 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
XXX. THE NATIONS OF CHRISTENDOM.
The Mother of the churches was perforceThe Mother of the Nations; for in each
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Which urge great Nations starlike on their course
Found in Religion, there alone, its source:
'Twas hers the majesty of Law to teach;
To exalt high ends, illicit means impeach;
'Twixt loyal and obsequious make divorce.
A clan can boast its past and wreak its rage;
A firm can waft its bales o'er lands and seas;
A school can paint its picture, write its page:
What is it makes a Nation more than these?
That ‘Law of Nations’ which to lawless might
Limits assigns; gives sovereignty to Right.
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |