Humanity, or the rights of nature, a poem in two books. By the author of sympathy [i.e. S. J. Pratt] |
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| I. |
BOOK I.
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| II. |
 | Humanity, or the rights of nature, a poem |  |
BOOK I.
From vernal blooms and many a fragrant bow'r,
The red'ning blossom and unfolding flower,
From breezy mountains and the covert vale,
The gliding water and the whispering gale,
From gayer scenes where careless Fancy stray'd,
Bask'd in the sun, or frolick'd in the shade,
Ambitious grown, and touch'd by generous praise,
Now turns the Muse to more advent'rous lays;
No more she paints the tints of blushing morn,
Nor hangs the dew-drop on the trembling thorn;
No more the brook runs murmuring in her line,
No more fair Spring, her florid verse is thine;
Farewell, a long farewell, to founts and flow'rs,
Far loftier themes demand her thoughtful powers.
The red'ning blossom and unfolding flower,
From breezy mountains and the covert vale,
The gliding water and the whispering gale,
From gayer scenes where careless Fancy stray'd,
Bask'd in the sun, or frolick'd in the shade,
Ambitious grown, and touch'd by generous praise,
Now turns the Muse to more advent'rous lays;
No more she paints the tints of blushing morn,
Nor hangs the dew-drop on the trembling thorn;
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No more fair Spring, her florid verse is thine;
Farewell, a long farewell, to founts and flow'rs,
Far loftier themes demand her thoughtful powers.
Where'er, sublime SOCIETY expands,
By art or nature form'd, thy potent bands,
Thro' realms of heat, where faints th'expiring breeze,
Or piercing climes, where the sun seems to freeze;
In darksome caverns, on tremendous steeps,
Th'embow'ring forest, or the billowy deeps;
Where roars the gulph, or where the streamlets flow,
Or dazzling mountains rise of endless snow,
Soon shall she dare to wing the vast domain,
Thy awful power the subject of her strain.
By art or nature form'd, thy potent bands,
Thro' realms of heat, where faints th'expiring breeze,
Or piercing climes, where the sun seems to freeze;
In darksome caverns, on tremendous steeps,
Th'embow'ring forest, or the billowy deeps;
Where roars the gulph, or where the streamlets flow,
Or dazzling mountains rise of endless snow,
Soon shall she dare to wing the vast domain,
Thy awful power the subject of her strain.
But, ah! first kneeling at Compassion's shrine,
Her opening lay, HUMANITY, be thine!
For thou her guardian, patroness, and guide,
She owns with rapture, and obeys with pride!
Thee she invokes, oh! soother of distress,
Who with our kindness wove our happiness;
For as thy circling virtues round us move,
From their best deeds thy brightest joys we prove;
Oft as our neighbour sinks in sudden grief,
Thou wak'st as sudden to afford relief.
Oft as the stranger's bosom heaves with sighs,
The soft responses in our bosoms rise:
The cries of terror and the throes of care,
The groan of misery, and distraction's glare,
Sickness that droops, disease that gasps for breath,
The howl of madness, and the shrieks of death,
Deep sounds of agony that most affright,
Dread views of horror that most blast the sight,
Dire as they are, like wond'rous magnets draw,
And own, HUMANITY, thy sacred law.
Her opening lay, HUMANITY, be thine!
For thou her guardian, patroness, and guide,
She owns with rapture, and obeys with pride!
3
Who with our kindness wove our happiness;
For as thy circling virtues round us move,
From their best deeds thy brightest joys we prove;
Oft as our neighbour sinks in sudden grief,
Thou wak'st as sudden to afford relief.
Oft as the stranger's bosom heaves with sighs,
The soft responses in our bosoms rise:
The cries of terror and the throes of care,
The groan of misery, and distraction's glare,
Sickness that droops, disease that gasps for breath,
The howl of madness, and the shrieks of death,
Deep sounds of agony that most affright,
Dread views of horror that most blast the sight,
Dire as they are, like wond'rous magnets draw,
And own, HUMANITY, thy sacred law.
And oh! 'tis Thine, when vital breath seems fled,
To seek the awful confines of the dead;
Drag the pale victim from the whelming wave,
And snatch the body from the floating grave;
Beneath the billow, tho' entomb'd it lies,
Thy dauntless zeal the roaring main defies;
Inspir'd by him, whose hallow'd touch restor'd
The darling babe the widow's soul deplor'd,
Her matron bosom eas'd of dire alarms,
And gave the child to her despairing arms,
'Tis thine to plunge into the bloating flood,
Clasp the swol'n frame and thaw the frozen blood;
Breathe in the lips reanimating fire,
Till warm'd to Second Life, the Drown'd respire.
To seek the awful confines of the dead;
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And snatch the body from the floating grave;
Beneath the billow, tho' entomb'd it lies,
Thy dauntless zeal the roaring main defies;
Inspir'd by him, whose hallow'd touch restor'd
The darling babe the widow's soul deplor'd,
Her matron bosom eas'd of dire alarms,
And gave the child to her despairing arms,
'Tis thine to plunge into the bloating flood,
Clasp the swol'n frame and thaw the frozen blood;
Breathe in the lips reanimating fire,
Till warm'd to Second Life, the Drown'd respire.
Hark! as those lips once more begin to move,
What sounds ascend of gratitude and love!
Now with the Great Redeemer's praise they glow,
Then bless the agents of his power below;
New sprung to life, the renovated band,
Joyful before their second Saviours stand;
And oh far sweeter than the breathing spring,
Fairer than Paradise, the wreaths they bring!
The blissful homage rescu'd friends impart;
Th'enraptur'd incense of a parent's heart,
Oe'r-aw'd, and wond'ring at themselves, they see
And feel the power of soft HUMANITY!
What sounds ascend of gratitude and love!
Now with the Great Redeemer's praise they glow,
Then bless the agents of his power below;
New sprung to life, the renovated band,
Joyful before their second Saviours stand;
5
Fairer than Paradise, the wreaths they bring!
The blissful homage rescu'd friends impart;
Th'enraptur'd incense of a parent's heart,
Oe'r-aw'd, and wond'ring at themselves, they see
And feel the power of soft HUMANITY!
When sovereign Reason from her throne is hurl'd,
And with her all the subject senses whirl'd,
From sweet HUMANITY, the nurse of grief,
Even thy deep woes, O Phrenzy! find relief;
For tho' the tresses loose and bosom bare,
And maniac glance thy hapless state declare,
With gentle hand she still supports thy head,
Beguiles thy wand'ring wit, and smoothes thy bed;
Assists thy roving fancy in its flight,
To crown thy airy sallies with delight;
An healing balm to thy warp'd sense she brings,
Till from her softness magic comfort springs,
And joys which reason with a frown denies,
Her tender pity with a smile supplies;
Ev'n in thy prison-house she bids thee draw
From the rush sceptre, and the crown of straw,
The mimic truncheon, and the love-knot true,
Full many a transport Reason never knew;
And at thy grated cell she oft appears,
She culls thee flowers, and bathes them with her tears;
The perfum'd violet and the blooming rose,
On thy hurt mind a transient bliss bestows;
Into a thousand shapes the garlands change,
As fairy fancy takes its antic range;
Then as thy brows the fragrant wreaths adorn,
The roses seem to bloom without a thorn.
And with her all the subject senses whirl'd,
From sweet HUMANITY, the nurse of grief,
Even thy deep woes, O Phrenzy! find relief;
For tho' the tresses loose and bosom bare,
And maniac glance thy hapless state declare,
With gentle hand she still supports thy head,
Beguiles thy wand'ring wit, and smoothes thy bed;
Assists thy roving fancy in its flight,
To crown thy airy sallies with delight;
An healing balm to thy warp'd sense she brings,
Till from her softness magic comfort springs,
6
Her tender pity with a smile supplies;
Ev'n in thy prison-house she bids thee draw
From the rush sceptre, and the crown of straw,
The mimic truncheon, and the love-knot true,
Full many a transport Reason never knew;
And at thy grated cell she oft appears,
She culls thee flowers, and bathes them with her tears;
The perfum'd violet and the blooming rose,
On thy hurt mind a transient bliss bestows;
Into a thousand shapes the garlands change,
As fairy fancy takes its antic range;
Then as thy brows the fragrant wreaths adorn,
The roses seem to bloom without a thorn.
Yet not to woes confin'd, for pleasure's song,
The reckless frolics of the village throng;
Ev'n as we pass them by in distant lands,
Thou mak'st our own, and oft we join the bands;
The sudden sounds of happiness we hail,
And swell the chorus echoing in the gale;
Gladly we pause, then blythe pursue our way,
While brighter sunshine seems to gild the day;
For from the jovial groupe as we depart,
Thy richer sunshine beams upon the heart;
Thus bliss is doubled, and thus pain can warm,
From thee, HUMANITY, both boast a charm;
We chear, are chear'd, now grant and now receive,
And need, in turn, the comfort which we give.
Thus thy fair streams spread plenty where they run,
Yet bless the fountains whence those streams begun;
Like the rich Nile thy sources ne'er are dry,
Although a thousand channels they supply.
The reckless frolics of the village throng;
Ev'n as we pass them by in distant lands,
Thou mak'st our own, and oft we join the bands;
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And swell the chorus echoing in the gale;
Gladly we pause, then blythe pursue our way,
While brighter sunshine seems to gild the day;
For from the jovial groupe as we depart,
Thy richer sunshine beams upon the heart;
Thus bliss is doubled, and thus pain can warm,
From thee, HUMANITY, both boast a charm;
We chear, are chear'd, now grant and now receive,
And need, in turn, the comfort which we give.
Thus thy fair streams spread plenty where they run,
Yet bless the fountains whence those streams begun;
Like the rich Nile thy sources ne'er are dry,
Although a thousand channels they supply.
But Thou from whom these bosom'd comforts flow,
HUMANITY! thou friend to joy and woe,
Hast still ordain'd, that grief to crimes belong,
And that keen anguish shall attend on wrong;
Pride, hate, revenge, and tyranny, and strife,
As they mix poisons in the bowl of life,
Dash their own cup, and impotently try
To break, unpunish'd, nature's social tie:
Good, is of good productive, ill, of ill,
Conscience o'er both exerts her empire still,
And this great truth shall ev'ry tyrant know,
The woe he gives, shall be repaid by woe.
HUMANITY! thou friend to joy and woe,
Hast still ordain'd, that grief to crimes belong,
And that keen anguish shall attend on wrong;
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As they mix poisons in the bowl of life,
Dash their own cup, and impotently try
To break, unpunish'd, nature's social tie:
Good, is of good productive, ill, of ill,
Conscience o'er both exerts her empire still,
And this great truth shall ev'ry tyrant know,
The woe he gives, shall be repaid by woe.
Is there a land where echoing Fame extends,
From her proud cliff to earth's remotest ends,
Where gently slop'd the teeming vales are seen,
Adorn'd like Eden's with eternal green,
Where ev'ry village glows with every wealth,
The showers are riches, and the breezes health;
Where the sun gives serene his temper'd ray,
But never scourges with excessive day;
Where female beauty sheds her fairest blooms,
And lovliest feature, loveliest grace assumes;
Darts strongest magic from the potent eye,
Breaks in the blush, and shoots along the sigh;
Where ev'ry scene is prodigal of charms,
True courage kindles, and true glory warms,
Where brave resistance lifts the conquering arm,
And social blessings lend their softest charm;
Where rear'd to Virtue, Christian temples tow'r,
And melting Charity chastises pow'r,
Conducts the naked stranger to her dome,
And grants the houseless wanderer an home,
Where equal laws such genial mildness shew,
They beam sweet mercy on a captive foe?
From her proud cliff to earth's remotest ends,
Where gently slop'd the teeming vales are seen,
Adorn'd like Eden's with eternal green,
Where ev'ry village glows with every wealth,
The showers are riches, and the breezes health;
Where the sun gives serene his temper'd ray,
But never scourges with excessive day;
Where female beauty sheds her fairest blooms,
And lovliest feature, loveliest grace assumes;
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Breaks in the blush, and shoots along the sigh;
Where ev'ry scene is prodigal of charms,
True courage kindles, and true glory warms,
Where brave resistance lifts the conquering arm,
And social blessings lend their softest charm;
Where rear'd to Virtue, Christian temples tow'r,
And melting Charity chastises pow'r,
Conducts the naked stranger to her dome,
And grants the houseless wanderer an home,
Where equal laws such genial mildness shew,
They beam sweet mercy on a captive foe?
O native Britons! here assert your claim,
Boast of your isle and justify her fame!
Tell, how her youth by sacred science led,
To all the soft'ning charities are bred;
How second childhood, like the first, receives,
From her the cradle which compassion gives!
Tell, how her palaces of mercy rise,
Large tho' the wants still larger the supplies;
How, her kind Gilbert frames protective laws,
A faithful champion in the poor man's cause;
How, even now, intent on god-like deeds,
Thy wants and woes, O! Poverty, he pleads:
Earnest thy oft-invaded rights to spare,
From the hard hand that would thy pittance tear,
E'en from thy lip, nor heed thy tear-dimm'd eye,
Thy spectre form, and pity-moving cry:
Tell how her Birch, whose heart is form'd to bless,
The sad to succour, and the wrong'd redress;
The ravish'd morsel of the poor to save,
The work to crown her warm assistance gave.
Tell how her Potter aids the generous plan,
As bard her pride, her nobler boast as man:
Tell, how her Howard's sympathizing soul,
Extends the Saviour-arm from pole to pole:
Crutch to the lame, and vision to the blind,
Tell, how she sooths the ills that scourge mankind:
All this proclaim, till nations bless the zone,
And happy Albion marks it for her own!
Boast of your isle and justify her fame!
Tell, how her youth by sacred science led,
To all the soft'ning charities are bred;
How second childhood, like the first, receives,
From her the cradle which compassion gives!
10
Large tho' the wants still larger the supplies;
How, her kind Gilbert frames protective laws,
A faithful champion in the poor man's cause;
How, even now, intent on god-like deeds,
Thy wants and woes, O! Poverty, he pleads:
Earnest thy oft-invaded rights to spare,
From the hard hand that would thy pittance tear,
E'en from thy lip, nor heed thy tear-dimm'd eye,
Thy spectre form, and pity-moving cry:
Tell how her Birch, whose heart is form'd to bless,
The sad to succour, and the wrong'd redress;
The ravish'd morsel of the poor to save,
The work to crown her warm assistance gave.
Tell how her Potter aids the generous plan,
As bard her pride, her nobler boast as man:
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Extends the Saviour-arm from pole to pole:
Crutch to the lame, and vision to the blind,
Tell, how she sooths the ills that scourge mankind:
All this proclaim, till nations bless the zone,
And happy Albion marks it for her own!
Just is the boast! yet why to home confin'd
Are the soft mercies of thy Albion's mind?
Why, at her bidding, rolls the crimson flood,
To deluge Afric in her children's blood?
Why torn from Sire, from children, and from wife,
Dragg'd at her wheels, are captives chain'd for life;
And why do hecatombs each day expire,
Smote by her mangling whip and murderous fire?
Those stripes, those yielding shrieks that rend the air,
Ill fated Africa, thy wrongs declare?
Are the soft mercies of thy Albion's mind?
Why, at her bidding, rolls the crimson flood,
To deluge Afric in her children's blood?
Why torn from Sire, from children, and from wife,
Dragg'd at her wheels, are captives chain'd for life;
And why do hecatombs each day expire,
Smote by her mangling whip and murderous fire?
Those stripes, those yielding shrieks that rend the air,
Ill fated Africa, thy wrongs declare?
Blush, Britain blush, for thou, 'tis thou hast sold
A richer gem than India's mines can hold;
Traffic'd thy soft HUMANITY away,
And turn'd her strongest objects into prey!
Thy generous sons upon that fatal shore,
Their nature lose, and harden into ore:
There greedy avarice, rears his venal throne,
'Midst seas of blood that float the sultry zone;
With wiry lash and iron rod he sways,
The tyrant orders, and the slave obeys;
Havoc and horror rage at his command,
And dissolution covers all the land!
A richer gem than India's mines can hold;
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And turn'd her strongest objects into prey!
Thy generous sons upon that fatal shore,
Their nature lose, and harden into ore:
There greedy avarice, rears his venal throne,
'Midst seas of blood that float the sultry zone;
With wiry lash and iron rod he sways,
The tyrant orders, and the slave obeys;
Havoc and horror rage at his command,
And dissolution covers all the land!
O! that my Muse could mount on Nature's wing,
Soar like her “darling,” her lov'd Shakespeare, sing!
Then ev'ry word should “harrow up the soul”
And Afric's wrongs resound from pole to pole!
Thrice humble Howard, ah! do thou inspire
And breath thy Godlike spirit in my lyre,
For, all accustom'd as thou art, to see
The direst scenes of human misery,
To go where nature scourges with disease,
“ And spotted deaths load ev'ry tainted breeze;
Where ev'n the strong Antipathies assail,
Haunts of the filth-fed toad, and slimy snail,
The noxious caverns, and abhorrent caves,
Where wretches pace alive around their graves:
While hollow echoes ring their endless knells
Thro' deep-scoop'd vaults and slow-consuming cells;”
Ne'er did thy eyes such marks of horror trace,
As hourly agonize the Negro race!
Prove then the prisoner and the mourner's friend,
And once again thy virtuous influence lend;
“So raptur'd notes, as if by Angels giv'n,
Once more shall peal the harmonies of Heaven:”
Again the virtues that revere thy name,
Wide o'er the realm, shall spread th'ingenuous flame,
Pity's high priest the righteous cause shall plead,
And shouts of joy to cries of blood succeed;
Howards unnumber'd shall the truth embrace,
“And feel a-kin to all the human race:
Again, shall Avarice suspend his art
And feel again, subdu'd, his rugged heart;
His bosom loosen'd from the sullen ore,
The rock shall gush in blessings to the poor.
Soar like her “darling,” her lov'd Shakespeare, sing!
Then ev'ry word should “harrow up the soul”
And Afric's wrongs resound from pole to pole!
Thrice humble Howard, ah! do thou inspire
And breath thy Godlike spirit in my lyre,
For, all accustom'd as thou art, to see
The direst scenes of human misery,
13
“ And spotted deaths load ev'ry tainted breeze;
Where ev'n the strong Antipathies assail,
Haunts of the filth-fed toad, and slimy snail,
The noxious caverns, and abhorrent caves,
Where wretches pace alive around their graves:
While hollow echoes ring their endless knells
Thro' deep-scoop'd vaults and slow-consuming cells;”
Ne'er did thy eyes such marks of horror trace,
As hourly agonize the Negro race!
Prove then the prisoner and the mourner's friend,
And once again thy virtuous influence lend;
“So raptur'd notes, as if by Angels giv'n,
Once more shall peal the harmonies of Heaven:”
Again the virtues that revere thy name,
Wide o'er the realm, shall spread th'ingenuous flame,
14
And shouts of joy to cries of blood succeed;
Howards unnumber'd shall the truth embrace,
“And feel a-kin to all the human race:
Again, shall Avarice suspend his art
And feel again, subdu'd, his rugged heart;
His bosom loosen'd from the sullen ore,
The rock shall gush in blessings to the poor.
Wouldst thou the map of slavery survey,
And the dire circuit of the trade display,
Dart thy astonish'd eye o'er distant lands,
From Senegal to Gambia's burning sands,
Pursue the blushing lines to Congo's shore,
Then traverse many a league, Benguela o'er,
Career immense! o'er which the merchant reigns,
And drags reluctant millions in his chains!
And the dire circuit of the trade display,
Dart thy astonish'd eye o'er distant lands,
From Senegal to Gambia's burning sands,
Pursue the blushing lines to Congo's shore,
Then traverse many a league, Benguela o'er,
Career immense! o'er which the merchant reigns,
And drags reluctant millions in his chains!
Commerce! thou sailest on a sanguine flood,
On a red sea of Man's devoted blood;
Thy pompous robe, tho' gemm'd as India's store,
Proud, tho' it flows, is dy'd in human gore.
The tears of millions bathe thy fatal cane,
And half thy treasure springs from human pain,
And not an idol on thy altars shine
But human victims stain the crimson shrine!
On a red sea of Man's devoted blood;
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Proud, tho' it flows, is dy'd in human gore.
The tears of millions bathe thy fatal cane,
And half thy treasure springs from human pain,
And not an idol on thy altars shine
But human victims stain the crimson shrine!
And thou, O Int'rest! dark, insidious power,
Whose sanction'd arts waste nations in an hour;
Whose mining frauds, more fatal still, destroy
Hope's tender blossom, and the fruits of joy;
Thou, to whom all the coward slights belong,
Thy heart too cruel for a generous wrong,
For fierce Revenge, that fever of the soul,
Hate that defies, and Love that spurns controul,
Or mad'ning Jealousy when Reason bends,
Or Zeal, extravagant to liberal ends,
Thou, who, for noble faults like these, too cold,
Whose vices n'er aspire, but stoop to gold,
That groveling passion of the sordid breast,
Like Aaron's serpent swallowing up the rest;
Theft, rapine, plunder, fraud, and murder, stand,
Fell ministers! to wait thy dire command.
Yes thou, the founder of this impious trade,
Mad'st him a slave, that nature never made,
Tore the poor Indian from his native soil,
And chain'd him down to never-ending toil.
Whose sanction'd arts waste nations in an hour;
Whose mining frauds, more fatal still, destroy
Hope's tender blossom, and the fruits of joy;
Thou, to whom all the coward slights belong,
Thy heart too cruel for a generous wrong,
For fierce Revenge, that fever of the soul,
Hate that defies, and Love that spurns controul,
Or mad'ning Jealousy when Reason bends,
Or Zeal, extravagant to liberal ends,
Thou, who, for noble faults like these, too cold,
Whose vices n'er aspire, but stoop to gold,
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Like Aaron's serpent swallowing up the rest;
Theft, rapine, plunder, fraud, and murder, stand,
Fell ministers! to wait thy dire command.
Yes thou, the founder of this impious trade,
Mad'st him a slave, that nature never made,
Tore the poor Indian from his native soil,
And chain'd him down to never-ending toil.
Ah! luscious mischief, slave-creating Cane,
Of ev'ry soft HUMANITY the bane:
Thy venom'd sweet, whose soul-polluting art
Like some mask'd poison, eats into the heart,
Sweet tho' thou art, an aspic sting is thine,
And into shambles, Christians turn thy shrine:
Thou, like vile Gold, from the embowel'd earth,
By avarice dragg'd reluctantly to birth,
To taste thy charm are groaning nations bound,
And half mankind in kindred blood are drown'd!
Of ev'ry soft HUMANITY the bane:
Thy venom'd sweet, whose soul-polluting art
Like some mask'd poison, eats into the heart,
Sweet tho' thou art, an aspic sting is thine,
And into shambles, Christians turn thy shrine:
Thou, like vile Gold, from the embowel'd earth,
By avarice dragg'd reluctantly to birth,
To taste thy charm are groaning nations bound,
And half mankind in kindred blood are drown'd!
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Say, Muse, from whence th'unnatural mart began,
The sordid merchandise, and sale of man?
From Egypt first the Ethiop traffic came,
But dawn'd so mild, that slavery was not shame;
While nature yet preserv'd some generous right,
The yoke was easy and the burthen light;
And here the patriarch law each wrong restrain'd,
And “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” ordain'd.
Soon o'er th'Ægean waves the trade was brought,
Travell'd to Greece, till Rome th'infection caught;
Yet temperate still, no tyranny arose,
Till baneful Luxury marshall'd all her woes;
Conquerors, their captives, with a smile receiv'd,
And whom the brave embrac'd they ne'er deceiv'd;
The battle o'er, they bade contention cease,
And foes in war were humble friends in peace,
The pledge was solemn, and the vow sincere,
The union sacred, and the compact dear.
The sordid merchandise, and sale of man?
From Egypt first the Ethiop traffic came,
But dawn'd so mild, that slavery was not shame;
While nature yet preserv'd some generous right,
The yoke was easy and the burthen light;
And here the patriarch law each wrong restrain'd,
And “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” ordain'd.
Soon o'er th'Ægean waves the trade was brought,
Travell'd to Greece, till Rome th'infection caught;
Yet temperate still, no tyranny arose,
Till baneful Luxury marshall'd all her woes;
Conquerors, their captives, with a smile receiv'd,
And whom the brave embrac'd they ne'er deceiv'd;
The battle o'er, they bade contention cease,
And foes in war were humble friends in peace,
The pledge was solemn, and the vow sincere,
The union sacred, and the compact dear.
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But oh! fair Athens, when the commerce drew
To thy lov'd shore, the bonds yet gentler grew,
The slave could boast a guardian in thy laws,
And summon justice to support his cause,
Ev'n to thy holy altars might repair,
Assert his claims and find them honour'd there:
In rosy fetters were thy pris'ners bound,
And in captivity with freedom crown'd;
Wisdom in peace, or valour in the war,
The faithful counsel or the glorious scar,
Attachment prov'd, and servitude sustain'd
With manly zeal, their liberty regain'd;
With his own hand the master loos'd the yoke,
But the slave scarce perceiv'd the bonds were broke,
So soft the texture, he ne'er felt their weight,
Nor chang'd his master tho' he chang'd his state:
Captive no more, he still pursu'd his toil,
And grateful vow'd allegiance to the soil.
Yes, classic Athens, nurse of generous arts,
Thine was the throb HUMANITY imparts;
To freemen rose thy slaves, and then aspir'd,
To all thy sons, to all thy state requir'd;
Ev'n to Athenian loyalty they grew,
Till scarce thy citizens a difference knew;
While shameless Sparta butcher'd half her slaves,
Convulsive shook, and dug untimely graves.
Despis'd, abhor'd, and dreaded was their sway,
To all a tyrant's guilt and fears a prey:
Thou too, lost Rome, how galling was thy chain
In those dire times, when mercy su'd in vain;
When cut to atoms was the debtor's heart,
That each hard creditor might claim his part!
And oh! degraded Greece, how fall'n thy state,
Once like thy splendid rival wise and great;
Nor less her rival in thy vices found,
Both soaring now, now sinking to the ground;
How dimm'd thy orb, when Sages could ordain,
The sanguine whip, and vindicate the chain:
When thy grave Plutarch, wise, discreet, and brave,
Stern in philosophy could stab his slave;
And thy Demosthenes, in thunders urge,
The sovereign virtues of the mangling scourge;
O blind! to think where smiles and kindness fail
To touch the soul, that frowns and stripes prevail!
To thy lov'd shore, the bonds yet gentler grew,
The slave could boast a guardian in thy laws,
And summon justice to support his cause,
Ev'n to thy holy altars might repair,
Assert his claims and find them honour'd there:
In rosy fetters were thy pris'ners bound,
And in captivity with freedom crown'd;
Wisdom in peace, or valour in the war,
The faithful counsel or the glorious scar,
Attachment prov'd, and servitude sustain'd
With manly zeal, their liberty regain'd;
With his own hand the master loos'd the yoke,
But the slave scarce perceiv'd the bonds were broke,
So soft the texture, he ne'er felt their weight,
Nor chang'd his master tho' he chang'd his state:
Captive no more, he still pursu'd his toil,
And grateful vow'd allegiance to the soil.
19
Thine was the throb HUMANITY imparts;
To freemen rose thy slaves, and then aspir'd,
To all thy sons, to all thy state requir'd;
Ev'n to Athenian loyalty they grew,
Till scarce thy citizens a difference knew;
While shameless Sparta butcher'd half her slaves,
Convulsive shook, and dug untimely graves.
Despis'd, abhor'd, and dreaded was their sway,
To all a tyrant's guilt and fears a prey:
Thou too, lost Rome, how galling was thy chain
In those dire times, when mercy su'd in vain;
When cut to atoms was the debtor's heart,
That each hard creditor might claim his part!
And oh! degraded Greece, how fall'n thy state,
Once like thy splendid rival wise and great;
Nor less her rival in thy vices found,
Both soaring now, now sinking to the ground;
How dimm'd thy orb, when Sages could ordain,
The sanguine whip, and vindicate the chain:
20
Stern in philosophy could stab his slave;
And thy Demosthenes, in thunders urge,
The sovereign virtues of the mangling scourge;
O blind! to think where smiles and kindness fail
To touch the soul, that frowns and stripes prevail!
Hail tender Adrian, first on Rome's record,
Who drew distinct the line 'twixt slave and lord;
Who with sweet mercy temper'd awful power,
While pity's angel hail'd th'auspicious hour!
Thou Christian emperor in whose generous breast
The light of pure devotion shone impress'd,
That sacred light descending from above,
An emanation of cœlestial love;
With speed of light'ning spread the lambent ray,
Till realms of darkness kindled into day;
From God himself the spark etherial came,
And man ador'd the soul-illuming flame!
Thou too, just Constantine, with gentle sway,
Bade all be free and all that God obey;
The fire from Heav'n a general lustre shed,
And the foul mists of superstition fled;
Fair Faith was crown'd, her banner was display'd
Sunk was the crosier and the cross prevail'd.
Who drew distinct the line 'twixt slave and lord;
Who with sweet mercy temper'd awful power,
While pity's angel hail'd th'auspicious hour!
Thou Christian emperor in whose generous breast
The light of pure devotion shone impress'd,
That sacred light descending from above,
An emanation of cœlestial love;
With speed of light'ning spread the lambent ray,
Till realms of darkness kindled into day;
From God himself the spark etherial came,
And man ador'd the soul-illuming flame!
21
Bade all be free and all that God obey;
The fire from Heav'n a general lustre shed,
And the foul mists of superstition fled;
Fair Faith was crown'd, her banner was display'd
Sunk was the crosier and the cross prevail'd.
But ah! once more to stain the bloody shrine
And sell mankind, O Portugal, was thine;
To thee ill-fated Afric owes her pain,
The scourge fresh pointed and the new forg'd chain;
Thine the base arts the sons of gold applaud,
The smile deceptive, and the snare of fraud,
Th'extended hand that chases fear away,
Th'embrace that wins affection to betray,
The league of peace in policy devis'd,
The compact broken and the oath despis'd,
To lure the heart all smooth seductions try'd,
And the heart gain'd, disguise's thrown aside:
The plot avow'd, the promise boldly broke,
By the harsh driver and the galling yoke.
And sell mankind, O Portugal, was thine;
To thee ill-fated Afric owes her pain,
The scourge fresh pointed and the new forg'd chain;
Thine the base arts the sons of gold applaud,
The smile deceptive, and the snare of fraud,
Th'extended hand that chases fear away,
Th'embrace that wins affection to betray,
The league of peace in policy devis'd,
The compact broken and the oath despis'd,
To lure the heart all smooth seductions try'd,
And the heart gain'd, disguise's thrown aside:
22
By the harsh driver and the galling yoke.
Accurs'd Gonzales taught thee first the art,
To fix this stigma on his country's heart;
The dire example spread with barbarous rage,
Thrift was the vice, and spar'd nor sex nor age;
At length the traffic into system came,
Th'infection flew, till Britain caught the flame;
Detested Hawkins arm'd his pirate host,
And wolfe-like prowl'd on Guinea's fated coast;
Force, brib'ry, stratagem, were all employ'd,
O shame! till twice ten millions were destroy'd.
The work of Christians this, whose lawless rage
Taught milder savages foul wars to wage;
Christians taught savages new modes of strife,
And burst asunder all the ties of life;
Christians taught savages to worship gold,
Till, for their idol, sons and sires were sold:
Till sleeping tribes at midnight's hour were caught,
And seiz'd as prey, to public market brought;
Till from the breast the babe was stol'n away,
And children kidnapp'd in the face of day.
To fix this stigma on his country's heart;
The dire example spread with barbarous rage,
Thrift was the vice, and spar'd nor sex nor age;
At length the traffic into system came,
Th'infection flew, till Britain caught the flame;
Detested Hawkins arm'd his pirate host,
And wolfe-like prowl'd on Guinea's fated coast;
Force, brib'ry, stratagem, were all employ'd,
O shame! till twice ten millions were destroy'd.
The work of Christians this, whose lawless rage
Taught milder savages foul wars to wage;
Christians taught savages new modes of strife,
And burst asunder all the ties of life;
Christians taught savages to worship gold,
Till, for their idol, sons and sires were sold:
23
And seiz'd as prey, to public market brought;
Till from the breast the babe was stol'n away,
And children kidnapp'd in the face of day.
Next tawny Spain the shameful trade pursu'd,
Theft grew familiar, tyranny ensued;
The tawny slave on his oppressor pour'd,
And mad with smart, his haughty lord devour'd:
Insidious Spain! still vanity thy guide,
Thou mixture loath'd of penury and pride,
Slothful in dignity, supine in state,
Active alone in cruelty and hate:
Commerce, like this, might well command thy zeal,
O! patron of the agonizing wheel!
From where wild Biscay throws its foam around,
And aids the deaf'ning tempests frantic sound;
Ev'n to the steeps where Pyrenees ascend,
And like a rocky chain their links extend,
The nations shuddered as it sprang to birth,
And throes unwonted shook the lab'ring earth!
Thou, Torquemada, thy assistance gave,
To fix this engine which the thoughts enslave;
Sedately savage, thou could'st calm behold,
Men scatter'd piece-meal, tho' thy rage was cold:
Quaff'd the warm blood, enforc'd the torturing power,
And view'd with horrid joy the flames devour.
School'd in thy climes demoniac arts, could bear
To see the cord inflict, the pincers tear;
Array'd thy victims in the rich attire,
And danc'd, like Satan, round thy feast of fire.
Theft grew familiar, tyranny ensued;
The tawny slave on his oppressor pour'd,
And mad with smart, his haughty lord devour'd:
Insidious Spain! still vanity thy guide,
Thou mixture loath'd of penury and pride,
Slothful in dignity, supine in state,
Active alone in cruelty and hate:
Commerce, like this, might well command thy zeal,
O! patron of the agonizing wheel!
From where wild Biscay throws its foam around,
And aids the deaf'ning tempests frantic sound;
Ev'n to the steeps where Pyrenees ascend,
And like a rocky chain their links extend,
24
And throes unwonted shook the lab'ring earth!
Thou, Torquemada, thy assistance gave,
To fix this engine which the thoughts enslave;
Sedately savage, thou could'st calm behold,
Men scatter'd piece-meal, tho' thy rage was cold:
Quaff'd the warm blood, enforc'd the torturing power,
And view'd with horrid joy the flames devour.
School'd in thy climes demoniac arts, could bear
To see the cord inflict, the pincers tear;
Array'd thy victims in the rich attire,
And danc'd, like Satan, round thy feast of fire.
Ah! well might Slavery thrive in such a hand,
For all are slaves in a despotic land;
Precarious life is pass'd in trembling awe,
And the proud tyrant owns the breath they draw.
Power, like a miser, spreads the greedy hand,
Still stepping onward, never at a stand,
A subtle miner working still his way,
In av'rice of accumulating sway;
Tools would be statesmen, statesmen would be kings,
And they would mount upon the angels wings;
Power first advances with a modest air,
But, born a tyrant, quickly learns to dare;
By due degrees he throws each barrier down,
Thinks strength is right, and calls the world his own;
At length grown absolute, assumes the God,
And proves at once a pestilence and rod,
Till, grown incautious, some rash point he tries,
And in the ruin of his project lies.
For all are slaves in a despotic land;
Precarious life is pass'd in trembling awe,
And the proud tyrant owns the breath they draw.
Power, like a miser, spreads the greedy hand,
Still stepping onward, never at a stand,
25
In av'rice of accumulating sway;
Tools would be statesmen, statesmen would be kings,
And they would mount upon the angels wings;
Power first advances with a modest air,
But, born a tyrant, quickly learns to dare;
By due degrees he throws each barrier down,
Thinks strength is right, and calls the world his own;
At length grown absolute, assumes the God,
And proves at once a pestilence and rod,
Till, grown incautious, some rash point he tries,
And in the ruin of his project lies.
Behold where fated Florida extends,
His blood-track'd course the fell Velasquez bends,
Launches his guilty bark upon the waves,
To kidnap free-born men and make them slaves!
See, as he gains the chain-devoted land,
The sable natives hurry to the strand,
His sailing castle on the waves they view,
And gaz'd with wonder as it near them drew;
But on the deck when human forms appear'd,
And peaceful signals smil'd, no more they fear'd;
'Twas Man they trusted, Man who spoke them fair,
Cajol'd their faith, and lur'd them to the snare!
And now as guests they land, as guests are led,
Thro' palmy groves to every Indian shed;
The Spaniards there their glitt'ring stores unfold,
The shining mirrour, and the toy of gold;
Each gaudy bauble, cheats the Indian's eyes,
And tricks his passions into fond surprize,
Teaches new luxuries and wants unknown,
Till Europe's vice and folly is his own;
The useless ornaments his senses fire,
And each fresh gewgaw kindles fresh desire;
Fair in the glass another self he sees,
Till harmless wonder swells to vanities;
From lures like these the baneful passions grow,
And what began in pleasure ends in woe:
Frauds heap'd on frauds to purchase these were taught,
And every trinket was with blood-shed bought.
His blood-track'd course the fell Velasquez bends,
Launches his guilty bark upon the waves,
To kidnap free-born men and make them slaves!
See, as he gains the chain-devoted land,
The sable natives hurry to the strand,
26
And gaz'd with wonder as it near them drew;
But on the deck when human forms appear'd,
And peaceful signals smil'd, no more they fear'd;
'Twas Man they trusted, Man who spoke them fair,
Cajol'd their faith, and lur'd them to the snare!
And now as guests they land, as guests are led,
Thro' palmy groves to every Indian shed;
The Spaniards there their glitt'ring stores unfold,
The shining mirrour, and the toy of gold;
Each gaudy bauble, cheats the Indian's eyes,
And tricks his passions into fond surprize,
Teaches new luxuries and wants unknown,
Till Europe's vice and folly is his own;
The useless ornaments his senses fire,
And each fresh gewgaw kindles fresh desire;
Fair in the glass another self he sees,
Till harmless wonder swells to vanities;
27
And what began in pleasure ends in woe:
Frauds heap'd on frauds to purchase these were taught,
And every trinket was with blood-shed bought.
But soon as guests, in turn, the Indian bands
Condemn'd, alas! to quit their native lands
No fraud suspecting, mount the treacherous ship,
Where, as in ambush, lie the chains and whip;
Like nested snakes, whose poisons are enroll'd
Mid'st wreaths of flowers, in many a shining fold;
The faithless Spaniard leaves the plunder'd shore,
His fraud succeeds, and freedom is no more.
Then o'er th'affrighted waves is heard the yell
Of mingled thousands in their wat'ry Hell,
Shut from the light, unknowing yet their doom,
The vessel proves a prison and a tomb:
In the dark caverns of the bark they lie,
Live to fresh horrors or in bondage die;
While the base tyrant glorying in his snare,
Mocks at the loud rebuke and dumb despair.
Condemn'd, alas! to quit their native lands
No fraud suspecting, mount the treacherous ship,
Where, as in ambush, lie the chains and whip;
Like nested snakes, whose poisons are enroll'd
Mid'st wreaths of flowers, in many a shining fold;
The faithless Spaniard leaves the plunder'd shore,
His fraud succeeds, and freedom is no more.
Then o'er th'affrighted waves is heard the yell
Of mingled thousands in their wat'ry Hell,
Shut from the light, unknowing yet their doom,
The vessel proves a prison and a tomb:
In the dark caverns of the bark they lie,
Live to fresh horrors or in bondage die;
28
Mocks at the loud rebuke and dumb despair.
Soon as the vessel bore the tribes away,
What horrors seiz'd upon the trembling prey!
Ah! hear the shrieks of kindred left behind,
Roll to the wave and gather in the wind!
Matrons with orphans, sons with sires appear,
But vain affection's shriek and nature's tear:
The Spanish pirate ploughs the watr'y plains,
And plants his cannon at the thin remains;
The flaming balls the wailing natives reach,
And added slaughter stains the crimson beach;
All, all is lost; but with a generous pride,
E'en slaves spurn life, when freedom is deny'd:
“Free, still be free, loud echoes to the sky,
Dare not to live in bondage, dare to die!”
What horrors seiz'd upon the trembling prey!
Ah! hear the shrieks of kindred left behind,
Roll to the wave and gather in the wind!
Matrons with orphans, sons with sires appear,
But vain affection's shriek and nature's tear:
The Spanish pirate ploughs the watr'y plains,
And plants his cannon at the thin remains;
The flaming balls the wailing natives reach,
And added slaughter stains the crimson beach;
All, all is lost; but with a generous pride,
E'en slaves spurn life, when freedom is deny'd:
“Free, still be free, loud echoes to the sky,
Dare not to live in bondage, dare to die!”
But oh! ye Christian savages, declare
On what unknown prerogative ye dare?
Peaceful and blest, where rich Bananas grew,
And nature freshen'd as the sea-breeze blew,
Where harvests smil'd without the aid of toil,
And verdure gladden'd the exuberant soil,
Where summer held so bountiful a sway,
Scarce claim'd their year, the culture of a day,
The plants at twilight trusted to the earth,
The following morn sprang blooming into birth,
Grac'd with the bow, the Indians harmless ran,
And undisturb'd enjoy'd the rights of man:
The rights of man by nature still are due,
To men of ev'ry clime and every hue;
Their arrows sought the monsters of the wood,
The chase at once their pastime and their food,
Bower'd by th'umbrageous vine, they thought no wrong,
Now wreath'd the dance, and carol'd now the song;
And oft some sable mistress of the soul,
Prepar'd the banquet, and partook the bowl:
Shar'd every bliss that genuine nature gave,
And often own'd the vanquish'd heart a slave.
The willing captive, wore fair beauty's chain,
And pleas'd, submitted to the tender pain.
On what unknown prerogative ye dare?
29
And nature freshen'd as the sea-breeze blew,
Where harvests smil'd without the aid of toil,
And verdure gladden'd the exuberant soil,
Where summer held so bountiful a sway,
Scarce claim'd their year, the culture of a day,
The plants at twilight trusted to the earth,
The following morn sprang blooming into birth,
Grac'd with the bow, the Indians harmless ran,
And undisturb'd enjoy'd the rights of man:
The rights of man by nature still are due,
To men of ev'ry clime and every hue;
Their arrows sought the monsters of the wood,
The chase at once their pastime and their food,
Bower'd by th'umbrageous vine, they thought no wrong,
Now wreath'd the dance, and carol'd now the song;
And oft some sable mistress of the soul,
Prepar'd the banquet, and partook the bowl:
30
And often own'd the vanquish'd heart a slave.
The willing captive, wore fair beauty's chain,
And pleas'd, submitted to the tender pain.
If giant Power confers this wanton sway,
Subdues the strong, and makes the weak obey,
Does power give Right? beware that dangerous plea,
Perchance its tendency thou do'st not see.
The slave once stronger than thyself, shall stand,
And seize intripid on thy stern command;
Arm'd with thy iron sceptre bid thee toil,
Scar thy white skin, and chain thee to the soil:
Thy spirit fainting in the glare of day,
Shall bid thee naked brave the torrid ray,
Retort thy scorn, retaliate all thy rage,
Wear out thy youth, and murder thee in age;
Tear from thy fetter'd arms thy child and wife,
And blast the budding promises of life;
Repay, in turn, each stroke thy baseness gave,
And make thee feel what 'tis to be a slave.
Subdues the strong, and makes the weak obey,
Does power give Right? beware that dangerous plea,
Perchance its tendency thou do'st not see.
The slave once stronger than thyself, shall stand,
And seize intripid on thy stern command;
Arm'd with thy iron sceptre bid thee toil,
Scar thy white skin, and chain thee to the soil:
Thy spirit fainting in the glare of day,
Shall bid thee naked brave the torrid ray,
Retort thy scorn, retaliate all thy rage,
Wear out thy youth, and murder thee in age;
Tear from thy fetter'd arms thy child and wife,
And blast the budding promises of life;
31
And make thee feel what 'tis to be a slave.
Ah! false as fatal! to the Weak and Strong,
Th'inherent rights of nature still belong:
No partial principles the just impel
To thinking wisely, or to acting well;
For liberty, of all mankind the cause,
Becomes a forfeit only to the laws,
Those sacred compacts which like links sustain,
Connecting parts of the great social chain:
And while, with these, no member is at strife,
As full the right to liberty as life:
Alike the boon of heav'n, and never ends,
From sire to son, from son to sire descends;
Avaunt assertors of superior right,
And vain distinctions betwixt black and white.
Firm and immovable on nature's base,
Stands the grand charter of the human race;
For he who gave us life bade life be free,
And, to enhance his gift, sent Liberty!
Th'inherent rights of nature still belong:
No partial principles the just impel
To thinking wisely, or to acting well;
For liberty, of all mankind the cause,
Becomes a forfeit only to the laws,
Those sacred compacts which like links sustain,
Connecting parts of the great social chain:
And while, with these, no member is at strife,
As full the right to liberty as life:
Alike the boon of heav'n, and never ends,
From sire to son, from son to sire descends;
Avaunt assertors of superior right,
And vain distinctions betwixt black and white.
Firm and immovable on nature's base,
Stands the grand charter of the human race;
32
And, to enhance his gift, sent Liberty!
Then, whence this wond'rous difference in our race?
Come crested Pride, and the distinction trace:
Lo, from th'Equator to the northern pole,
Tho' colours change, unchangeable the soul!
If justly bought the man of deepest die,
By equal laws the next in shade we buy;
So, soft'ning on, till scarce a tint between
The haughty lord and humble slave is seen;
Springs the vain boast from thy superior white,
Vain prepossession of thy partial sight?
Beware, fallacious reas'ner, lest the North
His whiter rival sends indignant forth!
Ah! rather blushing hide thy snowy skin,
For know thy slave paints white the sire of sin;
And darker than himself he draws the Pow'r,
Which, as his sovereign good his race adore;
Thy cruelty has taught him to despise,
Like hell thy hue, his own like heav'n to prize.
Come crested Pride, and the distinction trace:
Lo, from th'Equator to the northern pole,
Tho' colours change, unchangeable the soul!
If justly bought the man of deepest die,
By equal laws the next in shade we buy;
So, soft'ning on, till scarce a tint between
The haughty lord and humble slave is seen;
Springs the vain boast from thy superior white,
Vain prepossession of thy partial sight?
Beware, fallacious reas'ner, lest the North
His whiter rival sends indignant forth!
Ah! rather blushing hide thy snowy skin,
For know thy slave paints white the sire of sin;
And darker than himself he draws the Pow'r,
Which, as his sovereign good his race adore;
33
Like hell thy hue, his own like heav'n to prize.
Nature and Habit, human kind controul,
The needle one, and one th'attractive pole;
And what, in Europe, we a grace may call,
Is found in Africa no grace at all;
And what abhorr'd deformity we name,
In many a climate dignifies with fame.
The needle one, and one th'attractive pole;
And what, in Europe, we a grace may call,
Is found in Africa no grace at all;
And what abhorr'd deformity we name,
In many a climate dignifies with fame.
Survey the various globe from shore to shore,
Weigh manners, customs, and be proud no more;
Thou, who would'st fix her to the palest face,
See, how for these ev'n Beauty shifts her place:
All, all to nature or opinion bow,
Or fond caprices, which from habit flow;
Here Beauty proudly boasts the length'ning head,
There on the shoulders bids it broadly spread:
Here smallest gems must grace the fair one's ear,
And there the pendents large as logs appear;
Here see her ask the locks of snowy white,
Yet beg the charm of teeth more dark than night,
Here must the broaden'd eye-brow shade the face,
There softly curv'd must crescent archings grace:
While here those crescent archings must depart,
Stubb'd from the root for painted brows of art:
Here, Beauty loves the cheek supremely fair,
There boasts the gash and cherishes the scar.
In Britain, rose and lilly must unite,
While Damian's Isthmus, claims the milky white:
The beard must here e'en to the girdle flow,
There not a bristle must presume to grow;
Here the swoll'n body, there the slender waist,
This wrap'd in silk, and that in dog-skin grac'd;
Here Beauty triumphs in her wooly hair,
But waves in wreaths, her auburn tresses there:
To grace the dames of Europe, fair they flow,
Long and profuse upon a neck of snow,
In ev'ry curl a Cupid seems to lie,
To aid the conquests of the sparkling eye.
The thickest lip here beauty makes her care,
More softly swell'd, like dewy rose-buds there;
The dazzling white is in this clime admir'd,
In that the glossy black is more desir'd.
Weigh manners, customs, and be proud no more;
Thou, who would'st fix her to the palest face,
See, how for these ev'n Beauty shifts her place:
All, all to nature or opinion bow,
Or fond caprices, which from habit flow;
Here Beauty proudly boasts the length'ning head,
There on the shoulders bids it broadly spread:
34
And there the pendents large as logs appear;
Here see her ask the locks of snowy white,
Yet beg the charm of teeth more dark than night,
Here must the broaden'd eye-brow shade the face,
There softly curv'd must crescent archings grace:
While here those crescent archings must depart,
Stubb'd from the root for painted brows of art:
Here, Beauty loves the cheek supremely fair,
There boasts the gash and cherishes the scar.
In Britain, rose and lilly must unite,
While Damian's Isthmus, claims the milky white:
The beard must here e'en to the girdle flow,
There not a bristle must presume to grow;
Here the swoll'n body, there the slender waist,
This wrap'd in silk, and that in dog-skin grac'd;
Here Beauty triumphs in her wooly hair,
But waves in wreaths, her auburn tresses there:
35
Long and profuse upon a neck of snow,
In ev'ry curl a Cupid seems to lie,
To aid the conquests of the sparkling eye.
The thickest lip here beauty makes her care,
More softly swell'd, like dewy rose-buds there;
The dazzling white is in this clime admir'd,
In that the glossy black is more desir'd.
Feel humbly then, nor deem all grace thy own,
Nor think that Nature charms in thee alone;
The poorest native of the poorest coast,
Hath still his beauty, still his good to boast;
From earth's beginning to its utmost ends,
Proportion'd charm, proportion'd bliss she sends,
Exact division, but adapted still,
To what in different climes her children feel,
To what, when undebauch'd by man's desires,
Or fancied wants, necessity requires;
Nor sparing, nor yet prodigal her plan,
With pois'd equality she blesses man:
On the worst soil some heartfelt joy bestows,
Which the glad son, she there has station'd, knows,
And what from us extorts the taunting sneer,
May to his sense an happiness appear,
As the fond gifts which we indulgent deem,
To him an aggravated curse may seem.
Nor think that Nature charms in thee alone;
The poorest native of the poorest coast,
Hath still his beauty, still his good to boast;
From earth's beginning to its utmost ends,
Proportion'd charm, proportion'd bliss she sends,
Exact division, but adapted still,
To what in different climes her children feel,
To what, when undebauch'd by man's desires,
Or fancied wants, necessity requires;
36
With pois'd equality she blesses man:
On the worst soil some heartfelt joy bestows,
Which the glad son, she there has station'd, knows,
And what from us extorts the taunting sneer,
May to his sense an happiness appear,
As the fond gifts which we indulgent deem,
To him an aggravated curse may seem.
Thus kind is nature in her zone serene,
But not more kind than in her torrid scene;
Not less a parent where the frozen Power
Resides for centuries in his icy tower,
Where the hoar monarch in his vest of snow,
Ascends the hills where suns refuse to glow.
Vain all dispute of colour, form or size,
In pride, in pride alone the difference lies;
Whence, then, presumpt'ous man, proceeds thy right,
And by what law does olive yield to white?
Why has not brown, black, copper, equal claim,
Their nature, origin, and end, the same?
All of one species, all of equal birth,
Tho' shifting colours like their parent earth.
But not more kind than in her torrid scene;
Not less a parent where the frozen Power
Resides for centuries in his icy tower,
Where the hoar monarch in his vest of snow,
Ascends the hills where suns refuse to glow.
Vain all dispute of colour, form or size,
In pride, in pride alone the difference lies;
Whence, then, presumpt'ous man, proceeds thy right,
And by what law does olive yield to white?
37
Their nature, origin, and end, the same?
All of one species, all of equal birth,
Tho' shifting colours like their parent earth.
If not in colour then, perchance in sense,
In the soul's power, may lie the proud pretence,
Ah no! from Nature's hand all equal came,
Thro' ev'ry clime an helpless babe's the same,
The same frail emblem of our state appears,
A weak and helpless being born in tears!
If cultur'd climes refine on nature's plan,
They change the mode, but never change the man.
The human passions strongly are impress'd,
In the untutor'd, as the polish'd breast;
In the swarth African that's bought and sold,
As the fair plunderer that steals his gold,
Heav'n form'd his eyes to love his native hue,
And pointed all his appetites as true,
Those sable tints, at which with fear we start,
Are the lov'd colours that attract his heart:
Our polish'd arts, refinement may bestow,
But oft enfeeble nature's genuine glow.
In the soul's power, may lie the proud pretence,
Ah no! from Nature's hand all equal came,
Thro' ev'ry clime an helpless babe's the same,
The same frail emblem of our state appears,
A weak and helpless being born in tears!
If cultur'd climes refine on nature's plan,
They change the mode, but never change the man.
The human passions strongly are impress'd,
In the untutor'd, as the polish'd breast;
In the swarth African that's bought and sold,
As the fair plunderer that steals his gold,
Heav'n form'd his eyes to love his native hue,
And pointed all his appetites as true,
38
Are the lov'd colours that attract his heart:
Our polish'd arts, refinement may bestow,
But oft enfeeble nature's genuine glow.
In polish'd arts unnumber'd virtues lie,
But ah! unnumber'd vices they supply;
Here, if they bloom with ev'ry gentler good,
There are they steep'd with more than savage blood;
Here, with Refinement, if sweet Pity stands,
There Luxury round them musters all her bands;
'Tis not enough that daily slaughter feeds,
That the fish leaves its stream, the lamb its meads,
That the reluctant ox is dragg'd along,
And the bird ravish'd from its tender song,
That in reward of all her music giv'n,
The lark is murder'd as she soars to Heav'n.
'Tis not enough, our appetites require
That on their altars hecatombs expire;
But cruel man, a savage in his power,
Must heap fresh horrors on life's parting hour:
Full many a being that bestows its breath,
Must prove the pang that waits a ling'ring death,
Here, close pent up, must gorge unwholesome food,
There render drop by drop the smoaking blood;
The quiv'ring flesh improves as slow it dies,
And Lux'ry sees th'augmented whiteness rise;
Some creatures gash'd must feel the torturer's art,
Writhe in their wounds, tho' sav'd each vital part.
From the hard bruise the food more tender grows,
And callous Lux'ry triumphs in the blows:
Some, yet alive, to raging flames consign'd,
By piercing shrieks must sooth our taste refin'd!
But ah! unnumber'd vices they supply;
Here, if they bloom with ev'ry gentler good,
There are they steep'd with more than savage blood;
Here, with Refinement, if sweet Pity stands,
There Luxury round them musters all her bands;
'Tis not enough that daily slaughter feeds,
That the fish leaves its stream, the lamb its meads,
That the reluctant ox is dragg'd along,
And the bird ravish'd from its tender song,
That in reward of all her music giv'n,
The lark is murder'd as she soars to Heav'n.
'Tis not enough, our appetites require
That on their altars hecatombs expire;
39
Must heap fresh horrors on life's parting hour:
Full many a being that bestows its breath,
Must prove the pang that waits a ling'ring death,
Here, close pent up, must gorge unwholesome food,
There render drop by drop the smoaking blood;
The quiv'ring flesh improves as slow it dies,
And Lux'ry sees th'augmented whiteness rise;
Some creatures gash'd must feel the torturer's art,
Writhe in their wounds, tho' sav'd each vital part.
From the hard bruise the food more tender grows,
And callous Lux'ry triumphs in the blows:
Some, yet alive, to raging flames consign'd,
By piercing shrieks must sooth our taste refin'd!
O power of mercy, that suspends the rod!
O shame to man, impiety to God!
Thou polish'd Christian, in th'untutor'd see,
The sacred rights of sweet HUMANITY.
Thine is the World, thy crimson spoils enjoy,
But let no wanton arts thy soul employ,
Live, tho' thou do'st on blood, ah! still refrain,
To load thy victims with superfluous pain;
Ev'n the gaunt tyger, tho' no life he saves,
In generous haste devours what famine craves;
The bestial paw may check thy human hands,
And teach dispatch to what thy want demands,
Abridge thy sacrifice, and bid thy knife,
For hunger kill, but never sport with life.
O shame to man, impiety to God!
Thou polish'd Christian, in th'untutor'd see,
The sacred rights of sweet HUMANITY.
40
But let no wanton arts thy soul employ,
Live, tho' thou do'st on blood, ah! still refrain,
To load thy victims with superfluous pain;
Ev'n the gaunt tyger, tho' no life he saves,
In generous haste devours what famine craves;
The bestial paw may check thy human hands,
And teach dispatch to what thy want demands,
Abridge thy sacrifice, and bid thy knife,
For hunger kill, but never sport with life.
Relief appears as the Muse shifts her place,
To where pure manners bless the gentlest race;
Lo, where the Bramins pass their blameless life,
Free from proud culture, free from polish'd strife.
To man, brute, insect, nature's constant friends,
The heart embraces and the hand extends:
See the meek tribe refuse the worm to kill,
No murder feeds them, and no blood they spill;
But crop the living herbage as it grows,
And quaff the living water as it flows,
From the full herds, the milky banquet bear,
And the kind herds repay with pastures fair;
From sanguine man, they drive the game away,
From sanguine man they save the finny prey,
The copious grain they scatter o'er the mead,
The bird to nourish and the beast to feed,
The flowers their couch, their roof the arching trees,
And peaceful nights succeed to days of ease.
To where pure manners bless the gentlest race;
Lo, where the Bramins pass their blameless life,
Free from proud culture, free from polish'd strife.
To man, brute, insect, nature's constant friends,
The heart embraces and the hand extends:
See the meek tribe refuse the worm to kill,
No murder feeds them, and no blood they spill;
41
And quaff the living water as it flows,
From the full herds, the milky banquet bear,
And the kind herds repay with pastures fair;
From sanguine man, they drive the game away,
From sanguine man they save the finny prey,
The copious grain they scatter o'er the mead,
The bird to nourish and the beast to feed,
The flowers their couch, their roof the arching trees,
And peaceful nights succeed to days of ease.
O! thou proud Christian, aid fair nature's grace,
And catch compassion from the Bramin race:
Their kind extremes and vegetable fare,
Their tender maxims, all that breathe to spare:
Suit not thy cultur'd state, but all should know,
Like them to save unnecessary woe;
Like them to give each generous feeling birth,
And prove the friends not tyrants of the earth.
And catch compassion from the Bramin race:
Their kind extremes and vegetable fare,
Their tender maxims, all that breathe to spare:
Suit not thy cultur'd state, but all should know,
Like them to save unnecessary woe;
Like them to give each generous feeling birth,
And prove the friends not tyrants of the earth.
42
O sweet HUMANITY! might pity sway,
All, all like Bramins would thy voice obey;
For ah! to heighten joy and solace woe,
All need, alas! thy tender aid below.
One leans on all, for help, not all on one,
What worm so feeble as proud man alone?
The veriest giant, by himself is found,
Frail as the reed that every breeze can wound,
But even the pigmy with associates join'd,
Strong as the oak, can brave the rudest wind;
The Social Passion opens with our breath,
Pursues thro' life, and follows us to death.
All, all like Bramins would thy voice obey;
For ah! to heighten joy and solace woe,
All need, alas! thy tender aid below.
One leans on all, for help, not all on one,
What worm so feeble as proud man alone?
The veriest giant, by himself is found,
Frail as the reed that every breeze can wound,
But even the pigmy with associates join'd,
Strong as the oak, can brave the rudest wind;
The Social Passion opens with our breath,
Pursues thro' life, and follows us to death.
See, as yon infant lull'd in slumber lies,
How the fond mother to its cradle flies,
Soft on her faithful breast reclines its head,
Her saithful breast its banquet and its bed:
Tho' many a suffering for its sake she bore,
They all but serve to make her love it more,
For soon a kindred passion equal burns,
The parent's tenderness the child returns,
Runs by her side, or struggles to her knee,
And owns the touch of fair HUMANITY:
The child arrived at man, the parent lies,
Sick'ning at life, in haste her offspring flies,
Explores the chamber, tho' disease be there,
And hangs with catching deaths the putrid air:
And when, at length, the mother yields to fate,
Stretch'd round her breathless form the affections wait;
In mute distress, and with uplifted hands,
The child she cradled, at her coffin stands,
Invokes her spirit to assuage the woe,
And teach meek patience to endure the blow;
Blesses the holy shade which gave him birth,
Moves to the grave, and views the opening earth,
A filial shudder thro' his frame he proves,
As the dust falls upon the dust he loves:
Then, as the time steals on with thief-like power,
And brings to him the all-subduing hour,
Himself, e're this a parent, soon shall prove
The soft'ning offices of filial love,
For those who owe him life shall weeping bend,
And his attracting couch as fondly tend,
Watch his dim'd eye, observe his changing cheek,
And drink his dying breath to hear him speak,
His latest accents in their hearts enshrine,
As sainted sounds of oracles divine;
Thus shall he feel the tenderness he gave,
And equal tears fall fast upon his grave.
How the fond mother to its cradle flies,
Soft on her faithful breast reclines its head,
Her saithful breast its banquet and its bed:
Tho' many a suffering for its sake she bore,
They all but serve to make her love it more,
43
The parent's tenderness the child returns,
Runs by her side, or struggles to her knee,
And owns the touch of fair HUMANITY:
The child arrived at man, the parent lies,
Sick'ning at life, in haste her offspring flies,
Explores the chamber, tho' disease be there,
And hangs with catching deaths the putrid air:
And when, at length, the mother yields to fate,
Stretch'd round her breathless form the affections wait;
In mute distress, and with uplifted hands,
The child she cradled, at her coffin stands,
Invokes her spirit to assuage the woe,
And teach meek patience to endure the blow;
Blesses the holy shade which gave him birth,
Moves to the grave, and views the opening earth,
A filial shudder thro' his frame he proves,
As the dust falls upon the dust he loves:
44
And brings to him the all-subduing hour,
Himself, e're this a parent, soon shall prove
The soft'ning offices of filial love,
For those who owe him life shall weeping bend,
And his attracting couch as fondly tend,
Watch his dim'd eye, observe his changing cheek,
And drink his dying breath to hear him speak,
His latest accents in their hearts enshrine,
As sainted sounds of oracles divine;
Thus shall he feel the tenderness he gave,
And equal tears fall fast upon his grave.
Tyrants o'er brutes with ease extend the plan,
And rise in cruelty from beast to man;
Their sordid policy each crime allows,
The flesh that quivers and the blood that flows,
The furious stripes that murder in a day,
Or torturing arts that kill by dire delay:
The fainting spirit, and the bursting vein,
All, all are reconcil'd to Christian gain.
And rise in cruelty from beast to man;
Their sordid policy each crime allows,
The flesh that quivers and the blood that flows,
The furious stripes that murder in a day,
Or torturing arts that kill by dire delay:
45
All, all are reconcil'd to Christian gain.
In cold barbarian apathy behold,
Sits the slave-agent bending o'er his gold;
That base contractor for the chain and rod,
Who buys and sells the image of his God.
Callous to ev'ry touch that nature lends,
The bond that ties him to his kind he rends,
Robber at once and butcher of his slaves,
Nor grief, nor sickness, age, nor sex he saves,
But plung'd in traffic, coldly can debate,
The parent's destiny, the infant's fate;
The teeming mother of her hope despoil,
And poise the gains of child-birth or of toil.
The sighs and groans which spring from both he spurns,
For life or death 'tis gold the balance turns.
Sits the slave-agent bending o'er his gold;
That base contractor for the chain and rod,
Who buys and sells the image of his God.
Callous to ev'ry touch that nature lends,
The bond that ties him to his kind he rends,
Robber at once and butcher of his slaves,
Nor grief, nor sickness, age, nor sex he saves,
But plung'd in traffic, coldly can debate,
The parent's destiny, the infant's fate;
The teeming mother of her hope despoil,
And poise the gains of child-birth or of toil.
The sighs and groans which spring from both he spurns,
For life or death 'tis gold the balance turns.
O! Pride and Avarice of deluded fools,
Despotic maxims taught in foreign schools!
Where still the science of a slave is taught,
To check the growth of every generous thought;
Where one proud mortal owns the subjects breath,
Whispers are treason, and a word is death.
Tenets like these to polish'd France belong,
For all she licenses, is dance and song!
The hands are fetter'd tho' the feet are free,
And clos'd the lips in dread of tyranny:
The poor, proud subject, still is idly gay,
Skips off his thoughts, and hums his cares away;
As the cag'd bird tho' pris'ner till it die,
Will sometimes sing altho' it may not fly.
Thy tree, O Liberty! forbid to taste,
A Frenchman's richest genius runs to waste:
Oft are the seeds of freedom in his soul,
But none can spring amid such hard controul:
In life's fresh morn if chance they dare to shoot,
The bud scarce peeps e'er Power destroys the root:
Nothing can prosper in a slavish soil,
Save stinted shrubs unworthy of the toil,
Like pallid sweets of ineffectual May,
That faintly bloom and wither in a day.
Not so the plants which Liberty bestows,
That in our Albion's favor'd garden grows;
There lifts the oak its top into the skies,
While with glad heart the Briton sees it rise,
Uninjur'd there, for ages shall it stand,
Nor ever quit it but to guard the land:
Then on the deep in gallant pomp it moves,
To serve that freedom which its country loves.
Despotic maxims taught in foreign schools!
46
To check the growth of every generous thought;
Where one proud mortal owns the subjects breath,
Whispers are treason, and a word is death.
Tenets like these to polish'd France belong,
For all she licenses, is dance and song!
The hands are fetter'd tho' the feet are free,
And clos'd the lips in dread of tyranny:
The poor, proud subject, still is idly gay,
Skips off his thoughts, and hums his cares away;
As the cag'd bird tho' pris'ner till it die,
Will sometimes sing altho' it may not fly.
Thy tree, O Liberty! forbid to taste,
A Frenchman's richest genius runs to waste:
Oft are the seeds of freedom in his soul,
But none can spring amid such hard controul:
In life's fresh morn if chance they dare to shoot,
The bud scarce peeps e'er Power destroys the root:
47
Save stinted shrubs unworthy of the toil,
Like pallid sweets of ineffectual May,
That faintly bloom and wither in a day.
Not so the plants which Liberty bestows,
That in our Albion's favor'd garden grows;
There lifts the oak its top into the skies,
While with glad heart the Briton sees it rise,
Uninjur'd there, for ages shall it stand,
Nor ever quit it but to guard the land:
Then on the deep in gallant pomp it moves,
To serve that freedom which its country loves.
Oh! ever sail, fair Bark, upon thy waves,
Still guard thy England, from a realm of slaves:
Oh! ever flow, fair Sea, to guide our coast,
Still to divide us from yon abject host;
And swell ye Cliffs that canopy our strand,
To frown indignant on that servile land;
That land of mutes, of one proud Lord the prey,
A clime where to be dumb is to obey,
Unheard, unseen, where wretches meet their dooms,
For whom no tear must ever bathe their tombs,
Conceal'd the parent's pangs, the lover's sighs,
Bastiles for ever frown before their eyes;
Like those they mourn down precipices thrown,
Are all that dare the ties of nature own;
Buried alive, from youth to age they lie,
And ev'n, at last, in agonies they die.
Still guard thy England, from a realm of slaves:
Oh! ever flow, fair Sea, to guide our coast,
Still to divide us from yon abject host;
And swell ye Cliffs that canopy our strand,
To frown indignant on that servile land;
48
A clime where to be dumb is to obey,
Unheard, unseen, where wretches meet their dooms,
For whom no tear must ever bathe their tombs,
Conceal'd the parent's pangs, the lover's sighs,
Bastiles for ever frown before their eyes;
Like those they mourn down precipices thrown,
Are all that dare the ties of nature own;
Buried alive, from youth to age they lie,
And ev'n, at last, in agonies they die.
Oh! hail'd by men and angels, be the hour,
Which clipp'd ev'n Britons wing, outstretch'd for power!
Which taught the monarch where his rights should end,
And to what point the subjects should extend:
Bade the encroacher know his proper sphere,
Or for each wrong the meanest subject fear.
Once Kings controul'd the law, in infant times,
Plunder'd at will, nor answer'd for their crimes,
Our juster system snaps the tyrant's chains,
Curbs his proud nature, and his rage restrains.
Which clipp'd ev'n Britons wing, outstretch'd for power!
Which taught the monarch where his rights should end,
And to what point the subjects should extend:
Bade the encroacher know his proper sphere,
Or for each wrong the meanest subject fear.
Once Kings controul'd the law, in infant times,
Plunder'd at will, nor answer'd for their crimes,
49
Curbs his proud nature, and his rage restrains.
Mark by what gradual steps Britannia rose,
As the small acorn to a forest grows;
By what variety of adverse fate,
Terrors of war, and anarchies of state,
What direful griefs by foreign fury bred,
Rivers of blood, and mountains of the dead:
She, past advent'rous, e're her wrongs were o'er,
Complete her triumphs, and confirm'd her pow'r.
When, but to look, was treason to the state,
And the King's nod, like thund'ring Jove's, was fate;
Not now, as in our scribbling James's days,
Plain truth is tortur'd in the statesman's maze;
Then 'twas that thus the royal nonsense run,
Our word is law, who murmurs is undone.
As the small acorn to a forest grows;
By what variety of adverse fate,
Terrors of war, and anarchies of state,
What direful griefs by foreign fury bred,
Rivers of blood, and mountains of the dead:
She, past advent'rous, e're her wrongs were o'er,
Complete her triumphs, and confirm'd her pow'r.
When, but to look, was treason to the state,
And the King's nod, like thund'ring Jove's, was fate;
Not now, as in our scribbling James's days,
Plain truth is tortur'd in the statesman's maze;
Then 'twas that thus the royal nonsense run,
Our word is law, who murmurs is undone.
Behold the painted natives of the isle,
Rough as the coast, uncultur'd as the soil;
Half-naked and half-cover'd see them go,
For sport or war accouter'd with the bow,
The plumy helmet nodding on the head,
And the loose skin across the shoulders spread,
A rude Society without a plan,
Above the brute, yet scarce arriv'd at man;
But even here was felt the patriot flame,
And from these sparks our noon-tide radiance came;
To guard the huts that stretch along the strand,
Arm'd with the scythe and wicker shield they stand,
The chariot mount, or leap upon the ground,
And shout victorious to the trumpet's sound.
Chains, wounds, and death, the hardy chiefs defy,
For Britain conquer, or for Britain die;
The brave Caractacus his squadrons brought,
And with inferior force undaunted fought:
Tho' rude the race, and savage tho' the scene,
Freedom call'd forth Iceni's warlike queen,
A martial band great Boadicia led,
And ev'n a woman for her country bled.
Revenge and liberty inspir'd the fair,
And poison sav'd her in the last despair;
This, from ignoble bondage, set her free,
And all the shame of Roman slavery.
Rough as the coast, uncultur'd as the soil;
50
For sport or war accouter'd with the bow,
The plumy helmet nodding on the head,
And the loose skin across the shoulders spread,
A rude Society without a plan,
Above the brute, yet scarce arriv'd at man;
But even here was felt the patriot flame,
And from these sparks our noon-tide radiance came;
To guard the huts that stretch along the strand,
Arm'd with the scythe and wicker shield they stand,
The chariot mount, or leap upon the ground,
And shout victorious to the trumpet's sound.
Chains, wounds, and death, the hardy chiefs defy,
For Britain conquer, or for Britain die;
The brave Caractacus his squadrons brought,
And with inferior force undaunted fought:
Tho' rude the race, and savage tho' the scene,
Freedom call'd forth Iceni's warlike queen,
A martial band great Boadicia led,
And ev'n a woman for her country bled.
51
And poison sav'd her in the last despair;
This, from ignoble bondage, set her free,
And all the shame of Roman slavery.
Thus, in the earliest hour of Britains morn,
A Briton's hate of tyrrany was born!
Abhorrence sacred, to repel the hand,
That dares to wrong the charter of the land:
Our sturdy ancestors, tho' oft subdu'd,
But breath'd from war, and strait the charge renew'd;
Now dress'd as victims, now as prisoners bound,
The blood of heroes deluging the ground.
In each extreme our brave fore-fathers prove,
Their native courage and their country's love;
Fierce for hereditary claims they fight,
And ev'n till death maintain a Briton's right.
A Briton's hate of tyrrany was born!
Abhorrence sacred, to repel the hand,
That dares to wrong the charter of the land:
Our sturdy ancestors, tho' oft subdu'd,
But breath'd from war, and strait the charge renew'd;
Now dress'd as victims, now as prisoners bound,
The blood of heroes deluging the ground.
In each extreme our brave fore-fathers prove,
Their native courage and their country's love;
Fierce for hereditary claims they fight,
And ev'n till death maintain a Briton's right.
Hence rose our liberties, a common cause!
To these, succeed, their best support, the Laws;
Bonds, conflicts, murders, massacres ensu'd,
And many a Saxon, Danish sword embrued
In English blood, and many a monarch's life,
And many a Monk's, submitted to the strife,
Eer Laws were form'd, as now sublime they stand,
The shield, the spear, and buckler of the land:
To these, succeed, their best support, the Laws;
52
And many a Saxon, Danish sword embrued
In English blood, and many a monarch's life,
And many a Monk's, submitted to the strife,
Eer Laws were form'd, as now sublime they stand,
The shield, the spear, and buckler of the land:
At length bloom'd forth, diffusing all their charms,
The arts of peace more strong than those of arms;
Barbaric Ignorance refin'd away,
Like mists dispersing at the dawn of day.
The sword hung up, the trumpet heard no more,
The Lyre essay'd its humanizing power,
Religion came with meekness to explode,
The heathen idol and the Saxon God;
In place of Deities with frowns pourtray'd,
Mild Christianity in smiles array'd.
Where stood the clay-built hut, see cities rise,
Where altar's blaz'd with human sacrifice,
Where pagan superstition, horror spread,
And even where Piety misguided led,
In later times, her victims to the flame,
In bloody mem'ry of our Mary's name,
Now see our country share an happier fate,
Discreetly strong and equitably great,
Her power supreme, and yet her reason clear,
In skilful balance, holding hope and fear;
Her force, law-govern'd, knows its proper fence,
Distinct from tyrrany and impotence.
The arts of peace more strong than those of arms;
Barbaric Ignorance refin'd away,
Like mists dispersing at the dawn of day.
The sword hung up, the trumpet heard no more,
The Lyre essay'd its humanizing power,
Religion came with meekness to explode,
The heathen idol and the Saxon God;
In place of Deities with frowns pourtray'd,
Mild Christianity in smiles array'd.
Where stood the clay-built hut, see cities rise,
Where altar's blaz'd with human sacrifice,
53
And even where Piety misguided led,
In later times, her victims to the flame,
In bloody mem'ry of our Mary's name,
Now see our country share an happier fate,
Discreetly strong and equitably great,
Her power supreme, and yet her reason clear,
In skilful balance, holding hope and fear;
Her force, law-govern'd, knows its proper fence,
Distinct from tyrrany and impotence.
Not fierce to punish, nor so weak to spare
When truth requires, but justice still her care;
Thus wise and potent, awful and humane,
Justice and Law, support the guiding rein;
Like kindred powers, each seated at the helm,
They steer that stately bark, the English realm:
And for a moment, should one quit the post,
Like sympathizing twins, the other's lost;
But knit together in connection strong,
This must go right, the other can't go wrong:
Proud through the waves, tho' loudly roars the gale,
Amid'st the public storm secure they sail;
Unhurt, they bring the vessel to the strand,
Lords of the subject ocean, as the land.
When truth requires, but justice still her care;
Thus wise and potent, awful and humane,
Justice and Law, support the guiding rein;
Like kindred powers, each seated at the helm,
They steer that stately bark, the English realm:
And for a moment, should one quit the post,
Like sympathizing twins, the other's lost;
54
This must go right, the other can't go wrong:
Proud through the waves, tho' loudly roars the gale,
Amid'st the public storm secure they sail;
Unhurt, they bring the vessel to the strand,
Lords of the subject ocean, as the land.
Thus, in our isle, as the proud Muse shall sing,
In ampler lays, when next she spreads the wing;
Thus, in our isle, her Laws securely stand,
A guardian fabric of the smiling land;
Prop of HUMANITY, and seen from far,
Bright as the lustre of the morning star.
In ampler lays, when next she spreads the wing;
Thus, in our isle, her Laws securely stand,
A guardian fabric of the smiling land;
Prop of HUMANITY, and seen from far,
Bright as the lustre of the morning star.
All hail! thou glory of fair England's throne,
Illustrious Prince, this fabric is thy own!
All hail! thou hero of the Saxon line,
Britannia's Laws, Britannia's Freedom thine!
Rich in the varied powers of head and heart,
In every science skill'd, in every art,
With prudence, valour, thought, with action join'd,
The circling Virtues temper'd and combin'd,
The reconcil'd extremes of Good and Great,
Thine, by a kind felicity of fate;
Ardent in war, in gentle peace serene,
Wise in the public, as the private scene;
Coolness to plan, and vigour to pursue,
And born to mould a rugged state anew,
Whose fancy dazzled, yet whose judgment sound,
Bade every virtue know its proper bound.
Whate'er Philosophy has drawn sublime,
Or poet's sung, in all the pride of rhime;
Whatever history of good has giv'n,
The Boast of nature and the smile of Heav'n,
Adorn'd thy youth, and to complete the plan,
And give the perfect model of a man,
Worthy thy mind, Nature bestow'd the grace,
Of princely stature and engaging face,
Then, in the noblest light her work to bring,
In times of trial, stamp'd thee for a King!
Yes, Alfred, thou, beheld'st with generous pain,
Blood-spotted Fury, and his demons reign.
Scarce shone the crown upon thy princely head,
E'er rapine paus'd, and foul disorder fled;
Oft as th'invaders for the plunder burn'd,
Thou, warriour-sovereign, to the charge return'd,
And when compell'd to quit the regal seat,
Still, like thyself, was sought the soft retreat;
Veild by the shepherd cot and clown's attire,
Still glow'd within thee all the patriot's fire:
Dismiss'd the regal pomp, its train resign'd,
No fate could sink the monarch in thy mind;
The kingly glories there their state maintain'd,
There, their fit mansion, all the Virtues reign'd,
Expiring Liberty engag'd thy care,
For her to heav'n still breath'd thy fervent prayer,
Beneath the humblest shed she fill'd thy breast,
The humblest shed, ennobled by the guest,
There, while th'unconscious neat herd toil'd and sung,
The dart was pointed and the bow was strung;
Till, trimm'd for death, they twang'd against the foe,
And sav'd Britannia at one powerful blow;
Like some young lyon chain'd for many a day,
At length let loose, broad Conquest mark'd thy way,
Thou from the Dane th'enchanted standard bore,
And bade fierce Hubba vex the isle no more,
In vain the magic sisters were implor'd,
The charm-bound raven own'd another Lord;
'Twas thine, in new disguises to assail,
Touch the tun'd harp and weave the mazy tale,
Then, while thy country's foes repos'd supine,
Again in arms confess'd they saw thee shine,
As with one soul they dar'd the martial deed,
For at thy side 'twas victory to bleed;
Th'invaders soon a Conqueror allow'd,
And every haughty tribe to Alfred bow'd!
Illustrious Prince, this fabric is thy own!
All hail! thou hero of the Saxon line,
Britannia's Laws, Britannia's Freedom thine!
Rich in the varied powers of head and heart,
In every science skill'd, in every art,
55
The circling Virtues temper'd and combin'd,
The reconcil'd extremes of Good and Great,
Thine, by a kind felicity of fate;
Ardent in war, in gentle peace serene,
Wise in the public, as the private scene;
Coolness to plan, and vigour to pursue,
And born to mould a rugged state anew,
Whose fancy dazzled, yet whose judgment sound,
Bade every virtue know its proper bound.
Whate'er Philosophy has drawn sublime,
Or poet's sung, in all the pride of rhime;
Whatever history of good has giv'n,
The Boast of nature and the smile of Heav'n,
Adorn'd thy youth, and to complete the plan,
And give the perfect model of a man,
Worthy thy mind, Nature bestow'd the grace,
Of princely stature and engaging face,
Then, in the noblest light her work to bring,
In times of trial, stamp'd thee for a King!
56
Blood-spotted Fury, and his demons reign.
Scarce shone the crown upon thy princely head,
E'er rapine paus'd, and foul disorder fled;
Oft as th'invaders for the plunder burn'd,
Thou, warriour-sovereign, to the charge return'd,
And when compell'd to quit the regal seat,
Still, like thyself, was sought the soft retreat;
Veild by the shepherd cot and clown's attire,
Still glow'd within thee all the patriot's fire:
Dismiss'd the regal pomp, its train resign'd,
No fate could sink the monarch in thy mind;
The kingly glories there their state maintain'd,
There, their fit mansion, all the Virtues reign'd,
Expiring Liberty engag'd thy care,
For her to heav'n still breath'd thy fervent prayer,
Beneath the humblest shed she fill'd thy breast,
The humblest shed, ennobled by the guest,
There, while th'unconscious neat herd toil'd and sung,
The dart was pointed and the bow was strung;
57
And sav'd Britannia at one powerful blow;
Like some young lyon chain'd for many a day,
At length let loose, broad Conquest mark'd thy way,
Thou from the Dane th'enchanted standard bore,
And bade fierce Hubba vex the isle no more,
In vain the magic sisters were implor'd,
The charm-bound raven own'd another Lord;
'Twas thine, in new disguises to assail,
Touch the tun'd harp and weave the mazy tale,
Then, while thy country's foes repos'd supine,
Again in arms confess'd they saw thee shine,
As with one soul they dar'd the martial deed,
For at thy side 'twas victory to bleed;
Th'invaders soon a Conqueror allow'd,
And every haughty tribe to Alfred bow'd!
But, peace restor'd, 'twas thine to pity foes,
The arrow sped, the guardian shield arose,
Broad o'er the vanquish'd multitude they spread
Dead the fierce war, thy enmity was dead;
Now bloom'd the arts of peace, the pow'rs of trade,
And tow'ring Cities, tow'ring Fleets were made,
Neglected Science rear'd again her head,
And Erudition rose as from the dead;
Chear'd by thy touch, awak'd the tuneful Nine,
For royal hands wove wreaths around their shrine,
To arts as arms thy genius led the way,
Together twin'd the olive and the bay,
At once the King, the Bard, the Patriot shone,
The muses laurel flourish'd round the throne!
The arrow sped, the guardian shield arose,
Broad o'er the vanquish'd multitude they spread
Dead the fierce war, thy enmity was dead;
58
And tow'ring Cities, tow'ring Fleets were made,
Neglected Science rear'd again her head,
And Erudition rose as from the dead;
Chear'd by thy touch, awak'd the tuneful Nine,
For royal hands wove wreaths around their shrine,
To arts as arms thy genius led the way,
Together twin'd the olive and the bay,
At once the King, the Bard, the Patriot shone,
The muses laurel flourish'd round the throne!
Of Social life, thine too, the faultless plan
Foes warm'd to friends, and the heart beat to man,
To fair HUMANITY was struck the lay,
And from the tuneful charm what heart would stray?
'Twas then brown Industry began his lore,
And billow-braving Commerce brought his ore.
Foes warm'd to friends, and the heart beat to man,
To fair HUMANITY was struck the lay,
And from the tuneful charm what heart would stray?
'Twas then brown Industry began his lore,
And billow-braving Commerce brought his ore.
But chief the Laws, Oh! Alfred, fir'd thy thought,
For Oh! to those, what hidden truths were brought!
'Twas then ev'n monarchy was happiness,
Power chang'd his nature, Kings began to bless,
As thy own thoughts thou mad'st each Briton free,
Yet mark'd the line 'twixt vice and liberty:
Laws fallen structure touch'd thy kingly soul,
And Phœnix-like from ashes sprang the whole;
From old materials, where the atoms lay,
'Twas thine to call the chaos into day,
'Twas thine, O royal architect! at length,
To give proportion, beauty, softness, strength;
The Laws of Alfred like a temple shone,
All nations bow'd to Alfred's equal throne,
Truth, power, and confidence support the base,
Beauty, and love, the superstructure grace,
King, subject, alien, the strong arch sustain,
Friends, kindred, neighbours, worship at the fane;
And, while the whole, connected with each part,
The laws of Nature bless'd the laws of Art,
Sanction'd their sway, saw all was fair and good,
A throne of peace rear'd in a realm of blood.
For Oh! to those, what hidden truths were brought!
'Twas then ev'n monarchy was happiness,
Power chang'd his nature, Kings began to bless,
59
Yet mark'd the line 'twixt vice and liberty:
Laws fallen structure touch'd thy kingly soul,
And Phœnix-like from ashes sprang the whole;
From old materials, where the atoms lay,
'Twas thine to call the chaos into day,
'Twas thine, O royal architect! at length,
To give proportion, beauty, softness, strength;
The Laws of Alfred like a temple shone,
All nations bow'd to Alfred's equal throne,
Truth, power, and confidence support the base,
Beauty, and love, the superstructure grace,
King, subject, alien, the strong arch sustain,
Friends, kindred, neighbours, worship at the fane;
And, while the whole, connected with each part,
The laws of Nature bless'd the laws of Art,
Sanction'd their sway, saw all was fair and good,
A throne of peace rear'd in a realm of blood.
END OF THE THE FIRST BOOK.
The excellent Translator of Eschylus, Euripides, and now of Sophocles, took an active Part in instituting and regulating an House of Industry in his own County.
| Humanity, or the rights of nature, a poem | |