A SPEECH Spoken to His EXCELLENCY The Lord General Monck. AT SKINNERS-HALL On Wednesday, being the 4th. of April 1660. At which time he was nobly entertained by that Honourable Company. Written by Thomas Jorden.  
I Can forbear no longer, out it must,  
If I shall prove ingenious or Just.  
I have with wary eyes observed your steps  
Your stands, your turns, your pauses and your leaps  
And find (how ever you may mask your brow)  
You are a Statesman, and ambitious too,  
A right Self-ended person, for be't known  
Yours and the public safety, are all one  
You are ambitious to be good, that feat  
Our Statesmen missed, for they were to be great.  
But yet, as Solomon made that choice, which  
Commanded all, wisdom shall make you rich,  
And great, and glorious, and these shall last  
As long as Time, and after Time is past.  
When such as have their country's Rights betrayed  
Shall receive pay, in Lucifer's Brigade.  
My Lord, I scorn to flatter, I'll be trae t'ye,  
All the good deeds y'have done, are but your Duty,  
But yet your hand stretched in Jehovah's name  
Hath snatched three burning Kingdoms from the flame.  
Our Laws, our Liberties, or what to us  
And all Mankind, may be held precious,  
Was at the Stake, this Action hath out run  
All thought; we cannot tell you what y'have done  
Nor you yourself, it may not be expressed  
Till divers years have made it manifest:  
Those ravenous Beasts that our destruction wrought  
When Church and State were to the bare-bone brought  
(praise God) you ransomed, and (without a Club)  
Beat down the daring Doctrine of the Tub  
The sinking Pulpit too You did restore:  
Our Apron Prelates must come there no more;  
And now the Ironmonger will not rush in  
But cease to make an anvil of the cushion,  
This you have done quite unknown to the Silly  
Prognostications of Booker and Lilly;  
Who know not (with all help their Arts can do)  
What 'tis guides Charles his Wa●ne so well as You▪  
But I forget my Message, Sir by me  
This faithful Hospitable Company  
Doth bid you Welcome, welcome as the Spring  
As you yourself would Welcome home— the THING  
We all expect, without the which each Nation  
Subsi●teth only by Anticipation.  
These ten or twelve years our three Kingdoms have  
Lived in a darkness equal to the Grave,  
Stifled for want of Breath until the bright  
Beams of your presence gave a little light,  
'Tis yet but Twilight, could we gain the Sun,  
And the clear wholesome Air the work were done;  
You can dispel these Mists, and make all fair,  
We sue for nothing, but the Sun and Air.  Spoken by Walter Youckney. 
FINIS.  
Whereas there are three several Pamphlets in Verse, Pretended to be spoken to my Lord General at Skinners-Hall, The Reader is desired to take notice, that this is the true and only Speech made to his Excellency there.   

LONDON, Printed by Thomas Leach.