But when thefe Brethren in evil,
Their adverfaries, and the devil,
Began once more to fhew them play,
And hopes, at least, to have a day,
They rally'd in parades of woods,
And unfrequented folitudes;
Conven'd at midnight in outhouses,
T'appoint new-rifing rendezvoufes,
And, with a pertinacy' unmatch'd,
For new recruits of danger watch'd.
No fooner was one blow diverted,
But up another party started;
And, as if Nature, too, in hafte

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185

That, like the Chriftian faith, increaft
The more, the more they were fuppreft;

195

Whom neither chains, nor transportation,
Profcription, fale, or confifcation,

Nor all the defperate events

Of former try'd experiments,

Nor wounds, could terrify, nor mangling,
To leave off loyalty and dangling,

200

Nor

Ver. 201, 202.] The brave spirit of loyalty was not to be fuppreffed by the moft barbarous and inhuman ufage. There are several remarkable inftances upon

record;

Nor Death (with all his bones) affright
From venturing to maintain the right,
From ftaking life and fortune down
'Gainst all together, for the Crown;

205

But

record; as that of the gallant Marquis of Montrofe, the loyal Mr. Gerrard, and Mr. Vowel, in 1654; of Mr. Penruddock, Grove, and others, who fuffered for their loyalty at Exeter, 1654-5; of Capt. Reynolds, who had been of the King's party, and, when he was going to be turned off the ladder, cried, God bless King Charles; Vive le Roy; of Dalgelly, one of Montrofe's party, who being fentenced to be beheaded, and being brought to the fcaffold, ran and kiffed' it; and, without any speech or ceremony, laid down his head upon the block, and was beheaded; of the brave Sir Robert Spotifwood; of Mr. Courtney, and Mr. Portman, who were committed to the Tower the beginning of February 1657, for difperfing among the foldiers what were then called feditious books and pamphlets.

Nor ought the loyalty of the fix counties of North Wales to be paffed over in filence, who never addreffed or petitioned during the Ufurpation; nor the common foldier mentioned in the Oxford Diurnal, firft Week, p. 6. See more in the ftory of the Impertinent Sheriff, L'Eftrange's Fables, part II. fab. 265. Mr. Butler, or Mr. Prynne, fpeaking of the gallant behaviour of the Loyalifts, fays, "Other nations would have cano"nized for martyrs, and erected ftatues after their “death, to the memory of fome of our compatriots, "whom ye have barbarously defaced and mangled, yet alive, for no other motive than their undaunted " zeal."

But kept the title of their caufe
From forfeiture, like claims in laws;
And prov'd no profperous ufurpation
Can ever fettle on the nation,

Until, in spite of force and treason,
They put their loyalty in poffeffion;
And, by their conftancy and faith,
Destroy'd the mighty men of Gath,
Tofs'd in a furious hurricane,

Did Oliver give up his reign,
And was believ'd, as well by Saints
As mortal men and miscreants,

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215

Το

Ver. 215, 216.] At Oliver's death was a moft furious tempeft, fuch as had not been known in the memory of man, or hardly ever recorded to have been in this nation. It is obferved, in a tract intituled, No Fool to the old Fool, L'Eftrange's Apology, P. 93, "That Oliver, after a long courfe of treafon, murder, "facrilege, perjury, rapine, &c. finished his accurfed "life in agony and fury, and without any mark of "true repentance." Though most of our historians mention the hurricane at his death, yet few take notice of the ftorm in the northern counties, that day the House of Peers ordered the digging up his carcafe, with other regicides. The author of the Parley between the Ghoft of the late Protector and the King of Sweden in Hell, 1660, p. 19. merrily obferves, " That "he was even fo turbulent and feditious there, that he ❝was chain'd, by way of punishment, in the general "piffing-place, next the court-door, with a strict "charge that nobody that made water thereabouts "fhould pifs any where but against his body."

Ver. 220.] The news of Oliver's death. being brought to those who were met to pray for him, Mr. Peter Sterry food up, and defired them not to be troubled; "For (faid he) this is good news, because "if he was of ufe to the people of God when he was "amongst us, he will be much more fo now, being af"cended into heaven, at the right hand of Jesus Christ, "there to intercede for us, and to be mindful of us 66 upon all occafions." Dr. South makes mention of an Independent divine, (Sermons, Vol. I. fermon iii. p. 102.) who, when Oliver was fick, of which fickness he died, declared, "That God revealed to him that "he fhould recover, and live thirty years longer; for "that God had raised him up for a work which could "not be done in a lefs time: but Oliver's death being "published two days after, the faid divine publicly, "in his prayers, expoftulated with God the defeat of "his prophecy in thefe words, "Thou haft lied unto us; yea, thou haft lied unto us."

So familiar were thofe wretches with God Almighty, that Dr. Echard obferves of one of them, "That he pretended to have got fuch an intereft in Chrift, and "fuch an exact knowledge of affairs above, that he "could tell the people that he had just before received "an exprefs from Jefus upon fuch a bufinefs, and that "the ink was fcarce dry upon the paper.'

Ver. 224.] After the Restoration Oliver's body was dug up, and his head fet up at the farther end of Weftminster-hall;

3

minster-hall; near which place there is an houfe of entertainment, which is commonly known by the name of Heaven.

Ver. 231, 232.] Oliver's eldeft fon, Richard, was by him, before his death, declared his fucceffor; and, by order of the Privy Council, proclaimed Lord Protector, and received the compliments of congratulation and condolence, at the fame time, from the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen; and addreffes were prefented to him from all parts of the nation, promifing to ftand by him with their lives and fortunes. He fummoned a parliament to meet at Westminster, which recognized him Lord Protector; yet, notwithstanding, Fleetwood, Defborough, and their partifans, managed affairs fo, that he was obliged to refign.

What opinion the world had of him, we learn from Lord Clarendon's account of his vifit incog. to the Prince of Conti at Pezenas; who received him civily, as he did all strangers, and particularly the English; and, after a few words (not knowing who he was) the Prince began to discourse of the affairs of England, and asked many queftions concerning the King, and whether all men were quiet, and fubmitted obediently to him? which the other anfwered according to the truth. "Well, faid the Prince, Oliver, though he