The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1827-06-19
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Il seems tn lac IN the destiny Of earth, that G.
qviy should seldom. ,fever. prevail oser might /;
that tie slsoag man should yield only 90 h,ni
that is stronger. aud that the sheld of,nnoceOcc
should ne, = he defence against the sword Of
poSer There "a e.ore poetry than philosophy
~ Hornce when he tells his friend Fuscus--
"Tnternr .aa, seslort.qa, pprus
Non egst Nsanjscaiis, neque me1"-
aud il fu>cus acted on the supposition that the
advice Of MS poaical friend vas sage aud sau-
tary, he most probably mad occasion to thank
Horace for leading him inin scrapcs innumera-
bic. 10 lac sure. tie bard qualities his >sscr
non, by pafticilaflzine cascs In which the up
rirht man needs no armour--he may travel
thr1ug, the sullfy Syrtcs the wild Caucasus, >
and has innocence viii be his defence against the
monsters OF the waste, but Horace is cautious
NOT 10 say, thai the upright man may travel
through the more dangerous Journey Of life and
he protrcirdby his innocence against the prov.
ing monsters thai bcset tine way The poet
sings that his innocence guarded him against
the wolf in the" Sabine wood blu, he does mot
tell ut that u was as sare a protection against
wolves m human f1rm.
The uprlclr, and pure man does need the darts
and the boH aud The arrow.tfaught qu,,cr, for
h' has TO fight his way through life, and fire.
without weapons, is of rs much service to him
as bow without arroWs and the heart which
is al war with virtue and hardened against her,
Is less Liable to be pierced br her arrow by
reason offs very hardness Did virtue save Al
,Stldcs from exile, did she dash down the dead
" cupfrom the lip Of Socrates did she protc ct
ocipio from lns ungfatelul county, and permit
MN 20 lay has bones IN the sepulchre of his Ca
Tiers Did virtue save her thousands Of mar
Yrs from the bloody axe of persecution, when
gloomy bgotry seized the white robes OF relI-
g'on, and proianely wrapped the cmblems Of
mercy around the form Of unorgiving cruelty
Docs virtue advance her yotary TO the gIories
the hcnors, and the riches of life 7 II so. what
Iibel has genius uttered against the world in
eIciaming,
"fie ont, oh fe--ts an unwoodod garden
maj grows to seed things rank aud gross IN nature
fossoss II merely"
" was DOT the inncy, but the truth Of poetry.
"hlch inspired the melancholy Hamlet when he
sphke ihuS'-Look AT the stained annals of J inc.
ana see how many instances of successful virtue
history has recorded compare them with those
OF successful vany, aud are they not like the
solitary 0daes u the wild aud co al tlcs, desert
Look around on the busy millions of crowded
llle--w hat shafelas virtue IN then efforts. their
giles Does she prop the aspiring who grasp at
commentaries she guide the merccnary, who
kneelat golden altars-does she inspire the vain.
who toll for repualion--does she chasten Inn.
man feelings, RESTRAIN human passions, and
dTecthuman energies l. IL the love ofhcaven.
~ the Tear OF earth, that keeps man from the
opcn indulgence OF lollles and the open com
mission OF crimes 1.-THE former, what need is
Their of human laws--if the latter. is he who
docs not swervc from ihccyen lines, entitled 10
wra. the wreath Of virtue
Yet II is in the destiny of things, that this
should be the case. Were /, otherwise. were
The thousand springs Of enjoyment uupolutcd
add mcmbittcred were tins fair and beautiful
earth nsphed by meanncss, fraud. wckednesss.
ana dEhonor were man the image of his Ma
ker, IN mind as he IS IN form the Elysium of
the Pagan and the Paradise OF the Christian
would be realized on Garth and Death, whose
power is Coeval with tina, of his parent, Sin. would
be stripped OF ms dominion.