XXIII.

He too of Judah, great, as wife,

With Hiram ftrove in merchandize :
Monarchs with monarchs ftruggle for an oar!
That Merchant * finking to his grave,
A flood of treafure fwells the cave;
The king left much, the merchant bury'd more.
XXIV.

Is Merchant an inglorious name?
No; fit for Pindar such a theme,
Too great for me; I pant beneath the weight!
If loud as Ocean's were my voice,

If words and thoughts to court my choice
Out-number'd fands, I could not reach its height.

XXV.

Merchants o'er proudest heroes reign;
Thofe trade in blessing, these in pain,
At flaughter fwell, and fhout, while nations groan:
With purple Monarchs, Merchants vie;

If great to spend, what, to fupply?

Priests pray for bleffings; Merchants pour them down.

XXVI.

Kings, Merchants are in league and love;

Earth's odours pay soft airs above,

That o'er the teeming field prolific range;
Planets are Merchants; take, return,
Luftre and heat; by traffick burn;

The whole Creation is one vait Exchange.

XXVII. Is

* Vaft treasure taken from Solomon's tomb 1300 years

after his death.

YOUNG.

Is Merchant an inglorious name?

What fays the fons of letter'd fame,
Proud of their volumes, fwelling in their cells?
In open life, in change of scene,

Mid various manners, throngs of men,
Experience, Arts, and folid Wisdom dwells.
XXVIII

Trade, Art's mechanick, Nature's stores Well-weighs; to ftarry Science foars: Reads warm in life (dead-colour'd by the pen) The fcites, tongues, interefts, of the ball: Who ftudies Trade, he ftudies all; Accomplish'd Merchants are accomplish'd Men.

STRAIN

STRAIN THE FOURTH.

THE ARGUMENT.

Pindar invoked. His praife. Britain should decline but boldly affert her trade. Encouraged

war;

from the throne: Britain's condition without trade. Trade's character, and furprizing deeds. Carthage. Solomon's temple. St. Paul's church. The mifer's character. The wonderful effects of trade. Why religion recommended to the merchant. What, falfe joy. What, true. What religion is to the merchant. Why trade more glorious in Britons than others. How warmly, and how long, to be pursued by us. The Briton's legacy. Columbus. His praise. America defcribcd. Worlds ftill unknown. Queen Elizabeth. King George the Second. His glory navally reprefented.

I.

HOW fhall I farther roufe the foul?
How Sloth's lafcivious reign control
By verfe with unextinguish'd ardour wrought?
How every breaft inflame with mine?

How bid my theme ftill brighter fhine,
With wealth of words, and unexhaufted thought?

II.

O thou Dircæan swan, on high,

Round whom familiar thunders fly! While Jove attends a language like his own: Thy Spirit pour, like vernal fhowers,

My verfe fhall burft out with the flowers, While Britain's trade advances with her fun.

III. Though

III.

Though Britain was not born to fear,
Grafp not at bloody fame from war;
Nor war decline, if thrones your right invade:
Jove gathers tempeft black as night;

Jove pours the golden flood of light;
Let Britain thunder, or let Britain trade.

IV.

Britain a comet, or aftar,

In commerce this, or that in war,
Let Britons fhout! earth, feas, and skies refound!
Commerce to kindle, raife, preserve,

And spirit dart through every nerve,
Hear from the throne * a voice through time renown'd.

V.

So fall from heaven the vernal showers,

To chear the glebe, and wake the flowers; The bloom call'd forth fees azure fkies difplay'd; The bird of voice is proud to fing, Industrious bees ply every wing,

Diftend their cells, and urge their golden trade.

VI.

Trade once extinguish'd, Britain's fun
Is gone out too; his race is run;
He fhines in vain! her ifle 's an ifle indeed,
A pot too fmall to be o'ercome;

Ah, dreadful fafety! wretched doom!
No foe will conquer what no foe can feed.

* The King's speech.

VII. Trade

VII.

Trades the fource, finew, foul of all: Trade's all herfelf; hers, hers, the ball; Where most unfeen, the goddess still is there;

Trade leads the dance, Trade lights the blaze, The courtier's pomp! the ftudent's ease! 'Twas Trade at Blenheim fought, and clos'd the war. VIII.

What Rome and all her gods defies?

The Punic oar. Behold it rife

And battle for the world! Trade gave the call;

Rich cordial from his naval art

Sent the strong fpirits to his heart, That bid an Afric Merchant grafp the ball.

IX.

Where is, on earth, Jehovah's home?
Trade mark'd the foil, and built the dome,
In which his Majesty first deign'd to dwell;
The walls with filver fheets o'erlaid,
Rich, as the fun, through gold unweigh'd,
Bent the moon'd arch, and bid the column fwell.

X

Grandeur unknown to Solomon !

Methinks the labouring earth should groan,

Beneath yon load : created fure, not made!
Servant and rival of the skies!

Heaven's arch alone can higher rise :

What hand immortal rais'd thee?-Humble Trade.

*St. Paul's, built by the coal-tax.

XI. Where

YOUNG.