Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame: All their attempts to bend thee down, Will but arouse thy generous flame; But work their woe, and thy renown. "Rule," etc. To thee belongs the rural reign; Thy cities shall with commerce shine; All thine shall be the subject main, And every shore it circles thine. "Rule," etc. The Muses, still with freedom found, Shall to thy happy coast repair: Blest isle! with matchless beauty crown'd, And manly hearts to guard the fair. "Rule, _Britannia_, rule the waves, Britons never will be slaves." Each of the foregoing verses was sung as a solo with the choral refrain "Rule, Britannia." The venerable bard was represented by Mr. Thomas Lowe,[35] a favourite singer who was engaged at Cliefden, and sang the tenor solos on that occasion in the "Judgement of Paris." We know from the report in the _Daily Post_ that there were "other performers from both theatres,"[36] doubtless a good and efficient chorus. The Ode would have made a splendid climax to the Masque,[37] but the libretto shows that the Hermit followed with a speech which is worthy of reproduction; the last four lines are particularly deserving of attention: Alfred, go forth! lead on the radiant years, To thee reveal'd in vision.----Lo! they rise! Lo! patriots, heroes, sages, crowd to birth: And bards to sing them in immortal verse! I see thy commerce, _Britain_, grasp the world: All nations serve thee; every foreign flood, Subjected, pays its tribute to the _Thames_. Thither the golden South obedient pours His sunny treasures: thither the soft East Her spices, delicacies, gentle gifts; And thither his rough trade the stormy North. See, where beyond the vast Atlantic surge, By boldest keels untouch'd, a dreadful space! Shores, yet unfound, arise! in youthful prime, With towering forests, mighty rivers crown'd! These stoop to _Britain's_ thunder. This new world, Shook to the centre, trembles at her name: And there, her sons with aim exalted, sow The seeds of rising empire, arts, and arms. _Britons_ proceed, the subject _Deep_ command, Awe with your navies every hostile land. In vain their threats; their armies all in vain: They rule the balanc'd world, who rule the main.