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The tame, war-trading Belgian fled,

While in his caufe the Briton bled:

The Gaul flood wond'ring at his own fuccefs; Oft did his hardieft bands their wonted fears confefs, Struck with difmay, and meditating flight; While the brave foe ftill urg'd th' unequal fight, While WILLIAM, with his Father's ardour fir'd, Through all th' undaunted hoft the generous flame infpir'd!

V.

But heavier far the weight of fhame

That funk Britannia's naval fame:

In vain she spreads her once-victorious fails;
Or fear, or rafhnefs, in her chiefs prevails;
And wildly thefe prevent, thofe bafely fhun the fight;
Content with humble praise, the foe

Avoids the long impending blow;

Improves the kind escape, and triumphs in his flight.

VI.

The monstrous age, which ftill increafing years debafe, Which teems with unknown crimes, and genders new disgrace, Firft, unrestrained by honour, faith, or fhame,

Confounding every facred name,

The hallow'd nuptial bed with lawless luft profan'd:
Deriv'd from this polluted fource

The dire corruption held its course

Through the whole canker'd race, and tainted all the land.

VII. The

VII.

The rip'ning maid is vers'd in every dangerous art,
That ill adorns the form while it corrupts the heart:
Practis'd to drefs, to dance, to play,

In wanton mask to lead the way,

To move the pliant limbs, to roll the luring eye;
With folly's gayeft partizans to vye

In empty

noife and vain expence ;

To celebrate with flaunting air

The midnight revels of the fair;

Studious of ev'ry praise, but virtue, truth, and fenfe.

VIII.

Thus leffon'd in intrigue her early thought improves,
Nor meditates in vain forbidden loves :

Soon the gay nymph in Cyprus' train shall rove
Free and at large amidst th' Idalian grove;

Or haply jealous of the voice of fame,

Mask'd in the matron's fober name,
With many a well-diffembled wile

The kind, convenient husband's care beguile :
More deeply vers'd in Venus' mystic lore,
Yet for fuch meaner arts too lofty and fublime,
The proud, high-born, patrician whore,

Bears unabash'd her front; and glories in her crime.

IX.

Hither from city and from court

The votaries of love refort;

B 3

The

The rich, the great, the gay, and the fevere;
The penfion'd architect of laws;

The patriot, loud in virtue's cause ;
Proud of imputed worth, the peer:

Regardless of his faith, his country, or his name,
He pawns his honour and estate;

Nor reckons at how dear a rate

He purchases disease, and servitude, and shame.

X.

Not from fuch daftard fires, to every virtue loft,
Sprung the brave youth which Britain once could boaft;
Who curb'd the Gaul's ufurping sway,

Who fwept th' unnumber'd hosts away,
In Agincourt, and Creffy's glorious plain;
Who dy'd the feas with Spanish blood,

Their vainly-vaunted fleets fubdu'd,

And spread the mighty wreck o'er all the vanquifh'd main

XI.

No;-'twas a generous race, by worth tranfmiffive known ;
In their bold breaft their fathers fpirit glow'd:
In their pure veins rheir mothers virtue flow'd:
They made hereditary praise their own.
The fire his emulous offspring led
The rougher paths of fame to tread ;
The matron train'd their spotless youth
In honour, fanctity, and truth;

Form'd by th' united parents care,

'The fons, tho' bold, were wife; the daughters chafte, tho' fair.

XII. How

XII.

How Time, all-wafting, ev'n the worst impairs,
And each foul age to dregs ftill fouler runs!

Our fires, more vicious ev'n than theirs,
Left us, ftill more degenerate heirs,

To spawn a bafer brood of monfter-breeding fons.

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WH

The happy gardens of Adonis lay :

There Time, well pleas'd to wonne, a youth beseems. Ne yet his wings were fledg'd, ne locks were grey; Round him in sweet accord the Seasons play With fruits and bloffoms meint, in goodly gree; And dancing hand in hand rejoice the lea. Sick gardens now no mortal wight can see, Ne mote they in my simple verse descriven be.

II.

The temper'd clime full many a tree affords ;
Those many trees blufh forth with ripen'd fruite;
The blushing fruite to feast invites the birds;
The birds with plenteous feafts their ftrength recruite;

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And warble fongs more fweet than fhepherd's flute,
The gentle stream that roll'd the ftones among,
Charm'd with the place, almost forgot its fuite;
But lift'ning and refponding to the fong,
Loit'ring, and winding often, murmured elong.
III.

Here Panacea, here Nepenthe grew,
Here Polygon, and each ambrofial weed;
Whofe vertues could decayed-health renew,
And, answering exhaufted nature's need,
Mote eath a mortal to immortal feed.
Here lives Adonis in unfading youth;
Celestial Venus grants him that rich meed,
And him fucceflive evermore renew'th,
In recompence for all his faithful love and truth.

IV.

Not fhe, I ween, the wanton queen of love,
All buxom as the waves from whence the rose,
With her twin fons, who idly round her rove,
One Eros hight, the other Anteros;
Albeit brothers, different as foes:

This fated, fullen, apt for bickerment;

That hungry, eager, fit for derring-does.

That flies before, with fcorching flames ybrent;

This foll'wing douts thofe flames with peevish discontent.

V. Celestial

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