[double rule]
I2S one, that is not contented to be a Privy-
Counſellor of the Kingdom of Heaven, but
would fain be a Miniſter of State of this World,
and tranſlate the Kingdom of Heaven to the
Kingdom of Earth. His Deſign is to make
Chriſt King, as his Forefathers the Jew did,
only to abuſe and crucify him, that he might
ſhare his Lands and Goods, as he did his Vice-
gerents here. He dreams of a Fool's Paradiſe
without a Serpent in it, a golden Age all of
Saints, and no Hypocrites, all holy-Court Princes,
and no Subjects but the Wicked ; a Govern-
ment of Perkin Warbec and Lambert Simnel
Saints, where every Man, that had a Mind to it,
might make himſelf a Price, and claim a
Title to the Crown. He fancies a fifth-Mo-
narchy as the Quinteſſence of all Governments,
abſtracted from all Matter, and conſiſting
wholly of Revelations, Viſions, and Myſteries.
John of Leyden was the firſt Founder of it, and
though he miſcarried, like Romulus in a Tem-
peſt, his Poſterity have Revelations every full
Moon, that there may be a Time to ſet up his
Title again, and with better Succeſs ; though
his Brethren, that have attempted to ſince, had
no ſooner quartered his Coat with their own,
but their whole outward Men were ſet on the
Gates of the City ; where a Head and four
Quarters ſtand as Types and Figures of the
fifth-Monarchy. They have been contriving (ſince
Experiments, that coſt Necks are too chargea-
ble) to try it in little, and have depoſed King
Oberon, to erect their Monarchy in Fairy-Land,
as being the moſt proper and natural Region in
the whole World for their Government, and if
it ſucceed there to proceed further. The De-
vil's Proſpect of all the Kingdoms of the Earth,
and the Glory of them, has ſo dazzled their Eyes,
that they would venture their Necks to take
him at his Word, and give him his Price.
Nothing comes ſo near the Kingdom of Dark-
neſs as the fifth-Monarchy, that is no where to
be found, but in dark Propheſies, obſcure My-
thologies, and myſtical Riddles, like the Vi-
ſions Aeneas ſaw in Hell of the Roman Empire.
Next this it moſt reſembles Mahomet’s Coming
to the Turks, and King Arthur’s Reign over the
Britons in Merlin’s Propheſies ; ſo near of Kin
are all fantaſtic Illuſions, that you may diſcern
the ſame Lineaments in them all. The poor
Wicked are like to have a very ill time under
them, for they are reſolved upon arbitrary Go-
vernment, according to their ancient and fun-
damental Revelations, and to have no Subjects
but Slaves, who between them and the Devil
are like to ſuffer Perſecution enough to make
them as able Saints, as their Lords and Maſ-
ters. He gathers Churches on the Sunday, as
the Jews did Sticks on their Sabbath, to ſet the
State on Fire. He humms and hahs high Trea-
ſon, and calls upon it, as Gameſters do on the
Caſt they would throw. He groans Sedition,
and, like the Phariſee, rails, when he gives
Thanks. He interprets Propheſies, as Whitting-
ton did the Bells, to ſpeak to him, and governs
himſelf accordingly.