Caledonia (Defoe)/Part 3
PART III.
THeir Forreign Deeds are trac'd, and now we come,
To search the Fund of Fame that's left at Home;
A Thousand [1] Kings the mighty Land possess,
In Merit greater, tho' in Title less.
Kings in Command and in superiour Race,
And Virtue Ripens such for Crowns a pace.
Nobility of Blood, their Actions suit,
And Action here indents the Attribute;
Here Families in Lines of Virtue run,
The Father's Merit doubling in the Son.
The growing Honour forms a just Encrease,
First Crowns in War, and then Rewards in Peace.
Illustrious Blood with more illustrious Hand,
In proper Channels has been here retain'd:
Th' Antiquity which other Nations boast,
Would here turn Modern, and in age be lost.
Scotland in Senior Glory will contend,
When lame Chronology with Age grows blind.
Here mighty Ancestors preserve their Stile,
From long Prescription, ancient as the Isle.
Not rais'd on Party Favour, Bribes and Fear,
Blood, Tyranny, Oppression, Theft and War;
Not raisd by strength OF FACE, or strength of Purse,
A Stock of Money, or a Stock that's worse;
But from the Youth of Time, their Names remain,
When Vertue only could that Fame obtain.
Back, further back than Story can relate,
When Infant Nations fix'd their Forms of State.
When Tricks of State and Court Intreague unknown,
No mighty Knave could Brother Villain Crown.
From Blood to Blood their Violence pursue,
First steal their Honours, then proclaim 'em due.
By Fraud and strong Oppressions Crowns obtain,
While those support the Frauds, and these the Reign;
Alternate Violences Fame supply,
The modern Fund of mean Nobility.
If there be any thing in Birth and Blood,
Or were Antiquity but understood;
If the old Trophies of our Fathers Fame,
When thoughts of Virtue burn, would fan the Flame;
Make us their Steps of Dignity pursue,
And Ancient Honours would excite to new.
If any true Nobility remains,
And Virtue could by Blood possess the Veins.
Then let's no farther search the World in vain,
To Ancient Rome, and lost Records of Spain;
Nations in Barb'rous Hydra-mixtures rais'd,
And only by their own too partial Flatt'ries prais'd.
Fabii, Cornellii, and the Bruti yield
To Caledonian Tribes the Ancient Field.
Cummin, Duff, Donald, Strathern, Hay, and Keith,
And Names would run Fame's Trumpet out of Breath.
Their old Armorial Honours still retain,
While Rome in modern Lines contends in vain.
Nor has the Country lent her partial Fame,
And from her later Towns bestow'd the Name,
Not Towns the Names, but Names the Towns Command
And Families take Titles from the Land:
So Douglass, Mar and Southerland survive,
And not from Towns, but Provinces derive.
Kingdoms of old, who tho the Claim's laid down,
Yet in th' Antiquity they keep the Crown.
The Blood of Princes in their Race we see,
And modern Merit joins to old Nobility.
Blest are the Families that great in Blood,
Have thus their truest Honour understood,
That on the Base of Vertue Built their Fame,
And join to that [2] lesser Praise their Name,
The only Just and truly great Design;
For Vertue helps Nobility to shine.
Then who shall search the long forgotten Roll,
Examine all the Parts, or Sum the whole,
Who shall the Impotence of Art supply,
Beyond the reach of Books or Heraldry?
[3] There Gordon, Lindsay, Crawford, Mar and Wems,
With Seaton, Ramsey, Cuninghame and Gra'ams,
Forbes, Ross, Murray, Bruce, Dunbar and Hume,
And Names for whom no Poet can make Room;
Remote in Birth, in Names and Honours known,
The Caledonian Glory through the World have show'n.
Where shall the Galick Trophies now appear?
The Ancient Belgae would look modern here.
Not Mommerancy, not the great Nassau,
Could Ancestors like these, directly draw.
Douglass with Native Dignitys adorn'd,
Ancient beyond Record,
Records they scorn'd.
The World's the general [4] Record of their House,
When Histories are silent and abstruse.
The Fund of Families is in their Blood,
And the [5] Fam'd Scoti on their Shoulders stood,
A Race of Princes from their fruitful Stem,
Has been a living History to them.
Their Fame that's past, foretold their Fame to come,
They'r Dukes abroad before they'r Dukes at home.
The Nation's willing Honours did afford,
And these cut out their. Glory by the Sword;
For 'twas the early Fortunes of their Blood,
To have their Worth both Crown'd and understood;
Princes by their strong Swords possest their Crowns,
And grateful France their Ancient Glory owns.
When Men are of true Merit first possest,
Justice prevails, the World supply's the rest.
For Characters will always suit Mens Deeds,
Honours will follow, when our Vertue leads.
The Mighty Branch that now supports the Race,
Ripens the blooming Stock for Fame apace,
With high instructing well directed Hand,
Shews him both how t'obey, and how Command,
By Just Example guides him to pursue,
And double all their Ancient Deed's with New.
Himself with steady hand the State directs,
Suppresses Factions, Liberty protects,
Scatters the threatning Clouds, prevents the Storms;
And gently al! mistaken Zeal reforms;
Backward to punish bears th' insulting Street,
Yet makes his Patience and his Justice meet:
And when their Pride his Government defies,
PITYS: For 'tis below him to despise.
Great ANN'S Illustrious Scepter 'tis he sways,
And while he rules, Envy her self obeys;
Malice may swell, and wild Dislike appear,
But all their Spleen ferments into dispair:
Grovling they ly in Grief and Discontent,
Crusht by the Chariot Wheels of Government.
So Devils chaind, their Hate of Heaven express,
But as their Rage grows great, their Power grows less.
Campbells the modern Glory of this Isle,
Their doubling Fame's encreas't in great Argile;
Born to be great, to Noblest Blood ally'd,
He keeps the Honour, and abates the Pride,
For Action fitted, to the Wars inclin'd,
True Caledonian Courage swells his Mind;
Fitted his Country's Character to raise,
And by great Actions hand along her Praise.
Of ancient Stock, and long forgotten Race,
Nature has stamp'd their Glories in his Face.
The strong Impress of ev'ry manly Line
In Characters of Native Honour shine,
An Index of the brighter Soul within.
A Race to Caledonia always dear,
And on whose Blood her Liberties appear.
A Race to Honour, and their Countrey true,
They furnish'd Funds of Old, he heaps up stores of New.
Nor shall weak prejudice debauch our Pen,
To flatter prosp'rous Fate, and guild the Crimes of Men
But undistinguish'd Virtue we'll rehearse,
For partial Praises are below our Verse.
Curst be that Party-spleen that shuts Men's Eyes,
From the just Merits of their Enemies;
That prepossess'd by Feud, denies Applause,
And dares not praise the Man without the Cause.
Where Honour claims it, Honour will be just,
And where Mens Actions praise 'em, all Men must.
Gordon, by Family and Fortune's great,
Tho' lost in Solitude and long Retreat,
Shall rise in Honour, as He's great in Mind,
Brave as the Roman, as the Christian kind,
A Gen'rous Enemy, a Faithful Friend.
Faction's below him, if he does dislike,
He always dares to show his Face, and strike;
Treason's a Stab ith' dark, that Man that's brave,
May show the En'my, cannot show the Knave.
The Hamiltons of old ally'd to Fame,
Illustrious in Blood, and more in Name;
In ancient Wars e're other Lines begun,
These had a length of tow'ring Fortunes run.
Titles from [6] France; from Sweden Wounds and Scars,
And batter'd Bones they bring from Belgick Wars;
Yet fraught with Honour, and rewards of Fame,
Honour revives, and Years increase the Flame.
Eight Noble Branches hand their Glory down,
Channels of Blood from Caledonia's Crown,
Each have large shares of Merit of their own.
Each in their proper Lines their Houses raise,
By Pers'nal and Hereditary Praise;
What Debt of Praise are to the Lesly's due?
Who shall their Family or Fame pursue?
The Bloody Steps no single Line can trace,
Nor Envy fetch'd from Hell, their History deface.
Born Gen'rals, all by Nature fram'd for War,
In ev'ry Battel's Front their Names appear;
The Swede, the Russ, and the Hungarians yield,
To them the willing Tribute of the Field;
From Esseck Bridge to mighty Astracan,
Their Terrors with the Barb'rous Crowds remain.
Grasted to this Old Stock, and to their Fame,
Leven adds Modern Glory to the Ancient Name;
Scotland depends on his experienc'd Hand,
Safe, Not in Armies, but in his Command.
HE, young in Years, yet very old in Arms,
Guards her from Foreign or Domestick Harms,
His faithful Aids new vig'rous Life afford,
And boldly draws Hereditary Sword.
Stuart ancient as the Hills from which they sprung
The Mountains still do to the Name belong;
From hence they branch to ev'ry high Degree:
And Foreign Courts embrace the Progeny.
The rising Stem with thirst of Glory fir'd,
Not he to th'Crown, the Crown to him aspir'd;
His high attracting Fame the Nation drew,
They gave old Crowns, and Fate supply'd the new.
Thy Scepter Caledonia in their Hand,
First rais'd the real Glory of the Land;
And seven successive Branches held the Crown,
Till Britain vail'd, and made the Stuarts her own.
What Blood, what Wars, what strong convulsive Throws,
Britania fill'd with inbred Vapour knows?
How oft the interveening Hand of Blood,
Has their successive Happiness withstood?
Spread the dark Vail, let's hide the dismal Scene,
Let others paint the Horrid-draught, our Pen
Shall show the bright, and wish the rest unseen.
ANN, the remaining Glory of the Race,
With unexampl'd Lustre fills the place,
Without their failings all their Virtue shares,
And Britains bright Imperial Joy prepares.
Blest be the Hour, blest that auspicious Reign
When ANN, the Stuarts last Glory, shall obtain
That Calm both Nations long have wish'd in Vain.
When Years of Rapine and Revenge shall cease,
And Feuds of Blood be lost in Floods of Peace;
Reserv'd for her, reserv'd to Crown the Line,
Sever'd too long, the listning Nations Joyn.
Nature directs, concurring Cause invites,
The Nations say Amen, and all of course Unites.
Then Party Hate and Border Spleen lay'd down,
Our Hearts shall first unite, and then the Crown;
Britain be one, one End and Interest view,
And hand in hand one Happiness pursue.
A Gallaxy of Worthies now appear,
And spread the Caledonian Hemisphere;
ROXBURGH enjoys the Curse of all mans Praise,
And TWEEDDALE adds trueLustre to the ancient HAYS,
Grave and sedate, he fill'd his Sovereign's Throne,
Maintain'd its Honour, and increas'd his own.
Montrose revives the Ancient Race of Gra'me,
From Time and Injury retrieves the Name,
Lays all his Family Oppressions by,
And in his Countrey's Good, lets just Resentment dy;
In Scotlands Secret Council he presides,
With early Prudence every Action guides,
Sober, not dull, Pious, and not precise,
Grave, without Age, without Experience wise;
More thinking, more sedate than he appears,
And older in Understanding than in Years.
Glasgow adorns the Ancient Name of BOYL,
The Name's a constant Honour to the Isle,
A Name Britania always boasts to hear,
For Learning, Wisdom, Wealth and Character
Increas'd in England, and increasing here.
The God of Musick joins when COLVIL plays,
And all the Muses dance to HADDINGTONS Essays;
The Charms are mutual, piercing and compleat,
This in his Art excells, and that in Wit.
Seafield, and Marr, and Loudoun guide the State,
By Birth and Place, still more by Merit great.
No Malice can their Characters conceal,
But those direct the Sceptre, this the Seal.
The well instructed Pilots of the Realm
Who while just Queensberry steers, assist the Helm:
With waking Cares they all surround the Throne,
Support the Well known burthens of the Crown;
Th' important Drudgery with Pleasure do,
Their Countrey's Safety, not their own, pursue.
Thro' Storms of Tumult and Distraction steer,
Not rais'd with Hope, and not supprest with Fear;
With Calm, but steady hand the Factions guide
At once, they yield to, and resist the Tide:
Wisely they calm the Feuds Weak Heads create,
And heal the wild Distempers of the State;
To every tender part their Hands apply,
And to the Mischiefs suit the Remedy;
True Patriot Principles their Minds possess,
Their Countrey them, and they their Countrey bless.
But their just Zeal to ANN's Immortal Throne,
Makes every Noble Character their own.
Nothing a Princes Wisdom more displays,
Than choice of Counsellors,
The double Praise.
Is always first the Monarchs, then their own,
First it illustrates, then supports the Throne.
But we'll no more pursue the mighty Train,
Whom to describe our Verse attempts in vain;
The Muses vail before the Illustrious Throng,
Too bright for Verse, too num'rous for our Song;
Our Ancestors had merited in vain,
If our new steps did not their old maintain:
But as our Modern Virtue stands as high,
The present Worthies do the past supply;
A certain Pledge, our Name shall never dy.
And now with Just regard let's view the Fair,
Beauty can make no Breach of Union here;
Th' Equalities agree on either hand,
The Ladies no equivalent demand;
Nor will their Virtue be exhausted here,
But still the Sex their just Proportions bear:
Blest Mixture, equally Devout and Gay,
For Virtue only can both smile and pray.
No Scale of calculated Right will ly
Betwixt the Quantity and Quality;
England indeed the larger Roll may claim,
And English Beauty will preserve her Name;
But these the Merit equally divide,
Have all their Beauty, only want their Pride.
And now to Wonders turn your listning Ear,
Visit the Commonwealth of Learning here;
See how Apollo's Nurs'ry thrives, and how
Wit blooms in spight of Climat, Storms and Snow;
The Muses all laborious and severe,
Are Gard'ners bred, and work like Horses here;
There Seeds of Science carefully they sow,
Here cultivate the Soil, to make 'em grow,
Plant, Prune, Inocculate, the Seasons tend,
And ev'ry fruitful Scyon to its Stock they bend.
See here how ev'ry Plant in order thrives,
And spight of Clime the tend'rest Blossom lives.
Here Epicks thick, as Groves of Laurel grow,
And strong Heroicks, plac'd in Walks below,
Lyricks and Pastorals in even Layes,
And Panygericks circled round with Bays,
There Knowledge grows, for Quantity and Kind,
The best, and best prepar'd t' instruct the Mind,
Temper'd with Modesty, 'tis set by [7] Zeal
Fitted her rash Infections to repell.
Next this in constant Bloom's a Range of Wit,
And ev'ry day 'tis weeded of Conceit,
Kept thin, intrench'd, and never runs to seed,
But ripens gently in its flowry Bed;
For Wit's a Plant so apt to grow in haste,
It shakes the Root, and then decays as fast.
Strong Sciences in pleasing Order stand,
With Borders of Philosophy on either hand.
These well reward the Lab'rers constant Toil,
Are nourish'd by, and yet improve the Soil.
But above all the Wonders of the Spot,
A simple, Men of Learning oft forgot,
In a small Border very cold and dry,
Here thrives that Tender Trifle, HONESTY;
Neglected Weed! from what strange Climate brought,
How seldom found, indeed, how seldom sought?
How do the easy World appear content
With spurious Kinds,
How very often vent
The False for True, and give their Sense the lye,
And make their Int'rest pass for Honesty?
Another Plant, but ah! how faint it grows?
Not that 'tis hurt by Climate, Frost, and Snows;
But as if Nature suffer'd strong Decay,
It withers every where, and dies away.
FRIENDSHIP!
The nicest Plant that ever grew,
Talk'd of by many, understood by few.
It's only Help is Honesty, and where
That thrives, it gets some Strength; but's very rare,
By Weeds of Self and Jealousie ore'run,
'Tis choak'd for want of Air, and shaded from the Sun.
But who shall now the thriving Plants describe,
The Ever-greens, that quickning June imbile,
And furnish new Recruits to Levi's Tribe?
Sons of the Prophets at Gamaliel's Feet,
Who extract Learning, then refin't to wit,
By the laborious Lymbeck of the Brain,
Condense the Sp'rit, and let the Humid parts remain,
No loytring Sing-song Muses trifle here,
Weaving THIN FANCY into Webs of Air;
But here they Wed the Sciences for Wives,
And beat like Hemp at Bridewell for their Lives:
Th' Enquirers here to Ida's Top aspire,
Parnassus coolest Springs, can only quench their Fire.
To Learning's highest Pinacles attain,
By strong assiduous Travel of the Brain,
Ravish the Muses, in their Deeps delight,
And learn with the same Fury as they fight;
To curious search, to things, and Books so prest,
The Ancients or the Moderns find no rest,
Till Universal Knowledge fills the Mind,
And all the Soul's from Dross, and Ignorance refin'd.
Hence they to ev'ry strong Attainment reach,
And what they learn so well, as well they teach;
In ev'ry Art, in ev'ry Science grow,
Not proud of knowing, but are proud to know.
Push to a Vice the Lust of doing well,
And in whate're they Practise they excell.
Humes and Da'rymples here adorn the Law,
With steady Justice,
Neither drive nor draw
But with the Head inform'd, and Hand upright,
Give every Cause its own impartial Weight,
In every Branch of Learning here they rise,
Nothing too high they fear, too low despise,
In every Science, every Just Extreme,
Men of Perfection may be found with them.
The Laws in Mists and Darkness they make clear,
And Physick thrives in spight of wholsome Air,
Pharmacopaea, void of simples, Lives,
And Surgery in barren Practice thrives,
Philosophy meer simple Knowledge vents,
Rather by Nature than Experiments.
Musick in spight of Discord, charms the Ear,
And Jarring Parties break no Consort here.
Thus blest with Art, enricht with Heads and Hands,
Producing Seas, and more productive Lands;
The Climate sound, the People prompt and strong;
Why is her Happiness delay'd so long?
Why with such Patience, and so long endure,
Distempers Prudence could so quickly cure?
Why still on Natures Common Bounty live?
And why so soon content with what She'll give?
For where Contentment makes Endeavour less,
'Tis then a Vice, and not a Happiness.
So the [8] fam'd sluggard starv'd, and reason good,
For want of feeding, not for want of Food;
Bear the Reproof, the fruitful Climate's known,
Not Heaven or Nature blame, the Fault's your own;
The Earth Adapt to bear, the Air, the Sea,
All fruitful, all to Plenty show the way;
No Barrenness, but in your Indust'ry.
'Tis Blasphemy to say the Climates curst,
Nature will ne're be fruitful till she's forc't;
'Twas made her Duty from her first Decay,
The sweating Brow alone, and labouring hand t' obey,
And these she never does, nor dares deny.
And yet this Sloth is not their proper Crime,
'Tis due to Poverty, and that to Time.
Hail SLOTH and POVERTY from Stygian Air,
Ushers to Death, and Handmaids to Despair.
Strange Birth, themeer Perfection of a Curse,
That find Men Mis'rable, and make them worse,
Of ill connected self ingendring Birth,
First circulate themselves, and then the Earth;
Infernal Harmony of Causes make,
And in true Circles of Distress they walk,
Vile Sloth and Poverty of Spurious Breed,
Neither from Heaven or Earth, but of themselves proceed,
Begot in Life, by long degenerate Time,
'Twixt Stagnate Vertue, and Impregnate Crime.
'Twin Monsters neither Seed nor Offspring kno',
reate, by meer Succession flow.
No proper source, but from themselves they find,
And by supine Infusions reach the Mind.
All Natures Rules by their own Power reject,
And are themselves the Cause, themselves th' Effect;
Th' alternate Misery ne're leaves the Door,
But Poverty makes Sloth, and Sloth makes poor,
Unnatural Mixtures form the gendring Pair,
Alternately they both beget and bare.
No Proper Seeds of Life, or living show,
They'r born in Death, and in Consumptions grow;
Superior Witchcraft forms the dismal Race,
And Devils unknown below', connect the Face.
The unhappy Wretch, when Hag-rid and possest,
The Crimes are in his Countenance confest.
A sanguine Pale and drooping brightness shine,
This always Saturnine, and that supine,
Joyn'd hand in hand, they living Death display,
And Life in full perfection of Decay.
No Misery's so great, but they make worse,
Each others Beeing, and each others Curse.
They mingle Death with every punct of Time,
And only in Destruction are sublime;
Slow Poisons which no Antidote can cure,
Lingring in Life and in Destruction sure;
Potent in strength their strong Dominions grow,
Not Men but Nations they can overthrow.
Wake Scotland from thy long Lethargic Dream,
Seem what thou art, and be what thou shalt seem,
Shake off the Poverty, the sloth will dy,
Success alone can quicken Industry.
No more the bondage of reproach endure,
Or bear those Harms thou canst so quickly cure.
To Land Improvement and to Trade apply,
They'l plentifully pay thine Industry.
The barren Muirs shall weighty sheaves bestow,
Th' uncultivated Vales rich Pastures show,
The Mountains Flocks and Herds in stead of Snow.
Natures a Virgin very Chast and coy,
To Court her's nonsence, if ye will enjoy,
She must be ravish't,
When she's forc't she's free,
A perfect Prostitute to Industry;
Freely she opens to th' Industrious hand,
And pays them all the Tribute of the Land.
The strong labourious Head she Can't Deny,
She's only Backward where they won't apply.
Here fruitful Hills, and there the Flowry Plain,
Deep undiscov'rd Funds of wealth contain.
The Silver Veins and vast Mettallick store,
Forbid to call her wildest Mountains poor.
The Mines of Lead, of Copper, and of Coal,
Enrich the several parts, those parts the whole.
Nothing remains to make her Wealth compleat,
But that her right Hand and her left may meet.
FINIS.
- ↑ Kings. Alluding here to the ancient Figure, in which the Isle of Britain is generally supposed to be, when every Nobleman was a Sovereign upon his own Estate, some Marks of which Sovereignty are yet remaining, and within few Years past, were very visible in several of the Noble Families of Scotland, particularly in the Family of Douglass, who Pursued, fought, took Prisoner of War Sir William Hairis of Terriglis, for having withdrawn himself from his Vassalage or Dependence, & esteeming him as his own Servant, taken in Arms, where his Jurisdiction or Regality extended, upon his own Authority put him to Death. Godscross's History of the House of Douglass page 187. The same Earl of Douglass executed Justice upon Macklalane Tutor of Bumbee, Chief of his Name, & one of the Principal Houses in Galloway for Murdering one of his Servants, King James himself interceeded for him in vain.
- ↑ Lesser Praise. I know this word is objected against as ungramma|tical, and therefore by some very carefully avoided in Verse, and by others, perhaps, too critically Censur'd; but as I have very good Authority for the word, I venture the Indignation of the Criticks, and anticipate their Obser|vations, by referring them to the following Examples, (Greek characters) prior (Greek characters) minor (Greek characters), Which in English cannot be express'd by any other Word than what I here make use of, LESSER, which is form'd from the Comparative Less, exactly after the same manner.
- ↑ 'Tis hop'd the Gentlemen whose Names are included in these Lines, will not sind Fault with the Author for not observing Preceedency either in Dignity or Antiquity, the necessity of Rhime, Measure and Cadence being his just Excuse, and which he desires them to accept in that particular.
- ↑ Record. Here I make no question but to be animadverted upon for my different way of expressing the word Record, and changing the Quantity, making the Vowel long in the last Syllable of the first, and short in the last Syllable of the second. But for this, I have so good an Authority, that all Men will allow it sufficient to justifie me; being from such a Master of the Language as Buchannan himself, as follows. Dies tenētbras & tenebrae Dient, Buch. Ps. 19. ver. 2. l. 1. Which being the Verse call'd Dactilicus alchaicus, the second Foot is always Jambus, and the third and fourth Dactyli.
- ↑ Fam'd Scoti. The Author of the History of the House of Douglass, tells us, That William Douglass, Grandchild to Sholto Douglass, was the Father of the Noble Family of the Scoti at Placenza in Italy. Fol. 5. And some say, That by a Marriage between a Branch of the said Family of Scoti, and some of the Ancient Line of the House of Mar in Scotland, was the O|riginal of the Family of Marr-e-Scoti, a great and flourishing Family in Italy to this day.
- ↑ Titles from France. The ancestors of this Noble Family obtain'd the Title of Duke of Chateas Reault in France; and by which Title they were known in Scotland, at the time of the Reformation.
- ↑ Set by Zeal. Alluding to the Custom of Planting Rue and Sage together, which whether it be a vulgar Error or no, is, that the Rue is supposed to be effectual to keep Toads, and Venemous Creatures from the Sage.
- ↑ Prov. The Sluggard would not pull his Hand out of his Bosom to put it to his Mouth.