A POEM On and To Her Gracious Majesty Upon the Day of Her Happy CORONATION.
By one of Her Majesties Servants.
Printed by Nathaniel Thompson at the Entrance into the Old-Spring-Garden near Charing-Cross, MDCLXXXV.
A POEM On and To Her Gracious Majesty Upon the Day of Her Happy CORONATION.
IN humble Verse we Hearts and Pens imploy,
To shew the Realm its King's and Kingdom's Joy.
A QUEEN Belov'd by all; so Good and Great,
In every thing so Charmingly Compleat.
That 'twould to England be no shame to own,
She gives to day more Lustre to Her Crown,
Than It gives Her; because Her Worth alone
Has Title to an Everlasting one.
This makes Her Princely Pious Soul as well,
As Her Majestick Person here Excell:
[Page 2] And checks Presumptuous Pens, that dare pretend
To praise, what God can only Right commend.
Wherefore, if thou (my Muse) dar'st not be seen
In setting forth the Glories of thy QUEEN;
Ask but Her Virtues, They will not deny
What Merits do attend her Majesty:
Since Person, Wit and Beauty, can from none
Receive such Praise, as from themselves alone:
Remit those Wonders, to His Royal Breast
Who reaps their Fruits, and knows to prize them best.
Thy Trembling Pen must dare but to set forth,
Such common known Attractives of Her Worth,
As may in Loyal Hearts this day create,
Legal Ambition them to imitate.
That Vertue Faith, on which she built the rest,
Her Loyal both to God and King exprest.
In Banishment, 'twas Her Belief in God
That made Her Kiss the Persecuting Rod:
Yet in defence of Her Religious Faith,
Sh' appeas'd the King's and wav'd the Peoples wrath.
And being with Her Gods Decrees content,
She Calm'd a Mis-informed Parliament,
On satisfaction now at Meeting bent.
Her Hope shines in Her Works, and they make known
Her Care and Zeal for an Immortal Crown;
Which She from boundless Bounty more expects
For doing well, than having no Defects;
[Page 3] For should we say; to Bliss Sh'as no pretence,
But on the known account of Innocence?
Where is to God the Nation's Gratitude
For those Perfections to its Queen allow'd?
Where is our leave those Merits to admire,
Which scarce can raise in us Her value higher?
Shall we drown all the Glories of Her Name,
Her Birth and Courage, Wisdom, Zeal and Fame
In that dull praise; She never was too Blame?
'Tis far more Just to say; There is no Good
With which She has not Grac'd the Royal Blood:
For when in Health, Her Majesty is well,
She does, in what our Hearts can wish, Excel.
Nor can we justly bid her mend, unless
We beg She'll for our sakes her Self Caress,
And England, by her Preservation, Bless.
Yet may She mend that subtile Pious Pride
Which does with too much Skill her Virtues hide:
And keeps those Excellencies out of sight,
Which robs the rising Nation of its Right:
For 'tis our due to know, and hear, and see
Th' Examples that still most Attractive be.
And where be Works more worth our practice seen,
Than in the Saint-like Carriage of our Queen;
Which must not be to Vulgar Eyes deny'd,
In complaisence to that Religious Pride,
Which will have God alone be Glorifi'd:
[Page 4] 'Cause Holy History us oft acquaints
God will be Prais'd and Honour'd in his Saints:
Then own Great Saint that bounty of thy Lord
Which gives Thee Grace such Graces to afford;
As breed in all thy Sex a sacred Strife,
To regulate their Works by thy Good Life.
Let briskly Noted Evidence confute
Them who 'gainst thy Humility dispute,
VVho have seen height by Thee so sweetly check't,
VVith wise submission and discreet neglect,
That thou Great Queen without design or fault,
Didst 'bove Ambition thy Blest self exalt;
And so remain'd by wond'ring Eyes admir'd,
'Till all the Hearts with Love about thee fir'd,
And wish'd the Heat of their Respectful Flames,
Might warm Thee in the Breast of thy Great James;
VVhere thy Good Life will have as strong Defence,
As on our Souls a Holy Influence.
Be then less secret in Thy Sacred Life,
Since th' Realm begin's to relish such Blest Strife
As renders us Contentious, but to be
In some sort Good, Great Patroness like Thee.
VVho will Thy Bounty to the People plead,
Have as much VVitness as have been in need.
To God and his, so Liberal is Thy Love,
Thou think'st thy wealth best spent when lodg'd above
Patience and Pity in Thy Breast contend
To put to ev'ry Grievance such an end,
As does the least of Merit still Be-friend.
Then venture to expose those Virtues, which
Do, in Thy Life, this Happy Land Enrich.
View, view Their Pow'r and how Divine's their Skill,
VVhat Good they bid, we dare not but fulfill:
If Thy Devout and Awful Charms appear,
They make us all the kinds of Evil fear:
'Tis strange Thou should'st th' Seditious Charm with Peace,
Making their Comforts grow, their Griefs Decrease,
And yet 'mongst greatest Virtues breed contest,
VVhich of them all Thy Life has practic'd best.
Nor can there ought correct this Pious pother,
But to let one great Act out-do another:
Till Immense Bounty undertakes the task
To give that great Reward Thy Virtues ask:
VVhich being nothing less, than Him who gave
That worth by which Thou do'st the world out-brave,
Let Heaven help Us Mortals to requite,
Thy Goodness, then possess Thy sole Delight,
That Jesus and his Mary may Unite.
FINIS.