Great art thou now, and greater still wilt be,
If but thy truth and honesty increase
As each revolving decade renders thee
In population greater. Let the name
Of Christian England fix thy future fame.

XXVII.

The tale is told that when a foreign king
Would know what pow'r thy gracious Queen possessed,
That she could rule, with might unfaltering,
Her people, and by them be ever blessed;
She laid her hand upon a Bible near,
And, smiling, said: "That pow'r lies hidden here."

XXVIII.

Defender of the Faith we call our Queen,
And she has been that Faith's exemplar too.
Not all the ages of the past have seen
A sovereign more noble, pure, and true.
And she has kept, as well as monarch could,
Her childhood's promise: "Oh! I will be good."

XXIX.

And not without the help of that great Book
Could she have kept the promise of her youth.
Through all the backward years of history look--
These plainly prove that declaration's truth.
Kingdoms may rise, and, with unquestioned sway,
Monarchs may rule, and none their right gainsay,

XXX.

But, founded on another base than this,
That monarch's might shall surely pass away;
No kingdom is so strong that it can miss
This destiny. A premature decay
Has greeted, and will ever greet, that land
Whose weak foundation trembles in the sand.

XXXI.

The sword is mighty; by its bloody might
Empires have risen--risen but to fall.
A nation built in blood must ever fight,
Or lose its name and power. 'Tis not all
To conquer once; an enemy subdued
Waits but a happy chance for further feud.

XXXII.

Nor will the nation nurtured by the sword,
If undisturbed by subjugated foes,
Remain in peace and rest; one murmured word
Of discontent will plunge it in the throes
Of fratricidal warfare; and not long
That word remains uncalled for by some wrong.

XXXIII.

The page of history is blotted o'er
With tales of bloodshed. Not a single nation
Exists, but spent its greater life in war.
And in each Power's restless fluctuation
From might to weakness, and from servitude
To might, is shown the sword's incertitude.

XXXIV.

Until the time when every mighty Power
Stands ready to confess the Christian creed
That bloodshed is a sin--until that hour
Has come, all Europe's treasuries must bleed,
That naval armaments may grimly stand,
And military menace every land.

XXXV.

Then, England, since an universal peace,
A peace