When thou wouldst build; no quarry fent its ftores T'enrich thy walls: but thou didst hew the floods, And make thy marble of the glaffy wave. Cyrene, when he bore the plaintive tale Of his loft bees to her maternal ear: In fuch a palace poetry might place The armoury of winter; where his troops, The gloomy clouds, find weapons, arrowy fleet, And fnow that often blinds the trav'ler's course, No found of hammer or of faw was there. Ice upon ice, the well-adjusted parts Were foon conjoin'd; nor other cement afk'd Lamps gracefully difpos'd, and of all hues, Illumin'd ev'ry fide: a watʼry light Gleam'd through the clear tranfparency, that seem'd Another moon new rifen, or meteor fall'n For grandeur or for ufe. Long wavy wreaths Where all was vitreous; but in order due (What feem'd at least commodious feat) were there; Sofa, and couch, and high-built throne august. The fame lubricity was found in all, And all was moift to the warm touch; a fcene Of evanefcent glory, once a stream, ̈ On human grandeur and the courts of kings. 'Twas tranfient in its nature, as in show 'Twas durable; as worthlefs, as it seem'd Intrinfically precious; to the foot Treach'rous and false; it fmil'd, and it was cold. Great princes have great playthings. Some have play'd Short-liv'd themselves, t' immortalize their bones. And make the forrows of mankind their sport. But war's a game, which, were their subjects wife, Kings would not play at. Nations would do well T'extort their truncheons from the puny hands Of heroes, whofe infirm and baby minds Are gratified with mischief; and who spoil, When Babel was confounded, and the great To all the nations. Ample was the boon And equal; and he bade them dwell in peace. Peace was awhile their care: they plough'd, and fow'd, And reap'd their plenty, without grudge or ftrife. Than human paffions please. In ev'ry heart Occafion needs but fan them, and they blaze. The deluge wash'd it out; but left unquench'd The feeds of murder in the breaft of man. Soon, by a righteous judgment, in the line The first artificer of death; the fhrewd Defire of more; and industry in fome, T'improve and cultivate their juft demefne, Made others covet what they faw so fair. Thus war began on earth: thefe fought for spoil, And thofe in felf-defence. Savage at first, |