"From Cufco's mournful vale the cries "Of guiltless blood afcend the skies; "To mutual flaughter rush the frantic band: "The fathers crimes their offspring bear, "The tardy vengeance ftill they fear, "While bigot flavery wastes the deftin'd land.

"Who erft your country's rights affail'd "Challeng'd in arms; and now heaven's guardian "fhield

"O'er ftruggling freedom hold;
"Refcuing her unpolluted shrine
"In other climes her fons ye join.

The maffacre of the innocent Peruvians, at the famous interview of their emperor with Pizarro and his Spaniards, in the valley near Cufco, was quickly followed and revenged by the cruelties attending the civil wars in that country among the conquerors. Pizarro, after facrificing Almagro to his am bition, who had been his friend, and his original partner in the conqueft of Peru, was himself affaffinated, at noon, in his palace, by the nephew and partifans of his rival. and cruel avarice which first carried the sword thither, turned it against every one by whofe death the ruffians could hope for plunder; and history affords fcarce any thing more inhuman and perfidious than what the Spaniards fuffered from each other, except the miseries they had before inflicted on the mild and helpless Indians.

That fordid

"Heaven

t

"Heaven her blazing portal spreads ;
"Shafts of glory pierce the night;
"Lo! the bright van the royal patriot leads,
"Founder of laws, and arbiter of right;

*

"Penfive his brow, as when oppreft

By Danish pride his realm he view'd:
"Girt with his peers + Fitzwalter lifts his creft,

"With him, who ill-ftar'd Henry's arms with-
+
"ftood;

"See Spencer's foe, fierce Lancaster || appear,
"And § Kent too early flain, and Treffel's ¶ brow
❝ fevere.

*Alfred was the first who compiled a body of laws for the whole kingdom. Blackstone's Introduction. The leader of the barons who compelled King John to fign Magna Charta.

Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester, headed the opponents of Henry III.

The Earl of Lancaster was principal of the league against the Spencers, favourites of Edward II. who ruined that unfortunate prince, by alienating the affections of his people.

§ Edmund, Earl of Kent, was a young man of an amiable character and of the blood royal. He joined in the oppofition to the Spencers, but was afterward put to death by the intrigues of the queen mother of Edward III. for endeavouring to remove her and Mortimer from the station they had ufurped and filled fo ill.

¶ William Treffel, Chief Juftice of England, was named procurator of the people, to refign back to Edward II. their fealty at his depofition, and to renounce their allegiance to him.

"Frowning from Chalgrave's fanguine field,
"In timely death his virtue feal'd,

"* The right he bled for, to maintain ; "Hampden in fun-bright mail augments the train. "Victims of Stuart's bigot pride;

"Nor are ye absent, generous pair,

"In many a year of adverfe fortune tried,
"Leicester's firm fon, and Bedford's gentle heir.

*He was killed in a skirmish in the beginning of the civil' wars, while the parliament's caufe was yet that of liberty and the people. There feems a great fimilarity in the cafes of Hampden refufing the payment of fhip-money, and the American denial of parliamentary taxation. The British parliament seems to ftand nearly in the fame relation to America, as the King to the people of England; each poffeffes a conftitutional fupre. macy, which invefts them with the most important powers; but each is bound to abstain from invading a right which our conftitution expressly referves to the people; the only fure defence against the defpotifm of a King at home, or a nation at a distance.

Whoever has feen the letters of Algernon Sidney, will eafily estimate the worth of that truly great character. A modern reader will be much ftruck with the following paffage from one of his father, the Earl of Leicester. "It was not "God's will that the King fhould follow the advice I gave "him, to accommodate his differences with the Scots, and not "to make war, where nothing was to be gained, and much "might be loft."

"Join'd in love, in fate ye fell!

"Still the juft mufe your fame shall tell, "Where freedom holds on earth her hallow'd feat; And nations yet unborn the pious ftrains repeat.

III. 2.

"Ye too, they cry, be bold!

"Uncheck'd by fecret guile, or force abhorr'd, "Your charter'd rights uphold; "And dauntless brave the mercenary fword. "To heaven oppreffion rears her head,

"Her fcourge the proftrate kingdoms dread; "But fhort her rule, and fleeting is her hour. "The rod avenging justice bears,

"And when are paft the appointed years, Smites with a giant's force, and quells her power.

III.
.3.

"Faft by the fapphire throne

"Its adamant beam the balance fways, "In which the deeds of men th' Eternal weighs :"Thence the decrees are known

"That fet the fuffering nations free, "And bear to virtue victory.

In happy climes, where from the genial fun
And virgin earth fuch fcenes enfue,
The force of art by nature feems out-done,
And fancied beauties by the true :

In happy climes, the feat of innocence,
Where nature guides, and virtue rules:
Where men shall not impofe, for truth and sense,
The pedantry of courts and schools:

There shall be seen another golden age,
The rife of empire and of arts,
The good and great inspiring epic rage,
The wifeft heads and nobleft hearts;

Not fuch as Europe breeds in her decay:
Such as the bred when fresh and young,
When heav'nly flame did animate her clay,
By future ages fhall be fung.

Weftward the courfe of empire takes its way:
The four first acts already past,

A fifth fhall close the drama with the day:
Time's nobleft offspring is the last.