Rump Songs/The Power of the Sword

For other versions of this work, see Law lies a Bleeding.

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The Power of the Sword.
Lay by your Pleading, Law lyes a Bleeding,Burn all your Studies down, and throw away your Reading;Small Power the Word has, and can afford usNot half so many Priviledges as the Sword has:It fosters your Masters, it plasters Disasters,And makes your Servants, quickly greater than their Masters;It venters, it enters, it circles, it centers,And makes a Prentice free in spight of his Indentures.
This takes off tall things, and sets up small things,This masters Money, though Money masters all things;’Tis not in season, to talk of Reason,Or call it Legal, when the Sword will have it Treason;It conquers the Crown too, the Furres and the Gown too,This set up a Presbyter, and this pull’d him down too;This subtil Deceiver, turn’d Bonnet to Beaver,Down drops a Bishop, and up starts a Weaver.
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This fits a Lay-man to preach and to pray man,’Tis this can make a Lord of him that was a Dray-man;Forth from the dull Pit, of Follies full pit;This brought an Hebrew Iron-monger to the Pulpit:Such pittiful Things be, more happier then Kings be;This got the Heraldry of Thimblebee and Slingsbee;No Gospel can guide it, no Law can decide it,In Church or State, untill the Sword hath sanctify’d it.
Down goes the Law-tricks, for from that MatrixSprung holy Hewson’s Power, and tumbled down St. Patricks;The Sword prevails so highly in Wales too,Shinkin ap Powel cryes, and swears Cuts-pluttera-nails too;In Scotland this Waster, did make such disaster,They sent their Money back for which they sold their Master;It batter’d so their Dunkirke, and did so the Don firk,That he is fled, and swears, the Devil is in Dunkirke.
He that can tower o’er him that is lower,would be but thought a Fool to put away his Power;Take Books and rent ’um, who would invent ’um,When as the Sword replyes, Negatur argumentum? ​Your grand Colledge Butlers, must stoop to your Sutlers,There’s not a Library living like the Cutlers;The bloud that is spilt, Sir, hath gain’d all the gilt, Sir,Thus have you seen me run the Sword up to the hilt, Sir.

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