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73

ESSAY XV.

LIFE and D Аth.

PASSAGE.

AND BELAH DIED, AND JABOB REIGNED IN HIS STEAD AND JABOB DIED, AND HUSHAM REIGNED IN HIS STEAD, AND HUSHAM DIED, AND HADAD REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.

ONE may apply to these monarchs an

expreffion some where in the famous Spectators; fince no farther mention is made of them, than that they were born on one day, and were buried on another.

"Belah died, and Jabob reigned in his "stead." What an aftonishing contemplation is the rife and fall of the children of men! How are we ftruck in the history of the world, with empires that once flourished, and nations, whose people are no more! One man drops the fceptre, and another takes

takes it up. The father finks into his shroud, and his fucceffor enjoys his honours for a little while, and then refigns them to a third, who, dying, leaves them to a fourth, and fo onad infinitum*. Nothing but familiarity could remove the alarming certainty

Among the many celebrated paffages of the excellent Shakespear there is one upon this fubject, not inferior either to the morality or eloquence of St. Paul, who was certainly the fublimeft as well as the most persuasive orator in the world, and who (as I fhall endeavour to evince, in the future progrefs of these sketches) ftill remains fuperior to all his fucceffors. The paffage alluded to above, is fresh in every man's memory, and cannot, indeed, be too frequently recollected or repeated.

To morrow, and to morrow, and to morrow
Creeps in this pretty space, from day to day,
To the last fyllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusky death. Out, out, brief candle !
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an ideot, full of found and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Criticism might, perhaps, enter an objection against the propriety of the word fools, at the end of the fourth line. Our yesterdays, do not only light fools, but the children of Wisdom, the way to death.-We are told by the poet, that even "The paths of glory lead but to the grave."

of

of death from the foul: it still, however, remains a startling matter, and may well give the hint of preparation, when we reflect, that all the tens of thoufands which a century and a half ago, were bustling upon the face of the earth-kings, potentates, princes, and beggars, are now buried in its bowels and the point comes ftill nearer to our own "bufinefs and bofoms," when we farther confider, that all which now has existence in every part of the habitable world, must be soon inevitably in the fame fituation. Such is the progrefs of diffolving nature, and fuch the conftant decrease and increase of created matter. By thefe means also, in a shorter space of time than the flight of one hundred and fifty years, the universe (with respect to its inhabitants) wears a new face, and resembles the preceding age, only in fuch inftances, wherein general likenefs of race, or fimilitude of feature is tranfmitted, from one generation to another.

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Offian (whofe Poem, whether modern productions or not, certainly breathe, in fome places, an almoft fcriptural fublimity, and are not much unlike the fcriptural manner of writing) has, with equal propriety and pathos, imagery and morality thus defcanted on the brevity of life.

"Defolate is the dwelling of Morina: "filence in the house of her fathers. Raife "the fong of mourning over the strangers. "One day we muft fall; and they have

..

only fallen before us. Why dost thou "build the hall, fon of the winged days! "Thou lookeft from thy towers to-day. "Soon, will the blaft of the defert come.. "The mighty will not return; nor Oscar "rife in his ftrength. The valiant muft "fall one day, and be no more known. "Where are our fathers or warriors! the

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chiefs of the times of old?

"like ftars that have fhone:

They are fet

we only hear

"the found of their praife: but they were "renowned in their day, and the terror of "their times."

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