VERSES IN HONOVR OF THE Reverend and Learned Iudge of the Law, IVDGE IENKIN; The sole Author of his Soveraignes Rights, Englands Laws, and the peoples Liberty.
Written by a Loyall Subject of his Majesties.
Printed in the Yeare, 1648.
Ʋpon Iudge Ienkin, and his Plea before the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament, Lord of Manchester, William Lenthall Esquire, at the Chancery Barre, Feb. 14. 1647.
HAve you e're seen a sullen Rock, disdain
The high-swolne Billows of th'enraged Main?
And in pure Indignation, defie
Neptune, and all his curl'd Artillery?
Just so stood JENKIN! like a well-fix'd Rock
Built on a Base, (that never fear'd the shock
Of Rage, or Tempest) Justice, and the Law;
Which by a Lovely, yet Majestick Awe,
Bounded, and bless'd Us; till these savage Bores
Broke it upon Her, and cast out of Dores,
Law, and Religion, Mercy, Discipline,
Sence, and Civillity, and what e're's Divine
Or decent, and in lieu of them, did bring
Geneva's Sluttery, and (that cursed Thing)
The Hell bred Covenant, 'mongst us, to ensnare.
And cheat poore Israel with Gibeons Ware:
Could any but this Parliament and Hell,
Ere teach the very Law for to Rebell?
And implead Loyalty, call it Criminous,
Nay Treason, (worst of crimes) yet even thus
Great Strafford, Reverend Laud, and Burley fell;
Whose Martyrdomes when after-ages tell
Posterity will stand agast, and sweare
That Rebell Typhons, and not Men dwelt here:
Unpolitick Miscreants! to un-hinge a State,
And leave it's Emendation unto Fate,
Or Fortune! Prudence being banish quite,
Which the Learn'd Bude calls, Reasons Favourite;
Did not that
Lord Brooke in his speech against Bishops, Anno 1642. or 43.
Sophie Senator once cry(We came not here to build) let us Destroy!
Thus downe fell D gon-Bishops! who had stood
Full foureteene hundred yeares before his bloud
Did speake him Gentleman; admit that he
Were of no posterne, but true Pedigree:
But straight as those
The Bishops.
Bright Stars were all unspher'd,The Dung-hill Exhalations appeard,
The House of Commons, and began to strive
For Parity at least, and boldly give
The Lords check-mate; (how wise, how just is God,
To pay degenerous Peeres, with their owne Rod!)
Yet boast not (Feet of Clay!) against the Head
Of Gold; Your Kingdome too is numbered;
For all your Bramble-Grandeur, Greg does vow
To be supreame, when you doe hang below:
And when your Rebell-soules doe frie in Hell,
(Infecting with your Names our Chronicle)
Then JENKIN shall be Canoniz'd in Story,
His KINGS Defender, and his Kingdomes Glory!
Another Coppy of Verses on the Reverend Iudge Jenkins.
BRave Limb of Law, great Englands Statute prop,
Whom Tyrants neither can make stoop or stop:
Against their Ord'nance, thou thy Cannon bring'st,
They un-king Charles, and Him again Thou King'st.
For Lawes and Statutes Humane and Divine
Thy knowledge makes thy true allegeance shine:
And 'tis more easie for thy foes to be
Three Kingdomes ruine, then to conquer thee.
Stout heart of Oke, whom no false private end
Corrupts, but dares to break, but not to bend.
Afflictions fire hath burnish'd bright thy fame,
All Britain is embrodered with thy name:
And Wales, thy Honour, no Ecclipse can shade,
Because thou didst produce so brave a Blade:
Grave Reverend Jenkin, that with pen and word
Support'st true Justice Ballance, and her sword
Will never hurt thee: If in justice dares
Draw forth her hanger, thou art clear'd of cares:
If Foes judge thee to death, they doe no more
Then Nature, Nature doomd thy death before:
The more thy sufferings are, the more thy praise,
They may take minutes from thee, houres, and dayes,
Weekes they may rob thee of, but ther's no feare
That they will steale thy Climactericall yeare.
Thou art Lawes Line, whose Levell is dispatch,
Thou art Lawes Larke, whose unseeld eyes keepe watch,
Lawes Lamp, whose light shewes justice what is right
Lawes Loome, whose list cannot be swayd by might,
Law is the Helme, that steeres the ship of State,
The chearefull Star which earely shines and late;
The staffe whose stay supports the languishing;
The Spring whose streame is ever flourishing:
Straight line, bright lamp, sweet Lark, strong Loome choice List,
Guide, shine, shield, guard, and live Truths Martialist:
Rare Helme, straight staffe, pure streame, illustrious Star
Steeres, cheeres, directs, supports, in Peace and War:
Cleare Light, pure Lampe, rich streame of truth and life,
Justices Throane, to coole the heate of strife,
Whose spotlesse currant, runnes a christall course,
By curbing Awe with Law, with censures force,
By making every wronger render right,
By being blinde, and yet have clearest sight.
This is just Law, and he a Lawyer is
Who rightly knowes, and practiseth all this:
And such art thou grave, Judge, even thou art he,
The Magazine of Lawes Integrity,
Long maist thou live, since thy good life doth give
Justice new breath, and make her ever live.
'Tis not by Law that thou a Prisoner art,
But for thy taking Law, and Justice part;
Opressions weight, thy minde cannot deject
Thou protect'st Law, and Law will thee protect:
The courage of a Martyr, is his cause,
Who suffers for his God, and Countries Lawes.
If thou fall for thy King and Kingdomes sake,
The Cause will thee, a glorious Martyr make.
Courage brave Patriot, to thy tacklin stand,
Thou art supported by th' Almighties hand;
Thy fame and name shall live with the Eternall,
When as thy foes shall fry in flames Infernall.
T. I.
In Honour of the Reverend Father of the Law, Judge Jenkin.
- 1 A Sophy politicke, that slights all charmes The Argument.
- 2 A Rock that beares a House against all stormes,
- 3 Moses and's Serpents Rod,
- 4 A nimble Cat,
- 5 One of the lean Kine that devoured the fat.
- 6 A Brittish Lawyer, well belov'd and knowne,
- 7 Judge Jenkin, (wise, grave, just) is such a one.
STate Lawyers, you that make the Lawes your spells,
1 A Sophy.
And charme the Truth, (dissembling Machiavils)
Well may you charm with Law-tearms (doubtfull words)
And feed with Chaffe (in stead of corne) young Birds,
Jenkins (too old for you) he spies your nets,
He tells us where, and how, and who them sets.
Send out your stormes floods, gusts, tempestuous rain,
2 Rock.
You beat upon this house (his corps) in vain:
You storm at him, he cares not for't a louse,
His God's his Rock, that props Him and his House.
Beat not against this Rock; this if you spurne,
To powder, yea to Atomes yee shall turne.
Ye Egyptian Jugglers, shew your Serpent stickes,
3 Moses and his serpent.
(Statutes misconstru'd) shew your shuffling trickes
To blind your Pharaoh, (your grand Parliament)
God (out of Cambria) hath a Moses sent,
His Serpent Will devoure yours, every crumme,
Hee'l spoyle your pleading, strike you all quite dumb.
You tosse and tumble him;
4 A nimble Cat.
but what of that?He lights still on his feet, as doth a Cat:
And in good time may scratch out all your eyes
That on King Charles are false rebellious spies.
Y'ave made him leane,
5 One of the 7 loan King.
you Basan Buls are fat,He is much better, you much worse for that:
His Chyrograph (as on Belshazers Wall)
Will (on a sudden) make your courage fall.
And in my Genius, I am much mistook,
If each of you have not a hanging look:
Rebellion and Witch-craft are alike,
God hates them both, his vengeance both shall strike.
Your fat is turn'd to leane, your reigne is done,
And you (each one) a bare State-skelleton:
Your wealth shall waste away, and all your parts
Shall be turn'd rotten, as are now your hearts.
A British Lawyer,
6 A British Lawyer, &c.
(in the Lawes well grounded)By lawlesse madmen in a Jayle impounded;
Belov'd, not having any good mans hate,
A well known Champion'gainst th'usurping State.
He was no Clotho to spin out a cause,
And grinde poore Clients with oppressions jawes.
He was no Lachefis to reele out suits
With fine put-offs, demurres, or vain disputes:
But he was Atropos to cut the thread,
To stifle strife, and strike contention dead.
Long live (thou learn'd preserver of the Law)
Traytors to curb, and Rebels keep in a we.
And when Death brings this good man to his grave,
7 A Judge, &c.
You that love Truth, and Law, his Parchments save,
That they may be such terror unto some,
As once was Ziska's skin upon a Drum. G. W. Basileophilos.
When force of Armes could not one jot prevaile,
To make resistance'gainst the Dragons taile,
That Giant monster call'd a multitude,
Which with a raging fury did intrude
Upon the [...]acefull quiet of the Land,
Then (like Gamaliel) in the gap did stand
Iudge Jenkins; he with Law and Eloquence,
Hammer'd the fencelesse people into sence
Of all illegall ills which they have done
Against the King in this rebellion.
He tells the Army and the Parliament,
What Byas wayes they run in government?
How Leg slative power and close Committee
Must needs destroy the Countrey and this Citie.
How Perjury, and Blood, and Sacriledge,
Are Hell and Treasons cursed priviledge.
Let Cedunt Arma Togae be his praise,
His head be crown'd with Starres in stead of Bayes.
The conquest with the pen to him we grant
In spite of Directory or Covenant.
There's many Writers that can jeere and jybe,
And wittily doe gall Rebellions Kybe,
Who every week doe dare to write what's true,
Call Martin Traytor, and Miles Corbet Jew:
And now and then (a fancy by the way)
They mention Pembroke, or the zealous Say,
The man (Man-devill) mighty Manchester:
And divers others in particuler;
These have done well in some things they have written,
And Englands foes (by them) have been Flea-bitten:
These are but squibs, and crackers (at the best)
For though they write plain truth, 'tis read in jest.
But Noble Jenkins (without feare or flattry)
With Common Law (thy Cannon) mak'st such battry,
Whereby the Levellers shall leveld be,
And thy reward blest immortallity.
To the reverend and learned supporter of the Law, Judge DAVID JENKYNS.
Anagramma. KAINS DID ENVY.
A Crew of Kains, and Kains accursed seed,
In covenant (with Death and Hell) agreed,
That every Abel they would kill and slay,
Who would not be of their rebellious way.
Kains won the day, poore Abels were not able
T'oppose so damnable a R [...]ut and Rable.
Murder was Kains delightfull recreation,
Imprisonment, exile, and sequestration,
Oppressions, taxes, plundrings, polls, extortions,
Swords, halters, axes, were poore Abels portions.
The King himselfe is also used thus,
Strong guarded by a whelp of Cerberus:
These lawlesse miseries (the land o're-flowing)
And law and justice held scarce worth the knowing.
Then thou (grave Judge) with courage and with skill,
Didst take in hand the right supporting quill,
Of Englands down-trod Statutes, and dejection,
Which thou hast rais'd up to new resurrection:
Thy pen cuts deeply, and more sharply strikes
Then doth a hundred thousand swords and pikes.
And for thy loyall writing true and free,
The cursed Kains did Envy and hate thee.
This Parliament hath Lawyers who are members,
But they have rak'd their law up in the embers.
They know it, but not shew it, Serjeant Wilde,
Saint John, and Selden, these are past a childs,
And sure Miles Corbet is not such a sot,
But that he knowes what's law, and what is not.
But those men are not tortur'd by the Kains,
Nor have they feeling of poore Abels pains;
And though they know all is unlawfull done,
They let all law, and right to ruine run
Because injustice is their pretious jem,
And chiefest treasure that enricheth them.
But Jenkins still dares call a spade a spade,
To speak and write truth is his onely trade:
Fine smooth-tongu'd flattry, he will still abhor it,
Though Kains did Envy him, he cares not for it.
FINIS.