The Very Shadow of Levelling, Sword-Levelling, Man-Levelling.

 

Chapter II.

Containing several new, strange, yet seasonable admonitions and good advice, as the last warning to the great ones of the earth, from the Lord.

1.

Thus saith the Lord:

Be

 - sero sapiunt phryges, sed nunquam sera est ad bonos mores via -

wise now therefore
O ye rulers

&c.

be instructed

&c.

kiss the Sun

&c. 

yea
kiss beggars
prisoners
warm them
feed them
cleanse them
money them
relieve them
release them
take them into your house
don't serve them as dogs
without door

&c.

own them
they are flesh of your flesh
your own brethren
your own sisters
every whit as good

and if I should stand in competition with you

in some degrees better than yourselves

2.

Once more
I say
own them
they are yourself
make them one with you
or else go howling into hell
howl for the miseries
that are coming upon you
howl

the very shadow of Levelling
sword-levelling
man-levelling
frighted you

and who like yourselves can blame you
because it shook your kingdom?

but now the substantiality
of Levelling is coming

the eternal God
the mighty Leveller
is coming
yea
come
even at the door
and what will you do in that day?

repent
repent
repent
bow down
bow down
bow or howl
resign or be damned
bow down
bow down
you sturdy oaks and cedars
bow down

veil too
and kiss the meaner shrubs
bow or else

by myself
saith the Lord

he brake you in pieces

some of you

others I will tear up by the roots
I will suddenly deal with you all
some in one way
some in another
wherefore

each beggar that you meet
fall down before him
kiss him in the street

once more
he is thy brother
thy fellow
flesh of thy flesh
turn not away their eyes
from thine own
FLESH
lest I pull out thine eyes
and throw thee headlong into hell

3.

Mine ears are filled 
brim full with cries of poor prisoners
Newgate
Ludgate
cries

of late

are seldom out of mine ears
those doleful cries

bread
bread
bread
for the Lord's sake
pierce mine ears and heart
I can no longer forbear

wherefore
high you apace to all prisons
in the kingdom

4.

Admonition to great ones

Bow before those poor
nasty
lousy
ragged wretches

say to them
your humble servants
Sirs

without a compliment

we let you go free
and serve you

&c.

do this

or as I live
saith the Lord

thine eyes

at least

shall be bored out
and thou carried captive
into a strange land

5.

Admonition to great ones

Give over
give over
thy odious
nasty
abominable fasting
for strife and debate
and to smite with the fist of wickedness
and instead thereof
loose the bands of wickedness
undo the heavy burdens
let the oppressed go free
and break every yoke

deal thy bread to the hungry
and bring the poor that are cast out

both of houses and Synagogues

to thy house
cover the naked
hide not thyself
from thine own flesh
from a cripple
a rogue
a beggar
he's thine own flesh
from a whoremonger
a thief

&c.

he's flesh of thy flesh
and his theft
and whoredom
is flesh of thy flesh also
thine own flesh

thou must have ten times more
of each within thee
than he that acts outwardly in either

remember
turn not away thine eyes
from thine own 
FLESH

6.

Admonition to great ones

Give over
give over
thy midnight mischief
let branding with the letter B alone

be no longer so horridly
hellishly
impudently
arrogantly
wicked
as to judge what is sin
what not
what evil
and
what not
what blasphemy
and
what not

for thou
and all thy reverend divines
so called

who divine for tithes
hire and money
and serve the Lord Jesus Christ
for their own bellies

are ignorant 
of this one thing

7.

That sin and transgression is finished
it's a mere tiddle
that they
with all their humane learning
can never read

neither can they understand
what pure honour in wrapped up
in the king's motto

honi soi qui mal y pense

evil to he
that
evil thinks

some there are

who are accounted the off-scouring
of all things

who are noble knights of the garter
since which
they could see no evil
think no evil
do no evil
know no evil

ALL
is religion that they speak
and honour that they do
but you that eat
of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
and have not your evil eye
picked out
you call good evil
and evil good
light darkness
and darkness light
truth blasphemy
and blasphemy truth

and you are at this time
of your father the Devil
and of your brother 
the pharisee
who still say of Christ

who is now 
alive

say we not well that he has a devil

9.

Take heed
take heed
take heed
filthy blind sodomites
called angels men
they seeing no further
than the forms of men

10.

There are angels

now

come down from heaven
in the shapes and forms of men
who are full of vengeance
of the Lord

and 
are to pour out the plagues of God
upon the earth
and
to torment the inhabitants thereof

some of these angels
I have been acquainted withal

and I have looked upon them as devils
accounting them devils incarnate
and have run from their company
and have been utterly ashamed
when I have been with them

but for my labour
I have been plagued and tormented
beyond expression
so that now I had rather
behold one of these angels
pouring out the plagues of God

Rev. 15, Judges 5, Revel. 10, Neb, 13.25

cursing
and teaching others to curse bitterly

and had rather hear a mighty angel

in man

swearing a full-mouthed oath
and see the spirit of Nehemiah

in any form of man 
or woman

running upon an unclean Jew

a pretended saint

and tearing the hair of his head
like a mad man
cursing
and making others fall a-swearing
than hear a zealous Presbyterian
Independent
or
spiritual notionist
pray
preach
or exercise

this will come in request to you next
you may remember that Independency
which is now so hug'd
was counted blasphemy
and banishment was too good for it

11.

Well!

to the pure
all things are pure

God has so cleared cursing
swearing in some
that 
that which goes for swearing
and cursing in them
is more glorious 
than praying
and preaching
in others

and what God has cleansed
call not thou unclean

and if Peter prove a great transgressor
of the law
by doing that which was as odious
as killing a man
if he at length

though he be loath
at first

eat that
which was common 
and unclean

&c.

I give but a hint

blame him not
much less lift up a finger
against 
or plant a hellish
ordinance
against him
lest thou be plagued
and damned too
for thy zeal
blind religion
and fleshly holiness
which now stinks above ground
though formerly it had good favour

but
O thou holy
zealous
devout
righteous
religious one

whoever
thou art

that sees evil
or anything unclean
do thou swear
if thou dare
if it be but

i'faith

I'll throw thee to hell
for it

saith the Lord

and laugh at thy destruction

while angels

in the form
of men

shall swear
heart
blood
wounds
and by the eternal God

&c.

in profound purity
and in high honour
and majesty

13.

Well

I one hint more

there's swearing ignorantly
i'th dark vainly
and there's swearing
i'th light gloriously

well!
man of the earth
judgement, hell, wrath

&c.

all is mine

saith the Lord

dare not thou
to set thy foot so impudently
and arrogantly upon one step
of my throne
I am judge myself

be wise
give over
have done

14.

And

as for the latter sort of swearing
thou know it not when thou hears it
it's no new thing for thee
to call Christ Beelzebub
and Beelzebub Christ
to call a holy angel a devil
and a devil an angel

15.

I charge thee

in the name of the eternal God

meddle not with either
let the tares alone
lest thou pull up the wheat
also
woe be to thee 
if tho do

let both alone

I say

lest thou should happen of a holy swearing angel
and take a lion by the paw to thine own destruction

never was there such a time
since the world stood
as now is

thou know not the strange appearances of the Lord
nowadays
take heed
know thou has been warned

16.

Admonition to great ones

And whatever thou do
dip not thy little finger in blood
anymore
thou are up to the elbows already
much soap
yea
much nitre
cannot cleanse thee

&c.

much more have I to say to thee

saith the Lord

but I will do it secretly
and dart a quiver full of arrows
into thy heart
and I will now charge thee