THE SWAN SONG. 105 



MYSELF. " I could not answer that question, Doctor. 

 In my library, in various volumes, are many hundred medi- 

 aeval Latin hymns. Some books of the i5th and i6th cen- 

 turies I have preserved only because they contained some- 

 times one or two Latin hymns ; many of which, I think, 

 must have been unknown to Daniel and to Mone, and 

 other collectors, for they are worthy a place in any collec- 

 tion. The number is inexhaustible. When I have a fa- 

 vorite, it lasts me but a week or two, and another takes its 

 place. You could no more say which is the finest, than 

 you could say which is the finest of our English hymns. 

 One may seem more musical, one more strong or nervous, 

 one more sonorous, one more pathetic, one more solemn, 

 and so on. But even in each characteristic there are nu- 

 merous rivals, and much depends on your own state of 

 mind at the time of reading a hymn." 



STEENBURGER. " Effendi, I heard you once, years ago, 

 speak of one which you called ' The Swan Song.' What 

 was it ?" 



MYSELF. "Very curious and very beautiful; the author 

 and period unknown ; but it has as much poetic fire and 

 imagination in it as any Latin song I know. It is not a 

 hymn at all. It is the wail of a dying voluptuary. Queerly 

 enough, it reminds me at times of some of the eloquence 

 of Augustine. Philip has it. I gave him a copy once." 



PHILIP. "Yes. You will find it in that book with a red 

 back on the third shelf, near the side. That's it. Get it 

 out John, and read." 



STEENBURGER (reads) : 



"CYGNUS EXSPIRANS. 



" Parendum est, cedendum est, 

 Claudenda vitae scena ; 

 Est jacta sors, me vocat mors, 



