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22
A PROSPECT OF
Address to the Memory of the late Mr. Gibson.
At one dire word whilst servile bands attend,
Bade the quick flame o'er learning's stores ascend.
Lo! pensive genius, o'er her Gibson's[1] bier,
Hangs the pale wreath, and drops the silent tear;
Decks with the laurel and the cypress round,
That hallowed turf which forms his sacred mound.
He, like the brilliant streamers issuing forth,
O'er the high arch of heav'n, from the cold north,
With splendid radiance caught the raptur'd eye;
Blaz'd out a star, but blaz'd, alas! to die.
Bade the quick flame o'er learning's stores ascend.
Lo! pensive genius, o'er her Gibson's[1] bier,
Hangs the pale wreath, and drops the silent tear;
Decks with the laurel and the cypress round,
That hallowed turf which forms his sacred mound.
He, like the brilliant streamers issuing forth,
O'er the high arch of heav'n, from the cold north,
With splendid radiance caught the raptur'd eye;
Blaz'd out a star, but blaz'd, alas! to die.
- ↑ The late Benjamin Gibson, Esq. was a man of the highest professional attainment and talent; a man warm in his friendships, communicative upon professional subjects, of a great delicacy of sentiment, and peculiar tenderness of honour. His genius was penetrating, and judgment solid; of a clear head and steady hand; attentive, tender, and humane; of a remarkable prepossessing address and suavity of manner, admirably calculated for ensuring confidence. As a lecturer upon Anatomy and Physiology, his claims to reputation were very superior; his delivery was clear, fluent, and unembarrassed, arising from a perfect knowledge of his subject. As an occulist, his fame has never been exceeded, except in the Metropolis. He was a man possessed of a constant activity in the search of professional improvement; of a just and laudable ambition; too soon snatched away from his friends and the public.
