Whence look the soldiers' cheeks dismay'd and pale? Erst ever dreadful, know they now to dread? Alas! their lessen'd rage proclaims their grief! For, anxious, lo! they crowd around their falling chief. "Ithank thee, Fate !" exclaims the fierce Bavar; "Let Boya's trumpet grateful lö's sound: I saw him fall, their thunderbolt of war:Ever to Vengeance sacred be the ground.” Vain wish! short joy! the hero mounts again In greater glory, and with fuller light: The evening star so falls into the main, To rise at morn more prevalently bright. He rises safe; but near, too near his side, A good man's grievous loss, a faithful servant died. Propitious Mars! the battle is regain'd: The foe, with lessen'd wrath, disputes the field: The Briton fights, by favouring gods sustain'd: Freedom must live; and lawless Power must yield. Vain now the tales which fabling poets tell, That wavering Conquest still desires to rove! In Marlborough's camp the goddess knows to dwell: Long as the hero's life remains her love. Again France flies, again the duke pursues, And on Ramilia's plains he Blenheim's fame re news. Great thanks, O captain great in arms! receive From thy triumphant country's public voice: Thy country greater thanks can only give To Anne, to her who made those arms her choice. Recording Schellenberg's and Blenheim's toils, We dreaded lest thou should'st those toils repeat: We view'd the palace charg'd with Gallic spoils, And in those spoils we thought thy praise complete. For never Greek, we deem'd, nor Roman knight, In characters like these did e'er his acts indite. Yet, mindless still of ease, thy virtue flies A pitch to old and modern times unknown: Those goodly deeds, which we so highly prize, Imperfect seem, great chief, to thee alone. Those heights, where William's virtue might have staid, And on the subject world look'd safely down, By Marlborough pass'd, the props and steps were made Sublimer yet to raise his queen's renown: Still gaining more, still slighting what he gain'd, Nought done the hero deem'd, while aught undone remain'd. When swift-wing'd Rumour told the mighty Gaul, Tell me, how far has Fortune been severe ? "To the close rock the frighted raven flies, Ill-starr'd did we our forts and lines forsake, To dare our British foes to open fight: Our conquest we by stratagem should make: Our triumph had been founded in our flight. 'Tis ours by craft and by surprise to gain: "Tis theirs, to meet in arms, and battle in the plain. "The ancient father of this hostile brood, Their boasted Brute, undaunted snatch'd his gods From burning Troy, and Xanthus red with blood, And fix'd on silver Thames his dire abodes: And this be Troynovante,' he said, the scat By Heaven ordain'd, my sons, your lasting place: Superior here to all the bolts of Fate Live, mindful of the author of your race, Whom neither Greece, nor war, nor want, nor flame, Nor great Pelides' arm, nor Juno's rage, could tame.' "Their Tudors hence, and Stuarts offspring flow: Hence Edward, dreadful with his sable shield, Talbot to Gallia's power eternal foe, And Seymour, fam'd in council or in field: "Envy'd Britannia, sturdy as the oak, Which on her mountain top she proudly bears, Fludes the ax, and sprouts against the stroke; Strong from her wounds, and greater by her wars, And as those teeth, which Cadmus sow'd in earth, Produc'd new youth, and furnish'd fresh supplies: So with young vigour, and succeeding birth, Her losses more than recompens'd arise; And every age she with a race is crown'd, For letters more polite, in battles more renown'd "Obstinate power, whom nothing can repel; Not the fierce Saxon, nor the cruel Dane, Nor Europe's force amass'd by envious Spain, Nor deep impression of the Norman steel, Nor France, on universal sway intent, Oft breaking leagues, and oft renewing wars, Nor (frequent bane of weaken'd government) Their own intestine feuds and mutual jars: Those feuds and jars, in which I trusted more, Than in my troos, and fleets, and all the Galli power. "To fruitful Rheims, or fair Lutetia's gate, What tidings shall the messenger convey? Shall the loud herald our success relate, Or mitred priest appoint the solemn day? Alas! my praises they no more must sing; They to my statue now must bow no more Broken, repuls'd is their immortal king: Fall'n, fall'n for ever, is the Gallic power!The woman chief is master of the war : Earth she has freed by arms, and vanquish'd He ven by prayer." While thus the ruin'd foe's despair commends Thy council and thy deed, victorious queen, What shall thy subjects say, and what thy friend How shall thy triumphs in our joy be seen Oh! deign to let the eldest of the Nine To thee, our dearest dread; to thee, our softer Let Europe sav'd the column high erect, Their fleets shall strive, by winds and waters tost, [reign!" There, in eternal characters engrav'd, And standards with distinguish'd honours bright, And, as fine Art the spaces may dispose, Beneath, great queen, oh! very far beneath, And when thy will, and when thy subject's hand, peace. Absolve me, fair one, I'll confess And made him more than king, in calling him her Does down her ivory bosom roll, son. And, hiding half, adorns the whole. There Ister, pleagd by Blenheim's glorious field, Love sits in open triumph crown'd; Rolling shall bid his eastern waves declare Shall bid them mention Marlborough on the shore, Brabantia, clad with fields, and crown'd with With decent joy shall her deliverer meet; Jaying the keys beneath thy subject's feet, Bright swords, and crested helms, and pointed He in the dimple of her chin, Their vagrant grace and soft delight: CANTATA. SET BY MONSIEUR GALLIARD. RECIT. BENEATH a verdant laurel's ample shade, TEN months after Florimel happen'd to wed, But, when Florimel deign'd to lie privately in, A REASONABLE AFFLICTION. On his death-bed poor Lubin lies; His spouse is in despair : ANOTHER REASONABLE AFFLICTION. FROM her own native France as old Alison past, She reproach'd English Nell with neglect or with malice, That the slattern had left, in the hurry and haste, Her lady's complexion and eye-brows at Calais. ANOTHER. HER eye-brow box one morning lost, Sad Helen thus to Jenny said, (The best of folks are oftenest crost) (Her careless but afflicted maid) "Put me to bed then, wretched Jane; Alas! when shall I rise again? I can behold no mortal now: For what's an eye without a brow ?" ON THE SAME SUBJECT. IN a dark corner of the house Poor Helen sits, and sobs, and cries; She will not see her loving spouse, Nor her more dear picquet allies: Unless she find her eye-brows, She'll e'en weep out her eyes, ON THE SAME. HELEN was just slipt into bed: Her eye-brows on the toilet lay; Away the kitten with them fled, As fees belonging to her prey. For this misfortune careless Jane, Assure yourself, was loudly rated: And madam, getting up again, With her own hand the mouse-trap baited. On little things, as sages write, Depends our human joy or sorrow: If we don't catch a mouse to-night, Alas! no eye-brows for to morrow. PHYLLIS'S AGE. How old may Phyllis be, you ask, For she has really two ages. And Phyllis is but twenty-one. FORMA BONUM FRAGILE. “WHAT a frail thing is beauty!" says Baron le Perceiving his mistress had one eye of glass: [Cras, And scarcely had he spoke it, When she more confus'd, as more angry she grew, By a negligent rage prov'd the maxim too true: She dropt the eye, and broke it. AN EPIGRAM. WRITTEN TO THE DUKE DE NOAILLES. VAIN the concern which you express, Your house and coach, both day and night, And that Macbeth was haunted less By Banquo's restless spright. With fifteen thousand pounds a year, EPILOGUE TO SMITH'S PHÆDRA AND HIPPOLYTUS, SPOKEN BY MRS. OLDFIELD, who acted isMENA. LADIES, to night your pity I implore "But, as it is, six flouncing Flanders mares There was no harm, you see; or, grant ther, were, "Twas in a husband little less than rude, But, if these gay reflections come too late, EPILOGUE TO MRS. MANLEY'S LUCIUS. To you our author makes her soft request, We'll write to you, and make you write in rhyme j Female remarks shall take up all your time. THE THIEF AND THE CORDELIER, A BALLAD: TO THE TUNE OF KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBURY. Who has c'er been at Paris, must needs know the The fatal retreat of th' unfortunate brave; There Death breaks the shackles which Force had put on, And the hangman completes what the judge but begun; There the squire of the pad, and the knight of the post, [no more crost. Find their pains no more balk'd, and their hopes Derry down, &c, Courage, friend; for to day is your period of sorrow; And things will go better, believe me, tomorrow." Derry down, &c. "To morrow!" our hero replied, in a fright: "He that's hang'd before noon, ought to think of to night."[truss'd up, "Tell your beads," quoth the priest, “and be fairly For you surely to night shall in Paradise sup." Derry down, &c. "Alas!" quoth the squire, "howe'er sumptu ous the treat, Parbleu I shall have little stomach to eat; "That I would," quoth the father," and thank you to boot; But our actions, you know, with our duty must suit. Then, turning about to the hangman, he said, TO CHLOE. WHILST I am scorch'd with hot desire, In vain cold friendship you return; Your drops of pity on my fire, Alas! but make it fiercer burn. Ah! would you have the flame supprest, That kills the heart it heats too fast, Take half my passion to your breast: The rest in mine shall ever last. AN EPITAPH. Senct. Stet quicunque volet potens Aula culmine lubrico, &c. INTERR'D beneath this marble stone Lie sauntering Jack and idle Joan. While rolling threescore years and one Did round this globe their courses run; If human things went ill or well, If changing empires rose or fell, The morning past, the evening came, And found this couple still the same. They walk'd, and eat, good folks: what then? Why then they walk'd and cat again: They soundly slept the night away; They did just nothing all the day: And, having bury'd children four, Would not take pains to try for more, Nor sister either had nor brother; They seem'd just tally'd for each other. Their moral and œconomy Most perfectly they made agree: Each virtue kept its proper bound, Nor trespass'd on the other's grounű |