320 ON THE DEATH OF LATREILLE. 



Art. XXXVI. — On the Death of Latreille. 



A VOICE of sorrow floats upon the gale, 

 'Tis science weeps, she weeps for thee, Latreille ! 

 At length thy bright career is o'er, 

 Thy honoured voice shall teach no more ; 

 And we, who doatingly have hung 

 Upon the wisdom of thy tongue, 

 All eager lest a single word 

 Should chance to pass thy lips unheard. 

 That, as a father's to his child. 

 Instruction poured in accents mild, 

 Not only to bright science true, 

 But advocating virtue too — 

 Now, drop upon thy hallowed bier, 

 The honest tribute of a tear. 



Oh Frenchman ! dost thou wonder ? wouldst thou know 

 Whence comes this lay, and whose this strain of woe ? 

 And deem'st thou that no honest hand 

 Can hold the pen in foreign land, 

 And thus with grief unfeign'd bewail 

 Thy own, thy loved, thy lost Latreille, 

 Nor seek to hide his sterling worth. 

 Because thy country gave him birth ? — 

 Oh ! learn that our impartial eye 

 Finds merit vmder any sky ; 

 Our pearls of knowledge have been Strang 

 From every land, in every tongue ; 

 And shall we ill for good return, 

 Nor let the palm where won be worn? — 

 No I when our Fire-fly spreads her wings, 

 An equal light on all she flings ; 

 A guardian banner is unfurled 

 For merit over all the world I 



And, Briton, as thou readest, put to rest 

 All envious feeling, if such haunt thy breast. 

 The mighty has resign'd his trust, 

 The teacher mingles with the dust ; 

 And surely we shall seek in vain 

 To find on earth his like again. 

 O, let not then thy niggard frown 

 Attempt to dim his radiant crown ; 

 But keep his matchless worth in view. 

 And honour give where honour's due : 

 Boughs of the weeping-willow beai- — 

 Wreaths of the gloomy cypress wear ; 

 And with us pay thy tribute here — 

 One heartfelt sigh, one parting tear. 



ENTOMOLOCIAEHODIERNAEFVNDATOR 



PETRVS -ANDREAS -LATREILLE 



DIEI-VIFEBRVARIIOBIIT 

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