1127. TO CROWN IT.
My wearied bark, O let it now be crown'd!
The haven reach'd to which I first was bound.
1128. ON HIMSELF.
The work is done: young men and maidens, set
Upon my curls the myrtle coronet
Washed with sweet ointments: thus at last I come
To suffer in the Muses' martyrdom;
But with this comfort, if my blood be shed,
The Muses will wear blacks when I am dead.
Blacks, mourning garments.
1129. THE PILLAR OF FAME.
Fame's pillar here, at last, we set,
Outduring marble, brass, or jet.
Charm'd and enchanted so
As to withstand the blow
O f o v e r t h r o w;
Nor shall the seas,
O r o u t r a g e s
Of storms o'erbear
What we uprear.
Tho' kingdoms fall,
This pillar never shall
Decline or waste at all;
But stand for ever by his own
Firm and well-fix'd foundation.
To his book's end this last line he'd have placed:
Jocund his muse was, but his life was chaste.