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233
Verses On the Twenty Ninth of May.
Twelve dreadful Years had fierce Rebellion reign'd,
And Albion's Soil with British Blood been stain'd;
Blasted the Majesty of Kings had laid,
Religion with her Royal Master dead:
The Pales of Right, and Faith cast vilely down,
The Holy Mitre spurn'd, and broke the Crown
And daub'd with base Plebeian Blood the Throne.
The daring Rebel, at whose bold Command
A Monarch, at the Bar of Slaves did stand,
Now fill'd his Seat, and with despotick Sway
Made those, who rais'd him to such Height, Obey.
Was it for this, unhappy Charles, you fell,
And dy'd with Royal Blood the cursed Steel?
And is it thus! that BRITAIN is repaid,
For the Mistakes thy Youth misguided made?
Say, all ye shades, whose Souls were nobly fir'd,
And with the Love of Liberty inspir'd,
Who boldly dar'd Oppose th'encreasing Tide
Of Pow'r illegal, and Monarchick Pride,
And e'en a KING's unjust Demands deny'd.
Say, ye great Patriots, had not e'en your Zeal,
And the strong Love ye bore your Country fell,
If thro' Futurity you cou'd have known,
Such Poisons shoot from Seeds so glorious sown?
E'en midst the Heroes of Elyzium's Shade,
Weep ye not now the bold Defence ye made,
'Gainst Taxes rais'd, and lawless Imposts laid?
Wrongs great as these your Souls had not disdain'd,
So Charles had never fell, nor Cromwell reign'd.
And Albion's Soil with British Blood been stain'd;
Blasted the Majesty of Kings had laid,
Religion with her Royal Master dead:
The Pales of Right, and Faith cast vilely down,
The Holy Mitre spurn'd, and broke the Crown
And daub'd with base Plebeian Blood the Throne.
The daring Rebel, at whose bold Command
A Monarch, at the Bar of Slaves did stand,
Now fill'd his Seat, and with despotick Sway
Made those, who rais'd him to such Height, Obey.
234
And dy'd with Royal Blood the cursed Steel?
And is it thus! that BRITAIN is repaid,
For the Mistakes thy Youth misguided made?
Say, all ye shades, whose Souls were nobly fir'd,
And with the Love of Liberty inspir'd,
Who boldly dar'd Oppose th'encreasing Tide
Of Pow'r illegal, and Monarchick Pride,
And e'en a KING's unjust Demands deny'd.
Say, ye great Patriots, had not e'en your Zeal,
And the strong Love ye bore your Country fell,
If thro' Futurity you cou'd have known,
Such Poisons shoot from Seeds so glorious sown?
E'en midst the Heroes of Elyzium's Shade,
Weep ye not now the bold Defence ye made,
'Gainst Taxes rais'd, and lawless Imposts laid?
235
So Charles had never fell, nor Cromwell reign'd.
Yet, ye great Manes, weep not England's Doom,
But, scatter'd far Rebellion's dismal gloom,
Behold with joy her Glories yet to come.
See! the fair Island blest with happier Rays,
And Peace restor'd in younger Charles's Days.
But, scatter'd far Rebellion's dismal gloom,
Behold with joy her Glories yet to come.
See! the fair Island blest with happier Rays,
And Peace restor'd in younger Charles's Days.
Friendless and Exil'd did the Royal Boy
His wretched Youth, not unimprov'd, employ.
Misfortunes taught him Greatness to sustain,
And from Adversity he learnt to Reign.
His wretched Youth, not unimprov'd, employ.
Misfortunes taught him Greatness to sustain,
And from Adversity he learnt to Reign.
In vain the mercenary States deny'd
To War on a forsaken Monarch's Side.
In vain the haughty Cardinal beheld,
And with disdain the Suppliant KING repell'd.
In a superior Force his Safety laid,
He had his God for Guide, nor needed human Aid.
Him Angels led thro' Belgia's watry Lands,
O'er Gaul's extended Plains, and hot Iberia's Sands.
Around him ever watchful Spirits flew,
And safety o'er the wand'ring Monarch threw.
'Midst the fierce Battle's Rage unharm'd he stood,
And scap'd his Traitor Subjects search for Blood.
To War on a forsaken Monarch's Side.
In vain the haughty Cardinal beheld,
And with disdain the Suppliant KING repell'd.
236
He had his God for Guide, nor needed human Aid.
Him Angels led thro' Belgia's watry Lands,
O'er Gaul's extended Plains, and hot Iberia's Sands.
Around him ever watchful Spirits flew,
And safety o'er the wand'ring Monarch threw.
'Midst the fierce Battle's Rage unharm'd he stood,
And scap'd his Traitor Subjects search for Blood.
Witness the Day when Severn's swelling Tide
Ran Purple, with the Blood of Thousands Dy'd,
That Bravely fell at their great Master's Side.
Witness the kindly Hospitable shade,
Where Charles, by Grandeur unattended, laid;
The Pageantry and Splendor all laid down,
That Troop with Majesty, and wait a Crown.
In rustick Plainness' rudest Dress he stray'd,
Mimick'd the Peasant's Mien, and aukward Tread
That Sweats beside the toilsome Plow for Bread.
But witness, above all, this glorious Morn
That saw the Royal Sojourner return;
That saw the Clouds of Anarchy dispell'd,
And the fair Beams of Peace again reveal'd.
Quick o'er the Land the sudden Gladness flow'd,
And catch'd, like spreading Flames, the wond'ring Croud.
Augusta's num'rous Throngs with joy came on
To meet their much lov'd Charles's fav'rite Son.
In his Majestick Mien he bote command,
Peace in his Look, and Plenty in his Hand:
And at his Side in fairest Glory drest,
And with th'Applause of shouting Thousands blest,
March'd the firm Strength of MONK, and close behind
With Faith and Virtue, Truth and Justice join'd,
Walk'd fair Religion, clad in native White,
And, stripp'd of Ornaments, divinely bright.
While there in dreadful Pomp the Fasces laid,
Here the bright Magna Charta hung display'd:
Peace clos'd the Rear, and spread with lavish Hand
Blessings and Plenty o'er the rescu'd Land.
Nor happier Days were e'er to Albion known,
But when a Nassau Reign'd, or Brunswick fill'd the Throne.
Ran Purple, with the Blood of Thousands Dy'd,
That Bravely fell at their great Master's Side.
Witness the kindly Hospitable shade,
Where Charles, by Grandeur unattended, laid;
The Pageantry and Splendor all laid down,
That Troop with Majesty, and wait a Crown.
237
Mimick'd the Peasant's Mien, and aukward Tread
That Sweats beside the toilsome Plow for Bread.
But witness, above all, this glorious Morn
That saw the Royal Sojourner return;
That saw the Clouds of Anarchy dispell'd,
And the fair Beams of Peace again reveal'd.
Quick o'er the Land the sudden Gladness flow'd,
And catch'd, like spreading Flames, the wond'ring Croud.
Augusta's num'rous Throngs with joy came on
To meet their much lov'd Charles's fav'rite Son.
In his Majestick Mien he bote command,
Peace in his Look, and Plenty in his Hand:
And at his Side in fairest Glory drest,
And with th'Applause of shouting Thousands blest,
238
With Faith and Virtue, Truth and Justice join'd,
Walk'd fair Religion, clad in native White,
And, stripp'd of Ornaments, divinely bright.
While there in dreadful Pomp the Fasces laid,
Here the bright Magna Charta hung display'd:
Peace clos'd the Rear, and spread with lavish Hand
Blessings and Plenty o'er the rescu'd Land.
Nor happier Days were e'er to Albion known,
But when a Nassau Reign'd, or Brunswick fill'd the Throne.
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