Gentlemen of the Grand Inquest,

      Her majesty, mark it,
      Appointed this circuit
      For me and my brother,
      Before any other;
      To execute laws,
      As you may suppose,
  Upon such as offenders have been. 
      So then, not to scatter
      More words on the matter,
  We’re beginning just now to begin. 
But hold—­first and foremost, I must enter a clause,
As touching and concerning our excellent laws;
      Which here I aver,
      Are better by far
Than them all put together abroad and beyond sea;
For I ne’er read the like, nor e’er shall, I fancy
      The laws of our land
      Don’t abet, but withstand,
      Inquisition and thrall,
      And whatever may gall,
      And fire withal;
      And sword that devours
      Wherever it scowers: 
They preserve liberty and property, for which men pull and haul so,
And they are made for the support of good government also. 
      Her majesty, knowing
      The best way of going
    To work for the weal of the nation,
      Builds on that rock,
      Which all storms will mock,
  Since Religion is made the foundation. 
      And, I tell you to boot, she
      Resolves resolutely,
      No promotion to give
      To the best man alive,
      In church or in state,
      (I’m an instance of that,)
  But only to such of a good reputation
  For temper, morality, and moderation. 
      Fire! fire! a wild-fire,
      Which greatly disturbs the queen’s peace
      Lies running about;
      And if you don’t put it out,
( That’s positive) will increase: 
      And any may spy,
      With half of an eye,
That it comes from our priests and Papistical fry. 
      Ye have one of these fellows,
      With fiery bellows,
Come hither to blow and to puff here;
      Who having been toss’d
      From pillar to post,
At last vents his rascally stuff here:  Which to such as are honest must sound very oddly,
When they ought to preach nothing but what’s very godly;
As here from this place we charge you to do,
As ye’ll answer to man, besides ye know who. 
      Ye have a Diocesan,—­[l]
      But I don’t know the man;—­
      The man’s a good liver,
      They tell me, however,
      And fiery never! 
      Now, ye under-pullers,
      That wear such black colours,
      How well would it look,
      If his measures ye took,
      Thus for head and for rump
      Together to jump;
      For there’s none deserve places,
      I speak’t to their faces,
      But men of such graces,
And I hope he will never prefer any asses;
Especially when I’m so confident on’t,
For reasons of state, that her majesty won’t
      Know, I myself I
      Was present and by,
At the great trial, where there was a great company,