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ODES

But 't is not furely of fo fair renown

To fpill another's blood as to expose our own. 70 Of all that's ours we cannot give too much,

But what belongs to friendship, oh! 't is facrilege to

V..

Can we ftand by unmov'd, and fee

Our mother robb'd and ravifh'd? can we be
Excus'd if in her caufe we never fir,

[touch.

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Pleas'd with the strength and beauty of the ravisher?
Thus fings our bard with heat almost divine;
"Tis pity that his thought was not as strong as fine.
Would it more justly did the cafe exprefs,

Or that its beauty and its grace were lefs.
(Thus a nymph fometimes we fee
Who fo charming feems to be
That, jealous of a soft surprise,
We scarce durft truft our eager eyes.)
Such a fallacious ambush to efcape,

It were but vain to plead a willing rape;

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A valiant fon would be provok'd the more;

A force we therefore must confefs, but acted long be

A marriage fince did intervene,

With all the folemn and the facred scene;

Loud was the Hynienean fong;

The violated dame * walk'd fmilingly along,
And in the midst of the most facred dance,
As if enamour'd of his fight,

[fore; go

*Rome.

Often fhe caft a kind admiring glance
On the bold struggler for delight,

Who afterwards appear'd fo moderate and cool,
As if for public good alone he fo defir'd to rule.

.VI.

But, oh! that this were all which we can urge
Against a Roman of fo great a foul,

And that fair, truth permitted us to purge

His fact of what appears fo foul!

Friendship, that facred and sublimest thing!
The noblest quality and chiefest good,

(In this dull age scarce underfood)

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Infpires us with unusual warmth her injur'd rites to Affift, ye Angels! whose immortal blifs,

[fing:

Tho' more refin'd, chiefly confifts in this.
How plainly your bright thoughts to one another
Oh! how ye all agree in harmony divine! [fhine!
The race of mutual love with equal zeal ye run, III
A courfe as far from any end as when at first begun.
Ye faw and fmil'd upon this matchless pair,
Who ftill betwixt them did fo many virtues share,
Some which belong to peace, and fome to ftrife, 1Ig
Thofe of a calm and of an active life,

That all the excellence of human-kind

Concurr'd to make of both but one united mind,
Which Friendship did so fast and closely bind,
Not the least cement could appear by which their
fouls were join'd.

$20

That tie which holds our mortal frame,

Which poor unknowing we a foul and body name, Seems not a compofition more divine,

Or more abftrufe, than all that does in friendship fhine.
VII.

From mighty Cæfar and his boundless grace
Tho' Brutus, once at least, his life receiv'd,
Such obligations, tho' so high believ'd,
Are yet but flight in such a cafe.

Where friendship so poffeffes all the place
There is no room for gratitude; fince he

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Who fo obliges is more pleas'd than his fav'd friend Juft in the midft of all this noble heat,

[can be.

While their great hearts did both so kindly beat

That it amaz'd the lookers-on,

And forc'd them to fufpe& a father and a fon *; 135 (Tho' here ev'n Nature's self still seem'd to be outFrom fuch a friendship unprovok'd to fall

Is horrid, yet I wish that fact were all

[done)

Which does with too much caufe ungrateful Brutus

VIII.

In coolest blood he laid a long defign

Against his best and dearest friend;

Did ev'n his foes in zeal exceed

To spirit others up to work fo black a deed,
Himself the centre where they all did join.

* Cæfar was fufpected to have begotten Brutus.

[call. 140

Cæfar, mean-time, fearless, and fond of him,

Was as induftrious all the while

To give fuch ample marks of fond efteem

As made the gravest Romans smile

145

To fee with how much eafe love can the wife beguile.

He, whom thus Brutus doom'd to bleed,

150

Did, fetting his own race afide,

Nothing lefs for him provide

Than in the world's great empire to fucceed;
Which we are bound in juftice to allow

Is all-fufficient proof to fhow

That Brutus did not ftrike for his own fake;

155

And if, alas! he fail'd, 't was only by mistake. 157

ODE

ON THE DEATH OF HENRY PURCELL.

GooD angels fnatch'd him eagerly on high; Joyful they flew, finging and foaring thro' the sky, Teaching his new-fledg'd foul to fly,

While we, alas! lamenting lie.

He went mufing all along,

Compofing new their heav'nly fong.

5

A while his skilful notes loud hallelujahs drown'd, But foon they ceas'd their own to catch his pleasing

David himself improv'd the harmony,

[found.

David, in facred ftory fo renown'd

10

No lefs for mufic than for poetry! ~

Genius fublime in either art!

Crown'd with applause surpaffing all desert!

A man juft after God's own heart!

If human cares are lawful to the bleft,

Already fettled in eternal reft,

Needs must he wish that Purcell only might
Have liv'd to fet what he vouchsaf'd to write;
For fure the noble thirst of fame

With the frail body never dies,

But with the foul afcends the skies,

From whence at first it came.

"Tis fure no little proof we have

That part of us furvives the grave,

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20

And in our fame below ftill bears a share;
Why is the future else so much our care,
Ev'n in our latest moment of defpair,

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And death defpis'd for fame by all the wife and brave? Oh, all ye blefs'd harmonious Choir!

Who pow'r almighty only love, and only that admire! Look down with pity from your peaceful bow'r 31 On this fad ifle perplex'd,

And ever, ever vex'd

With anxious care of trifles, wealth and pow'r :

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