But 'tis not so; yon brawny fool, Who swaggers, swears, and a' that, And thinks because his strong right arm Might fell an ox, and a' that, That he's as noble, man for man, As duke or lord, and a' that, Is but an animal at best But _not_ a man for a' that. A man may own a large estate, Have palace, park, and a' that, And not for birth, but honest worth, Be thrice a man for a' that. And Sawnie, herding on the moor, Who beats his wife and a' that, Is nothing but a brutal boor, Nor half a man for a' that. It comes to this, dear Robert Burns, The truth is old, and a' that, The rank _is_ but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that. And though you'd put the self-same mark On copper, brass, and a' that, The lie is gross, the cheat is plain, And will not pass for a' that. "For a' that and a' that" 'Tis soul and heart and a' that That makes a king a gentleman, And not his crown for a' that. And whether he be rich or poor The best is he, for a' that, Who stands erect in self-respect, And acts the man for a' that. --Charles Mackay. ESSE QUAM VIDERI The knightly legend on thy shield betrays The moral of thy life; a forecast wise, And that large honor that deceit defies, Inspired thy fathers in the elder days, Who decked thy scutcheon with that sturdy phrase, _To be, rather than seem._ As eve's red skies Surpass the morning's rosy prophecies, Thy life to that proud boast its answer pays, Scorning thy faith and purpose to defend. The ever-mutable multitude at last Will hail the power they did not comprehend-- Thy fame will broaden through the centuries; As, storm and billowy tumult overpast, The moon rules calmly o'er the conquered seas. --John Hay. THE HIGHER LAW Man was not made for forms, but forms for man, And there are times when law itself must bend To that clear spirit always in the van, Outspeeding human justice. In the end Potentates, not humanity, must fall. Water will find its level, fire will burn, The winds must blow around the earthly ball, The earthly ball by day and night must turn; Freedom is typed in every element, Man must be free, if not through law, why then Above the law, until its force be spent And justice brings a better. But, O, when, Father of Light, when shall the reckoning come To lift the weak, and strike the oppressor dumb. --Christopher Pearse Cranch. What I am, what I am not, in the eye Of the world, is what I never cared for much. --Robert Browning. I RESOLVE