Did swear by his Maker,
If e'er I see England again,
I '11 have a religion all of my own,
Whether Popish or Protestant shall not be
known ;
And if it prove troublesome, I will have none.
If e'er I see England again,
I '11 have a religion all of my own,
Whether Popish or Protestant shall not be
known ;
And if it prove troublesome, I will have none.
Marvell - Poems
And when in London there shall not be one ;
When the seat's given to a talking fool.
Whom wise men laugh at, and whom women rule,
A minister able only in his tongue,
To make harsh empty speeches two hours long ;
When an old Scotch covenanter shall be
The champion for the English hierarchy ; t
When bishops shall lay all religion by.
And strive by law to establish tyranny ;
he would make good all his assignments, till the whole debt
was paid; but, in order for a supply, the payments were
stopped for a your. This was a great shock to the b:inkcr> ;
for many of the nobility and gentry, who were in the sccrc,
took their money, before tlie design was publicly known, out
of the hands of their bankers.
♦ Reflecting on tlie King for taking Mrs. Gwyn from the
ttage.
t Lauderdale, who was at first a noted Dissenter.
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OP MARVELL. 295
When a lean treasurer shall in one year
Make himself fat, his king and people hare ;
When the English prince shall Englishmen
despise,
And think French only loyal, Irish wise ;
When wooden shoon shall be the English wear,
And Magna Charta shall no more appear ; —
Then the English shall a greater tyrant know,
Than either Greek or Latin story show ;
Their wives to 's lust exposed, their wealth to 's
spoil.
With groans, to fill his treasury, they toil ;
But like the Belides must sigh in vain,
For that still filled flows out as fast again ;
Then they with envious eyes shall Belgium see,
And wish in vain Venetian liberty.
The frogs too late, grown weary of their pain.
Shall pray to Jove to take him back again.
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296 THE POEMS
ROYAL RESOLUTIONS.
When plate was at pawn, and fob at an ebb.
And spider might weave in bowels its weby
And stomach as empty as brain ;
Then Charles without acre.
Did swear by his Maker,
If e'er I see England again,
I '11 have a religion all of my own,
Whether Popish or Protestant shall not be
known ;
And if it prove troublesome, I will have none.
II.
I '11 have a long parliament always to friend.
And furnish my treasure as fast as I spend,
And if they will not, they shall have an end.
m.
I '11 have a council shall sit always still.
And give me a license to do what I will ;
And two secrer-aries shall piss through a quill.
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OF MARVELL. 297
IV.
Mj insolent brother shall bear all the sway ;
If parliaments murmur, I '11 send him away.
And call him again as soon as I may.
I *11 have a rare son, in marrying though marred,
Shall govern (if not my kingdom) my guard,
And shall be successor to me or Gerard.
VI.
I '11 have a new London instead of the old.
With wide streets and uniform to my old mould ;
But if they build too fast, I '11 bid 'em hold.
VII.