Who oft had forc'd the bold affailants yield,
And scatter'd his purfuers thro' the field,
Difdaining, furls his mane and tears the ground,
His eyes enflaming all the defart round,
With roar of feas directs his chafers way,
Provokes from far, and dares them to the fray;
Such rage ftorm'd now in Abfalom's fierce breast,
Such indignation his fir'd eyes confest;
Where now was the inftructor of his pride?
Slept the old pilot in fo rough a tide ?
Whose wiles had from the happy fhore betray'd,
And thus on fhelves the cred'lous youth convey'd;
In deep revolving thoughts he weighs his state,
Secure of craft, nor doubts to baffle fate,
At least, if his ftorm'd bark must go adrift,
To baulk his charge, and for himself to shift,
In which his dextrous wit had oft been shown,
And in the wreck of kingdoms fav'd his own;
But now with more than common danger preft,
Of various refolutions ftands poffeft,
Perceives the croud's unstable zeal decay,
Left their recanting chief the cause betray,
Who on a father's grace his hopes may ground,
And for his pardon with their heads compound.
Him therefore e'er his fortune flip her time,
The statesman plots t' engage in fome bold crime
Paft pardon, whether to attempt his bed,
Or threat with open arms the royal head,
Or other daring method, and unjust,
That may confirm him in the people's truft.
But failing thus t'enfnare him, nor fecure
How long his foil'd ambition may endure,
Plots next to lay him by as paft his date,
And try fome new pretender's luckier fate;
Whofe hopes with equal toil he would purfte,
Nor cares what claimers crown'd, except the true.
Wake Abfalom, approaching ruin fhun,
And fee, O fee, for whom thou art undone !
How are thy honours and thy fame betray'd,
The property of defp'rate villains made ?
Loft power and confcious fears their crimes create,
And guilt in them was little less than fate;
But why shouldst thou from every grievance free,
Forfake thy vineyards for their stormy fea?
For thee did Canaan's milk and honey flow,
Love drefs'd thy bowers, and laurels fought thy brow,
Preferment, wealth and power thy vaffals were,
And of a monarch all things but the care.
Oh fhould our crimes again that curfe draw down,
And rebel-arms once more attempt the crown,
Sure ruin waits unhappy Abfalom,
Alike by conqueft or defeat undone;
Who could relentless fee fuch youth and charms,
Expire with wretched fate in impious arms?
A prince fo form'd with earth's and heaven's applause,
To triumph o'er crown'd heads in David's caufe:
Or grant him victor, ftill his hopes must fail,
Who conquering would not for himself prevail;
The faction whom he trufts for future fway,
Him and the public would alike betray;
Amongst themselves divide the captive state,
And found their hydra-empire in his fate!
Thus having beat the clouds with painful flight,
The pity'd youth with scepters in his fight;
So have their cruel politics decreed,
Muft by that crew that made him guilty, bleed!
For could their pride brook any prince's fway,
Whom but mild David would they chufe to obey ?
Who once at fuch a gentle reign repine,
The fall of monarchy itself defign:
From hate to that their reformations spring,
And David not their grievance, but the King.
Seiz'd now with panick fear the faction lies,
Left this clear truth ftrike Abfalom's charm'd eyes,
Left he perceive from long enchantment free,
What all befide the flatter'd youth muft fee.
But whate'er doubts his troubled bofom fwell,
Fair carriage ftill became Achitophel.
Who now an envious festival enftals,
And to furvey their ftrength the faction calls,
Which fraud, religious worship too muft gild;
But oh how weakly does fédition build?
For lo! the royal mandate issues forth,
Dashing at once their treafon, zeal, and mirth!
So have I feen difaftrous chance invade,
Where careful emmits had their forage laid,
Whether fierce Vulcan's rage the furzy plain
Had feiz'd, engendered by fome careless fwain;
Or fwelling Neptune lawless inroads made,
And to their cell of store his flood convey'd;
The commonwealth broke up, distracted go,
And in wild hafte their loaded mates o'erthrow:
Even fo our scatter'd guefts confufedly meet,
With boil'd, bak'd, roast, all juftling in the street ;
Dejecting all, and ruefully difmay'd,
For fhekel without treat, or treaton paid.
Sedition's dark eclipse now fainter shows,
More bright each hour the royal planet grows,
Of force the clouds of envy to disperse,
In kind conjunction of affifting ftars.
Here, labouring mufe, thofe glorious chiefs relate,
That turn'd the doubtful fcale of David's fate;
The rest of that illuftrious band rehearse,
Immortaliz'd in laurel'd Afaph's verfe:
Hard talk! yet will not I thy flight recal,
View heaven, and then enjoy thy glorious fall.
First write Bezaliel, whofe illuftrious name
Foreftals our praife, and gives his post fame.
The Kenites rocky province his command,
A barren limb of fertile Canaan's land;
Which for its generous natives yet could be
Held worthy fuch a prefident as he !
Bezaliel with each grace and virtue fraught,
Serene his looks; ferene his life and thought,
On whom fo largely nature heap'd her store,
There scarce remain'd for arts to give him more!
To aid the crown and ftate his greatest zeal,
His fecond care that fervice to conceal 1;
Of dues obfervant, firm to every truft,
And to the needy always more than just.
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 copied in his fon,
Whofe forward fame fhould every mufe engage:
Whofe youth boasts skill deny'd to other's 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 monster faction early he difmay'd,
And David's caufe long fince confess'd his aid.
Brave Abdael o'er the prophet's school was plac'd; Abdael with all his father's virtue grac'd ;
A hero, who while ftars look'd wond'ring down,
Without one Hebrew's blood reftor'd the crown.
That praise 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 firft a place muft claim.
Proceed illuftrious, happy chief, proceed,
Forefeize the garlands for thy brow decreed,
While th' infpir'd tribe attend with nobleft strain
To regifter the glories thou shalt gain:
For fure the dew fhall Gilboah's hills forfake,
And Jordan mix his stream with Sodom's lake;
Or feas retir'd their fecret flores disclose,
And to the fun their scaly brood expofe,
Or fwell'd above the clifts their billows raise,
Before the mufes leave their patron's praife.
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 service and defert so large,
Well claim'd the royal houfhold for his charge.
His age with only one mild heiress blest,
In all the bloom of fmiling nature drest,
And bleft again to fee his flower ally'd
To David's stock, and made young Othniel's bride!
The bright restorer of his father's youth,
Devoted to a fon's and fubject's truth;
Refolv'd to bear that prize of duty home,
So bravely fought, while fought by Abfalom.
A prince! the illuftrious planet of thy birth,
And thy more powerful virtue guard thy worth;
That no Achitophel thy ruin boast;
Ifrael too much in one fuch wreck has loft.
Even envy muft confent to Helon's worth,
Whofe foul, tho' Egypt glories in his birth,
Could for our captive-ark its zeal retain,
And Pharaoh's altars in their pomp disdain :
To flight his gods was fmall; with nobler pride,
He all the 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 th' Abethdins high place;
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