"In thy fond Heart proud Conquest vainly reigns, / And Lust of lawless Pow'r thy Bosom stains"
— Harvey, John (fl.1729)
Author
Place of Publication
Edinburgh
Publisher
Printed by John Catanach
Date
1729
Metaphor
"In thy fond Heart proud Conquest vainly reigns, / And Lust of lawless Pow'r thy Bosom stains"
Metaphor in Context
T'assail Kildrummy South'ron next prepare,
And young Caernarvan heads the num'rous War.
Great Glocester the youthful Leader joyns,
And, 'midst his Squadrons, hardy Hertford shines.
In broad Array the Legions sweep along,
And round the Walls dispose the warlike Throng.
Each Gate young Edward views, each Pass secures,
And Storms of Batt'ries rattle on the Tow'rs.
But gallant Neil, and Athol's hardy Thane
Repel the Fury of the hostile Train:
In vain an Iron Tempest round them flies,
And Shocks of Engines thunder thro' the Skies.
Their noble Breasts no Sense of Danger palls,
Each Soul undaunted, as unmov'd the Walls.
Tir'd with the fruitless Task, th'impatient Prince
His Sire admonish'd of the bold Defence.
The haughty Sire soon arms his awful Pow'r,
And onward speeds to Solway's sandy Shore.
Fond Man! How inscious of thy mortal Date?
How blind to that last swift Approach of Fate?
In vain thou seest thy steely Legions glare,
And triumph'st in the Pomp of impious War.
In thy fond Heart proud Conquest vainly reigns,
And Lust of lawless Pow'r thy Bosom stains.
In vain oppressive Sway thy Breast inspires:
Behold the Period of thy vast Desires!
Sudden, thou feel'st thy latest Minutes roll,
And in a paultry Hutt expir'st thy Soul[1].
Pride and Ambition hand thee down to Fame,
And Tyranny sits black upon thy Name.
Not so, when once, 'gainst unbelieving Foes,
Flam'd thy dread Fauchion in the sacred Cause!
When Antioch saw thee Thunder on her Shore,
And Syrian Streams run red with Pagan Gore.
'Twas then bright Trophies to thy Name arose,
And Bays unfading grac'd thy awful Brows.
Now lawless Might and Fraud the Scene o'ercast,
Wither thy Laurels, and thy Triumphs blast.
Now, unlamented, thou resign'st thy Breath,
The Hate of Life, and Ridicule of Death.
And young Caernarvan heads the num'rous War.
Great Glocester the youthful Leader joyns,
And, 'midst his Squadrons, hardy Hertford shines.
In broad Array the Legions sweep along,
And round the Walls dispose the warlike Throng.
Each Gate young Edward views, each Pass secures,
And Storms of Batt'ries rattle on the Tow'rs.
But gallant Neil, and Athol's hardy Thane
Repel the Fury of the hostile Train:
In vain an Iron Tempest round them flies,
And Shocks of Engines thunder thro' the Skies.
Their noble Breasts no Sense of Danger palls,
Each Soul undaunted, as unmov'd the Walls.
Tir'd with the fruitless Task, th'impatient Prince
His Sire admonish'd of the bold Defence.
The haughty Sire soon arms his awful Pow'r,
And onward speeds to Solway's sandy Shore.
Fond Man! How inscious of thy mortal Date?
How blind to that last swift Approach of Fate?
In vain thou seest thy steely Legions glare,
And triumph'st in the Pomp of impious War.
In thy fond Heart proud Conquest vainly reigns,
And Lust of lawless Pow'r thy Bosom stains.
In vain oppressive Sway thy Breast inspires:
Behold the Period of thy vast Desires!
Sudden, thou feel'st thy latest Minutes roll,
And in a paultry Hutt expir'st thy Soul[1].
Pride and Ambition hand thee down to Fame,
And Tyranny sits black upon thy Name.
Not so, when once, 'gainst unbelieving Foes,
Flam'd thy dread Fauchion in the sacred Cause!
When Antioch saw thee Thunder on her Shore,
And Syrian Streams run red with Pagan Gore.
'Twas then bright Trophies to thy Name arose,
And Bays unfading grac'd thy awful Brows.
Now lawless Might and Fraud the Scene o'ercast,
Wither thy Laurels, and thy Triumphs blast.
Now, unlamented, thou resign'st thy Breath,
The Hate of Life, and Ridicule of Death.
Provenance
Searching "conque" and "heart" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
At least 7 entries in the ESTC (1729, 1768, 1769, 1776, 1789, 1793, 1799).
See The Life of Robert Bruce King of Scots. A Poem, by John Harvey M.A. (Edinburgh: Printed by John Catanach, in Wariston's Closs, opposite to the Luckenbooths, 1729). <Link to ESTC>
See The Life of Robert Bruce King of Scots. A Poem, by John Harvey M.A. (Edinburgh: Printed by John Catanach, in Wariston's Closs, opposite to the Luckenbooths, 1729). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
02/10/2005
