THE INTERPRETER. THE PROTESTANT. 243
Thus, whatsoe'er is done, nor bird shall dare
To warn the rest, till all be in the snare.
Is he a rich man? Then, the Fleet and fine
Will make him seem, although he be not, thine.
Briefly, whatsoe'er he be, except alone
Directly honest (of which few or none
Remain alive) a Statist, ways can find,
By policy to work him to his mind.
And thus the Common wealth may conquered be,
The Church deflowered, beslaved our Liberty,
Without all bloodshed; under the pretence
Of Peace, Religion, Love, and Innocence.
A Protestant is an indifferent man,
That with all faiths, or none, hold quarter can;
So moderate and temperate his passion
As he to all times can his conscience fashion.
He at the Chapel, can a Bishop hear;
And then in Holborn a religious Freer.
A Mass ne'er troubles him more than a Play;
All's one he comes all one, from both away.
A Protestant, no other fault can spy
In all Rome's beadroll of iniquity,
But that, of late, they do profess King-killing;
Which Catholic point, to credit he's unwilling.
Only because he gains by Kings far more,
Than he can hope for, by the Romish whore.
He saith, "This only, doth the Pope proclaim
For ANTICHRIST, because that Greekish name
Doth signify Against the LORD's Anointed";
As if it only, 'gainst this doctrine pointed.
And therefore leaving this out of their Creed;
He in the rest, with them is soon agreed.
And so the King's part may be safe from fear:
Let GOD Himself, for His own part, take care!
A Protestant is he, that guards the ear
Of Sovereign Justice, so that Truth to hear
He's not permitted; nor to know the danger
He stands in, 'twixt the Subject and the Stranger;
The plots which strangers have, grief of his own;
Which may too late be prevented, known.
For though his foes be wily wolves and foxes,
244 THE INTERPRETER. THE PROTESTANT. [1622.
His subjects shackled asses, yokèd oxes:
Yet time will show them not to be such daws
As will look on, whilst others change the Laws,
And rob the State, Religion do deflower;
Having their Prince imprisoned in their power!
As Princes have been prisoners to their own;
And so may ours too, if the truth were known:
The liberty of will by strong affection
May be restrained; which is the worst subjection!
For then the understanding will not see,
But rusheth on whatsoe'er the danger be.
A Protestant is he, whose good intention
Deserves an English and a Spanish pension,
Both for One service; and obtains it too
By winning Spain, more than their arms could do,
With long delays: and losing us and ours;
What lost, to get again we want both powers,
And perhaps will.
Others by treaties and disputes may gain;
But we by blows: else old said saws be vain !
A Protestant is he, that hath no eye
Beyond his private profit; but doth lie
In wait to be the first that may propound
What he foresees Power plots. The solid ground
He ne'er examines: be it right or wrong,
All's one! since it doth to his part belong.
For to his part belongs to sooth and flatter
The greatest Man, though in the foulest matter;
And him, he holds a rebel, that dare say
"No man against the Laws, we must obey!'
His character abridged, if you will have,
HE'S ONE THAT'S NO TRUE SUBJECT, BUT A SLAVE!
ROMANIST is such an other thing
As would, with all his heart, murder the
King;
That saith, "The House of Austria is ap-
pointed
To rule all Christians; and for this anointed
By CHRIST'S own Vicar: and they, rebels
Who dare against this House make any war,
Invasive or defensive." Jesuits' wit
And Indian gold do both attend on it;
And all Rome's hierarchy do plot, pray, curse,
And spend the strength of body, soul, and purse
To this sole end, that every State besides,
May be the vassals to the Austrian pride.
And so Rome may, of both the Empiries,
Keep still the Civil and Religious keys.
A Romanist is he, that sows debate
"Twixt Prince and People; and 'twixt every State
Where he remains: that he, by the division,
May work himself some profit in decision;
Or bring in Rome and Spain to make all friends
Who, having footing once, have half their ends.
For as the Devil, since first he got within.
Man's heart, keeps still there by Original Sin;
So those wheresoe'er once they Interest gain
Keep all; or such a party let remain
Behind, assured to them, as may procure
A relapse, when men think themselves secure.
Thus each disease, though cured, remains in part:
And thus the frail flesh oft betrays the heart.
Now, for the rest, no Romish false opinion
Can make a Papist in the King's dominion;
Nor absence from the Church: for, at this season,
He is no Papist that commits not treason!
Let him to Church resort, or be Recusant;
All's one! he's counted a good Protestant.
Nay, 'tis a question, if GUY FAWKES were one!
But 'tis resolved that Papist, he was none.
His Character abridged, if you will have,
HE IS SPAIN'S SUBJECT, AND A ROMISH SLAVE!
FAMOUS AND
WONDERFUL RECOVERY
of a Ship of Bristol, called the
Exchange, from the Turkish
Pirates of Argier.
WITH THE UNMATCHABLE attempts and good success of JOHN RAWLINS, Pilot in her, and other slaves: who, in the end (with the slaughter of about forty of the Turks and Moors), brought the ship into Plymouth, the 13th of February [1622] last, with the Captain
a Renegado, and five Turks more;
besides the redemption of twenty-
four men and one boy from
Turkish slavery.
Printed for NATHANIEL BUTTER, dwelling at the Pied Bull, at Saint Austen's Gate.
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