The history of the rook and turkeys.

THE HISTORY OF THE Rook and Turkeys.

ROyalty and Dominion, and Fealty and Obedience, are those necessary Institutions for the support and pre∣servation of Order and Society in the World, that they seem design'd for the Oeconomy of the whole Creation: And Prerogative and Subjection are not only found among Birds and Beasts, but we may trace down a Soveraign Head even to the Hive and the Ho∣ny-Comb, in the very Jurisdiction of a poor Plantation of Bees.

As Authority and Servitude, therefore, are those Universal Bonds of Communion; our present small Treatise, tho' great Theme, is a Select and Compendious Collection of the Ethicks, Politi••ks, and Administration of some late Reigns, within the Airy Principality, the Empire of the BIRDS.

In a certain rich and fat Northern Soyle, long had there reign'd a Succession of Royal EAGLES; and so reign'd, with such a Constitution of Mo∣narchy, as best aggrandiz'd the Soveraign, and best eased the Subject: For where Love and not Fear obeys, is the Prince truly Greatest; and where the Links of Duty and Submission are Bracelets, not Fetters, is Subjection truly lightest and happiest.

To make this Aquilinary Soveraignty thus Great, and withal, thus easie; the Grand Coun∣cil of the STORKS, those ever pious Patri∣ots, that carry their aged Sires on their Backs, were always call'd in as Assistants to this Supreme Administration: And thus joining in the com∣mon Sanction and Boundaries of Command and Homage, the whole Precepts and Rules of their own Duty and Obedience, nothing could more contribute to the general Felicity, than this Ʋnion and Consort of Government.

The Eagles, whilst they thus govern'd, truly carried the Thunder in their Talons, being the universal Darling Majesty at h••me, and no less universal Terror abroad. But when any irregu∣lar mistaken Ambition of extending their Power too far, put 'em upon too large a stretch of Wing, the Popular Jealousie was always so wakeful and ever so dreadful to such Insults and Encroachments, that the too aspiring Soarers still fail'd in their Hopes. For Instance of old, when the Royal Aquilinaries fluttered too high, and prey'd too sharp, how often have the Insurrecti∣ons of the whole Noble Faulconry made Head a∣gainst them, to many a torn Plume, bloody Beak, and broken Talons between 'em? Witness the Purchase of their Great Forrest Charter, and the rest of their ample and spacious Rangeries, ob∣tained at no less than the price of their Blood. For, indeed, to sum up the whole Genius and Souls of this Northern Colony, they could ne∣ver

brook either Cover or Cage-door to their Great Aviary. The free and open Air were the Birth-right they challenged, and even the poor∣est Rustick Poultry claim'd that asserted Property to chuck in their own Roofts, and crow at their own Barn-door.

But of all our boasted Strength and Glory, the fair Effects of this great Royal Ʋnion, no∣thing could equal the once Illustrious VIRGIN Eagle's Reign, that Miracle of Imperial Sway, so link'd in all her adoring Subjects Hearts, that all the singing Quires, the universal Musick of the Fields, on every Bough chirp'd round her. 'Twas then, and by that influencing Ascendance, her bold Commission'd DRAKE dealt forth her flaming Vengeance, and made that glorious Conflagration, that blazing Pile of her crusht Foes, as rendered the trembling Universe her Vassal. Could any fluttering Neighbour, round her, grow too Proud or Insolent! No; the Great Virgin Terror soon clipt his Wings; more espe∣cially, if any impudent Water-Fowle pretended to make the least Hover within her own sole Soveraignty, the great Fence-Moat round her Aviary.

But, alas! this National Happiness was a Blessing too great to be Immortal: During her long happy too short Reign, indeed, it lasted. But, oh, what sudden Fall from all that Gran∣deur! Her too Hen-hearted Talonless Successor, so dwindled all our Native Awe and Greatness, so poorly shed his Beak, so suffered the whole crowing Neighbourhood to grow upon us, as entayl'd that miserable descending Patri∣mony to his too unhappy Heir. Unhappy in∣deed! for what betwixt his natural Aversion to the great Storkery, his too passionate Fondness of some bloated-feather'd Favourites, and the too deep Resentments of his over-jealous Homagers, (the both sides too fatal Frailty) that violent and tremendous Irruption broke forth, as ended not till it not only dismounted, but embrued their bar∣barous sacriledgious Fury in the poor bleeding Eagles Veins, and drove his young pittied Eaglets into a wretched wandring Exile; whilst a whole Nest of croaking Ravens percht the Royal Cedar, and an usurping barbarous Griffon, that party-compound Monster, fill'd the Throne. 'Tis true, to give even Treason and Infidelity their due, he carried Terror, the dread of Nati∣ons, with him; but Right and Justice, those Fairest Plumes of Power, were wanting. Till Heaven, at last, in pity to our Sufferings, as he had raign'd in Storms, dislodg'd him in a Whirl∣wind; summon'd the roaring Elements to his Exit, and lowr'd the gawdy Pageant; his despised, now no longer formidable Relicks, reserved only to be hung up a Scare-crow on a Perch, and his Crest advanced to a Pinnacle.

But now the too long mourning Aviary, with flagging Wings and murmuring Notes, all drooping saw their too mistaken Folly, and watching the blest occasion (a too poor Expi∣ation) of gathering up the Spoils of Majesty, and restoring the too long borrowed Regale Plumes, assisted by aiding Miracles, recall'd the banisht Eaglets. But, oh, what ecchoing Triumphs re∣ceived them! The Dove and the Olive-branch, the Swallow and the Spring, came 'ore with them. Now Royalty and her great Eagle was once more remounted; and so remounted, so met, so wel∣comed, those thousand thousand Chanticleers to greet him, that nothing was thought too rich to deck his shining Nest, at this more than Phoenix Resurrection; insomuch, that that profuseness of Joys carrest him, that upon all Occasions our opening Hearts never thought the plucking of our own richest golden Feathers too much to pleasure him.

With this general Harmony in the great Aviary, never was a fairer opportunity presented, for the Royal Eagle to recover the ancient Renown and long lost Glory of his Ancestry; and by fol∣lowing the famous Virgin-President, have copied, if possible, beyond the Original. And, indeed, never was more Occasion for pushing for that Re∣covery, or patterning from that Example. For it was in this Reign that the neighbouring Tyrant VƲLTƲRE began to feed his wild Ambition, and gorge with that Spoil and Rapine as threat∣ned the whole Western World. The Imperial remoter Eagle already felt his Pounces; and all the weaker Neighbourhood, round him, were daily craven'd and dastarded before him. And though the common foreseen Danger might pos∣sibly come last to his door, yet our Weak-ey'd Royal Eagle, either not able to face the Rising Sun before him, or disolv'd in his supiner Ease and Luxury, look'd not so far beyond him as to¦morrow; instead of opposing and reducing this too formidable Incroacher, rather animated and assisted his Ambition: And though elected the

common Arbiter General, so far derogated from that Trust and Character, as to promote rather than check the spreading Desolation; whilst not only scarce a young Noble Faulcon among us, but either flusht his Talons, and all our young Cock∣eril sharpened their Spurs in the great Vultures Cause; or else by a more shameful too spreading Degeneracy, our daily debasing Breed from the once Glory of the Cock-pit, now, R — s ad Exem∣plum, were dwindled only to Heroes at a Hen∣roost.

But above all, for the full Consummation of our Calamities (Hinc illae Lachrymae) our Royal Eagle himself moulted all his own Royalty to imp the Vultures Wings; and all by an unaccountable Fondness and Servility to that very unhospitable Nest that once most shamefully refused his own Exil'd Foot and wearied Wing a Resting-place.

But if all these Infelicities attended this Dar∣ling Administration, what melancholy face of Con∣fusion must the following Reign produce? Here, (meminisse horret) what too just Fears surrounded us. Now all the old Church-Daws were all upon the Flutter and the Wing for the re-building their ancient Nests again. The Owl-light Sculk∣ers and Night-bats flew in open day; nay, Legates and Embassies were posted over to the Tripple-comb'd Peters Cock, to invite him to his old Roost again among us; and already he began so to crow upon us, and his Maudlin-Harpyes Claws had fixt so fast; and a hundred other of his Porcupine-quill'd Sharpers were so brooding, as gave us a fair Sample of what we must expect. And all these extravagant Irregularities acted with that hardy Crest and strutting Tail, that with a perfect Estridge Stomach we digested even Vows, Oaths and Honour, as easie as Nails and Pebbles. And what between a Henpeckt Ascen∣dance over him, and his own natural Infatuation, to what poor Shifts did our descending Eagle stoop? Nay, it was shrewdly to be suspected, that even a false Egg was hatcht for an Inheri∣ting Eaglet.

But not to dwell too long on so ungrateful a Theme. 'Twas enough, that the inevitable approaching Danger so frighted the whole Avi∣ary, that for their own Preservation they im∣plored the Succour of a new generous CHAM∣PION Eagle to take Wing, and speed over for our Protection. How the whole Choristers of the Grove saluted their welcom Deliverer, is so fresh in Memory, as not to want a Repetition. Let it suffice, that what betwixt a Crest-fall and a Crop-sick shame and confusion, our great Despairer poorly wheel'd off for Shelter under his too long darling Vultures Wing, and left the great abandon'd Cedar, the Meed and Reward from the unanimous grateful Storkery, to our young bold Eagle and his fair Royal Mate. Now all our Frights soon vanisht, whilst the whole Grove were all secure of singing their own native Ayrs, past all the threatning Danger of being either Peter-cock'd-claw'd or Vulture-co••pt Cage-birds, or having false Whistlers over us, or false Notes taught us. Liberty and Safety in their new Hal∣cyon Flight, those now unravisht Philomels, cou'd sing without the Thorn at their Breast. In short, the whole old Nest was all dismantled, and the great Cockatrice-Egg all addled.

And now the whole Face of Empire changed. The too lately and too long idoll'd Vulture, now grown the universal Odium; with a Defiance worthy the great Aviary, from Cooing and Bill∣ing, and all our former Galless Turtle-play, re∣viving Glory begun to sharpen up her old rusty Gafflets, and whet her blunted Beak. Our now truly Royal and only Long-wing'd Eagle, led forth to foreign Fields of Honour: And though flying at a too head-strong Game, (our own only Fault, the Flight begun no sooner, and the Quarry so over-grown) yet despising Dangers, Odds and Inequality, made those impetuous Flights at the bold Vulture, that never was Clash more fierce or Grapples more terrible. Nay, there was once a Day, when had our shrinking Reer but seconded our bolder leading Front, their whole Glory had been struck down before us, and the whole Field of Prey been all our own.

And 'twas now our Royal Eagle, by the great Virgin Example, set forth our second great Ocean DRAKE, his bold deputed Thunderer, who in that memorable Scene of deathless Glory, drove their whole flying Craven-Flock like so many dared Larks before him, shamefully sculking home, with all the Wing that Fear cou'd make, for Covert for their Coward Heads; where in the face of the whole trembling Vultury, he put fire to the Coop, and set 'em a blazing.

Such was the Glory of that Illustrious Day, and such the Worth and Honour that atchieved it. Yet even such Worth, though solemnly congra∣tuled

by the acknowledging Storkery, however not able to tune his Ayrs with the Great Bull-Fi — h, was laid by: And his devested Power lodg'd in a Tripple Succession of new chosen Fa∣vourites. These promising new Darlings, resolv∣ed to out-fly their ••redecessor, were for carrying their Thunder even to the Vultury's own Door. But oh the sad Fatality of defeated Hopes! Alas! fall'n short of all those towring Wonders, they came too late; for the Penn was empty, and the Birds were flown. But Miscarriage never wants Misfortune for a Plea; some pretended to prat∣tle, that want of Provant might possibly retard their otherwise nimbler speed; some stickt not to say, that possibly some Canary Birds might per∣haps have too much Rape in their Troughs, and yet want a little Hempseed, or so: but that Shadow vanisht, and that Calumny was clear'd. However, whatever impeding Obstacle hinder'd, as whether not unhoo••ed in good time, or not whistled off soon off, or what else, &c. so it was, that they only took a long Rovers to no purpose, only shook their wanton Bells a little, and so home again: For as we said before, the Birds were flown.

Flown! did I say! and good reason too. For instead of dry Buffets and hard Beaks at home, they had a fatter Prey and an easier Game a little farther abroad. For about this time from our Aviary was a great Turkey Drove design'd to tra∣vel that way; head••d by a Leading ROOK and a small attending Rookery, (a too slender Guard against such potent Talons) that at that very Pass, with their unweildy Bulks and wealthy Feathers must run full into their Months; For whose waited Reception these keen Expectants lay ho∣vering. I confess, this travelling Rookery and his Rich Charge, had several Months before been pre∣pared for their Movement; but some Stop or other still kept them in their Coops, and this was the only Hour of Departure.

No sooner were they set out and past Recal, but the whole publick Out-cry was waken'd, and alarm'd at their Danger. The affrighting dread of a Decoy rais'd a hundred untuneable Murmurs, even to blame both the Gosselin-poll-Coop ma∣sters and Aviary-keepers; and the modestest Reproach was, to call it a Buzardism. Their Fears, alas, were but too just. For the poor un∣wary Rook and his long heavy-pinion'd Train fell into the Snare. 'Tis true, in this dismal Sur∣prize, and seemingly total Prospect of Ruin, just ready for the Cormorant Gorge before us, we had a little more than Ordinary (I might say) almost miraculous Deliverance. For unless a few of our Neighbours Fellow-travelling Flock, that, by moving in the Van, were a little too near their Reach and Gripe, and so fell into their Talons, 'twas our more especial Happiness so to amuse by a false Appearance of our Strength well rang'd and well manag'd (our Rookeries prudent After∣game) that under the umbrage of that Amuse∣ment, and the Terror it rais'd, we secured our Retreat. In short, we made all that nimble Wing as to slip home; only 3 or 4 Stragglers that run into a Friends Coop too weak for shelter, were under those hard Apprehensions, as to be forced to play the Dop-chicks, and duck under Water for their Safety: And one or two of them had the Misfortune to have some of their Upper-tire Feathers singed; and a good shift they got off so.

But had the Vulture made a Home-swoop, and seiz'd the whole Quarry, (as God knows he was little less than Cock-sure of us) good Heav'n, what a swinging High-Tory Feast would he have furnisht, with so many fat well plumed Pouts, for the Great Bird of his own Feather, his own dear Brother of Prey at the Turkey-Port! Nay, the JAC-Daws round us fell a chattring at no small rate, and so tickled their Gizzards and Merry-thoughts, and hooted our Success, as is past Imagination. Nay, a more fatal Consequence attended us (for those Cacklers at home we did not so much value:) How did the Parraquets abroad, and all the tat∣ling Gallick Magpyes buz this defeat to Mahomet's Pidgeon, to the scandal of the Royal, and the pre∣judice of the Imperial Eagle; by boasting the only Vanity they wanted, viz. The Length and Strength of Their Pounces and Talons, and the Shortness and Weakness of Ours.