A Fifth-Monarchy-Man

Is 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 Vicegerents 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 Government 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-Monarchy 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 Tempest, 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 chargeable 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 Devil’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 Darkness as the *fifth-Monarchy, that is no where to be found, but in dark Prophesies, obscure Mythologies, and mystical Riddles, like the Visions 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 Government, according to their ancient and fundamental 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 Masters. 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 Whittington did the Bells, to speak to him, and governs himself accordingly.