Now move thy hand, ’tis free again dost find;
This holy law to suffering flesh is kind;
Who knoweth this, sensation can enchain,
And armadillo shall not suffer pain.”
’Twas true indeed, for tranquilly it stayed
Above the burning coal, quite undismayed;
While such the heat endured that soon its shell
O’erspread became with misty lines. To spell
What weighty meaning auspice might conceal
The seer watched, its purport to reveal.