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A Panegyrique Humbly Addrest to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty

On His Auspicious Meeting His Two Houses of Parliament, February the 4th 5th 1672/3: And His Most Gratious Speech There Delivered on that Occasion. By R. W. [i.e. Robert Wild]

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A PANEGYRIQUE TO His Sacred Majesty OF GREAT BRITTAIN.

Great SIR! When e'r your Gracious Voyce we hear
Ravisht we stand, and wish our selves all Ear;
Your Speech, which equal Joy and Wonder breeds,
Can be Excell'd by nothing but your Deeds;
Those Glorious Deeds Heaven sent you here to Act,
To Scourge the Insolent, and Good Protect;
While with a strong, and yet a gentle hand,
You Bridle Nations, and our Hearts Command:
Secure us from Our selves, and from the Foe,
Make us Vnite, and make us Conquer too
Those Fiercer Factions which Mens Souls did move,
Are by your Favour Reconcil'd in Love:
And now our only Strife is to Outvye
Each other in the Fruits of Loyalty.

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When Fate or Error had our Age misled,
And o're these Kingdomes black Confusion spred,
The only Cure which could from Heaven come,
Was so much pow'r and Clemency in One;
The Genius of our Nation, with disdain
Beheld those Puppets which Usurp'd your Raign;
But long'd, (with their Strange Madnesses opprest,)
Upon your Bosome its sick Head to rest:
So when a Lyon shakes his Dreadful Mayn
And angry grows, let Him that first took pain
To tame his youth, Approach, the Haughty Beast
Will bend to him, but fright away the rest.
By sweet, yet secret Politicks you Raign,
Which Forraign Statesmen Pry into in vain;
The Nations Ancient Honour you encrease,
And Heal, as well with Needful Wars, as Peace:
Heav'n, that hath plac'd this Island, to give Law,
To Ballance Europe, and her States to Aw,
In this Conjuncture doth on Brittain smile,
The Greatest Soveraign, and the Greatest Isle:
Some think this Portion of the VVorld, was Rent
By the rude Ocean, from the Continent;
But whilst your Forces with the French Combine,
You make the Lands more Terribly to Joyne.
Fame swifter than your winged Navy flies
Through ev'ry Land that near the Ocean lies,
Sounding your Name, and telling dreadful News
To all that Pyracy and Rapine use;

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Algiers with trembling Knees for Peace does begg,
Undone by 'th Valour of your Noble Spragg:
And greater Pyrates too, much nearer home,
VVho thought to graspe a pow'r great as old Rome;
Striving to carry all Commerce away,
And make the Vniverse their only Prey:
Are now forc'd to Disgorge, and sadly find
Nature has You, Lord of the Seas design'd.
VVith such a Chief, the meanest Nation, blest,
Might hope to lift her Head above the rest:
VVhat may be thought Impossible to do
For us, embraced by the Sea and You:
Lords of the worlds great wast, the Ocean, we
VVhole Forrests send to range upon the Sea:
And ev'ry Coast may trouble or Relieve,
But none can visit us without your leave.
Angels and we have this Prerogative,
That none can at our happy Seat Arrive:
Whilst we discend at Pleasure to Invade
The bad with vengeance, and our friends to aid:
Our little VVorld, the Image of the great,
Like that amidst the boundless Ocean set,
Of her own growth hath all that Nature craves,
And all that's rare, as Tribute from the VVaves:
As Ægypt does not on the Clouds rely,
But to her Nile owes more than to the sky:
So what our Earth, and what our Heav'n denies,
Our ever constant Friend the Sea supplies:
That friend whom whilst base Neighbours seek to gain,

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Your Thunder with their blood Purples the Main:
The Tast of hot Arabian Spice we know
Free from the scorching Sun that makes it grow:
Without the VVorm, in Persian Silks we shine,
And without Planting, drink of ev'ry Vine:
To Digg for VVealth, we weary not our Limbs,
Gold, though the heaviest Mettal, hither Swims:
Ours is the Harvest where the Indians Mow,
We Plow the Deep, and Reap what others Sow:
Things of the Noblest kind our own Soil breeds,
Stout are our Men, and Warlike are our Steeds:
Rome, though her Eagle through the world had flown,
Could never make this Island all her own:
Here the Third Edward, and the black Prince too,
Victorious Henry flourisht, and now You:
For whom, Proud Dutch, (reserv'd, like the Greek State,
Till Alexander came to urge their Fate)
Must make New Trophies, which the Couq'ring hands
Of Mighty York, or (who in's sted Commands)
The Matchless Rupert from the Sea do bring,
To Adorn the Triumphs of our Glorious King:
Whilst most Heroick Montmouth, to add more,
Transplants the Laurels of the Belgian Shore.
Yet need your Foes not Dread (if they'l Submit)
Your Power, you with such Sweetness Temper it:
Prefer'd by Conquest, happily o'rethrown,
Falling they'l Rise, to be with us made one
That Aiery Liberty, whereof they Boast
Is but a Spacious Shadow at the most:

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For they'l find on a just Account of things
No Freedom, like the Rule of Pious Kings:
So kind Dictators made, when they came Home,
Their Vanquisht Foes, Free Citizens of Rome,
Less Pleasure take, brave souls, in Battails won,
Than in restoring those that are Vndone:
Tygers have Courage, and the rugged Bare,
But Man alone can, whom he Conquers spare;
To Pardon willing, and to Punish loth,
You strike with one Hand, but you Heal with both;
Lifting up all that Prostrate lye, you grieve
You cannot make the Dead again to Live:
Whilst your Arms make your Stubborn Foes to fall,
Your Gracious Favours needs must Conquer all.
What you have done already is well known,
And we with humblest Gratitude must own;
When in your Royal Robes, you lately went
To meet your Kind and Dutious Parliament,
(That healing Senate, which all Storms can Calme,
And cure the Nation with its Acts of Balme:)
Blessings and Pray'rs were sent to Heav'n aloud,
By ev'ry Member of the Gazeing Croud:
No sooner that Illustrious body saw
Their Dearest Soveraign, but a Loveing Awe
Shines in each Face, and with a greedy Ear
Receives those Oracles he utter'd there:
Their Grateful Duties streight the Cause Espouse,
As Highly Just to make our Lyon Rouse:
They Thank His Royal Cares so much 'has done,
And Vote supplies for what there is to come.

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Ah! blessed fruits! such happy Vnion brings,
The Loyalst Subjects with the best of Kings:
Subjects that to maintain this needful Warr,
Freely will part with what he fain would spare:
Their publique Purse they offer—Let all go,
Rather then Truckle to 'th encroaching Foe:
When our Kings Honour, and our Countries good
Is touch'd, we value neither Coyn nor Blood:
Cursed be he, those Sacred bonds that parts,
“Kings greatest Treasures, are their Subjests Hearts:
And there your Majesty hath such a share,
No Earthly Monarch may with you Compare.
But our Weak Muse begs Pardon, 'that she dare
I'th Face of Dazling Majesty appear:
She only ment, her own full Joys to sing,
Succeeding Times, shall Bays and Olive bring
To Crown your head, whilst you in Triumph Ride
O're Vanquisht Nations, and the Sea beside:
Whilst all the Neighbouring States shall unto You,
Like Josephs Sheaves, pay Reverence, and Bowe.
ITER BOREALE.
FINIS.