Thus winter fixes the unstable sea,
And teaches restless water constancy,
Which, under the warm influence of bright days,
The fickle motion of each blast obeys.
To bridle factions, stop rebellion's course,
By easy methods, vanquish without force;
Relieve the good, bold stubborn foes subduc,
Mildness in wrath, meekness in anger shew,
Were arts great Charles's prudence only knew.
To fright the bad, thus awful thunder rolls,
While the bright bow secures the faithful souls.
Such is thy glory, Charles, thy lasting name, Brighter than our proud neighbour's guilty
More noble than the spoils that battles yield,
Or all the empty triumphs of the field.
Tis less to conquer, than to make war cease,
And, without fighting, awe the world to peace;
For proudest triumphs from contempt arise;
The vanquish'd first the conqueror's arms de-
spise:
Won ensigns are the gaudy marks of scorn,
They brave the victor first, and then adorn.
But peaceful monarchs reign like gods: while
Dispute, all love, bless, reverence their throne.
Tigers and bears, with all the savage host,
May boldness, strength, and daring conquest
boast;
But the sweet passions of a generous mind
Are the prerogative of human-kind;
The god-like image, on our clay imprest,
The darling attribute which Heaven loves best:
In Charles, so good a man and king, we see
A double image of the deity.
Oh! had he more resembled it! Oh, why
Was he not still more like, and could not die?
Now do our thoughts alone enjoy his name,
And faint ideas of our blessing frame!
In Thames, the Ocean's darling, England's pride,
The pleasing emblem of his reign does glide:
Thames, the support and glory of our isie,
Richer than Tagus, or Egyptian Nile:
Though no rich sand in him, no pearls are
found,
Yet fields rejoice, his meadows laugh around;
Less wealth his bosom holds, less guilty stores,
For be exhausts himself t' enrich the shores.
Mild and serene the peaceful current flows,
No angry foam, no raging surges knows;
No dreadful wrecks upon his banks appear,
His crystal stream unstain'd by widows tear,
His channel strong and easy, deep and clear,
No arbitrary inundations sweep
The ploughman's hopes, and life into the deep;
His even waters the old limits keep.
But oh! he ebbs, the smiling waves decay,
For ever, lovely stream, for ever stay!
To the black sea his silent course does bend,
Where the best streams, the longest rivers, end.
His spotless waves there undistinguish'd pass,
None see, how clear, how bounteous, sweet, he
No difference now, though late so much is seen, "Twixt him, fierce Rhine, and the impetuous Seine.
But, lo! the joyful tide our hopes restores, And dancing waves extend the wid'ning shores. James is our Charles in all things but in name: Thus Thames is daily lost, yet still the same.
ON THE MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS ANNE AND PRINCE GEORGE OF DENMARK.
WHILST black designs (that direful work of Fate)
Distract the labouring state;
Whilst (like the sea) around loud discords roar,
Breaking their fury on the frighted shore;
And England does like brave Vienna stand,
Besieg'd by Infidels on either hand; [sight?
What means this peaceful train, this pompous
What means this royal beauteous pair?
This troop of youths and virgins heavenly fair,
That does at once astonish and delight;
Great Charles, and his illustrious brother here,
No bold assassinate need fear;
Here is no harmful weapon found, [wound. Nothing but Cupid's darts and Beauty here can
How grateful does this scene appear To us, who might too justly fear We never should have seen again Aught bright, but armour on the plain! Ne'er in their cheerful garb t'have seen the fair, While all, with melting eyes and wild dishevell’d hair, [slain. Had mourn'd their brothers, sons, and husbands, These dusky shadows make this scene more bright;
The horrour adds to the delight. This glorious pomp our spirits cheers; from hence We lucky omens take, new happiness commence. Thus, when the gathering clouds a storm prepare, And their black force associate in the air; (Endeavouring to eclipse the bounteous light,
Who, with kind warmth, and powerful rays, Them to that envy'd height, From their mean native earth, did raise) A thoughtful sadness sits on all, Expecting where the full-charg'd clouds will fall: But if the heavenly bow
Deck'd, like a gaudy bride, appears,
And all her various robes displays,
Painted by the conquering Sun's triumphant
It mortals drooping spirits cheers;
Fresh joy, new light, each visage wears:
Again the seamen trust the main,
The jocund swains their coverts leave again;
Again, in pleasant warbling notes, [ful throats.
The cheerful poets of the wood extend their tune-
Then, then, my Muse, raise with thy lyre thy voice,
And, with thy lays, make fields and woods rejoice:
For lo! the heavenly pledge appears,
And in bright characters the promise bears:
The factious deluge shall prevail no more;
In vain they foam, in vain they rage,
Buffet in vain the unmov'd shore, [assuage.
Her charms, and Charles's power, their fury shall
See! see! how decently the bashful bride
Does bear her conquest; with how little pride
She views that prince, the captive of her charms,
Who made the North with fear to quake,
And did that powerful empire shake;
Before whose arms, when great Gustavus led,
The frighted Roman eagles fled.
Whatever then was his desire,
His cannons did command in fire:
Now he himself for pity prays,
His love in timorous sighs he breathes, While all his spoils, and glorious wreaths Of laurel, at her feet the vanquish'd warrior lays. Great prince! by that submission you'll gain
Than e'er your haughty courage won before;
Here on your knees a greater trophy gain,
Than that you brought from Lunsden's famous
plain;
Where, when your brother, fired with success,
Too daringly upon the foe did press,
And was a captive made, then you alone
Did with your single arm support the throne:
Your gen'rous breast, with fury boiling o'er,
Like lightning through their scatter'd troops you
flew,
[umph bore.
And from th' amazed foe the royal prize in tri-
You have your ancestors in this one act out-done,
Though their successful arms did this whole isle
o'er-run.
They, to reven e a ravish'd lady, came,
You, to enjoy one spotless as your fame:
Before them, as they march'd, the country fled,
And back behind them threw
Their curses as they flew;
On the bleak shore, expecting you, they stand, And with glad shouts conduct to land: Through gaping crowds you're fore'd to press [ones pray. While virgins sigh, the young men shout, and old And with this beauteous lady you may gain, (This lady, that alone
Of greater value is than any throne) Without that rapine, guilt, and hate,
By a calm and even fate,
That empire, which they did so short a while
HINC, hinc, Camœnæ, cedite inutiles,
Nam cor potenti numine gaudium
Aflavit, exultansque pectus
Corripuit meliore flammâ.
Talesque cantus fundere gestio,
Ismene, quales auribus hauseras
Utrisque, quandò Dithyrambis
Pindarus incaluit solutis.
Dum nescit æquo flumine gaudium
Prolabi, et arctis limitibus, vagè
Nunc huc redundans, nunc retrorsum,
Vorticibus furit inquietis.
Adsis, triumphos dum canimus tuos,
Adsis, Cupido, illabere pectori:
Dum personamus te, decoris
Carminibus, bona Cypris, adsis.
Cypron beatam sperne volatilis,
Huc, huc amorum septa cohortibus,
Molire gressus, ad Britannos
Cæruleos age, Diva, currus.
From the Hymenæus Catabrigiensis. Cantabrigiæ, 1683,-See the preceding poem by Mr. Montagu, in English, on the same occasion. This Latin Ode (or rather MEDLEY) is much better than his English piece. KYNASTON.
Fallor? an ex lævâ Convexi parte sereni
Ecce! citis magnum (pendens in verbere prona) Tranat inane rotis.
Fronde comas, auroque premit pulcherrima,
Qualis adire solet.
[Martem
Gaudia, Blanditias, hilari vultuque renidens
Spargit ubique Jocos.
Lascivus pictas jactantior explicat alas
Idaliusque puer.
Adventu dispersa Deæ sunt nubila, venti
Nec fremuêre minis.
Dum Nymphas una ante alias formosior omnes,
Dignaque cura Deæ,
Sic pæana canit, cœlum et modulamine complet Vox sociata lyræ:
"Egregiam laudem, Venus, et spolia ampla refertis
Tuque, puerque tuus; si virgo Britannica victa
Agnoscat numen (mentem jam saucia) vestrum.
Si votis, si sæva ullis insueta moveri,
Aut precibus præbere suas tractabilis aures,
Illum jam sentit, quem non miserata furorem est.
"Fervidus et Daniæ princeps, cui prælia curæ,
(Detestata tibi) pictis et splendor in armis,
Qui nec militiam vestram, nec castra, Cupido,
Novit, sed flammas et inania spicula risit,
Dum trepidos Suecos ardens agit æquore campi,
Jam Venerem accipiens invicto pectore totam,
Extendit palmas ad numina læsa rebelles.
"Jam non bella placent, et lituo lyram
Præfert, atque caput Itali casside ferreâ
Urgeri solitum, divitis Itali
Unguentum redolens, suæ
"Reclinat gremio conjugis; immemor
Somni, dumque vagis luminibus Deam
Perlustrat, roseis oscula quæ labris
Libavit sitiens bibit,
"Deponitque gravi militiâ latus
Defessum in thalamo lætus amabili:
Hâc mercede juvant vulnera, sic caput
Objecisse periculis.
"Plaudit, Dione, læta Britannia,
Olim cruentum nec meminit mare,
Fusosve cives indecorè, aut
Regna Dano populata forti;
"Hæc dum renidens vindicat omnia
Pulchris ocellis Anna, Georgium
Ducensque captivum catenis,
Per thalamum graditur triumphans.
"Tuisque surgit laudibus Haffnia,
Volvendo retrò secula præcinens,
Cum Cimber Angio junctus omni
Det trepido sura jura mundo.
"lö Dione! Suecia jam canit,
Pulsos colonos dum neque fulgidis
Deterret armis, nec tremendo
Georgius indomitus tumultu.
"Vos, par beatum, ter, ter et ampliùs,
Vos obligatam ferte Deæ dapem,
Semperque amantes hanc benignam
Perpetuo celebrate plausu""
CAROLUS MONTAGU, Generosus, et A. M. Trin, Coll
A POSTSCRIPT OF PENN'S LETTER.
NOT all the threats or favour of a crown,
A prince's whisper, or a tyrant's frown,
Can awe the spirit, or allure the mind,
Of him, who to strict honour is inclin'd.
When Danger calls and Honour leads the way,
With joy they follow, and with pride obey:
When the rebellious foe came rolling on,
And shook with gathering multitudes the throne,
Where were the minions then? What arm, what
force,
Could they oppose to stop the torrent's course?
"Then Pembroke, then the nobles firmly stood,
Free of their lives, and lavish of their blood;
With the same constancy they all resign."
Thus spake the youth, who open'd first the
Though all the pomp and pleasure that does wait| But, when your orders to mean ends decline,
On public places, and affairs of state,
Should fondly court him to be base and great;
With even passions, and with settled face,
He would remove the harlot's false embrace.
Though all the storms and tempests should arise,
That church-magicians in their cells advise,
And from their settled basis nations tear,
He would unmov'd the mighty ruin bear;
Secure in innocence contemn them all,
And decently array'd in honours fall.
For this, brave Shrewsbury and Lumley's name
Shall stand the foremost in the list of Fame;
Who first with steady minds the current broke,
And to the suppliant monarch boldly spoke:
"Great sir, renown'd for constancy, how just
Have we obey'd the crown, and serv'd our trust,
Espous'd your cause and interest in distress,
Yourself must witness, and our foes confess!
Permit us then ill Fortune to accuse,
That you at last unhappy councils use,
And ask the only thing we must refuse.
Our lives and fortunes freely we'll expose,
Honour alone we cannot, must not lose;
Honour, that spark of the celestial fire,
That above Nature makes mankind aspire;
Ennobles the rude passions of our frame
With thirst of glory and desire of fame;
The richest treasure of a generous breast,
That gives the stamp and standard to the rest.
Wit, strength, and courage, are wild dangerous
force,
Unless this softens and directs their course;
And would you rob us of the noblest part?
Accept a sacrifice without a heart?
'Tis much beneath the greatness of a throne,
To take the casket when the jewel's gone;
Debauch our principles, corrupt our race,
And teach the nobles to be false and base;
What confidence can you in them repose,
Who, ere they serve you, all their value lose?
Who once enslave their conscience to their lust,
Have lost their reins, and can no more be just.
"Of honour, men at first like women nice,
Raise maiden scruples at unpractis'd vice;
Their modest nature curbs the struggling flame,
And stifles what they wish to act with shame:
But once this fence thrown down, when they per-
ceive
That they may taste forbidden fruit and live;
They stop not here their course, but, safely in,
Grow strong, luxuriant, and bold in sin;
True to no principles, press forward still,
And only bound by appetite their will:
Now fawn and flatter, while this tide prevails,
But shift with every veering blast their sails.
Mark those that meanly truckle to your power,
They once deserted, and chang'd sides before,
And would to morrow Mahomet adore.
On higher springs true men of honour move,
Free is their service, and unbought their love:
And was the Phosph'rus to the dawning day;
Follow'd by a more glorious splendid host,
Than any age, or any realm can boast:
So great their fame, so numerous their train,
To name were endless, and to praise in vain:
But Herbert and great Oxford merit more;
Bold is their flight, and more sublime they soar;
So high their virtue as yet wants a name,
Exceeding wonder, and surpassing fame;
Rise, glorious church, erect thy radiant head;
The storm is past, th' impending tempest fled ;
Had Fate decreed thy ruin or disgrace,
It had not given such sons so brave a race;
When for destruction Heaven a realm designs,
The symptoms first appear in slavish minds.
These men would prop a sinking nation's weight,
Stop falling vengeance, and reverse ev'n fate.
Let other nations boast their fruitful soil,
Their fragrant spices, their rich wine and oil;
In breathing colours, and in living paint,
Let them excel; their mastery we grant.
But to instruct the mind, to arm the soul
With virtue which no dangers can control;
Exalt the thought, a speedy courage lend,
That horrour cannot shake, or pleasure bend;
These are the English arts, these we profess,
To be the same in misery and success;
To teach oppressors law, assist the good,
Relieve the wretched, and subdue the proud.
Such are our souls: but what doth worth avail
When kings commit to hungry priests the scale?
All merit's light when they dispose the weight,
Who either would embroil or rule the state,
Defame those heroes who their yoke refuse,
And blast that honesty they cannot use;
The strength and safety of the crown destroy,
And the king's power against himself employ;
Affront his friends, deprive him of the brave;
Bereft of these, he must become their slave.
Men, like our money, come the most in play,
For being base, and of a coarse allay.
The richest medals, and the purest gold,
Of native value and exactest mould,
By worth conceal'd, in private closets shine,
For vulgar use too precious and too fine;
Whilst tin and copper with new stamping bright,
Coin of base metal, counterfeit and light,
Do all the business of the nation's turn,
Rais'd in contempt, us'd and employ'd in scorn ;
So shining virtues are for courts too bright,
Whose guilty actions fly the searching light:
Rich in themselves, disdainin: to aspire,
Great without pomp, they willingly retire;
Give place to fools, whose rash misjudging sense
Increases the weak measures of their prince;
They bindly and implicitly run on,
Nor see those dangers which the others shun:
Who, slow to act, each business duly weigh,
Advise with freedom, and with care obey;
With wisdom fatal to their interest, strive
To make their monarch lov'd, and nation thrive.
Such have no place where priests and women
Who love fierce drivers, and a looser rein. [reign,
HIS MAJESTY'S VICTORY IN IRELAND, 1690.
WHAT! shall the king the nation's genius raise,
And make us rival our great Edward's days;
Yet not one Muse, worthy a conqueror's name,
Attend his triumphs, and record his fame?
Ob, Dorset! you alone this fault can mend,
The Muses' darling, confident, and friend;
The poets are your charge, and, if unfit,
You should be fin'd to furnish abler wit;
Oblig'd to quit your ease, and draw again,
To paint the greatest hero, the best pen.
A hero, who thus early doth out-shine
The ancient honours of his glorious line;
And, soaring more sublimely to renown,
The memory of their pious triumphs drown;
Whose actions are deliver'd o'er to Fame,
As types and figures of his greater name.
When Fate some mighty genius has design'd,
For the relief and wonder of mankind,
Nature takes time to answer the intent,
And climbs, by slow degrees, the steep ascent:
She toils and labours with the growing weight,
And watches carefully the steps of Fate;
Till all the seeds of Providence unite,
To set the hero in a happy light;
Then, in a lucky and propitious hour,
Exerts her force, and calls forth all her power.
The proudest honours have a narrow date,
Unless they vindicate their names from Fate
But who is equal to sustain the part?
Dryden has numbers, but he wants a heart;
Injoin'd a penance, which is too severe
For playing once the fool, to persevere.
Others, who knew the trade, have laid it down;
And, looking round, I find you stand alone.
How sir, can you, or any English Muse,
Our country's fame, our monarch's arms, refuse ?
'Tis not my want of gratitude, but skill,
Makes me decline what I can ne'er fulfil.
I cannot sing of conquest as I ought,
And my breath fails to swell a lofty note.
I know my compass, and my Muse's size,
She loves to sport and play, but dares not rise:
Idly affects, in this familiar way,
In easy numbers loosely to convey,
What mutual friendship would at distance say.
Poets assume another tone and voice,
When victory's their theme, and arms their choice.
To follow heroes in the chase of fame,
Asks force and heat, and fancy wing'd with flame.
What words can paint the royal warrior's face?
What colours can the figure boldly raise,
When cover'd o'er with comely dust and smoke,
He pierc'd the foe, and thickest squadrons broke?
His bleeding arm, still painful with the sore,
Which, in his people's cause, the pious father
bore:
[way,
Whom, cleaving through the troops a glorious
Not the united force of France and Hell could stay.
Oh, Dorset! I am rais'd! I'm all on fire!
And, if my strength could answer my desire,
In speaking paint this figure should be seen,
Like Jove his grandeur, and like Mars his mien;
And gods descending should adorn the scene.
See, see ! upon the banks of Boyne he stands,
By his own view adjusting his commands:
Calm and serene the armed coast surveys,
And, in cool thoughts, the different chances weighs:
Then, fir'd with fame, and eager of renown,
Resolves to end the war, and fix the throne.
From wing to wing the squadrons bending stand,
And close their ranks to meet their king's com-
mand;
The drums and trumpets sleep, the sprightly noise
Of neighing steeds, and cannons' louder voice,
Suspended in attention, banish far
de-All hostile sounds, and bush the din of war:
The silent troops stretch forth an eager look,
Listening with joy, while thus their general spoke:
"Come, fellow-soldiers, follow me once more,
And fix the fate of Europe on that shore;
Your courage only waits from me the word,
But England's happiness commands my sword:
In her defence I every part will bear,
The soldier's danger, and the prince's care,
And envy any arm an equal share.
Set all that's dear to men before your sight;
For laws, religion, liberty, we fight; [flame,
To save your wives from rape, your towns from
Redeem your country sold, and vindicate her
In Nassau's race she made this long essay:
Heroes and patriots prepar'd the way,
And promis'd, in their dawn, this brighter day;
A public spirit distinguish'd all the line,
Successive virtues in each branch did shine, [sign.
Till this last glory rose, and crown'd the great
Blest be his name! and peaceful lie his grave,
Who durst his native soil, lost Holland, save!
But William's genius takes a wider scope,
And gives the injur'd, in all kingdoms, hope;
Born to subdue insulting tyrants' rage,
The ornament and terrour of the age;
The refuge where afflicted nations find
Relief from those oppressors of mankind,
Whom laws restrain not, and no oaths can bind.
Him, their deliverer Europe does confess,
All tongues extol, and all religions bless;
The Po, the Danube, Betis, and the Rhine,
United in his praise, their wonder join;
While, in the public cause, he takes the field,
And shelter'd nations fight behind his shield.
His foes themselves dare not applause refuse :
And shall such actions want a faithful Muse?
Poets have this to boast: without their aid,
The freshest laurels nipp'd by malice, fade,
And virtue to oblivion is betray'd:
At whose request and timely call I rose,
To tempt my fate, and all my hopes expose;
Struggled with adverse storms and winter seas,
That in my labonrs you might find your ease.
Let other monarchs dictate from afar,
And write the empty triumphs of the war:
In lazy palaces supinely rust;
My sword shall justify my people's trust,
For which-but I your victory delay;
Come on; I and my genius lead the way."
He said, new life and joy ran through the host,
And sense of danger in their wonder lost;
Precipitate they plunge into the flood,
In vain, the waves, the banks, the men, withstood:
The king leads on, the king does all inflame,
The king--and carries millions in the name.
As when the swelling ocean bursts his bounds, And, foaming, overwhelms the neighbouring grounds,
The roaring deluge, rushing headlong on,
Sweeps cities in its course, and bears whole forests
So on the foe the firm battalions prest, [down;
And he, like the tenth wave, drove on the rest;
Fierce, gallant, young, he shot through every
place,
Urging their flight, and hurrying on the chase;
He hung upon their rear, or lighten'd in their face.
Stop! stop! brave prince! allay that generous
flame,
Enough is given to England and to fame.
Remember, sir, you in the centre stand,
Europe's divided interests you command,
All their designs uniting in your hand:
Down from your throne descends the golden chain,
Which does the fabric of our world sustain;
That once dissolv'd by any fatal stroke,
The scheme of all our happiness is broke.
Stop! stop! brave prince! fleets may repair
And routed armies rally on the plain; [again,
But ages are requir'd to raise so great a man!
Hear how the waves of French ambition roar,
Disdaining bounds, and breaking on the shore,
Which you, ordain'd to curb their wild destructive
power,
That strength remov'd; again, again, they flow,
Lay Europe waste, nor law, nor limits know.
Stop! stop! brave prince!-what, does your
Muse, sir, faint?
Proceed, pursue his conquests-faith, I can't:
My spirits sink, and will no longer bear;
Rapture and fury carry'd me thus far
Transported and amaz'd
That rage once spent, I can no more sustain
Your flights, your energies, and tragic strain,
But fall back to my natural pace again;
In humble verse provoking you to rhyme;
I wish there were more Dorsets at this time.
Oh! if in France this hero had been born,
What glittering tinsel would his acts adorn!
There 'tis immortal fame and high renown,
To steal a country, and to buy a town:
There triumphs are o'er kings and kingdoms sold,
And captive Virtue led in chains of goid.
If courage could, like courts, be kept in pay,
The wounded arm would furnish all their rooms,
And bleed for ever scarlet in the looms:
Boileau with this would plume his artful pen:
And can your Muse be silent? Think again.
Spare your advice; and since you have begun,
Finish your own design; the work is done.
Done! nothing's done! nor the dead colours laid,
And the most glorious scenes stand undisplay'd;
A thousand generous actions close the rear;
A thousand virtues, still behind, stand crowding
to appear.
The queen herself, the charming queen should
The noble piece, and in an artful place
Soften war's horrour with her lovely face.
Who can omit the queen's auspicious smile,
The pride of the fair sex, the goddess of our
isle?
Who can forget, what all admir'd of late,
Her fears for him, her prudence for the state?
Disguising cares, she smooth'd her looks with
Doubts in her heart, and pleasure in her face.
As danger did approach, her spirits rose,
And, putting on the king, dismay'd his foes.
In every glance descending angels sport.
Now, all in joy, she gilds the cheerful court;
As on the hills of Cynthus, or the meads
Of cool Eurotas, when Diana leads
The chorus of her nymphs, who there advance
A thousand shining maids, and form the dance;
The stately goddess with a graceful pride,
Sweet and majestic, does the figure guide,
Treading in just and easy measures round;
The silver arrows on her shoulder sound;
She walks above them all. Such is the scene
Of the bright circle, and the brighter queen.
These subjects do, my lord, your skill com
These none may touch with an unhallow'd hand:
Tender the strokes must be, and nicely writ,
Disguis'd encomiums must be hid in wit,
Which modesty, like theirs, will e'er admit,
Who made no other steps to such a throne,
But to deserve, and to receive, the crown.
What sums would Lewis give, that France might VANDYKE had colours, softness, fire, and art,
That victory follow'd where he led the way?
He all his conquests would for this refund,
And take th' equivalent, a glorious wound.
Then, what advice, to spread his real fame,
Would pass between Versailles and Nôtredame?
Their plays, their songs, would dwell upon his
wound,
And operas repeat no other sound;
Boyne would, for ages, be the painter's theme, The Gobelins' labour, and the poets dream:
When the fair Sunderland inflam'd his heart.
Waller had numbers, fancy, wit, and fire,
And Sacharissa was his fond desire.
Why then at Althrop seem her charms to faint,
In these sweet numbers and that glowing paint?
This happy seat a fairer mistress warms;
This shining offspring has eclips'd her charms:
The different beauties in one face we find;
Soft Amoret with brightest Sacharissa join'd.
As high as Nature reach'd, their art could soar;
But she ne'er made a finish'd piece before.
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