Page images
PDF
EPUB

'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter,
And intimates eternity to man.

Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought!
Through what variety of untried being,

Through what new scenes and changes must we pass!
The wide, the unbounded prospect lies before me:
But shadows, clouds, and darkness rest upon it.
Here will I hold. If there's a Power above us,
(And that there is, all nature cries aloud
Through all her works) he must delight in virtue;
And that which he delights in must be happy.

But when? or where? This world was made for Cæsar.
I'm weary of conjectures-this must end them.
Thus am I doubly armed: my death* and life,†
My bane* and antidotet are both before me.
This, in a moment, brings me to my end;
But thist informs me I shall never die.
The soul, secured in her existence, smiles
At the drawn dagger, and defies its point.
The stars shall fade away, the Sun himself
Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years;
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth;
Unhurt amidst the war of elements,

The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds.

* The Sword. † The Book.

FINIS.

FIVE TRISH NIGPEY

« PreviousContinue »