Page:The Poems of William Blake (Shepherd, 1887).djvu/57

KING EDWARD THE THIRD.

 
SCENE. The Coast of France, King Edward and Nobles before it. The Army.
 

King.

THOU to whose fury the nations are
But as dust! maintain thy servant's right.
Without thine aid, the twisted mail and spear,
And forged helm, and shield of seven-times beaten brass,
Are idle trophies of the vanquisher.
When confusion rages, when the field is in a flame,
When the cries of blood tear horror from heaven,
And yelling death runs up and down the ranks,
Let Liberty, the charter'd right of Englishmen,
Won by our fathers in many a glorious field,
Enerve my soldiers; let Liberty
Blaze in each countenance and fire the battle.
The enemy fight in chains, invisible chains, but heavy;