The fenate's thanks, the gazette's pompous tale,
With force refiftlefs o'er the brave prevail.
Such bribes the rapid Greek o'er Asia whirl'd,
For fuch the steady Roman shook the world;
For fuch in distant lands the Britons fhine,
And ftain with blood the Danube or the Rhine :
This power has praife, that virtue fcarce can warm,
Till fame fupplies the univerfal charm.
Yet reafon frowns on war's unequal game,
Where wasted nations raise a single name,

And mortgag'd ftates their grandfires wreaths regret,
From age to age in everlafting debt;

Wreaths which at laft the dear-bought right convey
To ruft on medals, or on stones decay

On what foundation ftands the warrior's pride,
How just his hopes, let Swedish Charles decide ;
A frame of adamant, à foul of fire,

No dangers fright him, and no labours tire;
O'er love, o'er fear, extends his wide domain,
Unconquer'd lord of pleasure and of pain;
No joys to him pacific fceptręs yield,

War founds the trump, he rushes to the field;
Behold furrounding kings their power combine,
And one capitulate, and one refign;

Peace courts his hand, but fpreads her charms in vain ; "Think nothing gain'd," he cries, "till nought remain, "On Moscow's walls till Gothic standards fly,

"And all be mine beneath the polar sky."

The march begins in military state,
And nations on his eye fufpended wait;
Stern famine guards the folitary coaft,
And winter barricades the realms of froft ;
He comes, nor want nor cold his courfe delay ;-
Hide, blushing glory, hide Pultowa's day!
The vanquish'd hero leaves his broken bands,
And shows his miferies in diftant lands:
Condemn'd a needy fupplicant to wait,
While ladies interpofe, and flaves debate.
But did not chance at length her error mend?
Did no fubverted empire mark his end?
Did rival monarchs give the fatal wound,
Or hoftile millions prefs him to the ground?
His fall was deftin'd to a barren ftrand,
A petty fortrefs and a dubious hand ;

He left the name, at which the world

To point a moral, or adorn a tale.

grew pale,

All times their fcenes of pompous woes afford, From Perfia's tyrant, to Bavaria's lord. In gay hoftility and barb'rous pride, With half mankind embattled at his fide, Great Xerxes comes to feize the certain prey, And ftarves exhausted regions in his way; Attendant flatt'ry counts his myriads o'er, Till counted myriads footh his pride no more; Fresh praise is try'd, till madness fires his mind, The waves he lathes, and enchains the wind: New pow'rs are claim'd, new pow'rs are still bestow'd, Till rude refiftance lops the fpreading god; The daring Greeks deride the martial fhow, And heap their vallies with the gaudy foe; Th' infulted fea with humbler thoughts he gains, A fingle skiff to fpeed his flight remains : Th' encumber'd oar icarce leaves the dreaded coaft, Through purple billows and a floating hot.

The bold Bavarian, in a luckless hour,

Tries the dread fummits of Cefarean pow'r,
With unexpected legions burts away,

And fees defenceless realms receive his sway;

#

Short fway fair Auftria fpreads her mournful charms,
The queen, the beauty, fets the world in arms;
From hill to hill the beacon's roufing blaze
Spreads wide the hope of plunder and of praise :
The fierce Croatian, and the wild Huffar,
With all the fons of ravage crowd the war;
The baffled prince in honour's flatt'ring bloom
Of hafty greatnefs, finds the fatal doom,
His foes' derifion, and his subjects' blame,
And steals to death, from anguish, and from shame,
Enlarge my life with multitude of days,
In health, in ficknefs thus the fuppliant prays:.
Hides from himself his ftate, and fhuns to know,
That life protracted is protracted wo.
Time hovers o'er, impatient to destroy,
And shuts up all the paffages of joy:
In vain their gifts the bounteous seasons pour,
The fruit autumnal, and the vernal flow'r
With liftlefs eyes the dotard views the store,
He views, and wonders that they please no more;

Now pall the tastelefs meats, and joyless wines,
And luxury with fighs her flave refigns.
Approach, ye minstrels, try the foothing strain,
Diffufe the tuneful lenitives of pain:

No founds, alas! would touch th' impervious ear,
Though dancing mountains witnefs'd Orpheus near;
Nor lute nor lyre his feeble pow'rs attend,
Nor sweeter mufic of a virtuous friend :
But everlasting dictates crowd his tongue,
Perversely grave, or pofitively wrong.
The ftill returning tale, and ling'ring jeft,
Perplex the fawning niece, and pamper'd gueft;
While growing hopes fcarce awe the gath'ring fneer;
And fcarce a legacy can bribe to hear;

The watchful guests ftill hint the last offer.ce,
The daughter's petulance, the fon's expenfe ;
Improve his heady rage with treach❜rous fkill,
And mould his paffions till they make his will.
Unnumber'd maladies his joints invade,
Lay fiege to life, and prefs the dire blockade;
But unextinguifh'd av'rice ftill remains,
And dreaded loffes aggravate his pains:
He turns, with anxious heart and crippled hands,
His bonds of debt, and mortgages of lands;
Or views his coffers with fufpicious eyes,
Unlocks his gold, and counts it till he dies.

But grant, the virtues of a temp❜rate prime
Blefs with an age exempt from fcorn or crime;
An age that melts with unperceiv'd decay,
And glides in modeft innocence away ;
Whofe peaceful day benevolence endears,
Whofe night congratulating confcience cheers;
The gen❜ral fav'rite as the gen'ral friend :
Such age there is, and who fhall with its end?
Yet e'en on this her load misfortune flings,
To prefs the weary minute's flagging wings
New forrow rises as the day returns,
A filter fickens, or a daughter mourns.
Now kindred merit fills the fable bier,
Now lacerated friendship claims a tear.
Year chafes year, decay pursues decay,
Still drops fome joy from with'ring life away:
New forms arife, and diff'rent views engage,
Superfluous lags the vet'ran on the stage;

Till pitying nature figns the laft release,

And bids afflicted worth retire to peace.

But few there are whom hours like thefe await,
Who fet unclouded in the gulfs of fate.

From Lydia's monarch thould the fearch descend,
By Solon caution'd to regard his end,

In life's laft fcene, what prodigies furprife,
Fears of the brave, and follies of the wife!
From Marlb'rough's eyes the streams of dotage flow,
And Swift expires a driv❜ler and a show.

The teeming mother, anxious for her race,
Begs for each birth the fortune of a face :
Yet Vane could tell what ills from beauty spring;
And Sedley curs'd the form that pleas'd a king,
Ye nymphs of rofy lips and radiant eyes,
Whom pleasure keeps toc bufy to be wife;
Whom joys with foft varieties invite,

By day the frolic, and the dance by night;
Who frown with vanity, who smile with art,
And afk the latest fashion of the heart;

What care, what rules your heedlefs charm fhall fave,
Each nymph your rival, and each youth your flave?
Against your fame with fondnefs hate combines,
The rival batters, and the lover mines.

With diftant voice neglected virtue calls;

Lefs heard, and lefs the faint remonftrance falls ;
Tir'd with contempt, fhe quits the flipp'ry rein,
And pride and prudence take her feat in vain.
In crowd at once, where none the pass defend,
The harmless freedom, and the private friend.
The guardians yield, by force fuperior ply'd,
To int'reft, prudence; and to flatt'ry, pride.
Here beauty falls betray'd, defpis'd, diftreft ;
And hiffing infamy proclaims the rest.

Where then shall hope and fear their objects find? Muft dull fufpenfe corrupt the stagnant mind? Muft helpless man, in ignorance fedate,

Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?
Muft no diflike alarm, no wishes rise,

No cries invoke the mercies of the fkies?
Inquirer, ceafe; petitions yet remain

Which Heav'n may hear; nor deem religion vain.
Still raife for good the fupplicating voice;
But leave to Heav'n the measure-and the choice,

Safe in his power whose eyes discern afar
The fecret ambush of a fpecious pray'r,
Implore his aid, in his decifions reft,
Secure whate'er he gives, he gives the best.
Yet when the fenfe of Sacred Presence fires,
And ftrong devotion to the skies afpires,
Pour forth thy fervours for a healthful mind,
Obedient paffions, and a will refign'd;

For love, which scarce collective man can fill :
For patience, fov'reign o'er tranfmuted ill;
For faith, that, panting for a happier feat,
Counts death kind nature's fignal of retreat;
Thefe goods for man the laws of Heav'n ordain,
These goods he grants, who grants the pow'r to gain;
With these celeftial wisdom calms the mind,

And makes the happiness fhe does not find.

DR. JOHNSON.