A POEM ON THE ACCESSION OF THEIR Royal Highnesses THE Prince and Princess of Orange TO THE Imperial Crown of ENGLAND; Being a Paraphrase on the 45 PSALM.
I.
NO, 'tis too big; I longer can't contain
My Heart is inditing (Lat. Con eructavit) a good Matter.
Within my labouring Breast,
With the unweldy Thought opprest,
The mighty Pleasure mixt with mighty Pain.
My Heart's too narrow far to hold it there:
In such unequal Limits pent,
It searches round, and will have vent,
And means the open Air.
Thence it breaks, and thence it flies,
To my Lips, and to my Eyes;
My Harp shall play, my Lips shall sing,
I speak of the Things which I have made, touching the King.
Of Happy Salem's peaceful King.
Nor do's my willing Tongue the Task refuse.
— My Tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer.
Away it runs as swift as Wind:
Nor do's it flag behind my Muse;
Nor needs it stay fit VVords to chuse,
But leaves almost, my heavier Thought behind.
II.
Fairer than all the Beauteous Pride
Thou art fairer than the Children of Men.
That ever sprung from Adams side!
By those bright Youths out-shin'd alone,
Who ever Guard the Eternals Throne.
Fair in those Virtues which thy Mind adorn;
Fairer than the rising Morn!
[...]races [...] poured into thy Lips.
Possest of each Illustrious Grace▪
Which in dazling Purple shine,
(Purple, once Royal, now Divine,)
Around thy Lips, around thy Face!
Favourite of those above,
Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
Of Earth the Joy, of Heav'n the Love.
III.
Arise Young Hero! from thy Throne arise!
Heav'n calls Thee out, and bids prepare
Gird thy Sword upon thy Thigh, O most mighty!
For a just, a needful VVar,
To scourge its own, and Israels Enemies.
See the Lawrels hanging high!
See the Angels stooping down
With a brighter Starry Crown,
And upward point to hov'ring Victory!
Gird thy Sword upon thy Thigh,
In all thy Royal Glories drest,
With thy Glory and thy Majesty.
Thy Self the greatest and the best;
In all thy Kingly Majesty;
— See, with what a Pomp he goes!
And in thy Majesty ride Prosp [...] Truth, and M [...]kness, and Righ [...]eousness.
How triumphantly do's ride,
Truth and Meekness by his side,
And Justice to confound his Foes!
Say! who can such a Force oppose?
Still such Guards wou'd Princes use,
None besides they need to chuse.
IV.
But since Kings, like God, must be
For Justice, not for Mercy fam'd alone;
And thy Right Hand shall teach thee terrible Things.
Since VVise as well as Good▪
Is a fit Stile for Majesty:
And since the harden'd Rebels Blood
Still makes the strongest Cement for a Throne:
Learn, what thou well dost Understand,
Learn from thy own dread Right-hand;
Learn from thence to act such Things,
As become offended Kings.
— Yes: 'Tis done, already done:
For in vain they fly away;
Thy Arrows fly more swift than they:
Thine Arrows are sharp in the Hearts of the Kings Enemies, whereby the People fall under thee.
Fate and Thee they cannot shun.
Through their faithless Hearts they glide;
Down they fall and bite the Ground,
Down they fall with all their Pride:
Scattering imperfect Curses round.
Vainly they curse as they did flee:
Vainly they curse their Fate and Thee.
Both alike their Curses find:
Loose, and Weak, and Short, and Dead,
Long before they reach thy Head,
And scatter'd into VVind.
V.
For ever shall thy Rightful Throne endure;
Thy Throne is for ever and ever.
Thy Rightful Scepter now for ever is secure.
Thy Throne on Justice firmly fixt;
The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter. Thou lovedst Righteousness and hatest Wickedness.
A Basis ne're can fail or fade,
VVith guileful Arts unmixt.
By Inclination, not by Interest, Just,
Thou Fraud and VVrong dost hate,
And he who knows thy Heart, who is thy Trust
Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the Oyl of Gladness above thy Fellows.
VVho do's secure thy State;
VVith Holy Oyl he do's thy Temples Crown,
Nor must S [...]uls Vial thy low Measure be;
For in the largest Quantity,
It thence on all thy Royal Robes flowes gently down:
Thy Royal Robes whence gladsom Odors flow,
All thy Garments smell of Myrrh, Aloes and Cassia, out of the Ivory Palaces whereby they have made thee glad.
VVhence Show'rs of precious Pearls distill,
VVhen from thy VVardrobe thou dost go,
Like trickling fragrant Dew from Hermons fruitful Hill.
VI.
Ev'n haughty Princes do not Scorn,
Kings Daughters were among thy Honourable Women. Ʋpon thy right Hand did stand the Queen, in Gold of Ophir.
(Honour enough, enough of State,)
Their Daughters shou'd thy Courts adorn
On thee, and on thy Queen to wait:
Thy Queen, array'd in Gold, less bright,
She takes not, but she lends it light.
O Egypts Glory once! now Salems Pride!
Incline thy Royal Ear!
Hearken, O Daughter, and consider! Incline thine Ear! forget also thine own People and thy Fathers House!
Thy faithful suppliants hear,
And every little weakness cast aside!
Let no fond Thoughts for Egypt still remain!
Let Pharaoh and all his Gods forgotten be!
What is he now to Thee?
Forget 'em all, and break the servile Chain!
So shall thy Royal Lord become thy Slave:
So shall the King greatly desire thy Beauty.
And ty'd in Loves soft Bands
Wrought by the Eyes and Hands,
No other Freedom ever wish to have.
Thy Royal Lord; for thou dost know
For he is thy Lord, and Worship thou him.
What Reverence is his due;
And since he yields so much to you,
How much, much more to him thou still must owe.
VII.
So Tyres proud Daughter soon shall hasten o're
And the Daughter of Tyre shall be there with a Gift.
Pleas'd in thy Courts to find a room
With the best Trophies of her Noble Loom,
With all the unvalu'd purple from her plunder'd shore;
And humbly kneel, and humbly greet,
And cast it at thy Feet.
Whilst other Gifts thy wealthy Subjects bring,
Worthy the Consort of a King:
The Rich among the People shall intreat thy Favour.
These from Gilead, Balm divine;
Spices these, were fit to burn
In the Arabian Wonders Urn:
These the rich Engeddi's Wine.
Thus they thy favour shall entreat,
And court thy smiles to make 'em Great.
VIII.
'Tis not, alas! the Gold less bright
The Kings Daughter is all glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought Gold.
Which gives not, but receives thy Light:
That makes Great Pharaohs Daughter shine:
Thy better Glories are unseen,
And modestly with-draw within:
That must be invisible which is divine.
Those fair Virtues ay possess't
(Proud of such a Spicey Nest,)
Of thy white Soul, and scarce less beauteous Breast.
Say! what Robes shall we prepare
For Solomons Queen, and Pharoahs Heir?
The needles all their Art shall try,
She shall be brought to the King in Rayments of Needle-Work: The Virgins her Companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
And thy daughters, Salem! vy
With the rich Embroidery
Of the Fields, and of the Sky.
A Crowd of Virgins, Chast, as Fair,
Beauties all, were she not there
Her long-long Pomp in decent Order bear.
Unknown Gladness shall arise,
With Gladness, and rejoycing shall they be brought. They shall enter into the Kings Palace.
And around our Faces play,
Shine thro' all our Hearts, and Eyes,
And never more away.
Where e're they come new Conquests these shall make,
And all our Palaces shall take:
Ah! who wou'd not, must not yield
When such Beauty takes the Field?
IX.
O Egypts Glory once! look back no more
To headlong Niles uncertain Shore!
To Shilo's softer Waters now
Thy Ears, and Inclinations bow!
Let Pharaoh and all his Gods forgotten be!
Instead of thy Fathers, shall be thy Children.
While thy glad Subjects wish and pray
For such as long may Israels Scepter sway,
And for a long-long Race of happy Kings from Thee;
Whom thou may'st make Princes in all the Earth.
Who thro' the World may bear their Parents Name,
Heirs of their Vertues, and their Throne,
And sharers in their Fame,
Their Victories to utmost Ind', and distant Ganges known.
Thro' all their far out-stretched Line
I will make thy name to be remember'd in all Generations: Therefore shall the People praise thee for ever and ever.
Whilst grateful Israel shall thy Glories raise
On lofty Pyramids of praise,
Thou in their Fame shalt share, as they in thine.
And, if a Verse Eternity can give
Thou in my Verse as in their Fame shalt ever live.
FINIS.