While in the land of liberty, the land

Whose every street and public meeting glow
With open freedom, little tyrants raged:

Snatched the lean morsel from the starving mouth.
Tore from cold wintry limbs the tattered weed;
Even robbed them of the last of comforts, sleep;
The free-born Briton to the dungeon chained,
Or, as the lust of cruelty prevailed,

At pleasure marked him with inglorious stripes;
And crushed out lives, by secret barbarous ways,
That for their country would have toiled, or bled.
O great design! if executed well,

With patient care, and wisdom-tempered zeal.
Ye sons of mercy! yet resume the search;
Drag forth the legal monsters into light,
Wrench from their hands oppression's iron rod,
And bid the cruel feel the pains they give.
Much still untouched remains; in this rank age,
Much is the patriot's weeding hand required.
The toils of law, (what dark insidious men
Have cumbrous added to perplex the truth,
And lengthen simple justice into trade)
How glorious were the day that saw these broke,
And every man within the reach of right!

By wintry famine roused, from all the tract
Of horrid mountains which the shining Alps,
And wavy Apennine, and Pyrenees,
Branch out stupendous into distant lands-
Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave!

Burning for blood! bony, and gaunt, and grim!

All human passions. Following him, I see,
As at Thermopyla he glorious fell,

The firm devoted chief, who proved by deeds.
The hardest lesson which the other taught.
Then Aristides lifts his honest front;

Spotless of heart, to whom the unflattering voice
Of freedom gave the noblest name of Just;
In pure majestic poverty revered;
Who, even his glory to his country's weal
Submitting, swelled a haughty rival's fame.1
Reared by his care, of softer ray, appears
Cimon sweet-souled; whose genius, rising strong,
Shook off the load of young debauch; abroad
The scourge of Persian pride, at home the friend
Of every worth and every splendid art—
Modest, and simple, in the pomp of wealth.
Then the last worthies of declining Greece,
Late-called to glory, in unequal times,
Pensive, appear. The fair Corinthian boast,
Timoleon, tempered happy, mild and firm,
Who wept the brother while the tyrant bled.2
And, equal to the best, the Theban pair,
Whose virtues, in heroic concord joined,
Their country raised to freedom, empire, fame.3
He too, with whom Athenian honour sunk,

1 Themistocles.

2 Timophanes, the tyrant of Corinth, slain by his Lrother Timoleon, who conspired against him to release the country from his rule.

3 Pelopidas and Epaminondas.

And left a mass of sordid lees behind,
Phocion the Good; in public life severe,
To virtue still inexorably firm;

But when, beneath his low illustrious roof,

Sweet peace and happy wisdom smoothed his brow,
Not friendship softer was, nor love more kind.
And he, the last of old Lycurgus' sons,
The generous victim to that vain attempt,
To save a rotten state, Agis, who saw
Even Sparta's self to servile avarice sunk.
The two Achæan heroes close the train :
Aratus, who awhile relumed the soul
Of fondly lingering liberty in Greece;
And he her darling as her latest hope,
The gallant Philopomen, who to arms.
Turned the luxurious pomp he could not cure;
Or, toiling in his farm, a simple swain ;
Or, bold and skilful, thundering in the field.
Of rougher front, a mighty people come !
A race of heroes! in those virtuous times
Which knew no stain, save that with partial flame
Their dearest country they too fondly loved.
Her better founder first, the light of Rome,
Numa, who softened her rapacious sons.
Servius, the king who laid the solid base
On which o'er earth the vast republic spread.
Then the great consuls venerable rise.

The public father who the private quelled
As on the dread tribunal sternly sad.1

He whom his thankless country could not lose.
Camillus, only vengeful to her foes.
Fabricius, scorner of all-conquering gold;
And Cincinnatus, awful from the plough.
Thy willing victim, Carthage, bursting loose
From all that pleading Nature could oppose;
From a whole city's tears, by rigid faith
Imperious called, and honour's dire command.1
Scipio, the gentle chief, humanely brave,
Who soon the race of spotless glory ran;
And, warm in youth, to the poetic shade
With friendship and philosophy retired.
Tully, whose powerful eloquence awhile
Restrained the rapid fate of rushing Rome.
Unconquered Cato, virtuous in extreme.
And thou, unhappy Brutus, kind of heart,
Whose steady arm, by awful virtue urged,
Lifted the Roman steel against thy friend.
Thousands, besides, the tribute of a verse
Demand; but who can count the stars of heaven?
Who sing their influence on this lower world?

Behold, who yonder comes! in sober state,

Fair, mild, and strong, as is a vernal sun :
'Tis Phoebus' self, or else the Mantuan swain !
Great Homer too appears, of daring wing,

Parent of song and equal by his side,
!

The British muse; joined hand in hand they walk, Darkling, fuli up the middle steep to fame.

1 Regulus.

Nor absent are those shades whose skilful touch
Pathetic drew the impassioned heart, and charmed
Transported Athens with the moral scene :

Nor those who, tuneful, waked the enchanting lyre.
First of your kind! society divine!

Still visit thus my nights, for you reserved,

And mount my soaring soul to thoughts like yours.
Silence, thou lonely power! the door be thine;
See on the hallowed hour that none intrude,
Save a few chosen friends, who sometimes deign
To bless my humble roof, with sense refined,
Learning digested well, exalted faith,
Unstudied wit, and humour ever gay.
Or from the muses' hill will Pope descend,
To raise the sacred hour, to bid it smile,
And with the social spirit warm the heart:
For though not sweeter his own Homer sings,
Yet is his life the more endearing song.

Where art thou, Hammond? thou the darling pride,

The friend and lover of the tuneful throng!

Ah! why, dear youth, in all the blooming prime

Of vernal genius, where disclosing fast

Each active worth, each manly virtue lay,

Why wert thou ravished from our hope so soon?
What now avails that noble thirst of fame,
Which stung thy fervent breast? that treasured store
Of knowledge early gained? that eager zeal
To serve thy country, glowing in the band.
Of youthful patriots, who sustain her name?
What now, alas! that life-diffusing charm