Читать книгу A History of Parliamentary Elections and Electioneering in the Old Days - Joseph Grego - Страница 31

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“An Atheist now must a Monster be,

Of strange gigantic birth

His omnipotence does let all men see,

That our King’s a God on earth.

“Fiat, says he, by proclamation, And the parliament is created: He repents of his work, the Dissolution Makes all annihilated.

“We Scholars were expell’d awhile,

To let the Senators in;

But they behav’d themselves as vile,

So we return again:

“And wonder to see our Geometry School

All round about be-seated,

Though there’s no need of an Euclid’s rule

To demonstrate ’em all defeated.

“The Commons their Voting Problems would

In Riddles so involve,

That what the Peers scarce understood,

The King was forc’d to solve.

“The Commons for a good omen chose

An old consulting station:

Being glad to dispossess their foes

O th’ House of Convocation.

“So Statesmen like poor scholars be,

For near the usual place

They stood, we know, for a great Degree,

But the King deny’d their Grace.

“Though sure he must his reason give,

And charge them of some crime:

Or else by course they’ll have reprieve

For this is the Third time.

“It was because they did begin,

With insolent behaviour:

And who should expiate their sin

The King himself’s no Saviour.

“Their faults grew to a bulk so high,

As mercy did fore-stall:

So Charter forfeited thereby,

They must like Adam fall.

“It is resolv’d the Duke shall fail

A Sceptre to inherit:

Nor right nor desert shall prevail,

’Tis Popish to plead merit.

“Let the King respect the Duke his brother,

And keep affection still,

As duly to the Church his mother:

In both they’ll cross his will.

“They would Dissenters harmless save,

And penalties repeal;

As if they’d humour thieves, who crave

A liberty to steal.

“Thus he that does a pardon lack

For Treason damn’d to dy.

They’d tempt, poor man, to save his neck,

By adding perjury.28

“The Nobles threw th’ Impeachment out29 Because, no doubt, they saw ’Twas best to bring his cause about, But not to th’ Commons Law.

“But hence ’twas plaguily suspected,

Nay, ’tis resolv’d by vote,

That th’ Lords are popishly affected,

And stiflers of the plot.

“The Commons’ courage can’t endure

To be affronted thus:

So, for the future to be sure,

They’ll be the Upper House.

“But by such feverish malady,

Their strength so soon was spent

That punning wits no doubt will cry—

Oh, Weeked Parliament!”