Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham

Name: Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham
Author: Waller, Edmund

Waller, Edmund

Poetry

9  Have I so often pass'd between
   Windsor and Westminster, unseen,
       And did myself divide:
   To keep his Excellence in awe,
   And give the Parliament the law?
       For they knew none beside.

10 Did I for this take pains to teach
   Our zealous ignorants to preach,
       And did their lungs inspire;
   Gave them their texts, show'd them their parts,
   And taught them all their little arts,
       To fling abroad the fire?

11 Sometimes to beg, sometimes to threaten,
   And say the Cavaliers are beaten,
       To stroke the people's ears;
   Then straight, when victory grows cheap,
   And will no more advance the heap,
       To raise the price of fears.

12 And now the books, and now the bells,
   And now our act, the preacher tells,
       To edify the people;
   All our divinity is news,
   And we have made of equal use
       The pulpit and the steeple.

13 And shall we kindle all this flame
   Only to put it out again,
       And must we now give o'er,
   And only end where we begun?
   In vain this mischief we have done,
       If we can do no more.

14 If men in peace can have their right,
   Where's the necessity to fight,
       That breaks both law and oath?
   They'll say they fight not for the cause,
   Nor to defend the King and laws,
       But us against them both.

15 Either the cause at first was ill,
   Or, being good, it is so still;
       And thence they will infer,
   That either now or at the first
   They were deceived; or, which is worst,
       That we ourselves may err.

16 But plague and famine will come in,
   For they and we are near of kin,
        And cannot go asunder:
   But while the wicked starve, indeed
   The saints have ready at their need
       God's providence, and plunder.

17 Princes we are if we prevail,
   And gallant villains if we fail.
       When to our fame 'tis told,
   It will not be our least of praise,
   Since a new state we could not raise,
       To have destroy'd the old.

18 Then let us stay and fight, and vote,
   Till London is not worth a groat;
       Oh! 'tis a patient beast!
   When we have gall'd and tired the mule,
   And can no longer have the rule,
       We'll have the spoil at least.




TO THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF COMMONS,
THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE POETS.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John DenhamWaller, Edmund

General

Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham

Waller, Edmund

Poetry

9  Have I so often pass'd between
   Windsor and Westminster, unseen,
       And did myself divide:
   To keep his Excellence in awe,
   And give the Parliament the law?
       For they knew none beside.

10 Did I for this take pains to teach
   Our zealous ignorants to preach,
       And did their lungs inspire;
   Gave them their texts, show'd them their parts,
   And taught them all their little arts,
       To fling abroad the fire?

11 Sometimes to beg, sometimes to threaten,
   And say the Cavaliers are beaten,
       To stroke the people's ears;
   Then straight, when victory grows cheap,
   And will no more advance the heap,
       To raise the price of fears.

12 And now the books, and now the bells,
   And now our act, the preacher tells,
       To edify the people;
   All our divinity is news,
   And we have made of equal use
       The pulpit and the steeple.

13 And shall we kindle all this flame
   Only to put it out again,
       And must we now give o'er,
   And only end where we begun?
   In vain this mischief we have done,
       If we can do no more.

14 If men in peace can have their right,
   Where's the necessity to fight,
       That breaks both law and oath?
   They'll say they fight not for the cause,
   Nor to defend the King and laws,
       But us against them both.

15 Either the cause at first was ill,
   Or, being good, it is so still;
       And thence they will infer,
   That either now or at the first
   They were deceived; or, which is worst,
       That we ourselves may err.

16 But plague and famine will come in,
   For they and we are near of kin,
        And cannot go asunder:
   But while the wicked starve, indeed
   The saints have ready at their need
       God's providence, and plunder.

17 Princes we are if we prevail,
   And gallant villains if we fail.
       When to our fame 'tis told,
   It will not be our least of praise,
   Since a new state we could not raise,
       To have destroy'd the old.

18 Then let us stay and fight, and vote,
   Till London is not worth a groat;
       Oh! 'tis a patient beast!
   When we have gall'd and tired the mule,
   And can no longer have the rule,
       We'll have the spoil at least.




TO THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF COMMONS,
THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE POETS.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham

Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham

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