Humanity, or the rights of nature, a poem in two books. By the author of sympathy [i.e. S. J. Pratt] |
I. |
II. |
Humanity, or the rights of nature, a poem | ||
Soon generous England, shalt thou catch the flame,
And added Laurels shall adorn thy fame,
Soon shall HUMANITY assert her cause,
Soon shall the Slave find shelter in thy Laws,
Those equal Laws that grace thy pregnant Isle
Where all the Bounties and the Blessings smile,
Where rich and poor, and high and low obey
Their gentle rule and amicable sway,
Where Sovereigns view their lofty roofs ascend,
While Law and Liberty the Throne defend,
Where Subjects see their mansions firmly stand,
Nor fear the Rapine of the strongest Hand,
Where the poor Peasant knows his Cot secure,
Humble in size, but on foundations sure;
Where boldly fenc'd his little Garden grows,
And not a King can rob him of a Rose.
Thus in the crouded Hive, tho' all agree
To choose a Monarch, all the rest are free
Plebeian Cells, as sacred as the great
And both contribute honey to the State.
And added Laurels shall adorn thy fame,
Soon shall HUMANITY assert her cause,
Soon shall the Slave find shelter in thy Laws,
Those equal Laws that grace thy pregnant Isle
Where all the Bounties and the Blessings smile,
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Their gentle rule and amicable sway,
Where Sovereigns view their lofty roofs ascend,
While Law and Liberty the Throne defend,
Where Subjects see their mansions firmly stand,
Nor fear the Rapine of the strongest Hand,
Where the poor Peasant knows his Cot secure,
Humble in size, but on foundations sure;
Where boldly fenc'd his little Garden grows,
And not a King can rob him of a Rose.
Thus in the crouded Hive, tho' all agree
To choose a Monarch, all the rest are free
Plebeian Cells, as sacred as the great
And both contribute honey to the State.
Humanity, or the rights of nature, a poem | ||