And now Mr Prynne [65]
With the rest may come in,
And take their places again;
For the House is made sweet
For those members to meet,
Though part of the Rump yet remain;
Nor need they to fear,
Though his breeches be there,
Which were wrong’d both behind and before;
For he saith ’twas a chance,
And forgive him this once,
And he swears he will do so no more,
And drive the cold winter away.
’Tis true there are some
Who are still for the Bum;
Such tares will grow up with the wheat;
And there they will be, till a Parliament come
That can give them a total defeat.
But yet I am told
That the Rumpers do hold
That the saints may swim with the tyde;
Nor can it be treason,
But Scripture and reason,
Still to close with the stronger side,
And drive the cold winter away.
Those lawyers o’ th’ House—
As Baron Wild-goose, [66]
With Treason Hill, Whitlock, and Say—
Were the bane of our laws
And our Good old Cause,
And ’twere well if such were away.
Some more there are to blame,
Whom I care not to name,
That are men of the very same ranks;
’Mongst whom there is one,
That to Devil Barebone
For his ugly petition gave thanks,
And drive the cold winter away.
But I hope by this time
He’ll confess ’twas a crime
To abet such a damnable crew;
Whose petition was drawn
By Alcoran Vane,
Or else by Corbet the Jew. [67]
By it you may know
What the Rump meant to do,
And what a religion to frame;
So ’twas time for St George
That Rump to disgorge,
And to send it from whence it first came;
Then drive the cold winter away.
A NEW-YEAR’S GIFT FOR THE RUMP.
(January 1659–60.)—From a broadside, vol. xv. in the King’s Pamphlets.
“The condition of the State was thus: viz. the Rump, after being disturbed by my Lord Lambert, was lately returned to sit again. The officers of the army all forced to yield. Lawson lies still in the river, and Monk is with his army in Scotland. Only my Lord Lambert is not yet come in to the Parliament, nor is it expected that he will without being forced to it. The new Common Council of the city do speak very high; and had sent to Monk their sword-bearer to acquaint him with their desires for a free and full Parliament, which is at present the desires, and the hopes, and the expectations of all. Twenty-two of the old secluded members having been at the House-door the last week to demand entrance, but it was denied them; and it is believed that neither they nor the people will be satisfied till the House be filled.” Pepys’ Diary, January, 1660.
You may have heard of the politique snout,
Or a tale of a tub with the bottom out,
But scarce of a Parliament in a dirty clout,
Which no body can deny.
’Twas Atkins [68] first served this Rump in with mustard—
The sauce was a compound of courage and custard;
Sir Vane bless’d the creature, Noll snuffled and bluster’d,
Which no body can deny.
The right was as then in old Oliver’s nose;
But when the Devil of that did dispose,
It descended from thence to the Rump in the close,
Which no body can deny.