74 Satirical Pokms. From Don Juan Canto XIV. I. If from great Nature’s or our own abyss Of thought, we could but snatch a certainty, Perhaps mankind might find the path they miss — But then ’twould spoil much good philosophy. One system eats another up, and this Much as old Saturn ate his progeny; For when his pious consort gave him stones In lieu of sons, of these he made no bones. II. But System doth reverse the Titan’s breakfast, And cats her parents, albeit the di- gestion Is difficult. Pray tell inc, can you make fast, After due search, your faith to any question? Look back o’er ages, ere unto the stake fast You bind yourself, and call some mode the best one. Nothing more true than not to trust your senses; And yet what are your other eviden- ces? III. For me, 1 know not; nothing 1 deny, Admit, reject, contemn; and what know yon, Except perhaps that you were born to die? And both may after all turn out un- true. An age may come, Font of eternity, When nothing shall be cither old or new. Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep And yet a third of life is pass’d in sleep. IV. A sleep without dreams, after a rough day Of toil, is what we covet most; and yet IIow clay shrinks back from more quies- cent clay! The very suicide that pays his debt At once without instalments (an old way Of paying debts, which creditors re- gret) Lets out impatiently his rushing breath, Less from disgust of life than dread of death. I. Hvis fra den store Naturs eller vort eget Afgrund || Af Tanke vi kun kunde faa fat paa en Vished, || Kanskee Menneskesliegten (da) kunde Undo den Sli den taber — || Men saa vilde dette spolere meget af god Philosophi. || Det ene System aider det andet op, og dette jj Saa temmelig paa samme Maade som gamle Kronos aad sit Afkoin; || Till da bans slaegt- kjarlige jEgtefaslle gav ham Sterie || lsteden for Sdnner, saa gjorde ban ingen Omstajndig- heder ved disse. II. Men System vender Titanens Frokost om || Og ceder sine Foraildre, hvorvel Fordojelsen || Er vanskelig. Kom, sig mig, kan I gjore fast || Efter tilbdriig Granskning, eders Tro til noget Sporgsmaal ? || See tilbage over Tidsaldre, inden til P»len fast || I binder Eder selv, og kalder en eller anden Maade den bedste. || Intet er mere sikkert end det: ikke at tro Eders Sandser || Og dog hvad ere Eders andre Visheder (fuldgyldige Beviser). Euripides siger etsteds: Tig d'oidsvsi to Irjv [asv ionvxciTd-apfiu. To xc<T&c<yeu' cTf tyv vopi^iTcu pyoToig. in. Ilvad mig angaaer, jeg veed Intet; Intet jegnegter, || Tilstaaer, forkaster, foragter; og hvad veed /, || Undtagen kanskee at 1 var fodt til at do? || Og begge Dele kan, naar Alt kommer til Alt, beflndes usandt || En Tidsalder kan komme, Evighedens Font, || Da intet bliver enten gammelt eller nyt. || Den saakaldte Dod*) er en Ting som bringer Men- nesket til at gnede, |[ Og dog tilbringes en tredje Deel af Livet i Sovn. IV. En Sovn udenDromme, efter en haardDag|| Af Strabadser, er hvad vi meest begjiere; og dog || Ilvor Leeret gyser tilbage fra et endnu mere livilende Leer! || Endog Selvmorderen som betaler sin Gjield \\ Med eet uden Afdrag (en garnmel Fa?on || At betale Gjeld paa, hvilket Creditorer beklage) || Udlader utaal- modigt sin fremstyrtende Aandc || Mindre af Afsky for Liv end Frygt for Dod. En Tanke som Lord Byron paa et andet Sted. har udtrykt mere bogstaveli{j;t.

(1) Front Board
(2) Front Board
(3) Page I
(4) Page II
(5) Page III
(6) Page IV
(7) Page V
(8) Page VI
(9) Page VII
(10) Page VIII
(11) Page 1
(12) Page 2
(13) Page 3
(14) Page 4
(15) Page 5
(16) Page 6
(17) Page 7
(18) Page 8
(19) Page 9
(20) Page 10
(21) Page 11
(22) Page 12
(23) Page 13
(24) Page 14
(25) Page 15
(26) Page 16
(27) Page 17
(28) Page 18
(29) Page 19
(30) Page 20
(31) Page 21
(32) Page 22
(33) Page 23
(34) Page 24
(35) Page 25
(36) Page 26
(37) Page 27
(38) Page 28
(39) Page 29
(40) Page 30
(41) Page 31
(42) Page 32
(43) Page 33
(44) Page 34
(45) Page 35
(46) Page 36
(47) Page 37
(48) Page 38
(49) Page 39
(50) Page 40
(51) Page 41
(52) Page 42
(53) Page 43
(54) Page 44
(55) Page 45
(56) Page 46
(57) Page 47
(58) Page 48
(59) Page 49
(60) Page 50
(61) Page 51
(62) Page 52
(63) Page 53
(64) Page 54
(65) Page 55
(66) Page 56
(67) Page 57
(68) Page 58
(69) Page 59
(70) Page 60
(71) Page 61
(72) Page 62
(73) Page 63
(74) Page 64
(75) Page 65
(76) Page 66
(77) Page 67
(78) Page 68
(79) Page 69
(80) Page 70
(81) Page 71
(82) Page 72
(83) Page 73
(84) Page 74
(85) Page 75
(86) Page 76
(87) Page 77
(88) Page 78
(89) Page 79
(90) Page 80
(91) Page 81
(92) Page 82
(93) Page 83
(94) Page 84
(95) Page 85
(96) Page 86
(97) Page 87
(98) Page 88
(99) Page 89
(100) Page 90
(101) Page 91
(102) Page 92
(103) Page 93
(104) Page 94
(105) Page 95
(106) Page 96
(107) Page 97
(108) Page 98
(109) Page 99
(110) Page 100
(111) Page 101
(112) Page 102
(113) Page 103
(114) Page 104
(115) Page 105
(116) Page 106
(117) Page 107
(118) Page 108
(119) Page 109
(120) Page 110
(121) Page 111
(122) Page 112
(123) Page 113
(124) Page 114
(125) Page 115
(126) Page 116
(127) Rear Board
(128) Rear Board
(129) Spine
(130) Fore Edge
(131) Scale
(132) Color Palette