S: ^ "A l>- f» "^JT m •IP' C:^ 3f ^'N- i .y ■*af^i '>^ '^V^^ft ^f 'N*^ ,4. - ^ :j -F ^ !^ 00 ^ >. ^ tn '' .' // HTIfKJACKSOH, LOHnOM A.PAiUr. - nv mS^ 1 E 1' G M. .i. ¥ if, M C; S ., ^^^^. ,^'\t [ x. /!. •.^!>iuJ,lyfStrWaiafi.RA. C'Vr J^^^^z^/y. l.OHUOH v lO^n Q ri ^ AAUPL/ART3 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY aUEEN VICTORIA. BY THE HON. MKS. NORTON. A TAiR face, and a fragile arm, lu England's present hour, Assume the Sceptre and the Crown, Emblems of Royal Power. And he who deems a woman's hand Should scarce have strength to sway. Let him but gaze on that fair face, And it shalVsay him nay. Bold resolution, — frankest truth. Courage to dare, or die. Live in that snowy brow's expanse. That blue imperial eye : And England treasures glorious days, Liuk'd with a woman's reign : The Past hath given the Future pledge, Such trust need not be vain ! Pirm planted, like our native Oak, (To flourish evermore,) Religion rose in Majesty, The storms of faction o'er. And flung her holy ample shade. Along the quiet land, When England's destinies were sway'd By Woman's Royal hand : S. S. — VOL. I. B THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. While one by one, like circling stars, That dawn upon the night. Name after name its glory threw Around the Sovereign's might. Sage, Warrior, Poet, Statesman, claim'd Their place in History's page, — And stamp'd that term of Woman's rule, As Britain's " Golden Age." With many a glorious motive more. And many an error less. Than made the Rainbow and the Cloud, In days of " good Queen Bess :" — • Without th' intolerance which blurr'd That yet unsettled time ; (Gross cruelties, — which shall not mar This light triumphant rhyme !) Without the vanity which gave The chrysolite its flaw, — And bade the Courtier-Lovers watch Her will's despotic law : — Without the loneliness which brought. No Heir to England's throne, (But vapid boast of that deep loss. No lovely child to own:) — Blest with the sunshine of dear love, — And Motherhood's proud joy, — Her own and England's hopes renew'd, In many a stately boy : — All holy ties of Life complete, A Woman, — though a Queen, So may Victoria's reign surpass, The glories that have been ! May Justice hold with equal hand, The balance of the scale ; Nor Favour, nor Oppression, bid The undue side prevail ; May none be held so proud, that they May impudently dare; May none be thought too low and mean, A subject's right to share ; THE BULL-FIGHT. But over all, — since Heaven first gave A kiugdom, for a dower, — May Heaven's clear justice still appear, Protection, joined with Power. And God prolong the happy days, To distant lines of light, — And guard that fair anointed head, In every sacred right ! THE i3 U L L-F I G II T. The land of romance and enchantment art thou, oh! sunny Spain; so bright with thy citron groves and olive bowers, thy fair myrtle flowers half shaded by dark foliage, thy shining oranges like " golden lamps liid in a night of green," and thy richly-laden vines with their purple clusters, glowing in the warm sunlight. And the sunbeams fall on thy ruined towers and castles, the glorious remnants of antiquity. There are the proud halls where the Cid held his banquet of state ; once they were filled with all the pomp and splendour of earthly grandeur — they are silent now; but even their very desolation is beauty itself; the grass grows within the festal hall ; and wild flowers wreathe themselves around the polished marble columns of the regal palaces of a generation long since past away. It is recorded, that the last Moorish monarch who sat upon the Spanish throne, when compelled to abdicate his kingly authority, wept as he took a farewell gaze of the luxuriant valleys and bold rocky heights of his beloved Spain ; and well might he lament, to quit thus ignomini-> ously, the country -which his ancestors had claimed for their own by might and by strength — a country, too, in which they had lived as kings and conquerors of the earth, and surrounded by all the pomp and splendour wliicli a long line of voluptuous princes had heaped together from the spoils of surrounding nations. Yes 1 Spain is a beautiful country; and so far as external loveliness is concerned, the fair daughters of Iberia hold a first position in the ranks of grace aud beauty. But, alas 1 how can we gaze with admiration on the glowing cheek ; the ruby lip ; the dark earnest eye, with its drooping lid, and long silken fiinge-like lashes; the rich raven tresses; and the queen-like figure so gracefully enshrouded in the folds of the mantilla; if that "glorious creation" be gladdening her woman's heart with scenes of cruelty and bloodshed ? The Roman matrons of old bent their unwomanly gaze on the fierce gladiator, as he struggled in mortal agony ■with his relent.css foe, and the very soul sickens at the remembrance of their cruel delight. And with equal horror we must turn away from the lovely young Spaniard who adorns her graceful form with rich 8 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. robes and glittering jewels, and sets forth all tlie cliarms of her resplendent beauty to mingle ivith^ — what? with the festive dance, or the thrilling song? No, to mix with a multitude who, like herself, young and fair, are met, with the brave and bold of the sterner sex, to gaze on all the sickly horrors of a bull-fight. The hour of the spectacle is arrived ; the areua is cleared ; in the surrounding galleries are bright eyes and flowing tresses; and light and trifling conversation is passing between the gay young donna and her gallant companion. Soon a silence ensues; the noble animal is driven to the scene of combat; his cruel opponent is ready, mounted on a fiery steed, with spear or lance in hand, to attack his defenceless victim. The unfortunate creature endeavours to retreat, but in vain. The shouts of the spectators and the anguish of his wounds goad him to madness, and he rushes with redoubled rage against his remorseless enemv, who seizes the opportunity to inflict fresh torture; till, at length, from loss of blood, or from some well-directed mortal thrust, the miserable bull expires, and his mangled carcase is dragged forth, to give place to another noble animal, who must, in like manner, suffer, struggle, and die ! And this is done iu a Christian country ! — a country which professes a religion whose first moral principles are love, gentleness, and mercy ! Happily this barbarous amusement is now excluded from British shores; but though never so prevalent here as it is in Spain, yet it was once sufficiently practised among us to cause Englishmen to blush for their country. Let us hope, that the day will arrive when the sufferings of any living crea- ture shall cease to give pleasure to beings possessing rational and immortal minds. This, however, can only be when Christian principle shall influence all hearts. If mothers would see their children generous and humane, let them, in the days of eai'ly childhood, sow those seeds of piety, which, as it may be hoped, will spring up and bring forth abundantly the fair fruits of love, justice, and mercy. ENGLAND'S HOPE. BY MRS. ELLIS. Say not that England's glorious days Were those that live in poets' lays. With tales of arm'd or conquering host. Of battle won or banner lost ; When scarce a mountain, field, or glen, Was free from bands of lawless men ; Nor sturdy hand could guard the soil From tyrant's grasp, or rufiian's spoil. ^^ ENGLAND'S HOPE. 9 When laws were feeble, rights were few; Great then the name of Champion grew j And he who donn'd him for the fight, With plumed helm, and armour bright, Or he who came, his glittering shield And polish'd lance, with grace to wield, Dash'd on the ground a warrior's glove. And murder'd man for woman's love — These were the hero-champions then. The flower of knighthood— glorious men I But England needs no Champion now I No helm to bind her patriot's brow, No polish'd lance, or glittering shield. Or tramp of war-horse in the field. Hush'd is the trumpet's brazen call ; And echo from the castle wall No longer tells of gathering bands. Of burning homes, and wasted lauds. Yes ! England owns a wiser creed ; Her fattening flocks now safely feed j Her fertile vales, with plenteous grain. Pour forth their produce not in vain. But chiefly where her thousands meet. With ready hand and busy feet, With earnest care of actual things. Behold ! a present glory springs ; And pride, which boasted feats of war. Now tells where richer trophies are ; Points to the teeming human hive. Where thousands meet to toil and strive. Not with that combat, fierce and bold, Which stain'd the battle-plains of old, But with the mastery of skill ; The power of well-directed will ; The strength of numbers, when combined To work with harmony of mind. So let it be. But is this all ? Shall never more the glorious call e. s. — VOL. I. C 10 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS, To loftier thouglits and nobler deeds Ring through our country's verdant meads ? Shall never more the pulse of life Beat higher than with sordid strife ? Nor purer hond, nor holier tie, Than interest, bind our destiny? Forbid it, honour — virtue — truth ! Forbid it, ye, whose generous youth Gives promise fair of wider scope, And loftier range for England's Hope. We would not hold one active hand. Nor bid one vast machine to stand ; But something we would ask of you. Young British Champions, bold and true. Now that no more the lance and shield. Or warrior's sword, ye need to wield ; Now that a nation's trusting eye Looks to the throned majesty Of Her who reigns, all fears above. So safely in her people's love. We ask, that from the greedy throng. Where love of gold leads hosts along. Ye stand apart — a separate band. With manly heart and generous hand. To guard the feeble from the strong. And stay the oppressor's guilty wrong. Bold British youths, we look to you ! Your hearts are warm, your lips are true. Awake ! arise ! Look forth and see The Soul hath need of liberty ! Look forth ! Man's labour is not all — His skill may paint the princely hall. And looms may weave, and workmen frame. What brings a richly-purchased fame ; But higher yet ! ye British youth ! This is not greatness, virtue, truth ; For lives there one of meanest birth Whose soul is satisfied with earth ? \M)0 never, at the close of day, Has bent his bruised knee to pray THE MOUNTAIN STREAM. 11 " Tliy kingdom come," witli inward trust. That come that kingdom would, aud must? Then stand ye forth, brave youths, nor try To still this bold, this onward cry ; This natural impulse, kindly given To help naan's upward course to heaven ; To teach liim not to fail, or pause, "When Champion in a righteous cause. Onward 1 for youth beams on your brow, And hfe's quick pulse is beating now ; And age will come and steal away The freshening impulse of to-day. Laugh ye ! for your's was meant to be The season bright of hope and glee j But let your frolic and your fun These sober facts be stamp'd upon, That seldom follow words of truth From lips that have been false in youth ; That England's Hope can only rest With safety, in a generous breast ; Let youth its high behest obey — As virtue's Champion, guard, and stay ! THE MOUNTAIN STREAM. BY MKS. ELLIS. A PEASANT girl stood by the stream, Lost in the mazes of a dream. With thoughtful brow, and beaming smile. The rippling brook she heard the while ; Its voice was one of early days, Which told of childhood's flowery ways; Pamiliar every word she caught. And every tone its music brought. As household language to her ear. So full of meaning, soft, and clear. And still she listened, still she smiled, Till answering thus, the peasant child 12 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Betray'd the beatings of a breast, No mouutaia-stream could lull to rest. " Sweet mountain-stream, where hast thou been. Ere nursed witliin these banks of green ? Perchance amid yon crags so high, "Whose summits touch the azure sky? There did -it thou leap from rock to rock. Now dash'd upon the granite block, Now softly sinking, calm, and deep. Within thy marble bed to sleep. Ah, mountain-stream, I envy thee Thy wild, wild life of liberty. For I am tired of toil and care, Of humble roof, and mountain fare ; Sweet mountain-stream, and I would be A thing of bounding life like thee ; Away, away, to glide and go. No hard restraint, no fear to know. But ever onward — onward still — To feel no impulse but my wiU." " Ah ! peasant maid," the stream replied, In gentle murmurs by her side; " Thou little know'st what fate is mine, Or scarcely would thy young heart pine To lead a life of liberty. Mid yon far mountain-heights with me. 'Tis true I feel the morning light Reflected iu my bosom bright; 'Tis true I bask at noon of day Beneath the sun's unshadow'd ray ; 'Tis true I sparlde, dance, and smile, And hurrying onward many a mile. My bright and silvery course I wind ; But home like thine I never find. The peaceful roof that shelters thee, Nor shade, nor comfort yields to me ,: And when thou seek'st thy nightly rest. Perchance the storm beats on my breast. No, gentle maid, thou knowest not The pains, the perils of my lot; ,... ... ^-^ oil DON Jc PARIS. THE MOUNTAIN STREAM. 13 How much of what tliou deemest play, Is strife with things that block my way, The stubborn crag, the granite rock, The precipice, and thunder-shock, The downward plunge in hope to gain Some place of rest — Oh ! think again. Young peasant maid, nor wish to be A wandering, homeless thing like me." " Sweet stream," again the maid began. Then o'er her cheek her fingers ran — To hide the burning blush that came. Yet scarce could be a blush of shame. So pure its tint, so soft its hue. To woman's bounding heart so true. " Sweet stream," she said, " perchance 'tis not That I would share thy mountain-lot. Enough of sterile crags I see. Of granite rocks, enough for me ; But tell me, for I fain would know. Sweet mountain-stream, where dost thou go ? Say, dost thou, wandering through the vale, List sometimes to the nightingale. Mid shadowy groves, and leafy bowers. And gardens gay with scented flowers ? Say, dost thou kiss the palace walls. Or lave the steps of courtly halls ; Or hear the stir of trampling feet. Where busy thousands mix and meet ? 'Tis there, sweet stream, that I would go, Down to those plains, where softly flow Thy waters ever pure, and bright. Reflecting to the wondering sight. The rainbow hues, the pomp, the pride. The courtly pageants, here denied, The waving plume, the bearing high, The gems, the robes of richest dye. Fair forms adorn'd in silken sheen, — Where those are worn, where these are seen, 'Tis there that I would go, sweet stream j Nay, murmur not, nor chide my dream — S. S. — VOL. I. D 14 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS,. 'Tis there that I would go, and be, Sweet mountaiu-stream, still pure like thee." " Ah gentle maid," the stream replied, Wliile deeper swell'd its mournful tide ; " Thou little know'st what fate must fall, Mid those gay scenes, on me — on all. Gaze on my crystal waters now. Say could'st thou bind a regal brow With purer gems of brighter hue. To cloudless suns and skies more true ? See how thy brother's hand may play Unsullied by their touch all day ; How quench his thirst, his pitcher fill. With health from out my sparkling rill. Such hast thou ever found me here. The same sweet fountain, pure, and clear ; But meet me on yon peopled plain, Scarce wouldst thou know thy friend again. Or where the city's heaving tide Swells with the pomp of human pride, 'Tis there the deepest stains of all, The darkest shadows, o'er me fall ; 'Tis there, a low polluted thing, Scarce fit to bathe the wild bird's wing, I drag my weary length, and feel No ruby lip my waters steal. Nor step of childhood wandering near ; My wave, no longer cool and clear. Invites no village maid to stray Along my banks at close of day. Ah, couldst thou meet me rolling then Among the busy walks of men. Their wealth upon my bosom laid, A weary burden, gentle maid ; Scarce wouldst thou breathe a pitying sigh For stream so dark, so stained, as I. " Then, peasant-maid, contented be, High 'mid these mountain-wilds with me. The world looks fair when gazing down On peopled plain, and busy town, ^,1 ^ 1^ CANUTE'S EEPROOF OF HIS COURTIERS. 15 And many a charm attracts tliiue eye; But seek tliem not, nor fondly try To keep within thy gentle breast The same pure thoughts, the same sweet rest, As dance around thy gentle brow, And meet thee in thy cottage now. If once thy steps should wander there. Remember me ; and, oh ! beware !" The peasant-girl stood still, and sighed ; Perchance it touched her maiden pride To hear the sermon of a stream, Dispelling every golden dream. But soon her better thoughts came back : And soon again her homeward track With cheerful tread she liasten'd o'er. Content to reach her cottage door ; Content to feel, that high and low. All wide extremes their perils know; That safety, peace, and comfort, lie Half way between the low and high. A VISIT TO THE SCENE OP CANUTE'S REPROOE OF HIS COURTIERS. The evening was far advanced when I reached the celebrated spot where Canute the Dane is said to have given his memorable lesson to the flattering and servile courtiers of his train. There was the shingly shore ; there were the bright waters of the English Channel; there was the many-coloured sea-weed floating ashore, as the advancing tide swelled higher and higher ; and there were the wild sea-birds, scream- ing and flitting over the little channels of salt water, which intersected the beach — all nature remained as it was in the time of the Dane. The wind too had risen, and the proud waves were rushing onward, each one displaying its silvery crest as it dashed over rock and sand ; and while the western horizon was glowing with all gorgeous tints, and reflecting its crimson and golden hues on the rippling waters beneath, dark, stormy-looking clouds were rising in the opposite quarter, and lending to the scene a magnificent beauty, as they slowly rose, assuming each moment a more leaden tinge, and contrasting finely with the glorious sunset-dyes in the west. On such an evening it might be, that Canute sat to watch the gathering clouds and the rising 16 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. tide ; and a fanciful mind might easily forget the intervening centuries, and see in imagination the crowd of servile flatterers gathered round their royal master, the smile of derision and wonder curling their lying lips as they gazed upon him who apparently gave credence to their absurd assurances. And the noble Canute — it were easy to picture him, rising from his wave-encircled seat, and boldly bearing witness to the omnipotent power of Him who alone can stay the raging of the ocean, and say to its mighty billows, " Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further ; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." How great is the contrast between the Danish monarch and the vaunting, fui'ious Xerxes. Surely it was the softening power of Christianity which caused this marvellous difference ; for man naturally is high-minded and vain-glorious, and loves to command all things and all people. A few days after my visit to this spot, I stood in the Cathedral of Winchester, its solemn aisles and deserted chapels re-echoing my footsteps as I passed along, sur- rounded by the tombs of the great ones of the earth — and there, beneath the carved roof, and the blazoned heraldries of ancient days, reposed the ashes of the illustrious Dane. Many of his valiant actions are forgotten ; the memory of them has perished ; but that one speech on the sandy shore of the English Channel is still fresh as ever, and registered in the minds of all. The mighty waves of the sea are still breaking on the weed-bound rocks ; the sunset sky still glows with all the rich hues of gems and flowers ; but Canute and his lordly train are passed away. A heap of ashes alone remains of that regal form, and even the last resting-places of his followers are for- gotten. " So fades the glory of this world," is written in eternal characters, on every marble sepulchre, and on every scene of departed grandeur. POLAND. BY THE HON. MRS. NORTON. After the Night — the Day ! After the Darkness — Dawn ! Trust to thy Star's bright ray, Tho' its light be awhile withdrawn. Though Ruin and Death are round. And the best of the brave he slain j Again shall the war-cry sound, And the standard be rear'd again. I E.aB; ^; ;-^'n. ;:.T. PAPJRI? POLAND. 17 Not all the red current is dry, Thougli blood hath been freely shed ; Not all of the lineage high, Lie heap'd with the slaughter'd Dead. The dyke of the river is cut, — The branches are lopp'd from the tree, — But the gap shall be mended and shut. The green bough wave freshly and free ! Slain Fathers have left to their Sons, No store but the blood in their veins : Proud, brave, and indignant it runs. And it may not be fetter'd by chains. Then smile, — little orphan, — and sleep ! Though the Mother that rocks thee to rest. Thro' the long nights does nothing but weep. As she lulls thee, in pain, on her breast. Oh ! smile, till thine arm is grown strong. For the sword, with its gleaming stroke ; Till thy heart comprehends the wrong, Of the mighty oppressor's yoke ; Till the tale of thy Father's death. And thy Mother's lingering woe. Shall quicken thy heaving breath, And thy flush'd cheek's fever'd glow. Oh, sleep ! till the dream shall break, Which wrapp'd thy calm childhood round ; Till thy conscious spirit shall wake. As it were, to a trumpet's sound ; Till thou hearest thy Mother tell. In her low, heart-broken tones, Of the battle's thundering yell. And thy Father's dying groans. Then, slumber and rest no more ! Be the task of thy life begun ; S. S. VOL. I. ^ 18 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Stand ready, the blood to pour, Which that Father bequeathed his son. . Like the goal, that is set afar, For the swift in the race to win ; Like the beacon-light's changeless star. Which guides the worn mariner in : Let the love of thy country gleam, Sole aim and sole end of all j Thy very existence seem. But a chance to break her thrall. Tho' like one whom a shipwreck hath cast. On a restless, wandering lot, — In exile thy life be past. In a land where thy Dead are not : Thy Poland for aye untrod, — And the hymns of her worship sung. To thy God, and thy Father's God, In an alien and foreign tongue : — Forget not the land of thy birth ! Abjure not those memories dear : The blood that was soak'd in her earth. Do thou in thy heart revere. Let the mournful and terrible truth, Still present, thy thoughts engage ; A cloud to encompass thy youth. With the soberer visions of Age. For prison and exile may be, The lot of the true and the brave : But to smUe, — as if glad and free, — Is the part of a willing Slave. " In patience possess thou thy soul," Tho' thy hope may seem faint and far ! How near is the unseen goal ? How near is the beacon-star ? THE TEACHER. 19 Yet both may be reacted at last, By the steady in heart and eye : Time enough, when all hope is past. For the sake of the cause, to die. But, after the Night— the Day ! After the Darkness — Dawn ! Trust to thy star's bright ray. Though its light be awhile withdrawn. THE TEACHER. BY LADY DTJFFERIN. The long day's done ! and she sits still. And quiet, iji the gathering gloom : What are the images that fill Those absent eyes — that silent room ? Soft winds the latticed casement stir : The hard green rose-buds tap the pane. Like merry playmates, beckoning her To join them at their sports again ; And from the hill, a pleasant chime Of bells, comes down upon the ear, That seems to sing — "The evening time Is passing sweet ! come forth ! — come here !" But she sits still, and heedeth not The sweet bell, nor the fading light ; Time, space, earth, heaven, are all forgot. In one dear dream of past delight. Oh, letter ! old, and crush'd, and worn ; Yet fresh, in those love-blinded eyes. As on that first delightful morn. That gave thee to her patient sighs ; How hoped for — dreamed of — dear, thou art ! What earnest of like joys to come ! How treasured near her simple heart, That first fond letter, from her Home ! 20 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Poor cliild ! so early com'st thou forth. Like Ruth, to gleau in alien fields ? Cold welcome greets thee, on this earth. And poor the harvest that it yields ! No wonder that thy young heart burns. And, with such aching sense of love. To that dear sheltering ark returns, That sent thee forth — poor wandering Dove ! The hour will come — tho' far it seems — When school'd by pain, and taught by time. Thou 'It lose no more, in idle dreams, The good hours of thy golden prime : Each day, with its appointed care. Shall bring its calm and comfort too ; The power to act, the strength to bear. What Duty bids thee bear, or do : And when the eve's repose shall come. Thy tranquil thoughts shall then be given — Not back to that lost earthly home — But forwards — to thy home in Heaven ! WAKING DREAMS. One morn a country maiden gay. To market blithely tripp'd her waj'. With store of eggs ; and as she walk'd, 'Twas thus the village-beauty talk'd. " These eggs I cannot fail to sell. And what they '11 bring I scarce can tell ; But sure enough to buy a hen ; My future chickens will I then, With their plump breasts and plumage white, Guard from all prowling foxes' bite. My chickens sold, I'll buy a dress ! Two flounces — fifteen yards — no less — Ah ! there's a dream of happiness I Sir 7". : :v-'^;.P. A .^,>%/ 'ly// /A- y)v/^ PRINCE ALBERT. 21 Green suits me best ; and many a swain I'll captivate ; but I'll not deign To cast on one a pitying glance. For coldness will my charms enhance." Thus musing in her virgin pride, Her basket standing by her side. On mossy bank the maid reclined, And future triumphs fill'd her mind ; The hour was sultry, and a doze Soon perfected her soft repose, While in her sleeping features beam'd The brightness of the dreams she dream'd. At length she opes her sparkling eyes, And moves as if about to rise ; Alas ! that movement overturns The precious basket ; and she learns, Her eggs being gone, her hopes are o'er, And WAKING DREAMS are hers no morej Tarewell to all her visions bright, Alas ! delusive was their light ! Where is the youth or maiden fair. Who ne'er hath "castles" built "in air?" The wisest have their waking dreams. Where hope with flattering radiance beams ; Our fable but an emblem is Of all such visionary bliss. PRINCE ALBERT. O'er the broad ocean-wave, Albert, thou camest ; Leaving for this fair Isle thy Father-land, Where gloomy hills, like solemn altars, rise E'en to the sunset clouds ; where the deep rivers Lave, with their clear blue streams, the old gray stones Of castle-fortresses of ancient times ; Where the lone dells and forest-wilds are ridi With antique songs, and legendary lore ; Where the black pine-woods frown in darkest awe, S. — VOL. I. F 22 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Beneath the mighty mountain's misty brow ; "Where ancient battlements, moss-clad, and ivy-wreathed, Still stand in undecaying grandeur stern, Yet glowing, as of old, at eventide. Bathed in the crimson light of parting day ; The old, broad Rhine ; the glorious forest trees ; The ancient halls Avhere once the voice of song Flung forth its melody ; or trumpet-note Of battle floated on the stilly breeze ; The lone, drear rocks ; the mouldering towers Of by-gone years, have deep tones all their own. Telling of deathless deeds of valoui" wrought, By heroes who have long since slept in dust. Though all unperish'd is the fame they won. And fresh those laurel wreaths that ne'er can fade While the proud mountains stand within their land ! Such was thy childhood's home, thy native clime. Thine early hopes, thine early fears were breathed Amid these ancient relics of old time. It was thy country, thine own Father-land, And England's children love it for thy sake ; And well may bless it ! for from lonely cell Of cloister'd Erfurt, sprang that star of truth Whose beams pierced through the depths of error's night Blessings be on thee, Albert ! All the joy That fills a tender fathei-'s heart be thine ! Of princely lineage art thou ; and the sire Of Britain's royal line ; 'Tis thine to claim E'en for thine own, the queen of these proud isles. Oh yes, we bless thee 1 and we pray that years To come may be as cloudless as the past ; I'liat the dark storms which linger in the sky May fade away; and that the warm, glad light Of summer-sunshine may illume thy path Throughout this transitory world. And when The word shall come to summon thee from earth. Oh ! may it bid thee home 1 home to a land Where kingdoms never pass away ; and where Unfading crowns encircle deathless brows ! May love and peace be thine, and all that Heaven Or earth can give, gladden thy mortal life. Until a brighter world shall dawn for thee. Where thou may'st dwell throughout eternity 1 23 CORIOLANUS AND HIS MOTHER. BY THE HON. MRS. NORTON. Dissensions having arisen between the Patricians and the people of Rome, Coriolanus took part with the former, and was eventually sentenced to perpetual banishment. Detennined on reventje, he joined the enemies of his country, took various towns, and encamped within five miles of the city itself. A deputation was sent out to treat with liim, but was received with haughtiness, and thrice returned, without the slightest hopes of a recon- ciliation. At length his mother, wife, and children, came out, and pleaded their country's cause. To their entrea- ties he could no longer refuse assent. Raising his venerable parent from the ground, he exclaimed, " You have saved Rome, my mother, but you have destroyed your son." He retired to his tent, and took immediate measures for a retreat. All, — the Soldier's heart withstood, With a hero's dauntless mood ; Till that ONE voice smote his ear, (Choked with agony and fear,) Which from childhood's hour had proved Most revered, and best beloved ! Deem it rather praise, than blame, If that man of mighty fame. Yielded to the suppliant tongue Wliich Ms cradle-hymn had sung, Leaving, link'd with all his glory, That most sweet and touching story. How the Warrior's heart could melt. When the Son so deeply felt ! Proud one, ruler of the earth, Scorn not her who gave thee birth 1 Scorn her not : although the day Long hath waned and pass'd away, When her patient lullaby Hush'd thy peevish wailing cry ; When the rocking on her breast LuU'd thee to tliy helpless rest ; When, if danger threaten'd near, Tliou didst fly, in guileless fear, Doubting not the safety tried By her loved familiar side ; 24 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS Doubting not, her circling arm Could protect from every harm. Let this thought thy bosom stir, — She is, what thou wert to her; Guard her, keep her from all pain, As she sought to guard thee then ! Now return the patient care. When her curls of glossy hair Bending down with IMothei-'s love Shadowed thy young brow above ! Noiv return the watches kept When thy cradled childhood slept, And her smooth and glowing cheek (Rosy as the apple-streak) Scarcely show'd a tinge less bright In the Morning's coming light. So full she was of youthful strength,— So brief appear'd the wan night's length, - When full of love, and hope, and joy. She rock'd to rest her slumberiug boy ! And if — (for it may well be so, Since nothing perfect dwells below,) Thy understanding, grown mature, Perceives defect which must endure, — Now return indulgence given, (Meek and merciful as Heaven,) When thy faults her patience tried. Dullness, stubbornness, or pride. Thou, — with all thy strength and lore. Art the child she nursed before, — Also, an imperfect creature. Faulty by thy very nature : If a hard or peevish word From her lips, thou now hast heard, — Bear it — she hath borne with thee When thou hadst not sense to see Her endurance well might prove Patience hath its root in Lovu. ^ \ I THE DOGE FOSCARI. 25 Love her therefore ! shame not thou, Like the hero, to avow That thy Mother's voice hath power In thy fate's decisive hour. All the love that thou canst give, All the days ye both shall li\e, — Warm altho' the pulse it stirs, Trust me, will fall short of Hers ! THE DOGE EOSCARI. The fearful tragedy to which this plate has reference occurred during the fifteenth century. A murder had been committed ; and Giacopo, the only surviving son of Francesco Foscari, a youth who had already given mortal offence to a rival Venetian family, was most unjustly charged with the crime. Torture having failed to wring from the unhappy Giacopo the confession of a crime which he had not committed, the youth was condemned to banishment. This banishment he endured with memorable fortitude, during a period of six years. At the expiration of that time he was seized by an irresistible longing to see once more his native country, and to embrace his kindred. He adopted the desperate resource of addressing a letter to the Duke of Milan, imploring his intercession with the Republic. This unfortunate step led to his being brought back as a malefactor ; and on his return, the old scene of horror was re-enacted. Thirty times, even in the presence of his father, Giacopo was stretched upon the torturing cord, and finally doomed to perpetual banishment. He was per- mitted one last interview with his family — the interview represented in the accompany- ing plate — and the final parting, as related by different historians, was fuU of heart- stirring pathos. The Doge was now extremely aged and decrepit ; he could not walk without the assistance of a crutch ; yet when he came into the sick chamber, to pronounce the last sentence upon his ill-fated son, still suffering from his receat torture, and sur- rounded by his weeping wife and child, he spoke to Giacopo in a firm tone, so that a spectator would have thought that it was not his son whom he was thus addressing — though it was indeed his son, and his only surviving son. "When solicited by the sor- rowing exile to ask mercy once more from his relentless tyrants, so that he might be permitted to reside in Venice, " Go, Giacopo 1" was the old man's reply, " Go, my son; submit yourself to the will of your country, and seek nothing further." The strong restraint which the aged father thus put upon his feehngs, was more than his exhausted frame could support ; and on retiring, he fainted in the arms of his attendants. S. S. — VOL. I. G 2G THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Giacopo, thus deprived of the sole last hope that had supported him through inex- pressible torments, both of miud aud body — the hope of dying in the bosom of his family and of his country — only lived to reach his Caudian prison, where he soon afterwards breathed liis last. His afflicted father continued to live during a few wretched days, but buried himself in the seclusion of his chamber, and never more attended the sittings of the Councils. Lord Byron's drama, entitled "The Two Foscari," is famihar to multitudes of readers : — " .... In his passionate words Tlie wild lament for Venice — lovely Venice — Breathed by those dying and exhausted lipa From the deep well-springs of a broken heart, Must live for ever ! Let no meaner hand Sweep the strong chords of that now silent harp ; Its echo yet hath power to thrill the air, So that all sound seems discord, which attempts A variation of its melody !" P L ¥ E R S. Sweet flowers ! how fair your silken petals seem, Beneath the bright glad sunlight's golden beam j How fresh ye are ! when bathed in sparkling dews, The crystal drops shine o'er your rainbow hues. Gently, the young buds fold them on their stems When glitter forth night's starry diadems, And in the summer twilight's solemn hours The faint breeze wafts the breath of summer flowers. Ye weave a wreath of beauty through the year. Ye lovely ones ! Pure snowdrops — telhng here Of the cold Alpine mounts so far away — Gleam forth like childhood's hopes amidst decay ; Then violets with purple leaves half closed. Sleeping within their shady, grassy shroud, Shed their sweet perfume through the spring-tide hours, And smile by primrose tufts, midst April showers ; And flowers of rosy broom, or pearly thorn. White lilies in the pathless valleys born. Waxen azaleas, with their glossy leaves. Unfold their buds, where the lone wood-bird grieves, ( O ::^^yyW//i. FISHEP... NDOM &PAK[: FLOWERS. 27 Anemones that droop by murmuring streams O'er whose cool waters chasteu'd sunlight gleams, Graceful laburnums waving iu the breeze Their golden chains, with bloom of cassia trees. And pure syringa-stars their fragrance spread O'er the soft greensward that we love to tread ; And glowdng roses ! fairest of earth's gems. How queenlike are they on their mossy stems ! In the wild thickets where the woodbines meet How do they scatter forth their odours sweet ! Those pale pink petals, tinged like sea-wave shells. They fling their beauty o'er the silent dells ; They linger through the long bright summer day. Then fade and droop — still lovely in decay j And the rich clustering I'oses in the home Of care and culture, where no wild flowers come, How gloriously they shine, when sunsets burn. And to the crimson west their leaflets turn ! Their fair white sisters, bending o'er the tomb Of loved, and early lost ones — through the gloom As silent watch they keep — sweet fragrance shed Over the dreamless slumbers of the dead; Carnation's glowing tints, pure red and white. Blue salvias dazzling with their sapphire light. Geranium, with its scarlet bloom so deep, Gum-cistus, bom to beauty frail and brief; Meek harebells, lifting to their kindred sky One pensive glance ere yet they fade and die ; Pale autumn stars* with sad and solemn smile, That, though the soft winds go, yet rest awhile ; And with the crimson fuchsia's drooping bell Linger around us, with their flowery spell — Oh lovely are ye ! E'en in deatii so bright, Ye might be heralds from yon world of light I But ere the blast sweeps o'er the leafless trees, Ere yet we hear the moaning wintry breeze. Those children of the summer-days are o'er, Their glories meet om' longing eyes no more. Yet still, fair roses blossom, buds unfold. And still their soft pink cups the night-dews hold ; * China-asters. 28 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. When all our floral treasures pass away Our garden-queen smiles on through drear decay. Pair flowers ! ye are too lovely for this earth. Was this, our sin-cursed soil, your place of birth ? It cannot be ! from Eden's bowers ye came Wliere first ye blossom'd, ere the hour of shame ; And — types of mercy — ye were left to show How God yet loved this rebel world below ! Ye share niortahty — ye too must die. Surely there is some home beyond the sky Where garlands wither not, nor roses fade ; Where never leaves upon the turf are laid. Oh lovely flowers ! ye unto us were given To raise our drooping hearts from earth to heaven. CHARLES THE FIRST AND HIS CHILDREN. He sat within his palace walls. In that dark solemn hour; He bow'd his head in bitter woe, A stately, stricken flower 1 And tears gush'd forth ; his hands were closed In such a fervent clasp. As if the griefs that crush'd his soul Could perish in his grasp. Once he had sat upon a throne, And worn a kingly crown ; Once thousands press'd to win his smile. Or crouch'd beneath his frown. And now, of all that dazzling throng, How few true hearts were left ! But not for this those tears burst forth, 'Twas not for this he wept. Once he had borne in battle-field Aloft his glittering sword j ^' 1 «^ ^ J CHARLES THE FIRST AND HIS CHILDREN. 29 Where were they now? those faithful ones Who own'd him for their lord ? Of regal state and royal power. Of kingly wealth bereft, A captive in his own fair realm — Yet not for this he wept. He stood before his rebel judge. With brow unmoved and calm ; No eyelid flutter'd, no faint pulse Gave token of alarm. He knew that he was doom'd to die A traitor's shameful death ; He did not fear to meet that hour. To yield his mortal breath. But one deep chord yet linger'd there Within that aching breast ; The yearning of a father's heart That could not be repress'd ! 'Twas nought to him, to gaze no more On star and golden sun ; 'Twas sweet to think the strife was o'er. The prize so nearly won 1 . But his young children near him stood — And love, that to the last Bums in the soul of mortal clay, Its chains around him cast. 'Twas bitterest grief that he no more Might clasp those fragile forms — That all unshelter'd they must brook The wildest earthly storms. The struggle pass'd — again he raised His heart in trusting prayer ; The fair girl marvel'd at the cahn Her parent's brow could wear ; Once more he held within his arms His lovely infant boy. And swept the rich curls from his face With all a father's joy. S. S. VOL. I H 30 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OP ENGRAVINGS. One last embrace, one long farewell, One clasp of tliose small hands ; One sad, sweet gaze — one lingering thought Of those in other lands, — And he — the martyr-king — return'd To dreams of earth no more ; The bitterness of death was past, Its griefs and pains were o'er. The morrow's sun went down at eve On England's blushing guilt ; The pale, meek king had bow'd his head. His royal blood was spilt. 'Twas meet that wearied frame should lie In peaceful slumber down ; He lost earth's diadem, to wear An everlasting crown. THE LADY BLANCHE EGERTON, Daughter of Lord Francis Egerton, (brother of the Duke of Sutherland,) lately created Earl of EUesmere, and Harriet-Catherine, daughter of Charles Fulke Greville, Esq. BY THE HON. MRS. NORTON. A LIFE-LIKE pencil, his, who thus could trace Thy speaking looks, — fair child of a fair race ! As there thou standest, listening with surprise And rapt attention in thine earnest eyes, While thy quaint favourite mocks thy silver tone. And gives thy words a harshness all his own. Sure a Child's Picture, is a touching thing I For who can tell what after-years may bring ? ^ What storm, slow gatheiing in the mists of Time, « May cloud the moments of untarnish'd prime? What dark event may make the portrait seem m A tearful vision, and a mocking dream 1 LADY BLANCHE EGERTON. 31 I know a picture, — hanging far away, — Where, beautiful as Spring, and fresh as May, A young, slight, radiant, happy creature stands ; Poised for the dance, with white uplifted hands. The arch smile playing round her coral lips ; Bending, (with grace that none shall e'er echpse,) And looking down, with softly mirthful eye, On a young band of brothers, seated nigh. Friends have bemoan'd Her, in a liNdng death : Forsaken sobs have choked her heaving breath : But still that sketch the credulous heart beguiles, There, still she dances, — and there still she smiles ; There, through the long dim course of changeful years. While eyes have gazed upon her, blind with tears. She hath look'd forth — all radiant and serene, — Glad, — youthful, — innocent, — and beauty's queen : Oh I Bud, — thou art not yet a Flower complete, — Who knows what canker to thy heart may eat? Who knows what grief may wake the fount of woe Which, once unseal'd, so seldom stops its flow ? Who knows what Fate may send, when thou shalt roam From the safe portal of thy shelter'd home ? A woman's lot, is banishment, — at best. Forth from her Paradise of earlier rest : Love, — in the Son, — engrafts the newer claim, On the old home ; with simple change of name : Love, — in the Daughter, — sends the exiled wife Into an untried world, with sorrow rife. Like a transplanted flower, her chance to prove ; To blossom proudly in the glow of love. Or lost to blooming hope, and joyful frxiit, Sink withering down, upon a perish'd root ! Ah 1 may'st thou never, in the strange years' flight. Pine for the blessed time, when day and night Brought the familiar greetings to thine eai'. Of Friends to Childhood's first impressions dear 1 May'st THOU ne'er deem the Mother's gentle breast A place of refuge, — not a home of rest : — May'st THOU ne'er hold the Father's love and might A strong protection, — not a dear delight : — May'st thou, — with weary heart, that made in vain Its long sharp struggle with opposing pain, — 32 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Ne'er, — like the Dove, whose weak and storm-beat wing Left far behind the long-sought hope of Spring, — Turn to the home which first true shelter gave, Whose Ark yet floats upon the sullen wave ! May he, to whom the future lot is given To tread, with thee, the path through earth to Heaven, By thee, with stedfast love, endure to stand. And calmly journey to the Promised Land ! Still, as the long companionship endears The constant sharer of his joys and fears. Be Memory's course enrich'd with sands of gold Wliere Life's quick stream of daily 'nothings' roll'd; Bright Pactolus ! supplying links which bind Heart closer yet to heart, — and mind to mind ! Still may he deem no gladder light can shine Than thy dear smile, to cheer his Life's decline, — With cordial love, and willing help repay The devious windings of the lengthy way, — And, when the allotted time is well nigh o'er, When the hark slackens sail, and nears the shore, Still greet thee fondly, at thy journey's end. As "Guide, Companion, Monitress, and Friend !" RICHARD COBDEN, ESQ., M.P. This distinguished man affords a very remarkable instance of the power which great natural talent accompanied by indomitable perseverance seldom fails to command, even though the individual thus eminently gifted may lack the prestige which attends aristocratic birth. Mr. Cobden is the son of a respectable farmer of Susses. In his youth he applied himself with industry and success to commercial pursuits, and eventually settled as a calico-printer in the town of Manchester ; where his commanding talents and singular energy, together with the honour and integrity of his character, soon gained for him the respect and esteem of his fellow-townsmen; in concert with a few of whom he formed the plan for the establishment of the Anti-Corn-Law League — that most gigantic association of modern times; an association which (however widely people may differ respecting the expediency of its object) has perhaps never been equalled in the harmony and perfection of its vast ramifications ; and which, after a severe and K I (' 11 A U 1) C O B D E N , ESQ: MP THE ANGLERS. 33 protracted struggle of several years' duration, has finally accomplished the overthrow of the Corn-Laws. Wliile Mr. Cobden was labouring in this cause, the borough of Stockport returned him to parhament; where, by the strength, brilliancy, and logical arrangement of his speeches, as well as by the undaunted firmness of his character, he proved a formidable antagonist of those who opposed his views. His fame could now be no longer confined within the limits of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, but became rapidly celebrated among all the nations of Europe, as well as throughout tlie Western Continent, and everywhere his name was hailed as that of the " Apostle of Free-Trade." The vast mental and physical exertions consequent upon his management of the afi'airs of the League j his constant attendance at the meetings of that body, and his parliamentary duties, proved, at length, too much even for Mr. Cobden's almost super- human strength ; and it became necessary, that in order to promote the restoration of his health, he should, for a short time, leave the scene of his indefatigable labours. With this view he travelled over the Continent ; visiting nearly every part of it ; and everywhere he was received with the greatest enthusiasm and the most generous hospitality; the aristocracy, and even the sovereigns of Europe, vying with each other in paying honours to the calico-printer of Manchester. While Mr. Cobden was on this tour, the general election of 1847 took place ; and he had then the honour not only of being re-elected by the borough of Stockport, but also of being unanimously chosen to represent the largest constituency in the kingdom— that of the West Riding of Yorkshire. As member for the West Riding he took his seat in the House of Commons ; and that great constituency he now represents. This is a brief account of the most prominent featui-es of Mr. Cobden's eventful career. May not the honours and rewards which he has reaped be regarded as affording a fresh assurance, that in this land of freedom and impartiality, all obstacles may be over- come by genius and perseverance ? It is, and, as it may be hoped, will ever be, the glory of Britain, that she values her sons, not by rank or wealth, but by talent and merit. THE ANGLERS. 'TwAs in the smiling month of May, The flowers were waving fair and gay. The morning sun shone bright on dews That sparkled with all brilliant hues. The birds were singing in the trees Whose green leaves rustled in the breeze, S. S. — VOL. I. I 34 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. When lovelier tliati the dews and flowers. And all tlie buds that twined the bowers. Came forth a maiden — passing fair^ With bright blue eyes, and golden hair. Roses were blooming on her cheek, The lute would hush to hear her speak ; And to the river's Ijrink she sped, Nor pluck'd the blossoms round her spread — But stay'd not, till she reach'd the stream That glitter'd in the sun's glad beam. And on the banks there stood a youth, A noble goodly one, in truth. He came to fish ; ('twas so he said. By some 'twould not be credited ;) And some might say he angled there For something very sweet and fair. However, be that as it may. He left his couch at dawn of day. And hurried to the river's brink. Ere yet the flowers the dew could drink ; The hours pass'd on, the sun was high In the calm, cloudless, deep blue sky. And there the pair were sitting yet Though no fine trout were in the net. The maiden learn'd to angle too. And in the stream her rod she threw ; And there it stay'd, as, side by side. She and the youth gazed on the tide. He was of noble birth, I trow. The castle on yon green hill's brow Own'd him for heir ; and he would be One day, a baron bold and free. For sport he woo'd the village maid, Who never in her life had stray'd Ten miles from that dear cottage home From which she'd never wish'd to roam. But now she heard of courtly halls. Of ladies' bowers — where fountain-falls. And flowerets of another land. And gems from far-off Indian strand. And perfumes of an Eastern clime. And costly relics of old time. THE ANGLERS. 35 Were gather'd e'en for her deliglit Whose eyes outshone tlie jewels bright. Her bosom swell'd, her heart beat high At thought of such proud destiny. She heard him telling of the day, When, deck'd with gems and rich array. She should before the altar stand. The fairest, loveliest of the land ! And oft in silent hours of night. She mused with joy, and deep delight. On all the pleasures she should know That wealth and grandeur can bestow. When she should be, in beauteous pride. Lord Walter's loved and loving bride. Poor simple maid ! as by the stream Day after day in that sweet dream, She sat, and listen'd to his tale Of hopes — and vows that could not fail. She ceased to love all else but him. Her cheek grew pale — her blue eye, dim. At thought of parting for a week j How could she then the streamlet seek ? And missing each dear cherish'd tone Feel yet more bitterly alone ? The glorious summer pass'd away. The anglers came from day to day. Till parting came — that mournful hour When sunbeams fade, and dark clouds lower. He swore that he would come again. His peerless love, and bride to claim, For aye together they should dwell ; So kiss'd her cheek, and bade farewell. The winter and the spring had past. And floweiy May came back at last. The maiden angled in the flood But no fond lover near her stood ; From day to day she gazed in vain, Along the green and shady lane ; He came no more — and soon 'twas said A titled fair one he had wed. 36 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. The maiden wept for many a day, ■"Twas sad to see her fade away. Like a young openiag rose that sheds Its beauty, ere its flower unspreads. But time stole on, and once again She smiled and danced, nor thought of pain. Time heal'd her grief — and she was gay. And look'd again as bright as day. Once more, she was the village belle. But gravely oft her tale would tell, And bid young maidens all beware Of oaths and vows though seeming fair. She bade them not believe soft words. Though whisper'd sweetly by proud lords ; Nor trust to love's young summer dreams. When angling in the meadow streams. ALFRED DIVIDING HIS LAST LOAP WITH THE BEGGAR. Wliile Alfred and Elswitha were living in that seclusion wliich surrounding dangers rendered prudent, a sear- city of provisions occurred in his household, and his followers were despatched in search of any species of food that could be procured. During their absence, a pilgi'im knocked at the gate, and in the name of God begged a morsel of bread. As there was but one loaf in the house, the queen brought it first to her husband, and repre- sented the consequences of giving it to the supplicant, should the foragers return with empty pouches. " Give the hungry man one half of the loaf," said Alfred ; " He that could feed five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, could, if it so pleased him, cause the remaining half to suffice for our necessities." In no proud hall, or festive bower The Saxon monarch stood ; But mighty thoughts o'er his sad soul Came sweeping like a flood Hosts of his followers on the turf Like autumn-leaves were strown. And some, like summer singing birds, Had, with the sunshine, flown. A little faitliful band were left To gather round their king ; And still bright hopes of victory Around their dreams would cling. ^ ■^ ^ ^ ^ J ^ ALFRED AND THE BEGGAR. 87 They were a proud and gallant throng, Royal — or nobly born ; Right trusty hearts, that waver'd not, Nor fled before the storm. The chilling wintry blast had swept Over the snow-clad world ; While England's monarch grieved to see The flag of war unfurl'd : For mighty towers had kiss'd the dust And forest-glades were red. Not with rich crimson'd leaves or flowers. But blood in battle shed. The Saxon king, in that sad hour Sat silent and alone : Even to seek their daily food His faithful band were gone. No sound in that deserted bower Awakened echo's voice, No gleam of earthly light shone forth To bid his heart rejoice. An aged pilgrim, wayworn, sad. With care upon his brow. His white hair floating on the wind. Came to that threshold low. His pale lips quiver'd, and his cheek Was wan and deadly pale. As humbly, and in faltering tones. He told his mournful tale. A shade pass'd o'er the monarch's brow, His clear blue eye grew dim ; And his deep fervent prayer went up For faith to trust in Him Who heareth the young ravens' cry, And giveth them their food ; Who shieldeth the young tender lambs From east winds chill and rude. He turn'd to his fair Queen, and bade Her bring her little store: " Fear not," he cried ; " The God we ferj Will surely give us more, S S. — VOL. I. K 38 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. For he who fed the multitude In the wild desert, lone. Can make our bread and water sure ; He will protect his own." A blessing from the pilgrim's lips Came on that royal head ; A prayer, that God on high would peace And comfort round him shed. And, oh ! those words were sweeter far Than breath of spring's sweet flowers. Than all the smiles of courtly friends, In summer-sunshine hours. The day sped on ; the wintry sun In crystal skies went down ; The night-wind woke its whispering tones. The hour of rest di-ew on. But ere had faded quite in gloom The hues where sunset burn'd. All laden with the forest spoil. The gallant band return'd. And when, once more, the royal crown Press'd on that trusting brow. His kingly heart rose up in praise To Him who quell'd the foe ; And oft he gazed with memory's eye Along the stream of time, And bless'd that Power who sent the gloom. And then bright sunlight's prime. Oh, Faith ! How beautiful thou art ! Aud when in earthly breast Thou plantest hopes that soar above. How dear, how bright a guest ! Through this cold world of doubt and fear. Gilding the gloom with light. The trusting pilgrim thou canst guide, Till thou art lost in sight. Z", T. rAFLRIS. 39 HOPE. When the stormy wind is strong. And the tempestj loud and long, Strews the young leaves on the turf. And crests with foam the silvery surf,— When the tender ilowrets die, While the whirlwind waxeth high, Till the veil of darkening clouds, That the clear blue heaven shrouds. Parts away — and sunbeam's smile Mingles with the rain awhile, — Then the glorious bow is bent, Like a lovely herald sent ; And in rose and violet shade. Ere the glowing arch can fade. We may read the Hope of flowers, That shall blush in summer bowers ; When the sunbeams melt the snow. Mantling all the mountain's brow. When the crystal waters gush From their homes of reed and rush. Then we hope ere long to hear Streamlets' music far and near ; Winter may not always stay, Earth shall smile in Spring's glad ray j Hope ! bright Hope, is nature's voice. Bidding care-worn hearts rejoice. Summer will be here again, Flowers shall bloom o'er all the plain. Birds shall sing their carols sweet. Pearly hawthorn's birth to greet ; Hope ! sweet Hope, with rosy wreath. Thou canst promise more than this j Sorrow may not ever last. Storms will soon be over-past. What though death should close thy grief. Weep not ! for the journey brief 40 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Ends before the golden gate, Where the dazzling angels wait ; And to yonder glorious land, Hope may point with stedfast hand. Like a star in rayless night, Lovely Grace ! thou smilest bright, And the mourner's throbbing breast Looks to Thee for calm and rest ; Hopes of earth are sweet and fair. But the canker eateth there ; Earthly hope may prove in vain, Dearest smiles may end in pain ; But the hope enthroned on high Wears a bloom that cannot die ; Smiles on ever 'mid the gloom, Hovers o'er the darksome tomb. Lives till faith be lost in sight, Hope, itself, in full delight. Heavenly spirit ! with me stay, All throughout my pilgrim-way; When I bend beneath the storm. May I meet thy seraph form ! Amaranthine wreaths are thine, Let such blossomings be mine ! Rest Avith me tiU life be past. And the haven gain'd at last ! VICTORIA, PRINCESS ROYAL. BY THE HON. MRS. NORTON. Thou wert the IMorning Star of Hope, fair child ! Shining, all lonely, in thy Royal home : On thee a youthful IMother fondly smiled. And glad the expectant nation saw thee come. But now— a constellation of bright lights, As nascent blessings to thy home are given : And thick as silver stars on summer nights. With a clear glory stud that peaceful heaven 1 THE HEIRESS. 41 Now — to one Princely planet, eager hnii The loyal eyes that welcomed thee before ; And stars that with a lesser radiance burn, Count as companion-satellites ; — no more ! But to the Parent's heart, no after-days Of richer glory can decrease the love, Felt, oh ! thou gentle light, when fifst tliy rays Shone with a tender radiance from above. Still shall this halo circle thee through life ; Thou wert the First-Born, of the welcoming heart ; The dearest joy, when hope and joy were rife, Grirt with sweet thoughts that never can depart. Thou wert the first, whose soft and feeble cries Smote on the Mother's thrill'd and listening ear: Thou wert the first, whose closed, unconscious eyes. Her kiss proclaim'd unutterably dear ! THE HEIRESS. BY MRS. ELLIS. 'Twas on a bright May morning, when the birds did gaily sing. And the waving woods were vocal with the melody of spring. There stood a youthful maiden before her father's door. All rich in wealth and beauty — what could she wish for more ? Say, little child of penury, what think yoii did she wish ? — For the earth to yield her silver dew, the ocean, golden fish? For brighter gems around her brow, where health its garland wreathed? Or food for thee, thou famish'd one — was that the wish she breathed? Oh listen, gentle gales of spring; and listen, sweet May flowers ! There are many kinds of suffering in this fair world of ours; And she who stands in ermine robes beside the rich man's door. Is sighing to the passing gale — " I wish that I were poor !" S. S. VOL. I. L 43 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. " The lady gay with jewels deck'd — the rich and noble lord, Who come with all theii" retinue, and throng ray father's boarH, They tell me of their constant wish, to serve me raore and more. Oh should I not be happy then, if only I were poor ? "Yes, I would be a peasant girl, so pretty, and so poor; It would be such a pleasant life, to stray from door to door. The only treasure I would keep, should be my gentle dove. And that because I have not learu'd, to do without its love. " Oh ! I would be a peasant girl, so simple and so neat ; I should only have to tell the rich, I had no bread to eat ; And all the gifts they promise now, would soon, be pour'd on me." Say, little child of penury, how are they pour'd on thee ? Nay, weep not ; there are many tears shed on the rich man's floor And she who stands iu ermine robe, is wishing she were poor ; She is tired of all the luxury, the fashion, and the form. That make her father's hearth so cold, while thine is often warm • She is tired of all the empty words that fall upon her ear. And fail to make her truly feel to one fond bosom dear. There is a joy she cannot taste, within her haUs of pride, A love which want and misery, have sorely proved and tried. Oh ! little child of penury, droop nol thy lowly head. Thou hast a thousand, thousand gifts, in rich abundance spread j Thou hast the warmth of nature's heart, wherever thou may'st go And more — thine own, to sympathize in every human wo. Thou hast the song of summer birds, the wild flowers on the lea. The music of the mountain-rill — these all are gifts to thee ; Thou hast along thy lonely path, a Heavenly Father's love. His everlasting arms beneath — his canopy above. .o^ y/?-/,.-/, PISHEE, SON &C? LONDOM V.?/UHS. 43 ROME. Oh ! mighty Rome ! proud city of the past I I gaze upon thy battlements at last ; I see thy glorious domes in bright aiTay, All glittering in the setting sunbeam's ray : I see thy castle-fortress, gray and stern, Thy turrets, where the twilight-gleams yet burn. From northern shores and colder climes I come. To dwell within thy palaces. Old Rome ! 'Tis eventide, and all is calm and still, Save voice of song, that swells from hill to hill : Thine ancient temples rise against the skies. Radiant with rosy hues and golden dyes ; And round thy time-worn walls are marble tombs Clad with bright verdure, and a thousand blooms : And fallen columns, and old terrace walls Are mingling with thy proudest princely halls j And the rich clusters of thy purpling vines. Trailing acanthus, and wild eglantines. All glowing in the crimson light of eve, Their garlands round thy solemn cloisters weave ; Along thy ruin'd aisles and lonely bowers The mournful ivy creeps, and star-like flowers Are mantling round the moss-grown sculptured leaves Of arch and column gray ; and rosy wreaths Are gilding all with their rich summer glow. Though solemn, drear decay, is round thee now ! And is this Rome? The Rome of ancient time, The Rome that ruled in every realm and clime ? Where are her heroes, with their laurel crowns? Where are her sceptres, now, her dazzling thrones? Where are her sages ? where, her diadems, All burning with red gold, and sparkling gems? All have departed — all have pass'd away. Their last, faint traces moulder in decay. On ancient Tibur* now the moonlight falls — Gaze on those voiceless piles, those moss-clad walls; The emperor Auielian preseuted his captive Zeuobia ^\itli a villa at Tibur, or Tivoli. 44 THE PEOPLE'S GALLEP.Y OF ENGRAVINGS. Zenobia's name still lingers in each gust That sweeps her palace-ruins' mouldering dust ; And whispering yet of Ciceronian clays, Stands forth that solemn grove of laurel bays. Oh ! ancient city ! calm and slow decay Hath stolen all thy glorious pomp away ! Proud Rome ! 'Tis sad to gaze upon thee now, So lovely ! but with death upon thy brow ! Thou art like beauty meeten'd for tlie grave. Or some fair vessel sinking in the wave, When storms are past, and sunset calmly shines Along the distant mountain's purple lines. Oh ! can it be, that thou wilt ever stand. Like bright Palmyra, 'midst the desert sand ! That on thy stones the golden sun may beam. Or moonlight glisten on old Tiber's stream, And not a sound fall on the silent night. Save the cold gushing waters' rippling light ? Now, while I stand within thy temples' sliade, Where mitred brows in death's last sleep are laid, Thy gorgeous altars, bright with pearls and gold, And dusky banners rich with crimson fold. All gemm'd with stars like thine own azure sky. Still rest beneath that glorious canopy ; But, Rome ! thy day of majesty is past. And o'er thy towers a shade of gloom is cast ; Thy stately pride is gone — on thy seven hills No more the song of triumph proudly swells ; Yet art tliou glorious even in decay. And never shall thy memory fade away ! The annexed plate presents a vie^v of the Bridge and Castle of St. Angelo, the Palace of the Vatican, and the Church of St. Peter. The bridge crosses the Tiber opposite to the Mutes Hadiiani, to which it was designed as an avenue. The piers and arclies are ancient; but having gi\eu way with a vast crowd of people duiing the jubilee in 1450, the bridge was renewed by Nicholas V., and again by Clement IX., who erected the balustrade. The Castle of 8t. Angelo, the fortress and state prison of Rome, is constructed from the remains of the cele- brated Motes Hadiiani, or mausoleum, erected by Hadrian. It was converted into a fortress during the siege of Rome by the Goths in 537, wljen the besieged cast down from its walls the statues and other ornaments of the place upon the assailants. ' It is a circular building, two Imudred and ninety feet in diameter. But, like the celebrated Church of St. Peter, this remarkable edifice has been too often described at length, in the works both of early and modern tourists, to call for more than a reference here. 45 BEAUTY AND DRESS. BY THE HON. EDMUND PHIPPS. Spare not, fair maid, each glittering gaud to seek, Grudge not tlie wasted hour ; Tinge with a borrow'd rose thy tender cheek. Heightening thy beauty's power ; Summon more maidens for the mystic rites. To aid thee at thy call ; Arrange the mirrors, and dispose more lights. Then deck thee for the Ball. It was not always thus. In days gone by. Simplicity, not art. Was thy first charm ; not to attract the eye, But to subdue the heart. Thoughtless of admiration, how could men Not worship such as thou ? Success was certain to attend thee, then, As sure, as failure, now. A modest blush supplied the frequent rose, Flowers deck'd thy flowing hair ; No laboured arts delay'd the toilet's close ; No foreign aid was there : Then thou wert simple, innocent, and free ; Would thou wert so again ! Free — for the world had not then trammel'd thee. With self-accepted chain. Now let thy flowing flounces' ample round Thy empty pride convey ; And thy fair locks, where ornaments abound, A faulty taste display ; Let the imprisoning whalebone aptly show Thy intellect confined. The feather, with its restless, dancing flow, Present thy fickle mind. S. S. — VOL. I. M b^- 46 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. The softest satin of the loom shall e'en Thy polish'd skin outvie ; And diamonds of Golconda, with their sheen, Outsparkle thy bright eye ; Thus deck'd, thou wilt attract each passing look. But not one heart retain : The gaudiest bait that floats, without a hook. Would, floating, float in vain. THE GLEANER. I GAZED upon a sunny field. Where golden grain was waving fair. And cloudless skies shone soft and calm. On the bright poppies glowing there ; Blue corn-flowers smiled like summer heaven. And scarlet weeds, in gorgeous bloom, Laugh'd in the sunlight's burning raj'. Unconscious of their coming doom. Th' ethereal arch of glorious blue Cloudless and stainless stretch'd above, No speck upon its bright expanse. Save silvery wing of flitting dove ; While through the wood-paths' leafy shade A thousand birds their music flung. And o'er the banks of flowery thyme Hover'd the wild bee's thrilling hum. And many stricken flowers were there. Where'er the reaper's hand had been, And ears that graceful waved at morn. Were scatter'd ere the noon-tide beam ; The joyous sound of "harvest-home'' Came on the balmy summer-breeze. While rosy children sported on. Beneath the spreading hawthorn trees. But one fair girl sat lone, and stUl ; Her silken curls with untaught grace. THE GLEANER. *'' Mantling upon her earnest brow, And shading her sweet, gentle face. No dream of care, no thought of grief, Had dimm'd her sunny, meek, blue eyes. That through their silken fringes beam'd. As soft and clear as sapphire skies. Her golden tresses like a veil, Hung o'er her graceful child-like form ; Sure, form so fair could ne'er have bent Beneath earth's grief, or sorrow's storm j The rose-leaf tinge upon her cheek Had never paled at touch of woe, And peace shone foi'th in that sweet smile. And joy in that soft warbling low. Bright, lovely child 1 All things are fair That meet thy innocent young gaze ! The stream that bathes the willow-leaves. The hills, half hid in purple haze ; The forest-trees' rich emerald hue, The moss whereon the rock-springs fall ; All, all, are calm and beautiful. But Thou, the fairest of them all. Young Gleaner 1 surely thy sweet face Tells not of rude or rustic bower ; No peasant race is thine, fair child, Thou, surely, art a cultured flower. It may be, that thy parents' hopes Have all been blighted, save of thee ; And in this lonely, woodland vale, They dwell in toil and poverty. Oh ! be to them a sunbeam bright. Though all things else have pass'd away ; Thy gentle love, and low, sweet voice Can cheer, though wealth no longer stay. Cling to thy Mother, Lovely one ! Hide not from her one passing thought; In doubt or sorrow, shelter there — Her heart with tenderness is fraught. 4« THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS Go homeward now, young Gleaner, home, To thine own rose-wreathed, humble cot ; Thou earnest like a lovely dream. Unknown ahke, thy name and lot. Go ; gather up thy treasured store. Part back the ringlets from thy brow ; The sun is sinking in the West ; Calm twilight steals around thee, now. Lift up thy young unburden'd heart. In this calm hour of dewy eve; No longer chant thy merry song. Cease, now, the corn-flower buds to weave. Look upwards now ; far, far beyond That glowing crimson in the West ; Raise thy young voice in prayer and praise To Him who gives the hour of rest. Farewell ! Oh ! may'st thou ever glean Hope, truth, and joy through all thy way. As freely, fully, as thou hast Nature's rich gifts, this sunny day ! And though I gaze on thee no more. Yet thy young face will ever dwell 'Mid the bright visions of the past : Farewell, sweet Gleaner ; Fare thee well. THE RIGHT HON. HENRY, VISCOUNT HARDINGE, G.C.B. LATE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA. Could we take a review of the career of those, who, in this country, have risen, by their own merit, to high and responsible ofBces of state, it would, perhaps, be found, that by no class of men have such oflSces been more honourably or more effectively filled, than by soldiers of high character, and acknowledged ability in their own profession. The personal history of the eminent subject of this memoir, affords an illustration of this observation. The present Loan Hardinge is the grandson of Nicholas Hardinge, Esq., long known and respected as chief clerk of the House of Commons; and the third son of the Rev. Henry Hardinge, rector of Stanhope, in the county of Durham. He was y/. '//. %■ LORD HARDINGE. 49 born on the 30th of Miircli, 1783 ; and being, from bis cbiklbood designed for the profession of arms, be devoted less time than is usually given by men of bis degree, to the study of classical literature. At the age of sixteen be obtained a commission in the army, and thenceforward gave liimself up, with singular ardour, to the duties of the military profession. Having been placed by Sir John Moore on bis staff, C;iptain Hardinge accom- panied that lamented general throughout his Spanish campaign, and shared bis disastrous retreat to Corunna ; and into his arms, it was, that Sir John Moore fell when struck by the shot wliicb caused his death. Under the Duke of Wellington, then Sir Arthur Wellesley, the subject of this memoir served throughout the campaigns of Spain and Portugal, being present at the battles of Busaco, and Albuera ; at tlie ever-memorable storming of Badajos ; and at the battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, and Orthes. His gallant services on these occasions secured for him a high mibtary reputation, together with the honourable title of K.C.B.; and various orders, both British and foreign. In company with Wellington, be terminated his career of active service on the field of Waterloo ; and in the action which there secured the liberties of Europe, lost his right arm. In November, 1821, Sir Henry Hardinge married the Lady Emily, daughter of Robert, first Marquis of Londonderry ; and about the same time entered into political life. In 1823, be was appointed clerk of the ordnance ; which office be filled till, in the year 1828, he was made Secretary at War. In the mean time he had entered parbament as member for Durham ; and be subsequently sat for the Cornish boroughs of Newport, and St. Germain ; and for the town of Launceston. In 1830, Sir Henry Hardinge was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, but, of course, lost office on the breaking up, in that year, of his friend the Duke of Wellington's ministry. In 1834, he was again appointed Secretary for Ireland, but resigned that high office in April, 1835. The great talents which he bad displayed in these various situations led to the selection of this eminent man as the fittest person to whom to entrust the government of our Eastern possessions ; and on the recall of Lord Ellenborougb in 1844, Sir Henry Hardinge was appointed to succeed that nobleman as Governor-General of India. He was sworn into bis high office early in May, 1844, and, within about three weeks, was on his way, overland, to the seat of his government. Our space forbids us to enlarge upon the peculiar difficulties and dangers which awaited the new Governor-General, on bis arrival ^ le^y'/r/y ^^ ^= DREAM OF LIFE. For the sake of gone-by years, Fill'd with mutual hopes and fears. For the sake of that loved brow, She is calm as he is now. Angel-wings in glory sweep O'er the coming of that sleep ; Let him close his weary eyes. They will open in the skies. A DREAM OF LIFE. A DREAM of life ! Once hers was all of flowers. And sunny glens, or solemn forest-shade ; At twilight hour she sat alone and smiled. The while the crimson hues would melt and fade ; And then, her early dreams were calmly fair. All passionless, and born of perfect peace ; No fear of earthly storms had cross'd her path ; Alas ! that childhood's blissful dreams must cease ! Then, higher hopes and thoughts were mingled there ; And she would gaze upon the star-lit skies, And long to rend away the veil that hides That blessed land, which far beyond them lies. And wandering night-wind's echoing, sweeping blast, And ocean, with its ever-ceaseless moan. And tempest, with the lightning's lurid gleam. Breathed o'er her soul their own deep, mystic tone. Then, the lone hour of fading eventide, lu summer sunset's still and placid time. Brought, with its gentle, jasmine-scented breeze. Dreams of Italia's distant, golden clime ; And myrtle leaves and fragrant orange-bloom Told of the ancient, blue, Morean shore. Sweet Tempo's classic vale, and Helle's stream. Fair as they were in Grecia's days of yore. S. S. VOL. I. z 90 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OP ENGRAVINGS. And then, her dream of life was all of love ; A pure, calm, stainless love, that could not dwell With aught hut womanhood's unsullied spring. Within her fervent heart's deep, secret cell ; A love that knew no startling pang of doubt, Where broken faith was yet unfear'd, unknown ; And all her gentle tears were meekly shed For others' griefs, but never for her own. Years have pass'd on since those bright halcyon days. When every eve the sun would set too soon ; When vows of deathless, changeless love, were sworn In leafy groves, beneath the summer moon. And now those transient dreams of perfect bliss. Like dazzling rainbow-tints, have pass'd away ; And hopes, like sunbeams dancing on the wave. That sparkled bright, have vanish'd, fled, for aye. And yet, her Dream of Life is passing sweet. Yet are its motley fantasies most fair ; Though shaded now that once unruffled brow. Though mix'd with silvery threads that sunny hair. Her childhood's blessed dreams are past and gone, And all her young life's cloudless visions flown j But riper years have brought a dearer charm, A pure and sacred pleasure, all their own. What though a thousand anxious cares he hers. She bears a mother's happy, holy name ; To nurture those sweet, tender, clinging buds. For brighter climes, is now her hallow'd aim ; A wife's deep love ! a mother's hopes and fears 1 Their mighty spell ^ound her way have cast ; Sorrows she has ; but every passing year Seems, if less bright, still happier than the last. Fair Matron ! 'tis a changing scene we tread ; Bright musings gladden all our childhood's day. And nearer, brighter still, youth's visions glow ; But GOLDEN DREAMS like thcsc may never stay; FELICIA HEMANS. 91 Sunslilue and shade must haunt the path we go, And smiles and tears, alternate, mark the brow ; And clear, culm skies, and tempests' hollow moan, Must chequer all realities below. A little while, and those dear ones of thine, And he to whom thy earliest love was given, Shall bow no more beneath the storms of life ; No thorns may mar the fadeless flowers of heaven. Press onward, then, in hope, to that blest home, Where anxious thoughts and sorrows cease at last, Where clouds no longer dim tlie glorious noon, And all the Dkeams of Life at length are past ! F E I I C I A HEMANS. Among the sons and daughters of genius, a high place must be assigned to Felicia Dorothea Hemans. This gifted lady was born in Liverpool in the year 1794. Her father, George Browne, Esq., a merchant of that town, was a native of Ireland ; her mother, a German lady, descended, as it is understood, from an ancient Venetian family. These circumstances deserve notice, because the character and mental temperament of Felicia appear to have been in some degree moulded by her mixed descent. From her father she would seem to have inherited the vivacity and ardour which mark the Irish character ; from her mother, a deep love of the beautiful, toge- tiier with a strong tinge of romance, which told of German and Italian parentage. Other circumstances there were which exercised a powerful influence over the character of her mind, and which combined to give a colour to her habits of thought, and by consequence, to her writings. Her first youth was passed among the mountains and valleys of North Wales, the house in which she lived being a spacious mansion on the sea-shore of Denbighshire. Scenery so rich in grandeur and beauty as that which characterizes this " land of the mountain and the flood," was a fit cradle for the genius with which Felicia was endowed, and doubtless tended strongly to the developing of the poetical turn of her mind. In the wild solitudes which surrounded her habitation, she was accustomed, even while still a child, to spend hours and days with a volume of Shakspere in her hand, now gazing on the restless ocean, now chmbing the mountain- steeps, or wandering amid the sylvan scenes which these rocky barriers enclosed. Under 92 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. such influences her first compositions were produced ; and by an earnest and constant study of the bard — " Upon whose forehead climb The crowns o'the world ! whose eyes sublime Have tears and laughter for all time," she acquired — all that she could acquire from human teaching — the ability to clothe her exquisite thoughts in suitable words. Moreover, as a circumstance affecting the com- plexion of the future character of Felicia Browne, it should be mentioned, that she was in her early years " a child of beauty rare." That beauty, indeed, soon faded under the influence of sorrow and disappointment ; but in the dawn of her youth, her features, though not regular, were singularly expressive ; her complexion was rich, though fair ; her hair, golden, and soft as silk, curled luxuriantly over her neck and shoulders ; her form was remarkable for its grace ; and, above all, her countenance, while exquisitely feminine, was as full of intelligence as her disposition was amiable and attractive. That a creature so lovely, and so highly gifted, should have been loved with a love too nearly approaching to idolatry, will excite no surprise, but may well be lamented, as a circum- stance but too certain to exercise a very injurious influence upon the after-character of the object of such injudicious fondness. Happily, however, for Felicia, she was blessed with a mother possessing sound sense, and a penetrating judgment; and being herself docile, and apt to receive and retain good impressions, she passed, with much less of permanent harm than might have been reasonably apprehended, through the dangers which beset her path. To her mother, the young poetess, who was publicly known as an author before she had completed her twelfth year, was accustomed to lay open every feeling of her heart ; every thought as it arose in her mind. The value of motherly counsel and guidance, under cu'cumstances so unusual, and so perilous, is sufficiently obvious ; and was deeply felt by Aer who was its immediate object. It comprehended not, indeed, so far as appears, the inculcation of those religious principles, with which, as it may well be hoped, the highly gifted Felicia became, at a later period of her life, practically acquainted, and, in the absence of which, the rarest mental endowments, com- bined with the warmest affections, and the most amiable of natural dispositions fail to secure for their possessor that happiness which the human heart constantly craves ; but it was a safeguard against many dangers, and a shield amid many temptations. In the seventeenth year of her age the subject of this memoir became a wife, and in due time, the mother of five sons. Over recollections of this portion of her chequered life, wc will not linger. That an under-current of sadness runs through the whole Oi her writings, published after her marriage, is painfully obvious ; but into the cause or causes of poor Felicia's domestic wretchedness, we need not too curiously inquire. She had been idolized from her birth ; and without supposing anything like neglect to he her portion in after-life, the chances of married happiness are fearfully lessened in the case of her, whose misfortune it is to be, in childhood and youth, the object of injudicious and extravagant fondness. FELICIA HEMANS. 93 Soon after the birth of her fifth son, Mrs. Heraans parted from her husband, to meet him no more in this world. A separation took place, by mutual consent ; and the health of Captain Ilcmans requiring that he should betake himself to a more southern climate, he soon afterwards sailed for Italy ; whence he never returned. Thus left alone, Felicia Hemaus, with her children, took up her abode at the village of Bromwylfa, near St. Asaph ; to which village her mother and sister had previously retired. And now the sterling excellence of her character appeared in all its strength. The bright prospects which had gilded the morning of her youth had faded. As a poet, indeed, she had already begun to acquire that reputation which has now received the stamp of perpetuity; but as a woman, her dearest hopes had been disappointed. A weaker mind might have resigned itself to the indulgence of sorrow, or might have endeavoured to find solace iu complaint. Felicia Hemans did better and more wisely. She devoted herself to the duties of a mother. Her own education had been somewhat desultory and superficial. For her children's sake, therefore, she addressed herself in earnest to the work of self-improvement. In early childhood she had learned something of Latin ; she now resumed her study of that tongue; augmented her knowledge of French; and made herself familiar, not only with the languages, but with the literature of Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. To her excellence as a linguist her numerous and spirited translations from Horace, Goethe, Camoens, &c., bear abundant testimony ; while her philosophical and dis- criminating appreciation of the works of the most distinguished European writers is proved by a series of papers written not long after her separation from her husband, and published in the year 1819. During the succeeding four or five years, namely, from 1819 to 1824, or 1825, a succession of poems, each more brilliant or more toucliing than the last, secured for Felicia Hemans a high rank among modern poets. We need but mention "The Restoration of the Works of Art in Italy ;" " Tales and Historic Scenes ;" " Modern Greece;" "Wallace;" " Dartmoor;" " The Siege of Valencia;" &c. &c., all which, besides various shorter efi'usions of extreme beauty, appeared during this period, and gained for their author the applause of some of the great poets then living, who have now taken their places in the " Temple of Fame," and whose names will continue to be as "household words" among us. In 1827 Mrs. Hemans published her " Forest Sanctuary;" and in the early part of the ensuing year, her enduring "Records of Woman." ^ Our limits admonish us to relate briefly what remains to be told concerning this distinguished lady. On the occasion of the death of her mother in 1829, she quitted her retirement in Wales, and, with her children, took up her abode at the village of Wavertree, near Liverpool. This event made a considerable change in her manner of life. Hitherto she had lived in a seclusion almost absolute ; like the nightingale, she had been " heard, not seen ;" and widely known as were her name and fame, she had had httle personal intercourse with society. She continued, however, notwith- standing her increasing maternal and domestic cares, and her greatly multiplied social S. S. VOL. I. 2 A 94 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. engagements, to follow tlie bent of her genius by occupying her leisure hours in poetical composition; and produced various minor poems which the world will not " willingly let die." In the summer of 1829, Mrs. Hemans, urged by numerous solicitations, accom- plished iu Scotland a round of visits, which — such was the celebrity which her name had acquired — almost assumed the character of a triumphal progTess. She now visited Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford ; a place which — to say nothing of her appre- ciation of the character and genius of her host — aroused to the utmost, by its collection of armour and other treasures, her chivalric sympathies. In the spring of 1830 appeared her " Songs of the Affections ;" many of which^ however, were abeady familiar to the readers of Blackwood' s Magazine ; and during the summer of the same year, she visited the Cumberland and "Westmoreland Lakes, and made acquaintance with the great poet of Rydal Mount. Another visit to Scotland followed; and iu the spring of 1831, partly for the sake of medical advice respecting a disease of the heart which now began seriously to alarm both herself and her friends, and partly with a view to the advantage of her sons, Mrs. Hemans finally quitted England, aud took up her abode in the Irish capital. The health of this gifted lady now declined rapidly ; but her mind retained aU its energy and activity, and her affections all their warmth. She continued to write poetry; and in 1833 and 1834 prepared for the press three separate works: "Hymns for Childhood ;" " National Lyrics ;" and " Scenes and Hymns of Life ;" in which last work her genius perhaps shone forth as brightly as in any former production. She was now, however, evidently approaching that better land of which she sang so touchingly. On the 16th of May, 1835, she expired peacefully, expressing her humble trust in the mercy of God through the merits of the Redeemer. The poetry of Felicia Hemans is full of imagery; and that imagery bears witness no less to the justness of her taste, than to the power of her genius and the extent of her mental resources. The beautiful, in character, iu history, and, above all, iu external nature, formed the main theme of her song : — The world of loveliness -was all her own ; To her the rushing streamlet had a tone The gay and careless crowd could never hear ; She heard its woi-ds — its music wild and clear, And answer'd too, in sound of rhyme and song That o'er the hills of Caledonia rang, And eclio'd round green Erin's wave-bound shore. And mingled with old Ocean's dashing roar. Dear sainted Spiiit ! Now thy harp is mute, Hush'd, now, the thrilling chords of thy sweet lute, Which flung its glorious melody afar, As brightly beams a pure, celestial star. And thou hast pass'd away, as beauty must. With all its loveliness to silent dust. Sweet was thy death-song, when the bonds of clay Were well nigh bursting on that sabbath day — THE INVOCATION OF DEATH. 95 That day of rest, which, dawning, found thee here. And closing, saw thee free fi-om grief or tear. Calm was thy dying brow ; that " better land," With all its seraph-forms, its " happy band," Shone clear before tliy gently-closing eyes That never more might gaze on sunset sliies. Sharp, piercing thorns had mingled with life's flowers, And sorrow oft, had dimm'd thy brightest hours ; But now, the strife is o'er, the conflict past, Tliy soul hath found her home of rest, at last : ■What though tliy earthly lyre be all-unstrung, A golden harp, for ever tuned and strung, E'en from eternity, for thee, is thine, While round thy brow immortal flow'rets twine ; Thy voice on earth is hush'd ; yet lives thy strain ; We would not — could not wish thee here again. THE INYOCATION OF DEATH. Oh come ! oli come ! I have call'd thee long, I have pined for thee in the festal throng, Not the rapture of music, nor rosy flowers, Nor the pure white blooms of these myrtle bowers, Nor the singing birds in the sunlit vales. Nor the solemn songs of the nightingales, — Not all that is bright on this changing earth, Not all that is lovely of mortal birth. May tempt me to linger below, again ; Shatter'd and snapt is life's golden chain. Death ! death ! I have watch'd the morning sky. And the pale stars fading silently. The sun drink the dew from the lily leaves. And light the dim shades where the lone dove grieves. And I've press'd my hot brow on the cool green grass. While I long'd for thy bhghting form to pass. And when the deep, silent noontide slept On the gushing founts, where so calmly wept The crystal drops from the rock's cool shade. Where the lotus-cups wove a pearly braid. And bent o'er the sparkling wavelets there. Like a chasten'd mourner, meek and fair. Oh ! sweet was that noontide, sweet and bright. And rich were the rays of emerald light 90 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. That burst through the waving forest-boughs, And dauced where the purple violet grows ; But what is this glorious world to me, With its gay-plumed birds, and their minstrelsy. And the rustling olive, the cedar's moan, — What is tlieir music to one alone ? The golden sun-beams ! I saw them die. And the rose-hue melt in the evening sky ; The crimson leaves on the tm-f were laid, As I watch'd the young buds of summer fade ; And I gazed on the streams, as dazzling and free, Onward tbey sped to the pathless sea; — All things can find thee. Oh ! Death ! but I Cannot rend the frail bonds of mortality ! Oh ! fair Thyatira ! the glistening beam That falls on thy towers with its fitful gleam. Had it power to cast on this tear-laved tomb One ray of gladness amid the gloom. Oh ! then, I might even grieve to roam From the hill-girt city, my childhood's home ; But, no ! the light of my life hath pass'd ; Of affection's deep tones I have heard the last ; I saw the smile that I treasured part, And the throbbing cease of that noble heart. Whose last faint thrill was of love for me. Ere he pass'd away to eternity. And here, while the graves around me lie, Wliile the red lights fade in the evening sky. While the night-bird's flapping wing is near. And the burning stars glimmer forth — stiU here I linger amid the silent dead, Wliile he slumbers on in his lonely bed. Oh ! come to me. Death ! let this pallid brow Be white as the far-off Alpine snow ; Oh ! bear me away to the spirit-land. Far, far, from this rosy Syrian strand ; Now come to me. Death ! bear me hence away, Let me struggle no longer with mortal clay. All that I love from this bright world is gone. Only this tomb hath a voiceless tone. Which breathes to my desolate, fainting heart, " Depart ! from the sunlight of heaven depart ! " THE FUNERAL OF NAPOLEON. 97 Yet hush ! hush this murmuring note of grief; Hush ! for tlie steps of my journey brief May end ere yon sun's departing ray Shall melt into darkness at close of day. Oh ! Father of heaven ! look down in thy love, From thy starry throne in the world above. And pardon thy wandering, wayward child, Who fain would return to Thee, undefiled ! Take her, weary in heart, to that peaceful home, Where storms may not wither — Death maj' not come. Hark ! the deep tone of a distant bell ! 'Tis tolling my solemn passing-knell ! Hark ! the low wind through the cedar-boughs Sweeps sadly adown from the mountain brows. And a requiem chant on the evening gale Comes floating along from the cypress vale ; Fair shores of Natolia, fare ye well ! In a lovelier climate I hasten to dwell ; I have gazed my last on the shining sun, — The conflict is over — the strife is done : Through the shado^vy trees thy form I trace — Welcome, oh Death ! is thy cold embrace ! THE FUNERAL OF NAPOLEON. It will be remembered, that in the year 1840, M. Guizot, at tliat time the French Ambassador at the British Court, waited upon Lord Palmerston, with a request that the body of Napoleon Buonaparte should be resigned to the French nation, in order that the ashes of the deceased Emperor should at last repose in the soil of France, the country over which he had once held absolute sway. This matter being arranged, the French proceeded to determine the place of sepulture, and after some debate, it was settled that the remains of the illustrious departed should find their final resting-place beneath the vast dome of the Eglise des Invalides. On the 1st of July, in the year already mentioned,- La Favorite, corvette, and La Belle Poule, frigate, quitted the harbour of Toulon, and arrived, on the 8th of the following October, in that of James Town, St. Helena. The 15th of the same month was fixed on as the day of exhumation, that being the day on which, a quarter of a century before, Napoleon had first set foot on the island of St. Helena. S. S. VOL. I. 2 b 98 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Operations commenced at the hour of midnight ; the Enghsh Commissioner, together with Bertrand, Gourgaud, and Las Cases, three intimate friends of the late Emperor, being present at the disinterment. After the recital by a French Abbe of certain prayers, the coffin, which contained all that was mortal of Napoleon Buona- parte, was carefully removed, and, with all possible tokens of respect, was carried by a detachment of soldiers into a tent previously prepared for its reception, where, after tlie due performance of the religious ceremonies prescribed by the Romish Church, the receptacle to which had been committed the remains of one for whom " the world had been too small," was opened. It was a moment of intense interest. Friends, who had regarded Buonaparte with affection, and who had shed bitter tears over his lonely exile, now stood to gaze on all that remained of the illustrious dead. The features of the face were somewhat changed, but were perfectly recognizable. A sorrowful sternness seemed to shadow the brow, though the eye, the once keen, speaking eye, no longer told of the mighty workings of the spirit within. On Sunday, the 18th of October, the Belle Poule, with her precious deposit, left St. Helena, and arrived at Cherbourg on the 30th of the following month ; the grand entry into Paris being fixed for the 15th of December. Great indeed were the changes which had taken place since Napoleon Buonaparte had looked his last on that proud city ! Many who then stood around him had passed away from this mutable world. Poor Josephine — his deserted, but devoted wife — she could not rejoice in the honours paid to his memory by the land she loved so well, for she too had departed to " that bourne whence no traveller returns." There was a grand procession — and that was all ! At daybreak guns were fired at NeuiUy, and the body was transferred to the car destined to convey it to its last resting-place. The coffin, covered with violet crape, was surmounted by the imperial crown, and the horses, superbly accoutred, were led by attendants clad in the livery of the deceased Emperor. At the head of the proces- sion came the Gendannerie of the Seine, then the Municipal Guard, with various military squadrons and battalions ; the Prince de Joinville, and the five hundred sailors of the Belle Poule, marching in double file on each side of the chariot of death. The funeral cortege passed the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees, and finally halted at the Eglise des Invalides. The windows of the Church were closely curtained, and ten thousand tapers shed their light on the gloomy drapery, the gorgeous insignia of departed royalty, the dun banners of other days, the whole of the stately aud solemn catafalque, spread forth beneath the towering dome. The service for the dead ^&s, performed ; Napoleon was laid to his rest, to be aroused by the archangel's trumpet ; the long aisles of the crowded church were again deserted, and the parting gleams of the wintry sun alone ^dsited the solitude were reposed the dust of one who, but a few brief years before, had been — " The foremost mau of all this world." I • I: f i ^ ! LORD FORDWICH. 99 The career of Napoleon Buonaparte, the rise of his fortunes, his renown, his ambition, his fall, his years of exile, his lonely island -grave, and finally, the vain honours which were paid to his mouldering remains, form a story of wonders which will be as imperishable as history itself While ambition and the lust of power led him to form projects and pursue ends subversive of the well-being of his fellow-men, he was doubtless an instrument iu the hands of Him who " sitteth above the water- floods;" "in whose hands are the issues of life;" and who, when it pleased him, could say to the haughty and unsparing conqueror, " Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further !" LORD FORDWICH, Eldest son of Eail Cowper and the Lady Anne Robinson, daughter of Earl and Countess de Grey. Fair is thy youthful face, and well combines The different beauty of two lovely lines ; Earnest the light that fills thy Poet-eyes, Thoughtfully turn'd toward the distant skies : In a rose-path of life thy fate hath found thee. Beauty, and rank, and wealth, and love surround thee : But what the destiny of riper years. He knows, who mocks our hopes, abates our fears ; Frustrates the expectations of the crowd, , Lifts up the lowly, and casts down the proud. And early thou hast cast thy anchor where No storm can reach, nor touch of trivial care ; So shalt thou yet thy hopeful trust retain ; So shalt thou be successful, and not vain ; So shalt thou sufi'er, and yet not despond ; This world may fail thee — not the world beyond ! And though in after-days it should be told Of thee — as of the lovely Knight of old — Thou wert the fairest of the courtly throng; The gracefullest that led the dance along ; The bravest man that ever drew a sword ; The stateliest vision of a belted lord ; The warmest heart that ever sued for love ; The kindliest, when Pity sought to move; 10.0 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OE ENGRAVINGS. The frankest friend that ever clasp'd a hand ; The openest giver owning breadth of land ; The sternest champion of thy country's laws ; The gentlest listener to the poor man's cause ; Still would remain the greater, holier praise, la the first blessing of thy younger days, Ere yet these proud distinctions round thee smiled. And thou wast but a simple, pious child ; That from the dawning of thy tempted day, To the last setting of its mellow'd ray. Thou wert the truest Christian — so to speak Of one by nature sinful made, and weak — That ever in this world of storms unblest. The self-denying, peaceful creed profess'd ! THE MASQUERADE. 'TwAS a bright and festal throng. Earth's fairest flowers were there ; And ringlets waved in the dazzling light, O'er brows how purely fair ! And starry eyes were flashing. And gold and radiant gems Were bowing graceful, fragile forms, Like flow'rets on their stems. But the burning ruby's ray. With its crimson flashing beam, Glow'd not like many a cheek's soft rose, When the young, bright face was seen ; Nor the music in those halls. With its rich deep-sounding chords. Came not so sweet in that hour of glee As the gentle, breathing words. And costly robes were there. The raiment of distant lands ; The ermine and purple's heavy folds Half shading the jewell'd hands j !^^ti^ P^^<«^-/-^-V^ t-^/ ^-^ Q y^'6aM^/r^'ma(r/:' THE MASQUERADE. 101 And some, like lone sea-iiymplis, Were clad in pallid green. And wore sea-flowers, as if to the caves Of old ocean they had been. And some young, lovely girls Seem'd tenants of homes tliat stood, O'erhung with tlie jasmine and citron's glow In the depths of a Grecian wood : And some seem'd Italian brides, Whose eyes from the bridal veil, Smiled out with a pensive fitful light, 'Mid the orange-blossoms pale. And Queens from the coral isles, And Naiads from sounding seas, And Fauns from the forest and sylvan shades, With wreaths from the old oak trees ; And a Priestess of Druid race, With the mystic chaplet bound — All gracefully moved through the gliding dance. O'er those halls' enchanted ground. 'Twas a lovely sight to see Earth's beauties mingling there ; The rich, bright curls, and the ^'littering gems That gleam'd in the shining hair ! No murmur of grief or woe Was heard 'mid the music's tone. Oh! could it be that aiuidst thar tluoug There was no sad soul alone ! There maij be sorrow and grief. Though smooth be the snowy I) row ; There may on the lips be a proud., biigiit smile, With a bursting heurt below ; Such grief may e'en be yours, Oh ye of the laughing eyes ! But oh ! that this masking scene were all, Ye may know of life's disguise ! S. S. VOL. I. " ^ 102 CROSSING BY A SANGHA, NEAR JUMNOOTREE. THE MOUNTAIN-BRIDGE. BY L. E. L. The most common contrivance in this hill-district, where the stream is sufficiently naiTow to admit of its use, is the Sangha ; a bridge of the rudest description. No one being at the trouble of repairing such bridges, they are generally found by the traveller in the most crazy and precarious condition imaginable. So long, indeed, as the wayfarer can keep in the centre of the Sangha, he is tolerably safe; but if he venture to plant his foot either to the right, or the left, he is in danger of being precipitated into the torrent. The safest plan is, not to look for a moment upon the impetuous current below, but to keep the eyes steadily fixed on some object on the opposite side of the stream, and thus to pass firmly and decidedly onwards ; for there being neither parapet nor guiding rail, the frail bridge is often, in a high wind, so fearfully swayed to and fro, that even the mountaineers themselves refuse to cross it. Wake not yet, thou mountain-breeze, Slumbering 'mid the leafy trees ; Sound not yet thy stormy blast. Till the mountain-stream is past. See ! they stir ; The topmost bough. Of yon pine is waving now ; Hark ! it comes with bellowing roar. Speed thee, traveller, speed thee o'er ! Dream not now of safe retm'n ; Thought of doubt and danger spurn ; Plant thy foot, and fix thine eye ; Like an arrow, forward fly. Look not down : — that foaming tide Shakes the mountain's echoing side ; Cleaves the granite's hoary brow — Fearful traveller, look not thou. Look not where the feathery spray Dances upward to the day, "White as snow, and pure as white — Trust not to that treacherous sight. HOTEL DE VILLE. Look not where tlie waves are clear^ Swift, but silent, glancing near; Till at once, with giant curl, Down the thundering depths they whii-1. Fiercer waters roaring loud, Toss on high their foamy cloud; Darker billows raging still. There, the mighty caldron fill. Rushing wind, and furious flood. Trembling bridge of shapeless wood j Heed not, traveller, speed thee on — Now the rock of safety's won ! THE HOTEL DE VILLE, PARIS. The Hotel de Ville, one of the most remarkable public buildings in Paris, owes its celebrity less to the singular style of its architecture, and to its regular and liarmoniuns proportions, than to the various stirring political events of which it has been the theatre. Having traversed the Rue St. Denis, and the Pont au Change, and proceeded for some few hundred yards along the bank of the Seine, the traveller arrives at the famous Place de Greve, at the northern extremity of which stands the Hotel de Ville. The first stone of this magnificent Town-Hall, which stands on the site pre\'iously occupied by the Hospital and Church Du Saint Esprit, was kid during the reign of Francis I. — an era very memorable in the history of the religious world ; for during the reign of this prince, the glorious Reformation not only shone forth with bright effulgence in Germany, and beamed upon our own country, but also penetrated into many parts of France. The structure, however, of which, on the fifteenth of July, 1.533, Pierre de Violle laid the first stone, forms but a small portion of the present splendid edifice. During several subsequent years the progress of the building was suspended ; but in the year 1549, Henry II., charmed by the beauty of the jilans siibmittcd to him by Dominico Boccadoro, surnamcd Cortona, directed that the structure should be completed according to the design of that artist. Still, however, the work proceeded slowly; and was not perfectly finished until fifty years afterwiu-ds, (a. n. 1605.) Henry IV. completed it with much magnificence ; and caused a bas-relief, representing himself on horseback, and executed in bronze, to be placed over the principal entrance. 104 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. The history of this bas-relief has been singularly eventful. It was destroyed during the wars of the Fronde, when the Hotel de Ville, generally, sustained serious damage ; it was subsequently restored by the son of the celebrated Biard, the original sculptor ; and having been again demolished by the infuriated revolutionists of the time of Louis XVL, and again replaced on the restoration of the Bom-bon line of princes, it was once more damaged in the revolutionary tumults of 1830, and once more replaced in its original position by the late monarch, Louis Philippe. Whether during the fearful commotions which within the last few months have overturned the throne of France, it have been again defaced or destroyed, we know not ; but it is not improbable that a monument to the memory of Henry the Great, may, during the late furious outbreak of republicanism, have suffered from the effects of the lawless spirit which has hurled the ex-king from his throne. The principal entrance to the Hotel de Ville is in the Place de Greve ; a noble flight of steps leading up to the portal. The clock which belongs to this building is justly regarded as one of the cui-iosities of Paris. It was made, at an immense cost, by the celebrated Lepante, and is said to be one of the best clocks in Europe. It was originally surrounded by several statues ; but all of these, excepting one which repre- sents the city of Paris distributing crowns, are so much mutilated, that the intention of the sculptor can no longer be discovered. The face of this clock is beautifully enamelled ; and, at night, very much to the advantage of the citizens of Paris, it is illuminated by means of a reflector ; so that the hour may be constantly discerned. Beyond the vestibule of the Hotel de Ville is a coui-t, siuTounded by porticoes, which support the building. Upon the frieze there were formerly marble tablets, bearing, in golden letters, inscriptions, marking the principal events in the life of Lonis XIV., beginning with his marriage in 1659. There were also inscriptions referring to the principal events in the reign of Louis XV. The Prefect of the Seine, who is the chief officer of the municipality, and who may be said to unite the functions of lord-lieutenant of the county and mayor of the city, holds his court, if such it may be called, at the Hotel de Ville. It will be remembered, that during the terrible revolution which took place towards the close of the last century, the National Assembly agreed upon a constitution, which the unhappy Louis XVI. declared himself ready to accept. He appeared before the Assembly, and was received simply as its President ; all present remaining in their places, instead of testifying their respect for the sovereign by the usual courtesy of rising from their seats. The unfortunate monarch, however, professed his cordial acceptance of the constitution, and attached to it his signatui'e. No sooner, however, had he retired from the public gaze, than he gave utterance to very diflerent senti- ments, passionately declai-ing to the queen, in private, that he had acted by compulsion, not by choice. The constitution, however, was solemnly proclaimed by the civic authorities before the Hotel de Ville, and also in the Champ de INIars, and in the Rue St. Honore. On the 9th of August, 1793, it was determined by the Revolutionists that a debate should take t 1 i ^ HOTEL DE VILLE. 105 place on the expediency of suspending the kingly office. On the evening of that memor- able day, a second attack was directed against the Tuilleries, and the royal family were compelled to seek refuge in the National Assembly. Soon after midnight, two hundred persons forcibly entered the Hotel de Ville, where the Commune was then sitting, and expelled all the members, with the exception of Danton and two others. The new council then took possession of the vacant seats, and, self-elected, began forthwith to exercise their merciless functions. From the central window of the principal apartment of the Hotel do Ville it was, that poor Louis XVI. addressed his infuriated people, with the red cap of liberty on his head. " Do not fear, Louis," exclaimed one of the more humane among the mob. " Feel if I do," answered the king, placing the man's hand on his heart. Another voice was heard in the crowd — " Why," said a young man who was a spectator of the indignities offered to the monarch, addressing a companion, " Why do they not cut down some hundreds of these wretches with grape-shot ? the remainder would speedily take to flight." The speaker was Napoleon Buonaparte 1 At the commencement of this Revolution it was, that the National Guard took its rise. The electors demanded and obtained from the civic authorities the great hall of the Hotel de Ville for a place of meeting, and for many days it was besieged by the populace, vociferating for arms. It should be mentioned, that above a century before these scenes of violence deso- lated Paris, the Hotel de Ville, then in an unfinished state, was rendered remarkable as being the scene of some of the incidents connected with the destruction of the Protestants in the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. Two venerable Protestant gentlemen, of the most unblemished character, were there condemned to death on the charge of having been concerned in the treason which was attributed to the excellent Admiral de Coligny, and for which he most unjustly suffered death. It is needless to say, that the pretended plot, of which Coligny was the first victim, was an invention of the Medici, in order to justify that atrocious massacre of the French Protestants which took place on St. Bartholomew's Day. On the ever-memorable Eve of St. Bartholomew, in the year 1572, Charles IX. and his infamous mother partook of a sumptuous banquet at the Hotel de VUle, the windows of which commanded a view of the place of the execution of Coligny and his fellow-sufferers, namely, the Place de Greve. The performance of the fatal tragedy was deferred till ten p.m., the innocent and grey-haired victims being exposed during several hours to all the outrages which could be heaped upon them by a crowd of almost insane fanatics. When the appointed hour arrived, the windows of the Hall were thrown open, and Charles IX., with his mother and his two brothers, came forward, amid a blaze of torches, and with fixed attention contemplated the horrid scene. The breaking of the lamps around the Hotel de Ville was one of the first signals of revolt on occasion of the three days' revolution of 1830 ; and on the top of the central tower of that edifice it was, that the tri-coloured flag, decorated by a piece of S. S. — VOL. I. 3d 106 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. black crape, was hoisted as tlie national standard. A battalion of guards being despatched by the roj'al party to occupy and defend the building, a terrible contest ensued, both on the Pont Notre Dame and also in the Place de Greve ; indeed, this latter spot was continually in a state of commotion. Here the severest struggles of the day occurred, and after a most obstinate resistance, and the loss of many lives, the royal troops succeeded in taking possession of the Hotel de Ville, which was not reco- vered by the people during that day's fight. At length Charles X., finding himself utterly helpless, convened his last council, and made many concessions, which, had they been made sooner, might perhaps have saved the hereditary monarchy. As it was, the existing government was totally overthrown, and a municipal commission was instituted, composed of Messieurs Lafitte, Casimir Perrier, &c. Charles X. took refuge in England j peace was restored ; Hberty and order were once more united ; and the banner that floated from the Hotel de Ville afforded the first pubhc signal of the success of that revolution which had placed Louis Philippe on the French throne. Noiv, the throne of France exists no more ; it has been literally burned by a furious mob. Louis Philippe is a second time an esUe from the land of his fathers, and a second time has found in England, as Count de Neuilly, the refuge of which he stood in need. It may well be matter of grateful exultation, that our country should thus be able and willing to extend her generous hospitality to fallen princes ; but while we rejoice on this account, it becomes us, as loyal sons and daughters of England, to guard well those civil and religious public institutions, and to foster those private Christian virtues, which, while other thrones have " tottered to their fall," have hitherto proved the safe- guard of that of our beloved Queen Victoria. CHRIST AND THE LEPER. BY THE HON. EDMUND PHIPPS. Loathsome, an outcast, doom'd to solitude — Or, worse than solitude, to share his fate With loathsome outcasts, like himself — he stood A Leper, all alone, Avithout the gate ; When, lo, the Master comes. Where all of late Had been despair and hopeless misery, Beam'd a bright ray upon his darken'd state : At once he felt a great High Priest was nigh — A priest who could be touch'd with his infirmity. l'E'i'^;B. JACK: LADY CLEMENTINA VILLIERS. 107 Approach he dare not. — " Thou canst make me clean, Lord, if thou wilt I" This was his only plea : " I will !" tlie griicious answer — nought between That promise and th' omnipotent decree Of " Be thou clean I" Spotless at once, and free Prom taint, his weary heart he could divest Of its whole burden : in society, Free fi-om thenceforth to mingle, or to rest Mid beings — long unseen — whom he had loved the best. Fancy would vainly strive to paint his grief When suffering — his earnestness of prayer For help — or the glad joy of his relief; But may we fcnoiu and/ee/ it ; may we share Each of these varying moods — this deep despair — This earnest longing to be heal'd — this joy When made the subjects of His heavenly care ! Who is there, gracious Lord, that might not cry, " Such leprosy is mine — such need of thee have I ; " Behold me with the leprosy of sin, " Tainted like him ; condemned to herd with those " Who, with fair outside, are more foul within " Than he whom thou didst heal ; to seek repose, " And seek it all in vain, as one who knows " He must be exiled from the blessed scene " Of saints made perfect ; such my weight of woes ! " My wants, my hope, my faith, by Thee are seen : " Look on me ; if thou wilt. Lord, thou canst make me clean !" TO THE LADY CLEMENTINA VILLIERS. Sweet lady, while I gaze on thee. And view, in its calm radiancy, Thine eye that 'neath the summer sky. Reflects the tender blue on high. And see thy young, unclouded face Deck'd in simplicity's sweet grace, I almost long, that o'er thy way, No shade may dim the sunshine's ray. 108 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. It cannot be — it were not well, That fadeless earthly joy should dwell, Within a frail and mortal heart ; "Tis well, that this ivorld's peace must part Sometimes from breasts of earthly mould; Sometimes e'en love of friends grow cold. I would not then, thy path should be All flowers, all bright prosperity ; Nor yet, that those sweet eyes of thine Should always with such lustre shine. Gems from the wave may Avreathe thy brow. Fair Ondine ! as thou seemest now ; Rubies may flash amid thine hair. And summer-roses fresh and fair Crown thee, and bloom around thy feet ; Dear ones with smiles of love may greet, And music's loveliest lays be sung. And yet, deep gloom be round thee flung. Though all seem bright, the deathless mind, The immortal soul no rest may find ; In love and bliss of earth alone, There lingereth in the tenderest tone A shade of sadness and of grief. That all below m^^st be so brief. May woman's highest lot be thine ! Not 'mid the thoughtless crowd to shine. But to cast gladness on the way Of those who droop in sorrow's day; To watch beside the painful bed. And raise the weary, aching head. To wipe with gentle hand the tear, And calm and chase the lingering fear. Surely ! so lovely as thou art. Thou wouldst not make this world thy part ; Surely, thy hopes will soar above. Be centred there, thy joys, thy love. Dreams of this mortal life will fly ; Thine be the love that cannot die ; The hopes that never pass away, The light that leads to endless day. May He, thy Guide through all the past. Shed peace around thee to the last 1 109 PILGrvIMS RESTING ON THEIR ROUTE TO MECCA. The interior of the Turkish empire is constantly traversed by large bodies of men, who proceed together, fw' protection ; their object being either commerce or devotion. With respect to this last-mentioned object it may be noticed, that in tlie sixteenth year of Mohammed's mission, he ordained, that every believer should engage in a pilgrimage to visit the place of the Caaba, or sacred house of Abraham. The Caaba itself, as it was believed, had been taken up to heaven at the flood, but its model remained for the benefit of true believers at Mecca. This ordinance was rigidly observed by his followers. The caliphs set the example ; and all Mussulmans hold this Pilgrimage to be an indispensable obligation at this day, when it is possible for them to perform it. Even women are not exempted from this duty ; if they have no husband or brother, under whose protection they can leave the harem, they are bound to marry, for the express purpose of obtaining a protector. The only person in the empire exempt is the Sultan ; and he, only because the pilgrimage would occupy a longer period than he could be legally absent from the capital. He is bound, however, to send a substitute, called Surre Emmini, who always accompanies the caravan of pilgi-ims, and represents the sovereign. Thus it is, that eveiy year above one hundred thousand persons, of all ages and conditions, set out from various points, and traverse Europe, Asia, and Africa, to fulfil this indispensable duty. The great European caravan assembles at Constantinople in the month of Regib, which, according to the Turkish calendar, falls at every season of the year. The Pilgrims cross the Bosphorus, and unite on the great plain of Scutari, from whence they take their departure in company. They exhibit a strange display of folly and fanaticism. Among the various groups are seen, at one place, jugglers and buffoons exhibiting their light and often indecent mummery ; in another, molhas and dervishes exhorting to piety, and tearing their limbs with disgusting lacerations : but the most conspicuous object is the sacred camel. This camel carries the mahhfil, or seat from which the Prophet preached and di.spensed justice in his journeys. The race is religiously kept up in the stables of the seraglio ; and some believe the camel of the mahhfil, at this day, to be the actual animal on which the Prophet rode, and to be kept alive by a miracle, to perform this annual journey to his holy city. The accompanying illustration re]n-ese.nts a group of a caravan of the faithful, proceeding from the northern to the southern extremity of the empire, to perform this pilgrimage. The venerable Moslem, who is ambitious oi becoming a hadgee, is attended by his guards, who are distinguished by their fantastic dress ; their glittering golden-hafted hanjars, stuck in their shawl-girdles, beside their silver - mounted pistols; and by the substi- tution of the many-tasselled cap for the grave turban. Their accommodation is the stable of a khan, which their camel equally shares ; and their refreshment is cofi'ee, black and bitter, served by the khangee in small characteristic cups. What seek ye on your toilsome way, Pilgrims of Eastern land ? "Why turn ye from your own bright shores. Your own fair sea-girt strand ? Seek ye a glorious sunny land "Where hidden treasures lie ? And magic powei-s of by-gone years Sleep 'neath the golden sky ? Ye seek not at your journey's close To win an earthly crown ; Why bow the knee iu reverence meek. When the glad sun goes down ? S, S. VOL. I. 2 K 110 THE PEOPLE'S GALLEM OF irNGRAVINGS. Percliance ye seek the buried lore Of sages of tlie past, Wending your way to break the spell O'er aucient genius cast. Or is it, that ye long have heard Of Araby's bkie sky ? Or that ye seek fair India's clime Where pearls and coral lie ? Or haply, ye may seek a home Far in some sun-lit vale Wliere laurels spread their shining leaves. And perfumes scent the gale. Not so ! not so ! for naught of earth Ye tread your dreary road. Turning from all ye prize so well, Leaving each loved abode ! Ye go to seek your Prophet's shrine, To kneel before his tomb ; To press the sacred marble there From morn to evening's gloom. Oh ! that ye sought a purer faith, A higher, holier shrine ! Would that your prayers indeed were laid Before the throne divine ! Ye press with firm, calm patience on. Nor heed the scorching sun. Nor the wild desert's stormy blast. So tliat your work be done. And we, who walk in clearer light, To whom the truth is given, Would that we trod our earthly path, With heart so fix'd on heaven! Ye think not when ye reach the goal Of your long journey past ; So may we smile at life's drear waste. Our haven gain'd at last ! = ^ 59 ^ :l ^ 6= Ill THE COAST OF ASIA MINOR, NEAR ANAMOUR. Anamour, (the ancient Anamurium,) is a deserted mass of ruins crowning one of the bold headlands on the coast of Asia Minor. Tliis part of tlie sliore is described by travellers as being wild and savage in the extreme. The rugged masses of rock which skirt the land abound with yawning caverns, from whose gloomy recesses the waves send forth a hollow, ceaseless moan, like voices from the tomb. Anamour is emphatically a city of ruins. The remains of its ancient castle, with its fortifications ; the aqueducts which supplied it witli water ; vestiges of the theatres which once rang with the sounds of music and the shouts of the multitude, still resist the force of the winds which sweep its desolate heights. Outside the walls, Anamour presents, at first sight, the appear- ance of a deserted city. It is, indeed, a city; but not of the living; it is a city of the dead — a true Necropolis. The care and skill exercised by the ancients, in order to render durable the abodes of the dead, is here strongly impressed upon the mind. Not a vestige appears of the dwellings of the once flourishing city of Anamurium ; but its silent tombs, which bear no record or inscription, will endure to the end of time. Such is Anamour ! No shepherd feeds his fiock amidst its fallen temples, or its enduring monuments of departed generations ! No fisherman spreads bis nets on the gloomy rocks against which the waves dash with wild fury. Total desolation and wild and majestic grandeur are the characteristics of the scene ; and Anamour, ouce teeming with an active population, and gladdened by the voices of children, is now peopled only by the dust of departed generations. Its romantic magnificence must ever chann the eye of the traveller; yet he wlio gazes upon it will rejoice that his lot is not cast in a region so dreary and desolate as this City op the Dead. Oh ! sad forsaken city, We tread thy noiseless streets, And no glad voice of melody The stranger's coming greets ; Only the foaming billows, With hollow, ceaseless moan. Send forth from caverns of the deep Their changeless, mournful tone. The wild sea-birds are shrieking Along the lonely sliore. The storm-blast, madly sweeping Thy fallen temples o'er ; We gaze upon thy ruins. Where once the dance was led. And song pour'd forUi — now, all is still. Thou city of the Dead ! What bright forms ouce were glancing Through thy forsaken bowers ! How proudly waved the banners From thy once frowning towers ! 112 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. The music swell' d out gladly From many a festal hall, With laughter from the gay young heart — "Where are those voices all ? Wliere are they ? lost and vanish'd With ancient glory gone ; Gone, like the golden clouds of eve When the shining sun goes down. Oh ! shade of pomp and grandeur. Where is thy regal power ? What now is left — what hast thou still Of thy once queenly dower? Thou hast the booming waters. The salt waves' sparkling foam ; The long departed, silent Dead Have found with thee a home ; Around thy walls lie scatter'd The graves of other years. Sad mounds ! where spring sweet flow'rets wild. But never wash'd by tears ! They who once trod thy palaces. Now in their dreamless sleej), Hear not the mighty ocean's roai*. Dashing thy rocky steep : They weep not, though their temples Have fallen to decay. What recks it that their fanes have fall'n To cold and lifeless clay ? Ye heed no tempest's thunder, Ye dwellers in the tomb j Ye list not to the wild bird's scream. Piercing the lonely gloom; Ye cannot gaze up j-onder, To sullen, storm-clad skies. Ages have roll'd since ye lay down — But soon ve must arise ! ES GRAVED BY J f^. .L> A :^l ,fi^ ILl AV IL IL IE Ji^ o AKOtiuisuoi* or >t>:cni.iN . CARDINAL ALLEN.' US A little longer tarry, The trumpet-note shall sound And shake those hoary time-worn tombs ; And from that desert-ground The sleepers all shall waken, Each from his rocky bed. And thy long, quiet rest be o'er, Thou City of the Dead ! CARDINAL ALLEN. Dr. William Allen, Cardinal of England and Archbishop of Mechhn, was bom in 1532, and was entered, in his fifteenth year, at Oriel College, Oxford, under the tutelage of the celebrated Morgan Phillips, one of the first logicians and disputants of his day. Allen's rise to the great eminence which he attained in the Romish church is chiefly to be attributed to his close and successful application to the study of logic and philosophy. He passed through several collegiate degrees, with great reputation as a man of extensive learning and eloquence; and, in 1556, being then only twenty-four years of age, he became principal of St. IMary Hall, and officiated as proctor in the following year. In 1558 he was made canon of York; but, refusing the oaths on the accession of Ehzabeth, he forfeited his fellowship, and, in 1560, retired to the Roman Catholic College of Louvaine, where he wrote his first work in answer to Bishop Jewel, entitled "A Defence of the Doctrine of Catholics con- cerning Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead." Antwerp, 1565, 8vo. This production excited great attention, both at home and abroad ; and induced the English Roman Catholics to confide to its author the tuition of Sir Christopher Blount. In the same year, Allen, with considerable danger, ventured to return to England, and \isited the place of his birth, and other parts of the country; everywhere labouring by literary exertions to advance the cause of the deposed religion. Having spent three years in England, he was compelled, by accumulating dangers, to retire, in 1568, first to Flanders ; then to Mechlin ; and afterwards to Douay, where he took his doctor's degree, and established a seminary for English scholars ; being supported by a pension from the pope. TVhile employed in this institution, he was nominated to a canonry of Cambray ; and on an application from the English councU to the governor of the Spanish Netherlands to dissolve the college at Douay, Dr. Allen and other fugitives were offered protection by the princes of the house of Guise. Having received the a])pointment of canon of Rheiras, Dr. Allen established a seminary in that city, under the patronage of the Cardinal of Lorraine. From this time he was considered abroad, as the chief of his party, and at home, very justly, as an enemy to his country ; for S. S. VOL. I. 2 P 114 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. in liis Defence of the " Twelve Martyrs in one Year," lie promulgated a doctrine nvlueh justified the suspension of all domestic and civil obligations upon the score of religious opinions. He was even accused of having, by advice of Parsons, the Jesuit, united with the English Roman Catholic nobility resident in Flanders, in persuading Philip II. of Spain to undertake the conquest of their native country, and the restoration of the papal authority. The result of this advice was happily less disastrous than the Jesuit doubtless hoped that it would prove. Dr. Allen afterwards wrote a defence of Sir "William Stanley and Sir Rowland York, who had joined the papal party. In 1587 Allen received the title of Cardinal of St. Martin in Montibus, with a rich abbey in Naples ; and in 1588 he published the " Declaration of the Sentence of Sixtus the Fifth ;" and, by this publication, which pronounced the Queen's government to be impious and unjust, and herself an usurper, obstinate and impenitent, and therefore to be deprived, he rendered himself famous abroad, and infamous at home. The Declaration was accompanied by a second part, entitled an " Admonition to the Nobility and People of England and Ireland ;" in which, among other accusations, he declares the Queen to be a bastard daughter of Henry VIII., by incest with Anne Boleyn. Though the attack upon England did not succeed, no part of its failure was attributed to the cardinal, who, according to promise, was promoted by the King of Spain to the Archbishopric of Mechlin. Sixtus V., however, would not sufler him to quit Rome, where he passed his remaining years in great splendour and reputation. Towards the close of his life, he is said to have materially altered his opinions, and to have lamented the part which he had taken respecting the intended invasion of England. This change of sentiment, so far, at least, as regards politics, has received confirmation from a letter found among the Burleigh Papers, and addressed from the Cardinal at Rome, August 14, 1593, to Richard Hopkins, in England. Cardinal Allen died October 6, 1594, in the 63rd year of his age, and was interred with great pomp in the chapel of the English Church of the Holy Trinity, at Rome, where a monument, with a Latin inscription, was erected to his memory. THE DUENNA. It was in the year 1750, that a Spanish noble, by name Don Manuel Francis Alvnra, married Inesilla, the only child and heiress of an extremely wealthy merchant of Valencia. Don Manuel was proud and daring; his person was handsome; his dark eyes flashed with all the determination and haughtiness of an untamed spirit ; and though he seldom expressed his thoughts on the subject, it was well known that he prided himself in no small degree on his lofty descent, hitherto untainted by plebeian alliances. Great therefore was the marvel when the last of the Alvai-a race united himself in holy wedlock to the daughter of a citizen ; and one, too, who could not THE DUENNA. 115 boast of more than ordinary personal attractions. An immense dower, it was supposed, led to this extraordinary match ; though many, nevertheless, wondered, that any amount of wealth could tempt the proud Alvara to marry one whose low origin he could not do otherwise than despise. For many years the fortunes of the Alvara family had been on the decline. The stately ancestral castle, once a princely palace, was falling to decay; while death and the chances of war seemed to unite to complete the desolation and final extinction of the Alvaras. Don Manuel was about nineteen years of age when he encountered a very lovely young lady, the daughter of a Castilian grandee. The rank of Theresa equalled his own ; as the haughtiness of her sire equalled that of Don Manuel ; and finally, like Don Manuel, Theresa was portionless ; a ruined moss-grown ancient castle, the family inheritance, being her all. Theresa, who had scarcely attained the age of seventeen, possessed the most radiant beauty, united to that grace and fascination so peculiar to the females of the Spanish aristocracy. She met Don Manncl while he was travelling in Castile, and after a brief acquaintance and attachment, solemn vows of love and fidelity were exchanged between the youthful pair. The father of Theresa rejoiced in the exquisite loveliness of his gifted daughter, and he had early determined to bestow her in marriage on one of the richest nobles of the land. Great therefore was his annoyance and anger, when Alvara, in all the ardour and impetuosity of a first passion, declared his affection for the beautiful Theresa ; he forbade the lovers to meet again, even to take a last farewell ; and the father of Don Manuel having heard that the fortune of his son's intended bride consisted merely in her personal attractions, sent a messenger to recal him to the paternal roof. Alvara obeyed, and left Castile with an aching heart. No sooner had he joined his father, than he was importuned to retrieve the shattered fortunes of his family by marrying Inesilla, whose immense wealth had already attracted numerous suitors. Alvara steadily refused ; pleading his attachment to Theresa ; and his father, finding persuasion and threats equally unavailing, had recourse to artifice. He caused a report to be propagated to the effect, that Theresa was on the point of mamage with an illustrious prince of Sardinia ; and so dexterously was the plot conducted, that the unhappy Manuel firmly believed in the reality of the approaching nuptials. At length, he heard that Theresa was actually married ; and, almost frantic with despair and resentment, he rushed into the presence of Inesilla, and offered her his hand. It was readily accepted. The Valencian merchant was willing to exchange wealth for rank ; and, oljserving, that since the young Alvara stood in need of money, and his daughter required a noble husband, nothing could have happened more au.spiciously, he gave his immediate consent, and proclaimed to the citizens of Valencia, that Don Mauuel de Alvara was the accepted suitor of Inesilla. The fiither of Theresa had employed a like stratagem, but not with similar success. The noble maiden was told of Manuel's marriage ; and that day she left her home, accompanied by her female attendant. No one knew whither she had gone, and all search proved unavailing. Luise, the waiting-woman, or Duenna, who had attended IIG THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Theresa from her childhood, heheld with feelings of the deepest indignation the apparent shght offered to her beloved young mistress. One virtue alone characterized this ■woman ; devotion to the family whom she served. On the day on which the news arrived of Alvara's marriage, Theresa, in her agony of mind, fled into the forest adjoining her father's domain. Luise followed her — and unknown to her young lady, she planned a scheme of deadly vengeance. They agreed to fly to some distant town, where Luise was to undertake another service. The Duenna returned to the house, secretly conveyed from thence her mistress's jewels, her little stock of money, and some changes of raiment ; and then they travelled to the small sea-coast town of Denia, in the province of Valencia. Here, under an assumed name, Theresa inhabited a small retired cottage, and Luise, who had discovered that Alvara had brought his bride to a marine villa about three miles distant, offered herself to InesiOa as her principal personal attendant. Don Manuel believing, that in consequence of Theresa's marriage, the waiting-woman had lost a home, desired his bride to accept Luise's services. It might be, that she reminded him of the happy days of joy and love spent in Castile, for he certainly welcomed the addition of Luise to his household. When a little time had elapsed, the new waiting-woman commenced her operations. She contrived to make known to a certain young gallant, that the lady of Alvara regarded him with affection. A corresponding tale she told to the vain Inesilla ; and for some time messages were carried between the unprincipled pair by Luise. From the gentleman came importunate requests of assignations, if it were only for a few moments, and if the lady came attended by her waiting-woman — on the part of Inesilla, coquettish denials and procrastinations. At length the long-besought interview was granted, and Luise promised to throw a half-opened rose-bud upon the terrace of the garden, as a signal that the visit might be paid in safety. Meanwhile, the treacherous Duenna had managed to convey to Don Manuel suspicions of his wife's fidelity. When all was ripe for the execution of her plot, she caused a letter to be sent to Alvara, telling him of the rose, the appointed signal of meeting. Alvara came in a muffled disguise, saw the rose, and secreted himself, until his rival, attired in like manner, entered the house ; he then rushed into the apartment, and aimed at his guilty partner a blow with a dagger, which would have launched her into eternity, had not a young waiting-woman, who professed herself of African race, stept forward, and received the blow on her own bosom. Manuel rushed in horror to her succour, while Inesilla and her lover escaped. He raised the unfortunate girl, and in endeavouring to unfasten her dress, he discovered that her dark complexion -nas artificial — the features were familiar — the small, exqui- sitely formed hand was not to be mistaken ; it was Theresa ! Luise had introduced her to the house in order to witness the triumph over her rivalj but the unhappy girl, seeing the murderous weapon descending upon Inesilla, rushed forward. There was something of generosity in the movement; somethiug of joy at the idea of dying by the hand she loved. To describe the horror and grief of Alvara would be impossible ; he learned from Luise that his beloved Theresa had never been unfaithful, and there she lay before him, slain by his own hand ! But when Luise the Duenna, discovered that Don Manuel had C: CArrr.if-'ioi. ^//^- _////'//////' THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER. 117 also been deceived, and that he had never sought the hand of Inesilla until after the report of Theresa's marriage had reached him, her malignant fury and grief changed to the bitterest remorse. Alvara left his home, and wandered in distant lands till his death, which happened early. Inesilla, deserted by her lover, died in misery ; and Luise, bowed down by the sense of her own guilt, retired to a convent, where, after practising for a few months all the austerities of a most severe order, she also died. On her tomb was simply inscribed her name, and these words — " Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." In after years the nuns left the convent; the building and the cemetery fell to decay ; but when a stranger wandered over the gray and weed-clad walls of the deserted convent, he was always shown the Tomb of the Duenna. THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER. Night broods o'er the blue Arabian sea Dim shade hangs over the laurel tree j Fountains, whose murmurs by daylight sleep. In the shadowy hour have waked to weep ; And the long bright leaves that bend o'er the wave. Droop sadly down from the misty cave ; And the shining stars o'er the ocean lone. Seem musing of glory and sunbeams gone. Hark ! I hear the sound of that solemn roar. As the billows break on the rocky shore. Dashing along over stone and shell, From the inmost depths of the pale pearl's cell. Yes ! so have I heard it in days of glee. When the waves made music right merrily ; So have I heard it at even-tide. When my bark on its tranquil breast would glide. And ONE at my side — he sleepeth now. Beneath those blue waters' ceaseless flow ; Deep down, where the wrecks of all rich things lie. In his manly beauty, he sank to die ! Who laid him there in his couch so low 'Mid the coral isles ? My father ! 'twas thou Didst take in thy fury his young bright life; Thy hand smote fiercely in battle-strife. And the pulse of life, and the flashing eye, Were smitten when none save the foe was by. S. S.^VOL. I. 3 G 118 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Would / had been there, in that hour of death. To catch the last sigh of his mortal breath ! His last faint whisperings I might have heard. And breathed in his ear one parting word. My father ! look not on thy dying child With a brow so stern, and a glance so wild ; We loved ! Was it crime to love so well ? Was there crime in that lingering, fond farewell, When we parted in grief on that sunny day. As he launch'd his boat o'er the deep, away ? My father ! I knew not, that long ago. Thou and his sire met as foe to foe ; Oh ! I knew it not till that fearful night. When the red blaze broke o'er the waters bright. And they told me, that there, in the moonlit bay, A Corsair frigate had been thy prey ; They told me, how on the decks had lain The clay-cold forms of the gallant slain. And my woman's pity burst forth in grief, That the life of the brave must be so brief. There was woe in my heart ; but I little dream'd Whose life-blood forth on those decks had stream' d. Till I heard thee tell, with a smile of pride, JVho by thy red-stain'd hand had died ; Till, 'midst the long boast of thy pirate-fame. Coldly and proudly thou namedst His name. 'Twas enough — one word — and the work was done ; In the noon of my life, it was set-of-sun. Can the blossom live on when its root is dead ? Can the hills look green when the light has fled ? So the heart that has loved, knows nought of mirth When its treasure is gone from this sin-struck earth. Since then, the springs of my life have fail'd. And the rich rose-bloom on my cheek hath paled. And when by the cold, dark waves I have stood. Watching their foam on the mighty flood, I have gazed and gazed on that liquid plain. Till my fever'd fancyings saw again His white sail specking the bright blue sky. With his blood-red flag from the mast on high ! It was but a dream — there was nothing there. Save the rocks, and the sea, and the cloudless air. THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER. 119 Yet there came no tears, like the fresh spring-rain ; There woke in my heart no sorrowful strain. Could I have wept, or have breathed my woe, I still might have linger'd here below ; But hke to a bud on whose petals' bloom The canker hath been, so a spirit of gloom Hath shadow'd my path on my own fair shore — My father ! I tread its old cliffs no more. Speak to me gently — I thee have forgiven. Though the cords of my mortal life are riven ; Though the shade of the tomb o'er my way be flung, And the mosque-bell of evening prayer be rungj Yet call not me forth at the sunset hour. When the twilight mists on the mountains lower. Yet I forgive thee ; Oh ! father mine, I am thine own child — for ever thine. If I loved not wisely, what recketh it now. When the chill death-damps are upon my brow ? I have known deep sorrow, but not disgrace ; Hold me once more in one long embrace. My mother sleeps well 'neath the cypress shade. In the far-off city to rest she is laid. My fair young sister, whose fragile form, Like mine, was crush'd by the first wild storm ; But lay me not there, by my sister's side. Not there ; where she moulders — a widow'd bride j Nor yet where the purple violets fling O'er my mother's grave their breath in spring ; No ! let me lie down 'mid the corals below. Where the gushing waves o'er bright gems flow ; Calm shall I rest in that quiet bed. Till the sea shall restore her countless dead. I loved her blue waters in childhood's days. When they burn'd with the crimson of sun-set rays. Or as since, I have seen them when tempests rave. But I love them now, because there his grave Is hidden to all save one piercing eye. So gently the waves on his bosom lie ! Now the light glimmers, the lamp grows dim. And a low sweet sound like some choral hymn. Floats through the caves of our lonely home. Softly commingling with ocean's moan. 120 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. Hush ! 'tis a holy, unearthly strain, 'Tis bidding me pass from this world of pain. It comes to my soul like a heavenly spell, — The struggle is over — farewell — farewell ! She spake no more ; and the lingering flush Fled from her lips ; and the passing blush That had tinged for a moment her wasted cheek, Left it coldly pale, as a lily meek j And the raven-ringlets all free and tmbound. Fell hke a cloud, to the rocky ground. Her spirit was freed ; she no longer could stay From the glory and light of eternity's day. And the Pirate gazed on that brow so mild, And the pale, still lips of his last fair child. He had laid her in deathly silence drear. And he turn'd away in his mute despair. He gazed on the cave and the mountain-chain. And the motionless face of his child again ; Then he departed — he spread his sail. And his boat bounded on through the stormy gale, O'er the wild, dark waters — but never more Came his Pirate-bark to that silent shore. A FRENCH MARRIAGE. It was once my lot, while traveUing on the Continent with some friends, and spending some time at Paris, to witness one of the most interesting of ceremonies ; viz., a French Marriage. Rambling about the city with no very definite purpose, it chanced, that we entered the noble church of St. Roch ; and there saw, arranged before the decorated altar — the sacred building being filled with incense and harmony — a bridal couple with their attendants and friends. The bridegroom was a noble-looking youth ; but the bride was exquisitely beautiful. As she stood there with the long lashes sweeping her clear cheek, and the ebon hair parted simply back from her queenly brow, she seemed a creature all radiant with life and lovehuess. She wore a robe of spotless white, and a wreath of orange-flowers and myrtle intermingled with lilies-of-the-valley and white rose-buds ; while her graceful form was shaded by a long floating vail of the finest lace. She was rather above the middle size ; dark-eyed and dark-haired ; singulai'ly fair, for a Frenchwoman ; and t V .1 A FRENCH MARRIAGE. 121 showing on her cheek a rosy glow wliich alternately flushed and faded as she repeated the various formulae required by the Romish Church as a part of the matrimonial service. Four young bride-maids stood around, looking, each and all, with their white muslin, their white roses, and their bright smiles and blushes, exceedingly interesting and peculiarly well fitted to discharge, with elegance and simplicity, the graceful duties which belonged to their maidenly office. The church was brilliantly illuminated, and spread with carpets for the accom- modation of the high-born throng. Numerous priests, in their richly-embroidered and flowing robes, were in attendance ; he who performed the principal part of the ceremony being an old man of striking appearance. Before him stood two boys, at some distance from each other, holding over the kneeling pair who were mutually exchanging the irrevocable vow, the embroidered drapery which forms a singular feature in the French marriage ceremonial ; while the prayers were intermingled with the harmonious chants and anthems of the choir. At length the ceremony was concluded; the officiating priest had blessed the newly-married pair ; the sacrament of the Eucharist had been administered to them ; tlie organ burst forth in a magnificent jubilate ; the bridal train passed down the long aisles of the ancient church ; and all was still. An acolyte being now engaged in restoring all things to their accustomed order, I ventured to ask of him the name of the beautiful bride. He answered, that the lady was Mademoiselle Virginie St. Eugene ; and upon being further questioned, he entered, nothing loth, upon the personal history of the fair Virginie and her lover. His narrative, or rather his mode of communicating it, was somewhat tedious; for he spoke slowly; used much circumlocution ; and fi-equently digressed into irrelevant matter. His tale, however, possessed strong points of interest ; and was, in substance, as follows : — Virginie St. Eugene was the daughter of a gentleman of small fortune, but of good family and high character. Near to her father's habitation was situated the Chateau de Breuillet, at that time inhabited by the young count, who had lately succeeded to his uncle's title and vast possessions. This noble youth became attached to Virginie ; and with the full consent of M. St. Eugene, the young people were betrothed to each other ; and Virginie promised to become the bride of the Count de Breuillet, so soon as she should have attained her twentieth year. At this time she was scarcely eighteen. A few months had passed away, when a new claimant of the title and vast estates of Breuillet made his appearance. A lawsuit was commenced ; and after a protracted and carefully-conducted investigation, justice was compelled to decide against the youth who had hitherto borne the title of Count de Breuillet. Without rank or riches, Henri de Breuillet went forth into the worid to acquire for himself a name and the means of subsistence. He off'ered to liberate Virginie from her engagement ; but the noble-minded maiden replied, " I am betrothed to Henri de BreuUlet, not to the count ; and I will never wed another." After the lapse of a few months Henri obtained a government-situation sufficiently lucrative to enable him to live in comfort, but not afl"ording any of the luxuries of s. s. — VOL. I. 2 n 122 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. ■wealth. By this time Virginie had completed her twentieth year. She had been separated from her lover for more than thirteen months, during which time her father had carried her to Paris ; where she had been the flower and the star of every assembly which she graced by her presence. Noble and wealthy suitors knelt at her feet, but in vain ; and her father, though inwardly annoyed at her rejection of so many desirable alliances, could not but admire the firmness of her unvarying constancy to her ruiued lover. At length, Henri de Breuillet wrote to inquire of Virginie whether her affection for him remained unchanged ; and, if so, whether her father would yield his consent to their marriage. M. St. Eugene, though disappointed in his aspiring views for his dauo-hter, was too honourable to retract his promise ; and the nuptial day was fixed. The preparations made by Virginie were simple in the extreme ; and when some of her youu" companions remonstrated with her on the score of the utter absence of the splendour which, in their opinion, ought to have attended the auspicious event, she smiled so brightly, that even her lovely face became yet lovelier ; and her bride- maids were constrained to allow that there might, perhaps, be a ha[ py marriage, without jewels ; or magnificent equipages ; or troops of fashionable friends. The wedding morning came ; but an liour before that which was appointed for the celebration of the marriage, Henri was summoned away on urgent business. The person who had justly claimed his titles and estates, had just died, suddenly and child- less ; and, once more Count de Breuillet, Henri returned to lay his re-acquired wealth and honours at the feet of his constant Virginie. The marriage was deferred for a short time ; and then M. St. Eugene had the satisfaction of bestowing, amid a concourse of sympathizing friends, the hand of his beautiful and high-minded daughter, on the wealthy and happy Count de Breuillet. LOVE. 'Tis eve ; and the arch of the sunset skies Is bathed in rich light of a thousand dies ; All nature is still ; for the languishing breeze. Laden with fragrance, scarce stirreth the trees j And flowers of all hues shed their beauty there, Breathing their scents to the calm summer-air ; And the song of the birds, and the bee's heavy hum Has ceased with the glow of the setting sun. 'Tis an hour which a maiden's heart may move Softly to muse on her absent love; l^^y^ LOVE. 123 And now while the beams of the fading day. Are dissolving in roseate light away, See Jessica stealing in beauty rare, While the moonbeams disport in her silken hair. With a step so light, that the daisy's head Scarce bends to the weight of her gentle tread. She hies to the grove where the nightingale's song Re-echoes her lonely haunts among ; And while Philomel pours on her heedless ear, Floods of sound it might witch the world to hear, She thinks but of him, who in regions afar. Is the light of her eyes, her guiding star. Of him, for whose vows pledged in by-gone time. She devotes her young heart, and her hfe's sweet prime. And what doth she draw from her bosom's fold ? And what doth she grasp with a loving hold ? 'Tis the image of him, whose long-plighted truth Is the hope of her age, the joy of her youth ; Of him, who hath sworn to return yet again, And herself for his peerless bride to claim ; Of him by whose side she believes it is given, That her path shall be trodden from earth to heaven. And she talks to her sisters, a beauteous train, Of her deep-cherish'd hopes, again and again ; For she dreams not, that man's is a less constant love Than that which her own maiden-bosom doth prove, And she recks not of doubt ; for hath he not sworn. In love's own persuasive and tenderest tone. That, come weal, or come woe, he will make her liis bride. Nor ever waste thought on a maiden beside ? Alas ! gentle Jessica ! sad is thy lot ! Lord William forgets thee ; nay, long hath forgot ; But mourn not ; the false one deserves not thy sighs. Deserves not the tear-drops that dim tby meek eyes. Forget him, sweet Jessica ; pass on thy way. Through storm and through sunshine in this mortal day; Content if thou reach that blest haven above. Where all is sweet peace, and unchangeable love. 124 MRS. P I E T C H E R. (formerly miss jewsbxjry.) This gifted lady was born in Warwickshire, in the year 1800. During her early youth, her family settled themselves at Manchester ; and there Miss Jewsbury lived till her marriage with the Rev. Kew Fletcher, an event which took place on the 2nd of August, 1832. Although the personal history of this lady affords, comparatively, but few incidents which the biographer will deem worthy of being recorded, the contemplation of her character and literary career cannot fail to supply food for profitable meditation. That so bright a star should have set so early, may seem to be matter of unmingled regret. In her case, however, the poet's admonition would appear to be singularly applicable : " ^VeeJ1 not for her, in her spring-time she flew To the land where the wings of the soul are unfurl'd." Slie left the world before her genius was fully revealed; and before the Christian character, of which she bore decisive marks, would seem to have reached its fuU maturity. While we cannot but grieve over the premature grave of one whom we might deem singularly well qualified to delight and improve all who might come within the sphere of her example, or her writings ; we should remember that He, at whose " bidding thousands speed," needs not the instrumentality even of the most gifted of his creatures in the working out of his own purposes; and that the tenant of the early grave over which men weep, is often taken, in mercy, " from the evil to come." These considerations may serve to check those " natural tears" which might otherwise be called forth by the removal from this world of sin and sorrow, of a woman of genius and piety, " Ere life's early lustre had time to grow pale, And the garland of love was yet fresh on her brow." It is further to be considered, that genius, especially genius like that which distinguished Miss Jewsbury, is often a highly dangerous gift. The author of " The Enthusiast," has, in that remarkable production, given to the world a striking and very touching picture of the restlessness, the insatiable thirst after that which is here unattainable, and the misery too often attendant upon superior intellect, when that intellect is associated with feminine weakness and ill-regulated susceptibility of heart. The character of Julia, with more justice than is usually practised in such cases, has been identified with that of the author herself; but though, by her own confession, the childhood, the opening years, and many of the after- opinions of her heroine, are drawn from her own personal history and experience, the listless dissatisfaction /^ y-^^^^^A/y MRS. FLETCHER. 1-2.-) and dreary wretcheilncss which are described as the lot of the ideal Julia, form an uudeniable and stiiking contrast with the iudefatigalilc industry, the practical useful- ness, and the cheerful piety, which, "Enthusiast" though she were, marked the later years of the lamented subject of this memoir. The mental constitution of Miss Jewsbury was such as especially qualified her to shine in society. Her keen talent for observation, although dashed by a proneness to satire, was united with a playful temper, and an amiable and aflectionate disposition. She had also a rich imagination ; and when her own feelings were strongly excited, she exercised, over the minds of others, a power which was increased by a ccitain shade of pensive melancholj', observable even during the hours of her most tiium- phant success, and having its origin in habitual thoughts of death, and of the world unseen. This singular union of gaiety and solemnity rendered intellectual comrauiiioii with Miss Jewsbury a thing never to be forgotten. The impression made by social intercourse with her, remained for ever, a bright spot in the memory, nucffaced arid unefFaceable by any subsequent companionship on earth. Ordinary minds can perhaps scarcely appreciate the temptations which must have beset a woman thus gifted. That JNIiss Jewsbury's feelings should, in many particulai's, have borne too close a resemblance to those which she has described as belonging to her " Enthusiast," can be no matter of wonder. The wonder rather is, that, richly endowed as she was, she should have devoted herself, as she did, to domestic duties in the family of her widowed father. In this feature of her character, she gave evidence of a solidity of principle and a soundness of judgment not always found in conjunction with high intellectual endowments ; and in this particular her conduct is peculiarly to be recommended to the attention and imitation of women who may be, in any degree, similarly endowed. From lack of attention to her duties as a woman, sprang, as there seems good reason to believe, much of the domestic unhappiness of the gifted friend of Miss Jewsbury, Felicia Hemans. The characters of both these daughters of genius may be advantageously studied, especially by the younger among their admiring countrywomen ; the one as a warning, the other as an example. Never did Miss Jewsbury's character display itself iu a fairer light than on her recovery, at the age of nineteen, from an illness which had rendered it necessary tiiat she should relinquish her accustomed domestic occupations. At this period she wrote lier beautiful "Letters to the Young;" many of which letters were personally addressed to young friends of her own; and all of which enforce the necessity of that entire devotedness of heart to God, without which outward duties have no value in his sight. One rule of conduct which this lady, on the re-establishment of her health, laid down for herself, ought to be mentioned to her honour. So fearful was she, having the sole charge of a large family, and knowing the bent of her own tastes, of being seduced from the discharge of the duties to which it had pleased God to call her, that she made it a point of conscience never to take up a book till all the young ptoiile under her care had retired for tiie night. Then, indeed, she 126 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. drank from the well of knowledge with an avidity which only kindred minds can conceive. There is, however, good reason to believe, that Miss Jewshury's ardent desire of literary distinction was soon superseded by nobler principles and incentives. She was but nine years old, when the thirst after earthly fame, " the ambition of writing a book, being praised publicly, and associating with authors," seized her " as a vapid longing." The desire of her heart was afterwards granted ; and what was the result ? even such as it ever must be when the heart is set on earthly objects — ^keen regret, disappoint- ment and dissatisfaction, even in the attainment of the desired good ! " Vanity of vanities; vanity of vanities!" was the bitter experience of her soul. " I have done nothing to live," such is the tenor of her reflections ; " and what I have done must pass away with a thousand other blossoms, the growth, the beauty, the oblivion of a day." " I feel the long grass growing o'er my heart. In the best of everything I have done, you will find one leading idea — death. All thoughts, all images, all contrasts of thoughts and images, are derived from living much in the valley of that shadow." As a writer. Miss Jewsbury is well known to the world. Her poetry, perhaps wants somewhat of melody and ease ; but this defect is abundantly compensated by the full recognition, in many of her poetical compositions, of those religious principles on which all moral excellence depends. There is, perhaps, nothing more strongly expressed in the writings of Miss Jews- bury, than her own deep sense of the unsatisfactory nature and utter insufficiency of all earthly enjoyments. Even human sympathy, she felt to be a frail and evanescent thing. What then remained for one who had sought after, and obtained everything which, to her ambition or her intellectual tastes, had appeared desirable, and had learned by experience, even in the prime of life, that all was " vanity and vexation of spirit ?" What, but to seek, in dependence upon the Saviour, through whom alone it can be obtained, that " better part," that heavenly treasure, which alone can satisfy the immortal soul of man ? She sought it ; and obtained rest to her soul. Among other points of character, Miss Jewsbury was distinguished by the strength and warmth of her benevolent affections. The following stanzas, addressed, after meeting her for the first time, to the highly gifted and most unhappy Letitia E. Landon (L. E. L.) may illustrate the truth of this observation : — " Good night ! I have no jewels, As parting gifts to bring ; But here's a frank and kind farewell, Thou gay and gifted thing. In the lonely hours of night, When the face puts oif its mask ; When the fever'd day is o'er, And the heart hath done its task ; MRS. FLETCHER. 127 Then, then, I'll think of thee, my friend, With soft, sad, earnest thought, As of a child from fairy-land Into the desert brought. As of a rose at noon-tide Waving proudly to the view ; Yet wanting in its crimson depth, The early drop of dew. As of a tree in autumn. With its green leaves tum'd to gold, But having on the healthy bough A faint decaying hold. As of rills that run in summer. With bright and cai'eless glee ; Wilt thou blame me, my too careless friend. If thus I think of thee? I would my home were lovely, A3 some which thou hast sung ; And would there were around it All lavish beauty flung. I would bear thee to its bosom ; Thou should'st dwell with nature free ; And the dew of early truthfulness Would soon come back to thee. Thou should'st dwell in some fair valley, Amid the true and kind ; And mom should make each motmtain A Memnon to thy mind. Alas ! alas ! my dwelling Is amid a way-worn world ; And my vision, like a banner. But open'd to be furl'd. And yet my thoughts turn to thee, They kind and anxious turn ; I foresee for thee a future, ■Which will have much to learn. Thy life is false and feverish ; It is like a masque to thee ; When the task and glare are over. And thou grievest— come to me." These verses are doubly touching, when we caU to mind the clouds and darkness amid which the sun of poor L.E.L. went down ! In 1832 the gifted lady of whom we write, proceeded with her husband, the Rev. Kew Fletcher, to India. Here she was called upon to drink yet deeper draughts 128 THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY OF ENGRAVINGS. of that cup of tribulation which is presented to all whose " names are written in heaven," and her Christian virtues wore consequently matured and brought into eificient exercise. Her husband was attacked by dangerous illuess ; the cholera was raging around her; and her abode was thronged by native women and children, whose hearts she won bv commiserating, and as far as possible relieving, their sufferings : thus con\'incing them, that the Christian religion is indeed a religion which iuduct^s those who receive it to be kind and tender-hearted ; and to weep with those that weep ; and preparing tliem to listen favourably to those essential doctrines of the gospel which it was her niiiin object to instil into their minds. The term of her usefulness was, however, now near its close. She died of Asiatic cholera, on the 3rd of October, 1833. Her friend and sister in genius, Felicia Hemans, thus expi-essed her feelings on receiving the tidings of Mrs. Fletcher's decease. " It hung the more heavily upon my spirits, because the subject of death, and the mighty futuie, had been so many times that of our confideutial communion. How much deeper power seemed to lie coiled up, as it were, in the recesses of her mind, than was ever manifested to the world in her writings ! Strange and sad does it seem, that only the broken music of such a spirit has been given to the earth ; the full and finished harmony, never drawn forth." Noiv, that harmony is fully drawn forth, to cease no more for ever ; for now, as we may venture earnestly to believe, her ransomed spirit has joined that great multitude " whose number is ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands," in the "new song" which they will sing eternally before the throne of God and of the Lamb — " Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." i^' '% :^.?-'V' ^- R r .^^"K > smi' i^* tn '^ ^B mj ?e i i ^i^' '^ '-■^K