SECOND ODE 



AGAINST 



WAR. 



JlLow mild the Sun's meridian rays! 



How blue the Heavens! how soft the Breeze 

 That o'er the waving forest plays, 

 And gently curls the ripling seas! 

 But soon November s wint'ry hour, 

 Arm'd with the Tempest's tyrant power. 

 Shall rouse the clouds' embattled host. 

 Sweep from the woods their leafy pride, 

 And dash the wave's infuriate tide 

 Against the howling coast! 



So in each Ship's stupendous womb, 

 Now gently floating on the deep, 

 Peaceful, as in the silent tomb 

 The Demo7is of Destruction sleep ; 

 But wak'd by War^ terrific roar. 

 Prompt o'er each desolated shore 

 Their ^^//- directed flight to urge. 



And leading Slaughter's horrid train. 

 With hecatombs of warriors slain. 

 To load th' empurpled surge ! 



What though at warlike Gallia's chiefs* 

 The spear of vengeance Britain aims. 



* It is real] J astonishing to think with what coolness the majority of mankind talk of war. They only consider it as a natural evil, 

 and that Almighty God wills it, and, therefore, man must submit to it as such. Now, surely, that cannot be said, of the Best of Beijngs, 

 which one would be ashamed to ascribe to the worst, and to call that a natural evil, which arises out of the human heart alone, is a want 

 of judgment and of reason. The origin of wars proceeds from the ignorant ambition of rulers, forgetful of the people's good. 



In the natural world, our bountiful Creator hath formed different soils, and appointed different climates, whereby the 

 inhabitants of different countries may supply each other with their respective fruits aud products, so that by exciting a reciprocal 

 industiy, they may carry on an intercourse mutually beneficial, and universally benevolent. 



Nay more, even where there is no remarkable difference of soil or of climates, we find a great difference of talents; and, if I maybe 

 allowed the expression, a wonderful variety of strata in the human mind. — Thus, for example, the alteration of latitude between Norwich 

 ■dud Manchester, and the variation of soil, are not worth naming; moreover, the materials made use of in both places, wool, flax, and silk, 

 are just the same; yet 50 different are the productions of their respective looms, that countries which are thousands of miles apart could 

 hardly exhibit a greater contrast. —Now had Norwich and Manchester been the capitals of two neighbouring kingdoms, instead of love and 

 union, we should have heard of nothing hut jealousies and wars; each would have prognosticated, that the flourishing state of the one 

 portended the downfal of the other; each would have had their respective complaints, uttered in the most doleful accents, concerning their 

 own loss of trade, and of the formidable progress of their rivals; and, if the respective governments were in any degree popular, each would 

 have had a set of patriots and orators closing their inflammatory harangues with a " delenda est Carthago." — " We must destroy our 

 " rivals, our competitors and commercial enemies, or be destroyed by them; for our interests are opposite, and can never coincide." — And 

 yet, notwithstanding all these canting phrases, it is as clear as the meridian sun, that in case these cities had belonged to different kingdoms 

 f France and England for example) there would then have been no more need for either of them to have gone to war than there is at 

 present. 



In short, if mankind would but open their eyes, they T7iight plainly see, that there is no one argument for inducing different 

 nations to fight for the sake of trade, but which would equally oblige every country, town, village, nay, and every shop among our- 

 selves, to be engaged in civil and intestine wars for the same erul: nor, on the contrary, is there any motive of interest or advantage 

 that can be urged for restraining the parts of the same government from these unnatural and foolish contests, but which would con- 

 clude equally strong against separate and independent nations making war with each other on the like pretext. 



Shall 



