Greatness of England

Full long ere Europe knew the iron road,
The c Railway ' thunder'd on our English soil;
There was a trembling in the sea-girt isle,
Where ' Hercules ' or mighty ' Samson ' trod,
Heavy and swift; for Nature bore our yoke
Far earlier than elsewhere: we freed the slave
To take the lightning captive; hearts of oak,
Of closest grain, the stalwart and the brave,
Thrill'd at the touch of science; letters lent
Their gentle aid to feed the hungry strength
Of British minds with genial nourishment;
And still these powers bear rule throughout the length
And breadth o' the land. The thought is rife with pride:
Perchance the ebb comes next. We stand at full of tide.