JOHN rests below. A man more infamous Has never held the sceptre of these realms, And bruised beneath the iron rod of power, The oppressed men of England. Englishman! Curse not his memory. Murderer as he was, Coward and slave, yet he it was who signed That charter which should make thee, morn and night, Be thankful for thy birth-place: Englishman! That holy charter, which, shouldst thou permit Force to destroy, or fraud to undermine, Thy children's groans will persecute thy soul, For they must bear the burthen of thy crime. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO THE WHITE FIENDS by CLAUDE MCKAY THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON THE TRAMPS by ROBERT WILLIAM SERVICE POPULARITY by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE WISHING MOON by ABBIE FARWELL BROWN BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS: BOOK 2. THE THIRD SONG by WILLIAM BROWNE (1591-1643) |