 | Poems on Affairs of State |  |
325
The House of NASSAU.
A Pindarick Ode.
I.
Goddess of Numbers, and of Thoughts sublime!Celestial Muse! whose charming Song
Can fix Heroick Acts, that glide along
Down the vast Sea of perishing Time,
And all the gilded Images can stay
Till Time's vast Sea it self be roll'd away:
O now assist with consecrated Strains!
Let Art and Nature join to raise
A living Monument of Praise
O'er William's Great Remains.
While Thames majestically sad, and slow,
Seems by that Reverend Dome to flow,
Which new-inter'd his Sacred Urn contains.
If thou, O Muse, wou'dst e'er Immortal be,
This Song bequeaths thee Immortality;
For William's Praise can ne'er expire,
Tho Nature's Self at last must die,
And all this fair erected Sky
Must sink, with Earth and Sea, and melt away in Fire.
II.
Begin—the Spring of Vertue trace,That, from afar descending, flow'd
Thro the rich Veins of all the Godlike Race,
And fair Renown on all the Godlike Race bestow'd.
This Antient Source of Noble Blood
Thro thee, Germania, wandring wide,
Like thy own Rhine's enriching Tide,
In num'rous Branches long diffus'd its Flood.
326
Tho mantling Vines his comely Head surround,
And all along his Sunny Shore
Eternal Plenty's found.
III.
From Heaven it self th'Illustrious Line began;Ten Ages in Descent it ran,
In each Descent encreas'd with Honours new.
Never did Heaven's Supreme inspire
In mortal Breasts a nobler Fire,
Nor his own Image livelier drew.
Of pure Ætherial Flame their Souls he made;
And as beneath his forming Hands they grew,
He bless'd the Master-Work, and said,
Go forth, my honour'd Champions, go
To vindicate my Cause below!
Awful in Pow'r, defend for Me
Religion, Justice, Liberty,
And at Aspiring Tyranny
My Delegated Thunder throw!
For this the Great Nassovian Name I raise,
And still this Character Divine
Distinguish'd thro the Race shall shine,
Zeal for their Country's Good, and Thirst of Virtuous Praise.
IV.
Now look, Britannia, look and seeThro the clear Glass of History,
From whom thy mighty Sov'reign came,
And take a large Review of far-extended Fame.
See, Crouds of Heroes rise to Sight!
ADOLPHUS , with Imperial Splendor gay.
Brave PHILIBERT, unmatch'd in Fight,
Who led the German Eagle to his Prey;
Thro Lombardy he mark'd his conquer'd Way,
And made proud Rome and Naples own his unresisted Might.
327
And on his Brows the Wreaths of Conquest wears.
Tho streaming Wounds the martial Finger stain,
For thee, Great Charles, in Battel slain,
Slain in all a Soldier's Pride,
He fell triumphant by thy side,
And falling fought, and fighting dy'd,
And lay, a manly Corps, extended on the Plain.
V.
See next, Majestically Great,The Founder of the Belgick State!
The Sun of Glory which so bright
Beam'd on all the Darling Line,
Did from its golden Urn of Light
On WILLIAM's Head redoubled shine.
His youthful Looks diffus'd an Awe;
Charles, who had try'd the Race before,
And knew great Merits to explore,
When he this rising Vertue saw,
He put in Friendship's Noble Claim;
To his Imperial Court the Hero brought,
And there by early Honours sought
Alliance with his future Fame.
O generous Sympathy, that binds
In Chains unseen the Bravest Minds!
O Love to worthy Deeds, in all great Souls the same!
VI.
But Time at last brought forth th'amazing Day,When Charles resolv'd to disingage
From Empire's Toils his weary Age,
Gave with each Hand a Crown away.
Philip, his haughty Son, afraid
Of William's Vertues, basely chose
His Father's Favorite to depose;
His Tyrant Reign requir'd far other Aid,
And Alva's fiery Duke, his Scourge of Vengeance, rose;
328
Of Slaughter proud, and insolent in Blood.
What Hand can paint the Scenes of tragic Woes?
What Tongue, sad Belgia, can thy Story tell,
When with her lifted Ax proud Murder stood,
And thy Brave Sons in Crouds unnumber'd fell?
The Sun, with Horror of the Sight,
Withdraws his sickly Beams, and shrouds
His muffl'd Face in sullen Clouds,
And on the Scaffolds faintly sheds a pale malignant Light.
VII.
Thus Belgia's Liberty expiring lay,And almost gasp'd her gen'rous Life away,
Till ORANGE hears her moving Cries;
He hears, and marching from afar,
Brings to her Aid the sprightly War.
At his Approach, reviv'd with fresh Supplies
Of gather'd Strength, she on her Murd'rers flies.
But Heaven, at first, resolv'd to try
By Proofs adverse his Constancy.
Four Armies lost, two Gallant Brothers slain,
Will he the desperate War maintain?
Tho rolling Tempests darken all the Sky,
And Thunder breaks around his Head,
Will he again the faithless Sea explore,
And oft driv'n back, still quit the Shore?
He will—his Soul, averse to Dread,
Unweary'd still the Spight of Fortune braves,
Superior, and Serene amidst the Stormy Waves.
VIII.
Such was the Man, so vast his Mind!The steddy Instrument of Fate
To fix the Basis of a rising State.
My Muse with Horror views the Scene behind,
And fain would draw a Shade, and fain
Wou'd hide his destin'd End, nor tell
329
More fear'd than Thousands on the Plain,
By the vile Hand of a bold Ruffian fell.
No more—th'ungrateful Prospect let us leave!
And in his Room behold arise,
Bright as th'Immortal Twins that grace the Skies,
A Noble Pair his Absence to retrieve!
In these the Hero's Soul survives,
And William doubly in his Offspring lives.
IX.
MAURICE, for Martial Greatness, farHis Father's Glorious Fame exceeds:
HENRY alone can match his Brother's Deeds;
Both were, like Scipio's Sons, the Thunderbolts of War.
None e'er than Maurice better knew
Camps, Sieges, Battels to ordain;
None e'er than Henry fiercer did pursue
The flying Foe, or earlier Conquests gain:
For scarce Sixteen revolving Years he told,
When eager for the Fight, and Bold,
Enflam'd by Glory's sprightly Charms,
His Brother brought him to the Field;
Taught his young Hand the Truncheon well to weild,
And practis'd him betimes to Arms.
X.
Let Flandrian Newport tell of Wonders wroughtBefore her Walls, that memorable Day,
When the Victorious Youths in Concert fought,
And matchless Valour did display!
How, e'er the Battel join'd, they strove
With emulous Honour, and with mutual Love;
How Maurice, touch'd with tender Care
Of Henry's Safety, beg'd him to remove;
Henry refus'd his blooming Youth to spare,
But with his much-lov'd Maurice vow'd to prove
Th'Extremes of War, and equal Dangers share.
330
How dear did Albert this Contention pay!
Witness the Floods of streaming Gore,
Witness the trampl'd Heaps that choak'd the Plain,
And stop'd the Victors in their way.
Witness the neighb'ring Sea, and sandy Shore,
Drunk with the Purple Life of twice three Thousand slain.
XI.
Fortune, that on her Wheel capricious stands,And waves her painted Wings, Inconstant, Proud,
Hood-wink'd, and shaking from her Hands
Promiscuous Gifts among the Croud;
Restless of Place, and still prepar'd to Flight,
Was constant here, and seem'd restor'd to Sight.
Won by their Merit, and resolv'd to bless
The happy Brothers with a long Success—
Maurice, the first resign'd to Fate.
The Youngest had a longer Date,
And liv'd the Space appointed to compleat
The great Republick, rais'd so high before;
Finish'd by him, the stately Fabrick bore
Its lofty Top aspiring to the Sky:
In vain the Winds and Rains around it beat,
In vain below, the Waves tempestuous roar,
They dash themselves, and break, and backward fly,
Dispers'd and murm'ring at its Feet.
Insulting Spain the fruitless Strife gives o'er,
And claims Dominion there no more.
Then Henry, ripe for Immortality,
His Flight to Heaven eternal springs,
And o'er his quiet Grave Peace spreads her downy Wings.
XII.
His Son, a second WILLIAM, fills his Place,And climbs to Manhood with so swift a Pace,
As if he knew he had not long to stay:
Such young Marcellus was, the hopeful Grace
Of antient Rome, but quickly snatch'd away.
331
His tender Limbs in shining Armour dress'd,
Where with his Father the hot Siege he press'd.
His Father saw with pleasing Joy
His own reflected Worth, and youthful Charms express'd.
But when his Country breath'd from War's Alarms,
His martial Virtues lay obscure;
Nor cou'd a Warriour, form'd for Arms,
Th'inglorious Rest endure;
But sicken'd soon, and sudden dy'd,
And left in Tears his pregnant Bride,
His Bride, the Daughter of Britannia's King;
Nor saw th'auspicious Pledg of Nuptial Love,
VVhich from that happy Marriage was to spring;
But with his Great Forefathers gain'd a blissful Seat above.
XIII.
Here pause, my Muse, and wind up higherThe Strings of thy Pindarick Lyre!
Then with bold Strains the lofty Song pursue;
And bid Britannia once again review
The numerous Worthies of the Line,
See, like Immortals, how they shine!
Each Life a History alone!
And last, to crown the great Design,
Look forward, and behold them all in One;
Look, but spare thy fruitless Tears—
'Tis thy own William next appears.
Advance Cælestial Form! Let Britain see
Th'accomplish'd Glory of thy Race in Thee;
XIV.
So when some splendid Triumph was to comeIn long Procession thro the Streets of Rome,
The Crowd beheld with vast Surprize
The glittering Train in awful Order move
To the bright Temple of Feretrian Jove,
And Trophies born along imploy'd their dazl'd Eyes.
332
Above the rest, appear'd to sight,
In his proud Car of Victory
Shining with Rays excessive bright,
He put the long preceding Pomp to Flight.
Their Wonder cou'd no higher rise,
With Joy they throng his Chariot Wheels, and rend with Shouts the Skies.
XV.
To thee, Great Prince! to thy extensive Mind,Not by thy Country's narrow Bounds confin'd,
The Fates an ample Scene afford;
And injur'd Nations claim the Succour of thy Sword.
No Respite to thy Toils is giv'n,
Till thou ascend thy native Heav'n:
One Hydra-Head cut off, still more abound,
And Twins sprout up to fill the Wound.
So endless is the Task that Heroes find
To tame the Monster Vice, and to reform Mankind.
For this Alcides heretofore,
And mighty Theseus travel'd o'er
Vast Tracts of Sea and Land, and slew
Wild Beasts, and Serpents gorg'd with Human Prey,
From stony Dens fierce lurking Robbers drew,
And bid the cheerful Traveller pass on his peaceful Way.
Yet tho the toilsom Work they long pursue,
To rid the World's wild pathless Field;
Still pois'nous Weeds, and Thorns in Clusters grew,
And large unwholesom Crops did yield,
To exercise their Hands with Labours ever new.
XVI.
Thou, like Alcides, early didst begin,And, ev'n a Child, didst Laurel win.
Two snaky Plagues around his Cradle twin'd,
333
In speckl'd Wreaths of Death they strove
The mighty Babe to bind.
And twisted Faction in thy Infancy
Darted her forky Tongue at Thee.
But as Jove's Offspring slew his hissing Foes;
So thou, descended from a Line
Of Patriots no less Divine,
Didst quench the brutal Rage of those
Who durst thy dawning Worth oppose.
The Viper Spight, crush'd by thy Virtue, shed
Its yellow Juice, and at thy Feet lay dead.
Thus, like the Sun, did thy great Genius rise,
With Clouds around his sacred Head,
Yet soon dispell'd the dropping Mists, and gilded all the Skies.
XVII.
Great Julius, who with generous Anger view'dThe Statue of Brave Philip's braver Son,
And wept to think what such a Youth subdu'd,
While more in Age himself had yet so little done,
Had wept much more, if he had liv'd to see
The mighty Deeds atchiev'd by Thee;
To see Thee at a beardless Age,
Stand arm'd against th'Invader's Rage,
And bravely fighting for thy Country's Liberty;
While he inglorious Laurels sought,
And not to save his Country fought.
While He—O Stain upon the greatest Name
That e'er before was known to Fame!—
When Rome, his awful Mother, did demand
The Sword from his unruly Hand,
The Sword she gave before,
Enrag'd, he spurn'd at her Command,
Hurl'd at her breast the impious Steel, and bath'd it in her Gore.
334
XVIII.
Far other Battels thou hast won,Thy Standard still the Publick Good:
Lavish of thine to save thy People's Blood:
And when the hardy Task of War was done,
With what a vast well-temper'd Mind
(A Mind unknown to Rome's ambitious Son)
Thy pow'rful Armies were resign'd?
This Vict'ry o'er thy self was more
Than all thy Conquests gain'd before.
'Twas more than Philip's Son could do,
When for new Worlds the Madman cry'd;
Nor in his own wild Breast had spy'd
Tow'rs of Ambition, Hills of boundless Pride,
Too great for Armies to subdue.
XIX.
O savage Lust of Arbitrary Sway!Insatiate Fury which in Man we find,
In barbarous Man, to prey upon his Kind,
And make the World, enslav'd, his vicious Will obey!
How has this Fiend, Ambition, long defac'd
Heav'ns Works, and laid the vast Creation waste!
Ask Silver Rhine, with springing Rushes crown'd,
As to the Sea his Waters flow,
Where are the numerous Cities now
That once he saw his honour'd Banks around?
Scarce are their silent Ruins found;
But in th'ensuing Age
Trampl'd into common Ground,
Will hide the horrid Monuments of Gaul's destroying Rage.
All Europe too had shar'd this wretched Fate,
And mourn'd her heavy Woes too late,
Had not Britannia's Chief withstood
The threaten'd Deluge, and repell'd
To its forsaken Banks th'unwilling Flood,
And in his Hand the Scales of balanc'd Kingdoms held.
335
Whose faithful Soul from private Int'rests free,
(Int'rests, which vulgar Princes know)
O'er all its Passions sate exalted high,
As Ten'riff's Top enjoys a purer Sky,
And sees the moving Clouds at distance fly below.
XX.
Whoe'er thy warlike Annals reads,Beholds reviv'd our valiant Edward's Deeds.
Great Edward and his Glorious Son
Will own themselves in Thee outdone,
Tho Crecy's desperate Fight eternal Honours won.
Tho the Fifth Henry too does claim
A shining Place among Britannia's Kings,
And Agencourt has rais'd his Lofty Name;
Yet the loud Voice of Ever-living Fame
Of Thee more numerous Triumphs sings.
But tho no Chief contends with Thee
In all the long Records of History,
Thy own Great Deeds together strive
Which shall the fairest Light derive
On thy Immortal Memory.
Whether Seneffe's amazing Field
To celebrated Mons shall yield?
Or both give place to more amazing Boyn?
Or if Namure's prodigious Siege must all the rest outshine?
XXI.
While in Hibernia's Fields the labouring SwainShall pass the Plough o'er Skulls of Warriors slain,
And turn up Bones, and broken Spears,
Amaz'd he'll shew his Fellows of the Plain
The Reliques of victorious Years,
And tell how swift thy Arms that Kingdom did regain.
336
With Wonder too repeats thy Story;
How oft the Foes thy lifted Sword have seen
In the hot Battel, when it bled
At all its open Veins, and oft have fled
As if their evil Genius thou hadst been.
How when the blooming Spring began t'appear,
And with new Life restor'd the Year,
Confederate Princes us'd to cry,
Call Britain's King—the sprightly Trumpet sound
And spread the joyful Summons round!
Call Britain's King, and Victory!
So when the Flow'r of Greece to Battel led
In Beauty's Cause, just Vengeance swore
Upon the foul Adult'rer's Head,
That from her Royal Lord the ravish'd Helen bore,
The Grecian Chiefs of mighty Fame
Impatient for the Son of Thetis wait:
At last the Son of Thetis came;
Troy shook her nodding Tow'rs, and mourn'd th' impending Fate
XXII.
O sacred Peace! Goddess serene!Adorn'd with Robes of spotless White,
Fairer than Silver Floods of Light;
How short has thy mild Empire been;
When pregnant Time brought forth this new-born Age,
At first we saw thee gently smile
On the young Birth, and thy sweet Voice awhile
Sung a soft Charm to martial Rage.
But soon the Lion wak'd again,
And stretch'd his opening Claws, and shook his grisly Mane.
Soon was the Year of Triumphs past,
And Janus, ushering in a New,
With backward Look did pompous Scenes review
But his Fore-Face with Frowns was overcast;
He saw the gath'ring Storms of War,
And bid his Priests aloud his Iron Gates unbar.
337
XXIII.
But Heav'n its Hero can no longer spare,To mix in our tumultuous Broils below;
Yet suffer'd his foreseeing Care
Those Bolts of Vengeance to prepare,
Which other Hands shall throw;
That Glory to a mighty Queen remains,
To triumph o'er th'extinguish'd Foe.
She shall supply the Thunderer's Place;
As Pallas from th'Ætherial Plains
Warr'd on the Giants impious Race,
And laid their huge demolish'd Works in smoaky Ruins low.
Then Anne's shall rival Great Eliza's Reign,
And William's Genius with a grateful Smile
Look down, and bless this happy Isle,
And Peace restor'd shall wear her Olive Crown again.
| Poems on Affairs of State | |