And faw him guarded with a bush of spears,
Confidering him so able for the wars,
A radiant crown of rubies fhe him gave,
And faid, in field go forth, and fend the laif.
XX.
And fince thou art a King, be thou discreet,
Herb without value hold not of such price,
As herb of virtue and of odour fweet;
And let no nettle vile, and full of vice,
Her fellow with the goodly Flow'r-de-lyce;
Nor let no wild weed, full of churlishness,
Compare her to the Lilly's noblenefs.
XXI.
Nor hold none other flow'r in fuch dainty
As the fresh ROSE, of colour red and white;
For if thou doft, hurt is thine honesty,
Confidering that no flow'r is fo perfyte,
So full of pleafaunce, virtue, and delight;
So full of blissful angelic beauty,
Imperial birth, honour, and dignity.
XXII.
Then to the ROSE fhe did her visage turn,
And faid, O lufty daughter moft benign,
Above the Lilly thou art illuftrious born,
From royal lineage rifing fresh and young,
But any spot, or macul doing fprung;
Come bloom of joy, with richest gems
be crown'd.
For o'er the laif thy beauty is renown'd.
XXIII.
A coftly crown with ftones clarified bright,
This comely Queen did in her head inclose,
While all the land illumined of light;
Wherefore methought, the flow'rs did all rejoyce,
Crying at once, Hail to the fragrant ROSE!
Hail Emprefs of the herbs! fresh Queen of flow'rs!
To thee be glore and honour at all hours.
Then all the birds they fang with voice on height,
Whofe mirthful found was marvellous to hear:
The Mavys fang, Hail ROSE moft rich and right,
That does upflourish under Phebus' sphere,
Hail plant of youth, hail prince's daughter dear,
Hail bloffom breaking out of blood royal,
Whose precious virtue is imperial.
XXV.
The Merle fhe fang, Hail ROSE of most delight,
Hail of all flow'rs the sweet and fov'raign Queen:
The Lark fhe fang, hail ROSE both red and white,
Most pleasant flow'r of mighty colours * twain:
Nightingals fang, hail Nature's fuffragan,
In beauty, nurture, and each nobleness,
In rich array, renown, and gentleness.
Alluding to the Houfes of YORK and LANCASTER, which were distinguished by the WHITE and RED ROSE, and united in the person of Queen MARGARET.
The common voice uprose of warblers small,
Upon this wife, "O bleffed be the hour
"That thou waft chose to be our principal,
"Welcome to be our Princess crown'd with pow'r,
Our pearl, our pleafance, and our paramour,
"Our peace, our play, our plain felicity:
"Chrift thee conferve from all adversity."
XXVII.
Then all the concert fang with such a shout,
That I anon awaken'd where I lay,
And with a braid I turned me about
To fee this court, but all were gone away;
Then up I lean'd me, halflings in affray,
Call'd to my Muse, and for my subject chose
To fing the royal THISTLE and the ROSE.
Blivion wraps not in her filent shade
All human labours. Virtue blooms a flower, That Time's rough hand shall never violate. Still CAROLINE shall live in faithful verfe, Sweet nurse of Memory, and in the voice Of grateful Britain. These shall teftify How well her calm impartial rule fupplied A Monarch's abfence; thefe commemorate Her foul contemplative of peaceful Truth And nature, mindful midst the pomp of Courts Of wife retirement, and the filent grove.
She stretch'd thro' length'ning fhades thy fpacious walks,
Delightful Richmond, and the terrass rais'd
Of regal grandeur, whence the eye difcerns
Fair Thames with copious waters winding flow
Midst pastures, spreading herds, and villages
Of aspect neat, and villas wrapt in shades:
air scene of chearful peace! The lovely fight
Frequent the view'd, and blefs'd the honour'd reign.
Of her great Confort, provident and mild.
Now wander'd mufing thro' the darkning depth
Of thickest woods, friendly to folemn thought:
Now o'er broad lawns fair-op'ning to the fun.
Nor midst her rural plans difdain'd to mix
The useful arable, and waving corn
With foft turf border'd, and the lowly cot,
That half appears, in branching elms obfcur'd.
Here beauty dwells, affembled from the scenes
Of various nature; such as oft inflam'd
With rapture Grecian bards, in that fair vale,
Theffalian Tempe, or thy fav'rite foil,
Arcadia, erft by awe-ftruck Fancy fill'd
With wand'ring forms, the woodland Deities,
Light Nymphs and wanton Satyrs, faintly seen
Quick glancing thro' the shade at close of eve,
Great Pan, and old Silenius. Hither led
By folitary grief fhall GEORGE recall
Th' endearing manners, the soft speech, that flow'd
From his lov'd Confort, virtue mix'd with love,
Prudence, and mild infinuating sense:
But chief her thoughtful breaft of counfels deep
Capacious, nor unequal to the weight
Of Government. Such was the royal mind
Of wife ELIZA, name of loveliest found
To British ears, and pattern fair to Kings:
Or she who rules the Scepter of the North
Illuftrious, fpreading o'er a barb'rous world
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