My motives fure no man can blame,
So many charms I wed;
Thee fomething I forbear to name
Drew to the nuptial bed,
O KEIL, in algebra and ftatics Who has not heard thy fame, Thou conftant friend to mathematics, Thou lover of that fame.
No mortal can like thee decide The motions of the sphere, What planets at our birth prefide, What good or ill draws near.
You know the mighty pow'rs, the fway They bear on human passion; And if your wife fhould go aftray,
Don't blame her inclination.
But MARS and VENUS you will fay
Favour'd this new alliance,
And, whoring in an honest way,
To horns you bid defiance.
No rakes, by wanton glance allur'd, Will e'er attempt thy bed; Thy wond'rous knowledge hath fecur'd Thy aftronomic head.
No man can now with justice blame The heat of your complexion; Quench then at home thy lawful flame, 'Tis conjugal affection.
Where e'er you go a thousand cares Are by this means allay'd; No mother for her daughter fears, No mistress for her maid,
You need not feek or hedge or grove, Or thickets out of fhame; Or on the hay-cock, bed of love! Carefs the fun-burnt dame.
Careless of what the world may fay, Indulge it with thy dear;
Revel it all the live-long day,
And damn the wits that fneer.
But should thy ftars, exceeding crofs, Bereave this spouse of life;
Bear with philofophy thy lofs, And take a second wife.
ASTREA with refulgent grace, For ought I know a maid, May meet thy ftrenuous embrace, Troth fhe's an able jade:
I once had thought the girl to wed, Struck with a fond defire,
Till heav'n had otherways decreed, And cool'd the youthful fire.
Take her, and with her as I live
An ample portion take;
But 'tis, if any thing I give,
Believe me, for thy fake.
The Song of DEBORAH paraphrafed.
O God, who in the fouls of chiefs hath breath'd Heroic ardour, and his right hand rais'd With vengeance terrible, to foil th' attempts Of hoftile rage, ye fons of Ifrael fing. Ye kings, ye princes, potentates, give ear To fongs of triumph, and to songs of praise ; I'll wake the merry tabret's chearful note, And boldly ftrike the sweetly-founding lyre.
When thou, O God! from top of flaming Seit On fpires moft radiant didst ride fublime, In dreadful glory, and thro' Edom lead'ft Thy troops feraphick, heav'ns high vault did bow Obfequious, earth to her centre fhook
Reluctant at the fight; the fearful clouds Shed tears of reverence, from mountains high, Erft fnow-clad, iffued fmoak in dufky wreaths, Numb. I. Vol. II.
And Sinai fhrunk, and melted at thy voice. When mighty SHAMGAR rul'd the chosen race, And fince in JAEL's time, each baneful weed (Spontaneous product of untrodden ground) And bramble rough perplext th' unequal ways, Difmal refort of murderers and thieves; Whofe horrid deeds forc'd paffengers to fhun Th' inhofpitable roads. 'Twas then, alas! 'Twas then those baleful messengers of night, Sad execrable birds, thro' faireft towns, (The feats of defolation, void and wild) Sat brooding melancholy; till I, till I Arofe with mother's fondness, to protect My darling Ifreal from oppreffive wrong. They chofe, (O choice accurft!) they chose to kneel In dark idolatries; then peace no more
In oliv'd portals fmil'd, but difcord wak'd And kindled up the blaze of war: then say, (If shame forbid it not) O Ifrael, fay Was there in forty thoufand chofen hands Or martial spear, or felf-defending sheild? My zealous foul with holy ardour burns; Hail, chiefs, in courage matchlefs, hail ! Whose swords undaunted durft defy the hoft Of Canaan, enemics of God: arife
With loud Hofannas fill th' eternal throne. Speak, who on milky fteeds triumphant ride, Token of honour, ye on whofe ftern brows Old age in venerable order fits, And speaks a comely fapience, praise the lord. Let them, deliver'd from the difmal hifs Of vaulting arrows, join the folemn hymn; With choral fymphonies each feftal gate
Shall found, for God's the theme; him fhall they fing In ftrength, in power, in mercy infinite.
When God's the theme, why itays my hand ingrate,
And flowly ftrikes the ftring? awake, awake, A louder, and a louder ftrain: arife
Thou dread of JABIN's hoft, in triumph lead
Thy captive bands, whose chains thou erft endur'd, With grievance unredrefs'd. Lo, heaven commands ! To our furviving troops, with bended heads, The haughty vanquifh'd nobles ftand,
To me they bow obedient. Bleft, for ever blest Be EPHRAIM's name, from whofe prolific root A branch, the fcourge of AMALEK arose Nor leaft, tho' little, in the rolls of fame Be BENJAMIN infcrib'd, for thee he fought, For thee, O God, with MACHIR and the scribes Of ZEBULON he came; and ISSACHAR Lefs noble joined th' embattl'd powers
Of BARAK, who in dreadful deeds fupreme Forfook the inacceffible afcent,
And thro' the humble verdant valley wheel'd His gallant infantry. But REUBEN, pleas'd In eafy vaffalage, with counfel bland, Infectious poifon, tainted half our tribes, Preferring fervile and ignoble peace To liberty, reward of honeft toil.
Ah! could the lulling found of bleating flocks Please more than breath of martial inftruments ? Ev'n GILEAD too by JORDAN's pleasing streams Bafk'd in inglorious eafe: ah! why did DAN Prefer the fervile oar, or ASHER stand Regardless alfo of his contry's fate? Brave ZEBULUN and NAPHTHALI difdain'd A faint retreat, but fearless ftood and view'd Confpicuous far, from lofty Tabor's height, The dreadful hoft with haughty front advance. 'Twas on the banks of fair MEGIDDO's brook The thick-embattl'd fquadrons stood, and feem'd Indiflolubly firm, for mighty kings
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