Her frame near dissolution'. He perceived' And inward' storm! HE', who yon skies involves' O'er thee the secret shaft' With kind regard'. That wastes at midnight', or th' undreaded hour' 40 Of noon', flies harmless'; and that very voice', Which thunders terror through the guilty heart', With tongues of seraphs whispers peace to thinè. 'Tis safety to be near thee', surè, and thus To clasp perfection!" From his void embracé, 45 Mysterious Heaven'! that moment to the ground' A blackened corsé was struck the beauteous maid'. But who can paint the lover' as he stood', Pierced by severe amazement', hating life', Speechless', and fixed' in all the death of woè' 50 Só, faint resemblancè! on the marble tomb' The well-dissembled mourner stooping stands', Forever silent', and forever sad`. LESSON LXXXVIII. NIGHT. Iambic. Epic. THE bell strikes ONE. We take no note of timé 5 It is the knell of thy departed hours`. Where are they? With the years beyond the flood'. How much is to be doné? My hopes and fears' And can eternity belong to me^, Poor pensioner' on the bounties of an hour`! How poor, how rich', how abject', how august^, 15 How complicate^, how wonderful', is man'! Who centered in our make such strange extremes From different natures marvellously mixedConnection exquisitè of different worlds'! 20 Distinguished link' in being's endless chain! Midway' from nothing to the DEITY'! A beam ethereal', sullied' and absorpt` ! Though sullied and dishonored', still divinè ! Dim miniature of greatness absolutè! 25 An heir of glory', a frail child of dust'! Helpless immortal'! insect infinitè ! A worm'! a god`!-I tremble at myself', Triumphantly distressed! what joy'! what dread' ! What' can preserve my lifé! or what destroy'! 35 An angel's' arm' can't snatch me from the gravé ; Legions of angels' can't confine me therè. LESSON LXXXIX. ELEGY TO THE MEMORY OF AN UNFORTUNATE LADY. Iambic. Heroic, or epic. BUT thoù, false guardian of a charge too good', Thou mean deserter of thy brother's blood'! See on these ruby lips the trembling breath; These cheeks now fading at the blast of death': 5 Cold is that breast which warmed the world before^, And those love-darting eyes must roll no more. Thus', if eternal Justice rules the ball', Thus shall your wives, and thus yôur children fall. On all the line a sudden vengeance waits', 10 And frequent herses shall besiege your gates'; There passengers shall stand', and pointing say, (While the long fun'rals blacken all the way',) Lò! these were they whose souls the Furies steeled', And cursed with hearts^ unknowing how to yield` 15 Thus unlamented pass the proud away', The gaze of fools', and pageant of a day`! So perish all', whose breast ne'er learned to glow' For others' good', or melt at others' woè. What can atoné, (oh, ever injured shadè!) 30 To midnight dances', and the public show? What though no sacred earth allow thee room', 45 A heap of dust alone remains of thee; 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud^ shall be! Poets themselves must fall like those they sung', Then from his closing eyes thy form shall part', LESSON XC. DESCRIPTION OF A DEATH SCENE. GRACE, agitated by these events', and her slight form daily becoming more shadowy', seemed like a celestial spirit', which', having performed its mission on earth', melts into a misty wreath, then disappears forever. Hers had always been the kind of beauty that is eloquence, though it speaks not. The love she inspired was like that of some fair infant, which we would fain clasp to our hearts in its guileless beauty`; and when it repays our fondness with a cherub smile, its angelic influence rouses all that there is of heaven within the soul. Deep compassion was now added to these emotions'; and wherever she moved, the eye of pity greeted her, as it would some wounded bird', nestling to the heart in its timid loveliness. Every one who knew her felt the influence of her exceeding purity and deep pathos of character'; but very few had penetrated into its recesses', and discovered its hidden treasures. Melody was there, but it was too plaintivé, too delicaté in its combination', to be produced by an unskilful hand. The coarsest minds felt its witching effect', though they could not define its origin`;like the servant mentioned by Addison', who drew the bow across every string of her master's violin', and then complained that she could not', for her lifé, find where the tune was secreted. Souls of this fine mould keep the fountain of love sealed deep within its caverns; and to one only' is access ever granted. Miss Osborne's affection had been tranquil on the surfacè -but it was as deep as it was pure. It was a pool which had granted its healing influence to one, but could never repeat' the miracle, though an angel should trouble its waters. Assuredly' he that could mix death' in the cup of love which he offered to one so young', so fair', and so true', was guilty as the priest who administered poison in the holy eucharist. Lucretia, now an inmate of the family', read to her, supported her across the chamber', and watched her brief', gentlé slumbers with an intense interest', painfully tinged with selfreproach. She was the cause of this premature decay`,—innocent', indeed', but still the causè. Under such circumstances, the conscience is morbid in its sensibility',-unreasonable in its acuteness'; and the smiles and forgiveness of those we have injured', tear and scorch it like burning pincers. Yet there was one who suffered even more than Lucretiá,-though he was never conscious of giving one moment's pain to the object of his earliest affection. During the winter', every leisure moment which doctor Willard's numerous avocations allowed him', was spent in Miss Osborne's sick chamber`; and every toné, every look of his' went to her heart with a thrilling expression', which seemed to say, "Would I could die fōr theé! Oh! would' to God' I could die för theé !" Thus pillowed on the arm of Friendship', and watched over by the arm of Lové, Grace languidly awaited the return of spring'; and when May` did arrivé, wasted as she was^, she seemed to enjoy its pure breath' and sunny smile. Alas'! that the month, which dances around the flowery earth with such mirthful step and beaming glancé, should call so many victims of consumption to their last homè! Towards the close of this delightful season', the invalid', bolstered in her chair, and surrounded by her affectionate family', was seated at the window', watching the declining sun. There was deep silence for a lōng whilè ;-as if her friends feared that a breath might scare the flitting soul from its earthly habitation. Henry and Lucretia sat on either sidé, pressing her hands in mournful tenderness'; doctor Willard leaned over her chair and looked up to the unclouded sky', as if he reproached it for mocking him with brightness'; and her father watched the hectic flush upon her cheek with the firmness of Abraham', when he offered his only son upon the altar'. Oh! how would the heart of that aged sufferer have rejoiced within him', could he too have exchanged the victim! She had asked Lucretia to place Somerville's' rose on the window beside her. One solitary blossom was on it', and she reached forth her weak hand to pluck it`; but its leaves scattered beneath her trembling touch. She looked up to Lucretia with an expression', which her friend could never forget,and one cold tear slowly glided down her pallid cheek. Gently as a mother kisses her sleeping babé, doctor Willard brushed it away', and turning hastily to conceal his quivering lip', he clasped Henry's hand with convulsive energy as he whispered', "Oh! God of mercies', how willingly would I have wiped away all tears from her eyes'!" There is something peculiarly impressive in manly grief. The eye of woman overflows as readily as her heart; but when waters gush from the rock', we feel that they are extorted by no gentle blow. The invalid looked at him with affectionate regret', as if she thought it a crimè not to love such endearing kindness'; and every one present made a powerful effort to suppress painful', suffocating emotion. Lucretia had a bunch of purple violets fastened in her girdlè,—and with a forced smile she placed them in the hands of her dying friend. She looked at them a moment with a sort of abstracted attention', and an expression strangely unearthly, as she said', "I have thought that wild. flowers might be the alphabet of angels',-whereby they write |