nowadays, need not be our lot. Let us be sure that earth shows no
fairer sight than the old man, whose worn-out brain and nerves make it
painful, and perhaps impossible, to produce fresh thought himself: but
who can yet welcome smilingly and joyfully the fresh thoughts of others;
who keeps unwearied his faith in God's government of the universe, in
God's continual education of the human race; who draws around him the
young and the sanguine, not merely to check their rashness by his wise
cautions, but to inspirit their sloth by the memories of his own past
victories; who hands over, without envy or repining, the lamp of truth
to younger runners than himself, and sits contented by, bidding the new
generation God speed along the paths untrodden by him, but seen afar off
by faith. A few such old persons have I seen, both men and women; in
whom the young heart beat pure and fresh, beneath the cautious and
practised brain of age, and gray hairs which were indeed a crown of
glory. A few such have I seen; and from them I seemed to learn what was
the likeness of our Father who is in heaven. To such an old age may He
bring you and me, and all for whom we are bound to pray.



LECTURE II--THE PTOLEMAIC ERA (Continued.)



I said in my first Lecture, that even if royal influence be profitable
for the prosecution of physical science, it cannot be profitable for
art. It can only produce a literary age, as it did in the Ptolemaic
era; a generation of innumerable court-poets, artificial epigrammatists,
artificial idyllists, artificial dramatists and epicists; above all, a
generation of critics. Or rather shall we say, that the dynasty was not