The Declaration of John Robins, the fulse prophet; otherwise called the Shakers-god; and Joshua Beck and John King, the two false disciples; with the rest of their fellow creatures, now prisoners in the New Prison at Clarkenwell: delivered to divers of the gentry and citizens, who on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday last, resorted thither to dispute with them. With the citizen's proposals to the said John Robins, concerning his opinion and judgment, and his answer thereunto; together with his prophesie of what is to come to pass this year 1651, and the strange things revealed to him: his religion, principles, and creed, as also his blasphemous tenets, in attributing an inspiration from the Holy Ghost; with the manner of their diet, and his woe pronounced concerning all those that drink ale. By G. H. an ear-witness. [Wood-cut, ut supra.] London: Printed by R. Wood, 1651. 410. 4 leaves.

The titles of these tracts more than describe their contents. In the last is mention of "Mr. Underwood, a reformado in the Lord General's regiment, having been a notable companion with those people which are vulgarly called Ranters."* That in "the age of Saints," the saints were the greatest sinners, appears on all occasions; and the description of "The Joviall Crew," improperly foisted into the dramatic lists, is further proof that their immaculate acts would

Butler, in the Second Volume of his Remains, published by Thyer, has left the character of a RANTE2; whom he represents as "a monster produced by the madness of his age, as a fanatic Hector who found out (by a very strange way of new light) how to transform all the devils into angele of light; for he believes all religion consists in looseness, and that sin and vice is the whole duty of man." Editor.

not

not bear the test of reason: though the Shakers appear from this inconsiderable; the names of ten being only given as committed to prison, Saturday, 24 May, 1651.

Conduit street.

J. H.

ART. XIV. 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 delivercd, 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:
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,

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

Nor

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 faith-
full 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

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

* Archbishop Laud may here be supposed. Editor.

Among

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,
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