36 
Marchioness of Thomoii's Pictures , [Aug. I, 
Since favouring' omeus thus approved, 
They mutual love, and are beloved ; 
Septimius prizes Acme more 
Than Syria’s realm and Britain’s shore ; 
And from Septimius only flows 
The bliss that faithful Acme kuows. 
Then search the world, and search in 
vain, 
For fonder maid, or happier swain— 
Ask men below, and gods above, 
Ask Venus kind, and potent Lov£, 
If e’er they with propitious care 
Heap’d equal bliss on any pair. 
There is more poetry in the transla¬ 
tion of the beautiful lines, entitled 44 the 
Rites at his Brother’s Grave,” than in 
any other of Mr. Lamb’s attempts. 
THE RITES AT HIS BROTHER’S GRAVE. 
Brother, I come o’er many seas and lands, 
To the sad rite which pious love ordains, 
To pay thee the last gift that death de¬ 
mands, 
And oft, though vain, invoke thy mute 
remains; 
Since death has ravish’d half mj'self in 
thee, 
O, wretched brother—-sadly torn from 
me ! 
And now ere fate our souls shall re-unite, 
To give me back all it hath snatch’d 
away, 
Receive the gifts, our father’s ancient 
rite, 
To shades departed still was wont to 
payj 
Gifts wet with tears of heartfelt grief that 
tell, 
And ever, brother,bless thee, and farew ell ! 
It is certainly creditable to a man in 
Mr. Lamb’s situation in life, to employ 
his leisure hours in pursuits like these; 
and although he may be far from suc¬ 
cessful, his volumes are calculated 
to afford pleasure and amusement. He 
is occasionally too fond of amplifica¬ 
tion, though, on the whole, w T e find 
little reason to quarrel with his fidelity 
as a translator._ 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine . 
SIR, 
OUR useful and comprehensive 
w r ork for June last, furnishes an 
account of the sale, per Christie, of the 
Marchioness of Thomon’s pictures, the 
principal of which are, it appears, origi¬ 
nal designs for the copartment of the 
window of the New' College, Oxford. 
This work having been achieved by one 
great master, and for the same express 
object, it may be presumed, that, in 
point of merit in the execution, these 
pieces do not vary materially. 
It is therefore highly worthy of re¬ 
mark, that the just discrimination 
which the purchasers have made, may 
be considered to refer to the choice of 
the subjects alone, and seems to afford a 
striking indication, worthy of our age, 
as to the just precedency wdiich is now 
so generally given to the most exalted 
virtues. 
1. Charity sold for 
£1500 
2. Justice 
1100 
3. Fortitude . 
700 
4. Hope 
650 
5. Temperance 
GOO 
6. Faith 
400 
7. Prudence . 
350 
If we venerate the authority of the 
sacred waitings, no one will dispute 
the first place belongs to Charity, 
44 which covers a multitude of sins.” 
The second to Justice, the severe ad¬ 
ministrator,but the companion of truth. 
These, from tlleir peculiar sacredness of 
character, though her offspring, stand, 
perhaps, higher even than fortitude 
herself, the parent of all the virtues. 
Hope now' is present to our view, who 
charms wherever she appears, animating 
every power of the mind, and engaging 
the fertile imagination, to embrace w ith 
becoming ardour, objects of honoura¬ 
ble ambition; all that constitute beauty, 
excellence, or grandeur; thus gaily 
conducting us through the arcadian 
fields, harbingers cf innocence and 
peace, to prospects of immortality. 
She enjoys a second place, too, in that 
exhilarating climax* which meets the 
soul in all its wanderings. 44 Faith, 
Hope, and Charity—these three, the 
greatest of all is Charity.” Tempe¬ 
rance may fairly claim the next place 
in the pantheon of manly virtues. 
While she gives effect to every attribute 
of the mind, w ithout w hich our reason 
w r ould be as a dead letter, and virtue 
but a name. We now turn to Faith, 
besmeared with blood, spilt in igno¬ 
rance, acknowledging that reason and 
her have often been at variance, but 
holding out fair promises of a happy 
issue, and peace and comfort to the 
aged. As to Prudence, she trains her 
homely mantle in the rear, and offers 
it as a covering, even to ordinary men. 
Paris , June 30,1321, Jos. 
ORIGINAL 
