Say, Royal Sir, by all your fame in arms,
Your praise in peace, and by Urania's charms,
If all your suff'rings past so nearly prest,

1100

Or pierc'd with half so painful grief your breast?
Thus some diviner Muse her hero forms,
Not sooth'd with soft delights, but toss'd in storms;
Nor stretch'd on roses in the myrtle grove, 1106
Nor crowns his days with mirth, his nights with love;
But far remov'd in thund'ring camps is found,
His slumbers short, his bed the herbless ground;
In tasks of danger always seen the first,
Feeds from the hedge, and slakes with ice his thirst:
Long must his patience strive with Fortune's rage,
And long opposing gods themselves engage,
Must see his country flame, his friends destroy'd,
Before the promis'd empire be enjoy'd:

1110

1115

Such toil of fate must build a man of fame,
And such to Isr'el's crown the godlike David came.

What sudden beams dispel the clouds so fast,
Whose drenching rains laid all our vineyards waste?
The Spring, so far behind her course delay'd, 1120
On th' instant is in all her bloom array'd;
The winds breathe low, the element serene,
Yet mark what motion in the waves is seen!
Thronging and busy as Hyblæan swarms,

Or straggled soldiers summon'd to their arms, 1125
See where the princely bark in loosest pride,
With all her guardian fleet, adorns the tide.

High on her deck the Royal lovers stand,

Our crimes to pardon ere they touch'd our land.
Welcome to Isr'el and to David's breast!

1135

1130 Here all your toils, here all your suff'rings, rest, This year did Ziloah rule Jerusalem, And boldly all sedition's syrtes stem, Howe'er incumber'd with a viler pair Than Ziph or Shimei to assist the chair; Yet Ziloah's loyal labours so prevail'd, That faction at the next election tail'd, When e'en the common cry did Justice sound, And Merit by the multitude was crown'd: With David then was Isr'el's peace restor❜d, Crowds mourn'd their error, and obey'd their lord.

1149

A POEM.

IN THREE PARTS.

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.

THE nation is in too high a ferment for me to expect either fair war, or even so much as fair quarter, from a reader of the opposite party. All men are engaged either on this side or that; and tho' Conscience is the common word which is given by both, yet if a writer fall among enemies, and cannot give the marks of their conscience, he is knocked down before the reasons of his own are heard. A Preface, therefore, which is but a bespeaking of favour, is altogether useless. What I desire the reader should know concerning me he will find in the body of the Poem, if he have but the patience to peruse it; only this advertisement let him take beforehand, which relates to the merits of the cause. No general characters of parties (call them either sects or churches) can be so fully and exactly drawn as to comprehend all the several members of them, at least all such as are received under that denomination. For example, there are some of the church by law established, who envy not liberty of conscience to Dissenters; as being well sa

tisfied that, according to their own principles, they ought not to persecute them: yet these, by reason of their fewness, I could not distinguish from the numbers of the rest, with whom they are embodied in one common name. On the other side, there are many of our sects, and more indeed than I could reasonably have hoped, who have withdrawn themselves from the communion of the Panther, and embraced this gracious indulgence of his Majesty in point of toleration : but neither to the one nor the other of these is this Satire any way intended; it is aimed only at the refractory and disobedient on either side: for those who are come over to the royal party are, consequently, supposed to be out of gun-shot. Our physicians have observed that, in process of time, some diseases have abated of their virulence, and have in a manner worn out their malignity, so as to be no longer mortal; and why may not I suppose the same concerning some of those who have formerly been enemies to kingly government as well as catholic religion? I hope they have now another notion of both, as having found, by comfortable experience, that the doctrine of persecution is far from being an article of our faith.

It is not for any private man to censure the proceedings of a foreign prince; but, without suspicion of flattery, I may praise our own, who has taken contrary measures, and those more suitable to the spirit of Christianity. Some of the Dissenters, in their ad

dresses to his Majesty, have said, " That he has re"stored God to his empire over conscience." I confess I dare not stretch the figure to so great a boldness; but I may safely say, that conscience is the royalty and prerogative of every private man. He is absolute in his own breast, and accountable to no earthly power for that which passes only betwixt God and him. Those who are driven into the fold are, generally speaking, rather made hypocrites than converts.

This indulgence being granted to all the sects, it ought in reason to be expected that they should both receive it, and receive it thankfully: for, at this time of day, to refuse the benefit, and adhere to those whom they have esteemed their persecutors, what is it else but publicly to own that they suffered not before for conscience' sake, but only out of pride and obstinacy, to separate from a church for those impositions which they now judge may be lawfully obeycd? After they have so long contended for their Classical ordination (not to speak of rites and cercmonies) will they at length submit to an Episcopal ? If they can go so far out of complaisance to their old enemies, methinks a little reason should persuade them to take another step, and see whither that would lead them.

Of the receiving this toleration thankfully, I shall say no more than that they ought, and I doubt not they will, consider from what hand they received it.