XXI. Ah Charta! dare I breathe that sacred name, At this dread hour, while thousands sink and bleed? Alas how many weep!-Sure the great Fame, The glory! (and 'twas glory bright indeed, A mighty nation gain'd in trophied meed,) Were all as nought, whate'er was then achiev'd, Compar'd with that bold, patriotic speed, With which, Great Gaul!-heroic-undeceiv'd, XXII. But 'ware! and let not in thy headstrong rage, The arm be rais'd against that hoary head: Remember he has reach'd the latest stage, Which Heaven assigns.-No more must there be shed Of Royal blood!-France is no longer mad; But, as there's much to palliatesave, Ah! save 1 Written on first hearing of the late Revolution in Paris. Humanity. I If gownsmen penn'd the Charter 1 ill, they had Best expiate.-Be generous as brave, And wait till GOD shall call him to the grave. XXIII. Martignacwise, eloquent, and benevolent. Where all are erring mortals-ofttimes wrong, More proudly should we prize each spark divine : And in a strain which ne'er can be forgot, Blended the Christian with the Patriot! 1 It is supposed that the chief cause of much of the turmoil which has lately taken place in France, was the indefinite manner in which the 14th Article of the old Charter was worded; by which it might be construed, that the King's advisers were not bona fide responsible in every instance; and that a power did rest with the government, to act on great emergencies as circumstances might require. 2 In a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies in Paris, of date 17th August 1830, when Mr de la Pinsonniere proposed, "That all those who shall not have taken the oath, or given in their adherence, before the expiration of fifteen days, from the promulgation of the present law, should be consi XXIV. What Dusseldorf! so those are thy proud towers, Thy palac'd beauty, and thy shady bowers, Must not be left unsung, or unconfess'd,― Thy splendid courts, and tournaments, those tests Dusseldorf. Festivity of the olden times. dered as having resigned, unless in some cases of public hinderance." On Of ducal bounty, which great Gerard 1 gave, To celebrate, amidst his martial guests, The virtues and achievements of the brave; Who fought on Hubert's Day, and fought to save! XXVI. Peaceful re- Here let us linger 2 in thy green retreats, tirement. Pastime. Where we have found health, and quiet, and repose; The haunts of pleasure call'd, but oft, God knows, 1 It was at Dusseldorf that Duke Gerard celebrated by feasts and tournaments the great victory which he gained on St Hubert's Day; and which occasioned him to institute the order of St Hubert. Dusseldorf is a beautiful city in the Duchy of Berg, containing upwards of 12,000 souls. It was taken by the French on the 10th of September 1795. 2 Fitz-Raymond remained several months at Dusseldorf, the climate agreeing with a delicate relative, for whose recovery he travelled. XXVI. Thy ramparts crumbled, and thy castles blaz'd, When revolution shook, and conquest craz'd A people who to freedom would aspire; 'Twas leagued Europe's folly to unite, Against a nation, madden'd with red ire. When man and wife, or king and subjects, fight, Take part with neither, would you do what's right. Errors to be avoided. XXVII. And soon shall warfare pass into that state Which best befits the nature of the fray; Rough wrongs shall straight be righted; vengeance, hate, Be turn'd, and turn'd too with the least dismay, To general weal, and laws which all obey. "Tis wonderful what moderation gains! I mean not gain of pounds and pence-my lay Would eulogize what flows from virtuous reigns, When wisdom guides, and charity obtains. Consequences of non-interference. |