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The Affembly-Man.

Written by Mr. Sam. Butler, and Sir John Birkenhead, in the Year 1647.

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N Affembler is Part of the States Chattels; nor Prieft, nor Burgess, but a Participle that tharks upon both. He was chofen, as Sir Nathanael,becaufe he knew leaft of all his Profeffion; not by the Votes of a whole Diocefe, but by one whole Parliament Man. He has fate four Years, towards a new Religion, but in the Interim left none at all: As his Mafters, the Commons, had a long Debate, whether Candles or no Candles, but all the mean while they

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fate still in the Dark: And therefore when the Moon quits her old Light, and has acquir'd no new, Aftronomers fay he is in her Synods; fhew me fuch a Picture of Judas as the Affembler, (a griping, falfe, reforming Brother rails at Waste fpent upon the Anointed, Perfecutes moft thofe Hands which Ordain'd him, brings in Men with Swords and Staves; and all for Money from the Honourable Scribes and Pharifees,) one Touch more (a Line tyed to his Name-fake Elder-Tree) had made him Judas, Root and Branch. This Affembly at firft was a full Century, which fhould be reckon'd as the Scholiaft's Hecatomb, by their Feet, not Heads; or count them by Scores, for in Things without Heads Six fcore go to an Hundred, they would be a new Septuagint; the old Tranflated Scripture out of Hebrew into Greek, thefe turn it into Four Shillings a Day. And these Affemblers were begot in one Day, as Hercules's fifty Baftards all in one Night. Their firft Lift was fprinkled with fome Names of Honour, (Dr, Sanderfon, Dr. Morley, Dr. Hammond, &c.) but thefe were Divines, too worthy to mix with fuch

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Scandalous Minifters, and would not
Affemble, without the Royal Call
Nay, the first Lift had one Archbishop,
one Bishop, and an Half, (for Bifhop
Brownrigg was then but Elect.) But
now their Affembly (as Philofophers
think the World) confifts of Atoms,
petty fmall Levites, whofe Parts are
not perceptible. And yet these infe-
rior poftern Teachers have intoxicated
England (for a Man fometimes grows
Drunk by a Glifter.) When they all
meet, they fhew Beafts in Africk,
and by promifcuous coupling engender
Monsters. Mr. Selden vifits them (as
Perfians ufe) to fee wild Affes fight:
when the Commons have tir'd him
with their new Law, thefe Brethren.
refresh him with their mad Gofpel:
They lately were gravel'd 'twixt Fe-
rufalem and Fericho, they knew not
the diftance 'twixt thofe two Places;
one cry'd twenty Miles, another ten,
'twas concluded feven, for this reafon,
that Fish was brought from Jericho to
Jerufalem Market: Mr. Selden fmil'd.
and faid, Perhaps the Filh was Salt-
Fish and fo ftop'd their Mouths.
Earl Philip goes thither to hear them
fpend; when he heard them tofs their

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National, Provincial, Claffical, Con gregational, he fwore damnably, that a Pack of good Dogs made better Mufick: His Allufion was proper, fince. the Elder's Maid had a Four-legg'd Husband. To fpeak Truth, this Al fembly is the Two Houfes Tiring-Room, where the Lords and the Commons put on their Vizards and Mafques of Religion. And their Honours have fo fifted the Church, that at last they have found the Bran of the Clergy: Yet fuch poor Church-menders muft Reform and Shuffle, though they find Church-Government may a thousand ways be chang'd for the worfe, but not one way for the better. Thefe have lately Publish'd Annotations on the Bible, where their firft Note (on the Word CREATE) is a Libel against Kings, for creating of Honours. Their Annotation on Jacob's two Kids, is, that two Kids are too much for one Man's Supper: But He had (fay they) but one Kid, and the other made Sauce. They obferve upon Herod, what a Tyrant he was, to kill Infants under two Years old, without giving them legal Tryal, that they might speak for themfelves. Commonly they follow the

Geneva Margin, as thofe Sea-Men who understood not the Campafs crept along the Shore. But I hear they threaten a fecond Edition, and in the Interim thrust forth a paultry Catechism, which expounds Nine Commandments, and Eleven Articles of the Creed. Of late they are much in love with Chronograms, because (if poffible) they are duller than Anagrams; O how they have torn the poor Bifhops Names to pick out the Number 666! Little dreaming that a whole Baker's Dozen of their own Affembly have that beastly number in each of their Names, and that as exactly as their Solemn League and Covenant confifts of 666 Words. But tho' the Affembler's Brains are Lead, his Countenance is Brafs, for he Damned fuch as held two Benefices, while himself has four or five, befides his Concubine Lecture. He is not against Pluralities, but Dualities; hel fays it is unlawful to have two of his own, tho' four of other Mens; and obferves how the Hebrem Word for Life has no fingular Number. Yet it is fome Relief to a fequeftred Perfon to fee two Alfemblers fnarl for his Tithes; for of all kind of Beasts none can match

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