Chap. XVII.

Of the Baccanall Triumphe of the nine worthies of New Canaan.

The Seperatists were not so contended, (when mine Host of Ma-re-Mount was gone,) but they were as much discontended when hee was retorned againe: and the rather because theire passages about him, and the businesse, were so much derided and in songes exemplified: which, (for better satisfaction of such as are in that kinde affected,) I have set forth, as it was then in use by the name of the Baccanall Triumphe, as followeth:

{146} THE POEM.[494]
Master Ben: Iohnson.
I sing th’ adventures of nine worthy wights,
And pitty ’tis I cannot call them Knights,
Since they had brawne and braine, and were right able
To be installed of Prince Arthures table;
Yet all of them were Squires of low degree,
The Magi tould of a prodigeous birth
That shortly should be found upon the earth,
By Archimedes art, which they misconster
Vnto their Land would proove a hiddeous monster;
Seaven heades it had, and twice so many feete,
Arguing the body to be wondrous greate,
Besides a forked taile heav’d up on highe
As if it threaten’d battell to the skie.
The Rumor of this fearefull prodigy
Did cause th’ effeminate multitude to cry
For want of great Alcides aide, and stood
Like People that have seene Medusas head.
Great was the greife of hart, great was the mone,
And great the feare conceaved by every one
Of Hydras hiddeous forme and dreadfull powre,
Doubting in time this Monster would devoure
All their best flocks, whose dainty wolle consorts
It selfe with Scarlet in all Princes Courts.
Not Iason nor the adventerous youths of Greece
Did bring from Colcos any richer Fleece.
In Emulation of the Gretian force
These Worthies nine prepar’d a woodden horse,
{147} And, prick’d with pride of like successe, divise
How they may purchase glory by this prize;
And, if they give to Hidreas head the fall,
It will remaine a plat forme unto all
Theire brave atchivements, and in time to comme,
Per fas aut nefas, they’l erect a throne.
Cloubs are turn’d trumps: so now the lott is cast:
With fire and sword to Hidras den they haste,
Mars in th’ assendant, Soll in Cancer now,
And Lerna Lake to Plutos court must bow.
What though they [be] rebuk’d by thundring Iove,
Tis neither Gods nor men that can remove
Their mindes from making this a dismall day.
These nine will now be actors in this play
And Sumon Hidra to appeare anon
Before their witles Combination:
But his undaunted spirit, nursd with meate
Such as the Cecrops gave their babes to eate,
Scorn’d their base accons; for with Cecrops charme
Hee knew he could defend himselfe from harme
Of Minos, Eacus, and Radamand,
Princes of Limbo; who must out of hand
Consult bout Hidra, what must now be done:
Who, having sate in Counsell, one by one
Retorne this answere to the Stiggean feinds;
And first grim Minos spake: most loving freinds,
Hidra prognosticks ruine to our state
And that our Kingdome will grow desolate;
But if one head from thence be tane away
The Body and the members will decay.
{148} To take in hand, quoth[495] Eacus, this taske,
Is such as harebraind Phaeton did aske
Of Phebus, to begird the world about;
Which graunted put the Netherlands to rout;
Presumptious fooles learne wit at too much cost,
For life and laboure both at once hee lost.
Sterne Radamantus, being last to speake,
Made a great hum and thus did silence breake:
What if, with ratling chaines or Iron bands,
Hidra be bound either by feete or hands,
And after, being lashd with smarting rodds,
Hee be conveyd by Stix unto the godds
To be accused on the upper ground
Of Lesæ Majestatis, this crime found
T’will be unpossible from thence, I trowe,
Hidra shall come to trouble us belowe.
This sentence pleasd the friends exceedingly,
That up they tost their bonnets, and did cry,
Long live our Court in great prosperity.
The Sessions ended, some did straight devise
Court Revells, antiques and a world of joyes,
Brave Christmas gambols:[496] there was open hall
Kept to the full, and sport, the Divell and all:
Laboure’s despised, the loomes are laid away,
And this proclaim’d the Stigean Holliday.
In came grim Mino, with his motly beard,
And brought a distillation well prepar’d;
And Eacus, who is as suer as text,
Came in with his preparatives the next;
Then Radamantus, last and principall,
Feasted the Worthies in his sumptuous hall.
{149} There Charon Cerberous and the rout of feinds
Had lap enough: and so their pastims ends.
THE ILLVSTRATIONS.

Now to illustrate this Poem, and make the sence more plaine, it is to be considered that the Persons at Ma-re-Mount were seaven, and they had seaven heads and 14. feete; these were accounted Hidra with the seaven heads: and the Maypole, with the Hornes nailed neere the topp, was the forked tayle of this supposed Monster, which they (for want of skill) imposed: yet feared in time, (if they hindred not mine Host), hee would hinder the benefit of their Beaver trade, as hee had done, (by meanes of this helpe,) in Kynyback river finely, ere they were awares; who, comming too late, were much dismaide to finde that mine Host his boate had gleaned away all before they came; which Beaver is a fitt companion for Scarlett: and I beleeve that Iasons golden Fleece was either the same, or some other Fleece not of so much value.

This action bred a kinde of hart burning in the Plimmouth Planters, who after sought occasion against mine Host to overthrowe his undertakings and to destroy his Plantation; whome they accoumpted a maine enemy to theire Church and State.

{150} Now when they had begunne with him, they thought best to proceede: forasmuch as they thought themselves farre enough from any controule of Iustice, and therefore resolved to be their owne carvers: (and the rather because they presumed upon some incouragement they had from the favourites of their Sect in England:) and with fire and sword, nine in number, pursued mine Host, who had escaped theire hands, in scorne of what they intended, and betooke him to his habitation in a night of great thunder and lightening, when they durst not follow him, as hardy as these nine worthies seemed to be.

It was in the Moneth of Iune that these Marshallists had appointed to goe about this mischeifous project, and deale so crabbidly with mine Host.

After a parly, hee capitulated with them about the quarter they proffered him, if hee would consent to goe for England, there to answere, (as they pretended,) some thing they could object against him principall to the generall: But what it would be hee cared not, neither was it any thing materiall.

Yet when quarter was agreed upon, they, contrary wise, abused him, and carried him to theire towne of Plimmouth, where, (if they had thought hee durst have gone to England,) rather then they would have bin any more affronted by him they would have dispatched him, as Captaine Shrimp in a rage profest that hee would doe with his Pistoll, as mine Host should set his foote into the boate. Howsoever, the cheife Elders voyce in that place was more powerfull than any of the rest, who concluded {151} to send mine Host without any other thing to be done to him. And this being the finall agreement, (contrary to Shrimpe and others,) the nine Worthies had a great Feast made, and the furmity[497] pott was provided for the boats gang by no allowance: and all manner of pastime.

Captaine Shrimpe was so overjoyed in the performance of this exployt, that they had, at that time, extraordinary merriment, (a thing not usuall amongst those presisians); and when the winde served they tooke mine Host into their Shallop, hoysed Saile, and carried him to the Northern parts; where they left him upon a Island.