And Byron ("The Corsair," cant. iii. st. 22):- "No words suffice the secret soul to show, For truth denies all eloquence to woe." In the Hesperus (12) of Franz Paul Richter is found the following beautiful paragraph:"For those wounds which can be disclosed are not deep: that grief which a man's friendly eye can discover, a soft hand alleviate, is but small; but the woe which a friend must not see, because he cannot take it away-that woe which sometimes rises into our eye in the midst of blessedness, in the form of sudden trickle, which the averted face smothers -this hangs in secret more and more heavily on the heart, and at last breaks it and goes down with it under the healing sod; so are iron balls tied to man, when he dies on the sea, and they sink with him more quickly into his vast grave." Wilhelm von Humboldt (Lett. ii. 18) has the same idea:"The sorrow which calls for help is not the greatest, nor does it come from the depths of the heart." Thucydides (vii. 75) in his description of the sorrowful departure of the Athenian forces from Syracuse uses the expressions:-" Having suffered greater sorrows than can be expressed by tears," which is sorrow but resembling what Herodotus (iii. 14) says of the woes of Psammenitus: "Greater woes than tears can express." This is thus paraphrased by Bode: "The sad philosophy of grief, Taught in misfortune's school, "For common sorrows tears may flow, Like these that stain my cheek; But, prince, there is a depth of woe, That tears can never speak. "To see my comrade's cheerless state, "Far in the heart's most secret shrine, Those springs of sorrow sleep: Who bends 'neath woes as dark as mine Must grieve-he cannot weep." languish and the sweet rose droops, not so quickly, I say, as beauty, which beams from tender cheeks, vanishes, from which every day steals some spoil away. Beauty is a fleeting joy; what wise man would place his trust in such a frail toy? Whilst thou mayest, enjoy it. Time, with silent march, will undermine thee, and each succeeding hour is worse than what is past. Shakespeare in his poem entitled "The Passionate Pilgrim " (st. 11) thus speaks of Beauty: "Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good, A shining gloss that fadeth suddenly. A doubtful good, a gloss, a glass, a flower, SECRECY. If you would wish another to keep your secret, first keep it yourself. THE HUMBLE. Fortune rages less against the lowly, and heaven strikes with gentle hand the humble. THE SWIFTNESS OF TIME. The swift hour flies on double wings. DEATH AND LIFE. Any one may take life from man, but no one death: a thousand gates stand open to it. So 1 Samuel xx. 3: "There is but a step between me and death." ENDURE RATHER THAN COMMIT WICKEDNESS. When it is necessary to deceive or to be deceived Shakespeare describes silent grief forcibly when he says in by our friends, we should endure rather than com "Winter's Tale": Beauty, a doubtful good to man, the fleeting mit wickedness. So Matthew v. 39: "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." SLAVERY. To sink from a throne into slavery is misery. WAR. The fortune of war is always doubtful, A GOVERNMENT HATED. A government that is hated seldom lasts. FORTUNE. It is not manly to turn our back on Fortune. THE UNCERTAINTIES OF LIFE. When the joyful mingled with the sad leaves us gift of a short-lived hour, how swiftly dost thou in doubt, the uncertain mind, when it desires to flit away! Not so quickly do the hot rays of sum-know, is overwhelmed with fear. mer despoil the fresh meadows of the green with THE AFFLICTED. He who offers doubtful safety to the afflicted re THE BLIND. fearing that heaven may be too propitious. I have A great part of what is real is concealed from learnt that in a moment the greatest state may be brought low by conquest. the man, who is blind. DESPERATE MISFORTUNES. A CRIME. He, who does not prevent a crime, when it is in Evils that are desperate usually make men safe. his power, encourages it. THE POWER OF SILENCE. The power of silence is often more injurious to a king and his kingdom than even the use of language. MODERATION TO BE SHOWN BY THOSE WHO ASPIRE TO SUPREME POWER. To the man who aspires to supreme power, it is the wisest policy to show himself enamoured of moderation, and to speak of nothing but the pleasure of quiet retirement. Rest is often assumed by the restless. VAIN FEARS. He, who dreads vain fears, deserves those that are real. TERROR IS THE PROPER GUARD OF A KINGDOM. He, who dreads hatred too much, knows not how to reign. Terror is the proper guard of a kingdom. LET BYGONES BE BYGONES. Leave in concealment what has long been concealed. THE TRUTH. Truth hates any delay in its disclosure. EXCESS HAS AN UNSTABLE FOUNDATION. Everything that exceeds the bounds of moderation has an unstable foundation. SUFFERINGS OF MANKIND FROM ON HIGH. Whatever mankind suffers or does, comes from on high. WHAT AWAITS MAN. Many have reached their fated end, while they are dreading their fate. GUILT. Nobody becomes guilty by fate. SORROW. There is no day without sorrow. MODERATION MAKES A THRONE STAnd sure. We must first learn that whatever the conqueror chooses to do, to that the conquered must submit. No one has long maintained power, if exercised with violence; moderation ensures its continuance; and the higher Fortune has lifted and placed the power of man, the more ought he to conceal his happiness, to dread the turns of chance, ever So 1 Timothy v. 20: "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." MERCY SOMETIMES IN GIVING DEATH. Mercy is often shown in inflicting death. A KING. A king ought to prefer the good of his country to that of his children. MORAL FEELINGS. Man is restrained by moral feelings from doing that against which there may be no legal enactment. So Matthew v. 8: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." HOW GREAT POWER OUGHT TO BE USED. One who possesses great power, ought to use it with gentle hand. DOES THE SOUL PERISH WITH THE BODY? Our fearful mind? That when to earth we bodies give, Souls yet to live? That when the wife hath closed with cries When the last fatal day of light And when, to dust and ashes turn'd, But that a longer life with pain Or die we quite? nor aught we have When like to smoke unmix'd with skies And funeral tapers are applied To the naked side. As smoke, which springs from fire, is soon Or clouds which we but now beheld, The spirit, which informs this clay, Nothing is after death; and this, The goal or the extremest space The covetous their hopes forbear; Ask'st thou, whene'er thou com❜st to die, Where lie the unborn? Away, time rakes us, THE PREROGATIVE OF KINGS. REPENTANCE NEVER TOO LATE. This noble and grand prerogative kings possess, It is never too late to turn from the error of our of which they cannot be deprived, to aid the unfortunate and protect the suppliant. THE BAD. ways: He who repents of his sins is almost innocent. "And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here No time is too short for the wicked to injure all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath their neighbors. THE GOLDEN MEAN. hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard." And 1 John i. 9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." THE COURT. Faith never enters within the threshold of kings. FIDELITY. Fidelity that is bought with money may be overcome by money. DELAY. Every delay, however trifling, seems too long to a man in haste. DEATH. Fear of death drives the wretched to prayer. CARES. Those whom secret cares torment suffer most. PROSPERITY. Prosperity asks for fidelity, but adversity imperatively demands it. DEATH. That tyrant is foolish who inflicts death as a punishment. El. Is there anything beyond death? MISERY OF DEATH. He is equal to the gods whose life and fortune The higher the pinnacle to which fortune raises close at the same moment; he feels the misery of man, he falls with a heavier crash. Things mod-death whose life is protracted amidst misery. erate are of longer duration. Happy the man who Whosoever has trampled under foot Fate and the quietly, in the midst of the crowd, passes along boat of Charon, will not allow his arms to be the shore with a safe breeze, and, fearful to trust bound in chains, nor to be led in triumph. That his bark to the sea, hugs the shore. man can never be miserable, who finds it easy to die. MODESTY NEVER RETURNS. Pure morals, justice, honor, piety, and faith have disappeared, and modesty, which never returns, when it has once gone. ONE CRIME LEADS TO ANOTHER. DEATH. O Death! thou followest the happy and fliest the wretched. Antiphanes (Fr. Com. Gr. p. 512, M.) says: "No one ever, O master, being anxious to die has died, but those who are eager to live Charon drags by the legs unwill The sure way to wickedness is always through ingly to his ferry-boat, and carries them off in the full enjoy No one has ever tried extreme remedies in the vicissitudes with equanimity, has deprived misfirst place. fortune of its power. THINGS UNLAWFUL ARE PREFERRED. What is unlawful is preferred; whatever one may do is little cared for. Misfortune only inflames love the more. Moore says: "Bliss itself is not worth having If we're by compulsion blest." ANGER OF THE GODS. FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY. It is higher praise for the father of his country to preserve his fellow-citizens. THE INDOLENT. It is the act of the indolent not to know what he may lawfully do. It is praiseworthy to do what is becoming, and not merely what is lawful. "Do not all you can; spend not all you have; believe not Those whom the anger of Heaven attacks it ren- all you hear; and tell not all you know." ders miserable. THE SHADE OF A GREAT NAME. THE POOR AND THE RICH. Contented poverty lies hid happily in an humble cottage. Storms shake often, or Fortune overturns lofty palaces. THE COUNTENANCE BETRAYS THE PASSIONS. Nor am I ignorant that other affections also are scarcely concealed-that lust, fear, and boldness show themselves, and may be known beforehand. For there is no strong inward thought that does not betray itself in the countenance. So Romans xii. 19: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give Preserved for grief alone, I remain the shade of place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will a great name. FORTUNE. Why, O Fortune, did you allure me on by your deceitful countenance, and raise me aloft when I was satisfied with my own humble lot? Was it that I might fall with a heavier crash, and be the subject of many fears? THE VICES OF PAST AGES. The vices collected through so many ages for a long time past flow in upon us. repay, saith the Lord." MAN BORN TO ASSIST EACH OTHER. THE BEGINNINGS OF THINGS. The beginnings of some things are in our power; those that are farther from us hurry us forward by their own force, and allow no return. THE SINNER. He, who has committed a fault, is to be corrected |