"This is indeed a festal day, "A day that heals my cares and pains, And tells me Cæfar lives and reigns." - Though my friend in his last moments hath in this and other inftances been fo confiderate of our happiness, I am afraid he is not likely to leave our morals much better than he found them I cannot fay that in the course of my duty as an Observer any very striking inftance of amendment hath come under my notice; and though I have all the difpofition in life to speak as favourably in my friend's behalf as truth will let me, I am bound to confefs he was not apt to think fo feriously of his latter end as I could have wifhed: there was a levity in his conduct, which he took no pains to conceal; he did not feem to reflect upon the lapfe of time, how fpeedily his fpring, fummer, and autumn would pass away and the winter of his days come upon him; like Wolfey he was not aware how foon the froft, the killing froft would nip his root: he was however a gay convivial fellow, loved his bottle and his friend, paffed his time peaceably amongst us, and certainly merits the good word of every loyal fubject in this kingdom. As for his proceedings in other countries, it is not here the reader must look for an account of them; politics have no place in these volumes; but it cannot be denied that he has made many widows and orphans in Europe, been an active agent for the court of death, and dipped his hands deep in Chriftian and Mahometan blood. By the friends of freedom he will be celebrated to the latest time. He has begun a bufinefs, which, if followed up by his fucceffor with equal zeal, lefs ferocity and more difcretion, may lead to wonderful revolutions: there are indeed fome inftances of cruelty, which beat hard upon his character; if feparately viewed; they admit of no palliation; in a general light, allowances may be made for that phrensy, which feizes the mind, when impelled to great and arduous undertakings; when the wound is gangrened the incifion must be deep, and if that is to be done by coarfe inftruments and unfkilful hands, who can wonder if the gash more resembles the ftab of an affaffin than the operation of a furgeon? An æra is now opened, awful, interesting and so involved in mystery, that the acuteft fpeculation cannot penetrate to the issue of it: In fhort, my friend in his last moments hath put a vaft machine in motion, and left a tafk to futurity, that will demand the ftrongest hands and and ableft heads to compleat: in the mean time I shall hope that my countrymen, who have all those bleffings by inheritance, which lefs-favoured nations are now ftruggling to obtain by force, will fo ufe their liberty, that the reft of the world, who are not fo happy, may think it an object worth contending for, and quote our peace and our profperity as the beft proofs exifting of its real value. Whilft my thoughts have been thus employed in reflecting upon the laft day of an ever-memorable year, I have compofed a few elegiac lines to be thrown into the grave, which time is now opening to receive his reliques. "The year's gay verdure, all its charms are gone, "Time flies amain with broad-expanded wings, But holds his fpeed, and through the welkin rings, "Of all that breathe, the inexorable knell, "Oh! for a moment ftop-a moment's space "But, 'tis in vain ; old Time difdains to rest, "Though the new-dawning year in its advance Æra of mercies! my wrapt bofom springs "The joyful tidings o'er the diftant round "Period of blifs! can any British muse "Thou Freedom's nurfing mother shalt be ftil'd, "A fanguine mantle the dread infant wore, "Then "Then at that awful fight, as with a spell, "Meanwhile Ambition chac'd its fairy prize "The trampled ferpent (Superftition) wreath'd "Her feft'ring fcales with anguish to and fro, "Torpid fhe lay, then darting forward sheath'ḍ "Her deadly fangs in the unguarded foe. Oh Auftria! why so prompt to venture forth, "Down then, Ambition; drop into the grave! "Come then, fweet Peace! in Britain fix thy reign, "Her king's, her people's and her mufe's boast." |