VII.

The Vows which your Affliction made,
Shou'd in your better Times be pay'd ;
And I must tell you fairly,
Were you to Obligations true,
"Twou'd be the least Thing you can do,
To hang up Honeft H

ODE

O

D

E

For the NEW YEAR, 1716.

HAIL

I.

AIL to thee, glorious rifing Year,

With what uncommon Grace thy Days appear!
Comely art thou in thy Prime,

Lovely Child of hoary Time;
Where thy golden Footsteps tread,
Pleafures all around thee spread;
Blifs and Beauty grace thy Train;
Mufe, ftrike the Lyre to fome immortal Strain.
But Oh! what Skill, what Mafter Hand,
Shall govern or constrain the wanton Band!

Loofe like my Verse they dance, and all without Com mand.

Images of fairest things,

Crowd about the fpeaking Strings;
Peace and fweet Profperity,

Faith and chearful Loyalty,

With fmiling Love and deathlefs Poefy.
II.

Ye fkowling Shades who break away,.
Well do ye fly and fhun the purple Day.
Ev'ry Fiend and Fiend-like Form,.
Black and fullen as a Storm,
Jealous Fear, and falfe Surmife,
Danger with her dreadful Eyes,
Faction, Fury, all are fled,

And bold Rebellion hides her daring Head."

Behold, thou gracious Year, behold,

To whom thy Treasures all thou shalt unfold,

For whom thy whiter Days were kept from Times of old!
See thy GEORGE, for this is he!

On his right Hand, waiting free,
Britain and fair Liberty:

Ev'ry Good is in his Face,
Ev'ry open honest Grace;

Thou, great Plantagenet! immortal be thy Race!
III.

See! the facred Scyon fprings,
See the glad Promise of a Line of Kings!
Royal Youth! what Bard divine,
Equal to a Praise like thine,

Shall in fome exalted Measure
Sing thee, Britain's dearest Treasure ?
Who her Joy in thee shall tell,
Who the fprightly Note shall swell
His Voice attemp'ring to the tuneful Shell ?
Thee Audenard's recorded Field,

Bold in thy brave paternal Band, beheld,
And faw with hopeless Heart thy fainting Rival yield
Troubled he, with fore Dismay,

To thy ftronger Fate gave way,
Safe beneath thy noble Scorn,
Wingy-footed was he borne,

Swift as the fleetihg Shades upon the golden Corn..
IV.

What Valour, what diftinguifh'd Worth,
From thee fhall lead the coming Ages forth?
Crefted Helms and fhining Shields,

Warrior's fam'd in foreign Fields;
Hoary Heads with Olive bound,
Kings and Lawgivers renown'd;
Crowding ftill they rife anew,

Beyond the Reach of deep Prophetic View.
Young AUGUSTUS! never cease!

Pledge of our prefent and our future Peace,

Still pour the Blefings forth, and give thy great Increafe.

All the Stock that Fate ordains
To fupply fucceeding Reigns,
Whether Glory fhall infpire
Gentler Arts or martial Fire,
Still the fair Descent shall be
Dear to Albion all, like Thee,

Patrons of righteous Rules, and Foes to Tyranny.
V.

Ye golden Lights who fhine on high,
Ye potent Planets who afcend the Sky,
On the op'ning Year dispense
All your kindeft Influence;
Heav'nly Pow'rs be all prepar'd
For our CAROLINA'S Guard;
Short and eafy be the Pains,

Which for a Nation's Weal the Heroine fuftains.
Britannia's Angel, be thou near;

The growing Race is thy peculiar Care :
Oh fpread thy facred Wing above the royal Fair.
GEORGE by Thee was wafted o'er,

To thee long expecting Shore:
None prefuming to withstand

Thy celeftial armed Hand,

While his facred Head to fhade,

The blended Cross on high Thy filver Shield display'd.

VI.

But Oh! what other Form divine
Propitious near the Hero feems to fhine!
Peace of Mind, and Joy ferene,

In her facred Eyes are feen,
Honor binds her miter'd Brow,
Faith and Truth befide her go,
With Zeal and pure Devotion bending low.
A thousand Storms around her threat,

A thousand Billows roar beneath her Feet,

While fix'd upon a Rock, fhe keeps her stable Seat.

Still in fign of fure Defence,
Truft and mutual Confidence,
P 6

Qu

On the Monarch, ftanding by,
Still fhe bends her gracious Eye,

[nigh.

Nor fears her Foes Approach, while Heav'n and He are
VII.

Hence then with ev'ry anxious Care!

Be gone pale Envy, and thou cold Despair;
Seek ye out a moody Cell,

Where Deceit and Treafon dwell;

There repining, raging, ftill

Th' idle Air with Curfes fill;

There blaft the pathless Wild, and the bleak northern Hill;
There your Exile vainly moan;

There where with Murmurs horrid as your own,
Beneath the sweeping Winds, the bending Forefts groan;
But thou Hope, with fmiling Chear,

Do thou bring the ready Year;

See the Hours! a chofen Band!
See with jocund Looks they ftand,

All in their trim Array, and waiting for Command.
VIII.

The welcome Train begins to move,
Hope leads Increase and chafte connubial Love:
Flora fweet her Bounty spreads,

Smelling Gardens, painted Meads;
Ceres crowns the yellow Plain;
Pan rewards the Shepherd's Pain;
All is Plenty, all is Wealth,

And on the balmy Air fits rofy-color'd Health.
I hear the Mirth, I hear the Land rejoice,
Like many Waters fwells the pealing Noife,
While to their Monarch, thus, they raife the public Voice
Father of thy Country, hail!

Always, ev'ry where prevail;
Pious, valiant, juft, and wise,
Better Suns for thee arife,
Purer Breezes fan the Skies,

Earth in Fruits and Flow'rs is dreft,

Joy abounds in ev'ry Breast;

For thee thy People all, for thee the Year is bleft.

SONG.