THE AFRICAN PRINCESS, AMD OTHER POEMS. BY MART ELIZABETH CAPP. ^ YARMOUTH: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REE8, ORME, AND BROWNE, AMD TAYLOR AND HE8SEY, LONDON J By J, Keymer, Yarmouth. 1813. »HT ^^^mwuLS^ MA^m^l .BM^OT.aaHTO mh:) ^''''^^'^'- i ..!> , (■ «»i it .; TO DAWSON TURNER, ESQ. FELLOW OF THE ROYAL, ANTIQUARIAN, AND LINN£AN SOCIETIES, ^C. ^c. ^c. ESTEEMED AND RESPECTED AS THE MAN OF TALENTS, THE GENTLEMAN, AND THE FRIEND, THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED, WITH ALL THE SINCERITY WHICH ACCOMPANIES A TRIBUTE TO REAL WORTH J AND ALL THE GRATITUDE WHICH IS INSPIRED BY THE ATTENTION OF THE WORTHY J BT BIS TBDI.Y OBUOBD, AMD BIMCEBE HVM BLE 8EBVANT, THE AUTHOR. 8536t}9 (831X31308 nt^ak'fi'AlS OKA (ViAIHAJPlTKA jJAYOa' SIIT t>!AMaJT7LaO ailT ^8T/3JAT 10 Vl/.M aUT gA ,a>iaiai sht a>iA Ya aafliiKKi «i hdihw aa-jiiTA^io auT jja cika aHSiri!* '^otiJ/?i ead iiam^lhi'j ii^ ,h: ... , nti pi .JoofJ t»il) no effissinirlf > hiliiicn >ii iiu;i'iuiitiij To the Right Honorable Lady D ^, at Dijdfl, I beg leave to return my grateful acknowledgment for the flattering opinion she has been pleased to express of ** The Elegy to my Father." In some degree a sufferer like myself, her ladyship knows how to appreciate a poem, written from the heart. She feels the sorrows of captivity, and kindly sympathises with the daughter of the Prisoner of War. To many other valuable friends, whose names it is not in my power to insert, I return thanks, and hope, that a perusal of these pages will not diminish their favourable opinion. To the world I can make no apology ; I am still a stranger to the world; and trust, that, in a stranger, much may be pardoned. ' "^ Tarmocth, July 1, 1813. CONTENTS. PAOS. The AFHIC4M Princess 3 The Russians 37 Eleoy to my Father 41 Sons TO Miss F 49 Misery ^. 61 Song 57 RviN 69 /The Pyramids 73 Morning, am Orison 86 Noontide, an Orison 88 Night, an Orison 91 Epitaph ON Sir John Moore 94 . ON AN Infant ib. The Knight of the Tarbel 97 Notet to the African Princess 147 the Elegy to my Father 17» Ruin 173 the Pyramids 174 the Knight of the Tarsel 180 .%/xay*\i^)UL THE AFRICAN PRINCESS, OR Wf^t ^mt'0 Cale* 'Hit ai. "' AN ECLOGUE. l>(Jil :»Ji it •.o3 ARGUMENT. luTRODucTroN. — The African character. Zamraj the daughter of FaRoonee, king of the Soosoos, an African nation, in the vicinity of Sierra Leone, is taken prisoner by a party of Europeans, and sold for a slave. Soon after her arrival in the West Indies she wanders from the plantation of her master toTuminate on her misfortunes. Agonized by the recollection of former happiness in her native country, and present wretchedness in a strange one, she breaks out in an apos- trophe, and relates the history of her life, in hearing of a fellow slave, &c. The design of the Poem is to vindicate the African from the aspersions of his enemies ; to pourtray the impassioned feelings of a rude, but great, mind under its suiferings; and to delineate the triumph of a wild faith, in the soul of a savage. The Fable includes a sketch of the manners and habits of th« Soosoo Negroes, in their own countrj', and iu the West Indies. INTRODUCTION. „ii (ivf^jiyi ^*^^' Cl^e Wim 3!nDte0. \t HERE St. Domingo lifts his hilly side, And shades with vivid green the freshening tide, 'Mongst the clear waves, where branching Coral creeps, And in its cavities the Star-Fish sleeps ; I have beheld, while noontide visions rose, A mingled picture ; happiness and woes. I've mark'd the Humming-Bird, with rainbow wing; I've heard the Galle-Wasp buzz o'er the spring ; I've watch'd the Parrot chattering to her nest; I've seen tlie Cockatoo erect his crest ; 4 INTRODUCTION. And I have heard, in lovely vallies, grom. The wretched Cliildren of the Torrid Zone ; Seen the ripe Sugar-Canes wave round their head, Their huts of split Bamboo, with leaves o'erspread, Their giant Calabash, their Plantain green. Groves of tail Cacao, fields of Maize between, Tobacco, waving on the scented gale, The cooling Tamarind, the Ginger pale ; And rivers brighter, than the sky above, And creatures strange, that innocently rove, Here, Armadillo, clad in painted mai), Leads forth his young ones to the cultured vale ; There, the green Turtle, floundering in the sand, Posts to her eggs, hid on the lonely strand ; Now, the bold Frigate-bird unfolds his wing. Now, Crested Pliilomel attempts to sing, The soft blue Pigeon rises on the wind. And imitative Fishes fly behind; The Dolphin glitters in the sea below, And o'er his graceful side the billows glow, I INTROI>UCTION. » AH lovely parts qf Nature's lovely plan ! ;,} j, f All blessed these : but one — tlie poor Black Man. , . Him have I seen, with fixed imperial brow Disdain his Tyrant, overlook his woe, Then rush from bondage, on the rocks to clan With holy Liberty, and freeborn man ; Around his spear assembling bandits frown, And crouch their lances at the civic crown. Thus when their toils Canadian peasants lay,irn tMfl To seize an Eagle, their illustrious prey, Too strong to be confined, escapes again, And calls from far his comrades to tlic plain ; The warlike birds forth from their aerie swarm. And hovering armies threat the guilty farm. Woe to Oppression ! to Oppressors woe ! When from those rocks the shout of war shall go. There grows Revenge, gigantic infant 1 h« Slowly matures in horrid secrecy, fi INTRODUCTION'. In his large arms he folds the iron bow Red from the forge, and tempers it in snow. With patient study learns the Book of 111, And gives translucid fountains power to kill; Tutored by him the injured Negro sits. With nice, decided hand the cane he sHts; From moon -struck weeds extracts, with prayer and ban. Their murderous sap, and frames the Sarbacan ; And polishes the Tomahawk of stone, ,And frames his arrows of the Sword-Fishbone. But minds there are, to Freedom's cause untrue. That Marly with placid eye can Tyrants view ; He, dulled by misery, sullen, soul-subdued, Trained by the whip to labours re-renewed, Leads forth his Sons, his Sons in slavery bred. To fan with plumes the European's bed ; The conscious children, self-instructed, kneel, And kiss, with abject lip, the spuming heel, With early skill, they frame the dextrous lie. And in their cradle lisp the flattery. Such is the product of the trammelled mind, Alas ! alas ! for humbled Humankind ! INTRODUCTION. 9 So, the stern Ox, once by the Herdman brolie, > Teaches the Steer submission to the yoke; ! So, the young Steer, trained by his father's side, Stoops liis strong horns, and groans away his pride. Blame not the Black, tho' fraud and rapine rave I'V In his wild breast — remember, he^s a slave;mo iud ^itlir/ 1 Blame not the Black, who prowls the midnight isle. And, like the BasiUsk, murders with a smile; Blame not tlie Black, who crouches at the knee. And is, indeed, the wretch he seems to be: ime tnl£ J Not the offender, we the offence should hate. Meanness and crime root in the bondage state. A dank morass, choked with pernicious weeda, mntooil Not the strong Oak, nor lofty Poplar feeds : If pure from vice, thou would' st the Negro see, Europe, maternal Europe, set him free! i y/i j The Acorn, planted in a firmer soil, Will branch, will flourish, will retjuite your toil. When in his wilds the sable Nativb ran, And felt untamed the energies of man, ^ INTRODUCTION; O'er his boid cheek heroic ardor g^lowed, niota jil; In his heart's veins the love of country flowed. His science Umited, his thoughts were few ; But greatness, honour, vhtue — these he knew, ul fcijooJc; The hardy Savage, glorying in his pain^ Jon jm^H Feels, but confesses not, the victors' chtun; ' .liwimi al In vain with torturing steel his flesh they grind, .iikIH Their tortures touch not the immortal mind, . a.ui (hnA Sublime tho' fallen, he manaces the throng, ion anjcUl Cahn amid flames, and sings his own Death-So'nQ. " So gracious Polycarp, ^e Christian sage, Doomed to the stake in his extreraest age,jR H;t;i Aiiiny > Endured with awful smiles the fiery test, MnrUf^xV And to the heathen world his faith confessed; ^ 9ifj'« ,o'q«flii^ For Very awe; the Patriarch undismayed,*! t"''''^^- 9»i^ For Him he loved the vale of shadows trod, ' ^ " ' ' And fell a martyr to arise a god. THE AFRICAN PRINCESS, Lo ! the poor Indian, whose untutor'd mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind ; His soul proud science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk, or milky way ; Yet simple nature to his hope has given. Behind the cloud-topp'd hill, an humbler heaven. Pops. Remembrance wake! Poetic dreams anew Float o'er my soul, and glow in fancy's view — She wakes, they glow ; not clearer on the sight Is, rising Mars, thy planetary light. Where bold St. Lewis parts tlie windward seas, And points his right hand to the Caribbecs, ■J 5, 10 THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. An ai»ed Slave was wont a tale to tell, Fast on his furrowed cheek the new tears fell, Congenial sorrows trembled in his breast, And recollected pain his eye expressed ; Upon his dark arm, weakened now by toil. He leaned, his eye was rooted to the soil ; Then, with a pleading look he raised his head. Shook off the stagnant tear, and calmly said: " It was the eve, when yon disastrous sea Bore me to curse the Isles of Slavery. On Cape Abacou's rugged brow I stood. Just where the precipice juts o'er the flood, In narrow files along the valley ran y h ;!t, /x The low-roofed Wigwams of my countryraefi,'^^ ' And, clasped by rocks, safe as Canoe in bay, The stone-built homes, of port St. Lewis layi^ "giutit > An azure mist embraced the level scene. Still on the heights the Coffee-Groves were green. Distant I heard the Bull-frog in the brake. Distant I saw the Fire-fly on the lake, THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. U A sound rushed by, it was the Sea Gale's wing That dashed the branches of a mountain ling ; It passed away, and all was hush, when, lo ! Over yon chasm tlie uotes of female woe 'Toned on mine ear, and, in a Cocoa's shade, I saw reclined a captive Negro Maid ; With tears she washed the flowers that stooped below, Heavy with sulphurous dews, as she with woe ; Then, like the flower washed by those tears, her head Slowly she raised, and silent stood and sad; Rising, she sighed, and yon replying steep Called on her fellow-slaves to wake and weep; But Labour's seal was stamped on every head, And heavy Slumber sat by every bed. "New to the scene, myself had strayed alone To think of Africa and pleasures gone ; The moon's clear horns curled on tlie island's brow, And dark, and smooth, the ocean shone below, Where yon ravine divides the ragged hill, Beneath tliat tree, beside that star-Ut rill, IS THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. Prone to my knee I leaned my weary head, And there, on that projecture, stood the maid. €]&e pmcm- "Her form was lofty as the Bread-tree's arm. Her motion graceful as the waving Palm, From her raised hand, in fluctuating tide. The raoon-hght floated down her sable side. It tinged her tatowed brow. Her head was bare. Like the curled fleece, the dew stood on her hair; Her weeping eyes eclipsed the twofold ray Of blended pearls and polished ebony. O'er her free form a modest veil was thrown In waving folds itself the robe and zone, "Like marble gods in temple courts that grow Breathless she stood, so mighty was her woe. Full on the moon at length she fixed her eye. And, 'whither,' she exclaimed, 'can Zamra fly? Sold like the refuse of a barbarous clan. Must great Fa Roonee's daughter still complain ? THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. And must tliis arm, once by manillas braced, Be with an iron manacle disgraced ; And all of slavery, and all of shame. Glare on my branded skin a master's name ? "O grief! too heavy for the royal mind, The Yowahoos, their demon fetters bind; Our gods desert, my nation's fetish sleeps, High on Cape Mount, and Yellee Zamra weepsj Man too deserts, for, obdurate with toil. The brave of Africa at misery smile ; The gentler few, with feeUngs overthrown, ' Think not of sorrows other than their own : Friendship, the hostess of a kinder chme, Eats not the Kola in the House of Crime. " Once, if I wept, my ready virgins stood Contending each to sip the transient flood; Once, if I frowned, my father's warriors rose With giant step to trample Zamra's foes; U THE AFMCAN PRINCESS. Once, if I sighM, a prince with altered brow Would fondly ask, "Has Zamra cause for woe?" "Now, amongst slaves, and e'en those slaves unkind, I turn aside and murmur to the wind. But thou, O Wind! no bond thy flight restrains. Bear then my woe to Benna Soosoos' plains. There my lost kindred sit with anxious eye. Watch my cold mat, and raise the shrill Death Cry; They'll thank thee, Wind, for bearing Zamra's sigh. MeUiferous Benna, happy is thy clime! There holy Nature flourishes in prime. There with Olkumoo was I wont to stray In plantain walks, remote from sultry day. " Yangheeakurree knew Olkumoo's hand, T'was he that taught her pahsade to bend ; Against her wall he felled the PuUom-tree, And seized her War-drum for a gift to me. THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. 14 Dire was his frown, when terrible he stood, And dipped his sandal in the rebels' blood. Sweet was his smile when, as the meed of truth, My sire announced him Husband of my Youth. " Soon as the Day walked in Palraetta grove, To seek for me the Ground-Nut he would rove ; Or, climbing to the mountain's nodding brow. We gained the spot where wild Ananas grow. The golden fruits in leafy baskets laid And sought again the sweetly-smelling shade, The Kobbo mat we spread upon the ground, And placed the Water-gourds and Kola round, And now, perhaps, our joyful feast begun, Hot from the chase some friendly Chief would run, Where broken boughs reveal the woodland seat. He comes to lay his trophies at my feet. And tell how he pursued the trembhng fawn From eve till warm in blushes rose the morn ; From his tir'd arm the beauteous prey he heaves ; , ft The tributary prey my prince receives. 1*' THE AFMCAN PRINCESS. Poor wounded fawn ! on the green turf it lies. And human tears stream from its piteous eyes ; Its dappled side heaves with a murmured sigh. And faintly trills its intermitting cry : Unmoved the warrior two attentive lean, To watch the crimson mantling on the green ; But at each throb my bosom hears a sound ; My hand in pity deals the final wound ; And rosy life, distorted with the smart. Sends her warm currents from the severed heart. The Hunter Chief unstrings lus shining bow, And spreads his arrows by the slaughter' d doe. He joins our feast, and tales of war begun. We watch, where in the forest sleeps the sun ; ; / Fast he retires, we join the valley sport, ; > And lead the Peace Dance to my father's court. Flutes of white-elephant breathe through the wind, Some tread the measure hand in hand combined ; Some with quick finger strike the Dundo's sti'iugs. The Merrywang its laughing changes rings, THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. it Sharj) tlie Triangle sounds, the Cymbals shine, And round a dancer twirls his Tambourine. " But ere the night to safety sports give way, '"^ ^'*'- And fire our safe-guard from the beasts of prey, With spiral fiance shines through the Termites' hills, Crimsons the waterfalls and radiates the rills. The well-known prospect in its wild deUght, Its glorious horror rushes on my sight. ** Behold ! a Tiger from the heights descends, Lo! his broad foot sinks in the yielding sands; Furious with famine to the town he flies, Used to its glare, the firebrand he defies, His jaws distend, they blacken, grin, with ire. His scowling forehead quakes, his eye darts fire. Beware ! no footstep marks the springing green, There, by my father's tent, he lurks unseen, Crouched on the ground his mighty sinews bend. Prompt for tlie spring, his talons prompt to rend. 18 THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. "The spotted Lynx erects her tufted ears, The sauntering Porcupine displays his spears, The Watch-dog howls, the youthful Heifer lows, The wild Horse hoofs the dust, the Heath-cock crows. The trembling flocks desert the fearful plain. In every Wigwam Rout and Hurry reign, Up from his couch unarmed the Warrior springs, His timid Spouse the ready weapon brings. The Conch-shell roars ; the mustered Hunt prepare, Raise the bright club, and spread the dextrous snare ; Amidst the Tribe is great Fa Roonee seen, Tranquil, but fierce ; impatient, but serene. His tall white turban nodding o'er the ring. His pearls, his leopard robe proclaim the King, First in the chase, conspicuous from afar, His iron breast white with a battle scar, His manly foot the pliant sandal binds, And in his speed he distances the winds* Before the royal Tent was wont to be A wild Capot, a green o'ershadowing tree, THE AFRICA'N princess. i» At stated moons its bursting pods would show The silvery cotton, garnishing its bough Like clouds beneath the sun ; under tlie shade Of that fair tree, the wily Tiger stayed ; Panting for blood ; he saw the Hunter King, Unsheathed his fangs, and took the fatal spring; And now had Benna raised her funeral wail, And Scareies river at his loss turned pale, But quickly rousing at the Danger-Cry, My father raised his golden lance on liigh, The full-moon blazed upon the lifted spear. And back the Tiger wheel'd, and gnashed liis teeth for fear. "A hundred bugles sound Hhe foe in view,* Fa Roonee waves the signal to pursue. Straight to his woods the aifriglited savage flies. Follow, ye Cliiefs ! the Hill-gods shake with cries. " And Zamra now, advanced to join the baud, Led fearless on by brave Olkumoo's hand, Sft THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. High to the stars^ a polished bow I reared, A poisoned arrow in my hand appeared, The figured girdle circled me around, A thread of gold my braided tresses bound. Melodious bells around my anklet rung, Down to my waist the necklace emeralds hung, Sea-shells and Coral in mine ears were tied. And crimson moons my glossy shoulders dyed. " Olkumoo wore^ — Ah ! Memory why pourtray, The robes I wove? All! why recal the day When Europeans hurried me away ? '^•^^um^t %mtntv* " Far had we travelled to behold the sea. And reached the dwelhngs of the Timmanee, There, where in swamps the trickling mud-wave goes, Where the vast Mangrove feeds upon the ooze, Amongst those roots which tangling arch on high. Deep in tlie forest Alhgators Iie;>/s%d wd uo k THE AFTUCAN PRINCESS. tt With speedy oars from danger we withdrew, And dragged a-land and moored the light Canoe In vain ; from far, upon the scent for prey Behind, beside we heard the Blood-hound bay; iwiteoo^* New was the sound, but with it came along Fear, wliich unstrings the sinews of the strong, t'T Damp to our heart the cliiU emotion clung, And senseless terror checked the faltering tongue, When lo 1 with bristled fur and fiery eye. And naked fang, the demon-dogs rushed by. We saw them leap the Mangrove roota among, We saw them tear an AUigator's young; In vain, beside the mother monster stood With outstretched jaws, to guard her dragon-brood; Not her scaled sides' invulnerable mail. Nor triple teeth, nor widely-sweeping tail. Against the active Blood-hound can avail. O'er her unweildy bulk secure he bounds. And at her very side her offsi)ring wounds. Then leaps anew the harassed savage o'er, And her green armour sprinkles witli tlicir gore. »* THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. "We stood to gaze upon the wondrous scene Of those grim dogs, nor well did danger ween ; And yet methought I heard a Spirit cry, * Soosoo, be warned, thy foes in ambush lie.* It spake in vain, for fiercer than the flood, The Black Man-hunters darted from a wood. " A strange attire they wear, with uncouth pride. Barbarian masks their countenances hide, A horrid yellow stains their scalp and brow. But by their hands the apostate race we know. "Foes of their kind, with nature's self at war, Exiles of Paradise, the Whips of Law, Childless and parentless. Parent and child, Long, long ago, the Man-hunter beguiled- ""• c-".= . To slavery — now, for a flask of wine, - • ■ At all mankind he points the carabine, ... ^ >v,. Betrays the country where his sires abode, . .^«jI 'miff And, for a piece of silver, sells his god. • - '"^ * THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. M ''With these, the white man comes, nor thinks it base, To plunder Afric of her hero-race. Back we recoil, astonished at the sight, But vain from them had been the Panther's flight, Tall as the Elephant their coursers grew. And like the drifted sands on harmattans they flew. " Ye, that have heard the War-drum in the night. Ye, that have seen the painted Bullom fight, Ye, that have met the Tiger-men of Kroo Upon the borders of beloved Soosoo, Think as ye list how in my husband's soul The whirlpool waves of tempest passions roll. For, who can paint the anguish and the pride Of Negro Chieftain, fighting for his bride? " Swift as the Hail-cloud shoots along the sky. Swift as the Bird-fish from Doradoes fly, So swift Olkumoo, from his sinew-sling, Whirls a sharp stone, unerring is tlie string, 94 THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. It sparkles fire, so rapid is the bound, Pierces the chief; deep was the mortal wound. Fierce at his fall their tubes his comrades aim, Like autumn thunder-clouds they snap, they flame. Does Zamra live ? she lives the tale to tell ; Struck by their bolts, her loved Olkumoo fell. The human Hunters, shouted at his wound, They dashed him bleeding to the rocky ground, The scarlet plume, the royal pearls he wore, They seized, and from his neck the Gree-grees lore; Robbed of his amulets, dying he lay, And hungry insects gathered round their prey. " But me, alas ! they doomed to keener pains, The captive lioness despises chains. On her harsh keeper rolls the lurid eye, And pants for freedom, for revenge; — so I. While he expired, with hands of murder red, They dragged me screaming from the houseless dead, And bore me frantic, to a foreign sea, . To shame, O Isle of Slavery ! and thee. THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. M " Far from my country, now, from friends I mourn, In hopeless certainty, ne'er to return. Now, stoop to labour in tlie fervid ray. And dread the close, the silent close of day, Lest heaven-ordained the hurricane should rave, And act the tyrant to avenge the slave. For then, e'en then, while Horror shades the skies, And Devastation on tornadoes flies ; While the wrecked Cane-fields whirled aloft in air, Woods, towns, and fleets, promiscuous ruin share; While lightnings blast, transfixing tlmnders roar. And bubbUng ocean inundates the shore ; While Witchcraft laughs aloud, while Demons howl, ; And heaven dividing shows tlie naked pole ; Even then, on liigh the Planter's whip is rearedj .; r Nor, tho' earth tremble, is tlie Negro spared. .iT "Hail to the Hurricane! Atlantic roar! Shower thy white foam and lash the guilty shore. Bend the tall Cocoas, bend them to the ground, Harass tlic mountains, spread the floods around, 26 THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. Where'er a slave has bled let torrents flow. Where Task-master oppressed let quicksands grow; Let the blue Dolphin through the city glide. And perish wealth in that tremendous tide. "For One who sees will vindicate and save All but the White-man and the pliant slave. — The great, good Spirit, who all language knows. Who taught the birds, from whom the Niger flows. He counts the stars and strings them round his ear. He ties the lightning to his shark -toothed spear, ■ > '.Yf When creatures tyrannize, he blots the light, When man, he twirls his spear, for man knows right. Hence, come in terrors on the Charib land The warm, blue lightning from the Spirit's hand; And hence, when birds in war unnatural cry, The sleeping sun eclipses in the sky. " Soon shall this Spirit on Domingo wake, Soon shall the sainted Isle in horror quake, . ' ' While desperate Africa her fetters shake. fc^ij'isll THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. »r Then shall her rivers, emptied at their source, With European blood pursue their course, A direr curse, than Zamra would desire, Shall lash her rallies with a scourge of fire ; Yet, may his arm the great Preserver sway. And ne'er a second time permit such day ; The bond of peace may injured Afric seal. And to the Avenger yield the vengeful steel. A time may come, when, from a distant isle, The great Preserver's sons shall bid us smile; Then shall the Black and White Man, hand in hand. Once, and for aye, before his altars bend. " ' Tis by this Spirit that the Black survives, When o'er the island fever's chariot drives; By him, beneficent, Guardian of Life ! Falls the fierce Shark, beneath the Negro's knife; By him the tempest smites the palace dome, The slave-ship smites, but spares the Negro's home. Yet man, the White, the bad White Man, with chains Insults the African ; tlicn mocks his pains : 2i THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. And, should the stifled heart revolt in sighs^ The master frowns, the fated rebel dies ; Such are the laws of Western India's shore, Such are her chiefs ; her god is Golden Ore. The morning sacrifice to him they bear, The noontide orison, the evening prayer ; For him the sword, for liim the hail-storm brave. And doom for him to misery the slave. " To serve tliis demi-god must Zamra sigh, And meanly toil till tyrants bid her die ? Shame on the deed ! Zamra was born for sway ; Sleep, tyrants, sleep ! your victim hastes away. *' Beyond Zaara's wilds a country lies, Where never more the son of Afric dies ; Warm is the climate, but the generous sun, Sends not his wrath the naked head upon; Impervious forests, as the mountains old, Skreen the young maiden and her warrior bold; THE AFRICAN PRINCESS* S9 No proud Inspector there commands his slave To plant the cotton on his kinsman's grave ; Nor through the murderous surge for pearls to dive, And from its native rock the oyster rive ; Pearls on the surface float,, the sea looks clear, ^ But not one Shark, one Manta-fish is near. **Not on that shore the fiery Dipsa wakes. The mortal Snake afar his rattle shakes, The foul Hyaena seeks her prey afar. The horned Rhinoceros declines the war, " In jacinth borders goes the speaking rill, Which, like the marble channel, purer still The longer washed, so, as its current flows, Sparkling and fresh, clear and more clear it grows. Never its banks the Crocodile alarmed. But Beavor's build, and Children swim unharmed. Trees in the bloom hang o'er the shining wave, Luxurious Shell-fish fatten in the cave, Down leaps the Salmon from the mountain's crown. And tlie smooth cataract bears it safely down. 30 THE AFRICAN PRINCESS* *'No poisonous plant contaminates the fields, No granulated gold the mountain yields, There, grows an apple powerful to heal, But lovely as the fatal Mancliiniel, Rocks distil honey sparkhng from the comb, Nor needs the Bee with hopeless wing to roam ; No idler drone, Uke Creole master stands, To claim the morsel from the labourer's hands. " Deer unmolested in the pastures feed. The Lion's cubs sport with the youngling Steed, The merry Ape plays round the frisking Fawn, The beautious Leopard slumbers on the lawn. The aged Lion shuns the peaceful ring, And creatures own the Elephant their king. Hail, tranquil fields! hail, fruit! hail, fountains bright! Creatures innoxious, hail ! Land of unsullied white ! " It is this land my father's sire has gained. And for this land my brother life disdained. No braver warrior in our tribe was found, A fierce Mandingo Chief with thongs he bound ; THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. 31 From the wild Buffalo he stripped its hide, And by his hand the sable Bison died. " Plunged to the hilt, his knife of flint he gored, In vain the savage foamed, and vainly roared ; Now, from his spurning hoofs, the yellow sand Envelopes, as it flies, the Hunter Band; His bright, black, horns, Uke shaking javelins fly. And like the sun above him, flames his eye ; Full fifty sinewy arms their force impart To weapons, thrown with no inferior art. But swiftly wheeling he eludes each dart. Now against this, and now at that he turns. And still his rage the spouse of Helvo mourns ; 'J Young Helvo dies. The savage bounds he roars, And scarcely flight the African secures. My brother stood alone undaunted by, — For Zamra's brother never feared to die. On his broad lance received the springing fbe, The broad lance strikes, but shatters with tiiu blow. 32 THE AFRICAN PRINCESS, Nor breaks the impending bound Mahamou's breast. The rattling hoofs the broken weapon pressed. His crushed heart upward beats, liis bruised side Quivering, mangled, pours the red life tide ; And, rolling in the agonies of death. The monster spurns ; Mahamou yields his breath. " But soon beyond the hills unseen he flew, The happy country opened to his view. His grandsire and his friends in battle slain. Clasp in their arms the welcome guest again. On his deep wound a healing leaf they spread, And bathe with Oil of Palms his aching head ; And now they hft the Calabash on high, Pour the Plum:rWine and lead the Dance of Joy. " The country god breathes on the pregnant earth, Heaves the moist clay, and gives the flower -trees birth. To that good god no human altars blaze. No victim martyr shrieks the yell of praise, And hui'ries the death-pang his voice to raise. THE AFEICAN PRINCESS. 53 Not heroes' scalps, not bones of hero-kind, Dry from his temples rattle in the wind, ,^|, yiff^jfn ^J j f Not scarfs of human-skin his priestman bind. j lnyoJl A'fMll ,9l^llif BtH "All there is altar; — every mountain sings, g[^ tiU'wiH And each intelligent brook its tribute brings. ;,{(.') f[/- All there is temple : — for, whatever prays, •>lif/t8 voriT In its own soul the present god-head sways, , i0 .jmog \ '.do ehlon^I "O, Land of Spirits! beauteous and secure^ .iftusb iil Fa Roonee's daughter seeks thy fountains pure. When decked with jewels, woed by love, and free,,,,] j O, Land of Spirits ! Zamra thought of thee ; Now, poorly habitted, scorned, and a slave. No sire to weep, no friend to dig my grave. Like evening gales which whispering fly unseen. Like yellow maize which planted springs so green, Like the old moon, which only dies to grow, Fearless I seek thy outland regions now. My brother sought them. — Ah ! bis shade I see, Fa Roonee too, he points the lauce at mo, r >XM^ 9)j»f|0i($' ** THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. The ivory tusk in act to sound he rear%{'«y» 'movid loM His mighty arm the sparkhng- bracelet wears ; '^i^- ^C*^ Royal he stands, and frowns from Sayou's wall, '*^'^*^ tuA His bugle, hark ! it sounds the * Tribe's recaV Beside his king the lost Olkumoo lies, *^ *" ^T»iii llA'* All faint and wounded, pointing to the skies^flt rfa*^ haii. They smile, they shoiit, they beckon me away — wT>di HA I come, Olkumoo ! Father, I obey.^i =Hr»i> i***/* a ho gJi al Ignoble chains, no more ye fetter me ; In death, at least, the Negro-maid is free'.'*^'^^**^ ^^'' Here paused the man, for here his sorrows broke ^ ^^ The voice of utterance ; yet again he spoke. '^ --.iiU ?!> "Long had I listened, and had longer laid, '^'^ But Zamra spoke of death — I raised my head, I yelled athwart the gulf to stay her hand, * Desist weak man, nor with my fate contend,' ^ The Princess said, — I grappled with the steep ; -•^^^^'^ '^ The rock-plauts failed ray hand; a look of grief, **'**'^ f^- Was all that I could give. Silent she stood, And viewed with passionate gaze the sable flood. THE AFRICAN PRIXCESS. ^ "A ship at anchor rid in Tiburon-baj^,j^^ mod-wsn '* Dimly distinguishable, fer awayij, ,|, ;, , Upon that ship a long and absent look, As 'twere collecting all her soul, she took ; ^^ ...^ t v For she was tluuking of the world to come, i,k„-i i / » And 'twas that ship which bore her from her home; Unsettled memory, glancing hke a wave^^^^ aaoaiAl •> c Recalled the morning that she waked a slave : But other thoughts were working in her mind, < > Her last words came mixed with the muttering wind. "'Tis in obedience to an order given By the g^eat Spirit, that I seek his heaven ; I heard him not, 1 saw him not — a iSame, A soul^ a god, expanded through my frame ; light inexpressible rushed on mine eye, I fell in ecstacy, and seemed to die. At length, as music to the Serpents ears, When from his cage the Charmer's flute he hears, So to my super-animated frame Came the deep meaning, in an earthquake came. M THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. A new-born sense amid my sinews grew, And every nerve danced as the sound passed through : * Daughter of Africa! I made thee free ^ And now thou art a slave — return to me.^ O, Islands of the Sun ! Country of Tears ! Record the fate of one who disappears. Ye Demons of the water and the air, uj''! ? Griffee, Ma-Mull, and Ay-mull-robang, hear! ^IfsaaJi Hear, too, O Man ! The Spirit made me free; *■'* ^ Attest ; for Spirit I return to thee ! "Thus said, she smiled on slavery with disdain, Sprung from the bending cliff, and reached the main ; The Water-demon snatched her from the shore, Caught her close tresses, and she rose no more : But," said the aged Slave, and pressed my hand, " She met Olkumoo in the Spirit-land." THE ■' ^^^ 4* RUSSIANS. TwAS night, when the Russians arose in the East, From Don to the Wolga, the clangour increased, The Boor seized his pike, and the Cossack his sword, They worshipped Madonna, their saint they implored : Though rude the petition, to Justice 'twas given, And she kindly obtained it a hearing in heaven. The Lord of the South gives defiance and war To the Holy Empire, and the power of the Czar. The treasures of Moscow have fallen to his boot, And the wretched inhabitants wander without ; Whilst ravaging firebrands their dwelhngs surround; And the mines of destruction explode underground. 88 THE RUSSIANS. And what, said the Czaj-, when, enveloped in fire, He beheld his good city, the pride of his sire ? O, he bade it blaze on, the foundations below, Nor presume to afford a retreat for his foe ; The Empire of Peter rejoiced at the word, And Liberty smiling her sun-beams restor'd. Millar adoTitch' 8 standard, and Tchitschagoff's hne. With impatience proceed to Viasma's confine ; Walachia, Smolensko, Siberia, Ukraine, , ,- ; : ^ Crim-Tartar and Ostiack appear on the plain; (j miy\% The wolves of the forest disturbed at the clang, ,^jgf ,j,|'p Amongst the firm ranks of the enemy sprang. ■^'^- O, mark ye, that Family ! princes and kings, His Bulwark of Brothers Napoleon brings. O, mark ye, the tlun ice, that shoots cross the lake ; The Reindeer plunged in, and the thin ice it brakje,j ,, , Dividing its crystals, ah! thus may the swords -jif ^ij^i Of an Army of Princes, divide from their lord's I ; . Now cohort with cohort must wrestle in fight; And phalanx with phalanx in battle unite : THE RUSSIANS. 3* Their talons extended, and death in their eye, The two rival Eagles disdainfully fly ; And loud rang the war, till Napoleon at bay, Spoke of safety in Poland to VicrfoR and Net. ' * The She-Bear undaunted, her young barricades. And, woe to the hunter; their den who invades. When wounded the mother, her cubs growl around, And learn to drink blood in revenging her wound. Beware, then, O Hunter! Destroyer of Men >^'^ '**"• -'^^ Beware! thou hast entered the Mother-Bear's den. A thousand brave horses are dead on the plain, And ten times a tliousand brave riders are slain ; You may trace by the blood on the new-fallen snow. Where the wounded met death and the proud overthrow:* You maytrace too theroad whence, fatigued with the striflt, lie who came out to conquer escaped for his life. Did the warriors of Italy, warm from the bowers Of mirtle and lemon, pomegranates and flowers. 40 THE RUSSIANS. Did captains from Rome, and battalions from Spain, Expect in great Moscow a Summer Campaign? ,( ^; They hoped — for ambition hopes on to its ruin,— ^jyi j^jj^^ They hoped that their master the world was subduing. O ! had they not heard how the Elements wild, Have adopted the Russian their hardiest child.? ,,^ j^^j;^ O ! had they not heard of the frozen North Zone, fff Which obeys Alexander sustaining his throne? ^j.^; j^jj/* Or, had they not heard it ? then, now, let them hear That the desert and hut to their natives are dear.^jj^^yij Return, ye Oppressors ! your ravage give o'er. And sheathe the dull sword, ere it rust in its gore. Ye hoped — Gentle Hope ! lead our enemies on, Till our armies advance, and our battles are won : We will build thee a statue, and call thee. Ally, Gentle Hope, lead our Foes yet again till tliey fly! ELEGY. TO MY FATHER, A PRI80NES OF WAB IN FHANCE. Return, O my Father? my Father, return! The Redbreast commences ic lay. The beams of the morning our garden adorn, And fled is the winterly day. In the bosom of earth I deposit my flowers, And watdi the bright shoots as they spring. But my Father's afar, and, among my green bowers, Ye birds, 'tis unlisten'd you sing ! Ah ! often has melody rung in those bowers, Since he iisten'd the Bullfluch's close } And often, too often, have blossomed my flowers, Since he counted the knots of the rose. 4» ELEGY. But in vain I conjure him ; my mother, in vain The tears of solicitude flow ; And vainly, my brother, his smile to obtain, You rise like a planjtjiij^e snow. The voyage was ended, with home-steering bark By Scilly's blue islands he flew. On ocean the rising moon show'd like a spark, And taller the Britain-cliffs grew. A Corsair of Gallia beheld his white sail ; He fled, for he could not oppose — Their eagles he scorns, but their numbers prevail, And he mourns in the Land of our Foes. From the walls of some Fortress even now he may ga?e At a cloud of the twilight serene, The crest of an island his fancy portrays. And he traces a well-beloved scene. But the vision dissolves, and the sun has gone down. The veils of blue heaven remain. Again rise the stars, and again sliines tlie moon; But she shines on a captive again. TO A PRISONER OP WAR. H O, Liberty! faint are the lights of the sky, To the mourner who pants in his cell, ' Thy flight drew the tears that have dazzled his eye, For he loved thee, sweet Liberty ! well. Two friends in misfortune, perhaps, at this hour '^ May stray from the walls of Arras ; By the waters of Scarpe to condole, and deplore>wA The minutes that wastefully pass. ^'^ liiiff The tale of their sorrows, that often-told tale, a A So touchingly sad, is begun; .^j.-^ i»/ Oh Reverie's wings they escape from the vale, r*!^ And follow the course of the sun. Abstracted they hear not the passing "hontte nuit,^'' They hear not the Carmehte's hymn. At the grate of the Abbey no brethren they see, Nor Ught of the wax -taper's glim. iiA Forgetful of limit, and soothed by the gloom. They heed not the exit of light : A bell from the castle forbids tliera to roam, -^ The heavy-tongued watch-bell of night ; 44 j:LE And silently seek their depot ^ PTo many it vibrates a lasting farewell^ > jji;i.l: /u , Of all thieir fair prospects below.— ^^ ■ ■'- ■■• ! Hark, multitudes ! music! Delight bounds along, i" - Rejoicing a,nd shouts kiss the ear; And women in chorus, and children in song, Witli halberts and eagles appeaFxrifm -jrl | And whose ai*e yon'banners ? look down from yottr tower> Ye captives of Britain, and see Napoleon triumphant, with Dauphiny's powei*, Lou^SA of Au^TRU) and thee, ^'"O, perish !'*. — ^My Father, pronounce not the word. An arm Omnipresent, unseen, mA "^ml'V To exalted dominion advances this Lord^s'i^ q^ ii. And that arm thy protection has been. It follows, it favours, it governs thy doom^isjrr; h* i It leads from the pestilent cell, • • -^ Gives a friend amongst foes ; and in exile a home.— Hark ! my Sire, bids the fortress farewell ! TO A PRISONER OF WAR. 4« A^ain the warm gun-beat» falls fresh on his head, The Vine-di'essers priuiiug their trees, . v The blue river that winds like the eel in its bed,, 'Tis Francois has restoretl him to tliese. And see at yon portal the Sentinel sle>}pA,,.,, Ah, why does my Fatiier delay ? : . r ' The keys of your freedom a sluraberer keeps^ ,^. j Escape, O, escape with tlie day ! fi.jiT gfH . A smile of affection illumes his dear eyes, , ^ ) He thinks of his children, his love. He snatches the keys ; "but, for honour," he cries, " And the word that is sacred above. "The Guard may still slumber; his Charge is secure, The portal stands open in vain, Still, still my Maria, must bondage endure ; I have pledged the parole to remain. , / .** Yet think not the Tallies of Burgundy charna, « r Or the vines of Champagne in their glow : A stranger in bondage no beauties can warm, He has leisure for nothing but woe. 46 ■■■'^■?^ TflMGYJ^^"^- " Sad he wanders alone tlirough the dark Ohve-grove ; Sad he lists to tlie peasants' guitar : — Not a smile, Moliere, thy gay drama can move; His beloved, his home, are afar." Still honour prevails, and so great he appears, As he bends to his dwelling the way ; I admire, my loved Father, approve, tho' with tears. His rigid conclusion, to stay^®^ ^ ^^^tl'iud O ye Storks lend your wings t let me hasten to cheer The walls of his alien cot, .li-n^ ^^ And softly I'll whisper (and wipe off the teaV) '" * ■ "My Father, submit to your lot !" Ye daughters of GaUia! condole with my Sire, The ills of captivity charm; *^« ^^^'^n '^'^^ So may angels the breast of your lovers inspire, And shield them in battle from harm;-'" * Tell the monarch of France, that a daughter complains ; He will surely acknowledge the claim, Will attend to the echoes which murmur my strains, Or he recks not humanity's name. 1 TO A PRISONER OF WAR. 47 If ever, O Emperor ! droj)ped on your cheek The tears of a parent you loved, iwuai lO If Glory's bright temple he taught you to seek. And your youthful aspirings approved, ' ' O think how my Father once we])t o'er his child! And praised the first notes of her lyre — For once my poor numbers, or plaintive or wild, Were sweet to the ear of a Sire. If ever the love of a sister was dear, think His a sister who pleads ! For warm-bosomed Nature, the mother of all, Invites thee to brotherly deeds. If tlie pure drops of tenderness flow in thy heart, If the hopes of a fatlier inspire, Does sympathy move, has compassion a part, — 1 charge thee restore me my Sire. But, alas! my hard fortune, in vain do I plead To a King that is distant, a foe : In the palace simplicity cannot succeed; And no parasite arts do I know. 48 ELEGY. But the souls of tlie great can dismiss the mean plea Of manners, or language, or land. If greatness or virtue in deserts they see. To deserts their sympathies tend. When the walls of thy city rose dark amid flame, ^ And the shriek of distress rang around, He forgot they were foes— to the rescue he came. Though Danger shook fiercely the mound. Revere thou, the deed ; bid the captive be free, 'Tis an act will emblazon thy name. Magnanimity merits a guerdon from thee ; And, surely, my Father has claim. 'Tis true his Britannia, liis birth-place is dear ; For liberty breathes in her air ; But rein her white coursers, assist her career. He will own that thy Galha is fair. And should battle, thy thunder, nations appal. We will think upon wounds in a prayer ; But never a curse on the hero of Gaul, Shall sound in the cot of the Yare. SONG, IJi IMITATION OF BURNS STYLE. TO MISS F , OF B *S HALL. Amang the muirs poor Willy strays, And sighs to virinding Doon ; The rinning stream reflects his face, The muirs repeat his moan. He tuik his pipe, he sang ma praise, He sang ma cauldness too : The swimming swans tum'd back to gaze : The skylark lower flew. I Uk'd the lay, sa sweet, sa sad ; But ah, I oould na luve tlie lad ! 60 SONG. He mourufu' sings, "Ma lassie scorns The cottage o'the green ; 'Tis fit the maid sic charm adorns. Should dwell in castle sheen." Adown his cheek the teary falls, And downward tends his e'e. The grey-beard Plowman saftly calls, " Ma son, I pity thee." — I grieve to see him luck sa sad; But ah, I canna luve the lad ! Yet 'tis nat gowden gear I prize, And 'tis nat robes of sheen. Na castle shines in Anna's eyes. Like cottage o'the green. I lap ma plaid upo' ma arm. And stoop to milk the ki' : The snaw falls fast but brings na harm. In highland lassie's eye. Then, Willy dinna luik sa sad ; For, ah, I luve anither lad ! MISERY. A SKETCH. *♦ *Tis an old tale and often told." .„,♦ ^>^ , ■■■^ Scott's Marmion. My Daughter, my Daughter! thy spirit compose; ii«- Disarm thy rude terrors, and hush thy wild woes ; The Father of Spirits, whose dwelling is high. Will Ust from above to the Penitent's cry. O Mother ! I bend to the arm which destroys ; * i The world I abjure, and renounce its false joys ; But surely a mourner, so sorely distrest, May clasp the poor Infant which pants on her breast. See, see ! while I speak, the wild eye of ray Cliild, The eye, that so sweetly, so tenderly smiled. Now shakes with convulsion ; a darkness comes o'er. It closes, it closes, — 'twill open no more. *» MISERY. Ah ! why wert thou born, my unfortunate Child ? And why was thy mother so basely beguiled ? I thought not, my boy, that thy Father could change, He Yowed, heaven heard him, — and heaven will avenge. Blow, blow, ye loud hurricanes 1 Tempest arise ! And spread thy broad wings o'er the desolate skies ; Let the fire-damp explode, let the thunder-cloud rend ; To the heart of FiTz-MAtfRjcE direct the red brand. Ah! what have I said ? cease, ye hurricanes, cease. The spice-gale should breathe on the Ringdove— 'tis peace, O Tempest, fierce Tempest ! thy dark wings remove. Stay lightning ! ye thunderbolts wound not my love. O, soft on his head may the day-beam descend^ May the Grape drop her clusters all ripe for bis hand, For him may the meadow spring green, and the rose Round his brow shed her leaves as he takes his repose. For whom, my poor Daughter, for whom dost thou pray ? For Fitz-Maurice my loved-one, my sun-beam, my day. Or rather for him who is weaving your shroud ; You pray for the Husband of Norah th? proud. A SKETCH. tf O say not ! my Mother, recal the dire sound. My heart, feel, it quivers ! deep, deep is the wound j And could my Fitz-Maurice his honour forego.? ; , Could he wrong me? the Husband of Norah! Oh, no! Why weeps ray poor Baby ? in vain dost thou cry, , No Father will wipe off the tears from thine eye; Thy Father forgets us — Ah, hush my despair ! The children of Norah will now be his care. ji^^ i>Y And was it for this, that he sighed at ray feet?,,j.j,f/, For this, did his night-song ray charmed ear greet? For this, did I watch his quick step through the grove ? For this, did he whisper the strong vow of love ? And why did my Daughter attend to that vow ? And why did her ear to this serenade bow ? I will not reproach thee, for sorrows severe Have followed thy passion — repent tliee, and cheer. How cheer ! whilst my Mother, disgraced for ray crime, Endures the wild storras of a northerly clime ? How cheer! while ray Infant expires on ray knee? — O, havock of guilt ! O, unfortunate me ! A MISERY. Where art thou gay cottage, abode of my youth ? Fair Honour where art thou ? and where art thou, Truth ? Alas ! I have left you ; O heart ! but 'tis well, I merit destruction and may not rebel. Cold over the marsh comes the cutting east wind, And bitterly staring comes Famine behind. Ah! why has affection my Mother beguiled. To follow the steps of her reprobate child ? Alone I could suffer, sweet parent ! alone I could bury my shame, and my errors atone ; Partake not those errors, by sharing the blame. The house of a father ne'er blushed at thy name. But I, O be patient ! y« souls of the dead. And thou who for honour a patriot bled ; My Father, pursue not my troubled repose ; And call not dishonour the keenest of woes. The vengeance of Providence visitest sin Severe on my head, in the woes of my kin; It deepens my feelings, it softens my heart. And trebles for child, and for parent, the smart. 1 A SKETCH. H Hist! tliine Infant awakes, he recovers, take joy j Nay, perish poor imp ! illegitimate Boy ! ^Tis base and unnatural, my offspring to rear For infamy ; still, fetal babe ! thou art dear. Forgetest thou, my Mother, the turf huts of Oallan? Remember the island, divine Innisfallan, The lake, and the glyn; the Cascade of the Bay, Where I, the unhappy! awakened to day. Remember, my Mother, the woes that you bore, When in sorrow advanced my nativity hour ; More keen were the pangs which transported my heart. When I saw from that island my traitor depai't. Proud NoRAH of Desmond, though high is thy state. Thine ancestry splendid, and happy thy fate. Yet learn, that Fitz-Maurice, tlie gallant, the free. Was false in his first love, and will be to thee ; Then, then will thy heart, like Jemima's, expand With the throb of despair; like Jemima's will rend. You'll curse, and you'll pardon — O death ! thou hast riven The iaiit string of ray heart ; — May we all be forgiven. «• :^ MISERY. As she spoke, the faint flushes retired from her cheek. She called on Fitz-Maurice ; her accent grew weak ; She strove to arise — 'twas the Struggle of Doom, And beauty and grace fell the Prey of the Tomb. The Daughter expired ; but the Mother remains^ Nor finds she retreat from accumulate pains ; Her grey locks grow whiter, her garments decay. She begs ; but the passenger turns from her way. Along the high roads you may see her pass on. She leans 'gainst a hedge-row to rest and to groan. The poor ragged Infant, that clings to her knee, Is the son of Clan-Maurice, the lord of Tralle. /♦ijjud oyr>b 9«iJ i ^owtnioo 3ti; SONG. •.ifmf<"-'>v vh>.'\\ '■-: It iLD wood melody cheering the forest, RosABELL strays to survey the fair scene, Wlio could suspect that Stephano, her dearest, Had brush'd with his sandals the dew of the green. Hark ! 'tis the horn sounds ; and, see ! flies the arrow. Slightly it grazes tlie bark of the plane ; Wildly, tlie young maiden, sinking in terror, Sees the warm crimson her white arm distaiii. Hunter, fierce hunter ! ah, where dost thou tarry ? Why, from thine ambush, direct the swift blow? Soon, to the ear of tlie agonized hunter, lik^ho conveys the deep murmur of woe. fa BONG. Now, from the coppice, he winds the clear bugle, Now, his green mantle flits wild through the trees : He springs o'er the hawthorn, and 'mongst the soft violet%, Wounded apd weeping his lov'd one he sees. , C) \^ n P Scarcely the arrow had pierc'd the light gossamer; Scarcely the crimson had stain'd the young grass : The tears of the hunter fall fast on the wounded ; Triumphantly smiles, 'midst her terrors, the lass. Happy the moment when, lur'd by wild melody, RosABELL stray'd to survey the fair grove ! Blessed the arrow, cqmraission'd to wound her ! It drew the kind tear from the eye of hej^ love^ .'rOTiBOiii thnwog/ii ^•loinstni/^iwiiliii* Q'm\ ii\^iA\ imU •xvii'iu * Willow and rose lead to the scene, ..,.,,,,< A^tfN The sloping ground with reeds is strowD^ m^ni fi/iA A rushing wind conveys you down : He that turns the charmed door Enters to retreat no more. ' . .„ ■m yd mo I All the portico around, A fruit-tree's blossoms strew the ground. A Linnet's nest, witli young ones slain. Lies in the centre of the plain. Boiling here, a cataract raves. Not the Salmon 'scapes its waves. Dashed on a broken rock, the blood Springs from his heart and mixes with the flood ; There an Ash, by lightning riven, Down the sweeping torrent driven. Strikes the bank, the moss-turf rends. Loosens the balanced ruck and furiously descends. Fields with green corn trodden o'er, Every foot-print ^dged with gore. Falling altars, now profane. And rivers red with Ufe, and choked with infants slain. M RUIN, Sister of Death ! she comes! that shriek, The trumpet's distant wail hespeak Tremendous Ruin nigh. Not more mahgn was Satan's smile, When woman yielded to his guile, And man agreed to die. Round her girdle hangs the hair, . Torn hy matrons in despair, When Ferdinand withdrew ; And when upon the Cadiz wall The birds of Corsic flew. On her bosom lies a spell, Fatal and curious ; A young snake bursting through its shell. From the egg furious. He the talisman that sees, Aspires the Sorceress to please, He learns her cants, her witchery tries. His brothers to surprise. His brothers see, admire the spell ; And, hark ! he calls them to the cell. AS ODE. U They turn the cavern's charmed door; • They enter to retreat no more. 'uti iijj?,i( vi oji // lO So moved the Bark without a wind, <,........, gf Says Eastern Tale, attracted; iw no'i Upon her booms the heavy sail, lii fniA Fluttering neglected. Her keel through the water rocked on without chart, Recoiled the black biJQow, the iron -bolts start, Gaping wide, for tlic tide, isjiuM Her shivering planks part ; So she burst, with a shock, ;. ?»;- - , On the Lodestone Rock. - ' '^ Woe to them, who, thus attracted. Seek the portal mal-directcd. CHANGE IV. "^^ No Bat can there unfold its wing, But all the cliflTs with music ring ; And every echo sounds a song, "Gentle brother, come along ! " On either hand a statue-god. Points up the pass with amaranth rod, "On farther, farther on!" M RUIN. But whoso lists, or who admu'es, Or who to listen but desires, Is evermore undone ; For wishes warden Ruin's cave; And there to hope for, is to have. On the threshold mossy green, Two young lambs are sporting seen ; Mortal, close thy cheated eye, Nor plant a foot that threshold nigh ! No gay moss such bank adorns. But scales of reptile green. It is a sleeping Crocodile, A river's brinks between. Woe to them who here attracted Seek the cavern heaven-rejected. The granite arch, heavy and high. Spreads hke a rainbow to their eye. Magnificently hued ; And wider, loftier, lovelier, as they go, On their devoted eye grows the enchanted bow, The doors with iron flewed. And built of iron-wood. On iron hinges roll. AN ODE. m But all before *« al^waf. bus «-^ni;5 Each guilty door '«» «ir/f o-: ' ) A woven net of variegated flowers ■ f^^^^' ii^itoiG Appears, to catch the rainbow-dripping showers. .Hi iii\ Sudden as they tread the vault, {^ ^^ An unseen finger slips the bolt, ^ ''' '' The doors recede behind, In a gusty wind, J«.»Wrji I' With flap and fling, Like dragon's wing. The portals swing. And shoot the spring, Irremeably through the brazen ring. CHANGE V. A man, who saw the traitor gate, Stripped of its flowers, and fled ere late. Describes the strange unreal cell. As, " Like the world in which we dwell." A circus wide, majestic, tall, Suited for Opera, Race, or Ball, Lifts to the clouds its pillars bright, Showering the lustre's flaky lights «8 RUIN. Rings and jewels scattered round,.? ^ Crowns and sceptres strew the ground ; Broken rings, and sceptres shattered, ^ >« «»vow A Crowns divided, jewels battered, a^j^o of ^giaoqcfA All that mortals "glory" call, - To thy province. Ruin, fall ; ffnbfejjifj The Soldier's sword, the Judge's robe^;;,.? ;xA The Courtier's star, the Monarch's globe, i The Statesman's plan, the Friar's cowl, . = I The Pontiff's throne, the Conqueror's soul; And, ah! I blush at kindred crime, ^ ..i Too oft thou claim' st the Poet's rhyme^l' CHANGE VL Y Who can recount the tribes that roam In Rujn's maledicted home? Here in masque the Lady flies, >^ .nmn I There his whip the Minor tries, jjaffiitS The Hier of Honour stakes his fame, J|>jjjgQ0 And loses with the losing game; :^j» g^^ By his chair the Sharper stands, Sees him desperate, but commends, ,,,,,^^_j ^ Bids him try, he tries again, O -nAhofmS • And falls a slave in Ruin's trainj, ^j nfi'ul AN ODE. ^V Ruin shouts, and, at the call, Rise her servants, shakes the hall, She reins her wolves, ascends her car, RalUes her troops, conducts her v^o^. . » • *^ Love, and Hate, and Hope, and FeW", jr -i Now their warring standards rear. = . Love subdues by subtle charms, Hate destroys, and Fear alarms. Like a pharos in the night, ^ ,. .- Hope extends her beacon-light; But when in Ruin's cave it burns, The torch of Hope a fatuus turns. AtO Here Revenge his dagger files ; Close beside Seduction smiles. Pride erects a burning throne, And curls the smoke to form the crown. The toxic smoke her senses turns, Blazes her throne and pleased she burns. Cowering o'er his chest of gold, Ne'er removed, but often told. Avarice scrapes his mouldy bread, The refuse of a peasant's shed ; 10 RUIN". And upon wrist of threadbare coat. Sticks the last pin of annual groat.^ Gaiety, a laughing Grace, Paints the mask for Folly's face; Folly smiles to see the tool, ' ' ' And with a nettle crowns her fool. Envy grins at Beauty's woe. Malice hunts the fancied foe. Keen resentment spurns the friend Who weeps that ere he should offend. iiu hiil Other passions trooping rise. Ruin's banner o'er them flies ; Arms and armour strew the plain. Steeds unbroken snap the rein, Smarting Anger leads them on, And Wreck and Woe behind them run. Fly the havock ere too late. Fly, ray Friend, the open gate ! All those avenues are fair ; All are centred in despair : AN ODE. n The slippery path witli reeds is strown, A rushing wind conveys you down. CHANGE VII. Poet, say, and, must I fly. All that's glory ? better die. Every passion must I shun? With life's thread is passion spun, Gloryless it shows, Darker and darker like a thorn — A thorn without a rose. There is, my Friend, an ancient page Known to a few, those few the sage ; The Runic character is new. The hieroglyphical untrue That marvellous page compared unto. Hesiod's torn verse, is not so old, Pindar's wild stanza, 4iot so bold; Homer's invention not so fine. Nor Plato's morals so divine ; Much it reveals, for history's palm Grew by the Autlior's training arm ; In life's pure wave he dipped his pen, And writ immortally to man. 7* RUIN. Much it contains of precept clear. Much to admire, and much to fear. Of mystery much from mortal eye Concealed, But words, which Ruin's spells untie. Revealed. Poet say, and is't for me, • ' * ^'' This admirable page to see ? It is, my Friend, a princely crOwn, This augur-page foretells thine own. How mine ? Yes, thine, if wise thou art. Poet, the name, the name impart. Listen, and trample Ruin's rod; It is, O Friend! The Word of God. - THE PYRAMIDS. A DIALOGUE, ON THE MUTABILITY OF THE WORKS OF ART, COMPARED WITH THOSE OF NATURE. And, Pil^im, whither dost tliou roam, With cockle-shell and hood ? PILGRIM. By Mary's will, to kiss the hill, '"* *'*^ Where was the holy-rood ; And from the vale of Jericho To pluck the curious rose. To dip a palm in Jordan's wave, And Christianise my brows. 74 THE PYRAMIDS. The high-bred stranger stood displeased, To hear the simple one ; He smiled contempt, then spurred his barb, To journey on alone. But there came by a holy man, A friar of good St. John ; * aaiiA . jjg far had been, and much had seen, ^^^ wo Was wise, though little known. For now, with holy brotherhood. In Convent of the Rock, He gives the words of ch9,rity To Egypt's heathen flock. : ' - ■ .Bf>--) iflrW Over his shoulder hung the cross. Upon his brow the cowl. His bright dark eye, tho' sunken, seemed To penetrate the soul. .^f He dealt to both his benison, , / To both a gracious smile ; , Over the corn-fields then they sped. Along the bank of Nile. . ^ A DIALOGUE. 75 And now, the corn-fields left behind, By Joseph^ well they trod. And pleased, upon the river's brink,>}i Beheld the Papyrus nod. i m/( Hot blew the wind, and all around Was comfortless and drear ; The Waterhly in the wavej^ah yd vaoi Ha-W Hung spiritless, hung sear. A sultry vapour, thick and brown, oil The sun had drawn around ; Some water plashed upon the rock — It gave a hissing sound. A Bird, perchance, of Nazaretl^>n'jdw buA Rose from its sandy nest ; Nor living creature, save that bird, Moved on the desert's breast. Musing they paced the stranger three, All silently they sped ; To the companion of his way At length the Friar said : 76 TPE PYRAMIDS. ■ ,'m'-.! ■■ FRIARiira-ioaauifWxal.,:. . My son ! thy courser flia^*, the mane Hangs lank upon his chest ; Poor weary beast, the deep, quick sob, Speaks hiin with toil o'erpressed. iuitinnfi lfj» Hfi# -fefiiit «ift wsfd loll PHILOSOPHER. oOBfiW, Well may he droop, well may we faint, *' i' On this detested sand;"H'*{'< g"- The curse of Moses, still, I ween, Remains upon the land. . FRIAR. // 'iim'S And what is thy abiding place, 'i'ftr^ J J Since this no joy suppUes ? And wherefore seek the Theban plain, While blest Egyptus dries ?i >«««^ fli'tid itiirt -J » b-'J <-; PHILOSOPHER. Father, from where serener suns O'er Leyden's turrets glide I come, to see the awful house Where Cheops' bones reside. ' '^'^^ <*''' A DIALOGUE. T7 FRIAR. Behold it, then, in yon rude pile, The work of ages gone ; The greatest work of proudest man, ' Accumulated stone. In wonder lost, the stranger stood, His contemplative sight The rugged moss, and storm-beat ive, Explor'd with still delight. His mustered thoughts successive ran O'er areas that have been ; Kingdoms in embryo bloom, decay, The deeds of earUer men. Now he beheld the corner stone Of royal Balbec laid ; Now saw arise Palmyra's queen, And Babylon displayed. His soul exulted, as he thought. Of reason's forceful sway, He stretched around the eloquent arm, And spoke with energy. 78 THE PYRAMIDS. PHILOSOPHER. O wondrous Man ! whoe'er thou wert, O boast of human kind ! Who humbled nature broke her laws, And left this work behind ! When hollow earthquake rolls below, And Egypt's islands groan. Thou, mighty edifice ! art firm ; And thou art firm alone. The little hills that round thee stood Have mouldered down with time ; The rocks decaying crash the wave, But thou art left sublime. When whirlwind racks the flying clouds. And half Arabia's sand. Tossed in wild waves, moves from its place, A sea upon the land. The Pyramid exalts his head. While Cairo quakes below ; Nor can the whirlwind reach to shake The weeds upon his brow. A DIALOGUE. oiTt Tliis loud and bold apostrophe t"! The Pilgrim hears amazed ; With careless eye, as in contempt, On Egypt's boast he gazed. But once repulsed, he silent stood,- lliT Too humble to reply ; O Not so, rebuked the Coptic Friar; uA Displeasure flashed his eyec^'f FRIAR. riT And, shall the work of man remain, When God's own works decay? :.j? Shall Pyramids support the clouds, Wliile mountains melt away ? As soon shall chance support the stars ; As soon those stars shall roll ; When Deity withdraws the hand Which balances the pole. Once may our children's children see Insulted Time prevail, ' lU'V And Egypt's boasted monuments, Like impious Babel fail 'M THE PYRAMIDS. Progressively yon crumbling stones, Shall disunite the wall, Till, like Osinis, here adored,: y.-^ i,,^ i'i So shall his temple falj^gS TO THE FATHER AUD THE SOW^j^f/ mlT When all the lustre of tHe day, With admiration I survey, In breathing beauty, wavy grace, A touch invisible I trace. c-O .€ Advance, O Child ! thou sapling man Untaught, and read me Nature's plan. Who striped with gold the pheasant's wing ? And, who has taught the thrush to sing ? Tell me. Philosophy ! what power Constructs the satin of this flower? Tell rae. Antiquity ! yet, no — Thou knowst not whence yon purple glow. 1 AN ORISQN. 99 Who, then, shall say " what law decree^ The erratic headings of the se^s ? What edict called the hills on high ? j j Why rose the mountains in reply ? " The heapy billows of t|ie main ■ jg,f3 Proclaim, with all their finny train, «.,f^ i^^f/»^in The mountain wilds, their high-bred gamCj Proclaim aloud Jehovah's name. ; ^tt^lk htu' 'Tis He directs the showers ; his eye Illuminates the lustrous sky ; ^ , He guides the surly northern win4 ; And walks Atlantic storms behind. In sylvan Nature's tranquil scene He breathes, and vivifies the green ; In Uproar's cave, on Chaos' throne, The still, small voice is heard and known. Yet, as ye fly. His heaven below, Sweet Birds ! He deigns to number yQU.. When humid plants their leaves unfold, *Ti8 God who tips the flower with gold. 90 N^OONTIDE. Like strings of pearl, upon the grassj***- ^f His rolling dew-drops shine and pass ;•''•'> arfT If thus a simple dew-drop shine, >'^ iBiVff How must efFulgency divine ! '>' vdY/ Cherub and Seraph veil their face, • ^n Stoop from their thrones, and kneeling sing.-' f- Ah ! might I bend the choir among. And at the footstool pour my song ; With what a rapture would I cry : Glory to Him who reigns on high ! Glory to God ! who sent his Son ■ ' To re-create a world undone ; S I<»f»w8 May the Great Son, who came to save, n'*?fW JJopours, eternal honours have, NIGHT. ■ "■"'•'*XN ORISON. to THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST, O Lord of Holiness, our mij^ht ! Accept thy servant's praise this ni^ht. The sun descends, the vapours rise. So to her home my spirit flies. Why didst Thou frame the world so fair ? But thine own wisdom to declare. Why didst Thou string the human voice ? But in thy glory to rejoice. O lovely moon ! vice-empress bright, Walking tlu'ough heaven, our satellite : Ye winged clouds ! Ye winds, that bear Those flying clouds, a})proach and hear 1 M NIGHT. Hear, too, ye armies of the sky, Cherub serene, Archan^^el high, Celestial Elder, hving Throne ; I magnify the Great Unknown ! Shout, oh, ye forests 1 rocks proclaim ! Echo, reverberate His name ! Ye gushing fountains, rivers clear, Sing, for the Lord of Life is near. 'Tis with his voice the cavern:^ sound ; Touched by his hand the hills abound ; At his behest the waters fall ; For Israel's God is, All in All. I tell thee, moon ! thy beamy face Shines but as he directs his rays ; What, tho' the sun thy lustre gives. That sun from God his light receives. Behind the clouds His Glory stands ; He parts their fleeces with His hands; The distant tempests murmur still ; " Behold, O Lord ! we do Thy will." AN ORISON. « O, Host of Heaven ! ye sparkles fair, Shaked from Almighty^s radiant hair ; Still as ye twinkle, bound, and fly, Extol the light which burns on high. Dome of the sky ! translucid rock ! That feel'st unmoved the thundershock ! Who dipped the plumb, and stretched the line ? Attest Him, Architect Divine ! O Time and Space ! O every name, Etherial, liquid, terrene, flame ; All that now is, all that shall be, Exalt the Lord in Trinity ! 94 EPITAPHS. ..iii^iil EPITAPHS. ON SIR JOHN MOORE. Presumptuous stone ! departed worth revere ; Nor tell the world, a hero slumbers here. The rudest peasants on Iberia's shore, Have wept their tribute o'er the dust of Moore. And when their sons th' historic page unfold. Where, wove with Spain's, the warriors fate is told. They'll smile on sculptur'd arms, in just disdain. And own, with me, an eulogy were vain. ON AN INFANT. If loveliness could humanize the grave. Or if a mother's prayers her child could save ; She had not died. — Mother, those sighs forbear, Heaven blooms for innocence, thy child is there. 1 \ / 'AM^Ciikiia THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. -onm'rf m av*ii>rrr>u» s '■ -mwith airtT. mi ••!() «, i ■ ..'-..^ 'ti'. . f'.ifstu\x*ii(ta-y . hi'n ,m»»J*'irUi; . '• '■'■• '- '• "'"''*"' 'A GOTHIC TALE, ,11.-. .uoiJjtyiiu > litii f" ADVER TISEMENT. X HE measure in which this Poem is composed is grounded on thf anapaestic stanza, said by some critics to be the most harmonious in our language. But, notwithstanding the beauty of regular anapaests, in a succession of verses they are apt to grow mono- tonous, and, consequently, fatiguing to the ear. This circum- stance the Author has endeavoured to remedy, by the occasional change of stanza into couplet, as well as by contraction, and expansion of numbers, with other varieties adhering still to the original character of the verse. In other respects it follows the old romaunt, and admits popular superstition. No critic will, I trust, deny the probability of the tale ; if he does, it is to be hoped that his grandmother, great aunt, or housekeeper, will espouse the cause of the writer, and labour for his conviction. The scene, lies in Wales and Scotland ; the period, the con- clusion of the civil wars between the houses of York and Lancaster. KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. ,i.« htl hiv.i . '■ :.. '■- .'■ a.) '. .. . •iji'* norfT CANTO I. 'Mi« f? '/«oVerthe«uiiiiyhiilirsti-.y;'"'7J«"*''* f-*'®^^'* Tuning «an> a rustic lay ''^,^ ^^_ „.^, ,|.^ j Old WeUh Uvftr* ^ ■'"^"' cpilanpofaij;. "". See ! yon is the Stroller, the penitent h6 That has travelled Mount Palestine o'er ; Holy Virgin ! accept liim; in honour of thee, He goes backward oUe steji in four. For the crime of his youth, like a vagrant despised. These forty long years he has moaned ; Hut, if forty years more might be joined to fourscore, Yet, he says, it could scarce be atoned, o 9t KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. " And, wherefore, Old Man ! does thy sorrowful eye For ever incline to the ground ? Resign thee to fate — ah, that heart-rending sigh ! — Kind heaven ! pour balm in his wound.'* " I thank thy compassion," the Old Man replied, " But know thou, it brings not relief." Then earnest he gazed on his staff, and he sighed ; " Kind stranger ! ray guilt is my grief." And he raised his dark eyelid, ye maidens beware Lest love, erring love, round your heart throw a snare, I will tell you the tale of the Lady of Air. So the maidens sat down on the bank of the Dee, On his staff leaned the wand'ring Old Man, His ragged, patched garment he drew round his knee, They listened, and thus he began. yftjJ8a4«''t Jujuoin t»'>itf»yjn*' »biI isii'i' ilHo ifjoijod nilmiil iq^ooc ! ni^ifV ^iuU " Lady Flora Muir Campbell was gentle and fair, .,,',, Of all tlie North Countrie the pride ;:> ^ijj t^'i Lord Davydd of Mathefarn visited Air, .dT , ^ And bore off her sister his bride. Lady Flora turned pale as the chaplain pronounced A blessing on Margaret's vows ; ^l^X* GOTHIC TALTEiP*'^^ W ■> For Flora the choice of her kinsmen renounced, And the nobles they chose for her spouse. ■''" She laughed, as she told how tlie roses of York, With the-roses of Lancaster fair/'f" ''»^'^« ««^' Should twine round the neck of her favourite Hawk, And then she her choice would declar6'P"^ ^" She thought not those roses would ever united ' ' And she felt that her house was displeased at the sight. M'*i aijf )fl :3n- II- fli'Ro ^oo) ^H The Knight of the Tarsel idolator grew, jm/v And worshipped the Campbell divine^nA odl The cross of St. John from his bosom he drew, And laid it on Venus' shrineuilH/ b^ ^liij odT And never did idol rely on its priest, ^ , ,[\ For garland or 16 of praise, ^ooH lici As she, on the youth, whom, as passion increased, She titled the Guard of her Ways. ,jj n| O, long was the eyelash, anoA . Sir Rodney as gay as the birds on the tree, ^ ,1' And Flora in kirtle of green. { ^«»^ "*^ .'itla iA In heavy magnificence, gloomy and dull, ' With architrave carved and relieved^''' '^^^ ''"^ With arras of damask religiously ftdl^*'"'^'* ^*" - The kirk their bold visit received ; ' ^' ^^? ""^ A GOTHIC TALE. IM And often, tho' foot-fall did quiver and falter, They walk'd up the aisle, and they kneeled at the altar. The Priest he was old, and his eyes had grown dim, He saw a young couple advance, He gave the bride-ring, and he said the bride-hymn, And he wished the young couple good chance. IV. But little he weened, that, in Jenny M'Crek, He had spoken the rite for a maid of degree. As little he thought that Sir Rodney was one, Disguised as young Donald, the ox-driver's son. A woman, reputed a witch in the shire, Is said to have prophesied ill ; For a something, in shape of a Rook, from the spire. Flew and pecked at the ring with his bill. Howbeit, she knew not the rank of the two ; So they «cantly beUeved her prognostic was true. O woe to disguise ! 'tis a name for dishouour, A serpent with venom and hood ; Lady Flora believed that the skies shone upon her ; They shone with an aspect of blood. ioa KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. Broad, broader, and deeper, the Lights of the North, Flashed, reddened, and spread from the Thames to the Forth. For war, and commotion, and civil debate, Disaffection and treason were strewing, And birthright, and justice, and questions of state, Involving fair England in ruin. VI. The father of Flora, the Lord of Machlane, With rancour insulted the Hawk, He called him in language decided as plain, A guilty adherent of York. He bade him away to the Crook-back, his king. And he snapt in defiance, the battle-bow's string. Provoked at the insult, the Tarsel Knight swore. In revenge for the tarnish of fame, , A stigma abhorred to attach evermore. To the Campbell of Coningham's name. Now fierce over Scotland ran party debate. Some said, that the king was a traitor of state ; A GOTHIC TALE. IM And ere an assassin their sovereign should be, They would help him to mount up the high gallows tree. Sir Rodney declared that the rights of the crown Were sacred, he never would see them o'erthrown, He cared not a mark what kings did, as a knight He had sworn to defend them by treaty and might. * My George and my Garter,' he said with a frown, * Are the gift of king Richard. — I fight for his crown.* Even Flora, his joy and his glory of late, Partook with her father the partizan's hate. VH. Now, eve throws a mist on the bridges of Air, The Waterman pitches his lay. The shallop is manned, and the seamen prepare. The Knight bears his Lady away. Serene down the current their gallant ship fell, The waves of the ocean she trode ; It seemed as the billows rolled on by a spell. So calm was the transmarine road. Afar is Clyde Frith, and the Mull of Cantire,. Stranrever, Glenluce are behind. On Westmoreland's coast they perceive the wild-brier, Perfuming the northerly wind. l@4 KNIGHT OF THE TAHSEL. VIII. *Thy Father,' said Rodney, and stepped from the board^ ' Now Lady thy father abjure ; Machlane has defied me, the death of that Lord, Alone can my honour secure. To-morrow I battle for York and the Right, And woe to the Campbell who meets me in fight ; A wife or a daughter — this instant decide. Abjure him ; or ne'er will I own thee my bride. The mole-sighted Priest is laid safe in the sod, No witness I ween will declare. That Jenny who wedded with Donald O' Loed, Was Flora the Lady of Air.' In horror, she shrieked, for with villany's voice, He had spoken, her husband, the man of her choice. * Abjure him ! my ifather ! — I'll kneel at his feet,' She cried in an agonized tone, * Thy crime, and my sorrow, too dire to repeat. Forever in silence I'll moan.' IX. He frowned, all in terror, she hung on his arm, * Yet do not forsake me ; ' she said, * . -13 A (iOTHlC TALE. ' MS 6ut the pride of het ancestors took the alarm, And she stiffled her love to upbraid. ''IT Then the Lady so sighed, and so talked of her wrong — • ^ Let the guiltless complain/ said the Knight, JL * For lovely at even is sorrow's deep song^Aas ' I «>^ I While the taper of virtue burns brighii I hlrjod^ But once let it glimmer, or let it go out^< y^ma ^»m voY Instead of delight we have horror and doubt ;aioj''J ,ijjfl The maiden who false to her father has been, As soon will prove false to her husband, I ween.^ ♦ Unmannerly, thou, that art first to reprove!,* ^** ?" Tho' source of my guilt knd my woe j '' " Sir Knight, was it errant to sue for my lover • It had never been thus ; but for yoh'."' But hence with your vows, with your fealty, heiice," And know that the Campbell disdains ^ *^ " The hollow pretender, atid traitor pretence ; Return, Sir, when Flora domplains. Away till the Roses, the Red and the White, 8hall entwine on thy crest, I renounce thee, false Knight. Yet, no, for I know that 1 hold thee in tie. Thou wilt not, thou canst not, retire; p ib« KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. The hue of my cheek, and the ray of mine eye, : •' Thou captive of love must admire.'if^fjfiJ^ * Ah, blandish not, folly ! too Soon wilt thou se% andT That the chain is unlocked, and the captive is free : I go !' said Sir Rodney; *nor check my intent, . f ' Should I fall in the war thou mayst chance to relent : You may sing me a dirge, and may weave me a pall, ' But, Flora of Campbell 1 thou canst not recaL's bMsim\ > pi^W Mw "mb'maisdT He saddled his courser, he rid to the plain, „,„'» j Where Gloster his forces arrayed j^ "ijiii'' He left her alone, in tlie hut of a swain, |^„jjj;j ..j^ A Lady alone, and betrayed. With speed she embarked, for the ship was at hand,o The gale bore her back to her dear Scottish land ; But sad was her bosom, and often she sighed, . |«, When the vessel re-entered her native Firth Clyde. XL The mist of the morning rose white on the hill, .at . h'r fhl^ft moil g9di?yif orf* omofeifew c»T vi'f hnc Y.b'f^ f>9'^''"« l'ildo'3 oiJ) ni oIb orfT THE V KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. ,woii|«. __________ a wsjtf,'l«ifW * CANTO II. I. We sing not of battles, or now might we tell, How Richmond's proud armament shone ; Suffice it, at length the Plantagenets fell, And a Tudor ascended the throne. *Twa8 over at Bosworth, the battle was done, And Richard, the traitor, was slain ; The friends of King Henry, with Thomas's son, Returned back to Cambria again. 110 KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. The maids of Glyndwrdvvy looked over the Dee, To welcome the heroes from fight ; The ale in the goblet smiled ready and free, The fire in the centre blazed bright. .jaaHAT aUTi^O THOI^il A courier sped up the Rhiwaedog, * What news ? ' asked the wives of the Brow, "Tis peace,' saidtheman, as he plashed through the bog, Which points to Sam-Helen below. He tightened the reins as he rid down the steep, Where tke. son of the poet was slain ; He paused at the tent, for Cynddelw to weep. And thoughtfully gazed o'er the plain. A shade was advancing on tall Craig y Dieas, It waved like a sheet in the skies ; The shepherds a folding declared it a sign was. That weather unusual would rise. Beyond Pont ar Gamlan, above Pant ar Maw, The founts of the hill springs w€re swelling ; And close did the twilight his drapery draw, . O'er the Baroness Mathefarn's dwelling. 1 A^OTHIC TALE. iU Jjh^ io rtdbwd III. ?||o snmm umButia^ i^^ii The moat it was broad, and the draw -bridge was chained, JThe keep-hill was gothic and tall, >o«l JteedA Its narrow-arched windows, all painted and paned, Bespoke the Baronial Hall. J»9d lo ton is9f{8 taf The walls were of freestone ; there, time 'had defaced. Entablature, moulding, and frieze ; But the chisel of genius had formerly traced On each gateway the foliage of trees. *" '^ ^' Some spoils of the chase, and 80me family mail, ,iii«, -/igome banners in tournament woa;*' ^'^-^ "*' With grandeur heraldic aj)peared on the pale ^-'Of Davydd, Llewelyn's brave don. ^^'-'^'" ^ Yet it wa* not the hatbhmettt, the cuirass, Or spear. The gonfalon, quartered and banded; * *^' '' It was not the spoils of Snowdonia's deer. Nor the helmet from Arthur descended ; It was not the vassals who trooped to tlie gate, Nor tlie towers that our homage could win ; Not barbarous grandeur ; nor oVerdone state : But the Lady majestic, within. ll» KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. Her garments were cypress, witli borders of goldf ^t*9! Her hood was of tawnie and white, luontisril' Aback from her shoulder the velvet cloak rolled, Displaying her beauty to sight : i-wt-wcnaii «H Yet speak not of beauty, tho' framed to amaze, Her mind was the sun, and her smiles were the rayt**!' A blast of the bugle is heard by the Maw, ^ ,^ ^ She rose, and ascended the Keep ; , ^awri * Oh ! comes ray Lord Davydd ? or, comes from the war, A widow's commission to weep ?.;g,;i,„aT^ ,|,,/^ ' To-morrow, sweet Lady, will Davydd be home, ^iVnd, yon is a Knight witli the tiding,^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ Go, light up a lamp, in the traveller's room. And, gently invite his abiding.' .^^^^ ,^^,, ^^,^^ ,j Ah, sudden ! a cloud on the mountain dissolves. And rapid, and loud is the danger ; ,^^^ ^^ ^^ ^ j A volley of vapours the Castle involves, , s_ .^ And high mounts the voice of the Stranger.j-^y^ . I : ; A GOTHIC TALE. ' ' ^> ill * Fain would I slumber here, Lady, Fain would I slumber, here ! ^ For the night birds cry, and the river flows high, And the Min of CylyUn I feir.* ^ 'hBxonm. ^'^*^^^*'' * O haste thee. Sir Knight, from my Castle away, For my husband is goWe to the war ; '' * Perchance he might doubt Lady Margaret's fay. If a stranger should lodge in the bower. I sorrow, Sir Knight, tliat I may not command, My Warder * a welcome ' to sound ; But the faith of my lip, and the pledge of my hand, And the peace of my bosom are bound.' * Sleep, Lady ! in peace, I no longer intrude, May the spell of tlie Wizard alight, If again I presume on an errand so rude, To disturb your repose of the night.' U4 KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. v.. 5 The river flowed high, and the trenches were full, The chains of the draw -bridge were strained, And closer the Warders, their iron -bolts pull, For the flood through the crevices drained. The mud bubbles up to the high castle wall, The battlements rock in the wind ; By the Pemble-Meer lake, and by Rhaiader's fall, The Fawns nestle close to the Hind. V?. The Knight muttered low, but the valley was deep. And his high words were courteous in sooth. Nought else heard the Lady, who stood on the Keep, So she thought him a gentle-bred youth; And she grieved in her heart, and that heart was sincere, That the stripling must buffet the tempest severe. But as through his visor the cold water camCj, Whilst he patted his famishing steed, ]He swore to revenge on the hard-hearted daipe, q i liirSJB it- His danger, his fpars, and his need. ' ^, A GOTHIC TALE. IM And he took his revenge, for he told not the tale, ^^ How the Baron marched homeward through sweet Avondale. "^rflo*?" Ib'jii nii dnn'sMmm ^ni VH' us b-iiim atiT The Screech-Owllooked out from the Haunt of the Oak. , Her httle ones cried to be fed, The ninth time repeated the Raven his croak, The Badger peeped up from his bed. And higher, and higher, the river ascends. And shriller the water-fowls cry, Their eggs dash around as the billow expands. The callow birds twitter and die. vin. O ! dark was the Cavern the Warrior sought. And green at its entrance there grew, The night-shade so fell, and the vervain for spell. With cyons of Juniper two. But he needed repose from the toils of the fight. Denied was a shelter unkindly, So he lay down to rest, with the targe at his breast. On the very first bank he could find nigh. 1,1^ KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. Of pale red was his armour brig^tj Bid ioo^ od baA J yfj , And round him the heath-bells grew ; ; . H So he showed like the moon, in a windy night, On a sky of dusky blue. The raised earth for pillow, the sunk earth for bed, At his feet curled the whispering wave — * O, darkling his dreams were, and aching his head. For he slept in the Wizard's own cave ! IX....;.,:^i : And why did the Baroness bjanish compassiQn^ Compelling the youth to depart ? Attend, for a naoment, nor deem it digre^sipn, A family tale I'll insert : When Flora the house of her sire was expelled, She shuddered in Gwyneth's keen air ; But the arms of a sister were open to shield The slandered, unfortunate, fair. O, who can redeem from the sentence of fame ; Or wipe off a stain from the stigmatized name ? The tongue of an Angel could scarcely persuade. That slander unjustly accuses the maid : * By the foe of her hou^e,, by a Xorkut mided. From her cpntifry, her kindr/edf h^r castle shejied.* A Peasant ha4 closed on the outcast bis door, He said, ' I am honest, albeit right poor ; My cottage is mean, but it never shall be The den of an harlot, tho' high bier degree/ And he flung to the gate in disdain — not a tear, Shed the fair injured Lady even then ; But gently she murmured, ' My lot is severe ! Injurious, hard-hearted man ! * The flout of the vulgar, the glance of the proud, The curse of her father, the mock of the crowd ; With patience she sufi*ered, nor deigned to disclose The guilt of her Lord, her unmerited woes. With dignifled virtue, she said, that her name, Should never discredit the Tarsel Knight's fame ; She said, tho' her father had cast her aside, She never would own her his enemy's bride. The high-minded Margaret saw her in grief, Abandoned, reviled, and alone ; She asked not the cause, but she proffered relief. And the secret continued unknown. ift KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. * Three things are sweet ; ' said the Lady of Maw, * A plank to the man that is drowning, A good Aid-de-Camp in the justle of war, And a friend when the world is a frowning.* '■ - ■ • , '. X.' '- - ■ ■ ■ ■■ Then frowned Baron Davyod and turned on his heel, To whisper in Margaret's ear. ' My Lord, a due sense of her errors I feel. But she still is my sister, and dear.' The Baron grew gloomy, and loud was his cry, Of ' family honour and fame.' *My Lord,' Lady Margaret said, in reply, ' And have I to those honours no claim ? ' * Your claim, Lady Margaret, loses its force. When the cause of a wanton you plead. Alike the twin streams, for alike is their source ; I deem you approve of such deed.' And now must the Baron away to the field, Where Richmond, defying his foes. For England and justice advances the shield, Plantagenet's boar to oppose. A GOTHIC TALE. IW And Margaret swears, by the helmet and sword, No stranger shall enter the house of her Lord. jHe mustered his vassals, he plunged in the fight. For Richmond displayed the White Rose ; And ne'er from that day to a wayfaring Knight, Did Mathefarn Castle unclose. y^dbuA XI. An honest old Glee-man, who sung at the door, Was dismissed by the damsels with speed, Ere he finished his song ; and the Alms-boy poor, Was sternly desired to proceed.' For my Lord was away, and the great hall-board. No longer with viands was crowned;,^ j,^^',; ^ The benevolent door, as displeased at the word, Turned back with a creaking sound. The Baroness blushed, that a Welsh chateau, Should ever be known to refuse >^ .„ . li i To the Minstrel's song, and the Alm's-boys woe. Sweet hospitality's dues. ._ ^^^ So she bade a farewell to the wayfaring Kqight, For his safety she offered a prayer, mt KNIGHT 6F the TAKSEL. Then called to old Gwillam a cheerful ' good night-,* And bade hirti to pillow repair. wm o'/l The Watchman bowed down the white locks of his head, And three times he rung the Wittch-bell ; * Then, down from the Keep-tower the Baroness sped ; And he cried * stoi*ftiy weather ! all's well ! ' xW. 'Tis night in Ubie Castle ; the eressd; (^ brass, Flings o'er the wi-tfught ceiling its tigiit, The yellow nloon-beam glimmers through the stained glass, :.^ ...._;.-: , /iirvjv :.,, And the cherfry-ttee wainscot shines bright. A blue, and a crimson, a green, and a white. Confusedly bespangle the hall ; ' "" '"' * They dapple the tapestry with changeable fight. And streak, in an arch, the north wall. Of pure alabaster, the mantel-shelf higli "' ■ " ' Is graven, and finished with gold, '^ ^ An Artist, from England, declared, with a sign. Such a work the whole laiid did not hold : 1 A GOTHIC TALE. 191 From Florence it came, where the Baron had been, And works of old time, passing wonderful, seen. A favourite Grey-hound stuffed curiously, Was fixed in a niche at the door, 'Twas my Lord*s own device ; and the window-arch by, A Vulture embalmed seemed to cower. 'Twas pretty and strange, when the moon's liquid beam. At midnight was seen through the feathers to stream. The Crwth and the Cythera* carefully hung In recess by the fire, but they both were unstrung ; For Davydd the poet, the prophet, the peer, Had joined Rhys ap Thomas in the spring of the year. XIII. At Conway he met Harry Tudor the bold, And with him twice, in private, he spoke ; Then (inspired 'tis supposed) he his countrymen told, How they soon would be freed from the yoke. He marched down to Milford, the Severn crossed o'er. And raised the White Rose upon Bosworth Moor ; * Musical instruments. R IM KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. He warned ' Jockey Norfolk ' to be not so bold, * For Dickon his master was bought and sold* XIV. Meanwhile in the Castle his Baroness fair, Anticipates news of the fight, And mournful, and silent the Lady of Air, Bewails the false heart of her Knight. Two summers ago, she was fairer than now. For laughter illumined her eye. Her lip was carmine, not the Cranberry's bough, More bright on the mountains of Sky. Two summers ago, on the banks of the Air, Lady Flora Muir Campbell was happy as fair; Now pale grows her beauty, as pale as the flower's. When its leaf and its stem, a green canker devours. She sat in the chamber, forlorn was her look, The Damsels attended beside her. She read, but a winding-sheet fell on her book, They feared that some ill would betide her. The Baroness smiled at the idle conceit. But her sister the omen believed. A GOTHIC TALE. If* And she beckoned the Nurse, in her ear to repeat An ill dream, which her spirit aggrieved. XV. * O, dreadful ! around me, ran shadow and light, I heard a deep voice cry 'prepare ! ' On the edge of a grave, gazing down, stood a Knight, And he pointed and bade me rest there ! Pursuing his finger, I walked up the mound, V The loose pebbles rolled underfoot, underground ; /. And I saw my own figure lie down in the tomb ; — O, believe me. Dame Ruth ! then did horror Congeal me, I g^ew to the narrow, dark room. And a bird, perked above, sung ' to-morrow.' * My child,' quoth the Nurse, * 'tis a token of ill, I would have thee thy rosary tell. For fate pre-discerns what it means to fulfil. And in mercy oiur doom may foretell. Remember how Nebuchadnezzar of yore, The idolatrous King of Chaldee, His disgrace, by a vision instructed, foresaw ; And the Baker who hanged on the tree : .1J4 KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. * The dreams of the dark are^ as learned Clerks say, \ * To instruct or to turn from the sins of the day.^ XVI. A word spoke at random goes deep to the heart, In a moment unlooked for it stings, .As an Ideot's harp wounds the Minstrel of Art, When dissonance barks from its strings. The heart of the Lady it smote at her side. And a sudden deep crimson her countenance dyed. The Sister of Margaret blushing returned. She attempted the silk -ball to reel. But the words of Dame Ruth in her memory burned. And she paused, for she could not but feel. Quoth the talkative Nurse, recommencing her say, \ ' I believe nae an Angel is sent Xo the child in the cradle, by night and by day. To forewarn him of ill, or prevent.' Then sighed Lady Flora, * if this be the truth. My good Angel, alas ! has forsaken my youth.' The cold tear indignantly sprang in her eye, Down her delicate girdle it ran ; . ; A GOTHIC TALE. It5 Then the Baroness asked her, ' ah ! why dost thou sigh ? * But she said, ' 'twas the flirt of her fan.' And she strove to conceal from the damsels around, That her mind had received an incurable wound ; Her hopes have dissolved, like a midsummer vision. And therefore she utters the sigh ; But they think 'tis the Magdalen's holy contrition That shines in tlie lost Lady's eye. For the household all knew how the Lady misled. From her kindred, her home, with an enemy fled, /^ XVII. The Father Confessor for charity gave her A penance-book, well-meaning sage ! Hedeeraed that the gold-and-bluevolumewouldsaveher, But she never turned over one page. ]?;; u ^ It lay on a shelf, and a Spider was winding His gossamer web, to preserve the rich binding : She said, ^t detraction had injured her fame, And she never would own to the Magdalen's name. Yet, now that her spirit is torn with emotion, She seeks the good book, and she turns to devotion. IM KNIGHT OP THE TARSEL. 'But when she perceived, on that volume collected, The nests of the Moth and the Spider, ■ The thought of her father, his counsels rejected, ' And wished that the mountains would hide her. "She hid her full eye in the folds of her veil, * jjaI And clasping her hands with expression, « Hail Virgin ! Hail Mother ! Hail Mary ! all Hail ! » She sung in the wildness of passion. Then hasted away to the Holy Chapelle, -di xo i And said her night-service alone in the cell. 1 fnc i'5 xvin. A murmur of wonder, a questioning look, The damsels passed round as the hall she forsook ; The Baroness marked not their whisper-tone faint, For intent, she was reading the life of a Saint* : And lifting anon, the dark beams of her eye. From the verse of her husband so dear. She saw, as alive, in the tapestry hard by. The Saint whom he sung of appear : Suspense poized the moment, and hush'd was the hall. You might hear in the chimney the House-Martin's call; * life of St. Tydecho, written by Davydd. A GOTHIC TALE. 187 The fires hav? burned low, the white embers grow cold, And night wears apace, unperceived in the hold. ., XIX. But, hark, the gay trumpet ! a clamour of joy Resounds in the Mathefarn dome ; The bolts fly aside, and the gates open wide, For the gallant Welsh Baron comes home. Now, marshalled around him, his vassals so bold, Salute their brave Lord in liis hall, They gather a wreath for his helmet of gold. From the Roses that grow on the wall. The peasantry wonder, for, lo ! they unite In the garland of peace, the Red Rose and the White. XX. The silver-harp, prize of his hardship, he wore. Suspended by ribband of blue ; The shield of his grandfather Gruffydd he bore ; At his back hung the cross-bow of yew : And tenderly smiled he, the poet and peer. When, to greet him in safety, his Lady drew near. IM > KNIGHT Of THE TAllSfiL. The bright auburn hair waved from under his casque, And pensive, yet bold was his look ; What he felt in his mind, ye scarce needed to ask : One might say that his countenance spoke. XXI. I Small joy wast to Flora, she felt her hard doom, When she heard the salute of ' the warrior at home,* Tho' guiltless, she trembled, and cast her eyes down. As afraid to encounter the Baron's stiiF frown. * But, Sister, I greet thee ! ' said Davydd of Maw, ; He took Flora Muir by the hand, * This day I present thee a youth from the war. Who demands to be titled thy friend. I know not his name, but he rides a white steed-, A hawk spreads her wings in his crest, Alas ! for to sorrow he bends like a reed ; Of Strawberry red is his vest ; And over his armour he loves to unite With the crimson York Rose-bud the Lancaster white. 2 A GOTHIC TALE. It9 XXII. On the part of the Yorkists, he charged at Machlane, He flung from his stirrup the peer ; Thy Father's gray locks were bestrewed on the plain, And the Knight at hi3 breast held a spear. An inch of the blade would have ended the strife. But the youth, in his wrath, made a stand ; Said, 'for Flora's deaf sake, I restore thee thy life;* Then he raised t^e old Lord by the hand ; And he told him a tale, which perhaps you may know. Of a blind Priest in Air-shire — say Sister, is't so ? He spoke of his honour, of vengeance and pride. And a Westmoreland cot, where he left a fair bride. ^3^ * b-t . XXIII. He said he would buy him a Pilgrim's hat. And travel bare-footed in penance for that : The valley of Hinnim he means to pass o'er In atonement, and go backward one step in four. No doubt, but the Saints, who shall witness the deed, Will raise benedicite's song, s If9 KNIGHT OF THE TAHSEL. And good mother church bid the pilgrimage speed, And aid the poor Pilgrim along ; But I bade him, before he sat forward, to call And announce my return at the Mathefarn hall ! * Lady Margaeet cast down her eyes, and replied. That, * h€ came in the night, but access was denied.* XXIV. She said it in haste ; then, to banquet she passed, Bade the Page fill the Hirlas * with mead. Bade the supper-bell ring for a hurried repast, Bade the Friar in his grace-book to read. The Baron looked thoughtful, but ere he withdrew. Whispered ' Flora he'll come yet again if he's true '.'* Ah ! could he be true, that had given to shame. His sweet Lady ? he true, that denied her his name ? Was it love, was it honour, or hatred, and pride. That affixed a dire stain to the fame of bis bride ? ' — Ah, Flora ! thy love, and thy sorrow forego, * To-morrow,' * to-morrow ^ shall finish thy woe. * Drinking horn. A GOTHIC TALE. m The tears may rise fast in the hypocrite's eye, Or the sting of remorse may awaken the sigh ; But the night- wind will blow the light tear-drop away, And the changeful proud heart on a sudden be gay : Woe, woe was the day ! Avhen the maiden misled. From the house of her Sire, with an enemy fled. END OF CANTO II. ■■hii'- ii'k^ f\&ib id iaio'i'^f >!.!«;; ^ ' ■ V/A KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. CANTO III. €fte fl©an of C^Ipin. I. Serenely sits sleep on the infantine brow, '/tf Ji'And soft, Holy Nuns ! are your slumbers; ^^ Yea, Damsels of Mathefarn ! tranquil are you : Twelve, at midnight, the village clock numbers. Still high on the rampart, a Ltvdy in tears, Defying the rage of the tempest appears. Did you ere see a statue of Dido forsaken ; The large rolling eye of despair, When her eager right hand had the fatal sword taken ' — Such a figure was Flora of Air. m KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. II. The torch in her hand, flung a broad scarlet blaze On the standard of Davydd the bold ; The moat's troubled surface reflected its rays, And they glared on her mantle's white fold : Till a gust, from her bosom, the mantle untied, And bore it away, down the rampart's steep side. Her shining black hair, like the waves of Menai, That darken and curl in the wind ; So, fell on a shoulder, more white than the spray, Which breaks the salt billow behind. .'(i'lci 'jttti^iifitii} ^|0o qotiljf iiJiw y »3»fiitj{:4^ : She watched a long hour, and she heard the winds blow, The flambeau went out in her hand ; n&ii ^aa i The tempest raged wild in the valley below, But, silent, maintained she her stand.i<' ilgiil \\i\e For she had a heart that could plead for distress, ■ *' i A tender and eloquent heart js 998 9io u<.( biil And she had known sorrows too keen for redress, And none in her sorrows took part. A GOTHIC TALE. im She felt for the Sailor-boy tossed on the sea ; She felt for tiie Shepherd who watched by the lea ; Felt for all men exposed to the merciless nii^ht ; But, chiefly, she felt for the wayfaring Knight. Yet the hawk on his crest, and the sword by his side, Tbo' cruel as cruel can be ; Yet the tempest which bursts down the cataract's side. Merit more of affection than he. nt 4AH IV. *Alas, should the Man of Cylynin impede. In the blackness of midnight, my husband's good steed | That courser so docile which oft I have tried. Whilst he with the bridle has walked by my side. Perhaps it is witclicraft that troubles the fountains, A Will o'the Wisp dances round. Ah, Rodney, to-morrow, alone on the mountains, Thy masterless steed may be found ! And thou mayst lie cold, and the threatened * to-morrow,' Consummate of Flora the life and the sorrow ; The place in my dream, I remember with awo. Is the man's habitation, the Old Man of M&w.' W* KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. The love that by cruelty, absence, and woe, Jb'fe'odR Had died in the bosom of Flora, Revives with her fears, as the flower of the Snow, /■I Unfolds in the smile of Aurora. d ^ Y She looks to the East, and she wonders that day. Should so long in the Indies his chariot delay. She returns to the hall, she rekindles her light; But the hour-glass is down : 'tis the dead of the night. She reclines on her couch ;— ah ! she starts, whence this speed? '. 'iSiiihlhoilA .Abll She has heard in idea the tramp of a steed. She has mounted the wall — but the courser so white, Is far, far away from the door ; And the rose-coloured armour of Rodney her Knight, Lady Flora will never see more. He has laid down to rest in old Arise's cave ; He has ta'en for his pillow a Parricide's grave. ■;m-. VI. Not long was his slumber. — The Muse, in dismay, ft' Would gladly break off here, and finis her lay. ■ ^ A ftdtHrC TALE. ''^"^ 137 For strange are the things which reriiain to be told, And orthodox schoohnen may deem them too bold. He comes, 'tis the Wizard, hfe glides through the maze, He gits on a Hippogriff' s wings ;i.^*skfl h&ar^Si The cavern shoots round a vulcanean blaze, A voice from the smitten-rock sings : ^i bl-ul ?H * O, tarry liot master ! tlie clock has struck one, ■H^eitiM Thy servants expect thee ; our task it is done. Castor and Pollux ar6 (Changing of places : The one is- stepped out of his star, They meet 6n the rim in fraternal embraces — The other rides off to the war.' f ?*f J iod, VII. Now, see the Magician is waving a blue hght. He speaks tlie tiiangidar charm — 'O, fear not, young Stranger ! for if thou'rt a true Knight, My spell cannot touch thee for harm.' The hieroglyphic and croslet reversed* He drew, and tl\e Song of the Denlons reheiarsed ;• f The words of that song, it is meet to conceal, . i And the shape of those figures we maj^ not reveal. 138 KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. (i (ii niK JNCANTATION. di ma ^ami6 not * Arise, my Familiar ! Penumbra of night ! aiitio fia/^ ,v,ti Ye visions capricious, arise ! >iliai)\earfM; leH Reveal the fell deeds of this venturesome Knight, And flash the red truth in his eyes.' ai*»»jtf«3^3»d*r He held up a looking-glass. Dr. John Du /. Possessed such a mirror ; but whenccy no man knew. INCANTATION. ,IM !*«(» tflfJf^O * O, dagger of murder, beglotted with gore, Like a ray of the scorpion descend! l99fH_ ^aifC . Jict the voice of the dying, compassion implore. And the life-blood stream hot from liis hand.* In vain, waved the Wizard his mystical pole. And called for the dagger impure : The gallant Sir Rodney still rested in soul. For his conscience from murder was pure. . INCANTATION, j. giifq^l^ow ^ Y^ scrolls of the traitor, ye mystical deeds, w»ii^ ^1 » Indited the Orphan to wrong ; A GOTHIC TALE. 139 Ye guilty revokes, and presumptuous proceeds, Come, shadow my Sliow-Glass along ! ' The Sorcerer whistled, he tossed a bright Ball — The frowns on his forehead increase ; No scroll, and no signature comes at his call ; • * But Sir Rodney still slumbers in peace. INCANTATION. * Ho ! what is the crime of this venturesome Knight, That he sleeps on a Parricide's grave ? And why did his planet go down in affright. As he entered the arc of my cave ? Ye sons of Abaddon, attend to my call. Blot the Deed of Despair ; or,' he muttered, * shew all.' " VIII. Old Arise turns pale at the height of his ^pellj An earthquake is rocking the cave. The water-mill clatters, a dog is heard yell, And Sir Rodney starts up from the grave. I4(|f KNIGHT OF THE TAgSEL. Why trepttbjes the Wizard, he speaks to the \yind, His heavy, dark eyelashes shake ; He reels with the earthquake, his altar behind : All ! why did Sir Rodney awake ! The reprobate angels rejpice in theu* chains, For he wakes to remorse and unlimited pains. O, first rose a dagger ! a cross at the hilt. On the which by St. Mary he swore ; It appeared to the Knight like the sentence of guilt ; But the i)lade was unsullied with gor,e. It was not the dagger of murder. — Thpn rose A paper, a scrql|, it should seem ; With flowers it was pencilled, and arrovys afld bows, * A Sonnet to Flora ' the theme. * Stay, Wizard, thy spell ! by the holy moon-light, I conjure thee fulfil my behest,' said the Knight. * If genii and elements, hear thy command ; If spirit and angel, submit to thy wand ; Come weal or come woe, yet, my doubts to remove. Produce in thy Show-Glass the form of my love ? A 0OTI1JC TAL£. Uli Let me see h6r raised eye, a^d her shining^ black hair ? And I'll kneel to the image of Flora of Air.' IX. A laugh of the demons, a sudden wild cry, ('Twas the Tempter rejoicing,) that instant passed by.. A clash of the water now bursts in his ears, A trembling, faint scream fills the ring, And dripping and dying, a Lady appears, At war with the terror-crowned King. Her figure was lovely,, was slender, was pale, Like the lily that blows in a storm ; And the Spectre was buckled in adamant mail, A giant had dreaded his form : The shadowy L^dy dissolved in his breath, As she fell on the adamant bosom of Death. The Cock clapjied his wings, and the good matin-bell, Ringing briskly, dissolved the thick air, and the spell. The stars disappear, and the morning turns gray, A cherub unlocks the blue portals of day. US' KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. X. • :. s<»,*9wi The lono^ night of horror is now gone by, And morn on the Castle beams clear, With a woe-begone look, and a shattered eye. The Knight and his courser appear. A look of dismay at the rampart he cast. Then turned to the Castle so tall, The windows were closed, the portcullis made fast, But the Lady was gone from the wall. There was sadness, he thought, in that fortress so strong. And drearily sounded the Hedge-Sparrow's song. XI. He steps to the water, all darkened with storm. His gallant steed trembles the ride to perform. He leaps from the draw -bridge, he leaps down to save, A white mantle flutters above, The hand of a Lady appears o'er the wave : The fair hand of Flora, his love. The water grew ruddy, as nearer he prest, A blood-flush arose on the dead ; , : A GOTHrC TALE. 148 And^ lo ! on his arm, wliich enfolded her waist, Fell drops, living, warm drops of red. XII. Then, shuddered the traitor, his visage grew pale As tlie Robber's, who reads in Gazette his own tale ; For sooner or later shall conscience awake, And anguish of spirit the guilty o'ertake. In silence around liim the mantle he threw5|i>n'^>! ]i;<\ It was Flora's all damp from the wave ; ,He shook at the touch, and with vehemence flew,' T Sword in hand, to re-enter the Cave — The Wizard was gone; — unbelievers are said To advance that no Wizard had been ; i // But all was the work of a feverous head fd aiMf»&9 iuH . Delusion of Satan and Siuhicsivv 4;Hftw tti^ ffliW But others will tell, how, with arts interdicted, The spirit attracted may be ; So, hero or lady, in shadow depicted, Their true or false lovers may see. ^BtiT And these will aver that ; when Flora of Campbell i,; Returned to the Mathefarn wall; rnafl •►il) - i" 144 KNIGHT O* t#^ TAltSEL. The far-sighted Wizard beheld his glass tremble, At the moment fee uttered * sliew all.* And either he drew the thin spirit away, And the spirit was lured by his power ; Or the turret she leaned against snapt in decayj^'^^ ^ i i»l And she fell unperceived from thie toWer.-^ ^'^ ^^^ , j.'i: > i; oote^ioixnoa Uiiriaiatisl lo loaooa -ioli But hence with discussion on difficult point, ^^? "* Which poet nor pontiff can clear ; The Knight wore thenceforward a cross at each joiM^ So witchcraft came neVer-mbre near. Sometimes he believed that the Father of Li^s, With a vision profane, had deluded his ey^s'j^ - * But certain he was, that the Old Man of M^w, With his white wizard-cap, in the cavern he saw. sdfei^i^t ih*i B13UJO tti'\ XIV. '^oiTtli^ Jmifei'wll' O ! who is yon chieftain, so aged and stern. That sheds the large tear on that pure marble urn ? (His eye is cast down, as he never had smiled)' '•»^"f« 'Tis the Baron Machua'ne who bewails his fair child. 2 • A GOTHIC TALE. 14ft Lord Davydd and Margaret strike the harp's string, And weep while the * Sorrows of Flora' they sing ; But the fame of the Campbells from stigma is clear, And they mingle in triumph, the smile with the tear. And from his proud charger the Hawk is stepped down ; How altered is Rodney the gay ! He has changed his red armour for sack-cloth so brown, And with sorrow his hair is grown gray." " Behold my gray locks, and forgive, if ye can," Said the penitent Stroller ; " for, I am the man." END OF CANTO III, NOTES THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. NOTlS 1. The Star-Fish.— p. 3. The Star-Fish, vulgarly called the five-finger, is some- times confounded with the actinia, which also resembles a star in figure. I have seen the latter, clustered together, expanding themselves to the sun-beams, in the smooth water which intersects the rocks of Norway, in which situation they bear a striking resemblance to a bed of anemouies ; whence they derive the name of sea-anemonies. They are said to possess the property of stinging like nettles, from which circumstance, they are, by some naturalists, called nettle-fish. NotE II. The Sugar-Canes.—p. 4. " The cane that yields the sugar, is a kind of reed, which commonly rises eight or. nine feet, taking in the leaves growing out of the top of it. Its most ordinary thickness is from two to four inches. It is covered with a hardish rind, which encloses a spongy substance. It is 148 NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. intersected at intervals with joints, that serve as it were to strengthen and support it; but without impeding the circulation of the sap, because these joints are soft and pithy in the inside. " This plant has been cultivated from the earliest anti- quity, in some countries of Asia and Africa. About the middle of the twelfth century it became known in Sicily, from whence it passed into the sourthern provinces of Spain. It was afterwards transplanted into Madeira, and the Canaries. From these islands it was brought into the new world, where it thrived as happily as if it had been a native of it." — Abbe Raynal's History of the East and West Indies. " ■"'''■•■■ '^■'' ' NotElIt. Tobacco waving on the scented gale.— p. 4. 'This is a sharp caustic, and even poisonous plant. It was formerly in great repute, and is still used in medicine. It was discovered in the year 1520, by the Spaniards, who found it first in Jucatan, a large peninsula in the gulf of Mexico, from whence it was carried into the neighbouring islands. "The stem of this plant is straight, hairy, and viscous, its leaves are thick and flabby, and of a pale green colour, and are larger at the bottom than at the summit of the plant." — Abbe Raynal. Note IV. TTie Ginger.— p. 4. . ^ "This plant, which never grows above two feet high, IS rather bushy. Its leaves exactly resemble those of rushes. t'jjtiW 1. MOTES TO TB£ AFfilCAN PRINCESS. >M only they are smaller. It is propagated by suckers, which are planted two or three fingers deep, aboat the end of the rainy season, and come up in a week's time. " When the leaves turn yellow, and wither, the ginger is ripe ; they pull it up, and expose it to the wind or sun to dry. "The roots, which are the only useful part, are flat, broad, of an unequal shape, but mostly resembling the foot of a goose. Their substance is close, hea+y, white, firm, and of the consistence of a turnip. "The culture of ginger is easy, and by no meant expensive; a single man may undertake it. The root has this double advantage, that it will keep many years in the ground without rotting, and as long as we please, after it is gathered, without being in the least injured. But, if ginger requires no great labour, it absorbs a vast quan- tity of nutritive juices, insomuch, that a piece of ground, which has borne three or four crops of ginger, is so ex- hausted of salts, that nothing will thrive upon iWV-ABBB RaYNAL. -a il-vj'v Note V. Here Armadillo clothed in painted mail.— p. 4. i, "The Armadillo, though a native of only America, will bear to be transported even into our own country. It is a harmless creature, and may be rendered domestic. Its appearence is extremely singular, being covered like a tortoise, with a shell, or rather a number of shells; its other proportions are not easily discerned. It appears at first view, a round, mis-shapen mass, with a long head, and 9 very large tail, projecting at either uid, as if not of a lid NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS/ piece with the rest of the hody. It is of different sizes^ from a foot to three feet long ; its shell is divided into several pieces, that lap over each other, like the plates in a coat of armour. The bands which compose the shell are connected like those in the tail of a lobster, with a yellow membrane; they are of various colours, but chiefly of a dirty grey. " It is pretended that there is a kind of friendship existing between this creature, and the rattle-snake; that they live peaceably together, and are frequently found in the same hole. This, however, may be a friendship of necessity to the Armadillo : the rattle-snake taking pos- session of its retreats, which neither is willing to quit, while each is incapable of injuring the other." — See BuFFON and Goldsmith. Note YI. The green Turtle. ^p. 4. "When this creature has selected a spot for her nest, which is generally about the close of the evening, she returns without laying that night, but on the next goes back, and, having scraped a round hole, about one foot in diameter, and a foot and a half deep, she leaves about eighty or ninety eggs, which are laid in about the space of an hour, each nearly as big as hen's eggs." — Buffon, Note VII. . ,, -. - ; . The Frigate-Bird.—p. 4. ia a'^The Frigate, or Man-of-war, Bird, is so called be- cause of the swiftness of his flight, and his large and spreading wings: he is found in several of the Caribbee NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. **1 Islands, and is said to fly sometimes a hundred leagues from land; they are frequently seen hovering about the coasts of some of the above-mentioned islands^ for their prey, ■which is chiefly the flying-fish, and is a token by which the sailors know what part of the world they are in. " It has long wings, which, when closed, reach down to the end of the tail, which is forked like a swallow's. Its colour is black or grey, its beak thick, and six inches long. Its eyes large and black, its sight piercing, a large red comb, or rather wattle hangs down under its throat." — BuFFON. Note VIII. Crested Philomel.— p. 4. The Virginia Nightingale: distinguished from the com- mon species, by a tuft of feathers growing upon its crown ; its note is much inferior. Note IX. Where hold St. Lewis parts the windward seas. And points his right hand to the Caribbees.—p. 10. Cape St. Lewis, the south-west extremity of the island of St. Domingo, or Hispaniola, Note X. Heavy mth sulpherous dews.— p. 11. The air of the West Indies is peculiarly loaded with sulphureous vapours, and to this circumstance may perhaps be attributed the frequent and violent tempests which agitate ^bat climate. W* NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. Note XL Her form was lofty as the cedar^s arm.— p. 12. " On the banks of the Niger, the women are generally handsome, if beauty consists in symmetry of proportion, and not in colour. Modest, aflfable, and faithful, an air of innocence appears in their looks, and their language is an indication of their bashfulness. "The names of Zilia, Calypso, Fanny, Zama, which seem to be names of pleasure, are pronounced with aa inflection of voice, of the softness and sweetness of which our organs are not susceptible. The men are of a proper size, their skin black as ebony, and their features and countenances pleasing. " The habit of training horses, and taming wild-beasts, gives them a manly and dignified air." — Abbe Rattnal. Note XII. Like marble gods in temple courts that grow. Breathless she stood p. 12. It may be necessary to remark, that this expression, like some others of the same class, is intended to express the imperfect ideas of the person who speaks. It would be absurd for an English poet to say that a statue grows. For an African, who forms an imperfect notion of every thing with which he is slightly acquainted, it may be proper. There can be no difficulty in believing that a statue lives, to one who can believe a painted log, not only to have life, but to be its source, a God. I KOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. *** Note XIII. Sold like the refuse of a barbarout clan. — p. 12. Although the native Africans are themselves addicted to the traffic in the human species^ they do it under colour of justice. Dr. Winterbottora, in his Account of the Native Africans, in the vicinity of Sierra Leone, informs us, that slavery is the punishment of many crimes, but more par- ticularly for the imaginary one of witchcraft. Numbers of unfortunate persons, accusr-d of using incantations, are com- pelled, or else voluntarily submit to a kind of ordeal, called the trial by red-water. If convicted, they, or their relations, are sold at the first convenient opportunity. Mr. Winterbottom recollects an instance of a young man being condemned to slavery, because his grandmother spoiled red water, many years before he was born. It is also customary to sell prisoners taken in war, &c. Note XIV. Must great Fa Roonee^i datighter stiU complain f—p. 13. The Africans have been accused by interested persons, of dulaess and insensibility, almost brutal. But, in addition to other respectable authorities, we have the following : " They are of mild external manners, but possess a great share of pride, and are easily affected by an insult, they can- not hear even a harsh expression, or a raised tone of voice, without showing that they feel it." — Dr. Winterbottom. Fa Roonee, the title of the king, is derived from Roonee, a proper name ; and Fa, or father, which patriarchal appel- lation is held in the highest veneration by the Soosoos and Bulloms. Old age and parental authority, are no loss reverenced in the wilds of Africa, than in the civilized plains of China. X 154 NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. Note XV. Manillas.— p. 13. " Upon their arms they wear lar2;e silver rings, or bracelets, called Manillas, to the number of eight or ten, or more on each; they are not complete circles, a part being wanting for the convenience of putting the wrist into them." — ^Winterbottom. Note XVI. Glare on my branded skin a master's name.— p. 13. " This stigma is inflicted in the following manner : the Seal, a silver plate, on which are engraved the initials of the master's christian and sirname, is heated and applied to the arm or breast of the slave : the marks thus burned in, are indelible. The use of this barbarous practice is to enable them to distinguish those whose features are not sufficiently characterized for the European eye." — Abbe Raynal. Note XVII. Yomahoos.—p. 13. "A species of evil spirits. Death, disease, wounds, bruises, and all the unlucky accidents of life, are supposed to result from the malign influence of these beings." — Abbe Raynal. Note XVIII. My nation's Fetish sleeps High on Cape Mount.— p. 13. " Cape Mount> a remarkably high and round mountain, supposed by Winterbottom to be the Theon-Ochema, or Chariot of the Gods, described by Plina. MOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. ^** '* The word Feteesh appears to have a meaning somewhat synonimous with the taboo of Otaheite, viz. sacred ; and in this sense it is that some particular food is considered feteesh by each individual. But this is not the only meaning of the word, it signifies also amulets^ idols, incantations, and medicines ; for these last are supposed to derive their effi- cacy from the magical skill of the physician. The word gree-gree has also all these various meanings. , j " The sea is the national fetish of one African nation, ,• leopard that of another." — Winterbottom. Note XIX. ^ Yellee Zamra.—p. 13. " That is, Zamra, the daughter of Yellee. It is cus< tomary for both sons and daughters to take their mother's name." — Winterbottom. Note XX. Friendship, the hostess of a kinder ditne. Eats not the Kola in the house of crime,— p. 13. The Kola, an emblem of friendship and peace, is greatly admired in Africa. Winterbottom says, "A more innocent luxury in which they indulge, and which ranks in their esteem, next chewing tobacco, is the Kola ; this is tke fruit of a large, and beautiful tree, which grows in abundance on the coast, and is in as high esteem, and as much used, as the areca nut is in the East Indies. The Kola has seven or eight kernels of the size and shape of a chesnut, which are enclosed in a thick, green capsule. U is a very pleasant bitter astringent, and is much esteemed fpr its stomachic powers, and is generally washed down lafe NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. with a draft of cold water, to which it imparts a remarkably pleasant, and sweetish taste. " The Kola is either white, or a dark red, or purple colour, and tinges the saliva yellow. The Portuguese esteem it highly, and use it as a yellow dye. Kola is always presented to guests, in visits of ceremony, or of friendship, and is looked on as a mark of great politeness. It generally forms a part of every considerable present. At public meetings, or palavers, between different nations, it is a substitute for the olive branch. Two white Kola, presented by one party to the other, betoken peace, and a continuance of friendship, while two red ones are considered an indication of war.'' Note XXI. ^,^, Yctngheeakurree. — p- 14. '• Yangheeakurree, a town of revolted Mandingo slaves, was besieged and taken as follows : during the two first months of the siege, the allies were very active, and made several attempts to force the wall, but were expelled with so much loss that their chiefs were resolved to change the siege into a blockade. For that purpose a strong palisade, about ten feet high, was carried round the town, about twenty yards distant from the walls. "About a fortnight before I reached the camp, the Soosoos had cut down a large pullom tree *, which grew within the line of the intrench ments, and causing it to fall toward the town, it broke down about twenty or thirty feet of the wall. During the confusion which succeeded, two of the besiegers entered the town by the tree, which served * The pullom or wild-cotton tree grows remarkably tall, it is sometiines called the capot. — Bosman's Description of Guinea. NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. 1*'^ as a bridge, and brought away the war drum as a trophy." — WiNTERBOTTOM. Note XXII. Soon at the day walked in palmetta grove.— p. 15. " The time of day is marked by pointing to the situa- tion of the sun in the heavens ; or they say, the sun is gone into the water, to denote the time from sunset ; or, he lives in the bush, from midnight to sun-rise." — Ibid. Note XXIII. We gained the spot where wild ananas grow. — p. 15. " The different religions which are spread through the coast of Africa, have not changed the manner of living, because the influence of climate is so predominant that opinions have but little effect upon the manners. The houses are always built of the branches of the palm-tree, intermixed with mud, and covered with straw, osiers, or reeds. Their whole furniture consists of baskets, earthen- pots, mats which serve as beds, and calabashes, of which all their utensils are made. " They live on game, fish, fruit, rice, and bread made of maize, ill baked. Their drink is wine of the palm-tree. Arts are unknown to them-" — Abbe Raynal. Note XXIV. The peace dance. —p. \H. Some authors have supposed that this people worship the moon, from the circumstance of their dancing, when sbe is at the full. A more probable reason is the delightful coolness of the night, which must in that, climate render the amusements of music and dancing peculiarly charming. 158 NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. Note XXV. Flutes of white elephant breathe through the Kind. — p. 16. They hollow the tusk, and, by means of regular stops, produce an instrument resembling our flute. Note XXVI. The Dundo.—p. 1«. This instrument resembles the violin, but is played with the fingers. NoteXXVII. The Merrytvang.—p- 18. This is the same with the banja of the West Indies. For a particular account of African dances and music, I must refer the reader to the frequently -quoted Dr. Winter- bottom. ,,. , r . Note XXVIII. With spiral flame shines through the termites Mils. — p. 17, The nests of the Termites bellicosi, or great white ants, are so numerous all over the island of Bananas, and tlie adjacent continent of Africa, that it is scarcely possible \o stand upon any open place, where one of these buildings is not to be seen within fifty paces, and frequently two or three are to be seen almost close to each other. In some parts near Senegal, as mentioned by Mons. Adanson, their number, magnitude, and closeness of situation, make them appear like the villages of the natives. These buildings are usually termed hills, from their outward appearance, which is that of little hillocks, more or less conical, and libout ten or twelve feet perpendicular height, from the NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. "9 surface of the ground. Their summits and sides being ornamented with small turrets. v " For a particular account of these remarkable dwel- lings, and the insects which inhabit them, see a letter from Mr. Henry Smeathnian of Clement's-Inn, to Sir Joseph Banks, Bart., with an accurate representation of these curious insects and their nests." — Philosophical Trans- actions,Yol. lxxi. Part i./or 1781. Note XXIX. His tall white twrban nodding o'er the ring. — p. 18. " The inhabitants of the Kroo Coast seldom wear more than a piece of cloth, not larger than a handkerchief, wrapped round the loins. The dress of the Foolas and Mahommedans, is in general more decent and becoming ; it consists of a large flowing robe, generally of white cotton, called baft, imported from Europe. They wear ▼ery wide drawers, reaching a little below the knee, and, as a piece of finery, a piece of red cloth is frequently patched upon them behind in the bend of the knee. The legs are always bare, but on their feet they wear sandals; they adorn their heads with coarse worsted caps, such as are worn by the lower classes of workmen in Europe, or they wear caps of blue or red cloth. Some of the Foolas roll a cotton cloth round the bottom of the cap, which makes it resemble a turban, a dress which is very becoming, and adds much to the dignity of the wearer's appearance. It is amusing to observe with what an air of consequence, and anxious superiority, and stateliness of gait, a person shows himself in this dress, when surrounded by those who are more meanly attired. 160 NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. " The dress of the Pagan African is never thought complete, unless a variety of gree-grees is superadded, and, as these are to guard against every possible accident, the wearer often appears much encumbered with the load, and, when in real danger, is often glad to rid himself of them. " M. Chenier observes, the hat is common to men and women, among the Moors who travel, and the custom of wearing it came from Africa to Europe. " Many of them wear small bells attached to their ankles, and when dancing iron rings are put on their legs, which being partly hollowed, and having small pellets within, produce a jingling noise. They probably resemble the tinkling ornaments worn about the feet by the Jewish ladies, for which they were reproved by the prophet Isaiah, This practice is forbidden in the Koran, Chap. xxiv. Sale's ed. They are fond of ornaments, such as beads, coral, &c., which they wear in their ears, and round their neck, waist, and ankles. Those who can afford it, have likewise pieces of gold and silver round their necks, and upon their arms, they wear manillas. — See Note xvi. " Among the Bulloms of Sherbro* the most enviable and esteemed ornament is a leopard's tooth hung to the wrist. This being a badge of freedom, cannot be worn by the child of a slave. " Both men and women spend much time in having their hair plaited and braided, which is done in a great variety of fashions, and with singular neatuess. Before the men go from home on a journey, it is customary to spend many hours in having their hair dressed by the women, this is done with so much closeness and exactness as to retain its form two or three weeks. 8 KOtES to tHE AJFklCAN **RINCfi8d. 'Oi " The women also, in addition to their natural charms> teall in the assistance of paint; the chief colours tliey make use of are blue, red, and white ; the two latter are species of clay, which they find in abundance, the former is Prussian blue, which they obtain from Europeans. These substances are first ground smooth between two stones, with a little water, and then applied to the forehead by the tips of the fingers, or by small pieces of stick cut like pencils, with which they form squares, parallelograms, triangles, &c., according to the taste of the wearer. " " The business of the toilet is of sufficient importance to require the aid of the looking-glass ; when this is wanting, wiiich is seldom, recourse is had to that which nature has furnished, and a little water iu a convenient vessel supplies its place." — Winterbottom. Note XXX. Ah memory why pour tray The robes I wove p. to. Abbe Raynal, speaking of the Guinea trade, says, " These gave in return stuffs made of a kind of thread, which is only a woody substance, closely adhering to the inner bark of a particular tree, in these climates. The air hardens it, and renders it fit for every kind of weaving. They make them up in bonnets of ditforent kinds, scarfs, aprons for their girdles, varying according to the particular mode of each nation. The natural colour of the thread is a pale grey. The dew, which bleaches European flax, gives it a citron colour, which is preferred by people of the better sort. The black dye, generally used among this people, is extracted from the bark that makes this thread, by simple Y IW NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. iiifusioa of water. As the thread itself readily takes all colours, this hath induced them to form of it diflferent figures of meii; birds, and quadrupeds." — History of East Indies. Note XXXI. Where the vast mangrove feeds upon the ooze, — p. 20. " The mangrove, rhizophera mangle, like the banian tree of the East Indies, grows to an amazing size. Forests of them are seen in Africa, so thickly interwoven with each other, as to be almost impenetrable. Their bark is gene- rally covered with oysters of a peculiar species, called mangrove oysters." — Winterbottom. Note XXXII. Ye that have heard the war-drum in the night.— p. 23. " Drums are the most common instruments, and are of various kinds, some of them are six feet long, and are composed of the trunk of a large tree, hollowed, and covered at both ends with goat-skin, upon which thty beat with a stick, somewhat resembling a hammer. "Another kind called eekilling, consists of the trunk of a tree hollowed out, but having both ends closed with wood, and in the side a longitudinal slit, upon which they beat alternately with two sticks ; it emits a lugubrious sound, which is heard at a great distance. — Ibid. Note XXXIII. Ye that have seen the painted BuUomJight, Ye that have met the tiger-men of Kroo, Upon the borders of beloved Soosoo. — p. 23. The inhabitants of the Kroo-coast, are more uncivilized than their neighbours, the Soosous, BuUoms, and Timanees. NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. 1«3 Note XXXIV. The gree-grees. — p. 24. For aa accouDt of these amulets, see Notes xviii and xix. Note XXXV. And perish wealth in that tremendous tide. — j>. 26. The following is an extract of a letter from Major- General Dalling, Governor of the Island of Jamaica, to Lord George Germain, one of His Majesty's Secretaries of State, dated Jamaica, October 20tb, 1780. " On Monday, the 2nd inst, the weather being very close, the sky on a sudden became very much overcast, and an uncommon elevation of the sea immediately followed. Whilst the unhappy settlers at Savanna la Mar were observing this extraordinary phenomenon, the sea broke suddenly in upon the town, and on its retreat swept every thing away with it, so as not to leave the smallest vestige of man, beast, or house behind. Note XXXVI. 7%e great good spirit.— p. 26. It may be objected that some of the attributes here ascribed to the avenger and preserver, are in fact the attri- butes of the true Deity. To this I reply, that, although the Africans worship their subordinate spirits, demons, men» fetishes, &c., they believe in One who is superior. — See Note XLiii. Perhaps, like the Samaritans, "They feared the Lord, and served their own gods." — ii Kings, Chap. 17, v. 33. 'W NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS, Note XXXVII. A direr curse than Zamra mould desire. Shall lash her vallies with a scourge of fire. — j>. 27. Prophetic of the revolt of the negroes, under Toussaint L' Overture, and the massacre which followed ; 1791. Note XXXVIII. Such are the laws of Western Indians shore. — p. 28. • . ^ The Abbe, speaking of the conspiracy of the negroes at Jamaica, in 1760, says, "All the prisoners were shot, hanged, or burnt. Those supposed to be the ringleaders of the con- spiracy, were tied alive to gibbets, and there left to perish slowly, exposed to the scorching sun of the torrid-zone, a far more painful and more terrible death than being burnt alive. Yet these tyrants enjoyed the torments of these miserable wretches, whose only crime was an attempt ta recover, by revenge, those rights of which avarice and inhumanity had robbed them. '' The measures taken to prevent future insurrections, were dictated by the same spirit of barbarity. A slave is whipped in the public places, if he plays at any game whatsoever, if he presumes to go a hunting, or to sell any thing but milk, or fish. He cannot stir out of his master's plantation, unless attended by a white man, or with an express permission in writing. If he beats a drum, or makes use of any other noisy instrument, his master is condemned to pay a fine of two hundred and twenty-five livres *. Thus do the English f, who are so jealous of their own liberty, sport wjth that of other vaei\. * <£9. 16s. lOjd, f The Abbe, though a Frenchman, would have rejoiced to hear that the English were the first to rise against the system of oppres- sion, and to abolish the slavery which he detested. NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. *** * ■** To this excess of barbarity has the negro-trade brought the usurpers of America. Such is the progress of injustice and vioknce. To conquer the new world, its inhabitants noust be slaughtered. To replace them, negroes must be bought, as they aloue are able to endure the climate, and the labours of America. To remove these Africans from their native country, (who were designed to ^cultivate the land without having any possession in it) it was neccsS'iry to seize them by force, and make them slaves. To keep them in subjection, they must be treated with severity. To prevent their revolt, the natural con- sequence of severity and servitude, these men whom we have made desperate, must be restrained by capital punish- ments, by hard usage, and atrocious laws." — History of Jamaica. Note XXXIX. Their God w Golden Ore.— p. 28. "When Diego de Velasquez landed in Cuba, 1511, a Cacique, named Hatuey, presided over the district. He was a native of St. Domingo, and had retired thither to avoid the slavery, to which his countrymen were con- demned. Those who could escape the tyranny of the Castilians, followed him in this retreat, where he formed a little state, and ruled in peace. At a distance he beheld the Spanish sails, whose approach he dreaded. On the first news he received of their arrival, he called together the bravest Indians, both of his subjects, and allies, to animate them in defence of their liberty, assuring them, at the same time, that all their efforts would be ineffectual, if they did not render the god of their enemies propitious W fiOTES TO THE AFltlCAN PRINCESS. to them. * Behold him there,' said he, pointing to a vessel filled with gold, ' behold that mighty divinity, let us invoke his (dd.' • ;i, "This simple, and good-natured people, easily believed, that gold, for the sake of which so much blood was shed, was the god of the Christians. They danced and sung before the rude, and unfashiohed ore, and resigned them- selves wholly to its protection. " But Hatuey, more enlightened, and more suspicious than the other Caciques, assembled them again. * We must not,' said he to them, ' expect any happiness, so long as the god of the Spaniards remains among us ; he is no less our enemy than they. They seek for him in every place, and establish themselves wherever theyjind him. Were he hidden in the cavities of the earth, they would discover him ; there is no place but the bottom of the sea, that can elude their search. When he is no longer among us, doubtless we shall be forgotten by them.* As soon as he had done speak- ing, every man brought out his gold, and threw, it into the sea. : :,,. ■■■ ., ■,:..■• : . ■ - ■ • " Notwithstanding this, the Spaniards advanced ; their muskets and cannons, those tremendous deities, dispersed with their thunder the savages who endeavoured to resists But as Hatuey might re-assemble them, he was pursued through the woods, taken, and condemned to be burned. When he was fastened to the stake, and only waited for the kindling of the fire, an inhuman priest advanced, to propose the ceremony of baptism, and to speak to him of Paradise, 'Are there,' said the Cacique, ' any Spaniards in that happy place .^ ' ' Yes,' replied the missionary, 'but there are none but good ones.' ' The best of them are good for NOT£S TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS. »«''' nothing; I will not go to a place where I should be in danger of meeting one of them. Talk no more to me of your re- ligion, but leave me to die.' " The Cacique was burned, the God of the Christians was dishonoured, and his cross stained with human bio*d." Abbe Raynal. Note XL. Beyond Zaard's wild a country lies.— p. 28. i •' " They believe that whatever place they remove to, or wherever they are transported, they will return after their death, whether occasioned by the laws of nature, or by their own hands, to their own country. '■>'■ This conviction constitutes their happiness, because they considet' their country as the most delightful abode io the aaiverse/' — Ibid. Note XLI. The Cotton.— p. 29. " The cotton shrub bears fruit within nine or ten months after it is pLinted. A flower blows at the extremity of its branches, and the pistil of this flower turns to a shtll, of the size of a pigeon's egg, which opens, and divides in three, when the cotton contained in it is ripe. " The culture and preparation of it is complex and difficult," — Abbe Raynal. Note XLII. Pearls on the surface float, the sea louht clear. But not one shark, one manta-fish w iiear. — p. 29. *' Sea-monsters, which abound more about the islands where pearls are found, than on the neighbouring cuasl^i. 168 NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS^ render this fishery dangerous. The manta-fish, which de- rives its name from its figure, surrounds them, rolls them under its body, and suffocates them. In order to defend themselves against such enemies, every diver is armed ■with a poniard ; the moment he perceives any of these voracious fish, he attacks them with precaution, wounds them, and drives them away. Notwithstanding this, there are always some fishermen destroyed, and a number crip- pled." — Hall's Encyclopedice. Note XLIII. Land of unsullied white. — p. 30. " The Soosoos, though chiefly Caffrees, or Pagans, pay a kind of worship to the Deity, and never undertake any afifair of importance, until they have sacrificed to him a bullock. This sacrifice they call serratta. They think that white is a colour pleasing to him, and, therefore, when they, pray, they frequently hold a white fowl in their hands,, and^sometimes a sheet of white paper." — Winterbottom. Note XLIV. Pour the plum wine.—^. 32. " The Bulloms make a kind of wine from a plum, called *ng-bal, which they infuse in water, and set to ferment, ■when it becomes intoxicating." — ^Ibid» Note XLV. Not heroes^ scalps, not bones of hero-kind, Dry from his temples rattle in the wind.— p. 33. " In the great temple of Atzlan, 1 NOIIES TO THE AFRICAK PRINCESS, !•* •T>«"i»"'> 4i«»A « nifl 1 .1 ■ . ' : ' ■ Fdur towers , i, , ; ^ Were piled with human skulls, and all around Long files of human heads were strung, to parch And whiten in the sun." — Sovthey's Modoc, Vol. i. Part vr. .r-.M/'A-vv- a:' Note XLVI. J^ot scarfs of human skin his priestmen bind — j>. 33. Southey notes, from Gomara, ** On the last day of the month, a hundred slaves were sacrificed; this done, they plucked off the skiniis of a certain mimber of them, the which skinns, so many ancient persons put incontinent upon their naked bodies, al fresh and bloudy, as they wer fleanei from the dead carcases. And being open in the back part and shoulders, they used to lace them in such sort, that they came fitte uponn the bodies of those that ware them; and being in this order attired, they came in to daunce among many others. uiH V In Mexico, the king himself did put on one of .these skinns, being of a principall captive, and daunced among< the other disguised persons, to exalt, and honour the fcitst; and an infinite number followed him, to l>ehold his terrible gestures, although some hold opinion, that they followed him to contemplate his grisatdevotion." — MadoCt VoLiu p. 124.' "^d ""i , '-jl uJ ?'>«>d "li^jdJ ^d nvyjn /'>ilj LiDt iaiid mxoM t>*<>>i : v -dJ ,oi ;.iij» ,„NoTJ5-.XLyiL/- .-•..,■■ . , i The ivory tusk in ctct to sound, he rears. — p. 34. " The hollowed tusks of young elephants are used upon the Gold-Coast, to convey the orders of the general, in time of an engagement, and so skilful are they, that if any part of the army appears to give ground, the general, by blowing a particular note, which is immediately under- z •*" NOTES TO THE AFRICAN PRINCESS/ stood, generally succeeds in imparting fresh courage, and in restoring order.*' — Winterbottom. Note XLVIII. As music to the serpenfs ears. Whenjrom his cage the eharmcr^s flute he hears. — p. 35. *' The Psylli of old were famous for charming and destn>ying serpents, and Oassauban says, that he knew a man who could at any time summon a hutulred serpents together, and draw them into the fire, and that, on a pir- tioular time, when a large one refused to obey, he only repeated the charm, and it came forward like the rest, and submitted to the flames. Philostratus says, that the Indians charm serpents, in the following manner: they take a scarlet robe, embroidered with golden letters, and spread it before the serpent's hole ; the golden letters have a fascinating power, and by looking stedfastly, the serpent's eyes are overcome and laid asleep. " la India, nothing is so common as dancing serpents, wliieh are curried about in a broad, flat vessel, resembling a sieve. These erect, and put themselves in motion at the word of coromaod. When the keeper sings a slow tune, they seem by their heads to keep time ; when he sings a quicker measure, they appear to move more brisk and lively." — Buffon's Nafurai History. . , Note XLXIX,. ,.p „ beau 91); ^h 10 I " fRf)n>^ tC»«^e ilfa mwW a»d 4.y »»MW»*o6aM^.— jj. 3ft.\ u . •\] j,,|f}Tbesf jye, according to African demonology, three; distinct orders of spirits. Griffee are of the inferior class,; they generally reside in the skirts of the town, and some- NOTES TO THE AFEICAN PRINCESS. "^ times even dwell in the midst of it. Every person is sup- posed to have one of these to himself, as a tutelary spirit. Ma mull are of the superior elas«. They inhabit the deep- est recesses of the forest. The precise spot where they dwell, is supposed to be indicated by a cluster of the nests of the smaller termites. Many other places are dedicated to these spirits, which are generally soch as inspire the spectator with awe, or are remarkable for their appearance, as immensely large trees, rendered venerable by age ; rocks, appearing in the midst of rivers, and having something peculiar in their form, in short, whatever appears to them strange or uncommon. The Ay mull robang, preside over the water, and particularly inhabit those roeks, called by Europeans, from this circumstance. Devil's Rocks; to thess they sacrifice as well as to the former, when about to uadee- takeavoyage.»-W^NTj^9Tjr9i«,^,. .^^^^^ ^^^^ ^.^^^^j ' ' ' ■"■ '■■ -j .1 mIj JidKdux '{9rf'TyT|-\rpT7 Q'^^d'* ^" ^''^^ '^'''°'' *^ Y;)iif ti'dw J«H|8 s«ir)' ^"'-■--*-^^i "idJ 1o 89««93a-{ 3a9 8i\] ■■1 b9«c<(|<{S», M JIawb h,, " ■ ■ - . 'Oo ' THE ELEGY TO MY FATHER, o .""....■':. ' ■ . iiitU But in vain I conjure him, my mother, in vain The tears of solicitude florv.—j>. 42. If., 'igjjipg writing these lines, the author has to lament the deatli of Her estimable mother, with whose sympathetic feeling, this Elegy was but too accordant. Note II. 'Tis Fran(^ois has restored him to these. — p. 45. It is with pleasure I take this opportunity of doing justice to Mons. Francois, of Arras, who, at the time when all officers on parole, were ordered into confinement, liberally came forward, offered security, gave a bond for 6,000 livres to the French government, and procured the enlargement of my father, although a stranger, and an enemy. Note III. 0, ye Storks, lend your wings ! — j>. 40. The stork is celebrated for filial affection. It is said that the young ones convey their parents from place to NOTES TO THE ELEGY TO MY FATHER. *'' place, upon tlieir backs, when they become infirm, or otherwise incapable of assisting themselves. , Note ly. When the malls of 'thy city rose dark amid flame. — p. 48. It is well known that several Englishmen were liberated, and invested with the Order of Honour, for their exertions in extinguishing a fire at Auxonne. The commandant was directed to send the names of a select number. My father has to lament that he was not so fortunate as to get his in- cluded in the list. NOTE, TO RUIN. Note. Thenett of the Oriole falls from the boxigh, , , A tree-serpent darts at her youiuf. — p. 60. The Baltimore Oriole builds its nest 7h a singular form, suspended from the extremity of the boughs of the loftiest trees; this precaution is used by the parent birds, to preserve tiieir young from the serpents which iufcst the woodx. ^icrs^ bitii' J^OTES, ,3;he pyramids. Note I. Page 73. This dialogue is of that species which Mons. Dacier calls explicatory, and which has for its object, the exercise of known truth. If any person should object to the female pen being engaged on a philosophical subject, I must refer him to Plato himself, who, in his commonwealth, assigns to women the command of armies, and the government of states. Socrates held them to be capable of the same virtues as men, though not of bringing them to the last degree of perfection. With such authority for the attempt, I venture to present thi« little poem. It is written in a light, familiar verse, to disguise as it were, the importance of the subject. The characters, sentiments, and descriptions, are only the drapery of truth, thrown carelessly on, that the graces of her form may become more conspicuous. NOTES TO THE PYRAMIDS. 1** Note II. Uhiiii^h And now the cornfield left behind, '^'^ By Joseph's well they trod. — jt. 75. Joseph's Well, in the fortress of Caira, so called from a vizier of that name. Note III. And pleased upon the river's brink, Behold the Papyrus nod.— p. 7fi. It was from the bark of the Papyrns^ a sort of flag, which grows in great abundance by the Nile, that th« ancient Egyptians made their paper, the sails and tackling of their ships, their clothes, coverlids, and other furniture. Note IV. A Bird, perchance of Nazareth.— p. 75. " The Nazarene, or Bird of Nazafeth, is fonnd in the Isle of France, though supposed, as indeed its name implies, to be a native of the Isle of Nazareth. It is described as being krger than a swan, with the bill bent a little downwards; the iM>dy is covered over with a blackish down, bnt it hna ■orae frizzled feathers on the wings and tail." — BvFfON. •-- ., ^ ot »tU NoTH V'i'^>»i?«'il-*»i> iii\n ■;■ ■ -' The amfut house, ' ^"^ ihui.i Where Cheops' hones reside.— p. 76. It is disputed by tlie learned, whether the Egyptian pyramids were designed for the teniples of their gods, or for the tombs of their monarchs. A stone che»t, or sarcophagus, which is deposited in the most northerly of them, seems to countenance the hitter supposition; but Oe, $l^^ii|r if ^ opiniQU, that the p)ranii4% 17«i NOTES TO THE PYRAMID?*^ /i were not intended for the tombs of the Egyptian princes, as has been generally imagined. The chest of granite marble, •which is found in the upper chamber of the great pyramid, he supposes to have been rather intended for some religious use, than for the coffin of Cheops. He thinks it is more probable, that it was used in the mystical worship of Osiris, or that it served for one of the sacred chests, in which, either the images of their deities, or their sacred vestments, or utensils were kept; or, lastly, that it might be a favista, or cistern, such as contained the holy water^ which; was used in their ceremonies, .nubiiodj; Jfi;n§ at 8??oi^ doidw Herodotus tells us that Ch^ptk' ib>Q)b;;ii[fUiJd a vault underneath. i b Ucyiii ,>j( Note VL Osiris here adored. — j>. ao.'>> ij^ f , .,(Jj J., have given the separate opinions as above, to the several characters in the piece, with a view to the consi^ ency of each. ; The antiquarian philosopher supposes these buildings to be the magnificent sepulchres of the Egyptian kings, and . extols their durability. The friar believes them.- to have been idolatrous temples ; is disgusted at the absurdity and uselessness of the design, and abhors the vanity and superstiJtion<,o^^,t(ie fouDden. Note VII. ^ ,. ,. .- Then shall those hills, which now (If my. -^ »Hlrt>n /n Transported hu the wave, ^ ^ , ^ (m o new continent arise, ni b3Ji*i Seme of the lotftiest mountains in Arabia, and other parts of the world, are found to contain strata of petrified sea-shells, though several hundred miles from the sea, which can be probably accounted for only by this supposition. I have had an opportunity of observing shells of coo- siderable beauty, but extremely fragile, in the viciuity of the projected archway at Highgate. If they were deposited by the sea, the sea have once overflowed the highest lands of Essex and Middlesex; if tliose counties, perhaps all England ; if England, probably the continent. The cir- cumstance comes under our own inspection, and gives additional weight to the opinions of some of the greatest men. What changes may not the earth have undergone in the revolution of almost forty centuries ! Note VIII. Nature, immortcd from her tire, Eternally $urvive$.^>. 81. Plato, speaking of matter, says, " It is always pro- dnctng, and dies without ever existing." 2 A WW NOTES TO THE PYRAMIDS. He draws three consequences from the nature of the universe, one of which is, that, " It can have no end, but only by the wiH of hira who formed it ; for, since the change of all beings can proceed only from that which is without, and since nothing is out of the world, there is, by conse- quence, nothing that can destroy it but God, in whom aloue the world is contained*." 'a hodiisw ban .bonioii^bou ■■Note* IX.' - Stili the prolific germs of life, .'I iiaii^'fi/'mMJMredgfcaBreiBain.— p. Bl.aaltJ^aiiiJ buj. The particles termed organic, which exist itieVery thing that has life. They are said to be imperfect animals, and are of various figures, in different substances, but so excessively minute, as to be invisible to the naked eye. They are found in the water in which pepper is boiled f, in the jelly of roast meat, and in flesh which approaches to putrefaction. Thus, neither fire nor water affect their existence, they pass in food, from one body to another, and gradually assimulate with all. They nourish the body while it has life, and when it ceases to live, they mix with the dust, and assist to fertilize it, and support the vegetables around them ; vegetables be- come the food of the cattle, and those the food of man. Thus, although nature is forever changing, she never dies. The law, imparted at the creation, remains in force, and ever will remain, until time has ceased to be. The agency by which it works, exists in those minute particles. They were animated at the creation, and have ever since been re-producing. * Dacier's Life of Plato. f Deruax's Phisico Theology. NOTES TO THE PYRAMIDS, ^'» Lord Shaftsbury * has, from these considerations, doubted the identity of the body ; " How," says he, " shall a. man vise in the same body, when he is every day changing, and no two days exactly ,41^6 ; same man?" But may not the Almighty Creator have so disposed the human frame, that, at the last day, the very particles which once formed a part of it, and gave it vital life, will re-assemble, and by a natural, 4i) ^tiractivjei or, p^^ll I; say,' a' divine iqopulse, meet in the very body which they before animated. Un- touched by the elements, they may continue entire in every convulsion of the world, and even survive its conflagration. Those parts which are termed brute, or inanimate matter^ may not be necessary in the second life ; " For we shall all be changed." i Cor. xv. 52. Their place may be suppli«d by a superior, and more angelical substance, when, "This -corruptible, shall put on incorruption ; and this aiortal, immortality." i Cor. xv. 54. i " ".; oi, i Lub ,iit>biiu.i u. rt.-ijiiiii. (I > ,il'jdqms'3 liiilA fui^ .11.1 '. * On the Identity of the BoJtf. . t f o ./hai£t .11 .no'/I 'f'l' . '.liiOJilr;? oiiiiaq bu^ioq oi ,auoiJ»j»! .^an NOTES THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSELi«" rui Note V ^".h«j^ rfi ,9^3 Z/1% Flora Muir Campbell nas gettth and fair, 3j,j I Of all the North Countrie the pride.— p. 98. I do not think this lady was a. daughter of Lady Flora Muir Campbell, Countess and Baroness of Louden, and Baroness Machlane, of Coningham, in Air-shire, but sup- pose heralds may be able to assign her a place in the family. Note IL The Knight of the Tarsel.—p. 99. So designated from wearing for his device, a tarsel, or hawk. Note IIL The Lights of the North.— p. 102. The aurora borealis, ever considered, by the super- stitious, to portend public calamity. NOTES TO THE KNIGHT OE THE TAR8EL. ^*'' Note IV. 7%c bridyes of Air.— p. 103. The reader will recollect Burns' fine poem of the Ttva Brigs. H J* ^ Note Y. ^f\\ f,i : Richard the Traitorj—p,\09. , j Risiart Frawdwr*, so the Welsh called Richard tl}^ Third. :■■■' '. Jo iiuva ?^A^ Note VI. .. , 3'>^ , . . I e.i Jl tlnl DO?. Rhys ap Thomas, a zealous partizan of the : Pake of Richmond, afterwards Henry the Seventh. — See Note xviii. Note VII, ^i«w»i»wV*j A courier sped/«p the Rhiwaedog, . -..[if ... ,.■.,..> *' What neivs f " asked the wives of the Brow. — p. 110. RhiwaSdog, or the Bloody Brow, noted for a battle between Llywarch H6d, and the Saxons, in wbich^hc lost Cynddelw, the last of his numerous sons. ,, . . tfnv. VIII. Sam-HeUn.—p. 1 10. " Sarn-Helen, or Llwybr-Heleh, the Causeway, or Path of Helen, a road supposed to have been made by Helena, daughter of Eudda, or Octavius, and wife tp the Emperor Maximus."-rrP^?fNA|iTfj .t j "^^ * The unaconited W is pronouced O. •*" '*' '^'^^ .V.'. ("i . ; I 1 ' : ,tu \M-n'^kr:i 1^ NbTnSS' f O' THE KI^IGftT OF THE TPAllSEt. N'dxE IX. He paused at the t&nl, for Cynddelm to weep. — p. 110. ^^''' 'Pabell Llywarch H^n, or the tent of that monarch, is where he is supposed to have rested the night after the battle, and where he finished that pathetic Elegy, in which he laments the loss of all his sons. In it he directs the last one to defend the brow of that hill, indifferent to the fate of the only survivor. '.'ffi^ffnii 1i;.i«;>t " Cynddelw, defend thou the Brow of yonder hill, 1^ the event of the day be what it will ; when there is but one son left, it is vain to be overfond of him." — Elegy of Prince Llywarch Hen. See Pennant's Tour in Wales, Jones' Weish Bards; Sfc. ^^ ,',»i*K'i(r uj. ^ inii .;:•;. ; • .< - (Uis-^ r"*!? abi«jwiartfl .bflomrfaifl Note X. A shade was advancing on taU Craig y Dinas.—p. 110. Craig y Dinas, the Rock of the City, '"^' ''^mhil^O Pont ar Gamlan, a fine alpine bridge over the furious river Gamlan. Pont ar M&w, the bridge of the river Maw. i[ii.'i TO .vDv/j^iii.) oiii Note XII. ■ vi i!)? )TT "io ™"^"^'!*'Thte Keep, or doujon, was a strong, square tower, elevated on an artificial hill, attached to the Saxon castles. Several ruins of these fortifications are still existing in England and Wales." — See Strutt's English Customs. NOTE8 TO THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. *•» Note XIII. Ah, sudden ! a cloud on the mountain dissolves. — p. 1 12. " A large track of country was destroyed by the bursting of a cloud, June 20th, 1781. Five bridges, be- sides much cattle, &c., were swept away, and the meadows covered with large stones, rolled down by the torrents. On the same day, at Ruthen, the river rose to an amazing height, which prompted a number of people to go unto the bridge to observe it, in a few minutes, they were surrounded by the flood, and obliged to remain all night, in that distressing situation " — Pennant. uOA in-' •./..... Note XIV. T/ie Man of Cylynin. — j>. 113. " This was the noted astrologer, and ill-favoured knare. Arise Evans, a character and species of impostcr, frequent in the reign of Elizabeth, and James the First. His figure is preserved in the Antiquarian Repertory, and answers the description given of him by his famous pupil, William Lilly, of having a broad forehead, beetle-brows, thick shoulders, flat nose, full lips, a down look, black, curling, stiff hair, and splay foot. He was a deep student in the black art, and Lilly assures us that he had the most piercing judgment, naturally, upon a figure of theft, and many other questions, he ever met withal ; was well versed in the nature of spirits, and had many times used the circular way of invocation," — Pennant's Tour. W* NOTES TO THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. Note XV. - : By Rhaiader'sfali. I The Fawns nestle close to the Hind. — p. Hi. " Rhaiader is the Cambrian terra for waterfall; as, Rhaiader iii, the black waterfall, Rhaiader Cynwyd, the Fall of Cynwyd, &c." — Pennant. > Note XVI. ,^ T%e Haunt of the Odk.^p. 115. " On the road near Nanney, is a venerable oak, in the last stage of decay, and pierced by age into the form of a gothic arch, yet its present girth is twenty-seven feet and a half. The name is very classical, Derwen Ceubren yr Elyll, The hollow Oak, the Haunt of Demons. " How often has not fancy seen the fairy tribe revel around its trunk ! or may not the visionary eye have seen the Hamadryad burst from the bark of its coeval tree." — Pennant. It is, I believe, the same that is celebrated in the old ballad of the Spirit of the Blasted Tree. Note XVII. Three things are sweet, said the Lady of Mdw.—p. 118. ^v " In the manner of the bardic triads." — See Mirror of Bai'dism. Note XVIII. Fo-r Davydd the poet, the prophet, the peer, Had joined Rhys ap Thomas in spring of the year.— p. 121. Davydd Llwyd ap Llewelyn, ap GryfFydd, Lord of Malhefarn, had a great hand in bringing in Henry the 1 NOTES TO THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. ^96 Seventh, by feeding his countrymen with prophecies, that one of thera was to deliver Wales from the English yoke, by which means thousands were induced to rise under Rhys ap Thomas, and join Henry, thei^ Earl of Richmond, at Milfbrd. . ' ' ■'''-'"' " This same Lord Davydd wrote in verse, the legend of St. Tydecho, a capital Welsh Saint." — Pennant. It may not be far from the truth, to attribute to this poetical, and prophetic hero, the celebrated couplet, which was found on the tent door of the Duke of Norfolk, on the morning preceding the battle. Note XIX. He deemed that the gold-and-blue volume would $ave her. — p. 125. The breviaries, missals, and other religious manuscripts, as well as the poems and romances of the time, were written by the monks ; they were done upon parchment or vellum, beautifully ornamented with gold, and purple illustrations. Many specimens are preserved in the British Museum, &c. Note XX. Did you ere see a statue of Dido forsaken.— p. 133. Virgil supplies us with a fine one.— Mneas, book iv. Ver. 747. " The destined queen Observes, assisting at the rites obscene : A leavened cake in her devoted hands She holds : and next the highest altar stands: One tender foot was shod, the other bare, Girt was her gathered gown, and loose her hair. Thus dressed, she summoned with her dying breath, The heavens and planets, conscious of her death ; And every i>ower, if any rules above, Who utiuds, or who revenges, perjured love." 2 B ^•^ NOTES TO TrtE KNlGHT OF THE fARSEt. Again, ver. 921. " But furious Dido, with dark thoughts involved^ iu« .11^ . Shook at the mighty mischief she resolved; With livid spots, distinguished was her face, ' Red were her rolling eyes, and discomposed her pace ; Ghastly she gazed j with pain she drew her breath ; And nature shivered at approaching death. Then swiftly to the fatal place she passed. And mounts the funeral pile, with furious haste, tJnsbeaths the sword." ir'nivy ..<■:■; NotE XXI. Her shining black hair, like the waves of Menai, That darken and curl in the wind. So fell on a shoulder more white than the spray, Which breaks the salt biUow behind. — p. 134. It is common 'with the Welsh bards to compare the complexion of a lady, to the sea-foam ; " Fair foam-crowned wave ! " is the epithet of Prince Howel to one of his mis- tresses. — See Prince Howel's Lay of Love. ^shitsi^oJ Note XXII. The triangular charm.— p. 137. Abracadabra, written thus: a a b a b r a b r a a b r a c a b r a c a a b r a c a d abracada abracadab abracadabr abracadabra SOTES TO THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. ^^' Note XXIII. Arise, my familiar. — p. 139. " Lilly tells how his friend Evans, by means of the angel SaImon> brought him a deed, of which one of his customers had been wronged; at the same time, blowing down part of the house of the person, in whose custody it was; and again, how to satisfy the curiosity of Lord Bothwell, atid Sir Kenelm Digby, who wanted to see a spirit; he had nearly lost his life, being carried over the Thames, and thrown down near Battersea, by the spirits whom he vexed, at the time of invocating, for want of making a due fumigation." — Pennant. Note XXIV. Ht held up a looking-glass, Dr. John Dii^ Possessed such a mirror p. 138. " Speaking of wizards," Pennant says, " to show that Wales is feilile in geniuses of this kind, we must lay claim to the celebrated Dr. John Dd, of Dee ; who was born at Nant y Groes in Radnorshire *, and was sought after by the greatest princes in Europe. " Mr. Walpole is in possession of the famous Shew- Glass of Dr. D{i. It is no more than a piece uf canal-coal, finely polished like a mirror, and let into the broad end of a racket-like frame. " This was to be inspected by some confederate, and the fortune of the simple inquirer told, from what was pre- tended to be seen in it. " Thin was different from the Shew-Stone, or Holy- Stone f, which was a ball of crystal, beautifully, and 4' J D. RHT'a Cambr. BHt. Institut. p. 6o. t Woodward's Method of Fossils, p. 30. IM NOTES TO THE KNIGHT OF THE TARSEL. wonderfully polished, when the use of iron was unknown. It was to be inspected by a boy, and the Druid was to pronounce the fate of the inquirer, from his report. " The use of this was continued long after the days of Druidism, one being found in the tomb of Childeric, king of France. 480*."— Tour in Wales. * See Tour in Scotl^md by the same Authpjr, '|u.„jit(,JI 'i*oI ^{ifian bmi sti jiiiiqH ■irob cwoidt Ima ,K')an»!T • , ..!» i.. r...r..r -A moriw FINIS. ERRATA ET EMENDANDA. P»g« 17 line 5 for flance read flame 44 4 — Of To 48 17 after tnunder, insert the 4* 18 for TraU read TraUe 69 16 — the her 88 9 — drams drains 99 8 — sight slight 144 last — Plina Pfiny. K.^^^- .AcivfAdFvraieii ^.. ^!(sij\ Lii%i ojftiih idi ?. giiif •■• , o'v>' SI) — f siintT iiistd Mot'V lot ti ■Wi\ • Mi5i — 01 -—— ■ Hicti) r 'imwi\\ — e -^r- i . *i\iptk SAw* — » — ^ ew .V«V\H x.mV\ — leal HI I ,? L 006 676 669 2 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY ! HI III! A A 000 076163 5