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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45334	Funebria floræ the downfall of May-games: wherein is set forth the rudeness, prophaneness, stealing, drinking, fighting, dancing, whoring, mis-rule, mis-spence of precious time, contempt of God, and godly magistrates, ministers and people, which oppose the rascality and rout, in this their open prophanenesse, and heathenish customs. Occasioned by the generall complaint of the rudenesse of people in this kind, in this interval of settlement. Here you have twenty arguments against these prophane sports, and all the cavills made by the belialists for the time refelled and answered. Together with an addition of some verses in the cloze, for the delight of the ingenious reader. By Tho. Hall, B.D. and pastor of Kings-norton.	Hall, Thomas, 1610-1665.	1661 (1661)	Wing H434A; ESTC R177805	36,599	55

estates for their good when such as serve them for their own ends will leave them and forsake them and though for the present the righteous may bee condemned as Traitors and the wicked bee exalted to honour yet in Gods due time hee will clear the innocency of his servants as the light when the names of the wicked shall rot Especially at that great day of Revelation then shall we clearly discern betwixt the righteous and the wicked between him that feareth the Lord him that feareth him not This may comfort us who are faln into the last daies which are called perilous times wherein hee that refrains from evil maketh himself a prey 'T is criminous now adaies amongst many men to bee sober and pious If a man will not drink Healths or give mony to those that will if hee will not rant and roar and run with others into all excess of riot this is enough with some men to make a man an enemy to the State I have a little experience in this kinde my self This last May opposing some Floralians in their prophane practices whom I thought after above twenty years preaching should have learnt better things they gave out that I was little better than a Quaker a Preacher of false Doctrine and an enemy to the King and should be thrown out of my place and why so why because I hindered practical Fanaticks in their frantick practices Grande nefas See how these people who never studied Machiavel yet are natural Machiavelists one of whose Principles is Calumniare audacter saltem aliquid adhaerebit Lye lustily some filth will stick I see sying is coming in fashion apace I shall therefore having this opportunity clear my self and my brethren in the Ministry who are or may bee aspersed in this kinde 1. For Quakerism I have preached prayed practised and printed against it and openly as occasion required opposed them and their blasphemous principles and satanical practices and thus hath every faithful Minister done according to the measure of grace received and therefore for shame forbear such gross slanders 2. For my Doctrine 't is sufficiently known to the world the summ and substance of it is in great part publisht to the world 3. That I am an enemy to the King is as true as all the rest I preach for him I pray for him I print for him I pay to him and command men so to do and am ready to sacrifize my life for him in an honourable way and when I cannot yeeld Active yet I shall readily yeeld Passive obedience and shall say with Bradford the Martyr If the Queen will banish mee I will thank her if shee will imprison mee I will thank her if shee will burn mee I will thank her Or as Chrysostome before him said to the Empresse Eudoxia If the Queen will let her banish mee the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof if shee will let her saw mee asunder Esay suffered the same If shee will let her cast mee into the Sea I will remember Jonah If shee will let her cast mee into a burning fiery furnace or amongst wilde beasts I will remember Daniel and the three children If shee will let her stone mee or cut off my head I have St. Stephen and the Baptist my blest companions If shee will let her take away all my goods Naked came I out of my Mothers womb naked shall I return thither again Thus heroickly hee For my fidelity to the King in refusing the Engagement I lost two hundred pound and ran the hazard of my whole livelihood for I had no Law to recover a penny At two publick Disputations against Sectaries I ran great hazards at the first 1650. there was a great rabble of Sectaries met together who gave out untoward speeches against mee In August 1651. About a week before the King came into Worcester I was called to assist in a Disputation against some Sectaries this falling out at that juncture of time I was look'd upon as an enemy to the Common-wealth and therefore the Constable was commanded to bring mee in prisoner to Worcester to be there secured amongst the Royalists and lately have I been threatned from another coast with an Arrest for opposing the Millenarians and Fifth-Monarchy-men I mention these things not for any sinister ends of fear or favour but to prevent or at lest to blunt the edge of those vile aspersions which are cast upon the Presbyterians as if they were enemies to Caesar when I dare be bold to say and it were easie to make it good that God hath not better servants nor the King better subjects than those of this Judgement Who were it that God made Instruments to bring about the great change which is now wrought in the Land were it not our brethren of Scotland Who were they that petitioned in Print for the life of the late King were they not the Presbyterian Ministers of London one of them losing his head not long after upon a Royal account Who where they that opposed the Engagement with invincible Arguments in Print were they not the Presbyterians of Lancashire who are those that strenuously opposed debauchery and prophaneness on the one hand and Sects and Heresies on the other when others were dumb and did tolerate them were they not the men of this judgement Now those that help to keep sin and errour out of a Land those are the best friends to a Land and the Kings best subjects If any shall ob●ect that wee were for King and Parliament I freely confess it so wee were and so wee are still and so I think is every honest hearted-subject who understands any thing of the frame of this Government To this wee are bound by the Protestation Covenant and other Obligations I look upon him as an enemy to the Land of his Nativity who goes about to separate the King from the Parliament or the Parliament from the King As for the lawfulness of the Parliaments war against those that withdrew the King from the Parliament for there was not the lea●t intent in them to hurt the person of the King and therefore they were imprisoned by the Army that case is very learnedly and modestly cleared by Dr. Austin in his Allegiance not impeached by the Parliaments taking up of Arms though against the Kings personal commands for the just defence of the Kings person the Laws of the Land and Liberties of the Subject yea they are bound by the Oath of Allegiance so to do proved from the words of the Oath from Principles of Law and Nature and other Testimonies of this Judgement is Mr. Pryn Mr. Rutherford in his Lex Rex Yea B. Bilson a man far enough from faction or sedition concurs with them yea so doth Grotius and Barclay Obj. 7. They are many and mighty that approve of such prophane practices and 't is wisdome to go with the tide of the times and the current of the world Answ Indeed if you

the time past of their lives too much to have lived according to the lusts of men in the dayes of their ignorance but now they must live according to the will of God making his glory the ultimate end of all their actions and recreations I have often told them that our God is a jealous God and one that will not indure to have his glory given to Idols or Harlots Jud. This is full and to the purpose indeed but is there no more evidence to come in Cryer Yes my Lord here is Pliny an antient Writer who lived about ninety years after Christ and is famous for his Natural history Judg. What can you say against the prisoner at the Bar Pliny My Lord I have long since told them if they would beleeve mee that these were not Christian but Pagan-feasts they were Heathens and such as knew not God who first instituted these Floralia and May-Games I have told them that they were instituted according to the advice of Sibylls-books in the 516th year after the foundation of the City of Rome was laid to prevent the blasting and barrenness of the trees and fruits of the earth Judg. Sir you have given us good light in this dark case for first wee see that the rise of these Feasts was from Pagans and that they were ordained by the advice of Sibylls-books and not of Gods book and for a superstitious and Idolatrous end viz. that hereby Flora not God might bee pleased and so bless their fruits and flowers This is clear but have you no more evidence Cryer Yes my Lord here is Coelius Lactantius Firmianus who lived about three hundred years after Christ who will plainly tell you the rise of these prophane sports Judg. I have heard very well of this celestial sweet and firm defender of the Faith and that hee was a second Cicero for eloquence in his time Sir what can you say against the prisoner at the Bar Lactan. My Lord I have long since declared my judgement against this Harlot Flora in my first book of false Religion where I have told the world that this Flora was a common-whore and one that got much mony by her harlotry at her death shee made the people of Rome her heir and left a certain sum of mony for the yearly celebration of these Floralian sports The Senate after some time the better to cover this foul business make her the Goddess of Flowers and tell the people that they ought to celebrate this lascivious Feast of this lascivious Harlot with all manner of lasciviousness that so shee being pleased might prosper their fruits and vines Judg. This is plain and full I now see that Lactantius is Firmianus not only sweet but firm and constant against the Whore But have you no more evidence Cryer Yes my Lord here is Synodus Francica which was called in Pope Zachary's time Anno Dom 742. Judg. What can you say against the Prisoner at the Bar Counc My Lord I have long since decreed that the people of God shall have no Pagan-Feasts or Enterludes but that they reject and abominate all the uncleannesses of Gentilism and that they forbear all sacrilegious fires which they call Bonefires and all other observations of the Pagans whatsoever Judg. This is clear against all Heathenish Feasts and Customes of which this is one But have you no evidence nearer home Cryer Yes my Lord here is one that may go for many 't is one that will conquer them all and with the Sword of justice will suddenly suppress them Judg. Who is that I pray you let mee see such a man Cryer Why my Lord 't is Charls the Second King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Judg. Truly hee deserves that Title if hee shall now appear in defence of the Truth against that prophane rout which lately threatned the extirpation both of sound doctrine and good life I hear that the King is a sober and temperate person and one that hates Debauchery I pray you let us hear what hee saith Cryer My Lord the King came into London May 29. and the 30th of May hee published a Proclamation against prophaneness to the great rejoycing of all the good people of the Land When all was running into prophaneness and confusion the Parliament sate still and wee poor Ministers had nothing left but our prayers and tears then even then it pleased the Most High in whose hand is the heart of Kings to put it into the heart of our Soveraign Lord the King eminently to appear in the cause of that God who hath so eminently appeared for him and hath brought him through so many dangers and difficulties to the Throne and made so many mountains a plain before him to testifie against the debauchery and gross prophaneness which like a torrent had suddenly over-spread the Land The sum and substance of the Kings Proclamation is this That it is the duty of all to take notice of Gods transcendent goodness to us and to walk with such circumspection integrity and reformation in our lives that wee may not drive away the mercy which is coming to us by making our selves unworthy of it and in order hereto wee think it high time to shew our dislike of those against whom wee have been ever enough offended though wee could not in this manner declare it who under pretence of affection to us and our service assume to themselves the liberty of reviling threatning and reproaching others and as much as in them lyes endeavour to stifle and divert their good inclinations to our service and so to prevent that Reconciliation and Union of hearts and affections which can onely with Gods blessing make us rejoyce in each other and keep our enemies from rejoycing There are likewise another sort of men of whom wee have heard much and are sufficiently ashamed who spend their time in Taverns Tipling-houses and Debauches giving no other evidence of affection to us but in drinking our Health and inveighing against all others who are not of their own dissolute temper and who in truth have more discredited our cause by the licence of their manners and lives than they could ever advance it by their affection and courage Wee hope that this extraordinary way of delivering us all from all wee feared and almost bringing us to all wee can reasonably hope hath and will work upon the hearts even of those men to that degree that they will cordially renounce all that licentiousness prophaneness and impiety with which they have been corrupted and endeavoured to corrupt others and that they will hereafter become examples of sobriety and vertue and make it appear that what was past was rather the vice of the times than of the persons and so the fitter to bee forgotten together And because the fear of punishment or apprehension of our displeasure may have influence upon many who will not bee restrained by the conscience of their duty Wee do declare

mean to perish with the world you may do so but if you will bee the Lords people you must not fashion your selves like to the world for the world like a great beast lies tumbling in its own filth 1 John 5. 19. The way to Hell is a broad way and hath many passengers Matth. 7. 13. Even Seneca that wise Moralist could say that 't is one of the worst Arguments that a man can use to say that the multitude doth so and so and therefore wee 'l do so too Wee are expresly forbidden to follow a multitude in evil Exod. 23. 2. The more joyn together in sin the nearer to judgement generality in sinning brings generality in suffering When all the old world was corrupted then came the flood When all Sodom burnt with lust then came fire from Heaven and consumed them When the mean man boweth down to Idols and the great man humbles himself before them God will not pardon Isa 2. 8 9. 2 Few great men are good men 1 Cor. 1. 26. and therefore follow not any bee hee never so great or good any further than hee follows Christ yea should any command you to break the Laws of God yet you must chuse rather to obey God than man 'T is no dishonour to the Kings on earth to see the King of Kings obeyed before them and therefore St. Peter bids us first Fear God and then honour the King Obj. 8. If God were displeased with such prophane practices hee would never have born so long with the wicked nor suffer them to prosper as they do Answ 1. You are much deceived in thinking they are not punished for this prospering in wickedness is the sorest punishment Deus tunc magis irascitur cum non irascitur God is never more angry than when hee seems not to bee angry but lets the wicked prosper in his way Psal 81. 11 12. Hos 4. 14 17. 2. Though hee bee slow to wrath yet is hee great in power and will by no means acquit the wicked Nahum 1. 3. Though hee bear long hee will not alwayes bear but as men sin against the Lord so first or last let them bee sure their sin will finde them out for as Piety hath the Promises and though no man should reward it yet 't is a reward it self So Impiety hath the Threatnings annexed unto it and though no man should punish it yet 't is its own Tormentor Gods forbearance is no acquittance but the longer hee forbears the heavier will his wrath bee when it comes and hee will recompence his patience with the fierceness of his fury as I have shewed at large elsewhere I shall conclude all with that sweet and seasonable counsel of Samuel 1 Sam. 12 24 25. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things hee hath done for you But if yee shall still do wickedly yee shall be consumed both you and your King As a Mantissa and little over-weight I shall give you a Coppy of Verses which have lain long by mee they will give some light and some delight to ingenious and ingenuous Readers HO Passenger knowest thou not mee Where is thy cap where is thy knee Thy betters do mee honour give And swear they 'l do it while they live Both high and low give mee respect I can command them at my beck I think thou art some Puritan Or censuring Precisian That loves not May-poles Mirth and Plaies But cries alas these wretched daies That stop their ears and shut their eyes Lest they behold our vanities But Goodman-Goosecap let them know I do disdain their holy show Their peevish humours I do scorn And hold them wretches all forlorn Their Censures all I do shake off And at their zeal I freely scoff I will stand here in spight of such And joy to hear that they do grutch But prethee fellow learn of mee My Birth my Worth my Pedigree My name my fame my power and praise My state my acts my honoured daies I am Sir May-pole That 's my name Men May and Mirth give mee the same Dame Flora once Romes famous whore Did give to Rome in daies of yore By her last Will great Legacies Her yearly Feasts to solemnize In May-times sportful pleasantness In lust procuring wantonness In shews and sights of such delight As mens affections ravisht quite In Bowers of May-sprigs gaily built With Flowers and Garlands all bedilt In tuffs of trees in shady groves In rounds of sounds and wanton loves And thus hath Flora May and Mirth Begun and cherished my birth Till time and means so favoured mee That of a twig I waxt a tree Then all the people less and more My height and tallness did adore Romes Idol-gods made much of mee For favouring their Idolatry When thus inlarged was my Fame Then into other Lands I came And found my pomp and bravery Increased much by Popery Sith their will-worship I advanc'd I was most highly countenanc'd All Townships had mee in request Where ere I came that place was blest And to say sooth I 'me near of kin Unto that Romish man of Sin And why ' cause under Heavens Cope There 's none I say so near the Pope Wherefore the Papists give to mee Next Papal second Dignity Hath holy Father much adoc When hee is chosen so have I too Doth hee upon mens shoulders ride That honour doth to mee betide There 's joy at my plantation As is at his Coronation Men women children on an heap Do sing and dance and frisk and leap Yea drums and drunkards on a rout Before mee make a hideous shout Whose loud alarms and bellowing cryes Do fright the earth and pierce the skies Hath holy Pope his noble guard So have I too that watch and ward For where 't is nois'd that I am come My followers summon'd are by drum I have a mighty retinue The scum of all the rascal crew Of Fidlers Pedlers Jayi-scap't-slaves Of Tinkers Turn-coats Tospot-knaves Of Theeves and Scape-thrifts many a one With bouncing Besse and jolly Jone With idle Boyes and Journey-men And Vagrants that their Country run Yea Hobby-horse doth hither prance Maid-marrian and the Morrice-dance My summons fetcheth far and near All that can swagger roar and swear All that can dance and drab and drink They run to mee as to a sink These mee for their Commander take And I do them my black-guard make The Pope doth keep his Jubilee A time of mirth and merry glee On such as unto Rome will go Great benefits hee doth bestow For sins past yea and sins to come Hee saith hee can free them from doom Hee brings men to transgression With hope of absolution And if they will in him beleeve Do what they list hee 'l them forgive I dare avouch in doing this My power is as great as his My yearly Jubilee keep I Which great concourse doth dignifie And to all such as it frequent I procure