_Ode to France_ written in February, 1797. In a word, to say nothing of her other conquests, France, at the beginning of 1798, had three affiliated republics at her side, the Batavian, Cisalpine, and the Ligurian; before its close she had organized three more, the Helvetic, the Roman, and the Parthenopeian. PITT’S influence was further increased by the threatened invasion of Great Britain by the French, a proceeding which, as it affected every class in the country, raised the national enthusiasm to the highest pitch, inflamed as it already was by the recent glorious victories off Cape St. Vincent and Camperdown. That they were likely to be in earnest had been already shown by their expeditions to Bantry Bay and Pembrokeshire, and BUONAPARTE’S boast at Geneva, that “he would democratize England in three months,” proved how much he relied upon the support of the malcontents both in Great Britain and Ireland. The estimates and preparations for defence were, enormous; taxes, to an extent utterly unknown before, were laid on; the Volunteer Bill was passed (SHERIDAN assisting), by which, in addition to the regular army, a hundred and fifty thousand volunteers were, in a few weeks, in arms; THE KING was authorized by another bill, in the event of an invasion, to call out the levy, _en masse_, of the population; the Alien Bill was reenacted; and the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act continued for another year. But the genius of one man, however great, can effect but little, unless suitably supported by others. The sagacious mind of PITT had long seen that his party in Parliament were, with very few exceptions, no match for his numerous opponents, powerful both in talent and social position; among whom were FOX, SHERIDAN, ERSKINE, HORNE TOOKE, WHITBREAD, NICHOLLS, COURTENAY, FITZPATRICK, the DUKES of NORFOLK and BEDFORD, LORD STANHOPE, the DUCHESS of DEVONSHIRE, and others. He was always anxious, therefore, to secure whatever available talent presented itself, and immediately on their appearance enlisted under his banners CANNING, JENKINSON, HUSKISSON, and CASTLEREAGH, all men of the same standing, for the first three were born in 1770, and the last in 1769.