A panegyric TO HIS MAJESTY, ON HIS Happy Return.  
By THO. Fuller B. D.  
LONDON, Printed for John Playford at his Shop in the Temple, 1660.   

A panegyric On HIS majesty's HAPPY return.  

1.  
AT Wor'ster great God's goodness to our Nation,  
It was a Conquest, Your bare Preservation.  
When 'midst Your fiercest foes on every side  
For Your escape God did a LANE provide;  
They saw You gone, but whither could not tell,  
Star-staring, though they asked both Heaven and Hell.   

2.  
Of foreign States You since have studied store,  
And read whole Libraries of Princes o'er.  
To You all Forts, Towns, Towers and Ships are known,  
(But none like those which now become Your OWN)  
And though Your Eyes were with all Objects filled,  
Only the Good into Your Heart distilled.   

3.  
Garbling men's manners You did well divide,  
To take the Spaniards wisdom, not their pride.  
With French activity You stored Your Mind,  
Leaving to them their fickleness behind;  
And soon did learn, Your Temperance was such,  
A sober Industry even from the Dutch.   

4.  
But tell us, Gracious Sovereign, from whence  
Took You the pattern of Your Patience?  
Learned in Afflictions School, under the Rod,  
Which was both used and sanctified by God;  
From Him alone that Lesson did proceed,  
Best Tutor with best Pupil best agreed.   

5.  
We, Your dull Subjects, must confess our crime,  
Who learned so little in as long a time,  
And the same School, thus Dunces poring looks  
Mend not themselves, but only mar their Books.  
How vast the difference twixt wise and fool?  
The Master makes the scholar, not the School.   

6.  
With rich conditions ROME did You invite,  
Hoping to purchase You their PROSELYTE,  
(An empty soul's soon tempted with full Coffers)  
Whilst You with sacred scorn refused their proffers.  
And for the FAITH did earnestly 
* Jude 3. Contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints.  CONTEND  
Abroad, which now You do at Home DEFEND.   

7.  
Amidst all Storms, Calm to yourself the while,  
Saddest Afflictions You did teach to smile.  
Some faces best become a Mourning Dress,  
And such Your Patience, which did grace Distress,  
Whose Soul despising want of worldly pelf,  
At lowest ebb went not beneath itself.   

8.  
God's justice now no longer could dispense  
With the Abusing of His PROVIDENCE,  
To hear success his APPROBATION styled,  
And see the Bastard brought against the Child.  
[Scripture] by such, who in their own excuse  
Their Actings 'gainst God's Writings did produce.   

9  
The Independent doth the Papist shun,  
Contrary ways their violence doth run,  
And yet in such a Round at last they met,  
That both their SAINTS for 
* Witness a Sermon.  MEDIATORS set;  
We were not ripe for Mercy, God He knows,  
But ready for His justice were our Foes.   

10.  
The Pillar, which God's people did attend,  
To them in night a constant Light did lend,  
Though Dark unto th' Egyptians behind;  
Such was brave Monk in his reserved mind,  
A Riddle to his Foes he did appear,  
But to Himself and You, Sense plain and clear.   

11.  
By Means unlikely God achieves his End,  
And crooked ways straight to his Honour tend;  
The great and ancient Gates of LONDON Town,  
(No Gates, no City) now are voted down,  
And down were cast, O happy day! for all  
Do date our hopeful rising from their fall.   

12.  
The Matter of Your Restitution's good,  
The Manner better, without drop of blood,  
By a dry Conquest, without foreign hand,  
Self-hurt, and now Self-healed, is Our Land.  
This silent Turn did make no noise, O strange!  
Few saw the changing, all behold the Change.   

13.  
So Solomon most wisely did contrive,  
His Temple should be still-born though ALIVE.  
That stately Structure started from the ground  
Unto the Roof, not guilty of the sound  
Of Iron Tool, all noise therein debarred;  
This Virgin-Temple thus was seen, not heard.   

14.  
When two Protectors were of late proclaimed,  
Courting men's tongues, both missed at what they aimed,  
True English hearts did with just anger burn,  
And would no echo of GOD SAVE return:  
Though smiling silence doth Consent imply,  
A Tongue-tied Sorrow flatly doth deny.   

15.  
But at Your majesty's first Proclamation,  
How loud a Stentor did invoice our Nation?  
A Mouth without a Tongue was sooner found  
In all that Crowd, than Tongue without a sound;  
Nor was't a wonder men did silence break,  
When Conduits did both French and Spanish speak.   

16.  
The Bells aloud did ring, for joy they felt  
Hereafter sacrilege shall not them melt.  
The Bonfires round about the Streets did blaze,  
And these NEW LIGHTS fanatics did amaze:  
The brandished Swords this Boon begged before Death,  
Once to be showed, then buried in the Sheath.   

17.  
The Spaniard looking with a serious Eye,  
Was forced to trespass on his Gravity,  
Close to conceal his wondering he desired,  
But all in vain, who openly admired.  
The French, who thought the English mad in mind,  
Now fear too soon they may them Sober find.   

18.  
The Germans seeing this Your sudden Power,  
Freely confess another Emperor.  
The joyful Dane to heaven's cast up his Eyes,  
Presuming suffering Kings will sympathize.  
The Hollanders (first in a sad suspense)  
Hoped, that Your Mercy was their Innocence.   

19  
As aged Jacob with good news entranced,  
That Joseph was both living and advanced,  
The great surprise so deeply did prevail  
On the good Patriarch, that his Heart did fail,  
Too little for to lodge so large a joy,  
For sudden happiness may much annoy.   

20.  
But when he saw (with serious intent  
To fetch him home) the wagons his Son sent,  
That Cordial soon his fainting Heart did cure,  
'Twas past suspicion, all things than were sure:  
The Father his old Spirits did renew,  
And found his fears were false, his joys were true.   

21.  
Such Our Condition: At the first Express  
We could not credit our own Happiness;  
Told of the Coming of Your MAJESTY,  
Our fainting Hearts did give their Tongues the lie.  
A Boon too big for us (so ill we live)  
For to receive, though not for GOD to give.   

22.  
But when we saw the ROYAL FLEET at Dover,  
Voted to wait and waft Your Highness over,  
And valiant Montague (all virtue's Friend)  
Appointed on Your Person to attend,  
joy from that moment did expel our grief,  
Converted into slow, but sure belief.   

23.  
Th' impatient Land did for Your presence long,  
England in swarms did into Holland throng,  
To bring Your Highness home, by th' Parliament  
Lords, Commons, Citizens, Divines were sent:  
Such honour Subjects never had before,  
And hope that never any shall have more.   

24.  
With all degrees Your Carriage accords,  
Most lordlike Your Reception of the LORDS,  
Your Answer with the COMMONS so complied  
They were to admiration satisfied;  
Civil the CITIZENS You entertained,  
As if in LONDON Born, Y''ve there remained.   

25.  
But, Oh! Your short, but thick expressive lines,  
Which did both please and profit the DIVINES,  
Those Pastors, when returned to their Charge,  
For their next Sermon had Your words at large,  
With some Notes from Your Practice; who can teach  
Our mitres by Your Living what to preach.   

26.  
The States of Holland (or Low-Countries now)  
Unto Your SACRED MAJESTY did bow,  
What Air, what Earth, what Water could afford  
Best in the Kind, was crowded on their Board:  
And yet, when all was done, the ROYAL GUEST,  
And not the cheer, He, HE did make the Feast.   

27.  
Th' officious Wind to serve You did not fail,  
But scoured from West to East to fill Your Sail,  
And fearing that his Breath might be too rough,  
Proved over-civil, and was scarce enough;  
Almost You were becalmed amidst the Main,  
Prognostic of Your perfect peaceful Reign.   

28.  
Your Narrow Seas, for foreigners do wrong  
To claim them, (surely doth the Ditch belong  
Not to the common Continent, but Isle  
enclosed) did on You their Owner smile,  
Not the least loss, only the NASEBY mar'ls  
To see herself now drowned in the CHARLES.   

29.  
You land at Dover, shoals of People come,  
And KENT alone now seems all CHRISTENDOM.  
The Cornish Rebels (eight score Summers since)  
At BLACK-HEATH fought against their lawful Prince  
Henry the Seventh, which place with Treason stained  
Its Credit, now by Loyalty regained.   

30.  
Great LONDON the last station You did make,  
You took not it, but LONDON You did take:  
Where some, who saved themselves amongst the crowd,  
Did lose their hearing, shoutings were so loud.  
Now at Whitehall the Guard, which You attends,  
Keeps out Your Foes, God keep You from Your Friends.   

31.  
Thus far fair Weather on Your Work attended,  
Let showers begin now where the sunshine ended.  
Next day We smiled at th' weeping of the Skies,  
With all Concerns how Providence complies!  
The City served, next followeth the Village,  
And, Trading quickened, God provides for Tillage.   

32.  
One Face, one form in all the Land appears,  
All (former Foot) now horsed to CAVALIERS.  
As for Your Enemies, their cursed Crew  
Are now more hard to find out, than subdue.  
'Tis very Death to them, they cannot die,  
Who do know whence, not whither, for to fly.   

33.  
France flouts, Spain scorns, and Italy denies them  
Any access, the Dane with Dutch defies them;  
Unto New-England they were known of old,  
And now no footing for them on that mould.  
Rich Amsterdam (the Staple of all Sects)  
These bankrupt Rebels with contempt rejects.   

34.  
Thus cruel Cain, who pious blood first spilled,  
Was Pursevanted after by his Guilt,  
With MURDERER imbranded on his face,  
Kept his Condition, though he changed his place:  
wandering from Land to Land, from shore to shelf,  
His guilty Soul ne'er wandered from itself.   

35.  
Let them themselves in unknown Lands disperse,  
Or if they please with cannibals converse,  
Like unto like, that all the World may see  
KING-KILLERS and MEN EATERS do agree:  
In no Land they'll increase, 'tis nature's love  
Unto Mankind, all Monsters barren prove.   

36.  
Long live Our Gracious CHARLES, Second to none  
In Honour, who e'er sat upon the Throne:  
Be You above Your Ancestors renowned,  
Whose Goodness wisely doth Your Greatness bound;  
And knowing that You may be What You would,  
Are pleased to be only What You should.   

37.  
Europe's Great ARBITRATOR, in Your choice  
Is placed of Christendom the CASTING VOICE;  
Hold You the Scales in Your Judicious Hand,  
And when the equal Beam shall doubtful stand,  
As You are pleased to dispose one Grain,  
So falls or riseth either France or Spain.   

38.  
As Sheba's Queen defective Fame accused,  
Whose niggardly Relations had abused  
Th' abundant worth of Solomon, and told  
Not half of what she after did behold:  
The same Your case, Fame hath not done You right,  
Our Ears are far out-acted by our Sight.   

39  
Your SELF'S the Ship returned from foreign Trading,  
England's Your Port, Experience the Lading,  
God is the Pilot; and now richly fraught,  
Unto the Port the Ship is safely brought:  
What's dear to You is to Your Subjects cheap,  
You sow●d with pain, what we with pleasure reap.   

40.  
The most renowned EDWARD the CONFESSOR,  
Was both Your Parallel and Predecessor,  
Exiled He many years did live in France,  
(From low Foundations highest Roofs advance)  
The yoke in Youth with patience he bore,  
But in his Age the Crown with honour wore.   

41.  
The COMMON LAW to him the English owe,  
On whom a better gift You will bestow:  
That which He made by You shall be made good,  
That Prince and people's rights both understood,  
Both may be Bankt in their respective station;  
Which done, no fear of future Inundation.   

42.  
Oppression, the King's EVIL, long endured,  
By others caused, by YOU alone thus cured:  
GOD only have the glory, You the praise,  
And we the profit of our peaceful days,  
All foreigners the pattern, for their State  
To envy rather than to imitate.   
FINIS.