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When he the Thames, the Danube, and the Nile, Had ftain'd with blood, Peace flourish'd in this ifle; And you alone may boast, you never faw

Cæfar till now, and now can give him law.

Great Pompey too, comes as a fuppliant here,

But fays he cannot now begin to fear :

He knows your equal juftice, and (to tell
A Roman truth) he knows himself too well.
Succefs, 'tis true, waited on Cæfar's fide,
But Pompey thinks he conquer'd when he died.
His fortune, when she prov'd the most unkind,
Chang'd his condition, but not Cato's mind.
Then of what doubt can Pompey's cause admit,
Since here fo many Cato's judging fit.

But you, bright nymphs, give Cæfar leave to woo,
The greatest wonder of the world, but you;
And hear a Mufe, who has that hero taught
To speak as generously as e'er he fought;
Whofe eloquence from fuch a theme deters
All tongues but English, and all pens but hers.
By the juft Fates your fex is doubly bleft,
You conquer'd Cæfar, and you praise him best.
And you (* illustrious Sir) receive as due,
A prefent destiny preferv'd for you.

Rome, France, and England, join their forces here,
To make a poem worthy of your ear.

Accept it then, and on that Pompey's brow,
Who gave fo many crowns, beftow one now.

*To the Lord Lieutenant.

ROSS'S

ROSS'S

SHAME

GHOS T..

of my life, difturber of my tomb,

Base as thy mother's prostituted womb; Huffing to cowards, fawning to the brave, To knaves a fool, to credulous fools a knave, The king's betrayer, and the people's flave. Like Samuel, at thy necromantic call, I rife, to tell thee, God has left thee, Saul. I ftrove in vain th' infected blood to cure ; Streams will run muddy where the spring's impure. In all your meritorious life, we fee

Old Taaf's invincible fobriety.

Places of Mafter of the Horfe, and Spy,
You (like Tom Howard) did at once supply:
From Sidney's blood your loyalty did spring,
You fhew us all your parents, but the king,
From whofe too tender and too bounteous arms
(Unhappy he who such a viper warms!
As dutiful a fubject as a fon!)

To your true parent, the whole town, you run.
Read, if you can, how th' old apoftate fell,
Out-do his pride, and merit more than hell:
Both he and you were glorious and bright,
The first and faireft of the fons of light :
But when, like him, you offer'd at the crown,
Like him, your angry father kick'd you down

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THE

THO

HOSE ills your ancestors have done,
Romans, are now become your own;
And they will cost you dear,
Unless foon repair

you

The falling temples which the gods provoke,
And ftatues fully'd yet with facrilegious smoke.

Propitious heaven, that rais'd your fathers high,
For humble, grateful piety,
(As it rewarded their respect)

Hath sharply punish'd your neglect;

All empires on the gods depend,

Begun by their command, at their command they end.

Let Craffus' ghost and Labienus tell, How twice by Jove's revenge our legions fell, And, with unfulting pride,

Shining in Roman spoils, the Parthian victors ride.

The Scythian and Ægyptian fcum

Had almost ruin'd Rome,

While our feditions took their part,

Fill'd each Ægyptian fail, and wing'd each Scythian dart.

First, thofe flagitious times

(Pregnant with unknown crimes)
Confpire to violate the nuptial bed,

From which polluted head

Infectious ftreams of crowding fins began,

And through the fpurious breed and guilty nation ran.

Behold a ripe and melting maid,

Bound prentice to the wanton trade; Ionian artists, at a mighty price, Inftruct her in the mysteries of vice ; What nets to spread, where fubtle baits to lay, And with an early hand they form the temper'd clay.

Marry'd, their leffons fhe improves

By practice of adulterous loves,
And fcorns the common mean defign
To take advantage of her husband's wine,
Or fnatch, in fome dark place,
A hafty illegitimate embrace.

No! the brib'd husband knows of all,
And bids her rife when lovers call;
Hither a merchant from the ftraits,
Grown wealthy by forbidden freights,
Or city cannibal, repairs,

Who feeds upon the flesh of heirs ;
Convenient brutes, whofe tributary flame

Pays the full price of luft, and gilds the flighted fhame.

'Twas

'Twas not the fpawn of fuch as thefe,
That dy'd with Punick blood the conquer'd seas,
And quafh'd the ftern Æacides;
Made the proud Afian monarch feel

How weak his gold was against Europe's steel,
Forc'd even dire Hannibal to yield;

And won the long-difputed world at Zama's fatal field.

But foldiers of a ruftic mould,

Rough, hardy, season'd, manly, bold.
Either they dug the stubborn ground,
Or through hewn woods their weighty strokes did found.
And after the declining fun

Had chang'd the fhadows, and their task was done,
Home with their weary team they took their way,
And drown'd in friendly bowls the labour of the day.

Time fenfibly all things impairs ;

Our fathers have been worfe than theirs ;
And we than ours; next age will fee

A race more profligate than we

(With all the pains we take) have skill enough to be.

Tranflation of the follwing Verfe from LUCAN.

Victrix Caufa Diis placuit, fed Victa Catoni,

THE gods were pleas'd to chufe the conquering fide, But Cato thought he conquer'd when he dy'd.