IV. The Medes I call to my affiftance here, A people that delight in war; Their conquering iron they prefer before Shall on the victor's triumphs wait: And thofe that from the battle fled Shall be, with chains opprefs'd, in cruel bondage led. V. I'll visit their distress with plagues and miferies, Convulfive pangs, and bloody fweat, Their beauty fhall confume, and vital fpirits feize. To the infulting victor's bed, To brutal lufts expos'd, to fury left a prey. The fword, that fhall their pangs increase, The The infants shall expire with their first breath, And only live in pangs of death; Live but with early cries to curse the light, And, at the dawn of life, fet in eternal night. Ev'n Babylon, adorn'd with every grace, Glory of nations! the Chaldæans' pride, Thy beauteous palaces (though now thy pride!) In vaft furprizing heaps fhall lie, And ev'n their ruins bear the pomp of majesty. Thy ras'd foundations to repair: No No pitying hand exalt thy abject state; And lie from age to age ruin'd and defolate. Thou, Babylon, fhalt be like Sodom curst, Destroy'd by flames from heaven, and thy more burn VIII. [ing luft. The day's at hand, when in thy fruitful foil No labourer fhall reap, no mower toil : Taste not of that embitter'd flood, [curft. Tafte not Euphrates' ftreams, they 're poisonous all, and The shepherd to his wandering flocks shall say, When o'er thy battlements they stray, When in thy palaces they graze, Ah, fly, unhappy flocks! fly this infectious place. Shall afk, Lo, where is Babylon? And when he has thy fmall remainder found, Shall fay, I'll fly from hence, 'tis fure accurfed ground. IX. Then fhall the favages and beafts of prey From their deferted mountains hafte away; Every obfcene and vulgar beaft Her marble roofs, and every cedar room, Shall dens and caves of ftate to nobler brutes become. There, where the tyrant and oppreffor bore There birds of prey fhall rule, and ravenous beafts be great. Thofe fhall alone their genuine ufe retain, There Violence shall thrive, Rapine and Fraud fhall X. Then shall the melancholy Satyrs groan, O'er their lamented Babylon; [reign. And ghofts that glide with horror by, Birds that in gloomy fhades delight, Shall folitude enjoy, live undisturb'd by light. Shall fcream their loud prefages there. But let them all their dire predictions tell, Secure in ills, and fortify'd with woe, Heaven fhall in vain its future vengeance show : For thou art happily infenfible, Beneath the reach of miferies fell, Thou need'ft no defolation dread, no greater curfes fear. то ΤΟ M R. CONGRE VE. AN EPISTOLARY ODE, 1693. OCCASIONED BY "THE OLD BACHELOR." I. AM'D wits and beauties fhare this common fate, FAM'D To ftand expos'd to public love and hate, For when, like you, fome noble youth appears, Each emulous Mufe, that views the laurel won, Nor at his first attempt boaft fuch fuccefs:Where all mankind have fail'd, you glories won; Triumphant are in this alone, In this, have all the bards of old out-done.. II. Then may'st thou rule our ftage in triumph long! And matchlefs proofs of wit and humour give, Reforming with thy fcenes, and charming with thy fong! And though a curfe ill-fated wit pursues, And waits the fatal dowry of a Muse; As |