 | Columbia's glory |  |
Ah
George, take care—lay thy vain thoughts aside,
Abjure thy folly and suppress thy pride;
Already hast thou, to thy cost,
More than the Hebrew monarch, lost;
And, if thou still persist, some fatal day
May utter ruin bring:
For, when Columbia had renounc'd thy sway,
Encourag'd by the bold emprize,
Hibernia, resolute and wise,
From her gall'd neck indignant broke
Much of the burden of thy yoke,
And now she rates thee but as half a king.
Tyrant, be wise! at length beware;
Retreat in season and forbear
On schemes tyrannical to plod;
Pace back thy steps, nor longer dare,
With guilty feet to tread
The path thy royal predecessors trod:
Let their example, follow'd by their fate,
Strike through thy soul the salutary dread,
Lest thou, incurring universal hate,
Lose thy WHOLE empire and perhaps thy HEAD.
Abjure thy folly and suppress thy pride;
Already hast thou, to thy cost,
More than the Hebrew monarch, lost;
And, if thou still persist, some fatal day
May utter ruin bring:
For, when Columbia had renounc'd thy sway,
Encourag'd by the bold emprize,
Hibernia, resolute and wise,
From her gall'd neck indignant broke
Much of the burden of thy yoke,
And now she rates thee but as half a king.
35
Retreat in season and forbear
On schemes tyrannical to plod;
Pace back thy steps, nor longer dare,
With guilty feet to tread
The path thy royal predecessors trod:
Let their example, follow'd by their fate,
Strike through thy soul the salutary dread,
Lest thou, incurring universal hate,
Lose thy WHOLE empire and perhaps thy HEAD.
| Columbia's glory | |