of the human intellect.

5.--VARIATION ON A FAMOUS PASSAGE IN 'THE DAUGHTER OF LEBANON.'

The evangelist, stepping forward, touched her forehead. 'She is mortal,'
he said; and guessing that she was waiting for some one amongst the
youthful revellers, he groaned heavily; and then, half to himself and
half to _her_, he said, 'O flower too gorgeous, weed too lovely, wert
thou adorned with beauty in such excess, that not Solomon in all his
glory was arrayed like thee, no nor even the lily of the field, only
that thou mightest grieve the Holy Spirit of God?' The woman trembled
exceedingly, and answered, 'Rabbi, what should I do? For, behold! all
men forsake me.'

Brief had been the path, and few the steps, which had hurried her to
destruction. Her father was a prince amongst the princes of Lebanon; but
proud, stern, and inflexible.

THE END.

FOOTNOTES:

[54] 'Against flies'--whence he must have merited the anger of
Beelzebub, whom Syrians held to be the tutelary god of flies; meaning
probably by 'flies' all insects whatever, as the Romans meant by
_passer_ and _passerculus_, all little birds of whatsoever family, and
by _malum_ every fruit that took the shape and size of a ball. How
honoured were the race of flies, to have a deity of the first rank for
their protector, a Caesar for their enemy! Caesar made war upon them with
his stylus; he is supposed to have massacred openly, or privately and
basely to have assassinated, more than seven millions of that
unfortunate race, who however lost nothing of that indomitable
pertinacity in retaliating all attacks, which Milton has noticed with
honour in 'Paradise Regained.' In reference to this notorious spirit of
persecution in the last prince of the Flavian house, Suetonius records a
capital repartee: 'Is the Emperor alone?' demanded a courtier. 'Quite
alone.' 'Are you sure? Really now is nobody with him?' Answer: '_Ne
musca quidem._'

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Posthumous Works of Thomas De
Quincey, Vol. II (2 vols), by Thomas De Quincey

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