Once more that stately structure of his dreams

Melted like mist. His eagles perished like clouds.

Death wound a thin horn through the centuries.

The grave resumed his forlorn emperors.
His empires crumbled back to a little ash 500
Knocked from his pipe. —

He dropped his pen in homage to the truth.
The truth? O, eloquent, just and mighty
Death!

Then, when he forged, out of one golden thought,

A key to open his prison; when the King, 505
Released him for a tale of faerie gold
Under the tropic palms; when those grey
walls

Melted before his passion; do you think
The gold that lured the King was quite the

His battles in the sunset. Yet he knew That all his life had passed in that brief day; And he was old, too old to understand 550 The smile upon the face of Buckingham, The smile on Cobham's face, at that great word

England!

He knew the solid earth was changed To something less than dust among the

stars

And, O, be sure he knew that he was

wrong,

That gleams would come,

555

Gleams of a happier world for younger men, That Commonwealth, far off. This was a

time

Therein you shall find true and lasting riches; But all the rest is nothing. When you have tired

Your thoughts on earthly things, when you have travelled

Through all the glittering pomps of this proud world

You shall sit down by Sorrow in the end.
Begin betimes, and teach your little son
To serve and fear God also.

640

Then God will be a husband unto you,
And unto him a father; nor can Death
Bereave you any more. When I am gone, 645
No doubt you shall be sought unto by many
For the world thinks that I was very rich.
No greater misery can befall you, Bess,
Than to become a prey, and, afterwards,
To be despised."'

'Human enough,' said Stukeley, 650 'And yet self-love, self-love!'

'Ah no,' quoth she, 'You have not heard the end: “God knows, I speak it

Not to dissuade you" not to dissuade you,

mark

655

"From marriage. That will be the best for you,
Both in respect of God and of the world."
Was that self-love, Sir Lewis? Ah, not all.
And thus he ended: "For his father's sake
That chose and loved you in his happiest times,
Remember your poor child! The Everlasting,
Infinite, powerful, and inscrutable God, 660
Keep you and yours, have mercy upon me,
And teach me to forgive my false accusers"
Wrong, even in death, you see.

"My true wife,

Farewell!

Then

There was a dreadful silence in that room, Silence that, as I know, shattered the brain Of Stukeley. When I dared to raise my head

Beneath that silent thunder of our God, The man had gone

690

This is his letter, sirs, Written from Lundy Island: "For God's love, Tell them it is a cruel thing to say That I drink blood. I have no secret sin, A thousand pound is not so great a sum; And that is all they paid me, every penny. 695 Salt water, that is all the drink I taste On this rough island. Somebody has taught The sea-gulls how to wail around my hut All night, like lost souls. And there is a face, A dead man's face that laughs in every storm,

And sleeps in every pool along the coast.

700

I thought it was my own, once. But I know
These actions never, never, on God's earth,
Will turn out to their credit, who believe
That I drink blood."

He crumpled up the letter 705 And tossed it into the fire.

'I think you are right pity villains.'

'Galen,' said Ben, that one should

The clock struck twelve. The bells began to peal.

We drank a cup of sack to the New Year. 'New songs, new voices, all as fresh as

Said Ben to Brome, 'but I shall never live To hear them.'

All was not so well, indeed, With Ben, as hitherto. Age had come upon him.

He dragged one foot as in paralysis.