 | Poems on Affairs of State |  |
291
THE Mock Mourners.
A Satyr, By way of Elegy on King William.
To the QUEEN.
293
Such has been this Ill-Natur'd Nation's Fate,
Always to see their Friends and Foes too late;
By Native Pride, and want of Temper led,
Never to value Merit till 'tis Dead:
And then Immortal Monuments they raise,
And damn their former Follies by their Praise;
With just Reproaches rail at their own Vice,
And mourn for those they did before despise:
So they who Moses Government defi'd,
Sincerely sorrow'd for him when he Di'd.
Always to see their Friends and Foes too late;
By Native Pride, and want of Temper led,
Never to value Merit till 'tis Dead:
And then Immortal Monuments they raise,
And damn their former Follies by their Praise;
With just Reproaches rail at their own Vice,
And mourn for those they did before despise:
So they who Moses Government defi'd,
Sincerely sorrow'd for him when he Di'd.
And so when Britain's Genius fainting lay,
Summon'd by Death, which Monarchs must obey;
Trembling and Soul-less half the Nation stood,
Upbraided by their own Ingratitude.
Summon'd by Death, which Monarchs must obey;
Trembling and Soul-less half the Nation stood,
Upbraided by their own Ingratitude.
They, who with true-born Honesty before,
Grudg'd him the Trophies he so justly wore,
Were, with his Fate, more than himself dismay'd,
Not for their King, but for themselves afraid.
He had their Rights and Liberties restor'd,
In Battel purchas'd, and by Peace secur'd:
And they with English Gratitude began
To feel the Favour, and despise the Man.
But when they saw that his Protection ceas'd,
And Death had their Deliverer possest;
How Thunderstruck they stood! What cries they rais'd!
They look'd like Men distracted and amaz'd;
Their Terror did their Conscious Guilt explain,
And wish'd their injur'd Prince Alive again.
They dream't of Halters, Gibbets, and of Jails,
French Armies, Popery, and Prince of Wales,
Descents, Invasions, Uproars in the State,
Mobs, Irish Massacres, and God knows what:
Imaginary Enemies appear'd,
And all they knew they Merited, they Fear'd.
Grudg'd him the Trophies he so justly wore,
Were, with his Fate, more than himself dismay'd,
Not for their King, but for themselves afraid.
He had their Rights and Liberties restor'd,
In Battel purchas'd, and by Peace secur'd:
And they with English Gratitude began
To feel the Favour, and despise the Man.
But when they saw that his Protection ceas'd,
And Death had their Deliverer possest;
How Thunderstruck they stood! What cries they rais'd!
They look'd like Men distracted and amaz'd;
Their Terror did their Conscious Guilt explain,
And wish'd their injur'd Prince Alive again.
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French Armies, Popery, and Prince of Wales,
Descents, Invasions, Uproars in the State,
Mobs, Irish Massacres, and God knows what:
Imaginary Enemies appear'd,
And all they knew they Merited, they Fear'd.
'Tis strange that Pride and Envy should prevail,
To make Mens Sense as well as Vertue fail:
That where they must depend they should abuse,
And slight the Man they were afraid to lose.
To make Mens Sense as well as Vertue fail:
That where they must depend they should abuse,
And slight the Man they were afraid to lose.
But William had not govern'd Fourteen Year,
To be an unconcern'd Spectator here:
His Works, like Providence, were all Compleat,
Which made a Harmony we wonder'd at.
The Legislative Power he set Free,
And led them step by step to Liberty,
'Twas not his Fault if they cou'd not Agree.
Impartial Justice He protected so,
The Laws did in their Native Channels flow,
From whence our sure Establishment begun,
And William laid the first Foundation Stone,
On which the stately Fabrick soon appear'd;
How cou'd they sink when such a Pilot steer'd?
He taught them due Defences to prepare,
And make their future Peace their present care:
By him directed, wisely they decreed,
What Lines shou'd be expel'd, and what succeed;
That now he's Dead, there's nothing to be done,
But to take up the Scepter he laid down.
To be an unconcern'd Spectator here:
His Works, like Providence, were all Compleat,
Which made a Harmony we wonder'd at.
The Legislative Power he set Free,
And led them step by step to Liberty,
'Twas not his Fault if they cou'd not Agree.
Impartial Justice He protected so,
The Laws did in their Native Channels flow,
From whence our sure Establishment begun,
And William laid the first Foundation Stone,
On which the stately Fabrick soon appear'd;
How cou'd they sink when such a Pilot steer'd?
He taught them due Defences to prepare,
And make their future Peace their present care:
By him directed, wisely they decreed,
What Lines shou'd be expel'd, and what succeed;
That now he's Dead, there's nothing to be done,
But to take up the Scepter he laid down.
The Circle of this Order is so round,
So Regular as nothing can confound:
In Truth and Justice all the Lines commence,
And Reason is the vast Circumference:
William's the moving Centre of the Whole,
'T had else a Body been without a Soul:
Fenc'd with just Laws, impregnable it stands,
And will for ever last in honest Hands;
For Truth and Justice are th'Immortal Springs,
Give Life to Constitutions and to Kings:
In either Case, if one of these decay,
These can no more command than those obey.
Right is the only Fountain of Command,
The Rock on which Authority must stand.
And if Executive Power steps awry
On either hand, it splits on Tyranny.
Oppression is a Plague on Mankind sent,
T'infect the Vitals of a Government.
Convulsions follow, and such Vapours rise,
The Constitution suffocates and dies.
Law is the grand Specifick to restore,
And unobstructed, never fails to cure:
All other Remedies compar'd to that,
Are tampering and quacking with the State.
The Constitution's like a vast Machine,
That's full of curious Workmanship within:
Where tho the Parts unwieldy may appear,
It may be put in motion with a Hair.
The Wheels are Officers and Magistrates,
By which the whole Contrivance operates:
Laws are the Weights and Springs which make it move,
Wound up by Kings as Managers above;
And if they'r screw'd too high, or down too low,
The Movement goes too fast, or else too slow.
The Legislators are the Engineers,
Who when 'tis out of Order make Repairs:
The People are the Owners, 'twas for them
The first Inventer drew the antient Scheme.
'Tis for their Benefit it works, and they
The Charges of maintaining it defray:
And if their Governours unfaithful prove,
They, Engineers or Managers remove.
Unkind Contention sometimes there appears
Between the Managers and Engineers:
Such Strife is always to the Owners wrong,
And once it made the Work stand still too long;
Till William came, and loos'd the Fatal Chain,
And set the Engineers to work again:
And having made the wondrous thing compleat,
To Anne's unerring Hand he left the Helm of State.
So Regular as nothing can confound:
In Truth and Justice all the Lines commence,
And Reason is the vast Circumference:
William's the moving Centre of the Whole,
'T had else a Body been without a Soul:
Fenc'd with just Laws, impregnable it stands,
And will for ever last in honest Hands;
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Give Life to Constitutions and to Kings:
In either Case, if one of these decay,
These can no more command than those obey.
Right is the only Fountain of Command,
The Rock on which Authority must stand.
And if Executive Power steps awry
On either hand, it splits on Tyranny.
Oppression is a Plague on Mankind sent,
T'infect the Vitals of a Government.
Convulsions follow, and such Vapours rise,
The Constitution suffocates and dies.
Law is the grand Specifick to restore,
And unobstructed, never fails to cure:
All other Remedies compar'd to that,
Are tampering and quacking with the State.
The Constitution's like a vast Machine,
That's full of curious Workmanship within:
Where tho the Parts unwieldy may appear,
It may be put in motion with a Hair.
The Wheels are Officers and Magistrates,
By which the whole Contrivance operates:
Laws are the Weights and Springs which make it move,
Wound up by Kings as Managers above;
And if they'r screw'd too high, or down too low,
The Movement goes too fast, or else too slow.
The Legislators are the Engineers,
Who when 'tis out of Order make Repairs:
The People are the Owners, 'twas for them
The first Inventer drew the antient Scheme.
'Tis for their Benefit it works, and they
The Charges of maintaining it defray:
And if their Governours unfaithful prove,
They, Engineers or Managers remove.
Unkind Contention sometimes there appears
Between the Managers and Engineers:
Such Strife is always to the Owners wrong,
And once it made the Work stand still too long;
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And set the Engineers to work again:
And having made the wondrous thing compleat,
To Anne's unerring Hand he left the Helm of State.
Anne, like Elisha, when Just William went,
Receiv'd the Mantle of his Government:
And by Divine Concession does inherit
A Double Portion of his Ruling Spirit.
The Dying Hero, loaded with Renown,
Gave her the Nations Blessing with the Crown,
From God, the People, and the Laws her own:
Told her that he had Orders from on High,
To lay aside the Government and Dye:
What he had Fought for, gave her up in Peace,
And chear'd her Royal Heart with Prospect of Success.
While he, who Death in all its Shapes had seen,
With full Composure, quiet and serene,
Passive and undisorder'd at his Fate,
Quitted the English Throne without Regret.
No Conscious Guilt disturb'd his Royal Breast,
Calm as the Region of Eternal Rest:
Before his Life went out, his Heaven came in,
For all was bright without and clear within.
The blest Rewards did to his sight appear,
The Passage easie, and the Prospect near;
His parting Eye the gladsom Regions spy'd,
Just so, before his Dear Maria Dy'd.
His High concern for England he exprest,
England, the Darling of his Royal Breast:
The Transports of his parting Soul he spent,
Her dis-united Parties to lament;
His Wishes then supplied his want of Power,
And Pray'd for them, for whom he Fought before.
Receiv'd the Mantle of his Government:
And by Divine Concession does inherit
A Double Portion of his Ruling Spirit.
The Dying Hero, loaded with Renown,
Gave her the Nations Blessing with the Crown,
From God, the People, and the Laws her own:
Told her that he had Orders from on High,
To lay aside the Government and Dye:
What he had Fought for, gave her up in Peace,
And chear'd her Royal Heart with Prospect of Success.
While he, who Death in all its Shapes had seen,
With full Composure, quiet and serene,
Passive and undisorder'd at his Fate,
Quitted the English Throne without Regret.
No Conscious Guilt disturb'd his Royal Breast,
Calm as the Region of Eternal Rest:
Before his Life went out, his Heaven came in,
For all was bright without and clear within.
The blest Rewards did to his sight appear,
The Passage easie, and the Prospect near;
His parting Eye the gladsom Regions spy'd,
Just so, before his Dear Maria Dy'd.
His High concern for England he exprest,
England, the Darling of his Royal Breast:
The Transports of his parting Soul he spent,
Her dis-united Parties to lament;
His Wishes then supplied his want of Power,
And Pray'd for them, for whom he Fought before.
Speak Envy, if you can, inform us what
Cou'd this unthankful Nation murmur at?
But Discontent was always our Disease,
For English-men what Government can please?
We always had our Sons of Belial here,
Who knew no God nor Government to fear:
No wonder these dislik'd his Gentle Sway,
Unwilling Homage to his Scepter pay,
And only did for want of Power, obey.
Cou'd this unthankful Nation murmur at?
But Discontent was always our Disease,
For English-men what Government can please?
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Who knew no God nor Government to fear:
No wonder these dislik'd his Gentle Sway,
Unwilling Homage to his Scepter pay,
And only did for want of Power, obey.
Some soft excuse for them we might contrive,
Had he not been the Gentlest Prince Alive;
Had he not born with an exalted Mind
All that was disobliging and unkind.
Peaceful and Tender Thoughts his Mind possest,
And high Superior Love conceal'd the rest:
Our Discontents wou'd oft his Pity move,
But all his Anger was supprest by Love.
That Heaven-born Passion had subdu'd his Soul,
Possest the greatest part, and Rul'd the whole:
This made him strive his People to possess,
Which he had done, had he oblig'd them less.
He knew that Titles are but empty things,
And Hearts of Subjects are the Strength of Kings:
Justice and Kindness were his constant care,
He scorn'd to govern Mankind by their Fear.
Had he not been the Gentlest Prince Alive;
Had he not born with an exalted Mind
All that was disobliging and unkind.
Peaceful and Tender Thoughts his Mind possest,
And high Superior Love conceal'd the rest:
Our Discontents wou'd oft his Pity move,
But all his Anger was supprest by Love.
That Heaven-born Passion had subdu'd his Soul,
Possest the greatest part, and Rul'd the whole:
This made him strive his People to possess,
Which he had done, had he oblig'd them less.
He knew that Titles are but empty things,
And Hearts of Subjects are the Strength of Kings:
Justice and Kindness were his constant care,
He scorn'd to govern Mankind by their Fear.
Their Universal Love he strove to gain,
'Twas hard that we should make him strive in vain:
That he should here our English Humours find,
And we, whom he had sav'd, shou'd be unkind.
By all endearing stratagems he strove,
To draw us by the secret springs of Love:
And when he could not cure our Discontent,
It always was below him to Resent.
Nature was never seen in such excess,
All Fury when Abroad, at Home all Peace:
In War all Fire and Blood, in Peace enclin'd
To all that's Sweet and Gentle, Soft and Kind.
Ingratitude for this must needs commence
In want of Honesty, or want of Sense.
'Twas hard that we should make him strive in vain:
That he should here our English Humours find,
And we, whom he had sav'd, shou'd be unkind.
By all endearing stratagems he strove,
To draw us by the secret springs of Love:
And when he could not cure our Discontent,
It always was below him to Resent.
Nature was never seen in such excess,
All Fury when Abroad, at Home all Peace:
In War all Fire and Blood, in Peace enclin'd
To all that's Sweet and Gentle, Soft and Kind.
Ingratitude for this must needs commence
In want of Honesty, or want of Sense.
When Kings to Luxury and Ease resign'd,
Their Native Countries just Defence declin'd;
This High pretending Nation us'd to plead,
What they'd perform had they a King to lead;
What Wondrous Actions had by them been done,
When they had Martial Monarchs to lead on;
And if their Prince would but with France make War,
What Troops of English Heroes wou'd appear.
Their Native Countries just Defence declin'd;
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What they'd perform had they a King to lead;
What Wondrous Actions had by them been done,
When they had Martial Monarchs to lead on;
And if their Prince would but with France make War,
What Troops of English Heroes wou'd appear.
William the bottom of their Courage found,
False like themselves, mere emptiness and sound:
For call'd by Fate to fight for Christendom,
They sent their King abroad, and stay'd themselves at home;
Wisely declin'd the Hazards of the War,
To nourish Faction and Disorders here.
Wrapt in Luxurious plenty, they Debauch,
And load their Active Monarch with Reproach;
Backward in Deeds, but of their Censures free,
And slight the Actions which they dare not see.
At home they bravely teach him to Command,
And judg of what they are afraid to mend:
Against the Hand that saves them they exclaim,
And curse the Strangers, tho they fight for them.
Tho some who wou'd excuse the matter say,
They did not grudg their Service; but their Pay.
Where are the Royal Bands that now advance,
To spread his dreadful Banners into France?
Britannia's Noble Sons her Interest fly,
And Foreign Heroes must their place supply;
Much for the Fame of our Nobility.
Posterity will be asham'd to hear,
Great Britain's Monarch did in Arms appear,
And scarce an English Nobleman was there.
Our Ancestors had never conquer'd France,
(For Kingdoms seldom are subdu'd by Chance)
Had Talbot, Vere, and Montacute withheld
The Glory, for the Danger of the Field.
Had English Honesty been kept alive,
The antient English Glory would survive;
But Gallantry and Courage will decline,
Where Pride and all Confederate Vices join.
Had we kept up the fame of former Years,
Landen had been as Famous as Poictiers.
Ormond and Essex had not fought alone,
The only English Lords our Verse can own:
The only Peers of whom the World can say,
That they for Honour fought, and not for Pay.
False like themselves, mere emptiness and sound:
For call'd by Fate to fight for Christendom,
They sent their King abroad, and stay'd themselves at home;
Wisely declin'd the Hazards of the War,
To nourish Faction and Disorders here.
Wrapt in Luxurious plenty, they Debauch,
And load their Active Monarch with Reproach;
Backward in Deeds, but of their Censures free,
And slight the Actions which they dare not see.
At home they bravely teach him to Command,
And judg of what they are afraid to mend:
Against the Hand that saves them they exclaim,
And curse the Strangers, tho they fight for them.
Tho some who wou'd excuse the matter say,
They did not grudg their Service; but their Pay.
Where are the Royal Bands that now advance,
To spread his dreadful Banners into France?
Britannia's Noble Sons her Interest fly,
And Foreign Heroes must their place supply;
Much for the Fame of our Nobility.
Posterity will be asham'd to hear,
Great Britain's Monarch did in Arms appear,
And scarce an English Nobleman was there.
Our Ancestors had never conquer'd France,
(For Kingdoms seldom are subdu'd by Chance)
Had Talbot, Vere, and Montacute withheld
The Glory, for the Danger of the Field.
Had English Honesty been kept alive,
The antient English Glory would survive;
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Where Pride and all Confederate Vices join.
Had we kept up the fame of former Years,
Landen had been as Famous as Poictiers.
Ormond and Essex had not fought alone,
The only English Lords our Verse can own:
The only Peers of whom the World can say,
That they for Honour fought, and not for Pay.
A Regimented Few we had indeed,
Who serv'd for neither Pride nor Fame, but Bread:
Some Bully L---s, Protection P---s, and some
Went out because they dare not stay at Home.
Loaded with Noxious Vices they appear,
A scandal to the Nation and the War;
Heroes in Midnight scuffles with the Watch,
And Lewd enough an Army to Debauch.
Flesh'd with cold Murders, and from Justice fled,
Pursu'd by Blood in drunken Quarrels shed:
In vain they strive with Bravery to appear,
For where there's Guilt, there always will be Fear.
These are the Pillars of the English Fame,
Such Peers as History must blush to name.
Who serv'd for neither Pride nor Fame, but Bread:
Some Bully L---s, Protection P---s, and some
Went out because they dare not stay at Home.
Loaded with Noxious Vices they appear,
A scandal to the Nation and the War;
Heroes in Midnight scuffles with the Watch,
And Lewd enough an Army to Debauch.
Flesh'd with cold Murders, and from Justice fled,
Pursu'd by Blood in drunken Quarrels shed:
In vain they strive with Bravery to appear,
For where there's Guilt, there always will be Fear.
These are the Pillars of the English Fame,
Such Peers as History must blush to name.
When future Records to the World relate
Marsaglia's Field, and Gallant Schomberg's Fate:
W--- was Captive made, it was severe,
Fate took the Honest Man, and left the Peer.
The World owes Fame for Ages long before,
To the Great Stile of W--- which he bore:
But when we come the Branches to compare,
'Ts a Hero Ancestor, a Bully Heir:
The Vertues the Posterity forsake,
And all their Gallant Blood is dwindl'd to a Rake.
More might be said, but Satyr stay thy Rhimes,
And mix not his Misfortune with his Crimes:
We need not rake the Ashes of the Dead,
There's living Characters enough to read.
Marsaglia's Field, and Gallant Schomberg's Fate:
W--- was Captive made, it was severe,
Fate took the Honest Man, and left the Peer.
The World owes Fame for Ages long before,
To the Great Stile of W--- which he bore:
But when we come the Branches to compare,
'Ts a Hero Ancestor, a Bully Heir:
The Vertues the Posterity forsake,
And all their Gallant Blood is dwindl'd to a Rake.
More might be said, but Satyr stay thy Rhimes,
And mix not his Misfortune with his Crimes:
We need not rake the Ashes of the Dead,
There's living Characters enough to read.
How cou'd this Nation ever think of Peace?
Or how look up to Heaven for Success?
While lawless Vice in Fleets and Camps appear'd,
And Oaths were louder than their Cannon heard:
No wonder English Israel has been said
Before the French Philistines Fleet t'ha' fled;
While T--- Embrac'd with Whores appear'd,
And Vice it self the Royal Navy Steer'd.
Or how look up to Heaven for Success?
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And Oaths were louder than their Cannon heard:
No wonder English Israel has been said
Before the French Philistines Fleet t'ha' fled;
While T--- Embrac'd with Whores appear'd,
And Vice it self the Royal Navy Steer'd.
William oppos'd their Crimes with steddy hand,
By his Example first, and then Command;
Prompted the Laws their Vices to suppress,
For which no doubt the Guilty lov'd him less.
By his Example first, and then Command;
Prompted the Laws their Vices to suppress,
For which no doubt the Guilty lov'd him less.
Ye Sons of Envy, Railers at the Times,
Be bold like English-Men and own your Crimes:
For shame put on no black, but let us see
Your Habits always, and your Tongues agree.
Envy ne'er blushes, Let it not be said,
You Hate him Living, and you Mourn him Dead:
No Sorrow show where you no Love profess,
There are no Hypocrites in Wickedness.
Great Bonfires make, and tell the World y' are glad
Y' have lost the greatest Blessing e'er you had.
So Mad-men sing in Nakedness and Chains,
For when the Sense is gone, the Song remains.
So Thankless Israel, when they were set free,
Reproach'd the Author of their Liberty,
And wish'd themselves in Egypt back again:
What Pity 'twas they wish'd, or wish'd in vain?
Be bold like English-Men and own your Crimes:
For shame put on no black, but let us see
Your Habits always, and your Tongues agree.
Envy ne'er blushes, Let it not be said,
You Hate him Living, and you Mourn him Dead:
No Sorrow show where you no Love profess,
There are no Hypocrites in Wickedness.
Great Bonfires make, and tell the World y' are glad
Y' have lost the greatest Blessing e'er you had.
So Mad-men sing in Nakedness and Chains,
For when the Sense is gone, the Song remains.
So Thankless Israel, when they were set free,
Reproach'd the Author of their Liberty,
And wish'd themselves in Egypt back again:
What Pity 'twas they wish'd, or wish'd in vain?
Stop Satyr, let Britannia now relate
Her William's Character, and her own Fate;
Let her to him a grateful Trophy raise,
She best can sigh his Loss that best could sing his Praise.
Her William's Character, and her own Fate;
Let her to him a grateful Trophy raise,
She best can sigh his Loss that best could sing his Praise.
BRITANNIA.
Of all my Sons by Tyranny bereft,
A Widow desolate and Childless left,
By Violence and Injury opprest,
To Heaven I cast my Eyes, and sigh'd the rest.
I need but sigh, for I was always heard,
And William on my welcome Shores appear'd.
With Wings of speed to rescue me he came,
And all my Sorrows vanish'd into Flame.
New Joys sprung up, new Triumphs now abound,
And all my Virgin Daughters hear the Sound:
Eternal Dances move upon my Plains,
And Youthful Blood springs in my antient Veins.
With open Arms I yielded my Embrace,
And William saw the Beauties of my Face.
He had before the knowledge of my Charms,
For he had my Maria in his Arms.
While he remain'd, I gave eternal Spring,
Made him my Son, my Darling, and my King;
While all the wondring World my Choice approve,
Congratulate his Fate, and justify my Love.
A Widow desolate and Childless left,
By Violence and Injury opprest,
To Heaven I cast my Eyes, and sigh'd the rest.
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And William on my welcome Shores appear'd.
With Wings of speed to rescue me he came,
And all my Sorrows vanish'd into Flame.
New Joys sprung up, new Triumphs now abound,
And all my Virgin Daughters hear the Sound:
Eternal Dances move upon my Plains,
And Youthful Blood springs in my antient Veins.
With open Arms I yielded my Embrace,
And William saw the Beauties of my Face.
He had before the knowledge of my Charms,
For he had my Maria in his Arms.
While he remain'd, I gave eternal Spring,
Made him my Son, my Darling, and my King;
While all the wondring World my Choice approve,
Congratulate his Fate, and justify my Love.
Of British Blood in Belgian Plains he liv'd,
My only Foreign Off-spring that surviv'd.
Batavian Climates nourish'd him a while,
Too great a Genius for so damp a Soil:
And freely then surrendred him to me,
For wise Men freely will the Fates obey.
Yet in my William they had equal Share,
And he defended them with equal Care.
They were the early Trophies of his Sword,
His Infant Hand their Liberty restor'd.
His Nurse, that Belgick Lion, roar'd for Aid,
And planted early Lawrels on his Head.
His easy Victories amaz'd Mankind;
We wonder'd what the dreadful Youth design'd.
Fearless he fought his Country to set free,
And with his Sword cut out their Liberty.
The Journals of his Actions always seem'd
So wonderful, as if the World had dream'd:
So swift, so full of Terrour he went on,
He was a Conquerour before a Man.
My only Foreign Off-spring that surviv'd.
Batavian Climates nourish'd him a while,
Too great a Genius for so damp a Soil:
And freely then surrendred him to me,
For wise Men freely will the Fates obey.
Yet in my William they had equal Share,
And he defended them with equal Care.
They were the early Trophies of his Sword,
His Infant Hand their Liberty restor'd.
His Nurse, that Belgick Lion, roar'd for Aid,
And planted early Lawrels on his Head.
His easy Victories amaz'd Mankind;
We wonder'd what the dreadful Youth design'd.
Fearless he fought his Country to set free,
And with his Sword cut out their Liberty.
The Journals of his Actions always seem'd
So wonderful, as if the World had dream'd:
So swift, so full of Terrour he went on,
He was a Conquerour before a Man.
The Bourbon Sword, tho it was brighter far,
Yet drawn for Conquest, and oppressive War,
Had all the Triumphs of the World engrost,
But quickly all those Triumphs to him lost.
Justice to William early Trophies brought;
William for Truth and Justice always fought.
Yet drawn for Conquest, and oppressive War,
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But quickly all those Triumphs to him lost.
Justice to William early Trophies brought;
William for Truth and Justice always fought.
He was the very Mystery of War,
He gain'd by't when he was not Conquerour.
And if his Enemies a Battel won,
He might be beaten, they would be undone.
Antæus like from every fall he rose,
Strengthen'd with double Vigour to oppose;
Those Actions Mankind judg'd Unfortunate,
Serv'd but as secret Steps to make him Great.
Then let them boast their Glory at Landen,
In vain th'Embattl'd Squadrons crowded in,
Theirs was the Victory, the Conquest mine.
He gain'd by't when he was not Conquerour.
And if his Enemies a Battel won,
He might be beaten, they would be undone.
Antæus like from every fall he rose,
Strengthen'd with double Vigour to oppose;
Those Actions Mankind judg'd Unfortunate,
Serv'd but as secret Steps to make him Great.
Then let them boast their Glory at Landen,
In vain th'Embattl'd Squadrons crowded in,
Theirs was the Victory, the Conquest mine.
Of all the Heroes Ages past adore,
Back to the first Great Man, and long before;
Tho Virtue has sometimes with Valour join'd,
The Barren World no Parallel can find.
Back to the first Great Man, and long before;
Tho Virtue has sometimes with Valour join'd,
The Barren World no Parallel can find.
If back to Israel's Tents I shou'd retire,
And of the Hebrew Heroes there enquire,
I find no Hand did Judah's Scepter wear,
Comes up to William's Modern Character.
Namure's Gygantick Towers he o'erthrew;
David did less when he Goliah slew.
Here's no Uriah's for Adult'ry slain,
Nor Oaths forgot to faithful Jonathan.
And if to Jesse's Grandson we've recourse,
William his Wisdom had without his Whores.
And of the Hebrew Heroes there enquire,
I find no Hand did Judah's Scepter wear,
Comes up to William's Modern Character.
Namure's Gygantick Towers he o'erthrew;
David did less when he Goliah slew.
Here's no Uriah's for Adult'ry slain,
Nor Oaths forgot to faithful Jonathan.
And if to Jesse's Grandson we've recourse,
William his Wisdom had without his Whores.
Joshua might still have staid on Jordan Shore,
Must he, as William did the Boyne, pass o'er.
Almighty Power was forc'd to interpose,
And frighted both the Water and his Foes:
But had my William been to pass that Stream,
God needed not to part the Waves for him.
Not Forty Thousand Canaanites cou'd stand,
In spight of Waves or Canaanites he'd land:
Such Streams ne'er stemm'd his Tide of Victory;
No, not the Stream; no, nor the Enemy.
Must he, as William did the Boyne, pass o'er.
Almighty Power was forc'd to interpose,
And frighted both the Water and his Foes:
But had my William been to pass that Stream,
God needed not to part the Waves for him.
Not Forty Thousand Canaanites cou'd stand,
In spight of Waves or Canaanites he'd land:
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No, not the Stream; no, nor the Enemy.
His Bombs and Cannon wou'd ha' made the Wall,
Without the Help of Jewish Rams-Horns, fall.
When his dear Israel from their Foes had fled,
Because of stoln Spoils by Achan hid;
He'd ne'er, like Joshua, on the Ground ha' laid,
He'd certainly ha' fought as well as pray'd.
Without the Help of Jewish Rams-Horns, fall.
When his dear Israel from their Foes had fled,
Because of stoln Spoils by Achan hid;
He'd ne'er, like Joshua, on the Ground ha' laid,
He'd certainly ha' fought as well as pray'd.
The Sun would rather ha' been thought to stay,
Amaz'd to see how soon he'ad won the Day,
Than to give time the Canaanites to slay.
The greatest Captains of the Ages past,
Debauch'd their Fame with Cruelty at last:
William did only Tyrants subdue;
These conquer'd Kings, and then the People too:
The Subjects reap'd no Profit for their Pains,
And only chang'd their Masters, not their Chains;
Their Victories did for themselves appear,
And made their Peace as dreadful as the War:
But William fought Oppression to destroy,
That Mankind might in Peace the World enjoy.
Amaz'd to see how soon he'ad won the Day,
Than to give time the Canaanites to slay.
The greatest Captains of the Ages past,
Debauch'd their Fame with Cruelty at last:
William did only Tyrants subdue;
These conquer'd Kings, and then the People too:
The Subjects reap'd no Profit for their Pains,
And only chang'd their Masters, not their Chains;
Their Victories did for themselves appear,
And made their Peace as dreadful as the War:
But William fought Oppression to destroy,
That Mankind might in Peace the World enjoy.
The Pompeys, Cæsars, Scipio's, Alexanders,
Who crowd the World with Fame, were great Commanders.
These too brought Blood and Ruin with their Arms,
But William always fought on other Terms.
Terrour indeed might in his Front appear,
But Peace and Plenty follow'd in his Rear:
And if Oppression forc'd him to contend,
Calmness was all his Temper, Peace his End:
He was the only Man we e'er saw fit
To regulate the World or conquer it.
Who can his Skill in Government gainsay,
He that can England's brittle Scepter sway,
Where Parties too much rule, and Kings obey?
He always reign'd by Gentleness and Love,
An Emblem of the Government above.
Who crowd the World with Fame, were great Commanders.
These too brought Blood and Ruin with their Arms,
But William always fought on other Terms.
Terrour indeed might in his Front appear,
But Peace and Plenty follow'd in his Rear:
And if Oppression forc'd him to contend,
Calmness was all his Temper, Peace his End:
He was the only Man we e'er saw fit
To regulate the World or conquer it.
Who can his Skill in Government gainsay,
He that can England's brittle Scepter sway,
Where Parties too much rule, and Kings obey?
He always reign'd by Gentleness and Love,
An Emblem of the Government above.
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Vote me not Childless then in Christendom,
I yet have Sons in my suspended Womb:
And till just Fate such due Provision makes,
A Daughter my Protection undertakes.
Crowns know no Sexes, and my Government
To either Kind admits a just Descent.
Queens have to me been always fortunate,
E'er since my English Phœnix rul'd the State;
Who made my People rich, my Country great.
Satyr be just, and when we lash their Crimes,
Mingle some Tears for William with our Rhimes.
Tho Baseness and Ingratitude appear,
Thank Heaven that we ha' weeping Millions here:
Then speak our hearty Sorrows if you can,
Superior Grief in feeling Words explain:
Accents that wound, and all the Senses numb,
And while they speak may strike the Hearer dumb:
Such Grief as never was for King before,
And such as never, never shall be more.
I yet have Sons in my suspended Womb:
And till just Fate such due Provision makes,
A Daughter my Protection undertakes.
Crowns know no Sexes, and my Government
To either Kind admits a just Descent.
Queens have to me been always fortunate,
E'er since my English Phœnix rul'd the State;
Who made my People rich, my Country great.
Satyr be just, and when we lash their Crimes,
Mingle some Tears for William with our Rhimes.
Tho Baseness and Ingratitude appear,
Thank Heaven that we ha' weeping Millions here:
Then speak our hearty Sorrows if you can,
Superior Grief in feeling Words explain:
Accents that wound, and all the Senses numb,
And while they speak may strike the Hearer dumb:
Such Grief as never was for King before,
And such as never, never shall be more.
See how Authority comes weeping on,
And view the Queen lamenting on his Throne.
With just Regret she takes the Sword of State,
Not by her Choice directed, but his Fate;
Accepts the sad Necessity with Tears,
And mournfully for Government prepares.
The Peoples Acclamations she receives
With sadn'd Joy, and a Content that grieves.
And view the Queen lamenting on his Throne.
With just Regret she takes the Sword of State,
Not by her Choice directed, but his Fate;
Accepts the sad Necessity with Tears,
And mournfully for Government prepares.
The Peoples Acclamations she receives
With sadn'd Joy, and a Content that grieves.
View next the sad Assemblies that appear,
To tell their Grief for him, and Joy for her.
The first confounds the last with such Excess,
They hardly can their noble Thoughts express.
The Illustrious Troop address her to condole,
And speak such Grief as wounds her to the Soul:
They lodg their Sorrows in the Royal Breast,
The Harbour where the Nation looks for Rest.
To tell their Grief for him, and Joy for her.
The first confounds the last with such Excess,
They hardly can their noble Thoughts express.
The Illustrious Troop address her to condole,
And speak such Grief as wounds her to the Soul:
They lodg their Sorrows in the Royal Breast,
The Harbour where the Nation looks for Rest.
Next these, the Representatives arise,
With all the Nations Sorrow in their Eyes.
The Epithets they righteously apply
To the Restorer of their Liberty,
Are Tokens of their Sense and Honesty.
For as a Body we were always true,
But 'tis our Parties that our Peace undo.
Who can like them the Peoples Grief express?
They shew her all the Tokens of Excess:
O'erwhelm'd with Sorrow, and supprest with Care,
They place the Nation's Refuge now in her:
Nothing but her Succession cou'd abate
The Nation's Sorrow for their Monarch's Fate:
And nothing but his Fate cou'd their true Joy
For her Succession lessen or destroy.
With all the Nations Sorrow in their Eyes.
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To the Restorer of their Liberty,
Are Tokens of their Sense and Honesty.
For as a Body we were always true,
But 'tis our Parties that our Peace undo.
Who can like them the Peoples Grief express?
They shew her all the Tokens of Excess:
O'erwhelm'd with Sorrow, and supprest with Care,
They place the Nation's Refuge now in her:
Nothing but her Succession cou'd abate
The Nation's Sorrow for their Monarch's Fate:
And nothing but his Fate cou'd their true Joy
For her Succession lessen or destroy.
The Civil Sword to her, as Heaven saw fit,
With general Satisfaction they commit:
How can it in a Hand like hers miscarry?
But who shall for us weild the Military?
Who shall the jarring Generals unite;
First teach them to agree, and then to fight?
Who shall renew'd Alliances contrive,
And keep the vast Confederacies alive?
Who shall the growing Gallick Force subdue?
'Twas more than all the World, but him, cou'd do.
With general Satisfaction they commit:
How can it in a Hand like hers miscarry?
But who shall for us weild the Military?
Who shall the jarring Generals unite;
First teach them to agree, and then to fight?
Who shall renew'd Alliances contrive,
And keep the vast Confederacies alive?
Who shall the growing Gallick Force subdue?
'Twas more than all the World, but him, cou'd do.
Sighs for departed Friends are sensless things,
But 'tis not so when Nations mourn for Kings:
When wounded Kingdoms such a Loss complain,
As Nature never can repair again;
The Tyrant Grief, like Love, obeys no Laws,
But blindly views th'Effect, and not the Cause.
But 'tis not so when Nations mourn for Kings:
When wounded Kingdoms such a Loss complain,
As Nature never can repair again;
The Tyrant Grief, like Love, obeys no Laws,
But blindly views th'Effect, and not the Cause.
Dark are the Works of Sovereign Providence,
And often clash with our contracted Sense:
But if we might with Heaven's Decrees debate,
And of our Maker's Works expostulate;
Why shou'd he form a Mind supremely great,
And to his Charge commit the Reins of Fate,
And at one hasty Blow the Work defeat?
A Blow so sudden, so severe and swift,
We had no time for Supplication left:
As if Almighty Power had been afraid,
Such Pray'rs wou'd by such Multitudes be made;
Such Moses's wou'd to his Altars go,
To whom he never did, or wou'd say no;
He hardly cou'd know how to strike the Blow.
And often clash with our contracted Sense:
But if we might with Heaven's Decrees debate,
And of our Maker's Works expostulate;
Why shou'd he form a Mind supremely great,
And to his Charge commit the Reins of Fate,
And at one hasty Blow the Work defeat?
A Blow so sudden, so severe and swift,
We had no time for Supplication left:
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Such Pray'rs wou'd by such Multitudes be made;
Such Moses's wou'd to his Altars go,
To whom he never did, or wou'd say no;
He hardly cou'd know how to strike the Blow.
For Prayer so much the Sovereign Power commands,
Ev'n God himself sometimes as conquer'd stands,
And calls for Quarter at the Wrestler's Hands.
Ev'n God himself sometimes as conquer'd stands,
And calls for Quarter at the Wrestler's Hands.
How strenuous then had been the Sacred Strife,
While all the kneeling World had begg'd his Life,
With all that Earnestness of Zeal, and more
Than ever Nation begg'd for King before?
See how the neighbouring Lands his Fame improve,
And by their Sorrows testify their Love;
Sprinkle his Memory with grateful Tears,
And hand his Glory to succeeding Years.
While all the kneeling World had begg'd his Life,
With all that Earnestness of Zeal, and more
Than ever Nation begg'd for King before?
See how the neighbouring Lands his Fame improve,
And by their Sorrows testify their Love;
Sprinkle his Memory with grateful Tears,
And hand his Glory to succeeding Years.
With what Contempt will English Men appear,
When future Ages read his Character?
They'll never bear to hear in time to come,
How he was lov'd abroad, and scorn'd at home.
The World will scarce believe it cou'd be true,
And Vengeance must such Insolence pursue.
Our Nation will by all Men be abhor'd,
And William's juster Fame be so restor'd.
When future Ages read his Character?
They'll never bear to hear in time to come,
How he was lov'd abroad, and scorn'd at home.
The World will scarce believe it cou'd be true,
And Vengeance must such Insolence pursue.
Our Nation will by all Men be abhor'd,
And William's juster Fame be so restor'd.
Posterity, when Histories relate
His Glorious Deeds, will ask, What Giant's that?
For common Vertues may Mens Fame advance,
But an immoderate Glory turns Romance.
Its real Merit does it self undo,
Men talk it up so high, it can't be true:
So William's Life, encreas'd by doubling Fame,
Will drown his Actions to preserve his Name.
The Annals of his Conduct they'll revise,
As Legends of Impossibilities.
'Twill all a Life of Miracles appear,
Too great for Him to do, or Them to hear.
And if some faithful Writer shou'd set down
With what uneasiness he wore the Crown;
What thankless Devil had the Land possest;
This will be more prodigious than the rest.
With Indignation 'twill their Minds inspire,
And raise the Glory of his Actions higher.
The Records of their Fathers they'll deface,
And blush to think they sprung from such a Race.
They'll be asham'd their Ancestors to own,
And strive their Fathers Follies to atone.
New Monuments of Gratitude they'll raise,
And Crown his Memory with Thanks and Praise.
His Glorious Deeds, will ask, What Giant's that?
For common Vertues may Mens Fame advance,
But an immoderate Glory turns Romance.
Its real Merit does it self undo,
Men talk it up so high, it can't be true:
So William's Life, encreas'd by doubling Fame,
Will drown his Actions to preserve his Name.
The Annals of his Conduct they'll revise,
As Legends of Impossibilities.
'Twill all a Life of Miracles appear,
Too great for Him to do, or Them to hear.
And if some faithful Writer shou'd set down
With what uneasiness he wore the Crown;
307
This will be more prodigious than the rest.
With Indignation 'twill their Minds inspire,
And raise the Glory of his Actions higher.
The Records of their Fathers they'll deface,
And blush to think they sprung from such a Race.
They'll be asham'd their Ancestors to own,
And strive their Fathers Follies to atone.
New Monuments of Gratitude they'll raise,
And Crown his Memory with Thanks and Praise.
Thou, Satyr, shalt the grateful Few rehearse,
And solve the Nation's Credit in thy Verse;
Embalm his Name with Characters of Praise,
His Fame's beyond the Power of Time to rase.
And solve the Nation's Credit in thy Verse;
Embalm his Name with Characters of Praise,
His Fame's beyond the Power of Time to rase.
From him let future Monarchs learn to Rule,
And make his lasting Character their School.
For he who wou'd in time to come be Great,
His nothing now to do but Imitate.
Let dying Parents when they come to bless,
Wish to their Children only his Success.
Here their Instructions very well may end,
William's Example only recommend,
And leave the Youth his History to attend.
And make his lasting Character their School.
For he who wou'd in time to come be Great,
His nothing now to do but Imitate.
Let dying Parents when they come to bless,
Wish to their Children only his Success.
Here their Instructions very well may end,
William's Example only recommend,
And leave the Youth his History to attend.
But we have here an Ignominious Croud,
That boast their Native Birth and English Blood,
Whose Breasts with Envy and Contention burn,
And now rejoice when all the Nations mourn:
Their aukward Triumphs openly they sing;
Insult the Ashes of their injur'd King:
Rejoice at the Disasters of his Crown,
And drink the Horse's Health that threw him down.
That boast their Native Birth and English Blood,
Whose Breasts with Envy and Contention burn,
And now rejoice when all the Nations mourn:
Their aukward Triumphs openly they sing;
Insult the Ashes of their injur'd King:
Rejoice at the Disasters of his Crown,
And drink the Horse's Health that threw him down.
Blush, Satyr, when such Crimes we must reveal,
And draw a silent Curtain to conceal.
Actions so vile shall ne'er debauch our Song;
Let Heaven alone: tho Justice suffers long,
Her Leaden Wings, and Iron Hands, may show
That she is certain, tho she may be slow.
His Foreign Birth was made the Fam'd Pretence,
Which gave our Home-born Englishmen Offence.
But Discontent's the antient English Fashion,
The Universal Blemish of the Nation.
And 'tis a Question, whether God cou'd make
That King whom every Englishman wou'd like?
Nor is it any Paradox to say,
William had more of English Blood than they;
The Royal Life flow'd in his sprightly Veins,
The same that in the Noble Stock remains;
The same which now his Glorious Scepter weilds,
To whom Three Nations Just Obedience yields.
And draw a silent Curtain to conceal.
Actions so vile shall ne'er debauch our Song;
Let Heaven alone: tho Justice suffers long,
Her Leaden Wings, and Iron Hands, may show
That she is certain, tho she may be slow.
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Which gave our Home-born Englishmen Offence.
But Discontent's the antient English Fashion,
The Universal Blemish of the Nation.
And 'tis a Question, whether God cou'd make
That King whom every Englishman wou'd like?
Nor is it any Paradox to say,
William had more of English Blood than they;
The Royal Life flow'd in his sprightly Veins,
The same that in the Noble Stock remains;
The same which now his Glorious Scepter weilds,
To whom Three Nations Just Obedience yields.
ANNE, the remaining Glory of our Isle,
Well she becomes the Royal English Stile:
In William's Steps sedately she proceeds,
William's a Pattern to Immortal Deeds.
Preserves his Memory with generous Care;
Forgetting him is disobliging her;
Where shall the murmuring Party then appear!
Where wou'd the Nation, but for her, ha' found
So safe a Cure for such a sudden Wound?
And cou'd she but as well the Camp supply,
The World the sooner wou'd their Grief lay by:
But there the Fatal Breach is made so wide,
That Loss can never, never be supply'd.
Ye Men of Arms, and English Sons of War,
Now learn from him how you may fight for her;
Your Grief for him express upon her Foes,
For William lov'd such Funeral Tears as those.
'Tis William's Glorious Scepter which she bears,
Like William she for Liberty appears.
She mounts to Honour by the Steps of Truth,
And his Example imitates in Both.
'Tis you must make her blooming Fame increase,
'Tis you must bring her Honour, Wealth and Peace;
And let it once more to the World be seen,
Nothing can make us Greater than a Queen.
Well she becomes the Royal English Stile:
In William's Steps sedately she proceeds,
William's a Pattern to Immortal Deeds.
Preserves his Memory with generous Care;
Forgetting him is disobliging her;
Where shall the murmuring Party then appear!
Where wou'd the Nation, but for her, ha' found
So safe a Cure for such a sudden Wound?
And cou'd she but as well the Camp supply,
The World the sooner wou'd their Grief lay by:
But there the Fatal Breach is made so wide,
That Loss can never, never be supply'd.
Ye Men of Arms, and English Sons of War,
Now learn from him how you may fight for her;
Your Grief for him express upon her Foes,
For William lov'd such Funeral Tears as those.
'Tis William's Glorious Scepter which she bears,
Like William she for Liberty appears.
She mounts to Honour by the Steps of Truth,
And his Example imitates in Both.
'Tis you must make her blooming Fame increase,
'Tis you must bring her Honour, Wealth and Peace;
And let it once more to the World be seen,
Nothing can make us Greater than a Queen.
| Poems on Affairs of State | |