 | Poems on Affairs of State |  |
A Comparison betwixt Lewis XIV. and Prince Eugene.
Now
Lewis, all thy numerous Trophies boast,
Recount the Blood and Treasure they have cost,
Tell of Towns storm'd, and Countries over-run,
And all by thy victorious Armies won.
Recount the Blood and Treasure they have cost,
Tell of Towns storm'd, and Countries over-run,
And all by thy victorious Armies won.
240
O had but Fate, indulgent to thy Fame,
When Europe trembled at thy mighty Name,
Compell'd thee hence—
In all her List she never could have shewn
A happier Hero, or more darling Son.
When Europe trembled at thy mighty Name,
Compell'd thee hence—
In all her List she never could have shewn
A happier Hero, or more darling Son.
Yet now thy Brows not only wrinkled show,
But Age has made their Laurels wither too.
Thus Hannibal, his many Conquests past,
Found Fabius to grapple with at last;
Fabius more great, with wiser Conduct blest,
Vanquish'd the Victor, and his Pride represt:
Sure means he found to make the Tyrians yield,
And by declining Battel won the Field.
But Age has made their Laurels wither too.
Thus Hannibal, his many Conquests past,
Found Fabius to grapple with at last;
Fabius more great, with wiser Conduct blest,
Vanquish'd the Victor, and his Pride represt:
Sure means he found to make the Tyrians yield,
And by declining Battel won the Field.
| Poems on Affairs of State | |