and tempestuous stormes at Sea which I haue recited in verse before it pleased God that at the last we entred the Riuer which in my opinion is as good â—â—â— Riuer and with some charge may bee made as passable as the Riuer of Thames is vpwards from Brentford to VVindsor or beyond it the shallow places in it are not many the Mills â—need not be remoued and as for the Weares â—no doubt but they may with conscience bee compounded for By which meanes of Naâ—uigation the whole City and Country would be relieued loyterers turned into labourers penury into plenty to the glory of God the dignity and reputation of your City and the perpetuall worthy memory of all benefactors and well-willers vnto so noble a worke If you will but examine your owne knowledges you shall find that in the whole dominion of England there is not any one Town or City which hath a Nauigable Riuer at it that is poore nor scarce any that are rich which want a Riuer with the benefits of Boats The Towne of Kingston vpon Hull in Yorkshire the Riuer there was cut out of Humber by mens labours 20. miles vp into the Countrey and what the wealth and estate of that Towne is by the onely benefit of that Riuer it is not vnknowne to thousands but you men of Sarum may see what a commodity Nauigation is neerer hand there is your neighbour Sauthampton on the one side and your deere friend Poole on the other are a paire of hansome looking-Glasses for you where you may see your want in their abundance and your negligence in their industry God hath placed your being in a fertile soyle in a fruitfull valley enuironed round with Corâ—le and as it were continually beâ—â—â—eged with plenty whilst you within haâ—â—ing so many poore amongst you are rather lookers vpon happinesse then enioyers moreouer by Gods appointment Nature hath saued you the labour of cutting a Riuer for I thinke you haue one there as old as your City ready made to your hands if you will be but industrious to amend those impediments in it I dare vndertake to be one of the 3. or 4. men which shall bring or carry 16. or 20. Tuns of goods betwixt the Sea and your City Now with extreme toyle of men Horses and Carts your wood is brought to you 18. or 20. miles whereby the poore which cannot reach the high prices of your fewell are enforced to steale or starue in the Winter so that all your neere adioyning woods are continually spoyled by them which faults by the benefit of the Riuer would be reformed for the new Forrest standeth so neere to the water that it is but cut the wood and put it into a Boate which shall bring as much to your City as twenty Carts and fourescore Horses besides by this Riuer you might draw to you a trade of Sea-coale which would enrich you and helpe the plaine and inland Townes and Villages where no wood growes And for the Exportation of your Corne from Port to Port within our owne Countrey as it is well knowne what abundance of your Barley is continually made into Mault amongst you which if you had carriage for it might bee brewed into Beere wherewith you might serue diuers places with your Beere which is now serued with your Mault besides carriages of Brickes Tyles Stones Charcoales and other necessaries which is now carried at deare rates by Horse or Carts which now you send in Carts or on Horses backes to Southampton to Bristow and to many other places so that the dearenesse of the Carriages eats vp all your commodities and profit which discommodity may be auoyded if your Riuer bee cleansed and what man can tell what good in time may redound to your City from the Sea by forraigne goods which may bee brought into Christ-Church Hauen by Shipping nor can it be truly imagined what new and vsefull profitable businesses may arise in time by this meanes Our Forefathers and Ancestors did in their liues time in former ages doe many worthy and memorable workes but for all their industry and cost they did not or could not doe all but as there was much done to our hands so there was much left for vs to doe and very sitting it was that it should bee so for it is against common sence and reason our Fathers should toyle in good workes like drudges and wee spend our times loytring like Drones no what they did was for our imitation And withall that wee should bee leaders of our posterities by our examples into laudable endeauours as our progenitors haue before shewed vs wee are their sonnes and off-spring wee haue their shapes and figures we beare their names we possesse their goods we inherit their lands wee haue materials of Stones Timber Iron and such necessaries which they had if not in greater abundance and hauing all these let vs withall haue their willing and liberall hearts and there is no question to be made but that our Riuer of Auâ—n wil quickly be clensed to the honest enriching of the rich and the charitable relieuing of the poore I am assured that there are many good men in the City and County of Wiltshire and others of worth and good respect in this Kingdome who would willingly and bountifully assist this good worke but like Gossips neere a Stile they stand straining courtesie who shall goe first or the Mice in the Fable not one will aduenture to hang the Bell about the Cats necke So that if one good man would begin it would bee like a health dranke to some beloued Prince at a great feast pledged most heartily and by Gods grace effected most happily You haue already begun a charitable work amongst you I meane your common Towne Brew house the profit of which you entend shall be wholly imployed for the supply of the poore and Impotents which liue in your City from which sort of people being such a multitude the Brewers there haue found their best custome for no doubt but the meanest begger amongst you is in some sort more valiant then the richest man because the one dares to spend all he hath at the Alchouse so dares not the other for the poore man drinks stifly to driue care away and hath nothing to lose and the rich man drinks moderately because he must beare a braine to look to what hee hath And of all Trades in the world a Brewer is the Load-stone which drawes the customes of all functions vnto â—â—â— It is the mark or vpshot of euery mans ayme and the bottomlesse whirlepoole that swallowes vp the profits of rich and poore The Brewers Art like a wilde Kestrell or vnmand Hawke flies at all games or like a But leâ—â— boxe at Christmasse it is sure to winne whosoeuer loses In a word it rules and raignes in some sort as Augustus Casar did for â—â— taxeth the whole earth Your Innes and Aâ—â—-houses are Brookes and Riuers and their Clyents are small Rills and Springs who
Iohn Gibb his house one of the Groomes of his Maiesties Bed chamber and I thinke the oldest Seruant the King hath withall I was well entertained there by Master Crighton at his owne house who went with me and shewed me the Queenes Palace a delicate Princely Mansion withall I saw the ruines of an ancient stately built Abey with faire gardens orchards medowes belonging to the Palace all which with faire goodly reuenues by the suppression of the Abbey were annexed to the Crowne There also I saw a very faire Church which though it bee now very large and spacious â—yet it hath in former times beene much larger But I taking my leaue of Dumfermling would needs goe and see the truely Noble Knight Sir George Bruce at a Towne called the Coor as there he made mâ—â— right welcome both with varietie of fare and after all hee commanded three of his menâ—â—s direct mee to see his most admirable Cole mines which if man can or could worke wonders is a wonder for my selfe neither in any trauels that I haue beene in nor any History that I haue read or any Discourse that I haue heard did neuer see read or heare of any worke of man that might parallell or bee equiualent with this vnfellowed and vnmâ—â—chable work though all I can say of it cannot describe it according to the worthines of his vigilant industry that was both the occasion Inuentor Maintainer of it yet rather then the memory of so rare an Enterprise and so accomplisht a profit to the Common-wealth shall bee raked and smothered in the dust of obliuion I will giue a little touch at the description of it although I amongst Writers as like he that worst may hold the candle The Mine hath two wayes into it the one by sea and the other by land but a man may goe into it by land and returne the same way if he please and so he may enter into it by sea and by sea he may come forth of it but I â—â— varieties sake went in by sea and out by land Now men may obiect how can a man goe into a Mine the entrance of it being into the sea but that the Sea will follow him and so drown the Mine To which obiection thus I answer That at low water the sea being ebd away and a great part of the sand bare vpon this same sand being mixed with rockes and cragges did the Master of this great worke build a round circular frame of stone very thicke strong and ioyned together with glutinous or bitumous matter so high withall that the Sea at the highest flood or the greatest rage of storme or tempest can neither dissolue the stones so well compacted in the building or yet ouerflowe the height of it Within this round frame at all aduentures hee did set workemen to digge with Mattockes Pickaxes and other instruments fit for such purposes They did dig forty foot downe right into and through a rocke At last they found that which they expected which was Sea-cole they following the veine of the Mine did dig â—â—rward still So that in the space of eight and â—â—enty or nine and twenty yeeres they haue â—â—gged more then an English mile vnder the â—ea that when men are at worke belowe an hundred of the greatest shippes in Britaine â—ay saile ouer their heads Besides the Mine â— most artificially cut like an Arch or a Vault â—â— that great length with many nookes and â— wayes and it is so made that a man may â—alke vpright in the most places both in and â—â—t Many poore people are there set on work which otherwise through the want of imployâ—ent would perish But when I had seene the line and was come forth of it againe after â—y thankes giuen to Sir George Bâ—uce I told â—m that if the plotters of the Powder Treason â— England had seene this Mine that they perâ—â—ps would haue attempted to haue left the â—arliament House and haue vndermined the â—hames and so to haue blowne vp the Barges â—nd Wherries wherein the King and all â—e Estates of our Kingdome were Moreoâ—er I said that I could affoord to turne Tapâ—er at London so that I had but one quarter of â— mile of his Mine to make mee a Celler to â—â—epe Beere and Bottle-ale in But leauing â—ese Iests in Prose I will relate a few Verses â—at I made merrily of this Mine That haue wasted MoÌ„ths weeks dayes houres In viewing Kingdomes Countries Townes and Without al measure measuring many paces tow'rs â—nd with my pen describing many places With few additions of mine owne deuizing Because I haue a smacke of Cortatizing â—ur Mandeuill Primaleon Don Quixot â—â—reat Amadis or Huon traueld not â— I haue done or beene where I haue beene â—â— heard and seene what I haue heard and seene â—or Britaines Odcombe Zany braue Vlissis â—â— all his ambling saw the like as this is â—was in would I could describe it well â—â— darke light pleasant profitable hell â—and as by water I was wasted in â— thought that I in Charons Boare had bin â—â—ut being at the entrance landed thus â—hree men there in stead of Cerberus â—â—â—â—â—â—me in in each one hand a light â—â— guide vs in that vault of endlesse night There young old with glim'ring candles burning Digge delue and labour turning and returning Some in a hole with baskets and with baggs Resembling furies or infernall haggs There one like Tantall feeding and there one Like Sisiphus he â—owles that restlesse stone Yet all I saw was pleasure mixt with profit Which prou'd it to be no tormenting Tophet For in this honest worthy harmelesse hell There ne'r did any damned Deuill dwell And th' Owner of it games by 't more true glory Then Rome doth by fantasticke Purgatory A long mile thus I past down downe steepe steepe In deepenesse far more deepe then Neptunes deepe Whilst o're my head in fourefold stories hie Was Earth Sea Ayre and Sun and Skie That had I dyed in that Cimerian roome Foure Elements had couered o're my tombe Thus farther then the bottome did I goe And many Englishmen haue not done so Where mounting Porposes and mountaine Whales And Regiments of fish with finnes and Scales Twixt me and Heauen did freely glide and slide And where great ships may at an anchor ride Thus in by Sea and out by land I past And tooke my leaue of good Sir George at last The Sea at certaines places doth leake of soake into the Mine which by the industry of Sir George Bruce is all conueyd to one Well neere the land where he hath a deuice like a horse-mill that with three horses and a great chaine of Iron going downeward many fadomes with thirty sixe buckets fastened to the chaine of the which eighteene goe downe still to be filled and eighteene ascend vp to be emptied which doe emptie themselues without any mans labour into a trough that conueyes the water into the Sea againe by which
to steale and run away most swift In their conceits and fleights no men are sharper Each one as nimble-finger'd as a Harper Thus Thieuing is not altogether base But is descended from a lofty Race Moreouer euery man himselfe doth show To be the Sonne of Adam for wee know He stole the Fruit and euer since his Seed To steale from one another haue agreed Our Infancy is Theft 't is manifest Wee crie and Rob our Parents of their Rest Our Childe-hood Robs vs of our Infancy And youth doth steale out childe-hood wantonly Then Man-hood pilfers all our youth away And middle-age our Man-hood doth conuay Vnto the Thieuing hands of feeble age Thus are wee all Thieues all our Pilgrimage In all which progresse many times by stealth Strange sicknesses doe Rob vs of our health Rage steales our Reason Enuy thinkes it fit To steale our Loue whilest Foliy steales our wit Pride filcheth from vs our Humility And Lechery doth steale our honesty Base Auarice our Conscience doth purloin Whilest sloth to steale our mindes from work doth ioyâ—â— Time steales vpon vs whilest wee take small care And makes vs old before wee be aware Sleepe and his brother Death conspite our fall The one steales halfe our liues the other all Thus are wee Robb'd by Morpheus and by Muâ— Till in the end each Corps is but a Coarse Note but the seasons of the yeere and see How they like Thieues to one another bee From Winters frozen face through snow showers The Spring doth steale roots plants buds flowers Then Summer Robs the Spring of natures sute And haruest Robs the Suramer of his fruite Then Winter comes againe and he bereaues The Haruest of the Graine and Trees of Leaues And thus these seasons Rob each other still Round in their course like Horses in a mill The Elements Earth Water Ayre and Fire To rob each other daily doe conspire The fiery Sun from th' Ocean and each Riuer Exhales their Waters which they all deliuer This water into Clowdes the Ayre doth steale Where it doth vnto Snow or Haile congeale Vntill at last Earth robs the Ayre againe Of his stolne Treasure Haile Sleete Snow or Riâ—â— Thus be it hot or cold or dry or wet These Thieues from one another steale and get Night robs vs of the day and day of night Light pilfers darknes and the darknes light Thus life death seasons and the Elements And day and night for Thieues are presidents Two arrant Thieues we euer beare about vs The one within the other is without vs All that we get by toyle or industry Our Backes and Bellies steale continually For though men labour with much care and carke Lie with the Lamb downe rise vp with the Larâ— Sweare and forsweare deceaue and lie and cog And haue a Conscience worse then any Dog Be most vngracious extreme vile and base And so he gaine not caring for disgrace Let such a Man or Woman count their gaines They haue but meat and raiment for their paines No more haue they that doeliue honestest Those that can say their Cousciences are best Their Bellies and their Backes day night and houâ—â— The fruits of all their labours doe deuoure These Thieues doe rob vs with our owne good will And haue dame natures warrant for it still â—â— crimes these Sharks do worke each others wrack â—â— reuening Belly often robs the backe Will feed like Diues with Quaile Raile Pheasant â—beâ—â—â— all tarter'd like a Peasant Sometimes the gawdy Backe mans Belly pines â—â—which he often with Duke Humphrey dines â—â— whilest the mind defends this hungry stealth â—â— sâ—ies a temp'rate dyet maintaines health â—â—â—â— cry let guts with famine mourne â—â— maw's vnseene good outsides must be worne â—â— these Thieues rob vs and in this pother â—â—mind consents and then they rob each other â—â—knowledge and our learning oft by chance â—â— steale and rob vs of our ignorance â—â— ignorance may sometimes gaine promotion There it is held the mother of deuotion â—â—â—knowledge ioyn'd with learning are poore things â—at many times a man to begg'ry brings â—â—â— fortune very oft doth iustly fit â—â—l to haue all the woâ—â—â— some all the wit â—â—â—â— robs some men into it list â—eales their coyne as Thieues doe in a mist â—â— men to rob the pot will ne'r refraine Still the pot rob them of all againe â—rodigall can steale exceeding briefe â—ks his owne purse and is his owne deare Thiefe And thus within vs and without vs we â—â—â— Thieues and by Thieues alwaies pillag'd be â—â— then vnto the greatest Thieues of all Those Thâ—â—â—â—â—y is most high and capitall â—â— that for pomp and Titles transitory â—â—your Almighty Maker of his Glory â—â— giue the honour due to him alone â—to a carued block a stock or stone â—â—image a similitude or feature Angell Saint or Man or any creature â—â— Altars Lamps to Holy-bread or Waters â—â—â— shrines or tapers of such iugling matters â—â— reliques of the dead or of the liuing â—is is the most supremest kind of Thieuing â—â—esides they all commit this fellony â—t breake the Sabbath day maliciously â—â—â— giues vs six daies and himselfe hath one â—â—herein he would with thanks be call'd vpon â—â— those that steale that day to bad abuses â—â— God of honour without all excuses Into these Thieues my Thiefe doth plainly tell But though they hang not here they shall in hell Accept repentance and vnworthy Guerdon â—â—rough our Redeemers merits gaine their pardon â—â— there 's a crue of Thieues that prie and lurch And steale and share the liuings of the Church These are hells factors merchants of all euill Rob God of soules and giue them to the Deuill For where the tythe of many a Parish may Allow a good sufficient Preacher pay Yet hellish pride or lust or auarice Or one or other foule licencious vice Robs learning robs the people of their reaching Who in seuen yeeres perhaps doe heare no preaching When as the Parsonage by account is found Yeerely worth two three or foure hundred pound Yet are those Soules seru'd or else staru'd I feare With a poore a In the 93. page of a Booke called The Spirit of Detraction the Author cites 12. parishes in one Hundred in Wales in this predicament Reader for eight pounds a yeere A Preacher breakes to vs the Heau'nly Bread Whereby our straying Soules are taught and fed And for this heau'nly worke of his 't is sence That men allow him earthly recompence For shall he giue vs food that 's spirituall And not haue meanes to feed him corporall No sure of all men 't is most manifest A painfull Churchman earnes his wages best Those that keepe backe the Tythes I tell them true Are arrant Thieues in robbing God of'd due For he that robs Gods Church t' encrease his pelfe 'T is most apparent he robs God himselfe The Patron oft deales with his Minister As Dionisius with b Iupitert Idoll in Siracusa in Sicilia Iupiter He stole his golden Cloake
Hall that hee had lawfully sold his Land and had receiued the summe aboue said in full satisfaction and payment and his said friend did vow and protest many times vnto him with such oathes and vehement curses that hee neuer would deceiue his trust but that at any time when hee would command all those forged Bonds and Leafes that hee would surrender them vnto him and that he should neuer bee damnifide by them or him to the value of one halfe-penny Vpon which protestations he said he was enticed to vndoe himselfe out of all his earthly possessions and by a false oath to make hazzard of his inheritance in Heauen In Ireland he staid not long but came ouer againe and was by his friend perswaded to goe into the Low Countries which hee did neuer minding his Wife and two small Children which he had by her hauing likewise a brace of bastards by his Whore as some say but he said that but one of them was of his begetting But he after some stay in Holland saw that he could not fadge there according to his desire and withal suspecting that hee was cheated of his Land and aboue all much perplexed in his Conscience for the false oath that hee had taken pondering his miserable estate and ruing his vnkindnesse to his Wife and vnnaturall dealing to his Children thinking with himselfe what course were best to take to helpe himselfe out of so many miseries which did incompasse him he â—â—â— ouer againe into England to his too dare friend demanding of him his Bonds and â—â—â— of his Land which hee had put him in â—â—â— with all But then his friend did manifest â—â—â— selfe what he was and told him plainly that he had no writings nor any Land of his â—â—â— what he had dearely bought and paid for All which Rowse replyed vnto him was false â—â— his owne Conscience knew Then said the other Haue I not here in my custody your land and Seale to confirme my lawfull possession of your Land and moreouer haue I not a Record of an Oath in open Court which you tooke concerning the truth of all our bargaine And seeing that I haue all these especial points of the Law as an Oath Indenâ—â—â— and a sure possession take what course you will for I am resolued to hold what I â—â—â— These or the like words in effect passed betwixt Rowse and his friend Trusty Roger which entring at his eares pierced his heart like Daggers and being out of money and credit a man much infamous for his bad life indebted beyond all possible meanes of payment a periured wretch to coozen himselfe â—â—â— no place or meanes to feed or lodge and fearefull of being arrested hauing so much â—â—â— his Wife and so little regarded his Children being now brought to the pits â—â—â— of disperation not knowing amongst these â—â—â— which way to turne himselfe hee resolued at last to goe home to Ewell againe to his much wronged Wife for his last â—â—â— in extremity The poore Woman receiued him with ioy and his Children with all gladnesse welcomed home â—â— prodigal Father with whom he reâ—â—â—â—â—â— much discontentment and perplexâ—â—â— of mind the Diuell still tempting him to â—â—â— and despaire putting him in mind of his former better estate comparing pleaâ—â—â—â—â—â— with present miseries and he reuolâ—â—â—â—â—â— he had beene a man in that Towne â—â—â— a Gentlemans companion of good reputation and calling that hee had Friends â—â—â— Money Apparell and Credit with meanes sufficient to haue left for the maintenance of his Family and that now he had nothing left him but pouerty and beggery and that his two Children were like to bee left to goe from doore to doore for their liuing Bâ—eing thus tormented and tost with restlesse imaginations he seeing daily to his further griefe the poore case of his Children and fearing that worse would befall them hereafter he resolued to worke some meanes to take away their languishing liues by a speedy and vntimely death the which practice of his by the Diuels instigation and assistance he effected as followeth To bee sure that no body should stop or preuent his diuellish enterprise hee sent his Wife to London in a friuolous errand for a riding Coat and shee being gone somewhat timely and too soone in the morning both her children being in bed and fast asleepe being two very pretty Girles one of the age of sixe yeeres and the other foure yeeres old none being in the house but themselues their vnfortunate Father and his ghostly Counseller the dores being fast locked hee hauing an excellent Spring of water in the Celler of his house which to a good mind that would haue imploy'd it well would haue beene a blessing for the water is of that Christaline purity and cleernesse that Queene Elizabeth of famous memory would daily send for it for her owne vse in which hee purposed to drowne his poore innocent children sleeping for hee going into the Chamber where they lay tooke the yongest of them named Elizabeth forth of her bed and carried her downe the Stayres into his Celler and there put her in the Spring of Water holding downe her head vnder that pure Element with his hands till at last the poore harmelesse soule and body parted one from another Which first Act of this his inhumane Tragedy being ended hee carried the dead corps vp three payre of stayres and laying it downe on the floore left it and went downe into the Chamber where his other Daughter named Mary was in bed being newly awaked and seeing her father demanded of him where her Sister was To whom hee made answer that hee would bring her where shee was So taking her in his armes he carried her downe towards the Celler and as hee was on the Celler stayres shee asked him what he would doe and whither hee would carry her Feare nothing my Childe quoth hee I will bring thee vp againe presently and being come to the Spring as before he had done with the other so hee performed his last vnfatherly deed vpon her and to be as good as his word carried her vp the stayres and laid her by her sister that done he laid them out and couered them both with a sheete walking vp and downe his house weeping and lamenting his owne misery and his friends treachery that was the maine ground of all his misfortunes and the death of his Children and though there was time and opportunity enough for him to flye and to seeke for safety yet the burthen and guilt of his conscience was so heauy to him and his desperate case was so extreme that he neuer offered to depart but as a man weary of his life would and did stay till such time as hee was apprehended and sent to Prison where he lay till hee was rewarded with a iust deserued death What his other intents were after hee had drowned his Children is vncertaine for he drew his sword and laid it naked on a Table and after hee gat a poore
m Aâ—gury is a kind of Soothsaying by the slight of Birds Augury can sâ—e Diuorc'd and parted euer are we Three Old Nabaoth my case much is farre worse then thine Thou but the Vineyard lost I lost the Wine Two witnesses for bribes the false accus'd Perhaps some prating Knaues haue me abus'd Yet thy wrong's more then mine the reason why For thou wast n Naboath was stened to death so am not I. ston'd to Death so am not I. But as the Dogs did eate the flesh and gore Of Iezabell that Royall painted Whore So may the Gallowes eate some friends of mine That first striu'd to remoue me from the Wine This may by some misfortune be their lot Although that any way I wish it not But farewell bottles neuer to returne Weepe you in Sacke whilst I in Alâ— will mourne Yet though you haue no reason wit or sence I 'le sencelesse caide you for your vile offence That from your foster Father me would slide So dwell with Ignorance a blind sold guide For who in Britaine knew but o My Boules doe deserue a little reproose I to vse you And who but I knew how for to abuse you My speech to you no action sure can beare From Scandala magratum I am cleare When Vpland Tradesmen thus dares take in hand A watry businesse they not vnderstand It did presage things would turne topsie turny And the conclusion of it would be scuruie But leauing him vnto the course of Fate Bottles let you and I a while debate Call your extrauagaâ—t wild humours home And thinke but whom you are departed from I that for your sakes haue giuen stabs and stripes To glue you sucke from Hogsheads and from Pipes I that with pâ—ines and care you long haue nurst Oft fill'd you with the best and left the worst And to maintaine you full would often peirce The best of Batts a Puncheon or a Teirce Whil'st Pipes and Sack buts were the Instruments That I playdon to fill your full contents With Bastart Sack with Allegant and Rhenish Your hungry mawes I often did replenish With Malmesie Muskadell and Corcica With White Red Claret and Liatica With Hollocke Sherant Mallig Canara I stufe your sides vp with a surserara That though the world was hard my care was still To search and labour you might haue your fill That when my Master did or sup or dine He had his choyce of p This was a credit â—â— the Kings Castle and to the Lieutenant thereof fifteene sorts of Wine And as good wines they were I dare be bold As any Seller in this Land did hold Thus from these Bottles I made honour spring Besitting for the Castle of a King This Royastie my labour did maintaine When I had meat and wages for my paine Ingratefull Bettles take it not amisse That I of your vnkindnesse tell you this Sure if you could speake you could say in briefe Your greatest want was still my greatest griefe Did I not often in my bosome hugge you And in mine armes would like a Father hugge you Haue I not run through Tempests Gusts and Stormes And me with danger in strange various former All times and tydes with and against the streame Your welfare euer was my labours sheame Sleet Raine Haile Winde or Winters frosty chaps Ioues Lightning or his dreadfull Thunderclaps When all the Elements in one consoire Sad earth sharpe ayre rough water flashing fire Haue warr'd on one another as if all This world of nothing would to nothing fall When showring Haile-shot from the storming heau'n Nor blustering Gusts by AEols belching driuen Could hold me backe then oft I searcht and sought And found and vnto you the purchase brought All weathers faire foule Sunshine wet and dry I trauail'd still your paunches to supply Oft haue I fought and swagger'd in your Right And fill'd you still by eyther sleighâ—t or might And in th' Exchequer I stood for your Cause Else had you beene confounded by the Lawes I did produce such q I found and brought 30 wâ—nesses that know and tooke their â—â—â—hes of the quantity of the Bottles for 50 yeares witnesses which crost The Merchants sute else you had quite beene lost And but for me apparantly 't is knowne You had beene Kicksie winsie ouer throwne And for my Seruice and my much paines taken I am cashier'd abandon'd and forsaken I knew it well and said and swore it too That he that bought you would himselfe vndoe And I was promist that when he gaue o're That I should fill you as I did before For which foure yeares with patience I did stay Expecting he would breake or run away Which though it be falne out as I expected Yet neuerthelesse my Seruice is rejected Let men judge if I haue not cause to write Against my Fortune and the worlds despight That in my prime of strengh so long a r 14. yeares space I toyl'd and drudg'd in such a gainelesse place Whereas the best part of my life I spent And to my power gaue euery man content In all which time which I did then remaine I gaue no man occasion to complaine For vnto all that know me I appeale To speake if well or ill I vs'd to deale Or if there be the least abuse in me For which I thus from you should sundred bee For though my profit by you was but small Yet sure my Gaine was Loue in generall And that I doe not lye nor speake amisse I can bring hundreds that can witnesse this Yet for all this I euer am put off And made a scorne a By-word and a scoffe It must some villaines information be That hath maliciously abused me But if I knew the misinformingelfe I would write lines should make him hang himselfe Be he a great man that doth vse me ill That makes his will his Law and Law his will I hold a poore man may that great man tell How that in doing ill he doth not well But Bottles blacke once more haue at your breech For vnto you I onely bend my speech Full foureteene times had Sols illustrious Rayes Ran through the Zodiacke when I spent my dayes To conserue reserue prestrue and deserue Your loues wheÌ„ you with wants were like to starue A Groce of Moones and twice 12. months besides I haue attended you all time and tides â—â— I gain'd Twelue penez by you all that time May I to Tyburne for promotion Climbe For though the blinde world vnderstand it not I know there 's nothing by you can be got Except a drunken pate a scuruy word And now and then be tumbled ouer boord And though these mischiefes I haue kept me fro No other Bottleman could e're doe so 'T is knowne you haue beene stab'd throwne in the Thames And he that fild you beaten with exclaimes Marchants who haue much abused bin Which Exigents I neuer brought you in But I with peace and quietn â—â—â— got more Then any brabling o're could doe before