CO ]CEMNANTS Or TIME. passions of lower life : Devotion will direct and speed thy flight to a country of brighter scenes. Shake off this earthliness of mind, this dust of mortality that bangs about thee: rise upward often in an hour, and dwell much in those regions whither thy devout partner is gone : Thy better half is safely arrived there, and that world knows nothing but joy and love. She is gone ; the prophets and the apostles and the hest of departed souls have marked out her way to heaven : Bear witness ye apostles and holy prophets, the best of departed souls bear witness, that I am seeking to follow her in the appointed moment. Let the wheels of nature and time roll on apace in their destined way. Let suns and moons arise and set apace, and light a lone- some traveller onward to his home. Blessed Jesus, be thou my living leader ! Virtue, and the track of Serena's feet be my daily and delightful path. The track leads upward to the regions of love and joy. How can I dare to wander from the path of virtue lest I lose that beloved track? Remember, O my soul, her foot - steps are found in no other road. If my love to virtue should ever fail me, the steps of my Se. rena would mark out my way, and help to secure me from wan- dering. O may the kind influences of heaven descend from above and establish and guard my pious resolutions ! May the divine powers of religion be my continual strength, and the hope of eter- nal things my never-failing support, till I am dismissed from this prison of the flesh and called to ascend to the spirits of the just made perfect, till I bid adieu to all that is not immortal, and go dwell with my God and my adored Saviour ; there shall I find my lost Serena again, and share with her unutterable joys of paradise. Here Lucius threw himself on the couch and lay silent in profound meditation. When Florino had heard allthis mournful rhapsody, he retired and stole sway in secret, for he was now ashamed of his first bar- barous design : He felt a sort of strange sympathy of sorrow such as he never knew before, and with it some sparks of virtue began to kindle in his bosom. As he mused the fire burnt within, and at last it made its way to his lips and vented itself. " Well, said he, I have learnt two excellent lessons to -day, and I hope I shall never forget them. There must be some vast and unknown pleasure in a virtuous love beyond all the madness of wild and transient amours ; otherwise the loss of the object could never have wrought such deep and unfeigned woe in a soul so firm and manly as that of Lucius. I begin now to believe what Milton sung, though 1 always read the lines before as mere poesy and fable. " Hail wedded love, mysterious law, true source " Of human offspring, sole propriety
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