Page:Reflections among the monuments.pdf/23

 Thoſe who gloried in high born anceſtors, and noble pedigree, here drop their lofty pretenſions. They acknowledge kindred with creeping things, and quarter arms with the meaneſt reptiles. They ſay to corruption, Thou art my father; and to the worm, Thou art my mother and my ſiſter.——Or, they ſtill aſſume the ſtyle of diſtinction, alas! how impotent were the claim! how apparent the oſtentation! It is ſaid by their monument, How eaſily is it replied by the ſpectator?—Falſe marble! Where? Nothing but poor and ſordid duſt lies here.

For now, ye lying vanities of life!

Ye ever tempting, ever cheating train!

Where are ye ? and what is your amount?

What is all the world to theſe poor breathleſs beings?—what are their pleaſures? A bubble broke.—What their honours? A dream that is forgotten.—What the ſum-total of their enjoyments below?

Alas! it is ſhorter than a ſpan, lighter the dancing ſpark, and driven away  the diſſolving ſmoke.

Indulge, my ſoul, a ſerious pauſe. Recollect all the gay things that were wont dazzle thy eyes, and inveigle thy affections. Here examine thoſe baits of ſenſe; form an eſtimate of their real value.