Oh, Tallard! once I did thy chains deplore,
But envy now the fate I mourn'd before;
By bondage blefs'd, protected by the foe,
You live contented with one overthrow;
Her captive, Britain kindly kept away
From the difgrace of the last fatal day.
How does my fall the haughty victor raise,
And join divided nations in his praise;
Grateful Germania unknown titles frames,
And CHURCHILL writes amongst her fov'reign names.
Part of her states obey a British lord,
Small part of the great empire he restor❜d.
From the proud Spaniard he extorts applause,
And rivals with the Dutch their great Naffaus.
'In ev'ry language are his battles known,
The Swede and Pole for his, despise their own.
A thoufand fects in him their fafety place,
And our own faints are thank'd for our disgrace.
England alone, and that fome pleasure gives,
Envies herself the bleffings fhe receives.
My grief each place renews where-e'er I go,
> And ev'ry art contributes to my woe;
Ramillia's plain each painter's pencil yields,
Bavaria flies in all their canvas fields:
On me, young poets their rude lays indite,
And on my forrows practise how to write;
I in their fcenes with borrow'd paffion rage,
And act a fhameful part on ev'ry stage,
In Flandria will the tale be ever told,
Nor will it grow, with ever telling, old:
The lifping infants will their MARLBRO raife,
And their new speech grow plainer in his praise ;
His story will employ their middle years,
And in their latest age recall their fears,
While to their children's children they relate
The bufinefs of a day, their country's fate:
Then lead them forth, their thoughts to entertain,
And fhew the wond'ring youth Ramillia's plain;
'Twas here they fought, the houshold fled that way,
And this the spot where MARLBRO proftrate lay.
Here they, perhaps, shall add Bavaria's name,
Cenfure his courage, and his conduct blame :
'Tis falfe, 'tis falfe, I did not bafely yield,
I left indeed, but left a bloody field :
Believe not, future ages, ne'er believe
The vile afperfions which these wretches give;
If you too far my injur'd honour try,
Take heed, my ghost, it will, it shall, be nigh,
Rife in his face, and give the flave the lie.
Why should the stars thus on Britannia smile,
And partial bleffings crown the fav'rite ifle?
Holland does her for their great founder own;
Britannia gave to Portugal a crown:
Twice by her queens does proud Iberia fall;
Her Edwards and her Henrys conquer'd Gaul :
The Swede her arms from late oppreffion freed,
And if he dares opprefs, will curb the Swede.
She, from herself, decides her neighbours fates,
Refcues by turns, by turns fubdues their states;
In the wide globe no part could nature ftretch
Beyond her arms, and out of Britain's reach :
Who fear'd, fhe e'er could have Bavaria feen ?
Such realms, and kingdoms, hills, and feas between ?
Yet there, oh fad remembrance of my woe!
Diftant Bavaria does her triumphs fhow.
Proud ftate! must Europe lie at thy command,
No prince without thee rife, without thee ftand!
What share? what part is thine of all the spoil ?
Thine only is the hazard and the toil.
An empire thou haft fav'd and all its ftates,
Iberia's realms have felt feverer fates :
What wou'dft thou more? ftill do thy arms advance ?
Heav'n knows what doom thou haft referv'd for France!
From whofe wife care does all the treasure rife,
That flaughter'd hofts and shatter'd fleets fupplies?
From whence fuch boundless conqueft does the reap,
Purchas'd with all her boasted millions cheap?
O blefs'd! oh envy'd'QUEEN! that does command
At such a time, in fuch a happy land;
Great in her armies and her pow'rful fleet!
Great in her treasures! in her triumphs great!
But greater ftill! and what we envy most,
That can a MARLBRO for her subject boast !
Oh, Gallia! from what fplendors art thou hurl'd ?
The terror once of all the western world;
Thy spreading map each year did-larger grow,
New mountains ftill did rife, new rivers flow;
But now furrounded by thy ancient mounds,
Doft inward fhrink from thy new-conquer'd bounds.
Why did not nature, far from MARLBRO'S Worth,
In diftant ages bring her Louis forth?
Each uncontroal'd had conquer'd worlds alone,
Happy, for Europe, they together fhone.
Ceafe! Louis, ceafe! from wars and flaughter cease!
Oh! fue at laft, 'tis time to fue, for peace!
Urge not too far your twice unhappy fate,
Nor MARLBRO's ftronger arm confefs too late :
Who never camps nor rough encounters faw,
Can no juft image of the hero draw:
He must, alas! that MARLBRO truly knows,
Face him in battle, and whole armies lofe.
Believe me, Sir, on my unwilling breaft,
Fate has his virtues one by one impreft:
With what a force our Schellemberg he storm'd ?
And Blenheim's battle with what conduct form'd ?
How great his vigilance; how quick his thought;
What his contempt of death, Ramillia taught.
These nature cool for peace and counsel forms,
For battle those with rage and fury warms;
But to her fav'rite Britain does impart
The cooleft head at once and warmeft heart;
So does Sicilia's lofty mountains show
Flames in her bofom, on her head the fnow.
My youth with flatt'ring smiles did Fortune crown,
The more feverely on my age to frown?
Of Pleafure's endless stores I drank my fill,
Officious Nature waited on my will;
The Auftrian refcu'd, and the Turk o'erthrown,
Europe and Afia fill'd with my renown:
Blafted are all my glories and my fame,
Loft is my country and illuftrious name;
The titles from their present lord are torn,
Which my great ancestors fo long had borne ;
No native honours fhall my offspring grace,
The laft elector with a num❜rous race.
Half my unhappy fubjects lost by wars,
The reft for a worfe fate the victor fpares :
Were they for this entrusted to my care?
This the reward the brave, the faithful share ?
My fons lament, in diftant dungeons thrown,
Unacted crimes, and follies not their own;
But oh! my comfort! my o'er-flowing eyes
'Gufh forth with tears, and all my forrows rife,
While the dear tender exile I bemoan;
Oh royal bride! oh daughter of a throne!
Not thus I promis'd when I fought thy bed,
Thou didst the brave, the great Bavaria wed:
Curst be ambition! curft the thirft of pow'r!
| And curft that once-lov'd title Emperor !
VOL. V.
|