Dragging out eternity in disgrace

Back to Melville for today's random naval quote:

"...a glance like that of a sentimental archangel doomed to drag out his eternity in disgrace."

This is a description of the Neversink's inestimable captain of the main top, Jack Chase. However I can think of others to whom it could apply ;)

Melville, H., (2000), White-Jacket or the World in a Man-of-War, Northwestern University Press.