profitable Poesie I have humbly aspired, and especially in this book; imitating therein, though coming infinitely behind them, no worse patterns than the holy prophets."

What Wither professed to undertake, it is no mean praise to say, that he meritoriously accomplished.

T. P.

ART. CXLV. Opobalsamum Anglicanum: an Englishe Balme, lately pressed out of a Shrub, and spread upon these Papers, for the cure of some Scabs, Gangreeves, and Cancers, indangering the Bodie of this Common-Wealth; and, to whom it is now tendred, by the well-affected English, in a double-speech, disjunctively delivered, by one of their fellowship, both to the faithfull and malignant members of the representative-body of this kingdome. Penned by the author of Britain's Remembrancer, Geo. Wither, Esquire. Psalm cxli. 5, 6. Let the righteous smite me, and it shall be a kindnesse; and let him reprove me, and it shall be an excellent oyle, which shall not breake my head, &c.—When their judges are overthrowne in stonie places, then shall they heare my words, &c. Printed in the Yeare 1646. 4to. pp. 24. doub. col.

In this piece the prolific Muse of Wither has threaded 2030 lines in verse, including "the preface," which opens with the successes of Fairfax, obtained early in 1646.

"Great hopes I had, of perfecting ere this,
My Vox-pacifica,* and songs of peace:

* His Vox-pacifica was printed in 1645, Editor.

For Fairfax, with his victories begun,
So stoutly and successefully went on,
That neither summer's heat nor winter's cold,
Brigade nor army, fortified hold,

Nor force, nor policie; no, nor their wiles,
Who did oppose in secret, all the whiles,
Could bring his brave proceedings to a stand,
Till he had marched quite throughout the land,
As in a triumph; and had brought ev'n those
Presuming, and proud bragadocean foes,
Who had despiz'd, and sleighted his beginnings,
To be the sad spectators of his winnings;
And to be prostrate suitors unto them,

For life and mercy, whom they did contemn."

The preface, after some further lines, has a long simile on the subject of the Gangreve. The poem is divided into two speeches; the first is

"The Speech of the well affected English to the faithfull Peers, and to their constant Trustees, being Members of the Honourable House of Commons.

"Starres of the great and lesser magnitude,
Behold us not as if we would intrude

Upon your orbs; nor think this throng appears

To interrupt the motion of your spheares;
To hinder your aspects; or take offence
At anie late effect, or influence,

Derived from your power; or, at ought done
By you in both, or either house alone,
When violence their motion suffers not,

Whereby prodigious things may be begot:

For so heroick, and so noble ever,

Hath been your prudence, and your stout endeavour,

To keep upright the wheels of Charles his wain,
And ev'ry harmfull vapour to restrain,

Exhal'd by meteors, to the wrong of them,
Whose habitations are within your clyme;
That we confesse with praise, and admiration,
Your constant labours in the preservation
Of this distracted empire, and present.
All humble, and all due acknowledgement,
For persevering, through those manie stops,
Obstructing the fruition of our hopes,"

This strain of panegyric has but little to awaken interest now: curiosity will be more indulged with the next extract, where the name of another poet, whose soft and easy verses ever please, is mentioned.

"Are none of those, think you, permitted yet,
In either House of Parliament to sit,

Who, when the city should have been betray'd,
Did know of it? Think you, when WALLER said,
(To strengthen his confederates) that, he
Knew many, who thereto would aiding be

In either House? Think you he should have had
His pardon; if none fear'd he could have made
The saying true? Or that, he naming none,
Should into banishment, so cheap have gone;
Unlesse, because he could have nam'd so many,
That, if the Houses should have question'd any,
It might have brought upon us at that season,
A danger, almost equalling the treason?

What e're ye think, we think this was the cause,
Why he, who was in breaking of the laws
The Principall, escap'd with life; when they

That Accessaries were, their debts did pay;

And, are we bound to think now Waller's gone,
That here of his confederacie are none,

While we perceive delinquents so defended,
As yet they are, and we so ill befriended?
Who in both Houses would have scorned more
To hear such questions asked, heretofore,
Then Strafford and the prelate,* who are now
A headlesse paire? And which is he of you
Among the Commons, who enjoy'd a name

More honourable, and a fairer fame

Then Hotham had? Which of you stood so strong

A charge as he? Or held it out so long

Without recording? Or, engag'd this nation
Unto him, by a greater obligation

Then he did, for the time? And, yet at last,

You saw he fell; because he had not plac't

The structure, (though twere strong upon these rocks, That could abide reiterated shocks:

And if men, in desert so eminent,

('Till we discover'd in what path he went) Fell from that bravery in resolution,

And so much constancie in execution,

Then well may we distrust that, some of those
Who, at this present, make fair seeming showes,
May possibly be false? At least when they
Have trodden heretofore beside the way,
And are at present probably suspected;

Though, they in some things, faithfully have acted?
Since we have oft experience had, that none
Have to the Commonwealth more mischief done,
Then some, who for a while have had the fame
Of patriots, and did but play that game,

* Archbishop Laud may here be supposed. Editør.

Till they had opportunity to catch

That grace at court, for which they lay at watch."

This prosaic truth has been repeated a thousand times, and will continue to be applied by party writers to the end of time. It is the pinnacle of ambition always assigned the noisy politicians, and the greater majority have proved the random satire well founded. Another specimen will be necessary from the beginning of what may be styled the second part, as a comparison with that already given.

"The Speech of the Wel-affected, to their perfidious Trustees, dishonouring the Parliament, by the same, or by not acting cordially therein.

"Stand off, ye traytors; that, we may not smutch
A blameless-member, whilst your faults we touch;
Stand further off, we say; lest while we speak,
Some foolish-fellow may our words mistake;
And think, we have a purposed intent
To lay aspersions on the Parliament.

Stand yet a little further from among them,
That ev'ry man may see we would not wrong them,
But rather do them honour by assaying,

To help prevent their scandall and betraying,

By making ev'ry wronged subject know,
For whom their troubles and oppressions flow.
So, being singled out, as you are now,
None but a brainlesse-foole, or some of you,
Can be so impudent, as to apply

Our checks to that High Court's indignitie;
Or seems displeas'd because our minds we say
As fearlessly, as honest freemen may;