RELIGIONS COMPLAINT To the honourable Ladies of Scotland, lamenting for the torn estate of that Kirk and Kingdom.  
 
REmark (Madams,) remark my mourning mood,  
I am Religion, who was borne in blood,  
In blood I grew, and as I first began,  
I fear my last gasp like the Pelican  
Shall be in blood; for at the World's first hour,  
When on this earth there lived but only four,  
Even then for my sake One of that small band,  
His blood cried vengeance at my Father's hand:  
And then when men increased and multiplied,  
I was by mortals basely vilifyed,  
For which it pleased my Father in his wrath,  
To send a flood that swallowed up the earth,  
Eight persons only safe, (O fearful case)  
Neglect of me destroyed all humane race:  
And yet this hideous deluge in short space,  
Was straight forgot by mortals wanting grace.  
Thereafter for my cause great wars began,  
That merciless and cruel hearted man  
Did dreg the Infants from their mother's wombs▪  
Made suckling's cradles to become their tombs,  
Ravishing women, wasting every Land,  
Burning fair buildings against God's command,  
Defacing Temples, and monuments rare,  
Acting all wrath without remorse or fear,  
And let me (tender Ladies) make complaint,  
It calms a woeful heart when woes get vent)  
And let me tell what wrongs, what injuries,  
What foul disgraces, and what calumnies  
Which I have suffered, and all those that love  
My Name; to hear it, it would quickly move  
An heart of flinty stone to melt in tears,  
To retrograde it would compel the spheres,  
Yea, it would cause the red Sea part asunder,  
To hear my griefs, which do surpass all wonder:  
And you (chaste Dames) let tears fall from your eyes,  
To hear me tell my dismal Tragedies:  
When first from Egypt I was put to flight,  
With six hundreth thousand warriors of might,  
I was pursued by Pharaoh▪ where, if I,  
Had not been saved by God mirac'lously,  
I had been perished: yet in end I ●…and  
For cursed Egypt a Canaan land:  
Then was I taken in a little space  
By Nebuchadnezer in most base disgrace,  
And kept in bondage as a lawful prize  
While Zedechiah wanted both his eyes:  
Then did Antiochus o'er me tyrannize,  
Discharged my offerings, and my sacrifice.  
Yea, my own countrymen the jews, I mean,  
When as the Saviour of the world was slain,  
Gave me a deadly blow, and for that blow  
The Romans did their kingdom overthrow,  
Did make them slaves, and did them all disperse,  
Like vagabounds throughout this Universe.  
Then after Christ came Arrius with his word,  
And in my belly thought to have sheatht his sword,  
Yea with the venom of his stinking breath,  
(I mean his doctrine) he infect the earth,  
He kindled such a great combustious fire,  
That kingdoms against kingdoms did conspire,  
And altars against altars contradicted,  
And all that loud me were with death afflicted,  
So that in end I was perforced to fly  
From Asia forfeare of cruelty  
To Europe, where I did in heart suppose,  
To find safeguard to save me from my foes,  
No sooner had I feeble footing got  
In Europe, but I was constrained to troth,  
And for to pack me hence with diligence,  
For the proud Persians with all violence,  
The barbarous and bold Arrabians  
The Ethiopians and Assyrians,  
This omne-gathrum rout of rudest rascals,  
Are called Saracens the Turks damned Vassals,  
They seized upon me under this pretence,  
To get renown and high pre-eminence,  
To Mahumet, and to his Koran,  
To drown my Name in deep oblivion.  
And had not GOD with Godfrey ta'en my part,  
I had been gone in despite of my heart:  
At length to Scotland I betook myself,  
Where, for three hundreth years space and an half,  
I was most truly both professed and preached,  
And to the people most sincerely teached,  
While that Rome with her filthy stinking puddle  
(For which I still her anathem and wouddle)  
Polluted my fair Sanctuaries all,  
And to blind superstition made me thrall.  
Until the time brave Knox, my Darling dear,  
Brought from Geneva reformation here,  
And Norman Leslie, everiewhere renowned,  
Gave Beton for my cause a gasping wound,  
And ever since I have remained among you,  
And for my sake no man had power to wrong you,  
And whiles the French with the Italian,  
The Swisser with the lofty proud Alman,  
The Turk with Christians, Africa with Spain  
The Persian with the Turk in high disdain  
Waged war: yet still my all-protecting Grace  
Remained with you in plenty and in peace:  
Yet all those straits, and all those torturing toss,  
Which I have tried, Laughed them o'er as sport;  
But now alas, I'm wounded to the death,  
Since my defender Charles, my life, my breath,  
Hath taken arms against you for my sake,  
My swelling heart will quickly burst and break,  
Unless I whisper in his gracious ears,  
That my meek soul abhors all jars and wars:  
I do not love mad Vulcan's reuthlesse thunders,  
Nor yet no battles massacrizing hunders.  
An olive branch sent with a Dove of peace,  
Is all I beg most humbly from his Grace:  
Both land and people are his own: and here  
He was begot, borne, bred for many a year,  
here is the root of all his royal race,  
here rocked in his cradle was his Grace,  
here did your Ladyships with tender hands,  
Invest his Highness in his swaddling bands,  
And here when as his Grace began to weep,  
With sweet balowes you lulled his eyes asleep,  
And so it doth surpass all sense and wit,  
To think his Grace ●an his own soil forget,  
And to storme-foorth his princely wrath on babies,  
On widows, orphans, maids and sakelesse Ladies▪  
The prudent heathen, (as records imparts)  
Did love their country dearer than their hearts:  
Creta, great jove did love above all lands,  
And juno liked Samos fruitless sands,  
Apollo did the flowery Tenedon  
Despise: and als the zephyrus Claron,  
But his sweet Delos where Latona lies  
He loves above all earth beneath the skies,  
Ulysses loved his Mountain highland soil,  
Ithace, where no pleasure is but toil.  
As dear as Creta was to jouè, we know,  
As dear as Samos was to rich juno,  
As loving as the kindly Delos be  
To bright Apollo: so the same are ye  
Unto your Prince: or else I wish a rope  
Who loves not, may prove their horoscope.  
Then (thou JEHOVA) who all King's commands▪  
(For all their hearts are hammered by thy hands)  
It's thou that made them Gods on earth, we ken,  
Yet thou hast said, that they shall die as men.  
Teach him to fling Rome's frogs, my foes, away  
And pacify his royal rage, I pray.  
By P. M.  
FINIS.