No More Learning

BRITANNIA.

Favoured by night, concealed in this disguise,.
Whilst the lewd court in drunken slumber lies,
I stole away, and never will return,
Till England knows who did her city burn ;



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200 THE POEMS

Till cavaliers shall favourites be deemed,
And loj'al sufferers by the court esteemed ;
Till * Leigh and Galloway shall bribes nject ;

Thus O n's golden cheat I shall detect ;

Till atheist Lauderdale shall leave this land,
And Commons' votes shall cut-nose guards

disband :
Till Kate a happy mother shall become,
Till Charles loves parliaments, and James hates

Rome.

RALEIGH.

What fatal crimes make you for ever fly
Your once loved court, and martyr's progeny ?

BRITANNIA.

A colony of French possess the court ;
Pimps, priests, buffoons, in privy-chamber sport.
Such slimy monsters ne*er approached a tluone,
Since Pharaoh's days, nor so defiled a crown.
In sacred ear tyrannic arts they croak,
Pi^rvert his mind, and good intentions choke,
Tell him of golden Indias, fairy lands,
Leviathan, and absolute commands.
Tims fairy-like, they steal the king away,
And in his room a changeling Lewis lay.



* L'. 'igh and Galloway were suspected to be hrlUed by
Lor. I Danby, to side with the court.



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OP MABVELL. 201

How oft have I him to himself restored,

In 's lefl the scale, in 's right hand placed the

sword?
Taught him their use, what dangers would ensue
To them who strive to separate these two ?
The bloody Scottish chronicle read o'er,
Showed him how manj kings, in purple
Were hurled to hell, by cruel tyrant lort



1
>\e gore, >

are ? J



The other day famed Spenser I did bring,
In lofty notes Tudor's blessed race to sing ;
How Spain's proud powers her virgin arms con-
trolled,
And golden days in peaceful order rolled ;
How like ripe fruit she dropped from off her

throne.
Full of gray hairs, good deeds, and great renown.
As the Jessean hero did appease
Saul's stormy rage, and stopped his black disease.
So the learned bard, with artful song, suppressed
The swelling passion of his cankered breast.
And in his heart kind influences shed
Of country's love, by truth and justice bred.
Then to perform the cure so well begun,
To him I showed this glonous setting sun ;
How, by her people's looks pursued from far,
She mounted on a bright celestial car, .
Outshining Virgo, or the Julian star.
Whilst in truth's mirror this good scene he spied.
Entered a dame, bedecked with spotted pride.



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202 THE POEMS

Fair flower-de-luce within an azure field,
Her left hand bears the ancient Gallic shield,
By her usurped ; her right a bloody sword,
Inscribed Leviathan, our sovereign Lord ;
Her towery front a fiery meteor bears,
An exhalation bred of blood and tears ;
Around her Jove's lewd ravenous curs com-
plain.
Pale death, lust, tortures, fill her pompous

train;
She from the easy king Truth's mirror took.
And on the ground in spiteful fall it broke ;
Then frowning thus, with proud disdain she
spoke:



f



"Are thread-bare virtues ornaments for kings ?
Such poor pedantic toys teach underlings.
Do monarchs rise by virtue, or by sword ?