Mercer Chronicle

THE MERCER CHRONICLE. 15
" Shall we who would not let the Lion tear,
Be hugged to death by Independent bear ? " 39
These words once uttered made e'en Cromwell sigh ;
In vain he saw that he had climbed on high.
" We love the King who loves the law," one sings ; 40
But Cromwell all to one dead level brings.
A second Cromwell had a despot been,
If Kichard had been hypocrite, I ween.
For hypocrites in Britain alivays thrive,
And Scotland " fasts " while England likes to " live ! "
I love the Queen who loves one fervent hour, 41
Nor lets John Knox her good sense overpower.
In vain just now within " the City" seen
The painted canvas veiled by, flimsy screen, 42
Cromwell the crown puts by, and well he might,
An emblem that would crush a deal too tight.
Our Unitarians have their Prayer Book now, 43
While Barebones' lot with Cromwell's ox would plough, 44
39 Words said to have been printed by Colonel Harrison.
40 Cowper.
41 It is in these days told, as a good story in Scotland, that Her Majesty
Queen Victoria sent her injunctions to the divine about to officiate, her
wish that he would not exceed the time above mentioned. If true, an
agreeable change has taken place in Scotland from the period when
the unfortunate but beautiful Queen Mary was obliged to hear dis-
courses, not by the hour but by the day / / / — /. S.
42 Some years back the writer observed on the busy ant-hill, or rather
" Cornhill," that all the small creatures were in motion. The motion
was more than usual ; it was commotion ! What is it 1 the answer as
Pat would have given it. " Have you not seen it 1 " "No," the reply.
" Then go and see ! " up-stairs a fine picture of " Cromwell refusing 1 "
As if he refused ! ! ! who with a soldier's sword exercised despotic power ;
and who did his best to transmit it to his son Richard. — /. S.
43 It is worthy of remark, that while the Independents dislike the
" Prayer-book " nearly as much as ever, the Unitarians, who are now the
representatives of the old Presbyterian party of 1648, have both a
" revised Liturgy," taken in many parts word for word from the Church
of England Prayer-book, and " steeple houses,'" or churches with steeples,
against which such senseless tirades were once both spoken and
written.
44 Chiefly Independents. — I. S.