These grand and gen'ral pow'rs, which Heav'n
An instance of his mercy to Mankind,
Were loft, in storms of diffipation hurl'd,
Nor would he give one hour to bless a world;
Lighter than levity which strides the blast,
And, of the prefent fond, forgets the past,
He chang'd and chang'd, but, ev'ry hope to curse,
Chang'd only from one folly to a worse;
State he refign'd to those whom state could please
Careless of Majefty, his wifh was ease;
Pleasure, and Pleasure only was his aim;
Kings of less Wit might hurt the bubble fame;
Dignity, thro' his reign, was made a sport,
Nor dar'd Decorum fhew her face at Court,
Morality was held a standing jest,
And Faith a necessary fraud at best;
Courtiers, their monarch ever in their view,
Poffefs'd great talents, and abus'd them too;
Whate'er was light, impertinent, and vain,
Whate'er was loose, indecent, and profane,
(So ripe was Folly, Folly to acquit)
Stood all abfolv'd in that poor bauble, WIT.
In gratitude, alas! but little read,
He let his Father's fervants beg their bread,
His Father's faithful fervants, and his own,
To place the foes of both around his throne.
Bad counfels he embrac'd thro' indolence,
Thro' love of ease, and not thro' want of sense;
He saw them wrong, but rather let them go
As right, than take the pains to make them so.
Women
Women rul'd all, and Minifters of State Were for commands at Toilettes forc'd to wait; Women, who have, as Monarchs, grac'd the land, But never govern'd well at Second-hand.
To make all other errors flight appear, In mem❜ry fixd, ftand DUNKIRK and TANGIER; In mem❜ry fix'd fo deep, that Time in vain Shall strive to wipe thole records from the brain, AMBOYNA stands-Gods, that King could hold In fuch high Eftimate, vile, paultry gold,
And of his duty be fo careless found,
That, when the blood of Subjects from the ground
For Vengeance call'd, he should reject their cry,
And brib'd from Honour, lay his thunders by,
Give HOLLAND peace, whilft ENGLISH Victims
groan'd,
And butcher'd fubjects wander'd unaton'd!
O, dear, deep injury to ENGLAND's fame,
To them, to us, to all, to him, deep Shame!
Of all the paffions which from frailty fpring,
Av'rice is that which least becomes a King..
To crown the whole, fcorning the public good,
Which thro' his reign he little understood,
Or little heeded, with too narrow aim
He re-affur'd a Bigot Brother's claim,
And, having made time-serving senates bow,,
Suddenly died, that Brother best knew how.
No matter how he slept amongst the dead, And James his Brother reigned in his ftead
But fuch a reign-so glaring an offence
In ev'ry step 'gainst Freedom, Law, and Sense,
'Gainst all the rights of Nature's gen'ral plan,
'Gainst all which conftitutes an Englishman,
That the Relation would mere fiction feem,
The mock creation of a Poet's dream,
And the poor Bard's would, in this feeptic age,
Appear as false as their Hiftorian's page.
Ambitious Folly feiz'd the feat of Wit,
Christians were forc'd by Bigots to fubmit,
Pride without fenfe, without Religion Zeal,
Made daring inroads on the Common-weal,
Stern Perfecution rais'd her iron rod,
And call'd the pride of Kings, the pow'r of God, Confcience and Fame were facrific'd to ROME, And ENGLAND wept at FREEDOM's facred tomb.
Her laws defpis'd, her Constitution wrench'd From its due, nat'ral frame, her Rights retrench'd Beyond a Coward's fuffrance, Confcience forc'd, And healing Juftice from the Crown divorc'd, Each moment pregnant with vile acts of pow'r, Her patriot BISHOPS fentenc'd to the Tow'r, Her OXFORD (who yet loves the STUART name) Branded with arbitrary marks of fhame, She wept-but wept not long; to arms the flew, At Honour's call th' avenging sword She drew, Turn'd all her terrors on the Tyrant's head, And fent him in despair to beg his bread, Whilst the (may ev'ry State in fuch diftrefs) Dare with fuch zeal, and meet with fuch fuccefs)
Whilft She (may GOTHAM, fhould my abject
Chufe to enflave, rather than free mankind,
Pursue her steps, tear the proud Tyrant down,
Nor let me wear if I abuse the crown)
Whilft She (thro' ev'ry age, in ev'ry land,
Written in gold let REVOLUTION ftand)
Whilft She, fecur'd in Liberty and Law,
Found what she fought, a Saviour in NASSAU.
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