If you will give yourself but leave
To make out what y' already have;
That's victory. The foe, for dread
Of your nine-worthiness, is fled,
All save Crowdero, for whose sake
You did th' espous'd Cause undertake;
And he lies pris' ner at your feet,

To be dispos'd as you think meet,

Either for life, or death, or sale,
The gallows, or perpetual jail;
For one wink of your pow'rful eye
Must sentence him to live or die.
His Fiddle is your proper purchase,
Won in the service of the Churches;
And by your doom must be allow'd
To be, or be no more, a Crowd:
For tho' success did not confer

Just title on the conqueror;

Tho' dispensations were not strong
Conclusions, whether right or wrong;

Altho' Outgoings did confirm,

And Owning were but a mere term;
Yet as the wicked have no right

To the creature, tho' usurp'd by might,

V. 1009. It was a principle maintained by the Rebels of those days, that dominion is founded on grace, and therefore if a man wanted grace (in their opinion) if he was not a saint or a godly man, he had no right to

The property is in the saint, ne

From whom th' injuriously detain't;

Of him they hold their luxuries,

Their dogs, their horses, whores, and dice,
Their riots, revels, masks, delights, 1,
Pimps, buffoons, fiddlers, parasites;
All which the saints have title to,

And ought t' enjoy, if they 'ad their due.
What we take from 'em is no more
Than what was ours by right before:
For we are their true landlords still,
And they our tenants but at will.
At this the Knight began to rouse,
And by degrees grow valorous:
He star'd about, and seeing none
Of all his foes remain but one,

1020

1025

any lands, goods, or chattels. The Saints, as the Squire says, had a right to all, and might take it wherever they had a power to do it.

To be the hangman's bus'ness, sooner

Than from your hand to have the honour

1035

Of his destruction; I that am

A nothingness in deed and name,

Did scorn to hurt his forfeit carcase,
Or ill entreat his fiddle or case:

1040

Will you, great Sir, that glory blot

In cold blood, which you gain'd in hot?

Will you employ your conqu'ring sword

To break a Fiddle, and your word?
For tho' I fought and overcame,

1045

And quarter gave, 'twas in your name:
For great commanders always own
What's prosp'rous by the soldier done.
To save, where you have pow'r to kill,
Argues your pow'r above your will; 1
And that your will and pow'r have less
Than both might have of selfishness.
This pow'r, which now alive, with dread
He trembles at, if he were dead
Wou'd no more keep the slave in awe,
Than if you were a Knight of straw;
For Death would then be his conqueror

1050

1055

Not you, and free him from that terror.
If danger from his life accrue,

Or honour from his death, to you,

1060

Twere policy and honour too

To do as you resolv'd to do:

But Sir, 'twould wrong your valour much,

Th' honour can but on one side light,

As worship did, when y' were dubb'd Knight;

Wherefore I think it better far

1075

To keep him prisoner of war,

And let him fast in bonds abide,
At court of justice to be try'd;
Where if he appear so bold or crafty,
There may be danger in his safety;
If any member there dislike

His face, or to his beard have pique;
Or if his death will save or yield
Revenge or fright, it is reveal'd,

1080

V. 1084.] When the Rebels had taken a prisoner, though they gave him quarter, and promised to save his life, yet if any of them afterwards thought it not proper that he should be saved, it was only saying it was revealed to him that such a one should die, and they hanged him up, notwithstanding the promises before

1085

Tho' he has quarter, ne'ertheless

Y' have the pow'r to hang him when you please;

This has been often done by some

Of our great conqu'rors, you know whom;

And has by most of us been held

Wise justice, and to some reveal'd:
For words and promises, that yoke
The conqueror are quickly broke;

1090

The Cause would quickly fall to dust.
This we among ourselves may speak;
But to the wicked or the weak
We must be cautious 10 declare
Perfection-truths, such as these are.

This said, the high outrageous mettle
Of Knight began to cool and settle,
He lik'd the Squire's advice, and soon
Resolv'd to see the bus'ness done;

made. Dr. South observes of Harrison the regicide, a butcher by profession. and preaching Colonel in the Parliament army, "That he was notable for having "killed several after quarter given by others, using ," these words in doing it: "Cursed be he who doth "the work of the Lord negligently."