Their fellow-image of the self-same God,
Would ponder deeply in their thoughtful breasts,
That he who dares unsheath the murderous blade
Must wait the conqueror's will to sheath the same!
Then come intreaties with their pallid hue,
And limping penitence that would forget
Its numerous wrongs; then admonition stalks
With frequent vestige o'er the self-same ground,
And talks of life's uncertainty and chance,
And changeful lot of man, and the best views
Of hope obscur'd; then too are Fate and Heaven
Oft blam'd for human errours; but Fate dwells
In acts o'er-past, and gone, and by those acts
Would with maternal care instruct mankind
To shun the future evil, but her care
Is thro' ambition, and audacious hope,
Too often slighted for apparent good.
Thus now the Britons; but Columbia's chief
No sooner heard the message, than as when
The heavenly spirit breathes upon the storm
Instant the angry waves in silence hush'd
Subside their swollen tumours, and in peace
Playful reflect the dazzling eye of day;
So now the chieftain rais'd his awful voice,
Increas'd by Freedom and by Virtue's aid,
And lull'd the billows of the raging war.
Thus virtue ever spares the humbled foe
And 'fore the throne of mercy lowly bends.
Scarce had the joyful echoes back return'd
The gladdening sound, when Terrour's grisly King,
Not yet recover'd from his savage joy
O'er fallen Laurens, turn'd his pallid jaws
Toward the peace-giver, and with a shriek
That shook Columbia's summits, moan'd his loss 615 Of human banquets, and his weaken'd power; Then fled to fever'd Java, his lov'd isle,
Where frequent sits the monarch thron'd in state.
So loud he shriek'd that even distant Sin,
Where in the western Ind the monster-form
Sat bartering human blood for fleeting gold,
Heard the dread sound, and with new tremours shook
Prognostick of decay; nor even Sleep
Not heard his brother's voice, from where he lay
Snoring in Dehli's towers, but scarce arous'd, 625
Rubb'd his dull lids, and listless dropp'd again.
But ccase, my soul! thus harassing thyself,
To sing of Britons vanquish'd; 'tis their cause,
Not they which are subdued: Britons engag'd
In freedom's righteous aid, not all the earth
Risen in arms could shame by base defeat;
But when Ambition with her iron rod
Urge them to battle, then foul rout ensues,
And discord and dismay pervade their breasts.
Thus then it is, thus may it ever be
With those who do to others what themselves
Would not be done unto. Thus too it is
With man, when wisdom governs not the state,
The people, soon or late, will see their fault,
And with imperious voice demand reform.
So well, and true, Philosophy hath said,
Those nations only can be govern'd right,
Where kings are wise, or wisdom's sons are kings.
But cease, my Muse! And greet the approaching goal
Of rest to thee, of happiness to man.
645
Henceforth the reign of Peace throughout the world
643. Where kings are wise, &c.-Both sacred and profane writers seem to vie with each other in inculcating this senti ment. "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth," was the exclamation of the Psalmist: (Ps. ii. x.) and the prayer of the wisest of men was-" Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that in before this people; for who can judge this people, that is may go out and come so great? And God said to Solomon; Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king;. wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee." 2 Chron. i. 10-12. See I Kings, íii. 9—12. In truth" Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding." Prov. iv. 7. And such was the constant prayer of David. Ps. cxix. 34. 125. 144. 169. The heathen writings are full of the same sentiments, but the passage in the text refers to the celebrated maxim of Plato, lib. vi. de Repub. mentioned by Cicerą, lib. i. ep. i. ad Q. fratr. This maxim is well applied by Plutarch in his Life of Numa, where he observes "that mankind have but one means of cessation and liberation from evils; and that is, when the kingly power shall, thro' some divine chance, be combined with the intellectual endowments of the philosopher, and thus make virtue predominant, and superiour to vice." Sect. 20. Our learned countryman Blackstone has profited by this wisdom; "In general," says he, “all mankind will agree that government should be reposed in such persons, in whom those qualities are most likely to be found, the perfection of which is among the attributes of him who is emphatically styled the Supreme Being; the three grand requisites, I mean, of wisdom, of goodness, and of power: wisdom to discern the real interest of the community; goodness, to endeavour always to pursue that real interest; and strength or power, to carry this knowledge and intention into action. These are the natural foundations of sovereignty, and these are the requisites that ought to be found in every well-constituted frame of government." Blackstone, Introd. sect. ii. p. 48.
Shines undisturb'd, save by some senseless few,
Who urg'd by envy, or ambition's curse,
Will for a time disturb the joyful earth;
But Fate, and dire Necessity have chain'd
By links of adamant to narrow space
Their power to harm, and all their future wars
Will, like the dying culprit's struggling pangs,
Show their approaching end. Hail blessed Peace!
Daughter of Justice, hail! Thou art to man, 655
Freedom except, the best of Heaven's gifts;
Thou mak'st the earth, with laughing verdure clad,
Gladden the human heart; thou mak'st the sea
Smile o'er its barren waves with plenty crown'd,
While the blest skies reflect the double joys
Of sea and earth. O! had mankind but known
One half the blessings that thy train infolds;
Had they but known that 'tis alone to thee
That Wisdom owes, and, Wisdom's parent, Truth,
Their brightest rays; that universal love
And charity, heaven's portals, are alone
Open'd by thee to men; that freedom shines
Then with her purest lustre, when by thee
Attended, o'er the joyful heads of men
She wings her heavenly flight, and pours around 670
Celestial fragrance, and immortal joys;
O! had mankind but known the least of these,
Thy various gifts; then had they ceas'd to stain
The earth, like beasts of prey, with human blood.
Then hadst thou here remain'd, nor, driven from
Again thy refuge sought near that great Power
Who dwells in darkness midst the abyss of light.
But great as is thy worth, so gratitude
As great is due to him, who brought thee down
From thy blest mansion here to dwell with us
Poor feeble men, who crawl our path to death
The creatures of a day-a shadow's dream.
But gratitude is not; her place is fill'd
By livid envy. Yes! Great Washington,
Thee did the serpent hiss, and hiss'd applause. 685
Envy's the meed of greatness, which the bad
Ne'er fail bestowing on superiour worth ;
Even the Muse is envied, much more Thou.
But malice brings its bane, and antidote,
With the same hand, and indignation's voice
When virtue is attack'd, like thunder's peal,
Howls o'er malignity's devoted head,
And scattering far and wide the clouds of evil,
Gives to the blaze of patriotick worth
A clearer, and a purer atmosphere.
But now had war scarce ceas'd his horrid din,
685. Thee did the serpent hiss,-In addition to what has already been quoted upon this subject in the note, b. i. ver. 264, the reader may consult the following pages of the fifth volume of the Life of Washington, 189-193. 251-2. 414. 513, where Washington, in a letter to general Lee, expresses his own sentiments upon this subject.
"With equal virulence, the military and political character of the president was attacked, and he was averred to be totally destitute of merit either as a soldier or a statesman. The calumnies with which he was assailed, were not confined to his public conduct; even his qualities as a man were the subjects of detraction, &c." Life of W. v. 716-8. 755.
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