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<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2010-07-04</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B100611.apex.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
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<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A89884">
<STC T="W">N395</STC>
<STC T="T">E422_14</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99864265</BIBNO>
<VID>161387</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="dialogue">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>Loyalty &s;peakes Truth:</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">OR, A CONFERENCE of the Grand MERCVRIES, <HI>Pragmaticus, Melancholicus,</HI> and <HI>Elenticus,</HI> Concerning the pre&s;ent condition of his Maje&s;ty, and the proceedings of this ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Parliament.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">1648 <ADD>Jan: 10^t^h^.&mdash;1647</ADD></HEAD>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>PRagmaticus,</SPEAKER>
<P>How now man, how doe you looke, like a man had &s;et an errant from <HI>Limbo Patrum,</HI> or beene cru&s;h'd betweene the gates of Death of late: whence is the apparition of your countenance &s;o fearfull unto me, what unheard-of calamity hath &s;o much prevented the hopes of your future health, that you &s;eeme to be as it were both a|live and dead together.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Melanch.</SPEAKER>
<P>Health <HI>Pragmaticus</HI> how can that be expected, when all things are in &s;o de&s;perate a &s;tate of Di&s;|ea&s;e that the world may &s;eem di&s;tempered with a continuall Phle|botomie.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Pragm.</SPEAKER>
<P>The world man, thats nothing to you, nor me:
<PB N="2" REF="2">
But what newes there whence you came of late, at <HI>London,</HI> is there any thing there that is cau&s;e of your pen&s;ivene&s;&s;e.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Yes verily, there &amp; here, and every where.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Why, what's that.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Why if this be not a &s;ubject of grief, I know not what is: I meane, fir&s;t, to &s;ee all Supremacy and Maje&s;ty di&s;honoured, and &s;it lamented; la|monting I &s;hould have &s;aid, among the captivated of the times; to &s;ee all Magi&s;tracy neglected and trampled under foot, by tho&s;e, that are wel-wi&s;hers to none but them&s;elves; to &s;ee what Divi&s;ions, o|pen contradictions, clancular devi&s;es, and &s;ubtle underminings whereby to extirpate all freedome, and by the force of conti<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">uall working de&s;ignes, to blow up the very foundation of Liberty and lawfull Priviledges. O &s;trange cruelty! O unheard of impiety; more Mon&s;ters in nature now, then Coun&s;ellors in Court or wi&s;e|men at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> (except tho&s;e only that doe us good) &s;ome cry no <HI>King</HI> no <HI>King;</HI> and intimate as much by their deportment, that they would all faine weare Crownes (and be Kings) on their own heads &s;o long as they weare them: The&s;e having by their new-born power (which is nothing el&s;e, but the curtain-drawing of a coming Chaos) made ob&s;cure the glory of radiant <HI>Titans</HI> de&s;ire, that <HI>Phae|ton</HI> al&s;o may take notice, if hee dare re-a&s;&s;ume the Charior, hee is like to be di&s;mounted if they can doe it, and they &s;et the world on fire againe; for if hee be &s;o bold to come among them, he mu&s;t dreame of a Kingdom, as little as <HI>Saul</HI> did, when hee went to &s;eeke his fathers A&s;&s;es. But &s;ome againe there are, which run as farre on another extream and cry, no <HI>Parliament,</HI> no <HI>Parliament,</HI> and would expell all &s;uch Authority as they doe their gho&s;tly Father with Cru|cifixes and Holy-water; The&s;e are &s;o inveterate, that although they many times u&s;e as many Benedictions, to drive away the Divell, as Pope <HI>Ioane</HI> did in Sanctification of that young Cardinall in her wombe; yet can they be very well content with his company while they cur&s;e the Parliament, with Bell, book, and candle. Surely they thinke they are as bad, as that concaved company of Red-headed Crocadiles; and to &s;peake the truth (but onely becau&s;e they are ve|ry devout) the States have melted &s;o many of their Tapers into Commi&s;&s;ions, and on the wickes thereof, have made &s;uch Matches
<PB N="3" REF="2">
on their &s;ide that by this time, they may have learned to pray for them by Day-light. The&s;e are ours and the Kingdomes enemies; and the other Friends, neither to Parliament nor Army: and if all parts ill-affected (I meane in the Body politique) with &s;uch di&s;tem|pers, nay gangreen'd with &s;uch Di&s;ea&s;es, and no Phy&s;ician, no cure; no remedy probable, or probably conceivable, unto what prodegies, and growth in mi&s;eries on our &s;ide may our enemies per&s;evere a|gain&s;t us.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elenticus.</SPEAKER>
<P>The more <HI>Mi&s;erable</HI> is our condition; truth it is which you have now &s;poken: wee have a &s;eeming Peace, and in this peace, there is &s;o cruell warring, by differences in judge|ment, of actions pa&s;t, opinions concerning <HI>Religion,</HI> and hopes of what &s;hall bee the cunning events of things; that it may rather &s;eeme a ce&s;&s;ation of Armes, eyther to molli&s;ie our hearts, or el&s;e a re&s;piration only; that our Enemies, nay our &s;elves may take breath to bee more cruell hereafter, and &s;tudy to be more inhumane one towards another; and <HI>Melancholicus,</HI> although you have given &s;uch a &s;ummary demon&s;tration of our Condition, le&s;&s;e then which by a great deale, is too, too &s;ufficient, to make a people more then ordinarily <HI>mi&s;erable;</HI> yet there are many con&s;equences ortive, from our great <HI>Di&s;tractions</HI> and &s;ad differences, which lye upon us as burthens in&s;ufferable, more then the generall &s;tate, or our particu|lars are able to beare, without <HI>&s;inking</HI> under them: Truly what Peace can wee expect, or what amendment of the&s;e things, &s;o long as the Whoredomes of <HI>Iezabell</HI> remaine; &s;o long as Pride can vaunt in our &s;treers, without &s;o much as a check for its Selfi&s;hne&s;&s;e, as if it were (as it is indeed) independent upon all vertue (becau&s;e nothing to doe therewith) claime the Superiority of the greate&s;t and highe&s;t Places to her &s;elfe; neither is &s;hee now (as formerly) content with Temporall preferment only (but becau&s;e the Hou&s;e is devided again&s;t it &s;elfe, &s;teps in, and attempts Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall al&s;o; and being mo&s;t of all Independent, &s;he matters not much, whether Lawne-&s;leeves, or long Beards, or both, bee the re&s;t of her Atten|dants; nay, what Peace can wee expect, &s;o long as Covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe mu&s;t be for the mo&s;t part the Regulator of all things; and becau&s;e it hath an aptitude to keepe what it hath got, it mu&s;t bee
<PB N="4" REF="3">
made Collector of the publique trea&s;ure; Commi&s;&s;ary to the Ar|my, and Chaire-man; or chiefe, in almo&s;t every Committee, and being growne proud, in that &s;hee is a Parliament mans compa|nion, it being in her power, &s;hee hath made her elde&s;t daughter Extortion, a Seque&s;trator al&s;o; and becau&s;e the Court &s;hould bee more free from lavi&s;h Expences (then formerly, whereby to no<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">|ri&s;h Vice) the royall Revenues are (by her) employed, to u&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> more profitable to the Kingdome; and hence it is, that the King|dome is &s;o full of conge&s;ted riches, men have enough and to lay up, and to buy lands be&s;ides, to take opportunity for goods bargines them&s;elves; though contrary to the Ordinance of Parliament, yea to buy the goods, and Chattells, of Delinquents, to &s;et the e&s;tates of Malignants, for the States profit, to Farme them, at ca&s;ie rates; and becau&s;e cu&s;tome hath changed this cour&s;e, into the nature, of Com|mittee men, they can judiciou&s;ly (I can deeme it, no le&s;&s;e, then prudence) winke, at each others deviation from the Ordinance which commands that no Committee-man, or any belonging to any Committee-man&punc; &s;hould have the u&s;e, of any &s;eque&s;tra|tions for their own profit, and &s;o they drive a fine trade out, and want nothing, but only, that ru&s;ticke <HI>Pan</HI> would be plea&s;ed to grant them, as hee did <HI>Midas,</HI> to have what they could wi&s;h for his ridiculus judgement, but yet, it may be, <HI>Apollo</HI> may be angry with them&punc; and clap, a paire of A&s;&s;es eares, hornes, upon their heads; if once reeds would growe in the Committee chamber that would be knowen too: but only that I believe the Deanery will not goe down, &s;o &s;oone, as the leaden &s;teeple, if all be true as is reported, what did you heare <HI>Melancholicus,</HI> concerning that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>I heard that there was an Order for the pulling of it down; and that it &s;hould part of it, be emplyed to repaire the City &s;tock, which was empaired, by your Cavaliers by &s;o voluntary conce&s;&s;ion of moneys contributing the &s;ame, to the&s;e that were the Kingdomes, and our enemies. <HI>Prag.</HI> Cavaliers? who are the Kingdomes enemies now I pray you, now poore Cavaliers trouble you not.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elenticus.</SPEAKER>
<P>Verily the cau&s;e of the comming of Gods judge|ments upon a people is &s;in only; and we had warre &s;ent upon
<PB N="5" REF="3">
us as, a judgement for &s;in, yet we repent not truely; tho&s;e that we called Cavaliers (this I think) were in|&s;truments of Gods wrath to &s;courge us then: and it is much to be feared, we have manife&s;ted &s;o little thankfulne&s;&s;e to|wards God for mercies pa&s;t, and not regarded his great Deliverances, that except a &s;udden repentance, God will find him another Servant, and us another Enemy to exe|cure his judgement upon us; and therefore I de&s;ire that the Spirit of <HI>bitterne&s;&s;e</HI> &s;hould cea&s;e to remaine among us, and then wee might live to &s;ee our Land flouri&s;h, in Peace and Truth once againe.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Yes, but hearke you, doe you thinke if the <HI>Ca|valiers</HI> had got the <HI>better,</HI> wee &s;hould not have beene in a better condition then we are now.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Truly I thinke if the Papi&s;ts had got the better&punc; Gods people would have gone all to <HI>fire</HI> and <HI>fagot;</HI> and although our condition bee at this time very hard in re&s;pect of Taxes and impo&s;ures, which the nece&s;&s;ity of the State may &s;eeme to require, yet &s;eem happy (if &s;o be the moneys &s;o collected, were put to a right u&s;e, no que&s;tion we &s;hould have a &s;ettled peace ere long) in relarion to what we might have &s;uffered.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Taxes; yea marry Taxes indeed, when the Earle was here, then here was come lend money to bring the King to London; but now they have him, they meane not that he &s;hall come there; and then they had the Publike Faith, for their money, but that &s;hall be all I warrant you, and then there was Contribution, as long as men were able to pay it: and after that came Exci&s;e, and the new found pollings, but I heard the other day, that the Exci&s;e was down? what? did you here of it.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<SPEAKER>Melanch.</SPEAKER>
<P>It is not downe, but &s;tronger up then ever, onely there bee not &s;o many Commi&s;&s;ioners as they were.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Why?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>I know not.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Who are <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ut now.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>There is Mr. <HI>Vincent</HI> out.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Why how comes that to pa&s;&s;e, he was the be&s;t of them all, and if a man could bee ho|ne&s;t in &s;uch a place, hee was an hone&s;t man (I thinke) and I thinke he had the love of the Countrey more then any, J am &s;ure he had of the City; if hee's gone out, it was becau&s;e hee would goe out.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elenticus,</SPEAKER>
<P>I heard him &s;ay hee would not &s;tay in with &s;uch Partners.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Hee was the chiefe&s;t of them all&punc; I thinke.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elent.</SPEAKER>
<P>Nay, Mr. <HI>Coilier</HI> was fir&s;t in Commi&s;&s;ion if I am not mi&s;taken.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Collier,</HI> hee was but a bom-ba&s;ted Taylor, he &s;ate hum drum alwayes, when I went to pay my money, and did &s;carce &s;o much as &s;ay <HI>Bee</HI> to a Goo&s;e; I knew him a good while &s;ince and his wife too, and her Father the Thatcher.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Truly that makes things in that ca&s;e they bee, when men meddle with that&punc; they know not what belongs unto, as the Proverbe is, Set a Sow to play on a Fiddle. There is Mr. <HI>Writer,</HI> and <HI>Carele&s;&s;e,</HI> in with him &s;till, but Mr. <HI>Free&s;ton</HI> is out.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elent.</SPEAKER>
<P>Hee out, why there is Mr. <HI>Writer,</HI> it's true, hee was ill &s;poken of, when <HI>Rainsbo|rough</HI> men came fir&s;t into Towne; but I thinke he is an in|different hone&s;t man, and a great &s;uffering man; and 'tis fit &s;uch men &s;hould bee employed in &s;uch places, if &s;ome mu&s;t; but only that hee cannot find his braines &s;ometimes, when hee hath need of them.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>But they &s;ay, <HI>Carele&s;&s;e</HI> is in Commi&s;&s;ion before <HI>Writer.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elent.</SPEAKER>
<P>How comes that to pa&s;&s;e; <HI>Carele&s;&s;e,</HI> is but a fellow of a &s;ervile Condition, &s;tart up I know not how in the&s;e times, when all hone&s;t men were rather loo&s;ers then &s;avers; and the truth is, I know the mans Conditions &s;o well, that for his Severity, he &s;hould better bee a Hang-man. (nay pardon me now, I am too gro&s;&s;e, hee is a States Officer) I meane, an Executor of ju|&s;tice; for I am &s;ure, hee knowes to whip a Begger well e|nough &s;ince he was Con&s;table; and for want of a Beadle did
<PB N="7" REF="4">
it him&s;elfe: what doe you laugh at&punc;</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Prag.</SPEAKER>
<P>Ile tell you what at, a pretty compari&s;on, as there was one made&punc; of one of our Committee men the other day; which was, that as hee &s;aid he read of one <HI>Tyre&s;iss,</HI> whom the gods being angry withall, transformed from a Man to a Woman, at length when <HI>Iupiter</HI> and <HI>Iuno</HI> fell at variance, whether was more prone to lu&s;t, a Man or Woman, they cho&s;e this <HI>Tyre&s;ias</HI> to decide the matter, becau&s;e hee had knowne the nature of both kinds: So, if a man aske me, whether is the hone&s;ter man, a Cavaliere or a Roundhead, I &s;hall bid goe and aske <HI>Carele&s;&s;e;</HI> becau&s;e hee hath been of both &s;orts.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Such men are not fit for the Publique &s;ervice, however crept in.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Elent.</SPEAKER>
<P>Nay, what a &s;lavery are wee in, when &s;uch men &s;hall not onely rule, but raigne over us: Slavery (I) none but &s;uch fooles, as wee be would endure it.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mel.</SPEAKER>
<P>J will tell you what we &s;hall doe, wee will Petition <HI>Adem Na&s;h;</HI> that when hee &s;peaketh nex<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> in the Hou&s;e, it would plea&s;e his wor&s;hip to make knowne to the Hou&s;es, that there, a &s;ort of Men, which having already taken away the munificentiall parts of our City, are now al&s;o, about to demoli&s;h, the Spirituall ha|bitations of our Soules, and have long &s;ince extirpated their out-workes of defence (our Mini&s;ters) in&s;omuch, that on la&s;t Sabboth, there was not one Sermon in the whole City, but at the Colledge only, becau&s;e that is the next way to heaven, which they will teach us now after Chri&s;tma&s;&s;e &s;o perfect, that wee &s;hall not need the leaden Steeple for the fir&s;t &s;tep; there|fore that to bee cumulated into a legion of Angels, for a con|tinuall conduct of the City thither, and the reliefe of the Poore, according to their Charity: Further, that there is not &s;o &s;mall e&s;timation of affection among us&punc; as to bee bought and &s;old, by a Committee of partiall Iudges, and yet hold our peace; Therefore, wee de&s;ire that it may be Orde|red, that we may have a hone&s;ter Committee&punc; or better Round-heads: And al&s;o that the collection of Exci&s;e, bee &s;omewhat regulated; for when wee bring our moneys to
<PB N="8" REF="5">
the Office, there is a fellow lookes &s;o bigge upon us, that we<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> dare not, for his eares, di&s;plea&s;e him, for feare of a <HI>Hocus, Pocus.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Pragmat.</SPEAKER>
<P>Nay, let us begge too, that no Citizen <HI>Cavaliere,</HI> &s;hall bee ever an enfranchized Round-head, ex|cept hee voluntarily forfeit his Eares to the Pillory, at &s;eaven or eight eares end, according to the growth of the &s;ame, and that whereas it hath beene a great propagation to the good of this City, and much accommodation in nece&s;&s;ity, that a good number of Hor&s;es, bee alwayes kept ready and well look't to; it is de&s;ired, that it bee &s;o &s;till, otherwi&s;e the generation of A&s;&s;es, which now ride upon us, will &s;o in|grea&s;e and multiply, that their eares, may be taken for hornes, among&mdash;</P>
</SP>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
