An ancient and true PROPHECY Of all those TRANSACTIONS that have already happened: Also what is to come: Of the Event of the great Actions in being: What Government we are to expect.  
In which is contained, excellent Cautions to the Sons of Men.  
Written in Verse, in the latter end of the Reign of Queen ELIZABETH, and found in Sir ROBERT COTTON'S LIBRARY.  
LONDON, Printed for R. Page, living in Barbican, in Three Pigeon-Court, MDCLIX.   

An Ancient Prophecy.  

NOw I will show you, by what Pedigree  
That Government, to you derived shall be;  
Which will, at last, these British Islands bless  
With inward Peace, and outward happiness.  
It was of late, a brief Presage of his,  
Who, oft, hath truth foretold: And, it is this.   

When, here, a Scot shall think his Throne to set,  
Above the Circle of a British King;  
He shall a dateless Parliament beget,  
From whence a dreadful Armed brood shall spring.  
That off spring shall beget a wild confusion;  
Confusion, shall an Anarchy beget;  
That Anarchy shall bring forth, in conclusion,  
A Creature, which you have no name for, yet:  
That Creature, shall conceive a sickly State,  
Which will an Aristocracy produce:  
The many headed Beast, not liking that,  
To raise Democracy, shall rather choose.   

And, than Democracie's production shall  
A Moon calf be; which some a Mole do call.  
A false Conception of imperfect nature,  
And, of a shapeless, and a brutish feature.   

All these Descents, shall Live and Reign together;  
So acting for a while, that few shall know  
Which of them gets the Sovereignty; or whether  
There be among them, a Supreme, or no.  
When they with jars and janglings have defaced  
Your triple-building, and themselves nigh worn,  
Into contempt; they, of one cup shall taste;   

And, into their first elements return:  
Fire of them, shall subdue the other five;  
And, than those five, shall by a doubtful strife,  
Each others death so happily contrive,  
That, they shall die, to live a better life:  
And, out of their corruption, rise there shall  
A true Supreme, acknowledged by all.  
In which the power of all the five shall be  
With Unity made visible in three.   

Prince, People, Parliament, with Priests and Peers,  
Shall be, a while, your emulous Grandees;  
Make a confused Pentarchy some years,  
And, leave off their distinct claims, by degrees:  
And, then, shall Righteousness ascend the Throne;  
Then, love, and truth, and peace re enter shall:  
Then faith, and reason, shall agree in one;  
And, all the Virtues to their counsel call.  
Then, timely out of all these shall arise,  
That Kingdom, and that happy Government,  
Which is the scope of all those Prophecies,  
That future Truths obscurely represent:   

But how this will be done, few men shall see;  
For, wrought in Clouds and Darkness, it will be:  
And, ere it comes to pass, in public view,  
Most of these following signs will first ensue.   

A King, shall willingly himself unking;  
And, thereby grow far greater than before.  
The Priests, their Priesthood, to contempt shall bring;  
And Piety shall thereby thrive the more.  
A Parliament, itself shall overthrow;  
And thereby, shall a better being gain;  
The Peers, by setting of themselves below,  
A more innobling honour shall obtain:  
The People for a time shall be enslaved;  
And, that shall make them for the future free.  
By private loss, the public shall be saved;  
An Army shall by yielding Victor be:   

The city's wealth, Her poverty shall Cause:  
The Law's corruption, shall reform the Laws:  
And, Bullocks, of the largest Northern breed,   

Shall fatted be, where now scarce sheep can feed.  
You may perhaps deride what's here recited,  
As, heretofore you other Truths have slighted.  
But, part of this Presage you have beheld,  
Already in obscurity, fulfilled:  
The rest shall in the time appointed come;  
And, sooner, than will pleasing be to some.  
The last nine signs, or symptoms, of the ten,  
Which must precede it, shall appear to men  
Of all conditions; But, our Author saith,  
The first, is but in Hope, not yet in Faith;  
And may be, or not be; for, so, or so,  
That King, shall have his lot, as he shall do.   

If all his sins, he hearty repent,  
God, will remit, even all his punishment;  
And, him, unto his Kingdoms, back restore,  
With greater honour than he had before.  
If he remain impenitent, like Saul,  
God, from the Throne, shall cast both him, and all  
His whole Descent; and, leave him not a man  
To fill it, though he had a Jonathan.  
If Ahab like, his mourning hath respects  
To temporary losses and effects;  
Like Ahab's, then, it therewithal shall carry,  
Some benefit, which is but temporary.  
A real penitence, though somewhat late,  
The rigour of his doom may much abate;  
By leaving him a part of what he had,  
When he a forfeiture of all hath made:  
Or else, by rooting out those, who in sin  
With him, have actually partakers been;  
And, planting in their steads, a Branch of his,  
Whose Innocency no way questioned is.   

For, this hath oft, with good success been done.  
In Ages past; not, in this Isle alone,  
But, in most other Kingdoms: And, if you  
Will in GOD's Chronicles, but take a view,  
Of his proceed; you, in them will see,  
For what it is, that Princes changed be:  
Why some lose but a part; why some lose all;  
Why, for a time; why, some for ever fall;  
Why, some shall but for three descents remain;  
And, how they might have had a longer reign:  
When War, when Pestilence, when Death, will come  
Upon a Land; when GOD will take it from  
That land again; and, how, they may foreknow,  
When, he will bring a total overthrow.   

They, who have learned to contemplate aright  
Those old records, may gain a true foresight  
Of many things, whereby to regulate  
Enormities, both in the Church, and State;  
Things to themselves pertaining; to their Friends,  
Their Foes, their Policies, their Fates, their Ends:  
And, if it were not so; what, are to you,  
The stories of the Kingdoms of the Jew,  
Or of their Friends and Foes, more usual than  
Those, which concern the Realms of Powhatan?  
Or, so available, as those relations,  
Which memorise the deeds of your own Nations?   

But all this is but words; there must be deeds,  
Ere to perfection any thing proceeds:  
You must not everlastingly be stating  
The Question; or, be seven years more debating:  
For, ere that time, things will too late be done;  
Which many fear, will come to pass too soon.  
Expect you, some third persons, should between  
The King and you, at this time intervene  
To make atonement? Pray, who should they be?  
Who, wisheth you so well? who doth not see,  
That, all, 'twixt whom, and you, there be relations,  
Them qualifying for such mediations,  
May get more, by your woe, then by your weal?  
Who knows not, how with Friends most Friends now deal?  
And, who perceives not, that those Mediators  
Have interests, and many weighty matters  
Pertaining to themselves, which they'll begin  
On such a fair occasion, to hedge in?  
And, whereby peradventure they may bring  
Great disadvantages, upon the King,  
Or, on the Kingdoms: and, perhaps on both,  
Which to endanger, wisemen would be loath?   

What then can be effected? or by whom  
May your desires, now feiseable become?  
Since, there is no way open for access,  
Nor any means admitted for address?  
The Parliament, conceives itself abused,  
In that, their offers have been oft refused;  
And, seems resolved that they will never more  
Send Messages in vain, as heretofore:  
And though the King, were now as penitent,  
As David and Manasseh, with intent,  
Unfeignedly to satisfy, and do  
What ever justice doth oblige him to;  
What ever, you in reason could require,  
To answer, at the full your own desire;  
Or, whatsoever affections mortified.  
A contrite heart, or conscience rectified,  
Should urge him to: yet, now, there is no way,  
Whereby, this, may be manifest, you say.   

Despair not, Friends: mind what I said before;  
True penitence, will find, or make a door:  
Though, it be Treason voted, now to bring  
Or, carry Message, to or from the King:  
Although his person be retained in ward;  
Attended always, with an armed Guard:  
Although strong walls, have round enclosed him:  
Though rocks, far stronger, have surrounded them;  
Yea, though the raging and the roaring Seas,  
Have also, like a mote, encircled these:  
Through all these difficulties, I could find  
Conveyances, if thereto he had mind,  
To publish his repentance; and prevail.  
If to perform his part, he should not fail.  
Yea, find him means, without an obligation  
To any Party, or to any Nation,  
Or any, but himself; to make his peace,  
With honour: and his Kingdoms to possess.   

Now, let him neither heed, nor hearken to  
What other men do say, or what they do;  
For whatsoever they shall act, or prattle,  
(Will be to him, but fruitless title tattle)  
But, let him sit down by himself alone;  
And set down (as, he reads, it hath been done  
By King Manasseh) most unfeigned confessions  
Of all his known offences, and transgressions;  
Acknowledge GOD's just dealing in afflicting;  
His Providence, and mercy, in correcting  
So like a Father, and, for his attending  
So long time, for repentance and amending.  
Let him express a resolute intent,  
To leave to GOD's dispose, the government  
Which he hath managed ill, and to resign  
Himself and his, to providence divine,  
With full assurance, of obtaining place,  
In his free love, and alsufficient grace.  
This done; let him, subscribe the same, and spread it,  
Before the LORD; let him with such tears read it,  
As may declare, it was his act and deed:  
Then, seal it, with a Heart, which much doth bleed;  
And, with a Lion rampant, so reversed,  
That, none may fear, his rage or bloody thirst.  
Upon which acts, by means of your relation,  
And, by that spirit of communication,  
Whereby, most secret actions, are made known,  
(When to good purposes they may be shown)  
Even at that point of time, they, who have been  
His opposites, will feel, some creeping in,  
First, hopes; then Good opinions; and, at last,  
That which will blot out all Offences past;  
And make them kill their fat calf; dance and sing;  
That, they, have found again their long-lost King.  
Oh! that I could behold that happy day  
Of Penitence; and, that behold I may  
Both Parliament and People meet therein  
So truly; that, their unrepentant sin  
May not, when God hath re enthroned him,  
Prolong their woes, or bring new plagues on them.   

But, who am I, that, either you, or he,  
Should on my word rely, or take from me  
Those things which I have said? know. I am that  
Which is your GENIUS called. If, you ask what  
A GENIUS is, I will define the same,  
According to the nature and the name.  
So called it is, because it doth incline  
With an affection truly Genuine,  
To draw to good, and to withdraw from ill,  
Those Persons, both in action and in will,  
Town am it doth relate; and from disgraces,  
And spoil, to keep such Persons, and such places.  
A GENIUS, is an incorporeal creature,  
Consisting of an intellectual nature;  
Which at the selfsame time, a being had.  
With that, for whose well being it was made.  
And, may be called, that Angel, which designeth,  
Adviseth, moveth, draweth, and inclineth  
To happiness; and, naturally restraineth  
From harm, that creature, whereto it pertaineth:  
And, this I am to you. Then, have a care,  
My counsels now, with good respect to hear:  
For, they, to whom their GENIUS represents,  
That, which to safety tends, and harm prevents;  
If, then, they shall his good advice neglect,  
And, pass it by, with wilful disrespect;  
They shall deservedly, be left to those  
Ill Angels, whose direction, they have chose:  
And, what will then succeed, they shall perceive  
When 'tis too late, their evil choice to leave.  
Then looking back, he fixed his eyes on me,  
And, said, my Secretary thou shalt be  
To Register, and publish to these Nations,  
What counsels, warnings, and what exhortations  
God hath vouchsafed them; that, what ere betid,  
His Grace, or Justice may be glorified.   

This being said, my FANCY risen, and drew  
A Curtain; wherewith, quite beyond my view,  
This Apparition vanished. And, I took  
My Pen, to put in writing, what was spoke,  
And publish it to others, that it may  
Prevent (if possible) your evil day:  
For, till amendment, or destruction come,  
The Beasts would preach should men continue dumb:  
Yea, what their Genius, now to them doth speak,  
If they should slight it, Stones would silence break,  
To rouse them from their slumbers; or, to tell  
Succeeding- Ages, how and why they fell.    
FINIS.