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A36680
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The second part of Absalom and Achitophel a poem.
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Tate, Nahum, 1652-1715.; Dryden, John, 1631-1700.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing D2350; ESTC R73
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17,610
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36
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Pretence of Publick Good will hold A new Achitophels be found as bold To urge the needfull Change perhaps the Old He said The Statesman with a Smile replies A smile that did his rising Spleen disguise My thoughts presum'd our labours at an End And are we still with Conscience to contend Whose Want in Kings as needfull is allow'd As 't is for them to find it in the Crowd Far in the doubtfull Passage you are gone And onely can be Safe by pressing on The Crowns true Heir a Prince severe and wise Has view'd your Motions long with Jealous Eyes Your Persons Charms your more prevailing Arts And mark't your Progress in the Peoples Hearts Whose Patience is th' effect of stinted Pow'r But treasures Vengeance for the fatal hour And if remote the Perill He can bring Your Present Danger 's greater from the King Let not a Parent 's name deceive your Sense Nor trust the Father in a Jealous Prince Your trivial Faults if he could so resent To doom you little less than Banishment What rage must your Presumption Since inspire Against his Orders your Return from Tyre Nor onely so but with a Pomp more high And open Court of Popularity The Factious Tribes And this Reproof from Thee The Prince replies O Statesman's winding Skill They first Condemn that first Advis'd the Ill Illustrious Youth return'd Achitophel Misconstrue not the Words that mean you well The Course you steer I worthy Blame conclude But 't is because you leave it Unpersu'd A Monarch's Crown with Fate surrounded lyes Who reach lay hold on Death that miss the Prize Did you for this expose your self to Show And to the Crowd bow popularly low For this your Glorious Progress next ordain With Chariots Horsemen and a numerous Train With Fame before you like the Morning Starr And Shouts of Joy saluting from afarr Oh from the Heights you 've reach't but take a View Scarce leading Lucifer cou'd Fall like You And must I here my Ship-wrackt Arts bemoan Have I for this so oft made Israel groan Your single Interest with the Nation weigh'd And turn'd the Scale where your Desires were laid Ev'n when at Helm a Course so dang'rous mov'd To Land your Hopes as my Removal prov'd I not dispute the Royal youth replyes The known Perfection of your Policies Nor in Achitophel yet grudge or blame The Priviledge that Statesmen ever claim Who private Interest never yet persu'd But still pretended 't was for Others good What Polititian yet e'er scap't his Fate Who saving his own Neck not sav'd the State From hence on ev'ry hum'rous Wind that veer'd With shifted Sayls a sev'ral Course you Steer'd What Form of Sway did David e'er persue That seem'd like Absolute but sprung from You Who at your instance quasht each penal Law That kept dissenting factious Iews in awe And who suspends fixt Laws may abrogate That done form New and so enslave the State Ev'n Property whose Champion now you stand And seem for this the Idol of the Land Did ne'er sustain such Violence before As when your Counsel shut the Royal Store Advice that Ruine to whole Tribes procur'd But secret kept till your own Banks secur'd Recount with this the tripple Cov'nant broke And Israel fitted for a Foreign Yoke Nor here your Counsels fatal Progress staid But sent our levied Pow'rs to Pharaoh's Aid Hence Tyre and Israel low in Ruins laid And Egypt once their Scorn their common Terrour made Ev'n yet of such a Season we can dream When Royal Rights you made your darling Theam For Pow'r unlimited could Reasons draw And place Prerogative above the Law Which on your fall from Office grew Unjust The Laws made King the King a Slave in Trust Whom with State-craft to Int'rest onely True You now Accuse of ills contriv'd by You. To this Hell's Agent Royal Youth fix here Let Int'rest be the Star by which I Steer Hence to repose your Trust in Me was wise Whose Int'rest most in your Advancement lies A Tye so firm as always will avail When Friendship Nature and Religion fail On ours the Safety of the Crowd depends Secure the Crowd and we obtain our Ends Whom I will cause so far our Guilt to share Till they are made our Champions by their Fear What Opposition can your Rival bring While Sanhedrims are Jealous of the King His Strength as yet in David's Friendship lies And what can David's Self without Supplies Who with Exclusive Bills must now Dispence Debarr the Heir or Starve in his Defence Conditions which our Elders ne'er will quit And David's Justice never can admit Or forc't by Wants his Brother to betray To your Ambition next he clears the Way For if Succession once to Nought they bring Their next Advance removes the present King Persisting else his Senates to dissolve In equal Hazzard shall his Reign involve Our Tribes whom Pharaoh's Pow'r so much Alarms Shall rise without their Prince t' oppose his Arms Nor boots it on what Cause at first they Joyn Their Troops once up are Tools for our Design At least such subtle Covenants shall be made Till Peace it self is War in Masquerade Associations of Mysterious Sense Against but seeming for the King's Defence Ev'n on their Courts of Justice Fetters draw And from our Agents Muzzle up their Law By which a Conquest if we fail to make 'T is a drawn Game at worst and we secure our Stake He said and for the dire Success depends On various Sects by common Guilt made Friends Whose Heads though ne'er so diff'ring in their Creed I' th point of Treason yet were well Agreed 'Mongst these Extorting Ishban first appears Persu'd b' a meager Troop of Bankrupt Heirs Blest Times when Ishban He whose Occupation So long has been to Cheat Reformes the Nation Ishban of Conscience suited to his Trade As good a Saint as Usurer e'er made Yet Mammon has not so engrost him quite But Belial lays as large a Claim of Spight Who for those Pardons from his Prince he draws Returns Reproaches and cries up the Cause That Year in which the City he did sway He left Rebellion in a hopefull way Yet his Ambition once was found so bold To offer Talents of Extorted Gold Cou'd David's Wants have So been brib'd to shame And scandalize our Peerage with his Name For which his dear Sedition he 'd forswear And e'en turn Loyal to be made a Peer Next him let Railing Rabsheka have place So full of Zeal He has no need of Grace A Saint that can both Flesh and Spirit use Alike haunt Conventicles and the Stews Of whom the Question difficult appears If most i' th' Preachers or the Bawds Arrears What Caution cou'd appear too much in Him That keeps the Treasure of Ierusalem Let David's Brother but approach the Town Double our Guards He cries We are undone Protesting that He dares not Sleep in 's Bed Lest he shou'd Rise next Morn without his Head Next these a Troop of buisy Spirits press Of little
Poet Fame The Kenites Rocky Province his Command A barren Limb of Fertile Canaans Land Which for its gen'rous Natives yet cou'd be Held Worthy such a President as He Bezaliel with each Grace and Virtue Fraught Serene his Looks Serene his Life and Thought On whom so largly Nature heapt her Store There scarce remain'd for Arts to give him more To Aid the Crown and State his greatest Zeal His Second Care that Service to Conceal Of Dues Observant Firm in ev'ry Trust And to the Needy always more than Just. Who Truth from specious falshood can divide Has all the Gown-mens Skill without their Pride Thus crown'd with worth from heights of honour won Sees all his Glories copyed in his Son Whose forward Fame should every Muse engage Whose Youth boasts skill deny'd to others Age. Men Manners Language Books of noblest kind Already are the Conquest of his Mind Whose Loyalty before its Date was prime Nor waited the dull course of rowling Time The Monster Faction early he dismaid And David's Cause long since confest his Aid Brave Abdael o'er the Prophet's School was plac'd Abdael with all his Father's Virtue grac'd A Heroe who while Stars look'd wondring down Without one Hebrew 's Bloud restor'd the Crown That Praise was His what therefore did remain For following Chiefs but boldly to maintain That Crown restor'd and in this Rank of Fame Brave Abdael with the First a place must claim Proceed illustrious happy Chief proceed Foreseize the Garlands for thy Brow decreed While th' inspir'd Tribe attend with noblest strain To Register the Glories thou shalt gain For sure the Dew shall Gilboah's Hills forsake And Iordan mix his Stream with Sodom's Lake Or Seas retir'd their secret Stores disclose And to the Sun their scaly Brood expose Or swell'd above the Clifts their Billows raise Before the Muses leave their Patron 's Praise Eliab our next Labour does invite And hard the Task to doe Eliab right Long with the royal Wanderer he rov'd And firm in all the Turns of Fortune prov'd Such ancient Service and Desert so large Well claim'd the Royal Houshold for his Charge His Age with onely one mild Heiress blest In all the Bloom of smiling Nature drest And blest again to see his Flow'r ally'd To David's Stock and made young Othriel's Bride The bright Restorer of his Father's Youth Devoted to a Son 's and Subject's Truth Resolv'd to bear that prize of Duty home So bravely sought while sought by Absalom Ah Prince th' illustrious Planet of thy Birth And thy more powerfull Virtue guard thy worth That no Achitophel thy Ruine boast Israel too much in one such Wreck has lost Ev'n Envy must consent to Helon's Worth Whose Soul though Egypt glories in his Birth Cou'd for our Captive-Ark its Zeal retain And Pharaoh's Altars in their Pomp disdain To slight his Gods was small with nobler pride He all th' Allurements of his Court defi'd Whom Profit nor Example cou'd betray But Israel's Friend and true to David's Sway. What acts of favour in his Province fall On Merit he confers and Freely all Our List of Nobles next let Amri grace Whose Merits claim'd the Abethdins high place Who with a Loyalty that did excell Brought all th' endowments of Achitophel Sincere was Amri and not onely knew But Israel's Sanctions into practice drew Our Laws that did a boundless Ocean seem Were coasted all and fathom'd all by Him No Rabbin speaks like him their mystick Sense So just and with such Charms of Eloquence To whom the double Blessing does belong With Mose's Inspiration Aaron's Tongue Than Sheva none more loyal Zeal have shown Wakefull as Iudah's Lion for the Crown Who for that Cause still combats in his Age For which his Youth with danger did engage In vain our factious Priests the Cant revive In vain seditious Scribes with Libels strive T' enflame the Crowd while He with watchfull Eye Observes and shoots their Treasons as They fly Their weekly Frauds his keen Replies detect He undeceives more fast than they infect So Moses when the Pest on Legions prey'd Advanc'd his Signal and the Plague was stay'd Once more my fainting Muse thy Pinnions try And Strengths exhausted store let Love supply What Tribute Asaph shall we render Thee We 'll crown thee with a Wreath from thy own Tree Thy Lawrel Grove no Envye's flash can blast The Song of Asaph shall for ever last With wonder late Posterity shall dwell On Absalom and false Achitophel Thy strains shall be our slumbring Prophets dream And when our Sion Virgins sing their Theam Our Iubilees shall with thy Verse be grac't The Song of Asaph shall for ever last How fierce his Satyr loos'd restrain'd how tame How tender of th' offending Young man's Fame How well his worth and brave Adventures still'd Just to his Vertues to his Errour mild No Page of thine that fears the strictest view But teems with just Reproof or Praise as due Not Eden cou'd a fairer Prospect yield All Paradise without one barren Field VVhose VVit the Censure of his Foes has past The Song of Asaph shall for ever last What Praise for such rich Strains shall we allow What just Rewards the gratefull Crown bestow While Bees in Flow'rs rejoyce and Flow'rs in Dew While Stars and Fountains to their Course are true While Iudah's Throne and Sion's Rock stand fast The Song of Asaph and the Fame shall last Still Hebrons honour'd happy Soil Retains Our Royal Heroes beauteous dear remains Who now sails off with Winds nor Wishes slack To bring his Suff'rings bright Companion back But e'er such Transport can our sense employ A bitter grief must poyson half our Joy Nor can our Coasts restor'd those Blessings see Without a Bribe to envious Destiny Curs'd Sodom's Doom for ever fix the Tyde Where by inglorious Chance the Valiant dy'd Give not insulting Askalon to know Nor let Gath's Daughters triumph in our Woe No Sailer with the News swell Egypt's Pride By what inglorious Fate our Valiant dy'd Weep Arnon Iordan weep thy Fountains dry While Sion's Rock dissolves for a Supply Calm were the Elements Night's silence deep The Waves scarce murm'ring and the Winds asleep Yet Fate for Ruine takes so still an hour And treacherous Sands the Princely Barque devour Then Death unworthy seiz'd a gen'rous Race To Virtues scandal and the Stars disgrace Oh! had th' Indulgent Powr's vouchsaf't to yield Instead of faithless Shelves a listed Field A listed Field of Heav'ns and David's Foes Fierce as the Troops that did his Youth oppose Each Life had on his slaughter'd heap retir'd Not Tamely and Unconqu'ring thus expir'd But Destiny is now their onely Foe And dying ev'n o'er that they triumph too With loud last Breaths their Master's Scape applaud Of whom kind Force cou'd scarce the Fates defraud Who for such Followers lost O matchless Mind At his own Safety now almost repin'd Say Royal Sir by all your Fame in Arms Your praise in Peace and by Vrania's Charms If all your Suff'rings past so nerely prest Or pierc't with half so painful Grief your Breast Thus some Diviner Muse her Heroe forms Not sooth'd with soft Delights but tost in storms Not stretcht on Roses in the Myrtle Grove Nor Crowns his Days with Mirth his Nights with Love But far remov'd in Thundring Camps is found His Slumbers short his Bed the herbless Ground In Tasks of Danger always seen the First Feeds from the Hedg and slakes with Ice his Thirst. Long must his Patience strive with Fortunes Rage And long opposing Gods themselves engage Must see his Country Flame his Friends destroy'd Before the promis'd Empire be enjoy'd Such Toil of Fate must build a Man of Fame And such to Israel's Crown the God-like David came What suddain Beams dispel the Clouds so fast Whose drenching Rains laid all our Vineyards waste The Spring so far behind her Course delay'd On th' Instant is in all her Bloom array'd The Winds breath low the Element serene Yet Mark what Motion in the Waves is seen Thronging and busie as Hyblaean Swarms Or stragled Souldiers Summon'd to their Arms. See where the Princely Barque in loosest Pride With all her Guardian Fleet Adorns the Tide High on her Deck the Royal Lovers stand Our Crimes to Pardon e're they toucht our Land VVelcome to Israel and to David's Breast Here all your Toils here all your Sufferings Rest. This Year did Ziloah Rule Ierusalem And boldly all Sedition's Syrges stem How e're incumbred with a viler Pair Than Ziph and Shimei to assist the Chair Yet Ziloah's Loyal Labours so prevail'd That Faction at the next Election fail'd VVhen ev'n the common Cry did Justice Sound And Merrit by the Multitude was Crown'd VVith David then was Israel's Peace restor'd Crowds Mournd their Errour and Obey'd their Lord. FINIS