<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2007-11-04</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Emma Leeson Huber</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B071012.apex.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A81430">
<STC T="W">D1348</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.21[58]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869953</BIBNO>
<VID>163553</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 11 -->
<HEAD>A Dialogue betwixt an EXCISE-MAN and DEATH.</HEAD>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>death, represented by a skeleton holding an arrow, converses with an excise man standing in front of barrels</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></P>
<L>UPon a time when <HI>Titans</HI> Steeds were driven,</L>
<L>To drench them&s;elves beneath the We&s;tern Heaven;</L>
<L>And &s;able <HI>Morpheus</HI> had his Curtains &s;pread,</L>
<L>And &s;ilent Night had laid the World to bed:</L>
<L>'Mong&s;t other Night-Birds which did &s;eeke for Prey:</L>
<L>A blunt <HI>Exci&s;e-man,</HI> which abhor'd the Day,</L>
<L>Was rambling forth to &s;eeke him&s;elfe a Booty,</L>
<L>'Mong&s;t <HI>Merchants</HI> Goods which had not paid the Duty:</L>
<L><HI>But walking all alone</HI> Death <HI>chanc'd to meet him,</HI></L>
<L><HI>And in this manner did begin to greet him.</HI></L>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Death.</SPEAKER>
<L>Stand, who comes here? what means this Knave to peepe</L>
<L>And &s;culke a broad, when hone&s;t men &s;hould &s;leepe?</L>
<L>Speake, what's thy name? and quickly tell me this,</L>
<L>Whither thou goe&s;t, and what thy bu&s;'ne&s;s is?</L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Exci&s;e-man.</SPEAKER>
<L>What'ere my bu&s;'ne&s;s is, thou foule-mouth'd &s;could</L>
<L>J'de have you know, I &s;corn to be controul'd</L>
<L>By any Man that lives; much le&s;s by thou</L>
<L>Who blurte&s;t out thou know&s;t not what, nor how;</L>
<L>I goe about my lawful bu&s;'ne&s;s: And</L>
<L>Jle make you &s;mart for bidding of mee &s;tand.</L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Death.</SPEAKER>
<L>Jmperious Cox-combe! Is your &s;tomack vext?</L>
<L>Pray &s;lack your rage; and harken what comes next:</L>
<L>I have a Writt to take you up; Therefore</L>
<L>To chafe your blood I bid you, &s;tand, once more.</L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Exci&s;.</SPEAKER>
<L>A Writt to take me up! Excu&s;e mee, Sir,</L>
<L>You doe mi&s;take, I am an Officer,</L>
<L>In Publick Service, for my private Wealth,</L>
<L>My bu&s;'ne&s;s is if any &s;eeke by &s;tealth,</L>
<L>To undermine the <HI>States,</HI> I doe di&s;cover</L>
<L>Their fal&s;hood; therefore, hold your hand: give over.</L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Death.</SPEAKER>
<L>Nay, faire and &s;oft! Tis not &s;o quickly done</L>
<L>As you conceive it is: I am not gone</L>
<L>A jott the &s;ooner for your ha&s;tie Chat,</L>
<L>Nor braging Language: For I tell you flat</L>
<L>Tis more then &s;o; though Fortune &s;eeme to thwart us,</L>
<L>Such ea&s;ie terms I don't intend &s;hall part us?</L>
<L>With this impartial Arme, Jle make you feele</L>
<L>My fingers fir&s;t, and with this Shaft of Steele,</L>
<L>Jle peck thy bones? <HI>As thou alive, wert hated,</HI></L>
<L><HI>So dead, to Doggs thou &s;hall be Segregated.</HI></L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Exci&s;.</SPEAKER>
<LG>
<L>J'de laugh at that; I would thou did&s;t but dare,</L>
<L>To lay thy fingers on me: J'd not &s;pare</L>
<L>To hack thy Carka&s;s till my Sword was broken:</L>
<L>J'de make thee eat the words which thou ha&s;t &s;poken:</L>
<L>All men &s;hould warning take by thy tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion,</L>
<L>How they mole&s;ted men of my Profe&s;&s;ion.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>My Service to the <HI>Sates,</HI> is &s;o well known,</L>
<L>That &s;hould I but Complaine, they'd quickly own</L>
<L>My publcke grievances; and give mee right</L>
<L>To cut your eares before to morrow night.</L>
</LG>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Death.</SPEAKER>
<L>Well &s;aid indeed: But bootele&s;s all; For I</L>
<L>Am well aquainted with thy Villianie;</L>
<L>I know thy Office, and thy Trade is &s;uch,</L>
<L>Thy Service little; and thy Gaines are much:</L>
<L>Thy braggs are many; But tis vaine to Swagger,</L>
<L>And thinke to fright me with thy guilded Dagger:</L>
<L><HI>As I abhor thy Per&s;on; Place, and Threat,</HI></L>
<L><HI>So now Jle bring thee to the Judgement Seate.</HI></L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Exci&s;.</SPEAKER>
<LG>
<L>The Judgement Seate! I mu&s;t confe&s;s that word</L>
<L>Doth cut my heart, like any &s;harpned Sword:</L>
<L>What! Come t'account! methinks the dreadful &s;ound</L>
<L>Of every word, doth make a mortal wound,</L>
<L>Which &s;ticks not only in my outward skin,</L>
<L>But penetrates my very &s;oule within.</L>
<L>Twas lea&s;t of all my thoughts that ever <HI>Death,</HI></L>
<L>Would once attempt to &s;top <HI>Exci&s;e-mens</HI> breath.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But &s;ince tis &s;o; that now I doe perceive</L>
<L>You are in earne&s;t: then I mu&s;t relieve</L>
<L>My &s;elf another way. Come, wee'l be Friends,</L>
<L>If I have wronged thee, Ile make th'Amends:</L>
<L>Let's joyne together; Jle pa&s;&s;e my word, this night</L>
<L>Shall yeeld us Grub, before the morning light;</L>
<L>Or, otherwi&s;e (to mittigate my &s;orrow)</L>
<L>Stay here, Jle bring you Gold enough to morrow.</L>
</LG>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Death.</SPEAKER>
<L>To morrows Gold I will not have; And thou</L>
<L>Shalt have no Gold upon to morrow: Now</L>
<L>My final Writt &s;hall to'th execution have thee;</L>
<L>All earthly Trea&s;ure cannot help or &s;ave thee.</L>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Exci&s;.</SPEAKER>
<LG>
<L>Then woe is me! Ah! how was I befool'd!</L>
<L>I thought that Gold (which an&s;wereth althings) could</L>
<L>Have &s;tood my friend at any time, to Baile mee!</L>
<L>But griefe growes great, and now my tru&s;t doth fail mee:</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Oh! that my con&s;cience were but clear within;</L>
<L>Which now is racked with my former &s;in:</L>
<L>With horror I behold my &s;ecret Stealing,</L>
<L>My Bribes, Oppre&s;&s;ion, and my gracele&s;s Dealing;</L>
<L>My Office-&s;ins which I had clean forgotten,</L>
<L>Will Gnaw my &s;oul, when all my bones are rotten:</L>
<L>I mu&s;t confe&s;s it, very grief doth force mee,</L>
<L>Dead, or alive, both God and Man doth Cur&s;e mee.</L>
<L><HI>Let All</HI> Exci&s;e-men <HI>hereby warning take,</HI></L>
<L><HI>To &s;hun their Practice for their Con&s;cience &s;ake.</HI></L>
</LG>
</SP>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>I. C.</HI> 1659.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
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