Her penfive head; and in her languid face
The bridegroom fhall foresee his fickly race;
While ponderous fetters vex their close embrace.
With irksome anguish then your priests shall mourn 800
Their long-neglected feasts despair'd return,
And fad oblivion of their folemn days.
Thenceforth their voices they fhall only raise,
Louder to weep. By day, your frighted feers
Shall call for fountains to express their tears,
And with their eyes were floods; by night, from
dreams
Of opening gulphs, black storms, and raging flames,
Starting amaz'd, fhall to the people fhew
Emblems of heavenly wrath, and myftic types of woe.
The captives, as their tyrant fhall require
That they should breathe the fong, and touch the lyre,
Shall fay Can Jacob's fervile race rejoice,
Untun'd the mufick, and difus'd the voice?
What can we play (they fhall difcourfe), how fing
In foreign lands, and to a barbarous king?
We and our fathers, from our childhood bred
To watch the cruel victor's eye, to dread
The arbitrary lash, to bend, to grieve,
(Out-caft of mortal race !) can we conceive
Image of aught delightful, foft, or gay?
Alas! when we have toil'd the longsome day,
The fulleft blifs our hearts aspire to know
Is but fome interval from active woe,
In broken rest and startling fleep to mourn,
Till morn, the tyrant, and the fcourge, return.
Bred up in grief, can pleasure be our theme?
Our endless anguish does not nature claim?
Reafon and forrow are to us the fame.
Alas! with wild amazement we require,
If idle Folly was not Pleasure's fire ?
Madness, we fancy, gave an ill-tim❜d birth
To grinning laughter, and to frantic mirth.
This is the series of perpetual woe,
Which thou, alas! and thine, are born to know.
Illuftrious wretch! repine not, nor reply:
View not what Heaven ordains with Reason's eye.
Too bright the object is: the distance is too high.
The man, who would refolve the work of Fate,
May limit number, and make crooked straight;
Stop thy enquiry then; and curb thy sense;
Nor let duft argue with Omnipotence.
'Tis GOD who muft difpofe; and man sustain,
Born to endure, forbidden to complain.
Thy fum of life must his decrees fulfil;
What derogates from his command, is ill;
And that alone is good which centres in his will.
Yet, that thy labouring fenfes may not droop,
Loft to delight, and deftitute of hope;
Remark what I, GOD's meffenger, aver
From him, who neither can deceive nor err.
The land, at length redeem'd, fhall ceafe to mourn,
Shall from her fad captivity return.
Sion fhall raise her long-dejected head;
And in her courts the law again be read,
Again the glorious temple fhall arife,
And with new luftre pierce the neighbouring fkies.
The promis'd feat of empire fhall again
Cover the mountain, and command the plain;
And, from thy race diftinguish'd, One shall spring,
Greater in act than victor, more than king
In dignity and power; fent down from Heaven,
To fuccour earth. To Him, to Him, 'tis given,
Paffion, and care, and anguish, to destroy.
Through Him, foft peace, and plenitude of joy,
Perpetual o'er the world redeem'd fhall flow;
No more may Man enquire, nor Angel know.
Now, Solomon! remembering who thou art,
A&t through thy remnant life the decent part.
Go forth be ftrong: with patience and with care
Perform, and fuffer: to thyfelf fevere,
Gracious to others, thy defires fupprefs'd,
Diffus'd thy virtues; firft of men! be best.
Thy fum of duty let two words contain ;
(O may they graven in thy heart remain !)
Be humble, and be juft. The angel said. —
With upward speed his agile wings he spread ;
Whilft on the holy ground I proftrate lay,
By various doubts impell'd, or to obey,
Or to object at length (my mournful look
Heaven-ward erect) determin'd, thus I spoke :-
Supreme, all-wife, eternal Potentate!
Sole Author, fole Difpofer of our fate!
Enthron'd in light, and immortality !
Whom no man fully fees, and none can fee!
Original of Beings! Power Divine !
Since that I live, and that I think, is thine;
Benign Creator! let thy plaftic hand
Difpofe its own effect! Let thy command
Reftore, Great Father! thy inftructed fon;
And in my act may Thy great Will be done!
Engraven on Three Sides of an ANTIQUE LAMP, given by me to Lord HARLEY.
Antiquam hanc Lampadem
è Mufeo Colbertino allatam,
Domino Harleo inter Κειμήλια fua
Reponendam D. D. Matthæus Prior.
This Lamp, which Prior to his Harley gave,
Brought from the altar of the Cyprian Dame,
Indulgent Time, through future ages fave,
Before the Mufe to burn with purer flame 1
Sperne dilectum Veneris facellum,
Sanctius, Lampas, tibi munus orno;
I, fove cafto vigil Harleianas
Occafioned by the Death of Prince GEORGE, 1708.
EHIND an unfrequented glade,
Where yew and myrtle mix their shade,
A widow Turtle penfive fat,
And wept her inurder'd Lover's fate.
The Sparrow chanc'd that way to walk
(A bird that loves to chirp and talk);
Be fure he did the Turtle greet;
She answer'd him as fhe thought meet.
Sparrows and Turtles, by the bye,
Can think as well as you or I :
But how they did their thoughts exprefs,
The margin fhews by T and S.
T. My hopes are loft, my joys are fled;
Alas! I weep Columbo dead:
Come, all ye winged lovers, come,
Drop pinks and daifies on his tomb :
Sing, Philomel, his funeral verse;
Ye pious Redbreafts, deck his hearse:
Fair Swans, extend your dying throats,
Columbo's death requires your notes:
"For him, my friends, for him I moan,
"My dear Columbo, dead and gone."
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