business, he totally declined the latter, tho' as bishop Burnet[1] says,
the king courted him as a favorite. Prior in his dedication of his
poems, observes, that when the honour and safety of his country demanded
his assistance, he readily entered into the most active parts of life;
and underwent the dangers with a constancy of mind, which shewed he had
not only read the rules of philosophy, but understood the practice of
them. He went a volunteer under his royal highness the duke of York in
the first Dutch war, 1665, when the Dutch admiral Opdam was blown up,
and about thirty capital ships taken and destroyed; and his composing
a song before the engagement, carried with it in the opinion of many
people to sedate a presence of mind, and such unusual gallantry, that it
has been much celebrated.

This Song, upon so memorable an occasion, is comprised in the following
stanzas.

I.

To all you ladies, now at land,
We men at sea indite,
But first would have you understand,
How hard it is to write;
The Muses now, and Neptune too,
We must implore to write to you,
With a fa, la, la, la, la.

II.

For tho' the Muses should prove kind,
And fill our empty brain;