Which ftain'd our Conduct, & our Arms difgrac'd, By rend'ring us fucceflefs in the last?
One Caufe of thefe did our late Ends prevent, Our Foes great Strength, or our Mismanagement: If our Misconduct, we fhould then take care To mend our Faults before we make the War; Remove those felfish mercenary Props
That stop'd our Speed,and mar'd our mighty Hopes.
Or when our Swords fhall for the Laurel ftrive,
What Prospect can unbiafs'd Reafon give,
That England with her Arms fhall now do more,
And finish what fhe left undone before?
No, we must first those Obstacles remove,
That made our late long Contest fruitless prove.
If our Foes Strength fuperior was to ours,
And ftem'd the Force of our United Pow'rs;
And we too feeble for our great Design,
When we abounded most in Men and Coin;
And France, as 'tis believ'd, now stronger grown,
By its late Union with the Spanish Throne:
'Tis then high time our Fury fhould abate,
For no Success on our Attempts can wait,
Except kind Providence proves our Confederate.
The Coffee-Politician, grave and wife,
To this objects, and warmly thus replys :
What if the French by Spain are ftronger made,
We're still fuperior by the German Aid!
And if but England, with a gen'rous Heart,
Would at one push her utmost Strength exert,
We might o'er France be Conquerors with cafe,
And make the Tyrant truckle as we please.
But thould the Nation this Advice receive,
And yield the utmost she at once could give,
Yet not accomplish what we now project,
And humble France fo foon as we expect,
But further Strength, and more Supplies fhall need,
Than we can raise t' effect the Glorious Deed;
What Mis'ries must our vain Attempts attend,
If Fortune crown not with Succefs the End?
Into what Slav'ry must the Nation fall,
If to no purpose we should spend our All?
Contempt and Poverty we then should find,
Instead of Spoils and Trophies we defign'd.
Then our long Contest for a time must cease,
And fruitless end in an Inglorious Peace.
Who first want Mony, first must sheath their
For War no Forma Pauperis affords: (Swords,
Therefore let's think of Means, e'er we proceed
To raise Supplies fo great a War must need.
One pow'rful Party has declar'd for Arms,
And ev'ry Factious Pamphlet founds Alarms:
But above all, they fhow the greatest haft,
Who by foul Dealings profper'd in the laft,
And would involve us headlong in a War,
To thrive by Crimes which yet unpunish'd are;
Who furnish'd France in the late Wars with Lead
For Ball, to knock our Army on the head :
Thus rais'd vaft Riches by fuch Ills as thefe,
And dealt, unpunifh'd, with our Enemies.
These are the Wolves who fo impatient are,
And fuch a hideous howling keep for War;
Stretching their noify Throats where e'er they run,
Crying Arm, Arm, or England thou'rt undone.
Thus a Neceflity they ftrongly plead,
To break that Peace fo lately we agreed;
Which if delay'd had ftrengthen'd our Allies,
Show'd France lefs Pow'rful,& our felves moreWise.
By Arms prevented what without prevail'd,
And stop'd that War for Ages now intail'd.
Europe has long her Obfervation made,
Of what Designs her profp'rous Foe has laid:
Our present State might eas'ly be foreseen,
And by right Measures might have hindred been.
The fatal Union should have prov'd but weak,
Which now requires a vigorous War to break.
But fince our Foes to fuch a height are grown, From our Neglect, or Conduct of their own; No matter which or whether made thus great, By Chance, Industry, or Decree of Fate:
Yet from the Danger of their Pride and Pow'r
We're fartheft off, and ftand the most secure;
And therefore fhould be careful how we run
Rafhly to meet those Mischiefs we may shun;
But with due Patience and Discretion wait
Till our Rich Neighbours, more expos'd to Fate,
Shall crave our Aid, to free them from their Fears,
On the fame Terms they lately gave us theirs.
We were the Suff'rers, they Advantage made,
And little less than all the Charge we paid,
Besides a liberal Prefent for their useless Aid.
Which in their Bank, Rich as an Indian Mine,
Lies bag'd and bury'd close in English Coin.
England be wife, and make thy felf amends,
Return the coftly Favours of thy Friends;
Let now thy Justice to thy Self be seen,
And be as kind as they to Us have been;
Neither be aw'd, or yet by Flatt'ries drawn,
Tho our Foes threaten, and our Neighbours fawn,
To call a distant Evil on our Heads,
And take upon our felves what Holland dreads:
But make the Charge, e'er we the War begin,
Juft equal to the Danger we are in;
And if aflift our Friends with further Aid,
To be allow'd, and that Expence repay'd.
For why fhould we, that have leaft Cause to fear,
Defend a Neighbour whom the Danger's near;
And we endure the Toil, and pay the Coft,
When they, without our Help, must needs be lost?
First pay our Debts, and we fhall fee how far
We're able to maintain a vig'rous War,.
And ev'ry fatal Obstacle remove,
That made our Taxes fo deficient prove;
Or we shall toil beneath a tiresom Weight,
And but with half our English Courage fight,
Like Tinkers Dogs, with Budgets on their Backs,
Or Carriers Horfes laden with their Packs.
Oppreffions unforeseen we foon fhall feel,
And with hard Dealers we shall hardly deal:
Weary of War repent our lavish'd Pounds,
And court Balsamick Peace to heal our Wounds.
But fince fuch Motives of a fpeedy War,
On every fide engagingly appear,
That as our fierce impatient Heroes fay,
Both Shame and Danger must attend Delay;
Our forward Nation no Expence must grudg,
To fave our wiser kind Allies the Dutch;
And next revenge the great Dishonour done
By the French Tyrant to the English Throne:
Therefore,good People, fince for cause well known,
England's harp Sword a fecond time is drawn,
'Tis dangerous now to dote upon your Coin,
Your love of Wealth may baulk the great Defign.
Millions are Sinews that exert the Sword,
Therefore Supplies without regret afford;
Bullet in War is grown a Modern Cheat,
Silver, not Lead, must do the mighty Feat, (pleat.
Mony must bless our Arms, and our Success com-
Therefore your Aid most willingly impart,
And draw your Purfeftrings with a gen'rous Heart,
What you're affefs'd with chearful Spirits give,
Good Will makes every thing the better thrive.
Besides, confider, tho the Tax runs high,
Juft at this Juncture for a large Supply;
War cannot always laft, 'twill one day cease,
And if not end in Conqueft, 'twill in Peace;
And Peace alone in ev'ry good Man's Senfe,
Is held a Blessing worth a War's Expence.
What Niggard then can at a War repine,
Carr'd on with fuch a peaceable Defign?
Befides, what Albumazar can foresee,
What the bleft Iffue of our Arms may be?
Who knows but we may force afpiring France
To low'r the Prizes of her Cordial Nants,
And cause French Claret to become lefs dear
In England, than our home-brew'd Ale and Beer?
For certain ev'ry Englishman 'twould please,
To fee our Quarrels end in fuch a Peace, (these.
That would produce at laft fuch glorious Days as
The Rape of Lucrece. Written by Mr William Shakespeare, and dedicated to the Right Honourable the Earl of Southampton.
UCIUS Tarquinius (for bis exceffive Pride furnam'd Superbus) after be bad caus'd his own Father-in-Law Servius Tullius to be cruelly murder'd, and contrary to the Roman Laws and Customs, not requiring or staying for the People's Suffrages, had poffeffed himself of the Kingdom; went accompany'd with his Sons and other Noblemen of Rome to besiege Ardea : during which Siege, the principal Men of the Army meeting one Evening at the Tent of Sextus Tarquinius the King's Son, in their Difcourfes after Supper, every
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