Thee, Churchill, first the ruthlefs hand of death
Tore from thy confort's fide, and call'd thee hence
To the fublimer seats of joy and love ;

Where fate again shall join her foul to thine,,
Who now, regardful of thy fame, erects
The column to thy praise, and fooths her woe
With pious honours to thy facred name
Immortal. Lo! where, towering in the height
Of yon aërial pillar, proudly stands

Thy image, like a guardian god, fublime,
And awes the subject plain : beneath his feet,
The German eagles spread their wings; his hand
Grafps Victory, its flave. Such was thy brow
Majestic, fuch thy martial port, when Gaul
Fled from thy frown, and in the Danube fought
A refuge from thy fword.-There, where the field›
Was deepest ftain'd with gore, on Hochftet's plain,
The theatre of thy glory, once was rais'd
A meaner trophy, by the Imperial hand ;→
Extorted gratitude! which now the rage
Of malice impotent, befeeming ill
A regal breast, has level'd to the ground:
Mean infult! This, with better aufpices, -
Shall ftand on British earth, to tell the world

How Marlborough fought, for whom, and how repaid
His fervices. Nor fhall the conftant love ·

Of her who rais'd this monument be loft.
In dark oblivion: that fhall be the theme...

Of future Bards in ages yet unborn,

Infpir'd with Chaucer's fire, who in these groves

First tun'd the British harp, and little deem'd
His humble dwelling should the neighbour be
Of Blenheim, house superb; to which the throng
Of travellers approaching shall not pass

His roof unnoted, but respectful hail

With reverence due. Such honour does the Mufe
Obtain her favourites.-But the noble pile

(My theme) demands my voice.-O shade ador'd,
Marlborough who now above the starry sphere
Dwell'ft in the palaces of heaven, enthron'd
Among the demi-gods, deign to defend
This thy abode, while prefent here below,
And facred still to thy immortal fame,
With tutelary care. Preferve it fafe

From Time's deftroying hand, and cruel ftroke.
Of factious Envy's more relentless rage.
Here may, long ages hence, the British youth,
When honour calls them to the field of war,
Behold the trophies which thy valour rais'd;
'The proud reward of thy fuccefsful toils
For Europe's freedom, and Britannia's fame;
That, fir'd with generous envy, they may dare
To emulate thy deeds.-So fhall thy name,
Dear to thy country, ftill infpire her fons
With martial virtue; and to high attempts
Excite their arms, till other battles won,
And nations fav'd, new monuments require,
And other Blenheims fhall adorn the land.

Το

To the Reverend Dr. AysCOUGH, at OXFORD.

Written from Paris in the Year 1728.

SAY, dearest friend, how roll thy hours away?
What pleasing study cheats the tedious day?
Doft thou the facred volumes oft explore

Of wife Antiquity's immortal lore,

Where virtue, by the charms of wit refin'd,
At once exalts and polishes the mind?
How different from our modern guilty art,
Which pleases only to corrupt the heart;
Whofe curft refinements odious.vice adorn,
And teach to honour what we ought to scorn!
Doft thou in fage hiftorians joy to fee
How Roman greatness rofe with liberty;
How the fame hands that tyrants durft control
Their empire ftretch'd from Atlas to the Pole
Till wealth and conqueft into flaves refin'd
The proud luxurious mafters of mankind?
Doft thou in letter'd Greece each charm admire,
Each grace, each virtue, Freedom could inspire ;;
Yet in her troubled ftate fee all the woes,
And all the crimes, that giddy Faction knows;
Till, rent by parties, by corruption fold,
Or weakly careless, or too rafhly bold,
She funk beneath a mitigated doom,

The flave and tutorefs of protecting Rome?

Does

Does calm Philofophy her aid impart,

To guide the paffions, and to mend the heart?
Taught by her precepts, haft thou learnt the end
To which alone the wise their studies bend;
For which alone by nature were defign'd
The powers of thought-to benefit mankind?
Not, like a cloyster'd drone, to read and dose,
In undeferving, undeferv'd, repofe;

But Reafon's influence to diffufe; to clear
Th' enlighten'd world of every gloomy fear;
Difpel the mists of error, and unbind

Those pedant chains that clog the freeborn mind..
Happy who thus his leisure can employ !
He knows the pureft hours of tranquil joy;
Nor vext with pangs that busier bosoms tear,
Nor loft to focial virtue's pleafing care;
Safe in the port, yet labouring to fustain
Those who still float on the tempestuous main. -
So Locke the days of ftudious quiet fpent;:
So Boyle in wifdom found divine content;
So Cambray, worthy of a happier doom,
The virtuous flave of Louis and of Rome.
Good* Wor'fter thus fupports his drooping age,
Far from court-flattery, far from party-rage;
He, who in youth a tyrant's frown defy'd,
Firm and intrepid on his country's fide,

Her boldeft champion then, and now drer mildest

guide!

O gene

Bp. Hough,

O`generous warmth! O fanctity divine ! .
To emulate his worth, my friend, be thine:
Learn from his life the duties of the gown;
Learn, not to flatter, nor infult the crown;
Nor, basely servile, court the guilty great,,
Nor raife the church a rival to the state:
To error mild, to vice alone severe,

Seek not to spread the law of love by fear.
The priest who plagues the world can never mend :
No foe to man was e'er to God a friend.

Let reafon and let virtue faith maintain;

All force but theirs is impious, weak, and vain.
Me other cares in other climes engage,
Cares that become my birth, and fuit my age;
In various knowledge to improve my youth,
And conquer prejudice, worst foe to truth'; -
By foreign arts domeftic faults to mend,
Enlarge my notions, and my views extend;
The useful fcience of the world to know,
Which books can never teach, or pedants show.
A nation here I pity and admire,

Whom nobfeft fentiments of glory fire,

Yet tanght, by custom's force and bigot fear,
To ferve with pride, and boast the yoke they bear &
Whofe nobles, born to cringe and to command,
(In courts a mean, in camps a generous band,)
From each low tool of power, content receive
Thofe laws, their dreaded arms to Europe give..
Whose people (vain in want, in bondage bleft;
Though plunder'd, gay; industrious, though oppreft)

With