The Case is altered: BOTH THY CASE, AND MY Case, and every man's Case.  
With a direction for a speedy present way to make every thing Dog-cheap.  
Printed in the Year 1649.   

The case is altered.  
THere are as many Cases as there are living creatures, the cases of our bodies are our skins, and the case of our souls is our bodies: And as a leaden sword may have a golden scabbard, or a wooden dagger a velvet sheath: so many a fair rich case covers a foul poor carcase, and many a beautiful outside is the case of a treacherous inside; for Lucifer was a bright Angel, Saul a goodly Personage, Absalon fair, and Jezabell of rare and painted exquisite beauty. These were once in very good, (or great) places, and cases, (as many thousands more have been.) But the Pride of one made him a Devil, the disobedience of the other made him a cast away, and desperately kill himself, the Rebellion of the third purchased him a self casual hanging by the hair of his head, and loud crying murder was repaid to the fourth a (murderess,) for she was eaten up by dogs. So that with them the cases or case was strangely altered.  
To take the words of my Title in order as they lie: First THE the words, THE CASE, doth impart the only one main Case, as much as to say, THE CASE of most concernment and consequence IS ALTERED: for as a Bible is a book, so THE Bible is the book of books, to which (in comparison) all other books are but Pamphlets, or as he that calls to his servant to fetch him a Cloak, or his Cloak may perhaps have more Cloaks than one; but he that calls for THE CLOAK, it is to be supposed hath no more but one. The Athenians were great Idolaters, and they erected Altars to a great many ungodly gods; but only one Altar had the Inscription upon it, To THE UNKNOWN GOD: That God was, is, and will be everlastingly THE GOD, He changeth not, nor is ever to have so much as a shadow of change or alteration, but with all things mortal, The case is altered.  
Is, the word says not was (or will be altered) But is in the present Tense, which denotes unto us the continual attendance of our changing Mutability, The case was altered with the four Monarchies of the world, from the Assyrians to the Persians, from the Persians to the Grecians, from the Greeks, to the Romans, and from the Romans (almost) no whither. This Kingdom of England, hath had its case six times altered: First it was conquered by the Bryttains: Secondly, by the Romans: Thirdly, by the Saxons: Fourthly by the Danes: Fiftly by the normans, and lastly (for want of a foreign enemy, we have made a shift to war without a foe) whereby we have most courteously conquered one another, insomuch that there is scarce any one house, name, family or person, either of the Royal Party, or the present Army, (or a Party) but may truly say, the Case is altered.  
It is to be noted that all those great men who had any hand in the kill of Julius Cesar (in hope to destroy Monarchy) did afterwards murder themselves, or die violent, and untimely deaths, the fruits of their attempts were frustrated, Monarchy was remounted, and their Cases altered.  
When Great and Good Families are Metamorphosed into beggars and knaves, and beggars raised to high preferments and rich fortunes, a man may think (though he dare not say) that with both these sorts of people, the case is strangely altered.  
It may be imagined that all England is transformed into one entire Bedlam, or habitation of mad folks, all are not either as they would or should be, no one is fully contented, and most of them will never be satisfied; they come plain of want, they grumble at scareity, and (cut of their Lunacy or Frenzy) in this time of plenty would make us believe every thing is dear, when it is only a mere fantasy of the brain, a Whirligig in the mind, e a squinting, or misty vapour before the eyes, a mere deceptio visûs, or delusion of the sight, which so far stupifies and plunders our wits and senses that we neither feel our comforts, or see our happiness.  
Is it not strange that Wheat should be three shillings the Bushel, and we are so madly blind that we cannot see it, and foolishly dream that we pay ten or eleven shillings for it? Coals (very good sea coals) at three pence the Bushel (at Castela Nova) and we talk idly, that we have lately paid two shillings four pence the Bushel (with other high prices) but we have eaten Charvill, which hath the virtue and operation to make folks think, that every one thing they see, is either double, triple, or four times more than it was wont to be.  
It is not perceived that so many fast days, and days of Humiliation have brought down the Price of flesh, more than Hecatombs of Popish Lents or Ember weeks could have done, all the Vigils (or superstitious Eves) of Saints, the nice observation of them did formerly raise meat to very high rates, whereas the suppressing of them hath brought such a cheapness amongst us, that any one that will buy the best Beef, 〈◊〉 may have a stone for ten pence, and all other things (except Butter and green Geese are as a man may say) dog cheap.  
There is a Cook that dwells in long Acre (two or three houses from the Globe Tavern,) that dreamt he sold a shoulder of Mutton and a Calf's head (with no Bacon) for eighteen Shillings, on Monday the 22 of April last; the Cook believes and dare swear it true, and I thought it very necessary (for the honour of our Lords of misrule, and Masters of mischief) to declare to the world what cheapness and plenty we are brought to by Divisions and Distractions, by which extraordinary happiness, we may believe (as a great many simpletons do) that the Case of three great Kingdoms is in a manner altered.  
But it is beyond the thoughts and Apprehensions of all wise men here, (and beyond Sea) That true borne English men, Loyal Subjects, and professed Protestants would ever so fare degenerate from their profession of fearing of God, or their Allegiance towards their Lawful Sovereign (being a Protestant) as to hunt him up and down, to and fro, to every County of England, to deprive him of all Earthly comforts, to scandal him with venomous Tongues and pens in Pulpits, and written, and Printed Libels, and weekly occurrences, and Roguish Pamphlets: To mock him with a Treaty, and (when Peace was agreed on) to cut His throat at his own door, to share all His houses, goods, Lands, Jewels, and whole estate, to dishinherit Root and Branch, all the Royal posterity, to starve all the King's Servants, such as did never bear Arms, but attend only on his person, according to their Oaths and duties. Me thinks it is impossible for any men to be so Devilish mad to do all these things, (with many more virtuous actions) but I cannot be so sottishly frantic to believe other wise, but that we all are in a dream, for it is beyond all belief, or example, that Christians, English men, Protestants and true Subjects would or could be so fare deprived of Grace, Wisdom, Understanding, Wit, Sense, or common Capacity, as wilfully headlong to precipitate themselves into such, and so many Temporal, and Eternal dangers as such horrid designs must necessarily produce. But these are only mad dreams, as may be fancied, with no more show of truth amongst honest men (except such as either saw, or feel the miseries and mischiefs) than it is for a great Earl to degenerate so fare as to be a Knight of a Shire, or a Lord Major to descend lower, then to the office of an Headborough or Tithingman.  
Charity is a most heavenly virtue, her chiefest delight being still to be doing of good, and in relieving the necessities and wants of the needy: true Charity is never idle, and because she shall not want work, there are fresh and new beggars made every day, but the Proverb says, Charity should begin at home; but where her home is, is a very hard and cold enquiry: It is to be imagined that she is well esteemed, and much made of in the House of Commons at Westminster, for their weekly Historians and Chronologers of their most Honourable Acts and Monuments, do week-ly, moderate-ly, and perfect currently, set forth their abundant love of Charity, for a great part of their Pamphlets do frequently, devoutly, and palpably declare the care and pains there taken for the speedy relief of the poor, and the further increase of Beggars for the Kingdom's honour, the humiliation of the Malignant Party, and the exercise of Charity.  
But suppose there were a dearth, dearness and scarcity of food, fuel, and other things which are the Preservers and maintainers of our Lives, yet there is a special, provident, speedy way to avoid a sudden famine, to procure a present plenty.  
And it is a wonder, that our State-Pollitians have not long ago put it in practice, for it would make them to be more honoured for so charitable a work, then for all the good that ever they have done since their first sitting, and thus it is.  
First if they would consider the great number of Malignants, and the many thousands that are sequestrated: amongst all which innumerable numbers with their Families, their oppressors have not one friend amongst them all. They with their Children, Wives, Kinsfolks, Friends and Allies, cannot be fewer than a million of mouths, and those mouths do eat and feed every day upon such meat as the Godly Parliament and sanctified Army should have: and seeing they are deprived of their livelihood, and means of subsistence to live, It is as just to cut their throats, and take away their lives, and by so doing stop so many mouths at once from eating: and this is one way to stay abundance of S●o●nacks, and to bring down the price of victuals suddenly, besides it will raise more money for the State and Army, by making quick Sale of such small possessions of Lands and Goods, which as yet all those (whom they are pleased to call Malignants and Delinquents) do live poorly upon.  
Secondly, if they would be pleased to hang all the Whores, and Whoremasters in the Kingdom; and that a Committee be appointed for that purpose: And further that the ingenious Harry Martin may be Chaireman to the said Committee.  
And also (if they please) they may take all the drunkards, loiterers and idle vagabonds, and thiefs, Sectaries, knaves and Levellers into the bargain.  
Thirdly, they may do as the Cannibal Brasilians do in America, kill all the old folk's men and women of all degrees, who by reason of their decrepit impotency, weakness, and encumbrances of old age, are but a chargeable pestering and trouble to the State, and little or no pleasure to themselves; and when they have killed them, they may eat them as the Cannibals do.  
Fourthly, they may hang up all the Beggars, male and female, old and young, (blind, lame, deaf and dumb) this is a piece of Charity (for it is better to hang then starve) besides it will be no loss to the State for they can at their pleasure make Beggars at any time, or at all times more than a good many.  
Fifthly, they may play the part of Herod, (not to destroy males of two years old and under) But to dispatch all the females which are not seven years of age, for the feminine exceeds the masculine seven to one, and the Girls outvie the boys more than triple in number, and all those toys do eat and drink daily, and help to make every thing dear. It may be considered that men have more ways to die then natural deaths; but (for the most part) women do seldom die by any casualty of war either by Sea or Land, as men do, for if the women do fight at any time, it is but a kind of Billingsgate Battle with tongue and nails, scolding and scratching, and those conflicts are seldom mortal.  
Lastly, if they would hang up all the Rebels and Traitors, or all the Enemies of the late King, it would be much available for the saving of dinners and suppers; but if they will do none of these things (for the good of the Commonwealth) than they are humbly desired to hang themselves for the case of the Kingdom.  
FINIS.