Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
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A36581
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Absalom and Achitophel a poem.; Absalom and Achitophel
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Dryden, John, 1631-1700.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing D2214; ESTC R1552
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18,435
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34
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is to touch our Ark. To change Foundations cast the Frame anew Is work for Rebels who base Ends pursue At once Divine and Humane Laws controul And mend the parts by ruine of the whole The Tamp'ring World is subject to this Curse To Physick their Disease into a worse Now what relief can Righteous David bring How Fatal 't is to be too good a King Friends he has few so high the Madness grows Who dare be such must be the peoples Foes Yet some there were ev'n in the worst of days Some let me name and Naming is to praise In this short File Barzillai first appears Barzillai crown'd with Honour and with Years Long since the rising Rebells he withstood In Regions waste beyond the Iordans Flood Unfortunately Brave to buoy the Sate But sinking underneath his Master's Fate In exile with his Godlike Prince he mourn'd For him he Suffer'd and with him Return'd The Court he practis'd not the Courtier 's art Large was his Weaâ—th but larger was his Heart Which well the Noblest Objects knew to choose The Fighting Warriour and Recording Muse. His bed cou'd once a Fruitfull Issue boast Now more than half a Father's Name is lost His eldest hope with every Grace adorn'd By me so Heav'n will have it always mourn'd And always honour'd snatch'd in manhoods primâ— B' unequal fates and providences crime Yet not before the Goal of Honour won All parts fulfilâ—'d of Subject and of Son Swift was the Race but short the time to run Oh narrow circle but of Pow'r divine Scanted in space but perfect in thy Line By Sea by Land thy matchless worth was known Arms thy delight and War was all thy own Thy force infus'd the fainting Tyrians prop'd And haughty Pharaoh found his Fortune stop'd Oh ancient Honour oh unconquer'd hand Whom foes unpunish'd never coud withstand But Israel was unworthy of thy Name Short is the date of all immoderate fame It looks as Heav'n our ruine had design'd And durst not trust thy fortune and thy mind Now free from earth thy disencumbred Soul Mounts up and leaves behind the Clouds and starry Pole From thence thy kindred legions may'st thou bring To aid the guardian Angel of thy King Here stop my Muse here cease thy painful slight No pinions can pursue immortal height Tell good Barzillai thou canst sing no more And tell thy soul she should have â—â—ed before Or fled she with his life and left this Verse To hang on her departed Parton's Herse Now take thy steepy flight from Heav'n and see If thou canst find on earth another He Another He would be too hard to find See then whom thou canst see not far behind Zadock the Priest whom shunning pow'r and place His lowly mind advanc'd to David's Grace With him the Sagan of Ierusalem Of hospitable soul and noble stem Him of the western dome whose weighty sense Flows in fit words and heavenly Eloquence The Prophets sons by such example led To Learning and to Loyalty were bred For Colleges on bounteous Kings depend And never Rebel was to Arts a friend To these succeed the Pillars of the Laws Who best coud plead and best can judge a Cause Next them a train of Loyal Peers ascend Sharp judging Adriel the Muses friend Himself a Muse In Sanhedrins debate True to his Prince but not a Slave of State Whom David's love with Honours did adorn That from his disobedient Son were torn Iotham of piercing wit and pregnant thought Indu'd by Nature and by Learning taught To move Assemblies who but only try'd The worse a-while then chose the better side Nor chose alone but turn'd the balance too So much the weight of one brave man can do Hushai the friend of David in distress In publick storms of manly stedfastness By foreign Treaties he inform'd his Youth And join'd experience to his native truth His frugal care supp'y'd the wanting Throne Frugal for that but bounteous of his own 'T is easy conduct when Exchequers flow But hard the task to manage well the low For Soverereign Power is too deprest or high When Kings are forc'd to sell or Crowds to buy Indulge one labour more my weary Muse For Amiel who can Amiel's praise refuse Of ancient Race by Birth but Nobler yet In his own worth and without Title great The Sanhedrin-long time as Chief he rul'd Their Reason guided and their Passion cool'd So dextrous was he in the Crown 's defence So form'd to speak a Loyal Nations sense That as their Band was Israel's Tribes in small So fit was he to represent them all Now rasher Charioteers the Seat ascend Whose loose Carriers his steady Skill commend They like th' unequal Ruler of the day Misguide the seasons and mistake the way While he withdrawn at their mad labour smiles And safe enjoys the Sabbath of his toyls These were the chief a small but faithful Band Of Worthies in the Breach who dar'd to stand And tempt th' united Fury of the Land With grief they view'd such powerful Engines bent To batter down the lawful Government A numerous Faction with pretended frights In Sanhedrins to plume the Regal Rights The true Successor from the Court remov'd The Plot by hireling Witnesses improv'd These Ills they saw and as their Duty bound They shew'd the King the danger of the Wound That no concessions from the Throne woud please But Lenitives fomented the Disease That Absalom ambitious of the Crown Was made the Lure to draw the People down That false Achitophel's pernitious Hate Had turn'd the Plot to ruine Church and State The Council violent the Rabble worse That Shimei taught Ierusalem to curse With all these loads of injuries opprest And long revolving in his careful Brest Th' event of things at last his patience tir'd Thus from his Royal Throne by Heav'n inspir'd The God-like David spoke with awful fear His Train their Maker in their Master hear Thus long have I by native mercy sway'd My wrongs dissembl'd my revenge delay'd So willing to forgive th' Offending Age So much the Father did the King asswage But now fo far my Clemency they slight Th' offenders question my forgiving right That one was made for many they contend But 't is to Rule for that 's a Monarch's end They call my tenderness of Blood my fear Though manly tempers can the longest bear Yet since they will divert my Native course 'T is time to shew I am not good by force Those heap'd Affronts that hauty subjects bring Are burthens for a Camel not a King Kings are the publick Pillars of the State Born to sustain and prop the Nations weight If my Young Samson will pretend a Call To shake the Column let him share the Fall But oh that yet he woud repent and live How easie 't is for Parents to forgive With how few Tears a Pardon might be woâ— From Nature pleading for a Darling Son Poor pitied Youth by my Paternal care Rais'd up to all the height his frame coud bear Had God ordain'd his fate for Empire born He woud have giv'n his Soul another turn Gull'd with a Patriot's name whose modern sense Is one that woud by Law Supplant his Prince The Peoples Brave the Politicians Tool Never was Patriot yet but was a Fool. Whence comes it that Religion and the Laws Should more be Absalom's than David's Cause His old Instructer e're he lost his place Was never thought indu'd with so much Grace Good Heav'ns how Faction can a Patriot paint My Rebel ever proves my peoples Saint Would They impose an Heir upon the Throne Let Sanhedrims be taught to give their own A King 's at least a part of Government And mine as requisite as their Consent Without my leave a future King to choose Infers a Right the present to Depose True they Petition me t' approve their Choise But Esau's hand suit ill with Iacob's voice My pious Subjects for my safety pray Which to secure they take my Pow'r away From Plots and Treasons Heaven preserve my years But save me most from my Petitioners Unsatiate as the barren Womb or â—râ—ve God cannot grant so much as they can Crave What then is left but with a jealous Eye To guard the small remains of Royalty The Law shall still direct my peacefull Sway And the same Law teach Rebels to obey Votes shall no more establish'd Pow'r controul Such Votes as make a part exceed the whole No groundless Clamours shall my Friends remove Nor Crowds have power to punish e're they prove For Gods and Godlike Kings their Care express Still to defend their servants in distress Oh that my Power to saving were confin'd Why am I forc'd like Heav'n against my mind To make Examples of another kind Must I at length the Sword of Justice draw Oh curst Effects of necessary Law How ill my Fear they by my Mercy scan Beware the Fury of a patient Man Law they require let Law then shew her face They coud not be content to look on Grace Her hinder parts but with a during Eye To tempt the terror of her Front and dye By their own Arts 't is righteously decreed Those dire Artificers of Death shall bleed Against themselves their Witnesses will swear Till Viper-like their Mother Plot they tear And suck for Nutriment that bloody gore Which was their Principle of Life before Their Belial with their Belzebub will fight Thus on my Foes my Foes shall do me right Nor doubt th' event for factious crowds engage In their first Onset all their Brutal Rage Then let 'em take an unresisted course Retire and Traverse and delude their force But when they stand all breathless urge the fight And rise upon 'em with redoubled might For lawful Pow'r is still Superiour found When long driven back at length it stands the ground He sâ—â—d Th' Almighty nodding gave consent And Pâ—als of Thunder shook the Fâ—rmament Henceforth a Serâ—es of new time began The mâ—ghty Years in long Procession ran Once more the Gâ—dliâ— David was Restor'd And 〈…〉 knew thâ—ir Lawfull Lord. FINIS
ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL A POEM Si Propius stes Te Capiet Magis The Second Editon Augmented and Revised TO THE READER 'T is not my intention to make an apology for my Poem Some will think it needs no excuse and others will receive none The design I am sure is honest but he who draws his Pen for one party must expect to make enemies of the other 〈◊〉 Wit and Fool are consequents of Whig and Tory and every man is a Knave or an Ass to the contrary side There 's a treasury of Merits in the â—hanatick Church as well as in the Papist and a Pennyworth to be had of Saintship Honesty and Poetry for the Loud the Factious and the Blockheads But the longest Chapter in Deuteronomy has 〈◊〉 Curses enow for an Anti Bromingham My comfort is their manifest prejudice to my Cause will render their judgement of less Authority against me Yet if a Poem have a Genius it will force its own reception in the World For there 's a sweetness in good Verse which tickles even while it hurts And no man can be heartily angry with him who pleases him against his will The commendation of Adverversaries is the greatest triumph of a Writer because it never comes unless extorted But I can be satisfied on more easy terms If I happen to please the more moderate sort I shall be sure of an honest party and in all probability of the best Judges for the least concerned are commonly the least corrupt And I confess I have laid in for those by rebating the Satyre where Justice would allow it from carrying too sharp an edge They who can criticize so weakly as to imagine I have done my worst may be convinc'd at their own cost that I can write severely with more ease than I can gently I have but 〈◊〉 at 〈◊〉 mens Follies when I coud have declaim'd against their 〈◊〉 and other mens Vertues I have commended as freely as I have 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 And now if you are a malicious Reader I expect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 return upon me that I affect to be thought more impartial than I am But if men are not to be judg'd by their Professions God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common-wealths-men for professing so plausibly for the Government 〈◊〉 cannot be so unconscionable as to charge me for not 〈◊〉 of my name for that would reflect too grossly upon your own party who never dare though they have the advantage of a Jury to secure them If you like not my Poem the fault may possibly be in my writing though 't is hard for an Author to judge against himself But more probably 't is in your Morals which cannot bear the truth of it The violent on both sides will condemn the character of Absalom as either too favourably or too hardly drawn But they are not the violent whom I desire to please The fault on the right hand is to Extenuate Palliate and Indulge and to confess freely I have endeavoured to commit it Besides the respect which I owe his Birth I have a greater for his Heroick Vertues and David himself could not be more tender of the Young man's Life than I would be of his Reputation But since the most excellent Natures are always the most easy and as being such are the soonest perverted by ill Counsels especially when baited with Fame and Glory 't is no more a wonder that he withstood not the temptation of Achitophel than it was for Adam not to have resisted the two Devils the Serpent and the Woman The conclusion of the Story I purposely forbore to prosecute because I could not obtain from my self to shew Absalom unfortunate The Frame of it was cut out but for a Picture to the wast and if the Draught be so far true 't is as much as I design'd Were I the Inventer who am only the Historian I should certainly conclude the Piece with the reconcilement of Absalom to David And who knows but this may come to pass Things were not brought to an extremity where I left the Story there seems yet to be room left for a Composure hereafter there may only be for Pity I have not so much as an uncharitable wish against Achitophel but am content to be accâ—s'd of a good natur'd Error and to hope with Origen that the Devil himself may at last be saved For which reason in this Poem he is neither brought to set his House in order nor to dispose of his Person afterwards as he in wisdom shall think sit God is infinitely merciful and his Vicegerent is only not so because he is not Infinite The true end of Satyre is the amendment of Vices by correction And he who writes honestly is no more an enemy to the Offender than the Physitian to the Patient when he prescribes harsh Remedies to an inveterate Disease for those are only in order to prevent the Chirurgeon's work of an Ense Rescindendum which I wish not to my very enemies To conclude all If the Body Politick have any Analogy to the Natural in my weak judgment an Act of Oblivion were as necessary in a Hot distemper'd State as an Opiate would be in a raging Fever To the unknown Author of this Admirable Poem I Thought forgive my sin the boasted fire Of Poets Souls did long ago expire Of Folly or of Madness did accuse The Wretch that thought himself possest with Muse Laugh't at the God within that did inspire With more than humane thoughts the tuneful Quire But sure 't is more than Fancy or the Dream Of Rhimers slumbring by the Muses stream Some livelier spark of Heav'n and more refin'd From earthly dross fills the great Poet's mind Witness these mighty and immortal lines Thro each of which th' informing Genius shines Scarce a Diviner flame inspir'd the King Of whom thy Muse does so sublimely sing Not David's Self could in a Nobler Verse His gloriously offending Son rehearse Tho in his Brest the Prophet's fury met The Father's Fondness and the Poet 's Wit Here all consent in Wonder and in Praise And to the unknown Poet Altars raise Which thou must needs accept with equal joy As when Aeoenas heard the Wars of Troy Wrapt up himself in darkness and unseen Extoll'd with Wonder by the Tyrian Queen Sure thou already art secure of Fame Nor want'st new Glories to exalt thy Name What Father else woud have refus'd to own So great a Son as God-like Absalon To the unknown Author of this Excellent Poem TAke it as earnest of a Faith renew'd Your Theme is vast your Verse divinely good Where tho the Nine their beauteous strokes repeat And the turn'd lines on golden Anvils beat It looks as if they strook 'em at a heat So all serenely great so just refin'd Like Angels love to humane seed enclin'd It starts a Giant and exalts the kind 'T is spirit seen whose fiery Atomes roul So brightly fierce each syllable's a Soul T is minature of man but he 's all heart T is what