Last words of Thomas Carlyle - Warburg Institute

'WOTTON RElNFKEt) 7suddenly checking himself.' It was a vision, a briefcalenture, a thing that belonged not to this earth.'He stood gazing out upon the starry night. Theold man approached, but knew not what to say.*Dothey not look down on us as ifwith pity from theirserene spaces,' said Eeinfred, ' like eyes glisteningwith heavenly tears over the poor perplexities of man?"Herrliche Gefiihle erstarren in," &c.Their brightnessis not bedimmed by any vapour, the mists of ourtroubled planet do not reach them. Thousands ofhuman generations all as noisy as our own have beenengulfed in the abyss ofof them seen any more ;time, and there is no wreckand Arcturus and Orion andthe Pleiades are still shining in their courses, clearand young as when the shepherd firstnoted them onthe plain of Shinar. Oh, what is life, or why shouldwe sorrow or joy over it when it is but for a moment ?What is all the earth, and all that have inherited orshall inherit it ? Blot it out utterly and it is notmissed from the Creation. Blot me out, and shall Ibe missed ?such a toy !Shame on me, foolish child, to whine for'Truth, virtue, beauty are in man,' said theother ;'they are older than the stars, and will livewhen these too have returned to the void nightwhence they were called forth in the beginning.Wotton, my son, thou wilt know and feel thisat last,though now thou know it not ; and affliction will beprecious which teaches thee such knowledge.' Wotton