Francis T. Palgrave, ed. (18241897). The Golden Treasury. 1875. | | J. Shirley | | LXVIII. The Last Conqueror | | VICTORIOUS men of earth, no more | | Proclaim how wide your empires are; | | Though you bind-in every shore | | And your triumphs reach as far | | As night or day, | 5 | Yet you, proud monarchs, must obey | | And mingle with forgotten ashes, when | | Death calls ye to the crowd of common men. | | | Devouring Famine, Plague, and War, | | Each able to undo mankind, | 10 | Death's servile emissaries are; | | Nor to these alone confined, | | He hath at will | | More quaint and subtle ways to kill; | | A smile or kiss, as he will use the art, | 15 | Shall have the cunning skill to break a heart. | | |
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