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The political and occasional poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed

Edited, with notes, by Sir George Young
Praed, Winthrop Mackworth (1802-1839)

collapse sectionI. 
Part I.
 I. 
I. A FREE TRANSLATION OF A LETTER FROM PRINCE HILT TO A FRIEND AT PARIS.
 II. 
II. CHANCERY MORALS.
 III. 
III. LETTERS TO ILLUSTRIOUS CHARACTERS.
 IV. 
IV. LETTERS TO ILLUSTRIOUS CHARACTERS.
 V. 
V. LOVE'S ETERNITY.
 VI. 
VI. A SONG OF IMPOSSIBILITIES.
 VII. 
VII. ODE TO THE CHANCELLOR.
 VIII. 
VIII. WISDOM OF THE GREAT COUNCIL. I.
 IX. 
IX. WISDOM OF THE GREAT COUNCIL. II.
 X. 
X. THE LAY OF THE CHEESE.
 XI. 
XI. ROYAL EDUCATION.
 XII. 
XII. THE CORONATION OF CHARLES X.
 XIII. 
XIII. THE CORONATION OF CHARLES X.
 XIV. 
XIV. THE LONDON UNIVERSITY.
 XV. 
XV. AN EPITAPH ON THE LATE KING OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
 XVII. 
XVII. THE CHAUNTS OF THE BRAZEN HEAD. II.
 XVIII. 
XVIII. THE CHAUNTS OF THE BRAZEN HEAD. III.
 XX. 
XX. THE DEATH OF CANNING.
 XXI. 
XXI. THE RIDDLES OF THE SPHINX.
 XXII. 
XXII. THE OUTS.
 XXIII. 
XXIII. THE RETROSPECT.
 XXIV. 
XXIV. BIGOTRY'S REMONSTRANCE.
 XXVI. 
XXVI. WATERLOO.
 XXVII. 
XXVII. MARS DISARMED BY LOVE.
collapse sectionII. 
Part II.
 I. 
I. THE NEW ORDER OF THINGS.
 II. 
II. THE CONVERT.
 III. 
III. ODE TO POPULARITY.
 IV. 
IV. THE COMPLAINT OF LIBERTY.
 V. 
V. WHY AND WHEREFORE.
 VI. 
VI. KING ALFRED'S BOOK.
 VII. 
VII. INTENTIONS.
 VIII. 
VIII. THE BEGGAR'S PETITION.
 IX. 
IX. SPEECH OF THE IRISH SECRETARY IN DEFENCE OF THE LORD LIEUTENANT.
 X. 
X. SPEECH DELIVERED BY A WORTHY ALDERMAN, SEVERAL TIMES, IN COMMITTEE ON THE REFORM BILL.
 XI. 
XI. THE BILL, THE WHOLE BILL, AND NOTHING BUT THE BILL.
 XII. 
XII. REASONS FOR NOT RATTING.
 XIII. 
XIII. THE OLD TORY.
 XIV. 
XIV. THE YOUNG WHIG.
 XV. 
XV. ODE ADDRESSED TO THE RT. HON. POULETT THOMSON, ON HIS DISCOVERY OF THE FRUCTIFYING PRINCIPLE.
 XVI. 
XVI. THE DREAM OF A REPORTER.
 XVII. 
XVII. THE NEW LIGHT.
 XVIII. 
XVIII. LONG AGO.
 XIX. 
XIX. PLUS DE POLITIQUE.
 XX. 
XX. THE MAGIC BENCH.
 XXI. 
XXI. PLEDGES.
 XXII. 
XXII. HUME TRANSLATED.
 XXIII. 
XXIII. THE OLD SOLDIER.
 XXIV. 
XXIV. A CABINET CAROL.
 XXV. 
XXV. STANZAS.
 XXVI. 
XXVI. AN EPISTLE
 XXVII. 
XXVII. THE BEGGAR'S THANKS.
 XXVIII. 
XXVIII. A NURSERY SONG.
 XXIX. 
XXIX. STANZAS
 XXX. 
XXX. PATRIOT AND PLACEMAN.
 XXXI. 
XXXI. WHISTLE.
 XXXII. 
XXXII. THE ADIEUS OF WESTMINSTER.
 XXXIII. 
XXXIII. THIRTY-TWO AND THIRTY-THREE.
 XXXIV. 
XXXIV. THE WASHING OF THE BLACKAMOOR.
 XXXV. 
XXXV. MR. LITTLETON'S FRIENDSHIP.
 XXXVI. 
XXXVI. THE REMONSTRANCE.
 XXXVII. 
XXXVII. THE RUSSELL MELODIES.
 XXXVIII. 
XXXVIII. THE RUSSELL MELODIES.
 XXXIX. 
XXXIX. THE RUSSELL MELODIES.
 XL. 
XL. THE RUSSELL MELODIES.
 XLI. 
XLI. THE RUSSELL MELODIES.
 XLII. 
XLII. THE RUSSELL MELODIES.
 XLIII. 
XLIII. MAXIMS.
 XLIV. 
XLIV. THE SONG OF THE NURSE.
 XLV. 
XLV. THE STATE OF THE NATION.
 XLVI. 
XLVI. A MEMBER'S MUSINGS.
 XLVII. 
XLVII. COUNSELS OF A FATHER TO HIS SON.
 XLVIII. 
XLVIII. THE WHISPERS OF THE RUE RIVOLI.
 XLIX. 
XLIX. THE FALSE REPORT.
 L. 
L. A FAMILIAR EPISTLE.
 LI. 
LI. COLLOQUIES OF THE CANONGATE.
 LII. 
LII. THE LATE RESIGNATIONS.
 LIII. 
LIII. THE SONG OF THE BELLS.
collapse sectionIII. 
Part III.
 I. 
I THE CONTESTED ELECTION.
 II. 
II. THE POLITICAL DRAWING-ROOM.
 III. 
III. THE TREASURY BENCH.

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117

XXVII. MARS DISARMED BY LOVE.

Ay, bear it hence, thou blessed child,
Though dire the burden be
118

And hide it in the pathless wild,
Or drown it in the sea!
The ruthless murderer prays and swears—
So let him swear and pray!
Be deaf to all his oaths and prayers,
And take the sword away.
We've had enough of fleets and camps,
Guns, glories, odes, gazettes,
Triumphal arches, coloured lamps,
Huzzas and epaulettes;
We could not bear upon our head
Another leaf of bay;
That horrid Buonaparte's dead;
Yes, take the sword away.
We're weary of the noisy boasts
That pleased our patriot throngs;
We've long been dull to Gooch's toasts,
And deaf to Dibdin's songs;
We're quite content to rule the wave
Without a great display;
We're known to be extremely brave;
But take the sword away.
We give a shrug when pipe and drum
Play up a favourite air;
119

We think our barracks are become
More ugly than they were;
We laugh to see the banners float;
We loathe the charger's bray;
We don't admire a scarlet coat;
Do take the sword away!
Let Portugal have rulers twain,
Let Greece go on with none,
Let Popery sink or swim in Spain
While we enjoy the fun;
Let Turkey tremble at the knout,
Let Algiers lose her Dey,
Let Paris turn her Bourbons out;
Bah! take the sword away.
Our honest friends in Parliament
Are looking vastly sad;
Our farmers say with one consent
It's all immensely bad;
There was a time for borrowing,
And now it's time to pay;
A budget is a serious thing;
So, take the sword away.
And oh the bitter tears we wept
In those our days of fame—
120

The dread that o'er our heart-strings crept
With every post that came—
The home-affections waged and lost
In many a far-off fray—
The price that British glory cost!
Ah, take the sword away!
We've plenty left to hoist the sail,
Or dare the dangerous breach,
And Freedom breathes in every gale
That wanders round our beach.
When Duty bids us dare or die,
We'll fight, another day;
But till we know the reason why,
Take—take the sword away!
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