Poems on several subjects

Two ancient brothers, famous of renown,
Admir'd by all in country and in town;
These two increas'd to such a multitude,
That one another they at last withstood,
Ambitious both to have the sole command,
Each striving still to have the upper hand.
Cardinia, the bravest brother, seem'd,
O'er all the world he was best esteem'd:
His valiant sons, where-e'er they came, were known;
Such warlike actions by their hands were shown.
Free, independent, 'bove two thousand years
Successively, our Hero's royal peers
Reign'd uncontroll'd, in spite of en'mies power:
A foreigner was ne'er his governor.
The chiefest son wore an imperial crown;
The rest were subjects, loyal to the throne.
A lion fierce his royal 'Scutcheon fill'd,
Whose rampant paws a blooming thistle held.
In fair Edina was the royal seat,
And finest Tartan was the coat of State.
They scorn'd the Romans, and the Saxon race,
And warlike Danes they often put to chace:

The Picts extirped freely from the land,
Enjoy'd their freedom with victorious hand.
What-e'er attempts their freedom to invade,
By foreign pow'rs, or en'mies, e'er was made,
They firmly stood, unmoveable as rocks;
Their force gigantic, none durst bide their strokes.
Their privileges, liberties and laws,
Their nation's int'rest, and the royal cause;
These were the motives push'd our Heroes on:
All sought the glory of the ancient Throne.
Conquer, victorious, was their word and cry;
With loud huzza's o'erpower'd the enemy,

Druina was the other brother's name;
Not much oblig'd to victory or fame.
The Romans, Saxons, Normans, and the Danes,
All clapt on him (poor man) their conquering chains.
A mixed race, sprung partly from them all,
Holds now the pow'r, whose 'scutcheon is the Mole.
By gift, or for embellishment, they chose,
To grace their banners, a bright spreading rose.
Lud is the palace, place and residence
Of all their kings, each law and ordinance.
Their royal race, at last extinct, they laid
Their diadem upon a maiden's head
That was ally'd unto Cardinia near:
She dying, left one of his sons her heir.
They were so subtile, when they saw their strength
Upon Cardinia ne'er prevail'd, at length
They used flatt'ry to attain their end,
And promis'd fair to be his lasting friend.
Not only friendship, but rewards of gold,
A bait they knew the covetous would hold.
We are thy brethren, the Druinians cry'd,
More near ally'd since our queen Maiden dy'd.
Your prince is ours, by free accession crown'd,
And we allow you are the most renown'd.
Unite the Thistle and the Rose together,
Since we are both under one nursing father.

You shall be free to trafic in our land;
All that we have shall be at your command.
Let prince and parliament stay here in Lud,
Then ye'll have access to our chiefest good.
In your Edina, for the civil law,
Place deputies to keep the land in awe:
And for each shire, elect, to represent
The same, fit persons in the parliament.
Your manufactories, and your cattle trade,
Shall, by our help, be far more richer made.

Then the Cardinians bravely made reply,
We know your flatt'ry, and your treachery.
Do you intend, as false designing knaves,
To make us free-men your depending slaves?
No. We disdain it; and our aweful swords
Shall, by our actions, verify our words.
Our parliaments, and civil laws, they shall
Have their old place within Edina's wall.
Let our great Prince the royal scepter sway
O'er you and us, and both the courts survey.
Yet, notwithstanding, if you seem content,
A correspondence, in each parliament,
Betwixt us, we will willingly allow;
But not to quit our ancient rights to you.
Our Prince is now your rightful sovereign;
Submit to us, if ye would friendship gain.
When the Druinians heard this, they forbore
Such treating terms with the Cardinians more.

At last, ambassadors from heav'n were sent.
Bidding the King to quit the government.
Then shortly he exchang'd his diadem
With heavenly glory and immortal fame,
His royal heir with pomp and splendor crown'd,
Chiefs of both tribes the ancient throne surround.

Yet the Druinians cunningly began
A stratagem against the royal clan.
They bred up factions, headed by old Noll;
The priests and people royal pow'r control.

Their king they murder'd, banished the prince;
Which bred confusions 'mong the tribes e'er since.
At last, the males of royal seed fell short;
A female sway'd the base promiscuous court.
Then the Druinians, false as hellish fiends,
Thought fittest now to gain their selfish ends:
Like the old serpent, cunning to ensnare,
Thought best, at first, t'assault the royal Fair.

Madam, say they, our all is in thine hand;
Our lives and fortunes are at thy command.
We want your judgment in one simple case,
Namely, twixt us and the Cardinian race.
We all are brethren, also neighbours near,
And o'er us both, you the great scepter bear.
What need we keep so diff'rent from each other,
Since we are both under one nursing mother?
May we not join us both in unity,
Under the conduct of your majesty?
Their manufactories, and their cattle trade,
Surely by this would richer far be made.
We seek not int'rest, honour, or renown,
Nor to suppress, or keep Cardinia down.
But is't not strange, that we thus tempt the gods,
That, being brethren, live so long at odds?
Your majesty, if this proposal please you,
As well it may, for 'twill more highly raise you
In foreign fame, and subjects loyalty,
The only hinge of pow'r and royalty;
May not (we say) your majesty rehearse
This treaty, to the bold Cardinian race?
You see advantage by it would accrue,
If this were settled, both to them and you.
We know they are a stout heroic clan,
And scorn to be beholden unto man.
But, in this case, we'd stand each others friend,
And rest unconquer'd to the world's end.

As the fair sex, since mother Eve, sustain'd
A yielding temper, and is easy gain'd

By fraudulent and false delusive speech;
So those the Fair, the royal Fair did reach.
So soon as Eve forbidden fruit did taste,
She invites her husband to the fatal feast,
Involves themselves, and their posterity,
In temp'ral loss, and endless misery.
The Queen o'ercome, she call'd a parliament,
Where she declares how well she was content
To have the brothers join'd in unity;
Have both one manners, both one laws obey.

With secret bribes of pure and stamped gold,
In handfulls, hatfulls, numberless, untold,
Crafty Druinians laid, as baits, to gain
Simple Cardinians to their servile chain.
Some, whose estates with equipage were wasted,
And purses with extravagancies blasted,
Grew covetous to have the shining mould;
Their liberties, themselves and nation sold.
They snatch'd the bait, because the hook was hid;
Thus the Cardinians shamefully deny'd
Their wonted freedom, willingly betray'd.
When they had sign'd and seal'd the fatal band,
Involv'd themselves, and all their native land,
Fast in the snare, their wretched heirs espy'd
The baneful hook that in the bait lay hid.
It firmly sticks in their dejected jaws:
The rampant Lyon fears the ugly claws
Of the foul Mole, as some infernal fiend.
Altho' divines say hellish fiends are chain'd,
Yet, when licens'd to wander on the earth,
They frighten mortals almost unto death;
So now the Mole from under ground gets eyes,
And ghostly glares; the Lyon fears, and flies.
The very breath of that foul nauseous beast,
Poisons the strength of the proud Lyon's crest.
His paws are firmly into fetters ty'd;
His wonted pow'r all stented and deny'd.

What-e'er the Mole bids, the poor Lyon must,
Spite of his teeth, perform the same in haste.
The Thistle now is pricked with the Rose;
The hook is now in the Cardinian's nose.
By force compell'd to tax and tribute, who,
In former ages, did no taxing know.
Commodities must now to Lud be borne,
And cheaply sold, or home again return.
What the Druinians pleases to impose
On the Cardinians, they dare not oppose.

University of Virginia Library

A Tale of two Brothers, and their Posterity.