hope pursuing,
The pursuit ever rueing,
Possession still undoing
The hope's fond prophecy.

II.

Sun! I've seen thy grandeur,
Scenes of gorgeous splendour,
Visions passing wonder
In ocean, sea, and sky;
Thunders o'er us pealing,
Earthquakes 'neath us reeling,
Fiery comets wheeling
Through all immensity.

Virtue! man has crowned thee,
For beautiful he found thee;
Yet millions have disowned thee,
And seek dark Vice's way,
Hypocrisy, deep-hooded,
Injustice still obtruded,
Stern Cruelty, cold-blooded,
Make brother man their prey.

Kind Love's pure affection!
Pity's benediction!
Charity's sweet action!
All blessed urbanities;
Man on man still preying;
Bleating lambkins slaying!
Devouring blood, and saying
All soft humanities.

III.

Dreaming, doubting, moping,
Hopelessly still hoping,
Dimly, darkly groping
My being's mystery;
This sobbing and this sighing,
This laughing and this crying,
This living and this dying--
Man's mortal history!

Why this wild contention?
This mocking, cruel invention--
What the deep intention?
Who shall give replies?
Demons wildly sporting,
God's beautiful distorting,
Or His own hand extorting
Sin-born penalties?

IV.

Those with whom I started
Oceans wide have parted:
Some are broken-hearted,
Some lie in the clay;
Those I once heard prattle,
For whom I shook the rattle,
Engaged in life's vain battle,
Push me off the way.

The world's laugh it jeers me,
Their looks they seem to fear me,
I hear them whisper near me,
"Old man, why linger here?"
She who loved me dearly,
Wandered with me cheerily,
Is now a phantom merely,
Seen through memory's tear.

Pale ghost, flitting yonder!
With drooping head you wander.
Deep in thought you ponder
Why I stay from thee;
Cease those hands to beckon,
Vain, vain, may you reckon;
Alas! I cannot quicken
Death's desired decree.

Weary, weary wandering,
Life's last moments squandering,
Weary, weary wandering
Through this world of sin,
None can undeceive me,
None but ONE relieve me,
None but ONE receive me,
His peace to enter in.

XXIV.

THE SIEGE: A DRAMATIC TALE.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.--SIR ALEXANDER SETON, Governor of Berwick;
RICHARD and HENRY, his sons. PROVOST RAMSAY. HUGH ELLIOT, a
traitor. KING EDWARD. EARL PERCY. MATILDA, wife of Seton; etc.

SCENE I.--_A Street--the Market-place_.

_Enter_ SIR ALEXANDER SETON, RICHARD _and_ HENRY
(_his