When lo! each injur'd apparition rofe;
Aghaft the murd'rer started from his bed;

Guilt's trembling breath his heart's red current froze,

And Horror's dew-drops bath'd his frantic head.

More had I feen-but now the God of day

O'er earth's broad breaft his flood of light had

fpread,

When Morpheus call'd his fickle dreams away,
And on their wings each bright illusion fled.

Yet ftill the dear ENCHANTRESS of the brain
My waking eyes with wifhful wand'rings fought,
Whofe magic will controls th' ideal train,
The ever-restless progeny of THOUGHT.

Sweet power, I faid, for others gild the ray
Of Wealth, or Honor's folly-feather'd crown,
Or lead the madding multitude aftray

To grafp at air-blown bubbles of renown.

Me (humbler lot!) let blameless bliss engage,
Free from the noble mob's ambitious ftrife,
Free from the muck-worm mifer's lucrous rage,
In calm Contentment's cottage vale of life.

If frailties there (for who from them is free?)

Through Error's maze my devious footsteps lead, Let them be frailties of humanity,

And my heart plead the pardon of my head.

Let

Let not my reason impiously require

What heav'n has plac'd beyond its narrow fpan, But teach it to subdue each fierce desire,

Which wars within its own fmall empire, man.

Teach me, what all believe, but few poffefs;
That life's best science is ourselves to know,
The first of human bleffings is to bless,

And happieft he who feels anothers woe.

Thus cheaply wife, and innocently great,
While Time's fmooth fand fhall regularly país,
Each deftin'd atom's quiet courfe I'll wait,
Nor rafhly break, nor wifh to ftop the glass.

And when in death my peaceful ashes lie,

If e'er fome tongue congenial fpeaks my name,
Friendship shall never blush to breathe a figh,
And great ones envy such an honest fame.

SHAK

SHAKSPEARE's WILL,

Extracted from the Registry of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Vicefimo quinto die Martii Anno Regni Domini noftri Jacobi nunc Regis Anglia &c. decimo quarto & Scotia quadragefimo nono, Anno Domini 1616.

IN the name of God, Amen. I William Shakspeare of Stratford-upon-Avon, in the county of Warwick, Gent. in perfect health and memory, God be praised, do make and ordain this my last Will and Teftament in manner and form following; that is to say:

First, I commend my foul into the hands of God my Creator, hoping, and affuredly believing, through the only merits of Jefus Chrift my Saviour, to be made partaker of life everlasting; and my body to the earth whereof that is made.

Item, I give and bequeath unto my daughter Judith one hundred and fifty pounds of lawful English money, to be paid unto her in manner and form following; that is to fay, one hundred pounds in discharge of her marriage portion within one year after my deceafe, with confiderations after the rate of two fhillings in the pound for fo

long

long time as the fame shall be unpaid unto her after my decease; and the fifty pounds refidue thereof upon her furrendering of a living of fuch fufficient fecurity as the overfeers of this my will fhall like of, to furrender or grant all her estate and right that fhall defcend or come unto her after my decease, or that she now hath of, in, or to one copyhold tenement, with the appurtenances lying and being in Stratford-upon-Avon aforesaid, in the said county of Warwick, being parcell or holden of the manor of Rowington, unto my daughter Susannah Hall, and her heirs for ever.

Item, I give and bequeath unto my faid daughter Judith one hundred and fifty pounds more, if she, or any iffue of her body, be living at the end of three years next enfuing the day of the date of this my will, during which time my executors to pay her confideration from my decease according to the rate aforefaid: and if she die within the faid term without iffue of her body, then my Will is, and I do give and bequeath one hundred pounds thereof to my niece Elizabeth Hall, and the fifty pounds to be fet forth by my executors during the life of my fifter Joan Harte, and the ufe and profit thereof coming, fhall be paid to my fifter Joan, and after her decease the fifty pounds fhall remain amongst the children of my faid fifter, equally to be divided amongst them; but if my faid daughter

Judith

Judith be living at the end of the faid three years, or any iffue of her body, then my Will is, and fo I devife and bequeath the faid hundred and fifty pounds to be fet out by my executors and over. feers for the best benefit of her and her iffue, and the stock not to be paid unto her fo long as she fhall be married and covert Baron; but my Will is that she shall have the confideration yearly paid unto her during her life, and after her decease the faid stock and confideration to be paid to her children, if the have any, and if not, to her executors and affigns, fhe living the said term after my deceafe; provided that is fuch husband as she shall at the end of the said three years be married unto, or at and after, do fufficiently affure unto her, and the iffue of her body, land anfwerable to the portion by this my Will given unto her, and to be adjudged fo by my executors and overseers, then my Will is, that the faid hundred and fifty pounds fhall be paid to fuch husband as fhall make fuch affurance, to his own use.

Item, I give and bequeath unto my said fifter Joan twenty pounds, and all my wearing apparel, to be paid and delivered within one year after my decease; and I do will and devife unto her the house with the appurtenances in Stratford, wherein the dwelleth, for her natural life, under the yearly rent of twelve-pence.