Here taught how ancient heroes rose to fame, Our Britons crowd, and catch the Roman flame, Where states and fenates well might lend an ear, And kings and priests without a blush appear.
France boasts no more, but, fearful to engage, Now firft pays homage to her rival's stage, Haftes to learn thee, and learning shall submit Alike to British arms, and British wit: No more fhe 'll wonder, forc'd to do us right, Who think like Romans, could like Romans fight. Thy Oxford smiles this glorious work to fee, And fondly triumphs in a fon like thee.
The fenates, confuls, and the gods of Rome, Like old acquaintance at their native home, In thee we find each deed, each word expreft, And every thought that swell'd a Roman breast, We trace each hint that could thy foul inspire With Virgil's judgement, and with Lucan's fire; We know thy worth, and, give us leave to boast, We most admire, because we know thee most.
HEN Brunswick first appear'd, each honest heart, Intent on verfe, disdain'd the rules of art;
For him the songsters, in unmeasur'd odes, Debas'd Alcides, and dethron'd the gods, In golden chains the kings of India led, Or rent the turban from the fultan's head.
One, in old fables, and the pagan strain,
With nymphs and tritons, wafts him o'er the main; Another draws fierce Lucifer in arms,
And fills th' infernal region with alarms ; A third awakes fome druid, to foretel Each future triumph, from his dreary cell. Exploded fancies! that in vain deceive,
While the mind nauseates what fhe can't believe. My Mufe th' expected hero shall pursue From clime to clime, and keep him still in view; His fhining march describe in faithful lays, Content to paint him, nor prefume to praise ; Their charms, if charms they have, the truth supplies, And from the theme unlabour'd beauties rise.
By longing nations for the throne defign'd, And call'd to guard the rights of human-kind; With fecret grief his god-like foul repines, And Britain's crown with joyless luftre fhines, While prayers and tears his deftin'd progress stay, And crowds of mourners choke their fovereign's way. Not fo he march'd, when hoftile squadrons stood In fcenes of death, and fir'd his generous blood; When his hot courfer paw'd th' Hungarian plain, And adverfe legions stood the shock in vain. His frontiers past, the Belgian bounds he views, And cross the level fields his march pursues. Here pleas'd the land of freedom to survey, He greatly fcorns the thirst of boundless fway. O'er the thin foil, with filent joy, he spies Transplanted woods, and borrow'd verdure rise ;
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Where every meadow won with toil and blood, From haughty tyrants and the raging flood, With fruit and flowers the careful hind supplies, And clothes the marshes in a rich disguise, Such wealth for frugal hands doth heaven decree, And fuch thy gifts, celestial Liberty !
Through stately towns, and many a fertile plain, The pomp advances to the neighbouring main, Whole nations croud around with joyful cries, And view the hero with infatiate eyes.
In Haga's towers he waits, till eastern gales Propitious rife to fwell the British fails,
Hither the fame of England's monarch brings The vows and friendships of the neighbouring kings; Mature in wisdom, his extenfive mind
Takes in the blended interefts of mankind,
The world's great patriot. Calm thy anxious breaft, Secure in him, O Europe, take thy rest ;
Henceforth thy kingdoms fhall remain confin'd By rocks or freams, the mounds which heaven defign'd; The Alps their new-made monarch shall restrain, Nor fhall thy hills, Pirene, rife in vain.
But fee! to Britain's ifle the fquadrons stand, And leave the finking towers, and leffening land. The royal bark bounds o'er the floating plain, Breaks through the billows, and divides the main. O'er the vast deep, great monarch, dart thine eyes, A watery prospect bounded by the skies : Ten thousand veffels, from ten thousand fhores, Bring gums and gold, and either India's flores:
Behold the tributes haftening to thy throne, And fee the wide horizon all thy own.
Still is it thine; though now the chearful crew Hail Albion's cliffs; just whitening to the view. Before the wind with fwelling fails they ride, Till Thames receives them in his opening tide. The monarch hears the thundering peals around, From trembling woods and echoing hills rebound; Nor miffes yet, amid the deafening train, The roarings of the hoarfe-refounding main. As in the flood he fails, from either fide He views his kingdom in its rural pride; A various fcene the wide-spread landskip yields, O'er rich inclofures and luxuriant fields; A lowing herd each fertile pafture fills,
And distant flocks firay o'er a thousand hills. Fair Greenwich hid in woods with new delight, Shade above fhade, now rifes to the fight: His woods ordain'd to vifit every shore, And guard the island which they grac'd before. The fun now rolling down the western way, A blaze of fires renews the fading day; Unnumber'd barks the regal barge enfold, Brightening the twilight with its beamy gold; Lefs thick the finny fhoals, a countless fry, Before the whale or kingly dolphin fly. In one vaft fhout he feeks the crowded strand, And in a peal of thunder gains the land. Welcome, great stranger, to our longing eyes,
Oh! king defir'd, adopted Albion cries.
For thee the Eaft breath'd out a profperous breeze, Bright were the funs, and gently fwell'd the feas. Thy presence did each doubtful heart compose, And factions wonder'd that they once were foes. That joyful day they loft each hoftile name, The fame their aspect, and their voice the same. So two fair twins, whofe features were defign'd At one foft moment in the mother's mind, Show each the other with reflected grace, And the fame beauties bloom in either face; The puzzled ftrangers which is which enquire ; Delufion grateful to the fmiling fire.
From that fair * hill, where hoary fages boaft To name the stars, and count the heavenly host, By the next dawn doth great Augusta rise,
Proud town! the nobleft fcene beneath the skies. O'er Thames her thousand spires their lustre shed, And a vast navy hides his ample bed, A floating foreft. From the distant strand A line of golden carrs ftrikes o'er the land: Britannia's peers in pomp and rich array, Before their king, triumphant, lead the way. Far as the eye can reach, the gaudy train, A bright proceffion, fhines along the plain.
So, haply, through the heaven's wide pathless ways
A comet draws a long extended blaze;
From east to west burns through the ethereal frame, And half heaven's convex glitters with the flame.
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