Amongst themselves divide the Captive State,
And found their Hydra-Empire in his Fate!
Thus having beat the Clouds with painful Flight,
The pity'd Youth, with Scepters in his sight;
(So have their cruel Politicks decreed,)
Muft by that Crew that made him Guilty, Bleed!
For could their Pride brook any Prince's Sway,
Whom but mild David wou'd they chufe t' obey?
Who once at fuch a gentle Reign repine,
The Fall of Monarchy it self design;
From Hate to that their Reformations fpring,
And David not their Grievance, but the King.
Seiz'd now with panick Fear the Faction lyes,
Leaft this clear Truth ftrike Abfalom's charm'd Eyes,
Leaft he perceive, from long Enchantment free,
What all, befide the flatter'd Youth, must fee.
But what-e'er Doubts his troubled Bofom fwell,
Fair Carriage ftill became Achitophel..
Who now an envious Festival enftals,
And to furvey their Strength the Faction calls,-
Which Fraud, Religious Worship too must gild;
But oh how weakly does Sedition build?
For lo! the Royal Mandate iffues forth,
Dashing at once their Treason, Zeal, and Mirth!
So have I feen difaftrous Chance invade,
Where careful Emmits had their Forrage laid,
Whether fierce Vulcan's Rage, the Furzy Plain
Had feiz'd, engendred by fome careless Swain;
Or fwelling Neptune lawless Inroads made,
And to their Cell of Store his Flood convey'd;
The Common-wealth broke up, distracted go,
And in wild Hafte their loaded Mates o'erthrow :
Ev'n fo our fcatter'd Guefts confus'dly meet,
With Boil'd, Bak'd, Roast, all juftling in the Street;
Dejecting all, and rufully difmay'd,
For Shekel without Treat, or Treafon paid.
Sedition's dark Eclipfe now fainter shows,
More bright each Hour the Royal Planet grows,
Of Force the Clouds of Envy to disperse,
In kind Conjunction of assisting Stars.
Here lab'ring Mufe thofe glorious Chiefs relate,
That turn'd the doubtful Scale of David's Fate;
The rest of that Illuftrious Band rehearse,
Immortaliz'd in lawreli'd Afaph's Verse :
Hard task! yet will not I thy Flight recall,
View Heav'n, and then enjoy thy glorious Fall.
First write Bezaliel, whofe Illuftrious Name
Foreftals our Praife, and gives his Poet Fame.
The Kenites Rocky Province his Command,
A barren Limb of Fertile Canaan's Land;
Which for its gen'rous Natives yet could be
Held worthy fuch a Prefident as he!
Bezaliel with each Grace and Virtue fraught,
Serene his Looks; ferene his Life and Thought,
On whom fo largely Nature heap'd her Store,
There fcarce remain'd for Arts to give him more!
To Aid the Crown and State his greatest Zeal,
His fecond Care that Service to conceal ;
Of Dues obfervant, firm to ev'ry Truft,
And to the Needy always more than Juft.
Who Truth from fpecious Falfhood can divide,
Has, all the Gown-mens Skill without their Pride;
Thus crown'd with Worth from heights of Honour
Sees all his Glories copied in his Son, [won,
Whofe forward Fame fhould every Mufe engage:
Whofe Youth boafts Skill deny'd to others Age.
Men, Manners, Language, Books of nobleft kind,
Already are the Conqueft of his Mind.
Whofe Loyalty before its Date was prime;
Nor waited the dull Courfe of rowling Time:
The Monster Faction early he difinaid,
And David's Caufe long fince confeft his Aid.
Brave Abdael o'er the Prophet's School was plac'd;
Abdael with all his Father's Virtue grac'd;
A Heroe, who, while Stars look'd wondring down, Without one Hebrew's Blood reftor'd the Crown
That Praife was his; what therefore did remain
For following Chiefs, but boldly to maintain
That Crown reftor'd; and in this Rank of Fame,
Brave Abdael with the first a place must claim.
Proceed illuftrious, happy Chief, proceed,
Forefeize the Garlands for thy Brow decreed,
While th' infpir'd Tribe attend with nobleft ftrain
To regifter the Glories thou shalt gain :
For fure, the Dew shall Gilboah's Hills forfake,
And Jordan mix his Stream with Sodom's Lake;
Or Seas retir'd their fecret Stores difclofe,
And to the Sun their fcaly Brood expofe,
Or fwell'd above the Clifts, their Billows raise,
Before the Mufes leave their Patron's Praise.
Eliab our next Labour do's invite,
And hard the Task to do Eliab right:
Long with the Royal Wanderer he rov'd,
And firm in all the Turns of Fortunes prov'd!
Such ancient Service and Defert fo large,
Well claim'd the Royal Houshold for his Charge.
His Age with only one mild Heiress bleft,
In all the Bloom of fmiling Nature dreft,
And bleft again to fee his Flow'r ally'd
To. David's Stock, and made young Othniel's Bride!
The bright Restorer of his Father's Youth,
Devoted to a Son's and Subject's Truth:
Refolv'd to bear that prize of Duty home,
So bravely fought (while fought) by Abfalom.
Ah Prince! th' Illuftrious Planet of thy Birth,
And thy more powerful Virtue guard thy worth;
That no Achitophet thy Ruin boast;
Ifrael too much in one fuch Wreck has loft.
Ev'n Envy must confent to Helon's Worth,
Whose Soul (tho' Egypt glories in his Birth)
Could for our Captive-ark its Zeal retain,
And Pharoah's Altars in their Pomp difdain:
To flight his Gods was fmall; with nobler Pride,
He all th' Allurements of his Court defy'd.
Whom Profit nor Example could betray,
But Ifrael's Friend, and true to David's Sway.
What acts of favour in his Province fall,
On Merit he confers, and freely all.
Our Lift of Nobles next let Amri grace,
Whose Merits claim'd the Abethdins high place;
Who, with a Loyalty that did excel,
Brought all th' Endowments of Achitophel.
Sincere was Amri, and not only knew,
But Ifrael's Sanctions into Practice drew;
Our Laws, that did a boundless Ocean feem,
Were coafted all, and fathom'd all by him.
No Rabbin fpeaks like him their mystick Senfe,
So just, and with such Charms of Eloquence:
To whom the double Bleffing does belong,
With Mofes's Infpiration, Aaron's Tongue.
Than Sheva, none more Loyal Zeal have shown,
Wakeful, as Judah's Lion for the Crown,
Who for that Caufe ftill combats in his Age,
For which his Youth with danger did engage.
In vain our factious Priests the Cant revive,
In vain feditious Scribes with Libel ftrive
T'enflame the Crowd, while he with watchful Eye
Obferves, and fhoots their Treafons as they fly,
Their weekly Frauds his keen Replies detect,
He undeceives more faft than they infect.
So Mofes, when the Peft on Legions prey'd,
Advanc'd his Signal and the Plague was ftay'd.
Once more my fainting Mufe thy Pinnions try,
And Strength's exhausted store let Love fupply.
What Tribute, Afaph, shall we render thee?
We'll crown thee with a Wreath from thy own Tree!
Thy Laurel Grove no Envy's flash can blast;
The Song of Afaph fhall for ever laft!
With wonder late Pofterity fhall dwell
On Abfalom and falfe Achitophel:
Thy ftrains shall be our flumbring Prophets dream, And when our Sion-Virgins sing, their Theam.
Our Jubilees hall with thy Verse be grac'd,
The Song of Asaph shall for ever last!
How fierce his Satyr loos'd, reftrain'd, how tame,
How tender of th' offending Toung Man's Fame!
How well his Worth, and brave Adventures ftil'd,
Juft to his Virtues, to his Error mild.
No Page of thine that fears the strictest view,
But teems with juft Reproof, or Praise, as due ;
Not Eden could a fairer Profpect yield,
All Paradife without one barren Field:
Whofe Wit the Cenfure of his Foes has paft,
The Song of Afaph fhall for ever laft!
What Praife for fuch rich Strains fhall we allow ?
What juft Rewards the grateful Crown beftow?
While Bees in Flow'rs rejoice, and Flow'rs in Dew,
While Stars and Fountains to their Courfe are true;
While Judah's Throne, and Sion's Rock ftand fast,
The Song of Afaph and the Fame fhall laft.
Still Hebron's honour'd happy Soil retains
Our Royal Heroes beauteous dear Remains;
Who now fails off with Winds nor Wishes flack,
To bring his Suff'rings bright Companion back.
But e'er fuch Tranfport can our fenfe employ
A bitter Grief muft poifon half our Joy;
Nor can our Coafts reftor'd thofe Bleffings fee
Without a Bribe to envious Destiny!
Curs'd Sodom's Doom for ever fix the Tide
Where by inglorious Chance the Valiant dy’d.
Give not infulting Askalon to know,
Nor let Gath's Daughters triumph in our woe!
No Sailer with the News fwell Egypt's Pride,
By what ingorious Fate our Valiant dy'd!
Weep Arnon! Jordan weep thy Fountains dry,
While Sion's Rock diffolves for a Supply!
Calm were the Elements, Night's filence deep,
The Waves fcarce murm'ring, and the Winds afleep
Yet Fate for Ruine takes fo ftill an hour,
And treacherous Sands the Princely Bark devour;
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