On the Duke of Monmouth's Expedition into Scotland in the Summer Solstice
Swift as Jove's messenger (the winged god),With sword as potent as his charmed rod,He flew to execute the King's command,And in a moment reach'd that northern land,Where day contending with approaching night,Assists the hero with continued light.
On foes surprised, and by no night conceal'd,He might have rush'd; but noble pity heldHis hand a while, and to their choice gave space,Which they would prove, his valour or his grace.This not well heard, his cannon louder spoke,And then, like lightning, through that cloud he broke.His fame, his conduct, and that martial look,The guilty Scots with such a terror strook,That to his courage they resign the field,Who to his bounty had refused to yield.Glad that so little loyal blood it cost,He grieves so many Britons should be lost;Taking more pains, when he beheld them yield,To save the flyers, than to win the field;And at the Court his int'rest does employ,That none, who 'scaped his fatal sword, should die.
And now, these rash bold men their error find,Not trusting one beyond his promise kind;One! whose great mind, so bountiful and brave,Had learn'd the art to conquer and to save.
In vulgar breasts no royal virtues dwell;Such deeds as these his high extraction tell,And give a secret joy to him that reigns,To see his blood triumph in Monmouth's veins;To see a leader whom he got and chose,Firm to his friends, and fatal to his foes.
But seeing envy, like the sun, does beat,With scorching rays, on all that's high and great,This, ill-requited Monmouth! is the boughThe Muses send to shade thy conqu'ring brow.Lampoons, like squibs, may make a present blaze;But time and thunder pay respect to bays.Achilles' arms dazzle our present view,Kept by the Muse as radiant and as newAs from the forge of Vulcan first they came;Thousands of years are past, and they the same;Such care she takes to pay desert with fame!Than which no monarch, for his crown's defence,Knows how to give a nobler recompence.
Words in this poem
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- bounty n.
- Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bonté, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.]
- bountiful a.
- Free in giving; liberal in bestowing gifts and favors.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- scorching a.
- Burning; parching or shriveling with heat.
- dazzle v. t.
- To overpower with light; to confuse the sight of by brilliance of light. [Freq. of daze.]
- defence n.
- The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. [F. défense, OF. defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. Fence.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On the Duke of Monmouth's Expedition into Scotland in the Summer Solstice is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham, Project Gutenberg ebook #12322; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edmund Waller, On the Duke of Monmouth's Expedition into Scotland in the Summer Solstice, in Cooper's Hill, and Other Poems (1645–1668), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12322, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/waller-denham/on-the-duke-of-monmouth-s-expedition-into-scotland-in-the-summer-solstice.html, id L26319.
Form and metre
On the Duke of Monmouth's Expedition into Scotland in the Summer Solstice is 45 lines in 5 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 80% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCC godA · rodA · commandB · landB · nightC · lightC
- 2 A-BBCCDDAAEEAA-- conceal'dA · held · spaceB · graceB · spokeC · brokeC · lookD · strookD · fieldA · yieldA · costE · lostE · yieldA · fieldA · employ · die
- 3 AABB findA · kindA · braveB · saveB
- 4 AABBCC dwellA · tellA · reignsB · veinsB · choseC · foesC
- 5 --AABBCCDDDEE beat · great · boughA · browA · blazeB · baysB · viewC · newC · cameD · sameD · fameD · defenceE · recompenceE
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Swift as Jove's messenger (the winged god), | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘· |
| With sword as potent as his charmed rod, | 10 | ···/˘···˘· |
| He flew to execute the King's command, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| And in a moment reach'd that northern land, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Where day contending with approaching night, | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| Assists the hero with continued light. | 10 | ˘/·/˘·˘/˘· |
| On foes surprised, and by no night conceal'd, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| He might have rush'd; but noble pity held | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| His hand a while, and to their choice gave space, | 10 | ·········· |
| Which they would prove, his valour or his grace. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| This not well heard, his cannon louder spoke, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| And then, like lightning, through that cloud he broke. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| His fame, his conduct, and that martial look, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| The guilty Scots with such a terror strook, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| That to his courage they resign the field, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Who to his bounty had refused to yield. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Glad that so little loyal blood it cost, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| He grieves so many Britons should be lost; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Taking more pains, when he beheld them yield, | 10 | /˘····˘/·· |
| To save the flyers, than to win the field; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And at the Court his int'rest does employ, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| That none, who 'scaped his fatal sword, should die. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And now, these rash bold men their error find, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Not trusting one beyond his promise kind; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| One! whose great mind, so bountiful and brave, | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Had learn'd the art to conquer and to save. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| In vulgar breasts no royal virtues dwell; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Such deeds as these his high extraction tell, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| And give a secret joy to him that reigns, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To see his blood triumph in Monmouth's veins; | 10 | ····/˘·/˘· |
| To see a leader whom he got and chose, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Firm to his friends, and fatal to his foes. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| But seeing envy, like the sun, does beat, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| With scorching rays, on all that's high and great, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| This, ill-requited Monmouth! is the bough | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| The Muses send to shade thy conqu'ring brow. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Lampoons, like squibs, may make a present blaze; | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| But time and thunder pay respect to bays. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Achilles' arms dazzle our present view, | 10 | ˘/˘·/˘//˘· |
| Kept by the Muse as radiant and as new | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| As from the forge of Vulcan first they came; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Thousands of years are past, and they the same; | 10 | /˘········ |
| Such care she takes to pay desert with fame! | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Than which no monarch, for his crown's defence, | 10 | ···/····˘/ |
| Knows how to give a nobler recompence. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
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