Beatus ille.

PRIMVM beatos inter habet locum
intrare coetus qui timet impios,
nec stare dignatur scelestis
obuius, aut socius sedere

ius uellicantis fasque. sed huic Dei
lex casta largis deliciis scatet,
quam nocte perpendit dieque
rite pio uenerans amore.
qualis, propinquis uuida fontibus,
producit almos tempore debito
fructus et ornatu comarum
perpetuo reuirescit arbos,

talis secundo perficit exitu

hic omne coeptum, cum tamen improbi
iactantur huc illuc, oborta

ceu paleae fluitant procella.

hinc, cun sedebit corda probans Deus,
nil turpe coram Iudice, nil mali
stabit, neque incesti manebunt

longius in numero piorum.
iustum in diurno circuitu uirum
laus intuentis prosequitur Dei ;
sed quisque diuino peribit
supplicio sceleratus error.

Exspectata Seges.

AVREA sulcatae confidis semina terrae, praecipiens laeto pectore ueris opes; et piget in uitae sulcis deponere facta, quae bene si sata sint, tempus in omne metas ?

The Reaper and the Flowers.

THERE is a Reaper whose name is Death, and with his sickle keen,

he reaps the bearded grain at a breath, and the flowers that grow between.

'shall I have nought that is fair?' saith he; 'have nought but the bearded grain?

though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me, I will give them all back again.'

he gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,

he kissed their drooping leaves;

it was for the Lord of Paradise

he bound them in his sheaves.

'my Lord has need of these flowerets gay,' the Reaper said, and smiled;

' dear tokens of the earth are they, where He was once a child.

'they shall all bloom in fields of light, transplanted by my care,

and saints, upon their garments white, these sacred blossoms wear.'

and the mother gave, in tears and pain, the flowers she most did love;

she knew she should find them all again in the fields of light above.

oh, not in cruelty, not in wrath,

the Reaper came that day;

'twas an angel visited the green earth,

and took the flowers away.

LONGFELLOW.

Debemur Morti.

MESSOR obit mundum: Mors illi nomen: acutae falcis inexpletum sedulus urget opus: hordeaque et pariter barbatas inter aristas quae radiant florum milia multa secat. 'et, nihil,' exclamat, 'pulchri retinere licebit, et barbata mihi est unica praeda seges? gratus odor florum; sed quamuis suauiter halent, has in delicias nil mihi iuris erit.'

protinus ad flores rorantia lumina uertens impressit lentis oscula maesta comis:

stringit enim strictosque aliam dimittit in oram, nutriat hos proprio qua Paradisus ero. 'haec,' ait adridens Messor, 'quae laeta patescunt, germina sunt Domino dona legenda meo. talia quippe lubens terrae monimenta uidebit, uixit ubi quondam paruulus Ipse puer. florebunt agris in pellucentibus omnes, transtulerit glebae quos mea cura nouae; felicesque chori niueas intersita uestes floribus e sacris plurima serta gerent.' audiit, et lacrimis oculos suffusa dolentis delicias mater tradidit ipsa suas;

tradidit, et 'flores, quos nunc amittimus,' inquit, 'restituet diae postmodo lucis ager.'

credite, nil crudele mouens, non concitus ira, uenerat haec illo Messor in arua die;

sed uiridi inlapsus terrae bonus incola caeli

dona tulit flores grata futura Deo.

Psalm XI.

My refuge is the Lord Most High:
why hears my soul the faithless cry,
'ye birds, unto your mountain fly:
for lo! the scorner's bow is bent,
his shaft is on the string, intent
to slay unseen the innocent:

the columns all are out of place,
o'erthrown, uprooted from their base;
what shall they do, the righteous race?'
the Lord is in his temple shrined,
the Lord in heaven; He is not blind;
his eyelids try and judge mankind.
the Lord makes trial of the good;
his soul abhors the ungodly brood,
the hands of violence and blood:

on these his snares shall fall amain, his sulphurous blast, his fiery rain; such cup shall be for them to drain. the righteous Lord regards with love the righteous seed: where'er they rove, they see his guiding face above.

Twofold Hope.

REFLECTED on the lake, I love
to see the stars of evening glow,
so tranquil in the heaven above,
so restless in the wave below.

thus heavenly hope is all serene ;

but earthly hope, how bright soe'er, still flutters o'er this changing scene, as false, as fleeting, as 'tis fair.

HÉBER.

Perfugium meum Iehoua.

PERFVGIVM Deus est. quo uox infida monentum ; 'quaerite iam uestri tegmina montis, aues; scilicet insontes rapto petit impius arcu, praeparat in neruo fixa sagitta necem : effunduntur humi fractae sine more columnae ; quod nunc praesidium, quo fuga certa piis?' in templo Deus est: caelo non caecus ab alto Ille hominum cernit, iudicat Ille, tribus: rite probat sanctos: at reicit impia saecla, crudeles animos sanguineasque manus: his struit insidias, pluit ignes, sulpura proflat; dira malae genti pocla bibenda dabit.

iustus amat iustos Deus et, quocumque uagantur, dux supera monstrat uisus in aede uiam.

Spes Duplex.

VESPERTINA iuuat spectare lacustribus undis reddita siderei lumina mille chori,

ut superum caeli decorent inmota lacunar, ut fluitent imis inrequieta uadis.

sic tranquilla manet spes caeli prouida, sed quae imminet humanis spes inhiatque bonis

inradiat fragilem mutanti lumine terram,

pulchra, sed heu species falsa fugaxque nitor.