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And ruin'd many a family,
For nought but none-conformity:
Of hirelings they wou'd not hear,
Their purſe he puniſh'd moſt ſevere;
He made the ſouth of Scotland feel
His gripping claws were made of ſteel
They were ſo crooked, hard and ſharp,
They pierc'd men's ſubſtance to the heart;
The king's commission while he did bear,
Men loſt their conſcience, life or gear.
But Charles too ſoon him diſcarded,
Yet I his kindneſs well rewarded;
And this I hope he'll not deny,
Since now he lives as well as I.
Fletcher, my friend, be was the firſt,
As advocate who did inſiſt
Againſt the Wqigs in the king’s name,
To bring them to an open ſhame;
Charles, my son, did him inſtall,
To bring theſe rebels under thral,
Who ſtill for Covenants were pleading.
To juſtify their old proceeding:
He labour'd very earneſtly
To pleaſe his ſovereign and me,
By rooting out vile Preſbytery;
And planting noble Prelacy;
By baniſhing ſome far away.
That us'd my dictates to gainſay;
By ſumptuous fines making them poor,
That never could my yoke endure;
By ſhutting up in priſon ſtrong
Theſe men who did my intereſt wrong;
And thirſting for the blood of them
