Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, LONDONS NONSUCH; OR, THE GLORY OF THE ROYAL EXCHANGE, by HENRY DUKE



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

LONDONS NONSUCH; OR, THE GLORY OF THE ROYAL EXCHANGE, by                    
First Line: Well done deare, honest, ehver kynd
Last Line: For he is ehver kynd.
Subject(s): London Fire (1666); Merchants; Royal Exchange, London; Great Fire Of 1666


Well done deare, honest, EHVER KYND;
What? Art thou now turn'd Poet?
And yet I see thou hast a mind
That no man else should know it,
In so concealing of thy name
Upon thy Title Page,
Wherein thou dost not spread thy fame.
But like a Bird in Cage
Keep home, and will not see the world;
Thyself for to discover;
No, not so much (as I am told)
Unto thy own dear Brother.
But tell me why thou dost conceale
Thy name upon thy Book,
When others will it soon reveal
For all thy sober look:
As if thou wert so innocent,
And minded no such matter:
But hark, I hear that some are bent
Like Martins for to chatter:
And say, that they suspicious are
That thou the Author art;
And also that, they are in fear
That by it they shall smart.
There's none can censure these thy lines,
But those that have no Reason;
The rest will say, thy merry Rymes
Are words put forth in season,
To stop the mouths of some who say
La Bourse will want a Trade,
But by thy Book thou wilt them slay,
And make them all affraid,
To speak again the like to those
The freemen of the City;
I mean the Ladds who did oppose,
Them at the Grand Committee:
And know full well (as they foresee)
In what they doe require,
His MAJESTY will Pleased be
And Duke have his desire.
Now if you doubt, that these will flout,
At this thy meaning well,
Pray let them know (I will speak out)
They're such whose passing Bell
Did lately ring, although no harme,
But yet unto them strange,
When voted was a double Pawne,
About the Royal Change.
If so, courage, be not dismaid,
Thy labour is not lost;
If thou promote a City Trade,
This payes thee all thy cost.
Thou art a Student, this you say
Here by your own confession,
What? Have the Vertuoso's, They,
Late given thee possession,
Of some of their most Noble parts,
And of their profound skill,
Which makes you now Master of Arts,
And write here what you will.

TO THE NOBLE LANDLORDS OF THE ROYAL EXCHANGE

A Good foundation you have laid,
Much to your Honours fame;
And since that you this place have made,
It's you must let the same.
A word or two I have to break
Into your Honours ear;
And if I may be bold to speak,
I pray have you a care,
To grant no Shops till this be done,
I hope 'tis your desire:
Provide you first for old and young,
Who at the dreadfull fire
Did all inhabit in that place,
And were great losers all;
Pray let them [k]now each others face,
In this new Change Royal,
Yet once again behold and see,
And being free from passion,
May live in love, and amitie,
Till death makes separation.
Think not of too great Fines at first;
This, this will make some chide;
I mean the younger sort, whose purse
They can not ope' so wide.
Brave Structures that are nobly laid
And nobly carried on,
Most sure from thence expect you may
A blessing thereupon.
But if too great a weight shall prove
Upon your new foundation,
You'l break the backs of those you love,
And pray for your salvation.
If you can raise twelve thousand pounds
At fifty pound per Lott
Besides the Cellars under ground
This were a handsome Plott.
This sum twice told, what though you have spent,
Upon your Change Royal,
When the next seven years Fines and Rent
Payes Use and Principal.
And then you have the place as free
As e're you had before;
God grant that no man ever see
It burned any more.
Proceed you thus, then, by your care
You'l please them all I know;
In passing o're the Change I hear
They wish it may be so.
And if it shall (say they) wee'l pray
For KING and Duke and all,
And for the Noble Landlords (they)
Of this Exchange Royal.
So Heav'ns now prosper your designes
And all you take in hand;
Take heed least by your Rents and Fines,
You build not on the sand.
This is the prayer, Sirs, of him
(Whilst Heaven me breath doth lend)
Who is to you, likewise to them,
A true and faithfull Friend.

Two Ladies young, who pass'd along
Upon a Summers day
The Walks above amidst the throng,
Methoughts I heard them say;
Here's first the Hosier leads the Van,
As proper to the feet.
The Glover next in ranke doth stand,
The Ladies for to greet;
With Gloves and Ribbons, choice of Pins,
Pray Madam, what do you lack?
Here's your best choyce of pritty things
Within my stately pack.
So having fitted feet and hands
The next along the Walke,
They saw a Shop of Lace and Bands
Where handsome Maidens talke
So wittily unto those Men
That them come to aspect;
And if but civil unto them,
They doe them not reject,
But entertaine discourse so long
With them, as to allure
Their Moneyes from them, by their tongue
And looking so demure.
Look here is one, when he doth sell,
Takes Ladies by the waste,
And saith, Madam, it fits as well
As ever shooe did last.
This is the man, gets his estate,
By dealing in the middle,
And making things for Dol and Kate
As fit as any fiddle.
Come lets now to the Silk Shops go,
And see what's there to sell,
I want a Lace to make a show,
It's for my Sister Nell.
A Fringe likewise, it's for a Glove,
(I wish you like it may)
Which is a present for her love
Against the Wedding day.
Pray let us not forget the Ring,
Here is a Gold-smiths Stall,
For if we should not bring this thing,
Alas! This might marr all:
The Parson he will not them joyne
But in the antient fashion;
The Bride then, whilst doth last our Coyne,
Of her let's take compassion.
Now, now let's go, our Money's spent,
Come we will buy no more,
For if we should we shall be shent
For running on the score.
You know my Father alwayes spake
Against this very thing;
And though he's gone, yet for his sake,
I money still will bring.
Look here's a handsom Button Stall
Against we come again,
To furnish you and I withall
Of that which doth remain,
And which we want, when we have done
In Pater Noster Row.
But looke, behold, I think here's some
Who make as fair a show
In Silk, and Stuffes, which we must buy,
In Mohaires, rich Prunelloes;
These men I am resolv'd to try,
They are such handsome fellows.
Look Sister still, here is a man
Who mourning Wares doth sell,
That when our Uncle dyes he can
Fit us both wonderous well,
With all such things as we do lack
And of him shall require,
As once we had of honest Jack,
When dyed our aged Sire.
Look, look, my dearest Sister still,
Here is a Baube Shop,
With pritty toyes for Jack and Will,
Look here's a dainty Top.
Look yonder is a little Man,
Who makes a pritty show
Of him i'le buy a Feather Fan,
Before that we do go.
Ten several Trades I here espie
At least in every Walke,
And plac'd so well as if that I
Had markt them out with chalke:
Nor do they on each other chop;
The man that's free from passion
Without a ware-house in his Shop
May shew the newest fashion.
This shewes The Landlords prudent skill,
In letting of them first,
And if they so continue still,
They will be men most just.
Thanks to their Honours, where 'tis due,
We mean the Grand Committee,
In placing them all in our view
At once, within the City,
So that we may not here and there
Along the Streetes so wide,
Run to and fro, for Trades, when here
We have them by our side.

Now lets descend the stately Stairs,
And take a turn below,
To know something of their affairs
Before that we do go;
And see if they are plac'd as well
As those which are above,
Which if they are, enough they'l sell,
And alwayes live in love.
Look here is first a Looking-glasse
Appears unto our view,
To dress your head and handsome face,
Which most men say is true.
Look Sister here a Book-sellers Stall,
How neately it doth lie,
You know I want good Doctor Hall
To teach me how to dye.
Look here's a very pritty Cane,
It is a handsome Stick,
I have a mind to buy the same,
And give to little Dick.
Now if you want a Watch to buy,
Here is an honest man,
I know him well, you may him try,
He sold my Sister Ann
A very good one for the price
As ever I did see:
Come Sister, Be not too too nice,
Let this your Chapman bee.
Look here is Paper, Pens and Ink
Which we must buy you know
Before into (as we do think)
The Country we do go.
That Periwig which there doth stand
Exposed to our view,
Come Sister lets go understand
The price, for honest Hugh,
Who since his Hair is cut so short
His Mistriss doth not like him;
But calls him Luke to make her sport,
And also for to fright him;
So that poor Man he's in a toss,
And is so much cast down,
Least that his Mistriss should prove cross,
And take the Country Clown;
Whom he doth fear, because some say,
He will not be deny'd,
And proffers Land, if that he may
But lye fast by her side.
Look here's a Scrivener I espie,
That is the last in Rank
Of all the Shops which we came by,
Who plaid that pretty prank
The other day in Grace Church street,
With Will and Tom and Jack,
And other Friends who there did meet
To drink a glass of Sack.
Come Sister, now let us depart,
And cease our ambulation,
We have enough for to impart
Unto our dear Relation;
Who waiteth for our safe return,
And will not sup without us;
Although we could fetch many a turn,
Still here to look about us:
For shops I ne're the like did know,
Nor never shall again,
Where both above, and eke below,
So many Trades remain:
And yet no hinderance in the least,
The one unto the other;
So that they live, and love, and jest,
Like Sister, and like Brother.
There's nothing here I can gain-say,
But two things which are true:
The one the Stairs, which most men say,
Too few they are by two:
The other is (which I would have)
Balconies from above;
That so I might look on my slave
I mean my truest Love,
Whenas he comes unto the Change,
The Merchants for to meet:
Pray Sister think it not too strange,
There him I fain would greet:
Which had the Chief Surveighor made,
At his own proper cost,
The City might him well have paid,
And not their money lost;
For in short time they might perceive,
The advantage made thereby,
Or else my self I do deceive
In this which I descry:
Nay, should his Majesty but say,
Our friends let it be so;
The benefit the cost would pay,
And thi[s] full well I know:

Heavens grant now that this City may,
Both flourish still and stand;
And ne're again (I humbly pray)
Provoke Gods heavy hand;
Whereby he may, as once before,
Permit that Generation,
To burn the same, who some say roar
And curse its Restoration:
Let shame and horrour them or'etake,
If any such there be:
This prayer, Lord, for Londons sake,
I here do make to thee.

Fair Ladies,
When you shall come, yet once again,
This Famous place to see,
Pray ask not for the Authors Name,
Unless in privacie.
My Reason's this; Because that he
Is subject for to blush:
And if perchance he shall you see,
The bloud will straightway flush
Into his face; and though in this
He's guilty of no sinne,
Yet such his modest nature is
If that you look on him.
But if you please to pass the Walk
With Vizards o're your Faces,
You may straightway then with him talk
And see his handsome Laces.
Then if to buy what he doth sell
You Ladies have a mind,
I dare engage he'l use you well,
For he is EHVER KYND.





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