You had a plot upon the Poppets that ſhould have adorned St. James his faire, but it took not, for the tap-houſes were erected, the mutton-mongers reſorted, the Curtezans were jumbled, the good fellowes tipled, and the Oxe was roaſted, cum privilegio, tis faire time with you all the yeer long, and therefore no marvell if you envy all others profits, but I hope you will permit your aſſociates of the beloved City to make their mercats this next Bartholmew Faire, you know the matter is between you and them, as betweene the letcher and his whore, what he put in at the mouth goes out at the — ſo what they gaine by their trades inricheth your purſes, I have a ſtrong faith that you will ſhut up ſhop 〈◊〉 Weſtminſter for one day, and having laid aſide the grand affaires of cheating, and murthering the people ſpend ſome certaine houres in recreation, I am of the opinion, that it will much ſolace your tired ſpirits, whet your wits to invent ſtrange and unheard of ſtratagems, and quicken your greedy deſire of rule, I am confident you will come, and in certaine aſſurance thereof have provided you, a Piggs head, and a Poppet-play, heark in your ears.

'Tis a Pig of one of theſe ſowes, into whom your patron Pluto got, when he hurried a whole heard violently into the ſea, it ſhall be roaſted before the hot fire of Ambition, turned about by the Sciſmatick Sedition, baſted by the Patriarck Hypocriſie, the ſawce ſhall be prepared by the fat cook Sacriledge, it ſhall be uſherd by the grave verger Policy, and ſerv'd up by a penitent Skelleton, called, Too late to Repent, after you have ſufficiently eaten to your content, I have devized a Poppet play, tis thus:

The Sceane is England, the Actors are all Parliament-men, you may know them by their robes, and the fearfull characters written in their faces, they are attended by whole troopes of Committee-Cannibals, Exciſe-men, Meſſengers or, Pettifoggers, Rogues, and R • ſcals, their 〈◊〉 will be to work upon the giddy ſpirits of the people, and to inveigh their floating braines, that the preſent Government, burthenſome Ariſtocraticall cruell and tyrannous, they will underhand deale with them by their agents earneſtly to petition, that failing to threaten the ruine of their King and his poſterity, unleſſe he preſently yeeld his aſſent, for the ſatisfaction of their deſires, the King beholding the evils of their intents, for the preſervation of his own, his Queen, and childrens lives, leaves his chief Metropolis, and betakes himſelf to a place of ſafety, his Parliament inwardly glad at his departure, petition the people to petition them that the Government of the Church be alter'd that a moſt incomparable Stateſman, and a moſt unworthy pillar of the Church be put to death, which is performed, the one propheſieth, and the other preacheth at the ſcaffold, or place of execution, this bloody buſineſſe over, they proceed to take away the fundamentall lawes of the land, Root and branch, their King perceiving their treacheries, declareth againſt them, dubbing them with the due epithites of Rebels and Traytors, the people deluded by their pretences, crie up their cauſe as the cauſe of Gods, Armies are by them immodiately levied, a cuckoldly Lord choſen for their General, and all the land turned into a confuſion, their pious Prince (conſtrained thereto for his own ſafety) raiſeth forces to oppoſe them, the chief gentry of the land ſide with them, he fights with the Rebels for the ſpace of ſeven yeares, (to the exceeding decay of his people, and to his great grief of Soule) yet at laſt might [according to the proverb] overcomes right, he is totally ſubdued, and forced to flie for ſhelter amongſt his owne Countreymen, they unworthily deſert him, and return him into his enemies hand for money, they clap him up cloſe priſoner, and like baſe villaines, make a mock at his miſery, he is beaten and receiveth a black eye, of his jailor, a ſlave, (whom ere this play conclude) I preſent unto you torne to pieces by dogs, in the meane time the earth is made drunke with the blood of Innocents prodigally ſhed by command of the Rebels, all order and diſcipline is taken away, the miniſters of God are murthered and ſilenced, and mechanick Scums, viz. Tailers, weavers, and mopmakers, take upon them the ſacred function of the miniſtery, and infect the people, with nonſenſe, blaſphemy, and Treaſon, while the Rebels ſqueeze out the hearts bloods of the poore Communality, by taxations, exciſe, contributions, loanes, plunders, and free-quarter, and fatten themſelves inmiſchief wallowing in all exceſſe of riot, impoveriſhing the nation, and cramming their own bags till they ſtrut againe, and in hope to take away Monarchicall Government, and to make themſelves 〈◊〉 State, they vote they will ſettle the kingdome without their King, neither make any addreſſes to him, or receive any meſſage from him, the people perceiving into what a bondage they are brought become as zealous haters as before they were lovers of the Rebels, they begin to cogitate the happy dayes they enjoyed under the • r moſt gracious King, and curſe themſelves that ere they rebelled againſt him, reſolving to pull downe theſe tyrants, whom they had advanced, and [if it be poſſible] to recover their King, loſt lawes and liberties, they generally riſe, threatning vengeance againſt their bloody oppreſſors, who to deferre their puniſhment, vote that they will treat with their King, the people ſee it, and laugh at their gullery, and perfidious hypocriſie, they fetch their King to London, with all honour and due reſpects, ceaze on the Rebels, and clap them in the dungeon, reſtore their King to his rights, and ſurrender them to the gallowes, this is the plot of the play I intend to preſent you with, the Poppets are ſet on ſcrewes, and have their motion by a crabbed fellow, called, the Crittick obſerver, they are preſented by Fame, and their ſeverall morions explained by truth.