An ode upon the glorious and successful expedition of His Highness the Prince of Orange, now King of England, who landed Novemb. 5, 1688

AN ODE UPON THE GLORIOUS and SUCCESSFUL EXPEDITION Of His HIGHNESS the Prince of Orange, &c.

I.

THe little Poets of the Town Could scarce of late, A Ballad or a plain Song make; Their Wits were frozen, and their Hearts were down.

Th••y scarce could furnish out the Fairs With such light Country Airs, As use to entertain the harmless Crowd, And help to lighten ordinary cares: Such as the merry Milk-maid sings unto her Cow; Or such wherewith the Country Swain Does use to enter••ain Old Bayard at the Plow.

II.

That was no time for Verse, the Furies reign'd, Hell was let loose, and Joy was driven from men: But now the Goblins flee, old Cerberus is chain'd; And now the Muses and the Graces reign agen: Now every Muse that could but creep before, Is fit to mount and soar; Now I my self could mount and sing: Methinks I could an Ode or Iliad make, This year December is the Muses Spring. It should an Iliad be, for why Achilles and his Myrmidons are come: They shake the mighty Walls of Rome; Rome, that of old was call'd New Troy.

That mighty man, with Princes of renown, In Ten years time is said to take the Town; But this Immortal Heroe has outdone All former times in Expedition; In half ten Weeks he gain'd (and may he long enjoy) A City far more worth than ten such Towns as Troy.

III.

Gain'd did I say? It was an Easie gain; England was glad to lose herself to Him, Who came her Laws and Just Rights to maintain, And her enslaved people to redeem. Of all the Sons of Mars, sure this is He That must to War a Reputation bring; That shews it is not what tis said to be, But a good-natur'd useful thing. Sure such a Conquest never was before, That made the Conquered rejoice more than the Con∣queror.

IV.

England if ever, here might see A truly loving Enemy;

Who by relieving the opprest, And helping the distrest, Has realliz'd the old Knight Errantry. No Seas, no Storms, No frowns, no scorns, His Zeal and Resolution could abate. Land and Sea Monsters nothing were to him, He was resolv'd he would redeem The poor opprest at any Rate. His Prowess and his Chivalry Among the Great his Name enrols; But his kind Zeal and Charity Exalts his Name above the Sky: By this he conquers Souls.

V.

This was the sweet and powerful Art Whereby he did the people win; He took them gently by the Heart, And made them bend to Heavens design. They presently with ready mind, Their Towns, themselves and their affairs, Into his Princely hand resign'd; Resolving that his Fortune should be theirs.

Love conquer'd all, towards him their Zeal and their Affections burn'd, And even the hardy men of Steel to him their Magnet turn'd.

VI.

First Cornbury seem'd to mistake his way; That Brave and Noble Soul: He would not fight against his God for pay: At which the Fiends below began to howl. 'Twas he led up the Dance, And shew'd the others what they ought to do; Which made all shake from England o're to France, And broke their measures like to Threds of Tow. Down go the Trinkets, and down fall The Images and House of Baal; To Baal they cry aloud, and to their Goddess call, But neither would regard, nor hear nor help at all. The Vermin flee; the Shavelings hast away; As Evil Spirits are said to do at break of day.

VII.

O blest Deliverance! O blessed Prince! Secret Reserve of Providence,

To save three sinking Kingdoms from the bloody doom And Tyranny of Hell and Rome. Our Moses and our David too; Whose Sling and Stone, (For 'twas not much more in Comparison) Directed by the Almighty's hand, Has made the Gyants fall and sav'd our Land. O had we Davids Harp and Moses Song, And hearts accordingly to sing The praises of th' Eternal King, Who his beloved Deputy sent hither, Of his Almighty Love Once more to prove If we can happy be and good together.

VIII.

My Verse may not unthankfully forget With honour and respect to treat The Gallantry of Noble Devonshire, And Valiant De la Mere, And many another Noble Peer, Who, with true English honour, did agree To venture all, rather than not to free Their Country and themselves from Slavery.

Nor may we silently pass by, The Sacred Seven, Those Stars of Heaven; VVho with undaunted light Did check, and over-rule the Darkness of our Night; Let Heaven reward their Zeal and Piety. The rest we name not; their Names entred are In Fame's indelible perpetual Register.

IX.

Yet Muse forget not to insert a line Of her, whose Princely name will make thy Verses shine▪ She like some Glorious Star, Whose Influences Secret are, Do's light and Life Dispense from far; And Sure must help to govern this, it was so sweet a War▪ Or rather like the Sun (For yet she thinks not that her day is come:) That does it's Benefits disclose, To all the World, and knows not what it does: In her, and in her Royal Sisters Veins, The Royal Matyrs Blood runs pure, free from the Fathers Stains; In them the Virtues and the Graces all Enjoy their Crown Imperial.

Such exemplary Piety, And such unshaken Constancy, An Earnest is, Of future and of greater bliss. And Britain still may hope, in them Some footsteps of the Golden Age may yet appear agen. Then, if propitious Heaven permit, my Muse may mount it higher, Mean while into some private Grove she hastens to retire.

FINIS.