Pox, O this damn'd Fellow Lambert, we may thank him for all this; He must be quar­relling like a Knave, and we must be retor­ting again like a company of Fools as we were, as if we had done it on purpose to let honest men come by their own. Well, we have had many a true jest put upon us, but never were so pay'd with a true proverb before.

Storkes come into England, quether! Ile be hang'd if ever any Storkes came hither: No, no: I see Common-wealth birds wont live in our Climate.

What a devil were we chosen into this House for.

To sit in it like two Owles for people to stare and poynt at us. There's Tom. Scot — cries one— Lord Chief peeper into the Rumps secrets; Who's that cries another? Luke Robinson the Barbarian, The Chrimme Tartar, whom Cerberus begat upon an Elders maid.

And theyre so unanimous (I wonder where they learnt it, I am sure not from us) that I professe I am amaz'd to see it, they hold together as if they had studied nothing but the 133 Psalm. I was forc'd to op­pose a motion the other day my self, least there should have bin a nemine contradicente in the House.

God's life! But did you hear the man that [Page 4] cry'd give unto Caesar that which is Caesars.

I could have wish'd it had bin left out of the Bible, for thought it be not much Significant, If right­ly expounded, yet it does a great deal of mischief at the first sight.

Upon my credit, brother Robinson, they were very severe words: they were more painful to me than the pains of the Pox: And now, God help me I have felt both.

There's no man would expound it as these men do: why suppose we are bid to give Caesar his due, we are ready to do it: but Caesar is not the King, neither is the King Caesar; when they can prove the King to be Caesar, then wee'l give him his due. besides Caesar was an Emperour: now if we are bid to give the Emperour his due, we are not therefore bid to give the King his due.

Why did you not urge this in the House, Brother.

Because I thought 'twas to no purpose.

'Tis not the first thing that we have done to no purpose. Did not we visit Monk to no purpose? and break down the City gates to no purpose? and send all our Souldiers out of town to no purpose? and have not we been Common-wealthing it here these twelve years to no purpose? why then could not you speak two or three words to no purpose?

I confesse I have been good at Snarling and Wrangling and Contradicting, but now I know not what ayles me? I think the times have almost doaz'd me. Did I think ever to have liv'd to have seen a King again, in England? — hum h — a King — very good — no, tis not so very good neither, now I think on't.

I professe I don't like it neither. Well Thom. Scot now bid all thy worldly honours adue, bid thy Se­cretary Ship farewell too; but part civilly however, tell um 'tis against thy will that thou part'st from um, and [Page 5] if thou did'st ever oblige any friends whilst thou wert in power, call um to mind, for I am afraid thou wilt want a great many.

A Letter from his Majesty —

yes I hear it, ther's a dainty bit for a Rumper to chew upon — but the reception and submissive ac­knowledgment of it — those are two excellent ingredi­ents to purge melancholly: [...]uppose a man should now divide a Sixpence into three parts or a Groat into two parts, and bestow either the third parts of the Sixpence or the half of the Groat, would it not be bet [...]er than to linger out a mans days in scorn and contempt? — How? The Lyon and the Unicorn? — How many times have I ordered um to be pul'd down? And are they got up again? Yet I am sure my warrants were not wont to be seal'd with Butter, — but tis all one whether Wax or Butter, — for I see now one will melt as well as the other.—Have we been sitting here this 12 years only to wake Lyons couchant? Nay then farewell Frost. The Picture of the Devil with all his Claws, his long Tayl, and his strange mishapen Counte­nance, looks like one of Perells Land-skips, compar'd to this dismal sight of the Lyon and the Unicorn.

Nay her's another apperition as bad as the o­ther.

What's that for the Lords sake?

Look here, — CHARLES R.

Heaven defend us! Lord how we wondred in former time to see an et Cetera. Pray God this be not the name of an Angel, for I am afraid I shall even dye now I have seen it; Prethee Brother turn over the leaf, it makes my knees shake worse then Belshassars Mene Tekel

But heres not only CHARLES, but CHARLES R. yes and this suffer'd too.

Men will suffer any thing in these dayes, did they not suffer me, and you, and Cromwel, and did [Page 6] not the King suffer? And therefore prithee suffer that R. to stand there; I had rather see it in the front of a book, then plac'd upon my forhead. God keep all Hyeroglyphicks from coming there.

Heres another song to the same tune. Trusty and well beloved. But let that passe, for it concerns not us at all. Trusty quether; indeed wee have bin very Trusty, if the whole truth were known; And why well-beloved? 'Tis a name that was never given us before: the very Preachers when they know we are at Church, leave out the word beloved, lest they should give us a wrong stile in the Croud. Why should we give Caesar his due that won't give us our due?

How? Insupportable Calamities, by which the Nation was neer exhausted? Now you see Mr. Robinson what 'tis for a man to speak out of ignorance; had this man been of our Gang, he would have known better than to have said so, for Ile swear my thought they were the bravest days I ever saw in my life; I never commanded more, and never had more mony in my Pocket; Our very news-Monger could loose his 40 or 50 pieces in an afternoon; And I am sure these were no signes the Nation was quite exhausted. I fear we shall never see such times again.

But will the King come in again in good ear­nest.

In good earnest I know no body to keep him out.

Wher's Hazelrig that said he would rowl to his Grave in blood, before the King should come in?

Hang him lying Bragadochio, hee'l say more in an hour, than hee'l perform in the length of a Troy Siege.

Are not we then in a fine condition?

What do you mean by a fine condition Bro­ther?

I mean are we not in a delicate plight?

Fine and dilicate de'ye call it? These are di­licate words, but I fear they will not suit either with us, nor the condition we shortly shall be in.

Why is there not an Act of oblivion promis'd?

Yes to all excepting such as the Parliament shall except.

Why are not we Parliament men? wee'l ex­cept our selves I warrant yee.

If there were none of the Parliament but we two, we might make a shift, but what think you of that plaguie thing called the Major part,

Nay if ye talk of the Major part once, Ile be of the Major part too: Ile go and recant.

How recant?

Yes fore God Ile recant; Ile rather turn than burn, Martirdome! hang it, tis obstinacy; tis true, I can be as obstinate as another, but not when my neck lies at stake.

I know not what to do, I am made a Murde­rer, and a Traytor, tis time for me to be packing.

I have been deeply enough engagd against him too, but there was one Thief upon the Crosse spar'd, because he ask'd forgivenesse.

Would I could but get a good Chapman for my part of Lambeth house, and I'de e'ne go travel in my old age.

You may travel brother Scot, your Legs are both of a length, for my part I can't walk far, and there▪ Ile repent. I know full well what belongs to Seque­strations and Compositions, and therefore Ile not stand to the hazard of either.

You may do as you please, but for my part I am resolved to drive it off to the last, till I see what they intend to do. Twould vex a man to the Soul to repent and whine, and then to be hang'd afterwards. Poor Common-wealths-men, tis time for us to look to out buttocks, when they take down our breeches. [Page 8] What a sad destruction will here be of Harps and Cros­ser; The Gentlemen think they do us a great curtesie to take away our Crosses, but I had rather they would break my [...]hins. But what say the People? Hang their new Heraldrie cries one,—not so cries another, they are not fit to make signs of— Burn um cries another, — and then they rejoice; — This man quoth they, hath spoken like a Seer, — next Bonfires have at um, — and I believe within this fortnight we shall see no more sign of the States Arms, than of Nimrods Pedegree.

Must they be pulling down Crosses, because we were once in the humor of pulling um down? — Yes, — for we did it with a bind zeal, but they do it with a knowing zeal. But see the Seamen too, Fel­lows that hardly know what a King is, they are for his Majesty too.

How can we expect otherwise but that they should love Monarchy, when every petty ship is a kind of Monarchy.

tis against the officers interest indeed: but why should not the Souldiers have their share too in the Goverment of the ship, as well as the Command­ers; would to God we had order'd it so, when we were in Authority; I beleive they would have found a hard task to make the Mastiffs let go their hold. What a pox do they travel for? — Not to see fashions you'le say — no, I beleive not, — If they did they'd re­member, how much more Seamen thrive in Common-wealths than in Monachies. Hang um — remember — they don't remember that we paid um, and that they serv'd us — but they remember that they serv'd us and we did not pay um — does that stick in your stomacks Gentlemen? — truly we are sorry for't, not for yours, but for our own sakes — as for our flaggs and pendents, they now must perish like chaffe before the wind — would it not greive a man to see the wo­men [Page 9] of Wapping peticoted in the Common-wealths jacks and Auncients— and to see the pride and glory of Respublica Angliae mantling a boatswaines Lecherie. O Lawson, Lawson! once thou didst bravely for us; But our Iason is gon, and woe is me for all my fellow Com­mon-wealths— Argonauts, we never more must think to regain the golden fleece again. Well Brother, I can talk no more on't, God b'y; these things make me mad.