too fecure of you on that fide. Your candor in pardoning my errors may make you more remifs in correcting them; if you will not withal confider that they come into the world with your approbation, and through your hands. I beg from you the greatest favour you can confer upon an abfent perfon, fince I repose upon your management what is dearest to me, my fame and reputation; and therefore I hope it will ftir you up to make my poem fairer by many of your blots; if not, you know the ftory of the gamefter who married the rich man's daughter, and when her father denied the portion, christened all the children by his furname, that if, in conclufion, they muft beg, they should do so by one name, as well as by the other. But fince the reproach of my faults will light on you, it is but reafon I fhould do you that justice to the readers, to let them know, that, if there be any thing tolerable in this poem, they owe the argument to your choice, the writing to your encouragement, the correction to your judgment, and the care of it to your friendship, to which he must ever acknowledge himself to owe all things, who is,

[61]

ANNUS MIRABILIS:

THE YEAR OF WONDERS,

MDCLXVI.

I..

N thriving arts long time had Holland grown,
Crouching at home and cruel when abroad:
Scarce leaving us the means to claim our own;
Our king they courted, and our merchants aw'd.

II.

Trade, which like blood fhould circularly flow,
Stopp'd in their channels, found its freedom loft:
Thither the wealth of all the world did go,

And feem'd but fhipwreck'd on fo base a coaft.
III.

For them alone the heavens had kindly heat;

In eastern quarries ripening precious dew

For them the Idumæan balm did sweat,
And in hot Ceilon fpicy forefts grew.

IV.

The fun but seem'd the labourer of the year;

Each waxing moon supply'd her watery store, To fwell thofe tides which from the line did bear Their brim-full veffels to the Belgian fhore.

V. Thus,

V.

Thus, mighty in her fhips, ftood Carthage long,
And swept the riches of the world from far;
Yet ftoop'd to Rome, lefs wealthy, but more ftrong:
And this may prove our fecond Punic war.

VI.

What peace can be, where both to one pretend? (But they more diligent, and we more strong) Or if a peace, it foon must have an end

For they would grow too powerful were it long.

VII.

Behold two nations then, engag'd fo far,

That each seven years the fit must shake each land: Where France will fide to weaken us by war,

Who only can his vaft designs withstand.
VIII.

See how he feeds th' Iberian with delays,
To render us his timely friendship vain :
And while his fecret foul on Flanders preys,
He rocks the cradle of the babe of Spain.
IX.

Such deep defigns of empire does he lay

O'er them, whofe caufe he feems to take in hand; And prudently would make them lords at fea, To whom with ease he can give laws by land.

X.

This faw our king; and long within his breast
His penfive counfels balanc'd to and fro :
He griev'd the land he freed should be oppress'd,
And he lefs for it than ufurpers do.

XI. His

XI.

His generous mind the fair ideas drew

Of fame and honour, which in dangers lay; Where wealth, like fruit on precipices, grew, Not to be gather'd but by birds of prey.

XII.

The lofs and gain each fatally were great;
And still his fubjects call'd aloud for war :
But peaceful kings, o'er martial people fet,
Each other's poize and counterbalance are.
XIII.

He first furvey'd the charge with careful eyes,
Which none but mighty monarchs could maintain;
Yet judg'd, like vapours that from limbecs rife,
It would in richer fhowers defcend again.

XIV.

At length refolv'd t' affert the watery ball,
He in himself did whole Armadoes bring:
Him aged feamen might their master call,
And chufe for general, were he not their king.
XV.

It seems as every fhip their fovereign knows,
His awful fummons they fo foon obey;
So hear the fcaly herd when Proteus blows,
And fo to pafture follow through the fea.
XVI.

To fee this fleet upon the ocean move,
Angels drew wide the curtains of the skies;
And heaven, as if there wanted lights above,
For tapers made two glaring comets rise.

XVII. Whe

XVII.

Whether they unctuous exhalations are,
Fir'd by the fun, or seeming fo alone
Or each fome more remote and flippery star,
Which loses footing when to mortals fhewn.
XVIII.

Or one, that bright companion of the fun,
Whofe glorious afpect feal'd our new-born king;
And now, a round of greater years begun,
New influence from his walks of light did bring.
XIX.

Victorious York did firft with fam'd fuccefs,
To his known valour make the Dutch give place :
Thus heaven our monarch's fortune did confess,
Beginning conqueft from his royal race.

XX.

But fince it was decreed, aufpicious king,

In Britain's right that thou shouldst wed the main, Heaven, as a gage, would cast fome precious thing, And therefore doom'd that Lawfon fhould be flain. XXI.

Lawson amongst the foremost met his fate,

Whom fea-green Sirens from the rocks lament:
Thus as an offering for the Grecian state,
He first was kill'd who firft to battle went.
XXII.

Their chief blown up in air, not waves, expir'd,
To which his pride prefum'd to give the law:
The Dutch confefs'd heaven prefent, and retir'd,
And all was Britain the wide ocean faw.

XXIII. To