The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-16 00:00:00

POET R Y.

[FIRST PART.]

Cui plus lie Net quans.par tst, plus vult licet

If we now lie'd in times Of slavish awe,
When tyrant Monarchs made their will sole law;
If subjects kiss's the castigating rod,
And bless'd the foot which on theirgall'd necks trod
Who would not:then the Patriot Hero bless,
That should stand forth such evils to redress,
The People rouse, and shew, by sword and pen,
Kings are not more, or subjecis less; than men ?
Ah ! who would doubt in such a glorious strife
To fix his fame by risking fortune, life ?
But in Our times and•land this is revers'd,
We are by faction, not oppression, curs'd ;
And frog► the state of things and persons here,
We hare much more from Mobs than Kings to fear.
Seditious hand-hills stick on all our walls;
Go
,where we will some throat sedition bawls;
Discharg'd 6rirultionists each other greet,
And mock the Government in every street ;
Vileparodiei on
.prayers are read as wit,
Nay, Juries too the Parodist acquit ;
~And so in fashion are the factious tribe,
'That to support them Lords themselves subscribe;
Using. a name we reverence to our hurt,
ren,Catechisms are printed to pervert,
Whilst .Journals, Registers, Dwarfs, Black and Yellow,
In mischievous array has each its fellow;
And last, not least, the Edinburgh Review.
Sends forth the poisons of the Northers' Crew;
Yes, —, you, in its too dangerous page,
Do all you can to rouse the rabble rage—
Let rue attempt to paint our present curse,
Then blush to think you strive to make it worse.

Whilst now our females greedily imbibe
The dangerous poisons of the novel tribe,
And warm'd by theist grow ripe for Drury-lane,
Our hinds and artisans devour Toss PAY NE;
With eager snatch, that shews their dire disease,
They COBB tTes trash and Wuoeaa's garbage seize;
And as they circle round the ale-house fire,
Their bold profaneness and their jests admire;
Pipes then they smoke, and hiccupping they scan
The wrongs of Monarchs and the righfs of man;
The thug goes round, the ale inflames each tread,
Faction speaks loud, and loyalty lies dead ;
They threaten vengeance, every word is treason,
Aml_thus they realize the Age of litva.von.
Thus, as their habits by degrees grow strong,
They lose their native sense of right and wrong;
Consider Laws as mighty useless things,
And have a sovereign contempt for Kings;
Nay, worse, they learn their Bibles to despise,
And think its heavenly truths mere human lies;
As worthy members of this lawless sect,
Of course the Ten Commandments they reject;
And then in proof of philosophic zeal,
They break the sabbath, swear, drink, murder, steal—
Until, condemned by the offended laws,
They die suspended martyrs in the cause.
Not all 'tis true such eminence attain;
Nut all such noble elevation Cain;
But many, far too many, such we see,
The same in kind tho' differing in degree.
Such are the Luddites, who neglect their labours,
To break machines and fright their honest neighbours;
Oath-bound, on some Issue spot they meet fur drill,
To fit themselves for yetinore serious ill;
To revolutionize the laud their view, - -
And all the Gallic horrors here renew.
In the same spirit the misguided mob"
Gather their force to break the peace and rob;
What wise enlightmed means these rabble friends
Of liberty employ to gain their rude!
The price of food is high—to make it lower
They burn the Corn which was too scarce before;
The Spa-fields gentry—wise as Blackheath lions—.
Of the iiithe tree are nut unworthy scions.;
Of Palace-yard, the heroes are the same,
Who think all true their demagogues declaim ;
From Whom' they hear, more mischievously said,
What they before in COBBVIT'S page had read.
Thus speak they—" You are gull'd, abus'd, oPpress'd—
" Your Laws a cheat, your Governme!;( a 'pest ;
Whu does not see, that has one grain of sense,
" Our Statesmen spend by pounds and save by pence ?
" Say from our Sinking Fund what good we get ?
" Sink what it may, it does nut sink our debt.
" Are we not now with all the world at peace?
" And can you say our ruiserizs decrease?
" No, no; the Ministers add tax to taxes;
" We du not fihd their grasp at all relaxes,
" And soon we all must die by suffocation—
" (There may be truth in that) the wretched nation
" Bleeds by its ruler's crimes—they Would snake war,—
" But can they tell us what they made it for ?
"If they cannot—l can—they wisled you broke,
" By want, distress, and taxes to the yoke—
" Alti ska!! they have it so? n0,.n0, I see
" Each face proclaims you are and will be free.
" Will be? but how? I'll tell you—firm oppose
" The Ministers—they are your deadly foes;
" They are to blame; the fault lies all with them:
" They are the men true patriots should condemn.
" All seems indeed to prosper in their hands;
" They have o'erthrown the predatory bands
" Of France, and laid their leader in the dust;
" No thanks to theist for this ; that happen must
" That happen will; and fools cannot succeed
" To alter that which is by fate decreed.
" True, the)' have freed our brethren o'er the waves,
" But what of that, if we ourselves are slaves?
" And slaves we are; yes, are so to our shame ;
" Our boasted freedom is an empty name.
" The House of Commons! what, my friends, are they
" But hireling slaves in Ministerial pay?
" The House of Lords ! the Lord knows they are worse.
" No, no; 'tis weight of interest and of purse
" .Dnes all things now; the golden times are fled;
" Our Sires were free; to us is freedom dead.
" My friends, my countrymen, be then alert,
" Your rights, long trodden under foot, assert;
" Wake from your sleep; arouse- ye at my call;
And let oppression and oppressors tall."

(T be cwaina. ca.)

NINTH EPISTLE to the F:DINIMItGIi REVIEWERS