The Ghost of Chatham; A Vision: Dedicated to the House of PeersAnonymous
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The Ghost of Chatham; A Vision: Dedicated to the House of Peers
Anonymous
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1800-1837; Pamphlets; Pitt, William, Earl of Chatham, 1708-1778; Poetry; Political satire, English
A vision came! It was not in the hour
Of sleep; but when the unresisted power
Of magic Fancy, threw, with full control,
Her half prophetic mantle o'er the soul.
The place was thron'd like Britain's royal halls,
And her proud navy deck'd the tap'stried walls.
Statesmen and heroes grac'd the pictur'd scene;
Fathers who were what since their sons have been;
And some whose laurell'd brows might glow with shame,
Of sons with nought of their's besides the name.
In this august abode the loud debate
Seem'd hush'd, and prince and peer in silence sate;
E'en G--ff--d's brazen descant seem'd to fail,
And gasping C--pley gazed on L--d--rd--le;
Panting, they loll'd their contumelious tongues,
And suck'd _Italian juice_ to clear their lungs.
Y--k mus'd on _armies_; yet, with doubtful trust,
Wish'd he were certain, or the cause were just:
The eye of Cl--r--nce fiercely rang'd the floor,
But soften'd as it fell on D--n--ghm--re;
While L--v--rp--l, who inly seem'd to fear
For place and power, his fellows strove to cheer
With sickly smile; and courtier lords obscene,
Temper'd new filth, to daub their libell'd QUEEN.
Sudden amid the peers whom ENGLAND hails
HER nobles--men who fail but when SHE fails,
The vision rose. It was a rev'rend form
Of aged dignity: its eye was warm
With kindlings of a spirit that of old
Made those walls tremble through its earthly mould.
Now a mild glory round its presence play'd,
And 'spoke from heav'nly courts the awful shade.
Its brow wore high reproof; the lifted arm
Was stretch'd for pleading; and there was a charm
Of coming eloquence, as firm it stood,
Like one whose rank was with the great and good;
And well that rank was own'd, when ERSKINE cried,
"'Tis England's CHATHAM!"--"CHATHAM!" all replied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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