 | Poems |  |
Then be not CHATHAM's oratory, thine—
Nor BURKE's; but, blending their perfections, frame
Such numbers as a CHATHAM's polish'd son
Might not disdain to own! Tho' in the bloom
Of years yet wiser than maturest age,
Clear amid all the energy of speech,
Ample yet not prolix, and (as he gains
The yielding judgment o'er and captive leads
The passions) rich in figures, which he brings
With nice selection from the stores of taste
To charm imagination—lo! he towers
The pride of Albion!—Nor his active foe
In vigorous talents and a speaker's worth
Shines far inferior; as the deep debate
With well invented argument he guides,
But less embellish'd diction. To his search
While universal politics, the maze
Of European manners, and the intrigues
Of foreign courts are uninvolv'd, his skill
To illuminate his auditory, meets
No rival mind;—unless a SHERIDAN
With all his winning elocution rise—
His keenly pointed satire, and his sport
Of quick allusion! But the nobler flights
Are SHERIDAN's—the bold majestic wing.
Witness that unexampled strain sublime,
Which, with an influence undiminish'd, sway'd
(Long as the moon from her meridian heaven
Bends downward to the wave) the senate's sons
Unanimous—now melting into tears—
Now frowning indignation; from their gloom
While full the felonies of India rose,
Nor trembling could escape a beam of day.
Nor BURKE's; but, blending their perfections, frame
116
Might not disdain to own! Tho' in the bloom
Of years yet wiser than maturest age,
Clear amid all the energy of speech,
Ample yet not prolix, and (as he gains
The yielding judgment o'er and captive leads
The passions) rich in figures, which he brings
With nice selection from the stores of taste
To charm imagination—lo! he towers
The pride of Albion!—Nor his active foe
In vigorous talents and a speaker's worth
Shines far inferior; as the deep debate
With well invented argument he guides,
But less embellish'd diction. To his search
While universal politics, the maze
Of European manners, and the intrigues
Of foreign courts are uninvolv'd, his skill
To illuminate his auditory, meets
No rival mind;—unless a SHERIDAN
With all his winning elocution rise—
His keenly pointed satire, and his sport
117
Are SHERIDAN's—the bold majestic wing.
Witness that unexampled strain sublime,
Which, with an influence undiminish'd, sway'd
(Long as the moon from her meridian heaven
Bends downward to the wave) the senate's sons
Unanimous—now melting into tears—
Now frowning indignation; from their gloom
While full the felonies of India rose,
Nor trembling could escape a beam of day.
| Poems | |