Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE ENGLISH TRIBUNE. revive my heart onco more ! "(i The genial feelings to regain ; And touch the heart unto tho core, Aa I was wont in George's reign : Sweet music of my mother-tongue ! The wood-notes of my native grove Wore not so sweet, when I was young, As words of liberty and love. Tribune, go on ! but gradually, If you would have us safely free, Consolidating liberty, Till each with every part agree : Recede not—never more return To slavish 7nedi:itval gloom ; But let the glorious blazon burn, That keeps us from a darksome doom. This is no time to retrograde ; The light of Heaven can not mislead, Though superstition may degrade Those who adopt another's creed : Believe your own ! Have confidence That God is not a demon grown ; Bring heart and soul to common sense ; llcposo on your own faith alone. I need no priestcraft me to bless, And smile at e'en the Papal curse ;— Words of audacious wickedness, Fitted for fools, or something worse ; From crumbling mediieval leaves Of monkish darkness they have sprung ; Who utters them perchance receives Eternal blisters on his tongue. What would I do were I a king, And Pope with canons used me ill, Or my true subjects ?—the same thing— I would forget him in my will: Nought human 's alien to kings Nor me ; and I should tell him plain That I had cannon—fearful things— If he but thus denounced my reign. Priests have no power to curse or bless ; I heed them not in my old school : Religion gives me cheerfulness, I need no bigot for my fool. What! thou the minister of good ! Thou hast not even nature's grace! Go, cool the itching of thy blood, And unto wiser men give place. Bewildered in a forest dark, With one small torch, my only guide, A stra...