Description de la maison et du musée situés au nord de la place de Lincoln's Inn Fields, à Londres. Demeure du Chevalier Soane : ... avec illustrations graphiques et details accessoires / [Sir John Soane].

John Soane

Date:: [1835]

Credit: Description de la maison et du musée situés au nord de la place de Lincoln's Inn Fields, à Londres. Demeure du Chevalier Soane : ... avec illustrations graphiques et details accessoires / [Sir John Soane]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$Palace, and senate-house, and temple light, Meet for the mighty in their proudest day. To these his goodliest skill he did impart ; For long and well he loved the offspring of his art. And tomes unnumber’d, in ail tongues, hath he ; With costly missals, wondrous to behold, Enrich’d with arabesques and tracery. And decorate with ’broidery of gold ; And volumes large, which whoso shall unfold, The dômes gigantic of old Thebes may see. And Pyramids whose taie is still untold. One book ’bove ail the rest will poets prize — ’Twas writ by Tasso’s hand, embalm'd by Tasso’s sighs. Jewels he gave—yea! gems of most rare worth, Of cunning workmanship, and ancient date ; Nor lacks he stores of whatsoever earth \ May yield the wealthy to adorn their state. But most he values what is truly great— That which high intellect had brought to birth Ere Tyre was crush’d or Persia desolate, When Athens flourish’d, or Rome taught to rise Palmyra’s column’d fanes ’neath Syria’s glowing skies. Of things like these ’twere not for me to tell ; Yet, haply dazzled by the lucid rays That o’er th’ Etrurian vases frequent fell, I fondly deem’d such objects sweet to praise. But better ’tis the pow’rless eye should gaze In silent ecstacy—therefore, farewell! And O ! he health, peace, pleasure, length of days To thee, who to thy native land hast given The guide of Genius, and Art’s earthly heaven. B. H.$