The Downe-fall of Dagon, or the taking downe of Cheap-side Crosse this second of May, 1643. wherein is contained these principalls following, viz.
First, Cheapeside Crosse sick at the heart. Secondly, his Death and Funerall. Thirdly, his Will, Legacies▪ Inventory and Epitaph. Fourthly, the Reason why it was taken downe, and the authority for it. Fiftly, the benefit and profit that is made of the materialls of it, and the severall summes of mony which is offered for it; likewise the satisfaction it will give to thousands of people. Sixtly, notes wor­thy of the Readers observation, that the Crosse should just happen to bee taken downe on that day which Crosses were first invented and set up.

[depiction of the Cheapside Cross]

Printed for Thomas Wilson. 1643. ⟨May .3.⟩

The Downe-fall of Dagon, or the ta­king downe of Cheap-side Crosse, &c.

IT is an e [...]sier taske to reckon up all the species and se­verall kinds of nature, than to describe all the Sects, Divisions, and opinions in Religion that is now in and about this Kingdome and City of London; so that whereas there is but one Truth and one way gui­ding thereunto; the people of our Land cannot agree about this one way: but Errour and Scisme being multiplyed manifold they, can all finde out those waies to a hai [...]e; so that the times remaine still as corrupt in manners as ever any age heretofore ever did, I will leave all particuler vices which are too common and frequent amongst us in these our dayes, and come to the su [...]ject in hand namely, the complaint of Cheape-side Crosse, wh [...]ch it makes in his own defence before it suffers its d [...]cay or ruin [...], hea [...]ing that it must be pulled down. And now to see the misery of a high fortune, I that was so stout and glorious, and did not look [...] fo [...] a fall, am now become the hatefull Idoll of the City: I cannot speake much be­ing of Stone, but I wil give you a briefe expression of my antiquity; King Edward was the first that built me, and many more Crosses in severall Towne at the death of good Queene Elenor, and in Anno 1441. I was repaired in beautifull manner, then sixe thousand pound was given to my new erecting, and have beene so often guelded at many times that I am sorry to thinke that all my glory should now be laid in the dust, but I am not the greatest that have fallen; but now it is no time for me to bable out my griefes, Time with all his houres and yeares shall lament me and my violent undoing.

But give me leave in my anger to expresse my mind. 'Tis some body was my enemy, and I cannot tell who it was; but I can gesse well, down I must; and go even flat the Earth, and then I am sure they will not remember me, I was glorious in many Kings reigns [Page] and esteemed well in Queene Elizabeths dayes, beautified at King Iames his comming into England, and againe at King Charles [...]is comming to the Crowne. And I am now accounted for a Papist, all my antiquity is lost from time to time, which if I should m [...]n­tion would w [...]ary you wi [...]h the relation. I am esteemed and held not fit to have my abidi [...]g in the Citie, I am called by the name of the Citie Idoll, the Brownists spit at me and throw stones at mee as they come along the street, the Famalists hide their eyes with their fingers, the Annabaptists wish me to be knockt in pieces, as I am like to be this day, the sisters of the Fraternity wil not come near me, but go about by Watling street, and come in againe by Soaper-lane to buy their p [...]ovisions of the Market-folkes. Oh these and the like occasions have grieved and tormented my whole Fa­bricke, I ghesse the cause, that I am now to be ruin [...]ted and quite pulld down. It is the Crosse that stands upon my head which is a moate in their eyes. Nay, they doe not onely say that I am an Idoll, but that I am a supporter of Idols, bec [...]use divers Images are placed about me, but I feel my selfe now sicke, nay sick at heart, and I groane under the burthen of my owne fabrick, for I hear and am certainly told that I am to be pulled downe and defaced this mor­ning. Oh I feele the pangs of death come upon me, I shall never see the end of the merry month of May, my breath is at a period, my life is gone, for I feel my selfe dying downwards, my head be­ing the first part that doth loose the sence, my tongue rattles in my throat, and just as the Crosse had so said, he presently dyed; wher­upon his Executors hearing of it, came in; and would have him embalmed; and they first strook off his head, and so by degrees descended to other parts of the body, and left him like a Sceleton or an Anatomy of his body or corpes by ten or eleven a clock at noone, with that his Executors looking about, found his Will which he had got, being written in this manner.

Iespar Crosse his last Will.

IN primis, I desire to be taken downe in a decent round manner, and that no spoile be made of my fabricke; for some parts of mee worth mony.

Item, I pray my Executors to be civill, and that they have a care that no hurt be done at my demolishing.

Item, The Gold which I am gilded withall I appoint to be [...]ed and taken off by those persons which will give most mony for me.

Item, I give to the Red-coate Souldiers all the Lead which is a­bout me to make bullets if occasion be; if not I give it to the com­pany of Plummers to make Cesternes and Pumps with, or else jacke weiAhts.

Item, I give my Iron-worke to those people which make good Swords at Hou [...]st [...]w, for I am all Sp [...]nish Iron, and Steele to the backe.

Item, I give my Body and Stones to those Masons and Worke­men that cannot tell how to frame the like againe, to keep by them for a patterne; for in time there will bee more Crosses in London then ever there was yet, &c.

Item, I give my ground whereon I stood to be a free Market-place, hoping that no more people will goe round as they have used to do about me; but will be content to speake well of me hereafter, be­cause I suffer so roundly and so patiently for my errours:

Vera copia tesamenta Iasperi Crosseribus,

Cheap side Crosse his Epitaph.

I Looke for no praise when I am dead,
For going the right way I never did tread,
I was as hard as an Aldermans doore,
That's shut, and stony hearted to the poore.
I never gave Almes, nor did any thing
Was good▪ nor e're said, God save the King:
I stood like a stock that was made of wood,
And yet the people would not say, I was good:
And if I tell them plaine they are like to me,
Like stone to all goodnesse, but now Reader see
Me in the dust, for Crosses must not stand
There is too much Crosse-tricks within the Land;
And having so done never any good,
I leave my prayse for to be understood;
For many women after this my losse.
Will remember me and still wil be crosse.
Crosse trickes, Crosse wayes, and Crosse vanities,
Believe the Crosse speakes truth, for here he lyes.

This Crosse in Cheape-side was first erected as I have said by Edward the first, in commemoration of his Queen whose name was Ell [...]nor; Second­ly it w [...]s then builded for an Ornament to the City, being placed in the chiefest place or streete of the laid City, and therefore was thought & held at that time for a glorious Fabricke, and would continue there for anti­quity sake, rather then to give an occasion of offence to any; It hath now stood near upon 400. or five hundred yeares, still repaired and beautified, but never suffered martirdome till now; it hath beene twelve severall times adorned and decored in all ages; and was ever held a gracefull Fabricke to London, till of late yeares; untill indeed many superstitious and foolish people have publickly adored it and worshipped it as they have gone by it; which offence is the maine cause of its pulling downe and defacing.

The reason why Cheap-side Crosse was pulled downe.

BEcause it is in its own structure a monument of Idolat [...]y, and may better suite well with an Idolatrous place, as Rome and such like places, than for this civill Citie, wherein so much preaching and teaching of Gods word is used; Again, that many people by nature desire a visible God, rather then an invisible God; Also that it occasions many from comming to looke for Christ in an invi­sible way, so long as they can fee him visible. Besides, divers ignorant people who have been misled and mi [...]informed in the Protestant Rligion, have by such like Images been seduced and made believe that praying to severall Saints, desi­ring them and instigating them, that they would solicite and speake to our Savi­our in their behalfe, that our Saviour would make intercession to his father for the mittigation, and for the forgivenesse of their sins; This opinion of theirs is ve­ry vaine, idle and rediculous; and a great sin committed against God himselfe; robbing and taking away his honour due unto him; and giving it creatures; as to the Saints and Angells, in worshipping pictures crucifixes, and such like traditi­ons and inventions of men; So this Crosse hath been a great meanes to cause su­perstition and idolatry from time to time in worshipping and adoring it, as many people have done as they passe by it; for divers people both men & women hath been seeen by severall honest, ancient, and good Inhabitants dwelling neare the place, that sundry sorts of people have by three a clock in the morning come bare­foot to the Crosse, and have kneeled downe, and said something to themselves, crossed their fore-head and their breast, and so risen and making obeysance, [Page] went away, which punishment was enjoyned upon them as a penance for som [...] sins they had committed: Likewise that hundreds of people have been publickly seen and in the midst of the day, b [...]nd their bodies to it, and put off their hats, and crosse themselves: Not only as they have gone on foot by it, but divers that have rid on horse-back▪ and in Coaches have put out their heads and pull'd off their hats and d [...]ne reverence to it; this hath bin done for these many yeares to­gether, and it hath bin offensive to many good Christians to behold such such I­dolatrous worship given to a Crosse, and to images, and pictures, in so much that it hath bin often complained on by divers godly Ministers. not only in their publicke Sermons, but also in their printed books; shewing the unlawfulnesse of it, and how it hath from time to time encreased and encouraged people to Pope­ry: therefore seeing no redresse or helpe [...] [...]r the suppression of it; the Common Counsell of London did Petition to the honourable Houses of Parliament for re­lese in this case, which was soon granted, and had a warrant to take it downe, by all the faire meanes they could devise, calling to their ayd the Trained bands of the City for their defence, because no uproare might arise thereby, and that no bloud might be spilt; because divers people had given out they would rather lose their lives then it should down▪ down it must, and it is so ordered to be taken downe that the materials may be made usefull other way, and that they should be sold for a valuable consideration; the materials being most lead, iron, and stone; some report divers of the Crownes and Scepters are silver; besides the rich gold that it is guilded with which as it is reported, may be filed & taken off, and yield a good value; so that divers which have offered some 400. l. some 500. l. but they that bid must offer 1000. l. for it; and so this Tuesday it is a taking down with a great deal of judgment and discretion, and foure Companies of the Trane Bands of the City to guard and defend those that are about the worke, & to keepe others from domineering, and so I leave it to bee made levell with the ground this second day of May 1643. And pray good Reader take notice by the Almanacke▪ for the signe falls just at this time to b [...]e in the feete, to shew that the Crosse must be laid equall with the ground for our feet to tr [...]ad on, and what day it was demolished; that is on the day when Crosses were first inven­ted and set up, and so I leave the rest to your consideration.

FINIS.

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