Mindlefs of the god and day
I from thy altars Janus ftray,
From thee and from myself borne far away.
The fiery Pegafus difdains
To mind the rider's voice or hear the reins:
When glorious fields and opening camps he views
He runs with an unbounded loof:
Hardly the Mufe can fit the headftrong horse,
Nor would the if he could check his impetuous force:
With the glad noise the cliffs and vallies ring,
While fhe thro' earth and air purfues the king.
She now beholds him on the Belgic fhore,
Whilft Britain's tears his ready help implore ;
Diffembling for her fake his rifing cares,
And with wife filence pond'ring vengeful wars,
She thro' the raging ocean now
Views him advancing his aufpicious prow;
Combating adverfe winds and winter feas,
Sighing the moments that defer our eafe;
Daring to wield the fceptre's dang'rous weight,
And taking the command to fave the ftate;
Tho' ere the doubtful gift can be secur'd
New wars mult be fuftain'd, new wounds endur'd.
Thro' rough Ierne's camps fhe founds alarms,
And kingdoms yet to be redeem'd by arms,
In the dank marfhes finds her glorious theme,
And plunges after him thro' Boyne's fierce stream.
She bids the Nereids run with trembling hafte
To tell old Ocean how the hero past :
The god rebukes their fear, and owns the praife
Worthy that arm whofe empire he obeys.
Back to his Albion fhe delights to bring
The humbleft victor and the kindest king!
Albion with open triumph would receive
Her hero, nor obtains his leave;
Firm he rejects the altars fhe would raife,
And thanks the zeal while he declines the praife. 245 VOL. I.
Again the follows him thro' Belgia's land,
And countries often fav'd by William's hand;
Hears joyful nations blefs thofe happy toils
Which freed the people, but return'd the spoils.
In various views fhe tries her conftant theme,
Finds him in councils and in arms the fame :
When certain to o'ercome, inclin'd to fave,
Tardy to vengeance, and with mercy brave.
Sudden another fcene employs her fight;
She fets her hero in another light;
Paints his great mind, fuperior to success,
Declining conquest to establish peace;
She brings Aftrea down to earth again,
And Quiet, brooding o'er his future reign.
Then with unweary'd wing the goddess foars
Eaft, over Danube and Propontis' fhores,
Where jarring empires, ready to engage,
Retard their armies, and fufpend their rage;
Till William's word, like that of Fate declares
If they fhall ftudy peace or lengthen wars.
How facred his renown for equal laws,
To whom the world defers its common caufe!
How fair his friendships, and his leagues how juft, Whom ev'ry nation courts, whom all religions trust! XXII.
From the Mæotis to the northern fea The goddess wings her defp'rate way, Sees the young Muscovite, the mighty head, Whofe fov'reign terror forty nations dread, Enamour'd with a greater monarch's praife, And paffing half the earth to his embrace : She in his rule beholds his Volga's force, O'er precipices with impetuous fway Breaking, and as he rolls his rapid courfe, Drowning, or bearing down, whatever meets his way. But her own king the likens to his Thames, With gentle course devolving fruitful streams!
Serene, yet ftrong, majeftic, yet fedate,
Swift without violence, without terror great.
Each ardent nymph the rifing current craves,
Each fhepherd's pray'r retards the parting waves; 285 The vales along the bank their sweets difclose,
Fresh flow'rs for ever rife, and fruitful harvest grows.
Yet whither would th' advent'rous goddess go?
Sees fhe not clouds, and earth, and main below?
Minds the the dangers of the Lycian coaft,
And fields where mad Bellerophon was lost?
Or is her tow'ring flight reclaim'd,
By feas from Icarus' downfal nam'd?
Vain is the call, and ufelefs the advice,
To wife perfuafion deaf and human cries,
Yet upward fhe inceffant flies,
Refolv'd to reach the high empyrean sphere,
And tell great Jove the fings his image here;
To ask for William an Olympic crown,
To Chromius' ftrength, and Theron's fpeed unknown; Till loft in tracklefs fields of thining day,
Unable to difcern the way,
Which Naffau's virtue only could explore,
Untouch'd, unknown, by any mufe before,
She, from the noble precipices thrown,
Comes rufhing with uncommon ruin down :
Glorious attempt! unhappy fate!
The fong too daring, and the theme too great!
Yet rather thus the wills to die,
Than in continu'd annals live to fing
A fecond hero or a vulgar king,
And with ignoble fafety fly
In fight of earth along a middle sky.
To Janus' altars, and the numerous throng
That round his myftic temple prefs,
For William's life and Albion's peace,
Ambitious Mufe reduce the roving fong.
Janus, caft thy forward eye
Future into great Rhea's pregnant womb,
Where young ideas brooding lie,
And tender images of things to come,
Till by thy high commands releas'd,
Till by thy hand in proper atoms drefs'd,
In decent order they advance to light;
Yet then too fwiftly fleet by human fight,
And meditate too foon their everlasting flight.
Not beaks of fhips in naval triumph borne,
Nor ftandards from the hoftile ramparts torn,
Nor trophies brought from battles won,
Nor oaken wreath nor inural crown
Shut then, aufpicious god, thy facred gate,
And make us happy as our king is great:
Be kind, and with a milder hand
Clofing the volume of the finish'd age, (Tho' noble, 'twas an iron page)
A more delightful leaf expand,
Free from alarms and fierce Bellona's rage,
Bid the great Months begin their joyful round,
By Flora fome, and fome by Ceres crown'd :
Teach the glad Hours to fcatter as they fly
Soft quiet, gentle love, and endlefs joy;
Lead forth the Years for peace and plenty fam'd,
From Saturn's rule and better metal nam'd.
Secure by William's care let Britain stand,
Nor dread the bold invader's hand :
From adverfe fhores in fafety let her hear
Foreign calamity and distant war,
Of which let her great Heav'n no portion bear.
Betwixt the nations let her hold the fcale,
And as the wills let either part prevail :
Let her glad vallies fmile with wavy corn,
Let fleecy flocks her rifing hills adorn;
Around her coaft let ftrong defence be spread,
Let fair abundance on her breast be fhed,
And heavenly sweets bloom round the goddess' head. XXVII.
Where the white tow'rs and ancient roofs did stand,
Remains of Wolfey's or great Henry's hand,
Το age now yielding, or devour'd by flame.
Let a young phoenix raife her tow'ring head,
Her wings with lengthen'd honour let her spread,
And by her greatnefs fhow her builder's fame :
Auguft and open, as the hero's mind,
Be her capacious courts defign'd;
Let every facred pillar bear
Trophies of arms, and monuments of war.
The king fhall there in Parth an marble breathe, 370
His fhoulder bleeding fresh; and at his feet
Difarm'd fhall lie the threat'ning Death:
(For fo was faving Jove's decree complete)
Behind, that angel shall be plac'd whose shield
Sav'd Europe, in the blow repell'd:
On the firm bafis, from his oozy bed,
Boyne fhall raise his laureil'd head,
And his immortal stream be known
Artfully waving thro' the wounded stone.
And thou, imperial Windfor, ftand enlarg'd,
With all the monarch's trophies charg'd:
Thou, the fair heav'n that doft the ftars inclofe
Which William's bofom wears, or hand bestows
On the great champions who fupport his throne,
And virtues nearest to his own.
XXIX.
Round Ormond's knee thou ty'ft the myftic ftring,
That makes the knight companion to the king.
From glorious camps return'd, and foreign fields,
Bowing before thy fainted warrior's fhrine,
Faft by his great forefather's coats and shields,
Blazon'd from Bohun's or from Butler's line,
He hangs his arms, nor fears thofe arms should thine
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