Is it not strange that men who loudest boast
Of the unshaken basis of their faith,
Are those who tremble most and threaten most,
If any thought or word of doubt gainsayeth
Their bold asseverations? They are lost
In their perplexities, if e'er the torch
Of light intrude into their dark recess;
They fly like midnight spectres from the porch
Of Truth's resplendent temples, where the sun
Shines with mist-scattering majesty upon
Their fears, their follies, and their feebleness.
Sad contrast to that greatly-gifted one
Whose counsel was: 'Prove all things, and hold fast
By what is good!-for what is good will last.'