A dialogue between the Devil & Prince Rupert, written at the Leaguer before Chester upon Ruperts coming to relieve the said city. Published, that those that now are, or hereafter shall engage, as caterers, for the same master, might by this general debenter be the better assured to receive all their arrears both old and new. Written by E. B.

The Devil and Prince Rupert; OR Prince RUPERT the Devils Caterer, for the insatiable gulph or belly of hell; his invite∣ment thereof after Breakfast and Dinner, now at last to Supper; with the Devils Answers and his Replies, as followeth.

GApe hungry Hell, thou'l ne're be satisfied, Thy belly's bottomless and wonderous wide, Else it could ne're contain so much at onst; I therefore think it was made for the nonst: Thou hadst a Breakfast drest thee at Edghill, One would have thought thou there hadst eat thy fill. Likewise I cater'd and prepar'd agen At York a Dinner of five thousand men: And now again I have a multitude Of bruitish, swinish, wicked, base and rude, They'l soon be fat and fitted for the slaughter, I give such bredth for plunder and for pasture, And mean to dress and fit them all for supper, But then let cater who that will for Rupert.

The Devils Answer to his Cater Rupert.

Well Rupert, well, but wilt thou serve us so? Wilt thou disband thy self, and from us go, When, well thou knowest, we stand in greatest need, And want of men my hungry belly t' feed? Know therefore then, if thus thou from us go, Thou shalt be payd with endless, easless wo: If ere thou cease to rob, and wrong, and spoil, Thou shalt thy self be robbed, wronged, foild:

Or cease thy murder, and thy treachery, And some man shall betray and butcher thee: For so from God above they have commission, Papists themselves will do't by his permission: Though thou dares trust them; yet if thou them leave, Of life and honor they will thee bereave: And deal far worse with thee, then any other, By how much deeper thou art sworn their brother: Then think not thou, at least, to serve us so, Lest it procure thy present endless wo: For Hell mouth gapes, for thee as well as others, Nay for thee rather, thou and I are brothers. Be therefore wife, and serve me out thy time, And all the Papists shall with thee combine; Yea all the Atheists sure will take thy part, And guard thy life, and never from the start: So shalt thou scape from Hell, as long as they, And when thou comes, receive thy double pay.

Prince Ruperts Reply.

My pay, says Rupert, what now dost thou mean, Thou damned Devil? when did I complain For want of pay? I am a Volunteer Thou never heard, I want of pay did fear: I serve for love of thee, and just thy cause, And therefore look I should have thy applause; And that the Papists should not from me sever, But that we might approach thy Court together, And there be entertaind with royal honors, That have for Antichrist displayd our Banners: Papists and Athiests, all the damned rabble, Ile bring them home as soon as I am able. Lets therefore know what desperate royal honors Thou wilt afford according to thy manners, When we approach thy presence and thy palace, By sword or famine, pestilence or gallows: And if I like thy devilish damned honors, Ile serve my time, and still display thy banners.

The Devils Answer to his Caterer Rupert, for his fuller satisfaction in his proud humor.

Well Rupert, harken, sith thou art so stout, Ile tell thee truth, and put thee out of doubt; These are my Royal, Courtly, Kingly Honors, To all that constantly display my Banners. When first they enter my infernal pallace By Sword or Famine, Pestilence or Gallows, Yea thus it is, and thou shalt find it so, Though both to thine, and mine eternal wo.

Lucifer or Belzebubs welcom to his new guests or inmates, at their first entrance, or dragging of them down, to his infernal pallace, amongst his rough-hewn Courtiers, as followeth.

Oh brave infernals, welcom now to me, It doth me much rejoyce, you here to see: Who hath you held thus long? Why have you staid, As though you should not have your wages paid? Why are you grown so fearful to approach My utmost pallace? sent I not a coach To fetch you in, and t' shew ye'are welcom Friends? Come in, come in, Ile make you all amends; You need not doubt, you shall not want your pay, Ile give you interest double for your stay: What you have lost in time, Ile pay't in measure For all your pains and care, with hellish treasure: I am not poor nor sore of hellish coyn, My Subjects do what ever I enjoyn. I need not budg, nor call a Parliament To furnish me with coyn for my intent. I can maintain my Souldiers all with pay, And lodg them warm in Winter, night or day: I have both choice and store of gold and coyn, Of wine and beer; you need not to purloyn: I can and will requite and retribute Your pains and minds with what thereto doth sute.

You shall not want a mite of your deserts, Your just proportions, nor your equall parts: He that hath earned more, shall more receive, He that hath earned lesse, the lesse shall have. He that with zeale and valour hath employd, And spent his strength and wits, and hath annoyd And hurt them most, that have my cause withstood, I will with zeal requite him and his brood. He shall drink deep of mixt and hellish wine Flaming in cups of zeale and fury fine; As Captain chief, he shall have brave attendants, Such whom he liked, that were his dependants. These shall inclose and compasse him about, Clothed with fire, and fury on a rout, Whereby they shall increase, not quench his flame, But heap on wood and brimston to the same; Each one as faggots shall about him stand, He in the midst, and all at my command. There shall the fire, yea breath and wrath of God Seize or, and burn, as on a heap of wood. There shall they cry and yell with hiddeous noyce, At which my highness laughing, shall rejoyce: Though I must with them be tormented then, Yet needs I must rejoyce, to torture them. For had I not been wickedly disposd, I never had in this my pit been closd.

Prince Ruperts desperate Reply, as followeth.

Oh wicked, damned, desperate, cursed Devil, Canst thou rejoyce, to know our case so evill? And dost not shame, to tell it us before, What we and thou must bide for evermore. Nay, what both thou, and we, with all our power, Can neither help, nor mitigate an houre: And is it true, that thou wilt then rejoyce, To heare our cryes, and yelling hiddious noyse; Though thou thy self must be tormented too, Together with us, as is justly due.

Yea though thou wast the first that led us wide, And made us break that Law that should us guide To Heaven-ward, and keep us back from Hell, Where thou, for doing so, must ever dwell; And yet thou canst rejoyce, that thou and we Must there for evermore tormented be. What good can that do thee to see us broyl In hellish flames, who knows it was thy guile That brought us thither, and for which thou must Be more tormented, and more deeply curst: Yea thou that knows this to be just and true, And that it is no more but what is due, That thou and we, look how much more we sin, So much more torment we augment and win, And heap on faggots to increase our flame, Else they that writ the Scripture are to blame; And yet thou still canst instigate to sin, And put us on, vain-glory but to win, And make us toyl and moyl, yea sweat and chafe, To heap up wrath against the day of wrath: Thou damned Devil, thou art worse then I, I never could have dealt so ill with thee: Though yet it may be thou herein but lyes, There's no such matters, Heaven and Hell are toys. I never yet regarded such reports, But chose to follow honor, wealth, and sports Whiles this life lasts, and then let come what will, God hath they say decreed both good and ill: Whatever hath been, is, or shall be done Against both God the Father and the Son: Why then should I relinquish all my pleasure, My way to honor, yea, to wealth and treasure, And go about to serve and worship God, Which never yet methinks with honor stood, In sight of men to humble so my self, They would but think me some base-minded elf: Besides, I should but play the Hypocrite, If I should seem therein to take delight,

By making shew of holiness within, When well I know my heart is fraught with sin: Yea, God and man would call me hypocrite, Unless my heart therein did take delight: For that which is within would sometimes out, I should appear so devilish proud and stout, That all would know I were not so indeed, Nor would such shews stand me in any steed, Unless I first of all could cleanse my heart, And from my sins and wickedness depart, God would not hear my prayer, nor accord To what I do in act or speak in word: And this I know I cannot frame to do, Its therefore vain to set my self thereto, For love of sin hath so possest my heart, That I can never freely with it part: Then come what will, I must seclude all care, It spoyls my honor, pleasure, dainty fair; And all my worldly hopes it swallows up, When I but think of drinking such a cup As thou hast told me of, thou damned Devil, Come lets to th' wine, Ile drink no cup so evil. Do thou thy worst, Ile scape thy gaping mouth, I can retire East, West, yea North and South; I shall make sure before I battel give To pass and repass, 'cause I mean to live: Gape therefore hell, and let me see thy mouth, I know not where to finde it North or South: But gape, I come, Ile bring them up amain, And drive them headlong to eternal pain: For what care I, the blame shall light on thee, And on themselves because they cannot see, But flunder down, and fall into thy mouth, Because they will not part from sins of youth; But are grown desp'rate in God-damning ways, And neither care what God nor Scripture says; And as for me, I cannot blame them much, Lest of my own sins they give me some touch:

And how should I find fault and blame them for What I in heart do love, or not abhor, For they and I, and I and they together Are ripe for ruine, reap when God sends weather, And spare not me, so thou mayst reap us all; Gape wide enough for horse, and man, and all: Ile troop them up with full carrier together; Ile either choke thee or thy breath Ile smother.

The Answer of the Devil and the insatiable gulph

Well, desperate wicked RUPERT, spare not me, I much rejoyce thy desperate minde to see: For thou and I, and many thousand others Were long since desperate, therein we are brothers: However yet I am your proper father, You are my sons and heirs, come all together, You shall be welcom, come on when you please; Throng in amain, you shall not me displease: I much rejoyce in hopes of such a supper, Yet if the Roundheads do, Ile spare Prince RUPERT: For were it not for thee, as I am told, I could not get my mouth full scarce for gold: But desperate RUPERT thou dost threat to choke me, I would I had my mouth full, Rupert look thee, Its two miles wide, as 'twas at York ith' battail, Fill it and take't thee, thou proves desperate mettal.

FINIS,

April 1. 1645.