301 JOY OF PYLADES ON HEARING HIS NATIVE

LANGUAGE

H, sweetest voice! Oh blessed familiar sound

OH

of mother-words heard in the stranger's land! I see the blue hills of my native shore,

the far blue hills again! those cordial tones
before the captive bid them freshly rise
for ever welcome! Oh, by this deep joy
know the true son of Greece.

F. HEMANS, translated from GOETHE

THERE is a no feit

'HERE is a jewel which no Indian mine can buy,

it makes men rich in greatest poverty,

makes water wine, turns wooden cups to gold;
the homely whistle to sweet music's strain;
seldom it comes, to few from heaven sent,
that much in little-all in nought-content.

303

FOLLY OF HEAPING UP RICHES

GRIEVOUS folly to heap up estates,

losing the days you see beneath the sun: when, sudden, comes blind unrelenting fate, and gives the untasted portion you have won with ruthless toil and many a wretch undone, to those who mock you gone to Pluto's reign, there with sad ghosts to pine and shadows dun. J. THOMSON

304

THE DREGS OF LIFE

IFE, with you,

glows in the brain and dances in the arteries; 'tis like the wine some joyous guest hath quaffed, that glads the heart and elevates the fancy ;—. mine is the poor residuum of the cup

vapid and dull and tasteless, only soiling
with its base dregs the vessel that contains it.

πνεῦμα θεοῦ χρῆσις

WET the earth cover and protect its dead!

LET

and let man's breath thither return in peace from whence it came; his spirit to the skies,

his body to the clay of which 'twas formed,
imparted to him as a loan for life,

which he and all must render back again,
to earth, the common mother of mankind.

THE RESOLUTE MAN

R. CUMBERLAND

ALL my life long

I have beheld with most respect the man
who knew himself, and knew the ways before him,
and from amongst them chose considerately,
with a clear foresight, not a blindfold courage,
and, having chosen, with a steadfast mind
pursued his purposes.

H. TAYLOR

307 LOVE-ITS POWER TO TRANSFORM CHARACTER

308

OVE shall suspect, where is no cause of fear;

should most mist

it shall be merciful and too severe,

and most deceiving, when it seems most just;
it shall be cause of war and dire events,
and set dissension 'twixt the son and sire;
subject and servile to all discontents,

as dry combustious matter is to fire.

W. SHAKESPEARE

LOVE-ITS ANIMATING ENERGIES

OVE to the slowest subtilty can teach,

Land to the dumb give fair and flowing speech

it makes the coward daring, and the dull

and idle diligent, and promptness full.

It makes youth ever youthful, takes from age
the heavy burthen of time's pilgrimage;

gives beauty to deformity-is seen

to value what is valueless and mean.

JUAN RUIZ

309

310

311

312

N

HAPPY INSENSIBILITY

O: 'tis the infant mind, to care unknown,
that makes the imagined paradise its own;
soon as reflections in the bosom rise,

light slumbers vanish from the clouded eyes:
the tear and smile, that once together rose,

are then divorced: the head and heart are foes:
enchantment bows to wisdom's serious plan,
and pain and prudence make and mar the man.
G. CRABBE

'TIS

WEALTH

IS money that obtaineth men their friends; likewise their honours: and that doth conduct to the sweet seat of highest sovereignty.

Then too, there's no one, that's to wealth a foe';
or if foes be, they do deny their hate.

For wealth is skilled to mount untrodden heights
no less than trodden; while the needy man,
e'en when he prospers, scarce can gain his ends.

I

IRRESOLUTION

STRIVE like to the vessel in the tide-way,
which, lacking favouring breeze, hath not the

power

to stem the powerful current.-Even so,
resolving daily to forsake my vices,

habit, strong circumstance, renewed temptation,
sweep me to sea again.-O heavenly breath,
fill thou my sails, and aid the feeble vessel,
which ne'er can reach the blessed port without thee!

WHAT

MIGHT WITHOUT RIGHT

WHAT tygre or what other salvage wight
is soe exceeding furious and fell

as wrong, when it hath armed itselfe with might?
not fit 'mongst men that doe with reason mell,

but 'mongst wyld beasts and salvage woods to dwell;
where still the stronger doth the weake devoure,
and they that most in boldnesse doe excell
are dreaded most and feared for their powre.

E. SPENSER

313

314

315

316

A SIMILE

LIFE ebbs from such old age, unmarked and

silent,

as the slow neap-tide leaves yon stranded galley.—
Late she rocked merrily at the least impulse

that wind or wave could give; but now her keel
is settling on the sand, her mast has ta'en

an angle with the sky, from which it shifts not.
Each wave receding shakes her less and less,
till, bedded on the strand, she shall remain
useless as motionless.

WHO

SEVERANCE OF FRIENDSHIP

swerves from innocence, who makes divorce of that serene companion, a good name, recovers not his loss; but walks with shame, with doubt, with fear, and haply with remorse : and ofttimes he who, yielding to the force of chance temptation, ere his journey end, from chosen comrade turns or faithful friendin vain shall rue the broken intercourse.

JUSTICE

W. WORDSWORTH

I.WP. Justice, Madam.

HAT would'st thou have, good fellow?

H. O ambitious beggar, would'st thou have that
that lives not in the world?

Why, all the undelved mines cannot buy

an ounce of justice, 'tis a jewel so inestimable
I tell thee, God hath engrossed all justice in
his hands,

and there is none but what comes from him.

DEATH'S SUMMONS

T. KYD

O, I am Death; with aim as sure as steady,

I call thee I require thee, man! be ready!
why build upon this fragile life? Now hear me!

where is the power that does not own me-fear me?
Who can escape me when I bend my bow?

I pull the string-thou liest in dust below,
smitten by the barb my minist'ring angels bear me.

DE CARRION

317 AFFECTION SHOULD NOT BE CROSST BY PARENTS DO ill in this,

318

319

320

I

and must not think but that a parent's plaint
will move the heavens to pour forth misery
upon the head of disobediency.

Yet reason tells us, parents are o'erseen,
when with too strict a rein they do hold in
their child's affections, and controul that love,
which the high powers divine inspire them with.

FOR

POPULAR LAWLESSNESS

R. TAILOR

OR give once swey unto the people's lustes to rush forth on, and stay them not in time, and as the streame that rowleth downe the hyll, so will they headlong runne with raging thoughtes from bloud to bloud, from mischiefe unto moe, to ruine of the realme, themselves and all; so giddy are the common people's mindes, so glad of chaunge, more wavering than the sea.

GR

VIRTUE-ITS OWN REWARD

T. SACKVILLE

REAT minds, like Heaven, are pleased with doing
good,

though the ungrateful subjects of their favours
are barren in return. Virtue does still
with scorn the mercenary world regard,
where abject souls do good, and hope reward:
above the worthless trophies man can raise,
she seeks not honour, wealth, nor airy praise,
but with herself herself the goddess pays.

RULE BY KINDNESS, NOT BY FEAR

HE who performs his duty driven to't

N. ROWE

by fear of punishment, while he believes