Epilogue

Spoken by Lady Desbro.

THE Vizor’s off, and now I dare appear.

High for the Royal Cause in Cavalier;

Tho once as true a Whig as most of you,

Cou’d cant, and lye, preach, and dissemble too:

So far you drew me in, but faith I’ll be

Reveng’d on you for thus debauching me:

Same of your pious Cheats I’ll open lay,

That lead your Ignoramus Flock astray:

For since I cannot fight, I will not fail

To exercise my Talent, that’s to rail.

Ye Race of Hypocrites, whose Cloak of Zeal

Covers the Knave that cants for Commonweal,

All Laws, the Church and State to Ruin brings,

And impudently sets a Rule on Kings;

Ruin, destroy, all’s good that you decree

By your Infallible Presbytery,

Prosperous at first, in Ills you grow so vain,

You thought to play the Old Game o’er again:

And thus the Cheat was put upon the Nation,

First with Long Parliaments, next Reformation,

And now you hop’d to make a new Invasion:

And when you can’t prevail by open Force,

To cunning tickling Tricks you have recourse,

And raise Sedition forth without Remorse.

Confound these cursed Tories, then they cry, [In a preaching tone.

Those Fools, those Pimps to Monarchy,

Those that exclude the Saints; yet open th’ Door,

To introduce the Babylonian Whore.

By Sacred Oliver the Nation’s mad;

Beloved, ’twas not so when he was Head:

But then, as I have said it oft before ye,

A Cavalier was but a Type of Tory.

The Curs durst then not bark, but all the Breed

Is much encreas’d since that good Man was dead:

Yet then they rail’ d against the Good Old Cause,

Rail’d foolishly for Loyalty, and Laws;

But when the Saints had put them to a stand,

We left them Loyalty, and took their Land:

Yea, and the pious Work of Reformation

Rewarded was with Plunder, Sequestration.

Thus cant the Faithful; nay, they’re so uncivil,

To pray us harmless Players to the Devil.

When this is all th’ Exception they can make,

They damn us for our Glorious Master’s sake.

But why ’gainst us do you unjustly arm?

Our small Religion sure can do no harm;

Or if it do, since that’s the only thing,

We will reform when you are true to th’ King.