 | Poems on Affairs of State |  |
A Collection of some Satyrical Prints, publish'd beyond Sea, relating to the Affairs of Europe, since the French King plac'd his Grandson on the Throne of Spain. With their Explanations in English.
[When Anjou stept into the Spanish Throne]
There needs little Explanation to this Cut, the Figures and the Postures explain themselves. The two Kings, Lewis the XIV. and his Grandson Philip the V. are the Persons represented sawing the Globe; the Devil Ambassador from Porto-Carero, supports it; and Madam Maintenon to make the Saw go glib, waters it with her own chast Stream.
The mighty Monarchs thought the World their own.
They set their Saw to cut the Globe in two,
And share both Worlds the old one and the new.
But tough they find the knotty Work, and flinch,
Before the grating Tool has gain'd an Inch.
Old Maintenon, who sees how hard they draw,
Steps on the Ball and whets the rusty Saw.
But tho she lets her lower Fountains play,
The Monarchs sweat in vain to saw their way.
They pay for what they get in either Spain,
And lose a thousand Foot for one they gain.
[The Conquests Anna by her Chiefs has won]
In this Cut is represented the Sun in an Eclipse; or Lewis XIV. eclips'd by Queen ANNE. On the right Hand in the same Square are two Astrologers, taking their Observations; Queen ANNE is in the Center, on a Throne, holding the Cock, whose Wings she clips to prevent his Flight, in her Hand. The Figures on each side of Her are Her Counsellors and Generals. The Fleet in the Corner on the left Hand side is, Admiral Leak's Triumphing over the Count de Toulouse Admiral of France. The Battel on the right-side of the Sun is drawn for that of Ramilly or Judoigne; the Church of the last Town appearing at a little distance. On the other side of the Sun, the French King and his dear Wife or Mistriss Madam Maintenon are represented in close Conference.
Eclipse the Glories of the Bourbon Sun.
Her rising Lustre spreads as his declines,
And faintly like the setting Day he shines.
Her Fleets and Armies o'er the World convey
Her Fame, and triumph o'er Tyrannick Sway.
She vindicates the Cause of injur'd Kings,
And clips the Gallick Cock's presumptious Wings.
The Sun was in an Eclipse on the 12th of May, 1706. the same Day on which Philip the V. made a shameful Retreat from before Barcelona.
[Hast thou surpriz'd me, Britain! I defy]
This Figure represents the Duke of Bavaria in a terrible Passion, after the Duke of Marlborough bad forc'd the French Lines, in the Year 1705. The less Figures are, the Marquiss D'Alegre, and the Count De Horn, Prisoners in the Hands of the English and Dutch.
Thy Force, and will in Fight my Fortune try.
Thy Chains, my chosen Troops, my Generals wear,
My Lines are forc'd, and I again despair.
My Martial Trophies are in Triumph born,
To grace thy March, and I'm the Publick Scorn.
Let Valour, and not Art decide the Day,
My Soldiers may not always run away:
But Oh! Thy brighter Greatness still will shine,
And all my Glory be eclips'd by Thine.
[The Sun, and that's my Crime I'm told]
The Person represented in this Cut, is Prince Lewis of Baden asleep: the Sun, by which is meant the French King, shining upon him; a Town at a distance above him, and Armies below. He lays his Hand on a Bag of German Ducats, a Bag of English Guineas, another of Spanish Doublons, and a fourth of Louis D'ors; which occasion'd the Pun, Louis D'ort, Lewis sleeps. In another Cut, The Seven Bags in the left Corner of the Cut a top are, The Profits of his Post. Free Gifts. A Pension from France.Magazines not fill'd. Roman Right. Contributions. His Income by Forage.
Is apt to make me doze;
And what keeps others stirring, Gold,
Inclines me to repose.
How sweet 'tis to grow Rich asleep!
My Conduct who can blame?
And you, who such a Pother keep,
If try'd, wou'd do the same.
[What shall we do, dear Maintenon? my Son]
The Figures in this Cut represent Lews the XIV. in a mortal Fright on an Eclipse of the Sun the 12th of May 1706. and Philip the Fifth's being driven out of Spain. That young Prince is drawn upon his Knees, petitioning his Grandfather for leave to come home again. And Madam Maintenon advises Louis le Grand to send the Confederates a Blank to procure a Peace.
What shall we do, dear Maintenon? my Son
Flies from the Foe, and we are all undone.
Brabant and Flanders to the Austrian yield,
So much we suffer'd when we lost the Field;
O why am I thus wretched!
Maint.
To be plain,
I'll tell you why, to flatter you's in vain:
The fam'd Partition-Treaty was the Cause,
And England's just Resentment, and Nassau's:
You own'd a Prince whom they refus'd to own,
And poor Bavaria's by your Arts undone;
You trickt the Portuguese.
Lou.
The Sun, my Dear,
Is now eclips'd, and bodes some Ill, I fear.
Philip.]
Good Grandsire, take me in again, my Fall
Is great, and you have been the Cause of all.
Lou.]
My Love, my Queen, now tell me what to do,
For on thy Counsel I depend.
Maint.
Be true,
Keep to your Word, forgo your usual Fraud,
For which you're curst at home, and loath'd abroad,
Send the Confederates a Blank.
Lou.
'Tis done;
What other way was left to save my Crown?
[Ye Heers and Hogans all, We greet you well!]
These Figures represent a French Trumpet and Drum sent by Louis le Grand, to enquire News of several Citys lost by the Mighty Monarch last Campaign, 1706.
Can any of you Tale or Tidings tell
Of goodly Citys lost, both far and near,
Gaunt, Brussels, Antwerp, Dendermond, and Liere,
Aeth, Ostend, Bruges, Mecklin, Lovain,
Menin; all Flanders, and the half of Spain,
Rodrigo, Barcelona, and Valentia,
Coria, Saragosa, and Placentia,
Almaras, Salamanca, Alicant?
Guns, Mortars, Bag and Baggage too, we want.
Great Lewis says, if you can bring 'em forth,
He'l pay you, if you'l trust him, what they're worth.
[In vain the French before Turin prepare]
In this Cut is represented the Duke of Orleans's Disgrace before Turin; which is figur'd under the shape of a Bull, from Taurinum its Latin Name, deriv'd from Taurus a Bull. The Flame and Smoke which the Beast breathes, shews the vigorous Defence that City made; and the Tomb underneath signifys the Destruction of the French Officers who were bury'd before it. The Executions in the Cut, are the French Officers, whom the Duke of Orleans, represented with the Wheel in his hand, order'd to be hang'd or beheaded for Cowardice. In this Defeat the French lost almost all their Horse, 13 Regiments of Dragoons, their Bag, Baggage, Colours, 200 Pieces of Cannon, besides Mortars; 30000 Men, and 500 Officers kill'd or taken.
The dreadful Storm, and push a fatal War.
The Lombard Bull with frightful Fury roars,
And with deep Wounds the fierce Assailants gores;
Shoots from his brazen Mouth a thousand Deaths,
And Smoke & Flame from his wide Nostrils breathes.
Rashly the Foe to sure Destruction come,
And where they sought a Trophy, find a Tomb.
[The Royal Almanack]
There is another Figure call'd the ROYAL ALMANACK, wherein the Course of the Sun is exactly mark'd, viz. The Progression of Lewis XIV. the Gallick Sun, thro the 12 Signs of the Zodiack, and his Course in the 12 Months of the Year. In which Figure the French King is represented sitting on a Throne with a lighted Torch in his Hand, and round him come these Sayings, to show to the World the great wicked Actions he has done, Viz.
Aquarius, the Water-bearer.
He makes Kings; declares the pretended Prince of Wales King of England, 1701.
He entertains abdicated Kings, as James II. King of England, A. D. 1689.
Pisces, Fishes.
Sells Offices, with a false Promise of the next Heir's enjoying them.
Plunders the Enemies Ships, tho he has granted them Passes.
Aries, the Ram.
Sets up a Bank of Credit without a Fund, 1702.
Erects Idols, and would have his Subjects worship his Statue on Horse-back.
Taurus, the Bull.
Commits Incest with the Dauphin's Wife, 1680.
Gives a false Coat of Arms, three Flower de Luces, instead of three Toads the true Arms of France.
Gemini, Twins.
Breaks Treaties, as the Partition-Treaty, 1700.
Steals Towns; Old Brisac taken by Treason, 1703.
Cancer, the Crab.
Promises the King of Portugal 40 Ships, sends him but Four.
Leud Generals taken out of a Baudy-house.
Leo, the Lion.
Poisons the Duke of Bavaria's Son, Heir to the Crown of Spain.
Makes Women Privy Counsellors, as Madam Maintenon.
Virgo, the Maid.
Makes a Whore of La Valiere, 1667.
He burns the Palatinate, 1689, 1690.
Libra, the Ballance.
He Legitimates his Bastards, particularly the Duke de Main his Son by Madam de Montespan, 1673.
His Hypocrisy in oppressing the Cevennois, and assisting the Hungarian Rebels.
Scorpio, the Scorpion.
His Sacrilege in Germany, Italy, &c. 1705, &c.
He forces the Cevennois to turn Papists, 1702, &c.
Sagittarius, the Archer.
He commits Adultery with Madam de Montespan, 1670.
His Massacres in Holland, 1673. at Bodegrave, Swammerdam, &c.
Capricorn, the Goat.
Highers and lowers the Coin as he pleases, and calls it in, and intends never to restore it.
He is the Christian Turk; enters into an Alliance with the Great Turk against the Christians, 1688.
A New Dialogue between Joseph the Just, and Lewis the False.
In the First there is a long Dialogue in Dutch and French, between the two Monarchs represented in it, viz. The present Emperor of Germany, and Lewis the French King; suppos'd to be spoken after King Philip's flying from Madrid, 1706. The Substance of which Dialogue is as follows.
There are several other Prints, which being too chargeable to copy, we shall only here give some Description of four of 'em, both in Prose and Verse.
Dear Cousin, why so melancholy?
Lov.
Why?
Have I not Cause, when all my Armies fly;
Bavaria, Villeroy, Berwick, Thesse.
Whole Kingdoms lost?
Jos.
'Tis hard I must confess,
But you a King most Christian, Coz, shou'd bear
With Christian Patience what you feel or fear.
Lov.
Patience, nor you, nor your Allies should name,
Nor such as prosper the unprosperous blame.
You know not, Cousin, what it is to lose
A Crown, and such a Crown as my Anjou's.
What shall I do with the poor hopeless Boy,
Who late was all my Hope and all my Joy?
Jos.
Do with him? Coz, since he was born to rule,
E'en make him Usher of some Country School:
There he may whip the Lads that learn to spell,
As Denis did of old, as Stories tell.
[My Husband me, and I my Court have left]
In the Second the present abdicated Electress of Bavaria is represented in a melancholy Posture, complaining of her hard Fate, to see her Husband driven out of Bavaria and Flanders, and her self and Children forc'd to fly for Protection to the State of Venice. The Cock is the Emblem of France, to which she and her Family owe all their Misfortunes; and the Square on the top of the Cut is the Elector of Bavaria's Hospital.
Of Friends, of Fortune, and of Hope bereft.
The Cock, who like a Dunghil-Craven crows,
And struts when he's at Home and far from Foes,
No sooner sees the Roman Eagle rise,
But trembling from th'Imperial Bird he flies.
Oh whither can I run from my Despair!
My Sons O whither, and my Daughters bear!
Ne'er will my Sufferings nor my Sorrows cease,
And never shall I know the Sweets of Peace.
Fair Venice, ever kind to the distrest,
Alone will entertain the wretched Guest:
Thither with all my Load of Woe I fly,
And for my ruin'd Lord with fruitless Wishes sigh.
[When Anjou by Ruvigny was compel'd]
The Third Cut represents a very melancholy Conference between Lewis the XIV. Madam la Valiere, Madam de Montespan, Philip the V. the pretended Prince of Wales, the Duke of Berwick, the Count de Tolouse, Mareschal Thesse, and others, on the dismal Prospect of the Mighty Monarch's Affairs, after Philip the V. was driven from Madrid, 1706. by the Earl of Galway.
To quit the Spanish Empire with the Field;
To Council Lewis calls his Sons, a Store
As great as good King Priam had of yore:
And English Modena's pretended Heir.
Much Moan, and not a little Noise was made,
And all the Fault upon the Monarch laid;
Who nothing in his own Defence can say,
But that for Help to Genevieve he'll pray:
And if he sues the Female Saint in vain,
The Crown of France must follow that of Spain.
[This Paper-King, who knows his Right]
The fourth Figure represents Philip the V. flying from Madrid on the Approach of my Lord Galway, at the Head of the Queen of England's and the King of Portugal's Troops. He is drawn cutting the Hangings, in which some of his Predecessors are painted, at the Escurial, as he actually did, and taking away with him the Records, the Crown of Spain, and Porto-Carero's mock Will, which is his only Title, from whence he is here called the King of Paper.
Is, like his Paper-Tenure, slight,
Had rather run you see than fight.
The Treasures of his Court he steals,
And trusts his Safety to his Heels.
What Monarch would the Field refuse,
That had so much to keep or lose?
But he his Grandsire's steps persues,
Who always did his Person save,
And ne'er was but by Proxy brave.
| Poems on Affairs of State | |