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Since nothing can our facred rites remove,
Whate'er the faith of the fucceffor prove:
Our Jews their ark shall undisturb'd retain,
At least while their religion is their gain,
Who know by old experience Baal's commands
Not only claim'd their confcience but their lands;
They grudge God's tythes, how therefore fhall they yield
An idol full poffeffion of the field?

Grant fuch a prince enthron'd, we must confefs
The people's fufferings than that monarch's lefs,
Who must to hard conditions still be bound,
And for his quiet with the croud compound;
Or fhould his thoughts to tyranny incline,
Where are the means to compass the defign?
Our crown's revenues are too fhort a ftore,
And jealous fanhedrims would give no more.
As vain our fears of Egypt's potent aid,
Not fo has Pharaoh learnt ambition's trade,
Nor ever with fuch measures can comply,
As fhock the common rules of policy;
None dread like him the growth of Ifrael's king,
And he alone fufficient aids can bring;

Who knows that prince to Egypt can give law,
That on our ftubborn tribes his yoke could draw,
At fuch profound expence he has not stood,
Nor dy'd for this his hands fo deep in blood;
Would ne'er thro' wrong and right his progrefs take,
Grudge his own reft, and keep the world awake,
To fix a lawless prince on Judah's throne,
First to invade our rights, and then his own;
His dear-gain'd conquefts cheaply to defpoil,
And reap the harvest of his crimes and toil.
We grant his wealth vaft as our ocean's fand,
And curfe its fatal influence on our land,
Which our brib'd Jews fo numerously partake,
That even an hoft his penfioners would make;

From

From thefe deceivers our divifions spring,
Our weakness, and the growth of Egypt's King;
These with pretended friendship to the state,
Our croud's fufpicion of their prince create,
Both pleas'd and frighten'd with the specious cry,
To guard their facred rights and property;
To ruin, thus the chofen flock are fold,
While wolves are ta'en for guardians of the fold;
Seduc'd by these we groundlesly complain,
And loath the manna of a gentle reign :
Thus our forefathers crooked paths are trod,
We trust our prince no more than they their God.
But all in vain our reasoning prophets preach,
To those whom fad experience ne'er could teach,
Who can commence new broils in bleeding fcars,
And fresh remembrance of inteftine wars;
When the fame houshold mortal foes did yield,
And brothers ftain'd with brothers blood the field;
When fons curft fteel the fathers gore did ftain,
And mothers mourn'd for fons by fathers flain !
When thick as Egypt's locufts on the fand,
Our tribes lay flaughter'd thro' the promis'd land,
Whose few survivors with worse fate remain,
To drag the bondage of a tyrant's reign:
Which scene of woes, unknowing we renew,
And madly, even those ills we fear, pursue;
While Pharaoh laughs at our domestic broils,
And fafely crouds his tents with nations spoils,
Yet our fierce fanherim in reftlefs rage,
Against our absent heroe ftill engage,

And chiefly urge, fuch did their phrenzy prove,
The only fuit their prince forbids to move,
Which till obtain'd they ceafe affairs of state,
And real dangers wave for groundless hate.
Long David's patience waits relief to bring,
With all the indulgence of a lawful king,

M 4

Expecting

Expecting till the troubled waves would cease,
But found the raging billows still increase.
The croud, whofe infolence forbearance fwells,
While he forgives too far, almoft rebels.
At last his deep refentments filence broke,
Th' imperial palace fhook, while thus he spoke,
Then Juftice wake, and Rigour take her time,
For lo! our mercy is become our crime.
While halting Punishment her ftroke delays,
Our fovereign right, heaven's facred truft, decays?
For whofe fupport even fubjects intereft calls,
Wo! to that kingdom where the monarch falls.
That prince who yields the leaft of regal sway,
So far his people's freedom does betray.
Right lives by law, and law fubfifts by power;
Difarm the shepherd, wolves the flock devour.
Hard lot of empire o'er a stubborn race,

Which heaven itself in vain has try'd with grace!
When will our reafon's long-charm'd eyes unclofe
And Ifrael judge between her friends and foes?
When shall we fee expir'd deceiver's fway,
And credit what our God and monarchs say?
Diffembled patriots brib'd with Egypt's gold,
Even fanhedrims in blind obedience hold;
Those patriots falfhood in their actions fee,
And judge by the pernicious fruit the tree;
If ought for which fo loudly they declaim,
Religion, laws, and freedom, were their aim;
Our fenates in due methods they had led,

To avoid thofe mifchiefs which they feem'd to dread
But first e'er yet they prop'd the finking state,
To impeach and charge, as urg'd by private hate;
Proves that they ne'er believ'd the fears they preft,
But barbarously destroy'd the nation's reft!
O! whither will ungovern'd fenates drive,
And to what bounds licentious votes arrive?

R

When

When their injuftice we are prefs'd to fhare,

The monarch urg'd to exclude the lawful heir;
Are princes thus diftinguifh'd from the croud,
And this the privilege of royal blood?

But grant we should confirm the wrongs they prefs,
His fufferings yet were than the people's less;
Condemn'd for life the murdering fword to wield,
And on their heirs entail a bloody field :
Thus madly their own freedom they betray,
And for th' oppreffion which they fear make way;
Succeffion fix'd by heav'n, the kingdom's bar,
Which once diffolv'd, admits the flood of war ;
Wate, rapine, spoil, without th' affault begin,
And our mad tribes fupplant the fence within.
Since then their good they will not understand,
'Tis time to take the monarch's power in hand;
Authority and force to join with fkill,

And fave the lunatics against their will.

The fame rough means that fwage the crond, appeale
Our fenates raging with the croud's disease.
Henceforth unbiafs'd measures let them draw
From no false glofs, but genuine text of law;
Nor urge thofe crimes upon religion's fcore,
Themselves fo much in Jebufites abhor.
Whom laws convict, and only they, fhall bleed,
Nor pharifees by pharifees be freed.

Impartial justice from our throne fhall fhower,
All fhall have right, and we our fov'reign power.
He faid, th' attendants heard with awful joy,
And glad prefages their fix'd thoughts employ;
From Hebron now the fuffering heir return'd,
A realm that long with civil difcord mourn'd;
Till his approach, like fome arriving God,
Compos'd and heal'd the place of his abode ;
The deluge check'd that to Judea spread,
And ftop'd fedition at the fountain's head.

This

Thus in forgiving David's paths he drives,
And chas'd from Ifrael, Ifrael's peace contrives
The field confefs'd his power in arms before,
And feas proclaim'd his triumphs to the fhore;
As nobly has his fway in Hebron shown,
How fit to inherit godlike David's throne..
Thro' Sion's ftreets his glad arrival's spread,
And confcious faction fhrinks her fnaky head;
His train their fufferings think o'erpaid to fee
The crouds applaufe with virtue once agree.
Success charms all, but zeal for worth diftreft
A virtue proper to the brave and beft;
'Mongit whom was Jothran, Jothran always bent
To ferve the crown, and loyal by descent,
Whofe conftancy so firm, and condu&t just,
Deferv'd at once two royal masters truft;
Who Tyre's proud arms had manfully withstood
On feas, and gather'd laurels from the flood;
Of learning yet, no portion was deny'd,
Friend to the mufes and the mufes pride.
Nor can Benaiah's worth forgotten lie,

Of fteddy foul when public storms were high;
Whofe conduct while the Moor fierce onfets made,
Secur'd at once our honour and our trade.

Such were the chiefs who most his fuff'rings mourn'd,
And view'd with filent joy the prince return'd;
While those that fought his absence to betray,
Prefs first their nauseous false respects to pay.;
Him ftill the officious hypocrites moleft,
And with malicious duty break his reft.

While real transports thus his friends employ,
And foes are loud in their diffembled joy,
His triumphs fo refounded far and near,
Mifs'd not his young ambitious rival's ear;
And as when joyful hunters clam'rous train,
Some flumb'ring lion wakes in Moab's plain,

Who

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