Nor was he like thofe ftars which only fhine,
When to pale mariners they ftorms portend:
He had his calmer influence, and his mien
Did love and majefty together blend.
'Tis true, his count'nance did imprint an awe;
And naturally all fouls to his did bow,
As wands of divination downward draw,
And point to beds where fovereign gold doth
XX.
When paft all offerings to Feretrian Jove,
He Mars depos'd, and arms to gowns made yield; Successful councils did him foon approve
As fit for clofe intrigues, as open field.
To fuppliant Holland he vouchfaf'd a peace,
Our once bold rival of the British main,
Now tamely glad her unjuft claim to cease,
And buy our friendship with her idol, gain.
XXII.
Fame of th' afferted fea through Europe blown,
Made France and Spain ambitious of his love;
Each knew that fide muft conquer he would own;
And for him fiercely, as for empire, strove.
No fooner was the Frenchman's caufe embrac'd,
Than the light Monfieur the grave Don out-weigh'd: His fortune turn'd the fcale where'er 'twas caft; Though Indian mines were in the other laid.
When abfent, yet we conquer'd in his right:
For though fome meaner artift's fkill were fhown
In mingling colours, or in placing light;
Yet ftill the fair defignment was his own.
XXV.
For from all tempers he could fervice draw;
The worth of each, with its alloy, he knew,
And, as the confident of nature, faw
How the complexions did divide and brew.
XXVI.
Or he their fingle virtues did survey,
By intuition in his own large breast,
Where all the rich ideas of them lay,
That were the rule and meafure to the reft.
XXVII.
When fuch heroic virtue heaven fets out,
The ftars, like commons, fullenly obey; Because it drains them when it comes about, And therefore is a tax they feldom pay.
From this high fpring our foreign conquests flow,
Which yet more glorious triumphs do portend;
Since their commencement to his arms they owe,
If fprings as high as fountains may afcend.
He made us free-men of the continent,
Whom nature did like captives treat before;
To nobler preys the English lion fent,
And taught him firft in Belgian walks to roar.
VOL. Ï.
That old unqueftion'd pirate of the land,
Proud Rome with dread the fate of Dunkirk heard
And trembling wish'd behind more Alps to stand,
Although an Alexander were her guard.
XXXI.
By his command we boldly crofs'd the line,
And bravely fought where fouthern stars arise
We trac'd the far-fetch'd gold unto the mine,
And that which brib'd our fathers made our prize.
XXXII.
Such was our prince; yet own'd a foul above
The highest acts it could produce to show :
Thus poor mechanic arts in public move,
Whilft the deep fecrets beyond practice go.
Nor dy'd he when his ebbing fame went less,
But when fresh laurels courted him to live:
He feem'd but to prevent fome new success,
As if above what triumphs earth could give.
XXXIV.
His latest victories ftill thickest came,
As, near the center, motion doth increafe;
Till he, prefs'd down by his own weighty name,
Did, like the vestal, under spoils decease.
But firft the ocean as a tribute fent
The giant prince of all her watery herd; And th' ifle, when her protecting genius went, Upon his obfequies loud fighs conferr'd.
No civil broils have fince his death arofe,
But faction now by habit does obey;
And wars have that refpect for his repofe,
As winds for halcyons, when they breed at fea.
XXXVII.
His afhes in a peaceful urn fhall rest,
His name a great example ftands, to show
How ftrangely high endeavours may be bleft,
Where piety and valour jointly go.
A Poem on the happy Reftoration and Return of his facred Majefty CHARLES II, 1660.
"Jam redit & virgo, redeunt Saturnia regna." VIRG. The laft great age foretold by facred rhimes
Renews it's finifh'd courfe: Saturnian times
Now with a general peace the world was bleft,
While our's, a world divided from the reft,
A dreadful quiet felt, and worfer far
Than arms, a fullen interval of war:
Thus when black clouds draw down the labouring skies,
Ere yet abroad the winged thunder flies,
An horrid ftillness first invades the ear,
And in that filence we the tempeft fear.
Th' ambitious Swede, like reftlefs billows toft,
On this hand gaining what on that he loft,
Though in his life he blood and ruin breath'd,
To his now guidelefs kingdom peace bequeath'd.
And heaven, that feem'd regardless of our fate,
For France and Spain did miracles create;
Such mortal quarrels to compofe in peace
As nature bred, and intereft did increase.
We figh'd to hear the fair Iberian bride
Muft grow a lily to the lily's fide,
While our cross stars deny'd us Charles's bed,
Whom our first flames and virgin love did wed.
For his long abfence church and state did groan;
Madness the pulpit, faction feiz'd the throne:
Experienc'd age in deep defpair was loft,
To fee the rebel thrive, the loyal croft:
Youth that with joys had unacquainted been,
Envy'd grey hairs that once good days had seen :
We thought our fires, not with their own content,
Had ere we came to age our portion spent.
Nor could our nobles hope their bold attempt
Who ruin'd crowns would coronets exempt:
For when by their defigning leaders taught
To ftrike at power which for themselves they fought,
The vulgar, gull'd into rebellion, arm'd;
Their blood to action by the prize was warm'd.
The facred purple then and scarlet gown,
Like fanguine dye, to elephants was fhewn.
Thus when the bold Typhoeus fcal'd the sky,
And forc'd great Jove from his own heaven to fly,
(What king, what crown, from treason's reach is free,
If Jove and heaven can violated be?)
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