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.