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O fool! to deem

That He, whofe thought muft vifit every theme,
Whose heart must every strong emotion know
By nature planted, or by fortune taught ;
That He, if haply fome prefumptuous foe,
With falfe ignoble science fraught,
Shall fpurn at freedom's faithful band;
That He, their dear defence will fhun,
Or hide their glories from the fun,

Or deal their vengeance with a woman's hand!
IV. 1.

I care not that in Arno's plain,

Or on the sportive banks of Seine,

From public themes the Mufe's quire
Content with polish'd ease retire.

Where priests the ftudious head command,
Where tyrants bow the warlike hand

To vile ambition's aim,

Say, what can public themes afford,

Save venal honours to an hateful lord,

Referv'd for

angry heaven and scorn'd of honest fame ?

IV. 2.

But here, where freedom's equal throne

To all her valiant fons is known;

Where all are confcious of her cares,

And each the power, that rules him, shares ;
Here let the bard, whofe daftard tongue

Leaves public arguments unfung,

Bid

Bid public praise farewell :

Let him to fitter climes remove,

Far from the heroe's and the patriot's love,

And lull mysterious monks to flumber in their cell.
IV. 3.

O HASTINGS, not to all'

Can ruling heav'n the same endowments lend :
Yet ftill doth nature to her offspring call,

That to one general weal their different powers they bend,
Unenvious. Thus alone, though strains divine

Inform the bofom of the Mufe's fon ;

Though with new honours the patrician's line
Advance from age to age; yet thus alone
They win the fuffrage of impartial fame.

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Whofe lays the foul with nobleft paffions move.

But thee, O progeny of heroes old,

Thee to feverer toils thy fate requires :

The fate which form'd thee in a chofen mould,

The grateful country of thy fires,
Thee to fublimer paths demand;
Sublimer than thy fires could trace,

Or thy own EDWARD teach his race,
Though Gaul's proud genius fank beneath his hand.

V. I.

From rich domains and fubject farms,

They led the ruftic youth to arms;

B 3

And

And kings their stern atchievements fear'd;"
While private ftrife their banners rear'd.
But loftier fcenes to thee are shown,
Where empire's wide-establish'd throne
No private mafter fills:

Where, long foretold, The People reigns:
Where each a vassal's humble heart disdains;

And judgeth what he fees; and, as he judgeth, wills,
V. 2.

Here be it thine to calm and guide

The fwelling democratic tide;

To watch the ftate's uncertain frame,
And baffle faction's partial aim :
But chiefly, with determin'd zeal,

To quell that fervile band, who kneel
To freedom's banish'd foes;

That monster, which is daily found

Expert and bold thy country's peace to wound ; Yet dreads to handle arms, nor manly counsel knows.

V. 3.

'Tis highest heaven's command,

That guilty aims fhould fordid paths pursue;

That what enfnares the heart should curb the hand,
And virtue's worthless foes be false to glory too.
But look on freedom. fee, through every age,
What labours, perils, griefs, hath she disdain'd!
What arms, what regal pride, what priestly rage,
Have her dread offspring conquer'd or sustain’d!

For

For Albion well have conquer'd. Let the strains
Of happy fwains,

Which now refound

Where Scarfdale's cliffs the fwelling paftures bound,
Bear witness. there, oft let the farmer hail
The facred orchard which imbowers his gate,
And fhew to strangers paffing down the vale,
Where Candish, Booth, and Ofborne fate;
When bursting from their country's chain,
Even in the midst of deadly harms,
Of papal fnares and lawless arms,

They plann'd for freedom this her aweful reign.
VI. I.

This reign, thefe laws, this public care,

Which Naffau gave us all to share,

Had ne'er adorn'd the English name,

Could fear have filenc'd freedom's claim.

But fear in vain attempts to bind

Those lofty efforts of the mind

Which focial good inspires ;

Where men, for this, affault a throne,

Each adds the common welfare to his own;

And each unconquer'd heart the strength of all acquires.

VI. 2.

Say, was it thus, when late we view'd

Our fields in civil blood imbrued?

When fortune crown'd the barbarous hoft,

And half the aftonish'd ifle was loft?

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Did one of all that vaunting train,
Who dare affront a peaceful reign,
Durft one in arms appear ?

Durft one in counfels pledge his life?
Stake his luxurious fortunes in the ftrife?

Or lend his boafted name his vagrant friends to cheer?
VI. 3.

Yet, HASTINGS, thefe are they,

Who challenge to themselves thy country's love :
The true; the conftant who alone can weigh,
What glory fhould demand, or Liberty approve!
But let their works declare them. Thy free powers,
The generous powers of thy prevailing mind,
Not for the tasks of their confederate hours,
Lewd brawls and lurking flander, were defign'd,
Be thou thy own approver. Honest praise
Oft nobly sways

Ingenuous youth:

But, fought from cowards and the lying mouth,
Praise is reproach. Eternal GoD alone
For mortals fixeth that fublime award.
He, from the faithful records of his throne,
Bids the hiftorian and the bard

Difpofe of honour and of scorn;

Difcern the patriot from the flave;

And write the good, the wife, the brave, For leffons to the maltitude unborn.

ODE

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