That raised thee o'er the brute:
Thy piercing shrieks and soothing strains
Are like, forever mute.

Now fare thee well! More thou the cause
Than subject now of woe.
All mental pangs by time's kind laws
Hast lost the power to know.

O death! thou awe-inspiring prince
That keepst the world in fear,
Why dost thou tear more blest ones hence,
And leave him lingering here?

If I should ever send another, the subject will be a "Bear
Hunt."

Yours as ever,
A. LINCOLN.

The poem alluded to in the first letter is undoubtedly "Oh, Why Should
the Spirit of Mortal Be Proud?", by William Knox, a Scottish poet,
known to fame only by its authorship. It remained the favorite of
Lincoln until his death, being frequently alluded to by him in
conversation with his friends. Because it so aptly presents Lincoln's
own spirit it is here presented in full. During his Presidency he
said:

"There is a poem which has been a great favorite with me for
years, which was first shown me when a young man by a friend,
and which I afterwards saw and cut from a newspaper and
learned by heart. I would give a good deal to know who wrote
it, but I have never been able to ascertain."

Then, half closing his eyes, he repeated the verses:

OH, WHY SHOULD THE SPIRIT OF MORTAL
BE PROUD?

By WILLIAM KNOX.

William Knox was born at Firth, in the parish of
Lilliesleaf, in the county of Roxburghshire, on the 17th of
August, 1789. From his early youth he composed verses. He
merited the attention of Sir Walter Scott, who afforded him
pecuniary assistance. He died November 12, 1825, at the age
of thirty-six.

Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud?
Like a swift-flitting meteor, a fast-flying cloud,
The flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,
He passes from life to his rest in the grave.

The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade,
Be scattered around and together be laid;
And the young and the old, and the low and the high
Shall molder to dust and together s