The pride

155

Fatal ambition ! say what wondrous charms Delude mankind to toil for thee in arms !

145 When all thy ipoils, thy wreaths in battle won,

of power, and glory of a crown, When all war gives, when all the great can gain, Ev’n thy whole pleasure, pays not half thy pain.

All hail! ye fofter, happier arts of peace, 150 Secur'd from harms, and blest with learned ease ; In battles, blood, and perils hard, unskill'd, Which haunt the warrior in the fatal field; But chief, thee, Goddess Muse! my verse would raise, And to thy own soft numbers tune thy praise ; Happy the youth inspir’d, beneath thy shade, Thy verdant, ever-living laurels laid ! There, safe, no pleafures, there no pains they know, But those which from thy sacred raptures flow, Nor wish for crowns, but what thy groves bestow. Me, nymph divine! nor scorn my

humble

prayer,
Receive unworthy, to thy kinder care,
Doom'd to a gentler, though more lowly, fate,
Nor wishing once, nor knowing to be great;
Me, to thy peaceful haunts, inglorious bring,
Where secret thy celestial sisters sing,
Past by their sacred hill, and sweet Caftalian spring.

But nobler thoughts the victor prince employ,
And raise his heart with high triumphant joy;
From hence a better course of time rolls on, 170
And whiter days successive seem to run.
From hence his kinder fortune seems to date
The rising glories of his future state,

From

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From hence !---But oh ! too soon the hero mourns
His hopes deceiv'd, and war's inconstant turns. 175
In vain, his echoing trumpets loud alarms
Provoke the cold Iberian lords to arms;
Careless of fame, as of their monarch's fate,
In sullen floth supinely proud they sate ;
Or to be saves or free alike prepar’d,

180
And trusting heaven was bound to be their guard,
Untouch'd with shame, the noble strife beheld,
Nor once essay'd to struggle to the field;
But sought in the cold shade, and rural seat,
An unmolested ease and calm retreat :

185
Saw each contending prince's arms advance,
Then with a lazy dull indifference
Turn'd to their rest, and left the world to chance.
So when, commanded by the wife of Jove,
Thaumantian Iris left the realms above,

190
And swift descending on her painted bow,
Sought the dull god of leep in shades below;
Nodding and flow, his drowsy head he rear'd,
And heavily the facred message heard ;
Then with a yawn at once forgot the pain, 195
And funk to his first lloth and indolence again.

But oh, my Mufe ! th' ungrateful toil forsake,
Some task more pleafing to thy numbers take,
Nor choose in melancholy strains to tell
Each harder chance the juster cause befel.
Or rather turn, auspicious turn thy flight,
Where Marlborough's heroic arms invite,
Where highest deeds the poet's breast inspire
With rage divine, and fan the facred fire.

See !

200

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210

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See! where at once Ramillia's noble field

205 Ten thousand themes for living verse fhall yield. See! where at once the dreadful objects rise, At once they spread before my wondering eyes, And shock my labouring foul with vast surprize; At once the wide extended battles moves At once they join, at once their fate they prove. The roar ascends promiscuous ; groans and cries, The drums, the cannons' burst, the shout, supplies One universal anarchy of noise. One din confus’d, found mixt and lost in sound, 215 Echoes to all the frighted cities round. Thick duft and smoke in

wavy

clouds arise, Stain the bright day, and taint the

purer

skies ; While flashing fames like lightening dart between, 220 And fill the horror of the fatal scene. Around the field, all dy'd in purple foam, Hate, fury, and insatiate slaughter roam; Discord with pleasure o'er the ruin treads, And laughing wraps her in her tatter'd weeds;

225 While fierce Bellona thunders in her car, Shakes terrible her steely whip from far, And with new rage revives the fainting war. So when two currents rapid in their course Rush to a point, and meet with equal force, 239 The angry billows rear their heads on high, Dashing aloft the foaming surges fly, And rising cloud the air with misty spry; The raging flood is heard from far to roar, By listening shepherds on the distant shore,

235 While much they fear, what ills it should portend, And wonder why the watery gods contend.

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High in the midst, Britannia's warlike chief,
Too greatly bold, and prodigal of life,
Is seen to press .where death and dangers call,
Where the war bleeds, and where the thickest fall,
He flies, and drives confus'd the fainting Gaul. '
Like heat diffus’d, his great example warms,
And animates the social warriors' arms,
Inflames each colder heart, confirms the bold,

245
Makes the young heroes, and renews the old.
In forms divine around him watchful wait
The guardian genii of the British state;
Justice and Truth his steps unerring guide,
And faithful Loyalty defends his side;

2.50 Prudence and Fortitude their Marlborough guard, And pleasing Liberty his labours chear’d; But chief, the Angel of his Queen was there, The union-cross his filver shield did bear, And in his decent hand he shook a warlike spear. While Victory celestial soars above, Plum'd like the eagle of imperial Jove, Jiangs o’er the chief, whom she delights to bless, And ever arms his sword with sure success, Dooms him the proud oppressor to destroy, 260 Then waves her palm, and claps her wings for joy. Such was young Ammon on Arbela’s plain, Or such the * painter did the hero feign, Where rushing on, and fierce, he seems to ride, With graceful ardor, and majestic pride, With all the gods of Greece and fortune on his side.

Nor long Bavaria's haughty prince in vain Labours the fight unequal to maintain ; * Le Brun.

He

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He sees 'tis doom'd his fatal friend the Gaul
Shall share the shame, and in one ruin fall;

27
Flies from the foe too oft in battle try'd,
And heaven contending on the victor's side ;
Then mourns his rash ambition's crime too late,
And yields reluctant to the force of fate.
So when Æneas, through night's gloomy shade,
The dreadful forms of hostile gods survey'd,
Hopeless he left the burning town and fled :
Saw 'twas in vain to prop declining Troy,
Or fave what heaven had destin'd to destroy.

What vast reward, Europe, shalt thou pay, 280
To him who fav'd thee on this glorious day!
Bless him, ye grateful nations, where he goes,
And heap the victor's laurel on his brows.

In every land, in every city freed,
Let the proud column rear its marble head,
To Marlborough and Liberty decreed;
Rich with his wars, triumphal arches raise,
To teach your wondering fons the hero's praise;
To him your skilful bards their verse shall bring,'
For him the tuneful voice be taught to sing,
The breathing pipe.Shall swell, shall found the trem

bling itring.
O happy thou ! where peace for ever smiles,
Britannia ! noblest of the ocean's illes,
Fair queen! who doft amidst thy waters reign,
And stretch thy empire.o’er the farthest main : 295
What transports in thy parent bofom rollid,
When faine at first the pleasing story told !
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How

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