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NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
EVANSTON
ILLINOIS
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A POEM
OS
THE HORRORS OF WARFARE
SETTING FORTH
ITS ANTI-CHRISTIAN SPIRIT,
AND RECOMMENDING
SXntbergal pacification.
BY
JOHN FOSTER,
Master cj the Academy at North Curry, Somerset.
TAUNTON:
Prilled J. W. Marriott, Taunton Courier Offieej East Street.
PREFACE.
The Author of the following lines is
fully aware that many sentiments contained
in them are opposed to popular opinion, and
of course anticipates that many, finding they
cannot confute them upon Christian princi¬
ples, will affect to treat them with contempt;
and others, whose interest is directly or in¬
directly implicated in military emoluments,
will asperse them, for reasons similar to
those that actuated the craftsmen of Eplie-
sus, when their goddess was impugned.
The principal object in view, is to pro¬
voke a fair discussion on Warfare; being
convinced that there are many well-designing
people who labour under erroneous impres¬
sions on the subject, partially from inat-
iv.
tention to its real merits, and partially from
the frequency and sanction of War among
States professing the Religion of Christ.
Rut should the present effort, through Divine
grace, he made the means of contributing
the least toward the blessing of Universal
Peace, the praise shall be ascribed to Him,
who alone can remedy so great an evil as
established prejudice by such feeble means.
ON WAR.
Tot bella per orbem,
Tam mult® sceler um facies.
virg. geoiig. i. 505.
Daiit alios Furiag torvo spectacula Marti.
Hor. Od. 28. 17.
Heaven, the seat of bliis,
Brooks not the works of violence and war.
Milton, Parad. Lost, 6. 273.
Again the din of war assails our ears,
Inflames our passions and alarms our fears ;
Spreads to our minds the dread ensanguin'd plain,
While hostile thunders rouse the peaceful main.
Nations, convuls'd by regal pride array'd,
And stately cities in vast ruins laid ;
Flames and dense clouds in awful columns rise,
Ambition's incense, rushing the skies.
The earth appall'd, beneath her burden groans,
Shook by loud thunders, rent by dying moans.
A rapid torrent flows the purple tide ;
The peer and peasant lie, stretch'd side by side ;
The gaping wound, the dim receding eye
Renounce distinction—all together die.
B
2
Dread Accldamas! But Abaddon-sprites
Can view with tolerance such awful sights.
E'en grim Apollv'n may willi jealous eye
Make men with demons in dcslruction vie ;
Erecting ghastly pyramids of death ;
Spending in vengeance their expiring breath,
And madly forcing hell's tremendous gale,
To please a tyrant—or in quest of slate!—
Nor is the spacious plain the only sphere
Where maniac warriors urge their wild career.
Tyre, Athens, Carthage, and of later date
Hundreds beside have shar'd their wretched fate.
The fane, the palace, and the sumptuous hall.
Bow to ihe monster and in fragments fall;
The harmless inmalcs weli'ring in their gore ;
The mangled corpse recumbent on the floor ;
E'en childish innocence, by demon lust
Defil'd and slaughter'd, mingled with the dust.
The infant 'kerchief in the mother's breas',
'Mid the dire carnage falls among the rest,—
A pile horrific; — neither sex nor age
Pleads an exception from the warrior's rage,
But these—all these—with num'rousills untold,
The scene of horror faintly yet unfold :—
The mind revolts, the trembling hand declines
To trace ihe subject through its dismal lines !
Such scenes at once one mighty woe display,
One fun'ral pyre,—one dreary Golgotha.
A foe by name, howe'er by nature bland,
Meets no compassion from the bloody hand,
Insatiate war pursues its victims fled,
Nor spares in conquest the defenceless head.
3
The for!i!c suburb, stalely grae'd by art,
And all that wealth and culture ran impart,
Where age retires from toil and bustling care,
And tender youth enjoys th' unsullied air,
In wild confusion loses all its charms,
The tranquil lawn resounds with clash of arms,
Affords no covert from the ruthless foe,
But soon becomes the forlorn camp of woe.
Thither the victor, lur'd in hopes of gain,
Drenches his crimson sword in blood again;
No subtile pretext of resistance here
To rouse his vengeance, or excite his fear.
The crippl'd sire, benumb'd by frozen age,
Nor lisping infants martial fire assuage,
The eloquence of sweet maternal love,
Unheard, unpitied, cannot mercy move.
The helpless virgin, with dishevell'd hair,
Begs for her honour, but her urgent prayer
Enkindles passion in the lustful brute,
To gain his purpose and deny her suit.
Next turn your eyes to that sad, hapless crew,
'Scap'd from the site where death's fell arrows flew,
With eyes sofTus'd, and hearts dilate with grief,
Compell'd to flee instinctive for relief;
Press'd by pale horror to a dreary waste,
They flee from slaughter, but with trembling haste.
Cleneh'd in each hand the parent's prattling pride,
Scarce conscious why those evils should betide,
Why fugitives they quit that peaceful dome
Thev fondly call'd and thought to be their home.
But mark, with terror how the way was spread
With foes expiring, and with neighbours dead !
4
The lender molher rends (he subtile air,
Frantic with rage, or sullen in despair,
Close by her husband follows in (he (light,
Braves (lie confusion, undi-inaj'd by night,
ller poor prolec'or for her guide now lakes,
Till crumbling ruins and descending flakes
Cease to pursue ilicm ;—but whose tongue can tell
What poignant sufferings in their bosoms dwell?
Huge thought on thoughts, and woe on woes arise,
.Their base on earth, their summit in the skies.
The conflict past, ihe proud Gazette proclaims
A pompous "fist of high triumphant names.
The senate votes its gratify ing meed,
And grants a doceur for the glorious deed;
The nation catches at the same wild flame,
And bursts into a rhapsody of fame :
Festoons of lamps irradiate the town,
And fawning laurcats eulogize the crown.
But why all these ? Such flights of frantic joy
Partake too much of sorrowful alloy.
Or why that mournful mien ? That deep drawn sigh ?
That mutl'ring lip ? That tear-bedewed eye ?
The widow'd matron, o'er her orphan care,
Bewails (he dread calamities of war !
The scenes that gladden all around,
But lacerate and open fiesh her wound,
Give tone to anguish, and surcharge her breast :
Her grief's too poignant yet to be supprcst.
The day that gains a peerage, or a throne,
Gives cause for families unborn to groan ;—
Destroys patrician honours at a blow,
And fills the plebian lines with reckless woe.
5
The Gorgon war quite petrifies the mind ;
Before it's Eden,— ilinnom all behind.
Nor is this all. 'Twere well if life's short day
Could mete the sorrow, and bear all .away ; —
The dead, alas! Oh ! 'lis a grievous thought!
By thousands slain, and prematurely brought
Before the awful bar—with all their crime—
Flush'd with hot rage—extruded out of time,
With hands too foul to hold up a defence,
The blood still reeks—excluding all pretence;
Curtailed oaths,—too suddenly for prayer,
Leave not a glimm'ring ray of mercy there,
Where justice sits, in solemn pomp alone,
Acquitting none w ho have not mercy shown.
Quiv'ring, the boldest lips are silent now,
Dare no appeal, but to the sentence bow,
There reap eternal retribution, due
To lives, whate'er have been their cast or hue.
Yes, thousands who ne'er saw each other's face,
Shall form acquaintance in that dreadful place;
Recrimination and distinctive power
Will dale their being from that fatal hour!
Deem you this Christian ? Can a human mind
For horrors such as these pretension find ?
Can Salem's Prince acknowledge those his friends
Who slaughter millions for their private cuds?
From guilty Cain, ferocious fratricide,
Fell warfare owns its hideous parent, pride.
Let princes patronize, or poets swell
The warrior's feats :—they emanate from hell !
The gaudy vesture and the martial lyre
Ma) heap up fuel on th' infernal pyre,
6
Bui can't disguise I hp mis'ry nor the cause,
iNor reconcile (hem to Immanuel's laws.
Emphatic Prince of Peace, lie love enjoin'd,
Harmonious Peace,—loin; siifT'ring, unconfin'd.
Mistake not they his wise designs who plead
Aggressive warfare is a lawful detd ?
And draw conclusion from the sacred page,
When God doom'd Canaan in his holy rage ?
First prove your mandate from that Power divine ;
Collusion aggravates each hase design.
Jehovah justly may dispense below
To each his portion,—happiness or woe;
But e'er, vice-agent for that awful Power,
You dare presume,—riflecton that dread hour
When every act and every subtile thought,
Without a veil before him must be brought ;
Prove by like wonders God approves your plan,
Or delegates his vengeance now to man.
Can be not sweep a base, a miscreant race,
By other judgments from his inccns'd face?
The plains of Sodom. Lisbon, Palestine—
All prove no want of means for his design.
The Christian spirit's little understood
By those whose plea for war, is doing good 1
They arc of hypocrites the most aecurst,
Who sanctimoniously indulge that lust,
And make Jehovah to resemble Mars,
Appeas'd in slaughter, and amus'd with cars.
When guilty Amaleck had sinn'd its day,
And God eommission'd Saul his sword to sway,
Mark how base avarice assnm'd the cloak,
Subverted duty, and the precept broke ;
7
The prowling monarch made the cause his own,
And for his plunder paid both life and throne.
Great David was prohibited to grace
The holy city with that sacred place,
Where the Shekinah deign'd to condescend,
And counsel Israel as his private friend ;
lie zcas a man of zcar, and blood had spilt ;
Could these exclude him, had there not been guilt
As well in war as in that muidcrous deed,
When Rabah saw the brave Uriah bleed ?—
Yes, meek Josiah, on Mcgiddo's plain,
Displeas'd his God, and fell among the slain.—
Take these as specimens of sacred writ,
Then say what triumph gains the sceptic wit?
The calm research this maxim will confirm
rlhat warfare is impiety's rank germ.
But were not some expressly rais'd by God,
To regal power, predeslin'd for His rod ?
Produce the precedent : its whole survey,
Then probably we may correctl y say,
By God permitted, yet by God disowri'd,
Tho' by his Providence at first enthron'd.
Quote Hazael here:—confess'd the monster stands:—
Fierce regicide!—the scourge of faithless lands!
Fit tool for vengeance, by his nature mov'd
Most like a demon from Tartarus prov'd.
Impetuous pride ditsulv'd the sacred ties;
Under his hand Benhadad gasps and dies ;
Ling'ring disease too tardily makes way,
His arm removes the wearisome delay;
Impatient for Jehovah's sure decree,
Rashly determines his own dcsliny,
8
And by one act of violence rmoune'd
That sense of clemency he once announe'd,—
Assumes the sceptic, and throws loose the reins
Of his own nature,—all restraint disdains,
llulcs with the sword and governs all by dread,
And raises up his fame on mounds of dead !
Was this from Ood ? Could God the author be
Of such vile passions, such iniquity ?
Why then permit them ?—Hear himself declare
" llazrcl shall slay what Jehu's sword shall spare."
Prophetic language,—no compulsive charge ;
He knew the sequel,—left the will at large.
Let Nineveh be heard ; her conduct shews
Repentance can avert e'en thrcaten'd woes !
When God proceeds to judgment He is just,
In mercy warns, and pardons all who trust:
Proclaims th' event as fact already past,
Should slighted cautions be disdain'd at last;
Then quits the struggle with obdurate man,
Leaves him to finish what his sin began.
Thus here the Lord develop'd Israel's case,
And spread th' alternative before their face.
T'cxcitc the tyrant ? No! requite the base,
Th' apostate Ahab, and the Jewish race.
They left Jehovah, and with demons join'd,
He left them now to gratify their mind :
Sporn'd from his presence those who spurn'd his power,
And suflcr'd Satan to prevail his hour ;
Satan, the foe of man, the font of ill,
Empowr'd his llazael to indulge his will.
Dispassionately now survey the whole,
And say, doei warfare suit the pious soul ?
9
When II eav'n's economy was dimly shewn,
And God, in judgment, frequently was known ;
E'en then, the best of men had ample cause
To deprecate that aptitude for wars.
We find, the haughty and the martial breast
Pierc'd with keen sorrow, and deprived of rest.
How then can Chris'ians, blest with clearer light,
Contend for war ?—'tis blending day with night.
A milder dispensation is conferr'd,
Where nought but love and charity is heard.
It represents the Lord himself to say,
" Vengeance is mine,—I will myself repay ;
" Who wields the sword shall by the sword expire."
Christians excel not in destructive ire.
The patient Hussand ven'rablc Jerome,
More than triumphant Zisea, humbled Rome;
His prowess vanish'd with his mortal frame:
The light they kindled was immortal flame!
Not only Martin, but the triple crown,
Has ever felt the shock of their renown.
The will of Heaven's more perfectly reveal'd
Than by a comment in the blood-stain'd field;
Messiah's law's included in the span
Of love to God, and charity to man.
But do I see some self-deluded saint,
The ravages of war in pious colours paint ?
Hear boast of benefits that conquests yield,
Aud holy fruits reap'd from the ensanguin'd field ?
Decrees and sovereignty may please that mind
Which cannot equity and mercy find,
Legibly writ rn every sacred page,
From Adam's downfall to the latest age.
c
10
Why fought nol Jesus with his angel bands,
T' enforce obedience to his just commands ?
Or why, in vengeance, 'midst his cruel foes,
llurl'd he not lightnings and eternal woes ?
Or why, to aggrandize his followers here,
Did he not province after province clear?
No need, you cry, his kingdom thus to rabe,
Nor spread his name in such terrific blaze:
His glorious cause ne'er needed such display,
In his good time 'twill win its widening way.
Then shall th'Arabian prophet be caress'd,
Girt with his sword, in glitt'ring armour dress'd.
Let Cortez and Pizarro too derive
Co-equal laurels, with the valiant Clire :
Their deeds are register'd, as sons of fame ;
In types of blood, recorded is each name ;
But Penn and Swartz, how glorious they'll appear,
Before that bar, where men and angels hear,
Jehovah's sentence, on their lives below,
List'ning to blood that despots caused to flow.
Not all the fierce crusader's zeal and foam
Nor fulminating bulls of papal Home,
Produc'd one scintillating spark of light,
But made all, rather two-fold sons of night ;
While simple truth, unarm'd by regal power,
Produc'd her converts, ev'ry fleeting hour.
Sad notion !—extirpating first the race
To gain a welcome for the word of grace !
But is there one professing common sense
Who docs net blush t'espouse the base pretence,
That wars are needful to curtail our race?
I blusb for him—pronounce him a disgrace,
11
To all that wear the noble form of man.
And would proscribe him on hi9 ow n wise plan,
Could I submit, or bring my heart to yield
The weakest, meanest to the bloody field.
AJmit th' hypothesis, howe'er absurd,
For fools may triumph if they be not heard.—
Is there exub'rance in a pow'rful state?
Does jealous fear alarm the venal great ?
The dreadful war-hoop grants but small redress,
The stale may thrive, the feudal peer possess,
Without devoting to the cruel sword,
The humble thousands, as a useless horde.
Witness old China,—has her martial fire,
Through four milleniums, kept her realm entire ?
'Midst wreck of empires she remains the same,
Her millions but consolidate her fame.
E'en crowded Britain cannot yet compete
With China's ratio-souls to measured feet—
But where Europa'ssons of Anak-birth,
Can't they subsist upon this spacious earth ?
Immense the regions, they may yet explore,
And colonize beyond th' Atlantic shore :
Vast Australasia atill uncultur'd lies,
And spreads her beauties like a paradise ;
Thither the surplus may fresh states commence,
Without foul warfare, and at less expense.
But is misanthropy the real cause,
Why these delinquents still contend for wars?
Why needs th' assassin legal quirks and flaws,
T'escape the justice polity assigns,
Lest he be guilty for his scant designs!
Pray what are princes, that they claim sole
To send forth thousands to the cruel fight ?
12
Who pass'd that firm, insuperable decree,
That one, ap arbiter for realms should be ?
Capriciously disiuib I lie general weal,
And ty rannize with sui li despotic zeal ?
More like Oetavius, conquer to be great,
Than like Angu u , dignify >he slate.
Instead of uris and happiness, they seek,
T'enslave the freeboru, and depre-s the meek;
No sight more genial than review ing troops,
And sub-tlividing into martini groups
Mytiads of aim d ruffians, wiiom they pay,
By fotee and str.ilagem to spre d dismay :
Ignoble souls, w ho sell themselves to be
The bloody agents of base tyranny !
Fiend-like, voracious of all human woe,
Dealing out death, at each repeated blow ! —
Prepar'd assassins, for each dark design,
Marshall'd in companies, atray'd in line,
Less odious, merely from their patrons grown,
Like other satellites around a throne.
E'en tender females unawares admire
The monstrous sight deceiv'd by smart attire,
Or lur'd (to loose, licentious arts a prey)
To frisk in dances, and throw time away.
Strange delicacy ! that would faint to view
The wretch, zoho but one fdlozs creature slezr,
Yet flirts and ogles, without dread or shame,
With one who glories in his bloody fame !
Can weep o'er novels, an l t fiction sigh,
But swell the triumph when ten thousand die ! —
Exult to hear an officer explain
The feats of carnage in his last campaign ! —
13
Ah ladies ! can it be, that even you,
Have no compassion, but for grief in view ?
Pause and reflect, how many hearts must bleed,
That very moment you applaud the deed !
Had but those scenes transpired before your eyes,
Or had you heard the victims' piercing cries ;
Could you but tell how much ihe wounded feel
Crush'd by the pond'rous cannon's massy wheels
Seen the distorted visage of the slain
Glutting deep moats, or scatter'd o'er the plain 5
What would you say tq subjects, such as th.esp ?
E'en infants, pleading on the mother's knees,
Move not the ruffian's callous heart to spare,—
The polish'd soldier is a devil there 1
Then could y ou trust, such murderers refip'd,
Whose life's devoted to destroy mankind ?
Evince puie tenderness, the female's grace,
By mark'd abhorrence tq a life so base.
The age of chivalry declares your skill,
To govern herpes at your potent will:
Assume your sceptre ; let the dove expand
His peaceful pinious o'er your magic wand.
Like angels, urge benevolence and love,
(The ruling passions of their realm above.)
Ferociiy denotes no manly mind,
It rather suits the brute or demon kind ;
'Tis merciful demeanour dignifies
The soul that's destin'd for the blissful skies.
The fabled Amazon, or Spartan dame
May fire viragos with the martial flame ;
But christian matrons can't descend so far,
As train up children for the curse of war.
14
Much nobler strife their tender bosums feel,
Themselves bright patterns of a holy zeal;
The angel-chortis animates their mind
With views pacific, merciful, and kind.
But must we leave you, oh ! ye sacred few,
To contemplate that wretched host in view ?
The savage thousands mask'd in human form,—
True furies, sent to agitate the storm
The Deities, in regal state enshrin'd,
Are pouring down with vengeance on mankind.
But is it just to stigmatize the whole?
May not some be mere vassals of control ?
Yes. some there are, no doubt, whom foice_cons(rain$
To serve in sorrow, and to march in chains;
Who gladly would relinquish such a call,
And rather save a foe than see him fall.
These chiefly 'mongst the humble ranks are found,
'Tis there the mildest sentiments abound.
The vet'ran leader, by experience taught,
The greatest glory is that dearest bought;
The trifling skirmish gains him small idal—
lie seeks high titles in the bloody war.
Nor is ambition merely gratified ;
Vice of all species is to war allied :
Gambling and prodigality produce
Too many Catalines of life profuse;
The spawn of villainy in armies find
A fit asylum for the guilty mind;
Reflection's smother'd in the boist'rous change,
And vilest passions set at large to range.
E'en stripling lads are rashly proud to shew
Their feats of havoc 'mong the conquet'd foe ;
15
Nurtur'd in indolence, and proud by birth.
Of noble extract, but of little worth.
The young adventurer must aspire to arms,
To raise his fortune and augment his farms;
The scanty patrimony's too confin'd,
inferior to such altitude of mind.
Thus talks the parent, and deludes the boy,
Calls him his hero, and the nation's joy.
Dreadful indeed !—what systematic vice,—
What ciuel counsel,—devilish device!
Insatiate avarice and discontent,
Murder and plunder,—boundless in extent
Are thus instill'd, to qualify the mind
For all that despotism has design'd.
Detested serviles they, who prostitute,
Degrade their offspring lower than the brute,
And with unblushing infamy resign
Such early victims with such base design !
But is this too severe? speak out and say,
What will the vilest do,—and will not they
Shew but resistance when they make request ?
Will they not shed your blood to be possess'd ?
Does justice screen you? or uight's sombre veil
ProteiSt your property when they assail?
Sanction'd by U3age in a potent's name,
They pride in carnage and exult in flame;
Expect fresh honours for each murd'rous deed,
And highest glory as most millions bleed !
Wretched ambition, thus to rise in guilt,
And float in blood their cruel bands have spilt!
'Tis glory!—ah! that empty, mighty boon,
That brutaliz'd the human heart so soon
1G
Took root in Eden, 'midst the trees of peaet,
And sheil its bancfuUceds with sad increase :—
Fills ev'ry region:—grows in cv'rjr clime:—
Buds in corruption :—fructifies in crime :
Distils its deadly vapours all around ;
Beneath its shade no wholesome fruit is found.
Destructive plant ! ltd wonder it should spread
Its ambient foliage round the Warrior's head.
'Tis honour!—what can none be great or brave,
But human butcher*, of the lautel'd knave?
Mark Alexander, sighing for more blood,
Mingling his telrs with India's foaming flood.
Go to the senate; there see J alius fall :
The Id's of March to your remembrance call.
On Egypt's strand behold great Fompey's end ;
Who rul'd the world here dies without a friend.
What heart but shudders at the Persian's fate?
" Thy thirst for blood, there Cyrus satiate. "
Trace great Napoleon from Ajaccio's port,
To dismal Helena, bis last resort ;*
Recal each hero, history ever knew,
From bloody Marathon to Waterloo ;
Tell, if yon can, the benefits confcrr'd
By all, or any of that numerous herd :
Cast in the scale the pondrous mass of crime,
Against th* advantages at any time ;
Pagan or Christian,—human woe's the same,
Springs from onfe source, is levcll'd with one aim.
Where's the true honoui,—nobleness of mind ?
To whom among them can it be assign'd ?
• In chronological order—1st. Cyrus—2d. Alexander—Sd. Pompey
4th, Julius Csejar—3th. Napoleon.
17
Disinterested virtue has no place
In hearts devoid of philanthropic grace;
Sad test of love the warrior leaves behind,
Himself the greatest bane to all mankind.
Well spake the deep, sarcastic sage,
To mitigate the Macedonian's rage:
Art thou a god ?—Then like a god bestow
Acts of beneScence on men below ;
Such predatory passions ne'er should rove
In souls affin'd to high Olympic Jove ;
But art thou man ?—Remember what thou art,
Nor madly venture on a tyrant's part :
Make man thy equal,—friendship brooks nof force,—
A vanquisb'd menial is a foe of course.
Nature revolts at each insulting mien,
Its dignity respires at such a scene;
Tall and triumphal columns but preserve
The execration such base views deserve,—
Develop at one glance the object gain'd,
And tell what dreadful loss the world susfain'd;
Distress'd, the gen'rous eye a tear lets fall,
At meeting what the vain a trophy call;
Appall'd, the christain heart disclaims assent
To pageant monuments of such intent:
They are opprobrious to the soil they press,
Exploded gibbets could not more confess.
Has native modesty our island fled,
And sexual decency obscur'd its head ?
Think of Hyde Park, ths site of your disgrace,
Ye modish ladies of unblushing face;
Your brass a double triumph must impart
O'er vanquisb'd foes, and o'er your prostrate heart j'
D
18
Your flatlcr'd heroes may remark, with glee,
Your martial pretext (or obscenity.
Subscribe once more, to take that statue down,
Your sex it libels to amuse the clown ;
But must Achilles still a nuisance be?
Clothe him for shame, completely cap-a-pi*,
Or else confess your honour but a farce,
And all your prndery a mere grimace.
Well might old Abdalonimus debate,
Ere he acceded to the regal state ;
He knew no want, but what his hands supplied,
And led a life abstract from pomp and pride ;
He wisely view'd the purple robe with dread,
Sigh'd for no crown, to deck his silver'd head ;
Long observation taught him to despise
A state wherein so much temptation lies.
This great recluse essentially outshone
The Grecian monarch on the Persian throne.
But active Socrates surpass'd him far;
So sparkling meteors fade before a star.
Pursue the climax through its next degree;
Compar'd with Paul, how very mean was be!
And does the christian maugre all renown,
Bear off th' unrivall'd, amaranthine crown ?
Don't start—you've not conceded yet too much,
The figure will admit a nobler touch ;
Were ever glory and such houour due
To any, as to Him who bled for you ?
"When time shall cease, and wreaths for ever fade,
Eternal honours shall to Him be paid,
By prostrate myriads of angelic birth
And highest excellence e'er known on earth !
19
Thus far offensive war, its fruits and cause
Are prov'd repugnant to Messiah's laws;
True honour loathes it, even pagan sense
Rejected glory at such vast expense.
Aurelius nobly priz'd one human life
Too great a sacrifice for wanton strife;
Sought not the limits of his power t' extend,
Enough for him the empire to defend ;
By mild and equitable means, inclin'd
To make himself the friend of all mankind.
A good example for our christian kings,
Princes, or emperors, and such like things,
That move whole nations at their sovereign nod,
Aod seem to rule for Satan more than God ;
The constant purpose of whose pampcr'd soul,
Is dissipation or complete control.
But can defensive warfare he denied ?
Should meek submission be oppos'd to pride ?
Is it not cowardice to tamely yield,
An uncontested, and a passive field ?
This question stands with difficulties fraught,
And is not answer'd, readily as brought.
Mark well the premises, much may be said,
Specious and spurious on that tender head.
Is warfare sin ? This query fi«st decide ;
Speaks not th' Apostle right " It is from pride!"
Pride does he say ! Yes, pride that dreadful source.
Whence evil sprang, and sin maintains its force.
Its subtile venom, Oh! how few suspect,—r-
It poisons duty and it veils neglect.
When the great poets sing the siege of Troy,
Whose heart is callous while the Greeks destroy ?
20
Why suffers Ilium thus ? A moment's pause
Arraigns base Paris as the moving cause.
But why involve all Teucra in the (lame ?
Tcucra espous'd false Helen's cause and shame.
When subjects make the prince's rice their own,
And vinal ministers surround the throne ;
Such war's offensive, and the blood that's shed
Justly devolves upon lh' aggressor's head.
A nation's virtue nobly is display'd,
(When princes dare acknowledg'd rights invade)
Not by a simultaneous rush to arms,
Mechanically led by courtly charms ;
But by remonstrance and unwearied zeal,
Each wound to close, and ev'ry wrong to heal ;
Make restitution, for 'tis nobler far,
To own our frailty, than appeal to war.
Bless'd with a constitution, England claims,
Subjects might check all sanguinary aims ;
And princes taught, where real wisdom lies,
By noblest means, to highest glory rise.
Like Solomon, in wealth and pow'r increase,
By acts of wisdom and by love of peace.
Long as yon brilliant orb shall measure day
Or the pale planet lend its feebler ray,
Columbia's tale will fill the soul with awe
And damn the motives of intrusive war.
When her vast treasures lur'd the sons of pride
To brave th' Atlantic, and outstretch the tide,
Bow despotism stalk'd, with breathless baste,
And spread its empire 'midst a deadly waste.
Ungrateful vipers struck the gen'rous breast,
And pour'd their venom, where they'd becc caressed.
21
Th' insid'ous suppliants suffer'd once to land,
And gain a footing on the friendly strand,
Erected bulwarks, with assign'd excuse,
The slight munition, was for present use—
But once emboss'd, what friv'lous subterfuge,
Sanctioned encroachment, 'till their pow'r, too huge
To be resisted, then each trifling feud
Was deemed rebellion, and must lie subdu'd ;
Yes, millions slaughter'd as mere beasts of prey,
For cursed plunder, or to strike dismay ?
When restless nations, with a quiet bless'd,
Lament the respite and despise their rest,
How apt to fancy, or to forge a wrong.
Peace with their neighbours lingers out too long ;
The haughty spirit rouses, and disdains
Dull georgic labours, and prefers campaigns.
From lines of boond'ry in a dreary waste,
Or sentiments avow'd, discordant to its taste,
Or bagatelles, by much too mean to name,
But not too mean to raise the martial flame!
How speedily springs up a just pretence
For armed levies, and for self defence.
Insulting couriers sow the seed of war,—
Defensive cordons soon project too far ;
The mask falls off; the manifesto pleads,
Compulsion forces—while the heart—it bleeds
To meditate what honour could not brook,
Or re-demands a spoil that none had look !
Thus the Nilolean monster's said to weep,
And with bis dreadful fangs that instant sweep
The hopeless victim off. But say, ye wise,
Whence springs the war, from virtue or from vice ?
22
Britannia ! too ofl thy noble blood
Has gorg'd the field, and ling'd the briny flood ;
Oft has thy plaintive muse bemoan'd thy slaio,
An immolation in false glory's fane!
May wisdom, taught thee by thy sorrows past,
Direct thy councils, and for ever last.
But must we see this tragedy again
Re-acted on the floor of patient Spain,
"With all its mummery, but dire effect,
Mocking the cause professed to protect ?
The French dramatist has a part assum'd,
Dress'd in a vesture from Napoleon plum'd ;
Regardless of Napoleon's hapless fate,
"When he essayed to subjugate that state.
Look down in pity, Gracious Bower Divine,
Avert the horrors of his base design.
Control, at Sovereign, all that despot crew,
Who boast of order, but have blood in view.
Confound the haughty tyrant's vile decree,
'Gainst civil and religious liberty !
Let princes know that subjects are not tools,
Automata—for regal apes or fools,
Nor shall be doom'd at each capricious breath,
To servitude and chains,—to jails and death
People havo rights, as sacred as the throne;
Laws have no force, but what the people own.
Invasion here admits no just pretence,
Such despotism shocks all common sense!
Paciflcators vain ! how long shall thrones
Prove nests for hornets, or mere cells for drones?
Now to the point of plain defensive war;
All these digresi from that description far.
23
A limit the truth :—but arch ambition cries,
They were expedient, politic, and wise!
IIow far such sophistry deserves a thought,
The lisping babe may easily be taught.
But should some unprovok'd, marauding band,
Threaten destruction to a peaceful land;—
Should just and equitable treaties fail,
And tyranny determinate assail;—
Shall rights and liberty so vile appear,
And fall a sacrifice at once to fear?
Would non-resistance then, in such a case
Be manly, or be cowardly and base?
Who's the propounder ? Does the christian speak ?
The faithless Gaul,—or Russ,—or martial Greek ?
Perfidious Frenchmen scruple at no law,—
They every maxim from their nature draw ;
Fickle and frivolous to a proverb, they
Fritter each right and sacred bond away ;
With equal flippancy and grace resign
All claim to duly, human and divine;
With them to reason on abstracted right,
Would be lost labour, if not folly quite.
The rugged Russ to moralize disdains,
His heart impervious, like his frigid plains,
Is so congeal'd, that nature's generous rays
Make slight impression on his public ways.
'Tis strange the volume lately made his friend,
Should lead his conscience to no better end ;
There he may learn that kings account must give
Roth how they govern, and in private live.
The blood of nations proves that prince a knave
Who glows in war, howe'er demure and grave
24
From policy; the autocrat of state
Must be no hypocrite, would he be great.
Partition'd Poland still obscures the view
To hope, proud Czar, philanthropy from yoti.
Tho' thou embracest half the arctic pole,
And the rough Caspian lave thy parched sole;
Tho' realm on realm extend thy bloated sides
From calm Pacific to the German tides,
Ere long, thy empire will but just be found,
Thy true dimensions, in the silent ground !
Look at the Phoenix, Moscow, and abhor
The base abettors of infernal war;
Look higher to that God, w hose hands still hold,
Pestiferous heat and parah zing cold ;
You own'd His pow'r, eonfess'd his skill tosarr,
From foes triumphant, numerous and brave;
Retain th* impression—you distinctly know,
Mighty Jehovah's a tremendous foe !
Was he your aid, because your cause was just,
Thence cease from warfare, make Him still yotrrttusf.
Degraded Greek, your sufferings and your cause,
Are urg'd as pretests for defensive wars.
The tale of Scioall must execrate,
But few advise you 10 retaliate.
What, is the fruit raatur'd so odious fbund,—
Why should the tree encumber still the ground ?
Strike at the root; the cause eradicate,
Whence sprang the evils of your wretched state.
With retrospective care the past survey;
Woes consequently rise from faith's decay.
How soon fierce Amurath the crescent rear'd,
Where 'postate mummery had once appear'd;
25
Thence abject slav'ry withcr'd all your fame,
And scarcely left of Christ an empty name.
Near four long centuries you've worn the yoke;
Enough to rouse you, and your souls provoke,
To what?—Vindictive war,—lo break y our chain!
Far other means;—to seek your God again ;—
It) deep humility ;—his justice own,
And beg assistance from his gracious throne.
Then shall the crescent wane in endless night,
And God display his glories in your sight,
Crush your oppressor by his own vile scheme,
And make deliv'rancc your triumphant theme.
Ahithophels may counsel and debate
With desolating zeal and deadly hate,
But faithful Davids shall a rescue find
From subtile fraud and violence combin'd.
No Delphic jargon of ambig'ous style,
Nor Pythian frenzy shall your hearts beguile;
Tho' Xerxes hosts all Ach'a overrun,
The battle's sure,—the conquest must be won,
For greater than the wise Miltiades
Is pledg'd to save the Christian on his knees.
But come ye Christians, let us now consult
Best modes of warfare, and their sure result.
From recent manners turn to pristine days,
And scan the ancient Christian's nobler ways.
From Great Constantine to our present times,
Princes and priests, to canonize their crimes,
Have fancied figments, or with worse design,
Seduc'd the credulous from love benign.
The peaceful crosier and the vengeful spear,
Alternate, may unitedly appear
E
20
Convenient ensigns to corrupt Ibe heart,
And bid benevolence from man depart.
But was it so ? Did Jesus such infuse?
Why then his sacred precedent abuse ?
When spake that Wisdom, heaven in silence hears,
How taught he to endure insults and fears ?
Listen all earth to his divine decree,
(His life the test of his sincerity.)
" Love even enemies,"—" revenge no wrong
" Behold the Father, He forbeareth long."
What dread anathema these words convey :
"As we forgive, forgive us, Lord, we pray
While all our pow'rs are tenter'd on the rack,
For devastation in the next attack !
With ears avert, and if in heaven be grief,
Angels must grieve to hear the vengeful chiaf
Chaunting " Te Deum," with his martial band,
For laying desolate a hostile land !
Meek the reply, but wise, supremely wise,
When blind Samaritans their God despise,
And misled ardour, press'd the great Messiah,
T' assert his glory by ether'al fire ;
He instantly rebukes (he forward zeal,
And checks a passion e'en Apostles feel,—
Declares his mission is " not to destroy,
But raise his enemies to realms of joy !"
When forward Peter drew th' offensive blade,
Expressive of his vow so rashly made,
Jesus reproves him, and repairs the blow,
Protests his kingdom is not this below,
Proves by his word his great omnific pow'r,
Bat yields to conquer in that trying hour.
27
Say Christians now, how can you juitify
Those means defensive by which thousands die ?
Th' enraged zealot's aims too oft transcend
The just demerit, and the view in end.
Fear no reflection,—those who self control,
Attest most nobly magnitude of soul.
Ye call him Saviour ;—does that name comport
"With one, who must at last to you resort
To vindicate his cause, mature his plan,
Aod force his Gospel on his creature, man ?
Bless'd be the messengers of his dear grace,
Bearing credentials in their peaceful face;
.But curs'd the mem'ry of that wretched crew,
Who talk of Christ, yet bloody means pursue.
Tho' desp'rate demagogues may spread alarms,
And self-dubb'd patr'ots move a state to arms,
True christians intermeddle not with broils,
Content with Providence, they want not spoils ;
Their aims are higher,—they sustain each loss
In meek submission to the hallow'd cross ;
Prayer's their best weapon, faith their strong defence,
Die they thus arm'd, they heaven at once commence.
As far from stoic as fanatic zeal,
They see the danger, and their portion feel;
Reason, matur'd by grace, directs their mind,
To contemplate the weal of all maukind;
Both past and future occupy their soul,
They, in one aggregate, collect the whole;
They glance not merely at historic page,
But weigh the dogmas of the current age,
Mark with just dread what anarchy trauspir'd,
'Mid neighb'ring states, by civil discord fir'd.
28
Unheard of blasphemy,—loo shocking to repeat,—
Unmeasur'd cruelty,—-nay, every crime complete,—
Too well-known facts, from which they inf'rence draw,
No tyranny exceeds suspended law.
Are you oppress'd, and anxious to be free,
"Who broke the chain of your iniquity ?
A mightier pow'r than human flesh and blood,
Long your emancipation has withstood,
But faithful pray'r brought your Dcliv'rer down,
And now you stand afliu'd to heaven's high crown
Use then your liberty, nor dare dissent,
Consummate Wisdom meditates th' event;
Calmly endure,—all to that Pow'r resign,
The Father's will be done, coneeded thine.
Th' angelic legions, ready pinion'd stand,
Obedient to your Father's great command ;
lie stays the phials of his wrath to shew,
His pity stoops to wretched man below,
Listening to intercession's plaintive voice,
That some poor penitent may yet rejoice ;
Some harden'd profligate, convinc'd of sin,
Flee to those arms that took thee, sinner in,—
Perhaps thy parent, brother, neighbour, friend;
And wouldst thou say, now, Lord, at once descend,
Cut short thy work, and break at once my yoke,
Regardless of the havoc, such a stroke
Would spread amid thy intimates so dear.
Oh, no! I feel thy answer; 1 revere
The glory of my God; I long to see
Thousands in my Redeemer yet made free !
Contrasted thus, how small thy sutPrings prove,
Beat them as tokens of thy christian love.
29
Reject all military rain parade,
From no pretence adopt the bloody trade.
Nero, in all his sanguinary pow'r,
Destroy'd not half so many as one hour,
Spent in the dread embattl'd field of gore,
Has oft consign'd to pray and hope no more.
The primitive confessors of our Lord,
From conscience would not wear the martial sword,
Endur'd each penalty, to loss of life,
Rather than league-with men of war and strife.
'Till 'postacy and love of wotldly pride
Turn'd the professors from their faith aside,
They copi'd Jesus in his peaceful mind,
And lov'd and pray'd for all the human kind.
The glorious martyrs, like their blessed Head, J
Liv'd men of peace, and speak, tho' ceniui'es dead,
The same firm language;—" Christians! dwell in peace,
Let constant faith and fervent love increase;
Yield not to wrath, nor be depress'd by fear,
Your help omnipotent is always near."
To firm believers, Truth itself has said,
The sacred promises of God are made ;
Himself engages that his potent arm
Shall save the faithful, and that naught shall harm
The man, who makes the Lord his God and Guide ;
He will for him in every state provide,
E'en make his foes to dwell with him in peace;
Sufficient argument for war to cease.
Friend of the sword, or doubtful in the cause,
Will you maintain (he benefit of wars,
And urge the subject on that specious plea
The world is so deprav'd; it needs must be,
30
That some should arm to keep the base in awe,
Then why not Christians, fittest men for war I—
They learn of Jesus to be just ami mild,
"The salt of earth" emphatically sty I'd ?
Are they not lights, beside, to guide the blind?
Retlrdtors of benevolence, desigR'd
To lead to brightest joys, reserv'd above,
Where all is sweetest harmony and love ?
Where carnal views, without disguise, appear,
And the supreme is mock'd, without a fear ;
Vex'd, like the righteous patriarch of old,
With daily crime, so infamously bold,
Can such society afford delight,
To souls translated into glorious light?
What tho' a Gatd'ncr liv'd and dy'd in arms,
A thousand worthies abdicate such charms,—
More glorious this —more like the Saviour's plans,
Than all the honours reaped at Preston Pans.
Atrocious nature, may be aw'd,'lis true,
While armed sentinels appear in view,
But sov'reign grace alone can change the heart,
All else is reformation, but in part.
Then leave the resolute and impious band
T'intimidate the vilo at their command ;
But join the nobler, peaceful, praying few,
Their ohjeft is, to form the world anew.
A nobler pow'r than bloodshed moves their breast,
Peace is their motto, and good-will their crest.
Their banner bears no rash exulting sign,
Their panoply completely is divine.
They lean not to a mortal puny arm,
Nor are dismay'd at ev'ry slight alarm ;
31
I.ike good Elisha, they are tranquil found,
And see by faith the heavenly host around ;
They dare dissent, from e'en a world's applause,
And follow Jesus, in (he righteous cause,—
Let ev'ry Christian thus for peace contend,
Engag'd with Him, success must crown the end.
Tho' now the stream scarce reach the pressing sole,
The swelling river 'II inundate the whole.
Tho' the small cloud arise but as a span,
It teems with show'rs, to bless the whole of man.
Hail happy day ! when war shall be no more,
When peaceful nations reach from shore to shore,
Their friendly hands in one great chain of love,
And emulate the joyful realm above.
When lambs and leopards shall recline in peace,
And strife and enmity for ever cease.
When venom'd reptiles lay aside their spleen,
And sport with infants on the hallow'd green.
When deadly weapons shall be cast aside,
With ev'ry ensign of the monster pride : —»
Then ev'ry honour, bought with blood, shall fall,
But great Messiah's—that be all iD all !
Otitis.
Friated by J. W. Marriott, Taunton Conrier Office, East Street.
Isrtata.
Page 2, 4th Line,—For make men, read maik men.
2, 19lh Line,— For'kerchief, read 'kerchieft,
8, 30th Line,—For eropowr'd Ins Hazael, read emtionered
Hazael.
11, 14th Line—For milleniuras, read mihenniitma.
11, 19th Line—For where. Tt&d trere. , ' , ,
4- 2r" - V/T/' r-fsct'T
Libr;