"Whose mind was an essence compounded with art
"From the finest and best of all other men's powers;-
"Who ruled, like a wizard, the world of the heart,
"And could call up its sunshine or bring down its showers;—
"Whose humor, as gay as the firefly's light,
"Played round every subject and shone as it played;—
"Whose wit in the combat, as gentle as bright,
"Ne'er carried a heart-stain away on its blade;—
"Whose eloquence—brightening whatever it tried,
"Whether reason or fancy, the gay or the grave,—
"Was as rapid, as deep and as brilliant a tide,
"As ever bore Freedom aloft on its wave!"
Yes—such was the man and so wretched his fate;—
And thus, sooner or later, shall all have to grieve,
Who waste their morn's dew in the beams of the Great,
And expect 'twill return to refresh them at eve.
In the woods of the North there are insects that prey
On the brain of the elk till his very last sigh;[2]
Oh, Genius! thy patrons, more cruel than they,
First feed on thy brains and then leave thee to die!
[1] The sum was two hundred pounds—offered when Sheridan could no longer take any sustenance, and declined, for him, by his friends.
[2] Naturalists have observed that, upon dissecting an elk, there was found in its head some large flies, with its brain almost eaten away by them,—History of Poland.
EPISTLE FROM TOM CRIB TO BIG BEN.[1]
CONCERNING SOME FOUL PLAY IN A LATE TRANSACTION.[2]
"Ahi, mio Ben!"
—METASTASIO.[3]