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For now the streaky light began to peep;
And setting stars admonish'd both to fleep.
The dame withdrew, and, wishing to her guest
The peace of heaven, betook herself to reft. 2590
Ten thousand angels on her flumbers wait,
With glorious vifions of her future state.

his reasonings, however falfe and futile, fhew a great command of language. This poem our author intended as a defence for his fudden converfion to popery, especially after his having written the Religio Laici, where fuch oppofite opinions were maintained and enforced. Whether this converfion was the effect of pure truth and conviction, muft be left to the great fearcher of our hearts to determine; but fuch a change in fo abject a flatterer, would naturally be imputed to mercenary motives. It is remarkable that Congreve, in his laboured and elegant defence of his friend's character, speaks not a syllable on the subject. The converfions of two greater men to popery, that of Henry IV. and Marshall Turenne, were reckoned interested and infincere. The following very fevere lines are preserved in the State Poems, on this occafion:

At all religions to the last from first,

Thou still haft rail'd, and then espous'd the worst;
In this thy wifdom fuch as 'twas before,
T'abufe all woman kind-then wed a whore.

Ver. 2588. And fetting stars admonish'd
Suadentque cadentia fidera fomnos.

Dr. J. WARTon.

both to fleep.]
Virgil.
JOHN WARTON.

BRITANNIA REDIVIVA;

A

POEM

ON THE

BIRTH OF THE PRINCE.

Dii Patrii Indigetes, et Romule, Veftaque Mater,
Quæ Tufcum Tiberim, et Romana Palatia fervas,
Hunc faltem everfo Puerum fuccurrere fæclo
Ne prohibete: fatis jampridem fanguine noftro
Laomedontææ luimus Perjuria Trojæ.

Virg. Georg. 1.

BRITANNIA REDIVIVA*;

A

OUR

POEM ON THE PRINCE,

BORN ON THE TENTH OF JUNE, 1688.

vows are heard betimes! and Heaven takes care

To grant, before we can conclude the

prayer:

"On the 10th of June, 1688, the queen was fuddenly feized with labour-pains, and delivered of a fon, who was baptized by the name of James, and declared Prince of Wales.All the catholics and friends of James were tranfported with the most extravagant joy at the birth of this child; while great part of the nation confoled themselves with the notion that it was altogether fuppofititious. They carefully collected a variety of circumstances, upon which this conjecture was founded; and though they were inconfiftent, contradiétory, and inconclu five, the inference was fo agreeable to the views and paffions of the people, that it made an impreffion which, in all probability, will never be totally effaced. Dr. Burnet, who feems to have been at uncommon pains to establish this belief, and to have confulted all the Whig nurfes in England upon the fubject; firft pretends to demonftrate, that the queen was not with child; fecondly, that she was with child, but mifcarried; thirdly, that a child was brought into the queen's apartment in a warmingpan; fourthly, that there was no child at all in the room; fifthly, that the queen actually bore a child, but it died that fame day; fixthly, that the fuppofititious child had not the fits; feventhly, that it had the fits, of which it died at Richmond: therefore the Chevalier de St. George must be the fruit of four different impoftures." Smollett's History of England.

DERRICK.

Ver. 1 Our vows are heard] It might be expected, that a late and zealous convert to popery would join in the general triumph and exultation, felt by all his brethren, on the birth of a prince who might be the means of perpetuating the Catholic

Preventing angels met it half the way,
And fent us back to praife, who came to pray.
Juft on the day, when the high-mounted fun
Did fartheft in his northern progress run, 6
He bended forward, and ev'n ftretch'd the
sphere

10

Beyond the limits of the lengthen'd year,
To view a brighter fun in Britain born;
That was the bufinefs of his longest morn;
The glorious object feen, 'twas time to turn.
Departing Spring could only ftay to fhed
Her bloomy beauties on the genial bed,
But left the manly Summer in her stead,
With timely fruit the longing land to chear, 15
And to fulfil the promise of the year.

Betwixt two feafons comes the aufpicious heir,
This age to bloffom, and the next to bear.

Religion on the throne of thefe kingdoms, efpecially as this important event was imputed to a vow made by the Dutchefs of Modena to the Holy Virgin at Loretto, that her daughter might by her means have a fon.

Jam nova progenies cœlo demittitur alto.

Which was the motto of a long poem in hexameter verfe, and not bad Latin, now before me, written by Mr. J. Plowden at this time. Burnet certainly has difgraced his hiftory by collecting all the idle and incredible tales, and inconfiftent accounts of the birth of this prince, in order to prove it was a fuppofititious child, and has given a narration more worthy of a nurse or midwife, than of a bishop and hiftorian. King William, with that generofity and magnanimity that diftinguished his character, gave no credit or countenance to this improbable fiction. Dr. J. WARTON. in his northern progress] Thus the original edition in 1688. Derrick has its. TODD.

Ver. 6.

Ver. 13. Her bloomy beauties] Original edition. Derrick,

by an abfurd error, has gloomy.

TODD.

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