While Alfred's name, the father of his age, And the Sixth Edward's grace th' historick page. 165 B. True. While they live. the courtly laureat pays His quit-rent ode, his peppercorn of praise; 110 And inɩny a dunce, whose fingers itch to write, A subject's faults a subject may proclaim, A monarch's errors are forbidden game! 1:5 120 125 And Death awakens from that dream too late. Oh! if Servility with supple knees, Whose trade it is to smile, to crouch, to please; If smooth Dissimulation, skill'd to grace 130 A devil's purpose with an angel's face ; To be suspected, thwarted, and withstood, 135 140 To see a band call'd patriot for no cause, 145 150 (For what kings deem'd a toil, as well they may, 155 To him is relaxation and mere play,) To win no praise, when well-wrought plans prevail, But to be rudely censur'd when they fail; To doubt the love his fav'rites may pretend, 160 If he indulge a cultivated taste, His gall'ries with the works of art well grac'd, dwelt On situations that they never felt, 165 Start up sagacious, cover'd with the dust 170 Of dreaming study and pedantick rust, And prate and preach about what others prove, As if the world and they were hand and glove. Leave kingly backs to cope with kingly cares; They have their weight to carry, subjects theirs; 175 Poets, of all men, ever least regret Increasing taxes, and the nation's debt. Could you contrive the payment, and rehearse The mighty plan, oracular in verse, No bard, nowe'er majestick, old or new, 190 135 A. Vouchsafe, at least, to pitch the key of rhyme 190 Patriots, who love good places at their hearts; When admirals extoll'd for standing still, Or doing nothing with a deal of skill; Gen'rals who will not conquer when they may, Firm friends to peace, to pleasure, and good pay; 195 Or tell me, if you can, what pow'r maintains A Briton's scorn of arbitrary chains? 200 That were a theme might animate the dead, And move the lips of poets cast in lead. B. The cause, tho' worth the search, may yet eludu Conjecture and remark, however shrewd. 205 They take perhaps a well-directed aim, Who seck it in his climate and his frame. Lib'ral in all things else, yet Nature here With stern severity deals out the year. 210 215 His form robust and of elastick tone, 220 A mind well lodg'd, and masculine of course, And keeps alive his fierce but noble fires. He bears it with meek manliness of soul 225 To him that treads upon his free-born toe; One step beyond the bound'ry of the laws Fires him at once in Freedom's glorious cause. Thus proud prerogative, not much rever'd, 230 Is seldom felt, though sometimes seen and heard ; And in his cage, like parrot fine and gay, Is kept to strut, look big, and talk away. Not form'd like us, with such Herculean powr's, 235 The Frenchman, easy, debonair, and brisk, Give him his lass, his fiddle, and his frisk, Is always happy, reign whoever may, And laughs the sense of mis'ry far away. He drinks his simple bev'rage with a gust; 240 And, feasting on an onion and a crust, With which he shouts and carols Vive le Roi ! 245 : ! 250 And fill with discontent a British isle. A Freeman and slave, then, if the case be such, Stand on a level; and you prove too much : 255 If all men indiscriminately share His fost'ring power, and tutelary care, As well be yok'd by Despotism's hard, As dwell at large in Britain's charter'd land. B. No. Freedom has a thousand charms to show, 260 That slaves, howe'er contented, never know. The mind attains beneath her happy reign The growth, that Nature meant she should attain; Op'ning, and wider op'ning, on her view, 265 She ventures onward with a prosp'rous force, While no base fear impedes her in her course. Religion, richest favour of the skies, Stands most reveal'd before the freeman's eyes; No shades of superstition blot the day, 270 The soul emancipated, unoppress'd, Free to prove all things, and hold fast the best, Learns much; and to a thousand list'ning minds 275 Communicates with joy the good she finds; 280 285 O Liberty! the pris'ners pleasing dream, 200 Lost without thee th' ennobling pow'rs of verse; Heroick song from thy free touch acquires |