AULICUS HIS DREAM, OF THE Kings sudden coming TO LONDON. printer's device of crowned eagle on shield (McKerrow 409) LONDON, Printed, Ann. Dom. 1644. AULICUS HIS DREAM. Hollow me phantasy where hast thou been? At Court I have been towering, The plains I have been scouring, On an Errand for the Queen. MY critical part corrects my phantasy, as the sage Father did his son Ovid for making Verses; but my phantasy having borrowed an argument from my Intellectus agens( as they lay in bed together, taking counsel of their pillow) replied; Why what do ye think of the Poets, had they no Judgement? Yes sure, saith Crisis, they that writ in Verse, are to bee reckoned next to them for judgement and wisdom who writ in prose. But to tell you the truth, before the dispute was ended, there was one sent with a black rod( not to dissolve the Parliament at Westminster, but) to charm my sences, and I fell asleep fast, for I was weary of trotting up and down in my Pilgrimage on the errand aforesaid, and yet my Pilgrimage was no pennance because voluntary. In the midst of my refreshing sleep, I fell into a pleasing dream. First, I began to conceive that there was a free passage from Oxford to London, for any Lord, Lady, Laundresse, &c, as if Col. Tompson our learned Littletous Agent, were bribed to make legs and faces for them. Then I pleased myself with the thoughts of the Citizens Propositions for the raising of 20000 men, such as our good friends thought to hire, men that would have done the Queen service enough had they never been pressed to it, or rewarded for it, with the Auxiliaries victuals: Perchance some may say that Aulicus doth tell lies, and dream truths. But as sure as can bee, the Anxiliaries were the confiding men, and yet some good simplo Citizens were willing to withdraw that one meal from these trusty Auxiliaries, who made fourteen meales upon that one meal, that they might disarm, nay starve their friends, and feast their enemies; the truth is, I laughed so hearty at this jest that I had almost awaked myself with laughing. Not long after, there came to my thinking a gallant Trumpeter to London( their grand Garrison) with C. R. upon his breast, who had the favour to ride unblindfolded as far as Pindars pride or Fishers folly, and that very night Henry of the Low-Countreys, I say, not Holland rid out of London towards the royal Quarters at reading; I hope no body hears me, for I dream as softly as if I did whisper, yet I am not willing to whisper some secrets of my dream for fear of being overheard; the Rebels have more whispering places then that of gloucester, a City that God hath blessed the more because our Cavalry have so often cursed it. This dream being over, I fell into a gentle slumber, and afterwards into a melancholy dream, I dreamt full sadly, that Alderman Pennington was to be sent on shipbord, and Sir John Conniers restored to his old Lievtenantship of the Tower by whose motion, I leave to the Reader to consider: pardon me if I dream waking. I remember that Bellarmine( as that Italian said) dreamed once upon a time that he was in Purgatory, but he awaked and found that he was beshit: the Italian spoken plain, and so must I. It is confessed that I have dreamed myself into a fools Paradise, I fancy our condition better and fairer then indeed it is; for I hear that the Citizens begin to grumble, and fear that there is some design upon them, they will have the Tower secured, their Outguards doubled and treble; nay, they are offended that some Ladies are at liberty, some Prisoners released, and some confiding men imprisoned. But the last part of my dream pleased me best: I saw( what within these two dayes some hope to see by day light) the Kings Majesty riding into London in State, attended with— &c. he posted by White Hall and Saint Iames's, and came directly to the House of peers, the Speaker of the House of Commons was sent for, and his Majesty bespoke them after this manner. My Lords, and you Mr Speaker shall see that fulfilled before your eyes upon this happy day, which you have so often begged with prayers and tears. We are now returned to our beloved Parliament of England, and are welcomed hither by the good affections of our Lords, and blessings of our People. You may remember that in our Message on the 8 of April 1642. we did assure you of our Princely resolution to go into Ireland, not declining any hazard of our own Person) that we might perform that duty which we owe to the defence of Gods true Religion, and our distressed Subjects, and might settle the peace of that kingdom and security of this by chastising those wicked and detestable Rebels odious to God and all good men. We offered to raise two thousand foot and two hundred horse in the Counties near Westchester, where we desired that they might be armed from our Magazine at Hull for a Guard for our own Person when we should have come into Ireland, but we could not then prevail with our Parliament to defray the charge of rais ng and paying that our forementioned Guard; And therefore we have since been forced to make use of some of those catholics for our necessary defence, against Anabaptists and Brownists, men we trust equally odious both to you and us. For we have reason to believe, that you do now at last see your own error which you sell into by your causeless jealousies, and some unworthy suggestions of necessity and imminent danger; for we defy the devil to prove that there was any design with our knowledge or privity for the dissolution of this Parliament which we have been ever careful to preserve according to our Act of Grace, our Act for the continuance of this Parliament. We understand that you have now prepared twenty six Articles to treat upon for the settling of a blessed peace in this our kingdom of England: we desire to hear them red, and wee are ready to subscribe them all, which in our understanding( of which God hath surely given us some use) seem fit to be subscribed. Vpon this gracious speech, it was expected that some dutiful Answer should be returned: but the Speaker of the House of peers was no Speaker pro tempore, and the rest of the Lords were in as deep a dream as mine own. The Speaker of the House of Commons was dismissed, and when he came to his chair, he sate ammused; but there started up a western spark, and cried, What Mr Speaker? his Majesty in the House of Peers? a dream or not a dream? Is this the fruit of all our expense of blood, treasure, pains, time, spirits, and lives? Is this the end of all our treating and covenanting? no reformation of religion Mr Speaker? durus sermo; are all the privileges of Parliament, and liberties of the subject lost in a moment? shall we and our posterity be condemned to a perpetual slavery? is there no remedy? I hope you will have such a care of his Majesty as no Delinquents shall have access to his person; I humbly conceive we must desire something which is safer for you to think, then for me to speak. The Speech was ended, but my dream continued: His Majesty went from the House of peers to White-hall, and then all his old Friends( whom Britannicus calls Malignants) made their humble addresses to him, and desired him not to harken to the Propofitions for Peace, they assured him that now he had the greatest advantage of the Parliament that ever he was blessed with; for he could not want Lords, and there might be a quick course taken with ten or a dozen of the House of Commons and then all was cock sure; they certified him that he had a greater interest in the affections of the City then he imagined, for now all Neuters and indifferent men were ready to declare themselves against the Parliament; the zealous men would grow colder and colder every day. But amongst the rest, one in a Fox-furred gown, whose gray hairs made even his iniquity itself venerable, having scratched his crafty pate, and stroked his beard, cried, Sir, if it may please your Majesty to confided in your good catholic Subjects, all will be well; for there are a considerable number of them lurking about this City, and their number is well increased since your majesty came safe to town. Moreover, our Priests have an interest in some Ladies, who call themselves Protestants, and you will find them active for her majesty; divers of them came from Oxford on purpose to serve her at a greater distance, where they might be least suspected. But one word more: Draw up your Army, especially your Irish Regiments as near the City as you can, there will be a course taken to encourage them with money, and in time of treaty they may march far in a night without a forefeet: You understand my meaning, I have opened myself too far to so wise a Prince. I would fain have stepped into the city, but my pleasant phantasy sent my man Morpheus thither, who taking a piece of transparent glass, and standing close in the Exchange soadred the back-side of the glass with a kind of silver-lead, and brought me all the species of the Merchants mindes represented in a fixed and well proportioned image. First there came a Merchant, who in his zeal and gravity, with eyes exalted heaven-wards, seemed to bless God for answering all the good prayers powred forth in the monthly Fasts, for his Majesties happy return to his great council. Next came a rude, but understanding fellow, who interrupted him in his devotions with an untimely jogge, and told him he did but offer up the Sacrifice of fools: for believe it Sir( saith he) unless we take some speedy course, within these 24 hours at farthest, all is lost, all is lost; for( Sir) you know the Committee of both kingdoms is not now sitting, and you know the conjuncture of sad symptoms: and then he run over all the former parts of my unhappy dream from point to point. His brother Merchant was clean put out of his gravity, and began to talk Treason as readily as they use to do at Salters-Hall: Well( saith he) if we had been wise enough to have prevented the Kings coming, all had been safe, but now we must play an after-game: Well, call a common-council, consult the Militia, petition the House of Commons, be wise and valiant, or else all is lost indeed. Just about this time I awaked, and law the Auxiliaries drawn up into a body by an avowed order, I asked the cause, but could not learn it, some said, that divers men of honour and honourable men had engaged their honour, that there should not bee any Tumults or insurrections whilst his Majesty thought fit to stay at White-Hall, and though this sudden appearance of men in arms, looked like an Insurrection; yet the truth was they were raised in an orderly way to prevent all Tumults and Insurrections of any part whatsoever that were disaffected to King or Parliament. But his Majesty was somewhat displeased with this appearance and only sent to his Agents to know what considerable party he had in both Houses, and in the City, and bid them sand in what money they had ready for the encouragement of his Army, for he knew by sad experience, that the City would be backed by all the Adjacent Counteys. ha, am I yet awake, or do I dream still. No, sure I am awake, and all the City of London fast asleep, I will sing and awake them: O the pretty wily Fox, With her many Tricks and Mocks, We will earth her, if you'l but follow: With a prithee treat, prithee treat, prithee, prithee, prithee treat No your treaties are but hollow: Wee'l not treat, you'l but cheat, Advance, advance, they'l retreat: Treaty is treachery, Wee'l not treat, no not wee. Now, they are awake, wee'l pray, God grant that some men be not punished by a grant of their very prayers: Lord, let not the Lords be seduced, the Commons surprised, the City overreached, the kingdom betrayed, by a deceitful Treaty and a false peace: Quantas O quantas vertere domos optantibus ipsis, Dii faciles, &c.— Oxford, Wallingford, Winchester, Basing, Reading, London, bee wise, and be not undone, May 15. 1644. FINIS.