ABSTRACT

Scorning religion all thy life time past and now embracing popery at last as like thy selfe and what thou’st done before defying wives and marying a whore 5 alas how leering Hereticks will laugh to see a grey old hedge bird caught with chaffe, a lewd old Atheist some religion owne yet one to show his judgment wors then none a poet to from greate heroick th[e]ames 10 and inspiration, past to dreaming dreams yet this the preists will gett by thee at last that if they mend thee miracles are not ceast for tis not more to cure the lame, and blind then haile an impious ulcerated mind 15 This if they doe and give thee but a graine of common honesty, or common shame, ‘twill be more credit to theire cause I grant than twou’d to make another man a saint but thou noe party ever willt adorne 20 to thy owne shame and natur’s scandall borne all [shun] a like thy ugly outward part while none have right or title to thy heart, resolv’d to stand and constant to the times fix’t to thy lewdness, settl’d in thy crimes 25 whilst Moses with the Israelits abode thou seem’st content to worshipp Moses god but since he went and since thy betters fell thou found’st a goulden calfe would doe as well and when another Moses shall arise 30 once more I know thou’lt rub and clear thy eyes and turn to be true Israelite againe for when the act is done and finish’t cleane what should the poet doe but shift the scene