Its real tranfcript, its refemblance true
May be furvey'd—the picture of itself.
For, what foe'er may be our earthly state,
The mind's the man. My humble labours, then,
When refts my part corporeal in the duft,
Hang up my living portrait !-And to give
Those labours all their force, fummon'd I ftand
By awful Providence, to realize

The theoretic leffons I have taught.
And lo! compos'd, I fix my dying feal
In atteftation to their truth, their power,
Felt at my heart, my inmoft confcience felt;
Imparting triumph o'er life's love; o'er death
Confummate exultation! while my foul
Longs to go forth, and pants for endless day.
But who can wonder, that amidst the woes,
Like a fwoln torrent, which with frightful roar
Have burft destructive o'er me; 'midft the lofs
Of all things dear, Fame, Honour Peace, and Reft;
Amidst the cruel fpoiling of my goods,

The bittereft rancour of envenom'd spite,
And calumny unfeeling* ;-what furprize
That my wean'd foul, above this woridly wreck,
With anxious expectation waits the call
From malancholy mourning and din grief,
To everlafting gladnefs? Powerful Hope,
And all-fufficient to fuftain the foul,
'Tho' walking thro' the darkest vale of woe !
Who fhall difprove that Hope? or who pretend
By fubtle fophiftry that foul to rob

Of its chief anchor, choiceft privilege,
And nobleft confolation" Stedfalt Faith,
"In great Futurity's extended scene:
"Eternity of Being?" All things round
Arise in brighteft proof: I fee it, feel it,
Thro' all my faculties, thro' all my powers,
Pervading irresistible. Each groan

• Numberless letters, of a moft unchriftian, horrid, and cruel nature, were continually fent to him in the height of his diftreffes. Yet fome of thefe letters were fubfcribed, A Lady, A Chriftian, or, A Chriftian Brother.

Sent

Sent from my forrowing heart; each fcalding tear
From my convicted eyes; each fervent prayer
By meek repentance offer'd up to Heaven,
Afferts my immortality? proclaims

A pardoning Deity and future world,

Nor lefs the thought, chill, comfortless, abhorr'd,
Of loath'd annihilation!-From the view,
Humiliating, mean, unworthy man,

Almoft unworthy reptiles,—Glad I turn,
And triumph in exiftence! Nay, each ill
And every mundane trouble preaches loud
The fame important truth. I read it fair
And legibly engrav'd on all below:
On all the inequalities difcern'd

In this perplexing, mix'd, and motley scene ;
In every rank and order of mankind *;
Nay, in the wifest system of our laws,
Inadequate, imperfect,-and full oft
Unjuft and cruel; in this diimal jail,
And in the proudeft palaces alike
I read, and glory to trace out the marks
Irrefragably clear of future life;

Of retribution's just and equal state.

So reafon urges; while fair Nature's felf,
At this fweet feafon +, joyfully throws in
Her atteftation lovely: bids the fun,
All bounteous, pour his vivifying light,
To route and waken from their wintry death
The vegetable tribe! Fresh from their graves,
At his refiftlefs fummons, ftart they forth,
A verdent refurrection! In each plant,
Each flower, each tree to blooming life reftor'd,
I trace the pledge, the earnest, and the type
Of man's revival; of his future rife

And victory o'er the grave,-compell'd to yield

See Macleane's Anfwer to Jenyns, &c. p. 52.

Spring. See my Poem on the Epiphany, ver. 131, &c. I would have that Poem confidered, in dependence with this, as y ferious thoughts on thefe awful fubjects in an early period of my life; and which, in this last and dreadful one, I find no reafon to alter.

Her

Her facred, rich depofit, from the seed
Corrupt and mortal, and immortal frame
Glorious and incorruptible; like his,
The Sun of righteoufnefs, whofe living power
The mighty work fhall operate! Yes, bright fource
Of fpiritual life!-the immaterial world
Pervading, quickening, gladdening,—in the rays
Full-orb'd of revelation, thy prime gift,
I view display'd, magnificent, and full,
What reafon, nature, in dim darkness teach,
Tho' visible, not diftinct: I read with joy
Man's high prerogative; tranfported read
The certain, clear discovery of life
And immortality, announc'd by thee,
Parent of truth, celestial visitant,
Fountain of all intelligence divine!
Of that high immortality the King,
And of that life the Author! How man mounts,
Mounts upon angel-wings, when fief'd, secur'd
In that fublime inheritance; when feen
As a terreftrial stranger here; a god
Confin'd a while in prifon of the flesh,
Soon, foon to foar, and meet his brother-gods
His fellows, in eternity!How creeps,
How grovels human nature! What a worm,
An infect of an hour, poor, finful, fad;
Defpis'd and despicable, reptile-like

Crawls man, his moment on his ant-hill here:
-Marking his little fhining path with flime,-
If limited to earth's brief round

poor

moth,

His painful, narrow views! Like the
By lights delusive to destruction led;
Still ftruggling oft its horrors to evade,
Still more and more involv'd; in flame he lives
His tranfient toilfome minute, and expires
In fuffocating smoke.

Hume, thou art gone!

By

Amidst the catalogue of those mow'd down

By time's huge scythe, late noted *; Thou, be fure,
Waft not forgotten! Author thou has gain'd
Thy vaft ambition's fummit: Fame was thine;
Wealth too, beyond thy ampleft wish's bound,
Encompafs'd thee: and lo, the pageant ends!
For who without compaffion's generous tear,
Thy mind at once capacious and humane,
Can view, to truth, to hope immortal dead?
Thy penetrating reafon, fubtle, ftrong,
Hoodwink'd by dark infatuation's veil :
And all thy fine and manly fenfe employ'd
Ev'n on eternity's thrice awful verge,
To trifle with the wonders of a state
Respectably alarming! of a state

Whofe being gives to man-had given to thee
(Accepted by the humble hand of faith)
True glory, folid fame, and boundless wealth!
Treafures that wax not old.

Oh the high bleffings of humility!
Man's first and richest grace! Of virtue, truth,
Knowledge and exaltation, certain fource,
And most abundant: Pregnant of all good;
And, poor in fhew, to treatures infinite
Infallibly conducting; her fure gift

So, when old Hyems has deform'd the year,
We view, on fam'd Burgundia's craggy cliffs,
The flow vines, fcarce diftinct, on the brown earth
Neglected lie and grovelling ;-promise poor,
From plant fo humble, of the fwelling grape
In glowing clusters purpling o'er the hills:-
When all impregnating rolls forth the fun,
And from the mean ftalk pours a luscious flood
of juice nectareous thro' the laughing land!
Nervous effayift! haply had thy pen,

Of mafculine ability, this theme
Purfued intelligent; from lowly heart_
Delineating true the features mild

See Mr. Hume's Life written by himfelf; with a letter by Dr. Smith giv. ng an account of his Death.

Of

Of genuine humility; mankind,

Now 'wilder'd by thy fophiftry, had blefs'd
And honour'd well thy teaching: whilft thyself
Secure had fail'd and happy, nor been caft,

On pride's black rocks, or empty fcorn's bleak fhore !
Proud scorn, how poor and blind-how it at once
Destroys the fight, and makes us think we see !
While defperate ridicule in wit's wild hands
Implants a dangerous weapon! How it warps
From clear difcernment, and conclusions just,
Ev'n captive reafon's felf! How gay foe'er-
(Ah mifplac'd gaiety on fuch a theme)
In life's laft hour!-on Charon's crazy bark,
On Tartarus and Elifium, and the pomp
Solemn and dreaded of dark pagans Hell!
Thy reafoning powers knew well, full well to draw
Deductions true from fables gross as these,
By poets fancy heighten'd! Well thou knew'ft
The deep intelligence, the folid truth

Conceal'd beneath the mystic tale; well knew'st
Fables like thefe, familiar to mankind

In every nation, every clime, through earth
Widely diffeminate, through earth proclaim'd
In language ftrong, intelligent and clear,
"A future ftate retributive." Thou knew'lt,
That in each age the wife embrac'd the truth,
And gloried in an hope, how dim foe'er,
Which thou amidst the blaze, the noon-day blaze
Of chriftian information, madly scorn'dft
And diedst infulting! Hail of ancient times,
Worthies and fam'd believers! Plato, hail!
And thou, immortal Socrates, of Rome
Prime ornament and boast! my Tully, hail;
Friend and companion of my ftudious life,
In eloquence and found philosophy
Alike fuperlative!-with minds enlarg'd,
Yet teachable and modeft, how ye fought,
You and your kindred fouls,-how daily dug
For wisdom as the labourer in the mines!

How