On the Trial of Admiral Keppel

Keppel, returning from afar
With laurels on his brow,
Comes home to wage a sharper war,
And with a fiercer foe.

The blow was rais'd with cruel aim,
And meant to pierce his heart,
But lighting on his well earn'd fame
Struck an immortal part.

Slander and Envy strive to tear
His wreath so justly won,
But Truth, who made his cause her care,
Has bound it faster on.

The charge, that was design'd to sound
The signal of disgrace,
Has only call'd a navy round
To praise him to his face.