At the close of the day when the hamlet is still
And mortals the sweets of forgetfulness prove,
When naught but the torrent is heard on the hill,
And naught but the nightingale’s song in the grove.
“The Hermit,”—James Beattie.
James Beattie, a noted Scottish poet, was born in Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire, October 25, 1735, and died in Aberdeen, August 18, 1803. His writings include: “The Minstrel,” “Dissertations Moral and Critical,” “The Evidences of the Christian Religion Briefly and Plainly Stated,” “The Elements of Moral Science,” and his famous “Essay on Truth.”
Wherever literature consoles sorrow or assuages pain; wherever it brings gladness to eyes which fail with wakefulness and tears, and ache for the dark house and the long sleep, there is exhibited in its noblest form the immortal influence of Athens.
“On Mitford’s History of Greece,” (1824)—Thomas B. Macaulay.
Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay, a renowned English historian, essayist, poet and statesman, was born at Rothley Temple, Leicestershire, October 25, 1800, and died at Kensington, December 28, 1859. His most famous works are: “Lays of Ancient Rome,” and the “History of England.”
Behold! in Liberty’s unclouded blaze
We lift our heads, a race of other days.
“Centennial Ode,” Stanza 22,—Charles Sprague.
Charles Sprague, a noted American poet, was born in Boston, October 26, 1791, and died there, January 22, 1875. He wrote: “The Family Meeting,” “The Winged Worshippers,” and “Curiosity.” A collection of his works entitled “Poetical and Prose Writings,” was published in 1841.
Whence are thy beams, O sun! thy everlasting light? Thou comest forth, in thy awful beauty, the stars hide themselves in the sky; the moon, cold and pale, sinks in the western wave. But thou, thyself, movest alone.