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 | Poems on Affairs of State |  |
10
Victory upon Victory:
A Poem on the Success of his Grace the Duke of Marlborough over the French Forces near Tirlemont, 1705.
Long did Nassau his Belgick Valour try,
By English Arms to curb French Tyranny:
Vast Sums were given, and great Armies rais'd,
And Wonders done, that glorious Prince be prais'd;
Whose matchless Conduct all Men must allow,
Perform'd strange things, the Lord knows where or how.
He cross'd the Seas, where blust'ring Winds arose,
And fear'd a Storm as little as his Foes.
By force of Arms rang'd Flanders round about,
To fight the French, but first to find them out,
Which when he'd done, he push'd 'em here and there,
And did what lying Fame can best declare.
His Actions were profusely Great 'tis true,
He bomb'd old Brussels, burnt St. Malloes too,
To th'everlasting Mem'ry of the Lord knows who.
By English Arms to curb French Tyranny:
Vast Sums were given, and great Armies rais'd,
And Wonders done, that glorious Prince be prais'd;
Whose matchless Conduct all Men must allow,
Perform'd strange things, the Lord knows where or how.
He cross'd the Seas, where blust'ring Winds arose,
And fear'd a Storm as little as his Foes.
By force of Arms rang'd Flanders round about,
To fight the French, but first to find them out,
Which when he'd done, he push'd 'em here and there,
And did what lying Fame can best declare.
His Actions were profusely Great 'tis true,
He bomb'd old Brussels, burnt St. Malloes too,
To th'everlasting Mem'ry of the Lord knows who.
But Thou Great Marlborough, hast in two Campaigns,
Made happy ANN's surpass all other Reigns;
And by thy Conduct, at a mod'rate Cost,
Retriev'd that Honour fourteen Years had lost.
In thy Great Soul, in equal ballance meet,
Both Mars's Courage and Apollo's Wit.
Thou dost with Temper all thy Actions square,
And art too Wise and Fortunate to err.
The World's great Tyrant dreads thy pow'rful Hand,
As if Jove's Thunder was at thy Command;
On thy victorious Deeds looks pale and tame,
Envies thy Feats, and startles at thy Name.
Made happy ANN's surpass all other Reigns;
And by thy Conduct, at a mod'rate Cost,
Retriev'd that Honour fourteen Years had lost.
In thy Great Soul, in equal ballance meet,
Both Mars's Courage and Apollo's Wit.
11
And art too Wise and Fortunate to err.
The World's great Tyrant dreads thy pow'rful Hand,
As if Jove's Thunder was at thy Command;
On thy victorious Deeds looks pale and tame,
Envies thy Feats, and startles at thy Name.
Matchless and endless is the great Renown,
Which thou hast nobly won for England's Crown:
Bright Anna's Vertues, joyn'd with thy Success,
Shine equal to the Kingdom's Happiness.
Domestick Jars are by her Scepter aw'd,
Whilst with Her Sword thou Wonders dost abroad.
Elizabeth 'tis true was Wise and Great,
And rul'd with Prudence a divided State;
Did mighty Things, outdone as yet by none,
Except good Ann that now ascends the Throne.
Elizabeth, to shew her Judgment, chose
The gallant Capel to chastize her Foes,
Whose valiant Deeds made England's Glory shine:
But his (Great Marlborough) ne'er could equal thine;
For thou already hast accomplish'd more,
Than e're was done by Prince or Peer before.
Essex, 'tis true, did wondrous Fame procure,
And long in Royal Favour slept secure.
But thou art still deservedly more Great,
And tow'rst above his Virtues and his Fate.
Thy fortunate Success does Faction tame,
Maugers their Hopes, and disappoints their Aim;
Strikes back the Terror of their threatning Brow,
And makes them look confus'd, we know not how.
Which thou hast nobly won for England's Crown:
Bright Anna's Vertues, joyn'd with thy Success,
Shine equal to the Kingdom's Happiness.
Domestick Jars are by her Scepter aw'd,
Whilst with Her Sword thou Wonders dost abroad.
Elizabeth 'tis true was Wise and Great,
And rul'd with Prudence a divided State;
Did mighty Things, outdone as yet by none,
Except good Ann that now ascends the Throne.
Elizabeth, to shew her Judgment, chose
The gallant Capel to chastize her Foes,
Whose valiant Deeds made England's Glory shine:
But his (Great Marlborough) ne'er could equal thine;
For thou already hast accomplish'd more,
Than e're was done by Prince or Peer before.
Essex, 'tis true, did wondrous Fame procure,
And long in Royal Favour slept secure.
But thou art still deservedly more Great,
And tow'rst above his Virtues and his Fate.
Thy fortunate Success does Faction tame,
Maugers their Hopes, and disappoints their Aim;
Strikes back the Terror of their threatning Brow,
And makes them look confus'd, we know not how.
O happy Hero, Wise and Valiant Prince,
Darling of Heaven, and the Crown's Defence;
The Nation's Bulwark, whose resistless Blows
Crush where they fall, and batter down our Foes.
The Pride and Glory of the Grand Allies,
The Terror of their trembling Enemies;
The Head that wisely does project the way
To conquer, and the Hand that wins the Day;
The trusty Champion of th'Imperial Throne,
Firm to their Int'rest, faithful to our own;
A Friend to the Hungarian Protestants,
Scourge to Bavaria, and a Sting to France;
Worship'd by Pagan Hogen as a God,
Esteem'd at Home, belov'd and fear'd Abroad.
His Glorious Actions fill the World with News,
And are the only Themes of ev'ry Muse.
With Mirth and Joy he does whole Nations fill,
The World seems stagnated when he stands still.
Blenheim and Hochstet witness his Success,
And this more dang'rous Conquest does no less;
But with fresh verdant Lawrels crowns his Head,
Such as will out-wear Time, and never fade.
Cæsar himself ne'er brought more Honour home,
Or brave Fabritius e'er do more for Rome,
Than Marlborough has perform'd in all degrees,
To England's Glory, and for Europe's Ease.
Great Alexander in his youthful Heat,
'Tis true, did all the Eastern World defeat,
And many potent Kingdoms over-run;
But Marlborough out-does all in conqu'ring one.
Darling of Heaven, and the Crown's Defence;
The Nation's Bulwark, whose resistless Blows
Crush where they fall, and batter down our Foes.
12
The Terror of their trembling Enemies;
The Head that wisely does project the way
To conquer, and the Hand that wins the Day;
The trusty Champion of th'Imperial Throne,
Firm to their Int'rest, faithful to our own;
A Friend to the Hungarian Protestants,
Scourge to Bavaria, and a Sting to France;
Worship'd by Pagan Hogen as a God,
Esteem'd at Home, belov'd and fear'd Abroad.
His Glorious Actions fill the World with News,
And are the only Themes of ev'ry Muse.
With Mirth and Joy he does whole Nations fill,
The World seems stagnated when he stands still.
Blenheim and Hochstet witness his Success,
And this more dang'rous Conquest does no less;
But with fresh verdant Lawrels crowns his Head,
Such as will out-wear Time, and never fade.
Cæsar himself ne'er brought more Honour home,
Or brave Fabritius e'er do more for Rome,
Than Marlborough has perform'd in all degrees,
To England's Glory, and for Europe's Ease.
Great Alexander in his youthful Heat,
'Tis true, did all the Eastern World defeat,
And many potent Kingdoms over-run;
But Marlborough out-does all in conqu'ring one.
| Poems on Affairs of State | |