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 so largely nature heap'd her store,
There fcarce remain'd for arts to give him more?
To aid the crown and ftate his greateft zeal,
His fecond care that fervice to conceal;
Of dues obfervant, firm to every trust,
And to the needy always more than juft.
Who truth from fpecious falfhood can divide,
Has all the gownfmens fkill 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:
Whose youth boasts skill deny'd to other's age.
Men, manners, language, books of nobleft 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 dismay'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 wond'ring down,
Without one Hebrew's blood reftor'd the crown.
That praise was his; what therefore did remain
For following chiefs, but boidly to maintain
That crown reftor'd; and in this rank of fame,
Brave Abdael with the first a place must claim.
Proceed illustrious, 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 ftream with Sodom's lake;
Or feas retir'd their fecret ftores disclose,
And to the fun their fcaly brood expose,
Or fwell'd above the clifts their billows raife,
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 fervice and defert fo 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 dreft,
And bleft again to see his flower ally'd
To David's ftock, 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 Abialom.
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 difdain :
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;
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 boundlefs ocean feem,
Were coafted all, and fathom'd all by him.
No rabbin speaks like him their myftic sense,
So juft, and with fuch charms of eloquence:
To whom the double bleffing does belong,
With Mofes' inspiration, Aaron's tongue.
Than Sheva none more loyal zeal have fhown,
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 priests the cant revive;
In vain feditious fcribes with libel ftrive
T'enflame the croud; while he with watchful eye
Obferves, and fhoots their treafons as they Ay;
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 ftrength's exhaufted ftore let love fupply.
What tribute, Asaph, shall we render thee?
We'll crown thee with a wreath from thy own tree!
Thy laurel grove no envy's flash can blast;
The fong of Afaph fhall for ever last.
With wonder late pofterity shall dwell
On Abfalom and falfe Achitophel:
Thy strains shall be our flumbering prophets dream,
And when our Sion virgins sing their theme;
Our jubilees fhall with thy verfe be grac'd,
The song of Afaph fhall for ever last.
How fierce his fatire 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 profpect yield,
All paradife without one barren field:
Whofe wit the cenfure of his foes has paft,
The fong of Afaph fhall for ever last.
What praise for such rich strains fhall we allow ?
What just rewards the grateful crown bestow?
While bees in flow'rs rejoice, and flow'rs in dew,
While ftars and fountains to their course 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 heroes beauteous dear remains;
Who now fails off with winds nor wishes flack,
To bring his fufferings' bright companion back.
But e'er fuch tranfport can our fenfe employ,
A bitter grief must poison half our joy;
Nor can our coasts restor'd those bleffings fee
Without a bribe to envious destiny!
Curs'd Sodom's doom for ever fix the tide
Where by inglorious chance the valiant dy'd.
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 murm'ring, and the winds afleep; 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 stars difgrace!
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Oh! had th' indulgent pow'rs vouchfaf'd to yield,
Instead of faithlefs fhelves, a lifted field;
A lifted field of heaven's and David's foes,
Fierce as the troops that did his youth oppofe,
Each life had on his flaughter'd heap retir'd,
Not tamely, and unconqu'ring thus expir'd,
But deftiny is now their only foe,
And dying even o'er that they triumph too;
With loud laft breaths their mafter's fcape applaud,
Of whom kind force cou'd fcarce the fates defraud;
Who for fuch followers loft, O matchlefs mind!
At his own fafety now almoft repin'd!
Say, royal Sir, by all your fame in arms,
Your praise in peace, and by Urania's charms;
If all your fuff'rings paft fo nearly prest,
Or pierc'd with half fo painful grief your breast?
Thus fome diviner muse her heroe forms,
Not footh'd with foft delights, but toft in ftorms.
Nor ftretcht on rofes in the myrtle grove,
Nor crowns his days with mirth, his nights with love,
But far remov'd in thund'ring camps is found,
His flumbers short, his bed the herblefs ground:
In tasks of danger always feen the firft,
Feeds from the hedge, and flakes with ice his thirst,
Long muft his patience strive with fortune's rage,
And long oppofing God's themselves engage,
Muft fee his country flame, his friends deftroy'd,
Before the promis'd empire be enjoy'd :
Such toil of fate muft build a man of fame,
And fuch, to Ifrael's crown, the god-like David came.
What fudden beams difpel the clouds fo faft!
Whose drenching rains laid all our vineyards waste ?
The spring so far behind her courfe delay'd,
On th' inftant is in all her bloom array'd;
The winds breathe low, the element ferene ;
Yet mark what motion in the waves is feen!
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