THE PARLIAMENTS Thanks to The city: For their kind compliance with them in all their Treasons from time to time committed against His majesty's honour, crown and dignity.  
DEDICATED. To the loyal and treacherous Citizens; the valiant and cowardly Citizens; the wise and foolish Citizens; the wealthy and poor Citizens; the square and Round-headed Citizens; the honoured, and the Horned Citizens.  BY Mercurius Melancholicus: 


YOu loyal Citizens,  
I call you as you were,  
In times of old till now,  
For many a hundred year.  
What is the reason now  
you are disloyal grown,  
And have forsaken quite  
The royal English crown?   

You Treacherous Citizens,  
I call you, as you are,  
How comes it so to pass  
that you with Indas' share?  
Blot out your Dagger now  
your Arms their chiefest grace;  
Jack Straw in stead shall put  
his Thatching-Knife in place.   

You Valiant Citizens,  
I call you, as you were,  
Time out of mind, until  
this present Conquering year:  
It pities me to see  
how heartless you are grown,  
That dare not budge nor stir  
for to preserve your own.   

You cowardly Citizens,  
I call you a● you are,  
Our miseries they increase,  
be sure you shall have share:  
How beardless boys do tread,  
(the world will laugh to see)  
Your honour in the dust,  
with shame and obloquy.   

You wise grave Citizens,  
I call you as you were,  
Whilst you yourselves maintained  
your privileges clear:  
My heart doth burst to see  
your King, your Laws, your Rights,  
Abused, infringed, o'erthrown  
all by your oversights.   

You foolish Citizens,  
I call you, as you are,  
Of Goods, of Rights, of Lives,  
you shall be stripped bare;  
Where are your eyes become?  
you cannot see at all  
How near you are unto  
a lamentable fall.   

You wealthy Citizens,  
I call you as you were,  
Whilst in protection you  
were of your sovereign dear:  
But now the case is altered  
the clean contrary way,  
Your Riches are become  
the plundering soldiers prey.   

You poor base Citizens,  
I call you as you are,  
In what a case are you?  
how mean, how vile, how bare?  
What you yourselves have got,  
nor you, nor yours enjoy.  
Dam-me it's mine will swear  
some upstart soldier's boy.    

The second Part.  
To the same Tune.  

Square-headed Citizen●,  
I call you as you were,  
Whilst you the helm of justice  
most equally did steer,  
But now your giddy heads  
have turned you all so round,  
Of Law, or of R●lig●on  
we can have nothing found.   

Round-headed Citizens,  
I call you as you are,  
For by your orbed forms,  
You put all out of square:  
The Kingdom quite undone,  
Yourselves shall not escape,  
Expect no further bliss,  
but Murder, Theft and Rape.   

You honoured Citizens.  
I call you as you were,  
Whilst you reserved a strength,  
to keep yourselves from fear;  
But all your holds are lost,  
by your grave wisdom's pates,  
If you your Houses keep,  
It's more than is your fates.   

You horned Citizens,  
I call you as you are,  
What cockolds could endure  
corrivals thus to share?  
Content I do confess,  
It is a wittols part,  
Let nothing i have said,  
pray strike you to the heart.   

Farewell kind Citizens,  
all things but Horns are dear,  
And no one may we thank  
but you, for this same gear.     

A Challenge From KENT, And the Counties of Surrey, Sussex, Essex and Hertford-shire; TO The city of LONDON, for her treachery ready to be undone.  
TAme, cowardly, Kuckoldly Citizens; that for your Treachery and Disloyalty are grown shameless before men; perjured before God, traitors to your King; Robbers and murderers to your country; a reproach to your Religion, a dishonour to your Nation, and a hissing to the whole world; the chief Protectors, upholders, and Abbetors of traitors, Murderers, thieves, and schismatics; and a paymaster unto them that are over head and ears in Blood, Tyranny Rapine and Oppression; That have made London (once the phoenix of the world, that burned in loyal flames to sovereignty, till it renewed its honour with its Age, and its Prosperity with its Peace; a city at unity with itself, that feared God, honoured the King, were obediently governed by his laws, and became Rich and happy in all blessings whatsoever;) Till you with the superfluity of your Moneybagges have waged traitors in Rebellion against your lawful King, to the undoing of all the Kingdom; turned your city (once the Paragon of Beaut●,) into the Pa●tern of Deformity; your phoenix into an owl, to be whooted at by all Nations, and made the crown and Pride of England, (by your treachery) to be the scarecrow, and scorn of the world.  
We the long abused People of England, that now justly take up Arms to redeem our King, Religion, laws and Liberties of the Subject from the Tyranny and Arbytrary cruelties of a Factious and overawing Prvalent Party; Will and require you the Citizens of London (as you will recover your cracked credits) to do the like with all convenient speed; Else we shall do our utmost to stop all Provisions from coming to your city; and use the uttermost of our endeavours to reduce both you and your city to the Obedience of his majesty, and all criminaries whatsoever to the trial of the known laws of the Land.  
God save the King.  
FINIS.   

Printed in the year,  
when the city stinks for fear.  
1648.