OH! the wonders of our age; wherein Poets turne Divels; not onely incarnate to them­selves, but in horrid, hellish shapes, to seduce the simple, (Am I sleeping, or am I wa­king?) What a sodaine change is here wrought? even now, he that was presented to mine eyes in a tub of Lees: an infernall spirit, a Poet of Bacchus, drowned in his owne element, is now, by his distemper'd quill be­come a sad spectacle: The monster appearing to him distracts his thoughts with feares; andirons, pots, platters, all are throwne about. And in this deepe passion, after some sad houres, he fals downe as one dead: Satan in a transformed shape sits upon him, shakes him with his clawes, and bids him rise up, for he had imployment for him, and he would furnish him with helpe enough to aid him against the truth, and true professours. Oh! how may I call him, and recall him to view his Anagram, just­ly [Page] drawne from his own name? (John Talour the Poet. ART THOU IN HEL, O POET?) If the Divell use such tricks, he will soone crush his bones. But why dwell I so long on such discourse? let him (and such who like it) have recourse to these infernall furies, raising up such mishapen, diobolicall inventions, which I defie, yet I pity him.

Let him acquaint his Hags, their power cannot blot out my fame: let him repaire to his dunghill-parentage, and view that unfortunate brest that gave him sucke: let him looke backe to his swinish bree­ding. What will all these doe? let him looke on me, or let his silly coxcombe search the Heralds of­fice for my Predecessors, where he may easily finde We have three golden wheat sheaves from our progenitor Iohn Walker of Bredsall in Derbyshire, an ancient fa­mous house. the golden Wheatsheaves, from which I sprung; even those who were the succourers of their Coun­tries poore, and scourgers of such sturdy froth and trash as his behaviour doth expresse to us.

What disposition can be more vaine, then to stu­dy; talke of, and be imployed in lascivious, wanton, whorish baudry? And the heathenish simple sot cried out once, that his Poetry would not bring in enough to feede a Cat, which drove him to be be­holding to the Westminster lasses, both for bed and boord. And such was his case also, when the signe [Page] was so high in Virgo, that his troubled thoughts made him to resolve to suffer both his horse and cloake to lye in lavender, instead of litter.

But his courage was afterwards cooled, when be­ing almost famished, he eat two loaves of bread be­fore he once said grace, and falling aboord upon the third, slipt away with a whole dozen in his breeches; I could never heare that he paid for them since.

What a vaine office did hee beare to be the Bawdes Poet, though he did her such Because it in­duced to the greater pay. profitable service, by scurrilous, oylye sonetting, and pan­drall Poetry, to stirre up luxury in the clients; yet sure he was mightily out of favour with Mistris Wagtayle, when she grew so pockie proud, that she would not let such scabs as hee come neere her, though he was so carefull of her, that hee provided her a After he was tired with her. theefe to wait upon her.

It is not my custome to fill the peoples eares with lying fancies of my owne invention; I want not truths to beleaguer a corrupted Poet; like the hoast of fleas that turned his skin to a motly dye, where being forced to stay till the next morning, his heeles delivered him out of the Constables hands; and I doe verily beleeve, if his heeles doe not now helpe him, he will scarce scape with a Pillory recantation, confessing this abuse, as openly, as he did to Master Hilton of Daintry, promising endeavour to make [Page] [...] amends. Such an encounter he had when the Scotch lice would not let him sleepe.

Well, he is now become a student of the [...] lub­berly sciences, but hee sold his Boat first; neede breakes through stone wals; hee was asham'd to looke his friends in the face — after. I take not seven dayes, nor scarce halfe seven houres to bring forth my Ante-Reply for the presse; wherein I doe defie such divellish anointed language as hee useth, though Or rather his brother for him. he onely turned B [...]tes instruction into his owne infernall language; and therefore, as once he said, he may justly feare, that no wise man would be his Patron to such Bookes which are usu­ally stuffed either with hellish language, or whorish baudry.

I must confesse I doe not take him for a substan­tiall Papist, but rather like Ps [...]phos birds to prattle any thing that he is taught. Something he would say of Christianity, and he buzzes in our eares, like a humble Bee, as if he thought of Charity, but fals so deepe into Ethnicall and diabolicall language, more expert then any scould or fishwoman at Bil­lingsgate. Had he shewed either wit or learning in his railing lines, either good-manners, or humanity, I would have graced him in this ante-Reply with my name; but since his message was from Satan, I send him onely the whip, without the balme; yet let him be convinced, and For I beare no ill will to the man, but against his [...]. I will performe to him [Page] any office of charity. How many are those ecchoing voyces, crying shame with me against him and his Zoilous language, who Hidra like, hath doubled his hellish venome, in raising of horrid monsters!

He would seduce us to beleeve that Popish Rites are but good manners; despising those that labour for Reformation: and such is his devotion, as if hell were mingled with his inke. And his Master Bates. Infor­mer, according to Satans promise, wrought a pro­ject for him, who being with me in prison, stole a­way my Bible, my onely companion, and most irre­ligiously pawned it for A quart of Me [...]h [...]gl [...] and a 2 d. cake. ten pence, and deprived me of it about two dayes, before I knew where it was.

How full of Hypocrisie his lines are stuffed, are by cleare judgements easily discerned; and such is his custome, to maske his owne deformities with hypocrisie, as if he were an Essen amongst the Na­zarites, and an Essidon amongst the Lascivious: he can lye in Canterburies bosome in the Tower, and defie him when he is scourged for it.

As the great Archbishop of Canterbury is justly imprisoned, for tormenting and corrupting the Church in this our Iland; so I doubt not, but ere long, the same noble Senatours, will serve this [Page] furious water-Rat, for vexing the Church upon the water.

The Pitho [...]ist tearmes me a Cerberus; he would have said a Capareus, who bewrayed the thiefe that robd the Temple. Indeed he had need to goe to Schoole againe, to learne to spell; he writes an A­nagram of my name, but hee puts in That is no newes with him. LIE, and leaves out y, and so makes a simple compound of his owne nature: if he will see a true Anagram of my name, he may finde it [...]. [...]. heavenly K.R. the last line of my book, which is a riddle to him and his infernall study: he takes upon him to censure and reprove what I have writ; but poore ideot, he cannot understand it, he dare not encounter with any particular therein ex­prest, onely like a Judge in the Prelates Court, con­demnes all before either triall or examination: his Informer furnished him with all my bookes, and helped his simple coxcombe to understand as hee was able; and after all, he makes an exclamation against that in generall, which hee doth not under­stand at all in particular.

I am not ignorant what honour I should do him, should I grace him with my name to an answer to one so ignoble; but I scorne it, to shew my guilt-spurs to such a dunghill-cocke.

This raged Taylor, audacious railour, would make us beleeve that his lying Pamphlet was writ three yeeres agoe, which was twelve moneths before Sa­muel Which is the great part of his booke. How preached that Sermon: did the Divell tell him a yeere before that such a thing should be; he knew not of it himselfe. So he tels us of a base lye of the Maid looking at a lyon in the Church, a most abominable lye, invented of hell; not like those truths which Fenn [...]r will prove in my answer, and himselfe cannot deny. And if I should lay open all the abominable, hellish lyes, and Ethnicall inven­tions of his noddle, I should strike the world into too great amazement.

My allegiance to my royall King; my sincerity and reall submission to that honourable Assembly, to the godly Lawes of this Land, and my love to the Church and State, is well knowne to those that [...]now me; (I pray God make me faithfull in his ser­vice and worship): Do not those severall books pre­ [...]ented to the members of that Honorable Assembly expresse the same, whose favors I have tasted of; and [...]he God of heaven look upon them and blesse them.

Most noble Senators; my humble Petition to your Honours is to cast your eyes on this saucy fel­lowes audacious lines, and take into your Lordships considerations these foure particulars;

1. Whereas your Lordships petitioner exprest (long since) in a booke, the just censure of the Earle of Straford, this Poet answers it with railing lines, thus:

2. That your Lordships would be pleased to make this impudent fellow to explaine himselfe, what he meanes by the tongue of Saye, (the Lord Saye is my honourable It is easliy perceived that this rascail doth strike at religion, abu­sing such Pillars. Lord and noble friend, whom I pray to the God of heaven ever to prosper and blesse.

His words are these,

3. What alteration of these swaying times hee [...], which he said he hopes to see, then he will write in the behalfe of that part which now he dare not, as he would.

4. Who he aimes at in those scurrilous lines he [Page] sent to the Basketmaker, tearming men puritans and crapeard-slaves, &c.

Sodaine death is a feareful execution to unrepen­tant sinners; therefore in all humble manner, I doe heartily desire Iohn Taylor to call to minde the sad spectacle of that blacke tragedie; whilest his wife was carousing in the Taverne goblits; and let him but consider (if the like should befall him) what would become of his soule, if he repent not. Oh how doe people flocke to my shop, exclaiming a­gainst his wicked, unsanctified, disorderly, ungodly life and conversation; but I wish him grace to re­pent: and thus I tell him as I did before, Iohn Tay­lor if thou wilt serve God, then assure thy selfe I am and ever will be

V.R. heavenly K. R.

After this preparative, expect a A serious Zoilus quill mixt with Pluto's excre­ment. bitter pill if thou beest not well.