 | Three Hundred Sonnets |  |
219
THE CAUSE.
One man,—a despot ruthless and insane,Counted a God by his barbarian hordes,
One man, whose lustful will is hot to gain
The whole world's throne thro' their fanatic swords,
He, monarch of their wills and deeds and words,
Evil, ambitious, pamper'd, proud, and vain,
Forces the contest: truly, is this war
A war of principles; for England fights,
Champion of freedom, with a tyrant Czar,
Protesting manfully for all men's rights
Against their bad enslaver: let kings reign
As God's chief servants for His people's good;
But, if both God and Man their hearts disdain,
They are rejected,—let them be withstood.
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