The bloody Game at Cards. As it was played betwixt the KING OF HEARTS. And the rest of His Suit, against the residue of the pack of cards.  
WHEREIN Is discovered where fair play; was played and where was fowl.   King of Hearts playing card 
Shuffled at London, Cut at Westminster, Dealt at York, and Played in the open field. by the Citty-clubs, the country Spademen, Rich-Diamond men and Loyal Hearted men.   

The bloody Game at Cards.  
THe Commonwealth may in many respects be compared to a pack of Cards, wherein there is much shuffling, and by ●he hand of Fortune the four Suits are mingled together, that is the Clubs, the Country Spade men, the rich Diamond men, and the Loyal hearted Subjects that stand for the King of Hearts who challengeth a Pretogative above them all. This King of Heart's desires that there might be fair play above board, and hath made many Declarations and Protestations that He intends all fair dealing, and desires only to be King in His own Commonwealth, and not to be opposed by the Common Cards; But they little regarding what the King of Heart's power is in the game of the Commonwealth, presently began to rank themselves into several Suits and to oppose the King of hearts, and call all the Adherents unto Him malignants; after the Game of the times had thus far proceeded, a quarrel arose between the chief Cards who had packed themselves together against the King & the King of hearts Himself, & the controversy was about the Militia and the Commission of Array which the King of Hearts sets on foot and would maintain it to be good fair play, the Common Cards dissented from it, and alleged that the Militia ought to be in their hands and that there could be no fair dealing in the Commonwealth if the King's Commission of Array went forward, hereupon and upon some ot●e● dissensions the City Clubs made a great tumult and with staves clubs and swords ran to the King of Heart's Hall, and put the King of Hearts into such an aff●●ght ●●a● as Himself doth express in many of His Declarations.  
The City-Clubs coming thus in a mutinous manner made Him cast about how to get away from such a pack of knaves, and so forsaking the City Clubs he purposed chief to repose His confidence in that Suit whereof He and His Father were King, and that was the Loyal Hearts of His other Subjects, and so away the King of Hearts went and by His fair dealing in the Country His suit of Hearts was so much increased that he had soon collected a great Army and under the Ace, which is the true Protestant Religion one in substance and essence, He intended to defend the Liberty of the Common cards, the just Privileges of the Commonwealth, the Laws of the Land and the just government and good dealing therein, and thus the game of the Commonwealth should be well and fairly played on all sides, He stakt His Royal word and called God often to witness How free He was from deceiving His people, and that He would always govern the Common Cards according to the Laws of this Land, de●●ring them all to comply with Him and with hearty affection to follow Suit in maintaining the Liberty of the Subject, and the Protestant Religion which He promised (as He was ●ing of hearts) ever to maintain and defend. But the Common Cards namely the City c●ub●● the Country Spademen and the rich Di●mond-men, would believe nothing of the King of hearts good intentions, but would ●ee●es bring all former quartels to the stake, and in a Batta●le all the Common cards resolved to play about with the King of Hearts in the open field.  
Hereupon the city-clubs ●h●se themselves a King who was indeed a brave noble Earl whose Title is expressed by two of the last Letters, under him there were many other petty Kings of clubs, some in gowns like the Mayor of a City besides a number of others who would needs play Rex in the King's absence so the game of war went on and then there was one company of City ●●ub-Aces or Asles in blue coats, the Deuces were the City Captains, the Trey of clubs was a third Company and they would have laid three to one that they should have done somewhat, the four of clubs was the Tro●ers and horsemen, who chose to be horsemen that they might have four legs to run away fast enough the ●●th was a company of fine young men with ribbons in their hats which they wore in remembrance of their sweethearts the fixed company of clubs were Red-coats and Butchers most of them and these would have laid six to one that they would have be●te the Cavalleirs, the seventh eight and ninth companies, were a mixture of Cuckold's Pimps puny boys broken citizens and unruly prentices. All these went under the King of Clubs. The knave of clubs seeing this great preparation, being a kind of broken merchant having a Roundhead full of ●itty sermons, and loving to talk treason in Taverns being a fellow that scorned all learning and Gentility, and thought himself a king in the parish where he lived, he gave encouragement to the citie-clubs and told them that the King was led away by malignants and evil Counselors, and that He was more than half a P●pist, and he told them they might kill the King and bear arms against the King, and yet fight for the King and Parliament; and he would never call Him the King of Hearts: And moreover the knave of clubs assured them that he would trump the King and win the field from Him, This was no sooner agreed upon by all the City-Clubs, but the Queen of Clubs being the wives of the inferior sort of Mechanics, began to talk in a free manner of the King and His proceed, and at feasts and gossipings the King of Hearts was still made their subject, Nay some thought they could not be got with child enlesse their husbands stood, for the Parliament and did oppose the King of Hearts. And thus the Queens of Clubs were the precise women of the City, the City Clubs were the City soldiers who under the command of the General of Clubs would needs march, out, The Spademen shussled themselves into their number and being country fellows of all suits red and blue and tawny, because they would have all some Colour for their knavery, they have left their Sweet hearts with child in the Country would needs advance forward Some calves came from Essex, some Beef and Bacon eaters from Hartfordsheire, and others from other Counties to defend the Public Faith of the Parish wherein they lived; And were instructed by sermons how to be Rebels against the King of Hearts: The knave of Spades was a kind of an ignorant turbulent fellow that sat in all companies with a bold face and a white staff in his hand, and he went abroad into ●ll Towns and Villages and sought to sow Treason and Rebellion every where, & having ●ead the King's weekly Protestations & Declarations, he would pick out matter enough to make the King of Hearts no King in an Alehouse, and then he would whis●er unto them that as they looked to have any Property in their own goods they should resist the King and His Commission of Array for else by an Arbitrary government they should have a hundred tricks put upon them, and the Country should be all but a company of losing Cards and fit to be cast out of the Game of the Commonwealth, and none should be respected but court cards, that is Papists Malignant's and Parasites, and therefore (said he) Let all true countrymen stand for the Liberty of the Subject the Privileges of Parliament, and the Protestant Religion of our Town, let us carry Pick-axes and Spades, and dig up the two Universities, being profane and wicked Gardens, and also with our Spades let us entrench upon all Authority and Power, and even dig the King up by the Roots, and by the help of the Parliament so Hedge and Ditch in the Commons, that neither I yons nor Asses, that is, the great men of the Commonwealth, nor the Drones of the Clergy may feed upon us, but that Sp●des joining with the other common Cards, may undermine the Sceptre of the King of Hearts, for we Spademen are all kings, by our descent from Adam.  
This being whispered into the ears of the Spademen, they all began to follow Suit in a mutinous manner, to set forth many thousand Spademen against the King of Hearts, having only learned this Lesson from the Knave of Spades, That they stood for the King and Parliament; the greater Spades, that is, the Country Gentry were divided amongst themselves, and men from an hundred to ten hundred a year, were of several sorts and opinions: some followed the Knave of Spades, and would oppose the King of Hearts, and all his Proceed; others shuffled themselves into the Ring's Army of Hearts, and ●●orned to think, that the Spademen should domineer over the Ring of Hearts.  
The Diamond men were rich in Stones of all sorts, and in wealth and treasure in City and Country, and therefore they embraced Rebellion thinking that the Common Cards would defend them. The Queens of Diamons' being Goldsmith's wives, and others that like slow sailing Pinnaces walked along the street by the steering of a prentice for a Pilot, these were shrewd cards against the King of Hearts, yet some were well affected to His Majesty in regard the Courtiers did often pleasure the Cit. e wives with Court-stones which they exchanged for Diamond Rings.  
The knave of Diamonds was sometimes a rich citizen that had broken often, married and wronged many widows, and run through all the ways of City po●cie, and he cried out, 
Silver and gold doth all the world command,  
Therefore for it and not the King I stand.   
This was a kind of witless wealthy knave living and dwelling in all Parishes, these persuaded the Common Cards to play the fools in parting with p●ate and money to win the day of the King of Hearts. So now suppose the three Suits have cut and shuffled and packed the Common Cards into a mutinous mixture of Rebellion; whom would they play against? Not the Bishops they were laid in prison already for fowl play in Religion, the Earie of Strafford had stakt his head for the King of Hearts and lost it, Sr. John Suckling, Mr. Jermy● and other gamesters that had formermerly won much at Dice; yet durst not stand to the par●ede game of the Common Cards: Now those common cards before mentioned would needs Vi & Armis that is with handy strokes against the King of Hearts, His Majesty taking notice hereof and how the common cards had unduely assumed unto themselves to direct and order all things &, like players act their own par●● 〈◊〉 ●●oun er●e●ted Crowns as if they were all Kings, the King of Hearts spoke thus unto His Suit of valliant-hearted soldiers.  
The Sceptre is and must be mine. Unite yourselves to maintain so Honourable so Just a Ca●se, and what one hand cannot infringe, Let many maintain: You have God for your cause, you have me for his second, and since both are together who can oppose us?  
This being said the King's men were all Hearts not only in colour but in courage, So the Game of war began in Kenton field where the Cannons played sorely and many of the Common Cards were lost the King's Suit put tricks upon them but yet were some time shrewdly beaten themselves, the chafing Drum and bragging Trumpet kept away other sounds of dying or flying Cards, in the hea●e of this b●oody Game where all were players none were spectators or lookers on Prince Robert began to play foul play and to plunder the Common Cards and took away their wagons and killed their Waggoners and was not this foul play? But some Gamesters or soldiers may say that Prince Robert's foul play in plundering the wagons was a great help to advance the fortune of that day for otherwise the Common cards had lost more lives if Prince Robert had not employed some troops to pillage the wagons. Well the Game went forward very hotly kill kill was the word instead of play follow suit was truned to fall on upon the right wing thus they continued the Game of war, but the left wing of the Common Cards shown the basest trick that ever was, for they took their wings and fled quite away like beaten gamesters or else ran to the King's side the red Cards on both sides that day performed and played their parts very courageously, But some of the city clubs ran away for knaves will be knaves and towards will be cowards upon occasions, but to say truth there was brave fair Cards on both sides, and such hot play as the like Game was never played in any other Nation; the Frenchman's Pell Mell is but to let out his sweeting humours and make him have a stomach to his meat and a wench, but this game of pe● mel did let out their dearest blood and this letting of blood made them have more courage and stomach to fight, so that the Common Cards lay torn and cast upon the ground, so did the King's Hearts blows being dealt equally in this bloody game; at least they having spent their fury a long time on one another, like strong Gamesters full of money and therefore scorning to yield they retreated and breathed a while intending to have another bout, and from the top of Edge-Hill the king of Hearts viewed the common Cards killing them with murdering eyes full of fury, when they could not reach them with their swords, but at the last considering that they as well as the Common Cards had lost many of their Suits they had no stomaches to play out their losing hands any longer, but to save some of their Cards to make bloody sport at some other time, So they drew stakes for that night the victory being not gotten on either side, but blows enough dealt about both by the foot play and the horse play, when the Game was done the King of Heart's side and the Common Cards side began to count and reckon their loesses, and both found whole Regiments wanting, most of the Red Cards on both sides were lost; many of the Clubs knoc'l down trumped and beaten by the King's Hearts, the country Spademen had rather have been t●●lough or playing at Cards in Alehouse rather than venturing their lives at this bloody and temble Game; so that many of them were lost Cards their commanders rub them on with encouraging words, but yet some of them ran away, and so some of the Diamond men proved themselves counterfeit and when they saw their own red blood, there was nothing red about them but their scarlet coats, for their colour was as pale as if a dish of milk had been thrown in their faces, well a great many of the King's hearts were lost also, but they played their Game without fear and put the noblest best cards forwards. But at last when both sides had counted their Cards some say the common cards lost most, and others that were Gamesters at Kenton field affirm that the King lost more of His Hearts then they did of Common Cards, But indeed it is to be thought that they lost Cards and Cards and though their losses were equal or very near alike. To conclude let's all pray that the like Came may never be played between the Common Cards and the King of He arts, but that all may follow Suit and love Him with their Hearts, 
You Common Cards how durst you play your parts?  
In open field against the King of Hearts.  
We know you win in every Country Town  
Both Pence and Pots of Ale, but against a Crown?  
To stake your Coxcombs, may such Cards, I pray,  
Be burn, that 'gainst the King of Hearts will play:  
For know your Loss is certain, and you win  
Nought but Dishonour, that resist the King.   
This Game hath been played over and over, and although the Clubs make a great d●ring, and think themselves the only Gamesters, they have of late been shrewdly Trumped, witness the last Game which was played at Ciren●ester in Glouc●●●ershire, wherein the Suit of Hearts did play their Game so bravely, and so much whi●k● the other Pack, that there is scarce left a Stock to Deal another Game by; the Diamonds made the Spades their Sextons, and happy was he could get the honour of a private Grave. The Clubs, that played so well at Bradford in Yorkshire, have by Trumping others been so extremely Trumpt themselves, that they desire no longer to be in the number of the Pack.  
It is now thought high time to leave off Playing, for by many after-Games the Pack is grown so poor, that they are unable to Show themselves; and although they believe, in their Losses, that it is but Gamesters hard fortune, yet let them look to it, Fair Playing always carries away the Bell. The King of Hearts, as his Suit is best in Colour and in Courage, so they are such understanding Gamesters, that they will not be taken in any oversight; there are no Bunglers there, nor any fumbling in all their Play, but all expert and cunning Gamesters: it is therefore no wonder if Success doth attend them, and that they still come Winners off in all the Games they Play. The rest of the Pack have therefore done very well and wisely, to crave a Truce of the King of Hearts, who is more willing to forgive them, than they have been apt to oppose him.  
Since they on both sides have him crossed,  
And both have won, and both have lost,  
It now is thought high time of Day  
Friendly to part, and leave of Play.  
FINIS.