A. Thus men whofe thoughts contemplative have
On fituations that they never felt,
Start up fagacious, cover'd with the duft
Of dreaming fludy and pedantic ruft,
And prate and preach about what others prove,
As if the world and they were hand and glove.
Leave kingly backs to cope with kingly cares,
They have their weight to carry, fubjects their's;
Poets, of all men, ever leaft regret
Increafing taxes and the nation's debt.
Could you contrive the payment, and rehearse
The mighty plan, oracular, in verse,
No bard, howe'er majeftic, old or new,
Should claim my fixt attention more than you.
B. Not Brindley nor Bridgewater would effay
To turn the course of Helicon that way;
Nor would the nine confent, the facred tide
Should purl amidst the traffic of Cheapfide,
Or tinkle in 'Change Alley, to amufe
The leathern ears of flock-jobbers and stews.
A. Vouchfafe at least to pitch the key of rhime
To themes more pertinent, if lefs fublime.
When minifters and minifterial arts,
Patriots who love good places at their hearts,
When Admirals extoll'd for fanding still,
Or doing nothing with a deal of skill;
Gen'rals who will not conquer when they may,
Firm friends to peace, to pleasure, and good pay,
When freedom wounded almoft to defpair,
Though difcontent alone can find out where,
When themes like these employ the post's tongue,
I hear as mute as if a fyren fung.
Or tell me if you can, what pow'r maintains
A Briton's fcorn of arbitrary chains?
That were a theme might animate the dead,
And move the lips of poets caft in lead.
B. The caufe, tho' worth the fearch, may yo elude
Conjecture and remark, however fhrewd.
They take, perhaps, a well directed aim,
Who feek it in his climate and his frame.
Lib'ral in all things elfe, yet nature here
With stern severity deals out the year.
Winter invades the fpring, and often pours
A chilling flood on fummer's drooping flow'rs,.
Unwelcome vapours quench autumnal beams,.
Ungenial blafts attending, curl the ftreams,
The peasants urge their harvest, plie the fork
Will double toil, and fhiver at their work,
Thus with a rigor, for his good defign'd,
She rears her fav'rite man of all mankind.
His form rubuft and of elastic tone,
Proportion'd well, half mufcle and half bone,
Supplies with warm activity and force
A mind well lodg'd, and masculine of course.
Hence liberty, fweet liberty infpires,
And keeps alive his fierce but noble fires.
Patient of conftitutional controul,
He bears it with meek manlinefs of foul,
But if authority grow wanton, woe
To him that treads upon his free-born toe,
One step beyond the bound'ry of the laws
Fires him at once in freedom's glorious cause.
Thus proud prerogative, not much rever'd,
Is feldom felt, though fometimes feen and heard ;-
And in his cage, like parrot fine and gay,
Is kept to ftrut, look big, and talk away..
Born in a climate fofter far than our's,
Not form'd like us, with fuch Herculean powr's,
The Frenchman, eafy, debonair and brisk,
Give him his lafs, his fiddle and his frisk,
Is always happy, reign whoever may,.
And laughs the fenfe of mis'ry far away.
He drinks his fimple bev'rage with a gust,
And feafting on an onion and a crust,
We never feel th' alacrity and joy
With which he fhouts and carols, Vive le Roy,
Fill'd with as much true merriment and glee,.
As if he heard his king fay-Slave, be free.
Thus happiness depends, as nature shews,
Lefs on exterior things that moft fuppofe.
Vigilant over all that he has made,
Kind Providence attends with gracious aid,
Bids equity throughout his works prevail,
And weighs the nations in an even scale ;
He can encourage flavery to a fmile,
And fill with difcontent a British ifle.
A. Freeman and flave then, if the cafe be fuch,
Stand on a level, and you prove too much.
If all men indiscriminately share,
His foft'ring pow'r and tutelary care,
As well be yok'd by defpotifm's hand,
As dwell at large in Britain's charter'd land.
B. No. Freedom has a thousand charms to fhow,. That flaves, howe'er contented, never know, The mind attains beneath her happy reign, The growth that nature meant he should attain The varied fields of fcience, ever new, Op'ning and wider op'ning on her view, She ventures onward with a profp'rous force, While no base fear impedes her in her courfe. Religion, richest favour of the skies, Stands moft reveal'd before the free-man's eyes;: No fhades of fuperftition blot the day, Liberty chases all that gloom away ;;
The foul, emancipated, unopprefs'd,
Free to prove all things and hold fast the best,
Learns much, and to a thousand lift'ning minds,
Communicates with joy the good she finds.
Courage in arms, and ever prompt to show
His manly forehead to the fierceft foe;
Glorious in war, but for the fake of peace,
His spirits rifing as his toils increase,
Guards well what arts and industry have won,
And freedom claims him for her firft-born fon.
Slaves fight for what were better cast away,
The chain that binds them, and a tyrant's sway,
But they that fight for freedom, undertake
The nobleft cause mankind can have at ftake,.
Religion, virtue, truth, whate'er we call
A bleffing, freedom is the pledge of all.
Oh liberty the pris'ner's pleafing dream,
The poet's mufe, his paffion and his theme,
Genius is thine, and thou art fancy's nurse,
Loft without thee th' ennobling pow'rs of verfe,
Heroic fong from thy free touch acquires
Its clearest tone, the rapture it inspires ;
Place me where winter breathes his keenest air,
And I will fing if liberty be there;
And I will fing at liberty's dear feet,
In Afric's torrid clime or India's fierceft heat.
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