How weak, at beft, is REASON! yet the grave
Impofe on that fmall judgment which we have.

II.

In all thofe wits, whofe names have spread fo wide, And ev❜n the force of time defy'd,

Some failings yet may be defcry'd.
Among the reft, with wonder be it told,
That BRUTUS is admir'd for CESAR's death;
By which he yet furvives in fame's immortal breath.
BRUTUS, ev'n he, of all the reft,

In whom we should that deed the most deteft,
Is of mankind esteem'd the best.
As fnow defcending from fome lofty hill,
Is by its rolling courfe augmenting ftill;
So from illuftrious authors down have roll'd

Thofe

great encomiums he receiv'd of old:

Republick orators ftill fhew esteem,

And gild their eloquence with (g) praise of him. But truth unveil'd like a bright fun appears, To shine away this heap of fev❜nteen hundred years.

III.

In vain 'tis urg'd by an (5) illuftrious wit,
(To whom in all befides I willingly fubmit)
That CESAR's life no pity could deserve
From one who kill'd himself, rather than serve.
Had BRUTUS chofe rather himself to slay,
Than any mafter to obey;

M

Happy for Rome had been that noble pride;

The world had then remain'd in peace, and only BRUTUS dy'd.

For he, whose foul difdains to own

Subjection to a tyrant's frown,

And his own life would rather end; Would, fure, much rather kill himself, than only hurt his friend.

To his own fword in the Philippian field
BRUTUS, indeed, at last did yield:
But in those times felf-killing was not rare;
And his proceeded only from despair:

He might have chosen (i) else to live,
In hopes another CESAR would forgive;
Then, for the good of Rome, he could once more
Confpire against a life which had fpar'd his before.

IV.

Our country challenges our utmost care,
And in our thoughts deferves the tender'st share;
Her to a thousand friends we should prefer
Yet not (k) betray 'em, tho' it be for her.
Hard is his heart, whom no defert can move,
A mistress or a friend to love,

Above whate'er he does befides enjoy ;

But may he, for their fakes, his fire or fons destroy? For facred juftice, or for publick good,

Scorn'd be our wealth, our honour, and our blood: In fuch a cause, want is a happy ftate;

Ev'n low difgrace would be a glorious fate;

And death itself, when noble fame furvives,
More to be valu'd than a thousand lives.

But 'tis not, furely, of fo fair renown,

To spill another's blood, as to expose our own :
Of all that's ours we cannot give too much;
But what belongs to friendship, oh! 'tis facrilege
to touch.

V.

(1) Can we stand by unmov'd, and fee Our mother robb'd and ravifh'd? Can we be "Excus'd, if in her caufe we never stir, "Pleas'd with the strength and beauty of the ravisher? Thus fings our bard with almost heat divine; 'Tis pity that his thought was not (m) as ftrong as fine. Wou'd it more juftly did the cafe express, Or that its beauty and its grace were less. (Thus a nymph sometimes we fee, Who fo charming seems to be, That, jealous of a foft furprize, We scarce durft truft our eager eyes) Such a fallacious ambush to escape, It were but vain to plead a willing rape;

A valiant fon would be provok'd the more; [before;
A (2) force we therefore must confess, but acted long
A (6) marriage fince did intervene,

With all the folemn and the facred scene;
Loud was the Hymenean fong;

*

The violated dame walk'd fmilingly along,

* Rome.

And in the midst of the most facred dance,
As if enamour'd of his fight,

Often fhe caft a kind admiring glance.

On the bold ftruggler for delight;

Who afterwards appear'd fo moderate and cool,
As if for publick good alone he fo defir'd to rule.

VI.

But, oh! that this were all which we can urge
Against a Roman of so great a foul !

And that (p) fair truth permitted us to purge
His fact, of what appears fo foul!
Friendship, that facred and fublimeft thing!
The nobleft quality, and chiefeft good,

(In this (q) dull age scarce understood) [fing. Infpires us with unusual warmth, her injur'd rites to (r) Aflift, ye angels! whofe immortal blifs, Tho' more refin'd, chiefly consists in this!

() How plainly your bright thoughts to one another
Oh! how ye all agree in harmony divine! [fhine!
The race of mutual love with equal zeal ye run;
A (1) course, as far from any end, as when at first begun.
(u) Ye faw, and fmil'd upon this matchless pair,
Who still betwixt 'em did so many virtues share,
Some which belong to peace, and fome to ftrife,
Thofe of a calm, and of an active life,

That all the excellence of human-kind
Concurr'd to make of both but one united mind;
Which friendship did so fast and closely bind,
Not the least cement could appear, by which their
fouls were join'd.

That tye which holds our mortal frame, Which poor unknowing we a foul and body name, Seems not a compofition more divine,

Or more abstruse, than all that does in friendship shine.

VII..

From mighty CESAR, and his boundless grace,
Tho' BRUTUS (w) once at leaft, his life receiv'd;
Such (x) obligations, tho' fo high believ'd,
Are yet but flight in such a cafe,

Where friendship fo poffeffes all the place,
There is no room for gratitude; fince he,

[be.

Who fo obliges, is more pleas'd than his fav'd friend can

Juft in the midst of all this noble heat,

While their great hearts did both fo kindly beat,
That it amaz'd the lookers on,

And forc'd them to fufpect a * father and a fon;
(Tho' here ev'n nature's felf still feem'd to be out-done)
From fuch a friendship unprovok'd to fall,

Is horrid; yet I wish that fact were (y) all, [call. Which does with too much caufe ungrateful BRUTUS

VIII.

In cooleft blood he laid a long defign
Against his best and dearest friend;
Did ev'n his foes in zeal exceed,

To fpirit others up to work fo black a deed;
Himself the (2) centre where they all did join.

*Caefar was fufpected to have begotten Brutus.