And senatorial acts that bear thy name
Distinguish. Thee the bold Lancastrian 33 line,
A royal train! from valiant Gaunt derived,
Grace with new lustre; till Eliza's hand
Transferr'd thy walls to Leicester's 34 favour'd Earl.
He long beneath thy roof the maiden Queen
And all her courtly guests, with rare device
Of mask and emblematic scenery,
Tritons and seanymphs, and the floating isle,
Detain'd. Nor feats of prowess, joust or tilt
Of harness'd knights, nor rustic revelry
Were wanting; nor the dance and sprightly mirth
Beneath the festive walls, with regal state
And choicest luxury served. But regal state
And sprightly mirth, beneath the festive roof,
Are now no more: no more assembled crowds
At the stern porter's lodge admittance crave.
No more, with plaint or suit importunate,
The thronged lobby echoes, nor with staff
Or gaudy badge, the busy pursuivants
Lead to wish'd audience. All, alas! is gone,
And Silence keeps her melancholy court
Throughout the walls; save, where in rooms of state
Kings once reposed, chatter the wrangling daws,
Or screechowls hoot along the vaulted isles.
No more the trumpet calls the martial band,
With sprightly summons, to the guarded lists,
Nor lofty galleries their pride disclose
Of beauteous nymphs in courtly pomp attired, Watching, with trembling hearts, the doubtful strife,
And with their looks inspiring wondrous deeds.
33 From whom a part of this structure is called Lancaster's Buildings.
34 Granted by Queen Elizabeth to Dudley Earl of Leicester.
No more the lake displays its pageant shows,
And emblematic forms. Alike the lake
And all its emblematic forms are flown,
And in their place mute flocks and heifers graze, Or buxom damsels ted the new-mown hay.
What art thou, Grandeur ! with thy flattering train Of pompous lies and boastful promises?
Where are they now, and what's their mighty sum?
All, all are vanish'd! like the fleeting forms
Drawn in an evening cloud. Nought now remains,
Save these sad relics of departed pomp,
These spoils of time, a monumental pile!
Which to the vain its mournful tale relates,
And warns them not to trust to fleeting dreams.
Thee too, though boasting not a royal train,
The Muse, O Balsal 35! in her faithful page
Shall celebrate: for long beneath thy roof
A band of warriors bold, of high renown,
To martial deeds and hazardous emprise
Sworn, for defence of Salem's sacred walls
From paynim foes, and holy pilgrimage.
Now other guests thou entertain'st,
A female band, by female charity
Sustain'd, Thee, Wroxal 36! too, in fame allied,
Seat of the Poet's and the Muse's friend!
My verse shall sing, with thy long exiled Knight,
By Leonard's prayers, from distant servitude,
To these brown thickets and his mournful mate
Invisibly convey'd. Yet doubted she
35 Formerly a seat of the Knights Templars, now an Almshouse for poor widows; founded by Lady Katharine Levison, a descendant of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
36 The seat of Christopher Wren, Esq. once a nunnery dedicated to St. Leonard. See Dugdale's Antiquities.
His speech and alter'd form, and better proof
Impatient urged. (So Ithaca's chaste queen
Her much wish'd lord, by twice ten absent years,
And wise Minerva's guardian care disguised,
Acknowledged not: so, with suspended faith,
His bridal claim repress'd.) Straight he displays
Part of the nuptial ring between them shared,
When in the bold crusade his shield he bore.
The twin memorial of their plighted love
Within her faithful bosom she retain'd.
Quick from its shrine the hallow'd pledge she drew,
To match it with its mate, when, strange to tell!
No sooner had the separated curves
Approach'd each other, but with sudden spring
They join'd again, and the small circle closed.
So they, long sever'd, met in close embrace.
At length, O Coventry! thy neighbouring fields
And fair surrounding villas we attend,
Allesley 37, and Whitley's 38 pastures, Stivichale",
That views with lasting joy thy green domains,
And Bagington's4° fair walls, and Stonely 41! thine,
And Coombe's 42 majestic pile, both boasting once
Monastic pomp, still equal in renown!
And, as their kindred fortunes they compare,
Applauding more the present than the past.
E'en now the pencil'd sheets, unroll'd, display
37 The seat of M. Neale, Esq.
38 The seat of Edward Bowater, Esq. and afterwards of Francis Wheeler, Esq.
39 The seat of Arthur Gregory, Esq. commanding a pleasant view of Coventry Park, &c.
40 The seat of William Bromley, Esq. late one of the representatives in parliament for the county of Warwick. 41 The seat of Lord Leigh.
42 The seat of Lord Craven.
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