But when an Edward * and anHenry + breath'd 840 Thro' the charm'd whole one all-exerting soul, Drawn fympathetic from his dark retreat, When wide-attracted Merit round them glow'd; When counfels juft, extenfive, generous, firm, Amid the maze of state, determin'd kept Some ruling point in view; when, on the stock Of public good and glory grafted, spread Their palms, their laurels, or, if thence they stray'd; Swift to return, and patient of restraint; When regal ftate, pre-eminence of place, They scorn'd to deem pre-eminence of ease, To be luxurious drones, that only rob The bufy hive, as in diftinction, power, Indulgence, honour, and advantage, first; When they, too, claim'd in virtue, danger, toil, 855 Superior rank, with equal hand prepar'd To guard the subject and to quell the foe; When fuch with Me their vital influence shed, No mutter'd grievance, hopeless sigh, was heard No foul diftruft thro' wary fenates rang
Confin'd their bounty, and their ardour quench'd;
On aid, unquestion'd, liberal aid was given;
Safe in their conduct, by their valour fir'd,
Fond where they led victorious armies rush'd;
And Creffy, Poitiers, Agincourt proclain 865
Three famous battles gained by the English over the French.
What kings fupported by almighty Love,
And people fir'd with Liberty, can do.
Be veil'd the savage reigns*, when kindred rage
The numerous-once Plantagenets devour'd,
A race to vengeance vow'd! and when, opprefs'd 879
By private feuds, almost extinguish'd lay
My quivering flame; but in the next, behold!
A cautious tyrant + lend it oil anew.
Proud, dark, fufpicious, brooding o'er his gold,
As how to fix his throne he jealous caft
His crafty views around, pierc'd with a ray,
Which on his timid mind I darted full,
He mark'd the Barons of exceffive fway,
At pleasure making and unmaking kings ‡;
And hence, to crush these petty tyrants, plann'd
A law that let them, by the silent waste
Of luxury, their landed wealth diffuse ||,
And with that wealth their implicated power.
By foft degrees a mighty change enfu'd,
Even working to this day. With streams deduc'd 885
From thefe diminish'd floods the country fmil'd:
As when, impetuous from the fnow-heap'd Alps,
To vernal funs relenting, pours the Rhine;
While undivided, oft' with wafteful sweep,
During the Civil wars betwixt the families of York and Lancafter.
The famous Earl of Warwick, during the reigns of Henry VI. and Edward IV. was called The King-maker.
Permitting the Barons to alienate their lands.
He foams along; but thro' Batavian meads,
Branch'd into fair canals, indulgent flows,
Waters a thousand fields, and culture, trade,
Towns, meadows, gliding ships, and villas mix'd,
A rich, a wondrous landscape, rifes round.
His furious fon* the foul-enflaving chain †, 895 Which many a doting venerable age
Had link by link ftrong-twisted round the land,
Shook off. No longer could be borne a power,
From Heaven pretended, to deceive, to void
Each folemn tie, to plunder without bounds,
To curb the generous foul, to fool mankind;
And, wild at laft, to plunge into a fea
Of blood and horror. The returning light,
That first thro' Wickliff + ftreak'd the priestly gloom,
Now burst in open day. Bar'd to the blaze,
Forth from the haunts of Superftition || crawl'd
Her motley fons, fantastic figures all,
And, wide-difpers'd, their useless fetid wealth
In graceful labour bloom'd, and fruits of peace.
Trade, join'd to these, on every sea display'd 910
A daring canvafs, pour'd with every tide.
A golden flood. From other worlds + were roll'd
John Wickliff, Doctor of Divinity, who, towards the clofe of the fourteenth century, publifhed doctrines very contrary to those of the church of Rome, and particularly denying the Papal authority. His followers grew very numerous, and were called Lollards.
Suppreffion of monafteries.
+ The Spanish West Indies,
The guilty glittering ftores, whofe fatal charms,
By the plain Indian happily despis'd,
Yet work'd his woe; and to the blissful groves, 916
Where Nature liv'd herself among her fons,
And Innocence and Joy for ever dwelt,
Drew rage unknown to Pagan climes before,
The worft the zeal-inflam'd Barbarian drew.
Be no fuch horrid commerce, Britain! thine, 920
But want for want, with mutual aid, fupply.
TheCommons, thus enrich'd, and powerful grown,
Against the Barons weigh'd. Eliza then,
Amid thefe doubtful motions, fteady gave
The beam to fix. She! like the Secret Eye
That never clofes on a guarded world,
So fought, fo mark'd, fo feiz'd the public good,
That felf-fupported, without one ally,
She aw'd her inward, quell'd her circling foes.
Infpir'd by Me, beneath her fheltering arm,
In spite of raging universal sway*,
And raging feas reprefs'd, the Belgic states,
My bulwark on the continent, arofe.
Matchlefs in all the fpirit of her days!
With confidence unbounded, fearless love
Elate, her fervent people waited gay,
Cheerful demanded the long-threaten'd Fleet †,
* The dominion of the Houfe of Auftrias.
The Spanish Armada, Rapin fays, that after proper measures had been taken, the enemy was expected with uncommon alacrity.
And dafh'd the pride of Spain around their Isle.
Nor ceas'd the British thunder here to rage:
The deep, reclaim'd, obey'd its awful call;
In fire and smoke Iberian ports involv'd,
The trembling foe even to the centre shook
Of their new-conquer'd world, and fculking stole,
By veering winds, their Indian treasure home.
Mean time, peace, plenty, juftice, fcience, arts, 945
With fofter laurels crown'd her happy reign.
As yet uncircumfcrib'd the regal power,
And wild and vague Perogative remain'd,
A wide voracious gulf, where swallow'd oft'
The helpless subject lay. This to reduce
To the juft limit was My great effort.
By means that evil feem to narrow man,
Superior beings work their myftic will:
From ftorm and trouble thus a fettled calm
At laft, effulgent, o'er Britannia fmil'd.
Thegatheringtempeft,Heaven-commiffion'd,came,
Came in the Prince *, who, drunk with flattery,dreamt
His vain pacific counsels rul'd the world;
Tho' fcorn'd abroad, bewilder'd in a maze
Of fruitless treaties, while at home enflav'd,
And by a worthless crew, infatiate, drain'd,
He loft his people's confidence and love:
Irreparable lofs! whence crowns become
An anxious burden. Years inglorious pafs'd;
* James I.
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