A most pithy exhortation delivered in an eloquent oration to the watry generation aboard their admirall at Graves-End, by the Right Reverend, Mr. Hugh Peters, doctor of the chair for the famous university of Whitehall, and Chaplain in Ordinary to the high and mighty K. Oliver, the first of that name as it was took, verbatim, in short hand (when he delivered it) / by Mercurius Pragmaticus. Nedham, Marchamont, 1620-1678. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A52761 of text R12200 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing N397A). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 13 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A52761 Wing N397A ESTC R12200 13127071 ocm 13127071 97843 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A52761) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 97843) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 746:42) A most pithy exhortation delivered in an eloquent oration to the watry generation aboard their admirall at Graves-End, by the Right Reverend, Mr. Hugh Peters, doctor of the chair for the famous university of Whitehall, and Chaplain in Ordinary to the high and mighty K. Oliver, the first of that name as it was took, verbatim, in short hand (when he delivered it) / by Mercurius Pragmaticus. Nedham, Marchamont, 1620-1678. Peters, Hugh, 1598-1660. [2], 6 p. s.n.], [London? : 1649. Attributed to Marchamont Nedham. Cf. NUC pre-1956. A satire. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. eng Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649 -- Anecdotes A52761 R12200 (Wing N397A). civilwar no A most pithy exhortation delivered in an eloquent oration to the watry generation aboard their admirall at Graves-end. By the Right Reverend Nedham, Marchamont 1649 2651 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 B The rate of 8 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the B category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2004-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2004-07 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2004-10 Judith Siefring Sampled and proofread 2004-10 Judith Siefring Text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A MOST PITHY EXHORTATION Delivered in an Eloquent ORATION To the watry GENERATION Aboard their Admirall at Graves-end . By the Right Reverend , Mr HUGH PETERS , Doctor of the Chair for the famous Universitie of Whitehall , and Chaplain in ordinary to the High and Mighty K. OLIVER , the first of that name , as it was took , verbatim , in short hand ( when he delivered it ) By Mercurius Pragmaticus . Printed in the Year , M.DC.XLIX . A MOST PITHY EXHORTATION DELIVERED In an Eloquent Oration to the watry Generation aboard their Admirall at GRAVES-END , &c. My true Trouts , as ever water wet , I Have hungred and thirsted to lift up my voice like a Trumpet amongst you , and to pour forth my spirit upon you ; for ye are all flesh , and that 's frail ; but I must teach your hands to war , and your fingers to fight : And that you may the better remember my words , I mean to force them in with a malin-spike , e'ne just as ye splice a Cable . I understand you are very willing already to undertake this great work ; and the better to incourage ye , I intend to clear your consciences of all scruples that may seem to hinder your cheerfulnesse in the businesse : Ye know , honest harb , I have been at New-England , and am not now to learn the difference between a dry Cabin , and a great storm ; for my own part , I had enough o' nt : I had cast the platform of this blessed deliverance , which we now enjoy , in that sanctified soyl , and could not rest till I came home to put it in practice : Our work is now in the Finishers hands by Land , and now we must pin our faiths upon your shoulders for our Sea successe ; it behoves you therefore to stand to your tackling , for ye are to fight against principalities and powers : That Reprobate , RUPERT ( to give the Devil his due ) is able to fright ye all into an auger-hole ; but bear up your heads stifly , do'nt ye run away like water-rats , stand to your pease-pottage lustily , there 's pork enough aboard to make brewis till ye eat and split again : 'T would make a mans teeth water to think of your good bouls of lob-lolly and fat poor-Jack upon fish-daies . But enough of this ● now to come to ye , as I told ye , having cleared this point , I mean to handle the second part of my division in the same tune : Ye know we have been long oppressed with that Arch-Traitor , the King ( they may thank my Councel , or his head had been on to plot mischief against the Saints to this day ) but I think we are rid of him now , I was fain to stablish the heart , and strengthen the hand of the cowardly Executioner , or else the Fellow had melted into Malignancy , for fear of that Scarcrow sentence , Touch not mine Anointed ; but I hope t is better his head 's of , then that this generation of Prophets should have had any harm . Blades , I think ye are sufficiently instructed in these state principles , I shall now come to ye in a word of commendations ; I could have spoke a few Latin sentences to ye , that has all your good qualities stowed in a little room , but those was learnt in the time of Egyptian bondage , only to have fitted me for a cringing Conformist ; and in this time of clear light and liberty , t is a language as detestable , as hard to be understood : I must therfore tell ye at length , in words issuing from a meek heart , that I love a tarpauling , for these four good qualities . First , because they pray so fervently when they are in danger , though they swear as devoutly when the storm 's over ; and truly however it appears , they have the gift of the spirit in them , that they will take so much pains to pray at all . Secondarily , as for their Religion , so for their honest dealings ; for I never knew any man complain of them without a just cause , only the Custom-house-waiters have wink'd at many of their pretty passages between ship and shore . Thirdly , for their ingenuity ; for they are commonly as cunning horsons as can be , and can over-reach the Devil , or a Broker , the length of a hawser . Fourthly , for their courage ; for they 'l do more mischief with one Demi-Culverin , then Cromwel can with a whole Troop of Dragoons ; and one bottle of strong-waters will make a ships gang do more execution , then 100 fire-locks ; they 'l fight with all the Turks in Christendom , if they get them once between wind and water : I know lads , you cannot chuse but laugh to think what fine sport there will be betwixt you and the Princes ships , 't will be bisket and beverage to you to be together by the ears with them , and then some of ye may see the wonders of the deep : I could speak nothing but 〈◊〉 and crackers , fireworks and granadoes , murderers and brasse basses , Cannons and confusion to ye , to make ye in love with the thoughts of a sea-fight ( such a one as I never saw , nor I hope never shall ) but that I know y'had rather hav 't ▪ then hear on 't : In the mean time , consider with your selves , and take comfort in 't , 't will be a godlier sea-fight then that between your Ancestours and the Spanish Armado . You have all the pillars of truth to support you in the Cause , and those are as strong as can be established by Act of Parliament ; and I hope you have more grace then to build your faith upon any other foundation ; for the Scriptures , if they be not with us , they shall not seem to be against us ; for I believe your Ministers are not to learn how to stretch them home enough at sea , as well as at land . Again consider , but what store of brave purchase there wil be instead of pay for you ; for they say the Rebels are richly laden , and if you can but scape knocks , and come off with credit . I 'le get the Moderate Intelligencer to canonize ye for brave fellows ; and Harry Walker shal every Friday write your Admirals names in Hebrew , that their fames may be read backwards : For my own part , I am resolved to take half a score texts out of the volume of your victories , and preach whole pulpits ful of fire and smoke against your adversaries , the wooden horse Cavaliery enough to make a Church stink as bad as Paul's dores of horse pisse . For your Admirals , they are all men of valour , and love to defie danger as little as you doe ; only it wil not be fit that they should hazard their persons in the face of a fight ; but it wil be more necessaay , that they go to Councel in the Hould , whilst you bustle above Decks : They are men of as good government as an Ordinance of Parliament can make them , and I hope you 'l say , that can set all things to rights ; or else how could we have hit the way hither ? I am confident you cannot but love them for their sakes that sent them ye , and for my sake that commend them to ye ; and you know I do not use to praise honest men to their faces ; they were begotten by the Army , created by the Parliament , and dub'd by the right reverend Committee of Derby-house , and I think all these are able to make four sea guls : I doubt not but they 'l use ye as wel as as they can find in their hearts ; if ye corrupt them to run away with you , you may chance venture a neck-cracking together , if ere you be caught again . I think I have perswaded you to obey every body that I think fit ; and when you feel the fruits of my good councel working , I make no question but you 'l remember me when you go down into your Kingdom : Yet know in the times when superstition and tyrannie raged like the raving of the waters , your consciences were chain'd from flying into your faces , with two inseparable links of Allegiance and Supremacy , and you groan'd under the heavy weight of those oppressive burthens : Now ye are at ease , and have free liberty to swear to be true to no body ; for indeed oaths are profane , and not fit for tender consciences , that can brook any thing but obedience to their betters ; a solemn engagement after the newest fashion , wil best become men of your reformed tempers , and that to be done without Book ; for I know good letters are too hard for your discretion , only when they are delivered to you by word of mouth , you can swallow that wil stick by the ribs ; for you are men of memory , or else how could so many Masters and Mates chaulk out their observations for a whole voyage , without pen , ink , or paper ? Pray send 's news when y' are gone , whether ye sink or swim . For your Wifes , I hope the Army are resolved to take care that they shal not catch cold in your absence ; and for your goods that you make prize on , you must consign them to your dear friends of the Admiralty , who intend to put them out at interest to increase a common stock against you come to fight with them . Now judge my Masters , if you have not a gracious Parliament , and a charitable Army that intend to make the best of you , and your Wifes , that they can . I shall say no more in this particular , for I suppose you have faith enough in them to be saved harmlesse by them : I shall only speak a word or two to the wiser sort amongst ye ( which wil be enough a conscience to make ye all run horn-mad to do mischief ) and that 's this , Be sure when you meet any of those rogues , that you tack about , and get to lee-ward of them , and then you may pepper them with smal shot ; I know the advantage of old , for a good device ; for though I am now a fresh-water Chaplain , I can spit salt-water sentences in your mouths , that will comfort your stomacks in a morning fresh and fasting , as wel as a dish of burnt brandy-wine . For your ships , I think they are wel rigged , or the Devil 's in them ; y' have as good beer aboard , as ever wet whistle ; Colonel Pride can give ye an account of more grains and hops spent in the brewing on 't , then his belly will hold . For pease to your pork , all the hogs in England cannot feed upon better ; and I think you love hogs should feed as wel as you : or else how would ye have pork fat enough to make your mouths ladder on both sides like a washing-boul ? Your beef wil be so tender within this month you may suck it with a quil , or the murrin was in 't ; for I am sure some of the Purvers for the Fleet went over hedge and ditch to pick and choose good Cattle , and sometimes they found the Country-men had hid them in ditches and odd corners , and there they lay as stil as Loaches , for fear of being knockt o' th' head . For your bread , if there be not store of maggots in 't by this time , Harry Scobel shall draw up an Ordinance to set your Baker on the pillory ; for you know the sweetest Bisket wil fil your mouths ful of sirrop , and fatten your kidneys : I think the Parliament has took as great care for your temporal food , as for your spiritual diet , or else they would ne're have sent me hither to preach such crums of comfort to ye ; I hope you wil love them ; if you cannot love them for Gods sake , love them for my sake ; and if you cannot fight for them for their own sakes , fight for your selves and be hang'd , so ye do good any way : I am sure ye had never more need to look about ye , for there 's few enough that takes any care for ye ; your own wives are resolved and ye be such Cowards never to come , they 'l ne're cry for ye , and your children wil have more grace then to own ye for Fathers , without ye prove your selves Cromwel's boyes , and come off gallantly . And now mad-caps steer steady , starboard , for if the Ruffins chase ye out of compasse , they 'l make sherks meat on ye ; I would have ye pick Ocum enough , as you go out , for you 'l have work enough to stop leaks if e're ye meet with your matches ; and pray when ye lye in harbour , have your Fore-Castle clear , that ye may cut cable upon any occasion , and then blow wind , run ship , one suit of sails wil do more service then twenty brasse-pieces ; I think you cannot say but I have ballanc't ye wel with good docrements , and caulk'd ye with good councels ; and now 't is time to turn you a drift ; I have nothing more to say to ye , but charge ye to remember to pray to the Parliament to prosper your proceedings , and I 'le give ye one of their last Declarations to use for a Service-Book ; I hope this is Sermon enough for ye as long as ye live , if ye make a good use on 't : And so fare as well as ye can , for we had as good part here , as in a worse place ; I hope to see ye again , if not in a better place , yet in another world ; and so I leave you , I 'le have this Speech printed and sent down to ye very shortly , that ye may con it as perfect as your compasse , and then I shall be with you in spirit , though I be absent in the flesh . Copia vera , concordans Originale . FINIS .