THE RIGHT HON. R. B. SHERIDAN.

181

To soothe Indignity-and face to face

Meet sordid Rage—and wrestle with Disgrace,
To find in Hope but the renew'd caress,
The serpent-fold of further Faithlessness,—
If such
may be the Ills which men assail,

What marvel if at last the mightiest fail?

Breasts to whom all the strength of feeling given

Bear hearts electric-charged with fire from Heaven,
Black with the rude collision, inly torn,

By clouds surrounded, and on whirlwinds borne,
Driven o'er the lowering atmosphere that nurst

Thoughts which have turn'd to thunder-scorch-and

burst.

But far from us and from our mimic scene

Such things should be--if such have ever been;

Ours be the gentler wish, the kinder task,

To give the tribute Glory need not ask,

To mourn the vanish'd beam—and add our mite

Of praise in payment of a long delight.
Ye Orators! whom yet our councils yield,
Mourn for the veteran Hero of your field!
The worthy rival of the wondrous Three! (2)
Whose words were sparks of Immortality!
Ye Bards! to whom the Drama's Muse is dear,
He was your Master-emulate him here!

Ye men of wit and social eloquence!
He was your brother-bear his ashes hence!
While Powers of mind almost of boundless range,
Complete in kind—as various in their change,
While Eloquence-Wit-Poesy-and Mirth,
That humbler Harmonist of care on Earth,
Survive within our souls-while lives our sense
Of pride in Merit's proud pre-eminence,
Long shall we seek his likeness-long in vain,
And turn to all of him which may remain,
Sighing that Nature form'd but one such man,
And broke the die-in moulding Sheridan!

NOTES

TO THE

MONODY ON SHERIDAN.

Note 1, page 179, line 7.

When the loud cry of trampled Hindostan.

See Fox, Burke, and Pitt's eulogy on Mr. Sheridan's speech on the charges exhibited against Mr. Hastings in the House of Commons. Mr. Pitt entreated the House to adjourn, to give time for a calmer consideration of the question than could then occur after the immediate effect of that oration.

Note 2, page 181, line 21.

The worthy rival of the wondrous Three! Fox-Pitt-Burke.

THE

LAMENT OF TASSO.