And a bold little run at the very last pinch, put him into his native spot.
“Bravo, bravo!” the king cried out, “all honor to those who try;
The spider up there defied despair; he conquered, and why shouldn’t I?”
And Bruce of Scotland braced his mind, and gossips tell the tale,
That he tried once more as he tried before, and that time he did not fail.
Pay goodly heed, all you who read, and beware of saying, “I can’t,”
’Tis a cowardly word, and apt to lead to Idleness, Folly, and Want.
Whenever you find your heart despair of doing some goodly thing,
Con over this strain, try bravely again, and remember the Spider and King.
—Eliza Cook.