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THE ASSOCIATION: OR, LIBERTY and LOYALTY.

VERSES occaſion'd by The preſent Unnatural REBELION.

By THEOPHILUS CIBBER.

— coorta eſt
Seditio, Saevitque animis ignobile vulgus. VIRG.
— ne tanta animis aſſueſcite Bella;
Neu Patriae Validas in vicera vertite vires. VIRG.
Kind Patrons take this Poem in good Part,
And ſpare bad Numbers for an honeſt Heart. ROWE.

LONDON: Printed for W. BICKERTON, in the Temple Exchange, oppoſite St. Dunſtan's Church, Fleet-ſtreet. M.D.CC.XLV.

A Speech of Lord Haſtings, in ROWE'S JANE SHORE.

[3]
"REMEMBER him, the Villain, righteous Heaven,
"In thy great Day of Vengeance: Blaſt the Traitor
"And his pernicious Councels; who for Wealth,
"For Power, the Pride of Greatneſs, or Revenge,
"Would plunge his native Land in Civil Wars.
"Have we ſo ſoon forgot thoſe Days of Ruin,
"When York and Lancaſter drew forth their Battles!
"When, like a Matron, butcher'd by her Sons,
"And caſt beſide ſome common Way a Spectacle
"Of Horror and Affright to Paſſers by,
"Our groaning Country bled at every Vein,
"When Murders, Rapes, and Maſſacrees prevail'd;
"When Churches, Palaces and Cities blas'd;
"When Inſolence and Barbariſm triumph'd,
"And ſwept away Diſtinction; Peaſants trod
"Upon the Necks of Nobles; low were laid
"The reverend Croſier, and the holy Mitre,
"And Deſolation cover'd all the Land:
"Who can remember this, and not, like me,
"Here vow to ſheath a Dagger in his Heart,
"Whoſe damn'd Ambition would renew thoſe Horrors,
"And ſet, once more, that Scene of Blood before us?

To the Candid Reader.

[4]

AFTER a Series of Misfortunes, and meeting with the moſt ungenerous Treatment, from ſome whom I leaſt ſuſpected, and leaſt deſerv'd it from, I feel the additional Grievance of being a Priſoner in the Fleet; tho' I have aſſign'd Two Thirds of my future Salary for the Payment of my Debts, if my Creditors will be ſo good to allow me Liberty to work for them, as well as myſelf: While I ſeem to complain of Want of Lenity in ſome, Gratitude obliges me to acknowledge the Favour ſhewn me by others; as Several, whoſe Demands on me are largeſt, have not only the Humanity to come into this Propoſal themſelves, but have endeavour'd to inſtil the ſame generous Sentiments into the reſt. Yet a few are unkind enough to have continu'd me (for theſe five Months paſt) in a Place, where I am incapable of geting Bread, either for myſelf or Children. The Mind may be free, tho' the Body's confin'd; as a Proof of which, I employ'd a little of my Leiſure in the few following Lines: If they in any Degree prove acceptable to the Publick, I am over pay'd.

My Impatience to atteſt my Loyalty and Affection to the Perſon of his Majeſty and the preſent Eſtabliſhment, may, perhaps, make me too quick in the Publication of what I have thus looſely thrown on Paper, and the Conſciouſneſs of my Inability to perfect the Task I have undertaken, require ſome Apology; — Let the Honeſty of the Intention plead my Excuſe: If I am found to be a good Subject, I'll not repine at being thought an indifferent Poet. I think, at this Juncture, it becomes not an Engliſhman to be totally ſilent, unwatchful, or inactive; Neutrality, at this Criſis, is a Crime: And may we not reaſonably ſuſpect thoſe Gentry are not quite ſound of Heart, who, like their politick Friend Scrub in the Stratagem, reſolve ‘"to ſay nothing till they're ſure of a Peace?"’

THE ASSOCIATION: OR, LIBERTY and LOYALTY.

[5]
WRONGS to redreſs, and Juſtice to maintain,
Has been the Buſineſs of our Sovereign's Reign;
The Injur'd from Oppreſſion's Sword to ſave,
To puniſh Vice, and to reward the Brave;
His Subjects from Invaſions to defend,
And his Allies, in their Diſtreſs, befriend;
[6]Unbiaſs'd to aſſert the general Good,
For Europe's Safety to expend his Blood:
To fix the Ballance of her Power his View;
That golden Point unerring to purſue,
Was the firſt End that Providence deſign'd,
When for Benificence ſhe form'd his Mind.
Well this appear'd, when Gallic Arms, of late,
Join'd with Bavarian, threaten'd Europe's Fate;
Hungaria's Princeſs deſolate remain'd,
Her Legions ſlaughter'd, and her Treaſures drain'd;
When her Allies fraternal were afraid,
To ſend that Queen her ſtipulated Aid,
Touch'd with Compaſſion, generous Brunſwick came,
And poiz'd the Balance ſteady on the Beam.
Thouſands of Gauls lay ſtretch'd along the Plain,
Thouſands were drown'd repaſſing thro' the Mayne;
And while thoſe Gauls precipitately ran,
They hop'd more Mercy from the Deep than Man:
So, when a Prieſt-rid Tyrant heretofore,
The Papal Power attempted to reſtore,
Soon as he ſaw brave Naſſau's Troops advance,
He fled for Refuge to the Arms of France.
[7]O, may our Monarch ſtill, by Deeds the ſame,
Protect this Kingdom, gain a deathleſs Name,
And with immortal William, ſhare immortal Fame.
While England's Safety George's Thoughts controul,
(The fav'rite in felt Impulſe of his Soul)
That Trade may flouriſh, Peace may be reſtor'd,
HE, to the Empire gives a Sovereign Lord;
Nor Toil, nor Treaſure ſpares: Yet, ſtrange to tell!
A ranc'rous Rebel Rabble Rout, from Hell,
Flatter'd by Rome, cajol'd by treach'rous France,
Our fertil Fields to waſte, with haſty Strides advance;
A medley, miſchief-making, motley Crew,
Un-hos'd, un-breech'd,—ſome ſhod;—but, thoſe, how few!
Begot by Rapes, by Rapine fed, they prove,
Without Wit wicked, Luſtful without Love;
Of mongrel French and Scotch, a Mixture bad,
Half-blooded, and croſs-bred, from Sires run mad;
Train'd in Hypocriſy, that impious Evil!
They God affront, yet meanly fear the Devil!
Lawleſs Banditti, who, abandon'd, dare
Miſcall baſe Robbery, and foul Murder, War;
[8]Tyrants at heart, ungenerouſly brave,
They fight not to protect, but to enſlave;
Should they ſucceed (which Heaven avert!) their Fate
Now mark, how juſt! which they'll repent too late;
Frantic, fool-hardy, bigot-blinded Elves,
The Snares, for others laid, entrap themſelves:
To glut the Malice, and the Pride, they come,
Of Paris, Madrid, and inſatiate Rome.
Now, all their papal Puppet-ſhews diſplay'd,
That tinſel'd Trump'ry which ſupports their Trade;
Monks teach deluded Mortals to believe,
They merit Heav'n, who Hereticks deceive:
"Again religious Fires prepare to ſhine,
"And Inquiſitions plead their Right Divine."
England, provok'd, now feels, one generous Soul
Inſpires each honeſt Heart, to loyalize the Whole;
From northern Tweed, far as the eaſtmoſt Thames,
A Patriot-Paſſion every Breaſt inflames:
The healthy Hunters, whoſe high mettled Blood
Late ſwept the Vale, or beat the neighb'ring Wood,
To chaſe the wily Fox, quick catch th' Alarm;
Themſelves, their Tenants, and their Huntſmen arm:
[9]In full Career, their Courſers ſcour the Plain,
To ſeek a more pernicious ſavage Train.
The Farmer, ſtrait, unyokes the generous Steed,
Who, from his tramel'd Harneſs, being freed,
Snuffs up the Air, and jocund, neighs aloud,
Of his new Trappings and arm'd Maſter proud;
Both find their Boſoms with new Spirit fill'd,
And march to guard the Lands they lately till'd:
Divines and Nobles, Gentry, Merchants, All,
Chearful aſſociate at their Country's Call;
Without Diſtinction, dauntleſs iſſue forth,
To dare the Deſparadoes of the North.
O thou, great God of Battles, ſtretch thy Hand,
All pow'rful, to preſerve this threaten'd Land;
All Hearts, all Hands unite; ſupport the Cauſe
Of Loyalty, Religion, Freedom, Laws!
O'er our courageous Chiefs, may'ſt thou preſide,
Our Councils thy unerring Wiſdom guide;
Nor let dire Faction, more, this happy Realm divide!
FINIS.
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Zitationsvorschlag für dieses Objekt
TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 3851 The association or liberty and loyalty Verses occasion d by the present unnatural rebellion By Theophilus Cibber. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-61A5-C