Page:A century of Birmingham life- or, A chronicle of local events, from 1741 to 1841 (IA centuryofbirming01lang).pdf/568

508 should meddle with it upon paine of death, and when they came into the Towne, they cursed at the Round-heads, and swore they shot, as if they had been shooting at Sparrowes, scarce ever missed Man or Horse. They tooke away two Cart load of wounded Men, about 12 in a Cart, when they went away. Now they have made Birmingham a woeful spectacle to behold, a thorow Faire for Thieves and plunderers; the rich are woefully wasted and spoyled multitudes, almost quite beggered, and undone; it is thought 20000/. cannot repair their losses, their own Malignant neighbours rage at the well-affected likemad men, their minister is driven from home, debarred from all imployment and deprived of all his maintenance; besides his many losses by fire and plundering, and till those parts be cleared small hopes of his safe return, being so much maligned and threatned by the Cavaliers, and the domineering anti-guard left in Birmingham. The People that are left are fed with such rayling Sermons as one Orton Curate to Parson Smith the ancient Pluralist can afford them, rankly tempered with the malignancy of his own distempered Spirit. And all well-affected People are forced to be absent from their habitations, to their excessive charge in this their low estate, for feare of surprizalls, large summes being proffered to apprehend them, especially those of better ranke. Yet they desire to bear all these crosses patiently and profitably take with joy the spoyling of all their goods, knowing in themselves that they suffer in a good cause, and that they have in Heaven a farre better and more enduring substance.

Let all the Kingdome well consider Birmingham calamities and conclude what all are like to feele unlesse they maturely bestirre themselves to shake off the Cavaliers more then Egyptian yoke.