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ESSE QUAM VIDERI

The knightly legend on thy shield betrays

The moral of thy life; a forecast wise,

And that large honor that deceit defies,

Inspired thy fathers in the elder days,

Who decked thy scutcheon with that sturdy phrase,

To be, rather than seem. As eve's red skies

Surpass the morning's rosy prophecies,

Thy life to that proud boast its answer pays,