Fair was her form, and FREEDOM's honour'd name In vain disguised, the latent guilt confess'd. PEACE dropt her snow-white robe, and, shudd'ring, shew’d And DISCORD sour the blood of human kind; Foil'd by our ARMS, where'er in arms we met, With ARTS LIKE THESE, the foe assails us yet. Hopeless the fort to storm, or to surprise, More secret wiles his envious malice tries: Diseased himself, spreads wide his own despair, While many a chief, to glory not unknown, The crew that leagued their country to o'erthrow; "Tis THINE a subtler mischief to pursue, And drag a deeper, darker, plot to view; * Conjuravere Cives noblissimi Patriam incendere-Gallorum gentem infestissimam nomini Romano in bellum arcessunt-Dux Hostium cum exercitu supra caput est.-ORAT. CATON. ap. SALLUST. + Tum Catilina polliceri tabulas novas, proscriptionem locupletium, Magistratus, Sacerdotia, rapinas, alia omnia quæ bellum atque lubido Victorum fert.-SALLUST. Whate'er its form, still ready to engage, In sneers profane, or blasphemies avow'd; And, 'scaped from justice, braves the lenient laws:— By native hate inspired, or foreign gold; Traitors absolved, and libellers released, The recreant peer, or renegado priest; Each claims thy care; nor think the labour vain ; 'Tis THINE, with truth's fair shield to ward the blow, And turn the weapon back upon the foe: To trace the skulking fraud, the candid cheat, That can retract the falsehood, yet repeat: To wake the listless, slumb'ring as they lie, Lapt in the embrace of soft security ; To rouse the cold, re-animate the brave, And shew the cautious ALL THEY HAVE TO SAVE. Erect that standard ALFRED first unfurl'd, Britain's just pride, the wonder of the world; Whose staff is Freedom's spear, whose blazon'd field Beams with the CHRISTIAN CROSS, the REGAL SHIELD; That standard, which the Patriot Barons bore, Restored, from Runimede's resounding shore; Which since consign'd to William's guardian hand, Which oft in vain by force or fraud assail'd, Has stood the shock of ages-and prevail'd. Yes! the BRIGHT SUN OF BRITAIN yet shall shine, The clouds are earthborn, but his fire divine! That temperate splendour, and that genial heat, Shall still illume, and cherish empire's seat; LINES WRITTEN UNDER THE BUST OF CHARLES FOX, AT THE CROWN AND ANCHOR. I'll not sell Uncle Noll, Charles Surface cries ;- Morning Post, February 6. To make our Readers some amends for this miserable doggrel, we will present them, in our turn, with some lines written under a bust, NOT at the Crown and Anchor, by an English traveller. We believe they are more just; we are certain they are more poetical. LINES written by a Traveller at Czarco-Zelo, under the Bust of a certain Orator, once placed between those of Demosthenes and Cicero. THE Grecian Orator of old, And triumph'd in his country's cause. |