O Stay and consider! I conjure ye by the being and originall you have from me; I conjure ye by all your native relations,Her adju­ration. by the blood which is so warme in your veines, and heats you into such famous Resolutions for your Religion and Countrey; I conjure yee by all the peace, by all the happinesse and prosperity, by all the pleasures I have af­forded you, by all those terrene blessings, those glorious habitations and Cities, by all those goodly Territories, by all that can be deare, or precious, or honourable; I conjure yee by my sufferings, by my troubles, my slaugh­ters,Her com­plaint. by my present desolations and distractions, by the purple streames that flow down every Province and County, by my torne and dishevell'd Laws, Priviledges, Immunities, by the mutuall wounds and discords, by all the disorders and rapines, by all the tyrannies and wofull oppressions, by all the violations and disturbances, by all the expressible or imaginable sorrows of a State and Kingdome, by my owne teares and sighes; behold and consider my meditations, and powre forth your passions with me: O let us contribute our lamentations, and consociate our griefes, and let us lay our sorrows toge­ther, and make up a rich and solemne lamentation, there is a glory in cala­mity, and a grandeur in distresses: O let ue sit down and reason together, let us remember our former sorrowes, and call up the ghosts of ancient calami­ties, and recover the miseries of other Ages from their Sepulchres, let us sit a while in the Region and shadow of death, and aske the way into the land of forgetfulnesse, and converse with the hoary spirits of our Ancestors, and contemplate those rivers of blood, which run in the channells of those ages, [Page 2]and are now overflowing into our own: let us aske after the golden times and prosperities which have made our forefathers happy in the enioying, and would almost make us miserable in the remembring.

I was at first glorious in the name of Britaine,The first britaines. and though I had no King or Monarch, but was divided into severall States and governments, yet I was a pleasant and pregnant soyle, greene and springing with meadowes, varte­gated with flowers, shaded with trees, and white with harvests, and painted with inhabitants, and undeflowred with aliens, unviolated either with the languages, usages, or fashions, or dispositions of forrainers, I enioyed my selfe in my own banks girded with waters, abounding and flourishing, and like the map of another world, as if Providence had made all over againe in me in a lesser Globe, and divided me from the rest, and walled and secured me with Seas, I knew none mightier then Cassevalaunus, who had onely a temporary administration and rule, here was no Tyranny, no oppression, no divisions but of provinces, till some Merchants having onely a Maritine knowledge of me, gave Caesar so much information as sent him over, and then factions en­creased at home, and my inhabitants enflamed against one another, made breaches for the Romane enemy to enter, then my peace wasted, and my glory declined, and I became a tributary to another nation, till Voadicia, that famous Queene, spirited with a British vertue would needs forget her Sex and constitution, and turn masculine for the redeeming of her Country, and having rallied many thousands of my inhabitants, defeated the Romane for­ces, yet being of a Sex too weak for a victory, was forced to let it fall out of her hand againe; and Suetonius a Roman Generall tooke it up, then was I more miserable than before, my oppression heavier: Thus hath the Tyranny of Rome been ever fatall and grievous to me unto this day, yet I confesse, I bad some calmes and peaceable distances, even then, but my Northerne ene­mies broke in upon me while my Romano governours were absent, and then I sent Ambassadours abroad unto them, but had no redresse, my people were taken from me, and in those mighty factions of Rome spent, and I wofully depopulated; this was the complexion of my misery then; and yet in all these oppressions my inhabitants have ever been mindfull of their ancient li­berty, and have struggled against the Tyrannies of those ager, and writ their Nationall vertues in drops of blood unto Posterity.

And now my troubles grew to be more numerous,The Sax­ons. and my factions potent, and Vortigern stands up in a supremacy, and being not strong enough to sup­port such a glorious advancement, he calls in a ravenous and rude enemy, who though they landed upon my soile as Stipendaties, yet there flowed in such numbers and streames of people by the interest they obtained in a do­ting Prince, enamoured on a Saxon beauty, that they soon spred over into [Page 3]my Northerne Provinces: and thus possessed on such large Territories, they breake out into insolencies, and they rage upon my inhabitants, who still re­taining their Native excellency, combine and fight with these usurpers, under the Standard of a famous King:Arthur. and now my Kingdom looks red again with new slaughters, and my people after many bloody contentions are conque­red and spoiled, and I left in a deplorable condition, rent and divided into so many parts and Dominions, every grand Saxon holding up a Scepter, and my poor inhabitants with all their Lawes, Religion, and Liberties en­tombed in a generall desolation, all my delicacies not regarded, but trampled on by a cruell and barbarous nation.

Now I am distracted again, and fresh Calamities succeed,The Danes new stirres and broiles inflame me every day, and there comes over by degrees another Nation fierce and Martiall, and those arrive upon my coasts, and the ride of blood flowes higher than before, I was now in as sad a condition as ever, and I had nothing to comfort me in these tumults of the Danes and Saxons, but the light of the Gospell breke in upon me, and gloriously shone upon my white cliffs, and now I felt a new happinesse, me thought,Augustine the Monk. springing within my nation, now I conceited my selfe neerer heaven then be­fore, now my shadowes fled away, and I saw and discovered fur­ther; and yet I am able to say now, my beame was not so pure then, darting upon my eyes but through a cloud of superstition, yet I had little peace, for, those that wasted and spoiled my first people, they are now declining into a subject of revenge themselves, and the Britains sufferings must now be re­quired at the hands of their oppressors, and they must now let out their bloods for expiation, the Danes flow in like a crimson inundation upon the land, and I must now submit to another desolation, and be ruin'd over again.

Nor am I long in this affliction, but things a little composed,The Nor­mans. I am looks upon again, by a new Conquerour, and thus exposed to an inevitable inva­sion, the Normans come over and possesse me, and clothe me in purple once againe at the battell of Hastings, and now all my Nobility and people di­stracted at their overthrow, lay down their defensive power, and presents my Crowne and inheritances to that famous William: now my Laws, customes,William the Con­querour. Priviledges are all changed, and I am made a little more happy then before, and though I exchanged but one trouble for another, yet by a wise Provi­dence, this trouble like a wave lands me upon a more blessed shore of prospe­rity then ever I had, now I am more civilized in attire and language, now I appeare more comely and beautifull, now I enter communion with other Nations, and am able to looke abroad and converse with other States and kingdomes, I begin to improve an interest abroad, and trade for relations, and negotiate for Forraigne ornaments, now I can contemplate my former [Page 4]miseries, and admire the happinesse of my present condition, and yet my re­ligion was but of a duskish colour, for now the cloud of Superstitions began to gather and cast a shadow upon many nations as well as mine.

And now my Crown grows brighter and more glorious then before, now my power becomes more Regall and Monarch call, and every day I receive some degree of perfection & accomplishment, and the troubles are as yet no more then puts a blushing die upon my face, & makes me more beautiful, & I am now busied onely to keep my selfe from the invasion of old troubles, and thus being inriched and beautified by a new accesse of Majestie, I am courted by a succession of Kings, of Williams, Henries, a Stephen, a Richard espouse me, and these are times rather of enlargement & happines then of calamity to me.

But new revolutions of time brings with them revolutions of fortune,King [...]ohns [...] and miserie appears to me againe in the apparition of broiles and combustions, my Prince and Nobles contend for liberties, and a supremacy from Rome intercedes and stirs up more unhappy contentions, and now I am brought into a new captivity, and my ancient liberties, which was before conquered from me by a power from Rome, is now again after my recovery and re-esta­blishment taken away, and I am chained unto the Papall chair, & my Prince too, and my inhabitants, and this my second servitude to Rome is worse and more Tyrannous then my first, now my soule hath lost her liberty, and I am disfranchised in spirit and conscience, and all because I endeavoured my re­demption; and thus, as if some fatality were now upon me, I am now espoused againe to other Kings, but still more unfortunate in my successors: now my Peerage and Soveraign are beginning bloody discords, [...]enry the [...] and all the Quarrell is onely for breaking the Coards which bound me fast, my King will needs enslave me, and make me submit to an uniust power, and Prerogative, and these my Nobles and Barons pittying to see my bondage, and not able to see their mother lie so fettered, who used to triumph in her Liberty, and walke in the pleasant meadowes of enlargement, now my fields are embrued again, and the bodies of my slaine people lie scattered before my eyes.

And thus, as if a bloody Comet hung over me, other, and those more wofull and calamitous stirs breake forth,The wars of Yorke and L [...]nca­ster begun by Henry the [...]our [...]h. and now my people fight for enioying me, now I cannot but lament and bemoane my present unhappinesse, I weepe over my own comelinesse, and curse my features and beauty, and call my Empire an unfortunate inheritance, that should occasion such strifes and mi­serable distractions, alas how many lie gasping and bleeding upon my plains, how are all my pleasures turned into sorrows, all my comforts into sighes and groanes, to see those that should live in peace with one another, enioying the comely intercourse of friends and neighbours and Countrey men, and now wounding all these relations, and without difference and respects making but one common sepulchre of those goodly Provinces.

And now a King takes me by the hand, and administers comfort and con­solation to me, now I feele better influences than before,Henry the sevenths Raigne. my blood is stanched, and my dead are buried, and I have new robes presented me, and white garments, and those that were rouled in blood are taken from me, and now I have a garland of Roses not red with battells, but Damaskt with peace and happinesse; now the birds returne again and sing on my branches, and the Hart and Roe trips upon my plaines, my sheepe graze upon my mountaines in flockes, and my shepherds begin to make oaten pipes, and warble their harmelesse tunes unto the valleys which resound the joyfull re­conciliations unto them, and now he that sits upon my throne, smiles upon me, and entertaines me with pastimes, and glorious delights of peace.

Yet to put me in minde that I am not immortall,Henry the eights troubles Commotions begin in me, and my Liberty being almost lost againe, and the Tyrannies of Rome overflowing into my kingdom; one that had espoused me for my perfections, and possessions, rouses up himselfe and breaks the Cords that superstition had tied him with to the Papall Dominion, and sets me at liberty, and now I enjoy my freedome and ease, and rejoyce in my old immunities, now I am emancipated from another Supremacy, and those that led the soules of my people captive, and forced them to bring all, and sacrifice to their pleasures, making them to lay down not only their consciences, but their goods, lands, and all my delightfull situations at their feet, are expulsed from my domini­ons, and though I remained still fettered in Superstitions and ignorance, yet I gained a kinde of enlargement, by the favour and Indulgency of this Prince.

After these, there arises a bright star, and shines upon me,Edward the 6. his troubles. and me thought I was much refreshed at the first dawning of it; this brought me tidings of a more glorious light to follow, and yet in these dayes, when religion cleared up more brightly then ever, many a dark cloud of trouble was passing over me, and many stirs were beginning, but still happily becalmed by a divine providence, and the mist which was so thicke in my Kingdom before, begun to breake and scatter, and I had a cleerer prospect, now I could see about the clouds, and many mysteries opened themselves to my discovery; and now my Liberty increased, till this star fell into my lap, and then a horrour and darknesse spread over me again.

Now my sufferings are returning again, and I must be once more wet in the blood of my inhabitants, yet those troubles did more comfort me,Queene Maries troubles. than the other did discontent me; and I rejoyced to be a tombe to those, whose bodies and ashes were perfumed with the holinesse of their soules, never did I more triumph in my noone and height of prosperity, when I had peace [Page 6]and all other blessings at the full, Oh! I gathered up those drops of blood from the Martyrdome of those Saints, and congealed them into rubies and Corall, and made me dressings and Jewells of them, oh the radiant flames of those fires which gave more lustre unto my Kingdom then all the luminaries of heaven, then either Sun or stars: oh the glory of that age, and suffering, the lights of heaven, the day it selfe was darkned and occlipsed with those fires, and the ashes of those Saints were an ornament and rich covering upon me: these were troubles of a fresher complection, the tears that were then shed I preserved in channells, and it pleased me to looke upon such streams, such holy lamentations were musick to my hills and valleys, and the Psalmes which carried up the souls of my dying Martyrs were the sweetest harmony that ever the Trees of my Forrest ecchoed.

But these waves in a short time left raging,Queen E­lizabeths time. and run in a smooth current, and now the stormes gave way to a more peaceable and quiet feason, and a Lady enters upon my Throne, attended with graces and honours, with peace and flourishings, and this time I enjoy a composed and undisturbed condition, pleasures abound in my palaces and cities, and wealth and riches, and all plenties flow in all my habitations, now I am courted from abroad, and other Kingdomes send me Ambassadours, and wooes my favours, and acquaintance, not any noise of War is heard in my land, and when at any time a cloud was gathering against me, either from abroad or at home, I saw a Divine breath dispersing and blowing it away, and thus I passed years of pleasure, and my Peace and happinesse lengthens.

Now a new Prince comes in,King James his time. and to make me more blessed and com­pleatly glorious, he brings with him a people of his owne, and a kingdom too, and now I am returned to my ancient Liberties, and enlargements, now I am Britaine againe, and my dominions wider, and I hear not now a mur­muting, or the least whisper of any trouble, though there were some endea­vourings by night, yet it was onely in a few treasonable and personall practises; but oh, I had a strange misgiving then; me thought my peace was but a prodigious and boding calme, and I prophesied to my self that surely a tempest was not far off, and no sooner had a few years rowled over my head, but another King is seated in my throne, and as he sat downe, some drops of blood sprinkled upon the Seat, and stained the robes, which made me fear such a purple inauguration would be followed with as red a revenge, and with streams of blood hereafter.

While I was triumphing some years in my new glory,King Charl [...]s his time. enjoying the pro­sperity of a full throne, adorned with a Garland from France, feasting and banqueting at home and abroad with forraigne States, me thought I felt a d [...]stemper of alteration running an my veines, I begun to be fensible of new [Page 7]Ceremonies, and dressings, and paintings in my Religion, of new oppressions, new exactions in my State, my Court grew full of pride, gallantry, ambition, lust, and wantonnesse, my tribunalls full of iniustice, of unrighteousnesse, or bribery, my Cities full of deceits, cheatings, extortions, usuries, my Countries full of oppressions, ignorance, prophanesse, covetousnesse, uncharitablenesse, my King grew credulous, my Courtiers Tyrannous, my Nobles and Gentry many of them vitious, and while these things were thus carried on, there be­gun some strivings in my Northerne parts; and the troubles gathered, and in a short time were so many, that I felt two Armies in my bosome struggling, but they were soon appeased, and when I thought I had seen the returne of a peace, a new difference flames out, my King and subiects contend together, and from paper to powder, from pen to pistoll, and now behold a generation is risen up, destroying my Religion, my Lawes, my Liberties, my Parliament, my inhabitants, my Cities, my Countries, my Palaces: I that have inriched them, how do they impoverish me? how do they consume my cattell, my wealth? how do they give my glory to the tramplings and scornes of my enemies? how do they persecute my onely darling? the conservatory of my peace, the Cabinet of my prosperity? how is it broken up?Parlia­ment. how is that Par­liamentary honour laid in the dust? how have they emboldned and encou­raged those that durst not appear in my ruine before? those that I had curbed with laws, and chained with my nationall power? how have they have violated all? and taken off their fetters, and brought them out to be the persecutors,Papists. the tormentors, the murderers of my dearest subiects? how have they com­plied with other Nations, strangers to me in Religion, in Lawes, in Liberties? and these must be landed upon my shoares, and mixed with my inhabitants, a nation whom their own Kingdom have vomited out, as unworthy to tread upon the soyle; and these must come over into my habitations with hands be­smeared in the blood of so many thousand Saints; O all ye that have any com­miseration in your soules, any bowells of compassion, go fall down at the Throne of my Prince, speak to him with tears and sighes, to stop the bleeding of his Kingdom, to put away those purple Councellors, that dash my people so together, that are never weary with contriving new engines and devices of blood and calamity! O pray him by his own obligations to me, his oath so solemnly taken to preserve me, pray him by all his former and many Protesta­tions to defend my Religion, my peace, and Liberty, pray him by the comforts and endearments of the precious blossomes upon his Throne, pray him, as he regards the preservation of his Crowne, of his Parliament, of his King­dom, nay of all his Kingdoms: O tell him the miserable and unfortunate glory of such a Conquest; the unhappy and unnaturall triumph in such spoiles.

O call to those Princes that are about him, call to their chariots to stay, be­fore they drive into irrecoverable ruine, call to their swords before they [...] drunken in the blood of those that have no crime, but Religion upon these soules.

O call to the Divines there before they recover the bankes of Tyber, call to them to returne from Idolatry, from Superstitions, call them home again be­fore they arrive at those shadowes of desolation, which are in Babylon.

O call unto the people that are in Armes about him, that they will remem­ber their Liberties, and look back and see them swimming down in the blood of their Ancestors, call to them to thinke upon their posterity, that they may not twist such cords for to binde themselves, & make withs to tie their genera­tions after them; O call to them to come out of the mist they fight in, hold be­fore their eies the Kingly & Parliamentary power they fight against, cal to them to bring home the person of their King to the Throne that wants him, hold forth your Religion, your Reformation, which you received from other age [...], and desires only to improve it to the generation after ye, hold forth the Liker­ties, the immunities of England, aske them if they be digging a Sepulchre to bury their grand Charter in before they die, and if they fight to make the [...] of their Prince a King?

And if still they go on in these contentions, they must know, I shall recei­ver my Liberties against their swords, the ghosts of England will rise up, and fight against them, those that have gone down to their graves in this defence both in this age, and in the ages before: heaven is ingaged for me, and my people fight against an enemy whose idolatries, whose blood guiltinesse, whose blasphemies, and prophanations will take their part in destroying them, and now is the time of my Reformation come, behold the many divine assistance, the many heavenly deliverances, the many miraculous evidences my people have had since the beginning of these wars, behold those eternall truths which are hastning their accomplishment, behold the Propheticall declination of Rome, behold how my people are returned home to me again, who have wa [...] ­dred abroad seeking sanctuaries from persecutions, as if they were sent before hand to wait for some new blessings, these are my certaine and undeniable comforts, my assurances, my expectations, and on the pillow of these I shal [...] rest my wearied, and distressed, and complaining soule.