Her loft esteem, her truth, her loyal care,
Her faith unfhaken to an exil'd heir,

Her ftrength t' endure, her courage to defy;
Her choice of honourable infamy.

On these, prolixly thankful, she enlarg'd;
Then with acknowledgment herfelf the charg'd;
For friendship, of itself an holy tie,

Is made more facred by adverfity.

Now fhould they part, malicious tongues would fay,
They met like chance companions on the way,
Whom mutual fear of robbers had possess'd;
While danger lafted, kindness was profefs'd;
But, that once o'er, the fhort-liv'd union ends :
The road divides, and there divide the friends.
The Panther nodded when her fpeech was done,
And thank'd her coldly in a hollow tone :
But said, her gratitude had gone too far
For common offices of chriftian care.
If to the lawful heir fhe had been true,
She paid but Cæfar what was Cæsar's due.
I might, fhe added, with like praise describe
Your fuffering fons, and fo return your bribe :
But incenfe from my hands is poorly priz'd;
For gifts are fcorn'd where givers are despis'd.
I ferv'd a turn, and then was caft away;
You, like the gaudy fly, your wings difplay,

And fip the fweets, and bask in your great patron's day.

This heard, the matron was not flow to find

What fort of malady had seiz'd her mind :

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}

Difdain,

Difdain, with gnawing envy, fell defpight,
And canker'd malice, ftood in open fight:
Ambition, intereft, pride without control,
And jealoufy, the jaundice of the soul;
Revenge, the bloody minifter of ill,
With all the lean tormentors of the will.
'Twas eafy now to guefs from whence arofe
Her new-made union with her ancient foes,
Her forc'd civilities, her faint embrace,
Affected kindness with an alter'd face:
Yet durft fhe not too deeply probe the wound,
As hoping ftill the nobler parts were found:
But ftrove with anodynes t' affwage the finart,
And mildly thus her medicine did impart.

Complaints of lovers help to eafe their pain;
It shows a reft of kindness to complain;
A friendship loth to quit its former hold;
And conscious merit may be justly bold.
But much more juft your jealousy would fhew,
If others' good were injury to you:
Witness, ye heavens, how I rejoice to fee
Rewarded worth and rifing loyalty.

Your warrior offspring that upheld the crown,
The fearlet honour of your peaceful gown,
Are the most pleasing objects I can find,
Charms to my fight, and cordials to my mind:
When virtue fpooms before a profperous gale,
My heaving wishes help to fill the fail;

And if my prayers for all the brave were heard,

Cefar fhould ftill have fuch, and fuch should still reward.

The labour'd earth your pains have fow'd and till'd; "Tis juft you reap the product of the field: Your's be the harvest, 'tis the beggar's gain To glean the fallings of the loaded wain. Such fcatter'd ears as are not worth your care, Your charity for alms may safely fpare, For alms are but the vehicles of prayer. My daily bread is literally implor'd; I have no barns nor granaries to hoard. If Cæfar to his own his hand extends, Say which of yours his charity offends :

}

You know he largely gives to more than are his friends.

}

Are you defrauded when he feeds the poor ?

Our mite decreases nothing of your ftore.

I am but few, and by your fare you fee
My crying fins are not of luxury.

Some jufter motive sure your mind withdraws,
And makes you break our friendship's holy laws;
For barefac'd envy is too base a cause.

Shew more occafion for your difcontent;
Your love, the Wolf, would help you to invent:
Some German quarrel, or, as times go now,
Some French, where force is uppermoft, will do.
When at the fountain's head, as merit ought
To claim the place, you take a fwilling draught,
How eafy 'tis an envious eye to throw,
And tax the sheep for troubling ftreams below;
Or call her (when no farther cause you find)
An enemy profefs'd of all your kind.

But

But then, perhaps, the wicked world would think,
The Wolf defign'd to eat as well as drink.

This laft allufion gall'd the Panther more,
Because indeed it rubb'd upon the fore.

Yet feem'd fhe not to winch, though threwdly pain'd:
But thus her paffive character maintain'd.
I never grudg'd, whate'er my foes report,
Your flaunting fortune in the Lion's court.
You have your day, or you are much bely'd,
But I am always on the suffering fide :
You know my doctrine, and I need not fay
I will not, but I cannot difobey.

On this firin principle I ever stood;

many

He of my fons who fails to make it good,
By one rebellious act renounces to my blood.
Ah, faid the Hind, how
fons have you,
Who call you mother, whom you never knew!
But most of them who that relation plead,
Are fuch ungracious youths as wish you dead.
They gape at rich revenues which you hold,
And fain would nibble at your grandame Gold;
Enquire into your years, and laugh to find
Your crazy temper fhews you much declin'd.
Were you not dim, and doted, you might fee
A pack of cheats that claim a pedigree,
No more of kin to you than you to me.
Do you not know, that for a little coin,
Heralds can foiftame into the line?
They atk you bleffing but for what you have,
But once poffefs'd of what with care you fave,
The wanton boys would pifs upon your grave.

}

}

}

Yout

And built new doctrines on unftable fands:

[ftands.
Judge that, ye winds and rains : you prov'd her, yet she
Those ancient doctrines charg'd on her for new,
Shew, when, and how, and from what hands they grew.
We claim no power, when herefies grow bold,

To coin new faith, but still declare the old.
How else could that obscene disease be purg'd,
When controverted texts are vainly urg'd ?
To prove tradition new, there's fomewhat more
Requir'd, than faying, 'twas not us'd before.
Thofe monumental arms are never stirr'd,
Till schism or heresy call down Goliah's sword.
Thus, what you call corruptions, are, in truth,
The first plantations of the gofpel's youth;
Old standard faith: but caft your eyes again,
And view thofe errors which new fects maintain,
Or which of old disturb'd the church's peaceful

reign;

And we can point each period of the time,
When they began, and who begot the crime;
Can calculate how long th' eclipse endur'd,
Who interpos'd, what digits were obscur'd:
Of all which are already pass'd away,
We know the rise, the progress, and decay.

Despair at our foundations then to strike,
Till you can prove your faith apoftolic;
A limpid ftream drawn from the native fource;
Succeffion lawful in a lineal course.

Prove any church, oppos'd to this our head,
So one, fo pure, fo unconfin'dly fpread,

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