A CANDLE For the blind CITIZENS OF LONDON, To see by:  
By a Freeman of the same City, though of neither rank or quality, yet real in heart, fearing God, honouring his King, and a Lover of Truth, Peace, and the Brotherhood.  
With England's farewell from its ancient prosperity, to its new change of misery.  
Printed in the year of blindness, the month of stupidnes, the day of dulness, and the hour of unnaturalness. 1648.   

A Candle lighted for the blind Citizens of London, etc.  
I Know well enough that the Citizen's eyes are not yet opened; for they have not suffered yet sufficiently, nor feelingly; neither do they know that England is almost destroyed, or that their King is secured, or their states wasted, or their fellow Citizens abused, and which is worst of all, their Religion lost, and their God blasphemed; and have they not then need of a candle lighted to see all this by? They might have foreseen this before if they would, they then were but purblind, but now they are quite stark staring blind; it is so hid from their eyes, that they can see nothing at all: Tell me ye Citizens, did ye ever hear of any Nation in the world so abused as this is, and brought into such slavery by their fellows as we are, worse than the Egyptian bondage? was ever any Nation under Heaven so rob of their Religion (their chiefest interest) of their prviledges, of their freedoms, of their liberties, of their rights, and of their estates purchased with their own penny; and yet will sit still, and neither say or do any thing? Surely they have need of a candle lighted to see by: Why where are your hearts become, what is it you fear, are you afraid to speak, than you will never speed? Are you afraid to act any thing? Have you put your hand to the plough, and do you draw back? This is a base cowardice; no, fear not their faces nor their threats; faint hearts never kissed fair Ladies, you know; are you content to open your doors to let thiefs in to cut your throats, or take your goods from you, and never make any resistance? Are your hands so fast tied that they cannot be undone? Do ye fear the Parliament, that they are so mighty, and have the command of Sea and L●nd? If they be, you may thank yourselves for it, who made them so? Did not you send your men and horses, money and plate to them? Wherefore believed you their Orders, Ordinances, Votes? Wherefore pay you Excise and seasments? Wherefore let you them plunder your fellow Subjects, and make slaves of them? For behold how they insult over you, and yet you cannot, neither will you see, and therefore you have need of a candle lighted for to see by: Divisions swarm more and more, without the least control; envy is seen in the faces of men, and Rebellion is fine sport; blood is spilt as water upon the ground, and unnatural and inhuman dealing with one another, is a pastime for such fools: surely if you were not stark blind, you might easily see, or you will not see because you have a finger in the pie; you have wetted your hand in the Excise Office, and that hath got you 2 or 3 hundred a year, when as before your credit was so far lost, that your best friends would not trust you for a Noble: or you have got a Committees place, and that hath set you a cock horse, that you can buy Bishop's Lands, and write yourself Bishop of such a place; when as indeed you were but a broken Usurper; or were it that you were but a poor Clerk of a Committee risen out of a stoake hole, this hath made you a Gentleman, that a good substantial Citizen is feign to stand cap in hand to your Worship's brich; or have you been a Traitor, and hath this made you hold up your head, because you could speak treason in defiance of who dares? Indeed if you have your hands in any of these, or the like, I blame you not for being so blind that you cannot see; but I fear your conscience is not smitten with any such sorrow for such offences, it is seared with a hot iron, 'tis hardened in rebellions, and which way to come off with credit you cannot tell, and so you run on upon the score, and make the breach bigger, till at last you run headlong to hell to the Devil, whose counsel you have lollowed.  
Wherefore ye blind Lord Mayer and Aldermen; O ye dull and stupid Common-counsel men, and O ye besotted and benumbed Citizens, look up and see if you can see this candle burn; hath the two great Lights of the Kingdom shone so bright, that the looking upon them hath dazzled your eyes, and smote you with blindness that you can see no more, that you are as blind as beetles? What means all these delays and excuses? What means this spinning out of time, 'tis only a fine web to catch you in? What means this word so often repeated, we give you thanks? (of which my cat died) after the presenting of your humble Petitions, as you call them: Truly 'tis only to feed you with delays, and to keep you in hand till they have brought about their own ends; know you not, that whilst you humbly petition for peace (they enviously prepare for war) and have thanks given you for your care, and you can go away as content and as cheerfully, and so well fed and refreshed, as if you had been at the best banquet in the world, or got such a purchase not to be valued at? Truly with such toys fools are soon pleased, and thanks is good enough to stop your mouths withal, and so be sent away with a flea in your ear, even as wise as you went: I would make a boy of 7 years old do as good an errand, or I would know a reason wherefore; which makes me think that this candle will give you no light to see by because it is but a candle to the Sun? Yet it may give a little light that you may perceive your condition.  
The whole world looks upon such blind stupidness, the Nations about us admire at your simplicity, that such a reputed City, with wise and valiant Citizens, of such discretion, judgement, wit, policy, and government, should now at last be fooled out, this is not to be borne withal; you are more ready to help and send relief, men, arms, and ammunition, to a company of Rebels, then to relieve a poor Colchester distressed City, from whence many thousands have their wealth; you had rather lose your Merchandise, and trading, and shipping, then to send a little money to his Highness to relieve his wants; you had rather see men and horse listed to fight against you, then to list for your own safety, which if you should do, and be questioned for it, you will cry peccavi, you'll do so no more, and so you will let it fall to the ground, that so an insolent and proud domineering Soldier may undo us all.  
Are you so blind still that you cannot see? take this candle and hold it to your noses; see if you can see; unto what a vast expense have you brought us to, by going daily to Westminster to guard them, that neither fear God or regard man: how is the wealth of this flourishing City decayed? how many thousand of Subjects blood hath been spilt? how many times have you been deluded by bare votes? how many assessments have been made to fetch our money? how many men's estates have been sequestered? how many Bishop's Lands have been sold? how much pole-money, meale-money, and contributions have been given? how much composition money hath been received? how many plundered goods have been so●d? How much plate and money hath been brought into Guildhall, of which we shall never see use nor principal? how many thousand pounds out of His Majesty's Revenues, and out of the customhouse? and how much hath been paid at the excize Office, and many others which my memory fails to speak of? as money gived to the Scots, to the relief of Ireland, the buying of Irish Land, for coals, for collections, and I know not what, and of what one of these can there be a true account given? and yet the Citizens cannot see, and therefore have need of a candle lighted, and if it be but to see how many thousands of souls have been sent to their untimely ends, and for all this our Citizens still run post hast to fulfil every command of theirs and be ready to perform it in as dutiful and respective manner as can be done; which makes me think that the older the Citizens be, the more childish they grow, and that great men are not always wise; for who would have thought that the Fathers of the mother City of three Kingdoms should have proved such d●nces, so blockish, and so wedded to their own foolishness, that blindness is their father that begat them, and fearfulness their mother that brings them up? so that now we may bid a farewell to all our former enjoyments, and take up this, lamentation, (and all long of such Asses I had almost said) farewell to the King and Prince; for we have got Thomas and Oliver; farewell Bishops, for we have got Elders; farewell council table, for we have got Goldsmith's Hall; farewell High commission Court, for we have got close Committees; farewell Pattentees, for we have got Excize and sessments; farewell head for we have members; farewell justice, for we have got just Asses; farewell Government, for here is Liberty of conscience; farewell good neighbourhood, for here is base envy; farewell money and Plate, for we have got the public faith; farewell Religion, for we have got superstition; farewell Roundhead and Cavalier, for we have got Shimies and Rabshakehs; farewell conscience, for we have got a Parliament; farewell Lords and Ladies, for we have got Soldiers and their Laffes; farewell Nobility, for we will have all common; farewell Common prayer, for we have a Directory; farewell a preaching Ministry, for we have got prating Cobblers; farewell Pulpits, for we have got Tubs; farewell Saints, for we have got Devils; farewell Loyalty, for here is Rebellion; farewell honesty, for we have got hypocrisy; far well Churches and Chapels, for we have got barns and stables; farewell freedom, for we have got slavery; and farewell citizens, for we are made Asses: Thus we may bid a farewell to all that ever we have enjoyed; for by such means a well governed Kingdom is brought to destruction, and who may we thank for this but the foreheaded Saints that have brought us into such a purgatory, which was wont to be at Rome, but now abides in England? O here is a sweet resurrection, a resurrection to destruction; if we were not blind to see it, for such confusion comes by shaking off loyalty, and joining hands with rebellion; this City hath been the nurse that hath brought it up and dandled it on her knees and give it suck, that it is grown to such a height of impudence that it dares call into question the unspotted life of the Lords anointed.  
I will not prophesy against thee thou great City, but I will be so bold to tell thee, that through thy means and in thee is all manner of wickedness maintained, and thou must speedily-suffer except thou take this candle lighted to see by, for thou hast plotted thy own destruction, and others also; for it is nigh at hand, and thou art sinking; 'tis not the golden chains about my Lord's neck, or the Alderman's, or the great places of preferment that will secure them from vengeance; no but let them rather take ropes about their necks and go to the King of England, for he is a merciful King; and peradventure they may find acceptance; for 'tis high time to leave off dissembling: You have protested, vowed, and covenanted, with hands lifted up to the most high; but neither Protestation, vow, or Covenant will you keep: Take this candle in your own hands and see if you be not a company of perfidious wretches, and blind Citizens: You have troubled your Common Councel-men day after day, and almost whole nights have been consumed in canvasing the affairs of the City, and what hath been produced? ye were as very fools when you made an end as when you began, notwithstanding you had candles lighted to see by: The sweet profits that have come into some of your purses from the Common people hath blinded your eyes that you cannot see, when many a poor creature is turned out of all, and ready to starve, and you stand insulting over them, that men are become wolves to one nother: you have had fourscore fasting days since these troubles, besides other days of humiliation to enlighten your eyes, and yet you are blind, and there hath been 21 thanksgiving days at least, when you have rejoysed and feasted yourselves at divers Hals in triumph, for joy of the (killing) victories of the King's good subjects, as if it were a sport to you to destroy them: and for shame wipe your eyes, that you may see your folly, and leave off your assisting of Rebels, lest you purchase a Rebel's reward both to yourselves and your posterity.  
My candle is out.  
FINIS.