Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A35668
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The court of death a Pindarique poem dedicated to the memory of Her Most Sacred Majesty, Queen Mary / by Mr. Dennis.
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Dennis, John, 1657-1734.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing D1028; ESTC R11874
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11,388
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30
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fell entranc'd before The soveraign Beauty I adore The Goddess wav'd her Plectrum round And gently struck the sacred ground And cry'd my faithful Servant rise With such an efficacious sound As Vigour to my Nerves restor'd and Brightness to my Eyes I rose but still amazement kept me dumb When she went on To thee I come In the deep silence of this still retreat Remov'd from all that wretched men call great For that Majestick Royal God Who shakes his whole Creation with a Nod Commanded me to leave the starry Pole for thee As thou hast left the Pomp of all the world for me Then take immortal Spirit to thy breast Drive from it ev'ry meaner guest For thou shalt sing in wond'rous Rhime Of things transcendently sublime Shalt to the listning Globe relate What Gods determin in a dire Debate But first with me so Iove commanded go To Death's most dreadful Court below And see the dark designs of Fate V. The Goddess said and with a dreadful sound The trembling Earth dividing gap'd around Then down by black degrees we went A horrible Descent At length we reach'd a vast infernal Room Where here and there a winking Lamp That seem'd expiring struggled with the Damp And to illustrate horror glimmer'd thro the gloom Thither the Ministers of Death by Fate Were summon'd on Affairs of their dread State More monstrous more abominable sights Than ever Fancy magnify'd in frights In their most execrable shapes were there Discord Revenge and grinding Care Grief Terrors Furies Horrors and Despair A thousand pale Distempers too appear A very ghastful Crew and conscious Fear With the bad pleasures of the mind brought up th' infernal rear With sudden Trembling I was struck But the bright Muse with one immortal look Could all the Pow'rs of Death controul And thro my Eyes dart Courage to my Soul Grim Death the Gyant Terror rose at last On all th'accurst Divan a ghastful smile he cast Thro all th'accurst Divan a frightful murmur ran When thus their formidable King the great Consult began VI. Chief of the pow'rs which in these Mansions dwell Grief Fury Discord and thou black Despair Ye Fevers of the fiery kind and thou revenging Care Terrors and Horrors Natives all of Hell Whom roaring in its fiercest flames I found By cruel Destiny severely bound With Adamantine Chains Who at my instance were reliev'd And for my service for a time repriev'd From everlasting pains Dire Spirits all to my command consign'd T' obtain the Empire of the World and to enslave Mankind All ye who wrack the wretched limbs and ye who plague the mind Full Parliament of Gods thus call'd by fate In this stupendous council to debate Th'important business of our mighty State From day they bring fresh tidings ev'ry hour That we 're contemn'd there and have lost our pow'r We who the Conquerors of the world subdue Are we contemn'd we who command ev'n you Will you no Zeal to serve your Monarch show In just return for the vast debt you owe Know if we perish you must surely fall And our Disgrace reflects upon you all What do you stand unmov'd at these alarms And must we tamely fall To arms to arms By force our credit with the world restore E're we the King of Terrors are no more VII This said the Tyrant with a voice and look Unutterably fell Then bounding with a furious start He whirl'd about a dreadful Dart With which the ground tremendously he struck The ground ev'n to the center shook And frighted all in Hell With horrid strides he marching storm'd The fiercest Spirits round him star'd And trembled as he strode And all the others never dar'd To view th' outragious God At last a Spectre dreadfully deform'd Resuming vigor silence broke And to th'inexorable King the griesly Terror spoke VIII O thou who govern'st Land and Air and Main By Fate subjected to thy rigid Reign Where all that Mortals sweet and lovesome see God has created purposely for thee For whom with one hand Time the Field of Nature sows And with his other still a bending Harvest mows Thou whose impartial Scepter injures none The justest Potentate that fills a Throne Supremely just and merciful alone Who stand'st with Arms extended to embrace The Wretches that in thee their utmost refuge place And tam'st proud Monarchs with an Iron sway Whom soon or late th' imperial Slaves obey What can the fearful sounds we heard intend How should thy formidable Empire end Is Iove about to rend the worlds high flaming wall And crush thy Kingdoms with its hideous fall From what dire cause can thy Despondence spring While we are Terrors thou shalt be our King Who dares rebellious Arms against thee take Ev'n we who terrify the World at thy dread Anger shake IX This said the Fantom with a dismal sound Confirm'd by thousand hideous roars around Which from the vaulted Caverns horribly rebound Then silence thrice aloud was cry'd And the grim Monarch sternly thus reply'd Aspiring Ministers of Fate High Officers of Deaths unbounded State In vain our pow'r with pompous words we grace One mortal all our glories will deface One mortal ev'ry moment dares nay scorns me to my face In Battels still heroically brave But Trumpets can give Courage to a Slave Ev'n Bouteville could intrepid seem While mad Bellona in him rav'd But William still with insolence extream Ev'n in his cool and thoughtful hours Has all my Horrors all my Pow'rs Deliberately brav'd X. Ye Terrors and ye Hosts of Horrors say For ye were by on Landen's fatal day When Discord by her hellish Serpents stung About the deadly Field in frightful postures flung Thro all her thousand Mouths ran roaring with the pain Foam'd at them all and bled at all and bellow'd o're the plain A day like the last day astonishingly dire When the sonorous Trumpet blew And Ruine in a flaming Tempest flew And all the world appear'd on fire Did ought in William then that argued fear Nay ev'n that argued mortal man appear While for the freedom of the world he fought Was he not William still in voice look action thought Did he not calmly brave the raving French engage And deal Destruction like a God without the help of rage Did he not say while ghastfully ye gaz'd While Thunderbolts around him roar'd and Lightning round him blaz'd Did he not providently scow'r the Plain Yet forcibly as Whirlwinds sweep the Main Did he not driving on forecast instruct dispose ordain But what The Hope of Conquest gave That Godlike Spirit which could thus appear Cautious and provident as Fear And yet as Fury brave No when at length tho late tho wondrous late Opprest by odds of numbers and of Fate His Prudence urg'd him loudly to retire Did he not still appear the same Retreating greatly in tempestuous flame Which made us Gods the worth we hate admire Have ye forgot In that stupendous hour I charg'd ye all the Hero to assail And mingling with the
storm of Iron Hail To press him with your utmost pow'r Y' obey'd Th' event Hell How ye all mistook For seeing him behind his routed Rear With such a dauntless look appear The charge ye instantly forsook Returning He the Conqueror was ye swore Yes Fools o're us triumphant he was more T' himself he ow'd his Conquest not like France To the base odds of Numbers and of Chance Storming I sent you once again Asham'd enrag'd and mad ye flew and then Ye pierc'd the very souls of all his weaker men Th' undaunted Hero mock'd your vain essay Th' undaunted Hero met you half the way For marching o're the dying and the dead He while the rest securely fled With the brave chosen few inspir'd by him made head With such divine assurance toward you rode Ye basely from him flew and trembling cry'd A God! XI Ye Pow'rs who fought to propagate my sway Ye Gods who own Subjection to me say Did ever he so much deserve our hate Did ever he appear so truly great As in his loss upon that dreadful day Did it not palpably appear That his great Mind was so averse from fear That should the World from off its Axle rush Torn off by Iove on purpose that the Fall Should William's mighty Soul apall Iove could not daunt him he could only crush Why name I Fear In his undaunted mein Was there the least dejection seen Did he not perfectly disdain Of Fortune's malice barely to complain Did he not look as who should say 'T is true we 've lost th' uncertain day But we deserv'd to win T is Fortune's blame That we have lost then Fortune's be the shame Empire is hers and Conquest and Success The greatness of my soul is mine and that 's above distress My very losses greatly born my glory shall dilate And shew the wondring World a mind that triumphs over Fate XII Thus he insulted over us and ours And with his very looks blasphem'd our idle pow'rs Which still each hour he insolently braves Nay Thousands spirited by him appear Hourly victorious over fear Who shew'd before the minds of Slaves All Europe rouz'd reflects his noble fire Whose wondrous Influence like the Sun 's Thro distant Regions runs And does the World with Martial warmth inspire Of vast Confederate members He the Soul Unites the mighty parts and animates the whole While here We pleas'd to be contemn'd can stay And howl our Triumphs out aloud Our Triumphs o're a worthless crowd He all the generous world seduces from our sway Ye Terrors who your selves resistless call One man buoys Europe up against you all Dread Spirits whom mankind could tremble at before Go frighten Women now and think of Men no more XIII Thus ended the tempestuous King and now He rowls his formidable Brow Into a dreadful scowl While thrice Revenge his restless Subjects howl As when the Northern Tyrant of the Waves Upon the Polar Main in black September raves The Billows vex'd to Madness roar And foaming scourge the gloomy dismal shore While frantic Seas with frightful fury rowl'd As they run madder grow by Frenzy cold Till to prodigious Rocks congeal'd they stand And render hideous Zembla's horrid strand So the dire Subjects of the Tyrant Death By the bleak fury of his stormy breath Troubled and into frantic motions cast Fluctuating rowl'd and foam'd and roar'd and bellow'd to the blast Till with excess of rage at last All became fixt against their will All stupidly benumm'd and still Were doubly ghastful grown And Horror in th' amazing height of all its Pomp was shown Discord of all the crew the most accurst From her lethargick plight recover'd first Grew mad afresh and with her reeking hands From off her snaky Curls she wrung the bloody Bands Then terribly the baleful Host survey'd And to the formidable Monarch said XIV Ruler of Kings whom this great Court reveres Whom Hell affects and Earth and Ocean fears Canst thou to me extend thy dread Despight Because thy Terrors are contemn'd Must Discord be condemn'd Shall not the King of all the World do right To serve thee have I not attempted more Than ever desperate Fury dar'd before Has not my Spirit all the Gauls possest Has it not rowl'd in ev'ry eye and rag'd in ev'ry breast Have I not loosen'd Fury from her Chain Who now flys roaring over Land and Main And art thou not thro me in dreadful progress seen Majestical with horrid Mien Stalking to new Destruction o're the Plain With a profuser Purple pomp did never Monarch reign What if one Man contemns thy pow'r Is there a day Is there an hour In which I fail to have recourse To all my skill and all my force That hated Hero to undo Whom I with Treason or with Rage eternally pursue Can there be any one amongst us all Whom it concerns like me to see him fall The rest he slights but me he loaths detests And ventures Life and Crown t' expel me from above And in my room designs to six in humane breasts Perpetual Concord and Fraternal Love Soon should he feel the vengeance of these hands But Heav'ns severe Commands And Fates immutable Decree withstands But yet suppose this mortal Dart Were ev'n this moment plunging in his Heart Believe I know him well All-conquering Death He would insult thee with his latest breath True We should triumph o're his mortal part Rare Conquest for our Universal King A Conquest which would Dust to thy subjection bring While his aspiring Soul to Heav'n its flight would wing XV. O could'st thou make that tow'ring Soul descend Could but thy Terrors force that Godlike soul to bend Whose influence rowzes a degenerate Age Warms it to just Revenge and martial Rage And with exalted thoughts ev'n Kings inspires And to magnanimous Acts the wondring Nations fires Which now for twenty rowling years has chose Still to be restless for the worlds repose And would its body for Mankind devove To stand the Victim of offended Iove If you this wondrous soul could move It might a Triumph prove Deserving of the loudest boast Of thy great self and thy victorious Host. But to dismay that dauntless Mind We must no vulgar method find For should'st thou to his Face draw near And in thy most amazing shape appear Unterrify'd he would thy Front survey Nay unconcern'd perhaps and gay He knows his Soul is set above thy sway And that secures him from ignoble Fear Fear often makes immortal souls vain Homage to thee pay But William's looks from so sublime a sphere That while his Vertues there with Glory shine It can look down with scorn On Life on Fortune and on Regal State But there are qualities so truly great As can ev'n Heav'n adorn Wisdom and Vertue are divine He those inestimable knows To terrifie him then assault him ev'n in those Those of his Queen are his that lovely Queen Whom such Perfections grace That her high Vertues and her heavenly Mein Might make it be presum'd