The Crisis. Группа авторов
edition page 102]
All former times, and WISDOM join’d with LOVE,
In council sits, makes paltry factions cease,
And tho’ at War, yet all at HOME is PEACE;
Whilst ENGLAND keeps one half the world in AWE,
And by her POW’R can give the other LAW;
When each new day, crowns Britons with success,
And Heaven seems some Chatham’s plans to bless;
Should he succeed, when war in dread alarms,
Calls forth the nation’s WISDOM, with her ARMS,
Calls forth RESENTMENT from the BRITISH THRONE,
To make her VENGEANCE, and her POWER known;
Should he succeed, and roll SUPINE in state,
(And leave her GLORY and RENOWN to fate)
Would be a crime (that Heav’n could not forgive,)
To blast his name, and make his memory live:
Live, with recorded VILLAINS to that Day,
When time shall cease, and all the world decay:
Should he to make this crime still worse appear,
Turn out a Minister to ENGLAND DEAR,
Who’d rais’d his Country (from a SINKING state)
By WISDOM only, (not by chance or fate)
To POW’R and STRENGTH, not known in days of yore,
Known only then, and to be known no more;
At his command, like that great PATRIOT PITT,
Makes France to yield, and Spain, tho’ proud, SUBMIT;
Makes British VALOUR, with just vengeance hurl’d,
Strike TERROR thro’ each nation of the world:
Should he be (through a Scotsman’s base design)
FORC’D from his office, or MADE to RESIGN,
And that same Scotsman of the Stuart race,
Mount in his seat, the nation’s foul DISGRACE,
False to his King, give up those conquests won,
And fix in STRENGTH, both France and Spain undone;
Should he make war, DEFENSIVE war to cease,
On terms inglorious, by a shameful peace,
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A peace which must from foul CORRUPTION spring,
Thro’ that base Scotsman, but still BASER King;
Dead to all sense of England’s future good,
To sacrifice, her treasure, and her blood.
Such deeds as these, would fire my soul with RAGE,
And make me e’en against my SAFETY, wage
War with VILL’NY, and stamp their horrid crimes.
That each might live, and stink to after-times.
Thrice happy NOW, when ev’ry blessing springs,
From GEORGE the THIRD, we boast the BEST of KINGS.
Should such a King succeed to ENGLAND’S Throne,
(Tho’ BORN a BRITON, they must BLUSH to own)
Should he, (when by Scots arts, by bribes, and fraud,
A peace most infamous, is made abroad;
And, for distinction sake, at Fontainbleau,3
The curse of England, and of Scotland too;)
Should he, persuing still the path of shame,
Give up all pow’r, reserving but the name
Of King, let rebel Scotsmen, steer the helm
Of State, and sow fell discord in the realm,
Make tax on tax, (while England curst with peace)
Each year arise, each year to say increase;
Each year call loud, aloud for new supplies,
While ruin did, with double horror rise;
Should he, when such oppressions from those men,
Call’d forth some Wilkes, (a Wilkes may be agen;
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Be sent by Heaven, his country to bless,
To rescue ENGLAND from each deep distress;)
Call’d forth some Wilkes, in honour to oppose
Their measures, and their subtle arts expose;
To shew the people ev’ry base design,
Their schemes to thwart, their plans to undermine;
To speak such truths, as some would fear to think,
And shew the gulph, where Englishmen must sink;
Sink and remain, till time would be no more,
In the damn’d gulph of ARBITRARY POW’R:
Thus to stand forth, and only with this view,
To save his COUNTRY, and her FREEDOM too;
To sound the alarm of danger in her ear,
Call forth her RAGE, and shew what she should FEAR
Make TRAITORS tremble at the strokes he gave,
Tremble and fear the nation to ENSLAVE;
To brand those villains with just marks of shame,
That each might live, live with a blasted name;
Thus to stand forth, with these, these noble views,
All DANGER to defy, and BRIBES refuse;
Would well deserve (altho’ some TRUTHS might sting,)
Both FAVOUR and PROTECTION from that King:
Should he, (weak Prince, a surer hate to gain,
And make the people daily curse his reign,)
Dead to all sense, of HONOUR and of TRUTH,
The friend of SLAV’RY in his early youth,)
Drunk with PREROGATIVE, a Scotsman’s tool,
In MEANNESS bred, fond of DESPOTIC rule;
Should he in rage, exert a LAWLESS POW’R,
And order him, CLOSE prison’r in the TOWER;
(His friends REFUSE admittance to his room,
And cruel PRESECUTION be his doom;)
Immur’d within those walls for life must be,
Unless a PRATT should rise and set him FREE;
Yet in such times, and he once more at LARGE,
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Some Scotch Chief Justice, may renew the charge;
Tyrannic pow’r not willing to RETRENCH,
And send him for TWO YEARS, to the King’s Bench.
The people then would surely flock to see,
Fair FREEDOM’S friend, the friend of LIBERTY;
To shew their Love, (with well deserv’d applause)
To him, who tri’d to save their CHARTER’D LAWS.
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