Who truth from fpecious falfhood can divide,
Has all the gownfmens skill without their pride;
Thus crown'd with worth from heights of honour won,
Sees all his glories copy'd in his fon,

Whofe forward fame fhould every Mufe engage:
Whose youth boasts skill deny'd to others' age.
Men, manners, language, books of noblest kind,
Already are the conqueft of his mind.
Whofe loyalty before its date was prime;
Nor waited the dull courfe of rolling time:
The monfter faction early he difmay'd,

And David's caufe long fince confefs'd his aid.

Brave Abdael o'er the prophet's fchool was plac'd; Abdael with all his father's virtue grac'd; A hero, who, while ftars look'd wondering down, Without one Hebrew's blood reftor'd the crown. That praife was his; what therefore did remain For following chiefs, but boldly to maintain That crown reftor'd; and in this rank of fame, Brave Abdael with the first a place mult claim. Proceed, illustrious, happy chief! proceed, Forefeize the garlands for thy brow decreed, While th' infpir'd tribe attend with nobleft ftrain To regifter the glories thou fhalt gain : For fure the dew fhall Gilboah's hills forfake, And Jordan mix his ftream with Sodom's lake; Or feas retir'd their fecret ftores difclofe, And to the fun their fcaly brood expofe, Or fwell'd above the clifts their billows raife, Before the Mufes leave their patron's praife.

VOL. I.

Eliab

Eliab our next labour does invite,

And hard the task to do Eliab right:
Long with the royal wanderer he rov'd,
And firm in all the turns of fortune prov'd!
Such ancient fervice and defert fo large,
Well claim'd the royal houfhold for his charge.
His age with only one mild heiress bleft,
In all the bloom of fmiling nature dreft,
And bleft again to see his flower ally'd

To David's stock, and made young Othniel's bride!
The bright reftorer of his father's youth,
Devoted to a fon's and subject's truth:
Refolv'd to bear that prize of duty home,
So bravely fought, while fought by Abfalom.
Ah prince! th' illuftrious planet of thy birth,
And thy more powerful virtue guard thy worth ;
That no Achitophel thy ruin boaft;

Ifrael too much in one fuch wreck has loft.

Ev'n envy must confent to Helon's worth,
Whofe foul, though Egypt glories in his birth,
Could for our captive-ark its zeal retain,
And Pharaoh's altars in their pomp difdain:
To flight his gods was finall; with nobler pride,
He all th' allurements of his court defy'd.
Whom profit nor example could betray,
But Ifrael's friend, and true to David's fway.
What acts of favour in his province fall,
On merit he confers, and freely all.

Our lift of nobles next let Amri grace,
Whofe merits claim'd the Abethdin's high place;

5

Who

Who with a loyalty that did excel,

Brought all th' endowments of Achitophel.
Sincere was Amri, and not only knew,
But Ifrael's fanctions into practice drew;
Our laws, that did a boundless ocean feem,
Were coasted all, and fathom'd all by him.
No rabbin fpeaks like him their mystic sense,
So just, and with fuch charms of eloquence :
To whom the double bleffing does belong,
With Mofes' infpiration, Aaron's tongue.

Than Sheva none more loyal zeal have shown,
Wakeful as Judah's lion for the crown,
Who for that caufe ftill combats in his age,
For which his youth with danger did engage.
In vain our factious priefts the cant revive;
In vain feditious fcribes with libel ftrive

T'enflame the crowd; while he with watchful eye
Obferves, and fhoots their treafons as they fly:
Their weekly frauds his keen replies detect;
He undeceives more faft than they infect.
So Mofes, when the peft on legions prey'd,
Advanc'd his fignal, and the plague was stay'd.
Once more, my fainting Mufe, thy pinions try,
And strength's exhausted store let love fupply.
What tribute, Afaph, fhall we render thee?
We'll crown thee with a wreath from thy own tree!
Thy laurel grove no envy's flash can blaft;

The fong of Afaph fhall for ever laft.

With wonder late pofterity fhall dwell On Abfalom and falfe Achitophel :

Thy ftrains fhall be our flumbering prophets dream,
And when our Sion virgins fing their theme;
Our jubilees fhall with thy verse be grac'd,
The fong of Afaph fhall for ever laft.

How fierce his fatyr loos'd; reftrain'd, how tame; How tender of th' offending young man's fame! How well his worth, and brave adventures ftil'd; Juft to his virtues, to his error mild.

No page of thine, that fears the stricteft view,
But teems with juft reproof, or praise as due;
Not Eden could a fairer profpe&t yield,
All paradife without one barren field :
Whose wit the censure of his foes has past,
The fong of Afaph fhall for ever laft.

What praise for such rich strains shall we allow ?
What juft rewards the grateful crown bestow?
While bees in flowers rejoice, and flowers in dew,
While ftars and fountains to their courfe are true;
While Judah's throne and Sion's rock stand fast,
The fong of Afaph and the fame shall laft.
Still Hebron's honour'd happy foil retains

Our royal hero's beauteous dear remains ;
Who now fails off with winds nor wishes flack,
To bring his fufferings' bright companion back.
But ere fuch tranfport can our sense employ,
A bitter grief must poifon half our joy;
Nor can our coafts reftor'd thofe bleffings fee
Without a bribe to envious deftiny!

Curs'd Sodom's doom for ever fix the tide
Where by inglorious chance the valiant dy’d!

5

Give

Give not infulting Afkalon to know,

Nor let Gath's daughters triumph in our woe!
No failor with the news fwell Egypt's pride,
By what inglorious fate our valiant dy'd!
Weep, Arnon! Jordan, weep thy fountains dry,
While Sion's rock diffolves for a fupply.

Calm were the elements, night's filence deep,
The waves scarce murmuring, and the winds aflcep;
Yet fate for ruin takes fo ftill an hour,

And treacherous fands the princely bark devour;
Then death unworthy feiz'd a generous race,
To virtue's fcandal, and the ftars difgrace!
Oh! had th' indulgent powers vouchsaf'd to yield,
Inftead of faithlefs fhelves, a lifted field :
A lifted field of Heaven's and David's foes,
Fierce as the troops that did his youth oppose,
Each life had on his flaughter'd heap retir'd,
Not tamely, and unconquering thus expir'd:
But deftiny is now their only foe,

And dying ev'n o'er that they triumph too;
With loud laft breaths their mafter's fcape applaud,
Of whom kind force could scarce the fates defraud;
Who for fuch followers loft, O matchlefs mind!
At his own fafety now almost repin'd!

Say, royal Sir, by all your fame in arms,
Your praise in peace, and by Urania's charms;
If all your fufferings paft fo nearly preft,
Or pierc'd with half fo painful grief your breast ?
Thus fome diviner Mufe her hero forms,
Not footh'd with foft delights, but toft in ftorms.