Canidia, or, The witches a rhapsody, in five parts / by R.D.

CANTO VII.

Ours are Robbin-Hood, Whipping-Tom, and all the Lines Of Bloody Guelphs and Gibbelins. We were at the Sycilian Evensong, To Paris Massacre we did throng, Where Blood and Wine were spilt and drank; Good store, to play a wedding Prank, Upon St. Bartholomew his score; For that trick, Trust him no more.

Peter Ramus, after all their Looks, Thou wast found hid under thy Books. Varlets all gone, but one, he had a Charm, Alas poor Scholar, felt thy Cushion warm. Thou diest a Scholars death with all thy Logick; Was not this a gallant Frollick! A Marshal, and brave Souls, had their lot That dismal Night, to go to th'Pot.

The Powder-Treason, Eighty Eight, All the Conspiracies of late.

We built the Scaffold for a King, Before his House of Banquetting; After long baiting, out of breath, Brought to his Door to feast on Death. One kept on's knees, pray'd for good luck, Whilst the Fatal Blow was struck.

Bajazet's Cage, and Pompey's Boat, Where the Egyptian cut his Throat; Seneca's Bath, Phalaris Bull, The Trojan Horse, believ't that wull; The groaning Stairs, the Starving Vault, With the Lamp everlasting fraught; The Sack thrown in the Sea, fast tyed, With Dog, Ape, Viper, Cock and Parricide.

Jack Straw, Wat Tylar, Perkin, Simson, Went for Princes clad in Crimson, Till we brought them to the Spit, Or Gallows, to learn more wit. John-a-Styles, and John-an-Okus, Jack Tredescan, Hocus Pocus. Jugglers, Gypsies and Trepanners, With neither Honesty nor Manners; Every Son or Mothers Daughter, Of Rogues and Rascals follow after.

At the Black Rock, the Northern Pole, We fish for huge Whales and Cajole. All the white Greenland Bears, To fall together by the ears. There's a sad rout; we leave them for meat For Fins and Laplanders to eat. We meet and welcom at a day, All the Monsters of Africa.

We whisper in a Rain-Deers ear, And read a Lecture to a Steer; Then up we get upon their Bums, Soaring i'the Air and knitting Thrums: Many a deadly stitch we fetch, In Nets and Noozes Men to catch. Oh 'tis brave Sport, the trade we drive, To kill all the Bees in a Hive.

We gather all the poys'nous Grass, That grows upon the Hills of Brass; In Springs and Lakes, and Rivers sides, At Low Water and Spring Tides; In Woods and Grotto's, Sands and Rocks, We scratch our Rumps and tear our Smocks To find out deadly Drugs and Simples, For the Plague, Poxes or Pimples.

These we distil, and temper wisely, And give Doses at hours precisely; Under such or such a Star, Or Aspects for Peace or War; Kind or Malignant, Quartiles, Trines, Either for good or bad Designs. The Face of Heaven is fair or foul, According as we smile or scowl.

The Twelve Houses by us are haunted, The whole World by them's enchanted; Ascendents, Lords and Ladies of the Hour, All influenced by our Power. In Zeniths, Azimuths, and Nadirs, In Almacantars we are Traders; We square the Circle, double the Cube, Find the Degrees of Longitude.

The Ptolomaick and Copernick Spheres, Set 'Stronomers together by the ears. Pixes, Plots, Charts, Globes and Maps, Give Demonstrations by haps; So do Galilean Glasses, Quadrants, Loxodromi for some Vagrants; Schemes, Horolgies, Horoscopes, Astrolabes and Telescopes.

In Laboratories zealous Fire, The Chymists Limbicks we inspire, To firk up Salts, fix'd or volatil, Spirits of Silver, Gold and Steel, Sulphur and Mercury dance in a wheel; Egyptian Mummies, and the Moss Of Dead-mens Skulls purged from Dross; Elixars, Quintescential Draughts, Raising Sallets, and such like Crafts.

Fusil Marble, Glass malleable, Aurum Potable and Friable; The Rare Inventions that are lost, We recover without cost. Otacousticon's Screws and Springs; Automaton's Self-moving Gins: The Oil of Everlasting Lamps, The Art of killing, killing Damps.

Flowers of Ashes, many Feats Of Dry and Moist, of Colds and Heats; Jumbling blind Nature too and fro, And Metamorphosing her too. Come before her and behind her, You shall not know where to find her.

Her Secretaries and her Masters, Turning and winding her in all Disasters.

Panpharmacon's Elixar vitae, Extractions high and mighty; Hunt Nature out of her Bow'r, By Calcining every hour: Ferret her out of sculking places, Vertumnus like, changing her Faces: In all things striving to out-do her, Yet for all this th' are glad to woe her.

Changing her shapes, and in a Reek, Making her play Hide and Seek; Into prime Atoms her reducing, By Separating and Infusing: Putting her into Fainting-Fits; And scaring her out of her Wits, Till the Artist be left i'th' lurch, With neither Wit, nor Mony in his Purse.

Archimedes, forsooth, lackt a Base, (Be it spoke to his disgrace,) On which if he had stood, he would Have turn'd the Globe round, if he could. Prometheus stole a spark of Fire, To put Life into Dirt and Mire. These are all lamentable Shirks, Compar'd with our Monster-inchanting-Works.

The Sybils Leaves, Mercurius Wand, Jove's Thunder-bolts we can command. The Staining and the Nealing Glass, Spiriting all that ever was.

The size for gilding Balls like Flames, And other Secrets without Names: In Earnest, what was thought a Jest, White Powder, and the Phoenix Nest; Fine Washings, hot Perfumes and Varnish, Imbroyd'ring, and Inlaying Garnish.

The Scarlet Fish, and Gyges Ring, And every Invisible thing. When Spirits fall together by the Ears, To lay them by the Musick of the Sphears; To walk about Incognito, To set a work Robbin good Fellow; To make Fortunatus Cap Of Maintenance, and all good Hap.

To Conjure Spirits under-ground, To find things, that could ne're be found; To renew Age, and call back Years, To free men from all Cares and Fears; To charm the Moon, and stop the Sun, To awaken Endymion. Charm Cerberus, stop Charon's Throat, Drown him in Styx, and sink his Boat.

We cut the Bottom of the Streights, Into the Red Sea, spight of Fates; It could ne're be done before, The Sea threatned to drown the Shore: For India thence we dare set out, Cape-bon-Speranza is about. Frobisher, Anian, Davis North-east-Way, From Nova Zembla to China.

Speak but a word to a Stake, A lusty Fellow it shall make; To bake your Bread, or brew your Beer, To roast and sawce all your good Cheer: Cook all your Pasties, Pies and Tarts, March-pains, and the sweetning Arts; Hogo's, Fricacies, and Oleo's, Gusto's of all sorts, Quarto's and Folio's.

Distill Spirits, raise Perfumes, For Persian or Arabian Rooms. He'l make you Fires, cut Wood, draw Water, Do all the Butchery and Slaughter: Hunt, Hawk, Dig and Delve in Mines, Cut Quarries, Grub-up Roots of Pines; Drive Wagons, Plow, Rowl, Sow, or Harrow, Dung or Marl Land with Court or Barrow.

Clyp, Coyn, Stamp Brass, Cast false Rings, Glass Jewels, and Counterfeit Things. We can neatly Cog a Dye, Or cast a Mist before your Eye; Poyson at an hour, day, or year, Whom you please, far or near: Draw a Rock down with a Twine, Or a Castle undermine.

Stop a River, Drain the Ocean, Swallow Cities Bragadocian. One of us can keep a Town, Defeat an Army, Steal a Crown. Venetian Treasure we did Rob, 'Twas a very pretty Job.

Stop Breaches, Scale Walls, Choak a Gun, Shoot White Powder, make 'um run, Follow 'um, pull 'um down, never a done.