Classic Poem

If you were not, by Heav'ns peculiar Choice,
A King, you'd be so by your People's Voice;
Whose Subjects Volunteers, not Vassals are,
Their Duty, but th' Effect of Love, not Fear;
Your Pow'r does them less than your Justice aw,
Who so just are, your Will's the safest Law;
Your Mercy does your Empire best maintain,
O'er yours, a Pow'r more absolute you gain,
Because you can't be their Dread Soveraign;
All things are in your Pow'r, but Tyranny;
You Justice only to yourself deny,
Preserving Traitors Lives, against the Law,
Who their Swords 'gainst you, to their Danger draw;
Since against your Protection, their Revolt,
Wou'd their own Safety but in yours assault;
Luckily unsuccessful, so, were they,
Missing their Aim, to take your Life away;
Upon whose Life their Safety does depend,
Since 'tis your Faith does theirs and them defend,
Whose Mercy does ev'n to your Foes extend;
Till merciful you to a Fault appear;
For Kings, who Fathers of their Countries are,
Less Mercy show, when Rebel-Sons they spare;
Since you, by Merciful Correction, wou'd,
Prevent by shedding Blood, their spilling Blood;
Who but the Sword of Justice only draw,
And that too, less to punish, than to aw,
Rebels, who madly on it dare to run;
Since less to your Destruction, than their own;
So, to be Self-Destroyers may be said,
Who sever wou'd their Body from their Head,
Innocent Blood to save the Guilty, shed;
Then, that Prince who to such wou'd Mercy show,
Wou'd by most Mercy, most Injustice do;
By pitiless Good-Nature, but prevent
Free Justice, in remitting Punishment;
By Pardons wrong all th' Innocent and Good,
In sparing cruelly the Guilty's Blood;
Then Kings by their Excess of Mercy, so,
O'th' Laws Defenders, their Offenders grow
Against all Good Men, Heav'n, their own selves too;
Letting Bad Men unpunish'd still live on,
The same Injustice by a King is done,
In pard'ning all Men, as forgiving none;
Clemency stands the Worst Men in most stead,
Since Just and Good Men, will no Pardons need;
Yet, must I still own, that the Greatest King,
May less by Rigour, than by Pardoning,
Right himself, and his Injur'd Subjects, who
Does God's Vice-gerent, by his Mercy, grow,
As, by the want of it, the Devil's too;
Who, by his Mercy, lessens not his Pow'r,
But shows it more, as o'er his Passions more;
Who proves his Pow'r is more, as less his Fear,
Who has Pow'r, Foes in his Pow'r, to forbear;
So, by his God-like Mercy, does appear
More a King, as more his own Conqueror,
When overcome, by Wretches, in his Pow'r,
Whilst his Revenge, upon his Foes, does more
His Conscious Weakness, and Fear of 'em, prove,
As him, they more, to their Destruction move;
He yields, to his Offenders, Gloriously,
Who gains most, o'er himself, a Victory,
By Sparing, nay Pard'ning his Enemy;
Whilst they, who their Offenders dare not spare,
But punish, less for Justice, than for Fear,
But Executioners of Judges are;
Kings Right themselves, when Wrongs they can Forgive,
Their Honour save, by th' Criminal's Reprieve;
But you so guiltily seem Just, that you
Your self, against Law, but by Mercy, show,
Can, but against your self, Injustice do;
Who no Wrong, to the Public, e'er have done,
But by your saving Lives, which Risks your own;
Are Guilty of your own Laes-Majesty,
By Justice you, but to your self deny,
Making Slaves Traitors, by your Clemency;
Merciless Pardons, make Kings share the Guilt,
Of their Good Subjects Blood, by Bad Ones spilt;
And yet, if Mercy proves a Crime, it is
Such an one, as of Kings, makes Deities;
If a King's Pow'r be more, or better known,
As more by Mercy 'tis, than Vengeance shown;
Since nothing, to the Great, and Proud Men, who
Love Difficulties, is so hard to do,
As to forgive Wrongs done 'em, by their Foe;
Then, a Great King shows most, his Pow'r is more,
The less he shows, over his Slaves, his Pow'r;
Since, to subdue his Passion's Tyrannies,
Which lessen him more than all Enemies,
Is sure the hardest of all Victories;
Of Consequence, the greatest Triumph Man
Can Gain, is, that he o'er himself can Gain;
Which gives him, o'er himself, so great a Pow'r,
That that, which in Great Men, did use before,
To lessen Justice, in him, shows it more;
Who shows his Pow'r is more, as less his Fear,
Who, Foes in his Pow'r, has Pow'r to forbear;
Who, his Revenge, but for his Honour's Sake
On his Foes, in his Pow'r, dares not to take;
Who, as he has more Mischief in his Pow'r,
Does use it less, so to his Honour more;
Revenge against Law, any Man may have,
None but a Prince, can 'gainst it, any save;
A Prince, without Rage, is more Glorious far,
As the High Heav'ns, most without Tempests are;
In Mercy, Kings more Pow'r and Honour have,
Than when Mankind they Punish, or Enslave,
As 'tis less Glorious to Destroy, than Save;
Then all Men's Saviours, all Men must esteem
Greater, than them who are preserv'd by them;
So that, a Prince his Pow'r and Honour's more,
As more his Passions are, in his own Pow'r;
Who shows, and proves himself, the Greater King,
In Pard'ning Criminals, than Punishing;
Since Princes, Devils, when they Punish, are
Gods, when Offenders they Forgive, or Spare.