he steps of Jacob's ladder, with airy shapes ascending and descending,
and with the voice of God at the top of the ladder. And shall I, who
heard him then, listen to him now? Not I! . . . That spell is broke; that
time is gone for ever; that voice is heard no more: but still the
recollection comes rushing by with thoughts of long-past years, and
rings in my ears with never-dying sound.

"What though the radiance which was once so bright,
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of glory in the grass, of splendour in the flow'r;
I do not grieve, but rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy,
Which having been, must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In years that bring the philosophic mind!"--

I have thus gone through the task I intended, and have come at last
to the level ground. I have felt my subject gradually sinking from under
me as I advanced, and have been afraid of ending in nothing. The
interest has unavoidably decreased at almost every successive step of
the progress, like a play that has its catastrophe in the first or
second act. This, however, I could not help. I have done as well as I
could.

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LECTURES ON THE ENGLISH POETS***

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