OBSERVATIONS Vpon Prince RUPERT'S White Dogge called BOYE.
SInce the unfortunate death of Mr Blake, I have, according to the direction of the two Secretaries you named to me, had a strict eye upon Prince Ruperts Doggecalled BOY; whom I cannot conclude to be a very downright Devill, as is supposed▪ or a spirit sent to nourish division in Church or State (though I must confesse the Irish Papists are very familiar with him in private) but certainly he is some Lapland Lady, who by nature was once an handsome white woman, and now by Art is become an handsome white Dogge, and hath vowed to follow the Prince to preserve him from mischiefe. Which I doubt not to induce you to beleeve, when I shall have delivered you my Observations, first of his Qualities, next of his Behaviour to others, and lastly, of Others Behaviour to him.
I. For his Qualities.
1. IN the first place, He can Prophecie. I mean not as our Master Green the Haberdasher doth Prophecy, that is, expound the Scripture by private Spirit, but he prophecies of future events; and his masters footman, a Laplander, doth expound him. Among other things, he hath prophecyed, that the King shall enter London before May-day next, with threescore thousand horse and foote; that the Dogge him selfe shall be Courted, that heads, more round then his own, shall bow to him; that he shall ride in a City Pageant triumphantly overlooking the people, and bee feasted by a lawful Lo. Major; and that the City, Lastly, shall profer him two tubbs of Custard-stuffe a week to bathe in, which he is not yet resolved to accept of. And it is thought that his Prophecies (for now at last they begin to turne our own arts upon us) will be printed here in Oxford in opposition to M. Bookers Almanacks.
2. He hath the art of finding out Concealed goods, for since the King hath beene resident in the University, he and the Heads [Page] of Houses have discovered the plate, that the Lo: Say, and Sir John Seton could not; which for feare it may hereafter fall into such hands (I desire youto conceive I speake their words) the University desires may bee melted downe in New Inne Hall (an house that accounts casting of Dollers lawfull) and coyned for the use of the King and true Parliament.
3. He is endued with the gift of Languages, which yet he hath the art to hide very well. For with a kinde of generous confidence he mounts the Table & the cupboard under a pretence of courting his Master, and by that cunning meanes hath his care oftner then his Barber hath: for the Prince takes but little care of his head. Besides he whispers those of the Noble men that are most true to the King, as often as the spirit doth M. Case, or those godly Teachers, that are most true to the Parl. Some of great place and good account, who love to eves. drop all informations, have sworn to me they plainly distinguish the accents of the Dogs Language to sound like our Hebrew. Whereupon I advised with some of the Professors here, (who in their hearts incline to our Side) who out of curiosity pressed neere, but they told me his whispers then seemed to them to be a mixt language, somewhat between Hebrew & High dutch; which, (they say) if any, was most probably the language of the Beasts before the curse. He discourseth ordinarily with some Masters of Art, and many times understands them more, then it is possible they should understand one another: which kinde of discourse they truly call Chopping of Logique. This Quality admits him into all company, whose relations he relates to his Master, and his Master again to the King, and thus all our Spies are discovered, and BOY doth that which many of the Kings own Servants will not.
4. He is weapon-proofe himselfe, and probably hath made his Master so too, my selfe & the rest whom you have employed to be of the conspiracie against him, have always failed of our attempts, as if something more then witchcraft watcht over him. Once I gave him a very hearty stroke, with a confiding Dagger. but it slided off his skin as if it had beene Armour of Proofe nointed over with Quick-silver. Besides he hath beene tempted with pieces of capon and other choice morcels, as well seasond [Page] all, as poyson and extemporary prayer could doe it: but the Cur as obstinately rejected them, as if he had known before hand what they were, so that they hurt him no more then the plagueplaister, sent in the Letter did Mr. Pym. That which they say of him, that he usually sets his mouth as a trap, and catcheth bullets as they fly, (th [...]ugh you shall never see him but with a brace hanging under his t [...]ile, as if he had but lately swallowed them, & were still ready to void them) upon my credit is a meere slander: But it is most certain that he doth things neere as strange. For when his master the Prince hath forgot to put his characters between his shirt and his skin, some bullets he blows by, others hee breakes the force of, so that they either no more touch him, then if they were aimed at the edge of a Pen-knife, or if they do, doe him no more harme, then they would have done, if he had his characters about him. He is of too much valour himselfe; and though what my L. Brooks told you in a speech at Guild-hall, about our very Dogs being killed, be in the thing true enough, yet notwithstanding his Ld hath wrote a booke of truth, by his fauour I must tell him, he was mistaken in the person that did the execution; for, upon my word, the Kings men killed our men; and none but the Princes Dogge killed our doggs.
5. and lastly. He can goe invisibly himselfe, and make others doe so too. He hath often been where nobody hath seene him, & done that that nobody else could. Who thinke you conveid Oneal out of the Tower? even BOY. Who conveid the L. Dighy first into Hull, afterwards out again? even BOY. Who got Legg out of prison? even BOY. Who released Bamfeild? verely BOY still. Yet who all this while lesse suspected then BOY? and now, if ever, I beseech you have an eye to your selves; for he goes oftner between Oxford and London, every weeke, then the three Carriers doe he conveies Letters without being broken open, and brings money without being robbed. He it is that layes the Aprentises Designe in one shape, and then leads them on to the Action in another: one day he is Phillip the Shoomaker, and another day Tom the Barber. And when he would finde out our counsels, he mingles himselfe with the good Aprentises; sometimes appeares like Ezechiel, M. Bostock the book binders boy; and sometimes like Nathaniell, [Page] M•. Greenes Freeman. Under these disguises he brings us false Informations, and carries them true, and certainly no one else infuseth into the Apprentices what they should do for the King, and what against my Lord Say. This he doth himself. Then upon my certain knowledge he doth usually break a black cloud about Prince Rupert too, in which he goes as invisible as our Church, or our Faith doth, or as our Charity should. And by this mysticall meanes it was, that the Prince so often passed our Guards undiscovered, and by so many disguises entred those Townes of Ours, which the book to that purpose sets down very edifyingly. By this meanes he was the Appleman at Dunsmoreheath, the Netseller in Coventry, and the Old woman in Warwick: By this meanes he is all things and nothing, and no doubt is often at our common-Councell in London, marking out some of Our Citizens for death, and some of their wives for life, some of Our Aldermen for plunder, & some perhaps for sport: Which tokens because they proceed from the assistance of this Dogg, and are fastned on us, we may truly call the Marks of the Beast upon the Godly.
II. For his Behaviour to Others.
2. FIrst in respect to Civill (or rather uncivill) affaires, I find it very Loose, and Scrumpet-like. For he salutes and kisseth the Prince, as close as any Christian woman would; and the Prince salutes and kisseth him back again as savorily, as he would (I will not say any Aldermans wife, but) any Court-Lady, and is as little offended with his Breathing. Then they lye perpetually in one bed, sometimes the Prince upon the Dog, and sometimes the Dog upon the Prince; & what this may in time produce, none but the close Committee can tell. Next to his Master, he loves the King, and the Kings Children, and cares very little for any other. For, (that I may give you a late observation,) When Our six Aldermen delivered the City. Petition, the Dog lay just before Alderman Garret, with his eyes fixt on the King and his Master, and with one foot on the Kings toe, and another on Prince Charles his: and whiles Master Skinner was reading the Petition, though he read it so that few conceived what they meant by it, yet the Dog joged them still in the right place, not a pithy period, [Page] or good word escaped him, as if he had known the meaning of it as well as the Bearers themselves did: But, what was most remarkeable; when that Iuditious and Alderman-like Clause came (the King should returne into their safe Custody) this Devil. Dogg pressed the little Prince his foot so hard, that he was forced to hemme a loud to recover his Spirits: By which we may see plainly, this Dogg likes not the Kings returne to London without His Army.
Next in respect to spirituall Affayres; In all exercises of Religion he carries himself most Popishly and Cathedrally. He observes our Fasts, no more then we do their Feasts; He never is at any private Prayers, and very seldome at any conscionable Sermons. But as for publique Prayers, he seldome or never misseth them: and he no sooner enters the Quire, but he presently trotts up towards the East-end, where there is a Painted window above and an Altar below, both which with the Rayles make up one great Idol. Then he is much taken with their Cope, and Surplices, and singing Books, and (since some of the Gentlemen of the Chappel are come down) with the singing men too. But above all (as hath been observed) assoone as their Church Ministrel with the long lock begins to play his Arbitrary Iigg, he he as attentive as one of us private Christians are at S. Antholins, and markes the Tune, as if there were Doctrine and Use in it, and if he could write short-hand, without all peradventures he would take it, as some of Our great Ladyes do Sermons now in London.
III. For Others behaviour to Him.
3. FIrst, (I remember I told you before of his Masters kissing him, but not of his way of wooing him,) Prince Rupert never courts him without an expresse detestation of the Roundheads, so that he commonly takes the name of Gods Children in vaine. How much better were it to court him with Yea, and Nay, then to use such Blasphemies and Profanations? But the Reprobate Dogg takes it all so well, that he is not pleased with any one that speakes to him civilly, or accosts him otherwise then Cavalier-like.
Next, all men in generall make much of him, and the truth is, they dare do no otherwise; For if they do, they are sure to heare [Page] of it in one misfortune or other. Tis observed that most of the Gentlemen that were killed at Edgehill had injured the Doggs reputation some way or other, and forgot to give him satisfaction before they went to the Battle. The Lo: Taaff did but speak angrily to him, and the same morning was shot in the mouth for it. The Lo: Bernart Stuard kickt him the night before the Battle, for hearkning what he said to a faire Lady, and this spightfull Curre got him shot in the very same toe that kickt him. The King himself never dines nor sups, but continually He feeds him. And with what think you? even with Rumps and Sidesmen of Capons, and such Christianlike Morcells. And if this be not to prophane, I know not what is. For let His Majesty professe, and professe, as long as He will, I beseech you mark how I can come over him. Either he knowes this Dogg is, or is not a Witch; If he knowes he is a Witch, he profanes against that place of Scripture that sayes, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live. If he knowes he is not a Witch, then he prophanes against that other place, Cast not that which is holy unto Doggs. For if the Rumps and Sidesmen in crammed fowle be not the holy parts, I discerne not which are. But to returne. Majesty may do any thing (as they say) and therefore it is thought the King will shortly call a Councell of War, and in imitation of Our proceedings will make him a new Officer of State, Sergjeant Major Generall BOY. Truly, truly, the Kings affection is so extraordinary to him, that some in the Court envy him, and others nourish fears and jelousies of him. I heard a Gentleman Usher sweare the other day, that it was a great shame the Dogg should sit in the Kings Chayre, as he alwayes doth: and a great Lord was seriously of opinion, that it was not wel he should converse so much with the Kings Children, left he taught them to sweare before they knew what an Oath was.
One thing of very great moment I had almost forgot, and that is this. When ever the Kings Councell is perswading His Majesty to an accommodation, and resoluedly pressing Him to returne to His other Councell the Parl. in comes this enemy to Peace, and the Parliaments purposes, and (as if he could turne mens minds, as his Master doth the Wind before a Battle, by untying a knot of his Handkerchief) presently they speak of Blood, and War, and [Page] the Destruction of London, and vow they have not power to think of any thing else. Now consider, if it be accounted Witchcr [...]ft to make men Impotent in their Bodyes, what is it to make them impotent at their minds?
These particulars I thought good to send you, that out of so many you might picke what is of most consequence for the good of the Commonwealth, and the promotion of a Resormation.
To summe up all. I beseech you now consider, That this Dog was once a Woman, but is now a Profane Metamorphosis Dog; that he Prophecies as well as my Lady Davis, or Mother Shipton could; that he helps the Colledges to their lost spoons and two-eared pots; that he speaks as many Languages, and as hard ones as Satan, or Master Broughton; that he is as shot free as if his skin were voted Impenetrable; that he can be invisible when he wil; insomuch that he is often smelt where he is not seen; that he communicates with that bloody Prince, as his familiar; that he loves Organs, and true singing, and such Diabolicall Charms; that he hath his private revenges stil going; and (what is above all this) that he discountenanced the Aldermans Petition; and tel me then Is not this a Dog that is no Dog, but a Witch, a Sorceresse, an Enemy to Parliament, (that is, to Church & State) a meer Malignant Cavalier-Dog, that hath something of Divel in or about him?
Sir, I desire you that I may be quit of all further employment in this nature; For it is impossible to destroy him, untill the Colonies of new England come in to help us: they know how to order these Dog-Witches better far then We. Brotherly assistance may then perhaps do something. In the meane time you may do wel to move it in the common-Councell, that in their next Petition they would insert a Clause about his Removall from the King. Thus I commit you to the Protection of both Houses, I rest