresoever I came, I was at Boston, in Lincolnshire, [Page] where I heard Mr Anderson the diligent Preacher say, that the Earle of Essex was Michaell the Archangell, and that the King was the Dragon, which he must Tread under his feet. verily it was strange doctrine to me, and I (like an asse) beleeved him, for I thought that Preachers should not lye, or speake blasphemy and Treason in the Pulpits. But since my Conversion I find, that the Archangell Michaell and the Dragon are Typicall, figurative or Allegoricall allusions, of Christs Treading downe of Satan, and his Triumphant victory over death and hell. It were too much for me to write, or any Reader to read the numberlesse instructions that those Topheticall Lecturers did in too many places belch and bluster out, and all to no other end but (their owne ends) to draw, inforce, entice, perswade, admonish and compell by all meanes to be Rebells against God and the King, to despise the Church-Governours government, to trample downe all Law, and order, to scorne obedience, to hate Loyalty, to contemne faith, truth, and honesty, to steale, robbe, plunder, wound, deflowre, ravish, imprison, fine, begger, and murther all, that durst obey God in the observing of the Protestant Religion, or be Loyall to the King in the obedience to him, and observation of the Lawes established.

In a word, I quickly learn'd the Art of ignorance, the Mystery of iniquity, the Science of villany, the Society of Rebellion, the Vocation of Treason, the function of hypocrisy, and the knavery of all Trades. I had an excellent memory to forget, to forgive any injury, and I was infus'd with an admirable forgetfulnes, not to remember benefits received. Me thought he was but a Barren stirrell-Brain'd Preacher, that could not rayl at the King, abuse my suffering Lord, revile the State, and call the right Honourable Lords, wicked Councellors; I heard one at Roderhich (or Rederiffe neare London) exhort the People on a Sunday, to be valiant and couragious in the Cause, that they ought not to stand in feare, or to be awed, cowed, or commanded, by the power or authority of any one man, nor should they be afraid to sheath their swords in the bowells of him and his Posterity, (whosoever he was) without respect of Persons; and verily the man talk'd exceedingly edifying, I was taken mightily with his doctrine, and so were many more of the Brethren and Sisters at that time, in that sanctimonious Congregation. There was at the hearing of him one Taylor (whom some doe style, intitle, nominate, [Page] and cognominate, the aquaticall, or Water-Poet) he (I say) was so bold to say then and there, on the day aforesaid, in the place aforesaid, that the Preacher aforesaid, that prated the Lecture aforesaid, was worthy to be hang'd, as aforesaid, as many Traitors had been aforesaid, in other Princes Raignes aforesaid, for lesse fault then aforesaid, for the which Taylor aforesaid, for saying as aforesaid, was like to be knock'd aforeside and backside, but that he made use of his heeles, got into a Boat and away, as aforesaid.

Thus these provoking, moving, unbenefic'd Lecturers did fill me and the rest with such forcible undoing documents, that we were all mad till we were undone and begger'd; I ran with all speed and carried that plate and mony I had to the Guile-Hall, where some crafty merchants, like decoy ducks, had brought in their plate first, which was heaped and piled up to make a glistering show, to draw and toll in such poor Widgeons and Woodcocks as my selfe, to bring our goods and mony in. And afterwards the Rich decoyes did take theirs away againe, whilst we left our estates there, having no other security but the most immense, unlimitable, inimitable, universall, inexhaustible, and unvaluable Publique Faith. Which Faith I have found (by singular deplorable experience) to be nothing kin to the symboll of the faithful 12 good men and true, for their faith was, and is a saving faith, but I have lost all the goods and goodnes that I had by fixing my hopes upon the Rotten foundation of the Faith politick and publick. Besides every good Faith (or Creed) hath 12 good Articles; but this new Faith hath but two, (which two are true both, without Contradiction) which are, give or lend with a good or an ill will, and be cheated, or begger'd like a foole; or deny to give or lend, and be imprisoned, rifled, and undone; upon these two Maxims is this Faith grounded, and will be proved Authenticall by 10000 witnesses, and some of them have seald it with their bloods.

It was in disputation what trade or Craftsmen they were that first invented this new Rare detrimentall Faith; some said they were Taylors, that with the mysticall Sheeres of their Authority, could cut the Common-wealth (like Broad-cloath) into what shape or fashion they pleas'd, making such large shreds as may keep them and their Childrens Children warme till doomes day. Some said they were the only skilfull Fishers in the world, and that they [Page] went beyond Ovid in metamorphising, for they had transform'd this Kingdome into a Sea, and all the goods of the Kingdome were turn'd into Fishes, which they catch'd with the Net of their Almighty power, and dispos'd of as they pleas'd, the Mashes of the said Net being so cunningly and strongly woven, that the huge Leviathan, or the mighty Whale, the overgrowne Grampus, or mounting Pork-pice, could not breake through, nor the small Pilchard, the little Sprat, or the least Minnow could escape, (for the Proverbe in them was verified) All is Fish that comes to the Net. But there was a third sort that said the Publique Faith was made by a company of Dyers, that dyed nothing but false fading Colours, scarce using any wood at all but Logwood, and such sophisticated stuffe being their chief materialls, which would not hold Colour, but staine & spotted shamefully, so that the people conceiving themselves to be gulld and consend, and the Diers (taking notice of the peoples distast) will give over dying of false Colours any more, and doe purpose shortly to dye knaves in graine.

J am almost mad, frantique, lunatique, besides my selfe, out of my wits, at my wits end, or (call it what you will) J am not as I might, could, would, should, or ought to be, in confiding what paines, cost, and perill J have undergone, to make my selfe a beggerly Thiefe, a Rebell, a Traitor, or any thing, but an honest man, and now too late, I find that knavery is a deare purchase, and that truth & a good Conscience may be had and maintain'd at a cheaper rate then villany. It greeves me to remember how often His Majesties Forces have taken paines to beat me and my Breathren into a little good manners; yet I cannot chuse but rejoyce at a speech spoken by a valiant Vintner at the George at Queenhith, he being one of the Trained-Band of London, swore he would catch the King, & came purposely to Newbury Battell, on wednesday the 20 of September last, for that purpose, but being well thwackd there, and (with the nimblenes of his feet) got home againe, he swore that he would never (whilst he liv'd) go any more a King Catching.

And thus, by the sway and command which mother Midnight my wife bare over me, and the false instigations of such Pulpiteers, which she (upon the paine of her scolding sealding hot indignation) inforc'd me to heare and beleeve, I grew to such a passe, that I held the greatest Rebells to be the most worthy of places of Eminency, [Page] and titles of Excellency, and that they (alone) were the best Subjects and truest Christians that did most oppose the King, the Law, the Gospell (and the Epistles too) without all manner & forme, as followed, for the first, it is said I should have but one God, which I find and know now to be he that brought all the Israelites out of Aegyptian Bondage under Pharaoth, and hath also delivered and redeemed all true beleevers from the Eternall thraldome of our spirituall Aegypt, from our slavery under sinne, death, and hell; This God commands, we should have no other Gods but him, but J (with my associates) instead of serving him, (the only God) serv'd no God at all. Moreover my zeale was so hot, that because superstitious services hath above 100 yeares agoe, been used in our Churches, because Romish Masses, and too many idolatrous Rites have been said, sung, and frequently exercised long since in our Cathedralls and other Churches and Chappells; therefore, because they have been abused formerly, I thought it convenient, to disgrace, deface, demolish, cast downe and ruinate all those famous Fabricks, and magnificent Structures, never remembring (like a Rogue as I was) that the Churches were not to blame, for the abuses committed in them, and that the holy Ghost did gratiously enter and dwell in a woman, whom seven Devills had formerly possest.

Secondly, whereas he commands no graven Image, or any figure or likenes to be made and worshipped, I (like an ignorant asse) presently beganne to teare, spoyle, and pull downe, all Ornaments, Ceremonies, decent gestures, and all things whatsoever was any way laudable, or any memory either of Patriarke, Prophet, Christ, Apostle, Saint, Martyr, or Confessor, all which we knew to be neither Papisticall or superstitious, neither would any one that hath wit or grace, either pray, adore, or confide in, to, or before, any thing, but to the Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth, and his blessed Sonne our gracious Redeemer. We knew the Crosse in Cheap-side, was a stately and sumptuous ornament to the City, and it signified to all Nations of Christendome, besides Turkes, Iewes, Pagans, Heathens, Infidells, and Atheists, might take notice by that, and all other Crosses, that we were not asham'd to be Christians, or to maintaine the signe or memory of our Saviour Crucified.

Thirdly, there hath no perfidious perjur'd people, that have [Page] more prophaned or taken the name of the Lord in vaine, then we have done. I (for my part) did sweare and take the oath of Allegiance, and after that I took the oath of Supremacy, which oathes and vowes any reasonable man may beleeve had been sufficient, and fit to be held and kept inviolable, but (as if those were of no validity, and that we might Equivocate, Juggle, and play at fast and loose with the searcher of all hearts) I with thousands more of fooles and wicked wretches, some voluntary, and malitiously, and some upon constraint, fearfully & foolishly, took and bound our selves by oaths, vows, protestations, of combinations, associations, and contracts, quite contrary to all that we had formerly sworne, for our last swearing, were to continue Rebells all the dayes of our lives.

Fourthly, we have in generall, or for the most of us, remembred to unsanctifie the Sabboth day, that whereas the Lord commanded it strictly to be observed for a day of rest, we have frequently prayed, preached and practised on that day chiefly, nothing but disturbant Rebellions, Treasons, commotions, seditions, and most horrible blasphemies, wherein the Lord and the Lords Anointed, were either ridiculously, or treacherously abused, and neither the peace of God or the Kingdome so much as mentioned.

Fiftly, whereas we are commanded to give honour to Parents, or our Fathers and Mothers, whether they be Kings, Queenes, or any other spirituall or temporall Fathers and Magistrates, or our naturall Fathers and Mothers, or Maisters, who should rule and governe us; In stead of honouring them, we have trod all honour, obedience, allegiance, loyalty, respect, and duty under foot; The Subjects have fought against the Soveraigne, the people have despised the Magistrate, the servants have resisted against their Maisters, and the sonnes have drawn their swords, and sheath'd them in the bowells of their Fathers.

The sixth Commandement forbids doing any Murther, and we have observ'd it so well, that we have, by committing most barbarous and inhumane Murthers and slaughters, made this sometimes Kingdome of Peace, an Aceldema, or field of Bloud, a very Golgotha of dead mens sculls, as if it were the slaughter house of the world, and shambles of Butcher'd mans flesh for all the Anthropophagie of man-eating Canniballs.

Seaventhly, Adultery is forbidden, and for the defence and maintenance of Adultery, we have providently forbidden all power and authority [Page] that should punish it, so that we having freedome, as Beasts have, have done worse then beasts would do, for some Sons have made so bold with their owne Mothers, that they have proved with Child by them so that with Incests, Adulteries, Rapes, deflowrings, Fornications, and other veneriall postures & actions which daily passe and escape uncontrolled & unpunish'd, and as it may be conjectur'd tolerated, England is almost chang'd in that point to the Isle of Paphos, and if this world hold Venus is like to be mother of the Maydes.

Eightly, Thou shalt not steale; Alas the breach of this Commandement hath been the only prop, & supportation in maintaining this unmatchable Rebellion, and all the Rebells that are in it, were it not for stealing, theft, robbery, plundering, and forcible extorting, we might all go hang our selves, for if once we give over theeving, then comes Peace, to which we are mortall Enemies.

Ninthly, we should not bear false witnesse against our Neighbours, and we hold none to be our Neighbours that love or obey either God or the King; therefore we hold it no sinne to traduce, slander, scandalize, belye, and falsely to testifie, accuse, and beare false wicked witnes against any honest man whosoever, and in our testimony we have been beleeved and rewarded, countenanced and defended.

Concerning the tenth and last Commandement, which saith, Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy Neighbours, be it either, house, wife, Servant, Cattle, r Goods; It is written that Covetousnesse is the root of all evill, and had we not coveted things that were none of our owne, and with an avaritious greedy desire, raked and ransack'd that which belong'd not unto us; then had the King still had our bounden obedience & tributary duty, then had all true Subjects quietly enjoyed their owne, then had his Majesty not been depriv'd of his Townes, His Ships, his Castles, his Magazines, his Houses, his Lands, his Customes, his Children, his Revenue, his Ammunition, his Subjects, and as neare as we could, of all that was neare or deare unto Him, then had these mischiefs never have been begun, this Kingdom had not lain weltring in her own bloud, we had not then been involved in unspeakable misery, nor kept in this perpetuall slavery, under the Abortive and usurping power of a pretended Parliament-Everlasting.

Thus have I (with the rest of my wicked Brethren) broken all the ten Commandements, but we should have broak the 11th too, if we had heard of it, and infringed all the Lawes of God, of man, of nature, [Page] of Nations, of Arts and Armes, and in brief of all goodnes both divine and morall; so that to make a particular confession of all the abhorred crimes we have committed, I am perswaded that auricular confession would be wearied, and all the race of mankind would be return'd to the first matter, or nothing, of which it was made; but I humbly and heartily desire that this my acknowledgement & contrition, may not only have remission, but also admission againe into my most wronged Soveraignes grace and favour, of which happines I am in certain hope, though I doe almost despaire that too many of my malitious and stiffe Brethren, though they know they have been accursed Rebells, yet they will rather go on desperately with Iudas (be hang'd) or hang themselves, then with Peter, Repent and weep bitterly for their Apostacie.

As naughty Boyes, when they first practise pilfering, begin to steale Pins, and proceed to poynts, and passing unreproved, fall at last to be perfitly Grammard in the Art of filching, theeving, and robbery, and make no scruple to commit any felony or villany, so I at first, was but drawne in like an ignorant Sot, and shortly came to the degree of a malitious Knave, and in a little time (with the help of the Devill) I grew to the high Calling of a Rebell, and shortly after (me thought) Treason was the only way to be secure, and the impregnable Bulwark to defend me from the stroke and battry of Law and Iustice, for all my former notorious crimes committed, any manner of Roguery, whereby the King might be injurd, was as good as Cake and Custard to me, and every scurvy song, Rime, Lecture or Libell against the office and persons of Bishops, Courtiers, and Cavaliers, was as sweet Musique to me, as the fat end of a Pudding, I was at a Market Towne, called Mansfield, in the Forrest of Sherwood in Nottinghamshire, where my Brethren bravely threw, pull'd and haled downe the Market Crosse, and after that they spied a Carved round piece of wood in the forme of a Crowne, which was fairly wrought, painted and guilded, and stood for the Signe of the Crowne, which we (like most violent valiant villaines) did pluck from the Signe post, and in reverence to the Crowne, & duty to the King, we drag'd it through the dirt, and kick'd it about the streets (O brave Rogues) so that the Widdow Hall, who was owneresse of the house, was faine to have a new Signe made at her owne charge, and verily this was then, me thought, very pretty, foolish, witty, Roguish pastime.

[Page]Indeed we were all so infused or enthusiasmed with the Babilonian Confusion of Amsterdamnable Religions and opinions, that we could never be quiet, till we had brought our selves unto the slavery of the Rotter-dam'd excise; for we had wisely considered that Forraigne Nations, with all their strength and policies, could never invade or overcome us, & therefore we thought it honourable to imitate Aiax, for as none but Aiax had the glory to kill Aiax, so none but Englishmen shall be famous for ruinating England, much like the pretty Bird called a Viper, who, as it is related by Gesur, doth murther his Mother by gnawing a passage out of her womb into the world. Besides we were infected with the heresie of the Counsellors of Benadad King of Syria. 1. King. 20 23. That God was the God of the Hills, and therefore we alwayes ranne to the Hills, and skulk'd in woods and hedges, (like Theeves and Bandittes) for we never durst to shew our selves against the Kings Forces in the Plaines, nor once abide the hazzard of a faire pitchd field; and yet for all these poor shifts and tricks, it hath alwayes been our good fortune to be beaten, and to runne away to London, and there we patchd up our Rebellious Cowardly disasters, with victorious Lies, in Pamphlets and Lectures, not worth pence a piece.

As concerning the four Cardinall Vertues (Iustice being one) one truly said there was more Iustice in Hell then in the Close Committee, for (said he) in Hell there are none punishd but bad men, such as are prophane Atheists, Schismatiques, Rebells, Traitors, Thieves, Cheators; but these learned Thebans do afflict, imprison, murder, and torment, none but good men, such as are true Protestants, Loyall Subjects, and such as have a care and conscience to live in Gods feare, that by so living they may most happily dye in his favour. And another, of our owne Tribe, being demanded more mony to spin out the Cause, he was so bold to tell the Publican tax and toll gatherers, that they who set them on worke were more uncharitable then the Devill, for which words he was brought before the Tribunall of the Magnificent, Almighty Committee, and being examined, he confest he spake the words, and would prove that the Devill had more Charity then they; for the Devill did first bereave or take away Iobs Children, before he took away his goods, but they did pill poll and take from him all his goods and livelyhood, and left him his Children to be starv'd, for they had squeezd and draind him to the last drop, and left him nothing [Page] to buy bread to put in his Childrens heads, and just so much is their universall Charity.

And whereas at the first they Rebelled most Gloriously, with Gold and Silver cursed contributions; now they are descended to that humble degree of Treason, that they make shift to Botch and Peece out their wicked designes, with Goods and Chattells, and with the sale of all manner of Houshold-stuffes, from the Altitude of the most stately Arras or Tapistery hangings, to the low descent and profundity of the Cole-house, or House of office, and (in Imitation of the Emperour Vespatian) who made mony by the sale or Custome of Vrine, so they have, out of the profit of plundered Pispots and Close-stooles, made a stinking stirre, all over this afflicted Kingdome, insomuch that he is worthy to be accounted a Witch or a cunning Man, that can tell us before hand, what will be their next shift, Milo the Crotinian (or Creatan) was famous for strength and a good stomack, for it is reported that he brought up a Bull Calfe, and every day would lift and carry the say Beast, by which daily exercise and practise, he could carry him when he was grown to be a Bull, and that he killd the said Bull with a blow with his Fist, and eat him up every bit in one day. and one Nicholas Wood, a great eater in Kent, would eat up a Hogge or a Sheep of Twenty shillings price at one meale, these Monsters were, and are famous in memory, for having good stroakes in the Mouth▪ some are remembred for Lascivious Luxury, us Heliogabalus, some for drinking, as Alexander, some for Pride as Tarquin, &c. but we shall ever stand upon Record for the most unmatchable Renowned Rebells, that ever liv'd in any Age or Nation, Iack Straw, Watt Tyler, Iack Cade, Lambert Simuel, Perkin Warbeck, and all the Rabble of such fellowes never came neer us in Impiety and Treachery, for they did never spoyle and demolish Churche and Church ornaments▪ as we have done, and it is worthy of a most Regarding Consideration, that His Majesties forces wheresoever they have come, have not any way used any Prophanation or I [...]reverent demeanor towards any Church▪ Chappell, or House that hath been consecrated or dedicated to the Service and Honour of God. So that the Turkes, Pagans, and Infidels would have shewed more Civility, and lesse Barbarous savage Brutishnesse then we have done.

I tell you plainly, and most truly certify you (my too much wicked and misconstruing Brethren) that I was perswaded in my Conscience, [Page] (as many Knaves and Fooles have been) that the King was enclined towards the Romish Religion, but since the eyes of my mind are open, and that I hold it a slandering unreverend and Traiterous aspersion, to say or think that either Queen Elizabeth, or King Iames of ever blessed memories, were Papists, or did allow or tolerate any Popish doctrine, and that now finding that my most Gratious King CHARLES, hath alwaies been, is, and will be till His earthly Period, a most constant defender of the true Faith, as those two His Royall Predecessors were, and as His inviolable Oathes and Protestations doe confirme, and farther as his unparalleld life and conversation justifies: for in all the Towns, Congregations, Churches and Chappels, which have been and are under His Majesties command, there was never seen or heard any one Masse, to be said, much lesse to be allowed or connived at.

Therefore I boldly doe give all those malitious, ignorant Villaines the Lye, which Lye (without repentance) will sink them to their Father of Lies, and therefore I pray you to examine what mischiefes have been committed, by our unmannerly, base mistakes, feares and causelesse Iealousies, & once more humbly returne from the common Road-way, that leads to inevitable destruction, let us no more believe any Capcase, Candlecase, Fiddlecase, prating Lecturer, let us no longer be gulld with false Pamphlets, and abominable Lying Diurnalls, who are all as full of Lyes, as the writers of them are of Sin, for I have seen some of those famous Devisers and Writers of Weekly newes, that are so free and guiltlesse of shifting, that they hold a clean shirt odious, and quite out of fashion, and halfe a Breech, with a Doublet one sleeve hath been their only ware, eighteen pence, being a Stationers price for a Coppy, which presently the learned Author quaffes, puffes, and pipes away in fecundious Ale, and Oderiferous Mundungoe.

I have called to mind that, ever since we began to be Rebells and Schismaticks, that we never gaind any Good, or did any thing worthy the name of Well done. But as our leaders have been mischievously Malitious, and Treacherous, so we have executed their damnable Inventions, to ruine the Protestant doctrine, our King, and our selves, and this is the sweet summe of all our detestable paines and profits.

Our Inventions and Actions have all been opposite to Piety and Humanity, so that if there were no other argument to prove His Majesty [Page] to be Godly, Good, Gratious, and every way a compleat unmatchable Prince for His innated virtues, our Disloyalty, our Aversenesse, our Refractory stubbornnesse, were sufficient proof of His transcendent Clemency and goodnesse; for as lyeing Astronomers, when they Prognosticate of a fowle day, or an unseasonable Harvest, are (or should be) asham'd when the weather falls out faire temperate and successefull; so we with shame, horror, and terror of consciences, may hang downe our wicked Round-heads, and blush (if we were not past grace) when we doe but think how ungratiously, undutifully, and perfidiously, we have dealt with so gratious a Soveraigne, upon no other grounds but malicious ignorance.

If there were no other mark, signe or token to prove the Office and dignity of Bishops to be derivative from Christ and the Apostles, our opposition is Approbation sufficient, that they have been, are, and ought to be beloved, believed, Reverenced, and Honoured. By which consequence it is apparent to all the World, that those godly Members which His Majesty hath justly excluded out of his Grace and Favour, whom we adore and admire, as the Idolatrous Israelites did the Golden Calfe; If there were no other demonstration of the foulenesse of their Guilt, our servile, our slavish, our execrable obaying them, and their unlawfull Votes, is testimony sufficient to prove the Kings exception to be Reall, themselves cauterized in their crimes, and all we that have adhered unto them to be miserable, uncivill, simple, poore, abused▪ cheated, Rebellious Coxcombs.

As the Law of God is a glasse of death, wherein men may see their Sin, so is the Gospell a glasse of Grace, where true penit [...]nts may see their Saviour. And as the Lawes of this Land are (in their due execution) Rigorous and Terrible to such whose guilty soules tells them that they are plunged in horrible Treasons, whereby they have precipitated themselves into the bot [...]omlesse pit of Despaire, and by no means will dare to look the Law [...]r Iustice in the face, so a cleare and innocent man hath a Breast that is Law proofe, he can sleep soundly, and eat his meat in quiet, and if it chance that he be questioned, either by malice or information▪ he cares not, and the severest censure he feares not, he bears his afflictions with magnanimous fortitude, and whether he Live or Dye, his sufferings are his Glory.

And were th [...]se Almighty Beggermakers, those memorable Members and Commanders of our Miseries, cleare, & right, as they should [Page] be, then they would never feare to put themselves to a fai [...]e and Impartiall tryall of the Law, where if then they come handsomely of, their accusers will be perpetually infamous, and themselves will shine with such a Burnished splendor, that shall daz'e the eyes, and amaze the soules of their enimies, and their memories shall outlast time, and dwell in glory with Eternity. Therefore (my Brethren) let me advise you to hearken no more to them, they have coufened us too much already, they have made us perfect in turning Markes to eighteen pence, and Nobles to nine pence, and all to nothing; yet there is hope, though your monies be gone, yet you may have a small proportion of Wit left, which (guided by grace) may make you turne a little honest, and assure your selves that those who doe dye in this most Horrid and damned Rebellion, against their Iust and Lawfull King, they doe dye in as desperate a manner, as those that murther themselves, either by Hanging, Stabbing, Poysoning, Drowning, or any other desperate Way.

Returne, God is Gratious and Mercifull, despaire not, the KING is full of Piety and Clemency, FAREWELL.

FINIS.

§

[Page]

[Page]

THE CONVERSION, CONFESSION, CONTRITION, Comming to himselfe, & Advice, of a Mis-led, Ill-bred, REBELLIOUS ROUND-HEAD. WHICH Is very fitting to be Read to such as weare short Haire, and long Eares, or desire Eares Long. Written by JOHN TAYLOR.

Printed, 1643.

Information about this book

Title statement

The conversion, confession, contrition, comming to himselfe, & advice, of a mis-led, ill-bred, rebellious round-head which is very fitting to be read to such as weare short haire, and long eares, or desire eares long / written by John Taylor.

Taylor, John, 1580-1653.

Edition statement

1643

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A64162

ID [STC]

Wing T444

ID [STC]

ESTC R1357

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

11950150

ID [OCLC]

ocm 11950150

ID [VID]

51367

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A64162)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 51367)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 516:31)

Source

— The conversion, confession, contrition, comming to himselfe, & advice, of a mis-led, ill-bred, rebellious round-head which is very fitting to be read to such as weare short haire, and long eares, or desire eares long / written by John Taylor., Taylor, John, 1580-1653..

Extent

[2], 14 p.

s.n.],. [Oxford? :: 1643.. (A pretend biography of a perverted weaver.) (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.