.192.

Their batter'd admiral too foon withdrew,

Unthank'd by ours for his unfinish'd fight, But he the minds of his Dutch mafters knew, Who call'd that providence which we call'd flight.

193.

Never did men more joyfully obey,

Or fooner understood the fign to fly : With fuch alacrity they bore away,

As if to praise them, all the states stood by.

.194.

O famous leader of the Belgian fleet,

Thy monument inscrib'd fuch praise shall wear, As Varro timely flying once did meet,

Because he did not of his Rome despair,

195.

Behold that navy, which a while before,

Provok'd the tardy English close to fight:
Now draw their beaten veffels clofe to fhore,
As larks lie dar'd to fhun the hobbies flight.
196.

Whoe'er would English monuments furvey,
In other records may our courage know:
But let them hide the story of this day,
Whose fame was blemish'd by too base a foe.
197.

Or if too bufily they will enquire

Into a victory, which we difdain ;
Then let them know the Belgians did retire
Before the patron faint of injur'd Spain.

198.

Repenting England this revengeful day
To Philip's manes did an offering bring:
England, which firft by leading them aftray,
Hatch'd up rebellion to destroy her King.
VOL. I.

G

.199.

Our fathers bent their baneful industry,
To check a monarchy that flowly grew;
But did not France or Holland's fate foresee,
Whose rising power to swift dominion flew.

.200.

In fortune's empire blindly thus we go,
And wander after pathlefs destiny;

Whose dark reforts fince prudence cannot know,
In vain it would provide for what shall be."

201.

But whate'er English to the blefs'd shall go,
And the fourth Harry or firft Orange meet;
Find him difowning of a Bourbon foe,
And him detefting a Batavian fleet.

202.

Now on their coafts our conquering navy rides, Waylays their merchants, and their land befets; Each day new wealth without their care provides; They lie afleep with prizes in their nets.

203.

So close behind fome promontory lie

The huge leviathans to attend their prey; And give no chace, but swallow in the frie,

Which through their gaping jaws mistake the way.

204.

Nor was this all: in ports and roads remote,
Destructive fires among whole fleets we fend;
Triumphant flames upon the water float,

And out bound fhips at home their voyage end.

205.

Thofe various fquadrons variously defign'd,
Each veffel freighted with a several load,
Each fquadron waiting for a feveral wind,
All find but one, to burn them in the road.

206. Some

206.

Some bound for Guiney golden fand to find,
Bore all the gauds the fimple natives wear:
Some for the pride of Turkish courts defign'd,
For folded turbants fineft Holland bear.

207.

Some English wooll vex'd in a Belgian loom,
And into cloth of fpungy foftness made,
Did into France or colder Denmark doom,
To ruin with worse ware' our ftaple trade.

208.

Our greedy feamen rummage every hold,

Smile on the booty of each wealthier cheft;
And as the priests who with their Gods make bold,
Take what they like, and facrifice the reft.

209.

But ah! how infincere are all our joys!

Which fent from heaven, like lightning make no ftay: Their palling tafte the journey's length deftroys, Or grief fent poft o'ertakes them on the way.

210.

Swell'd with our late fucceffes on the foe,

Which France and Holland wanted power to crofs, We urge an unfeen fate to lay us low,

And feed their envious eyes with English lofs.

211.

Each element his dread command obeys,
Who makes or ruins with a fmile or frown;
Who, as by one he did our nation raise,
So now he with another pulls us down.

212.

Yet London, emprefs of the northern clime,
By an high fate thou greatly didft expire;
Great as the world's, which, at the death of time
Muft fall, and rife a nobler frame by fire,

213.

As when fome dire ufurper heaven provides,
To fcourge his country with a lawless fway;
His birth perhaps fome petty village hides,
And fets his cradle out of fortune's way.

214.

Till fully ripe his fwelling fate breaks out,
And hurries him to mighty mischiefs on:
His prince furpriz'd at first no ill could doubt,
And wants the pow'r to meet it when 'tis known.
215.

Such was the rife of this prodigious fire,

Which in mean buildings first obfcurely bred,
From thence did foon to open streets aspire,
And ftraight to palaces and temples fpread.
216.

The diligence of trades and noifeful gain,
And luxury more late, afleep were laid :
All was the night's; and in her filent reign.
No found the rest of nature did invade.

217.

In this deep quiet from what fource unknown,
Those feeds of fire their fatal birth disclose;
And first few scattering sparks about were blown,
Big with the flames that to our ruin rose.

218.

Then in fome clofe-pent room it crept along,
And fmouldering as it went, in filence fed;
Till th' infant monfter, with devouring ftrong,
Walk'd boldly upright with exalted head.

219.

Now like fome rich or mighty murderer,

Too great for prifon, which he breaks with gold;

Who fresher for new mischiefs does appear,

And dares the world to tax him with the old :

220. So

220.

So fcapes th' infulting fire his narrow jail,
And makes fmall outlets into open air :
There the fierce winds his tender force affail,
And beat him downward to his first repair.

221.

The winds like crafty courtezans with-held

His flames from burning, but to blow them more: And every fresh attempt he is repell'd

With faint denials weaker than before.

222.

And now no longer letted of his prey,
He leaps up at it with enrag'd defire:
O'erlooks the neighbours with a wide furvey,
And nods at every houfe his threatning fire.

223.

The ghofts of traitors from the bridge descend,
With bold fanatic fpectres to rejoice:

About the fire into a dance they bend,

And fing their fabbath notes with feeble voice.
224.

Our guardian angel faw them where they fate
Above the palace of our flumbering King:
He figh'd, abandoning his charge to fate,
And drooping, oft look'd back upon the wing.

225.

At length the crackling noife and dreadful blaze
Call'd up fome waking lover to the fight;
And long it was ere he the reft could raise,
Whofe heavy eyelids yet were full of night.

226.

The next to danger, hot purfu'd by fate,

Half-cloth'd, half-naked, haftily retire:

And frighted mothers ftrike their breafts too late,
For helpless infants left amidst the fire.

G 3

227. Their