John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. "To his Sacred Majesty Charles II."

The earliest extant verses ascribed to Rochester
are some lines sent to King Charles II on his return to England in May, 1660.

To his Sacred Majesty.
by Earl of Rochester

Virtues Triumphant Shrine! who do'st engage
At once three Kingdoms in a Pilgrimage;
Which in extatick duty strive to come
Out of themselves, as well as from their home:
Whilst England grows one Camp, and London is
It self the Nation, not Metropolis;
And Loyal Kent renews her Arts agen,
Fencing her ways with moving Groves of Men,
Forgive this distant homage, which does meet
Your blest approach on sedentary feet:
And though my youth, not patient yet to bear
The weight of Arms, denies me to appear
In Steel before you; yet great SIR, approve
My manly wishes, and more vigorous Love;
In whom a cold Respect were Treason to
A Father's Ashes, greater than to you;
Whose one Ambition 'tis for to be known,
By daring Loyalty, your Wilmot's son.

de Sola Pinto, Vivian. Enthusiast in Wit: A Portrait of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1962. 9.