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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59,
+No. 366, April, 1846, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 366, April, 1846
+
+Author: Various
+
+Release Date: September 1, 2009 [EBook #29883]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOODS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1846 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brendan OConnor, Jonathan Ingram and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Library of Early Journals.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  BLACKWOOD'S
+
+  EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
+
+  No. CCCLXVI.     APRIL, 1846.  VOL. LIX.
+
+
+
+
+  CONTENTS.
+
+  THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY,                                            385
+
+  LETTER TO EUSEBIUS,                                                408
+
+  THE STUDENT OF SALAMANCA. PART VI.,                                419
+
+  HOW THEY MANAGE MATTERS IN "THE MODEL REPUBLIC,"                   439
+
+  ANTONIO PEREZ,                                                     450
+
+  RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOVER OF SOCIETY,                               463
+
+  THE "OLD PLAYER,"                                                  473
+
+  THE CRUSADES,                                                      475
+
+  THE BURDEN OF SION. BY DELTA,                                      493
+
+  RHYMED HEXAMETERS AND PENTAMETERS,                                 496
+
+  THE SURVEYOR'S TALE,                                               497
+
+
+  EDINBURGH:
+
+  WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, 45, GEORGE STREET;
+
+  AND 37, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.
+
+  _To whom all Communications (post paid) must be addressed._
+
+  SOLD BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
+
+
+  PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND HUGHES, EDINBURGH.
+
+
+
+
+  BLACKWOOD'S
+
+  EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
+
+  No. CCCLXVI   APRIL, 1846.   VOL. LIX
+
+
+
+
+THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY.
+
+
+The revival of noble recollections, the record of great actions, and the
+history of memorable times, form one of the highest services which a
+writer can offer to his country. They mould the national Character, and
+upon the character depends the greatness of every nation. Why have the
+mighty kingdoms of the East perished without either general reverence or
+personal value, but from the absence of Character in their people; while
+Greece in all its ancient periods, and Rome throughout the days of its
+republic, are still the objects of classic interest, of general homage,
+and of generous emulation, among all the nobler spirits of the world? We
+pass over the records of Oriental empire as we pass over the ruins of
+their capitals; we find nothing but masses of wreck, unwieldy heaps of
+what once, perhaps, was symmetry and beauty; fragments of vast piles,
+which once exhibited the lavish grandeur of the monarch, or the colossal
+labour of the people; but all now mouldered and melted down. The mass
+essentially wants the interest of individuality. A nation sleeps below,
+and the last memorial of its being is a vast but shapeless mound of
+clay.
+
+Greece, Rome, and England give us that individuality in its full
+interest. In their annals, we walk through a gallery of portraits; the
+forms "as they lived," every feature distinct, every attitude preserved,
+even the slight accidents of costume and circumstance placed before the
+eye with almost living accuracy. Plutarch's _Lives_ is by far the most
+important work of ancient literature; from this exhibition of the force,
+dignity, and energy attainable by human character. No man of
+intelligence can read its pages without forming a higher conception of
+the capabilities of human nature; and thus, to a certain extent,
+kindling in himself a spirit of enterprise.
+
+It is in this sense that we attach a value to every work which gives us
+the biography of a distinguished public character. Its most imperfect
+performance at least shows us what is to be done by the vigorous
+resolution of a vigorous mind; it marks the path by which that mind rose
+to eminence; and by showing us the difficulties through which its
+subject was compelled to struggle, and the success by which its gallant
+perseverance was crowned, at once teaches the young aspirant to struggle
+with the difficulties of his own career, and cheers him with the
+prospect of ultimate triumph.
+
+Of the general execution of these volumes, we do not desire to speak.
+They have been professedly undertaken as a matter of authorship. We
+cannot discover that the author has had any suggestion on the subject
+from the family of the late Marquess, nor that he has had access to any
+documents hitherto reserved from the public. He fairly enough states,
+that he derived his materials largely from the British Museum, and from
+other sources common to the reader. His politics, too, will not stand
+the test of grave enquiry. He adopts popular opinions without
+consideration, and often panegyrizes where censure would be more justly
+bestowed than praise. But we have no idea of disregarding the labour
+which such a work must have demanded; or of regretting that the author
+has given to the country the most exact and intelligent biography which
+he had the means of giving.
+
+The Wellesley family, rendered so illustrious in our time, is of remote
+origin, deriving its name from the manor of Welles-leigh, in the county
+of Somerset, where the family had removed shortly after the Norman
+invasion. A record in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, traces the
+line up to A.D. 1239, to Michael de Wellesleigh. The family seem to have
+held high rank or court-favour in the reign of Henry I., for they
+obtained the "grand serjeanty" of all the country east of the river
+Perrot, as far as Bristol Bridge; and there is a tradition, that one of
+the family was standard-bearer to Henry I. in the Irish invasion. In
+England, the family subsequently perished; the estates passing, by a
+daughter, into other families.
+
+The Irish branch survived in Sir William de Wellesley, who was summoned
+to Parliament as a baron, and had a grant by patent, from Edward III.,
+of the castle of Kildare. In the fifteenth century, the family obtained
+the Castle of Dangan by an heiress. The _de_ was subsequently dropped
+from the family name, and the name itself abridged into Wesley--an
+abbreviation which subsisted down to the immediate predecessor of the
+subject of this memoir; or, if we are to rely on the journals of the
+Irish Parliament, it remained later still. For in 1790 we find the late
+Lord Maryborough there registered as Wesley (Pole,) and even the Duke is
+registered, as member for the borough of Trim, as the Honourable Arthur
+_Wesley_.
+
+Richard Colley Wesley, the grandfather of the Marquess, having succeeded
+to the family estate by the death of his cousin, was in 1746 created a
+peer. He was succeeded by his son Garret, who was advanced to the
+dignities of Viscount Wellesley of Dangan Castle, county Meath, and Earl
+of Mornington. He was a privy councillor in Ireland, and _custos
+rotulorum_ of the county of Meath. He married Anne, eldest daughter of
+Arthur Hill Trevor, first Viscount Duncannon, by whom he had six sons
+and two daughters.
+
+The Earl was a man of accomplished tastes; he had travelled, adopted
+_dilettante_ habits, and expended more money in the decoration of his
+mansion and demesne than his fortune could well bear. But he would have
+been eminent if he had been compelled to make music his profession; his
+glee of "Here, in cool grot and mossy cell," has no rival in English
+composition for the exquisite feeling of the music, the fine adaptation
+of its harmony to the language, and the general beauty, elegance, and
+power of expression. He died on the 22d of May 1781.
+
+Richard Colley Wellesley, afterwards the Marquess Wellesley, was born on
+the 20th of June 1760, in Ireland. At the age of eleven he was sent to
+Eton, under the care of the Rev. Jonathan Davis, afterwards head-master
+and provost of Eton. He soon distinguished himself by the facility and
+elegance of his Latin versification. He was sent to Oxford, and
+matriculated as a nobleman at Christ Church, in December 1778. In his
+second year at the college, he gained the Latin verse prize on the death
+of Captain Cook. His tutor was Dr William Jackson, afterwards Bishop of
+Oxford. In 1781, on the death of his father the Earl of Mornington, the
+young lord was called away to superintend the family affairs in Ireland,
+without taking his degree. On his coming of age, which was in the
+ensuing year, his first act was to take upon himself the debts of his
+father, who had left the family estates much embarrassed. His mother,
+Lady Mornington, survived, and was a woman of remarkable intelligence
+and force of understanding. To her care chiefly was entrusted the
+education of her children; and from the ability of the mother, as has
+been often remarked in the instance of eminent men, was probably derived
+the talent which has distinguished her memorable family. At the period
+of their father's death, the brothers and sisters of the young Earl
+were, William Wellesley Pole, (afterwards Lord Maryborough,) aged
+eighteen; Anne, (afterwards married to Henry, son of Lord Southampton,)
+aged thirteen; Arthur, (the Duke of Wellington,) aged twelve; Gerald
+Valerian, (prebendary of Durham,) aged ten; Mary Elizabeth, (Lady
+Culling Smith,) aged nine; and Henry, (Lord Cowley,) eight years old.
+
+The period at which the young Earl took his seat in the Irish House of
+Lords was one of remarkable anxiety. The success of the American revolt
+had filled the popular mind with dreams of revolution. The success of
+opposition in the Irish Parliament had fixed the national eyes upon the
+legislature; and the power actually on foot in the volunteer force of
+Ireland, tempted the populace to extravagant hopes of national
+independence and a separation from England, equally forbidden by sound
+policy and by the nature of things. Ireland, one thousand miles removed
+into the Atlantic, might sustain a separate existence; but Ireland,
+lying actually within sight of England, and almost touching her coasts,
+was evidently designed by nature for that connexion, which is as
+evidently essential to her prosperity. It is utterly impossible that a
+small country, lying so close to a great one, could have a separate
+government without a perpetual war; and, disturbed as Ireland has been
+by the contest of two antagonist religions, that evil would be as
+nothing compared with the tremendous calamity of English invasion.
+Fortunately, the peaceful contest with the English minister in the year
+1780, had concluded by recognizing the resolution, "that the King's most
+excellent Majesty, and the Lords and Commons of Ireland, are the only
+power competent to make laws to bind Ireland." It is unnecessary now to
+go further into this topic than to say, that this was a mere triumph of
+words so far as substantial advantages were regarded, while it was a
+triumph of evil so far as the existence of a national Parliament was a
+benefit. It gained no actual advantage whatever for Ireland; for all
+that Ireland wanted for progressive prosperity was internal quiet. On
+the other hand, it inflamed faction, even by its nominal success; it
+told the multitude that every thing might be gained by clamour, and in
+consequence clamour soon attempted every thing.
+
+The orators of Opposition will never be without a topic. Public
+disturbance is the element in which they live. They must assault the
+government, or perish of inanition; and they must stimulate the mob by
+the novelty of their demands, and the violence of their declamation, or
+they must sink into oblivion. The Irish opposition now turned to another
+topic, and brought forward the Roman Catholics for the candidateship of
+the legislature.
+
+It is not our purpose to go into the detail of a decision of which
+England now sees all the evil. But there can be no question whatever,
+that to bring into the legislature a man all whose sentiments are
+distinctly opposed to the Church and the State--who in the instance of
+the one acknowledges a foreign supremacy, and in the instance of the
+other anathematizes the religion--is one of the grossest acts that
+faction ever committed, or that feebleness in government ever complied
+with. Self-defence is the first instinct of nature; the defence of the
+constitution is the first duty of society; the defence of our religion
+is an essential act of obedience to Heaven. Yet the permission given to
+individuals, hostile to both, to make laws for either, was the second
+triumph at which Irish action aimed, and which English impolicy finally
+conceded.
+
+As an evidence of the royal satisfaction at the arrangements adopted by
+the lords and commons of Ireland, the king founded an order of
+knighthood, by the title of the Knights of the Illustrious Order of St
+Patrick, of which the king and his heirs were to be sovereigns in
+perpetuity, and the viceroys grand masters. The patent stated as the
+general ground of this institution, "that it had been the custom of wise
+and beneficent princes of all ages to distinguish the virtue and loyalty
+of their subjects by marks of honour, as a testimony to their dignity,
+and excellency in all qualifications which render them worthy of the
+favour of their sovereign, and the respect of their fellow-subjects;
+that so their eminent merits may stand acknowledged to the world, and
+create a virtuous emulation in others to deserve such honourable
+distinctions." All this may be true, and marks of honour are undoubtedly
+valuable; but they can be only so in instances where distinguished
+services have been rendered, and where the public opinion amply
+acknowledges such services. Yet, in the fifteen knights of this order
+appointed in the first instance, there was not the name of any one man
+known by public services except that of the Earl of Charlemont, an
+amiable but a feeble personage, who had commanded the volunteers of
+Ireland. The Earl of Mornington was one of those, and he had but just
+come into public life, at the age of three-and-twenty; before he had
+done any one public act which entitled him to distinction, and when all
+his political merits were limited to having taken his seat in the House
+of Lords.
+
+In the course of the year we find the young lord occupying something of
+a neutral ground in the House, and objecting to the profusion of the
+Irish government in grants of money for public improvements; those
+grants which we see still about to be given, which are always clamoured
+for by the Irish, for which they never are grateful, of which nobody
+ever sees the result, and for which nobody ever seems to be the better.
+It is curious enough to see, that one of the topics of his speech was
+his disapproval of "great sums given for the ease and indolence of great
+cotton manufacturers, rather than the encouragement of manufacture."
+Such has been always the state of things in Ireland, concession without
+use, conciliation without gratitude, money thrown away, and nothing but
+clamour successful. But while he exhibited his eloquence in this
+skirmishing, it was evident that he by no means desired to shut himself
+out from the benefits of ministerial friendship. The question had come
+to a point between the government and the volunteers. The military use
+of the volunteers had obviously expired with the war. But they were too
+powerful an instrument to escape the eye of faction.
+
+Ireland abounded with busy barristers without briefs, bustling men of
+other professions without any thing to do, and angry haranguers, down to
+the lowest conditions of life, eager for public overthrow. The
+volunteers were told by those men, that they ought not to lay aside
+their arms until they had secured the independence of their country.
+With the northern portion of Ireland, this independence meant
+Republicanism, with the southern, Popery. The heads of the faction then
+proceeded to hold an assembly in the metropolis, as a rival and
+counterpoise to the parliament. This was then regarded as a most
+insolent act; but the world grows accustomed to every thing; and we have
+seen the transactions of the League in London, and of Conciliation Hall
+in the Irish capital, regarded as matters of perfect impunity.
+
+But more vigorous counsels then prevailed in Ireland. The volunteers
+were put down by the determination of government to check their factions
+and foolish assumption of power. They were thanked for their offer of
+services during the war; but were told that they must not be made
+instruments of disturbing the country. This manliness on the part of
+government was successful, as it has always been. If, on the other hand,
+government had shown any timidity, had for a moment attempted to coax
+them into compliance, or had the meanness to compromise between their
+sense of duty and the loss of popularity; they would have soon found the
+punishment of their folly, in the increased demands of faction, and seen
+the intrigues of partisanship inflamed into the violence of
+insurrection. The volunteers were speedily abandoned by every friend to
+public order, and their ranks were so formidably reduced by the
+abandonment, that the whole institution quietly dissolved away, and was
+heard of no more.
+
+In 1784, the young nobleman became a member of the English Parliament,
+as the representative of Beeralston, in Devonshire, a borough in the
+patronage of the Earl of Beverley--thus entering Parliament, as every
+man of eminence had commenced his career for the last hundred years; all
+being returned for boroughs under noble patronage. In 1786, he was
+appointed one of the Lords of the Treasury.
+
+The period of his introduction into the English Parliament was a
+fortunate one for a man of ability and ambition. The House never
+exhibited a more remarkable collection of public names. He nightly had
+the opportunity of hearing Pitt, Fox, Burke, Sheridan, Grey; and others,
+who, if not equal, followed with vigorous emulation. He took an
+occasional part in the debates, and showed at least that he benefited by
+example. In 1788, he was elected for the royal borough of Windsor. The
+great question of the regency suddenly occurred. The royal malady
+rendered a Parliamentary declaration necessary for carrying on the
+government. The question was difficult. To place the royal power in any
+other hands than the King's, even for a temporary purpose, required an
+Act of Parliament. But the King formed an essential portion of the
+legislature. He, however, now being disabled by mental incapacity from
+performing his royal functions, where was the substitute to be found?
+Fox, always reckless, and transported with eagerness to be in possession
+of the power which would be conferred on him by the regency of the
+Prince of Wales, was infatuated enough to declare, that the Prince had
+as express a right to assume the reins of government, and exercise the
+powers of sovereignty, during the royal incapacity, as if the King had
+actually died. This doctrine, so contrary to common sense, and even to
+Whig principles, astonished the House, and still more astonished the
+country. Pitt fell upon him immediately, with his usual vigour. The
+leader of Opposition had thrown himself open to attack, and his
+assailant was irresistible. Pitt dared him to give a reason for his
+doctrine; he pronounced it hostile to the law of the land, contradictory
+to the national rights, and, in fact, scarcely less than treason to the
+constitution.
+
+On the other hand, he laid down with equal perspicuity and force the
+legal remedy, and pronounced, that where an unprovided difficulty of
+this order arose, the right of meeting it reverted to the nation, acting
+by its representatives the two Houses of Parliament, and that, so far as
+personal right was in question, the Prince had no more right to assume
+the throne than any other individual in the country.
+
+Such is the blindness of party, and passion for power, that Fox, the
+great advocate of popular supremacy, was found sustaining, all but in
+words, that theory of divine right which had cost James II. his throne,
+whose denial formed the keystone of Whig principles, and whose
+confirmation would have authorized a despotism.
+
+The decision was finally come to, that the political capacity of the
+monarch was constitutionally distinguished from his personal; and that,
+as in the case of an infant king, it had been taken for granted that the
+royal will had been expressed by the Privy Council, under the Great
+Seal; so, in the present instance of royal incapacity, it should also be
+expressed by the Privy Council, under the Great Seal. The question of
+right now being determined, the Chancellor was directed to affix the
+Great Seal to a bill creating the Prince of Wales Regent, with limited
+powers.
+
+Those limitations were certainly formidable; and the chief matter of
+surprise now is, that the Whigs should have suffered the Regent to
+accept the office under such conditions. They prevented him from
+creating any peerage, or granting any office in reversion, or giving any
+office, pension, or salary, except during the royal pleasure, or
+disposing of any part of the royal estate. They took from him also the
+whole household, and the care of the King's person, his majesty being
+put in charge of the Queen, with power to remove any of the household.
+But the whole question has now passed away, and would be unimportant
+except for its bearing on the position of Ireland.
+
+In 1789, the zeal of the Irish opposition, and the flexibility of some
+members of the Government combining, the Irish Parliament voted the
+regency to the Prince without any limitation whatever. This naturally
+directed the attention of ministers to the hazard of a collision between
+the two Parliaments. The King's fortunate recovery prevented all
+collision; but the danger was so apparent if the royal incapacity had
+continued, and opinion became so strongly inflamed in Ireland, that from
+this period must be dated the determination to unite both Parliaments in
+one legislature. For it was justly argued, that if the Irish Parliament
+might invest one individual with powers different from those intrusted
+to him by the English Parliament, it might in the same manner invest a
+different individual, the result of which might be a civil war, or a
+separation.
+
+This rash resolution was, however, strongly opposed. Twenty-three of the
+peers, among whom was Lord Mornington, signed a protest against it, and
+the viceroy, the Marquess of Buckingham, refused to transmit the address
+to England. This increased the confusion: not only were the two
+legislatures at variance, but the Irish legislature passed a vote of
+censure on the viceroy.
+
+The King's recovery extinguished the dissension at once, and the hand of
+government fell with severe but well-deserved penalty on its deserters
+in the season of difficulty. The rewards of the faithful were
+distributed with equal justice. Lord Mornington's active support of the
+viceroy was made known to the monarch, and he was evidently marked for
+royal favour. From this period he took a share in all the leading
+questions of the time. He supported Mr Wilberforce's motions for the
+abolition of the slave-trade.
+
+The bold and sagacious conduct of Pitt, in protecting the royal rights
+in the Regency, had established his power on the King's recovery. The
+Whigs had lost all hope of possession, and they turned in their despair
+to the work of faction. Their cry was now Parliamentary Reform. No cry
+was ever more insincere, more idly raised, carried on in a more utter
+defiance of principle, or consummated more in the spirit of a juggler,
+who, while he is bewildering the vulgar eye with his tricks, is only
+thinking of the pocket. The Reform Bill has since passed, but the moral
+of the event is still well worth our recollection. The Whigs themselves
+had been the great boroughmongers; but boroughmongering had at length
+failed to bring them into power, and they had recourse to clamour and
+confederacy with the rabble. Still, in every instance when they came in
+sight of power, the cry was silenced, and they discovered that it was
+"not the proper time." At length, in 1830, they raised the clamour once
+more; the ministry, (rendered unpopular by the Popish question,) were
+thrown out; the Whigs were, for the first time, compelled to keep their
+promise, and the whole system of representation was changed. But the
+change was suicidal: the old champion of Reform, Lord Grey himself, was
+the first to suffer. The Reform ministry was crushed by a new power, and
+Lord Grey was crushed along with it. Whiggism was extinguished; the Whig
+of the present day has no more resemblance to the Whig of Fox's day,
+than the squatter has to the planter. The rudeness and rashness of
+Radicalism supplies its place, and the stately and steady march of the
+landed interest exists no more.
+
+Lord Mornington's speech, in 1793, placed the question in its true point
+of view. He declared that the consequence of the proposed measure of
+Reform must be, to change the very genius and spirit of the British
+government; to break up the combination of those elementary principles
+of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy, which, judiciously associated,
+formed the constitution. He then referred, with great force, to the
+practical working of that constitution which this measure was intended
+to overthrow. "Never," said he, and his language was at once eloquent
+and true, "have the natural ends of society been so effectually
+accomplished, as under the government which is thus to be subverted.
+Under the existing constitution, the life of every individual is sacred,
+by the equal spirit of the law; by the pure administration of justice;
+by the institution of juries; and by the equitable exercise of that
+prerogative which is the brightest ornament of the crown--the power of
+mitigating the rigour of criminal judgments, and of causing justice to
+be executed in mercy."
+
+He forcibly pronounced the constitution to contain all "the principles
+of stability; for it could neither be abused by the subject, nor invaded
+by the crown." It provided, in an unexampled degree, for the protection
+of life, liberty, and property. In its legislative action it impartially
+allowed every public interest to have its representative in Parliament;
+in its national action it insured the prosperity of the empire; for that
+prosperity had never been so distinguished as since the constitution had
+assumed full power; and, by protecting every man in the exercise of his
+industry, it had given a spur to national and intellectual enterprise
+and activity, of which the world had never before seen an example. And
+was this all to be hazarded for the sake of gratifying a party, who
+always shrank from the measure when in power, and who always renewed it
+only as a means of recall from their political exile?
+
+His biographer rashly denies the reality of those dangers, and says,
+that the Reform Act has not produced any of the calamities which his
+lordship then saw in such ominous prospect. But to this the natural
+answer is, that the Reform Bill is little more than a dozen years old;
+that though the power of property in so great a country as England, and
+the voice of common sense in a country of such general and solid
+knowledge, could not be extinguished at once; and though the national
+character forbade our following the example and the rapidity of a French
+revolution; still, that great evil has been done--that a democratic
+tendency has been introduced into the constitution--that Radicalism has
+assumed a place and a shape in public deliberations--that faction beards
+and browbeats the legitimate authorities of public counsel--that low
+agitators are suffered to carry on the full insolence of intrigue with a
+dangerous impunity--and that the pressure from without too often becomes
+paramount to the wisdom from within.
+
+At the same time, we fully admit that there were abuses in the ancient
+system, offensive to the natural sense of justice; that the sale of
+seats was contrary to principle; and that the dependence of members on
+individual patrons was a violation of legislative liberty. But whose was
+the criminality? not that of the constitution, but of the faction; not
+that of the enfeebled law, but of the local supremacy of Whig influence.
+Property is the true, and in fact the only safe pledge of legislative
+power; and if Manchester and the other great manufacturing towns had
+possessed, five hundred years ago, the property which they have acquired
+within the last fifty there can be no doubt that representatives would
+have been allotted to them. There can be as little doubt, that in 1830,
+or in a quarter of a century before, they ought to have had
+representatives; but the true evil has been in the sweeping nature of
+the change. Still, we will hope the best; we have strong faith in the
+fortunes of England, and shall rejoice to see that our fears have been
+vain.
+
+The young senator's exertions, on this occasion, confirmed the opinion
+already entertained of him in high quarters. He was shortly after sworn
+in as a member of the Privy Council in England, and was made one of the
+commissioners for the affairs of India. Pitt's memorable India Bill, in
+1784, had appointed a board of six commissioners for Indian affairs, who
+were to be privy councillors, with one of the secretaries of state at
+their head. The board were to be appointed by the King, and removable at
+his pleasure. They were invested with the control of all the revenue,
+and civil and military officers of the Company. The directors were
+obliged to lay before them all papers relative to the management of
+their affairs. The commissioners were to return the papers of the
+directors within fourteen days, if approved of, or if not, to assign
+their reasons. The despatches so agreed on, were then to be sent to
+India.
+
+It seems not improbable that this appointment was intended as the
+preparative of the Earl for higher objects in the same department. At
+all events, it directed his attention to Indian topics, and gave him the
+due portion of that practical knowledge, without which genius only
+bewilders, and enterprise is thrown away.
+
+We have to fight our way against this biographer, who takes a rambling
+and revolutionary view of all the chief transactions of the time. In
+this spirit, he denies or doubts the necessity of the French war. We
+deny that it was possible to avert it. It may be true, that if England
+had been faithless to her compacts, and had suffered her allies to be
+trampled on, she might, for awhile, have avoided actual collision. But,
+could this have been done with honour; and what is national honour but a
+national necessity? Holland, the old ally of England, was actually
+invaded; and the first English troops that set foot upon the Continent,
+were sent in compliance with our treaty, and for the simple protection
+of our ally. No one will contend, and no one has ever contended, that
+England had a right to make a government for France; or that the fury of
+her factions, however they might startle and disgust mankind, was a
+ground for teaching morality at the point of the sword. But there can be
+no more legitimate cause of war than the obligations of treaties, the
+protection of the weak against the powerful, and the preservation of the
+general balance of European power.
+
+In the instance of Holland, too, there was the additional and most
+efficient reason, viz. that the possession of her ports and arsenals by
+France must largely increase the danger of England. But when it is
+further remembered, that France declared the determination to make war
+upon all monarchies, that she aimed at establishing an universal
+republic, that she pronounced all kings tyrants and all subjects slaves;
+and that, offering her assistance to every insurrectionary people, she
+ostentatiously proclaimed her plan of revolutionizing the world--who can
+doubt that national safety consisted in resisting the doctrines, in
+repelling the arms, and in crushing the conspiracies which would have
+made England a field of civil slaughter, and left of her glory and her
+power nothing but a name?
+
+It is, however, a curious instance of personal zeal, to find the
+biographer applauding as the sentiments of his hero, the opinions which
+he deprecates as the policy of England; and admitting that the war was
+wise, righteous, and inevitable; that it raised the name of England to
+the highest rank: and that it preserved us from "the pest of a godless,
+levelling democracy."
+
+It has been the habit of writers like the present, to conceive that the
+French Revolution was hailed with general joy by England. Even before
+the death of the king, the contrary is the fact: the rabble, the
+factions, and the more bustling and bitter portion of the sectaries,
+unquestionably exulted in the popular insurrection, and the general
+weakening of the monarchy. But all the genuinely religious portion of
+the people, all the honest and high-minded, all the travelled and
+well-informed, adopted a just conception of the whole event from the
+beginning. The religious pronounced it atheistic, the honest illegal,
+and the travelled as the mere furious outburst of a populace mad for
+plunder and incapable of freedom. But the death of the king excited a
+unanimous burst of horror; and there never was a public act received
+with more universal approbation than the dismissal of the French
+ambassador, M. Chauvelin, by a royal order to quit the country within
+eight days. The note was officially sent by Lord Grenville, but was
+stamped with the energy of Pitt. It was as follows:--
+
+     "I am charged to notify to you, sir, that the character with which
+     you have been vested at this court, and the functions of which have
+     been so long suspended, being now utterly terminated by the fatal
+     death of his most Christian Majesty, you have no more any public
+     character here, the King can no longer, after such an event, permit
+     your residence here; his Majesty has thought fit to order that you
+     should retire from this kingdom within the term of eight days. And
+     I herewith transmit to you a copy of the order, which his Majesty,
+     in his Privy Council, has given to this effect. I send you a
+     passport for yourself and your suite, and I shall not fail to take
+     all the necessary steps, in order that you may return to France
+     with all the attentions which are due to the character of
+     minister-plenipotentiary, which you have exercised at this court. I
+     have the honour to be, &c.
+
+                                                           "GRENVILLE.
+       "Dated Whitehall, Jan. 4, 1793."
+
+
+
+On the opening of Parliament, in January 1794, a debate of great
+importance commenced on the policy of the war. On this occasion, Lord
+Mornington and Sheridan took the lead in the debate, and both made
+speeches of great effect. Lord Mornington's speech was published under
+his own inspection immediately after, and it still remains among the
+most striking records of the republican opinions, and the mingled
+follies and blasphemies of a populace suddenly affecting the powers of a
+legislature. Every thing in France, at this period, was robbery; but
+even the robbery exhibited the national taste for "sentiment." Their
+confiscation of property was pronounced to be, "not for the sake of its
+possession," but for their abhorrence of the precious metals. Lord
+Mornington, in the course of his speech, read extracts of a letter from
+Fouché, afterwards so well known as the minister of imperial police, but
+then commissioner in the central and western departments. In this
+sublime display of hypocrisy, Fouché pronounces gold and silver to have
+been the causes of all the calamities of the republic. "I know not,"
+says he, "by what weak compliance those metals are suffered to remain in
+the hands of suspected persons. Let us degrade and vilify gold and
+silver, let us fling those deities of monarchy in the dirt, and
+establish the worship of the austere virtues of the republic," adding,
+by way of exemplification of his virtuous abhorrence, "I send you
+seventeen chests filled with gold, silver, and plate of all sorts, the
+spoil of churches and castles. You will see with peculiar pleasure, two
+beautiful crosiers and a ducal coronet of silver, gilt." But the portion
+of his speech which attracted, and justly, the deepest attention, was
+that in which he gave the proofs of the dreadful spirit of infidelity,
+so long fostered in the bosom of the Gallican church. An address, dated
+30th of October, from the Rector of Villos de Luchon, thus expatiates in
+blasphemy:--"For my part, I believe that no religion in any country in
+the world is founded on truth. I believe that all the various religions
+in the world are descended from the same parents, and are the daughters
+of pride and ignorance." This worthy ecclesiastic finished by declaring,
+that thenceforth "he would preach in no other cause than that of liberty
+and his country." The Convention decreed, that this and all similar
+addresses of renunciation should be lodged with the Committee of Public
+instruction, evidently as materials for training the rising generation.
+A motion then followed, that all those renunciations of religion should
+be "translated into the languages of all foreign countries."
+
+Then followed a scene, which gave reality to all those hideous
+declarations. The Archbishop of Paris entered the hall of the
+Convention, accompanied by a formal procession of his vicars, and
+several of the rectors of the city parishes. He there addressed the
+Assembly in a speech, in which he renounced the priesthood in his own
+name, and that of all who accompanied him, declaring that he acted thus
+in consequence of his conviction, that no national worship should be
+tolerated except the worship of Liberty and Equality! The records of the
+Convention state, that the archbishop and his rectors were received with
+universal transport, and that the archbishop was solemnly presented with
+a red cap, the day concluding with the worthy sequel, the declaration of
+one Julien, who told the Assembly that he had been a Protestant minister
+of Toulouse for twenty years, and that he then renounced his functions
+for ever. "It is glorious," said this apostate, "to make this
+declaration, under the auspices of reason, philosophy, and that sublime
+constitution which has already overturned the errors of superstition and
+monarchy in France, and which now prepares a similar fate for all
+foreign tyrannies. I declare that I will no longer enter into any other
+temple than the sanctuary of the laws. Thus I will acknowledge _no other
+God_ than liberty, _no other worship_ than that of my country, _no other
+gospel_ than the republican constitution."
+
+Then followed a succession of addresses and letters from the various
+commissioners in the departments, blaspheming in the same atrocious
+strain. The municipality of Paris, which was one of the chief governing
+powers, if not the actual ruler of France, followed this declamation by
+an order, that all the churches should be shut, let their denomination
+of worship be what it might, and that any attempt to reopen one should
+be punished by arrest. The decree was put into immediate effect. The
+church of Notre Dame and all the other churches of the capital were
+closed. The popular measures were now carried on in a kind of rivalry of
+destruction. The "Section of the Museum," a portion of the populace,
+announced that they had done execution on all Prayer-books, and burnt
+the Old and New Testaments. The Council-General of Paris decreed that a
+civic feast should be held in the cathedral of Notre Dame, and that a
+patriotic hymn should be chanted before the statue of liberty. The
+Goddess of Reason was personated by a Madame Momarro, a handsome woman
+of profligate character, who was introduced into the hall of the
+Convention, received with "the fraternal embrace" by the president and
+secretaries, and was then installed by the whole legislature in the
+cathedral, which was called the "Regenerated Temple of Reason." In this
+monstrous profanation, the apostate archbishop officiated as the high
+priest of Reason, with a red cap on his head, and a pike in his hand;
+with this weapon he struck down some of the old religious emblems of the
+church, and finished his performance by placing a bust of Marat on the
+altar. A colossal statue was then ordered to be placed "on the ruins of
+monarchy and religion."
+
+This desperate profanation was emulated in the provinces. Fouché, in
+Lyons, ordered a civic festival in honour of one Chalier. An ass, with a
+mitre on its head, and dragging a Bible at its tail, formed a
+characteristic portion of the ceremony; the Bible was finally burnt, and
+its ashes scattered to the winds.
+
+"Thus Christianity," said the noble speaker, "was stigmatized, through
+the president of the Convention, amid the applauses of the whole
+audience, as a system of murder and massacre, incapable of being
+tolerated by the humanity of a republican government. The Old and New
+Testaments were publicly burnt, as prohibited books. Nor was it to
+Christianity that their hatred was confined; the Jews were involved in
+this comprehensive plan. Their ornaments of public worship were
+plundered, and their vows of irreligion were recorded with enthusiasm.
+The existence of a future state was openly denied, and modes of burial
+were devised, for the express purpose of representing to the popular
+mind, that death was nothing more than an everlasting sleep; and, to
+complete the whole project, doctrines were circulated under the eye of
+the government, declaring that 'the existence of a Supreme God was an
+idea inconsistent with the liberty of man.'"
+
+In England, we are verging on democracy from year to year. We have begun
+by unhinging the national respect for the religion of the Scriptures, in
+our zeal to introduce the religion of the Council of Trent into the
+constitution. The malecontents in the Established Church are
+contributing their efforts to bring Protestantism into contempt, by
+their adoption of every error and every absurdity of the Papist. The
+bolder portion of these malecontents have already apostatized. The
+Church once shaken, every great and salutary support of the constitution
+will follow, and we shall have a government impelled solely by faction.
+When that time arrives, the minister will be the mere tool of the
+multitude; the faction in the streets will have its mouthpiece in the
+faction of the legislature. Property will be at the mercy of the idle,
+the desperate, and the rapacious--Law will be a dead letter--Religion a
+mockery--Right superseded by violence--and the only title to possession
+will be the ruffian heart and the sanguinary hand.
+
+We are perfectly aware, that a large portion of the country cannot be
+persuaded that it is necessary for them to disturb their own comfort,
+quiet, and apathy, for any possible reason--that they believe all change
+to be of too little moment to demand any resistance on their part; and
+that, at all events, they trust that the world will go on smoothly for
+their time, whatever may be the consequence of their scandalous and
+contemptible apathy hereafter. But, such thinkers do not deserve to have
+a country, nor to be protected, nor to be regarded as any thing but as
+the cumberers of the earth. On such men no power of persuasion can act;
+for no argument would convince. They wrap themselves up in their snug
+incredulity, leave it to others to fight for them, and will not hazard a
+shilling, nor give a thought, for the salvation of their country! Yet
+even they are no more secure than the rest. The noble, the priest, and
+the man of landed wealth, are not those alone on whom the heavy hand of
+rabble robbery will fall. We give them, on this head, a fragment from
+the report of the well-known Barrère, from the "Committee of Public
+Welfare," constituting, in fact, the rule of conduct to the Republic. It
+begins by declaring the "necessity of abandoning the idea of _mercy_ in
+republican government." It pronounces the necessity of the law to act,
+for the "arrest of _suspected_ persons." It declares every "remnant of
+the _gentry_ of France to be an object of suspicion." It declares the
+"_business of bankers_ to render them objects of suspicion." It declares
+"their reluctance to receive assignats, and their sordid _attachment to
+their own interests_," to make all merchants objects of suspicion. It
+declares "all the _relatives_ of emigrants" to be objects of suspicion.
+It declares "all the clergy who have refused the constitutional oath,
+and all the former magistracy," to be objects of suspicion. All those
+classes of society are to be sentenced at once, "_without being heard_."
+Let us strike at once, says this desperate document, "_without trial_
+and _without mercy_. Let us banish all compassion from our bosoms. Oh!
+what innumerable mischiefs may be produced by a false sentiment of
+pity?"
+
+This decree, which made every man a victim who had any thing to lose,
+instantly crowded the French prisons with the merchants, the bankers,
+and the whole monied class in France. Those who could be plundered no
+longer, were sent to execution. In Paris alone, within six months, a
+thousand persons of the various professions had been murdered by the
+guillotine. During the three years of the democracy, no less than
+eighteen thousand individuals, chiefly of the middle order, perished by
+the guillotine.
+
+This frightful catalogue closed with a remark on the belligerent
+propensities which such a state of society must produce. "It must be the
+immediate interest of a government, founded on principles wholly
+contradictory to the received maxims of all surrounding nations, to
+propagate the doctrines abroad by which it subsists at home; to
+assimilate every neighbouring state to its own system; and to subvert
+every constitution which even forms an advantageous contrast to its own
+absurdities. Such a government must, from its nature, be hostile to all
+governments of whatever form; but, above all, to those which are most
+strongly contrasted with its own vicious structure, and which afford to
+their subjects the best security for the maintenance of order, liberty,
+justice, and religion."
+
+Sheridan made a speech, of great beauty and animation, in reply. But his
+whole argument consisted in the sophism, that the French had been
+rendered savage by the long sense of oppression, and that the blame of
+their atrocities, (which he fully admitted,) should be visited on the
+monarchy, not on the people.
+
+Lord Mornington's was acknowledged to be the ablest speech on the
+ministerial side; and though eclipsed by the richness and power of
+Sheridan--and what speaker in the records of English eloquence ever
+excelled him in either?--it yet maintained a distinguished superiority
+in the force of its reasoning, and the fulness of its statements.
+Sheridan, in his peroration, had thrown out some bitter pleasantries on
+the ministerial favours, whose prospect he regarded as the only motive
+of those abandonments which had left the Whig party suddenly so feeble.
+"Is this a time," exclaimed the orator, "for selfish intrigues and the
+little traffic of lucre? Is it intended to confirm the pernicious
+doctrine, that all public men are impostors, and that every politician
+has his price? Nay, even for those who have no direct object, what is
+the language which their actions speak? 'The throne is in danger'--'we
+will support the throne; but let us share the smiles of royalty.' 'The
+order of nobility is in danger'--'I will fight for nobility,' says the
+viscount. 'But my zeal would be much greater, if I were made an earl.'
+'Rouse all the marquess within me!' exclaims the earl, 'and the peerage
+never turned out a more undaunted champion in the cause.' 'Stain my
+green riband blue,' cries out the gallant knight, 'and the fountain of
+honour will have a fast and faithful servant.' But, what are the people
+to think of our sincerity? What credit are they to give to our
+professions? It there nothing which whispers to that right honourable
+gentleman, that the crisis is too big, that the times are too gigantic,
+to be ruled by the hackneyed means of ordinary corruption?"
+
+Wyndham pronounced, that the speech of the noble lord had recapitulated
+the conduct of France in a manner so true, so masterly, and so alarming,
+"as to fix the attention of the House and the nation." Pitt spoke in
+terms still more expressive. "The speech of my noble friend," said he,
+"has been styled declamatory; on what principle I know not, unless that
+every effort of eloquence, in which the most forcible reasoning was
+adorned and supported by all the powers of language, was to be branded
+with the epithet declamatory." This debate was decisive; two hundred and
+seventy-seven voted for the vigorous prosecution of the war: for Fox's
+amendment, _only_ fifty-seven. We have now to follow the career of the
+noble lord to another quarter of the globe, where his presence was more
+essential, and where his capabilities had a still wider field.
+
+The resignation of Sir John Shore had left the government of India
+vacant; and the conspicuous exertions of Lord Mornington in the late
+debates had placed him in a high position before the ministerial eye. He
+was now fixed on for the Governor-generalship. His connexion with Indian
+affairs as a member of the Board of Control, had given him official
+knowledge; his education had given him the accomplishment suited to
+diplomatic distinction; and his abilities, his ardour, and his time of
+life, rendered him the fittest man for the arduous government of India.
+The period demanded all the qualities of government. France was
+notoriously intriguing to enlist the native princes in a general attack
+on the British power; a large French force was already organized in the
+territories of the Nizam, and Tippoo Saib had drawn together an army
+with seventy guns in the Mysore. The Indian princes, always jealous of
+the British authority, which had checked their old savage depredations
+on each other, and had presented in its own dominions a noble contrast
+to the ravaged and wretched condition of their kingdoms were all
+preparing to join the alliance of the French; and the first shock of a
+war, now almost inevitable, would probably involve all India. At this
+period Lord Mornington, who had been raised to an English barony, was
+appointed governor-general in October 1797; and such was his promptitude
+that he sailed on the 7th of the month following. In the April of 1798,
+he arrived on the coast of Coromandel, and landed at Madras, accompanied
+by his brother, the Hon. Henry Wellesley, as private secretary, (now
+Lord Cowley.) On the 17th of May he arrived at Calcutta, where he found
+his brother, since so memorable, Colonel Arthur Wellesley, and Sir
+Alured Clarke, the commander-in-chief.
+
+Lord Mornington had been sent to India in anticipation of French
+attempts on the British dominions, and there could be no doubt of the
+intentions of the French Directory. But the blow came sooner, and was
+more openly struck than an European public man could have surmised. It
+exhibited all that arrogant contempt of an enemy which once
+characterised Eastern supremacy; and would have been worthy of Gengis,
+proclaiming his sovereign will. It was a proclamation from the French
+governor of the Mauritius, on the 30th of June; announcing, without any
+attempt at disguise, that two ambassadors from Tippoo Sultaun had
+arrived there with letters for the governor, and despatches for the
+government of France; and that the object of the embassy was, to form an
+alliance, offensive and defensive, with France, and to demand a
+subsidiary force, for the purpose of expelling the English from India.
+The proclamation further invited all Frenchmen, in the isles of France
+and Bourbon, to volunteer for the sultaun's service, and promised to
+secure them pay under the protection of the Republic.
+
+The daring insolence of this proclamation, and the palpable rashness of
+making the designs of Tippoo public, before any direct preparation for
+attack, were so unlike the usual forms of diplomacy, that the
+governor-general, in the first instance, was inclined to doubt its
+authenticity. But it awoke his vigilance, and he wrote without delay to
+General Harris, then commanding at Madras, and governor for the time, to
+be on his guard. "If Tippoo," said his letter, "should choose to avow
+the objects of his embassy to be such as are described in this
+proclamation, the consequences may be very serious, and may ultimately
+involve us in the calamity of war. I wish you to be apprised of my
+apprehensions on the subject, and to prepare your mind for the possible
+event. You will, therefore, turn your attention to the means of
+collecting a force, if necessity should unfortunately require it. But it
+is not my desire that you should proceed to take any public steps
+towards the assembling of the army, before you receive some further
+information from me."
+
+The governor-general has been charged with precipitancy in making war on
+Tippoo. But the charge is refuted by dates. The French proclamation was
+dated 10th Pluviose, sixth year of the Republic, (30th January 1798.)
+Its truth or falsehood was carefully enquired into, until the evidence
+was completed by despatches from the British governors of the Cape and
+Bombay, the admiral at the Cape, the testimony of prisoners, and finally
+by the actual landing of a corps of French volunteers from the
+Mauritius. It was not till six months after the date of the
+proclamation, that the governor-general wrote thus (20th of June) to
+General Harris:--"I now take the earliest opportunity of acquainting you
+with my final determination. I mean to call upon the allies without
+delay, and to assemble the army upon the coast with all possible
+expedition. You will receive my public instructions in the course of a
+few days. Until you have received them, it will not be proper to take
+any public steps for the assembling of the army. But whatever can be
+done without a disclosure of the ultimate object, I authorize you to do
+immediately; intending to apprise you, by this letter, that it is my
+positive resolution to assemble the army upon the coast."
+
+The Mysore dynasty was one of the natural productions of Indian
+sovereignty. They had each been founded by a successful soldier, had
+made conquests of prodigious extent, had devastated the land with
+frightful rapidity; and then, after a generation or two of opulent
+possession, had seen their provinces divided by rebellious viceroys;
+until some slave, bolder than the rest, sprang up, broke down the
+tottering viceroyalties, and seized the supreme throne. Hyder Ali, the
+father of Tippoo, had been a common trooper in the service of the Rajah
+of Mysore--by his intrepidity he became the captain of one of those
+bands, half soldier and half robber, which form the irregulars of an
+Asiatic army. By his address as a courtier, he rose into favour with the
+rajah, who gave him the command of his army. By the treachery which
+always surrounds and subverts an Asiatic throne, he finally took the
+sovereign power to himself. Disputes of the new rajah with the Company's
+agents produced a war, and the cavalry of this daring adventurer rode
+up to the gates of Madras. Peace was at length proclaimed, and Hyder
+acquired a vast reputation among the natives as the champion of India.
+In 1770, an invasion of the Mahrattas, a robber nation, but the most
+renowned of Indian plunderers, determined to crush the new power, and
+poured down upon Mysore. Hyder now applied for assistance to Madras; but
+the settlement had no assistance to give, and Hyder was forced to make a
+disadvantageous treaty. He now loudly protested against the failure of
+the English contingent, which he declared to have been the subject of a
+treaty, and resolved on revenge. The plunder of the merchants' stores at
+Madras was the more probable motive to his next desperate attack. The
+half military, half commercial government of the Company, at that
+period, paralyzed all measures of effective resistance; and while the
+garrison urged vigorous proceedings, and the inhabitants dreaded
+mercantile loss, the plains surrounding Madras were deluged by an
+invasion from the Mysore. Hyder ranged in line seventy thousand horse
+and twenty thousand regular infantry! with all the marauders of India in
+his train, and all the Indian sovereigns ready to rise. At Madras all
+was confusion. Some detachments of Europeans and Sepoys, scattered
+through the country, were surrounded, fought gallantly, and were cut to
+pieces. Warren Hastings, the most indefatigable of Indian governors, now
+came in person to the seat of war; but such was the feebleness of the
+British means, that he could bring with him but five hundred Europeans
+and five hundred Sepoys. But he brought the more effectual aid of an
+officer of decision and sagacity, the celebrated Sir Eyre Coote. This
+brave man, struggling with difficulties of every kind, was, in almost
+all instances, victorious, and the last hours of Hyder's daring career
+were embittered by defeat at Arriee. In a few months after, at the age
+of eighty-two, this great chieftain, but barbarous and bloody warrior,
+died; leaving his son Tippoo, who had commenced his warfare at eighteen,
+and had followed him in all his battles, the possessor of his throne.
+
+Tippoo was the heir of his father's bravery, but not of his
+intelligence. Hyder had a mean opinion of his understanding, and
+evidently regarded him as little better than a royal tiger. "That boy,"
+said he, "will overthrow all that it has cost me a life to raise, and
+will ruin himself."
+
+The war continued, carried on by detachments on the part of the English,
+and by marauding expeditions on the part of Tippoo; time, life, and
+treasure were thus thrown away on both sides. But at length the news of
+peace between England and France reached India, and peace was concluded
+between the Company and the Mysore on the 11th of March 1784.
+
+Some conception of the resources of India may be formed from the
+military means which the single state of Mysore was able to accumulate,
+under all the pressure of a long war. At the peace, the treasure of
+Tippoo was calculated at eighty millions sterling; he had six hundred
+thousand stand of arms, two thousand cannons, with a regular force of
+artillery, cavalry, and infantry, of little less than one hundred
+thousand men!
+
+The history of the Mysore dynasty would form a brilliant poem; and, if
+India shall ever have a poet again, he could not choose a more varied,
+animating, and splendid theme. Tippoo, in peace, turned saint, and,
+following the example of his prophet, forced one hundred thousand
+Hindoos, at the sword's point, to swear by the Koran. We pass over the
+remaining features of his fierce history. Restless with ambition, and
+plethoric with power, in 1790 he invaded Travancore. The rajah called
+upon his English allies for protection. The war began by the appearance
+of Tippoo in the field at the head of another deluge of cavalry. But the
+genius of Hyder was in the tomb; and the English army, under Cornwallis,
+forced its way to the ramparts of Seringapatam. A peace stripped the
+Mysore of half its territory, of three millions and a half for the
+expenses of the war, and of the two sons of Tippoo as hostages. But the
+rajah constantly looked for revenge; and the successes of the French
+Republic urged him to a contest, in which every thing was to be lost to
+him but his daring name.
+
+The first step of the governor-general exhibited singular decision, and
+was attended with singular success. The Nizam had raised a regular corps
+of eleven thousand men, disciplined by French officers. It was
+ascertained that those officers held a correspondence with Tippoo, and
+there was every probability of their either forcing the Nizam into his
+alliance, or of their marching to join him. A British force was now
+ordered to move towards the capital of the Nizam, without any intimation
+of its object or its approach. On its arrival, a distinct demand was
+made for the dismissal of the French. The Nizam hesitated; but the
+officer commanding the British declared, that if there was any further
+delay, he would attack the battalions in their camp. The Nizam then gave
+his consent, and the battalions were informed that hesitation would
+expose them to the penalties of treason. A negotiation then began, in
+the presence of the British troops and the Nizam's horse. The French
+officers were promised protection, the possession of their personal
+property, their arrears, and a passage to France; the battalions were
+promised pay and future employment. The terms were accepted, and the
+British officer had the satisfaction to see the eleven thousand lay down
+their arms! This event struck all India with surprise. The measure had
+been conducted so noiselessly, that the result was wholly unexpected. It
+gave a prodigious _prestige_ to the character of the governor-general
+throughout the "golden peninsula."
+
+The war began. The seizure of Egypt by Bonaparte had inflamed Tippoo
+with the hope of conquest; and, on the 13th of February 1799, he crossed
+his own frontier at the head of 12,000 horse, and attacked the Bombay
+force, of six thousand men, under General Stuart. He was repulsed after
+some charges, and recrossed his frontier. This battle occurred _five
+days_ before General Harris's invasion of Mysore. But another eminent
+soldier was here to acquire his first distinction. Tippoo, manoeuvring
+to prevent the junction of Generals Harris and Stuart, fell upon the
+British at the lines of Malavelly. "Colonel Arthur Wellesley" there
+commanded the 33d regiment, and the Nizam's force. A strong body of
+horse charged the 33d. The soldiers were ordered to reserve their fire
+till within pistol-shot; they then fired, and charged with the bayonet.
+A general charge of the British dragoons took place, and the Mysore
+troops were routed, with the loss of two thousand men.
+
+On the 30th of April the breaching battery opened against Seringapatam.
+Terms had been offered to Tippoo, by which he was to cede half his
+territories, to pay two millions sterling, to renounce the French
+alliance, and to give up four of his sons, and four of his generals, as
+hostages. Those terms were merciful, for he was now reduced to his last
+extremity, and it was palpable that there could be no hope of peace
+while he retained the power of making war. His conduct, at this period,
+seems to have been the work of infatuation. It was said that he had some
+superstitious belief, that as the English had before retired from the
+walls, the city was destined never to be taken. It had provisions for a
+long defence, and a garrison of twenty-two thousand regular troops. But,
+by shutting himself up in the fortress, he transgressed one of the first
+rules of national war--that the monarch should never be compelled to
+stand a siege. Tippoo, in the field, might have escaped, to wait a
+change of fortune; but within walls he must conquer, or be undone.
+
+On the 4th of May, at one in the afternoon, the stormers, commanded by
+Baird, advanced. He, with some other officers of the 71st, had once been
+a prisoner, and been cruelly treated in the fortress. The column
+consisted of two thousand five hundred English, and one thousand eight
+hundred Sepoys. They crossed the Cavery, the river of Seringapatam; and
+in ten minutes the British flag was on the top of the rampart! The
+column now cleared the ramparts to the right and left, and after a
+gallant but confused resistance by the garrison, this famous fortress
+was taken. Tippoo, after having his horse killed under him, and
+receiving two wounds, attempted to make his escape on foot. A soldier,
+attracted by his jewels, rushed to seize him; Tippoo gave him a cimeter
+wound in the knee, the soldier then fired, and Tippoo fell dead. The
+fortress was strongly provided. Its works mounted two hundred and eighty
+guns. In its arsenal were found four hundred and fifty-one brass guns,
+and four hundred and seventy-eight iron guns. Stores of every kind were
+found in abundance. The storm scarcely exceeded an hour. Thus fell the
+dynasty of the great Hyder Ali; and thus was extinguished a dream of
+conquest, which once embraced the Empire of Hindostan.
+
+Thus, by promptitude of action and sagacity of council, this formidable
+war was extinguished in little more than eight weeks; a territory
+producing a million sterling a-year was added to the Company's
+dominions; and the whole fabric of a power which it had cost the genius
+of Hyder a life to raise, and which once threatened to overthrow the
+empire of the English in India, was broken down and dismantled for ever.
+But Mysore was given to the family of its former Hindoo Rajah, and
+simply reduced to the limits of its original territory; the conquests of
+Hyder having been alone lopped away.
+
+In England, the thanks of Parliament were given to the governor-general
+and the army, and the former was made a marquess. The treasure taken in
+Seringapatam, with the various arms and stores, was subsequently valued
+at forty-five millions of star pagodas, (the pagoda being about eight
+shillings sterling;) General Harris, as commander-in-chief, receiving an
+eighth of the whole, or three hundred and twenty-four thousand nine
+hundred and seven pagodas. His right to this sum was afterwards disputed
+at law, but the claim was ultimately allowed. One hundred thousand
+pounds was offered by the army to the Marquess, but honourably declined
+by him as encroaching on the general prize-money. But the Court of
+Directors, in recompense, voted him five thousand pounds a-year for
+twenty years.
+
+We now come to another important period in the career of this
+distinguished servant of the crown. The French expedition to Egypt had
+been expressly aimed at the British power in India. The Marquess
+Wellesley instantly conceived the bold project of attacking the French
+in the rear, by the march of an Indian army to Egypt, to co-operate with
+an army from home.
+
+The question of occupying Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea, was then
+discussed; and objected to by the marquess, on the several grounds of
+its unfitness for a naval station, for a commercial station, and for
+maintaining an influence on the coast. The admiral's opinion was
+strongly against it, and the design was abandoned. It has been since
+adopted; but the difference of circumstances must be remembered. We had
+then no regular overland communication, no steamers on the Red Sea, and
+thus no necessity for either a harbour or a depot of coals. Aden as a
+garrison may be of little comparative value, but as a rendezvous for the
+steam navy, it is of obvious importance, and not less as a means of
+guarding the overland communication for the general benefit of Europe.
+The advantages of this station may be the more appreciated, from the
+following letter of the governor-general to the chairman of the Court of
+Directors, (October 6, 1800,)--"In the present year I was nearly _seven
+months_ without receiving one line of authentic intelligence from
+England. My distress and anxiety of mind were scarcely supportable.
+Speedy, authentic, and _regular_ intelligence from Europe, is
+_essential_ to the trade and government of this empire. If the sources
+of information be obstructed, no conscientious man can undertake this
+weighty charge."
+
+In 1800, the army under Abercromby landed in Egypt, and defeated the
+French under Menou. General Baird, at the head of six thousand of the
+Indian army, reached Egypt. General Belliard surrendered in Cairo with
+thirteen thousand men. The Indian army then joined the British, and the
+siege of Alexandria was begun. Menou immediately capitulated, and thus
+the whole French expedition was undone--the fleet having been destroyed
+by Nelson, and the army having been captured by Hutchinson--the French
+army, amounting in the whole to twenty-four thousand men, and their
+captors only to nineteen thousand British; the Indian army making up
+the general number to twenty-five thousand six hundred and eighteen.
+
+In July 1801, the Addington cabinet was formed. Peace with France was
+signed at Amiens, March 27, 1802. Orders were now sent out to India to
+restore the French possessions. But the Marquess, by his personal
+sagacity, anticipated another war; and delayed the measure until he
+should receive further intelligence. The result was, that when Linois
+arrived with a French squadron to take possession of Pondicherry, Lord
+Clive answered, "that he had not received any orders from the
+governor-general." A despatch from Downing Street, of the 18th of March
+1803, communicated to him the King's message to parliament declaring
+war!
+
+It is beyond our limits to enter into the disputes with the directors,
+which preceded the return of the governor-general to Europe. He was
+charged with lavishness of living, with the affectation of being the
+director of the directors, with extravagance in the erection of the
+palace at Calcutta, and with equal extravagance in the establishment of
+the Indian college. But these charges have long since been forgotten;
+they speedily vanished; investigation did justice to the character of
+the Marquess; and the only foundation for those vague and wandering
+charges actually was, that he was a man of high conceptions, fond of the
+sumptuousness belonging to his rank, adopting a large expenditure for
+its effect on the native mind, and justly thinking that the noblest
+ornament of an empire is accomplished by literature.
+
+He returned to England in January 1806, and found the great minister
+dying. On his arrival he wrote to Pitt, who replied by the following
+letter, dated from Putney:--
+
+     "MY DEAR WELLESLEY,
+
+     "On my arrival here last night I received, with inexpressible
+     pleasure your most friendly and affectionate letter. If I was not
+     strongly advised to keep out of London till I have acquired a
+     little further strength, I would have come up immediately, for the
+     purpose of seeing you at the first possible moment. As it is, I am
+     afraid I must trust to your goodness to give me the satisfaction of
+     seeing you here, the first hour you can spare for the purpose. If
+     you can, without inconvenience, make it about the middle of the
+     day, (in English style between two and four,) it would suit me
+     rather better than any other time, but none can be inconvenient.
+
+     "I am recovering rather slowly from a series of stomach complaints,
+     followed by severe attacks of gout; but I believe I am in the way
+     of real amendment. Ever most truly and affectionately yours,
+
+                                                       "W. PITT."
+
+
+The great minister was unfortunately lost to his country and mankind
+within a week!
+
+Lord Brougham, in his _Memoirs of British Statesmen_, records the
+testimony of the Marquess against the common report, that Pitt died of a
+broken heart in consequence of the calamities of Austria and the
+breaking up of the continental coalition. The Marquess declares, that
+Pitt, though emaciated, retained his "gaiety and constitutionally
+sanguine disposition" to the last, expressing also "confident hopes of
+recovery."
+
+The biographer gives a passing touch of disapproval to Pitt's
+administration, though he imputes all his ministerial delinquencies "to
+sordid and second-rate men round him." But this is wholly contrary to
+the character of the man--never individual less acted on the suggestions
+of others than Pitt. The simple fact is, the biographer knows nothing on
+the subject, and would have much more wisely avoided giving us his
+opinions altogether.
+
+We shall notice but one charge more against the Marquess on his return.
+It was made by a low fellow of the name of Paul, who had been a tailor,
+but had by some means or other obtained an office in India. No man could
+have held the highest power in India so long without making enemies
+among the contemptible; and this Paul, determined to figure as a public
+accuser, attacked the character of the Marquess with respect to his
+compelling the Nabob of Oude to pay his debts to the Company. Every one
+knows the degraded state of Indian morality, especially in pecuniary
+transactions; and the measures necessary in this instance were charged
+as the extreme of tyranny. But those charges were never substantiated;
+they came before the House of Commons in the shape of resolutions, and
+were negatived by a large majority, 182 to 31. Paul, in a struggle to
+become a popular character, and as a candidate for Westminster, involved
+himself in an unfortunate duel with Sir Francis Burdett, in which both
+were wounded; but Paul's wound, suddenly turning to mortification, he
+died.
+
+After the vote on the resolutions, Sir John Anstruther, who had been
+chief-justice in Bengal, moved "that the Marquess's conduct in Oude was
+highly meritorious." The resolution was triumphantly carried.
+
+We are now to regard the Marquess in the character of a British
+statesman. In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain. His purpose was, to make
+Spain the basis of an invasion of England. No act of the French Emperor
+exhibited more of the mingled subtlety and ferocity of his nature; and
+yet it should be remembered, for the benefit of mankind, that no act
+more distinctly exhibited the rashness with which avarice or power
+overlooks obstacles, and the folly with which the desire of entrapping
+others frequently outwits itself. Napoleon already, through the weakness
+of the king and the treachery of his minister, had all the resources of
+Spain at his disposal. But, not content with the reality, he resolved to
+arrogate the title; and he thus eventually lost the Peninsula. Under the
+pretext of settling the disputes of the royal family, the Emperor, in
+1808, marched ninety thousand men into Spain, obtained possession of its
+principal fortresses, and established a garrison in the capital. The
+Spanish nation, always disdaining a foreign master, and yet accustomed
+to foreign influence, was roused by the massacre of Madrid on the 2d of
+May. Every province rose in arms, elected a governing body, and attacked
+the French. On the 6th of June 1808, Joseph Bonaparte was appointed King
+of Spain and the Indies.--On the same day, the Supreme Junta at Seville
+proclaimed war against France! Deputations from the provinces were sent
+to England, and they were answered by the dispatch of an army, under Sir
+Arthur Wellesley, to the coast of Portugal. The British general then
+commenced that series of victories which finished only in the
+capitulation of Paris, and the downfall of Napoleon.
+
+On the 21st of August Sir Arthur Wellesley beat the French army of
+Portugal at Vimeira, and would have inevitably forced the French marshal
+to capitulate on the field, but for the singular and unfortunate blunder
+by which two officers, superior in rank, had been inadvertently sent to
+join the expedition, by whom he was of course superseded; General
+Burrard arriving during the action, though he did not take the command
+until the day was over; and General Dalrymple arriving within a few
+days, to supersede General Burrard. The consequence was, that the whole
+operation was paralysed, and the French army, instead of being
+extinguished on the field, was allowed by a convention to retire from
+the country. Sir John Moore then, superseding them all, took the
+command. In the mean time, Austria had renewed the war, and been
+defeated in the decisive battle of Wagram. Napoleon now threw the whole
+force of France upon the Peninsula.
+
+It was obvious that Spain was the field in which the great battle of
+Europe was now to be fought; but the inefficiency of public men in
+Spain, and the divisions of the provincial governments, rendered it
+necessary that some superintending mind should be sent to conduct the
+national affairs. Early in 1809, Mr Canning, then secretary for foreign
+affairs, received the royal commands to propose the appointment of
+ambassador-extraordinary to the Marquess Wellesley. On the 1st of April,
+Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed commander of the British forces in
+the Peninsula. The Marquess arrived in Cadiz on the 4th of July, four
+days after the battle of Talavera.
+
+The first year of the Spanish campaign was, in one sense of the word,
+disastrous. Sir Arthur Wellesley, after fighting the desperate battle of
+Talavera, was forced to retire into Portugal, through the neglect of the
+Spanish government to supply his troops with the means of subsistence.
+They were actually starved out of the field. The Spanish armies had now
+been utterly broken; the great expedition of Walcheren had terminated in
+the capture of a fishing town, and the loss of some thousand men by the
+marsh fever. At this period, Spain seemed utterly helpless; Austria had
+been forced into peace; Russia was on the closest terms of alliance with
+France; and in England the two cabinet ministers, Lord Castlereagh and
+Mr Canning, had fought a duel with each other. The cabinet was now
+broken up, and reconstructed, the three secretaries of state being, the
+Marquess of Wellesley for foreign affairs, Lord Liverpool for the
+colonies, and the Hon. R. Ryder for the home department; Mr Perceval,
+first lord of the treasury and prime minister.
+
+In the year 1810, on the invasion of Portugal by Marshal Massena at the
+head of eighty thousand men, while Wellington had but thirty thousand,
+the declaimers of Opposition had produced so depressing an effect on
+public opinion, that a cabinet despatch actually left it to the decision
+of the British general, then Lord Wellington, whether the army should
+remain or return to England! On that occasion, the British general
+returned the following gallant and decisive answer:--"From what I have
+seen of the objects of the French government, and the sacrifices they
+make to accomplish them, I have no doubt, that if the British army were
+for any reason withdrawn from the Peninsula, and the French government
+were relieved from the pressure of military operations on the Continent,
+they would incur all risks to land an army in his Majesty's dominions.
+Then, indeed, would commence an expensive contest, then would his
+Majesty's subjects discover what are the miseries of war, of which, by
+the blessing of God, they have hitherto had no knowledge; and the
+cultivation, the beauty, and the prosperity of the country, and the
+virtue and happiness of its inhabitants, would be destroyed, whatever
+might be the results of military operations. God forbid that I should be
+a witness, much less an actor, in the scene! And I only hope that the
+King's government will consider well what I have stated to your
+lordship; will ascertain, as it is in their power, the actual expenses
+of employing a certain number of men in this country, beyond that of
+employing them at home or elsewhere; and will keep up their force here
+on such a footing, as will, at all events, ensure their possession,
+without keeping the transports; if it does not enable their commander to
+take advantage of events, and assume the offensive." This letter decided
+the fate of the Peninsula. Massena was driven out of Portugal before the
+close of the year, and the question of French conquest was at an end!
+
+In 1811, the Marquess Wellesley retired from the cabinet. He had
+expressed opinions on the abilities of Mr Perceval, which rendered it
+necessary that either one or other should resign. The nominal cause of
+difference was the Roman Catholic question; on which Perceval was as
+well-informed and principled, as the Marquess was ignorant and fanciful;
+his chief argument being, that the Protestant Church in Ireland was
+feeble--an argument which should have led him to look for the remedy in
+giving it additional strength. But the only view which reasoners like
+the Marquess have ever taken on the subject is, the force of
+numbers--"The Roman Catholics are three times as numerous as the
+Protestants." An argument which would have been equally valid against
+the original attempt to spread Christianity among the heathen nations,
+and would be equally valid still, for Paganism is still more populous
+than Christendom. In fact, the argument would be equally valid against
+any attempt whatever to enlighten mankind; for the ignorant are always
+the overwhelming majority. The true enquiry would have been, are the
+opinions of the Roman Catholics consistent with a Protestant throne? is
+their divided allegiance perilous or not to a Protestant government? are
+their religious prejudices consistent with the rights of the national
+religion? We have now the melancholy proof of the shallowness of all the
+declamation on the subject. We see that power has been used only for
+public disturbance; that pledges are scoffed at; and that, in the
+fifteenth year of this boasted conciliation, Ireland is more turbulent,
+faction more violent, prejudice more envenomed, and life more in hazard
+than ever.
+
+The unfortunate death of Mr Perceval by the hand of a half-frantic
+ruffian, who was resolved to shoot one of the ministry, and in whose
+way the prime minister unhappily came, threw open the cabinet once more.
+A long negotiation followed, in which Lords Wellesley and Moira having
+failed to form an administration, Lord Liverpool was finally appointed
+premier, and retained power until 1827; a period of fifteen years, when
+he was struck by apoplexy, and died in December of the following year.
+
+The policy towards Ireland was now sinking into that feeble and flexible
+shape, which has always characterised the predominance of Whig councils.
+The Marquess Wellesley had made some showy speeches on emancipation; and
+in 1822, and as if with the object of showing him the utter vanity of
+attempting to reform the bitterness of Popish faction by any measures of
+concession, the Popish advocate was sent to govern Ireland. He found the
+country in a state of the most frightful disturbance; half a century of
+weak and unstatesmanlike compliances had produced their natural effect,
+in party arrogance; and demands and conspiracy at once threw the
+ministry into confusion, and set the law at defiance. But the Marquess
+was received with national cordiality by the people. The city was
+illuminated on his arrival; the different public bodies gave him
+banquets; and, known as his opinions were on the Popish question, the
+Protestants forgot his prejudices in the recollection that he was an
+Irishman. But there was a faction still to be dealt with, which, having
+no real connexion with the substantial interests of the country, and
+living wholly on public credulity, uttered its ominous voice in the
+midst of all those acclamations. A paper from that faction lost no time
+in "reminding the Irish Catholics of the tantalizing and bitter
+repetition of expectations raised only to be blasted, and prospects of
+success opened to close on them in utter darkness;" finishing by a
+significant warning, "not to rely too much on the liberal intentions of
+the Marquess Wellesley."
+
+The result of his lordship's government may be easily told. His personal
+favours to the Papists were received in the usual style of instalments;
+while the Protestant corporation stood aloof, and drank with renewed
+potations "the glorious and immortal memory of William III." Such is the
+dignity of politics in Irish deliberations. At length the unlucky
+conciliator had his eyes opened by the nature of things, and was
+compelled to apply to parliament for the insurrection act. The
+Attorney-general Plunket, the ablest advocate of the Papists, was
+compelled, by a similar necessity, to write a long official letter, in
+which he stated--"That he feared in five or six counties, great numbers
+indeed of the lower classes had been involved in the conspiracy; some of
+them from a love of enterprise and ready disposition for mischief; some
+of them on a principle of counteraction to associations of an opposite
+description; but most of them, he should hope, from terror on the one
+hand, and the _expectation of impunity_ on the other." There was the
+point, which no man comprehended better in theory than this clever
+law-officer, and none better in practice than the Popish peasant. "This
+_expectation_, however," he observes, "must now be effectually removed,
+and the terror of the law, I trust, be substituted in place of the
+terror of the conspirators." Adding, "your Excellency will observe with
+regret, that the association has been founded on a principle of
+_religious exclusion!_"
+
+Such had been the fruit of concession. The opposite plan, so often
+suggested, and so essentially necessary, was then tried; and its fruits
+too followed. Almost the whole of Ireland became instantly
+tranquillized; men were no longer murdered in open day; cattle no longer
+maimed; houses no longer burned. The Marquess thus writes the English
+government:--"During the summer and autumn of 1822, the measures
+sanctioned by Parliament for the restoration of tranquillity, combined
+with other causes, have produced such a degree of quiet, that no
+necessity existed for my _usual_ communications."
+
+We pass rapidly over the contemptible squabbles of the party mobs which
+fill up the modern history of Irish politics, and which must have deeply
+disgusted a statesman who had seen public life on the stately scale of
+Indian government and English administration. But he was now far
+advanced in years, and he was betrayed into the absurdity of suffering
+these squabbles to reach to himself. The decoration of the statue of
+William the Third, in one of the principal streets of the city, on his
+birthday, the 4th of November, had been an annual custom for upwards of
+a hundred years. But now the Papists resolved to regard the placing of a
+few knots of orange riband on this equestrian figure as a matter of
+personal offence, and prohibited the decoration. A patrol of horse
+surrounded the statue, and the decoration could not be accomplished. A
+letter from the secretary approved of the conduct of the civic
+authorities. Unluckily, within a few days after, the Marquess went in
+state to the theatre. The public disapprobation now vented itself in
+unmeasured terms. The uproar was incessant, and, in the height of the
+disturbance, a bottle was thrown by some drunken ruffian from the
+gallery into the viceregal box, but with so direct an aim, that it
+glanced close to the Marquess's head. A watchman's rattle, and several
+other missiles, were said to have followed the bottle. The unlucky
+result was, an indictment against several individuals for conspiracy by
+the Attorney-general; but the grand jury having ignored the bills, the
+case fell to the ground.
+
+At this period, the Marquess, who had in early life married a
+Frenchwoman, fixed his regards on an American, the widow of Mr Patterson
+of America. In matters of this order public opinion can have no direct
+right to interfere. But the bride was a Roman Catholic. The marriage was
+solemnized by a Romish bishop, as well as by the Irish primate. The
+royal equipages were seen in regular attendance, subsequently, at her
+ladyship's place of worship; and, when the critical balance of public
+opinion at that period is considered, there was evidently more of the
+ardour of the lover than the wisdom of the statesman, in suffering that
+marriage to take place, at least _before_ his retirement from the
+viceroyalty of Ireland.
+
+On the formation of the Wellington cabinet, the illustrious brothers
+differing on the Romish question, the Marquess retired. In the debate on
+that occasion, the Duke of Wellington made one of those strong,
+_declaratory_ speeches and renewed those pledges to the Protestant
+constitution in Church and State, which he made so solemnly before. The
+duke, after gracefully expressing his regret at being compelled to
+differ on the sentiments of his distinguished relative, said, "I wish,
+as much as my noble relation can do, to see this question brought to an
+amicable conclusion, although I do not see the means of bringing it to
+that conclusion by this resolution, (Lord Lansdowne's motion on the
+Catholic claims.) I _agree with_ the noble and learned Earl (Eldon) who
+has recently addressed your lordships, that we ought to see _clear and
+distinct securities_ given to the state, before we can give our vote in
+the affirmative of the question. My noble relative says, that our
+security will be found in the removal of the securities which now exist.
+I say, that the securities which we now enjoy, and which for a length of
+time we have enjoyed, are _indispensable to the safety of Church and
+State!_ I should be glad to see the disabilities of the Roman Catholics
+removed; but before I can consent to their removal, I must see something
+in their stead which will _effectually protect our institutions_."
+
+Yet, within one twelvemonth! the Popish Bill was carried by the
+Wellington ministry! Its immediate result was, to introduce into the
+legislature a party whose aid to the Whigs carried the Reform Bill. The
+Reform Bill, in its turn, introduced into influence a party who demand
+implicit obedience from every minister, and whose declared object, at
+this hour, is the abolition of the whole system of commercial,
+manufacturing, and agricultural laws, under which England has become the
+greatest commercial, manufacturing, and agricultural country in the
+world. All power now threatens to fall into the hands of the populace;
+and, if that result shall follow, England will be revolutionized. With
+all our knowledge of the strength of England, of the vigour of educated
+opinion, of the gallant principle existing among our nobles and
+gentlemen, and, above all, of the religious integrity of a large portion
+of the empire, we still cannot disguise our apprehension of general
+change. The ferocity, recklessness, and insatiability of the democratic
+spirit, have been hitherto withheld from the sight of our fortunate
+country, by the vigour of our government and the wisdom of our laws. But
+they exist; they lie immediately under the surface of the soil; and,
+once suffered to be opened to the light, the old pestilence will rise,
+and poison the political atmosphere.
+
+The agriculture of England is the true treasury of England. We may exist
+with diminished manufactures, and we must prepare for their diminution,
+from the universal determination of other countries to manufacture for
+themselves. But we cannot exist without food; and, from the moment when
+the discouragement of tillage shall leave England in necessity, we shall
+see the cheap corn of Russia and Poland taxed by the monarch, raised to
+a famine price, all the current gold of the country sent to purchase
+subsistence in Russia, and our only resource a paper currency, followed
+with an enormous increase of expense in every common necessary of life.
+Throw a fourth of the land of England out of cultivation, and what must
+become of the labourers? They now complain of low wages; then they will
+have none. What must be the condition of Ireland, wholly agricultural,
+and ruined by a flood of foreign corn, at half the price for which the
+Irish farmer can bring it to market? These consequences are so
+notorious, that nobody attempts to dispute them. They are coolly taken
+as inevitable things; and the whole dependence, even of the mob
+advocates, is upon chance: "Oh, something will turn up! Things won't be
+so bad as you think!"
+
+But the true conspirators see deeper. They know, that a revolution in
+the food of the people is the immediate forerunner of a revolution in
+the state. From the moment when foreign corn is admitted free of
+restraint, the confidence of the farmer must be shaken. From the farmer,
+the shock will instantly reach the landlord; his rent must be
+diminished. To one-half of the great proprietaries of the kingdom, a
+diminution of rent, even by a third, would make their possessors
+personally bankrupt. Their mortgages and loans must be repaid; and
+nothing would remain. The landlord now pays the Church. If he is ruined,
+the whole Church income, independent of the small portions of glebe
+land, must perish with him.
+
+Then will come the agitation for a still more daring purpose. It will be
+asked why must the system of English life be artificial?--Because we
+have twenty-eight millions sterling of interest to pay, and for this we
+must have taxes. But, why not sweep the national debt away, as France
+did in her day of royal overthrow? A single sitting of the Convention
+settled that question. Why not follow the example? Then will come the
+desperate expedient, and all will be ruin on the heads of the most
+helpless of the community; for the national debt is only a saving bank
+on a larger scale, and nine-tenths of its creditors are of the most
+struggling order of the empire.
+
+Of course, we do not anticipate this frightful catastrophe under the
+existing government, nor, perhaps, under its immediate successors, nor
+under any government which knows its duty. But, let the "pressure from
+without" be once an acknowledged principle; let agitation be once
+suffered as a legitimate instrument of public appeal; let the clamour of
+the streets be once received with the slightest respect, and the game is
+begun; property is the chase, the hounds are in full cry, and the prey
+will be torn down.
+
+We believe that the majority of the empire are honest and true, but we
+know that faction is active and unscrupulous; we believe that there is
+in the country a genuine regard for the constitution, but we know that
+there are men within the circumference of England, whose nature is as
+foul as that of the blackest revolutionist of France in 1793; whose
+craving for possession is treacherous and tigerish, whose means are
+intrinsic and unadulterated mischief, whose element is public
+disturbance, and whose feverish hope of possession is in general
+overthrow. Against those we can have no defence but in the vigour, the
+caution, and the sincerity of the national administration.
+
+The Marquess Wellesley, on the formation of Lord Grey's cabinet in 1830,
+accepted the office of Lord Steward. He had begun his political life as
+a high Tory, and the friend and follower of Pitt.--In 1793, he had
+fought boldly against the Reform question. This was at the period when
+he retained the generosity of youth, and the classic impressions of his
+university; but he had now been trained to courts, and he became a
+reformer, with a white rod in his aged hand! In 1833, he was
+re-appointed to the government of Ireland; he returned full of the same
+innocent conceptions which had once fashioned Ireland into a political
+Arcadia. But he was soon and similarly reduced to the level of
+realities. He found confusion worse confounded, and was compelled to
+exert all his power to suppress "agitation," and exert it in vain; a
+Coercion Bill alone pioneered his way, a quarrel in which the Irish
+Secretary was involved with the Agitator, produced the resignation of
+the secretary, Littleton, though the Marquess's son-in-law.--Lord Grey,
+like Saturn, rebelled against by his own progeny and overthrown by the
+impulse of Reform, resigned, (July 9, 1834.) The Whig government fell
+within the year, and the Marquess left Ireland. In England he
+condescended to accept the office of Lord Chamberlain; but, within a
+month, retired altogether from public life. It was full time: he was now
+seventy-five.
+
+The East India Company, in 1837, voted him £20,000, and in 1841
+honourably proposed to place his statue in the India House. His
+remaining years were unchequered. He died in Kingston House, Brompton,
+on the 26th of September 1842, in his eighty-third year.
+
+The Marquess Wellesley, on the whole view of his qualifications, was an
+accomplished man; and, on a glance at his career, will be seen to have
+been singularly favoured by fortune. Coming forward at a period of great
+public interest, surrounded by the most eminent public men of the last
+hundred years, and early associated with Pitt, the greatest of them all;
+he enjoyed the highest advantages of example, intellectual exercise, and
+public excitement, until he was placed in the government of India.
+There, the career of every governor has exactly that portion of
+difficulties which gives an administrator a claim on public applause;
+with that assurance of success which stimulates the feeblest to
+exertion. All our Indian wars have finished by the overthrow of the
+enemy, the possession of territory, and the increase of British
+power--with the single exception of the Affghan war, an expedition
+wholly beyond the natural limits of our policy, and as rashly undertaken
+as it was rashly carried on. The Marquess returned to Europe loaded with
+honours, conspicuous in the public eye, and in the vigour of life. No
+man had a fairer prospect of assuming the very highest position in the
+national councils. He had the taste and sumptuousness which would have
+made him popular with the first rank of nobility, the literature which
+gratified the learned and intelligent, the practical experience of
+public life which qualified him for the conduct of cabinets and
+councils, and the gallantry and spirit which made him a favourite with
+general society. He had, above all, a tower of strength in the talents
+of his illustrious brother. Those two men might have naturally guided
+the councils of an empire. That a man so gifted, so public, and so
+ambitious of eminent distinction, should ever have been the subordinate
+of the Liverpools, the Cannings, or the Greys, would be wholly
+incomprehensible, but for one reason.
+
+In the commencement of his career, he rashly involved himself in the
+Catholic question. It was a showy topic for a young orator; it was an
+easy exhibition of cheap patriotism; it gave an opportunity for
+boundless metaphor--and it meant nothing. But, no politician has ever
+sinned with Popery but under a penalty--the question hung about his neck
+through every hour of his political existence. It encumbered his English
+popularity, it alienated the royal favour, it flung him into the rear
+rank of politicians. It made his English ambition fruitless and
+secondary; and his Irish government unstable and unpopular. It
+disqualified him for the noblest use of a statesman's powers, the power
+of pronouncing an unfettered opinion; and it suffered a man to
+degenerate into the antiquated appendage to a court, who might have been
+the tutelar genius of an empire.
+
+     _Memoirs and Correspondence of the Most Noble Richard Marquess
+     Wellesley._ By ROBERT B. PEARCE, Esq. 3 vols. London: Bentley.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER TO EUSEBIUS.
+
+
+MY DEAR EUSEBIUS,--I have received yours from the hands of the bearer,
+and such hands! Why write to consult me about railroads, of all things?
+I know nothing about them, but that they all seem to tend to some
+Pandemonium or another; and when I see of a dark night their
+monster-engines, with eyes of flame and tongues of fire, licking up the
+blackness under them, and snuffing up, as it were, the airs from Hades,
+I could almost fancy the stoker a Mercury, conducting his hermetically
+sealed convicts down those terrible passages that lead direct to the
+abominable ferry. I said, "I know nothing of them;" but now I verily
+believe you mean to twit me with my former experiment in railway
+knowledge, and have no intention to purchase shares in the La Mancha
+Company (and I doubt if there be any such) to countenance your Quixotic
+pleasantry. I did speculate once, it is true, in one--London and
+Falmouth Scheme--with very large promises. I was then living at W----,
+when one day, just before I was going to sit down to dinner, a chaise
+stops at my door, out steps a very "smart man," and is ushered into my
+library. When I went into the room, he was examining, quite in a
+connoisseur attitude, Eusebius, a picture; he was very fond of pictures,
+he said; had a small but choice collection of his own, and I won't say
+that he did not speak of the Correggiosity of Correggio. I was upon the
+point of interrupting him, with the intimation that I did not mean to
+purchase any, when, having thus ingratiated himself with me by this
+reference to my taste, he suddenly turns round upon me with the most
+business-like air, draws from under his cloak an imposingly official
+portfolio, takes out his scrip, presenting me with a demand for fifty
+pounds, the deposit of so many shares, looking positively certain that
+in a few seconds the money would be in his pocket. People say, Eusebius,
+that the five minutes before a dinner is the worst time in the world to
+touch the heart, or to get any thing out of a man's pocket for
+affection; but I do not know if it be not the best time for an attack,
+if there be a speculation on foot which promises much to his interest,
+for at that time he is naturally greedy. Had Belisarius, with his dying
+boy in his arms, himself appeared at my gate, as seen in the French
+print, crying, "Date obolum Belsario," I should have pronounced him at
+once an impostor, and given him nothing, and, indeed, not pronounced
+wrongly, for the whole story is a fiction. But at this peculiar moment
+of hunger and of avarice, I confess I was too ready, and gave a check
+for the amount. I had no sooner, however, satisfied myself with what
+Homer calls [Greek: edêtnos êde potêtos], and we moderns, meat and
+potatoes--than I began to suspect the soundness of the scheme, or the
+company, who had gone to the expense of a chaise for eight miles merely
+to collect this subscription of mine; and I was curious the next day to
+trace the doings of this smart gentleman, when I found he had dined at
+the inn at B---- on turtle, ducks, and green peas, and had recruited the
+weariness of his day's journey with exhilarating champagne. I knew my
+fate at once, and from that day to this have heard nothing of the London
+and Falmouth project. Now, Eusebius, as you publish my letters, if this
+should catch the eye of any of the directors of that company still
+possessing any atom of conscience, I beg to remind them that I am still
+minus fifty pounds; and as all claim seems to be quite out of the
+question, excepting on their "known and boundless generosity," I beg to
+wind up this little narrative of the transaction in the usual words of
+the beggar's petition, "The smallest donation will be thankfully
+received."
+
+But the bearer, who was to consult me for your benefit--he hadn't a word
+to say to me on the subject, but that he would call and consult with me
+to-morrow. I found it in vain to question him, and I suspect it is a
+hoax. But what a rural monster you have sent me! "Cujum pecus?--an
+Melibei?" He cannot possibly herd with Eusebius; he had no modest
+bearing about him. I had just opened your letter, and found you called
+him a friend of yours, who had many observations to make about
+poetry--so, as we were just going to tea, he was invited. It was most
+fortunate I did not offer him a bed, for I should then have been bored
+with him at this moment, when I am sitting down to write to you some
+little account of his manners and conversation, which you know very
+well, or you would not have sent him to me. I only now hope I shall not
+see him to-morrow; and should I learn that he shall have departed in one
+of those Plutonian engines to the keeping of Charon himself, I should
+only regret that I had not put an obol into his hand, lest he should be
+presented with a return-ticket. What did he say, and what did he not
+say? He called my daughter "Miss," and said he should like music very
+well but for the noise of it; and as to his ideas of poetry, that you
+speak of, he treated it with the utmost contempt, and as a "very
+round-about-way of getting to matter of fact." What else could I have
+expected of him?--with his tight-drawn skin over his distended cheeks,
+from which his nose scarcely protruded, as defying a pinch, with a
+forehead like Caliban's, as villanously low, with his close-cut hair
+sticking to it, and his little chin retiring, lest a magnanimous thought
+should for a moment rest upon it. Such was never the image that
+Cassandra had in her mind's eye when she cried, "O, Apollo--O, Apollo!"
+And this was your friend, forsooth, with his novel ideas upon poetry!
+Yet this vulgar piece of human mechanism is not without a little cunning
+shrewdness, characteristically marked in his little pig-eye; and I must
+tell you one piece of criticism of his, and an emendation, not unworthy
+the great Bentley himself. Yet I know not why I tell you, for you know
+it well already, I suspect; for he told me he had been talking with you
+about a letter which you had published, and told him was written by me,
+and which he had read while waiting in your library till you could see
+him. He said he thought a little common sense, observation, and plain
+matter of fact, would often either throw light upon or amend many
+obscure passages of poets; for that even those of most name either made
+egregious blunders, or they were made for them. I could not deny that
+truth, Eusebius, and yet he wasn't a man to grant any thing to, if you
+could help it; but I saw there was something rich to come, so I
+encouraged him; and this remark of his, Eusebius, reminded me of a
+misery occasioned in the mind of a very sensitive and reverend poet, who
+preached weekly to a very particular congregation, by the printer's
+devil mistaking an erasure for a hyphen, which gave to his sonnet a most
+improper expression. It made him miserable then, and will ever give him
+a twinge lest he should have suffered in reputation. He has so much
+reason to be happy now, that to remind him of it, should he happen to
+read this, is only to make his happiness the greater, by somewhat
+reducing its quality; as the very atmosphere must be tempered for man's
+use and health, by somewhat of a noxious ingredient. But I must return
+to your friend. His cheeks seem ready to burst with common sense, and
+polished with ruddy conceit. "Do you remember," said I, "any particular
+passage upon which your observations will bear?" "Why," said he, "there
+was one in that paper which first struck me as utter nonsense; but a
+little alteration easily sets it to rights. There was a quotation from
+Milton: I wasn't very well acquainted with his poems, but I have read
+since, with much trouble to understand it, that whole scene and passage;
+it is in a play of his called 'Comus;'--and, by the by, all that part of
+the prose in the letter relating to the seashore and its treasures, is
+all stuff; all the roads about the country are made and mended with
+those pebbles--they are worth nothing. What Milton is supposed to have
+said, when they wrote down for him, that the billows of the Severn "roll
+ashore"--"the beryl and the golden ore"--never could have been written
+by any one who knew the Severn. A beryl is a clear crystal, isn't it?
+and if the billows should roll one ashore in the muddy Severn, I should
+like to know who could find it! There are no billows but from the
+Bristol Channel, and that's mud all the way, miles and miles up;--pretty
+shores for a beryl to be _rolled_ on. Besides, now, what man of common
+sense would talk of rolling a bit of a thing, not half so big as a
+nutmeg, and that upon mud, in which it would sink like a bullet? _He_
+would have said 'washed ashore;' but I'll tell you what it was: I
+understand Milton was blind, and his daughters wrote what he dictated:
+they say, too, he had a good deal of knowledge of things, and, without
+doubt, knew very well the trade of the Bristol Channel, and from the
+Severn into the Avon; and certainly meant '_barrel_ and the golden ore,'
+and this word suggested the precious ornament which most women like to
+think of, and as she, his daughter, minced it in her own mouth, a beryl
+dropped from her pen. Now, only consider what was the great trade in
+those parts; the West India and the African trade were both at their
+height, and didn't one bring _barrels_ of sugar, and the other gold
+dust--what can be clearer? There you see how proper the word _rolling_
+is, for you must have often seen them rolling their _barrels_ from their
+ships upon planks, and so on their quays; and the golden ore speaks for
+itself, as plain as can be, gold dust; and there you have a reading that
+agrees with fact. I don't exactly know _when_ Milton wrote; but I dare
+say it was at the very time of that notorious merchandize; and don't you
+think, sir, that the next edition of Milton ought to have this
+alteration? I do. I forgot to say that the gold dust came over in little
+barrels too; for no man in his senses would have thought of rolling or
+washing dust ashore, excepting in a keg or barrel, and so it was, I make
+no doubt."
+
+I perfectly assented to every thing he said, Eusebius, by which happy
+concession on my part, having no food for an obstinate discussion, he
+soon withdrew. I sat awhile thinking, and now write to you. At least
+make a marginal note in your Milton of this criticism; and when
+posterity shall discover it, and forget that _Comus_ was written when
+Milton was a young man, and had no daughters to write for him, then it
+will be adopted, and admired as a specimen of the critical acumen of the
+great and learned Eusebius.
+
+It reminds me to tell you, that being the other day at the sea-side, and
+wanting a Horace, I borrowed one from a student of Cambridge. It was a
+Paris edition. I never should have dreamed of seeing an expurgated or
+emasculated edition from French quarters; but so it was. I looked for
+that beautiful little piece, the quarrel between Lydia and Horace. It
+was not there.
+
+  "Donec gratus eram tibi,
+  Nec quisquam potior brachia candide
+  Cervici juvenis dabat."
+
+I suppose the offence lay in these lines, which appear no worse than
+that old song, (the lovers' quarrel too,)
+
+  "I've kiss'd and I've prattled with fifty fair maids."
+
+An American lady must not be shocked with the word _leg_, and we are
+told they put flounces upon those pedestals of pianofortes; but that a
+lover throwing his arms around his mistress's neck should offend a
+Frenchman, is an outrageous prudery from a very unexpected quarter. We
+can imagine a scholar tutored to this affected purity, who should escape
+from it, and plunge into the opposite immoralities of our modern French
+novels, like him
+
+  "Qui frigidus Ætnam
+  Insiluit."
+
+  "Plunged cold into Ætnean fires."
+
+There were many emendations, most of which I forget; but I could not
+help laughing at an absurdity in the following ode:--
+
+  "Vixi puellis nuper idoneus."
+
+The word _puellis_ is altered to _choreis_, which nevertheless, as a
+mark of absurdity, ought to be supposed to contain the _puellis_; for to
+say,
+
+  "I lately lived for dances fit,"
+
+surely implies that the sayer had some one to dance with; or is there
+any dancing sect of men in France so devoted to celibacy that they will
+only dance with each other? We are certainly improved in this country,
+where it should seem that once a not unsimilar practice was compulsory
+upon the benchers, as will be seen from the following quotation from
+_The Revels at Lincoln's Inn_:--
+
+"The exercise of dancing was thought necessary, and much conducing to
+the making of gentlemen, more fit for their books at other times; for by
+an order (_ex Registro Hosp. sine._ vol. 71, 438 C) made 6th February, 7
+Jac., it appears that the under barristers were, by decimation, put out
+of Commons for example sake, because the whole bar offended by not
+dancing on Candlemas-day preceding, according to the ancient order of
+this Society, when the judges were present; with this, that if the like
+fault was committed afterwards, they should be fined or disbarred."--(D,
+_Revels at Lincoln's Inn_, p. 15.) Eusebius, you would go on a
+pilgrimage, with unboiled peas, to Pump Court or more favourable
+locality, for these little "brief authorities."
+
+  "To see how like are courts of law to fairs,
+  The dancing barristers to dancing bears;
+  Both suck their paws indulgent to their griefs,
+  These lacking provender, those lacking briefs."
+
+Shame to him who does not agree with our own delightful Robert Burns, of
+glorious memory, who "dearly lo'ed the lasses O!" So only "Let the merry
+dance go round."
+
+And now, as the dancers are off the stage, and it is the more proper
+time for gravity and decorum, I feel that irresistible desire to be as
+wicked as possible--a desire which I have heard you say tormented you in
+your childhood; for, whenever you were admonished to be remarkably good,
+you were invariably remarkably bad. So I yield to the temptation, and
+voluntarily, and with "malice prepense" throw myself into the wickedness
+of translating (somewhat modernizing I own) the "Tabooed" ode, in
+defiance of, and purposely to offend, the Parisian, or other editor or
+editors, who shall ever show themselves such incomparable ninnies as to
+omit that or any other ode of Horace. Accept the following.
+
+  "Vixi puellis nuper idoneus."
+
+  CARMEN, 26, lib. iii.
+
+  For maiden's love I once was fit,
+  But now those fields of warfare quit,
+  With all my boast, content to sit
+      In easy-chair;
+  And here lay by (a lover's lances)
+  All poems, novels, and romances.
+  Ah! well a-day! such idle fancies
+      I well might spare.
+
+  There--on that shelf, behind the door,--
+  By all those works of Hannah More
+  And Bishop Porteus--Let a score
+      Of lectures guard them;
+  Take Bulwer, Moore, and Sand, and Sue,
+  The Mysteries, and the Wandering Jew;
+  May he who gives to all their due,
+      The Deil, reward them.
+
+  And Venus, if thou hast, as whilom,
+  For parted lovers an asylum,
+  To punish or to reconcile 'em,
+      Take Chloe to it;
+  And lift, if thou hast heart of flint,
+  Thy lash, and her fair skin imprint--
+  But ah! forbear--or, take the hint,
+      And let me do it.
+
+Not a word, Eusebius, I know what you are going to say,--no shame at
+all. You have all your life acquitted Horace; and if he never intended
+Chloe to have a whipping, you may be quite sure the little turn that I
+have ventured to give the affair, won't bear that construction; and
+there will be no occasion to ask the dimensions of the rod, as the
+ladies at the assize-town did of Judge Buller, requesting of him, with
+their compliments, to send them the measure of his thumb.
+
+Why should I not attempt this rejected ode? Here goes for the honour of
+Lydia. "Kiss and be friends" be ever the motto to lovers' quarrels.
+
+  _"Donec gratus eram tibi."_
+
+
+  HORACE.
+  When I was all in all to you,
+    Nor yet more favour'd youthful minion
+  His arms around your fair neck threw;
+  Not Persia's boasted monarch knew
+    More bless'd a state, more large dominion.
+
+  LYDIA.
+  And whilst you loved but only me,
+    Nor then _your_ Lydia stood the second,
+  And Chloe first, in love's degree;
+  I thought myself a queen to be,
+    Nor greater Roman Ilia reckon'd.
+
+  HORACE.
+  Now Cretan Chloe rules me quite;
+    Skill'd in the lyre and every measure,
+  For whom I'd die this very night,
+  If but the Fates, in death's despite,
+    Would Chloe spare, my soul's best treasure.
+
+  LYDIA.
+  Me Caläis, Ornytus' young heir!
+    (The flame is mutual _we_ discover,)
+  For whom to die _two_ deaths I'd dare,
+  If the stern Fates would only spare,
+    And _he could_ live, my youthful lover.
+
+  HORACE.
+  What--if our former love restore
+    Our bonds, too firm for aught to sever,--
+  I shake off Chloe; and the door
+  To Lydia open flies once more;
+    Returning Lydia, and for ever.
+
+  LYDIA.
+  He, though a beauteous star--you light
+    As cork, and rough as stormy weather,
+  That vexes Adria's raging might,
+  With you to live were my delight,
+    And willing should we die together.
+
+So this is the offending ode! Was the proposition to be constant not
+quite agreeable to the French editor? Or was he in Horace's probable
+condition, getting a little up in years? See you, it is a youthful
+rival, Juvenis, who troubles him. And Lydia takes care to throw in this
+ingredient, the "sweet age." He is not _old_ Ornytus--a hint of
+comparison with Horace himself--but his son; indeed, he is hardly
+Juvenis, for she soon calls him her dear boy, as much as to say, "_You_
+are old enough to be his father!" She carries out this idea, too,
+seeming to say, "You may love Chloe--I dare say you do; but, does Chloe
+love you? Whereas _our_ passion is mutual."
+
+Our poet, delightful and wise as he generally is, was not wise to match
+his wit against that of a woman, and an offended beauty. How miserably
+he comes off in every encounter! He would die, forsooth! once--she would
+die twice over! There is a hit in his very liver! And as to the
+survivorship of Chloe, that she suggests, considering their ages, might
+be very natural--but she doubts if her youth _could_ survive should
+_she_ die; though she even came to life again, a second time to die, it
+would be of no use. What could the foolish poet do after that?
+Nothing--but make up the quarrel in the best way he might. He drops his
+ears, is a little sulky still--most men are so in these affairs--seldom
+generous in love. To pretend to be so is only to encroach on woman's
+sweet and noble prerogative, and to assume her great virtue. No man
+could keep it up long; he would naturally fall into his virile sulks. So
+Horace does not at once open his arms that his Lydia may fall into
+them--but stands hesitatingly, rather foolish, his hands behind him, and
+puts forward the supposition _If_--that graceless peace-maker. Lydia, on
+the contrary--all love, all generosity, is in his arms at once; for he
+must at the moment bring them forward, whether he will for love or no,
+or Lydia would fall. It is now she looks into his very eyes, and only
+playfully, as quizzing his jealousy, reminds him of her Caläis, her star
+of beauty; thus sweetly reproving and as sweetly forgiving the temper of
+her Horace--for he is her Horace still--and who can wonder at that? She
+will bear with all--will live, will die with him. I look, Eusebius, upon
+this ode as a real consolation to your lovers of an ambiguous and
+querulous age. Seeing what we are daily becoming, it is a comfort to
+think that, should such untoward persons make themselves disagreeable to
+all else of human kind, there will be, nevertheless, to each, one
+confiding loving creature, to put them in conceit with themselves, and
+make them, notwithstanding their many perversities, believe that they
+are unoffending male angels, and die in the bewildering fancy that they
+are still loveable.
+
+I have little more to say, but that, having been lately in a versifying
+mood, I have set to rhyme your story of the cook and the lottery ticket;
+and herein I have avoided that malicious propensity of our numerous
+tellers of stories, whose only pleasure, as it appears to me, lies in
+the plunging the heroes and heroines of their tales into inextricable
+troubles and difficulties, and in continuing them in a state of
+perplexity beyond the power of human sufferance; and who slur over their
+unexpected, and generally ill-contrived escape, as a matter of small
+importance; and with an envy of human happiness, like the fiend who sat
+scowling on the bliss of Eden, either leave them with sinister
+intentions, or absolutely drive them out of the Paradise which they have
+so lately prepared for them.
+
+I have lately been reading a very interesting, well conceived in many
+respects, and pathetic novel, which, nevertheless, errs in this; and I
+even think the pathos is injured by the last page, which is too painful
+for _tenderness_, which appears the object of the able author. A
+monumental effigy is but the mockery of all life's doings, which are
+thus, with their sorrows and their joys, rendered nugatory; and all that
+we have been reading, and are interested about, is unnecessarily
+presented to us as dust and ashes. Such is the tale of Mount Sorrel.
+
+Perhaps, too, I might say of this, and of other novels of the same kind,
+that there is in them an unhealthy egotism; a Byronism of personal
+feelings; an ingenious invention of labyrinth meandering into the mazes
+of the mind and of the affections, in which there is always
+bewilderment, and the escape is rather lucky than foreseen. Such was not
+the mode adopted heretofore by more vigorous writers, who preferred
+exhibiting the passions by action, and a few simple touches, which came
+at once to the heart, without the necessity of unravelling the mismazes
+of their course. If Achilles had made a long speech in Elysium about his
+feelings, and attempted to describe them, when his question, if his son
+excelled in glory, was happily answered, we should have thought less of
+him for his egotism, and had much less perfect knowledge of the real
+man's heart and soul. Homer simply tells us, that he walked away, with
+great strides, greatly rejoicing. I can remember, at this moment, but
+one tale in which this style of descriptive searchings into the feelings
+is altogether justifiable--Godwin's "_Caleb Williams_;" for there the
+ever instant terror, varying by the natural activity and ingenuity of
+the mind, which, upon the one pressing point, feverishly hurries into
+new, and all possible channels of thought, requires this pervading
+absolutism. It is the Erynnis of a bygone creed, in a renovated form of
+persecuting fatalism, brought to sport with the daily incidents and
+characters of modern life.
+
+I do not wish to be tempted by this course of thought into lengthened
+criticism; which I should not have touched upon, had I not thought it
+proper to tell you that I have added a conclusion to your tale. Ever
+wishing a continuation of the happiness of two human beings, beyond that
+location in the story, where most spiteful authors leave them, the
+Church door.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I have been reading, too, over again two of Sir Walter Scott's novels,
+"Guy Mannering" and "Ivanhoe." How different they are, both in design
+and execution! The former, in all respects perfect--the latter, in
+design common-place, and but little enlarged from the old ballad tales
+of Robin Hood, and histories of the Crusaders; very slovenly in diction,
+and lengthened out by tiresome repetitions; the same things being told
+in protracted dialogues which had been previously narrated in the
+historic course. Then there are very ill-timed interruptions, and
+wearisome disquisitions, just where they should not be. Yet are there
+passages of perfect excellence, that prove the master-hand of the
+author. The novel of "Ivanhoe" seems to resemble some of those plays
+which, though doubtful, are called Shakspeare's, because it is evident
+that the master-hand has passed over them, and left touches both of
+thought and character which justify the position which they enjoy.
+Rebecca is all in all. The other characters somewhat fail to interest.
+Ivanhoe himself says but little, and is in fact not much developed. We
+are disgusted, and unnecessarily, at every turn with Athelstane--there
+was no occasion for making him this degraded glutton. It seems a clumsy
+contrivance to break off his marriage with Rowena; and surely the boast
+of his eating propensities, when he shows himself to his astonished
+mourners escaped from the death and tomb prepared for him, is unnatural,
+and throws a contempt and ridicule over the whole scene. Richard and
+Robin Hood (or Locksley) are not characters of Sir Walter's
+creation--Richard is, we may suppose, truly portrayed. My friend S----,
+Eusebius, who, while I was suffering under influenza, read these novels
+out to me, was offended at a little passage towards the end, where the
+author steps out of the action of his dramatic piece, to tell you that
+King Richard did not live to fulfil the benevolent promises he had a
+line or two before been making; and I entirely agree with S----, and
+felt the unseemly and untimely intelligence as he read it. This would
+scarcely be justifiable in a note, but in the body of the work it shocks
+as a plague-spot on the complexion of health. This practice, too common
+in novelists, especially the "historical," becoming their own marplots,
+deserves censure. To borrow from another art, it is like marring a
+composition, by an uncomfortable line or two running out of the picture,
+and destroying the completeness. I know not if that fine scene, perhaps
+the most masterly in Ivanhoe, has ever been painted, where, after the
+defeat of De Bois-Guilbert, and after that Richard had broken in upon
+the court, the Grand Master draws off in the repose of stern submission
+his haughty Knights Templars. The slow procession finely contrasts with
+the taunting violence of Richard; and what a background is offered to
+the painter--the variously moved multitude, the rescued Rebecca, and the
+dead (though scarcely defeated) Templar!
+
+Sir Walter, although an antiquarian, was not perhaps aware that he was
+somewhat out in his chronology in connecting Robin Hood and his men with
+Richard the First. It is made very clear in an able essay in the
+_Westminster Review_, that Robin Hood's name and fame did not commence
+till after the defeat of Simon de Montfort in the battle of Evesham. In
+fact, Robin Hood was more of a political outlaw--one of the outlawed,
+after that defeat, than a mere sylvan robber. Sir Walter Scott has taken
+advantage of the general belief, gathered from many of our old ballads,
+in an intercourse between Robin Hood and England's king. But according
+to the oldest of the ballads, (or rather poems, for it is too long for a
+ballad, and composed of many parts,) _The Lyttel Geste of Robin Hood_,
+this king of England was Edward the First; so that the existence of the
+"bold outlaw" is antedated by the author of _Ivanhoe_ upwards of seventy
+years. This, however, does not affect the story, excepting to those who
+entertain the fond fancy, that when they read an historical novel they
+read history.[1] Do you wonder, Eusebius, at my chronological learning?
+You well may; it must appear to you a very unexpected commodity. The
+truth is, my attention has been directed to this very matter by my
+antiquarian friend M'Gutch of Worcester, who not only pointed out to me
+the essay in the _Westminster_, but, finding my curiosity excited, sent
+me many of the ballads, Robin Hood's garlands, and _The Lyttel Geste_,
+together with an able introduction of his own to a new edition of the
+collection he is about to produce, with which you will be delighted, and
+learn all that is to be known; and it is more than you would expect to
+meet with about this "gentle robber."
+
+S----, to whom I read the foregoing remarks on _Ivanhoe_, said, I ought
+to do penance for the criticism. I left the penance to his choice; and,
+like a true friend, he imposed a pleasure; I do not say, Eusebius, that
+if left to myself I should have been a Franciscan. He took up _Marmion_,
+and read it from beginning to end. It is indeed a noble poem. Will not
+the day come, when Sir Walter's poems will be more read than his novels,
+good though they be?
+
+In his poetry Scott always reminds me of Homer. There is the same energy
+ever working to the one simple purpose--the same spontaneity and belief
+in its own tale; and diversity of character for relief's sake is common
+to both. In reading Homer we must discard all our school notions; we
+began to read with difficulty; the task was a task, though it was true
+we warmed in it--the thread was broken a thousand times; and we too
+often pictured to ourselves the old bard in his gravity of beard and
+age--not in that vigour, that freshness of manhood, which is conspicuous
+in both poems, at whatever age they were composed.
+
+I have had the curiosity, Eusebius, to enquire of very many real
+scholars, who have professed to keep up their Greek after leaving the
+universities, if they have re-read Homer in Greek, and almost all have
+confessed that they had not. They read him in Pope and Cowper. Let them
+read him offhand, and fluently, continuously, as they do _Marmion_, or
+the _Lay of the Last Minstrel_, and I cannot but think they will be
+struck with the Homeric resemblance in the poems of Sir Walter Scott.
+Both great poets had, too, the same relish for natural scenery, the same
+close observation; did we not pass over such passages lightly, we
+should, I am persuaded, find in both the same nice discriminations in
+characters of outward scenes, that we do in those of men. In both there
+is the same kind of secret predominance of female character the same
+delicacy, tenderness, (a wondrous thing in the age of Homer, or rather,
+perhaps, showing we know nothing about that age, not even so much as we
+do about those ages which we choose to call dark.) It must, however, be
+noted, that Sir Walter Scott has limited himself to more confined
+fields. There is not the same room for genius to work in--the production
+is, therefore, in degree less varied, and less complete; but is there
+not a likeness in kind? Is it too bold, is it merely fanciful, Eusebius,
+to say, too, that there is a something not dissimilar in the measures
+adopted by these ancient and modern poets. Homer possibly had no choice;
+but in the hexameter there is the greatest versative power. How
+different, for instance, are the first lines of the "Tale of Troy
+Divine," and the more familiar adventures of Ulysses. The _ad libitum_
+alternation of dactyl and spondee make the lively or the grave; and the
+whole metrical glow is all life and action, without hitch or hindrance.
+
+Our heroic measure is at once too long and too short--for, take the
+cæsura as a division of the line, (and what is it if not that?) and the
+latter part of the line is too short for any effective power--a fault
+that does not exist in the Greek hexameter. Without the cæsura, or with
+a very slight attention to it, the line is too long, and made tiresome
+by the monotony which the necessary pause of the rhyme imposes. Besides,
+how do we know, after all, that the Greeks did not read their one
+hexameter like two lines, with a decided pause at the cæsura, with the
+additional grace of the short syllable at its end often passing the
+voice into the second part, or, as we may call it in the argument, the
+second line? Try, Eusebius; read off a dozen lines any where in Homer
+with this view, and tell me what you think of the _possible_ short
+measure of Homer. It is true our measures are of the iambic character,
+which Horace says is the fittest for action--and therefore, in the
+Greek, the dramatic. The trimeter iambic is a foot longer than our
+heroic measure. But then it has the double ictus; and, as the word
+implies, is divisible into three parts, thus giving a quickness and
+shortness where wanted. Take away, however, the first cæsura, rest only
+on the second, (and then you have exactly one short measure, that of
+"Marmion,") and how superfluous the last division of the trimeter
+appears! as weak and ineffective as the latter part of our long measure,
+if we read it as wanting the additional foot of the hexameter. For
+example,
+
+"[Greek: ô techna thô palou]"--
+
+There is the measure of Scott--the Greek iambic, however, is lengthened
+by two feet--[Greek: nea trophê]; so that to the Greek the three ictuses
+(at least to English ears, accustomed to our short measure) are
+necessary. That this short measure wants not power in any respect,
+_Marmion_ alone sufficiently shows. I, however, wished only to show that
+it had something of an Homeric character; and the facility with which
+you can read the hexameter of Homer as two lines, you will, perhaps,
+more than suspect, tends to confirm this opinion. I think, somewhere,
+Sir Walter Scott recommends the translating Homer into short
+measure--you forget, perhaps, my making the trial upon the two first
+books of the Odyssey which I sent to you, and you returned, _condemned_;
+although, to tell you the truth, I was not displeased with my attempt,
+and expected your flattering commendation, and would even now deceive
+myself into a belief that you were not prepared for the novelty. Admire
+the candour that proclaims the failure. It is enough that Eusebius
+admitted my other Homeric translations.
+
+You will easily detect that this letter is written at intervals. I told
+you what a kind reader I have found in S----, during my indulgence in
+the luxurious indolence for which influenza apologizes, and a growing
+convalescence renders a pleasing hypocrisy. He has been repeating, from
+memory, some lines of his favourite Collins. I remembered them not. He
+could not put his hand on an edition of Collins, but referred to the
+"Elegant Extracts," and could not find his admired stanza. He remembered
+reading it in "The Speaker." The lines are in the Ode to "Evening." In
+the "Elegant Extracts" we have--
+
+  "Then let me rove some wild and heathy scene,
+  Or find some ruin 'midst its dreary dells,
+    Whose walls more awful nod
+    By thy religious gleams."
+
+These lines are substituted for the better lines--
+
+  "Then lead, dear votress, where some sheety lake
+  Cheers the lone heath, or some time-hallow'd pile,
+    Or upland fallows grey
+    Reflect the last cool gleam."
+
+Why should this beautiful stanza be lost? Is the substitute to be
+compared with it? Ask the landscape painter! He will admire the one--he
+will enjoy the other. Who substituted the one for the other? Did Collins
+write both, and was dubious which should stand; or do you discover the
+hand of an audacious emendator? Who would lose the sheety lake in which
+nothing is reflected but evening's own sky, and the "upland fallows
+grey," and the last _cool_ gleam!
+
+Odious, odious politics! While I am writing, there is an interruption, a
+sad interruption, to thoughts of poetry and snatches of criticism. It is
+like a sudden nightmare upon pleasant and shifting dreams. Here are
+three visitors new from reading Sir Robert Peel's speech. Two very
+indignant--one a timid character--apologetic. What, cries one--a
+statesman so egotistical and absolute in his vanity, as, at such a time
+as the present, to throw the many interests of this great country into
+peril, and some into sure difficulty, lest, as he himself confesses, he
+should be thought to have borrowed on Lord John Russell? What business
+has a statesman to think of himself at all? It is frightful, said
+another. There are two astounding things--one, that a minister should
+suddenly turn round upon the principles and the party who brought him
+into power upon them, confessing he had been changing his opinion three
+years, and yet last July he should have spoken against the measure
+which, at the time of speaking, in his heart he favoured, and which he
+now forces upon a reluctant Parliament; the other astounding thing is,
+that a Parliament created to oppose this very measure, should show such
+entire subserviency as to promise a large majority to the minister. May
+we not expect one who so changes may suddenly some day join O'Connell
+and grant Repeal? We are to be governed by a minister, not by King,
+Lords, and Commons. The apologetic man urges expediency, public
+(assumed) opinion--any thing for peace sake, and to get rid of
+agitation. So, to avoid agitation, Eusebius, I scrambled up my papers
+and this letter to you, and left the room; and now, in one more quiet,
+resume my pen. With a mind not a little confused between politics,
+poetry, and classical reminiscences, I, however, rested a while to give
+scope to reflection; and meditation upon this "corn question," brought
+to mind the practical advice of the tyrant of Syracuse to Periander, to
+get rid of his aristocracy, which was shown by the action of cutting off
+the heads of the grain that grew highest in the field. A tyranny was the
+result, (not in the Greek sense of the word,) and it matters little
+whence the tyranny comes. With this idea prevalent, I looked for a copy
+of a Greek MS., taken from a palimpsest discovered in the Ambrosian
+library, and sat down to translate it for you--you may have the Greek
+when you like. In the meanwhile, be content with the following version
+of the apologue, and be not too critical.
+
+
+THE STORY OF PERIANDER.
+
+"When Periander had now reigned some years at Corinth, the Tyrant of
+Syracuse sent thither an ambassador, a man of great penetration, to
+enquire how the maxims of government, in which he had instructed him,
+had answered.
+
+"The ambassador found Periander in the midst of his courtiers. After
+receiving him in such manner as it became him to receive a messenger
+from so excellent a friend, from whom he had obtained the best advice,
+and after hearing the object of his embassy:--'See,' said Periander, 'to
+what degree I have prospered. These gentlemen,' pointing to his
+courtiers, 'have been telling me that my people, and the universal
+opinion of mankind, enrol me one of the seven wise men of Greece.'
+
+"'Indeed!!!' quoth the ambassador; 'that will delight the king, my
+master, exceedingly; who will, without doubt, enquire if I have seen
+with my own eyes the happiness of a people who are so fortunate, and are
+possessed of so sound a judgment. As yet, I have seen none but those who
+immediately conducted me hither.'
+
+"'We will take a short circuit,' said Periander, 'and these gentlemen
+shall accompany us, and we shall see if what they report be true,'
+looking a little suspiciously at his courtiers, as if to say, 'I verily
+think you are but flattering knaves.'
+
+"As they passed through the great hall, the officers of state, and the
+officers of the household, shouted, 'There are but seven wise men, and
+Periander is the wisest.'
+
+"Periander, the ambassador, and the courtiers, soon left the vestibule,
+and found themselves in the streets of Corinth. Not a citizen was to be
+seen. On, and on they went--and still no one was in sight. 'Your
+majesty's subjects are somewhat more scarce than they were wont to be,'
+said the ambassador of Syracuse. Periander bit his lips. On, and on they
+went--and still no one was to be seen--till, turning the corner of
+another street, they saw, for an instant only, the backs of a few
+people, who suddenly disappeared into their houses, and a fierce dog
+flew out upon them, barking furiously, and would have bitten Periander
+by the leg had he not been rescued by the ambassador.
+
+"'Am I to tell my lord the King of Syracuse,' said the ambassador, 'that
+I have seen one class of your majesty's subjects, and heard their
+opinion?' Periander knit his brows, and looked daggers at his courtiers.
+
+"They went on a little further, when a laden ass, whose owner had fled,
+stood directly in their way. The ass put out his ugly head and brayed in
+the very face of Periander.
+
+"'Do I hear,' said the ambassador, 'the voice of another class of your
+majesty's subjects?'
+
+"Periander now could not forbear smiling, as he struck the ass, who
+kicked at him as he beat him out of the path.
+
+"Well! they went on still a little further, and had now reached the
+suburbs, where they met a boy driving a flock of geese and goslings into
+a pond. The boy, as all the rest had done, fled.
+
+"But the big gander, as they approached, waddled up with extended wings
+to Periander, and hissed at him.
+
+"'The voice of your people,' said the ambassador, 'is indeed unanimous.'
+
+"'At least,' said Periander, 'I will show my wisdom here, by roasting
+that fellow and eating him for supper.' Whereupon one of his courtiers,
+who, in matters of this kind take slight hints for mandates, ran the
+poor gander through the body; and Periander, in reward he said for so
+brave an action, bade him throw the creature round his neck[2] as a
+trophy, and carry him home for supper.
+
+"But by this time the old goose, too, fearing for her goslings, came
+furiously upon Periander, and flapping and beating him with her wings,
+put him into a sad straight. On this occasion one of his courtiers came
+to his rescue, and he escaped; and seeing what a ridiculous figure he
+made, leaned against a wall, and burst into an immoderate fit of
+laughter.
+
+"'It is enough,' said the ambassador from the Tyrant of Syracuse; 'I am
+now enabled to inform the king, my master, of the character, manners,
+and perfect felicity of your majesty's people, from my own observation.
+That they are of three classes. The first are dogs, the second are
+asses, and the third are geese; only I perceive that the geese are the
+more numerous.'
+
+"They returned to the palace, but did not enter by the great vestibule,
+as Periander made use of a key for a private entrance, which led him
+into the interior of the building, at the end of the great hall.
+Hereupon, the officers of state, and the officers of the household who
+stood near the vestibule, waiting their return, seeing Periander, the
+ambassador, and the courtiers at the other end, hastened towards them,
+shouting as before--'There are but seven wise men, and Periander is the
+wisest.' Periander ordered them to be beaten with stripes; then,
+retiring into his private apartment with the ambassador, he conversed
+freely with him, and dismissed him with many and large presents.
+
+"The ambassador returned to Syracuse, and was immediately ordered into
+the royal presence, where he narrated, amidst the laughter of the
+courtiers, and of the Tyrant himself, the whole affair as it had
+happened. When the laughter had a little subsided, the king said, 'Let
+it be written in a book, how one of the seven wise men had wellnigh been
+beaten by a goose, who certainly had been too much for him, had not
+another come to the rescue. Truly a goose is a foolish bird, too much
+for one, but not enough for two.'"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+N.B.--Hence it will be seen that this saying is of more antiquity than
+is generally believed, and has no relation to modern gluttony, and was
+in fact a saying of the Tyrant of Syracuse, when he heard the story told
+by his ambassador. This story, which will be Greek to many, will,
+perhaps, be no Greek at all to you. In that case go yourself to the
+Ambrosian library; or, in criticising what I may send, you may be as
+unfortunate as the great scholar who unconsciously questioned the Greek
+of Pindar. But, both for the moral and Greek, I will but add--
+
+  "Verbum sat sapienti."
+
+           Dear Eusebius, ever yours,
+                                  ----.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 1: It is a dangerous thing to touch upon chronology. It is
+said of the great Duke of Marlborough, that in a conversation respecting
+the first introduction of cannon, he quoted Shakspeare to prove that it
+was in the reign of John.
+
+  "O prudent discipline from north to south,
+  Austria and France _shoot_ in each other's mouth."
+
+Yes, said his adversary, but you quote Shakspeare, not history.]
+
+[Footnote 2: Is it possible that Coleridge may have seen this apologue
+when he wrote his "Ancient Mariner," and introduced a similar incident
+of the albatross?]
+
+
+
+
+THE STUDENT OF SALAMANCA.
+
+Part VI.
+
+  A la lid, nacionales valientes!
+  Al combate á la gloria volad!
+  Guerra y muerte á tiranos y esclavos,
+  Guerra y despues habra paz!
+
+  _Himno de Valladolíd._
+
+
+It still wanted an hour of daybreak, on the 16th day of July 1835, when
+the stillness, that during the previous four or five hours had reigned
+undisturbed in the quiet streets of Artajona, was broken by the clang of
+the _diana_. But a few notes of the call had issued from the brazen
+throats of bugle and trumpet, when a notable change took place in the
+appearance of the town. Lights, of which previously only a solitary one
+had here and there proceeded from the window of a guard-room, or of some
+early-rising orderly-sergeant, now glimmered in every casement; the
+streets were still empty, save of the trumpeters, who stood at the
+corners, puffing manfully at their instruments; but on all sides was
+audible a hum like that of a gigantic bee-hive, mingled with a slight
+clashing of arms, and with the neighing of numerous horses, who, as well
+as their masters, had heard and recognized the well-known sounds. Two or
+three minutes elapsed, and then doors were thrown open, and the deserted
+streets began to assume a more lively appearance. Non-commissioned
+officers, their squad-rolls in their hands, took their station in front
+of the houses where their men were billeted; in the stables, dragoons
+lighted greasy iron lamps, and, suspending them against the wall,
+commenced cleaning and saddling their horses; the shutters of the
+various wine-houses were taken down, and drowsy, nightcapped
+_taberneros_ busied themselves in distributing to innumerable applicants
+the tiny glassful of _anisado_, which, during the whole twenty-four
+hours, is generally the sole spirituous indulgence permitted himself by
+the sober Spanish soldier. A few more minutes passed; the _revéille_ had
+ceased to sound, and on the principal square of the town a strong
+military band played, with exquisite skill and unison, the beautiful and
+warlike air of the hymn of Valladolid.
+
+  "A la lid, nacionales valientes!
+  Al combate, á la gloria volad!"
+
+"To the strife, brave nationals; to the strife, and to glory!" sang many
+a soldier, the martial words of the song recalled to his memory by the
+soul-stirring melody, as, buckling on sabre or shouldering musket, he
+hurried to the appointed parade. The houses and stables were now fast
+emptying, and the streets full. The monotonous "_Uno, dos_," of the
+infantry, as they told off, was drowned in the noise of the horses' feet
+and the jingle of accoutrements of the cavalry-men clattering out of
+their stables. By the light of a few dingy lanterns, and of the stronger
+illumination proceeding from the windows, whole battalions were seen
+assembled, resting on their arms, and presently they began to move out
+of the town. Outside of Artajona, the right wing of the army, under
+command of General Gurrea, formed up, and marched away in the direction
+of Mendigorria.
+
+The sun had but just risen when this division, after driving in the
+Carlist cavalry pickets, which had been pushed up to within half a
+league of Artajona, halted and took position to the right of the
+high-road between that town and Mendigorria. The ground thus occupied is
+level, and opposite to nearly the centre of a line of low hills, which,
+after running for some distance parallel to the Arga, recedes at either
+extremity, thus forming the flattened arc of a circle, of which the
+river is the chord. Between the hills, which are inconsiderable and of
+gradual slope, and the river, runs the high-road from Puente de la Reyna
+to Larraga; and in rear of their more southerly portion, known as La
+Corona, opposite to the place where the road from Artajona passes
+through a dip or break in their continuity, are the town and bridge of
+Mendigorria. Upon these hills the Carlists, who had passed the night in
+the last-named town, now formed themselves, their main body upon the
+eastern slope, their reserves upon the western or reverse side. They
+were still bringing their masses into position, when the Christino right
+came upon the ground, and for awhile, although the distance between the
+hostile forces was not great, no shot was fired on either side. By and
+by, however, the dark figures of the Carlist guerillas were seen racing
+down the hills, the Christino skirmishers advanced to meet them, and
+soon a sharp irregular fire of musketry, and the cloud of smoke which
+spread over the middle ground between the armies, announced that the
+fight, or at least the prelude to it, had begun. This desultory sort of
+contest was of short duration. Several Carlist battalions moved forward,
+a gallant attack was made on the Christino position, and as gallantly
+repelled: commanded by a brave and skilful officer, and favoured by a
+judicious choice of ground, the Queen's troops, although opposed to
+vastly superior numbers, and without their cavalry, which had remained
+with the reserve, repulsed repeated assaults, and held their own without
+serious loss, until, towards ten o'clock, the heads of columns of the
+centre of the army, under the commander-in-chief himself, made their
+appearance from the direction of Artajona. Almost at the same time, the
+left wing, with Espartero at its head, arrived from Larraga, where it
+had slept. Some little manoeuvring took place, and then the whole
+Christino army appeared formed up, Cordova on either side of the
+high-road, Espartero on his left, nearer to the Arga, Gurrea on his
+right. By a rather singular arrangement, the whole force of cavalry,
+under General Lopez, was left in reserve, considerably in rear of the
+left wing, and at a full mile and a half from the centre; with the
+exception of one squadron, which, as well as his habitual escort, had
+accompanied General Cordova. That squadron was commanded by Luis
+Herrera.
+
+A stranger who, on the morning referred to, should, for the first time,
+have walked through the ranks of the Carlist army, would have found much
+that was curious and interesting to note. The whole disposable military
+force of what the Christinos called the Faction, was there assembled,
+and a motley crew it appeared. Had stout hearts and strong arms been as
+rare in their ranks as uniformity of garb and equipment, the struggle
+would hardly have been prolonged for four years after the date we write
+of. But it would be difficult to find in any part of Europe, perhaps of
+the world, men of more hardy frame, and better calculated to make good
+soldiers, than those composing many of the Carlist battalions. Amongst
+them the Navarrese and Guipuzcoans were pre-eminent; sinewy,
+broad-chested, narrow-flanked fellows, of prodigious activity and
+capacity for enduring fatigue. The Guipuzcoans especially, in their
+short grey frocks and red trousers, their necks bare, the shirt-collar
+turned back over their shoulders, with their bronzed faces and wiry
+mustaches, leathern belts, containing cartridges, buckled tightly round
+their waists, and long bright-barrelled muskets in their hands, were the
+very _beau-idéal_ of grenadiers. Beside these, the Biscayans and some of
+the Castilians, undersized and unsoldierly-looking, showed to much
+disadvantage. Other battalions were composed in great part of Christino
+prisoners, who, having had the choice given them between death and
+service under Don Carlos, had chosen the latter, but who now seemed to
+have little stomach for a fight against their former friends. The whole
+of the Carlist cavalry, even then not very numerous, was also there. The
+grim-visaged priest Merino, ever the stanchest partisan of absolutism,
+bestrode his famous black horse, and headed a body of lancers as fierce
+and wild-looking as himself; Pascual Real, the dashing major of
+Ferdinand's guard, who in former days, when he took his afternoon ride
+in the Madrid prado, drew all eyes upon him by the elegance of his
+horsemanship, marshalled the Alavese hussars; and, in a third place,
+some squadrons of Navarrese, who had left the fat pastures of the valley
+of Echauri to be present at the expected fight, were ranged under the
+orders of the young and gallant Manolin.
+
+But whoever had the opportunity of observing the Carlist army on that
+day and a month previously, saw a mighty difference in the spirit
+pervading it. He who had been its soul, whose prestige gave confidence
+to the soldier, and whose acknowledged superiority of talent prevented
+rivalry amongst the chiefs, was now no more; his death had been followed
+by a reverse, the only really serious one the Carlists had yet
+encountered, and dissension was already springing up amongst the
+followers of the Pretender. Intrigue was at work, rival interests were
+brought into play; there was no longer amongst the officers that unity
+of purpose which alone could have given the cause a chance of success;
+nor amongst the men that unbounded confidence in their leader, which on
+so many occasions had rendered them invincible. The spring of '35 had
+been a season of triumph for the Carlists; the summer was to be one of
+disasters.
+
+Subsequent events sufficiently proved that Cordova was not the man to
+command an army. Diplomacy was his forte; and he might also, as a
+general, claim some merit for combinations in the cabinet. It was during
+his command that the plan was formed for enclosing the Carlists within
+certain fortified limits, in hopes that they would exhaust the resources
+of the country, and with a view to preserve other provinces from the
+contagion of Carlism.[3] Great credit was given him for this scheme,
+which was carried out after many severe fights, and at great expense of
+life; but neither of the advantages expected from it was ever realized.
+In the field, Cordova was not efficient; he lacked resource and
+promptitude; and the command of a division was the very utmost to which
+his military talents entitled him to aspire. As before mentioned,
+however, his confidence and pretensions were unbounded, his partisans
+numerous, and the event of this day's fight was such as greatly to
+increase the former, and raise the admiration of the latter.
+
+It was eleven o'clock before the two armies were drawn up opposite to
+each other in order of battle, and even then neither party seemed
+inclined immediately to assume the offensive. Clouds of skirmishers were
+thrown out along the whole line, bodies of troops advanced to support
+them, the artillery began to thunder, but still a fight was for a short
+time avoided, and, like wary chess-players at the commencement of a
+game, the two generals contented themselves with manoeuvres.
+Presently, however, from the Carlist centre a column of cavalry
+advanced, and forming front, charged a regiment of the royal guard, the
+foremost of Cordova's division. The guards were broken, and suffered
+considerably; those who escaped the sabres and lances of the horsemen
+being driven back, some to the centre and some upon the left wing. The
+cavalry seemed, for a moment, disposed to push their advantage; but the
+steady fire with which they were received by several squares of
+infantry, thinned their ranks, and, in their turn, they retreated in
+disorder. They had scarcely rejoined the main body when the advance was
+sounded along the whole Christino line, and the army moved forward to a
+general charge. At first the Carlists stood firm, and opened a
+tremendous fire upon the advancing line, but the gaps that it caused
+were speedily filled up; the Christinos poured in one deadly volley,
+gave a fierce cheer, and rushed on with the bayonet. The Carlists
+wavered, their whole army staggered to and fro; first companies, then
+battalions disbanded themselves, and pressed in confusion to the rear,
+and at last the entire line gave way; and the numerous host, seized with
+a panic, commenced a hasty and tumultuous retreat. The reserves on the
+opposite side of the hill were broken by the stream of fugitives that
+came pouring down upon them; the cavalry, who endeavoured to make a
+stand, were thrown into disorder, and pushed out of their ranks in the
+same manner. In vain did the Carlist officers exert themselves to
+restore order--imploring, threatening, even cutting at the soldiers with
+their swords. Here and there a battalion or two were prevailed upon to
+turn against the foe; but such isolated efforts could do little to
+restore the fortune of the day. The triumphant tide of the Christinos
+rolled ever forwards; the plunging fire of their artillery carried
+destruction into the ranks of the discomfited Carlists; the rattling
+volleys of small-arms, the clash of bayonets, the exulting shouts of the
+victors, the cries of anguish of the wounded, mingled in deafening
+discord. Amidst this confusion, a whole battalion of Carlists, the third
+of Castile, formed originally of Christino prisoners, finding
+themselves about to be charged by a battalion of the guard, reversed
+their muskets, and shouting "Viva Isabel!" ranged themselves under the
+banners to which they had formerly belonged, taking with them as
+prisoners such of their officers as did not choose to follow their
+example. Generals Villareal and Sagastibelza, two of the bravest and
+most respected of the Carlist leaders, were severely wounded whilst
+striving to restore order, and inspire their broken troops with fresh
+courage. Many other officers of rank fell dead upon the field while
+similarly engaged; the panic was universal, and the day irretrievably
+lost.
+
+"The cavalry! the cavalry!" exclaimed a young man, who now pressed
+forward into the _mêlée_. He wore a long, loose civilian's coat, a small
+oilskin-covered forage cap, and had for his sole military insignia an
+embroidered sword-belt, sustaining the gilt scabbard of the sabre that
+flashed in his hand. His countenance was pale and rather sickly-looking,
+his complexion fairer than is usual amongst Spaniards; a large silk
+cravat was rolled round his neck, and reached nearly to his ears,
+concealing, it was said, the ravages of disease. His charger was of
+surpassing beauty; a plumed and glittering staff rode around him; behind
+came a numerous escort.
+
+"The cavalry! the cavalry!" repeated Cordova, for he it was. "Where is
+Lopez and the cavalry?"
+
+But, save his own escort and Herrera's squadron, no cavalry was
+forthcoming. Lopez remained unpardonably inactive, for want of orders,
+as he afterwards said; but, under the circumstances, this was hardly an
+extenuation. The position of the Carlists had been, in the first
+instance, from the nature of the ground, scarcely attackable by horse,
+at least with any prospect of advantage; but now the want of that arm
+was great and obvious. Cordova's conduct in leaving his squadrons so far
+in the rear, seems, at any rate, inexplicable. It was by unaccountable
+blunders of this sort, that he and others of the Christino generals drew
+upon themselves imputations of lukewarmness, and even of treachery.
+
+An aide-de-camp galloped up to Herrera, whose squadron had been
+stationed with the reserve of the centre. His horse, an
+Isabella-coloured Andalusian, with silver mane and tail, of the kind
+called in Spain _Perla_, was soaked with sweat and grey with foam. The
+rider was a very young man, with large fiery black eyes, thin and
+martially-expressive features, and a small mustache shading his upper
+lip. He was a marquis, of one of the noblest families in Spain. He
+seemed half mad with excitement.
+
+"Forward with your squadron!" shouted he, as soon as he came within
+earshot. The word was welcome to Herrera.
+
+"Left wheel! forward! gallop!"
+
+And, with the aide-de-camp at his side, he led his squadron along the
+road to Mendigorria, which intersects the hills whence the Carlists were
+now being driven. They had nearly reached the level ground on the other
+side, when they came in sight of several companies of infantry, who made
+a desperate stand. Their colonel, a Navarrese of almost gigantic
+stature--his sword, which had been broken in the middle, clutched firmly
+in his hand, his face streaming with blood from a slash across the
+forehead, his left arm hanging by his side, disabled by a severe
+wound--stood in front of his men, who had just repulsed the attack of
+some Christino infantry. On perceiving the cavalry, however, they showed
+symptoms of wavering.
+
+"Steady!" roared the colonel, knitting his bleeding brow. "The first man
+who moves dies by my hand!"
+
+In spite of the menace, two or three men ventured to steal away, and
+endeavoured to leave the road unobserved. The colonel sprang like a
+tiger upon one of them.
+
+"_Cobarde! muera!_" cried the frantic Carlist, cleaving the offender to
+the eyes with the fragment of his sword. The terrible example had its
+effect; the men stood firm for a moment, and opened a well-aimed fire on
+the advancing cavalry.
+
+"_Jesus Cristo!_" exclaimed the young aide-de-camp. Herrera looked at
+him. His features were convulsed with pain. One more name which he
+uttered--it was that of a woman--reached Herrera's ears, and then he
+fell from his saddle to the earth; and the dragoons, unable to turn
+aside, trampled him under foot. There was no time for reflection.
+"Forward! forward!" was the cry, and the horsemen entered the smoke. On
+the right of the Carlists, in front, stood their dauntless colonel,
+waving his broken sabre, and shouting defiance. Firm as a rock he
+awaited the cavalry. Struck by his gallantry, Herrera wished to spare
+his life.
+
+"_Rinde te!_" he cried; "yield!"
+
+"_Jode te!_" was the coarse but energetic reply of the Carlist, as he
+dealt a blow which Herrera with difficulty parried. At the same moment a
+lance-thrust overthrew him. There were a few shouts of rage, a few cries
+for mercy; here and there a bayonet grated against a sabre, but there
+was scarcely a check in the speed; such of the infantry as stood to
+receive the charge were ridden over, and Herrera and his squadron swept
+onwards towards the bridge of Mendigorria.
+
+Now it was that the Carlists felt the consequences of that enormous
+blunder in the choice of a position, which, either through ignorance or
+over confidence, their generals had committed. With the Arga flowing
+immediately in their rear, not only was there no chance of rallying
+them, but their retreat was greatly embarrassed. One portion of the
+broken troops made for the bridge, and thronged over it in the wildest
+confusion, choking up the avenue by their numbers; others rushed to the
+fords higher up the stream, and dashing into the water, some of them,
+ignorant of the shallow places, were drowned in the attempt to cross.
+Had the Christino cavalry been on the field when the rout began, the
+loss of the vanquished would have been prodigious; as it was, it was
+very severe. The Christino soldiery, burning to revenge former defeats,
+and having themselves suffered considerably at the commencement of the
+fight, were eager in the pursuit, and gave little quarter. In less than
+two hours from the beginning of the action, the country beyond the Arga
+was covered with fugitives, flying for their lives towards the mountains
+of Estella. Narrow were the escapes of many upon that day. Don Carlos
+had been praying during the action in the church at Mendigorria; and so
+sudden was the overthrow of his army, that he himself was at one time in
+danger of being taken. A Christino officer, according to a story current
+at the time, had come up with him, and actually stretched out his hand
+to grasp his collar, when a bullet struck him from his saddle.
+
+Dashing over the bridge, Herrera and his squadron spurred in pursuit.
+Their horses were fresh, and they soon found themselves amongst the
+foremost, when suddenly a body of cavalry, which, although retiring,
+kept together and exerted itself to cover the retreat, faced about, and
+showed a disposition to wait their arrival. The Carlists were superior
+in numbers, but that Herrera neither saw nor cared for; and, rejoicing
+at the prospect of opposition to overcome, he waved his sword and
+cheered on his men. At exactly the same moment the hostile squadrons
+entered the opposite sides of a large field, and thundered along to the
+encounter, pounding the dry clods beneath their horses' hoofs, and
+raising a cloud of dust through which the lance-points sparkled in the
+sunlight, whilst above it the fierce excited features of the men were
+dimly visible. Nearer they came, and nearer; a shout, a crash, one or
+two shrill cries of anguish--a score of men and horses rolled upon the
+ground, the others passed through each other's ranks, and then again
+turning, commenced a furious hand-to-hand contest. The leader of the
+Carlists, a dark-browed, powerful man, singled out Herrera for a fierce
+attack. The fight, however, lasted but a few moments, and was yet
+undecided when the Christino infantry came up. A few of the surviving
+Carlists fled, but the majority, including their colonel, were
+surrounded and made prisoners. They were sent to the rear with an
+escort, and the chase was continued.
+
+It was nightfall before the pursuit entirely ceased, and some hours
+later before Herrera and his dragoons, who, in the flush of victory,
+forgot fatigue, arrived at Puente de la Reyna, where, and at
+Mendigorria, the Christino army took up their quarters. Sending the
+squadron to their stables, Herrera, without giving himself the trouble
+to demand a billet, repaired to an inn, where he was fortunate enough to
+obtain a bed--no easy matter in the crowded state of the town. The day
+had been so busy, that he had had little time to reflect further on the
+intelligence brought by Paco, of whom he had heard nothing since the
+morning. And now, so harassed and exhausted was he by the exertions and
+excitement of the day, that even anxious thoughts were insufficient to
+deprive him of the deep and refreshing slumber of which he stood in such
+great need.
+
+The morning sun shone brightly through the half-closed shutters of his
+apartment, when Herrera was awakened by the entrance of Paco. In the
+street without he heard a great noise and bustle; and, fearful of having
+slept too long, he sprang from his bed and began hastily to dress.
+Without saying a word, Paco threw open the window and beckoned to him.
+He hastened to look out. In front of the inn was an open _plaza_, now
+crowded with men and horses. A large body of troops were drawn up under
+arms, officers were assembled in groups, discussing the victory of the
+preceding day; and in the centre of the square, surrounded by a strong
+guard, stood several hundred Carlist prisoners. On one side of these
+were collected the captured horses both of men and officers, for the
+most part just as they had been taken, saddled and bridled, and their
+coats caked with dry sweat. Paco drew Herrera's attention to a man in
+officer's uniform, who stood, with folded arms and surly dogged looks,
+in the front rank of the prisoners. His eyes were fixed upon the ground,
+and he only occasionally raised them to cast vindictive glances at a
+party of officers of the Christino guards, who stood at a short distance
+in his front, and who seemed to observe him with some curiosity.
+
+"You see yonder colonel?" said Paco to Herrera. "Do you know him?"
+
+"Not I," replied Herrera. "Yet, now I look again--yes. He is one of my
+prisoners of yesterday. He commanded a body of cavalry which charged
+us."
+
+"Likely, likely," said Paco. "Do you know his name?"
+
+"How should I?" answered Herrera.
+
+"I will tell it you. It is Baltasar de Villabuena."
+
+Herrera uttered an exclamation of surprise. "Impossible!" said he.
+
+"Certain; I have seen him too often to mistake him."
+
+Herrera made no reply. His hasty toilet finished, he bade Paco remain
+where he was, and descended to the street. He approached the group of
+guardsmen already mentioned.
+
+"Your next move, gentlemen?" said he, after the usual salutation.
+
+"To Pampeluna with the prisoners," was the reply. "A reconnoissance _en
+force_ has gone out, but it may go far, I expect, before meeting with a
+Carlist. They are completely broken, and at this moment I doubt if there
+is one within a day's march."
+
+"Yes," said another officer, "they are far enough off, if still running.
+Caremba! what legs the fellows have! We caught a few, though, yesterday
+afternoon, in spite of their powdering along. Old acquaintances, too,
+some of them," he added.
+
+"Indeed!" said Herrera.
+
+"Yes; fellows who have served and marched side by side with us. Look
+there, for instance; do you see that sullen, black-looking dog squinting
+at us with such a friendly expression?"
+
+"Who is he?" enquired Herrera.
+
+"Baltasar de Villabuena, an old captain of our's before the war. He
+resigned when Zumalacarregui took the field, and joined the Carlists,
+and it seems they've made him a colonel. A surly, ill-conditioned cur he
+always was, or we should not be standing here without a word of kindness
+or consolation to offer him."
+
+To the surprise of the guardsmen, Herrera, before the officer had done
+speaking, walked up to the prisoner in question.
+
+"Colonel Villabuena?" said he, slightly touching his cap.
+
+"That is my name," replied the prisoner, sullenly.
+
+"We met yesterday, I believe," said Herrera, with cold politeness. "If I
+am not mistaken, you commanded the squadron which charged mine in the
+early part of the retreat."
+
+Baltasar nodded assent.
+
+"Is your horse amongst those yonder?" continued Herrera.
+
+"It is," replied Baltasar, who, without comprehending the drift of these
+questions, began to entertain hopes that his rank and former comradeship
+with many officers of the Christino army were about to obtain him an
+indulgence rarely accorded, during that war, to prisoners of any
+grade--the captured Carlists being looked upon by their adversaries
+rather as rebels and malefactors than as prisoners of war, and treated
+accordingly. He imagined that his horse was about to be restored to him,
+and that he would be allowed to ride to Pampeluna.
+
+"Yonder bay stallion," said he, "with a black sheepskin on the saddle,
+is mine."
+
+Herrera approached the officer commanding the guard over the prisoner,
+spoke a few words to him, and returned to Baltasar.
+
+"You will please to accompany me," said he.
+
+Baltasar complied, and captive and captor advanced to the horses.
+
+"This is mine," said Colonel Villabuena, laying his hand upon the neck
+of a powerful bay charger.
+
+Without saying another word, Herrera raised the sheepskin covering the
+holsters, and withdrew from them a brace of pistols, which he carefully
+examined. They were handsomely mounted, long-barrelled, with a small
+smooth bore, and their buts were inlaid with a silver plate, upon which
+a coronet and the initials E. de V. were engraved.
+
+"These pistols, I presume, are also yours?"
+
+"They are so," was the answer.
+
+"You will observe, sir," continued Herrera, showing the pistols to the
+officer on guard, who had followed him, "that I have taken these pistols
+from the holsters of this officer, Colonel Baltasar de Villabuena, who
+acknowledges them to be his. Look at them well; you may have to
+recognise them on a future day. I shall forthwith explain to the
+general-in-chief my motives for taking possession of them."
+
+The officer received the pistols, examined them carefully, and returned
+them to Herrera. Baltasar looked on with a perplexed and uneasy air.
+Just then the brigadier, who was to command the column proceeding to
+Pampeluna, rode into the plaza. The drums beat, and the troops stood to
+their arms.
+
+"Return to your place," said Herrera, sternly, to the prisoner. "We
+shall shortly meet again."
+
+And whilst Baltasar, alike disappointed and astonished at the strange
+conduct of the Christino officer, resumed his place in the captive
+ranks, Herrera betook himself to the quarters of the commander-in-chief.
+
+This time Torres made no difficulty about introducing his friend into
+the general's apartment. Cordova was lying at length upon a sofa in a
+large cool room, a cigar in his mouth, a quantity of despatches on a
+table beside him, two or three aides-de-camp and secretaries writing in
+an adjoining chamber. He received Herrera kindly, complimented him on
+his conduct in the preceding day's fight, and informed him that
+particular mention had been made of him in his despatch to Madrid. After
+an interview of some duration, Herrera left the house, with leave of
+absence for a fortnight, signed by Cordova himself, in his pocket.
+Proceeding to the barracks, he made over the squadron to his second in
+command; and then mounting his horse, attended by Paco, and followed by
+half a dozen dragoons, he took the road to the Ebro.
+
+In a street of Logroño, not far from the entrance of the town, stands
+one of those substantial and antiquated dwellings, remnants of the
+middle ages, which are of no unfrequent occurrence in Spain, and whose
+massive construction seems to promise as many more centuries of
+existence as they have already seen. It is the property, and at times
+the abode, of the nobleman whose arms are displayed, elaborately carved
+on stone, above the wide portal--a nobleman belonging to that section of
+the Spanish aristocracy, who, putting aside old prejudices, willingly
+adhered to the more liberal and enlightened order of things to which
+the death of Ferdinand was the prelude. In a lofty and spacious
+apartment of this mansion, and on the evening of the first day after
+that of Herrera's departure from Puente de la Reyna, we find Count
+Villabuena reclining in an easy-chair, and busied with thoughts, which,
+it might be read upon his countenance, were of other than a pleasant
+character. Since last we saw him, full of life and strength, and still
+active and adventurous as a young man, encountering fatigues and dangers
+in the service of his so-called sovereign, a great and sad change had
+taken place in the Count, and one scarcely less marked in his hopes and
+feelings. The wound received by him in the plains of Alava, although
+severe and highly dangerous, had not proved mortal; and when Herrera
+sought his body with the intention of doing the last mournful honours to
+the protector of his youth, and father of his beloved Rita, he
+perceived, to his extreme joy, that life had not entirely fled. On a
+litter, hastily and rudely constructed of boughs, the Count was conveyed
+to Vittoria, where he no sooner arrived, than by the anxious care of
+Herrera, half the surgeons in the town were summoned to his couch. For
+some days his life was in imminent peril; but at last natural strength
+of constitution, and previous habits of temperance, triumphed over the
+wound, and over the conclave of Sangrados who had undertaken his case.
+The Count recovered, gradually it is true, and without a prospect of
+ever regaining his former firm health; but still, to Herrera's great
+delight, and owing in a great measure to the care he lavished upon him,
+his life was at last pronounced entirely out of danger.
+
+Upon arriving at Vittoria with his sorely wounded friend, duty had
+compelled Herrera to report his capture; but although the prisoner was
+considered a most important one, his state was so hopeless, that Luis
+had little difficulty in obtaining permission to become his sole jailer,
+pledging himself to reproduce him in case he should recover. When the
+Count got better, and became aware of his position, he insisted upon
+Herrera's informing the authorities of his convalescence, and of his
+readiness to proceed to any place of confinement they might appoint.
+Herrera's high character and noble qualities had made him many friends,
+some of them persons of influence, and he now successfully exerted
+himself to obtain a favour which was probably never before or afterwards
+conceded to a prisoner during the whole course of that war. Count
+Villabuena was allowed his parole, and was moreover told, that on
+pledging himself to retire to France, and to take no further share,
+direct or indirect, in the Carlist rebellion, he should obtain his
+release. One other condition was annexed to this. Two colonels of the
+Queen's army, who were detained prisoners by the Carlists, were to be
+given up in exchange for his liberty.
+
+When these terms, so unexpectedly favourable, were communicated to the
+Count, he lost no time in addressing a letter to Don Carlos, informing
+him of his position, and requesting him to fulfil that portion of the
+conditions depending on him, by liberating the Christino officers. With
+shattered health, he could not hope, he said, again to render his
+Majesty services worth the naming; his prayers would ever be for his
+success, but they were all he should be able to offer, even did an
+unconditional release permit him to rejoin his sovereign. In the same
+letter he implored Don Carlos to watch over the safety of his daughter,
+and cause her to be conducted to France under secure escort. This letter
+dispatched, by the medium of a flag of truce, the Count sought and
+obtained permission to remove to the town of Logroño, where an old
+friend, the Marquis of Mendava, had offered him an asylum till his fate
+should be decided upon.
+
+Long and anxiously did the Count await a reply to his letter, but weeks
+passed without his receiving it. Three days before the battle of
+Mendigorria, the Christino army passed through Logroño on its way
+northwards, and the Count had the pleasure of a brief visit from
+Herrera. A few hours after the troops had again marched away, a courier
+arrived from Vittoria, bringing the much wished-for answer. It was cold
+and laconic, written by one of the ministers of Don Carlos. Regret was
+expressed for the Count's misfortune, but that regret was apparently not
+sufficiently poignant to induce the liberation of two important
+prisoners, in order that a like favour might be extended to one who
+could no longer be of service to the Carlist cause.
+
+Although enveloped in the verbiage and complimentary phrases which the
+Spanish language so abundantly supplies, the real meaning of the
+despatch was evident enough to Count Villabuena. Courted when he could
+be of use, he was now, like a worthless fruit from which pulp and juice
+had been expressed, thrown aside and neglected. It was a bitter pang to
+his generous heart to meet such ingratitude from the prince whom he had
+so much loved, and for whose sake he had made enormous sacrifices. To
+add to his grief, the only answer to his request concerning his daughter
+was a single line, informing him that she had left Segura several weeks
+previously, and that her place of abode was unknown.
+
+Depressed and heartsick, the Count lay back in his chair, shading his
+eyes with his hand, and musing painfully on the events of the preceding
+two years. His estates confiscated, his health destroyed, separated from
+his only surviving child, and her fate unknown to him, himself a
+prisoner--such were the results of his blind devotion to a worthless
+prince and a falling principle. Great, indeed, was the change which
+physical and mental suffering had wrought in the Conde de Villabuena.
+His form was bowed and emaciated, his cheek had lost its healthful
+tinge; his hair, in which, but a short three months previously, only a
+few silver threads were perceptible, telling of the decline of life
+rather than of its decay, now fell in grey locks around his sunken
+temples. For himself individually, the Count grieved not; he had done
+what he deemed his duty, and his conscience was at rest; but he mourned
+the ingratitude of his king and party, and, above all, his heart bled at
+the thought of his daughter, abandoned friendless and helpless amongst
+strangers. The news of the preceding day's battle had reached him, but
+he took small interest in it; he foresaw that many more such fights
+would be fought, and countless lives be sacrificed, before peace would
+revisit his unhappy and distracted country.
+
+From these gloomy reflections Count Villabuena was roused by the sudden
+opening of his door. The next instant his hand was clasped in that of
+Luis Herrera, who, hot with riding, dusty and travel-stained, gazed
+anxiously on the pale, careworn countenance of his old and venerable
+friend. On beholding Luis, a beam of pleasure lighted up the features of
+the Count.
+
+"You at least are safe!" was his first exclamation. "Thank Heaven for
+that! I should indeed be forlorn if aught happened to you."
+
+There was an accent of unusually deep melancholy in the Count's voice
+which struck Herrera, and caused him for an instant to imagine that he
+had already received intelligence of his cousin's treachery, and of
+Rita's captivity. Convinced, however, by a moment's reflection, that it
+was impossible, he dreaded some new misfortune.
+
+"You are dejected, sir," he said. "What has again occurred to grieve
+you?--The reverse sustained by your friends"--
+
+"No, no," interrupted the Count, with a bitter smile--"not so. My
+friends, as you call them, seem little desirous of my poor sympathy.
+Luis, read this."
+
+As he spoke, he held out the letter received from the secretary of Don
+Carlos.
+
+"It was wisely said," continued the Count, when Herrera had finished its
+perusal, "'put not your trust in princes.' Thus am I rewarded for
+devotion and sacrifices. Hearken to me, Luis. It matters little,
+perhaps, whether I wear out the short remnant of my days in captivity or
+in exile; but my daughter, my pure, my beautiful Rita, what will become
+of her--alas! what has become of her? My soul is racked with anxiety on
+her account, and I curse the folly and imprudence that led me to
+re-enter this devoted land. My child--my poor child--can I forgive
+myself for perilling your defenceless innocence in this accursed war!"
+
+His nerves unstrung by illness, and overcome by his great affliction,
+the usually stern and unbending Villabuena bowed his head upon his
+hands and sobbed aloud. Inexpressibly touched by this outburst of grief
+in one to whose nature such weakness was so foreign, Herrera did his
+utmost to console and tranquillize his friend. The paroxysm was short,
+and the Count regained his former composure. Although dreading the
+effect of the communication, Herrera felt it absolutely necessary to
+impart at once the news brought by Paco. He proceeded accordingly in the
+task, and as cautiously as possible, softening the more painful parts,
+suggesting hopes which he himself could not feel, and speaking
+cheeringly of the probability of an early rescue. The Count bore the
+communication as one who could better sustain certain affliction than
+killing suspense.
+
+"Something I know," said he, when Herrera paused, "of the convent you
+mention, and still more of its abbess. Carmen de Forcadell was long
+celebrated, both at Madrid and in her native Andalusia, for her beauty
+and intrigues. Her husband was assassinated by one of her lovers, as
+some said, and within three years of his death, repenting, it was
+believed, of her dissolute life, she took the veil. Once, I know,
+Baltasar was her reputed lover; but whatever may now be his influence
+over her, I cannot think she would allow my daughter to be ill treated
+whilst within her walls. No, Herrera, the danger is, lest the villain
+may remove my Rita, and place her where no shield may stand between her
+and his purposes."
+
+"Do not fear it," replied Herrera, in his turn reassured by the Count's
+moderation. "Your cousin was taken in the action of the 16th, and is now
+a prisoner at Pampeluna."
+
+"Indeed!" exclaimed the Count, his face brightening with satisfaction.
+"It is good news, indeed."
+
+"Better than you even think, perhaps. You have preserved the ball that
+was extracted from your wound?"
+
+"I have," replied the Count, "at your request. What of it?"
+
+"So long," said Herrera, "as no advantage could be gained from my
+communication, I would not shock you with a statement that even now will
+cause you serious pain. You remember, sir, that at the time of receiving
+your wound you were at a very short distance from me, and that your
+cousin was at a still less one from you, in your rear. As you advanced
+towards the intervening stream, my eyes, conducted by chance, or
+something better, fixed on your cousin, who at the moment drew a pistol
+from his holster. You were but a few paces from him, when I saw him
+deliberately--I could not be mistaken--deliberately vary his aim from
+myself to you. The pistol was fired--you fell from your horse, struck by
+his hand. You seem surprised. The deed was as inexplicable to me until
+from your own lips I heard who the officer was--that there had been
+serious disagreement between you--and that his temper was violent, and
+character bad. Coupled with what my own eyes saw, the bullet itself, far
+too small for a carbine ball, convinced me that it had proceeded from a
+pistol. Instinctively, rather than from any anticipation of its being
+hereafter useful, I requested you to preserve the ball, and to-day an
+extraordinary chance enables me to verify my suspicions. Let the bullet
+be now produced."
+
+Astounded by what he heard, but still incredulous, the Count summoned
+his attendant.
+
+"Bring me the bullet that I bade you keep," said the Count.
+
+"And desire my orderly," added Herrera, "to bring me the brace of
+pistols he will find in my valise."
+
+In a few moments both commands were obeyed. The bullet was of very small
+calibre, and, not having encountered any bone, had preserved its
+rotundity without even an indentation.
+
+"Do you recognize these pistols?" said Herrera, showing the Count those
+which he had taken from Baltasar's holsters. "This coronet and initials
+proclaim them to have been once your own."
+
+"They were so," replied the Count, taking one of them in his hand--"a
+present to my cousin soon after he joined us. I remember them well; he
+carried them on the day that I was wounded."
+
+"Behold!" said Herrera, who placed the bullet in the muzzle of the
+pistol, into the barrel of which it slid, fitting there exactly.
+Shocked and confounded by this proof of his kinsman's villany, the Count
+dropped the other pistol and remained sad and silent.
+
+"You doubt no longer?" said Herrera.
+
+"May it not have been accident?" said the Count, almost imploringly. "No
+Villabuena could commit so base and atrocious a crime."
+
+"None but he," said Herrera. "I watched him as he took his aim, not
+twenty paces from you. With half a doubt, I would have bitten my tongue
+from my mouth before an accusation should have passed it against the man
+in whose favour indeed I have no cause to be prejudiced. Count
+Villabuena, the shot was fired with intent. For that I pledge my honour
+and salvation."
+
+There was a pause.
+
+"But my daughter," said the Count; "you forget her, Luis. She must be
+rescued. How does this fiend's imprisonment render that rescue easier?"
+
+"Thus," replied Herrera. "Yesterday I had an interview with Cordova, and
+told him every thing; the abduction of Rita, and Baltasar's attempt on
+your life. Of the latter I engaged to furnish ample proofs. Cordova, as
+I expected, was indignant, and would have shot the offender had I
+consented to the act. Upon reflection, however, he himself saw
+reasonable objections to a measure so opposed to the existing treaty for
+exchange of prisoners, and feared retaliation from the enemy. After some
+discussion it was agreed that the proof of Baltasar's attempt upon your
+life should be submitted, and, if found satisfactory, that the prisoner
+should be placed at my disposal. In that event his liberty, nay, his
+life, must depend upon his consenting, unreservedly, to write to the
+convent, to desire the abbess to set Rita at liberty, and to provide for
+her safe conduct into France. Until then, Baltasar, by the general's
+order, remains in solitary confinement at Pampeluna."
+
+"Good," said the Count approvingly.
+
+"I had a threefold object in coming hither," continued Herrera. "To
+obtain proof of Baltasar's guilt, to comfort you with the hopes of
+Rita's safety, and to take you with me to Pampeluna. Baltasar of course
+believes you dead; he will the more readily abandon his designs when he
+finds that you still live."
+
+"Rightly reasoned," said the Count. "Why should we now delay another
+instant? Your news, Herrera, has made me young and strong again."
+
+"We will set out to-morrow," said Herrera. "A column of troops march at
+daybreak for Pampeluna, and we can avail ourselves of their escort."
+
+His hopes revived and energies restored by the intelligence Luis had
+brought, the Count would have preferred starting without a moment's
+delay; but Herrera, although not less impatient, insisted on waiting
+till the next day. Although the principal force of the Carlists had been
+driven back into Western Navarre, the road to Pampeluna was not safe
+without a strong escort, and Herrera himself had incurred no small risk
+in traversing it as he had done, with only half a dozen dragoons. Count
+Villabuena yielded to his representations, and the following morning
+witnessed their departure.
+
+Three days' marching brought the Count and Herrera to Pampeluna, whither
+Cordova and his victorious army had preceded them. Count Villabuena had
+reckoned too much upon his lately recovered strength; and, although the
+marches had not been long, he reached Pampeluna in a very exhausted
+state. It was evening when they arrived, and so crowded was the town
+with troops that they had some difficulty in obtaining quarters, which
+they at last found in the house of one of the principal tradesmen of the
+place. Leaving the Count to repose from his fatigues, Herrera went to
+visit Cordova, whom he informed of the positive certainty he had now
+obtained of Baltasar's culpability. The proofs of it might certainly, in
+a court of law, have been found insufficient, but Cordova took a
+military view of the case; his confidence in Herrera was great, his
+opinion of Baltasar, whom he had known in the service of Ferdinand, very
+bad; and finally, the valid arguments adduced by Luis left him no moral
+doubt of the prisoner's guilt. He gave the necessary orders for the
+admission of Herrera and Count Villabuena into the prison. The next
+day, however, the Count was still so fatigued and unwell from the
+effects of his journey, that it was found necessary to call in a
+physician, who forbade his leaving the house. The Count's impatience,
+and the pressing nature of the matter in hand, would have led him to
+disregard the prohibition, and at once proceed to the prison, which was
+at the other extremity of the town, had not Herrera, to conciliate his
+friend's health with the necessity for prompt measures, proposed to have
+the prisoner brought to him. An order to that effect was readily granted
+by Cordova, and, under proper escort, Don Baltasar was conducted to the
+Count's quarters.
+
+It would be erroneous to suppose, that, during the late war in Spain,
+adherents of Don Carlos were only to be found in the districts in which
+his standard was openly raised. In many or most of the towns best
+affected to the liberal cause, devoted partisans of the Pretender
+continued to reside, conforming to the established order of things, and
+therefore unmolested. In most instances their private opinions were
+suspected, in some actually known; but a few of them were so skilful in
+concealing their political bias and partialities, as to pass for steady
+and conscientious favourers of the Queen's government. Here was one and
+no unimportant cause of the prolongation of the war; the number of spies
+thus harboured in the very heart of the Christino camp and councils. By
+these men intelligence was conveyed to the Carlists, projected
+enterprises were revealed, desertion amongst the soldiery and
+disaffection amongst the people, stimulated and promoted. Many of these
+secretly-working agents were priests, but there was scarcely a class of
+the population, from the nobleman to the peasant, and including both
+sexes, in which they were not to be found. Innumerable were the plans
+traversed by their unseen and rarely detectable influence. On many a
+dark night, when the band of Zurbano, El Mochuelo, or some other
+adventurous leader, issued noiselessly from the gates of a town, opened
+expressly for their egress, to accomplish the surprise of distant post
+or detachment, a light in some lofty window, of no suspicious appearance
+to the observer uninformed of its meaning, served as a beacon to the
+Carlists, and told them that danger was abroad. The Christinos returned
+empty-handed and disappointed from their fruitless expedition, cursing
+the treachery which, although they could not prove it, they were well
+assured was the cause of their failure.
+
+One of the most active, but, at the same time, of the least suspected,
+of these subtle agents, was a certain Basilio Lopez, cloth-merchant in
+the city of Pampeluna. He was a man past the middle age, well to do in
+the world, married and with a family, and certainly, to all appearance,
+the last person to make or meddle in political intrigues of any kind,
+especially in such as might, by any possibility, peril his neck. Whoever
+had seen him, in his soberly cut coat, with his smooth-shaven, sleek,
+demure countenance and moderately rotund belly, leaning on the half-door
+of his Almacen de Paños, and witnessed his bland smile as he stepped
+aside to give admission to a customer or gossip, would have deemed the
+utmost extent of his plottings to be, how he should get his cloths a
+real cheaper or sell them at a real more than their market value. There
+was no speculation, it seemed, in that dull placid countenance, save
+what related to ells of cloth and steady money-getting. Beyond his
+business, a well-seasoned _puchero_ and an evening game at loto, might
+have been supposed to fill up the waking hours and complete the
+occupations of the worthy cloth-dealer. His large, low-roofed, and
+somewhat gloomy shop was, like himself, of respectable and business-like
+aspect, as were also the two pale-faced, elderly clerks who busied
+themselves amongst innumerable rolls of cloth, the produce of French and
+Segovian looms. Above the shop was his dwelling-house, a strange,
+old-fashioned, many-roomed building, with immensely thick walls, long,
+winding corridors, ending and beginning with short flights of steps,
+apartments panneled with dark worm-eaten wood, lofty ceilings, and queer
+quaintly-carved balconies. It was a section of a line of building
+forming half the side of a street, and which, in days of yore, had been
+a convent of monks. Its former inmates, as the story went, had been any
+thing but ascetics in their practices, and at last so high ran the
+scandal of their evil doings, that they were fain to leave Pampeluna and
+establish themselves in another house of their order, south of the Ebro.
+Some time afterwards the convent had been subdivided into
+dwelling-houses, and one of these had for many years past been in the
+occupation of Basilio the cloth-merchant. Inside and out the houses
+retained much of their old conventual aspect, the only alterations that
+had been made consisting in the erection of partition walls, the opening
+of a few additional doors and windows, and the addition of balconies.
+One of the latter was well known to the younger portion of the officers
+in garrison at Pampeluna; for there, when the season permitted, the two
+pretty, black-eyed daughters of Master Basilio were wont to sit, plying
+their needles with a diligence which did not prevent their sometimes
+casting a furtive glance into the street, and acknowledging the
+salutation of some passing acquaintance or military admirer of their
+graces and perfections.
+
+In this house was it that Herrera and the Count had obtained quarters,
+and thither, early upon the morrow of their arrival at Pampeluna,
+Baltasar was conducted. The passage through the streets of a Carlist
+prisoner, whose uniform denoted him to be of rank, had attracted a
+little crowd of children and of the idlers ever to be found in Spanish
+towns; and some of these loitered in front of the house after its door
+had closed behind Baltasar and his escort. The entrance of the prisoner
+did not pass unnoticed by Basilio Lopez, who was at his favourite post
+at the shop-door. His placid physiognomy testified no surprise at the
+appearance of such unusual visitors; and no one, uninterested in
+observing him, would have noticed that, as Baltasar passed him, the
+cloth-merchant managed to catch his eye, and made a very slight, almost
+an imperceptible sign. It was detected by Baltasar, and served to
+complete his perplexity, which had already been raised to a high pitch
+by the different circumstances that had occurred during his brief
+captivity. He had first been puzzled by Herrera's conduct at Puente de
+la Reyna; the importance attached by the Christino officer to the
+possession and identification of his pistols was unaccountable to him,
+never dreaming of its real motive. Then he could not understand why he
+was placed in a separate prison, and treated more as a criminal than as
+a prisoner of war, instead of sharing the captivity and usage of his
+brother officers. And now, to his further bewilderment, he was conducted
+to a dwelling-house, before entering which, a man, entirely unknown to
+him, made him one of the slight but significant signs by which the
+adherents of Don Carlos were wont to recognise each other. He had not
+yet recovered from this last surprise, when he was ushered into a room
+where three persons were assembled. One of these was an aide-de-camp of
+Cordova, Herrera was another, and in the third, to his unutterable
+astonishment and consternation, Baltasar recognized Count Villabuena.
+
+There was a moment's silence, during which the cousins gazed at each
+other; the Count sternly and reproachfully, Baltasar with dilated
+eyeballs and all the symptoms of one who mistrusts the evidence of his
+senses. But Baltasar was too old an offender, too hardened in crime and
+obdurate in character, to be long accessible to emotion of any kind. His
+intense selfishness caused his own interests and safety to be ever
+uppermost in his thoughts, and the first momentary shock over, he
+regained his presence of mind, and was ready to act his part. Affecting
+extreme delight, he advanced with extended hand towards the Count.
+
+"Dare I believe my eyes?" he exclaimed. "A joyful surprise, indeed,
+cousin."
+
+"Silence, sir!" sternly interrupted the Count. "Dissimulation will not
+serve you. You are unmasked--your crimes known. Repent, and, if
+possible, atone them."
+
+Baltasar recoiled with well-feigned astonishment.
+
+"My crimes!" he indignantly repeated. "What is this, Count? Who accuses
+me--and of what?"
+
+Without replying, Count Villabuena looked at Herrera, who approached the
+door and pronounced a name, at which Baltasar, in spite of his
+self-command, started and grew pale. Paco entered the apartment.
+
+"Here," said the Count, "is one witness of your villany."
+
+"And here, another," said Herrera, lifting a handkerchief from the table
+and exhibiting Baltasar's pistols.
+
+The Carlist colonel staggered back as if he had received a blow. All
+that he had found inexplicable in the events of the last few days was
+now explained; he saw that he was entrapped, and that his offences were
+brought home to him. With a look of deadly hate at Herrera and the
+Count, he folded his arms and stood doggedly silent.
+
+In few words Herrera now informed Baltasar of the power vested in him by
+Cordova, and stated the condition on which he might yet escape the
+punishment of his crimes. These, however, Baltasar obstinately persisted
+in denying; nor were any threats sufficient to extort confession, or to
+prevail with him to write the desired letter to the abbess. Assuming the
+high tone of injured innocence, he scoffed at the evidence brought
+against him, and swore solemnly and deliberately that he was ignorant of
+Rita's captivity. Paco, he said, as a deserter, was undeserving of
+credit, and had forged an absurd tale in hopes of reward. As to the
+pistols, nothing was easier than to cast a bullet to fit them, and he
+vehemently accused Herrera of having fabricated the account of his
+firing at his cousin. A violent and passionate discussion ensued, highly
+agitating to the Conde in his then weak and feverish state. Finding, at
+length, that all Herrera's menaces had no effect on Baltasar's sullen
+obstinacy, Count Villabuena, his heart wrung by suspense and anxiety,
+condescended to entreaty, and strove to touch some chord of good
+feeling, if, indeed, any still existed, in the bosom of his unworthy
+kinsman.
+
+"Hear me, Baltasar," he said; "I would fain think the best I can of you.
+Let us waive the attempt on my life; no more shall be said of it. Gladly
+will I persuade myself that we have been mistaken; that my wound was the
+result of a chance shot either from you or your followers. Irregularly
+armed, one of them may have had pistols of the same calibre as yours.
+But my daughter, my dear poor Rita! Restore her, Baltasar, and let all
+be forgotten. On that condition you have Herrera's word and mine that
+you shall be the very first prisoner exchanged. Oh, Baltasar, do not
+drive to despair an old man, broken-hearted already! Think of days gone
+by, never to return; of your childhood, when I have so often held you on
+my knee; of your youth, when, in spite of difference of age, we were for
+a while companions and friends. Think of all this, Baltasar, and return
+not evil for good. Give me back my Rita, and receive my forgiveness, my
+thanks, my heartfelt gratitude. Your arm shall be stronger in the fight,
+your head calmer on your pillow, for the righteous and charitable act."
+
+In the excitement of this fervent address, the Count had risen from his
+chair, and stood with arms extended, and eyes fixed upon the gloomy
+countenance of Baltasar. His lips quivering with emotion, his trembling
+voice, pale features, and long grey hair; above all, the subject of his
+entreaties--a father pleading for the restoration of his only child--and
+his passionate manner of urging them, rendered the scene inexpressibly
+touching, and must have moved any but a heart of adamant. Such a one was
+that of Baltasar, who stood with bent brow and a sneer upon his lip,
+cold, contemptuous, and relentless.
+
+"Brave talk!" he exclaimed, in his harshest and most brutal tones;
+"brave talk, indeed, of old friendship and the like! Was it friendship
+that made you forget me in Ferdinand's time, when your interest might
+have advanced me? When you wanted me, I heard of you, but not before;
+and better for me had we never met. You lured me to join a hopeless
+cause, by promises broken as soon as claimed. You have ruined my
+prospects, treated me with studied scorn, and now you talk, forsooth, of
+old kindness and friendship, and sue--to me in chains--for mercy! It has
+come to that! The haughty Count Villabuena craves mercy at the hands of
+a prisoner! I answer you, I know nothing of your daughter; but I also
+tell you, Count, that if all yonder fellow's lies were truth, and I held
+the keys of her prison, I would sooner wear out my life in the foulest
+dungeon than give them up to you. But, pshaw! she thinks little enough
+about you. She has found her protector, I'll warrant you. There are
+smart fellows and comely amongst the king's followers, and she won't
+have wanted for consolation."
+
+It seemed as if Baltasar's defenceless condition was hardly to protect
+him from the instant punishment of his vile insinuation. With a deep
+oath, Herrera half drew his sword, and made a step towards the
+calumniator of his mistress. But his indignation, great though it was,
+was checked in its expression, and entirely lost sight of, owing to a
+sudden outbreak of the most furious and uncontrolled anger on the part
+of the Count. His face, up to that moment so pale, became suffused with
+blood, till the veins seemed ready to burst; his temples throbbed
+visibly, his eyes flashed, his lips grew livid, and his teeth chattered
+with fury.
+
+"Scoundrel!" he shouted, in a voice which had momentarily regained all
+its power--"scoundrel and liar! Assassin, with what do you reproach me?
+Why did I cast you off, and when? Never till your own vices compelled
+me. What promise did I make and not keep? Not one. Base traducer,
+disgrace to the name you bear! so sure as there is a God in heaven, your
+misdeeds shall meet their punishment here and hereafter!"
+
+During this violent apostrophe, Baltasar, who, at Herrera's threatening
+movement, had glanced hurriedly around him as if seeking a weapon of
+defence, resumed his former attitude of indifference. Leaning against
+the wall, he stood with folded arms, and gazed with an air of insolent
+hardihood at the Count, who had advanced close up to him, and who,
+carried away by his anger, shook his clenched hand almost in his
+cousin's face. Suddenly, however, overcome and exhausted by the violence
+of his emotions, and by this agitating scene, the Count tottered, and
+would have fallen to the ground, had not Herrera and Torres hurried to
+his support. They placed him in his chair, into which he helplessly
+sank; his head fell back, the colour again left his cheeks, and his eyes
+closed.
+
+"He has fainted," cried Herrera.
+
+The Count was indeed insensible. Torres hastened to unfasten his cravat.
+
+"Air!" exclaimed Torres; "give him air!"
+
+Herrera ran to the window and threw it open. Water was thrown upon the
+Count's face, but without reviving him; and his swoon was so deathlike,
+that for a moment his anxious friends almost feared that life had
+actually departed.
+
+"Let him lie down," said Torres, looking around for a sofa. There was
+none in the room.
+
+"Let us place him on his bed," cried Herrera. And, aided by Torres and
+Paco, he carefully raised the Count and carried him into an adjoining
+room, used as a bedchamber. Baltasar remained in the same place which he
+had occupied during the whole time of the interview, namely, on the side
+of the room furthest from the windows, and with his back against the
+wall.
+
+It has already been said that Baltasar de Villabuena had few friends. In
+all Pampeluna there was probably not one man, even amongst his former
+comrades of the guard, who would have moved a step out of his way to
+serve or save him; and certainly, in the whole city, there were scarcely
+half a dozen persons who, through attachment to the Carlist cause, would
+have incurred any amount of risk to rescue one of its defenders. Most
+fortunately for Baltasar, it was in the house of one of those rare but
+strenuous adherents of Don Carlos that he now found himself. Scarcely
+had the Count and his bearers passed through the doorway between the two
+rooms, when a slight noise close to him caused Baltasar to turn. A
+pannel of the chamber wall slid back, and the sleek rotund visage of the
+man who had exchanged signs with him as he entered the house, appeared
+at the aperture. His finger was on his lips, and his small grey eyes
+gleamed with an unusual expression of decision and vigilance. One
+lynx-like glance he cast into the apartment, and then grasping the arm
+of Baltasar, he drew, almost dragged him through the opening. The pannel
+closed with as little noise as it had opened.
+
+Ten seconds elapsed, not more, and Herrera, who, in his care for the
+Count, had momentarily forgotten the prisoner, hurried back into the
+apartment. Astonished to find it empty, but not dreaming of an escape,
+he ran to the antechamber. The corporal and two soldiers, who had
+escorted Baltasar, rose from the bench whereon they had seated
+themselves, and carried arms.
+
+"And the prisoner?" cried Herrera.
+
+They had not seen him. Herrera darted back into the sitting-room.
+
+"Where is the prisoner?" exclaimed Torres, whom he met there.
+
+"Escaped!" cried Herrera. "The window! the window!"
+
+They rushed to the open window. It was at the side of the house, and
+looked out upon a narrow street, having a dead wall for some distance
+along one side, and little used as a thoroughfare. At that moment not a
+living creature was to be seen in it. The height of the window from the
+ground did not exceed a dozen feet, offering an easy leap to a bold and
+active man, and one which, certainly, no one in Baltasar's circumstances
+would for a moment have hesitated to take. Herrera threw himself over
+the balcony, and dropping to the ground, ran off down a neighbouring
+lane, round the corner of which he fancied, on first reaching the
+window, that he saw the skirt of a man's coat disappear. Leaving the
+Count, who was now regaining consciousness, in charge of Paco, Torres
+hurried out to give the alarm and cause an immediate pursuit.
+
+But in vain, during the whole of that day, was the most diligent search
+made throughout the town for the fugitive Carlist. Every place where he
+was likely to conceal himself, the taverns and lower class of posadas,
+the parts of the town inhabited by doubtful and disreputable characters,
+the houses of several suspected Carlists, were in turn visited, but not
+a trace of Baltasar could be found, and the night came without any
+better success. Herrera was furious, and bitterly reproached himself for
+his imprudence in leaving the prisoner alone even for a moment. His
+chief hope, a very faint one, now was, that Baltasar would be detected
+when endeavouring to leave the town. Strict orders were given to the
+sentries at the gates, to observe all persons going out of Pampeluna,
+and to stop any of suspicious appearance, or who could not give a
+satisfactory account of themselves.
+
+The hour of noon, upon the day subsequent to Baltasar's disappearance,
+was near at hand, and the peasants who daily visited Pampeluna with the
+produce of their farms and orchards, were already preparing to depart.
+The presence of Cordova's army, promising them a great accession of
+custom, and the temporary absence from the immediate vicinity of the
+Carlist troops, who frequently prevented their visiting Christino towns
+with their merchandise, had caused an unusual concourse of
+country-people to Pampeluna during the few days that the Christino army
+had already been quartered there. Each morning, scarcely were the gates
+opened when parties of peasants, and still more numerous ones of
+short-petticoated, brown-legged peasant women, entered the town, and
+pausing upon the market-place, proceeded to arrange the stores of fowls,
+fruit, vegetables, and similar rustic produce, which they had brought on
+mules and donkeys, or in large heavy baskets upon their heads. Long
+before the sun had attained a sufficient height to cast its beams into
+the broad cool-looking square upon which the market was held, a
+multitude of stalls had been erected, and were covered with luscious
+fruits and other choice products of the fertile soil of Navarre. Piles
+of figs bursting with ripeness; melons, green and yellow, rough and
+smooth; tomatas; scarlet and pulpy; grapes in glorious bunches of gold
+and purple; cackling poultry and passive rabbits; the whole intermingled
+with huge heaps of vegetables, and nose-gays of beautiful flowers, were
+displayed in wonderful profusion to the gaze of the admiring soldiers,
+who soon thronged to the scene of bustle. As the morning advanced,
+numerous maid-servants, trim, arch-looking damsels, with small
+neatly-shod feet, basket on arm, and shading their complexion from the
+increasing heat of the sun under cotton parasols of ample dimensions,
+tripped along between the rows of sellers, pausing here and there to
+bargain for fruit or fowl, and affecting not to hear the remarks of the
+soldiers, who lounged in their neighbourhood, and expressed their
+admiration by exclamations less choice than complimentary. The day wore
+on; the stalls were lightened, the baskets emptying, but the market
+became each moment more crowded. Little parties of officers emerged from
+the coffee-houses where they had breakfasted, and strolled up and down,
+criticizing the buxom forms and pretty faces of the peasant girls; here
+and there a lady's mantilla appeared amongst the throng of female heads,
+which, for the most part, were covered only with coloured handkerchiefs,
+or left entirely bare, protected but by black and redundant tresses, the
+boast of the Navarrese maidens. Catalonian wine-sellers, their
+queer-shaped kegs upon their backs, bartered their liquor for the copper
+coin of the thirsty soldiers; pedlars displayed their wares, and
+_sardineras_ vaunted their fish; ballad-singers hawked about copies of
+patriotic songs; mahogany-coloured _gitanas_ executed outlandish, and
+not very decent, dances; whilst here and there, in a quiet nook, an
+itinerant gaming-table keeper had erected his board, and proved that he,
+of all others, best knew how to seduce the scanty and hard-earned
+maravedis from the pockets of the pleasure-seeking soldiery.
+
+But, as already mentioned, the hour of noon now approached, and
+marketing was over for that day. The market-place, and its adjacent
+streets, so thronged a short time previously, became gradually deserted
+under the joint influence of the heat and the approaching dinner hour.
+The peasants, some of whom came from considerable distances, packed up
+their empty baskets, and, with lightened loads and heavy pockets,
+trudged down the streets leading to the town gates.
+
+At one of these gates, leading out of the town in a northerly direction,
+several of the men on guard were assembled, amusing themselves at the
+expense of the departing peasantry, whose uncouth physiognomy and
+strange clownish appearance afforded abundant food for the quaint jokes
+and comical remarks of the soldiers. The market people were, for the
+most part, women, old men, and boys; the able-bodied men from the
+country around Pampeluna, having, with few exceptions, left their homes,
+either voluntarily or by compulsion, to take service in the Carlist
+ranks. Beneath the projecting portico of the guard-house, sat a
+sergeant, occupied, in obedience to orders given since the escape of
+Baltasar, in surveying the peasants as they passed with a keen and
+scrutinizing glance. For some time, however, this military Cerberus
+found no object of suspicion in any of the passers-by. Lithe active
+lads, greyhaired old men, and women whose broad shoulders and brawny
+limbs might well have belonged to disguised dragoons, but who,
+nevertheless, were unmistakeably of the softer sex, made up the
+different groups which successively rode or walked through the gate.
+Gradually the departures became less numerous, and the sergeant less
+vigilant; he yawned, stretched himself in his chair, rolled up a most
+delicate cigarrito between his large rough fingers, and lighting it,
+puffed away with an appearance of supreme beatitude.
+
+"Small use watching," said he to a corporal. "The fellow's not likely to
+leave the town in broad daylight, with every body on the look-out for
+him."
+
+"True," was the answer. "He'll have found a hiding-place in the house of
+some rascally Carlist. There are plenty in Pampeluna."
+
+"Well," said the first speaker, "I'm tired of this, and shall punish my
+stomach no longer. Whilst I take my dinner, do you take my place. Stay,
+let yonder cabbage-carriers pass."
+
+The peasants referred to by the sergeant, were a party of half a dozen
+women, and nearly as many lads and men, who just then showed themselves
+at the end of the street, coming towards the gate. Most of them were
+mounted on rough mountain ponies and jackasses, although three or four
+of the women trudged afoot, with pyramids of baskets balanced upon their
+heads, the perspiration streaming down their faces from the combined
+effects of the sun and their load. The last of the party was a stout
+man, apparently some five-and-forty years of age, dressed in a jacket
+and breeches of coarse brown cloth, and seated sideways on a scraggy
+mule, in such a position that his back was to the guard-house as he
+passed it. On the opposite side of the animal hung a pannier, containing
+cabbages and other vegetables; the unsold residue of the rider's stock
+in trade. The peasant's legs, naked below the knee, were tanned by the
+sun to the same brown hue as his face and bare throat; his feet were
+sandalled, and just above one of his ankles, a soiled bandage,
+apparently concealing a wound, was wrapped. A broad-brimmed felt hat
+shaded his half-closed eyes and dull stolid countenance, and the only
+thing that in any way distinguished him from the generality of peasants
+was his hair, which was cut short behind, instead of hanging, according
+to the usual custom of the province, in long ragged locks over the coat
+collar.
+
+Occupied with his cigar and gossip, the sergeant vouchsafed but a
+careless and cursory glance to this party, and they were passing on
+without hindrance, when, from a window of the guard-house, a voice
+called to them to halt.
+
+"How now, sergeant!" exclaimed the young ensign on guard. "What is the
+meaning of this? Why do these people pass without examination?"
+
+The negligent sergeant rose hastily from his chair, and, assuming an
+attitude of respect, faltered an excuse.
+
+"Peasants, sir; market-people."
+
+The officer, who had been on guard since the preceding evening, had been
+sitting in his room, waiting the arrival of his dinner, which was to be
+sent to him from his quarters, and was rather behind time. The delay had
+put him out of temper.
+
+"How can you tell that? You are cunning to know people without looking
+at then. Let them wait."
+
+And the next moment he issued from the guard-house, and approached the
+peasants.
+
+"Your name?" said he, sharply, to the first of the party.
+
+"José Samaniego," was the answer. "A poor _aldeano_ from Artica, _para
+servir á vuestra señoria_. These are my wife and daughter."
+
+The speaker was an old, greyhaired man, with wrinkled features, and a
+stoop in his shoulders; and, notwithstanding a cunning twinkle in his
+eye, there was no mistaking him for any thing else than he asserted
+himself to be.
+
+The officer turned away from him, glanced at the rest of the party, and
+seemed about to let them pass, when his eye fell upon the sturdy,
+crop-headed peasant already referred to. He immediately approached him.
+
+"Where do you come from?" said he, eyeing him with a look of suspicion.
+
+The sole reply was a stare of stupid surprise. The officer repeated the
+question.
+
+"From Berriozar," answered the man, naming a village at a greater
+distance from Pampeluna than the one to which old Samaniego claimed to
+belong. And then, as if he supposed the officer inclined to become a
+customer, he reached over to his pannier and took out a basket of figs.
+
+"Fine figs, your worship," said he, mixing execrably bad Spanish with
+Basque words. "_Muy barato_. You shall have them very cheap."
+
+When the man mentioned his place of abode, two or three of the women
+exchanged a quick glance of surprise; but this escaped the notice of the
+officer, who now looked hard in the peasant's face, which preserved its
+former expression of immovable and sleepy stupidity.
+
+"Dismount," said the ensign.
+
+The man pointed to his bandaged ankle; but on a repetition of the order
+he obeyed, with a grimace of pain, and then stood on one leg, supporting
+himself against the mule.
+
+"I shall detain this fellow," said the officer, after a moment's pause.
+"Take him into the guard-room."
+
+Just then a respectable-looking, elderly citizen, on his return
+apparently from a stroll outside the fortifications, walked past on his
+way into the town. On perceiving the young officer, he stopped and shook
+hands with him.
+
+"Welcome to Pampeluna, Don Rafael!" he exclaimed. "Your regiment I knew
+was here, but could not believe that you had come with it, since I had
+never before known you to neglect your old friends."
+
+"No fault of mine, Señor Lopez," replied the officer. "Three days here,
+and not a moment's rest from guards and fatigue duty."
+
+"Well, don't forget us; Ignacia and Dolores look for you. Ah, Blas! you
+here? How's your leg, poor Blas? Did you bring the birds I ordered?"
+
+These questions were addressed to the lame peasant, who replied by a
+grin of recognition; and an assurance that the birds in question had
+been duly delivered to his worship's servant.
+
+"Very good," said Lopez. "Good morning, Don Rafael."
+
+The young officer stopped him.
+
+"You know this man, then, Señor Lopez?" inquired the ensign.
+
+"Know him? as I know you. Our poultry-man; and if you will sup with us
+to-night, when you come off guard, you shall eat a fowl of his
+fattening."
+
+"With pleasure," replied the ensign. "You may go," he added, turning to
+the peasant. "Let these people pass, sergeant. May I be shot, Don
+Basilio, if I didn't mean to detain your worthy poulterer on suspicion
+of his being a better man than he looked. There has been an escape, and
+a sharp watch is held to keep the runaway in the town. It would have
+been cruel, indeed, to stop the man who brings me my supper. Ha, ha! a
+capital joke! Stopping my own supplies!"
+
+"A capital joke, indeed," said Lopez, laughing heartily. "Well, good
+bye, Don Rafael. We shall expect you to-night."
+
+And the cloth-merchant walked away, his usual pleasant smile upon his
+placid face, whilst the peasants passed through the gate; and the
+officer, completely restored to good-humour by the prospect of a dainty
+supper and pleasant flirtation with Don Basilio's pretty daughters,
+proceeded to the discussion of his dinner, which just then made its
+appearance.
+
+Crossing the river, the party of peasants who had met with this brief
+delay, rode along for a mile or more without a word being spoken amongst
+them. Presently they came to a place where three roads branched off, and
+here the lame peasant, who had continued to ride in rear of the others,
+separated from them, with an abrupt "adios!" Old Samaniego looked round,
+and his shrivelled features puckered themselves into a comical smile.
+
+"Is that your road to Berriozar, neighbour?" said he. "It is a new one,
+if it be."
+
+The person addressed cast a glance over his shoulder, and muttered an
+inaudible reply, at the same time that he thrust his hand under the
+vegetables that half filled his panniers.
+
+"If you live in Berriozar, I live in heaven," said Samaniego. "But fear
+nothing from us. _Viva el Rey Carlos!_"
+
+He burst into a shrill laugh, echoed by his companions, and, quickening
+their pace, the party was presently out of sight. The lame peasant, who,
+as the reader will already have conjectured, was no other than Baltasar
+de Villabuena, rode on for some distance further, till he came to an
+extensive copse fringing the base of a mountain. Riding in amongst the
+trees, he threw away his pannier, previously taking from it a large
+horse pistol which had been concealed at the bottom. He then stripped
+the bandage from his leg, bestrode his mule, and vigorously belabouring
+the beast with a stick torn from a tree, galloped away in the direction
+of the Carlist territory.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 3: The blockade system, as it was called, much extolled at the
+time, did not prevent the occurrence of various Carlist expeditions into
+Castile and Arragon, any more than it hindered large bodies of rebels
+from establishing themselves, under Cabrera and others, in Catalonia and
+Arragon, where they held out till after the pacification of the Basque
+provinces. If any hope was really entertained of starving out the
+Biscayan and Navarrese Carlists, or even of inconveniencing them for
+supplies of food, it proved utterly fallacious. Although two-thirds of
+Navarre, nearly the whole of Guipuzcoa, and a very large portion of
+Alava and Biscay Proper, consist of mountains, so great is the fertility
+of the valleys, that the Carlists never, during the whole struggle,
+experienced a want of provisions, but were, on the contrary, usually far
+better rationed than the Christino troops; and, strange to say, the
+number of sheep and cattle existing at the end of the war, in the
+country occupied by the Carlists, was larger than at its commencement.
+Money was wanting, tobacco, so necessary to the Spanish soldier, was
+scarce and dear, but food was abundant, although the number of mouths to
+be fed was much greater, and of hands to till the ground far less, than
+in time of peace. This, too, in one of the most thickly populated
+districts of Spain, and in spite of the frequent foraging and
+corn-burning expeditions undertaken by the Christinos into the Carlist
+districts, especially in the plains north of Vittoria and the valleys of
+southern Navarre.]
+
+
+
+
+HOW THEY MANAGE MATTERS IN "THE MODEL REPUBLIC."
+
+
+In the present doubtful state of our relations with the American
+Republic, many anxious eyes are of course being directed across the
+Atlantic, and much speculation excited as to the present policy and
+ultimate designs of that anomalous and ambitious people. Since increased
+facilities of communication have brought the two continents into closer
+union, and afforded their respective inhabitants more frequent
+opportunities of observing each other's political and social
+arrangements, it cannot, we think be said with truth, that those of the
+United States have risen in favour with the enlightened minds of Europe,
+least of all with those of England. For the obvious failings of that
+Republic are of a kind eminently adapted to shock minds cast in the
+European mould; while her virtues, however appropriate to the
+transatlantic soil in which they flourish, do not either so readily
+suggest themselves to the notice of the Old World, or, when fully
+realized, command a very extraordinary degree of respect. We do not very
+highly appreciate the liberty which appears to us license, nor the
+equality which brings with it neither good manners nor good morals, nor
+the vast material progress which occupies the energies of her people, to
+the exclusion of more elevating pursuits. There are moreover griefs
+connected with the United States which come peculiarly home to British
+interests and prejudices; the existence of slavery, for instance, in its
+most revolting form, in direct opposition to the spirit of their
+institutions, and to the very letter of that celebrated declaration
+which is the basis of all their governments; the repudiation or
+non-payment of debts contracted for the purposes of public works, of
+which they are every day reaping the advantages; and the unprincipled
+invasion of our Canadian frontier by their citizens during the late
+disturbances in that colony. Within the last few months, more
+particularly, they have committed many and grievous offences against
+their own dignity, the peace of the world, and the interests of Britain.
+We have heard their chief magistrate defy Christendom, and inform the
+world that the American continent is, for the future, to be held as in
+fee-simple by the United States; we have seen Texas forcibly torn from
+feeble Mexico, and the negotiations on the subject of Oregon brought to
+a close by a formal declaration, that the American title to the whole of
+it is "clear and unquestionable." They have displayed, in the conduct of
+their foreign relations during the past year, a vulgar indifference to
+the opinion of mankind, and an overweening estimate of their own power,
+which it is at once ludicrous and painful to behold. Nor is there reason
+to believe that these blots on the escutcheon of a nation, so young and
+so unembarrassed, are either deeply regretted or will be speedily
+effaced. We see no reaction of national virtue against national
+wrongdoing. For the cause of this great Republic is not, as in other
+countries, dependent upon the will of the one man, or the few men, who
+are charged with the functions of government, but on the will of the
+great mass of the people, deliberately and frequently expressed. The
+rule of the majority is in America no fiction, but a practical reality;
+and the folly or wisdom, the justice or injustice of her public acts,
+may, in ordinary times, be assumed as fair exponents of the average good
+sense and morals of the bulk of her citizens.
+
+We are not of those who charge the democratic institutions of the United
+States as a crime upon their people, or who think that, in separating
+themselves from the British crown, they were guilty of a deliberate
+wickedness which has yet to be expiated. Whether that separation was
+fully justified by the circumstances of the time, is a question upon
+which we do not propose to enter: but having so separated, it does not
+appear that any course was left open to them but that which they have
+pursued. Through the negligence of the mother country, no pains had been
+taken to plant even the germs of British institutions in her American
+colonies, and the War of Independence found them already in possession
+of all, and more than all, of the democratic elements of our
+constitution; while the feeling of personal attachment to the sovereign
+had died out through distance and neglect, and the influence of the
+aristocracy and the church was altogether unknown. Even in Virginia,
+where, in consequence of the existence of domestic slavery on a large
+scale, and the laws of primogeniture and entail, a certain
+aristocratical feeling had sprung up, a jealousy of the British crown
+and parliament showed itself from first to last, at least as strongly as
+elsewhere; and the ink of the Declaration of Independence was scarcely
+dry, before those laws of property were repealed, and every vestige of
+an Established Church swept away. Nothing then remained, in the absence
+of Conservative principles and traditions, but to construct their
+government upon the broadest basis of Democracy; accordingly, the
+triumph of that principle was complete from the first. The genius of
+progressive democracy may have removed some of the slender barriers with
+which it has found itself accidentally embarrassed; but it has not been
+able to add any thing to the force of those pithy abstractions which
+were endorsed by the most respectable chiefs of the Revolution, and
+which remain to sanctify its wildest aspirations.
+
+All men, therefore, in America--that is, all _white_ men--are "free and
+equal;" and every thing that has been done in her political world for
+the last half century has gone to illustrate and carry out this somewhat
+intractable hypothesis. Upon this principle, the vote of John Jacob
+Astor, with his twenty-five millions of dollars, is neutralized by that
+of the Irish pauper just cast upon its shores. The _millionaire_ counts
+one, and so does the dingy unit of Erin, though the former counts for
+himself, and the latter for his demagogue and his priest. The exclusion
+of women and negroes from this privilege remains, it is true, a _hiatus
+valde deflendus_ by the choicer spirits of the democracy. It is thought,
+however, that the system will shortly be completed by the addition of
+these new constellations. At this moment, in prospect of a convention to
+re-tinker the constitution, two agitations are going on in the state of
+New York--one to secure the "Political Rights of Women;" the other to
+extend those which negroes, under certain grievous restrictions, already
+enjoy. The theory of virtual representation has been held up to these
+two classes of citizens with as little success as to our own Radicals.
+Both negroes and women throw themselves upon the broad fact of their
+common humanity, and indignantly demand wherefore a black skin or a
+gentle sex should disqualify their possessors from the exercise of the
+dearest privilege of freemen.
+
+Now, however absurd this system may appear to us in the abstract, and
+however strongly we should resist its application to our own political
+case, we believe, as we said before, that the Americans have no choice
+in the matter but to make it work as well as possible, and that it is
+for the interest of the world, as well as for their own, that it should
+so work. The preservation of peace, and our commercial relations with
+the United States, are far more important to us than the triumph of an
+idea. We are quite content, if they will permit us, to remain on the
+best of terms with our transatlantic descendants, and to see them happy
+and prosperous in their own way. We even think it fortunate for mankind
+that the principle of self-government is being worked out in that remote
+region, and under the most favourable circumstances, in order that the
+civilized world may take note thereof, and guide itself accordingly. It
+is, we know, a favourite theme with their demagogues, that the glory and
+virtue and happiness of Yankee-doodle-doo have inspired the powers of
+the rotten Old World with the deepest jealousy and hatred, and that
+every crown in Europe pales before the lustre of that unparalleled
+confederacy. Nothing can be wider of the truth, pleasing as the illusion
+may be to the self-love of the most vainglorious people under the sun.
+The _prestige_ which America and her institutions once undoubtedly
+enjoyed in many parts of Europe is rapidly fading away, as each
+successive post brings fresh evidence of her vices and her follies. We
+can, indeed, recollect a time when the example of the model Republic was
+held up for admiration in the most respectable quarters, and was the
+trump-card at every gathering of Radical reformers. But now the scene is
+changed--now, "none so poor to do her reverence." Even Chartist and
+Suffrage-men, Mr Miall and the Northern Star, have at last
+
+  ---- "forgot to speak
+  That once familiar word."
+
+They turn from her, and pass away as gingerly as the chorus in the Greek
+play from the purlieus of those ominous goddesses--
+
+  [Greek: as tremomen legein
+  chai parameibometh
+  aderchtôs aphôtôs]--
+
+Mr O'Connell himself can find no room in his capacious affections for
+men who repudiate their debts, burn convents, "mob the finest pisantry,"
+and keep a sixth of their population in chains in the name of liberty!
+
+If "the great unwashed" on the other side of the Atlantic, will only
+consent to send men to their councils of moderately pure hearts and
+clean hands, they may rest assured that any conspiracy which the united
+powers of kings, nobles, and priests may devise against them, will take
+little by its motion. But they do just the reverse, as we shall
+presently show. The profligacy of their public men is proverbial
+throughout the states; and the coarse avidity with which they bid
+against each other for the petty spoils of office, is quite
+incomprehensible to an European spectator. To "make political capital,"
+as their slang phrase goes, for themselves or party, the most obvious
+policy of the country is disregarded, the plainest requirements of
+morality and common sense set aside, and the worst impulses of the
+people watched, waited on, and stimulated into madness. To listen to the
+debates in Congress, one would think the sole object of its members in
+coming together, was to make themselves and their country contemptible.
+Owing to the rantings of this august body, and the generally unimportant
+character of the business brought before it, little is known of its
+proceedings in Europe except through the notices of some passing
+traveller. But its shame does not consist merely or chiefly in the
+occasional bowie-knife or revolver produced to clinch the argument of
+some ardent Western member, nor even in the unnoted interchange of
+compliments not usually current amongst gentlemen. Much more deplorable
+is the low tone of morality and taste which marks their proceedings from
+first to last, the ruffian-like denunciations, the puerile rants, the
+sanguinary sentiments poured forth day by day without check or censure.
+This is harsh language, but they shall be judged out of their own
+mouths. We have before us a file of the _Congressional Globe_, the
+official record of the debates in both Houses, extending from December
+12 to January 15. During this period the Oregon question was called up
+nearly every day, and we propose to give some specimens, _verbatim et
+literatim_, of the spirit in which it has been discussed. We shall give
+notices of the speakers and their constituents as we go along, to show
+that the madness is not confined to one particular place or party, but
+is common to Whig and Democrat, to the representatives of the Atlantic
+as well as of the Western states. Most of our European readers will, we
+think, agree with us, that, considering the entire absence of
+provocation, and the infinitely trivial nature of the matter in dispute,
+these rhetorical flourishes are without parallel in the history of
+civilized senates.
+
+What is commonly called Oregon, is a strip of indifferent territory
+betwixt the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is separated from
+both the American and British possessions by an arid wilderness of great
+extent, or by many thousands of miles of tempestuous navigation, _via_
+Cape Horn. Since 1818, the claims of both parties to this region have
+been allowed to lie in abeyance under a convention of joint occupancy,
+if the advantages enjoyed in common by a handful of traders and trappers
+of both nations can be so called. The settlers from both countries are
+still numbered by hundreds, and the soil is very ill adapted to
+agricultural purposes; in short, it is the last thing in the world that
+a decent nation would get into a passion about. Still, as the previous
+administration had gained much glory by completing the robbery of Texas
+from Mexico, Mr Polk has thought fit to illustrate his by an attempt to
+squeeze and bully the sterner majesty of England. Accordingly, in his
+message, he boasts of having offered less favourable terms than his
+predecessors; and these being of course rejected, retires with dignity
+upon the completeness of the American title, and intimates that the time
+is at hand when the rights of his country must be asserted, if
+necessary, by the sword. All this is new light to all the parties
+concerned; this tempest in a tea-pot is of Mr Polk's own particular
+brewing; the real Oregon being a little political capital, as aforesaid,
+for himself. So far he has been eminently successful, for the fierce
+democracy howls forth its applause upon the floor of Congress, in manner
+and form as followeth:--
+
+Mr Cass, _Democratic_ senator from Michigan, an _insolvent_ western
+state, opened the ball on the 12th of December. He is said to aspire to
+the presidential chair, and is already a full general of militia. We
+give him his civil title, however, because we find him so set down in
+the _Globe_, which knows best what the military one is worth. There is
+nothing remarkable in his speech, except the fuss which he makes about
+national honour. He may find it lying in the ditch, much nearer home
+than Oregon--
+
+     "As to receding, it is neither to be discussed nor thought of. I
+     refer to it but to denounce it--a denunciation which will find a
+     response in every American bosom. Nothing is ever gained by
+     national pusillanimity. The country which seeks to purchase
+     temporary security by yielding to unjust pretensions, buys present
+     ease at the expense of permanent honour and safety. It sows the
+     wind to reap the whirlwind. I have said elsewhere what I repeat
+     here, that it is better to fight for the first inch of national
+     territory than for the last. It is better to defend the doorsill
+     than the hearth-stone--the porch than the altar. _National
+     character is a richer treasure than gold or silver_, and exercises
+     a moral influence in the hour of danger, which, if not power
+     itself, is it surest ally. _Thus far ours is untarnished!_" &c.
+
+This statement of the relative value of "national character" as compared
+with the precious metals, will be very edifying to the creditors of
+Michigan.
+
+Mr Serier, _Democratic_ senator from Arkansas, another _insolvent_
+western state, is a still richer representative of the majesty of the
+American senate. This state is the headquarters of the bowie-knife,
+revolver, and Judge Lynch _regime_, and Mr S.'s education in these
+particulars does not appear to have been neglected.
+
+     "It has been her (Great Britain's) bullying that has secured for
+     her the respect of all Europe. _She is a court-house bully; and in
+     her bullying, in my opinion, lies all her strength._ Now, she must
+     be forced to recede; and _like any of our western bullies, who,
+     when once conquered, can be kicked by every body, from one end of
+     the country to the other_, England will, in case she do not recede
+     from her position on this question, receive once more that salutary
+     lesson which we have on more than one occasion already taught her."
+     * * "I should like very much indeed to hear any one _get on the
+     stump_, in my part of the country, sir, and undertake to tell us
+     that the President had established our claims to Oregon, and made
+     it as plain as the avenue leading to the White House; but inasmuch
+     as there is great danger that Great Britain may capture our ships,
+     and burn our cities and towns, it is very improper for us to give
+     notice that we will insist upon our claim. _I need hardly say that
+     such a one, if he could be found, would be summarily treated as a
+     traitor to his country._" * * * *
+
+No doubt of it. Furthermore, Mr Serier cannot think of arbitration,
+because--
+
+     "When I see such billing and cooing betwixt France and England, and
+     when I think the Emperor of Russia may not desire to have so near
+     his territory a set of men who read _Paine's Rights of Man_, and
+     whistle 'Yankee doodle,' I feel disposed to settle the matter at
+     once by force of gunpowder. I consider the President acted
+     wisely--very wisely--in keeping the case in its present position,
+     and in giving intimation of taking possession after twelve months'
+     notice, and then to hold it. Yes, sir, to hold it by the force of
+     that rascally influence called gunpowder. That's my opinion. These
+     are plain common-sense observations which I have offered."
+
+What a love of a senator! We put it to the House of Lords--have they any
+thing to show like unto this nobleman of the woods?--We will now, with
+the permission of our readers, introduce them for a few moments to the
+House of Representatives. Mr Douglas, a _Democratic_ representative from
+Illinois, another _insolvent_ western state, wants to know why Great
+Britain should not be bullied as well as Mexico.
+
+     "He did hope that there would be no dodging on this Oregon
+     question. Yes; that there would be no dodging on the Oregon
+     question; that there would be no delay. There was great
+     apprehension of war here last year--but of war with Mexico instead
+     of Great Britain; and they had found men brave, and furious in
+     their bravery, in defying Mexico and her allies, England and
+     France, who now had an awful horror in prospect of a war with Great
+     Britain. He (Mr D.) had felt pretty brave last year with reference
+     to Mexico and her allies, and he felt equally so now. He believed
+     if we wished to avoid a war upon this Oregon question, _the only
+     way we could avoid it was preparing to give them the best fight we
+     had on hand_. The contest would be a bloodless one; we should avoid
+     war, for the reason that Great Britain knows too well: if she had
+     war about Oregon, farewell to her Canada."
+
+Our next extract will be from the speech of Mr Adams, a _Whig_
+representative from, we regret to say, Massachusetts, which is in every
+respect the pattern state of the Union. We are willing to believe that
+in this single case the orator does not represent the feelings of the
+majority of his constituents. Mr Adams has filled the Presidential
+chair, and other high offices; and, while secretary of state, permitted
+himself to say on a public occasion, that the madness of George the
+Third was a divine infliction for the course that monarch had pursued
+towards the United States. The ruling passions of his life are said to
+be, hatred to England and to his southern brethren; and he thinks that
+war would gratify both these malignant crotchets at once, as the former
+would, in that contingency, lose Canada, and the latter their slaves. He
+urges that notice to terminate the convention of joint occupation should
+be given, and then observes--
+
+     "We would only say to Great Britain, after negotiating twenty odd
+     years under that convention, we do not choose to negotiate any
+     longer in this way. We choose to take possession of our own, and
+     then, if we have to settle what is our own, or whether any portion
+     belongs to you, we may negotiate. _We might negotiate after taking
+     possession. That was the military way of doing business. It was the
+     way in which Frederick II. of Prussia had negotiated with the
+     Emperor of Austria for Silesia._ [Here Mr A. gave an account of the
+     interview of Frederick the Great with the Austrian minister, and of
+     the fact of Frederick having sent his troops to take possession of
+     that province the very day that he had sent his minister to Vienna
+     to negotiate for it.] Then we should have our elbows clear, and
+     could do as we pleased. It did not follow as a necessary
+     consequence that we should take possession; but he hoped it would
+     follow as a consequence, and a very immediate one. But whether we
+     give the notice or not, it did not necessarily draw after it
+     hostility or war. If Great Britain chose to take it as an
+     indication of hostility, and then to commence hostilities, why, we
+     had been told that there would be but one heart in this country;
+     and God Almighty grant that it might be so! If this war come--which
+     God forbid! and of which, by the way, he had no apprehension
+     whatever--he hoped the whole country would go into it with one
+     heart and one mighty hand; and, if that were done, he presumed the
+     question between us and Great Britain would not last long, neither
+     Oregon, nor any country north of this latitude would long remain to
+     Great Britain. Strong as was his moral aversion to war, modern war
+     and military establishments, then, if he should have the breath of
+     life at the time when the war commences, he hoped he should be able
+     and willing to go as far in any sacrifices necessary to make the
+     war successful, as any member of that house. He could say no more."
+
+This profligate drivel is uttered by the Nestor of the commonwealth, an
+infirm old man, with one foot in the grave. In order, however, to make
+the course pursued by this gentleman and the next speaker intelligible
+to the English reader, we may explain that, by the annexation of Texas,
+the Southern States have a majority of votes in Congress; the Northern
+States are therefore indifferent about war for Oregon, and the
+abolitionists among them frantic for it, in order that their domestic
+balance of power may be restored. Mr Giddings, a _Whig_ representative
+from Ohio, and a red-hot abolitionist, indulges in the following most
+wicked and treasonable remarks:--
+
+     "This policy of adding territory to our original government is the
+     offspring of the south. They have forced it upon the northern
+     democracy. Their objects and ends are now answered. Texas is
+     admitted. They have now attained their object, and now require the
+     party to face about--to stop short, and leave the power of the
+     nation in their hands. _They now see before them the black
+     regiments of the West India islands landed on their shores. They
+     now call to mind the declarations of British statesmen, that a war
+     with the United States will be a war of emancipation. They now see
+     before them servile insurrections which torment their imaginations;
+     murder, rapine, and bloodshed, now dance before their affrighted
+     visions. Well, sir, I say to them, this is your policy, not mine.
+     You have prepared the cup, and I will press it to your lips till
+     the very dregs shall be drained. Let no one misunderstand me. Let
+     no one say I desire a slave insurrection; but, sir, I doubt not
+     that hundreds of thousands of honest and patriotic hearts will
+     laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. No, sir;
+     should a servile insurrection take place, should massacre and blood
+     mark the footsteps of those who have for ages been oppressed--my
+     prayer to God shall be that justice--stern, unalterable
+     justice--may be awarded to the master and the slave!" ... "A war
+     with England in the present state of the two nations must
+     inevitably place in our possession the Canadas, Nova Scotia, and
+     New Brunswick. Six states will be added to the northern portion of
+     the union, to restore the balance of power to the Free States.... I
+     demand of you not to leave the nation in its present state of
+     subjugation to the south. I will vote to give you the means of
+     doing so," &c._
+
+We hold up the ferocious cant of this mock philanthropist to the scorn
+of all good men, whether in Europe or America. So, because "the domestic
+institution" of his happy land is not to the taste of this Giddings,
+thousands of white men are to imbrue their hands in each other's blood,
+and England, the great champion of the negro race, at her own expense,
+is to be driven by force of arms out of Oregon. It is consoling,
+however, to find at last by their own confession, that there is a weak
+place--and a very weak one too--in "the area of freedom."
+
+Besides the acquisition of Canada, which is put down on all hands as a
+"gone 'coon," other brilliant results are to ensue from the possession
+of Oregon. Mr Ingersoll, (_Whig_,) "a drab-coloured man" from
+Pennsylvania--"flattered himself that two years would not elapse before
+the Chinese and Japanese--sober, industrious, and excellent
+people--would be attracted there to settle. It was only a short voyage
+across the Pacific Ocean. Millions of those starving workmen who, in
+point of sobriety, industry, and capacity, were among the best in the
+world--workmen from every isle in the Pacific--men able to outwork the
+English, would flock there."
+
+In the same fine strain of prophecy, Mr Darragh, another "_drab_" of the
+_Democratic_ school, observes--
+
+     "He was one of those who believed that there were men now here, who
+     might yet live to see a continuous railroad extending from the
+     mouth of the Columbia to the Atlantic. The country would soon be
+     filled with a dense population, and would eventually control the
+     China trade, and affect the whole commerce of the Pacific. He
+     trusted in God there would be a beginning of this end. He trusted
+     that this government would say to the despotisms of Europe--Stay on
+     your own side of the water, and do not attempt to intermeddle with
+     the balance of power on this continent. He believed it to be the
+     design of God that our free institutions, or institutions like
+     ours, should eventually cover this whole continent--a consummation
+     which could not but affect every part of the world, and the
+     prospect of which ought to fill with joy the heart of every
+     philanthropic man!"
+
+But it won't till you've paid your debts, O Darragh!
+
+Mr Baker, (_Whig_,) another _insolvent_ from Illinois, is very rich and
+rapacious--
+
+     "He (Mr B.) went for the whole of Oregon; for every grain of sand
+     that sparkled in her moonlight, and every pebble on its wave-worn
+     strand. It was ours--all ours; ours by treaty, ours by
+     discovery.... There was such a thing as destiny for this American
+     race--a destiny that would yet appear upon the great chart of
+     human history. It was already fulfilling, and that was a reason why
+     we could now refuse to Great Britain that which we had offered her
+     in 1818 and 1824. Reasons existed now in our condition, which did
+     not exist then. Who at that time could have divined that our
+     boundary was to be extended to the Rio del Norte, if not to
+     Zacatecas, to Potosi, to California? No, we had a destiny, and Mr
+     B. felt it." ... "Cuba was the tongue which God had placed in the
+     Gulf of Mexico to dictate commercial law to all who sought the
+     Carribbean Sea. And England was not to be allowed to take Cuba or
+     hold Oregon, _because we, the people of the United States, had
+     spread, were spreading, and intend to spread, and should spread,
+     and go on to spread_!" ... "Mr Speaker, if from this claim an echo
+     shall come back, it may not come from Oregon, but it will come from
+     the Canadas. Sir, it will be 'the last echo of a host o'erthrown.'
+     The British power will be swept from this continent for ever, and
+     though she may, 'like the sultan sun, struggle upon the fiery verge
+     of heaven,' she must yield at last to the impulses of freedom, and
+     to the touch of that destiny which shall crush her power in the
+     western hemisphere!"
+
+This may be considered bad to beat; yet, in our opinion, a choice spirit
+from Missouri, SIMS by name, does it--
+
+     "It is so common on this floor, for inexperienced members to make
+     apologies for their embarrassment, that I will not offer any for
+     mine. I find some difficulty in getting along with all the
+     questions that may be raised by the north or by the south, and by
+     lawyers, and by metaphysicians, and learned doctors who abound
+     here, that I shall be slow in getting along. I hope, therefore,
+     that gentlemen will keep cool, and suffer me to get through." ...
+
+Certainly, Sims--there is no false modesty, you will observe, in this
+good Sims. He thus defines his position.
+
+     "I wish it to be distinctly understood what banner I fight under.
+     _It is for Oregon, all or none, now or never!_ Not only _I myself_,
+     but all my own people whom I represent, will stand up to this
+     motto. Around that will we rally, and for it will we fight, _till
+     the British lion shall trail in the dust. The lion has cowered
+     before us before. Talk of whipping this nation?_ Though not, sir,
+     brought up in the tented field, nor accustomed to make war an
+     exercise, and do not so much thirst for martial renown as to desire
+     to witness such a war, yet I cannot fear it, nor doubt its
+     success."
+
+A touching episode in the life of Sims!--
+
+     "When I was a boy, sir--a small boy--in 1815, I was with my father
+     in church where he was offering his prayers to the Almighty, and it
+     was then that the news of the victory of New Orleans was brought to
+     the spot. _I never felt so happy, sir, as at that moment._ At that
+     moment my love of country commenced, and from that hour it has
+     increased more and more every year; and I shall be ever ready to
+     peril every thing in my power for the good of my country. Still, _I
+     am for the whole of Oregon, and for nothing else but the whole, and
+     in defence of it I will willingly see every river, from its
+     mountain source to the ocean, reddened with the blood of the
+     contest. Talk about this country being whipped! The thing is
+     impossible! Why did not Great Britain whip us long ago, if she
+     could?_" * * * * * * "I shall lose as much as any one in a war--_I
+     do not mean in property_--but I have a wife and children, and I
+     love them with all the heart and soul that I possess. No one can
+     love his family more than I do mine unless a stronger intellect may
+     give him more strength of affection; and my family will be exposed
+     to the merciless savages, who will as ever become the allies of
+     Great Britain in any war. But still, sir, my people on the frontier
+     will press on to the mouth of the Columbia, and fight for Oregon.
+     _I am not sure but I will go myself._"
+
+The feelings of the female Sims, and all the little Simses, on reading
+that last sentence! We shudder to think of it. Sims, however, has made
+up his mind that the exploit is no great matter after all.
+
+     "It was said that the route to Oregon was impracticable, and that
+     it was beset with dangerous enemies, and that we could not send
+     troops over to Oregon, nor provisions to feed them. _Now, sir, we
+     of Missouri can fit out ten thousand waggon-loads of provisions for
+     Oregon, and ten thousand waggon-boys to drive them, who, with their
+     waggon-whips, will beat and drive off all the British and Indians
+     that they find in their way._"
+
+The peroration of this harangue is, perhaps, the funniest part of it
+all, but want of space compels us to omit it. We let Sims drop with
+great reluctance, and pass over several minor luminaries who are quite
+unworthy to follow in his wake. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are about
+to introduce to you Mr Kennedy, a _Democratic_ representative from
+Indiana--a _very insolvent_ Western state, and a celebrated "British or
+any other lion" tamer.
+
+     "Sir, (says Mr K.,) when the British lion, or any other lion, lies
+     down in our path, we will not travel round the world in blood and
+     fire, but will make him leave that lair." * * * *
+
+After this mysterious announcement, he enquires--
+
+     "Shall we pause in our career, or retrace our steps, because the
+     British lion has chosen to place himself in our path? Has our blood
+     already become so pale, that we should tremble at the roar of the
+     king of beasts? We will not go out of our way to seek a conflict
+     with him; but if he cross our path, and refuses to move at a
+     peaceful command, _he will run his nose on the talons of the
+     American eagle, and his blood will spout as from a harpooned whale.
+     The spectators who look on the struggle may prepare to hear a
+     crash, as if the very ribs of nature had broke!_" ...
+
+Once more into the lion--or lioness--for it does not appear exactly
+which this time!
+
+     "We are one people and one country, and have one interest and one
+     destiny, which, if we live up to, _though it may not free us to
+     follow the British lion round the world in blood and slaver_, will
+     end in _her_ expulsion from this continent, which _he_ rests not
+     upon but to pollute!"
+
+Mr Kennedy's solicitude for the rising generation is very touching--
+
+     "Where shall we find room for all our people, unless we have
+     Oregon? What shall we do with all those little white-headed boys
+     and girls--God bless them!--that cover the Mississippi valley, as
+     the flowers cover the western prairies?"
+
+In order to show the truly awful and more than Chinese populousness of
+this ancient State of Indiana, which was admitted into the Union so long
+ago as 1816, we may observe that its superficial extent is thirty-six
+thousand square miles, or twenty-three millions and forty thousand
+acres. The population in 1840, black and white all told, amounted to the
+astounding number of six hundred and eighty-five thousand eight hundred
+and sixty-six, or about one-third of that of London! The adjoining
+states of Illinois and Missouri are still less densely peopled.
+
+Mr Kennedy's opinions touching the British government--
+
+     "Cannibal-like, it fed one part of its subjects upon the other. She
+     drinks the blood and sweat, and tears the sinews of its labouring
+     millions to feed a miserable aristocracy. England is now seen
+     standing in the twilight of her glory; but a sharp vision may see
+     written upon her walls, the warning that Daniel interpreted for the
+     Babylonish king--'Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin!'"
+
+We cannot help the confusion of genders. It's so writ down in the
+_Globe_, as are all our quotations--_verbatim_. Here comes a fine "death
+or glory" blast--
+
+     "Why is it that, after all, we should so dread the shock of war? We
+     all have to die, whether in our beds or in the battle-field. _Who
+     of you all, when roused by the clangour of Gabriel's trump, would
+     not rather appear in all the bloom of youth, bearing upon your
+     front the scar of the death-wound received in defence of your
+     country's right, than with the wrinkled front of dishonoured age?_"
+
+Hoorra!--Only one more quotation from Kennedy, and that because it
+permits us to take a last fond look at Sims, who re-appears, for a
+moment, like a meteor on the scene of his past glories!
+
+     "Was it not a burning, blistering, withering shame that the cross
+     of St George should be found _floating_ on American _soil_?" [Here
+     Mr L. H. SIMS exclaimed, "Yes, and it will blister on our foreheads
+     like the mark of Cain!"]
+
+Mr Hamlin, a Democratic representative from Maine, one of the pattern
+New England states, is not far behind his Western brethren--
+
+     "Their progress was as certain as destiny. He could not be mistaken
+     in the idea, that our flag was destined to shed its lustre over
+     every hill and plain on the Pacific slope, and on every stream that
+     mingles with the Pacific. What would monarchical institutions
+     do--what would tyrants do--in this age of improvement--_this age of
+     steam and lightning? The still small voice in our legislative
+     halls_ and seminaries of learning, would soon be re-echoed in
+     distant lands. Should we fold our arms and refuse, under all these
+     circumstances, to discharge our duty? No; let us march steadily up
+     to this duty, and discharge it like men;
+
+  'And the gun of our nation's natal day
+       At the rise and set of sun,
+  Shall boom from the far north-east away
+       To the vales of Oregon.
+  And ships on the seashore luff and tack,
+  And send the peal of triumph back.'"
+
+
+
+Mr Stanton, a Democratic representative from the slave state of
+Tennessee--Polk's own--observes, that war about Oregon
+
+     "Would be another crime of fearful magnitude added to that already
+     mountainous mass of fraud and havoc by which England has heretofore
+     extended her power, and by which she now maintains it. _Did some
+     gentlemen say that her crimes were represented by a vast pyramid of
+     human skulls? I say, sir, rather by a huge pyramid of human hearts,
+     living, yet bleeding in agony, as they are torn from the reeking
+     bosoms of the toiling, fighting millions._"
+
+Peace, this person observes, is rather nearer his heart than any thing
+else, but
+
+     "If she must depart, if she is destined to take her sad flight from
+     earth to heaven again, then welcome the black tempest of war.
+     Welcome its terrors, its privations, its wounds, its deaths! We
+     will sternly bare our bosoms to its deadliest shock, and trust in
+     God for the result."
+
+After all this, our readers will be little surprised to find that a Mr
+Gordon, from the rich and partially civilized state of New York, whose
+commercial relations with us are of such magnitude and importance, makes
+an ass of himself with the best of them.
+
+     "The next war with Great Britain will expel her from this
+     continent. Though a peace-loving people, we are, when aroused in
+     defensive warfare, the most warlike race ever clad in armour. Let
+     war come, if it will come, boldly and firmly will we meet its
+     shock, and roll back its wave on the fast anchored isle of Britain,
+     and dash its furious flood over those who raised the storm, but
+     could not direct its course. In a just war, as this would be on our
+     part, the sound of the clarion would be the sweetest music that
+     could greet our ears!... _I abhor and detest the British
+     Government._ Would to God that the British people, the Irish, the
+     Scotch, the Welsh, and the English, would rise up in rebellion,
+     sponge out the national debt, confiscate the land, and sell it in
+     small parcels among the people. _Never in the world will they reach
+     the promised land of equal rights, except through a red sea of
+     blood._ Let Great Britain declare war, and I fervently hope that
+     the British people, at least the Irish, will seize the occasion to
+     rise and assert their independence.... I again repeat, that _I
+     abhor that government; I abhor that purse-proud and pampered
+     aristocracy, with its bloated pension-list, which for centuries
+     past has wrung its being from the toil, the sweat, and the blood of
+     that people._"
+
+Mr Bunkerhoff, from Ohio, and his people--
+
+     "Would a great deal rather fight Great Britain than some other
+     powers, for _we do not love her_. We hear much said about the ties
+     of our common language, our common origin, and our common
+     recollections, binding us together. But I say, _we do not love
+     Great Britain at all; at least my people do not, and I do not_. A
+     common language! It has been made the vehicle of an incessant
+     torrent of abuse and misrepresentation of our men, our manners, and
+     our institutions, and even our women--it might be vulgar to
+     designate our plebeian girls as _ladies_--have not escaped it; and
+     all this is popular, and encouraged in high places."
+
+Mr Chipman, from Michigan, thus whistles Yankee-doodle, with the usual
+thorough-base accompaniment of self-conceit:--
+
+     "Reflecting that from three millions we had increased to twenty
+     millions, we could not resist the conclusion, that Yankee
+     enterprise and vigour--he used the term Yankee in reference to the
+     whole country--were destined to spread our possessions and
+     institutions over the whole country. Could any act of the
+     government prevent this? He must be allowed to say, that wherever
+     the Yankee slept for a night, there he would rule. What part of
+     the globe had not been a witness of their moral power, and to the
+     light reflected from their free institutions?" * * * *
+
+Your Yankee proper can no more "get along" without his spice of cant,
+than without his chew of tobacco and his nasal twang. What follows,
+however, took even us by surprise:--
+
+     "Should we crouch to the British lion, because we had been thus
+     prosperous? He remembered the time when education, the pride of the
+     northern Whigs, was made the means of opposition to the democracy.
+     He recollected the long agony that it cost him to relieve his mind
+     from federal thraldom. EDUCATION WAS AN INSTRUMENT TO RIDICULE AND
+     PUT DOWN DEMOCRACY."
+
+
+What Mr Chipman would do--_if_--
+
+     "I appeal to high Heaven, that if a British fleet were anchored off
+     here, in the Potomac, and demanded of us one inch of territory, or
+     one pebble that was smoothed by the Pacific wave into a child's
+     toy, upon penalty of an instant bombardment, I would say fire." * *
+     * * "Now he (Mr C.) lived on the frontier. He remembered when
+     Detroit was sacked. Then we had a Hull in Michigan; but now, thank
+     God, we had a Lewis Cass, who would protect the border if war
+     should come, which, in his opinion, would not come. There were
+     millions on the lake frontier who would, in case of war, rush over
+     into Canada--the vulnerable point that was exposed to us. _He would
+     pledge himself, that, upon a contract with the government, Michigan
+     alone would take Canada in ninety days; and, if that would not do,
+     they would give it up, and take it in ninety days again._ The
+     Government of the United States had only to give the frontier
+     people leave to take Canada."
+
+Though Michigan has the benefit of this hero's councils, he is at the
+pains to inform us that Vermont, a New England state, claims his birth,
+parentage, and education--a fact which we gladly record on the enduring
+page of Maga for the benefit of the future compiler of the Chipman
+annals. He closes an oration, scarcely, if at all, inferior to that of
+Sims, with a melodious tribute to the land of his nativity.
+
+     "If Great Britain went to war for Oregon, how long would it be
+     before her starving millions would rise in infuriated masses, and
+     overwhelm their bloated aristocracy! He would say, then, if war
+     should  come--
+
+  'Hurrah for Vermont! for the land which we till
+  Will have some to defend her from valley and hill;
+  Leave the harvest to rot on the field where it grows,
+  And the reaping of wheat for the reaping of foes.
+
+  'Come Mexico, England! come tyrant, come knave,
+  If you rule o'er our land, ye shall rule o'er our grave!
+  Our vow is recorded--our banner unfurl'd,
+  _In the name of Vermont, we defy all the world!_'"
+
+
+_Magnifique--superbe--pretty well!_ Would not the world like to know
+something of the resources of this unknown anthropophagous state which
+throws down the gauntlet so boldly? Well, in this very year of grace,
+the population of Vermont amounts to no less than 300,000 souls of all
+ages, sexes, and colours! She pays her governor the incredible sum of
+£150 a-year. Her exports in 1840 amounted to £60,000. Every thing about
+her is on the same homoeopathic scale, except her heroes!
+
+We have by no means exhausted our file, but our patience is expended,
+and so we fear is that of our readers. We write this in the city of New
+York, in the first week of February, and the debate is still proceeding
+in a tone, if possible, still more outrageous and absurd. The most
+astounding feature of the whole is, that the "collective wisdom" of any
+country professing to be civilized, can come together day after day and
+listen to such trash, without censure--without even the poor penalty of
+a sneer.
+
+The Americans complain that they have been grievously misrepresented by
+the British press. Mrs Trollope, Mr Dickens, and other authors, are no
+doubt very graphic and clever in their way; but in order to do this
+people full justice, they must be allowed to represent themselves. A
+man must go amongst them fully to realize how hopeless and deplorable a
+state of things is that phase of society which halts betwixt barbarism
+and civilization, and is curiously deficient in the virtues of both. If
+he wishes to form a low idea of his species, let him spend a week or two
+at Washington; let him go amongst the little leaders of party in that
+preposterous capital, watch their little tricks, the rapacity with which
+they clutch the meanest spoils and wonder how political profligacy grows
+fat upon diet so meagre and uninviting. He will come away with a
+conviction, already indorsed by the more respectable portion of the
+American community, that their government is the most corrupt under the
+sun; but he will not, with them, lay the flattering notion to his soul,
+that the people of whom such men are the chosen representatives and
+guides, are likely to contribute much to the aggregate of human
+happiness, freedom, and civilization.
+
+As to the denunciations of Great Britain, so thickly strewn through
+these _carmina non prius audita_ of the Congressional muse, we are sure
+they will excite no feeling in our readers but that of pity and
+contempt, and that comment upon them is unnecessary. The jealousy of
+foreign nations towards the arts and arms of his country, is no new
+experience to the travelled Englishman. Still, as the Americans have no
+reason to be particularly sore on the subject of our arms, and as they
+appropriate our arts, at a very small expense, to themselves, they might
+afford, we should think, to let the British lion alone, and glorify
+themselves without for ever shaking their fists in the face of that
+magnanimous beast. In a political point of view, however, the
+deep-seated hostility of this people towards the British government, is
+a fact neither to be concealed nor made light of. From a somewhat
+extended personal observation, the writer of this is convinced that war
+at any time, and in any cause, would be popular with a large majority of
+the inhabitants of the United States. It is in vain to oppose to their
+opinion the interests of their commerce, and the genius of their
+institutions, so unsuited to schemes of warlike aggrandizement. The
+government of the United States is in the hands of the mob, which has as
+little to lose there as elsewhere, by convulsion of any kind.
+
+We are willing to believe that the person who at present fills the
+Presidential chair at Washington, is fully alive to the responsibilities
+of his situation, and would gladly allay the storm which himself and his
+party have heretofore formed for their own most unworthy purposes. He
+knows full well that the dispute is in itself of the most trumpery
+nature; that the course of Great Britain has been throughout moderate
+and conciliatory to the last degree; that the military and financial
+position of the United States is such as to forbid a warlike crisis; and
+that, if hostilities were to ensue betwixt Great Britain and his
+country, no time could be more favourable to the former than the
+present. Yet, with all these inducements to peace, we fear he will find
+it impossible to bring matters to a satisfactory termination. But should
+an opportunity occur of taking us at disadvantage--should we find
+ourselves, for instance, involved in war with any powerful European
+nation--we may lay our account to have this envious and vindictive
+people on our backs. We are not, therefore, called upon to anticipate
+the trial, and to take the course of events into our own hands; but
+still less ought we to make any concessions, however trifling, which may
+retard, but will eventually exasperate, our difficulties. Much is in our
+power on the continent of North America, if we are but true to our own
+interests and to those of mankind. We should cherish to the utmost that
+affectionate and loyal spirit, which at present so eminently
+distinguishes our flourishing colony of Canada; we should look to it,
+that such a form of government be established in Mexico as shall at once
+heal her own dissensions, and guarantee her against the further
+encroachments of her neighbours; and we should invite other European
+nations to join with us in informing the populace of the United States,
+that they cannot be indulged in the gratification of those predatory
+interests, which the public opinion of the age happily denies to the
+most compact despotisms and the most powerful empires.
+
+
+
+
+ANTONIO PEREZ.
+
+
+As often as we revisit the fair city of Brussels, an irresistible
+attraction leads us from the heights crowned with its modern palaces,
+down among the localities of the valley beneath, the seat and scene of
+so many of the old glories of the capital of the Netherlands. On these
+occasions our steps unconsciously deviate a little from the direct line
+of descent, turning off on the left hand towards the Hotel d'Aremberg.
+But it is not to saunter through the elegant interior of this princely
+mansion, and linger over exquisite pictures and rare Etruscan vases,
+that we then approach it. Our musing eye sees not the actual walls
+shining with intolerable whiteness in the fierce summer-sun, but the
+towers of an ancient edifice, long ago demolished by the pitiless Alva,
+which once, as the Hotel de Cuylembourg, covered the same site. Beneath
+its roof the Protestant Confederates, in 1566, drew up their memorable
+"Request" to Margaret of Parma; and at one of its windows these
+"Beggars," being dismissed with such contumelious scorn from the
+presence of the Regent, nobly converted the stigma into a war-cry; and,
+with the wallet of the "Gueux" slung across their shoulders, drank out
+of wooden porringers a benison on the cause of the emancipation of the
+United Provinces. So prompted to think of these stirring times, we are
+carried by the steep declivity of a few streets to that magnificent Town
+Hall, where, only eleven years before the occurrences in the Hotel
+Cuylembourg, Charles V. had resigned into the hands of his son Philip
+the sovereignty of an extensive and flourishing empire. All that could
+be achieved by the energy of a mind confident of its own force and
+clearness--by a strong will wielding enormous resources of power--by
+prudence listening to, and able to balance, cautious experience, and
+fearless impetuosity--and by consummate skill in the art of government,
+had been laboriously and successfully achieved by Charles. To Philip he
+transferred the most fertile, delightful, opulent, and industrious
+countries of Europe--Spain and the Netherlands, Milan and Naples. His
+African possessions included Tunis and Oran, the Cape Verd and Canary
+islands. The Moluccas, the Philippine and Sunda islands heaped his
+storehouses with the spices, and fruits, and prolific vegetable riches
+of the Indian Ocean; while from the New World, the mines of Mexico,
+Chili, and Potosi poured into his treasury their tributary floods of
+gold. His mighty fleet was still an invincible armada; and his army,
+inured to war, and accustomed to victory under heroic captains, upheld
+the wide renown of the Spanish infantry. But neither the abilities nor
+the auspicious fortunes of Charles were inherited with this vast
+dominion by Philip. It is almost a mystery the crumbling away during his
+reign of such wealth and such strength. To read the riddle, we must know
+Philip. The biography which we shall now hurriedly sketch, of one of his
+most eminent favourites and ministers, who was, also, one of the most
+remarkable men that ever lived, enables us to see further into the
+breast of the gloomy, jealous, and cruel king, than we could hope to do
+by the less penetrating light of general history.
+
+It was in the course of the year 1594, that the mother of the great Lord
+Bacon wrote bitterly to his brother Anthony--"Tho' I pity your brother,
+yet so long as he pities not himself, but keepeth that bloody PEREZ,
+yea, as a coach-companion and bed-companion, a proud, profane, costly
+fellow, whose being about him I verily fear the Lord God doth mislike,
+and doth less bless your brother in credit, and otherwise in his health,
+surely I am utterly discouraged, and make conscience further to undo
+myself to maintain such wretches as he is, that never loved your
+brother but for his own credit, living upon him."
+
+This dark portrait, even from the pencil of maternal anxiety, is not
+overcharged with shade. A few words, which could not have been uttered
+by the Lady Bacon except as a prophetess, we may add in reference to the
+meeting of the famous Englishman and the notorious Spaniard. At that
+moment the public life of Francis Bacon was faintly dawning. The future
+Minister of State and Chancellor of England had just entered the House
+of Commons, and was whining for promotion at the gate of the royal
+favourite. The mean subservience of his nature was to be afterwards
+developed in its repulsive fulness. His scheming ambition saw itself far
+away from the ermine of justice, doomed to be spotted by his corruption.
+He had not then betrayed, and brought to the scaffold, and slandered his
+benefactor. The power and honours of which he was to be stripped, were
+yet to be won. His glory and his shame alike were latent. He was
+beginning hazardously a career of brilliant and dismal vicissitudes, to
+finish it with a halo of immortal glory blazing round his name.
+
+But such a career along a strange parallelism of circumstances, although
+with a gloomier conclusion, Antonio Perez had already run. The
+unscrupulous confidant and reckless tool of a crafty and vindictive
+tyrant, he had wielded vast personal authority, and guided the movements
+of an immense empire.
+
+     "Antonio Perez, secretary of state," said one of his
+     contemporaries, "is a pupil of Ruy Gomez. He is very discreet and
+     amiable, and possesses much authority and learning. By his
+     agreeable manners, he goes on tampering and disguising much of the
+     disgust which people would feel at the king's slowness and sordid
+     parsimony. Through his hands have passed all the affairs of Italy,
+     and also those of Flanders, ever since this country has been
+     governed by Don Juan, who promotes his interests greatly, as do,
+     still more, the Archbishop of Toledo and the Marquis de Los Valez.
+     He is so clever and capable that he must become the king's
+     principal minister. He is thin, of delicate health, rather
+     extravagant, and fond of his advantages and pleasures. He is
+     tenacious of being thought much of, and of people offering him
+     presents."
+
+To gratify, by one dreadful blow, a cruel king and a guilty passion, he
+murdered his friend. The depth of his misery soon rivalled and exceeded
+the eminence of his prosperity. Hurled from his offices and dignities,
+deprived of the very title of nobility, condemned by the civil, and
+excommunicated by the ecclesiastical tribunals, cast into prison, loaded
+with irons, put to the torture, hunted like a wild beast out of his own
+country and many a nook of refuge in other lands, Perez, who had been
+"the most powerful personage in the Spanish monarchy," was, when we
+first meet him in the company of Bacon, an exile in penury. And so he
+died, an impoverished outcast, leaving to posterity a name which befits,
+if it cannot adorn, a tale, and may well point a moral.
+
+The "bloody" Perez was the natural son of Gonzalo Perez, who was for a
+long time Secretary of State to Charles V. and Philip II. Of his mother
+nothing is known. The conjectures of scandal are heightened and
+perplexed by the fact that he was ennobled when a child, and that,
+amidst all the denunciations of his overbearing behaviour and
+insufferable arrogance, he is never reproached with the baseness of his
+maternal lineage. Legitimated in infancy by an imperial diploma, Antonio
+was literally a courtier and politician from his cradle.
+
+     "Being of a quick understanding, an insinuating character, and a
+     devotedness which knew neither bounds nor scruples, full of
+     expedients, a nervous and elegant writer, and expeditious in
+     business, he had gained the favour of Philip II., who had gradually
+     given him almost his entire confidence. He was, with Cayas, one of
+     the two secretaries of the council of state, and was charged
+     principally with the _despacho universal_; that is, with the
+     counter-sign and the conduct of the diplomatic correspondence and
+     the royal commands. Philip imparted to him his most secret designs,
+     initiated him into his private thoughts; and it was Perez who, in
+     deciphering the despatches, separated the points to be communicated
+     to the council of state for their opinion, from those which the
+     king reserved for his exclusive deliberation. Such high favour had
+     intoxicated him. He affected even towards the Duke of Alva, when
+     they met in the king's apartments at dinner, a silence and a
+     haughtiness which revealed at once the arrogance of enmity and the
+     infatuation of fortune. So little moderation in prosperity, coupled
+     with the most luxurious habits, a passion for gaming, a craving
+     appetite for pleasures, and excessive expenses, which reduced him
+     to receive from every hand, excited against him both envy and
+     animosity in the austere and factious court of Philip II.; and, on
+     the first opportunity, inevitably prepared his downfal. This event,
+     too, he himself hastened by serving too well the distrustful
+     passions of Philip, and, perhaps, even by exciting them beyond
+     measure against two men of his own party, Don Juan of Austria and
+     his secretary Escovedo."
+
+It is impossible to imagine that the character of Philip was not
+fathomed by Perez. The peril of his position, as the depositary of the
+innermost secrets of the king, could not have escaped his acute mind.
+The treachery of his daily services, to which, in the words we have
+quoted, allusion is made, must have perpetually reminded him how
+probably he was preparing for himself the ruin which before his own eyes
+had struck and destroyed more than one of his predecessors. At the same
+time, the bent of his disposition carried him readily enough into
+intrigue, deceit, and cool remorseless villany. He was not retarded by
+any scruple, or abashed by any principle. But he did not lack sagacity.
+The power which he loved and abused was acquired and retained easily,
+because the exercise of his talents had always been quite in harmony
+with the natural flexion of his mind. In the conduct of public affairs,
+Philip never had a minister who more dexterously conformed reasons and
+actions of policy to the will, or prejudices, or passions of the
+sovereign. All the extravagance, and even towards so terrible an enemy
+as Alva, all the insolence of Perez, could hardly have shaken his
+security. From what he knew, and what he had done, Philip, it is true,
+might at any moment be tempted to work his downfal, if not his death;
+but, in consequence of that very knowledge and his very deeds, the value
+of such an adviser and such a tool was almost sure to protract and avert
+his doom. The disgrace and misfortune, therefore, of Perez, however
+enveloped afterwards in the mantle of political delinquency, are to be
+traced to more strictly personal causes. It is a curious, interesting,
+and horrible story.
+
+The memorable struggle of the Netherlands against the domination of
+Spain was at its height. The flames kindled by the ferocity of Alva had
+not been extinguished by his milder but far less able successor, the
+Grand Commander Requesens, who sank under the harassing pressure of the
+difficulties which encompassed him. Upon his death, the Spanish court,
+alive to the momentous issues of the contest, invoked the services of
+one of the most celebrated men of the age. Don John of Austria, who
+saved Europe and Christianity at the Gulf of Lepanto, and had repeatedly
+humbled the Crescent in its proudest fortresses, was chosen to crush the
+rebellious Flemings. The appointment was hardly made, when clouds of
+distrust began to roll over the spirit of Philip. The ambition of his
+brother was known and troublesome to him, as he had baffled but two
+years before a project which Don John took little pains to conceal, and
+even induced the Pope to recommend, of converting his conquest of Tunis
+into an independent sovereignty for himself. Believing these alarming
+aspirations to be prompted by the Secretary Juan de Soto, whom Ruy Gomez
+had placed near his brother, Philip removed Soto and substituted
+ESCOVEDO, on whose fidelity he relied, and who received secret
+instructions to divert, as far as possible, the dreams of Don John from
+sceptres and thrones. But a faithless master taught faithlessness to his
+servants. Escovedo, neglecting the counsels of Philip, entered cordially
+into the views and schemes of Don John, until the sagacious vigilance of
+Antonio Perez startled the jealousy of the Spanish monarch by the
+disclosure, that Don John intended, and was actually preparing to win
+and wear the crown of England. Such a prospect, there can be no doubt,
+tore his sullen soul with bitter recollections, and made him resolve,
+more sternly than ever, that the haughty island should groan beneath no
+yoke but his own. The mere subjugation of England by Spanish arms, and
+the occupation of its throne by a Spaniard, not himself, were
+insufficient to glut the hatred, and avenge the insulted majesty of
+Philip. For his own hands and his own purposes he reserved the task; and
+at a later period, the wreck of the Armada strewed the shores of Britain
+with memorials of his gigantic and innocuous malignity. Dissembling,
+however, his displeasure, he permitted Don John to expect, when the
+Netherlands had been pacified, his approval of the invasion of England.
+
+     "At the same time, to become acquainted with all his brother's
+     designs, and watch the intrigues of Escovedo, he authorized Perez,
+     who was the confidant of the one and the friend of the other, to
+     correspond with them, to enter into their views, to appear to gain
+     his favour for them, to speak even very freely of him, in order to
+     throw them the more off their guard, and afterwards to betray their
+     secrets to him. Perez sought, or, at the very least, accepted this
+     odious part. He acted it, as he himself relates, with a shameless
+     devotion to the king, and a studied perfidy towards Don Juan and
+     Escovedo. He wrote letters to them, which were even submitted to
+     the inspection of Philip, and in which he did not always speak
+     respectfully of that prince; he afterwards communicated to Philip
+     the bold despatches of Escovedo, and the effusions of Don Juan's
+     restless and desponding ambition. In forwarding to the king a
+     letter from Escovedo, he at once boasts, and clears himself of this
+     disloyal artifice. 'Sire,' says he, 'it is thus one must listen and
+     answer for the good of your service; people are held much better
+     thus at sword's length; and one can better do with them whatever is
+     conducive to the interest of your affairs. But let your majesty use
+     good precaution in reading these papers; for, if my artifice is
+     discovered, I shall no longer be good for any thing; and shall have
+     to discontinue the game. Moreover, I know very well that, for my
+     duty and conscience, I am doing, in all this, nothing but what I
+     ought; and I need no other theology than my own to comprehend it.'
+     The king answers--'Trust, in every thing, to my circumspection. My
+     theology understands the thing just as yours does, and considers
+     not only that you are doing your duty, but that you would have been
+     remiss towards God and man, had you not done so, in order to
+     enlighten my understanding, as completely as is necessary, against
+     human deceits and upon the things of this world, at which I am
+     truly alarmed."
+
+The laurels of the conqueror of the Turks drooped and withered in
+Flanders.
+
+     "This young and glorious captain found, in the provinces
+     confederated at Ghent, an incurable distrust both of the Spaniards
+     and himself. The profound and skilful policy of the Prince of
+     Orange raised obstacles against him which he could not surmount. In
+     spite of the moderate conditions which he offered to the assembled
+     States-General, he was received by them much less as a pacificator
+     than as an enemy. They refused to authorize the departure of the
+     Spanish troops by sea, fearing they might be employed against the
+     provinces of Holland and Zealand, and they required that they
+     should repair to Italy by land. Don Juan saw his designs upon
+     England, on this side, vanishing. Without authority, money, or any
+     means of establishing the domination of the king, his brother, and
+     of supporting his own renown, he took a disgust to a position which
+     offered him no issue. Accustomed, hitherto, to rapid and brilliant
+     enterprises, he desponded at his impotency; and already a prey to
+     gnawing cares, which were leading him slowly to the tomb, he
+     demanded his recall."
+
+To enforce his complaints, Don John sent Escovedo to Spain. Redress was
+not granted, and his messenger never returned to him. The deadly
+correspondence between Perez and himself--the outpourings of an ardent
+and daring temper, swelling with lofty designs, and pining beneath an
+apparently irremediable inaction, into the ears of a frigid and false
+winnower of unguarded words and earnest feelings--was continued
+unremittingly. M. Mignet, it seems to us, shows very satisfactorily,
+that Perez, in his abominable office of an unjust interpreter of the
+wishes and intentions of Don John, drugged Philip copiously with
+calumnious reports and unwarrantable insinuations. Be that as it may,
+we are inclined to believe, among other matters of a very different
+complexion, that, without repugnance on the part of Philip, there was a
+tossing about for a time, in the lottery of events, a marriage between
+Don John and our beautiful and unfortunate Mary. There is a pleasure and
+a grace sometimes in idle speculation; but to the leisure of a happier
+fancy than ours we commit the picture of the consequences of an union
+between the heroic Don John and the lovely Queen of Scotland. "_Money,
+more money, and Escovedo_," became at length, in his perplexity and
+anguish, the importunate clamour of the governor of the Netherlands.
+Then it was, _as Perez tells us_, that Philip and his obsequious
+counsellors meditated on the course best fitted for what was evidently a
+serious conjecture. Then it was, we learn from the same authority, that
+the king determined ON THE DEATH OF ESCOVEDO.
+
+     "They took a review of the various schemes that had been planned in
+     favour of Prince Don Juan, ever since his residence in Italy,
+     without the king having any communication or perfect knowledge of
+     them; they called to mind the grievous disappointment experienced
+     by the authors of these projects, at the expedition to England not
+     taking place according to their first idea; the attempt they made a
+     second time, for the same object, with his Holiness, when they were
+     in Flanders, and always without giving the king any account; the
+     design of deserting the government of Flanders, when once the
+     expedition to England was abandoned; the secret understandings
+     formed in France without the king's knowledge; the resolution they
+     had formed, to prefer going as adventurers into France, with six
+     thousand foot and one thousand horse, to filling the highest
+     offices; lastly, the very strong language with which the prince, in
+     his letters, expressed his grief and despair. The result of all
+     this seemed, that there was reason to fear some great resolution,
+     and the execution of some great blow or other which might trouble
+     the public peace, and the tranquility of his majesty's states, and,
+     moreover, that Prince Don Juan might himself be ruined, if they let
+     the secretary, Escovedo, remain any longer with him."
+
+What a gap there is in the whole truth in this story, on which Perez
+subsequently built his defence, we shall now briefly explain. With one
+considerable exception, historians concur in their belief of the amours
+of Perez with the Princess of Eboli. Ranke, who is satisfied with the
+political explanation given by Perez of the murder of Escovedo,
+discredits the notion of Perez being a lover of the princess, because
+she was old, and blind of one eye, and because his own wife, Dona Juana
+Coëllo, evinced towards him, throughout his trial, the most devoted and
+constant affection.
+
+"The last reason," says our author, with perfect truth, "goes for
+nothing." The love of woman buries her wrongs without a tear. "As to the
+objection," M. Mignet proceeds to remark, "derived from the age and
+appearance of the Princess of Eboli, it has not much foundation either.
+All contemporary writers agree in praising her beauty (_hermosura_.)
+Born in 1540, she married Ruy Gomez at the age of thirteen, and was only
+thirty-eight years old at the present period. She was not one-eyed, but
+she squinted. There was nothing in her person to prevent the intimacy
+which Ranke discredits, but which numerous testimonies place beyond any
+doubt. I quote only the most important, waiving the presents which Perez
+had received from the princess, and which he was condemned to give back
+by a decree of justice."
+
+It is too late now, we join M. Mignet in believing, to doubt or even to
+decry the personal charms of the Princess of Eboli, which the misty
+delirium of the poet may have magnified, or the expedient boldness of
+the romancer too voluptuously emblazoned, but which more than one grave
+annalist has calmly commemorated.[4] We shall not, however, venture to
+decide the nice question which oscillates between an obliquity and a
+loss of vision. The Spanish word "tuerto" means, ordinarily, "blind of
+one eye." And there is an answer which M. Mignet probably considers
+apocryphal, as he does not allude to it, said to have been made by Perez
+to Henry IV. of France, who expressed surprise that he should be so much
+the slave of a woman that had but one eye. "Sire," replied the
+ingeniously gallant Perez, "she set the world on fire with that; if she
+had preserved both, she would have consumed it." It is of little
+consequence. Any slight physical blemish or imperfection was more than
+counterbalanced by the wit and accomplishments of this seductive woman,
+whose enchantments, like those of Ninon de l'Enclos, defied the
+impairing inroads of old age.
+
+It is unnecessary here to repeat or analyse the powerful concatenation
+of proofs by which her criminal intimacy with Perez is established. We
+may frankly admit, nevertheless, that the first perusal of the evidence
+did not convince us. The probability was strong that much would be
+exaggerated, perverted, and invented, before a partial tribunal, in
+order to annihilate a disgraced courtier, a fallen and helpless enemy.
+But the reasons which appear conclusively to fix culpability, will be
+better understood when the facts of the case are stated. Every witness
+must be branded with perjury to entitle us to doubt that the familiarity
+of Perez with the princess had attracted observation. Escovedo was aware
+of it, saw it, and denounced it. He remonstrated with both parties on
+their guilt and on their danger. The appeals to conscience and to fear
+were of unequal force. The guilt of their conduct was not likely to
+excite, in a couple abandoned to the indulgence of a mutual and violent
+passion, any emotion except anger against the honesty and audacity which
+rebuked them. By a grave discourse on breaches of decorum and morality,
+Escovedo ran the risk of being considered--what the princess actually
+declared him to be--a rude fellow and a _bore_. But the danger of their
+profligacy was a more delicate and ominous text for censure. In the
+peril of any public exposure was involved an additional complication of
+guilt. Perez was not the only favoured votary of the versatile siren.
+His rival, or rather his partner, was--Philip of Spain! The revelation
+of promiscuous worship, threatened by Escovedo, sounded like a knell to
+Perez and the princess. Was it a mad defiance, or a profound prescience,
+of the consequences, which, when Escovedo, stung on one occasion beyond
+forbearance by the demonstration of iniquity which Othello in his agony
+demands of Iago, declared loudly his purpose of divulging every thing to
+the king?--was it, we say, the fury or the shrewdness of despair which
+then drew _from the lady_ a reply of outrageous and coarse effrontery?
+The irrecoverable words being spoken, we think, with M. Mignet, that
+"the ruin of Escovedo, whose indiscretions were becoming formidable, was
+doubtless sworn, from this moment, by Perez and the princess."
+
+We shall now, with some consciousness of superiority over the German,
+Feuerbach, whose common-place murders are flavourless for us, (who were
+fellow-citizens of Burke, and rode in an omnibus with Greenacre, just as
+Bacon had Perez for a coach-companion,) transcribe the minute continuous
+narrative of the assassination of Escovedo, taken down from the lips of
+Antonio Enriquez, the page and familiar of Antonio Perez:--
+
+     "'Being one day at leisure in the apartment of Diego Martinez the
+     major-domo of Antonio Perez, Diego asked me whether I knew any of
+     my countrymen who would be willing to stab a person with a knife.
+     He added, that it would be profitable and well paid, and that, even
+     if death resulted from the blow, it was of no consequence. I
+     answered, that I would speak of it to a mule-driver of my
+     acquaintance, as in fact I did, and the muleteer undertook the
+     affair. Afterwards, Diego Martinez gave me to understand, with
+     rather puzzling reasons, that it would be necessary to kill the
+     individual, who was a person of importance, and that Antonio Perez
+     would approve of it; on this I remarked that it was not an affair
+     to be trusted to a muleteer, but to persons of a better stamp. Then
+     Diego Martinez added, that the person to be killed often came to
+     the house, and that, if we could put any thing in his food or
+     drink, we must do so; because that was the best, surest, and most
+     secret means. It was resolved to have recourse to this method, and
+     with all dispatch.
+
+     "'During these transactions, I had occasion to go to Murcia. Before
+     my departure, I spoke of it to Martinez, who told me I should find,
+     in Murcia, certain herbs well adapted to our purpose; and he gave
+     me a list of those which I was to procure. In fact, I sought them
+     out and sent them to Martinez, who had provided himself with an
+     apothecary, whom he had sent for from Molina in Aragon. It was in
+     my house that the apothecary, assisted by Martinez, distilled the
+     juice of those herbs. In order to make an experiment of it
+     afterwards, they made a cock swallow some, but no effect followed;
+     and what they had thus prepared, was found to be good for nothing.
+     The apothecary was then paid for his trouble, and sent away.
+
+     "'A few days after, Martinez told me he had in his possession a
+     certain liquid fit to be given to drink, adding that Antonio Perez,
+     the secretary, would trust nobody but me, and that, during a repast
+     which our master was to give in the country, I should only have to
+     pour out some of this water for Escovedo, who would be among the
+     guests, and for whom the preceding experiments had already been
+     tried. I answered, that unless my master himself gave me the order,
+     I would not have a hand in poisoning any body. Then the secretary,
+     Anthony Perez, called me one evening in the country, and told me
+     how important it was for him that the secretary Escovedo should
+     die; that I must not fail to give him the beverage in question on
+     the day of the dinner: and that I was to contrive the execution of
+     it with Martinez; adding, moreover, good promises and offers of
+     protection in whatever might concern me.
+
+     "'I went away very contented, and consulted with Martinez as to the
+     measures to be taken. The arrangement for the dinner was as
+     follows: entering the house by the passage of the stables, which
+     are in the middle, and advancing into the first room, we found two
+     side-boards, one for the service of plates, and the other for that
+     of the glasses, from which we were to supply the guests with drink.
+     From the said room, on the left, we passed to that where the tables
+     were laid, and the windows of which looked out on the country.
+     Between the room where they were to dine, and that where the
+     side-boards stood, was a square room, serving as an antechamber and
+     passage. Whilst they were eating, I was to take care that every
+     time the secretary Escovedo asked for drink, I should be the person
+     to serve him. I had thus the opportunity of giving him some twice;
+     pouring the poisoned water into his wine at the moment I passed
+     through the antechamber, about a nutshell-full, as I had been
+     ordered. The dinner over, secretary Escovedo went away, but the
+     others remained to play, and Antonio Perez having gone out for a
+     moment, rejoined his major-domo and me in one of the apartments
+     over the court-yard, where we gave him an account of the quantity
+     of water that had been poured into secretary Escovedo's glass;
+     after which, he returned to play. We heard, afterwards, that the
+     beverage had produced no effect.
+
+     "'A few days subsequent to this ill success, secretary Antonio
+     Perez gave another dinner in what is called Cordon House, which
+     belonged to the count of Punoñ Rostro, where secretary Escovedo,
+     Dona Juana Coëllo, the wife of Perez, and other guests, were
+     present. Each of them was served with a dish of milk or cream, and
+     in Escovedo's was mixed a powder like flour. I gave him, moreover,
+     some wine mixed with the water of the preceding dinner. This time
+     it operated better, for secretary Escovedo was very ill, without
+     guessing the reason. During his illness, I found means for one of
+     my friends, the son of captain Juan Rubio, governor of the
+     principality of Melfi, and formerly Perez's major-domo (which son,
+     after having been page to Dona Juana Coëllo, was a scullion in the
+     king's kitchens), to form an acquaintance with secretary Escovedo's
+     cook, whom he saw every morning. Now, as they prepared for the sick
+     man a separate broth, this scullion, taking advantage of a moment
+     when nobody saw him, cast into it a thimble-full of a powder that
+     Diego Martinez had given him. When secretary Escovedo had taken
+     some of this food, they found that it contained poison. They
+     subsequently arrested one of Escovedo's female slaves who must have
+     been employed to prepare the pottage; and, upon this proof, they
+     hung her in the public square at Madrid, though she was innocent.
+
+     "'Secretary Escovedo having escaped all these plottings, Antonio
+     Perez adopted another plan, viz., that we should kill him some
+     evening with pistols, stilettoes, or rapiers, and that without
+     delay. I started, therefore, for my country, to find one of my
+     intimate friends, and a stiletto with a very thin blade, a much
+     better weapon than a pistol for murdering a man. I travelled post,
+     and they gave me some bills of exchange of Lorenzo Spinola at
+     Genoa, to get money at Barcelona, and which, in fact, I received on
+     arriving there.'
+
+     "Here Enriquez relates, that he enticed into the plot one of his
+     brothers, named Miguel Bosque, to whom he promised a sum of gold
+     and the protection of Perez; that they arrived at Madrid the very
+     day Escovedo's slave was hanged; that, during his absence, Diego
+     Martinez had fetched from Aragon, for the same object, two resolute
+     men, named Juan de Mesa and Insausti; that the very day after his
+     arrival, Diego Martinez had assembled them all four, as well as the
+     scullion Juan Rubio, outside Madrid, to decide as to the means and
+     the moment of the murder; that they had agreed upon this, that
+     Diego Martinez had procured them a sword, broad and fluted up to
+     the point, to kill Escovedo with, and had armed them all with
+     daggers; and that Antonio Perez had gone, during that time, to pass
+     the holy week at Alcala, doubtless with the intention of turning
+     suspicion from him when the death of Escovedo was ascertained. Then
+     Antonio Enriquez adds:--
+
+     "'It was agreed, that we should all meet every evening upon the
+     little square of Saint James (Jacobo), whence we should go and
+     watch on the side by which secretary Escovedo was to pass; which
+     was done. Insausti, Juan Rubio, and Miguel Bosque, were to waylay
+     him; while Diego Martinez, Juan de Mesa, and I, were to walk about
+     in the neighbourhood, in case our services should be required in
+     the murder. On Easter Monday, March 31, the day the murder was
+     committed, Juan de Mesa and I were later than usual in repairing to
+     the appointed spot, so that, when we arrived at St James's Square,
+     the four others had already started to lie in ambush for the
+     passing of secretary Escovedo. Whilst we were loitering about, Juan
+     de Mesa and I heard the report that Escovedo had been assassinated.
+     We then retired to our lodgings. Entering my room, I found Miguel
+     Bosque there, in his doublet, having lost his cloak and pistol; and
+     Juan de Mesa found, likewise, Insausti at his door, who had also
+     lost his cloak, and whom he let secretly into his house.'"
+
+The quiet pertinacity which characterizes this deliberate murder adds a
+creditable chapter to the voluminous "Newgate Calendar" of the sixteenth
+century. The murderers--first, second, third, and fourth--having
+executed their commission, were rewarded with a dramatic appreciation of
+their merits. Miguel Bosque received a hundred gold crowns from the hand
+of the clerk in the household of Perez. Juan de Mesa was presented with
+a gold chain, four hundred gold crowns, and a silver cup, to which the
+Princess of Eboli added, in writing, a title of employment in the
+administration of her estates. Diego Martinez brought to the three
+others brevets, signed nineteen days after this deed of blood, by Philip
+II. and Perez, of _alfarez_, or ensign in the royal service, with an
+income of twenty gold crowns. They then smilingly dispersed, as the play
+directs, "you that way, I this way."
+
+Such blood will not sink in the ground. Instantly, at a private audience
+granted to him by Philip, the son of Escovedo, impelled by a torrent of
+universal suspicion, charged his father's death home to Perez. On the
+same day, Philip communicated to Perez the accusation. No pictorial art,
+we are sure, could exhibit truly the faces of these two men, speaking
+and listening, at that conference. This, however, was the last gleam of
+his sovereign's confidence that ever shone on Perez. His secret and
+mortal enemy, Mathew Vasquez, one of the royal secretaries, having
+espoused the cause of the kinsmen of Escovedo, wrote to Philip, "People
+pretend that it was a great friend of the deceased who assassinated the
+latter, because he had found him interfering with his honour, and _on
+account of a woman_." The barbed missile flew to its mark, and rankled
+for ever.
+
+Our limits preclude the most concise epitome of the next twelve years of
+the life of Perez, of which the protracted tribulations, indeed, cannot
+be related more succinctly and attractively than they are by M. Mignet.
+During this weary space of time, Perez, single-handed, maintained an
+energetic defensive warfare against the disfavour of a vindictive
+monarch, the oppression of predominant rivals, the insidious
+machinations and wild fury of relentless private revenge, the most
+terrific mockeries of justice, the blackest mental despondency, and
+exquisite physical suffering. Philip II. displayed all his atrocious
+feline propensities--alternately hiding and baring his claws--tickling
+his victim to-day with delusions of mercy and protection, in order to
+smite him on the morrow with heavier and unmitigated cruelty. The truth
+is, he did not dare to kill, while he had no desire to save. Over and
+over again, in the course of the monstrous burlesques which were enacted
+in judicial robes as legal inquiries, did Philip privately, both orally
+and in writing, exonerate and absolve the murderer. Prosecutors and
+judges were bridled and overawed--kinsmen were abashed--popular
+indignation was quelled by reiterated assurances and reports, that the
+confidential secretary of state had been the passive and faithful
+executioner of royal commands. Even Uncle Martin, the privileged
+court-fool, when the flight ultimately of Perez gave general
+satisfaction, though not to the implacable Philip, exclaimed
+openly--"Sire, who is this Antonio Perez, whose escape and deliverance
+have filled every one with delight? He cannot, then, have been guilty;
+rejoice, therefore, like other people." But the lucky rival--the happy
+lover, could not expiate his rank offence by any amount of sacrifice in
+person or estate. According to our view of these lingering scenes of
+rancorous persecution, Philip gradually habituated himself to gloat over
+the sufferings of Perez with the morbid rapture of monomania. So long as
+the wretched man was within his reach, he contemplated placidly the
+anguish inflicted on him by the unjust or excessive malevolence of his
+enemies. He repeatedly checked the prosecutions of the Escovedo family,
+and sanctioned their revival with as little difficulty as if he had
+never interposed on any former occasion. He relaxed at intervals the
+rigorous imprisonment under which Perez was gasping for the breath of
+life, granting him for nearly a twelvemonth so much liberty as to
+inflate a naturally buoyant temperament with inordinate hope; but, in
+that very period, instigated and approved of investigations and actions
+at law, which resulted in reducing Perez, in so far as wealth and
+honours were concerned, to beggary and rags. He threw into a dungeon
+Pedro de Escovedo, who talked unreservedly of his desire to assassinate
+Perez; and refused the fervent entreaties of Perez himself to remove,
+for a temporary relief, the fetters with which, when his ailing body
+could scarcely support its own weight, his limbs had been loaded. He
+sent Perez compassionate and encouraging messages, writing to him, "I
+will not forsake you, and be assured that their animosity (of the
+Escovedos) will be impotent against you;" while he regularly transmitted
+to Vasquez and the Escovedos the information which nourished and
+hardened their hatred. And finally, having constantly enjoined Perez to
+take heed that no one should discover the murder to have been
+perpetrated by the king, Philip, on the ground that he obstinately
+refused to make a full confession, imperturbably consigned him "to that
+dreadful proof, the revolting account of which," says M. Mignet, "I will
+quote from the process itself:"--
+
+     "At the same instant, the said judges replied to him that the
+     proofs still remaining in all their force and vigour ..., they
+     ordered him to be put to the torture to make him declare what the
+     king required; that if he lost his life, or the use of some limbs,
+     it would be his own fault; and that he alone would be responsible.
+     He repeated, once more, his former assertions, and protested,
+     moreover, against the use of torture towards him, for these two
+     reasons: first, because he was of a noble family; and secondly,
+     because his life would be endangered, since he was already disabled
+     by the effects of his eleven years' imprisonment. The two judges
+     then ordered his irons and chain to be taken off; requiring him to
+     take an oath and declare whatever he was asked. Upon his refusal,
+     Diego Ruis, the executioner, stripped him of his garments, and left
+     him only his linen drawers. The executioner having afterwards
+     retired, they told him once more to obey the king's orders, on pain
+     of suffering torture _by the rope_. He repeated once more that he
+     said what he had already said. Immediately the ladder and apparatus
+     of torture having been brought, Diego Ruis, the executioner,
+     crossed the arms of Antonio Perez, one over the other; and they
+     proceeded to give him one twist of the rope. He uttered piercing
+     cries, saying: _Jesus! that he had nothing to declare; that he had
+     only to die in torture; that he would say nothing; and that he
+     would die._ This he repeated many times. By this time they had
+     already given him four turns of the rope; and the judges having
+     returned to summon him to declare what they wanted of him, he said,
+     with many shrieks and exclamations, _that he had nothing to say;
+     that they were breaking his arm. Good God! I have lost the use of
+     one arm; the doctors know it well._ He added with groans: _Ah!
+     Lord, for the love of God!... They have crushed my hand, by the
+     living God!_ He said, moreover: _Señor Juan Gomez, you are a
+     Christian; my brother, for the love of God, you are killing me, and
+     I have nothing to declare._ The judges replied again, that he must
+     make the declarations they wanted; but he only repeated: _Brother,
+     you are killing me! Señor Juan Gomez, by our Saviour's wounds, let
+     them finish me with one blow!... Let them leave me, I will say
+     whatever they will; for God's sake, brother, have compassion on
+     me!_ At the same time, he entreated them to relieve him from the
+     position in which he was placed, and to give him his clothes,
+     saying, he would speak. This did not happen until he had suffered
+     eight turns of the rope; and the executioner being then ordered to
+     leave the room where they had used the torture, Perez remained
+     alone with the licentiate Juan Gomez and the scrivener Antonio
+     Marquez."
+
+The impunity of tyranny was over-strained. The tide of sympathy
+fluctuated, and ebbed with murmuring agitation from the channel in which
+it had flowed so long with a steady current. Jesters and preachers
+uttered homely truths--the nobles trembled--and the people shuddered.
+With a few intelligible exceptions, there was a burst of general
+satisfaction when, on the 20th April 1591, two months after his torture,
+Perez, by the aid of his intrepid and devoted wife--(and shall we be too
+credulous in adding, with the connivance of his guards?)--broke his
+bonds, fled from Castile, and set his foot on the soil of independent
+Aragon.
+
+Let us now, for a moment, reconsider the motives which solve, as they
+guided, at once the indefensible guilt of Perez, and the malignant
+perfidy of Philip. The King of Spain unquestionably ordered the murder
+of Escovedo, and confided its perpetration to the docile secretary. But
+the death-warrant slumbered for a while in the keeping of the
+executioner. It was not until Escovedo acquired his perilous knowledge
+of the debaucheries of Perez and the Princess of Eboli, and had avowed
+his still more perilous resolution of publishing their frailty in a
+quarter where detection was ruin, that Perez plied with inflexible
+diligence artifice and violence, poison and dagger--to satisfy,
+coincidently, himself and his sovereign. By a similar infusion of
+emotions, roused by later occurrences, the feelings of Philip towards
+Perez underwent, after the murder, a radical change. He at first
+unhesitatingly joined, as we have seen, in rewarding the actual
+murderers. The tale of the preference lavished by beauty on his minion
+had not seared his heart-strings. With that revelation came the mood of
+inexpiable hate. A word from him, uttered with unequivocal emphasis,
+would have cleared and rescued Perez. Such words, indeed, he pronounced
+more than once; but never as he would have done, if their effect had
+been to screen merely the faithful minister of state. The object in
+their occasional recurrence was one of profound dissimulation. Philip's
+design was to lull the alarm of Perez, and to recover out of his hands
+every scrap of written evidence which existed, implicating himself in
+the death of Escovedo. And it was under an erroneous impression of his
+efforts having been at length completely triumphant, that he sent Perez
+to the torture, with a foregone determination of killing him with the
+sword of justice, as a slanderous traitor, who could not adduce a tittle
+of proof to support his falsehood.
+
+But the wit of Perez was as penetrating as Philip's, and had avoided the
+snare. Retaining adroitly, in authentic documents, ample materials for
+his own defence, and the inculpation of the king, Perez fought
+undauntedly and successfully his battle, on the charge of Escovedo's
+murder, before the tribunals of Aragon, which were either ignorant of,
+or indifferent to, the scandals and personal criminalities inseparably
+mixed up with the case at Madrid. The retributive justice which had
+overwhelmed Perez in his person and circumstances in Castile, now
+descended on the reputation of Philip in Aragon, who was likewise not
+only obliged to hear of the acquittal of his detested foe by the supreme
+court there, but necessitated, by the tremendous statements promulgated
+by Perez as his justification, founded on unimpeachable writings in his
+possession, to drop and relinquish all legal proceedings.
+
+The bitterness of the cup of woe, however, it had still been in the
+power of the fierce despot otherwise to deepen. Infuriated by the flight
+of Perez, the king caused the wife, then pregnant, and the children of
+the fugitive, to be arrested and cast into the public prison, dragging
+them "on the day when it is usual to pardon the very worst of criminals,
+at the very hour of the procession of the penitents on Holy Thursday,
+with a reckless disregard of custom and decency, among the crosses and
+all the cortèges of this solemnity, in order that there might be no lack
+of witnesses for this glorious action." These words we have cited from a
+famous narrative subsequently published by Perez in England, from which
+we are also tempted to extract, in relation to the same occurrence, the
+following passage, full of that energetic eloquence which contributed,
+among other causes, to win over general commiseration to the writer:--
+
+     "'The crime committed by a wife who aids her husband to escape from
+     prison, martyred as he had been for so many years, and reduced to
+     such a miserable condition, is justified by all law--natural,
+     divine and human--and by the laws of Spain in particular. Saul,
+     pursuing David, respected Michal, though she was his daughter, and
+     had even saved her husband from the effects of his wrath.
+     Law--common, civil, and canonical--absolves woman from whatever she
+     does to defend her husband. The special law of Count Fernan
+     Gonzalès leaves her free; the voice and the unanimous decree of all
+     nations exalt and glorify her. If, when her children are in her
+     house, in their chamber, or their cradle, it be proved that they
+     are strangers to every thing, by that alone, and by their age,
+     which excludes them from such confidences, how much more must that
+     child be a stranger to all, which the mother bore in her bosom, and
+     which they thus made a prisoner before its birth? Even before it
+     could be guilty, it was already punished; and its life and soul
+     were endangered, like one of its brothers who lost both when they
+     seized his mother a second time, near the port of Lisbon.' He
+     finishes with these noble and avenging threats:--'But let them not
+     be deceived; wherever they put them, such captives have, on their
+     side, the two most powerful advocates in the whole world--their
+     innocence and their misfortune. No Cicero, no Demosthenes can so
+     charm the ear, or so powerfully rouse the mind, as these two
+     defenders; because, among other privileges, God has given them that
+     of being always present, to cry out for justice, to serve both as
+     witnesses and advocates, and to terminate one of those processes
+     which God alone judges in this world: this is what will happen in
+     the present case, if the justice of men be too long in default. And
+     let not the debtors of God be too confident about the delay of His
+     judgment; though the fatal term be apparently postponed, it is
+     gradually approaching; and the debt to be paid is augmented by the
+     interest which is added to it down to the last day of Heaven's
+     great reckoning."'
+
+It was not till eight years later, in 1599, when Philip III. sat on the
+throne of Spain, that the wife and children of Perez regained their
+liberty, and not till nearly twenty-five later, in 1615, that his
+children, who had passed their youth in prison, and been legally
+attainted with their father's degradation without having participated in
+his offences, were restored to their rank and rights as Spanish nobles.
+
+Baffled in his pursuit of vengeance by the sturdy independence of the
+civil courts of Aragon, Philip turned his eyes for assistance to a
+tribunal, of which the jurisdiction had apparently no boundary except
+its exorbitant pretensions. At the king's bidding, the Inquisition
+endeavoured to seize Perez within its inexorable grasp. It seized, but
+could not hold him. The free and jealous Aragonese, shouting "Liberty
+for ever!" flew to arms, and emancipated from the mysterious oppression
+of the Holy Office the man already absolved of crime by the regular
+decrees of justice.
+
+The Inquisition having renewed its attempt, the people, headed and
+supported by leaders of the highest lineage, condition, and authority in
+Aragon, increased in the fervour and boldness of their resistance. Their
+zealous championship of Perez--a most unworthy object of so much
+generous and brave solicitude--drove them into open insurrection against
+Philip. The biographer narrates, that when the storm raised by him, and
+on his account, drew near, Perez escaped across the Pyrenees into
+France; and the historian records, that when the sun of peace again
+re-emerged from the tempest, Philip had overthrown the ancient
+constitution of Aragon, crushed its nobility, destroyed its
+independence, and incorporated its territory with the Spanish monarchy.
+
+Perez, although compelled to fly, bade farewell for ever to his native
+land with reluctance. There is something touching in the familiar image
+which he uses to describe his own condition: "He was like a dog of a
+faithful nature, who, though beaten and ill-treated by his master and
+household, is loth to quit the walls of his dwelling." He found at
+Béarn, in the court of the sister of Henry IV. of France, a
+resting-place from hardship, but not a safe asylum from persecution.
+During his brief residence there, three separate attempts to assassinate
+him were detected or defeated; nor were these the only plots directed
+against his person. M. Mignet quotes a pleasant variety of the species
+from the lively pen of Perez himself.
+
+     "'When Perez was at Pau, they went so far as to try to make use of
+     a lady of that country, who lacked neither beauty, gallantry, nor
+     distinction; a notable woman, an Amazon, and a huntress; riding, as
+     they say, up hill and down dale. One would have thought they wanted
+     to put to death some new Samson. In short, they offered her ten
+     thousand crowns and six Spanish horses to come to Pau, and form an
+     intimacy with Perez; and, after having charmed him by her beauty,
+     to invite and entice him to her house, in order, some fine evening,
+     to deliver him up, or allow him to be carried off in a hunting
+     party. The lady, either being importuned, or desirous, from a
+     curiosity natural to her sex, to know a man whom authority and his
+     persecutors considered of so much consequence, or, lastly, for the
+     purpose of warning the victim herself, feigned, as the sequel makes
+     us believe, to accept the commission. She travelled to Pau, and
+     made acquaintance with Perez. She visited him at his house.
+     Messengers and love-letters flew about like hail. There were
+     several parties of pleasure; but, in the end, the good disposition
+     of the lady, and her attachment for Perez, gained the victory over
+     interest, that metal of base alloy, which defiles more than any act
+     of love; so that she herself came and revealed to him the
+     machinations from beginning to end, together with the offers made,
+     and all that had followed. She did much more. She offered him her
+     house and the revenue attached to it, with such a warmth of
+     affection, (if we may judge of love by its demonstrations,) that
+     any sound mathematician would say there was, between that lady and
+     Perez, an astrological sympathy.'"
+
+His restless spirit of intrigue, and perhaps a nascent desire, provoked
+by altered circumstances, of reciprocal vengeance against Philip,
+hurried Perez from the tranquil seclusion of Béarn to the busy camp of
+Henry IV. After a long conference, he was sent to England by that
+monarch, who calculated on his services being usefully available with
+Queen Elizabeth in the common enterprise against Spain. Then it was that
+he formed his intimate acquaintance with the celebrated Francis Bacon,
+in whose company we first introduced him to our readers, and with many
+other individuals of eminence and note.
+
+     "It was during the leisure of this his first residence in London
+     that Perez published, in the summer of 1594, his _Relaciones_,
+     under the imaginary name of _Raphael Peregrino_; which, far from
+     concealing the real author, in reality designated him by the
+     allusion to his wandering life. This account of his adventures,
+     composed with infinite art, was calculated to render his ungrateful
+     and relentless persecutor still more odious, and to draw towards
+     himself more benevolence and compassion. He sent copies of it to
+     Burghley, to Lady Rich, sister of the Earl of Essex, to Lords
+     Southampton, Montjoy, and Harris, to Sir Robert Sidney, Sir Henry
+     Unton, and many other personages of the English court, accompanying
+     them with letters gracefully written and melancholy in spirit. The
+     one which he confided to the patronage of the Earl of Essex was at
+     once touching and flattering:--'Raphael Peregrino,' said he, 'the
+     author of this book, has charged me to present it to your
+     Excellency. Your Excellency is obliged to protect him, since he
+     recommends himself to you. He must know that he wants a godfather,
+     since he chooses such as you. Perhaps he trusted to his name,
+     knowing that your Excellency is the support of the pilgrims of
+     fortune.'"
+
+The dagger of the assassin continued to track his wanderings. And it is,
+probably, not commonly known, that upon one of the city gates of London,
+near St Paul's, there might be seen, in 1594, the heads of two Irishmen,
+executed as accomplices in a plot for the murder of Antonio Perez.
+
+In England, where he was supported by the generosity of Essex, he did
+not remain very long, having been recalled, in 1594, to France by Henry,
+who had recently declared war against Philip. At Paris, Perez was
+received with great distinction and the most flattering attentions,
+being lodged in a spacious mansion, and provided with a military
+body-guard. The precaution was not superfluous. Wearing seemingly a
+charmed life, the dusky spectre of premature and unnatural death haunted
+him wherever he went or sojourned. Baron Pinilla, a Spaniard, was
+captured in Paris on the eve of his attempt to murder Perez, put to the
+torture, and executed on the Place de Grève--thus adding another name to
+the long catalogue of people, to whom any connexion with, or implication
+in, the affairs of Perez, whether innocently or criminally, for good or
+evil, attracted, it might be imagined as by Lady Bacon, from an angry
+Heaven the flash of calamitous ruin.
+
+His present prosperity came as a brilliant glimpse through hopeless
+darkness, and so departed. Revisiting England in 1596, he found himself
+denied access to Essex, shunned by the Bacons, and disregarded by every
+body. The consequent mortification accelerated his return to France,
+which he reached, as Henry was concluding peace with Philip, to
+encounter cold distrust and speedy neglect from the French King. All
+this was the result of his own incurable double-dealing. He had been
+Henry's spy in the court of Elizabeth, and was, or fancied himself to be
+Elizabeth's at Paris. But the omnipotent secretary of state and the
+needy adventurer played the game of duplicity and perfidy with the odds
+reversed. All parties, as their experience unmasked his hollow
+insincerity, shrunk from reliance on, or intercourse with an
+ambidextrous knave, to whom mischief and deceit were infinitely more
+congenial than wisdom and honesty. "The truth is," wrote Villeroy, one
+of the French ministers, to a correspondent in 1605, "that his
+adversities have not made him much wiser or more discreet than he was in
+his prosperity." We must confess ourselves unable to perceive any traces
+of even the qualified improvement admitted by Villeroy.
+
+The rest of the biography of this extraordinary man is a miserable diary
+of indignant lamentations over his abject condition--of impudent
+laudations of the blameless integrity of his career--of grovelling and
+ineffectual efforts and supplications to appease and eradicate the
+hatred of Philip--and of vociferous cries for relief from penury and
+famine. "I am in extreme want, having exhausted the assistance of all my
+friends, and no longer knowing where to find my daily bread," is the
+terrible confession of the once favourite minister of the most powerful
+monarch in Europe. He never touched the ground, or even gazed on the
+distant hills of Spain again. In one of the obscure streets of Paris, in
+solitude and poverty, he dragged the grief and infirmities of his old
+age slowly towards the grave; and at length, in the seventy-second year
+of his age, on a natural and quiet deathbed, closed the troubles of his
+tempestuous existence.
+
+Such is "this strange eventful history." Such was the incalculable
+progeny of misery, disgrace, disaster, and ruin, involving himself, his
+family, countless individuals, and an entire nation, which issued from
+the guilty love of Perez and the Princess of Eboli.
+
+     _Antonio Perez and Philip II._ By M. MIGNET. Translated by C.
+     COCKS, B.L. London: 1846.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 4: "Dona Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda," observes the historian
+of the house of Silva, "the only daughter of Don Diego de Mendoza and
+the Lady Catalina de Silva, was, from the blood which ran in her veins,
+from her beauty, and her noble inheritance, one of the most desirable
+matches (_apeticidos casamientos_) of the day!"]
+
+
+
+
+RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOVER OF SOCIETY.
+
+No. II.
+
+1802.
+
+
+All the great people of London, and most of the little, have been kept
+in a fever of agitation during the last fortnight, by the preparatives
+for the grand club ball in honour of the peace. Texier had the direction
+of the fête, and he exhibited his taste to the astonishment of _les
+sauvages Britanniques_. Never were seen such decorations, such chaplets,
+such chandeliers, such bowers of roses. In short, the whole was a Bond
+Street Arcadia. All the world of the West End were there; the number
+could not have been less than a thousand--all in fancy dresses and
+looking remarkably brilliant. The Prince of Wales, the most showy of men
+every where, wore a Highland dress, such, however, as no Highlander ever
+wore since Deucalion's flood, unless Donald was master of diamonds
+enough to purchase a principality. The Prince, of course, had a separate
+room for his own supper party, and the genius of M. Texier had contrived
+a little entertainment for the royal party, by building an adjoining
+apartment in the style of a cavern, after the Gil Blas fashion, in which
+a party of banditti were to carry on their carousal. The banditti were,
+of course, amateurs--the Cravens, Tom Sheridan, and others of that
+set--who sang, danced, gambled, and did all sorts of strange things. The
+Prince was delighted; but even princes cannot have all pleasures to
+themselves. Some of the crowd by degrees squeezed or coaxed their way
+into the cavern, others followed, the pressure became irresistible;
+until at last the banditti, contrary to all the laws of melodrame, were
+expelled from their own cavern, and the invaders sat down to their
+supper. Lords Besborough, Ossulston, and Bedford were the directors of
+the night; and the foreign ministers declared that nothing in Europe,
+within their experience, equalled this Bond Street affair. Whether the
+directors had the horses taken from their carriages, and were carried
+home in an ovation, I cannot tell; but Texier, not at all disposed to
+think lightly of himself at any time, talks of the night with tears in
+his eyes, and declares it the triumph of his existence.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+George Rose has had a narrow escape of being drowned. All the wits, of
+course, appeal to the proverb, and deny the possibility of his
+concluding his career by water. Still, his escape was extraordinary. He
+had taken a boat at Palace Yard to cross to Lambeth. As he was standing
+up in the boat, immediately on his getting in, the waterman awkwardly
+and hastily shoved off, and George, accustomed as he was to take care of
+himself, lost his balance, and plumped head foremost into the water. The
+tide was running strong, and between the weight of his clothes, and the
+suddenness of the shock, he was utterly helpless. The parliamentary
+laughers say, that the true wonder of the case is, that he has been ever
+able to keep his head above water for the last dozen years; others, that
+it has been so long his practice to swim with the stream, that no one
+can be surprised at his slipping eagerly along. The fact, however, is,
+that a few minutes more must have sent him to the bottom. Luckily a
+bargeman made a grasp at him as he was going down, and held him till he
+could be lifted into his boat. He was carried to the landing-place in a
+state of great exhaustion. George has been, of course, obnoxious to the
+Opposition from his services, and from his real activity and
+intelligence in office. He is good-natured, however, and has made no
+enemies. Sheridan and the rest, when they have nothing else to do in the
+House, fire their shots at him to keep their hands in practice, but none
+of them have been able to bring him down.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A remarkable man died in June, the well-known Colonel Barré. He began
+political life about the commencement of the American war, and
+distinguished himself by taking an active part in the discussion of
+every public measure of the time. Barré's soldiership impressed its
+character on his parliamentary conduct. He was prompt, bold, and
+enterprising, and always obtained the attention of the House. Though
+without pretensions to eloquence, he was always a ready speaker; and
+from the rapidity with which he mastered details, and from the boldness
+with which he expressed his opinions, he always produced a powerful
+effect on the House. Though contemporary with Burke, and the countryman
+of that illustrious orator, he exhibited no tendency to either the
+elevation or the ornament of that distinguished senator; yet his
+speeches were vigorous, and his diligence gave them additional effect.
+No man was more dreaded by the minister; and the treasury bench often
+trembled under the force and directness of his assaults. At length,
+however, he gave way to years, and retired from public life. His party
+handsomely acknowledged his services by a retiring pension, which Mr
+Pitt, when minister, exchanged for the clerkship of the pells, thus
+disburdening the nation by substituting a sinecure. For many years
+before his death, Barré was unfortunately deprived of sight; but, under
+that heaviest of all afflictions, he retained his practical philosophy,
+enjoyed the society of his friends, and was cheerful to the last. He was
+at length seized with paralysis, and died.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The crimes of the French population are generally of a melodramatic
+order. The temperament of the nation is eminently theatrical; and the
+multitude of minor theatres scattered through France, naturally sustain
+this original tendency. A villain in the south of France, lately
+constructed a sort of machinery for murder, which was evidently on the
+plan of the trap-doors and banditti displays of the Porte St Martin.
+Hiring an empty stable, he dug a pit in it of considerable depth. The
+pit was covered with a framework of wood, forming a floor, which, on the
+pulling of a string, gave way, and plunged the victim into a depth of
+twenty feet. But the contriver was not satisfied with his attempt to
+break the bones of the unfortunate person whom he thus entrapped. He
+managed to have a small chamber filled with some combustible in the side
+of the pit, which was to be set on fire, and, on the return of the
+platform to its place, suffocate his _detenu_ with smoke. Whether he had
+performed any previous atrocities in this way, or whether the present
+instance was the commencement of his profession of homicide, is not
+told. By some means or other, having inveigled a stout countrywoman,
+coming with her eggs and apples to market, into his den, she no sooner
+trod upon the frame, than the string was pulled, it turned, and we may
+conceive with what astonishment and terror she must have felt herself
+plunged into a grave with the light of day shut out above. Fortunately
+for her, the match which was to light the combustibles failed, and she
+thus escaped suffocation. Her cries, however, were so loud, that they
+attracted some of the passers-by, and the villain attempted to take to
+flight. He was, however, seized, and given into the hands of justice.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An action was lately brought by an old lady against a dealer in
+curiosities, for cheating her in the matter of antiques. Her taste was
+not limited to the oddities of the present day, and, in the dealer, she
+found a person perfectly inclined to gratify her with wonders. He had
+sold her a model of the Alexandrian library, a specimen of the original
+type invented by Memnon the Egyptian, and a manuscript of the first play
+acted by Thespis. These had not exhausted the stock of the dealer: he
+possessed the skin of a giraffe killed in the Roman amphitheatre; the
+head of King Arthur's spear; and the breech of the first cannon fired at
+the siege of Constantinople. The jury, however, thought that the
+virtuoso having ordered those curiosities, ought to pay for them, and
+brought in a verdict for the dealer.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The French consul has been no sooner installed, than he has begun to
+give the world provocatives to war. His legion of honour is a military
+noblesse, expressly intended to make all public distinction originate in
+the army; for the few men of science decorated with its star are not to
+be compared with the list of soldiers, and even they are chiefly
+connected with the department of war as medical men, practical chemists,
+or engineers.
+
+His next act was to fix the military establishment of France at 360,000
+men; his third act, in violation of his own treaties, and of all the
+feelings of Europe, was to make a rapid invasion of Switzerland, thus
+breaking down the independence of the country, and seizing, in fact, the
+central fortress of the Continent. His fourth act has been the seizure
+of Piedmont, and its absolute annexation to France. By a decree of the
+Republic, Piedmont is divided into six departments, which are to send
+seventeen deputies to the French legislature. Turin is declared to be a
+provincial city of the Republican territory; and thus the French armies
+will have a perpetual camp in a country which lays Italy open to the
+invader, and will have gained a territory nearly as large as Scotland,
+but fertile, populous, and in one of the finest climates of the south.
+Those events have excited the strongest indignation throughout Europe.
+We have already discovered that the peace was but a truce; that the
+cessation of hostilities was but a breathing-time to the enemy; that the
+reduction of our armies was precipitate and premature; and that, unless
+the fears of the French government shall render it accessible to a sense
+of justice, the question must finally come to the sword.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Schiller's play of the "Robbers" is said to have propagated the breed of
+highwaymen in Germany. To ramble through the country, stop travellers on
+the highway, make huts in the forest, sing Bedlamite songs, and rail at
+priests and kings, was the fashion in Germany during the reign of that
+popular play. It was said, a banditti of students from one of the
+colleges had actually taken the road, and made Carl Moor their model.
+All this did very well in summer, but the winter probably cooled their
+enthusiasm; for a German forest, with its snow half a dozen feet deep,
+and the probability of famine, would be a formidable trial to the most
+glowing mysticism.
+
+But an actual leader of banditti has been just arrested, whose exploits
+in plunder have formed the romance of Germany for a considerable period.
+The confusion produced by the French war, and the general disturbance of
+the countries on both sides of the Rhine, have at once awakened the
+spirit of license, and given it impunity. A dashing fellow named
+Schinderhannes, not more than three-and-twenty years of age, but loving
+the luxuries of life too well to do without them, and disliking the
+labour required for their possession, commenced a general system of
+plunder down the Rhine. He easily organized a band, composed, I believe,
+of deserters from the French and Austrian troops, who preferred
+wholesale robbery to being shot in either service at the rate of
+threepence a-day; and for a while nothing could be more prosperous than
+their proceedings. Their leader, with all his daring, was politic,
+professing himself the friend of the poor, standing on the best terms
+with the peasantry, scattering his money in all directions with the
+lavishness of a prince, and professing to make war only on the nobility,
+the rich clergy, and the Jew merchants especially--the German Jews being
+always supposed by the people to be the grand depositories of the
+national wealth. But this favouritism among the peasantry was of the
+highest service to his enterprizes. It gave him information, it rescued
+him from difficulties, and it recruited his troop, which was said to
+amount to several hundreds, and to be in the highest state of
+discipline. After laying the country under contribution from Mayence to
+Coblentz, he crossed the river into Franconia, and commenced a period of
+enterprize there. But no man's luck lasts for ever. It was his habit to
+acquire information for himself by travelling about in various
+disguises. One day, in entering one of the little Franconian towns in
+the habit of a pedlar, and driving a cart with wares before him, he was
+recognized by one of the passers-by, whose sagacity was probably
+sharpened by having been plundered by him. An investigation followed,
+in which the disguised pedlar declared himself an Austrian subject, and
+an Austrian soldier. In consequence, he was ordered to the Austrian
+depôt at Frankfort, where he met another recognition still more
+formidable. A comrade with whom he had probably quarrelled; for this
+part of the story is not yet clear, denounced him to the police; and, to
+the astonishment of the honest Frankforters, it was announced that the
+robber king, the bandit hero, was in their hands. As his exploits had
+been chiefly performed on the left bank of the Rhine, and his revenues
+had been raised out of French property in the manner of a forced loan,
+the Republic, conceiving him to be an interloper on their monopoly,
+immediately demanded him from the German authorities. In the old
+war-loving times, the Frankforters would probably have blown the trumpet
+and insisted on their privilege of acting as his jailers, but experience
+had given them wisdom, they swallowed their wrath, and the robber king
+was given up to the robber Republic. If Schinderhannes had been in the
+service of France, he would have been doing for the last ten years, on
+its account, exactly what he had been doing on his own. But unluckily
+for himself, he robbed in the name of Schinderhannes, and not in the
+name of liberty and equality; and now, instead of having his name
+shouted by all France, inserted in triumphant bulletins, and ranked with
+the Bonapartes and Cæsars, he will be called a thief, stripped of his
+last rixdollar, and hanged.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An extraordinary instance of mortality has just occurred, which has
+favoured the conversation of the clubs, and thrown the west end into
+condolence and confusion for the last twenty-four hours. Colonel
+O'Kelly's famous parrot is dead. The stories told of this surprising
+bird have long stretched public credulity to its utmost extent. But if
+even the half of what is told be true, it exhibited the most singular
+sagacity. Not having seen it myself, I can only give the general report.
+But, beyond all question, it has been the wonder of London for years,
+and however willing John Bull may be to be deluded, there is no instance
+of his being deluded long. This bird's chief faculty was singing, seldom
+a parrot faculty, but its ear was so perfect, that it acquired tunes
+with great rapidity, and retained them with such remarkable exactness,
+that if, by accident, it made a mistake in the melody, it corrected
+itself, and tried over the tune until its recollection was completely
+recovered. It also spoke well, and would hold a kind of dialogue almost
+approaching to rationality. So great was its reputation that the colonel
+was offered £500 a-year by persons who intended to make an exhibition of
+it; but he was afraid that his favourite would be put to too hard work,
+and he refused the offer, which was frequently renewed. The creature
+must have been old, for it had been bought thirty years before by the
+colonel's uncle, and even then it must have had a high reputation, for
+it was bought at the price of 100 guineas. Three remarkable bequests had
+been made by that uncle to the colonel,--the estate of Canons, the
+parrot, and the horse Eclipse, the most powerful racer ever known in
+England; so superior to every other horse of his day, that his
+superiority at length became useless, as no bets would be laid against
+him. In the spirit of vague curiosity, this parrot was opened by two
+surgeons, as if to discover the secret of his cleverness; but nothing
+was seen, except that the muscles of the throat were peculiarly strong;
+nothing to account for its death was discovered.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Andreossi, the French ambassador, has arrived. He is a rude and rough
+specimen even of the Republican, but a man of intelligence, an engineer,
+and distinguished for his publications. Still the bone of contention is
+Malta, and the difficulty seems greater than ever. The French consul
+insists on its abandonment by England, as an article of the treaty of
+Amiens; but the answer of England is perfectly intelligible,--You have
+not adhered to that treaty in any instance whatever, but have gone on
+annexing Italian provinces to France. You have just now made a vassal
+of Switzerland, and to all our remonstrances on the subject you have
+answered with utter scorn. While you violate your stipulations, how can
+you expect that we shall perform ours? But another obstruction to the
+surrender of Malta has been produced by the conduct of France herself.
+She has seized the entire property of the Order in France, in Piedmont,
+and wherever she can seize it. Spain, probably by her suggestion, has
+followed her example, and the Order now is reduced to pauperism; in
+fact, it no longer exists. Thus it is impossible to restore the island
+to the Order of St John of Jerusalem; and to give it up at once to
+France, would be to throw away an important security for the due
+performance of the treaty. Government are so determined on this view of
+the case, that orders have been sent to Malta for all officers on leave
+to join their regiments immediately.
+
+Malta is one of the remarkable instances in which we may trace a kind of
+penalty on the rapaciousness of the Republic. While it remained in the
+possession of the Order, it had observed a kind of neutrality, which was
+especially serviceable to France, as the island was a refuge for its
+ships, and a depôt for its commerce, in common with that of England. But
+Bonaparte, in his Egyptian expedition, finding the opportunity
+favourable, from the weakness of the knights, and the defenceless state
+of the works, landed his troops, and took possession of it without
+ceremony. No act could be more atrocious as a breach of faith, for the
+knights were in alliance with France, and were wholly unprepared for
+hostilities. The place was now in full possession of the treacherous
+ally. Contributions were raised; the churches were plundered of their
+plate and ornaments; the knights were expelled, and a French garrison
+took possession of the island. What was the result? Malta was instantly
+blockaded by the British, the garrison was reduced by famine, and Malta
+became an English possession; which it never would have been, if the
+knights had remained there; for England, in her respect for the faith of
+treaties, would not have disturbed their independence. Thus, the
+Republic, by iniquitously grasping at Malta, in fact threw it into the
+hands of England. It is scarcely less remarkable, that the plunder of
+Malta was also totally lost, it being placed on board the admiral's
+ship, which was blown up at the battle of the Nile.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One of the first acts of the French consul has been to conciliate the
+Italian priesthood by an act which they regard as equivalent to a
+conversion to Christianity. The image of our Lady of Loretto, in the
+French invasion of Italy, had been carried off from Rome; of course, the
+sorrows of the true believers were unbounded. The image was certainly
+not intended to decorate the gallery of the Louvre, for it was as black
+as a negro; and, from the time of its capture, it had unfortunately lost
+all its old power of working miracles. But it has at length been
+restored to its former abode, and myriads of the pious followed the
+procession. Discharges of cannon and ringing of bells welcomed its
+approach. It was carried by eight bishops, in a species of triumphal
+palanquin, splendidly decorated, and placed on its altar in the Santa
+Casa with all imaginable pomps and ceremonies. The whole town was
+illuminated in the evening, and the country was in a state of exultation
+at what it regards as an evidence of the immediate favor of heaven.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A singular and melancholy trial has just taken place, in which a colonel
+in the army, with several of the soldiery and others, have been found
+guilty of a conspiracy to overthrow the government, and kill the king on
+the day of his opening Parliament. The 16th of November 1802, had been
+the day appointed for this desperate deed; but information having been
+obtained of the design through a confederate, the whole party of
+conspirators were seized on that day by the police at a house in
+Lambeth, where they arrested Despard and his fellow traitors. On the
+floor of the room three printed papers were found, containing their
+proclamation.
+
+They were headed, "_Constitution_, the independence of Great Britain and
+Ireland, an equalization of civil and religious rights, an ample
+provision for the wives of the heroes who shall fall in the conquest, a
+liberal reward for distinguished merits; these are the objects for which
+we contend, and to obtain these objects we swear to be united in the
+awful presence of Almighty God." Then follows the oath: "I, A.B., do
+voluntarily declare that I will endeavour to the utmost of my power to
+obtain the objects of this union, viz. to recover those rights which the
+Supreme Being, in his infinite bounty, has given to all men; that
+neither hopes, fears, rewards, nor punishments, shall ever induce me to
+give any information, directly or indirectly, concerning the business,
+or of any member of this or any similar society, so help me God."
+
+One of the witnesses, a private in the Guards, gave evidence that the
+object of the conspiracy was to overturn the present system of
+government; to unite in companies, and to get arms. They subscribed, and
+the object of the subscription was, to pay delegates to go into the
+country, and to defray the expense of printing their papers. All persons
+belonging to the subscription were to be divided into ten companies,
+each consisting of ten, with an eleventh who was called captain. The
+next order was, that the oldest captain of five companies took the
+command of those fifty men, and was to be called colonel of the
+subdivision. Every means was to be adopted to get as many recruits as
+possible. There was to be no regular organization in London, for fear of
+attracting the eye of government. But the system was to be urged
+vigorously in the great manufacturing towns; the insurrection was to
+commence by an attack on the House of Parliament; and the king was to be
+put to death either on his way to the House, or in the House. The
+mail-coaches were then to be stopt, as a signal to their adherents in
+the country that the insurrection had triumphed in the metropolis. An
+assault was then to be made on the Tower, and the arms seized. At
+subsequent meetings, the question of the royal seizure was more than
+once discussed; and Despard had declared it to be essential to the
+success of the plot, that no effect could be produced unless the whole
+royal family were secured. The first plan for the seizure of the king
+was to shoot his carriage horses, then force him out of the carriage,
+and carry him off. A second plan was then proposed, viz. that of loading
+the Egyptian gun in St James's Park with chain shot, and firing it at
+the royal carriage as it passed along.
+
+Lord Nelson and General Sir Alured Clarke were brought as evidence to
+character. Lord Nelson said, that he and Colonel Despard had served
+together on the Spanish Main in 1799, and that he was then a loyal man
+and a brave officer. Lord Ellenborough strongly charged the jury. He
+declared that there was no question of law, and that the whole case
+resolved itself into a question of fact. The jury, after retiring for
+half an hour, brought in a verdict of guilty.
+
+In a few days after, Despard, with six of his accomplices, were executed
+in front of the new jail in the Borough. The men were chiefly soldiers
+whom this wretched criminal had bribed or bewildered into the commission
+of treason. Despard made a speech on the scaffold, declaring himself
+innocent, and that he was put to death simply for being a friend to
+truth, liberty, and justice. How he could have made this declaration
+after the evidence that had been given, is wholly unintelligible except
+on the ground of insanity, though of that there was no symptom, except
+in the design itself. What prompted the design except narrow
+circumstances, bad habits, and the temptations of a revengeful spirit,
+was never discovered.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A trial, which exhibited extraordinary talent in the defence, by a
+counsel hitherto unknown, has attracted an interest still more general,
+though of a less melancholy order. Peltier, an emigrant, and supposed to
+be an agent of the French emigrant body, had commenced a periodical
+work, entitled _L'Ambigu_; the chief object of which was to attack the
+policy, person, and conduct of the First Consul of France. His assaults
+were so pointed, that they were complained of by the French government
+as libels; and the answer returned was, that the only means which the
+ministry possessed of punishing such offences, was by the verdict of a
+jury. The Attorney-general, in opening the case, described the paper. On
+its frontispiece, was a sphinx with a crown upon its head, the features
+closely resembling those of Bonaparte. A portion of the paper was
+devoted to a parody of the harangue of Lepidus against Sylla. It asks
+the French people, "Why they have fought against Austria, Prussia,
+Italy, England, Germany, and Russia, if it be not to preserve our
+liberty and our property, and that we might obey none but the laws
+alone. And now, this tiger, who dares to call himself the Founder, or
+the Regenerator of France, enjoys the fruit of your labours as spoil
+taken from the enemy. This man, sole master in the midst of those who
+surround him, has ordained lists of proscription, and put in execution
+banishment without sentence, by which there are punishments for the
+French who have not yet seen the light. Proscribed families, giving
+birth out of France to children, oppressed before they are born. In
+another part, the paper urged to immediate action. It says, "Citizens,
+you must march, you must oppose what is passing, if you desire that he
+should not seize upon all that you have. There must be no delays, no
+useless wishes; reckon only upon yourselves, unless you indeed have the
+stupidity to suppose that he will abdicate through shame of tyranny that
+which he holds by force of crime." In another part, he assails the First
+Consul on the nature of his precautions to secure his power. He charges
+him with the formation of a troop of Mamelukes, composed of Greeks,
+Maltese, Arabians, and Copts, "a collection of foreign banditti, whose
+name and dress, recalling the mad and disastrous Egyptian expedition,
+should cover him with shame; but who, not speaking our language, nor
+having any point of contact with our army, will always be the satellites
+of the tyrant, his mutes, his cut-throats, and his hangmen. The laws,
+the justice, the finances, the administration; in fine, the liberty and
+life of the citizens, are all in the power of one man. You see at every
+moment arbitrary arrests, judges punished for having acquitted citizens,
+individuals put to death after having been already acquitted by law,
+sentences and sentences of death extorted from judges by threats.
+Remains there for men, who would deserve that name, any thing else to
+do, but to avenge their wrongs, or perish with glory?"
+
+Another portion of this paper contained an ode, in which all things were
+represented as in a state of convulsion, all shaken by a tremendous
+storm; but nature, either blind or cruel, sparing the head of the tyrant
+alone:--still carrying on the parody of the Roman speech, it pronounces
+that a poniard is the last resource of Rome to rescue herself from a
+dictator. It asks, is it from a Corsican that a Frenchman must receive
+his chains? was it to crown a traitor that France had punished her
+kings? In another, a libel, which traced the rise of Bonaparte, and
+charged him with the intention of assuming imperial power, concluded in
+these words:--"Carried on the shield, let him be elected emperor;
+finally, (and Romulus recalls the thing to mind,) I wish that on the
+morrow he may have his 'apotheosis.'" This the Attorney-general
+certainly, with every appearance of reason, pronounced to be a palpable
+suggestion to put the First Consul to death; as history tells us that
+Romulus was assassinated.
+
+The defence by Mackintosh was a bold and eloquent performance. He
+commenced by a spirited animadversion on the Attorney's speech, and then
+extended his subject into a general defence of the liberty of the press,
+which he pronounced to be the true object of attack on the part of the
+First Consul. He followed the history of its suppression through all the
+states under French influence, and then came to the attempt at its
+suppression here. He then invoked the jury to regard themselves as the
+protectors of the freedom of speech on earth, and to rescue his client
+from the severity of an oppression which threatened the universal
+slavery of mankind.
+
+This speech has been strongly criticised as one in which the advocate
+defended himself and his party, while he neglected his client. But the
+obvious truth is, that unless the suggestion of assassination is
+defensible, there could be no defence, and unless the laws of nations
+justify the most violent charges on the character of foreign sovereigns,
+there could be no justification for the language of the whole paper.
+Mackintosh evidently took the best course for his cause. He made out of
+bad materials a showy speech; he turned the public eye from the guilt of
+the libel to the popular value of the press; where others would have
+given a dull pleading, he gave a stately romance; where the jury, in
+feebler hands, would have been suffered to see the facts in their savage
+nudity, he exhibited them clothed in classic draperies, and dazzled the
+eye with the lofty features and heroic attitudes of ancient love of
+country. All the skill of man could not have saved Peltier from a
+verdict of guilty; but the genius of the orator invested his sentence
+with something of the glory of martyrdom. The breaking out of the war
+relieved Peltier from the consequences of the verdict. But there can be
+no question that, if he had been thrown into prison, he would have been
+an object of the general sympathy; that the liberty of the press would
+have been regarded as in some degree involved in his sufferings; that he
+would have found public liberality willing to alleviate his personal and
+pecuniary difficulties; and that his punishment would have been
+shortened, and his fine paid by the zeal of the national sympathy. Such
+are the triumphs of eloquence. Such is the value of having a man of
+genius for an advocate. Such is the importance to the man of genius
+himself, of resolving to exert his highest powers for his client.
+Mackintosh has been called an indolent man; and he has been hitherto but
+little known. But he has at last discovered his own faculties, and he
+has only to keep them in action to achieve the highest successes of the
+bar; to fill the place of Erskine; and if no man can make Erskine
+forgotten, at least make him unregretted. This speech also has taught
+another lesson, and that lesson is, that the bar can be the theatre of
+the highest rank of eloquence, and that all which is regarded as the
+limit of forensic excellence, is a gratuitous degradation of its own
+dignity. The sharp retort, the sly innuendo, the dexterous hint, the
+hard, keen subtlety, the rough common sense, all valuable in their
+degree, and all profitable to their possessor, are only of an inferior
+grade. Let the true orator come forth, and the spruce pleader is
+instantly flung into the background. Let the appeal of a powerful mind
+be made to the jury, and all the small address, and practical skill, and
+sly ingenuity, are dropped behind. The passion of the true orator
+communicates its passion; his natural richness of conception fills the
+spirit of his hearers; his power of producing new thoughts and giving
+new shapes to acknowledged truths; his whole magnificence of mind
+erecting and developing new views of human action as it moves along,
+lead the feelings of men in a willing fascination until the charm is
+complete. But after such a man, let the mere advocate stand up, and how
+feebly does his voice fall on the ear, how dry are his facts, how
+tedious his tricks, how lacklustre, empty, and vain are his contrivances
+to produce conviction!
+
+Mackintosh wants one grand quality for the jury,--he speaks like one who
+thinks more of his argument than of his audience; he forgets the faces
+before him, and is evidently poring over the images within. Though with
+a visage of the colour, and seemingly of the texture of granite, he
+blushes at a misplaced word, and is evidently sensitive to the error of
+a comma. No man ever spoke with effect who cannot hesitate without being
+overwhelmed, blunder without a blush, or be bewildered by his own
+impetuosity, without turning back to retrace. _En avant_ is the precept
+for the orator, as much as it is the principle of the soldier.
+Mackintosh has to learn these things; but he has a full mind, a classic
+tongue, and a subtle imagination, and these constitute the one thing
+needful for the orator, comprehend all, and complete all.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The late Lord Orford, the relative of the well-known Horace Walpole, is
+one of the curious evidences that every man who takes it into his head
+to be conspicuous, right or wrong, may make for himself a name. Lord
+Orford, while his relative was writing all kinds of brilliant things,
+collecting antiquities, worshipping the genius of cracked china, and
+bowing down before fardingales and topknots of the time of Francis I.,
+in the Temple of Strawberry Hill, was forming a niche for his fame in
+his dog-kennel, and immortalizing himself by the help of his hounds.
+Next to Actæon, he was the greatest dog-fancier that the world has ever
+seen, and would have rivalled Endymion, if Diana was to be won by the
+fleetest of quadrupeds. He was boundless in his profusion in respect of
+his favourite animals, until at last, finding that his ideas of
+perfection could not be realized by any living greyhounds, he speculated
+on the race unborn, and crossed his dogs until, after seven summers, he
+brought them to unrivalled excellence. He had at various times fifty
+brace of greyhounds, quartering them over every part of his county
+Norfolk, of which he was lord-lieutenant, probably for the sake of
+trying the effect of air and locality.
+
+One of his lordship's conceptions was, that of training animals to
+purposes that nature never designed them for; and, if lions had been
+accessible in this country, he would probably have put a snaffle into
+the mouth of the forest king, and have trained him for hunting, unless
+his lordship had been devoured in the experiment. But his most notorious
+attempt of this order, was a four-in-hand of stags. Having obtained four
+red deer of strong make, he harnessed them, and by dint of the infinite
+diligence which he exerted on all such occasions; was at length enabled
+to drive his four antlered coursers along the high-road. But on one
+unfortunate day, as he was driving to Newmarket, a pack of hounds, in
+full cry after fox or hare, crossing the road, got scent of the track.
+Finding more attractive metal, they left the chase, and followed the
+stags in full cry. The animals now became irrestrainable, dashed along
+at full speed, and carried the phaeton and his lordship in it, to his
+great alarm, along the road, at the rate of thirty miles an hour.
+Luckily they did not take their way across the country, or their
+driver's neck must have been broken. The scene was now particularly
+animating; the hounds were still heard in full cry; no power could stop
+the frightened stags; his lordship exerted all his charioteering skill
+in vain. Luckily, he had been in the habit of driving to Newmarket. The
+stags rushed into the town, to the astonishment of every body, and
+darted into the inn yard. Here the gates were shut, and scarcely too
+soon, for in a minute or two after the whole dogs of the hunt came
+rushing into the town, and roaring for their prey. This escape seems to
+have cured his lordship of stag-driving; but his passion for coursing
+grew only more active, and the bitterest day of the year, he was seen
+mounted on his piebald pony, and, in his love of the sport, apparently
+insensible to the severities of the weather; while the hardiest of his
+followers shrank, he was always seen, without great-coat or gloves, with
+his little three-cocked hat facing the storm, and evidently insensible
+to every thing but the performances of his hounds.
+
+His lordship was perhaps the first man who was ever made mad by country
+sports, though many a man has been made a beggar by them; and none but
+fools will waste their time on them. His lordship at length became
+unquestionably mad, and was put under restraint. At length, while still
+in confinement, and in a second access of his disorder, having
+ascertained, by some means or other, that one of his favourite
+greyhounds was to run a match for a large sum, he determined to be
+present at the performance. Contriving to send his attendant from the
+room, he jumped out of the window, saddled his piebald pony with his own
+hands, all the grooms having gone to the field, and there being no one
+to obstruct him, and suddenly made his appearance on the course, to
+universal astonishment. In spite of all entreaties, he was determined to
+follow the dogs, and galloped after them. In the height of the pursuit,
+he was flung from his pony, fell on his head; and instantly expired.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The fluctuations of the public mind on the subject of the peace, have
+lately influenced the stock market to a considerable degree. The
+insolence of the First Consul to our ambassador, Lord Whitworth,
+naturally produces an expectation of war. Early this morning, a man,
+calling himself a messenger from the Foreign Office, delivered a letter
+at the Mansion-house, and which he said had been sent from Lord
+Hawkesbury, and which was to be given to his lordship without delay. The
+letter was in these words:--"Lord Hawkesbury presents his compliments to
+the Lord Mayor, and has the honour to acquaint his lordship, that the
+negotiation between this country and the French republic is brought to
+an amicable conclusion. Signed, Downing Street, eight o'clock, May 5,
+1803."
+
+The Lord Mayor, with a precipitancy that argued but little for the
+prudence of the chief magistrate, had this letter posted up in front of
+the Mansion-house. The effect on the Stock Exchange was immediate; and
+consols rose eight per cent, from 63 to 71. The delusion, however, was
+brief; and the intelligence of the rise had no sooner reached Downing
+Street in its turn, than a messenger was dispatched to undeceive the
+city, and the city-marshal was employed to read the contradiction in the
+streets. The confusion in the Stock Exchange was now excessive; but the
+committee adopted the only remedy in their power. They ordered the Stock
+Exchange to be shut, and came to a resolution, that all bargains made in
+the morning should be null and void. Immediately after, another attempt
+of the same kind was made; and the Lord Mayor was requested by the
+people of the Stock Exchange to inquire into its reality from the
+government. The inquiry was answered by Mr Addington, of course denying
+it altogether, and finishing with this rebuke to civic credulity:--"I
+feel it my duty distinctly to caution your lordship against receiving
+impressions of the description alluded to, through any unauthorized
+channel of information." The funds immediately fell to 63 once more.
+
+And yet it remains a delicate question, whether any committee can have
+the power of declaring the bargains null and void. Of course, where the
+inventors of the fraud have been parties, they have no right to gain by
+their own fraud; but where individuals, wholly unacquainted with the
+fraud, have gained, there seems no reason why a _bonâ fide_ transaction
+should not stand.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The question of war is decided. On the 17th of May, an Order in Council,
+dated yesterday, has appeared in the _Gazette_, directing general
+reprisals against the ships, goods, and subjects of the French Republic.
+The peace, which rather deserves the name of a suspension of arms, or
+still more, the name of a prodigious act of credulity on the part of
+well-meaning John Bull, and an act of desperate knavery on the part of
+the First Consul and his accomplices, has lasted exactly one year and
+sixteen days,--England having occupied the time in disbanding her troops
+and dismantling her fleets; and France being not less busy in seizing on
+Italian provinces, strengthening her defences, and making universal
+preparations for war. Yet the spirit of England, though averse to
+hostilities in general, is probably more prepared at this moment for a
+resolute and persevering struggle than ever. The nation is now convinced
+of two things: first, that it is unassailable by France--a conviction
+which it has acquired during ten years of war; and next, that peace with
+France, under its present government, is impossible. The trickery of the
+Republican government, its intolerable insolence, the exorbitancy of its
+demands, and the more than military arrogance of its language, have
+penetrated every bosom in England. The nation has never engaged so
+heartily in a war before. All its old wars were government against
+government; but the First Consul has insulted the English people, and by
+the personal bitterness and malignant acrimony of his insults, has
+united every heart and hand in England against him. England has never
+waged such a war before; either party must perish. If England should
+fail, which heaven avert, the world will be a dungeon. If France should
+be defeated, the victory will be for Europe and all mankind.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Lord Nelson has sailed in the _Victory_ from Portsmouth to take the
+command in the Mediterranean. A French frigate has been taken; and a
+despatch declaring war has been received from France, ordering the
+capture of all English vessels, offering commissions to privateers, and
+by an act of treachery unprecedented among nations, annexed to this
+order is a command that all the English, from eighteen to sixty,
+residing in France, should be arrested; the pretext being to answer as
+prisoners for the French subjects who may have been made prisoners by
+the ships of his Britannic Majesty, previously to any declaration of
+war.
+
+This measure has excited the deepest indignation throughout London; and
+an indignation which will be shared by the empire. The English in France
+have been travelling and residing under French passports, and under the
+declared protection of the government. No crime has been charged upon
+them; they remained, because they regarded themselves as secure, relying
+on the honour of France. Their being kept as pledges for the French
+prisoners captured on the seas, is a mere trifling with common sense.
+The French subjects travelling or residing in England have not been
+arrested. The mere technicality of a declaration of war was wholly
+useless, when the ambassador of France had been ordered to leave
+England. The English ambassador had left Paris on the 12th; the French
+ambassador had left London on the 16th. The English order for reprisals
+appeared in the _Gazette_ of the 17th. The English declaration of war
+was laid before Parliament on the 18th; and the first capture, a French
+lugger of fourteen guns.
+
+
+
+
+THE "OLD PLAYER."
+
+IMITATED FROM ANASTASIUS GRÜN.
+
+BY A. LODGE.
+
+
+  Aloft the rustling curtain flew,
+  That gave the mimic scene to view;
+  How gaudy was the suit he wore!
+  His cheeks with red how plaster'd o'er!
+
+  Poor veteran! that in life's late day,
+  With tottering step, and locks of gray,
+  Essay'st each trick of antic glee,
+  Oh! my heart bleeds at sight of thee.
+
+  A laugh thy triumph! and so near
+  The closing act, and humble bier;
+  This thy ambition? this thy pride?
+  Far better thou had'st earlier died!
+
+  Though memory long has own'd decay,
+  And dim the intellectual ray,
+  Thou toil'st, from many an idle page,
+  To cram the feeble brain of age.
+
+  And stiff the old man's arms have grown.
+  And scarce his folded hands alone
+  Half raised in whisper'd prayer they see,
+  To bless the grandchild at his knee.
+
+  But here--'tis action lends a zest
+  To the dull, pointless, hacknied jest;
+  He saws the air 'mid welcome loud
+  Of laughter from the barren crowd.
+
+  A tear creeps down his cheek--with pain
+  His limbs the wasted form sustain;
+  Ay--weep! no thought thy tears are worth,
+  So the Pit shakes with boist'rous mirth.
+
+  And now the bustling scene is o'er,
+  The weary actor struts no more;
+  And hark, "The old man needed rest,"
+  They cry; "the arm-chair suits him best."
+
+  His lips have moved with mutter'd sound--
+  A pause--and still the taunt goes round;
+  "Oh! quite worn out--'tis doting age,
+  Why lags the driveller on the stage?"
+
+  Again the halting speech he tries,
+  But words the faltering tongue denies,
+  Scarce heard the low unmeaning tone,
+  Then silent--as tho' life were flown.
+
+  The curtain falls, and rings the bell,
+  They know not 'tis the Player's knell;
+  Nor deem their noise and echoing cry
+  The dirge that speeds a soul on high!
+
+  Dead in his chair the old man lay,
+  His colour had not pass'd away;--
+  Clay-cold, the ruddy cheeks declare
+  What hideous mockery lingers there!
+
+  Yes! there the counterfeited hue
+  Unfolds with moral truth to view,
+  How false--as every mimic part--
+  His life--his labours--and his art!
+
+  The canvass-wood devoid of shade,
+  Above, no plaintive rustling made;
+  That moon, that ne'er its orb has fill'd,
+  No pitying, dewy tears distill'd.
+
+  The troop stood round--and all the past
+  In one brief comment speaks at last;
+  "Well, he has won the hero's name,
+  He died upon his field of fame."
+
+  A girl with timid grace draws near,
+  And like the Muse to sorrow dear,
+  Amid the silvery tresses lays
+  The torn stage-wreath of paper bays!
+
+  I saw two men the bier sustain;--
+  Two bearers all the funeral train!
+  They left him in his narrow bed,
+  No smile was seen--no tear was shed!
+
+
+
+
+THE CRUSADES.[5]
+
+
+The Crusades are, beyond all question, the most extraordinary and
+memorable movement that ever took place in the history of mankind.
+Neither ancient nor modern times can furnish any thing even approaching
+to a parallel. They were neither stimulated by the lust of conquest nor
+the love of gain; they were not the results of northern poverty pressing
+on southern plenty, nor do they furnish an example of civilized
+discipline overcoming barbaric valour. The warriors who assumed the
+Cross were not stimulated, like the followers of Cortes and Pizarro, by
+the thirst for gold, nor roused, like those of Timour and Genghis Khan,
+by the passion for conquest. They did not burn, like the legionary
+soldiers of Rome, with the love of country, nor sigh with Alexander,
+because another world did not remain to conquer. They did not issue,
+like the followers of Mahomet, with the sword in one hand and the
+"Koran" in the other, to convert by subduing mankind, and win the houris
+of Paradise by imbruing their hands in the blood of the unbelievers. The
+ordinary motives which rouse the ambition, or awaken the passions of
+men, were to them unknown. One only passion warmed every bosom, one only
+desire was felt in every heart. To rescue the Holy Sepulchre from the
+hands of the Infidels--to restore the heritage of Christ to his
+followers--to plant the Cross again on Mount Calvary--was the sole
+object of their desires. For this they lived, for this they died. For
+this, millions of warriors abandoned their native seats, and left their
+bones to whiten the fields of Asia. For this, Europe, during two
+centuries, was precipitated on Asia. To stimulate this astonishing
+movement, all the powers of religion, of love, of poetry, of romance,
+and of eloquence, during a succession of ages, were devoted. Peter the
+Hermit shook the heart of Europe by his preaching, as the trumpet rouses
+the war-horse. Poetry and romance aided the generous illusion. No maiden
+would look at a lover who had not served in Palestine; few could resist
+those who had. And so strongly was the European heart then stirred,--so
+profound the emotions excited by those events, that their influence is
+felt even at this distant period. The highest praise yet awarded to
+valour is, that it recalls the lion-hearted Richard; the most envied
+meed bestowed on beauty, that it rivals the fascination of Armida. No
+monument is yet approached by the generous and brave with such emotion
+as those now mouldering in our churches, which represent the warrior
+lying with his arms crossed on his breast, in token that, during life,
+he had served in the Holy Wars.
+
+The Crusades form the true heroic age of Europe--the _Jerusalem
+Delivered_ is its epic poem. Then alone its warriors fought and died
+together. Banded together under a second "King of men," the forces of
+Christendom combated around the Holy City against the strength of Asia
+drawn to its defence. The cause was nobler, the end greater, the motives
+more exalted, than those which animated the warriors of the Iliad.
+Another Helen had not fired another Troy; the hope of sharing the spoils
+of Phrygia had not drawn together the predatory bands of another Greece.
+The characters on both sides had risen in proportion to the magnitude
+and sanctity of the strife in which they were engaged. Holier motives,
+more generous passions were felt, than had yet, from the beginning of
+time, strung the soldier's arm. Saladin was a mightier prince than
+Hector; Godfrey a nobler character than Agamemnon; Richard immeasurably
+more heroic than Achilles. The strife did not continue for ten years,
+but for twenty lustres; and yet, so uniform were the passions felt
+through its continuance, so identical the objects contended for, that
+the whole has the unity of interest of a Greek drama.
+
+All nations bore their part in this mighty tragedy. The Franks were
+there, under Godfrey of Bouillon and Raymond of Toulouse, in such
+strength as to have stamped their name in the East upon Europeans in
+general; the English nobly supported the ancient fame of their country
+under the lion-hearted King; the Germans followed the Dukes of Austria
+and Bavaria; the Flemings those of Hainault and Brabant; the Italians
+and Spaniards reappeared on the fields of Roman fame; even the distant
+Swedes and Norwegians, the descendants of the Goths and Normans, sent
+forth their contingents to combat in the common cause of Christianity.
+Nor were the forces of Asia assembled in less marvellous proportions.
+The bands of Persia were there, terrible as when they destroyed the
+legions of Crassus and Antony, or withstood the invasions of Heraclius
+and Julian; the descendants of the followers of Sesostris appeared on
+the field of ancient and forgotten glory; the swarthy visages of the
+Ethiopians were seen; the distant Tartars hurried to the theatre of
+carnage and plunder; the Arabs, flushed with the conquest of the Eastern
+world, combated, with unconquerable resolution, for the faith of
+Mahomet. The arms of Europe were tested against those of Asia, as much
+as the courage of the descendants of Japhet was with the daring of the
+children of Ishmael. The long lance, ponderous panoply, and weighty
+war-horse of the West, was matched against the twisted hauberk, sharp
+sabre, and incomparable steeds of the East; the sword crossed with the
+cimeter, the dagger with the poniard; the armour of Milan was scarce
+proof against the Damascus blade; the archers of England tried their
+strength with the bowmen of Arabia. Nor were rousing passions, animating
+recollections, and charmed desires awanting to sustain the courage on
+both sides. The Christians asserted the ancient superiority of Europe
+over Asia; the Saracens were proud of the recent conquest of the East,
+Africa, and Southern Europe, by their arms; the former pointed to a
+world subdued and long held in subjection--the latter to a world newly
+reft from the infidel, and won by their sabres to the sway of the
+Crescent. The one deemed themselves secure of salvation while combating
+for the Cross, and sought an entrance to heaven through the breach of
+Jerusalem; the other, strong in the belief of fatalism, advanced
+fearless to the conflict, and strove for the houris of Paradise amidst
+the lances of the Christians.
+
+When nations so powerful, leaders so renowned, forces so vast, courage
+so unshaken in the contending parties, were brought into collision,
+under the influence of passions so strong, enthusiasm so exalted,
+devotion so profound, it was impossible that innumerable deeds of
+heroism should not have been performed on both sides. If a poet equal to
+Homer had arisen in Europe to sing the conflict, the warriors of the
+Crusades would have been engraven on our minds like the heroes of the
+Iliad; and all future ages would have resounded with their exploits, as
+they have with those of Achilles and Agamemnon, of Ajax and Ulysses, of
+Hector and Diomede. But though Tasso has with incomparable beauty
+enshrined in immortal verse the feelings of chivalry, and the enthusiasm
+of the Crusades, he has not left a poem which has taken, or ever can
+take, the general hold of the minds of men, which the Iliad has done.
+The reason is, it is not founded in nature--it is the ideal--but it is
+not the ideal based on the real. Considered as a work of imagination,
+the _Gerusalemme Liberata_ is one of the most exquisite conceptions of
+human fancy, and will for ever command the admiration of romantic and
+elevated minds. But it wants that yet higher excellence, which arises
+from a thorough knowledge of human nature--a graphic delineation of
+actual character, a faithful picture of the real passions and sufferings
+of mortality. It is the most perfect example of poetic _fancy_; but the
+highest species of the epic poem is to be found not in poetic fancy, but
+_poetic history_. The heroes and heroines of the _Jerusalem Delivered_
+are noble and attractive. It is impossible to study them without
+admiration; but they resemble real life as much as the Enchanted Forest
+and spacious battle-fields, which Tasso has described in the environs of
+Jerusalem, do the arid ridges, waterless ravines, and stone-covered
+hills in the real scene, which have been painted by the matchless pens
+of Chateaubriand and Lamartine.
+
+The love of Tancred, the tenderness of Erminia, the heroism of Rinaldo,
+are indelibly engraven in the recollection of every sensitive reader of
+Tasso; but no man ever saw such characters, or any thing resembling
+them, in real life. They are aërial beings, like Miranda in the
+"Tempest," or Rosalind in the forest; but they recall no traits of
+actual existence. The enchantment of Armida, the death of Clorinda,
+belong to a different class. They rise to the highest flights of the
+epic muse; for female fascination is the same in all ages; and Tasso
+drew from the life in the first, while his exquisite taste and elevated
+soul raised him to the highest moral sublimity and pathos which human
+nature can reach in the second. Considered, however, as the poetic
+history of the Crusades, as the Iliad of modern times, the _Jerusalem
+Delivered_ will not bear any comparison with its immortal predecessor.
+It conveys little idea of the real events; it embodies no traits of
+nature; it has enshrined no traditions of the past. The distant era of
+the Crusades, separated by three centuries from the time when he wrote,
+had come down to Tasso, blended with the refinements of civilization,
+the courtesy of chivalry, the graces of antiquity, the conceits of the
+troubadours. In one respect only he has faithfully portrayed the
+feelings of the time when his poem was laid. In the uniform elevation of
+mind in Godfrey of Bouillon; his constant forgetfulness of self; his
+sublime devotion to the objects of his mission, is to be found a true
+picture of the spirit of the Crusades, as it appeared in their most
+dignified champions. And it is fortunate for mankind that the noble
+portrait has been arrayed in such colours as must render it as immortal
+as the human race.
+
+If poetry has failed in portraying the real spirit of the Crusades, has
+history been more successful? Never was a nobler theme presented to
+human ambition. We may see what may be made of it, by the inimitable
+fragment of its annals which Gibbon has left in his narrative of the
+storming of Constantinople by the Franks and Venetians. Only think what
+a subject is presented to the soul of genius, guiding the hand, and
+sustaining the effort of industry! The rise of the Mahometan power in
+the East, and the subjugation of Palestine by the arms of the Saracens;
+the profound indignation excited in Europe by the narratives of the
+sufferings of the Christians who had made pilgrimages to the Holy
+Sepulchre; the sudden and almost miraculous impulse communicated to
+multitudes by the preaching of Peter the Hermit; the universal frenzy
+which seized all classes, and the general desertion of fields and
+cities, in the anxiety to share in the holy enterprise of rescuing it
+from the infidels; the unparalleled sufferings and total destruction of
+the huge multitude of men, women, and children who formed the vanguard
+of Europe, and perished in the first Crusade, make up, as it were the
+first act of the eventful story. Next comes the firm array of warriors
+which was led by Godfrey of Bouillon in the second Crusade. Their march
+through Hungary and Turkey to Constantinople; the description of the
+Queen of the East, with its formidable ramparts, noble harbours, and
+crafty government; the battles of Nice and Dorislaus, and marvellous
+defeats of the Persians by the arms of the Christians; the long
+duration, and almost fabulous termination of the siege of Antioch, by
+the miracle of the holy lance; the advance to Jerusalem; the defeat of
+the Egyptians before its walls, and final storming of the holy city by
+the resistless prowess of the crusaders, terminate the second act of the
+mighty drama.
+
+The third commences with the establishment, in a durable manner, of the
+Latins in Palestine, and the extension of its limits,--by the subjection
+of Ptolemais, Edessa, and a number of strongholds towards the east. The
+constitution of the monarchy by the "Assizes of Jerusalem," the most
+regular and perfect model of feudal sovereignty that ever was formed;
+with the singular orders of the knights-templars, hospitallers, and of
+St John of Jerusalem, which in a manner organized the strength of Europe
+for its defence, blend the detail of manners, institutions, and military
+establishments, with the otherwise too frequent narratives of battles
+and sieges. Next come the vast and almost convulsive efforts of the
+Orientals to expel the Christians from their shores; the long wars and
+slow degrees by which the monarchy of Palestine was abridged, and at
+last its strength broken by the victorious sword of Saladin, and the
+wood of the true cross lost, in the battle of Tiberias. But this
+terrible event, which at once restored Jerusalem to the power of the
+Saracens, again roused the declining spirit of European enterprise. A
+hero rose up for the defence of the Holy Land. Richard Coeur de Lion
+and Philip Augustus appeared at the head of the chivalry of England and
+France. The siege of Ptolemais exceeded in heroic deeds that of Troy;
+the battle of Ascalon broke the strength and humbled the pride of
+Saladin; and, but for the jealousy and defection of France, Richard
+would have again rescued the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the
+infidels, and perhaps permanently established a Christian monarchy on
+the shores of Palestine.
+
+The fourth Crusade, under Dandolo, when the arms of the Faithful were
+turned aside from the holy enterprise by the spoils of Constantinople,
+and the blind Doge leapt from his galleys on the towers of the imperial
+city, forms the splendid subject of the fourth act. The marvellous
+spectacle was there exhibited of a band of adventurers, not mustering
+above twenty thousand combatants, carrying by storm the mighty Queen of
+the East, subverting the Byzantine empire, and establishing themselves
+in a durable manner, in feudal sovereignty, over the whole of Greece and
+European Turkey. The wonderful powers of Gibbon, the luminous pages of
+Sismondi, have thrown a flood of light on this extraordinary event, and
+almost brought its principal events before our eyes. The passage of the
+Dardanelles by the Christian armament; the fears of the warriors at
+embarking in the mighty enterprise of attacking the imperial city; the
+imposing aspect of its palaces, domes, and battlements; the sturdy
+resistance of the Latin squares to the desultory charges of the
+Byzantine troops; in fine, the storm of the city itself, and overthrow
+of the empire of the Cæsars, stand forth in the most brilliant light in
+the immortal pages of these two writers. But great and romantic as this
+event was, it was an episode in the history of the Crusades, it was a
+diversion of its forces, a deviation from its spirit. It is an ordinary,
+though highly interesting and eventful siege; very different from the
+consecration of the forces of Europe to the rescuing of the Holy
+Sepulchre.
+
+Very different was the result of the last Crusade, under Saint Louis,
+which shortly after terminated in the capture of Ptolemais, and the
+final expulsion of the Christians from the shores of Palestine.
+Melancholy, however, as are the features of that eventful story, it
+excites a deeper emotion than the triumphant storm of Constantinople by
+the champions of the Cross. St Louis was unfortunate, but he was so in a
+noble cause; he preserved the purity of his character, the dignity of
+his mission, equally amidst the arrows of the Egyptians on the banks of
+the Nile, as in the death-bestrodden shores of the Lybian Desert. There
+is nothing more sublime in history than the death of this truly
+saint-like prince, amidst his weeping followers. England reappeared with
+lustre in the last glare of the flames of the crusades, before they sunk
+for ever; the blood of the Plantagenets proved worthy of itself. Prince
+Edward again erected the banner of victory before the walls of Acre, and
+his heroic consort, who sucked the poison of the assassin from his
+wounds, has passed, like Belisarius or Coeur de Lion, into the
+immortal shrine of romance. Awful was the catastrophe in which the
+tragedy terminated; and the storm of Acre, and slaughter of thirty
+thousand of the Faithful, while it finally expelled the Christians from
+the Holy Land, awakened the European powers, when too late, to a sense
+of the ruinous effect of those divisions which had permitted the
+vanguard of Christendom, the bulwark of the faith, to languish and
+perish, after an heroic resistance, on the shores of Asia.
+
+Nor was it long before the disastrous consequences of these divisions
+appeared, and it was made manifest, even to the most inconsiderate, what
+dangers had been averted from the shores of Europe, by the contest which
+had so long fixed the struggle on those of Asia. The dreadful arms of
+the Mahometans, no longer restrained by the lances of the Crusaders,
+appeared in menacing, and apparently irresistible strength, on the
+shores of the Mediterranean. Empire after empire sank beneath their
+strokes. Constantinople, and with it the empire of the East, yielded to
+the arms of Mahomet II.; Rhodes, with its spacious ramparts and
+well-defended bastions, to those of Solyman the Magnificent; Malta, the
+key to the Mediterranean, was only saved by the almost superhuman valour
+of its devoted knights; Hungary was overrun; Vienna besieged; and the
+death of Solyman alone prevented him from realizing his threat, of
+stabling his steed at the high altar of St Peter's. The glorious victory
+of Lepanto, the raising of the siege of Vienna by John Sobieski, only
+preserved, at distant intervals, Christendom from subjugation, and
+possibly the faith of the gospel from extinction on the earth. A
+consideration of these dangers may illustrate of what incalculable
+service the Crusades were to the cause of true religion and
+civilization, by fixing the contest for two centuries in Asia, when it
+was most to be dreaded in Europe; and permitting the strength of
+Christendom to grow, during that long period, till, when it was
+seriously assailed in its own home, it was able to defend itself. It may
+show us what we owe to the valour of those devoted champions of the
+Cross, who struggled with the might of Islamism when "it was strongest,
+and ruled it when it was wildest;" and teach us to look with
+thankfulness on the dispensations of that over-ruling Providence, which
+causes even the most vehement and apparently extravagant passions of the
+human mind to minister to the final good of humanity.
+
+For a long period after their termination, the Crusades were regarded by
+the world, and treated by historians, as the mere ebullition of frenzied
+fanaticism--as a useless and deplorable effusion of human blood. It may
+be conceived with what satisfaction these views were received by
+Voltaire, and the whole sceptical writers of France, and how completely,
+in consequence, they deluded more than one generation. Robertson was the
+first who pointed out some of the important consequences which the
+Crusades had on the structure of society, and progress of improvement in
+modern Europe. Guizot and Sismondi have followed in the same track; and
+the truths they have unfolded are so evident, that they have received
+the unanimous concurrence of all thinking persons. Certain it is, that
+so vast a migration of men, so prodigious a heave of the human race,
+could not have taken place without producing the most important effects.
+Few as were the warriors who returned from the Holy Wars, in comparison
+of those who set out, they brought back with them many of the most
+important acquisitions of time and value, and arts of the East. The
+terrace cultivation of Tuscany, the invaluable irrigation of Lombardy,
+date from the Crusades: it was from the warriors or pilgrims that
+returned from the Holy Land, that the incomparable silk and velvet
+manufactures, and delicate jewellery of Venice and Genoa, took their
+rise. Nor were the consequences less material on those who remained
+behind, and did not share in the immediate fruits of Oriental
+enterprise. Immense was the impulse communicated to Europe by the
+prodigious migration. It dispelled prejudice, by bringing distant
+improvement before the eyes; awakened activity, by exhibiting to the
+senses the effects of foreign enterprise; it drew forth and expended
+long accumulated capital; the fitting out so vast a host of warriors
+stimulated labour, as the wars of the French Revolution did those of the
+European states six centuries afterwards. The feudal aristocracy never
+recovered the shock given to their power by the destruction of many
+families, and the overwhelming debts fastened on others, by these costly
+and protracted contests. Great part of the prosperity, freedom, and
+happiness which have since prevailed in the principal European
+monarchies, is to be ascribed to the Crusades. So great an intermingling
+of the different faiths and races of mankind, never takes place without
+producing lasting and beneficial consequences.
+
+These views have been amply illustrated by the philosophic historians
+of modern times. But there is another effect of far more importance than
+them all put together, which has not yet attracted the attention it
+deserves, because the opposite set of evils are only beginning now to
+rise into general and formidable activity. This is the fixing the mind,
+and still more the heart of Europe, for so long a period, on _generous
+and disinterested objects_. Whoever has attentively considered the
+constitution of human nature as he feels it in himself, or has observed
+it in others,--whether as shown in the private society with which he has
+mingled, or the public concerns of nations he has observed,--will at
+once admit that SELFISHNESS is its greatest bane. It is at once the
+source of individual degradation and of public ruin. He knew the human
+heart well who prescribed as the first of social duties, "to love our
+neighbour as ourself." Of what incalculable importance was it, then, to
+have the mind of Europe, during so many generations, withdrawn from
+selfish considerations, emancipated from the sway of individual desire,
+and devoted to objects of generous or spiritual ambition! The passion of
+the Crusades may have been wild, extravagant, irrational, but it was
+noble, disinterested, and heroic. It was founded on the sacrifice of
+self to duty; not on the sacrifice, so common in later times, of duty to
+self. In the individuals engaged in the Holy Wars, doubtless, there was
+the usual proportion of human selfishness and passion. Certainly they
+had not all the self-control of St Anthony, or the self-denial of St
+Jerome. But this is the case with all great movements. The principle
+which moved the general mind was grand and generous. It first severed
+war from the passion of lust or revenge, and the thirst for plunder on
+which it had hitherto been founded, and based it on the generous and
+disinterested object of rescuing the Holy Sepulchre. Courage was
+sanctified, because it was exerted in a noble cause: even bloodshed
+became excusable, for it was done to stop the shedding of blood. The
+noble and heroic feelings which have taken such hold of the mind of
+modern Europe, and distinguish it from any other age or quarter of the
+globe, have mainly arisen from the profound emotions awakened by the
+mingling of the passions of chivalry with the aspirations of devotion
+during the Crusades. The sacrifice of several millions of men, however
+dreadful an evil, was a transient and slight calamity, when set against
+the incalculable effect of communicating such feelings to their
+descendants, and stamping them for ever upon the race of Japhet,
+destined to people and subdue the world.
+
+Look at the mottoes on the seals of our older nobility, which date from
+the era of the Crusades, or the ages succeeding it, when their heroic
+spirit was not yet extinct, and you will see the clearest demonstration
+of what was the spirit of these memorable contests. They are all founded
+on the sacrifice of self to duty, of interest to devotion, of life to
+love. There is little to be seen there about industry amassing wealth,
+or prudence averting calamity; but much about honour despising danger,
+and life sacrificed to duty. In an utilitarian or commercial age, such
+principles may appear extravagant or romantic; but it is from such
+extravagant romance that all the greatness of modern Europe has taken
+its rise. We cannot emancipate ourselves from their influence: a
+fountain of generous thoughts in every elevated bosom is perpetually
+gushing forth, from the ideas which have come down to us from the Holy
+Wars. They live in our romances, in our tragedies, in our poetry, in our
+language, in our hearts. Of what use are such feelings, say the
+partisans of utility? "Of what use," answers Madame De Staël, "is the
+Apollo Belvidere, or the poetry of Milton; the paintings of Raphael, or
+the strains of Handel? Of what use is the rose or the eglantine; the
+colours of autumn, or the setting of the sun?" And yet what object ever
+moved the heart as they have done, and ever will do? Of what use is all
+that is sublime or beautiful in nature, if not to the soul itself? The
+interest taken in such objects attests the dignity of that being which
+is immortal and invisible, and which is ever more strongly moved by
+whatever speaks to its immortal and invisible nature, than by all the
+cares of present existence.
+
+When such is the magnificence and interest of the subject of the
+Crusades, it is surprising that no historian has yet appeared in Great
+Britain who has done justice to the theme. Yet unquestionably none has
+even approached it. Mill's history is the only one in our language which
+treats of the subject otherwise than as a branch of general history; and
+though his work is trustworthy and authentic, it is destitute of the
+chief qualities requisite for the successful prosecution of so great an
+undertaking. It is--a rare fault in history--a great deal too short. It
+is not in two thin octavo volumes that the annals of the conflict of
+Europe and Asia for two centuries is to be given. It is little more than
+an abridgement, for the use of young persons, of what the real history
+should be. It may be true, but it is dull; and dulness is an
+unpardonable fault in any historian, especially one who had such a
+subject whereon to exert his powers. The inimitable episode of Gibbon on
+the storming of Constantinople by the Crusaders, is written in a very
+different style: the truths of history, and the colours of poetry, are
+there blended in the happiest proportions together. There is a fragment
+affording, _so far as description goes_, a perfect model of what the
+history of the Crusades should be; what in the hands of genius it will
+one day become. But it is a model _only_ so far as description goes.
+Gibbon had greater powers as an historian than any modern writer who
+ever approached the subject; but he had not the elevated soul requisite
+for the highest branches of his art, and which was most of all called
+for in the annalist of the Crusades. He was destitute of enlightened
+principle; he was without true philosophy; he had the eye of painting,
+and the _powers_, but not the _soul_ of poetry in his mind. He had not
+moral courage sufficient to withstand the irreligious fanaticism of his
+age. He was benevolent; but his aspirations never reached the highest
+interests of humanity,--humane, but "his humanity ever slumbered where
+women were ravished, or Christians persecuted."[6]
+
+Passion and reason in equal proportions, it has been well observed, form
+energy. With equal truth, and for a similar reason, it may be said, that
+intellect and imagination in equal proportions form history. It is the
+want of the last quality which is in general fatal to the persons who
+adventure on that great but difficult branch of composition. It in every
+age sends ninety-nine hundreds of historical works down the gulf of
+time. Industry and accuracy are so evidently and indisputably requisite
+in the outset of historical composition, that men forget that genius and
+taste are required for its completion. They see that the edifice must be
+reared of blocks cut out of the quarry; and they fix their attention on
+the quarriers who loosen them from the rock, without considering that
+the soul of Phidias or Michael Angelo is required to arrange them in the
+due proportion in the immortal structure. What makes great and durable
+works of history so rare is, that they alone, perhaps, of any other
+production, require for their formation a combination of the most
+opposite qualities of the human mind, qualities which only are found
+united in a very few individuals in any age. Industry and genius,
+passion and perseverance, enthusiasm and caution, vehemence and
+prudence, ardour and self-control, the fire of poetry, the coldness of
+prose, the eye of painting, the patience of calculation, dramatic power,
+philosophic thought, are all called for in the annalist of human events.
+Mr Fox had a clear perception of what history should be, when he placed
+it _next to poetry in the fine arts, and before oratory_. Eloquence is
+but a fragment of what is enfolded in its mighty arms. Military genius
+ministers only to its more brilliant scenes. Mere ardour, or poetic
+imagination, will prove wholly insufficient; they will be deterred at
+the very threshold of the undertaking by the toil with which it is
+attended, and turn aside into the more inviting paths of poetry and
+romance. The labour of writing the "Life of Napoleon" killed Sir Walter
+Scott. Industry and intellectual power, if unaided by more attractive
+qualities, will equally fail of success; they will produce a respectable
+work, valuable as a book of reference, which will slumber in forgotten
+obscurity in our libraries. The combination of the two is requisite to
+lasting fame, to general and durable success. What is necessary in an
+historian, as in the _élite_ of an army, is not the desultory fire of
+light troops, nor the ordinary steadiness of common soldiers, but the
+regulated ardour, the burning but yet restrained enthusiasm, which,
+trained by discipline, taught by experience, keeps itself under control
+till the proper moment for action arrives, and then sweeps, at the voice
+of its leader, with "the ocean's mighty swing" on the foe.
+
+MICHAUD is, in many respects, an historian peculiarly qualified for the
+great undertaking which he has accomplished, of giving a full and
+accurate, yet graphic history of the Crusades. He belongs to the
+elevated class in thought; he is far removed, indeed, from the
+utilitarian school of modern days. Deeply imbued with the romantic and
+chivalrous ideas of the olden time, a devout Catholic as well as a
+sincere Christian, he brought to the annals of the Holy Wars a profound
+admiration for their heroism, a deep respect for their
+disinterestedness, a graphic eye for their delineation, a sincere
+sympathy with their devotion. With the fervour of a warrior, he has
+narrated the long and eventful story of their victories and defeats;
+with the devotion of a pilgrim, visited the scenes of their glories and
+their sufferings. Not content with giving to the world six large octavos
+for the narrative of their glory, he has published six other volumes,
+containing his travels to all the scenes on the shores of the
+Mediterranean which have been rendered memorable by their exploits. It
+is hard to say which is most interesting. They mutually reflect and
+throw light on each other: for in the History we see at every step the
+graphic eye of the traveller; in the Travels we meet in every page with
+the knowledge and associations of the historian.
+
+Michaud, as might be expected from his turn of mind and favourite
+studies, belongs to the romantic or picturesque school of French
+historians; that school of which, with himself, Barante, Michelet, and
+the two Thierrys are the great ornaments. He is far from being destitute
+of philosophical penetration, and many of his articles in that
+astonishing repertory of learning and ability, the _Biographie
+Universelle_, demonstrate that he is fully abreast of all the ideas and
+information of his age. But in his history of the Crusades, he thought,
+and thought rightly, that the great object was to give a faithful
+picture of the events and ideas of the time, without any attempt to
+paraphrase them into the language or thoughts of subsequent ages. The
+world had had enough of the flippant _persiflage_ with which Voltaire
+had treated the most heroic efforts and tragic disasters of the human
+race. Philosophic historians had got into discredit from the rash
+conclusions and unfounded pretensions of the greater part of their
+number; though the philosophy of history can never cease to be one of
+the noblest subjects of human thought. To guard against the error into
+which they had fallen, the romantic historians recurred with anxious
+industry to the original and contemporary annals of their events, and
+discarded every thing from their narrative which was not found to be
+supported by such unquestionable authority. In thought, they endeavoured
+to reflect, as in a mirror, the ideas of the age of which they treated,
+rather than see it through their own: in narrative or description, they
+rather availed themselves of the materials, how scanty soever, collected
+by eyewitnesses, in preference to eking out the picture by imaginary
+additions, and the richer colouring of subsequent ages. This is the
+great characteristic of the graphic or picturesque school of French
+history; and there can be no question that in regard to the first
+requisite of history, trustworthiness, and the subordinate but also
+highly important object, of rendering the narrative interesting, it is a
+very great improvement, alike upon the tedious narrative of former
+learning, or the provoking pretensions of more recent philosophy.
+Justice can never be done to the actions or thoughts of former times,
+unless the former are narrated from the accounts of eyewitnesses, and
+with the fervour which they alone can feel--the latter in the very
+words, as much as possible, employed by the speakers on the occasions.
+Nor will imagination ever produce any thing so interesting as the
+features which actually presented themselves at the moment to the
+observer. Every painter knows the superior value of sketches, however
+slight, made on the spot, to the most laboured subsequent reminiscences.
+
+But while this is perfectly true on the one hand, it is equally clear on
+the other, that this recurrence to ancient and contemporary authority
+must be for the facts, events, and outline of the story only; and that
+the filling up must be done by the hand of the artist who is engaged in
+producing the complete work. If this is not done, history ceases to be
+one of the fine arts. It degenerates into a mere collection of
+chronicles, records, and ballads, without any connecting link to unite,
+or any regulating mind to arrange them. History then loses the place
+assigned it by Mr Fox, next to poetry and before oratory; it becomes
+nothing more than a magazine of antiquarian lore. Such a magazine may be
+interesting to antiquaries; it may be valuable to the learned in
+ecclesiastical disputes, or the curious in genealogy or family records;
+but these interests are of a very partial and transient description. It
+will never generally fascinate the human race. Nothing ever has, or ever
+can do so, but such annals as, independent of local or family interest,
+or antiquarian curiosity, are permanently attractive by the grandeur and
+interest of the events they recount, and the elegance or pathos of the
+language in which they are delivered. Such are the histories of
+Herodotus and Thucydides, the annals of Sallust and Tacitus, the
+narratives of Homer, Livy, and Gibbon. If instead of aiming at producing
+one uniform work of this description, flowing from the same pen, couched
+in the same style, reflecting the same mind, the historian presents his
+readers with a collection of quotations from chronicles, state papers,
+or _jejune_ annalists, he has entirely lost sight of the principles of
+his art. He has not made a picture, but merely put together a collection
+of original sketches; he has not built a temple, but only piled together
+the unfinished blocks of which it was to be composed.
+
+This is the great fault into which Barante, Sismondi, and Michelet have
+fallen. In their anxiety to be faithful, they have sometimes become
+tedious; in their desire to recount nothing that was not true, they have
+narrated much that was neither material nor interesting. Barante, in
+particular, has utterly ruined his otherwise highly interesting history
+of the Dukes of Burgundy by this error. We have bulls of the Popes,
+marriage-contracts, feudal charters, treaties of alliance, and other
+similar instruments, quoted _ad longum_ in the text of the history, till
+no one but an enthusiastic antiquary or half-cracked genealogist can go
+on with the work. The same mistake is painfully conspicuous in
+Sismondi's _Histoire des Français_. Fifteen out of his valuable thirty
+volumes are taken up with quotations from public records or instruments.
+It is impossible to conceive a greater mistake, in a composition which
+is intended not merely for learned men or antiquaries, but for the great
+body of ordinary readers. The authors of these works are so immersed in
+their own ideas and researches, they are so enamoured of their favourite
+antiquities, that they forget that the world in general is far from
+sharing their enthusiasm, and that many things, which to them are of the
+highest possible interest and importance, seem to the great bulk of
+readers immaterial or tedious. The two Thierrys have, in a great
+measure, avoided this fatal error; for, though their narratives are as
+much based on original and contemporary authorities as any histories can
+be, the quotations are usually given in an abbreviated form in the
+notes, and the text is, in general, an unbroken narrative, in their own
+perspicuous and graphic language. Thence, in a great measure, the
+popularity and interest of their works. Michaud indulges more in
+lengthened quotations in his text from the old chronicles, or their mere
+paraphrases into his own language; their frequency is the great defect
+of his valuable history. But the variety and interest of the subjects
+render this mosaic species of composition more excusable, and less
+repugnant to good taste, in the account of the Crusades, than it would
+be, perhaps, in the annals of any other human transactions.
+
+As a specimen of our author's powers and style of description, we
+subjoin a translation of the animated narrative he gives from the old
+historians of the famous battle of Dorislaus, which first subjected the
+coasts of Asia Minor to the arms of the Crusaders.
+
+     "Late on the evening of the 31st of June 1097, the troops arrived
+     at a spot where pasturage appeared abundant, and they resolved to
+     pitch their camp. The Christian army passed the night in the most
+     profound security; but on the following morning, at break of day,
+     detached horsemen presented themselves, and clouds of dust
+     appearing on the adjoining heights, announced the presence of the
+     enemy. Instantly the trumpets sounded, and the whole camp stood to
+     their arms. Bohemond, the second in command, having the chief
+     direction in the absence of Godfrey, hastened to make the necessary
+     dispositions to repel the threatened attack. The camp of the
+     Christians was defended on one side by a river, and on the other by
+     a marsh, entangled with reeds and bushes. The Prince of Tarentum
+     caused it to be surrounded with palisades, made with the stakes
+     which served for fixing the cords of the tents; he then assigned
+     their proper posts to the infantry, and placed the women, children,
+     and sick in the centre. The cavalry, arranged in three columns,
+     advanced to the margin of the river, and prepared to dispute the
+     passage. One of these corps was commanded by Tancred, and William
+     his brother; the other by the Duke of Normandy and the Count of
+     Chartres. Bohemond, who headed the reserve, was posted with his
+     horsemen on an eminence in the rear, from whence he could descry
+     the whole field of battle.
+
+     "Hardly were these dispositions completed, when the Saracens, with
+     loud cries, descended from the mountains, and, as soon as they
+     arrived within bowshot, let fall a shower of arrows upon the
+     Christians. This discharge did little injury to the knights,
+     defended as they were by their armour and shields; but a great
+     number of horses were wounded, and, in their pain, introduced
+     disorder into the ranks. The archers, the slingers, the
+     crossbow-men, scattered along the flanks of the Christian army, in
+     vain returned the discharge with their stones and javelins; their
+     missiles could not reach the enemy, and fell on the ground without
+     doing any mischief. The Christian horse, impatient at being
+     inactive spectators of the combat, charged across the river and
+     fell headlong with their lances in rest on the Saracens; but they
+     avoided the shock, and, opening their ranks, dispersed when the
+     formidable mass approached them. Again rallying at a distance in
+     small bodies, they let fly a cloud of arrows at their ponderous
+     assailants, whose heavy horses, oppressed with weighty armour,
+     could not overtake the swift steeds of the desert.
+
+     "This mode of combating turned entirely to the advantage of the
+     Turks. The whole dispositions made by the Christians before the
+     battle became useless. Every chief, almost every cavalier, fought
+     for himself; he took counsel from his own ardour, and it alone. The
+     Christians combated almost singly on a ground with which they were
+     unacquainted; in that terrible strife, death became the only reward
+     of undisciplined valour. Robert of Paris the same who had sat on
+     the imperial throne beside Alexis, was mortally wounded, after
+     having seen forty of his bravest companions fall by his side.
+     William, brother of Tancred, fell pierced by arrows. Tancred
+     himself, whose lance was broken, and who had no other weapon but
+     his sword, owed his life to Bohemond, who came up to the rescue,
+     and extricated him from the hands of the Infidels.
+
+     "While victory was still uncertain between force and address,
+     agility and valour, fresh troops of the Saracens descended from the
+     mountains, and mingled in overwhelming proportion in the conflict.
+     The Sultan of Nice took advantage of the moment when the cavalry of
+     the Crusaders withstood with difficulty the attack of the Turks,
+     and directed his forces against their camp. He assembled the elite
+     of his troops, crossed the river, and overcame with ease all the
+     obstacles which opposed his progress. In an instant the camp of the
+     Christians was invaded and filled with a multitude of barbarians.
+     The Turks massacred without distinction all who presented
+     themselves to their blows; except the women whom youth and beauty
+     rendered fit for their seraglios. If we may credit Albert d'Aix,
+     the wives and daughters of the knights preferred in that extremity
+     slavery to death; for they were seen in the midst of the tumult to
+     adorn themselves with their most elegant dresses, and, arrayed in
+     this manner, sought by the display of their charms to soften the
+     hearts of their merciless enemies.
+
+     "Bohemond, however, soon arrived to the succour of the camp, and
+     obliged the Sultan to retrace his steps to his own army. Then the
+     combat recommenced on the banks of the river with more fury than
+     ever. The Duke Robert of Normandy, who had remained with some of
+     his knights on the field of battle, snatched from his
+     standard-bearer his pennon of white, bordered with gold, and
+     exclaiming, '_A moi, la Normandie!_' penetrated the ranks of the
+     enemy, striking down with his sword whatever opposed him, till he
+     laid dead at his feet one of the principal emirs. Tancred, Richard,
+     the Prince of Salerno, Stephen count of Blois, and other chiefs,
+     followed his example, and emulated his valour. Bohemond, returning
+     from the camp, which he had delivered from its oppressors,
+     encountered a troop of fugitives. Instantly advancing among them,
+     he exclaimed, 'Whither fly you, O Christian soldiers?--Do you not
+     see that the enemies' horses, swifter than your own, will not fail
+     soon to reach you? Follow me--I will show you a surer mode of
+     safety than flight.' With these words he threw himself followed by
+     his own men and the rallied fugitives, into the midst of the
+     Saracens, and striking down all who attempted to resist them, made
+     a frightful carnage. In the midst of the tumult, the women who had
+     been taken and delivered from the lands of the Mussulmans, burning
+     to avenge their outraged modesty, went through the ranks carrying
+     refreshments to the soldiers, and exhorting them to redouble their
+     efforts to save them from Turkish servitude.
+
+     "But all these efforts were in vain. The Crusaders, worn out by
+     fatigue, parched by thirst, were unable to withstand an enemy who
+     was incessantly recruited by fresh troops. The Christian army, a
+     moment victorious, was enveloped on all sides, and obliged to yield
+     to numbers. They retired, or rather fled, towards the camp, which
+     the Turks were on the point of entering with them. No words can
+     paint the consternation of the Christians, the disorder of their
+     ranks, or the scenes of horror which the interior of the camp
+     presented. There were to be seen priests in tears, imploring on
+     their knees the assistance of Heaven--there, women in despair rent
+     the air with their shrieks, while the more courageous of their
+     numbers bore the wounded knights into the tents; and the soldiers,
+     despairing of life, cast themselves on their knees before their
+     priests or bishops, and demanded absolution of their sins. In the
+     frightful tumult, the voice of the chief was no longer heard; the
+     most intrepid had already fallen covered with wounds, or sunk under
+     the rays of a vertical sun and the horrors of an agonizing thirst.
+     All seemed lost, and nothing to appearance could restore their
+     courage, when all of a sudden loud cries of joy announced the
+     approach of Raymond of Toulouse and Godfrey of Bouillon, who
+     advanced at the head of the second corps of the Christian army.
+
+     "From the commencement of the battle, Bohemond had dispatched
+     accounts to them of the attack of the Turks. No sooner did the
+     intelligence arrive, than the Duke of Lorraine, the Count of
+     Vermandois, and the Count of Flanders, at the head of their
+     corps-d'armée, directed their march towards the valley of Gorgoni,
+     followed by Raymond and D'Adhemar, who brought up the luggage and
+     formed the rear-guard. When they appeared on the eastern slope of
+     the mountains, the sun was high in the heavens, and his rays were
+     reflected from their bucklers, helmets, and drawn swords; their
+     standards were displayed, and a loud flourish of their trumpets
+     resounded from afar. Fifty thousand horsemen, clad in steel and
+     ready for the fight, advanced in regular order to the attack. That
+     sight at once reanimated the Crusaders and spread terror among the
+     Infidels.
+
+     "Already Godfrey, outstripping the speed of his followers, had come
+     up at the head of fifty chosen cavaliers, and taken a part in the
+     combat. Upon this the Sultan sounded a retreat, and took post upon
+     the hills, where he trusted the Crusaders would not venture to
+     attack him. Soon, however, the second corps of the Christians
+     arrived on the field still reeking with the blood of their
+     brethren. They knew their comrades and companions stretched in the
+     dust--they became impatient to avenge them, and demanded with loud
+     cries to be led on to the attack; those even who had combated all
+     day with the first corps desired to renew the conflict. Forthwith
+     the Christian army was arranged for a second battle. Bohemond,
+     Tancred, Robert of Normandy, placed themselves the left; Godfrey,
+     the Count of Flanders, the Count de Blois, led the right: Raymond
+     commanded in the centre; the reserve was placed under the order of
+     D'Adhemar. Before the chiefs gave the order to advance, the priests
+     went through the ranks, exhorted the soldiers to fight bravely, and
+     gave them their benediction. Then the soldiers and chiefs drew
+     their swords together, and repeated aloud the war-cry of the
+     Crusades, 'Dieu le veut! Dieu le veut!' That cry was re-echoed from
+     the mountains and the valleys. While the echoes still rolled, the
+     Christian army advanced, and marched full of confidence against the
+     Turks, who, not less determined, awaited them on the summit of
+     their rocky asylum.
+
+     "The Saracens remained motionless on the top of the hills--they did
+     not even discharge their redoubtable arrows; their quivers seemed
+     to be exhausted. The broken nature of the ground they occupied
+     precluded the adoption of those rapid evolutions, which in the
+     preceding conflict had proved so fatal to the Christians. They
+     seemed to be no longer animated with the same spirit--they awaited
+     the attack rather with the resignation of martyrs than the hope of
+     warriors. The Count of Toulouse, who assailed them in front, broke
+     their ranks by the first shock. Tancred, Godfrey, and the two
+     Roberts attacked their flanks with equal advantage. D'Adhemar, who
+     with the reserve had made the circuit of the mountains, charged
+     their rear, when already shaken by the attack in front, and on both
+     flanks. This completed their route. The Saracens found themselves
+     surrounded by a forest of lances, from which there was no escape
+     but in breaking their ranks and seeking refuge among the rocks. A
+     great number of emirs, above three thousand officers, and twenty
+     thousand soldiers fell in the action or pursuit. Four thousand of
+     the Crusaders had perished, almost all in the first action. The
+     enemy's camp, distant two leagues from the field of battle, fell
+     into the hands of the Crusaders, with vast stores of provisions,
+     tents magnificently ornamented, immense treasures, and a vast
+     number of camels. The sight of these animals, which they had not
+     yet seen in the East, gave them as much surprise as pleasure. The
+     dismounted horsemen mounted the swift steeds of the Saracens to
+     pursue the broken remains of the enemy. Towards evening they
+     returned to the camp loaded with booty, and preceded by their
+     priests singing triumphant songs and hymns of victory. On the
+     following day the Christians interred their dead, shedding tears of
+     sorrow. The priests read prayers over them, and numbered them among
+     the saints in heaven."--_Hist. des Croisades_, i. 228-233.
+
+This extract gives an idea at once of the formidable nature of the
+contest which awaited the Christians in their attempts to recover the
+Holy Land, of the peculiar character of the attack and defence on both
+sides, and of the talent for graphic and lucid description which M.
+Michaud possesses. It is curious how identical the attack of the West
+and defence of the East are the same in all ages. The description of the
+manner in which the Crusading warriors were here drawn into a pursuit
+of, and then enveloped by the Asiatic light horse, is precisely the same
+as that in which the legions of Crassus were destroyed; and might pass
+for a narrative of the way in which Napoleon's European cavalry were cut
+to pieces by the Arab horse at the combat at Salahout, near the Red Sea;
+or Lord Lake's horse worsted in the first part of the battle of Laswaree
+in India, before the infantry came up, and, by storming the batteries,
+restored the combat. On the other hand, the final overthrow of the
+Saracens at Dorislaus was evidently owing to their imprudence in
+_standing firm_, and awaiting in that position the attack of the
+Christians. They did so, trusting to the strength of the rocky ridge on
+which they were posted; but that advantage, great as it was, by no means
+rendered them a match in close fight for the weighty arms and the
+determined resolution of the Europeans, any more than the discharges of
+their powerful batteries availed the Mahrattas in the latter part of the
+battles of Assaye and Laswaree, or, more recently, the Sikhs in the
+desperate conflict at Ferozepore in the Punjaub. The discovery of
+fire-arms, and all the subsequent improvements in tactics and strategy,
+though they have altered the weapons with which war is carried on, yet
+have not materially changed the mode in which success is won, or
+disaster averted, between ancient and modern times.
+
+Our author's account of the storming of Jerusalem, the final object and
+crowning glory of the Crusades, is animated and interesting in the
+highest degree.
+
+     "At the last words of the Hermit Peter the warmest transports
+     seized the Crusaders. They descended from the Mount of Olives,
+     where they had listened to his exhortations; and turning to the
+     south, saluted on their right the fountain of Siloë, where Christ
+     had restored sight to the blind; in the distance they perceived the
+     ruins of the palace of Judah, and advanced on the slope of Mount
+     Sion, which awakened afresh all their holy enthusiasm. Many in that
+     cross march were struck down by the arrows and missiles from the
+     walls: they died blessing God, and imploring his justice against
+     the enemies of the faith. Towards evening the Christian army
+     returned to its quarters, chanting the words of the Prophet--'Those
+     of the West shall fear the Lord, and those of the East shall see
+     his glory.' Having re-entered into the camp, the greater part of
+     the pilgrims passed the night in prayer: the chiefs and soldiers
+     confessed their sins at the feet of their priests, and received in
+     communion that God whose promises filled them with confidence and
+     hope.
+
+     "While the Christian army prepared, by these holy ceremonies, for
+     the combat, a mournful silence prevailed around the walls of
+     Jerusalem. The only sound heard was that of the men who, from the
+     top of the mosques of the city, numbered the hours by calling the
+     Mussulmans to prayers. At the well-known signals, the Infidels ran
+     in crowds to their temples to implore the protection of their
+     Prophet: they swore by the mysterious House of Jacob to defend the
+     town, which they styled 'the House of God.' The besiegers and
+     besieged were animated with equal ardour for the fight, and equal
+     determination to shed their blood--the one to carry the town, the
+     other to defend it. The hatred which animated them was so violent,
+     that during the whole course of the siege, no Mussulman deputy came
+     to the camp of the besiegers, and the Christians did not even deign
+     to summon the town. Between such enemies, the shock could not be
+     other than terrible, and the victors implacable.
+
+     "On Thursday, 14th July 1199, at daybreak, the trumpets resounded,
+     and the whole Christian army stood to their arms. All the machines
+     were worked at once: the mangonels and engines poured on the
+     ramparts a shower of stones, while the battering-rams were brought
+     up close to their feet. The archers and slingers directed their
+     missiles with fatal effect against the troops who manned the walls,
+     while the most intrepid of the assailants planted scaling-ladders
+     on the places where the ascent appeared most practicable. On the
+     south, east, and north of the town, rolling towers advanced towards
+     the ramparts, in the midst of a violent tumult, and amidst the
+     cries of the workmen and soldiers. Godfrey appeared on the highest
+     platform of his wooden tower, accompanied by his brother Eustache
+     and Baudoin du Bourg. His example animated his followers: so
+     unerring was their aim, that all the javelins discharged from this
+     platform carried death among the besieged. Tancred, the Duke of
+     Normandy, and the Count of Flanders, combated at the head of their
+     followers: the knights and men-at-arms, animated with the same
+     ardour, pressed into the _mêlée_, and threw themselves into the
+     thickest of the fight.
+
+     "Nothing could equal the fury of the first shock of the Christians;
+     but they met every where the most determined resistance. Arrows and
+     javelins, boiling oil and water, with Greek fire, were poured down
+     incessantly on the assailants; while fourteen huge machines, which
+     the besieged had got time to oppose to those of the besiegers,
+     replied with effect to the fire of the more distant warlike
+     instruments. Issuing forth by one of the breaches in the rampart,
+     the Infidels made a sortie, and succeeded in burning some of the
+     machines of the Christians, and spread disorder through their army.
+     Towards the end of the day, the towers of Godfrey and Tancred were
+     so shattered, that they could no longer be moved, while that of
+     Raymond was falling into ruins. The combat had lasted eleven hours,
+     without victory having declared for the Crusaders. The Christians
+     retired to their camp, burning with rage and grief: their chiefs,
+     and especially the two Roberts, sought in vain to console them, by
+     saying that 'God had not judged them as yet worthy to enter into
+     his Holy City, and adore the tomb of his Son.'
+
+     "The night was passed on both sides in the utmost disquietude:
+     every one deplored the losses already discovered, and dreaded to
+     hear of fresh ones. The Saracens were in hourly apprehension of a
+     surprise: the Christians feared that the Infidels would burn their
+     machines, which they had pushed forward to the foot of the rampart.
+     The besieged were occupied without intermission in repairing the
+     breaches in their walls; the besiegers in putting their machines in
+     a condition to serve for a new assault. On the day following, the
+     same combats and dangers were renewed as on the preceding one. The
+     chiefs sought by their harangues to revive the spirits of the
+     Crusaders. The priests and bishops went through their tents
+     promising them the assistance of Heaven. On the signal to advance
+     being given, the Christian army, full of confidence, advanced in
+     silence towards the destined points of attack, while the clergy,
+     chanting hymns and prayers, marched round the town.
+
+     "The first shock was terrible. The Christians, indignant at the
+     resistance they had experienced on the preceding day, combated with
+     fury. The besieged, who had learned the near approach of the
+     Egyptian army, were animated by the hopes of approaching succour. A
+     formidable array of warlike engines lined the tops of their
+     ramparts. On every side was heard the hissing of javelins and
+     arrows: frequently immense stones, discharged from the opposite
+     side, met in the air, and fell back on the assailants with a
+     frightful crash. From the top of their towers, the Mussulmans never
+     ceased to throw burning torches and pots of Greek fire on the
+     storming parties. In the midst of this general conflagration, the
+     moving towers of the Christians approached the walls. The chief
+     efforts of the besieged were directed against Godfrey, on whose
+     breast a resplendent cross of gold shone, the sight of which was an
+     additional stimulus to their rage. The Duke of Lorraine saw one of
+     his squires and several of his followers fall by his side; but,
+     though exposed himself to all the missiles of the enemy, he
+     continued to combat in the midst of the dead and the dying, and
+     never ceased to exhort his companions to redouble their courage and
+     ardour. The Count of Toulouse directed the attack on the southern
+     side, and stoutly opposed his machines to those of the Mussulmans:
+     he had to combat the Emir of Jerusalem, who bravely animated his
+     followers by his discourse, and showed himself on the ramparts
+     surrounded by the _élite_ of the Egyptian soldiers. On the northern
+     side, Tancred and the two Roberts appeared at the head of their
+     battalions. Firmly stationed on their moving tower, they burned
+     with desire to come to the close combat of the lance and sword.
+     Already their battering-rams had on many points shaken the walls,
+     behind which the Saracens were assembled in dense battalions, as a
+     last rampart against the attack of the Crusaders.
+
+     "Mid-day arrived, and the Crusaders had as yet no hope of
+     penetrating into the place. All their machines were in flames: they
+     stood grievously in want of water, and still more of vinegar, which
+     could alone extinguish the Greek fire used by the besieged. In vain
+     the bravest exposed themselves to the most imminent danger, to
+     prevent the destruction of their wooden towers and battering-rams;
+     they fell crushed beneath their ruins, and the devouring flames
+     enveloped their arms and clothing. Many of the bravest warriors had
+     found death at the foot of the ramparts: most of those who had
+     mounted on the rolling towers were _hors de combat_; the remainder,
+     covered with sweat and dust, overwhelmed with heat and the weight
+     of their armour, began to falter. The Saracens who perceived this
+     raised cries of joy. In their blasphemies they reproached the
+     Christians for adoring a God who was unable to defend them. The
+     assailants deplored their loss, and believing themselves abandoned
+     by Jesus Christ, remained motionless on the field of battle.
+
+     "But the aspect of affairs was soon changed. All of a sudden the
+     Crusaders saw, on the Mount of Olives, a horseman shaking a
+     buckler, and giving this signal to enter the town. Godfrey and
+     Raymond, who saw the apparition at the same instant, cried aloud,
+     that St George was come to combat at the head of the Christians.
+     Such was the tumult produced by this incident, that it bore down
+     alike fear and reflection. All rushed tumultuously forward to the
+     assault. The women even, with the children and sick, issued from
+     their retreats, and pressed forward into the throng, bearing
+     water, provisions, or arms, and aiding to drag forward the moving
+     towers. Impelled in this manner, that of Godfrey advanced in the
+     midst of a terrible discharge of stones, arrows, javelins, and
+     Greek fire, and succeeded in getting so near as to let its
+     drawbridge fall on the ramparts. At the same time a storm of
+     burning darts flew against the machines of the besieged, and the
+     bundles of straw piled up against the last walls of the town took
+     fire. Terrified by the flames the Saracens gave way. Lethalde and
+     Engelbert de Tournay, followed by Godfrey and his brother Everard,
+     crossed the drawbridge and gained the rampart. Soon with the aid of
+     their followers they cleared it, and, descending into the streets,
+     struck down all who disputed the passage.
+
+     "At the same time, Tancred and the two Roberts made new efforts,
+     and on their side, too, succeeded in penetrating into the town. The
+     Mussulmans fled on all sides; the war-cry of the Crusaders, "Dieu
+     le veut! Dieu le veut!" resounded in the streets of Jerusalem. The
+     companions of Godfrey and Tancred with their hatchets cut down the
+     gate of St Stephen, and let in the main body of the Crusaders, who
+     with loud shouts rushed tumultuously in. Some resistance was
+     attempted by a body of brave Saracens in the mosque of Omar, but
+     Everard of Puysave expelled them from it. All opposition then
+     ceased; but not so the carnage. Irritated by the long resistance of
+     the Saracens, stung by their blasphemies and reproaches, the
+     Crusaders filled with blood that Jerusalem which they had just
+     delivered, and which they regarded as their future country. The
+     carnage was universal. The Saracens were massacred in the streets,
+     in the houses, in the mosques."
+
+The number of the slain greatly exceeded that of the conquerors. In the
+mosque of Omar alone ten thousand were put to the sword.
+
+     "So terrible was the slaughter, that the blood came up to the knees
+     and reins of the horses; and human bodies, with hands and arms
+     severed from the corpse to which they belonged, floated about in
+     the crimson sea.
+
+     "In the midst of these frightful scenes, which have for ever
+     stained the glory of the conquerors, the Christians of the Holy
+     City crowded round Peter the Hermit, who five years before had
+     promised to arm the West for the deliverance of the faithful in
+     Jerusalem, and then enjoyed the spectacle of their liberation. They
+     were never wearied of gazing on the man by whom God had wrought
+     such prodigies. At the sight of their brethren whom they had
+     delivered, the pilgrims recollected that they had come to adore the
+     tomb of Jesus Christ. Godfrey, who had abstained from carnage after
+     the victory, quitted his companions, and attended only by three
+     followers, repaired bareheaded and with naked feet to the Church of
+     the Holy Sepulchre. Soon the news of that act of devotion spread
+     among the Christian army. Instantly the fury of the war ceased, and
+     the thirst for vengeance was appeased; the Crusaders threw off
+     their bloody garments, and marching together to the Holy Sepulchre,
+     with the clergy at their head, bareheaded and without shoes, they
+     made Jerusalem resound with their groans and sobs. Silence more
+     terrible even than the tumult which had preceded it, reigned in the
+     public places and on the ramparts. No sound was heard but the
+     canticles of repentance, and the words of Isaiah, 'Ye who love
+     Jerusalem, rejoice with me.' So sincere and fervent was the
+     devotion which the Crusaders manifested on this occasion, that it
+     seemed as if the stern warriors, who had just taken a city by
+     assault, and committed the most frightful slaughter, were cenobites
+     who had newly emerged from a long retreat and peaceful
+     meditations."--_Hist. des Croisades_, i. 440-446.
+
+Inexplicable as such contradictory conduct appears to those who "sit at
+home at ease," and are involved in none of the terrible calamities which
+draw forth the latent marvels of the human heart, history in every age
+affords too many examples of its occurrence to permit us to doubt the
+truth of the narrative. It is well known that during the worst period of
+the French Revolution, in the massacres in the prisons on Sept. 2, 1792,
+some of the mob who had literally wearied their arms in hewing down the
+prisoners let loose from the jails, took a momentary fit of compunction,
+were seized with pity for some of the victims, and after saving them
+from their murderers, accompanied them home, and witnessed with tears of
+joy the meeting between them and their relations. We are not warranted,
+after such facts have been recorded on authentic evidence in all ages,
+in asserting that this transient humanity is assumed or hypocritical.
+The conclusion rather is, that the human mind is so strangely compounded
+of good and bad principles, and contains so many veins of thought
+apparently irreconcilable with each other, that scarce any thing can be
+set down as absolutely impossible, but every alleged fact is to be
+judged of mainly by the testimony by which it is supported, and its
+coincidence with what has elsewhere been observed of that strange
+compound of contradictions, the human heart.
+
+In the events which have been mentioned, the Crusaders were victorious;
+and the Crescent, in the outset of the contest, waned before the Cross.
+But it was only for a time that it did so. The situation of Palestine in
+Asia, constituting it the advanced post as it were of Christendom across
+the sea, in the regions of Islamism, perpetually exposed it to the
+attack of the Eastern powers. They were at home, and fought on their own
+ground, and with their own weapons, in the long contest which followed
+the first conquest of Palestine; whereas the forces of the Christians
+required to be transported, at a frightful expense of life, over a
+hazardous journey of fifteen hundred miles in length, or conveyed by sea
+at a very heavy cost from Marseilles, Genoa, or Venice. Irresistible in
+the first onset, the armament of the Christians gradually dwindled away
+as the first fervour of the Holy Wars subsided, and the interminable
+nature of the conflict in which they were engaged with the Oriental
+powers became apparent. It was the same thing as Spain maintaining a
+transatlantic contest with her South American, or England with her North
+American colonies. Indeed, the surprising thing, when we consider the
+exposed situation of the kingdom of Palestine, the smallness of its
+resources, and the scanty and precarious support it received, after the
+first burst of the Crusades was over, from the Western powers, is not
+that it was at last destroyed, but that it existed so long as it did.
+The prolongation of its life was mainly owing to the extraordinary
+qualities of one man.
+
+It is hard to say whether the heroism of Richard Coeur de Lion has
+been most celebrated in Europe or Asia. Like Solomon, Alexander the
+Great, Haroun El Raschid, Charlemagne, and Napoleon, his fame has taken
+root as deeply in the East as in the West, among his enemies as his
+friends; among the followers of Mahomet as the disciples of the Cross.
+If he is the hero of European romance,--if he is the theme of the
+Troubadour's song, he is not less celebrated among the descendants of
+the Saracens; his exploits are not less eagerly chanted in the tents of
+the children of Ishmael. To this day, when an Arab's steed starts at a
+bush in the desert, his master asks him if he expects to see Richard
+issue from the covert. He possessed that surprising personal strength
+and daring valour which are so highly prized by warriors in all rude
+periods, and united with those qualities that singleness of heart and
+_bonhommie_ of disposition, which, not less powerfully in the great, win
+upon the hearts of men. His chief qualities--those which have given him
+his deathless fame--undoubtedly were his heroic courage, extraordinary
+personal strength, and magnanimity of mind. But if his campaigns with
+Saladin are attentively considered, it will appear that he was also a
+great general; and that his marvellous successes were as much owing to
+his conduct as a commander as his prowess as a knight. This is more
+particularly conspicuous, in the manner in which he conducted his then
+sorely diminished army on Acre to within sight of Jerusalem, surrounded
+as it was the whole way by prodigious clouds of Asiatic horse, headed by
+the redoubtable Saladin. Beyond all doubt he would, but for the
+defection of Philip Augustus and France, have wrested Palestine from the
+Infidels, and again planted the Cross on Mount Calvary, despite the
+whole forces of the East, led by their ablest and most powerful sultans.
+His grief at not being able to accomplish this glorious object, is well
+described by Michaud--
+
+     "After a month's abode at Bethnopolis, seven leagues from
+     Jerusalem, the Crusaders renewed their complaints, and exclaimed
+     with sadness, 'We shall never go to Jerusalem!' Richard, with heart
+     torn by contending feelings, while he disregarded the clamours of
+     the pilgrims, shared their grief, and was indignant at his own
+     fortune. One day, that his ardour in pursuing the Saracens had led
+     him to the heights of Emmaus, from which he beheld the towers of
+     Jerusalem, he burst into tears at the sight, and, covering his face
+     with his buckler, declared he was unworthy to contemplate the Holy
+     City which his arms could not deliver."--_Hist. des Croisades_, ii.
+     399.
+
+As a specimen of the magnitude of the battles fought in this Crusade, we
+take that of Assur, near Ptolemais--
+
+     "Two hundred thousand Mussulmans were drawn up in the plains of
+     Assur, ready to bar the passage of the Christian army, and deliver
+     a decisive battle. No sooner did he perceive the Saracen array,
+     than Richard divided his army into five corps. The Templars formed
+     the first; the warriors of Brittany and Anjou the second; the king,
+     Guy, and the men of Poitou the third; the English and Normans,
+     grouped round the royal standard, the fourth; the Hospitallers the
+     fifth; and behind them marched the archers and javelin men. At
+     three o'clock in the afternoon, the army was all arranged in order
+     of battle, when all at once a multitude of Saracens appeared in
+     rear, who descended from the mountains which the Crusaders had just
+     crossed. Amongst them were Bedouin Arabs, bearing bows and round
+     bucklers; Scythians with long bows, and mounted on tall and
+     powerful horses; Ethiopians of a lofty stature, with their sable
+     visages strangely streaked with white. These troops of barbarians
+     advanced on all sides against the Christian army with the rapidity
+     of lightning. The earth trembled under their horses' feet. The din
+     of their clarions, cymbals, and trumpets, was so prodigious, that
+     the loudest thunder could not have been heard. Men were in their
+     ranks, whose sole business it was to raise frightful cries, and
+     excite the courage of the Mussulman warriors by chanting their
+     national songs. Thus stimulated, their battalions precipitated
+     themselves upon the Crusaders, who were speedily assailed at once
+     in front, both flanks, and rear--enveloped by enemies, say the old
+     chronicles, as the eyelashes surround the EYE. After their arrows
+     and javelins were discharged, the Saracens commenced the attack
+     with the lance, the mace, and the sword. An English chronicle aptly
+     compares them to smiths, and the Crusaders to the anvil on which
+     their hammers rang. Meanwhile, the Franks did not for a moment
+     intermit their march towards Assur, and the Saracens, who sought in
+     vain to shake their steady ranks, called them 'a nation of iron.'
+
+     "Richard had renewed his orders for the whole army to remain on the
+     defensive, and not to advance against the enemy till six trumpets
+     sounded--two at the head of the army, two in the centre, two in the
+     rear. This signal was impatiently expected; the barons and knights
+     could bear every thing except the disgrace of remaining thus
+     inactive in presence of an enemy, who without intermission renewed
+     his attacks. Those of the rear-guard had already began to reproach
+     Richard with having forgotten them; they invoked in despair the
+     protection of St George, the patron of the brave. At last some of
+     the bravest and most ardent, forgetting the orders they had
+     received, precipitated themselves on the Saracens. This example
+     soon drew the Hospitallers after them; the contagion spread from
+     rank to rank, and soon the whole Christian army was at blows with
+     the enemy, and the scene of carnage extended from the sea to the
+     mountains. Richard showed himself wherever the Christians had need
+     of his succour; his presence was always followed by the flight of
+     the Turks. So confused was the _mêlée_, so thick the dust, so
+     vehement the fight, that many of the Crusaders fell by the blows of
+     their comrades, who mistook them for enemies. Torn standards,
+     shivered lances, broken swords, strewed the plain. Such of the
+     combatants as had lost their arms, hid themselves in the bushes, or
+     ascended trees; some, overcome with terror, fled towards the sea,
+     and from the top of the rocks precipitated themselves into its
+     waves.
+
+     "Every instant the combat became warmer and more bloody. The whole
+     Christian army was now engaged in the battle, and returning on its
+     steps, the chariot which bore the royal standard was in the
+     thickest of the fight. Ere long, however, the Saracens were unable
+     to sustain the impetuous assault of the Franks. Boha-Eddin, an
+     eyewitness, having quitted the Mussulman centre, which was put to
+     the route, fled to the tent of the Sultan, where he found the
+     Sultan, who was attended only by seventeen Mamelukes. While their
+     enemies fled in this manner, the Christians, hardly able to credit
+     their victory, remained motionless on the field which they had
+     conquered. They were engaged in tending their wounded, and in
+     collecting the arms which lay scattered over the field of battle,
+     when all at once twenty thousand Saracens, whom their chief had
+     rallied, fell upon them. The Crusaders overwhelmed with heat and
+     fatigue, and not expecting to be attacked, showed at first a
+     surprise which bordered on fear. Taki-Eddin, nephew of Saladin, at
+     the head of the bravest enemies, led on the Turks, at the head of
+     whom were seen the Mameluke guard of Saladin, distinguished by
+     their yellow banner. So vehement was their onset, that it ploughed
+     deep into the Crusaders' ranks; and they had need of the presence
+     and example of Richard, before whom no Saracen could stand, and
+     whom the contemporary chronicles compare to a reaper cutting down
+     corn. At the moment when the Christians, again victorious, resumed
+     their march towards Assur, the Mussulmans, impelled by despair,
+     again attacked their rear-guard. Richard, who had twice repulsed
+     the enemy, no sooner heard the outcry, than, followed only by
+     fifteen knights, he flew to the scene of combat, shouting aloud the
+     war-cry of the Christians--'God protect the Holy Sepulchre!' The
+     bravest followed their king; the Mussulmans were dispersed at the
+     first shock, and their army, then a third time vanquished, would
+     have been totally destroyed, had not night and the forest of Assur
+     sheltered them from the pursuit of the enemy. As it was they lost
+     eight thousand men, including thirty-two of their bravest emirs
+     slain; while the victory did not cost the Christians a thousand
+     men. Among the wounded was Richard himself, who was slightly hurt
+     in the breast. But the victory was prodigious, and if duly improved
+     by the Crusaders, without dissension or defection, would have
+     decided the fate of Palestine and of that Crusade."--_Hist. des
+     Croisades_, i. 468-471.
+
+These extracts convey a fair idea of M. Michaud's power of description
+and merits as an historian. He cannot be said to be one of the highest
+class. He does not belong to the school who aim at elevating history to
+its loftiest pitch. The antiquarian school never have, and never will do
+so. The minute observation and prodigious attentions to detail which
+their habits produce, are inconsistent with extensive vision. The same
+eye scarcely ever unites the powers of the microscope and the telescope.
+He has neither the philosophic mind of Guizot, nor the pictorial eye of
+Gibbon; he neither takes a luminous glance like Robertson, nor sums up
+the argument of a generation in a page, like Hume. We shall look in vain
+in his pages for a few words diving into the human heart such as we find
+in Tacitus, or splendid pictures riveting every future age as in Livy.
+He is rather an able and animated abridger of the chronicles, than an
+historian. But in that subordinate, though very important department,
+his merits are of a very high order. He is faithful, accurate, and
+learned; he has given a succinct and yet interesting detail, founded
+entirely on original authority, of the wars of two centuries. Above all,
+his principles are elevated, his feelings warm, his mind lofty and
+generous. He is worthy of his subject, for he is entirely free of the
+grovelling utilitarian spirit, the disgrace and the bane of the age in
+which he writes. His talents for description are very considerable, as
+will be apparent from the account we hope to give in a future Number of
+his highly interesting travels to the principal scenes of the Crusades.
+It is only to be regretted, that in his anxiety to preserve the fidelity
+of his narrative, he has so frequently restrained it, and given us
+rather descriptions of scenes taken from the old chronicles, than such
+as his own observations and taste could have supplied. But still his
+work supplies a great desideratum in European literature; and if not the
+best that could be conceived, is by much the best that has yet appeared
+on the subject. And it is written in the spirit of the age so finely
+expressed in the title given by one of the most interesting of the
+ancient chroniclers to his work--
+
+  "Gesta DEI per Francos."[7]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 5: Michaud: _Histoire des Croisades_.]
+
+[Footnote 6: Porson.]
+
+[Footnote 7: "The doings of God by the Franks."]
+
+
+
+
+THE BURDEN OF SION.
+
+BY DELTA.
+
+     [This Ode, composed by Judas Hallevy bar Samuel, a Spanish Rabbi of
+     the twelfth century, is said to be still recited every year, during
+     the Fast observed in commemoration of the Destruction of Jerusalem.
+     The versifier has been much indebted to a very literal translation,
+     from the original necessarily obscure Spanish of the Rabbi, into
+     excellent French, by Joseph Mainzer, Esq., a gentleman to whom the
+     sacred music of this country is under great and manifold
+     obligations.]
+
+
+    Captive and sorrow-pale, the mournful lot
+  Say, hast thou, Sion, of thy sons forgot?
+  Hast thou forgot the innocent flocks, that lay
+  Prone on thy sunny banks, or frisk'd in play
+  Amid thy lilied meadows? Wilt thou turn
+  A deaf ear to thy supplicants, who mourn
+  Downcast in earth's far corners? Unto thee
+  Wildly they turn in their lone misery;
+  For wheresoe'er they rush in their despair,
+  The pitiless Destroyer still is there!
+
+    Eden of earth! despisest thou the sighs
+  From the slave's heart that rise
+  To thee, amid his fetters--who can dare
+  Still to hope on in his forlorn despair--
+  Whose morn and evening tears for thee fall down
+  Like dews on Hermon's thirsty crown--
+  And who would blessed be in all his ills,
+  Wander'd his feet once more even on thy desert hills!
+
+    But not is Hope's fair star extinguish'd quite
+  In rayless night;
+  And, Sion, as thy fortunes I bewail,
+  Harsh sounds my voice, as of the birds that sail
+  The stormy dark. Let but that star be mine,
+  And through the tempest tremulously shine;
+  So, when the brooding clouds have overpast,
+  Rejoicing, with the dawn, may come at last,
+  Even as an instrument, whose lively sound
+  Makes the warm blood in every bosom bound,
+  And whose triumphant notes are given
+  Freely in songs of thanksgiving to Heaven!
+
+  Bethel!--and as thy name's name leaves my tongue,
+  The very life-drops from my heart are wrung!
+  Thy sanctuary--where, veil'd in mystic light,
+  For ever burning, and for ever bright,
+  Jehovah's awful majesty reposed,
+  And shone for aye heaven's azure gates unclosed--
+  Thy sanctuary!--where from the Eternal flow'd
+  The radiance of his glory, in whose power
+  Noonday itself like very darkness show'd,
+  And stars were none at midnight's darkest hour--
+  Thy sanctuary! oh _there!_ oh _there!_ that I
+  Might breathe my troubled soul out, sigh on sigh,
+  _There_, where thine effluence, Mighty God, was pour'd
+  On thine Elect, who, kneeling round, adored!
+
+    Stand off! the place is holy. Know ye not,
+  Of potter's clay the children, that this spot
+  Is sacred to the Everlasting One--
+  The Ruler over heaven, and over earth?
+  Stand off, degraded slaves, devoid of worth!
+  Nor dare profane again, as ye have done,
+  This spot--'tis holy ground--profane it not!
+
+  Oh, might I cleave, with raptured wing, the waste
+  Of the wide air, then, where in splendour lie
+  Thy ruins, would my sorrowing spirit haste,
+  Forth to outpour its flood of misery!--
+  There, where thy grandeur owns a dire eclipse,
+  Down to the dust as sank each trembling knee,
+  Unto thy dear soil should I lay my face,
+  Thy very stones in rapture to embrace,
+  And to thy smouldering ashes glue my lips!
+
+    And how, O Sion! how should I but weep,
+  As on our fathers' tombs I fondly gazed,
+  Or, wistfully, as turn'd mine eye
+  To thee, in all thy desolate majesty,
+  Hebron, where rests the mighty one in sleep,
+  And high his pillar of renown was raised!
+  There--in thine atmosphere--'twere blessedness
+  To breathe a purer ether. Oh! to me
+  Thy dust than perfumes dearer far should be,
+  And down thy rocks the torrent streams should roam
+  With honey in their foam!
+
+    Oh, sweet it were--unutterably sweet--
+  Even though with garments rent, and bleeding feet,
+  To wander over the deserted places
+  Where once thy princely palaces arose,
+  And 'mid the weeds and wild-flowers mark the traces,
+  Where the ground, yawning in its earthquake throes,
+  The ark of covenant and the cherubim
+  Received, lest stranger hands, that reek'd the while
+  With blood of thine own children, should defile
+  Its heaven-resplendent glory, and bedim:
+  And my dishevell'd locks, in my despair,
+  All madly should I tear;
+  And as I cursed the day that dawn'd in heaven--
+  The day that saw thee to destruction given,
+  Even from my very frenzy should I wring
+  A rough, rude comfort in my sorrowing.
+
+    What other comfort can I know? Behold,
+  Wild dogs and wolves with hungry snarl contend
+  Over thy prostrate mighty ones; and rend
+  Their quivering limbs, ere life hath lost its hold.
+  I sicken at the dawn of morn--the noon
+  Brings horror with its brightness; for the day
+  Shows but the desolate plain,
+  Where, feasting on the slain,
+  (Thy princes,) flap and scream the birds of prey!
+
+    Chalice from Marah's bitterest spring distill'd!
+  Goblet of woe, to overflowing fill'd!
+  Who, quaffing thee, can live? Give me but breath--
+  A single breath--that I once more may see
+  The dreary vision. I will think of thee,
+  Colla, once more--of Cliba will I think--
+  Then fearlessly and freely drink
+  The cup--the fatal cup--whose dregs are death.
+
+    Awake thee, Queen of Cities, from thy slumber--
+  Awake thee, Sion! Let the quenchless love
+  Of worshippers, a number beyond number,
+  A fountain of rejoicing prove.
+  Thy sorrows they bewail, thy wounds they see,
+  And feel them as their own, and mourn for thee!
+  Oh, what were life to them, did Hope not hold
+  Her mirror, to unfold
+  That glorious future to their raptured sight,
+  When a new morn shall chase away this night!
+  Even from the dungeon gloom,
+  Their yearning hearts, as from a tomb,
+  Are crying out--are crying out to thee;
+  And, as they bow the knee
+  Before the Eternal, every one awaits
+  The answer of his prayer, with face toward thy gates.
+
+    Earth's most celestial region! Babylon
+  The mighty, the magnificent, to thee,
+  With all the trappings of her bravery on,
+  Seems but a river to the engulfing sea.
+  What are its oracles but lies? 'Tis given
+  Thy prophets only to converse with Heaven--
+  The hidden to reveal, the dark to scan,
+  And be the interpreters of God to man.
+  The idols dumb that erring men invoke,
+  Themselves are vanities, their power is smoke:
+  But, while the heathen's pomp is insecure,
+  Is transient, thine, O Sion! shall endure;
+  For in thy temples, God, the only Lord,
+  Hath been, and still delights to be, adored.
+
+    Blessed are they, who, by their love,
+  Themselves thy veritable children prove!
+  Yea! blessed they who cleave
+  To thee, with faithful hearts, and scorn to leave!
+  Come shall the day--and come it may full soon--
+  When thou, more splendid than the moon,
+  Shalt rise; and, triumphing o'er night,
+  Turn ebon darkness into silver light:
+  The glory of thy brightness shall be shed
+  Around each faithful head:
+  Rising from thy long trance, earth shall behold
+  Thee loftier yet, and lovelier than of old;
+  And portion'd with the saints in bliss shall be
+  All who, through weal and woe, were ever true to thee!
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 7: "The doings of God by the Franks."]
+
+
+
+
+RHYMED HEXAMETERS AND PENTAMETERS.
+
+     [This species of versification, consisting of rhymed Hexameter and
+     Pentameter lines, we do not remember to have seen before attempted,
+     and we now offer it as a literary curiosity. It is, perhaps,
+     subject to the objection that applies against painted statuary, as
+     combining embellishments of a character not altogether consistent,
+     and not adding to the beauty of the result. But we are not without
+     a feeling that some additional pleasure is thus conveyed to the
+     mind. The experiment, of course, is scarcely possible, except in
+     quatrains of an epigrammatic structure. But the examples are
+     selected from the most miscellaneous sources that readily
+     occurred.]
+
+
+HIS OWN EPITAPH.
+
+BY ENNIUS.
+
+       Adspicite, O cives! senis Ennii imagini' formam;
+         Hic vostrum panxit maxuma facta patrum.
+       Nemo me lacrumis decoret, nec funera fletu
+         Faxit. Cur? volito vivu' per ora virûm.
+
+  See, O citizens! here old Ennius's image presented,
+    Who to your forefathers' deeds gave their own glory again.
+  Honour me not with your tears; by none let my death be lamented:
+    Why? still in every mouth living I flit among men.
+
+
+ON GELLIA.
+
+FROM MARTIAL.
+
+       Amissum non flet, cum sola est, Gellia patrem;
+         Si quis adest, jussæ prosiliunt lacrymæ.
+       Non dolet hic, quisquis laudari, Gellia, quærit;
+         Ille dolet verè qui sine teste dolet.
+
+  Gellia, when she's alone, doesn't weep the death of her father;
+    But, if a visitor comes, tears at her bidding appear.
+  Gellia, they do not mourn who are melted by vanity rather;
+    They are true mourners who weep when not a witness is near.
+
+
+TO CECILIANUS.
+
+FROM MARTIAL.
+
+       Nullus in urbe fuit totâ qui tangere vellet
+         Uxorem gratis, Cæciliane, tuam,
+       Dum licuit: sed nunc positis custodibus ingens
+         Agmen amatorum est. Ingeniosus homo es.
+
+  Nobody, Cecilianus, e'er thought of your wife (she's so ugly!)
+    When she could gratis be seen, when she was easily won.
+  Now that, with locks and with guards you pretend to secure her so snugly,
+    Crowds of gallants flock around: faith, it is cleverly done.
+
+
+ON A BEE INCLOSED IN AMBER.
+
+FROM MARTIAL.
+
+       Et latet et lucet Phaëthontide condita guttâ,
+         Ut videatur apis nectare clausa suo.
+       Dignum tantorum pretium tulit illa laborum:
+         Credibile est ipsam sic voluisse mori.
+
+  Lucid the bee lurks here, bright amber her beauty inclosing!
+    As in the nectar she made seems the fair insect to lie.
+  Worthy reward she has gain'd, after such busy labours reposing:
+    Well we might deem that herself thus would be willing to die.
+
+
+
+
+THE SURVEYOR'S TALE.
+
+
+Good resolutions are, like glass, manufactured for the purpose of being
+broken. Immediately after my marriage, I registered in the books of my
+conscience a very considerable vow against any future interference with
+the railway system. The Biggleswades had turned out so well, that I
+thought it unsafe to pursue my fortune any further. The incipient
+gambler, I am told, always gains, through the assistance of a nameless
+personage who shuffles the cards a great deal oftener than many
+materialists suppose. Nevertheless, there is always a day of
+retribution.
+
+I wish I had adhered to my original orthodox determination. During the
+whole period of the honeymoon, I remained blameless as to shares. Uncle
+Scripio relinquished the suggestion of "dodges" in despair. He was, as
+usual, brimful of projects, making money by the thousand, and bearing or
+bulling, as the case might be, with genuine American enthusiasm. I
+believe he thought me a fool for remaining so easily contented, and very
+soon manifested no further symptom of his consciousness of my existence
+than by transmitting me regularly a copy of the Railway Gazette, with
+some mysterious pencil-markings at the list of prices, which I presume
+he intended for my guidance in the case of an alteration of sentiment.
+For some time I never looked at them. When a man is newly married, he
+has a great many other things to think of. Mary had a decided genius for
+furniture, and used to pester me perpetually with damask curtains,
+carved-wood chairs, gilt lamps, and a whole wilderness of household
+paraphernalia, about which, in common courtesy, I was compelled to
+affect an interest. Now, to a man like myself, who never had any fancy
+for upholstery, this sort of thing is very tiresome. My wife might have
+furnished the drawingroom after the pattern of the Cham of Tartary's for
+any thing I cared, provided she had left me in due ignorance of the
+proceeding; but I was not allowed to escape so comfortably. I looked
+over carpet patterns and fancy papers innumerable, mused upon all manner
+of bell-pulls, and gave judgment between conflicting rugs, until the
+task became such a nuisance, that I was fain to take refuge in the
+sacred sanctuary of my club. Young women should be particularly careful
+against boring an accommodating spouse. Of all places in the world, a
+club is the surest focus of speculation. You meet gentlemen there who
+hold stock in every line in the kingdom--directors, committeemen, and
+even crack engineers. I defy you to continue an altogether uninterested
+auditor of the fascinating intelligence of Mammon. In less than a week
+my vow was broken, and a new _liaison_ commenced with the treacherous
+Delilah of scrip. As nine-tenths of my readers have been playing the
+same identical game towards the close of last year, it would be idle to
+recount to them the various vicissitudes of the market. It is a sore
+subject with most of us--a regular undeniable case of "_infandum
+regina_." The only comfort is, that our fingers were simultaneously
+burned.
+
+Amongst other transactions, I had been induced by my old fiend Cutts,
+now in practice as an independent engineer, to apply for a large
+allocation of shares in the Slopperton Valley, a very spirited
+undertaking, for which the Saxon was engaged to invent the gradients.
+This occurred about the commencement of the great Potato Revolution--an
+event which I apprehend will be long remembered by the squirearchy and
+shareholders of these kingdoms. The money-market was beginning to
+exhibit certain symptoms of tightness; premiums were melting perceptibly
+away, and new schemes were in diminished favour. Under these
+circumstances, the Provisional Committee of the Slopperton Valley
+Company were beneficent enough to gratify my wishes to the full, and
+accorded to me the large privilege of three hundred original shares. Two
+months earlier this would have been equivalent to a fortune--as it was,
+I must own that my gratitude was hardly commensurate to the high
+generosity of the donors. I am not sure that I did not accompany the
+receipt of my letter of allocation with certain expletives by no means
+creditable to the character of the projectors--at all events, I began to
+look with a milder eye upon the atrocities of Pennsylvanian repudiation.
+However, as the crash was by no means certain, my sanguine temperament
+overcame me, and in a fit of temporary derangement I paid the deposit.
+
+In the ensuing week the panic became general. Capel-court was deserted
+by its herd--Liverpool in a fearful state of commercial coma--Glasgow
+trembling throughout its Gorbals--and Edinburgh paralytically shaking.
+The grand leading doctrine of political economy once more was recognised
+as a truth: the supply exorbitantly exceeded the demand, and there were
+no buyers. The daily share-list became a far more pathetic document in
+my eyes than the Sorrows of Werter. The circular of my brokers, Messrs
+Tine and Transfer, contained a tragedy more woful than any of the
+conceptions of Shakspeare--the agonies of blighted love are a joke
+compared with those of baffled avarice; and of all kinds of consumption,
+that of the purse is the most severe. One circumstance, however, struck
+me as somewhat curious. Neither in share-list nor circular could I find
+any mention made of the Slopperton Valley. It seemed to have risen like
+an exhalation, and to have departed in similar silence. This boded ill
+for the existence of the £750 I had so idiotically invested, the
+recuperation whereof, in whole or in part, became the subject of my
+nightly meditations; and, as correspondence in such matters is usually
+unsatisfactory, I determined to start personally in search of my
+suspended deposit.
+
+I did not know a single individual of the Slopperton Provisional
+Committee, but I was well enough acquainted with Cutts, whose present
+residence was in a midland county of England, where the work of railway
+construction was going actively forward. As I drove into the town where
+the Saxon had established his headquarters, I saw with feelings of
+peculiar disgust immense gangs of cut-throat looking fellows--"the
+navies of the nations," as Alfred Tennyson calls them--busy at their
+embankments, absorbing capital at an alarming ratio, and utterly
+indifferent to the state of the unfortunate shareholders then writhing
+under the pressure of calls. Philanthropy is a very easy thing when our
+own circumstances are prosperous, but a turn of the wheel of fortune
+gives a different complexion to our views. If I had been called upon two
+months earlier to pronounce an oration upon the vast benefits of general
+employment and high wages, I should have launched out _con amore_. Now,
+the spectacle which I beheld suggested no other idea than that of an
+enormous cheese fast hastening to decomposition and decay beneath the
+nibbling of myriads of mites.
+
+I found Cutts in his apartment of the hotel in the unmolested enjoyment
+of a cigar. He seemed fatter, and a little more red in the gills than
+when I saw him last, otherwise there was no perceptible difference.
+
+"Hallo, old fellow!" cried the Saxon, pitching away a pile of estimates;
+"what the mischief has brought you up here? Waiter--a bottle of sherry!
+You wouldn't prefer something hot at this hour of the morning, would
+you?"
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+"Ay--you're a married man now. How's old Morgan? Lord! what fun we had
+at Shrewsbury when I helped you to your wife!"
+
+"So far as I recollect, Mr Cutts, you nearly finished that business. But
+I want to have a serious talk with you about other matters. What has
+become of that confounded Slopperton Valley, for which you were
+engineer?"
+
+"Slopperton Valley! Haven't you heard about it? The whole concern was
+wound up about three weeks ago. Take a glass of wine."
+
+"Wound up? Why, this is most extraordinary. I never received any
+circular!"
+
+"I thought as much," said Cutts very coolly. "That's precisely what I
+said to old Hasherton, the chairman, the day after the secretary bolted.
+I told him he should send round notice to the fellows at a distance,
+warning them not to cash up; but it seems that the list of subscribers
+had gone amissing, and so the thing was left to rectify itself."
+
+"Bolted! You don't mean Mr Glanders, of the respectable firm of Glanders
+and Co?"
+
+"Of course I do. I wonder you have not heard of it. That comes of living
+in a confounded country where there are neither breeches nor
+newspapers--help yourself--and no direct railway communication. Glanders
+bolted as a matter of course, and I can tell you that I thought myself
+very lucky in getting hold of as much of the deposits as cleared my
+preliminary expenses."
+
+"Cutts--are you serious?"
+
+"Perfectly. But what's the use of making a row about it? You look as
+grim as if there was verjuice in the sherry. You ought to thank your
+stars that the thing was put a stop to so soon."
+
+"Why--didn't you recommend me to apply for shares?"
+
+"Of course I did, and I wonder you don't feel grateful for the advice.
+Every body thought they would have come out at a high premium. I would
+not have taken six pounds for them in the month of September; but this
+infernal potato business has brought on the panic, and nobody will table
+a shilling for any kind of new stock. It was a lucky thing for us that
+we got a kind of hint to draw in our horns in time."
+
+"And pray, since the concern is wound up, as you say, how much of our
+deposit-money will be returned?"
+
+"You don't mean to say," said Cutts, with singularly elaborate
+articulation--"You don't mean to say that you were such an inconceivable
+ass as to pay up your letter of allotment? Well--I never heard of such a
+piece of deliberate infatuation! Why, man, a blacksmith with half an eye
+must have seen that the game was utterly up a week before the calls were
+due. I don't think there is a single man out of Scotland who would have
+made such a fool of himself; indeed, so far as I know, nobody cashed up
+except a dozen old women who knew nothing about the matter, and ten
+landed proprietors, who expected compensation, and deserved to be done
+accordingly. You need not look as though you meditated razors. The
+Biggleswade concern will pay for this more than thirty tines over."
+
+"I'll tell you what, Cutts," said I in a paroxysm, "this is a most
+nefarious transaction, and I'm hanged if I don't take the law with every
+one connected with it. I'll make an example of that fellow Hasherton,
+and the whole body of the committee."
+
+"Just as you like," replied the imperturbable Cutts. "You're a lawyer,
+and the best judge of those sort of things. I may, however, as well
+inform you that Hasherton went into the Gazette last week, and that you
+won't find another member of the committee at this moment within the
+four seas of Great Britain."
+
+"And pray, may I ask how _you_ came to be connected with so
+discreditable a project? Do you know that it is enough to blast your own
+reputation for ever?"
+
+"I know nothing of the kind," said the Saxon, commencing another cigar.
+"I look to the matter of employment, and have nothing to do with the
+character of my clients, beyond ascertaining their means of liquidating
+my account. The committee required the assistance of a first-rate
+engineer, and I flatter myself they could hardly have made a more
+unexceptionable selection. But what's the use of looking sulky about it?
+You can't help yourself; and, after all, what's the amount of your loss?
+A parcel of pound-notes that would have lain rotting in the bank had you
+not put them into circulation! Cheer up, Fred, you've made at least one
+individual very happy. Glanders is going it in New York. I shouldn't be
+surprised if half your deposit money is already invested in
+mint-juleps."
+
+"It is very easy for you to talk, Mr Cutts," said I, with considerable
+acrimony. "Your account, at all events, appears to have been paid.
+Doubtless you looked sharply after that. I cannot help putting my own
+construction upon the conduct of a gentleman who makes a direct profit
+out of the misfortunes of his friends."
+
+"You affect me deeply," said Cutts, applying himself diligently to the
+decanter; "but you don't drink. Do you know you put me a good deal in
+mind of Macready? Did you ever hear him in Lear,
+
+  'How sharper than a serpent's thanks it is
+  To have a toothless child?'"
+
+You're remarkably unjust, Fred, as you will acknowledge in your cooler
+moments. I am hurt by your ingratitude--I am," and the sympathizing
+engineer buried his face in the folds of a Bandana handkerchief.
+
+I knew, by old experience, that it was of no use to get into a rage with
+Cutts. After all, I had no tenable ground of complaint against him; for
+the payment of the deposit money was my own deliberate act, and it was
+no fault of his that the shares were not issued at a premium. I
+therefore contrived to swallow, as I best could, my indignation, though
+it was no easy matter. Seven hundred and fifty pounds is a serious sum,
+and would have gone a long way towards the furnishing of a respectable
+domicile.
+
+I believe that Cutts, though he never allowed himself to exhibit a
+symptom of ordinary regret, was internally annoyed at the confounded
+scrape in which I was landed by following his advice. At all events he
+soon ceased comporting himself after the manner of the comforters of
+Job, and finally undertook to look after my interest in case any
+fragment of the deposits could be rescued from the hands of the
+Philistines. I have since had a letter from him with the information
+that he has recovered a hundred pounds--a friendly exertion which shall
+be duly acknowledged so soon as I receive a remittance, which, however,
+has not yet come to hand.
+
+By the time we had finished the sherry, I was restored, if not to
+good-humour, at least to a state of passive resignation. The Saxon gave
+strict orders that he was to be denied to every body, and made some
+incoherent proposals about "making a forenoon of it," which, however, I
+peremptorily declined.
+
+"It's a very hard thing," said Cutts, "but I see it's an invariable rule
+that matrimony and good-fellowship can never go together. You're not
+half the brick you used to be, Fred; but I suppose it can't be helped.
+There's a degree of slow-coachiness about you which I take to be
+peculiarly distressing, and if you don't take care it will become a
+confirmed habit."
+
+"Seven hundred and fifty pounds--what! all my pretty chickens and
+their"----
+
+Don't swear! It's a highly immoral practice. At all events you'll dine
+with me to-day at six. You shall have as much claret as you can
+conscientiously desire, and, for company, I have got the queerest fellow
+here you ever set eyes on. You used to pull the long bow with
+considerable effect, but this chap beats you hollow."
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"How should I know? He calls himself Leopold Young Mandeville--is a
+surveyor by trade, and has been working abroad at some outlandish line
+or another for the last two years. He is a very fair hand at the
+compasses, and so I have got him here by way of assistant. You may think
+him rather dull at first, but wait till he has finished a pint, and I'm
+shot if he don't astonish you. Now, if you will have nothing more, we
+may as well go out, and take a ride by way of appetizer."
+
+At six o'clock I received the high honour of an introduction to Mr Young
+Mandeville. As I really consider this gentleman one of the most
+remarkable personages of the era in which we live, I may perhaps be
+excused if I assume the privilege of an acquaintance, and introduce him
+also to the reader. The years of Mr Mandeville could hardly have
+exceeded thirty. His stature was considerably above the average of
+mankind, and would have been greater save for the geometrical curvature
+of his lower extremities, which gave him all the appearance of a walking
+parenthesis. His hair was black and streaky; his complexion atrabilious;
+his voice slightly raucous, like that of a tragedian contending with a
+cold. The eye was a very fine one--that is, the right eye--for the other
+optic was evidently internally damaged, and shone with an opalescent
+lustre. There was a kind of native dignity about the man which impressed
+me favourably, notwithstanding the reserved manner in which he
+exchanged the preliminary courtesies.
+
+Cutts did the honours of the table with his usual alacrity. The dinner
+was a capital one, and the vine not only abundant but unexceptionable.
+At first, however, the conversation flowed but languidly. My spirits had
+not yet recovered from the appalling intelligence of the morning; nor
+could I help reflecting, with a certain uneasiness, upon the reception I
+was sure to meet with from certain brethren in the Outer House, to whom,
+in a moment of rash confidence, I had entrusted the tale of my dilemma.
+I abhor roasting in my own person, and yet I knew I should have enough
+of it. Mandeville eat on steadily, like one labouring under the
+conviction that he thereby performed a good and meritorious action, and
+scorning to mix up extraneous matter with the main object of his
+exertions. The Saxon awaited his time, and steadily circulated the
+champagne.
+
+We all got more loquacious after the cloth was removed. A good dinner
+reconciles one amazingly to the unhappy chances of our lot; and, before
+the first bottle was emptied, I had tacitly forgiven every one of the
+Provisional Committee of the Slopperton Railway Company, with the
+exception of the villainous Glanders, who, for any thing I knew, might,
+at that moment, be transatlantically regaling himself at my particular
+expense. His guilt was of course inexpiable. Mandeville, having eat like
+an ogre, began to drink like a dromedary. Both the dark and the
+opalescent eye sparkled with unusual fire, and with a sigh of
+philosophic fervour he unbuttoned the extremities of his waistcoat.
+
+"Help yourselves, my boys," said the jovial Cutts; "there's lots of time
+before us between this and the broiled bones. By Jove, I'm excessively
+thirsty! I say, Mandeville, were you ever in Scotland? I hear great
+things of the claret there."
+
+"I never had that honour," replied Mr Young Mandeville, "which I
+particularly regret, for I have a high--may I say the highest?--respect
+for that intelligent country, and indeed claim a remote connexion with
+it. I admire the importance which Scotsmen invariably attach to pure
+blood and ancient descent. It is a proof, Mr Cutts, that with them the
+principles of chivalry are not extinct, and that the honours which
+should be paid to birth alone, are not indiscriminately lavished upon
+the mere acquisition of wealth."
+
+"Which means, I suppose, that a lot of rubbishy ancestors is better than
+a fortune in the Funds. Well--every man according to his own idea. I am
+particularly glad to say, that I understand no nonsense of the kind.
+There's Fred, however, will keep you in countenance. He say--but I'll be
+hanged if I believe it--that he is descended from some old king or
+another, who lived before the invention of breeches."
+
+"Cutts--don't be a fool!"
+
+"Oh, by Jove, it's quite true!" said the irreverent Saxon; "you used to
+tell me about it every night when you were half-seas over at Shrewsbury.
+It was capital fun to hear you, about the mixing of the ninth tumbler."
+
+"Excuse me, sir," said Mr Mandeville, with an appearance of intense
+interest--"do you indeed reckon kindred with the royal family of
+Scotland? I have a particular reason personal to myself in the inquiry."
+
+"Why, if you really want to know about it," said I, looking, I suppose,
+especially foolish, for Cutts was evidently trotting me out, and I more
+than half suspected his companion--"I do claim--but it's a ridiculous
+thing to talk of--a lineal descent from a daughter of William the Lion."
+
+"You delight me!" said Mr Mandeville. "The connexion is highly
+respectable--I have myself some of that blood in my veins, though
+perhaps of a little older date than yours; for one of my ancestors,
+Ulric of Mandeville, married a daughter of Fergus the First. I am very
+glad indeed to make the acquaintance of a relative after the lapse of so
+many centuries."
+
+I returned a polite bow to the salutation of my new-found cousin, and
+wished him at the bottom of the Euxine.
+
+"Will you pardon me, Mr Cutts, if I ask my kinsman a question or two
+upon family affairs? The older cadets of the royal blood have seldom an
+opportunity of meeting."
+
+"Fire away," said the Saxon, "but be done with it as soon as you can."
+
+"Reduced as we are," continued Mr Mandeville, addressing himself to me,
+"in numbers as well as circumstances, it appears highly advisable that
+we should maintain some intercourse with each other for the preservation
+of our common rights. These, as we well know, had their origin before
+the institution of Parliaments, and therefore are by no means fettered
+or impugned by any of the popular enactments of a later age. Now, as you
+are a lawyer, I should like to have your opinion on a point of some
+consequence. Did you ever happen to meet our cousin, Count Ferguson of
+the Roman Empire?"
+
+"Never heard of him in my life," said I.
+
+"Any relation of the fellow who couldn't get into the lodging-house?"
+asked Cutts.
+
+"I do not think so, Mr Cutts," replied Mandeville, mildly. "I had the
+pleasure of making the Count's acquaintance at Vienna. He is, apprehend,
+the only heir-male extant to the Scottish crown, being descended from
+Prince Fergus and a daughter of Queen Boadicea. Now, you and I, though
+younger cadets, and somewhat nearer in succession, merely represent
+females, and have therefore little interest beyond a remote contingency.
+But I understand it is the fact that the ancient destination to the
+Scottish crown is restricted to heirs-male solely; and therefore I wish
+to know, whether, as the Stuarts have failed, the Count is not entitled
+to claim in right of his undoubted descent?"
+
+I was petrified at the audacity of the man. Either he was the most
+consummately impudent scoundrel I ever had the fortune to meet, or a
+complete monomaniac! I looked him steadily in the face. The fine black
+eye was bent upon me with an expression of deep interest, and something
+uncommonly like a tear was quivering in the lash. Palpable monomania!
+
+"It seems a very doubtful question," said I. "Before answering it, I
+should like to see the Count's papers, and take a look at our older
+records."
+
+"That means, you want to be fee'd," said Cutts. "I'll tell you what, my
+lads, I'll stand this sort of nonsense no longer. Confound your
+Fergusons and Boadiceas! One would think, to hear you talk, that you
+were not a couple of as ordinary individuals as ever stepped upon
+shoe-leather, but princes of the blood-royal in disguise. Help
+yourselves, I say, and give us something else."
+
+"I fear, Mr Cutts," said Mandeville, in a deep and chokey voice, "that
+you have had too little experience of the vicissitudes of the world to
+appreciate our situation. You spoke of a prince. Know, sir, that you see
+before you one who has known that dignity, but who never shall know it
+more! O Amalia, Amalia!--dear wife of my bosom--where art thou now!
+Pardon me, kinsman--your hand--I do not often betray this weakness, but
+my heart is full, and I needs must give way to its emotion." So saying,
+the unfortunate Mandeville bowed down his head and wept; at least, so I
+concluded, from a succession of severe eructations.
+
+I did not know what to make of him. Of all the hallucinations I ever had
+witnessed, this was the most strange and unaccountable. Cutts, with
+great coolness, manufactured a stiff tumbler of brandy and water, which
+he placed at the elbow of the ex-potentate, and exhorted him to make a
+clean breast of it.
+
+"What's the use of snivelling about the past?" said he. "It's a
+confounded loss of time. Come, Mandeville, toss off your liquor like a
+Trojan, and tell us all about it, if you have any thing like a rational
+story to tell. We'll give you credit for the finer feelings, and all
+that sort of nonsense--only look sharp."
+
+Upon this hint the Surveyor spoke, applying himself at intervals to the
+reeking potable beside him. I shall give his story in his own words,
+without any commentary.
+
+"I feel, gentlemen, that I owe to you, and more especially to my
+new-found kinsman, some explanation of circumstances, the mere
+recollection of which can agitate me so cruelly. You seemed surprised
+when I told you of the rank which I once occupied, and no doubt you
+think it is a strange contrast to the situation in which you now behold
+me. Alas, gentlemen! the history of Europe, during the last half
+century, can furnish you with many parallel cases. Louis Philippe has,
+ere now, like myself, earned his bread by mathematical exertion--Young
+Gustavson--Henry of Bourbon, are exiles! the sceptre has fallen from the
+hands of the chivalrous house of Murat! Minor principalities are changed
+or absorbed, unnoticed amidst the war and clash of the great world
+around them! Thrones are eclipsed like stars, and vanish from the
+political horizon!
+
+"Do not misunderstand me, gentlemen--I claim no such hereditary honours.
+I am the last representative of an ancient and glorious race, who cut
+their way to distinction with their swords on the field of battle. Roger
+de Mandeville, bearer of the ducal standard at the red fight of
+Hastings, was the first of my name who set foot upon English ground.
+Since then, there is not an era in the history of our country which does
+not bear witness to some achievement of the stalwart Mandevilles. The
+Crusades--Cressy--Poitiers--and--pardon me, kinsman--Flodden, were the
+theatres of our renown.
+
+"I dare not trust myself to speak of the broad lands and castles which
+we once possessed. These have long since passed away from us. A
+Birmingham artisan, whose churl ancestor would have deemed it an honour
+to run beside the stirrup of my forefathers, now dwells in the hall of
+the Mandeville. The spear is broken, and the banner mouldered. Nothing
+remains, save in the chancel of the roofless church a recumbent marble
+effigy, with folded hands, of that stout Sir Godfrey of Mandeville who
+stormed the breach of Ascalon!
+
+"I was heir to nothing but the name. Of my early struggles I need not
+tell you. A proud and indomitable heart yet beat within this bosom; and
+though some of the ancient nobility of England, who knew and lamented my
+position, were not backward in their offers, I could not bring myself in
+any one instance to accept of eleemosynary assistance. Even the colours
+which were spontaneously offered to me by the great Captain of the age,
+were rejected, though not ungratefully. Had there been war, Britain
+should have found me foremost in her ranks as a volunteer, but I could
+not wear the livery of a soldier so long as the blade seemed
+undissolubly soldered to the sheath. I spurned at the empty frivolity of
+the mess-room, and despised every other bivouac save that upon the field
+of battle.
+
+"In brief, gentlemen, I preferred the field of science, which was still
+open to me, and became an engineer. Mr Cutts, whose great acquirements
+and brilliant genius have raised him to such eminence in the
+profession"--here Cutts made a grateful salaam--"can bear testimony to
+the humble share of talent I have laid at the national disposal; and if
+you, my kinsman, are connected with any of the incipient enterprises in
+the north, I should be proud of an opportunity of showing you that the
+genius of a Mandeville can be applied as well to the arts of peace as to
+the stormy exercises of war. But even Mr Cutts does not know how
+strangely my labours have been interrupted. What an episode was mine! A
+year of exaltation to high and princely rank--a year of love and
+battle--and then a return to this cold and heavy occupation! Had that
+interval lasted longer, gentlemen, believe me, that ere now I should
+have carried the victorious banners of Wallachia to the gates of
+Constantinople, plucked the abject and besotted Sultan from his throne,
+and again established in more than its pristine renown the independent
+Empire of the East!"
+
+"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! Well said Mandeville!" shouted Cutts. "I like
+to see the fellow who never sticks at trifles."
+
+"No reality, sirs, could have prevented me: but I fear my preface is too
+long. About two years ago I was requested by the projectors of the great
+railway between Paris and Constantinople to superintend the survey of
+that portion which stretches eastward from Vienna. I accepted the
+appointment with pleasure, for I longed to see foreign countries, and
+the field abroad appeared to me a much nobler one than that at home. I
+had personal letters of introduction to the Emperor, who treated me with
+marked distinction; for some collateral branches of my family had done
+the Austrian good service in the wars of Wallenstein, and the heroic
+charge of the Pappenheimers under Herbert Mandeville at Lutzen was still
+freshly and gratefully remembered. It was in Vienna that I made the
+acquaintance of our mutual kinsman, Count Ferguson, whose claims to
+hereditary dignity, I trust, you will reflect on at your leisure.
+
+"Do either of you, gentlemen, understand German?--No!--I regret the
+circumstance, because you can hardly follow me out distinctly when I
+come to speak of localities. But I shall endeavour to be as clear as
+possible. One evening I was in attendance upon his majesty--who
+frequently honoured me with these commands, for he took a vast interest
+in all matters of science--at the great theatre. All the wealth, beauty,
+and talent of Austria were there. I assure you, gentlemen, I never gazed
+upon a more brilliant spectacle. The mixture of the white and blue
+uniforms of the Austrian officers, with the national costumes of the
+nobility of Hungary, Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, and the Tyrol,
+gave the scene the appearance of a studied and gorgeous carnival. The
+glittering of diamonds along the whole tier of the boxes was literally
+painful to the eyes. Several of the Esterhazy family seemed absolutely
+sheathed in jewel armour, and I was literally compelled to request the
+Duchessa Lucchesini, who was seated next me, to lower her beautiful arm,
+as the splendour of the brilliants on her bracelet--I, of course, said
+the lustre of the arm itself--was so great as to obstruct my view of the
+stage. She smilingly complied. The last long-drawn note of the overture
+was over, the curtain had risen, and the _prima donna_ Schenkelmann was
+just trilling forth that exquisite _aria_ with which the opera of the
+_Gasthaus_ begins, when the door of the box immediately adjoining the
+imperial one opened, and a party entered in the gay Wallachian costume.
+The first who took her place, in a sort of decorated chair in front, and
+who was familiarly greeted by his Majesty, was a young lady, as it
+seemed to me even then, of most surpassing beauty. Her dark raven hair
+was held back from a brow as white as alabaster by a circlet of gorgeous
+emeralds, whose pale mild light added to the pensive melancholy of her
+features. I have no heart to describe her further, although that image
+stands before me now, as clearly as when I first riveted these longing
+eyes upon her charms!--O Amalia!
+
+"Her immediate companion was a tall stalwart nobleman, beneath whose
+cloak glittered a close-fitting tunic of ring-mail. His looks were
+haughty and unprepossessing; he cast a fierce glance at the box which
+contained the Esterhazys; bowed coldly in return to the recognition of
+the Emperor; and seated himself beside his beautiful companion. I
+thought--but it might be fancy--that she involuntarily shrank from his
+contact. The remainder of the box was occupied by Wallachian ladies and
+grandees.
+
+"My curiosity was so whetted, that I hardly could wait until the
+Schenkelmann had concluded, before assailing my neighbour the Duchessa
+with questions.
+
+"'Is it possible?' said she. 'Have you been so long in Vienna,
+chevalier, and yet never seen the great attraction of the day--the
+Wallachian fawn, as that foolish Count Kronthaler calls her? I declare I
+begin to believe that you men of science are absolutely born blind!'
+
+"'Not so, beautiful Lucchesini! But remember that ever since my arrival
+I have been constantly gazing on a star.'
+
+"'You flatterer! But, seriously, I thought every one knew the Margravine
+of Kalbs-Kuchen. She is the greatest heiress in Europe--has a
+magnificent independent principality, noble palaces, and such diamonds!
+That personage beside her is her relation, the Duke of Kalbs-Braten, the
+representative of a younger branch of the house. He is at deadly feud
+with the Esterhazys, and the Emperor is very apprehensive that it may
+disturb the tranquillity of Hungary. I am sure I am glad that my own
+poor little Duchy is at a distance. I wish he would not bow to me--I am
+sure he is a horrid man. Only think, my dear chevalier! He has already
+married two wives, and nobody knows what has become of them. Poor Clara
+von Gandersfeldt was the last--a sweet girl, but that could not save
+her. They say he wants to marry his cousin--I hope she won't have him.'
+
+"'Does he indeed presume!' said I, 'that dark-browed ruffian, to aspire
+to such an angel?'
+
+"'I declare you make me quite jealous,' said the Lucchesini; 'but speak
+lower or he will overhear you. I assure you Duke Albrecht is a very
+dangerous enemy.'
+
+"'O that I might beard him!' cried I, 'in the midst of his assembled
+Hulans! I tell you, Duchessa, that ere now a Mandeville'----
+
+"'_Potz tausend donner-wetter!_' said the Emperor, good-humouredly
+turning round; 'what is that the Chevalier Mandeville is saying? Why,
+chevalier, you look as fierce as a roused lion. We must take care of you
+old English fire-eaters. By the way,' added he very kindly, 'our
+Chancellor will send you to-morrow the decoration of the first class of
+the Golden Bugle. No thanks. You deserve it. I only wish the order could
+have been conferred upon such a field as that of Lutzen. And now come
+forward, and let me present you to the Margravine of Kalbs-Kuchen, whose
+territories you must one of these days traverse. Margravine--this is the
+Chevalier Mandeville, of whom I have already told you.'
+
+"She turned her head--our eyes met--a deep flush suffused her
+countenance, but it was instantly succeeded by a deadly paleness.
+
+"'_Eh, wass henker!_' cried the Emperor, 'what's the meaning of
+this?--the Margravine is going to faint!'
+
+"'Oh no--no--your Majesty--'tis nothing--a likeness--a dream--a
+dizziness, I mean, has come over me! It is gone now. You shall be
+welcome, chevalier,' continued she, with a sweet smile, 'when you visit
+our poor dominions. Indeed, I have a hereditary claim upon you, which I
+am sure you will not disregard.'
+
+"'_Hagel und blitzen!_' cried his Majesty--'What is this? I understood
+the chevalier was never in Germany before.'
+
+"'That may be, sire,' repeated the Margravine with another blush. 'But
+my great-grandmother was nevertheless a Mandeville, the daughter of that
+Field-marshal Herbert who fought so well at Lutzen. His picture, painted
+when he was a young cuirassier, still hangs in my palace, and, indeed,
+it was the extreme likeness of the chevalier to that portrait, which
+took me for a moment by surprise. Let me then welcome you, cousin;
+henceforward we are not strangers!'
+
+"I bowed profoundly as I took the proffered hand of the Margravine. I
+held it for an instant in my own--yes!--by Cupid there was a gentle
+pressure. I looked up and beheld the dark countenance of the Duke of
+Kalbs-Braten scowling at me from behind his cousin. I retorted the look
+with interest. From that moment we were mortal foes.
+
+"'_Unser Ritter ist im klee gefallen_--the chevalier has fallen among
+clover,' said the Emperor with a smile--'he has great luck--he finds
+cousins every where.'
+
+"'And in this instance,' I replied, 'I might venture to challenge the
+envy even of your Majesty.'
+
+"'Well said, chevalier! and now let us attend to the second act of the
+opera.'
+
+"'You are in a critical position, Chevalier de Mandeville,' said the
+Lucchesini, to whose side I now returned. 'You have made a powerful
+friend, but also a dangerous enemy. Beware of that Duke Albrecht--he is
+watching you closely.'
+
+"'It is not the nature of a Mandeville to fear any thing except for the
+safety of those he loves. _You_, sweet Duchessa, I trust have nothing to
+apprehend?'
+
+"'_Ah, perfide!_ Do not think to impose upon me longer. I know your
+heart has become a traitor already. Well--we shall not be less friends
+for that. I congratulate you on your new honours, only take care that
+too much good fortune does not turn that magnificent head.'
+
+"I supped that evening with the Lucchesini. On my return home, I thought
+I observed a dark figure following my steps; but this might have been
+fancy, at all events I regained my hotel without any interruption. Next
+morning I found upon my table a little casket containing a magnificent
+emerald ring, along with a small slip of paper on which was written
+'_Amalia to her cousin--Silence and Fidelity_.' I placed the ring upon
+my finger, but I pressed the writing to my lips.
+
+"On the ensuing week there was a great masquerade at the palace. I was
+out surveying the whole morning, and was occupied so late that I had
+barely half an hour to spare on my return for the necessary
+preparations.
+
+"'There is a young lady waiting for you up-stairs, Herr Baron,' said the
+waiter with a broad grin; 'she says she has a message to deliver, and
+will give it to nobody else.'
+
+"'Blockhead!' said I, 'what made you show her in there? To a certainty
+she'll be meddling with the theodolites!'
+
+"I rushed up-stairs, and found in my apartment one of the prettiest
+little creatures I ever saw, a perfect fairy of about sixteen, in a
+gipsy bonnet, who looked up and smiled as I entered.
+
+"'Are you the Chevalier Mandeville?' asked she.
+
+"Yes, my little dear, and pray who are you?'
+
+"'I am Fritchen, sir,' she said with a courtesy.
+
+"'You don't say so! Pray sit down, Fritchen.'
+
+"'Thank you, sir.'
+
+"'And pray now, Fritchen, what is it you want with me?'
+
+"'My mistress desired me to say to you, sir--but it's a great
+secret--that she is to be at the masquerade to-night in a blue domino,
+and she begs you will place this White Rose in your hat, and she wishes
+to have a few words with you.'
+
+"'And who may your mistress be, my pretty one?'
+
+"'Silence and Fidelity!'
+
+"'Ha! is it possible? the Margravine!'
+
+"'Hush! don't speak so loud--you don't know who may be listening. Black
+Stanislaus has been watching me all day, and I hardly could contrive to
+get out.'
+
+"'Black Stanislaus had better beware of me!'
+
+"'Oh, but you don't know him! He's Duke Albrecht's chief forester, and
+the Duke is in _such_ a rage ever since he found my lady embroidering
+your name upon a handkerchief.'
+
+"'Did she, indeed?--my name?--O Amalia!'
+
+"'Yes--and she says you're so like that big picture at
+Schloss-Swiggenstein that she fell in love with long ago--and she is
+sure you would come to love her if you only knew her--and she wishes,
+for your sake, that she was a plain lady and not a Princess--and she
+hates that Duke Albrecht so! But I wasn't to tell you a word of this, so
+pray don't repeat it again.'
+
+"'Silence and fidelity, my pretty Fritchen. Tell your royal Mistress
+that I rest her humble slave and kinsman; that I will wear her rose, and
+defend it too, if needful, against the attacks of the universe! Tell
+her, too, that every moment seems an age until we meet again. I will not
+overload your memory, little Fritchen. Pray, wear this trifle for my
+sake, and'----
+
+"'O fie, sir! If the waiter heard you!' and the little gipsy made her
+escape.
+
+"I had selected for my costume that night, a dress in the old English
+fashion, taken from a portrait of the Admirable Crichton. In my hat I
+reverently placed the rose which Amalia had sent me, stepped into my
+fiacre, and drove to the palace.
+
+"The masquerade was already at its height. I jostled my way through a
+prodigious crowd of scaramouches, pilgrims, shepherdesses, nymphs, and
+crusaders, until I reached the grand saloon, where I looked round me
+diligently for the blue domino. Alas! I counted no less than thirteen
+ladies in that particular costume.
+
+"'You seen dull to-night, Sir Englishman,' said a soft voice at my
+elbow. 'Does the indifference of your country or the disdainfulness of
+dark eyes oppress you?'
+
+"I turned and beheld a blue domino. My heart thrilled strangely.
+
+"'Neither, sweet Mask; but say, is not Silence a token of Fidelity?'
+
+"'You speak in riddles,' said the domino. 'But come--they are beginning
+the waltz. Here is a little hand as yet unoccupied. Will you take it?'
+
+"'For ever?'
+
+"'Nay--I shall burden you with no such terrible conditions. _Allons!_
+Yonder Saracen and Nun have set us the example.'
+
+"In a moment we were launched into the whirl of the dance. My whole
+frame quivered as I encircled the delicate waist with my arm. One hand
+was held in mine, the other rested lovingly upon my shoulder. I felt the
+sweet breath of the damask lips upon my face--the cup of my happiness
+was full.
+
+"'O that I may never wake and find this a dream! Dear lady, might I dare
+to hope that the services of a life, never more devotedly offered,
+might, in some degree, atone for the immeasurable distance between us?
+That the poor cavalier, whom you have honoured with your notice, may
+venture to indulge in a yet dearer anticipation?'
+
+"I felt the hand of the Mask tremble in mine--
+
+"'The White Rose is a pretty flower,' she whispered--'can it not bloom
+elsewhere than in the north?'
+
+"'Amalia!'
+
+"'Leopold!--but hush--we are observed.'
+
+"I looked up and saw a tall Bulgarian gazing at us. The mask of course
+prevented me from distinguishing his features, but by the red sparkle of
+his eye I instantly recognised Duke Albrecht.
+
+"'Forgive me, dearest Amalia, for one moment. I will rejoin you in the
+second apartment'----
+
+"'For the sake of the Virgin, Leopold--do not tempt him! you know not
+the power, the malignity of the man.'
+
+"'Were he ten times a duke, I'd beard him! Pardon me, lady. He has
+defied me already by his looks, and a Mandeville never yet shrunk from
+any encounter. Prince Metternich will protect you until my return.'
+
+"The good-natured statesman, who was sauntering past unmasked, instantly
+offered his arm to the agitated Margravine. They retired. I strode up to
+the Bulgarian, who remained as motionless as a statue.
+
+"'Give you good-evening, cavalier. What is your purpose to-night?'
+
+"'To chastise insolence and punish presumption! What is yours?'
+
+"'To rescue innocence and beauty from the persecution of overweening
+power!'
+
+"'Indeed! any thing else?'
+
+"'Yes, to avenge the fate of those who trusted, and yet died before
+their time. How was it with Clara of Gandersfeldt? Fell she not by thy
+hand?'
+
+"'Englishman--thou liest!'
+
+"'Bulgarian--thou art a villain!'
+
+"The duke gnashed his teeth. For a moment his hand clutched at the hilt
+of his poniard, but he suddenly withdrew it.
+
+"'I had thought to have dealt otherwise with thee,' he said, 'but thou
+hast dared to come between the lion and his bride. Englishman--hast thou
+courage to make good thy injurious words with aught else but the
+tongue?'
+
+"'I am the last of the race of Mandeville!'
+
+"'Enough. I might well have left the chastising of thee to a meaner
+hand, and yet--for that thou art a bold fellow--I will meet thee. Dost
+thou know the eastern gate?'
+
+"'Well.'
+
+"'A mile beyond it there is a clump of trees and a fair meadow land. The
+moon will be up in three hours: light enough for men who are determined
+on their work. Dost thou understand me--three hours hence on horseback,
+with the sword, alone?'
+
+"'Can I trust thee, Bulgarian?--no treachery?'
+
+"'I am a Wallachian and a duke!'
+
+"'Enough said. I shall be there;' and we parted.
+
+"I flew back to Amalia. She was terribly agitated. In vain did I attempt
+to calm her with assurances that all was well. She insisted upon knowing
+the whole particulars of my interview with her dreaded cousin of
+Kalbs-Braten, and at last I told her without reserve.
+
+"'You must not go, Leopold,' she cried, 'indeed you must not. You do not
+know this Albrecht. Hard of heart and determined of purpose, there are
+no means which he will not use in order to compass his revenge. Believe
+not that he will meet you alone: were it so, I should have little dread.
+But Black Stanislaus will be there, and strong Slavata, and Martinitz
+with all his Hulans! They will murder you, my Leopold! shed your young
+blood like water; or, if they dare not do that for fear of the Austrian
+vengeance, they will hurry you across the frontier to some dreary
+fortress, where you will pine in chains, and grow prematurely grey,
+far--far from your poor Amalia! Oh, were I to lose you, Leopold, now, I
+should die of sorrow! Be persuaded by me. My guards are few, but they
+are faithful. Avoid this meeting. Let us set out this night--nay, this
+very hour. Once within my dominions, we may set at defiance Duke
+Albrecht and all the black banditti of Kalbs-Braten. I have many friends
+and feudatories. The Hetman, Chopinski, is devoted to me. Count Rudolf
+of Haggenhausen is my sworn friend. No man ever yet saw the back of
+Conrad of the Thirty Mountains. We shall rear up the old ancestral
+banner of my house; give the Red Falcon to the winds of heaven; besiege,
+if need be, my perfidious kinsman in his stronghold--and, in the face of
+heaven, my Leopold, will I acknowledge the heir of Mandeville as the
+partner of my life and of my power!'
+
+"'Dearest, best Amalia! your words thrill through me like a trumpet--but
+alas, it may not be! I dare not follow your counsel. Shall it be said
+that I have broken my word--shrunk like a craven from a meeting with
+this Albrecht;--a meeting, too, which I myself provoked? Think it not,
+lady. Poor Mandeville has nothing save his honour; but upon that, at
+least, no taint of suspicion shall rest. Farewell, beautiful Amalia!
+Believe me, we shall meet again; if not, think of me sometimes as one
+who loved you well, and who died with your name upon his lips.'
+
+"'O Leopold!'
+
+"I tore myself away. Two hours afterwards I had passed the eastern gate
+of Vienna, and was riding towards the place of rendezvous. The moon was
+up, but a fresh breeze ever and anon swept the curtains of the clouds
+across her disk, and obscured the distant prospect. The cool air played
+gratefully on my cheek after the excitement and fever of the evening; I
+listened with even a sensation of pleasure to the distant rippling of
+the river. For the future I had little care, my whole attention was
+concentrated upon the past. I felt no anxiety as to the result of the
+encounter; nor was this in any degree surprising, since, from my
+earliest youth, I had accustomed myself to the use of the sword, and was
+reputed a thorough master of the weapon. Neither could I believe that
+Duke Albrecht was capable, after having given his solemn pledge to the
+contrary, of any thing like deliberate treachery.
+
+"I was about halfway to the clump of trees, which he of Kalbs-Braten had
+indicated, when a heavy bank of clouds arose, and left me in total
+darkness. Up to this time I had seen no one since I passed the sentry;
+but now I thought I could discern the tramping of horses upon the turf.
+Almost mechanically I loosened my cloak, and brought round the hilt of
+my weapon so as to be prepared. When the moon reappeared, I saw on
+either side of me a horseman, in long black cloaks and slouched hats,
+which effectually concealed the features of the wearers. They did not
+speak nor offer any violence, but continued to ride alongside,
+accommodating their pace to mine. The horses they bestrode were large
+and powerful animals. There was something in the moody silence and even
+rigid bearing of these persons, which inspired me with a feeling rather
+of awe than suspicion. It might be that they were retainers of the duke;
+but then, if any ambuscade or foul play was intended, why give such
+palpable warning of it? I resolved to accost them.
+
+"'Ye ride late, sirs.'
+
+"'We do,' said the one to the right. 'We are bent on a far errand.'
+
+"'Indeed! may I ask its nature?'
+
+"'To hear the bat flutter and the owlet scream. Wilt also listen to the
+music?'
+
+"'I understand you not, sirs. What mean you?'
+
+"'We are the guardians of the Red Earth. The guilty tremble at our
+approach; but the innocent need not fear!'
+
+"'Two of the night patrole!' thought I. 'Very mysterious gentlemen,
+indeed; but I have heard that the Austrian police have orders to be
+reserved in their communications. I must get rid of them, however.
+Good-evening, sirs.'
+
+"I was about to spur my horse, when a cloak was suddenly thrown over my
+head as if by some invisible hand; I was dragged forcibly from my
+saddle, my arms pinioned, and my sword wrested from me. All this was the
+work of a moment, and rendered my resistance useless.
+
+"'Villains!' cried I, 'unhand me--what mean you?'
+
+"'Peace, cavalier!' said a deep low voice at my ear; 'speak
+not--struggle not, or it may be worse for you; you are in the hands of
+the Secret Tribunal!'"
+
+During the course of his narrative, Mr Mandeville, as I have already
+hinted, by no means discontinued his attentions to the brandy and water,
+but went on making tumbler after tumbler, with a fervour that was truly
+edifying. Assuming that the main facts of his history were true, though
+in the eye of geography and politics they appeared a little doubtful, it
+was still highly interesting to remark the varied chronology of his
+style. A century disappeared with each tumbler. He concentrated in
+himself, as it appeared to me, the excellencies of the best writers of
+romance, and withal had hitherto maintained the semblance of strict
+originality. He had now, however, worked his way considerably up the
+tide of time. We had emerged from the period of fire-arms, and
+Mandeville was at this stage mediæval.
+
+Some suspicion of this had dawned even upon the mind of Cutts, who,
+though not very familiar with romance, had once stumbled upon a
+translation of Spindler's novels, and was, therefore, tolerably up to
+the proceedings of the _Vehme Gericht_.
+
+"Confound it, Mandeville!" interrupted he, "we shall be kept here the
+whole night, if you don't get on faster. Both Fred and I know all about
+the ruined tower, the subterranean chamber--which, by the way, must have
+looked deucedly like a tunnel--the cord and steel, and all the rest of
+it. Skip the trial, man. It's a very old song now, and bring us as fast
+as you can to the castle and the marriage. I hope the Margravine took
+Fritchen with her. That little monkey was worth the whole bundle of them
+put together!"
+
+The Margrave made another tumbler. His eye had become rather glassy, and
+his articulation slightly impaired. He was gradually drawing towards the
+chivalrous period of the Crusades.
+
+"Two days had passed away since that terrible ride began, and yet there
+was neither halt nor intermission. Blindfold, pinioned, and bound into
+the saddle, I sate almost mechanically and without volition, amidst the
+ranks of the furious Hulans, whose wild huzzas and imprecations rung
+incessantly in my ears. No rest, no stay. On we sped like a hurricane
+across the valley and the plain!
+
+"At last I heard a deep sullen roar, as if some great river was
+discharging its collected waters over the edge of an enormous precipice.
+We drew nearer and nearer. I felt the spray upon my face. These, then,
+were the giant rapids of the Danube.
+
+"The order to halt was given.
+
+"'We are over the frontier now!' cried the loud harsh voice of Duke
+Albrecht; 'Stanislaus and Slavata! unbind that English dog from his
+steed, and pitch him over the cliff. Let the waters of the Danube bear
+him past the castle of his lady. It were pity to deny my delicate cousin
+the luxury of a coronach over the swollen corpse of her minion!'
+
+"'Coward!' I exclaimed; 'coward as well as traitor! If thou hast the
+slightest spark of manhood in thee, cause these thy fellows to unbind my
+hands, give me back my father's sword, stand face to face against me on
+the greensward, and, benumbed and frozen as I am, thou shalt yet feel
+the arm of the Mandeville!'
+
+"Loud laughed he of Kalbs-Braten. 'Does the hunter, when the wolf is in
+the pit, leap down to try conclusions with him. Fool! what care I for
+honour or thy boasted laws of chivalry? We of Wallachia are men of
+another mood. We smite our foeman where we find him, asleep or awake--at
+the wine-cup or in the battle--with the sword by his side, or arrayed
+in the silken garb of peace! Drag him from his steed, fellows! Let us
+see how lightly this adventurous English diver will leap the cataracts
+of the Danube!'
+
+"Resistance was in vain. I had already given myself up for lost. Even at
+that moment the image of my Amalia rose before me in all its beauty--her
+name was on my lips, I called upon her as my guardian angel.
+
+"Suddenly I heard the loud clear note of a trumpet--it was answered by
+another, and then rang out the clanging of a thousand atabals.
+
+"'Ha! by Saint John of Nepomuck,' cried the Duke, 'the Croats are upon
+us--There flies the banner of Chopinski! there rides Conrad of the
+Thirty Mountains on the black steed that I have marked for my second
+charger! Hulans! to your ranks. Martinitz, bring up the rear-guard, and
+place them on the right flank. Slavata, thou art a fellow of some
+sense'----
+
+"'Ay, you can remember that now,' grumbled Slavata.
+
+"'Take thirty men and lead them up that hollow--you will secure a
+passage somewhere over the morass--and then fall upon Chopinski in the
+rear. Let two men stay to guard the prisoner. Now, forward, gentlemen;
+and if you know not where to charge, follow the white plume of
+Kalbs-Braten!'
+
+"I heard the cavalry advance. Maddened by the loss of my freedom at such
+a moment, I burst my bonds by an almost supernatural exertion, and tore
+the bandage from my eyes. To snatch a battle-axe from the hand of the
+nearest Hulan, and to dash him to the ground, was the work of a
+moment--a second blow, and the other fell. I leaped upon his horse,
+shouted the ancient war-cry of my house--'Saint George for Mandeville!'
+and dashed onwards towards the serried array of the Croats, which
+occupied a little eminence beyond.
+
+"'For whom art thou, cavalier?' cried Chopinski, as I galloped up.
+
+"'For Amalia and Kalbs-Kuchen!' I replied.
+
+"'Welcome--a thousand times welcome, brave stranger, in the hour of
+battle! But ha!--what is this?--that white rose--that lordly mien--can
+it be? Yes! it is the affianced bridegroom of the Margravine!'
+
+"With a wild cry of delight the Croats gathered around me. 'Long live
+our gracious Margravine!' they shouted 'long live the noble Mandeville!'
+
+"'By my faith, Sir Knight,' said the Count Rudolf of Haggenhausen, an
+old warrior whose seamed countenance was the record of many a fight--'By
+my faith, I deemed not we could carry back such glorious tidings to our
+lady--nor, by Saint Wladimir, so goodly a pledge!'
+
+"'May I never put lance in rest again,' cried Conrad of the Thirty
+Mountains, 'but the Margravine hath a good eye--there be thewes and
+sinews there. But we must take order with yon infidel scum. How say you,
+Sirs--shall this cavalier have the ordering of the battle? I, for one,
+will gladly fight beneath his banner'----
+
+"'And so say I,' said Chopinski, 'but he must not go thus. Yonder, on my
+sumpter-mule, is a suit of Milan armour, which a king might wear upon
+the day he went forth to do battle for his crown. Bring it forth,
+knaves, and let the Mandeville be clad as becomes the affianced of our
+mistress.'
+
+"'Brave Chopinski,' I said, 'and you, kind sirs and nobles--pardon me if
+I cannot thank you now in a manner befitting to the greatness of your
+deserts. But there is a good time, I trust, in store. Suffer me now to
+arm myself, and then we shall try the boasted prowess of yonder giant of
+Kalbs-Braten!'
+
+"In a few moments I was sheathed in steel, and, mounted on a splendid
+charger, took my station at the head of the troops. Again their applause
+was redoubled.
+
+"'Lord Conrad,' said I to the warrior of the Thirty Mountains, 'swart
+Slavata has gone up yonder with a plump of lances, intending to cross
+the morass, and assail us on the rear. Be it thine to hold him in
+check."
+
+"'By my father's head!' cried Conrad, 'I ask no better service! That
+villain, Slavata, oweth me a life, for he slew my sister's son at
+disadvantage, and this day will I have it or die. Fear not for the rear,
+noble Mandeville--I will protect it while spear remains or armour holds
+together!'
+
+"'I doubt it not, valiant Conrad! Brave Chopinski--noble
+Haggenhausen--let us now charge together! 'Tis not beneath my banner you
+fight. The Blue Boar of Mandeville never yet fluttered in the Wallachian
+breeze, but we may give it to the winds ere-long! Sacred to Amalia, and
+not to me, be the victory! Advance the Red Falcon of Kalbs-Kuchen--let
+it strike terror into the hearts of the enemy--and forward as it pounces
+upon its prey!'
+
+"With visors down and lances in rest we rushed upon the advancing
+Hulans, who received our charge with great intrepidity. Martinitz was my
+immediate opponent. The shock of our meeting was so great that both the
+horses recoiled upon their hams, and, but for the dexterity of the
+riders, must have rolled over upon the ground. The lances were shivered
+up to the very gauntlets. We glared on each other for an instant with
+eyes which seemed to flash fire through the bars of our visors--each
+made a demi-volte"----
+
+"I say, Cutts," said I, "it occurs to me that I have heard something
+uncommonly like this before. Our friend is losing his originality, and
+poaching unceremoniously upon Ivanhoe. You had better stop him at once."
+
+"I presume then, Mandeville, you did for that fellow Martinitz?" said
+Cutts.
+
+"The gigantic Hulan was hurled from his saddle like a stone from a
+sling. I saw him roll thrice over, grasping his hands full of sand at
+every turn."
+
+"That must have been very satisfactory. And what became of the duke?"
+
+"Often did I strive to force my way through the press to the spot where
+Kalbs-Braten fought. I will not belie him--he bore himself that day like
+a man. And yet he had better protection than either helm or shield; for
+around him fought his foster-father, Tiefenbach of the Yews, with his
+seven bold sons, all striving to shelter their prince's body with their
+own. No sooner had I struck down one of them than the old man
+cried--'Another for Kalbs-Braten!' and a second giant stepped across the
+prostrate body of his brother!
+
+"Meanwhile, Conrad of the Thirty Mountains had reached the spot where
+Slavata with his cavalry was attempting the passage of the morass. Some
+of the Hulans were entangled there from the soft nature of the ground,
+the horses having sunk in the mire almost up to their saddle-girths.
+Others, among whom was their leader, had successfully struggled through.
+
+"Conrad and Slavata met. They were both powerful men, and well-matched.
+As if by common consent, the soldiers on either side held back to
+witness the encounter of their chiefs.
+
+"Slavata spoke first. 'I know thee well,' he said; 'thou art the
+marauding baron of the Thirty Mountains, whose head is worth its weight
+of gold at the castle-gate of Kalbs-Braten. I swore when we last met
+that we should not part again so lightly, and now I will keep my oath!'
+
+"'And I know thee, too,' said Conrad; 'thou art the marauding villain
+Slavata, whose body I intend to hang upon my topmost turret, to blacken
+in the sun and feed the ravens and the kites!'
+
+"'Threatened men live long,' replied Slavata with a hollow laugh; 'thy
+sister's son, the Geissenheimer, said as much before, but for all that I
+passed this good sword three times through his bosom!'
+
+"'Villain!' cried Conrad, striking at him, 'this to thy heart!'
+
+"'And this to thine, proud boaster!' cried Slavata, parrying and
+returning the blow.
+
+"They closed. Conrad seized hold of Slavata by the sword-belt. The
+other"----
+
+"He's off to Old Mortality now," said I to Cutts. "For heaven's sake
+stop him, or we shall have a second edition of the Bothwell and Burley
+business."
+
+"Come, Mandeville, clear away the battle--there's a good fellow. There
+can be no doubt that you skewered that rascally duke in a very
+satisfactory manner. I shall ring for the broiled bones, and I beg you
+will finish your story before they make their appearance. Will you mix
+another tumbler now, or wait till afterwards? Very well--please
+yourself--there's the hot water for you."
+
+"They led me into the state apartment," said Mandeville, with a kind of
+sob. "Amalia stood upon the dais, surrounded by the fairest and the
+noblest of the land. The amethyst light, which streamed through the
+stained windows, gorgeous with armorial bearings, fell around her like a
+glory. In one hand she held a ducal cap of maintenance--with the other,
+she pointed to the picture of my great ancestor--the very image, as she
+told me, of myself. I rushed forward with a cry of joy, and threw myself
+prostrate at her feet!
+
+"'Nay, not so, my Leopold!' she said. 'Dear one, thou art come at last!
+Take the reward of all thy toils, all thy dangers, all thy love! Come,
+adored Mandeville--accept the prize of silence and fidelity!' And she
+added, 'and never upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry be
+placed.'
+
+"She placed the coronet upon my head, and then gently raising me,
+exclaimed--
+
+"'Wallachians! behold your PRINCE!'"
+
+Mr Mandeville did not get beyond that sentence. I could stand him no
+longer, and burst into an outrageous roar of laughter, in which Cutts
+most heartily joined, till the tears ran plenteously down his cheeks.
+The Margrave of Wallachia looked quite bewildered. He attempted to rise
+from his chair, but the effort was too much for him, and he dropped
+suddenly on the floor.
+
+"Well," said I, after we had fairly exhausted ourselves, "there's the
+spoiling in that fellow of as good a novelist as ever coopered out three
+volumes. He would be an invaluable acquaintance for either Marryat or
+James. 'Tis a thousand pities his talents should be lost to the public."
+
+"There's no nonsense about him," replied Cutts; "he buckles to his work
+like a man. Doesn't it strike you, Freddy, that his style is a great
+deal more satisfactory than that of some other people I could name, who
+talk about their pedigree and ancestors, and have not even the excuse of
+a good cock-and-bull story to tell. Give me the man that carves out
+nobility for himself, like Mandeville, and believes it too, which is the
+very next best thing to reality. Now, let's have up the broiled bones,
+and send the Margrave of Wallachia to his bed."
+
+_Edinburgh, Printed by Ballantyne and Hughes, Pauls Work._
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume
+59, No. 366, April, 1846, by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOODS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1846 ***
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59,
+No. 366, April, 1846, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 366, April, 1846
+
+Author: Various
+
+Release Date: September 1, 2009 [EBook #29883]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOODS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1846 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brendan OConnor, Jonathan Ingram and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Library of Early Journals.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+<h1>BLACKWOOD'S</h1>
+<h1>EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.</h1>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><span class="smcap">No</span>. CCCLXVI. <span class="spacer">&nbsp;</span>APRIL,
+  1846.<span class="spacer">&nbsp;</span> <span class="smcap">Vol</span>. LIX.</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+<div class='centered'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" width="65%" cellspacing="0" summary="CONTENTS">
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Marquess Wellesley,</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_385'><b>385</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Letter to Eusebius</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_408'><b>408</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Student of Salamanca. Part</span> VI.,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_419'><b>419</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">How they manage Matters in "the Model Republic",</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_439'><b>439</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Antonio Perez</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_450'><b>450</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Recollections of a Lover of Society,</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_463'><b>463</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The "Old Player,"</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_473'><b>473</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Crusades</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_475'><b>475</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Burden of Sion. By Delta</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_493'><b>493</b></a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Rhymed Hexameters and Pentameters</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_496'><b>496</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Surveyor's Tale</span>,</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_497'><b>497</b></a></td></tr>
+
+</table></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h3>EDINBURGH:</h3>
+<h3>WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, 45, GEORGE STREET;</h3>
+<h3>AND 22, PALL-MALL, LONDON.</h3>
+<h4><i>To whom all Communications (post paid) must be addressed</i>.</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4>SOLD BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.</h4>
+<h4>PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND HUGHES, EDINBURGH.</h4>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<h2>BLACKWOOD'S</h2>
+<h2>EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.</h2>
+<p>&nbsp;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[Pg 385]</a></span></p>
+<h2><span class="smcap">No</span>. CCCLXVI.<span class="spacer">&nbsp;</span> APRIL, 1846.<span class="spacer">&nbsp;</span> <span class="smcap">Vol</span>. LIX.</h2>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_MARQUESS_WELLESLEY" id="THE_MARQUESS_WELLESLEY"></a>THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY.</h2>
+
+
+<p>The revival of noble recollections, the record of great actions, and the
+history of memorable times, form one of the highest services which a
+writer can offer to his country. They mould the national Character, and
+upon the character depends the greatness of every nation. Why have the
+mighty kingdoms of the East perished without either general reverence or
+personal value, but from the absence of Character in their people; while
+Greece in all its ancient periods, and Rome throughout the days of its
+republic, are still the objects of classic interest, of general homage,
+and of generous emulation, among all the nobler spirits of the world? We
+pass over the records of Oriental empire as we pass over the ruins of
+their capitals; we find nothing but masses of wreck, unwieldy heaps of
+what once, perhaps, was symmetry and beauty; fragments of vast piles,
+which once exhibited the lavish grandeur of the monarch, or the colossal
+labour of the people; but all now mouldered and melted down. The mass
+essentially wants the interest of individuality. A nation sleeps below,
+and the last memorial of its being is a vast but shapeless mound of
+clay.</p>
+
+<p>Greece, Rome, and England give us that individuality in its full
+interest. In their annals, we walk through a gallery of portraits; the
+forms "as they lived," every feature distinct, every attitude preserved,
+even the slight accidents of costume and circumstance placed before the
+eye with almost living accuracy. Plutarch's <i>Lives</i> is by far the most
+important work of ancient literature; from this exhibition of the force,
+dignity, and energy attainable by human character. No man of
+intelligence can read its pages without forming a higher conception of
+the capabilities of human nature; and thus, to a certain extent,
+kindling in himself a spirit of enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>It is in this sense that we attach a value to every work which gives us
+the biography of a distinguished public character. Its most imperfect
+performance at least shows us what is to be done by the vigorous
+resolution of a vigorous mind; it marks the path by which that mind rose
+to eminence; and by showing us the difficulties through which its
+subject was compelled to struggle, and the success by which its gallant
+perseverance was crowned, at once teaches the young aspirant to struggle
+with the difficulties of his own career, and cheers him with the
+prospect of ultimate triumph.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[Pg 386]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Of the general execution of these volumes, we do not desire to speak.
+They have been professedly undertaken as a matter of authorship. We
+cannot discover that the author has had any suggestion on the subject
+from the family of the late Marquess, nor that he has had access to any
+documents hitherto reserved from the public. He fairly enough states,
+that he derived his materials largely from the British Museum, and from
+other sources common to the reader. His politics, too, will not stand
+the test of grave enquiry. He adopts popular opinions without
+consideration, and often panegyrizes where censure would be more justly
+bestowed than praise. But we have no idea of disregarding the labour
+which such a work must have demanded; or of regretting that the author
+has given to the country the most exact and intelligent biography which
+he had the means of giving.</p>
+
+<p>The Wellesley family, rendered so illustrious in our time, is of remote
+origin, deriving its name from the manor of Welles-leigh, in the county
+of Somerset, where the family had removed shortly after the Norman
+invasion. A record in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, traces the
+line up to <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 1239, to Michael de Wellesleigh. The family seem to have
+held high rank or court-favour in the reign of Henry I., for they
+obtained the "grand serjeanty" of all the country east of the river
+Perrot, as far as Bristol Bridge; and there is a tradition, that one of
+the family was standard-bearer to Henry I. in the Irish invasion. In
+England, the family subsequently perished; the estates passing, by a
+daughter, into other families.</p>
+
+<p>The Irish branch survived in Sir William de Wellesley, who was summoned
+to Parliament as a baron, and had a grant by patent, from Edward III.,
+of the castle of Kildare. In the fifteenth century, the family obtained
+the Castle of Dangan by an heiress. The <i>de</i> was subsequently dropped
+from the family name, and the name itself abridged into Wesley&mdash;an
+abbreviation which subsisted down to the immediate predecessor of the
+subject of this memoir; or, if we are to rely on the journals of the
+Irish Parliament, it remained later still. For in 1790 we find the late
+Lord Maryborough there registered as Wesley (Pole,) and even the Duke is
+registered, as member for the borough of Trim, as the Honourable Arthur
+<i>Wesley</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Richard Colley Wesley, the grandfather of the Marquess, having succeeded
+to the family estate by the death of his cousin, was in 1746 created a
+peer. He was succeeded by his son Garret, who was advanced to the
+dignities of Viscount Wellesley of Dangan Castle, county Meath, and Earl
+of Mornington. He was a privy councillor in Ireland, and <i>custos
+rotulorum</i> of the county of Meath. He married Anne, eldest daughter of
+Arthur Hill Trevor, first Viscount Duncannon, by whom he had six sons
+and two daughters.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl was a man of accomplished tastes; he had travelled, adopted
+<i>dilettante</i> habits, and expended more money in the decoration of his
+mansion and demesne than his fortune could well bear. But he would have
+been eminent if he had been compelled to make music his profession; his
+glee of "Here, in cool grot and mossy cell," has no rival in English
+composition for the exquisite feeling of the music, the fine adaptation
+of its harmony to the language, and the general beauty, elegance, and
+power of expression. He died on the 22d of May 1781.</p>
+
+<p>Richard Colley Wellesley, afterwards the Marquess Wellesley, was born on
+the 20th of June 1760, in Ireland. At the age of eleven he was sent to
+Eton, under the care of the Rev. Jonathan Davis, afterwards head-master
+and provost of Eton. He soon distinguished himself by the facility and
+elegance of his Latin versification. He was sent to Oxford, and
+matriculated as a nobleman at Christ Church, in December 1778. In his
+second year at the college, he gained the Latin verse prize on the death
+of Captain Cook. His tutor was Dr William Jackson, afterwards Bishop of
+Oxford. In 1781, on the death of his father the Earl of Mornington, the
+young lord was called away to superintend the family affairs in Ireland,
+without taking his degree. On his coming of age, which was in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</a></span> the
+ensuing year, his first act was to take upon himself the debts of his
+father, who had left the family estates much embarrassed. His mother,
+Lady Mornington, survived, and was a woman of remarkable intelligence
+and force of understanding. To her care chiefly was entrusted the
+education of her children; and from the ability of the mother, as has
+been often remarked in the instance of eminent men, was probably derived
+the talent which has distinguished her memorable family. At the period
+of their father's death, the brothers and sisters of the young Earl
+were, William Wellesley Pole, (afterwards Lord Maryborough,) aged
+eighteen; Anne, (afterwards married to Henry, son of Lord Southampton,)
+aged thirteen; Arthur, (the Duke of Wellington,) aged twelve; Gerald
+Valerian, (prebendary of Durham,) aged ten; Mary Elizabeth, (Lady
+Culling Smith,) aged nine; and Henry, (Lord Cowley,) eight years old.</p>
+
+<p>The period at which the young Earl took his seat in the Irish House of
+Lords was one of remarkable anxiety. The success of the American revolt
+had filled the popular mind with dreams of revolution. The success of
+opposition in the Irish Parliament had fixed the national eyes upon the
+legislature; and the power actually on foot in the volunteer force of
+Ireland, tempted the populace to extravagant hopes of national
+independence and a separation from England, equally forbidden by sound
+policy and by the nature of things. Ireland, one thousand miles removed
+into the Atlantic, might sustain a separate existence; but Ireland,
+lying actually within sight of England, and almost touching her coasts,
+was evidently designed by nature for that connexion, which is as
+evidently essential to her prosperity. It is utterly impossible that a
+small country, lying so close to a great one, could have a separate
+government without a perpetual war; and, disturbed as Ireland has been
+by the contest of two antagonist religions, that evil would be as
+nothing compared with the tremendous calamity of English invasion.
+Fortunately, the peaceful contest with the English minister in the year
+1780, had concluded by recognizing the resolution, "that the King's most
+excellent Majesty, and the Lords and Commons of Ireland, are the only
+power competent to make laws to bind Ireland." It is unnecessary now to
+go further into this topic than to say, that this was a mere triumph of
+words so far as substantial advantages were regarded, while it was a
+triumph of evil so far as the existence of a national Parliament was a
+benefit. It gained no actual advantage whatever for Ireland; for all
+that Ireland wanted for progressive prosperity was internal quiet. On
+the other hand, it inflamed faction, even by its nominal success; it
+told the multitude that every thing might be gained by clamour, and in
+consequence clamour soon attempted every thing.</p>
+
+<p>The orators of Opposition will never be without a topic. Public
+disturbance is the element in which they live. They must assault the
+government, or perish of inanition; and they must stimulate the mob by
+the novelty of their demands, and the violence of their declamation, or
+they must sink into oblivion. The Irish opposition now turned to another
+topic, and brought forward the Roman Catholics for the candidateship of
+the legislature.</p>
+
+<p>It is not our purpose to go into the detail of a decision of which
+England now sees all the evil. But there can be no question whatever,
+that to bring into the legislature a man all whose sentiments are
+distinctly opposed to the Church and the State&mdash;who in the instance of
+the one acknowledges a foreign supremacy, and in the instance of the
+other anathematizes the religion&mdash;is one of the grossest acts that
+faction ever committed, or that feebleness in government ever complied
+with. Self-defence is the first instinct of nature; the defence of the
+constitution is the first duty of society; the defence of our religion
+is an essential act of obedience to Heaven. Yet the permission given to
+individuals, hostile to both, to make laws for either, was the second
+triumph at which Irish action aimed, and which English impolicy finally
+conceded.</p>
+
+<p>As an evidence of the royal satisfaction at the arrangements adopted by
+the lords and commons of Ireland, the king founded an order of
+knight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</a></span>hood, by the title of the Knights of the Illustrious Order of St
+Patrick, of which the king and his heirs were to be sovereigns in
+perpetuity, and the viceroys grand masters. The patent stated as the
+general ground of this institution, "that it had been the custom of wise
+and beneficent princes of all ages to distinguish the virtue and loyalty
+of their subjects by marks of honour, as a testimony to their dignity,
+and excellency in all qualifications which render them worthy of the
+favour of their sovereign, and the respect of their fellow-subjects;
+that so their eminent merits may stand acknowledged to the world, and
+create a virtuous emulation in others to deserve such honourable
+distinctions." All this may be true, and marks of honour are undoubtedly
+valuable; but they can be only so in instances where distinguished
+services have been rendered, and where the public opinion amply
+acknowledges such services. Yet, in the fifteen knights of this order
+appointed in the first instance, there was not the name of any one man
+known by public services except that of the Earl of Charlemont, an
+amiable but a feeble personage, who had commanded the volunteers of
+Ireland. The Earl of Mornington was one of those, and he had but just
+come into public life, at the age of three-and-twenty; before he had
+done any one public act which entitled him to distinction, and when all
+his political merits were limited to having taken his seat in the House
+of Lords.</p>
+
+<p>In the course of the year we find the young lord occupying something of
+a neutral ground in the House, and objecting to the profusion of the
+Irish government in grants of money for public improvements; those
+grants which we see still about to be given, which are always clamoured
+for by the Irish, for which they never are grateful, of which nobody
+ever sees the result, and for which nobody ever seems to be the better.
+It is curious enough to see, that one of the topics of his speech was
+his disapproval of "great sums given for the ease and indolence of great
+cotton manufacturers, rather than the encouragement of manufacture."
+Such has been always the state of things in Ireland, concession without
+use, conciliation without gratitude, money thrown away, and nothing but
+clamour successful. But while he exhibited his eloquence in this
+skirmishing, it was evident that he by no means desired to shut himself
+out from the benefits of ministerial friendship. The question had come
+to a point between the government and the volunteers. The military use
+of the volunteers had obviously expired with the war. But they were too
+powerful an instrument to escape the eye of faction.</p>
+
+<p>Ireland abounded with busy barristers without briefs, bustling men of
+other professions without any thing to do, and angry haranguers, down to
+the lowest conditions of life, eager for public overthrow. The
+volunteers were told by those men, that they ought not to lay aside
+their arms until they had secured the independence of their country.
+With the northern portion of Ireland, this independence meant
+Republicanism, with the southern, Popery. The heads of the faction then
+proceeded to hold an assembly in the metropolis, as a rival and
+counterpoise to the parliament. This was then regarded as a most
+insolent act; but the world grows accustomed to every thing; and we have
+seen the transactions of the League in London, and of Conciliation Hall
+in the Irish capital, regarded as matters of perfect impunity.</p>
+
+<p>But more vigorous counsels then prevailed in Ireland. The volunteers
+were put down by the determination of government to check their factions
+and foolish assumption of power. They were thanked for their offer of
+services during the war; but were told that they must not be made
+instruments of disturbing the country. This manliness on the part of
+government was successful, as it has always been. If, on the other hand,
+government had shown any timidity, had for a moment attempted to coax
+them into compliance, or had the meanness to compromise between their
+sense of duty and the loss of popularity; they would have soon found the
+punishment of their folly, in the increased demands of faction, and seen
+the intrigues of partisanship inflamed into the violence of
+insurrection. The volunteers were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</a></span> speedily abandoned by every friend to
+public order, and their ranks were so formidably reduced by the
+abandonment, that the whole institution quietly dissolved away, and was
+heard of no more.</p>
+
+<p>In 1784, the young nobleman became a member of the English Parliament,
+as the representative of Beeralston, in Devonshire, a borough in the
+patronage of the Earl of Beverley&mdash;thus entering Parliament, as every
+man of eminence had commenced his career for the last hundred years; all
+being returned for boroughs under noble patronage. In 1786, he was
+appointed one of the Lords of the Treasury.</p>
+
+<p>The period of his introduction into the English Parliament was a
+fortunate one for a man of ability and ambition. The House never
+exhibited a more remarkable collection of public names. He nightly had
+the opportunity of hearing Pitt, Fox, Burke, Sheridan, Grey; and others,
+who, if not equal, followed with vigorous emulation. He took an
+occasional part in the debates, and showed at least that he benefited by
+example. In 1788, he was elected for the royal borough of Windsor. The
+great question of the regency suddenly occurred. The royal malady
+rendered a Parliamentary declaration necessary for carrying on the
+government. The question was difficult. To place the royal power in any
+other hands than the King's, even for a temporary purpose, required an
+Act of Parliament. But the King formed an essential portion of the
+legislature. He, however, now being disabled by mental incapacity from
+performing his royal functions, where was the substitute to be found?
+Fox, always reckless, and transported with eagerness to be in possession
+of the power which would be conferred on him by the regency of the
+Prince of Wales, was infatuated enough to declare, that the Prince had
+as express a right to assume the reins of government, and exercise the
+powers of sovereignty, during the royal incapacity, as if the King had
+actually died. This doctrine, so contrary to common sense, and even to
+Whig principles, astonished the House, and still more astonished the
+country. Pitt fell upon him immediately, with his usual vigour. The
+leader of Opposition had thrown himself open to attack, and his
+assailant was irresistible. Pitt dared him to give a reason for his
+doctrine; he pronounced it hostile to the law of the land, contradictory
+to the national rights, and, in fact, scarcely less than treason to the
+constitution.</p>
+
+<p>On the other hand, he laid down with equal perspicuity and force the
+legal remedy, and pronounced, that where an unprovided difficulty of
+this order arose, the right of meeting it reverted to the nation, acting
+by its representatives the two Houses of Parliament, and that, so far as
+personal right was in question, the Prince had no more right to assume
+the throne than any other individual in the country.</p>
+
+<p>Such is the blindness of party, and passion for power, that Fox, the
+great advocate of popular supremacy, was found sustaining, all but in
+words, that theory of divine right which had cost James II. his throne,
+whose denial formed the keystone of Whig principles, and whose
+confirmation would have authorized a despotism.</p>
+
+<p>The decision was finally come to, that the political capacity of the
+monarch was constitutionally distinguished from his personal; and that,
+as in the case of an infant king, it had been taken for granted that the
+royal will had been expressed by the Privy Council, under the Great
+Seal; so, in the present instance of royal incapacity, it should also be
+expressed by the Privy Council, under the Great Seal. The question of
+right now being determined, the Chancellor was directed to affix the
+Great Seal to a bill creating the Prince of Wales Regent, with limited
+powers.</p>
+
+<p>Those limitations were certainly formidable; and the chief matter of
+surprise now is, that the Whigs should have suffered the Regent to
+accept the office under such conditions. They prevented him from
+creating any peerage, or granting any office in reversion, or giving any
+office, pension, or salary, except during the royal pleasure, or
+disposing of any part of the royal estate. They took from him also the
+whole household, and the care of the King's person, his majesty being<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</a></span>
+put in charge of the Queen, with power to remove any of the household.
+But the whole question has now passed away, and would be unimportant
+except for its bearing on the position of Ireland.</p>
+
+<p>In 1789, the zeal of the Irish opposition, and the flexibility of some
+members of the Government combining, the Irish Parliament voted the
+regency to the Prince without any limitation whatever. This naturally
+directed the attention of ministers to the hazard of a collision between
+the two Parliaments. The King's fortunate recovery prevented all
+collision; but the danger was so apparent if the royal incapacity had
+continued, and opinion became so strongly inflamed in Ireland, that from
+this period must be dated the determination to unite both Parliaments in
+one legislature. For it was justly argued, that if the Irish Parliament
+might invest one individual with powers different from those intrusted
+to him by the English Parliament, it might in the same manner invest a
+different individual, the result of which might be a civil war, or a
+separation.</p>
+
+<p>This rash resolution was, however, strongly opposed. Twenty-three of the
+peers, among whom was Lord Mornington, signed a protest against it, and
+the viceroy, the Marquess of Buckingham, refused to transmit the address
+to England. This increased the confusion: not only were the two
+legislatures at variance, but the Irish legislature passed a vote of
+censure on the viceroy.</p>
+
+<p>The King's recovery extinguished the dissension at once, and the hand of
+government fell with severe but well-deserved penalty on its deserters
+in the season of difficulty. The rewards of the faithful were
+distributed with equal justice. Lord Mornington's active support of the
+viceroy was made known to the monarch, and he was evidently marked for
+royal favour. From this period he took a share in all the leading
+questions of the time. He supported Mr Wilberforce's motions for the
+abolition of the slave-trade.</p>
+
+<p>The bold and sagacious conduct of Pitt, in protecting the royal rights
+in the Regency, had established his power on the King's recovery. The
+Whigs had lost all hope of possession, and they turned in their despair
+to the work of faction. Their cry was now Parliamentary Reform. No cry
+was ever more insincere, more idly raised, carried on in a more utter
+defiance of principle, or consummated more in the spirit of a juggler,
+who, while he is bewildering the vulgar eye with his tricks, is only
+thinking of the pocket. The Reform Bill has since passed, but the moral
+of the event is still well worth our recollection. The Whigs themselves
+had been the great boroughmongers; but boroughmongering had at length
+failed to bring them into power, and they had recourse to clamour and
+confederacy with the rabble. Still, in every instance when they came in
+sight of power, the cry was silenced, and they discovered that it was
+"not the proper time." At length, in 1830, they raised the clamour once
+more; the ministry, (rendered unpopular by the Popish question,) were
+thrown out; the Whigs were, for the first time, compelled to keep their
+promise, and the whole system of representation was changed. But the
+change was suicidal: the old champion of Reform, Lord Grey himself, was
+the first to suffer. The Reform ministry was crushed by a new power, and
+Lord Grey was crushed along with it. Whiggism was extinguished; the Whig
+of the present day has no more resemblance to the Whig of Fox's day,
+than the squatter has to the planter. The rudeness and rashness of
+Radicalism supplies its place, and the stately and steady march of the
+landed interest exists no more.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Mornington's speech, in 1793, placed the question in its true point
+of view. He declared that the consequence of the proposed measure of
+Reform must be, to change the very genius and spirit of the British
+government; to break up the combination of those elementary principles
+of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy, which, judiciously associated,
+formed the constitution. He then referred, with great force, to the
+practical working of that constitution which this measure was intended
+to overthrow. "Never," said he, and his language<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</a></span> was at once eloquent
+and true, "have the natural ends of society been so effectually
+accomplished, as under the government which is thus to be subverted.
+Under the existing constitution, the life of every individual is sacred,
+by the equal spirit of the law; by the pure administration of justice;
+by the institution of juries; and by the equitable exercise of that
+prerogative which is the brightest ornament of the crown&mdash;the power of
+mitigating the rigour of criminal judgments, and of causing justice to
+be executed in mercy."</p>
+
+<p>He forcibly pronounced the constitution to contain all "the principles
+of stability; for it could neither be abused by the subject, nor invaded
+by the crown." It provided, in an unexampled degree, for the protection
+of life, liberty, and property. In its legislative action it impartially
+allowed every public interest to have its representative in Parliament;
+in its national action it insured the prosperity of the empire; for that
+prosperity had never been so distinguished as since the constitution had
+assumed full power; and, by protecting every man in the exercise of his
+industry, it had given a spur to national and intellectual enterprise
+and activity, of which the world had never before seen an example. And
+was this all to be hazarded for the sake of gratifying a party, who
+always shrank from the measure when in power, and who always renewed it
+only as a means of recall from their political exile?</p>
+
+<p>His biographer rashly denies the reality of those dangers, and says,
+that the Reform Act has not produced any of the calamities which his
+lordship then saw in such ominous prospect. But to this the natural
+answer is, that the Reform Bill is little more than a dozen years old;
+that though the power of property in so great a country as England, and
+the voice of common sense in a country of such general and solid
+knowledge, could not be extinguished at once; and though the national
+character forbade our following the example and the rapidity of a French
+revolution; still, that great evil has been done&mdash;that a democratic
+tendency has been introduced into the constitution&mdash;that Radicalism has
+assumed a place and a shape in public deliberations&mdash;that faction beards
+and browbeats the legitimate authorities of public counsel&mdash;that low
+agitators are suffered to carry on the full insolence of intrigue with a
+dangerous impunity&mdash;and that the pressure from without too often becomes
+paramount to the wisdom from within.</p>
+
+<p>At the same time, we fully admit that there were abuses in the ancient
+system, offensive to the natural sense of justice; that the sale of
+seats was contrary to principle; and that the dependence of members on
+individual patrons was a violation of legislative liberty. But whose was
+the criminality? not that of the constitution, but of the faction; not
+that of the enfeebled law, but of the local supremacy of Whig influence.
+Property is the true, and in fact the only safe pledge of legislative
+power; and if Manchester and the other great manufacturing towns had
+possessed, five hundred years ago, the property which they have acquired
+within the last fifty there can be no doubt that representatives would
+have been allotted to them. There can be as little doubt, that in 1830,
+or in a quarter of a century before, they ought to have had
+representatives; but the true evil has been in the sweeping nature of
+the change. Still, we will hope the best; we have strong faith in the
+fortunes of England, and shall rejoice to see that our fears have been
+vain.</p>
+
+<p>The young senator's exertions, on this occasion, confirmed the opinion
+already entertained of him in high quarters. He was shortly after sworn
+in as a member of the Privy Council in England, and was made one of the
+commissioners for the affairs of India. Pitt's memorable India Bill, in
+1784, had appointed a board of six commissioners for Indian affairs, who
+were to be privy councillors, with one of the secretaries of state at
+their head. The board were to be appointed by the King, and removable at
+his pleasure. They were invested with the control of all the revenue,
+and civil and military officers of the Company. The directors were
+obliged to lay before them all papers relative to the management of
+their affairs. The commissioners<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[Pg 392]</a></span> were to return the papers of the
+directors within fourteen days, if approved of, or if not, to assign
+their reasons. The despatches so agreed on, were then to be sent to
+India.</p>
+
+<p>It seems not improbable that this appointment was intended as the
+preparative of the Earl for higher objects in the same department. At
+all events, it directed his attention to Indian topics, and gave him the
+due portion of that practical knowledge, without which genius only
+bewilders, and enterprise is thrown away.</p>
+
+<p>We have to fight our way against this biographer, who takes a rambling
+and revolutionary view of all the chief transactions of the time. In
+this spirit, he denies or doubts the necessity of the French war. We
+deny that it was possible to avert it. It may be true, that if England
+had been faithless to her compacts, and had suffered her allies to be
+trampled on, she might, for awhile, have avoided actual collision. But,
+could this have been done with honour; and what is national honour but a
+national necessity? Holland, the old ally of England, was actually
+invaded; and the first English troops that set foot upon the Continent,
+were sent in compliance with our treaty, and for the simple protection
+of our ally. No one will contend, and no one has ever contended, that
+England had a right to make a government for France; or that the fury of
+her factions, however they might startle and disgust mankind, was a
+ground for teaching morality at the point of the sword. But there can be
+no more legitimate cause of war than the obligations of treaties, the
+protection of the weak against the powerful, and the preservation of the
+general balance of European power.</p>
+
+<p>In the instance of Holland, too, there was the additional and most
+efficient reason, viz. that the possession of her ports and arsenals by
+France must largely increase the danger of England. But when it is
+further remembered, that France declared the determination to make war
+upon all monarchies, that she aimed at establishing an universal
+republic, that she pronounced all kings tyrants and all subjects slaves;
+and that, offering her assistance to every insurrectionary people, she
+ostentatiously proclaimed her plan of revolutionizing the world&mdash;who can
+doubt that national safety consisted in resisting the doctrines, in
+repelling the arms, and in crushing the conspiracies which would have
+made England a field of civil slaughter, and left of her glory and her
+power nothing but a name?</p>
+
+<p>It is, however, a curious instance of personal zeal, to find the
+biographer applauding as the sentiments of his hero, the opinions which
+he deprecates as the policy of England; and admitting that the war was
+wise, righteous, and inevitable; that it raised the name of England to
+the highest rank: and that it preserved us from "the pest of a godless,
+levelling democracy."</p>
+
+<p>It has been the habit of writers like the present, to conceive that the
+French Revolution was hailed with general joy by England. Even before
+the death of the king, the contrary is the fact: the rabble, the
+factions, and the more bustling and bitter portion of the sectaries,
+unquestionably exulted in the popular insurrection, and the general
+weakening of the monarchy. But all the genuinely religious portion of
+the people, all the honest and high-minded, all the travelled and
+well-informed, adopted a just conception of the whole event from the
+beginning. The religious pronounced it atheistic, the honest illegal,
+and the travelled as the mere furious outburst of a populace mad for
+plunder and incapable of freedom. But the death of the king excited a
+unanimous burst of horror; and there never was a public act received
+with more universal approbation than the dismissal of the French
+ambassador, M. Chauvelin, by a royal order to quit the country within
+eight days. The note was officially sent by Lord Grenville, but was
+stamped with the energy of Pitt. It was as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"I am charged to notify to you, sir, that the character with which
+you have been vested at this court, and the functions of which have
+been so long suspended, being now utterly terminated by the fatal
+death of his most Christian Majesty, you have no more any public
+character here, the King can no longer, after such an event, permit
+your resi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</a></span>dence here; his Majesty has thought fit to order that you
+should retire from this kingdom within the term of eight days. And
+I herewith transmit to you a copy of the order, which his Majesty,
+in his Privy Council, has given to this effect. I send you a
+passport for yourself and your suite, and I shall not fail to take
+all the necessary steps, in order that you may return to France
+with all the attentions which are due to the character of
+minister-plenipotentiary, which you have exercised at this court. I
+have the honour to be, &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p class="author">
+"<span class="smcap">Grenville.</span></p>
+<p><span style="margin-left: 2em;">"Dated Whitehall, Jan. 4, 1793."</span><br />
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>On the opening of Parliament, in January 1794, a debate of great
+importance commenced on the policy of the war. On this occasion, Lord
+Mornington and Sheridan took the lead in the debate, and both made
+speeches of great effect. Lord Mornington's speech was published under
+his own inspection immediately after, and it still remains among the
+most striking records of the republican opinions, and the mingled
+follies and blasphemies of a populace suddenly affecting the powers of a
+legislature. Every thing in France, at this period, was robbery; but
+even the robbery exhibited the national taste for "sentiment." Their
+confiscation of property was pronounced to be, "not for the sake of its
+possession," but for their abhorrence of the precious metals. Lord
+Mornington, in the course of his speech, read extracts of a letter from
+Fouch&eacute;, afterwards so well known as the minister of imperial police, but
+then commissioner in the central and western departments. In this
+sublime display of hypocrisy, Fouch&eacute; pronounces gold and silver to have
+been the causes of all the calamities of the republic. "I know not,"
+says he, "by what weak compliance those metals are suffered to remain in
+the hands of suspected persons. Let us degrade and vilify gold and
+silver, let us fling those deities of monarchy in the dirt, and
+establish the worship of the austere virtues of the republic," adding,
+by way of exemplification of his virtuous abhorrence, "I send you
+seventeen chests filled with gold, silver, and plate of all sorts, the
+spoil of churches and castles. You will see with peculiar pleasure, two
+beautiful crosiers and a ducal coronet of silver, gilt." But the portion
+of his speech which attracted, and justly, the deepest attention, was
+that in which he gave the proofs of the dreadful spirit of infidelity,
+so long fostered in the bosom of the Gallican church. An address, dated
+30th of October, from the Rector of Villos de Luchon, thus expatiates in
+blasphemy:&mdash;"For my part, I believe that no religion in any country in
+the world is founded on truth. I believe that all the various religions
+in the world are descended from the same parents, and are the daughters
+of pride and ignorance." This worthy ecclesiastic finished by declaring,
+that thenceforth "he would preach in no other cause than that of liberty
+and his country." The Convention decreed, that this and all similar
+addresses of renunciation should be lodged with the Committee of Public
+instruction, evidently as materials for training the rising generation.
+A motion then followed, that all those renunciations of religion should
+be "translated into the languages of all foreign countries."</p>
+
+<p>Then followed a scene, which gave reality to all those hideous
+declarations. The Archbishop of Paris entered the hall of the
+Convention, accompanied by a formal procession of his vicars, and
+several of the rectors of the city parishes. He there addressed the
+Assembly in a speech, in which he renounced the priesthood in his own
+name, and that of all who accompanied him, declaring that he acted thus
+in consequence of his conviction, that no national worship should be
+tolerated except the worship of Liberty and Equality! The records of the
+Convention state, that the archbishop and his rectors were received with
+universal transport, and that the archbishop was solemnly presented with
+a red cap, the day concluding with the worthy sequel, the declaration of
+one Julien, who told the Assembly that he had been a Protestant minister
+of Toulouse for twenty years, and that he then renounced his functions
+for ever. "It is glorious," said this apostate, "to make this
+declaration, under the auspices of reason,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[Pg 394]</a></span> philosophy, and that sublime
+constitution which has already overturned the errors of superstition and
+monarchy in France, and which now prepares a similar fate for all
+foreign tyrannies. I declare that I will no longer enter into any other
+temple than the sanctuary of the laws. Thus I will acknowledge <i>no other
+God</i> than liberty, <i>no other worship</i> than that of my country, <i>no other
+gospel</i> than the republican constitution."</p>
+
+<p>Then followed a succession of addresses and letters from the various
+commissioners in the departments, blaspheming in the same atrocious
+strain. The municipality of Paris, which was one of the chief governing
+powers, if not the actual ruler of France, followed this declamation by
+an order, that all the churches should be shut, let their denomination
+of worship be what it might, and that any attempt to reopen one should
+be punished by arrest. The decree was put into immediate effect. The
+church of Notre Dame and all the other churches of the capital were
+closed. The popular measures were now carried on in a kind of rivalry of
+destruction. The "Section of the Museum," a portion of the populace,
+announced that they had done execution on all Prayer-books, and burnt
+the Old and New Testaments. The Council-General of Paris decreed that a
+civic feast should be held in the cathedral of Notre Dame, and that a
+patriotic hymn should be chanted before the statue of liberty. The
+Goddess of Reason was personated by a Madame Momarro, a handsome woman
+of profligate character, who was introduced into the hall of the
+Convention, received with "the fraternal embrace" by the president and
+secretaries, and was then installed by the whole legislature in the
+cathedral, which was called the "Regenerated Temple of Reason." In this
+monstrous profanation, the apostate archbishop officiated as the high
+priest of Reason, with a red cap on his head, and a pike in his hand;
+with this weapon he struck down some of the old religious emblems of the
+church, and finished his performance by placing a bust of Marat on the
+altar. A colossal statue was then ordered to be placed "on the ruins of
+monarchy and religion."</p>
+
+<p>This desperate profanation was emulated in the provinces. Fouch&eacute;, in
+Lyons, ordered a civic festival in honour of one Chalier. An ass, with a
+mitre on its head, and dragging a Bible at its tail, formed a
+characteristic portion of the ceremony; the Bible was finally burnt, and
+its ashes scattered to the winds.</p>
+
+<p>"Thus Christianity," said the noble speaker, "was stigmatized, through
+the president of the Convention, amid the applauses of the whole
+audience, as a system of murder and massacre, incapable of being
+tolerated by the humanity of a republican government. The Old and New
+Testaments were publicly burnt, as prohibited books. Nor was it to
+Christianity that their hatred was confined; the Jews were involved in
+this comprehensive plan. Their ornaments of public worship were
+plundered, and their vows of irreligion were recorded with enthusiasm.
+The existence of a future state was openly denied, and modes of burial
+were devised, for the express purpose of representing to the popular
+mind, that death was nothing more than an everlasting sleep; and, to
+complete the whole project, doctrines were circulated under the eye of
+the government, declaring that 'the existence of a Supreme God was an
+idea inconsistent with the liberty of man.'"</p>
+
+<p>In England, we are verging on democracy from year to year. We have begun
+by unhinging the national respect for the religion of the Scriptures, in
+our zeal to introduce the religion of the Council of Trent into the
+constitution. The malecontents in the Established Church are
+contributing their efforts to bring Protestantism into contempt, by
+their adoption of every error and every absurdity of the Papist. The
+bolder portion of these malecontents have already apostatized. The
+Church once shaken, every great and salutary support of the constitution
+will follow, and we shall have a government impelled solely by faction.
+When that time arrives, the minister will be the mere tool of the
+multitude; the faction in the streets will have its mouthpiece in the
+faction of the legislature. Property will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[Pg 395]</a></span> be at the mercy of the idle,
+the desperate, and the rapacious&mdash;Law will be a dead letter&mdash;Religion a
+mockery&mdash;Right superseded by violence&mdash;and the only title to possession
+will be the ruffian heart and the sanguinary hand.</p>
+
+<p>We are perfectly aware, that a large portion of the country cannot be
+persuaded that it is necessary for them to disturb their own comfort,
+quiet, and apathy, for any possible reason&mdash;that they believe all change
+to be of too little moment to demand any resistance on their part; and
+that, at all events, they trust that the world will go on smoothly for
+their time, whatever may be the consequence of their scandalous and
+contemptible apathy hereafter. But, such thinkers do not deserve to have
+a country, nor to be protected, nor to be regarded as any thing but as
+the cumberers of the earth. On such men no power of persuasion can act;
+for no argument would convince. They wrap themselves up in their snug
+incredulity, leave it to others to fight for them, and will not hazard a
+shilling, nor give a thought, for the salvation of their country! Yet
+even they are no more secure than the rest. The noble, the priest, and
+the man of landed wealth, are not those alone on whom the heavy hand of
+rabble robbery will fall. We give them, on this head, a fragment from
+the report of the well-known Barr&egrave;re, from the "Committee of Public
+Welfare," constituting, in fact, the rule of conduct to the Republic. It
+begins by declaring the "necessity of abandoning the idea of <i>mercy</i> in
+republican government." It pronounces the necessity of the law to act,
+for the "arrest of <i>suspected</i> persons." It declares every "remnant of
+the <i>gentry</i> of France to be an object of suspicion." It declares the
+"<i>business of bankers</i> to render them objects of suspicion." It declares
+"their reluctance to receive assignats, and their sordid <i>attachment to
+their own interests</i>," to make all merchants objects of suspicion. It
+declares "all the <i>relatives</i> of emigrants" to be objects of suspicion.
+It declares "all the clergy who have refused the constitutional oath,
+and all the former magistracy," to be objects of suspicion. All those
+classes of society are to be sentenced at once, "<i>without being heard</i>."
+Let us strike at once, says this desperate document, "<i>without trial</i>
+and <i>without mercy</i>. Let us banish all compassion from our bosoms. Oh!
+what innumerable mischiefs may be produced by a false sentiment of
+pity?"</p>
+
+<p>This decree, which made every man a victim who had any thing to lose,
+instantly crowded the French prisons with the merchants, the bankers,
+and the whole monied class in France. Those who could be plundered no
+longer, were sent to execution. In Paris alone, within six months, a
+thousand persons of the various professions had been murdered by the
+guillotine. During the three years of the democracy, no less than
+eighteen thousand individuals, chiefly of the middle order, perished by
+the guillotine.</p>
+
+<p>This frightful catalogue closed with a remark on the belligerent
+propensities which such a state of society must produce. "It must be the
+immediate interest of a government, founded on principles wholly
+contradictory to the received maxims of all surrounding nations, to
+propagate the doctrines abroad by which it subsists at home; to
+assimilate every neighbouring state to its own system; and to subvert
+every constitution which even forms an advantageous contrast to its own
+absurdities. Such a government must, from its nature, be hostile to all
+governments of whatever form; but, above all, to those which are most
+strongly contrasted with its own vicious structure, and which afford to
+their subjects the best security for the maintenance of order, liberty,
+justice, and religion."</p>
+
+<p>Sheridan made a speech, of great beauty and animation, in reply. But his
+whole argument consisted in the sophism, that the French had been
+rendered savage by the long sense of oppression, and that the blame of
+their atrocities, (which he fully admitted,) should be visited on the
+monarchy, not on the people.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Mornington's was acknowledged to be the ablest speech on the
+ministerial side; and though eclipsed by the richness and power of
+Sheridan&mdash;and what speaker in the records of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[Pg 396]</a></span> English eloquence ever
+excelled him in either?&mdash;it yet maintained a distinguished superiority
+in the force of its reasoning, and the fulness of its statements.
+Sheridan, in his peroration, had thrown out some bitter pleasantries on
+the ministerial favours, whose prospect he regarded as the only motive
+of those abandonments which had left the Whig party suddenly so feeble.
+"Is this a time," exclaimed the orator, "for selfish intrigues and the
+little traffic of lucre? Is it intended to confirm the pernicious
+doctrine, that all public men are impostors, and that every politician
+has his price? Nay, even for those who have no direct object, what is
+the language which their actions speak? 'The throne is in danger'&mdash;'we
+will support the throne; but let us share the smiles of royalty.' 'The
+order of nobility is in danger'&mdash;'I will fight for nobility,' says the
+viscount. 'But my zeal would be much greater, if I were made an earl.'
+'Rouse all the marquess within me!' exclaims the earl, 'and the peerage
+never turned out a more undaunted champion in the cause.' 'Stain my
+green riband blue,' cries out the gallant knight, 'and the fountain of
+honour will have a fast and faithful servant.' But, what are the people
+to think of our sincerity? What credit are they to give to our
+professions? It there nothing which whispers to that right honourable
+gentleman, that the crisis is too big, that the times are too gigantic,
+to be ruled by the hackneyed means of ordinary corruption?"</p>
+
+<p>Wyndham pronounced, that the speech of the noble lord had recapitulated
+the conduct of France in a manner so true, so masterly, and so alarming,
+"as to fix the attention of the House and the nation." Pitt spoke in
+terms still more expressive. "The speech of my noble friend," said he,
+"has been styled declamatory; on what principle I know not, unless that
+every effort of eloquence, in which the most forcible reasoning was
+adorned and supported by all the powers of language, was to be branded
+with the epithet declamatory." This debate was decisive; two hundred and
+seventy-seven voted for the vigorous prosecution of the war: for Fox's
+amendment, <i>only</i> fifty-seven. We have now to follow the career of the
+noble lord to another quarter of the globe, where his presence was more
+essential, and where his capabilities had a still wider field.</p>
+
+<p>The resignation of Sir John Shore had left the government of India
+vacant; and the conspicuous exertions of Lord Mornington in the late
+debates had placed him in a high position before the ministerial eye. He
+was now fixed on for the Governor-generalship. His connexion with Indian
+affairs as a member of the Board of Control, had given him official
+knowledge; his education had given him the accomplishment suited to
+diplomatic distinction; and his abilities, his ardour, and his time of
+life, rendered him the fittest man for the arduous government of India.
+The period demanded all the qualities of government. France was
+notoriously intriguing to enlist the native princes in a general attack
+on the British power; a large French force was already organized in the
+territories of the Nizam, and Tippoo Saib had drawn together an army
+with seventy guns in the Mysore. The Indian princes, always jealous of
+the British authority, which had checked their old savage depredations
+on each other, and had presented in its own dominions a noble contrast
+to the ravaged and wretched condition of their kingdoms were all
+preparing to join the alliance of the French; and the first shock of a
+war, now almost inevitable, would probably involve all India. At this
+period Lord Mornington, who had been raised to an English barony, was
+appointed governor-general in October 1797; and such was his promptitude
+that he sailed on the 7th of the month following. In the April of 1798,
+he arrived on the coast of Coromandel, and landed at Madras, accompanied
+by his brother, the Hon. Henry Wellesley, as private secretary, (now
+Lord Cowley.) On the 17th of May he arrived at Calcutta, where he found
+his brother, since so memorable, Colonel Arthur Wellesley, and Sir
+Alured Clarke, the commander-in-chief.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Mornington had been sent to India in anticipation of French
+attempts on the British dominions, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[Pg 397]</a></span> there could be no doubt of the
+intentions of the French Directory. But the blow came sooner, and was
+more openly struck than an European public man could have surmised. It
+exhibited all that arrogant contempt of an enemy which once
+characterised Eastern supremacy; and would have been worthy of Gengis,
+proclaiming his sovereign will. It was a proclamation from the French
+governor of the Mauritius, on the 30th of June; announcing, without any
+attempt at disguise, that two ambassadors from Tippoo Sultaun had
+arrived there with letters for the governor, and despatches for the
+government of France; and that the object of the embassy was, to form an
+alliance, offensive and defensive, with France, and to demand a
+subsidiary force, for the purpose of expelling the English from India.
+The proclamation further invited all Frenchmen, in the isles of France
+and Bourbon, to volunteer for the sultaun's service, and promised to
+secure them pay under the protection of the Republic.</p>
+
+<p>The daring insolence of this proclamation, and the palpable rashness of
+making the designs of Tippoo public, before any direct preparation for
+attack, were so unlike the usual forms of diplomacy, that the
+governor-general, in the first instance, was inclined to doubt its
+authenticity. But it awoke his vigilance, and he wrote without delay to
+General Harris, then commanding at Madras, and governor for the time, to
+be on his guard. "If Tippoo," said his letter, "should choose to avow
+the objects of his embassy to be such as are described in this
+proclamation, the consequences may be very serious, and may ultimately
+involve us in the calamity of war. I wish you to be apprised of my
+apprehensions on the subject, and to prepare your mind for the possible
+event. You will, therefore, turn your attention to the means of
+collecting a force, if necessity should unfortunately require it. But it
+is not my desire that you should proceed to take any public steps
+towards the assembling of the army, before you receive some further
+information from me."</p>
+
+<p>The governor-general has been charged with precipitancy in making war on
+Tippoo. But the charge is refuted by dates. The French proclamation was
+dated 10th Pluviose, sixth year of the Republic, (30th January 1798.)
+Its truth or falsehood was carefully enquired into, until the evidence
+was completed by despatches from the British governors of the Cape and
+Bombay, the admiral at the Cape, the testimony of prisoners, and finally
+by the actual landing of a corps of French volunteers from the
+Mauritius. It was not till six months after the date of the
+proclamation, that the governor-general wrote thus (20th of June) to
+General Harris:&mdash;"I now take the earliest opportunity of acquainting you
+with my final determination. I mean to call upon the allies without
+delay, and to assemble the army upon the coast with all possible
+expedition. You will receive my public instructions in the course of a
+few days. Until you have received them, it will not be proper to take
+any public steps for the assembling of the army. But whatever can be
+done without a disclosure of the ultimate object, I authorize you to do
+immediately; intending to apprise you, by this letter, that it is my
+positive resolution to assemble the army upon the coast."</p>
+
+<p>The Mysore dynasty was one of the natural productions of Indian
+sovereignty. They had each been founded by a successful soldier, had
+made conquests of prodigious extent, had devastated the land with
+frightful rapidity; and then, after a generation or two of opulent
+possession, had seen their provinces divided by rebellious viceroys;
+until some slave, bolder than the rest, sprang up, broke down the
+tottering viceroyalties, and seized the supreme throne. Hyder Ali, the
+father of Tippoo, had been a common trooper in the service of the Rajah
+of Mysore&mdash;by his intrepidity he became the captain of one of those
+bands, half soldier and half robber, which form the irregulars of an
+Asiatic army. By his address as a courtier, he rose into favour with the
+rajah, who gave him the command of his army. By the treachery which
+always surrounds and subverts an Asiatic throne, he finally took the
+sovereign power to himself. Disputes of the new rajah with the Company's
+agents produced a war, and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[Pg 398]</a></span> cavalry of this daring adventurer rode
+up to the gates of Madras. Peace was at length proclaimed, and Hyder
+acquired a vast reputation among the natives as the champion of India.
+In 1770, an invasion of the Mahrattas, a robber nation, but the most
+renowned of Indian plunderers, determined to crush the new power, and
+poured down upon Mysore. Hyder now applied for assistance to Madras; but
+the settlement had no assistance to give, and Hyder was forced to make a
+disadvantageous treaty. He now loudly protested against the failure of
+the English contingent, which he declared to have been the subject of a
+treaty, and resolved on revenge. The plunder of the merchants' stores at
+Madras was the more probable motive to his next desperate attack. The
+half military, half commercial government of the Company, at that
+period, paralyzed all measures of effective resistance; and while the
+garrison urged vigorous proceedings, and the inhabitants dreaded
+mercantile loss, the plains surrounding Madras were deluged by an
+invasion from the Mysore. Hyder ranged in line seventy thousand horse
+and twenty thousand regular infantry! with all the marauders of India in
+his train, and all the Indian sovereigns ready to rise. At Madras all
+was confusion. Some detachments of Europeans and Sepoys, scattered
+through the country, were surrounded, fought gallantly, and were cut to
+pieces. Warren Hastings, the most indefatigable of Indian governors, now
+came in person to the seat of war; but such was the feebleness of the
+British means, that he could bring with him but five hundred Europeans
+and five hundred Sepoys. But he brought the more effectual aid of an
+officer of decision and sagacity, the celebrated Sir Eyre Coote. This
+brave man, struggling with difficulties of every kind, was, in almost
+all instances, victorious, and the last hours of Hyder's daring career
+were embittered by defeat at Arriee. In a few months after, at the age
+of eighty-two, this great chieftain, but barbarous and bloody warrior,
+died; leaving his son Tippoo, who had commenced his warfare at eighteen,
+and had followed him in all his battles, the possessor of his throne.</p>
+
+<p>Tippoo was the heir of his father's bravery, but not of his
+intelligence. Hyder had a mean opinion of his understanding, and
+evidently regarded him as little better than a royal tiger. "That boy,"
+said he, "will overthrow all that it has cost me a life to raise, and
+will ruin himself."</p>
+
+<p>The war continued, carried on by detachments on the part of the English,
+and by marauding expeditions on the part of Tippoo; time, life, and
+treasure were thus thrown away on both sides. But at length the news of
+peace between England and France reached India, and peace was concluded
+between the Company and the Mysore on the 11th of March 1784.</p>
+
+<p>Some conception of the resources of India may be formed from the
+military means which the single state of Mysore was able to accumulate,
+under all the pressure of a long war. At the peace, the treasure of
+Tippoo was calculated at eighty millions sterling; he had six hundred
+thousand stand of arms, two thousand cannons, with a regular force of
+artillery, cavalry, and infantry, of little less than one hundred
+thousand men!</p>
+
+<p>The history of the Mysore dynasty would form a brilliant poem; and, if
+India shall ever have a poet again, he could not choose a more varied,
+animating, and splendid theme. Tippoo, in peace, turned saint, and,
+following the example of his prophet, forced one hundred thousand
+Hindoos, at the sword's point, to swear by the Koran. We pass over the
+remaining features of his fierce history. Restless with ambition, and
+plethoric with power, in 1790 he invaded Travancore. The rajah called
+upon his English allies for protection. The war began by the appearance
+of Tippoo in the field at the head of another deluge of cavalry. But the
+genius of Hyder was in the tomb; and the English army, under Cornwallis,
+forced its way to the ramparts of Seringapatam. A peace stripped the
+Mysore of half its territory, of three millions and a half for the
+expenses of the war, and of the two sons of Tippoo as hostages. But the
+rajah constantly looked for revenge; and the successes of the French
+Republic urged him to a contest, in which every thing was to be lost to
+him but his daring name.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[Pg 399]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The first step of the governor-general exhibited singular decision, and
+was attended with singular success. The Nizam had raised a regular corps
+of eleven thousand men, disciplined by French officers. It was
+ascertained that those officers held a correspondence with Tippoo, and
+there was every probability of their either forcing the Nizam into his
+alliance, or of their marching to join him. A British force was now
+ordered to move towards the capital of the Nizam, without any intimation
+of its object or its approach. On its arrival, a distinct demand was
+made for the dismissal of the French. The Nizam hesitated; but the
+officer commanding the British declared, that if there was any further
+delay, he would attack the battalions in their camp. The Nizam then gave
+his consent, and the battalions were informed that hesitation would
+expose them to the penalties of treason. A negotiation then began, in
+the presence of the British troops and the Nizam's horse. The French
+officers were promised protection, the possession of their personal
+property, their arrears, and a passage to France; the battalions were
+promised pay and future employment. The terms were accepted, and the
+British officer had the satisfaction to see the eleven thousand lay down
+their arms! This event struck all India with surprise. The measure had
+been conducted so noiselessly, that the result was wholly unexpected. It
+gave a prodigious <i>prestige</i> to the character of the governor-general
+throughout the "golden peninsula."</p>
+
+<p>The war began. The seizure of Egypt by Bonaparte had inflamed Tippoo
+with the hope of conquest; and, on the 13th of February 1799, he crossed
+his own frontier at the head of 12,000 horse, and attacked the Bombay
+force, of six thousand men, under General Stuart. He was repulsed after
+some charges, and recrossed his frontier. This battle occurred <i>five
+days</i> before General Harris's invasion of Mysore. But another eminent
+soldier was here to acquire his first distinction. Tippoo, man&oelig;uvring
+to prevent the junction of Generals Harris and Stuart, fell upon the
+British at the lines of Malavelly. "Colonel Arthur Wellesley" there
+commanded the 33d regiment, and the Nizam's force. A strong body of
+horse charged the 33d. The soldiers were ordered to reserve their fire
+till within pistol-shot; they then fired, and charged with the bayonet.
+A general charge of the British dragoons took place, and the Mysore
+troops were routed, with the loss of two thousand men.</p>
+
+<p>On the 30th of April the breaching battery opened against Seringapatam.
+Terms had been offered to Tippoo, by which he was to cede half his
+territories, to pay two millions sterling, to renounce the French
+alliance, and to give up four of his sons, and four of his generals, as
+hostages. Those terms were merciful, for he was now reduced to his last
+extremity, and it was palpable that there could be no hope of peace
+while he retained the power of making war. His conduct, at this period,
+seems to have been the work of infatuation. It was said that he had some
+superstitious belief, that as the English had before retired from the
+walls, the city was destined never to be taken. It had provisions for a
+long defence, and a garrison of twenty-two thousand regular troops. But,
+by shutting himself up in the fortress, he transgressed one of the first
+rules of national war&mdash;that the monarch should never be compelled to
+stand a siege. Tippoo, in the field, might have escaped, to wait a
+change of fortune; but within walls he must conquer, or be undone.</p>
+
+<p>On the 4th of May, at one in the afternoon, the stormers, commanded by
+Baird, advanced. He, with some other officers of the 71st, had once been
+a prisoner, and been cruelly treated in the fortress. The column
+consisted of two thousand five hundred English, and one thousand eight
+hundred Sepoys. They crossed the Cavery, the river of Seringapatam; and
+in ten minutes the British flag was on the top of the rampart! The
+column now cleared the ramparts to the right and left, and after a
+gallant but confused resistance by the garrison, this famous fortress
+was taken. Tippoo, after having his horse killed under him, and
+receiving two wounds, attempted to make his escape on foot. A soldier,
+attracted by his jewels, rushed to seize him; Tippoo gave him a cimeter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[Pg 400]</a></span>
+wound in the knee, the soldier then fired, and Tippoo fell dead. The
+fortress was strongly provided. Its works mounted two hundred and eighty
+guns. In its arsenal were found four hundred and fifty-one brass guns,
+and four hundred and seventy-eight iron guns. Stores of every kind were
+found in abundance. The storm scarcely exceeded an hour. Thus fell the
+dynasty of the great Hyder Ali; and thus was extinguished a dream of
+conquest, which once embraced the Empire of Hindostan.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, by promptitude of action and sagacity of council, this formidable
+war was extinguished in little more than eight weeks; a territory
+producing a million sterling a-year was added to the Company's
+dominions; and the whole fabric of a power which it had cost the genius
+of Hyder a life to raise, and which once threatened to overthrow the
+empire of the English in India, was broken down and dismantled for ever.
+But Mysore was given to the family of its former Hindoo Rajah, and
+simply reduced to the limits of its original territory; the conquests of
+Hyder having been alone lopped away.</p>
+
+<p>In England, the thanks of Parliament were given to the governor-general
+and the army, and the former was made a marquess. The treasure taken in
+Seringapatam, with the various arms and stores, was subsequently valued
+at forty-five millions of star pagodas, (the pagoda being about eight
+shillings sterling;) General Harris, as commander-in-chief, receiving an
+eighth of the whole, or three hundred and twenty-four thousand nine
+hundred and seven pagodas. His right to this sum was afterwards disputed
+at law, but the claim was ultimately allowed. One hundred thousand
+pounds was offered by the army to the Marquess, but honourably declined
+by him as encroaching on the general prize-money. But the Court of
+Directors, in recompense, voted him five thousand pounds a-year for
+twenty years.</p>
+
+<p>We now come to another important period in the career of this
+distinguished servant of the crown. The French expedition to Egypt had
+been expressly aimed at the British power in India. The Marquess
+Wellesley instantly conceived the bold project of attacking the French
+in the rear, by the march of an Indian army to Egypt, to co-operate with
+an army from home.</p>
+
+<p>The question of occupying Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea, was then
+discussed; and objected to by the marquess, on the several grounds of
+its unfitness for a naval station, for a commercial station, and for
+maintaining an influence on the coast. The admiral's opinion was
+strongly against it, and the design was abandoned. It has been since
+adopted; but the difference of circumstances must be remembered. We had
+then no regular overland communication, no steamers on the Red Sea, and
+thus no necessity for either a harbour or a depot of coals. Aden as a
+garrison may be of little comparative value, but as a rendezvous for the
+steam navy, it is of obvious importance, and not less as a means of
+guarding the overland communication for the general benefit of Europe.
+The advantages of this station may be the more appreciated, from the
+following letter of the governor-general to the chairman of the Court of
+Directors, (October 6, 1800,)&mdash;"In the present year I was nearly <i>seven
+months</i> without receiving one line of authentic intelligence from
+England. My distress and anxiety of mind were scarcely supportable.
+Speedy, authentic, and <i>regular</i> intelligence from Europe, is
+<i>essential</i> to the trade and government of this empire. If the sources
+of information be obstructed, no conscientious man can undertake this
+weighty charge."</p>
+
+<p>In 1800, the army under Abercromby landed in Egypt, and defeated the
+French under Menou. General Baird, at the head of six thousand of the
+Indian army, reached Egypt. General Belliard surrendered in Cairo with
+thirteen thousand men. The Indian army then joined the British, and the
+siege of Alexandria was begun. Menou immediately capitulated, and thus
+the whole French expedition was undone&mdash;the fleet having been destroyed
+by Nelson, and the army having been captured by Hutchinson&mdash;the French
+army, amounting in the whole to twenty-four thousand men, and their
+captors only to nineteen thousand British; the Indian army making<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">[Pg 401]</a></span> up
+the general number to twenty-five thousand six hundred and eighteen.</p>
+
+<p>In July 1801, the Addington cabinet was formed. Peace with France was
+signed at Amiens, March 27, 1802. Orders were now sent out to India to
+restore the French possessions. But the Marquess, by his personal
+sagacity, anticipated another war; and delayed the measure until he
+should receive further intelligence. The result was, that when Linois
+arrived with a French squadron to take possession of Pondicherry, Lord
+Clive answered, "that he had not received any orders from the
+governor-general." A despatch from Downing Street, of the 18th of March
+1803, communicated to him the King's message to parliament declaring
+war!</p>
+
+<p>It is beyond our limits to enter into the disputes with the directors,
+which preceded the return of the governor-general to Europe. He was
+charged with lavishness of living, with the affectation of being the
+director of the directors, with extravagance in the erection of the
+palace at Calcutta, and with equal extravagance in the establishment of
+the Indian college. But these charges have long since been forgotten;
+they speedily vanished; investigation did justice to the character of
+the Marquess; and the only foundation for those vague and wandering
+charges actually was, that he was a man of high conceptions, fond of the
+sumptuousness belonging to his rank, adopting a large expenditure for
+its effect on the native mind, and justly thinking that the noblest
+ornament of an empire is accomplished by literature.</p>
+
+<p>He returned to England in January 1806, and found the great minister
+dying. On his arrival he wrote to Pitt, who replied by the following
+letter, dated from Putney:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"<span class="smcap">My Dear Wellesley</span>,</p>
+
+<p>"On my arrival here last night I received, with inexpressible
+pleasure your most friendly and affectionate letter. If I was not
+strongly advised to keep out of London till I have acquired a
+little further strength, I would have come up immediately, for the
+purpose of seeing you at the first possible moment. As it is, I am
+afraid I must trust to your goodness to give me the satisfaction of
+seeing you here, the first hour you can spare for the purpose. If
+you can, without inconvenience, make it about the middle of the
+day, (in English style between two and four,) it would suit me
+rather better than any other time, but none can be inconvenient.</p>
+
+<p>"I am recovering rather slowly from a series of stomach complaints,
+followed by severe attacks of gout; but I believe I am in the way
+of real amendment. Ever most truly and affectionately yours,</p>
+
+<p class="author">
+"<span class="smcap">W. Pitt.</span>"
+</p></div>
+
+<p>The great minister was unfortunately lost to his country and mankind
+within a week!</p>
+
+<p>Lord Brougham, in his <i>Memoirs of British Statesmen</i>, records the
+testimony of the Marquess against the common report, that Pitt died of a
+broken heart in consequence of the calamities of Austria and the
+breaking up of the continental coalition. The Marquess declares, that
+Pitt, though emaciated, retained his "gaiety and constitutionally
+sanguine disposition" to the last, expressing also "confident hopes of
+recovery."</p>
+
+<p>The biographer gives a passing touch of disapproval to Pitt's
+administration, though he imputes all his ministerial delinquencies "to
+sordid and second-rate men round him." But this is wholly contrary to
+the character of the man&mdash;never individual less acted on the suggestions
+of others than Pitt. The simple fact is, the biographer knows nothing on
+the subject, and would have much more wisely avoided giving us his
+opinions altogether.</p>
+
+<p>We shall notice but one charge more against the Marquess on his return.
+It was made by a low fellow of the name of Paul, who had been a tailor,
+but had by some means or other obtained an office in India. No man could
+have held the highest power in India so long without making enemies
+among the contemptible; and this Paul, determined to figure as a public
+accuser, attacked the character of the Marquess with respect to his
+compelling the Nabob of Oude to pay his debts to the Company. Every one
+knows the degraded state of Indian morality, especially in pecuniary
+transactions; and the measures necessary in this instance were charged
+as the extreme of tyranny. But those charges were never substantiated;
+they came before the House of Com<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">[Pg 402]</a></span>mons in the shape of resolutions, and
+were negatived by a large majority, 182 to 31. Paul, in a struggle to
+become a popular character, and as a candidate for Westminster, involved
+himself in an unfortunate duel with Sir Francis Burdett, in which both
+were wounded; but Paul's wound, suddenly turning to mortification, he
+died.</p>
+
+<p>After the vote on the resolutions, Sir John Anstruther, who had been
+chief-justice in Bengal, moved "that the Marquess's conduct in Oude was
+highly meritorious." The resolution was triumphantly carried.</p>
+
+<p>We are now to regard the Marquess in the character of a British
+statesman. In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain. His purpose was, to make
+Spain the basis of an invasion of England. No act of the French Emperor
+exhibited more of the mingled subtlety and ferocity of his nature; and
+yet it should be remembered, for the benefit of mankind, that no act
+more distinctly exhibited the rashness with which avarice or power
+overlooks obstacles, and the folly with which the desire of entrapping
+others frequently outwits itself. Napoleon already, through the weakness
+of the king and the treachery of his minister, had all the resources of
+Spain at his disposal. But, not content with the reality, he resolved to
+arrogate the title; and he thus eventually lost the Peninsula. Under the
+pretext of settling the disputes of the royal family, the Emperor, in
+1808, marched ninety thousand men into Spain, obtained possession of its
+principal fortresses, and established a garrison in the capital. The
+Spanish nation, always disdaining a foreign master, and yet accustomed
+to foreign influence, was roused by the massacre of Madrid on the 2d of
+May. Every province rose in arms, elected a governing body, and attacked
+the French. On the 6th of June 1808, Joseph Bonaparte was appointed King
+of Spain and the Indies.&mdash;On the same day, the Supreme Junta at Seville
+proclaimed war against France! Deputations from the provinces were sent
+to England, and they were answered by the dispatch of an army, under Sir
+Arthur Wellesley, to the coast of Portugal. The British general then
+commenced that series of victories which finished only in the
+capitulation of Paris, and the downfall of Napoleon.</p>
+
+<p>On the 21st of August Sir Arthur Wellesley beat the French army of
+Portugal at Vimeira, and would have inevitably forced the French marshal
+to capitulate on the field, but for the singular and unfortunate blunder
+by which two officers, superior in rank, had been inadvertently sent to
+join the expedition, by whom he was of course superseded; General
+Burrard arriving during the action, though he did not take the command
+until the day was over; and General Dalrymple arriving within a few
+days, to supersede General Burrard. The consequence was, that the whole
+operation was paralysed, and the French army, instead of being
+extinguished on the field, was allowed by a convention to retire from
+the country. Sir John Moore then, superseding them all, took the
+command. In the mean time, Austria had renewed the war, and been
+defeated in the decisive battle of Wagram. Napoleon now threw the whole
+force of France upon the Peninsula.</p>
+
+<p>It was obvious that Spain was the field in which the great battle of
+Europe was now to be fought; but the inefficiency of public men in
+Spain, and the divisions of the provincial governments, rendered it
+necessary that some superintending mind should be sent to conduct the
+national affairs. Early in 1809, Mr Canning, then secretary for foreign
+affairs, received the royal commands to propose the appointment of
+ambassador-extraordinary to the Marquess Wellesley. On the 1st of April,
+Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed commander of the British forces in
+the Peninsula. The Marquess arrived in Cadiz on the 4th of July, four
+days after the battle of Talavera.</p>
+
+<p>The first year of the Spanish campaign was, in one sense of the word,
+disastrous. Sir Arthur Wellesley, after fighting the desperate battle of
+Talavera, was forced to retire into Portugal, through the neglect of the
+Spanish government to supply his troops with the means of subsistence.
+They were actually starved out of the field. The Spanish armies had now
+been utterly broken; the great expedition of Walcheren had terminated in
+the capture of a fishing town, and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">[Pg 403]</a></span> loss of some thousand men by the
+marsh fever. At this period, Spain seemed utterly helpless; Austria had
+been forced into peace; Russia was on the closest terms of alliance with
+France; and in England the two cabinet ministers, Lord Castlereagh and
+Mr Canning, had fought a duel with each other. The cabinet was now
+broken up, and reconstructed, the three secretaries of state being, the
+Marquess of Wellesley for foreign affairs, Lord Liverpool for the
+colonies, and the Hon. R. Ryder for the home department; Mr Perceval,
+first lord of the treasury and prime minister.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1810, on the invasion of Portugal by Marshal Massena at the
+head of eighty thousand men, while Wellington had but thirty thousand,
+the declaimers of Opposition had produced so depressing an effect on
+public opinion, that a cabinet despatch actually left it to the decision
+of the British general, then Lord Wellington, whether the army should
+remain or return to England! On that occasion, the British general
+returned the following gallant and decisive answer:&mdash;"From what I have
+seen of the objects of the French government, and the sacrifices they
+make to accomplish them, I have no doubt, that if the British army were
+for any reason withdrawn from the Peninsula, and the French government
+were relieved from the pressure of military operations on the Continent,
+they would incur all risks to land an army in his Majesty's dominions.
+Then, indeed, would commence an expensive contest, then would his
+Majesty's subjects discover what are the miseries of war, of which, by
+the blessing of God, they have hitherto had no knowledge; and the
+cultivation, the beauty, and the prosperity of the country, and the
+virtue and happiness of its inhabitants, would be destroyed, whatever
+might be the results of military operations. God forbid that I should be
+a witness, much less an actor, in the scene! And I only hope that the
+King's government will consider well what I have stated to your
+lordship; will ascertain, as it is in their power, the actual expenses
+of employing a certain number of men in this country, beyond that of
+employing them at home or elsewhere; and will keep up their force here
+on such a footing, as will, at all events, ensure their possession,
+without keeping the transports; if it does not enable their commander to
+take advantage of events, and assume the offensive." This letter decided
+the fate of the Peninsula. Massena was driven out of Portugal before the
+close of the year, and the question of French conquest was at an end!</p>
+
+<p>In 1811, the Marquess Wellesley retired from the cabinet. He had
+expressed opinions on the abilities of Mr Perceval, which rendered it
+necessary that either one or other should resign. The nominal cause of
+difference was the Roman Catholic question; on which Perceval was as
+well-informed and principled, as the Marquess was ignorant and fanciful;
+his chief argument being, that the Protestant Church in Ireland was
+feeble&mdash;an argument which should have led him to look for the remedy in
+giving it additional strength. But the only view which reasoners like
+the Marquess have ever taken on the subject is, the force of
+numbers&mdash;"The Roman Catholics are three times as numerous as the
+Protestants." An argument which would have been equally valid against
+the original attempt to spread Christianity among the heathen nations,
+and would be equally valid still, for Paganism is still more populous
+than Christendom. In fact, the argument would be equally valid against
+any attempt whatever to enlighten mankind; for the ignorant are always
+the overwhelming majority. The true enquiry would have been, are the
+opinions of the Roman Catholics consistent with a Protestant throne? is
+their divided allegiance perilous or not to a Protestant government? are
+their religious prejudices consistent with the rights of the national
+religion? We have now the melancholy proof of the shallowness of all the
+declamation on the subject. We see that power has been used only for
+public disturbance; that pledges are scoffed at; and that, in the
+fifteenth year of this boasted conciliation, Ireland is more turbulent,
+faction more violent, prejudice more envenomed, and life more in hazard
+than ever.</p>
+
+<p>The unfortunate death of Mr Perceval by the hand of a half-frantic
+ruffian, who was resolved to shoot one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">[Pg 404]</a></span> of the ministry, and in whose
+way the prime minister unhappily came, threw open the cabinet once more.
+A long negotiation followed, in which Lords Wellesley and Moira having
+failed to form an administration, Lord Liverpool was finally appointed
+premier, and retained power until 1827; a period of fifteen years, when
+he was struck by apoplexy, and died in December of the following year.</p>
+
+<p>The policy towards Ireland was now sinking into that feeble and flexible
+shape, which has always characterised the predominance of Whig councils.
+The Marquess Wellesley had made some showy speeches on emancipation; and
+in 1822, and as if with the object of showing him the utter vanity of
+attempting to reform the bitterness of Popish faction by any measures of
+concession, the Popish advocate was sent to govern Ireland. He found the
+country in a state of the most frightful disturbance; half a century of
+weak and unstatesmanlike compliances had produced their natural effect,
+in party arrogance; and demands and conspiracy at once threw the
+ministry into confusion, and set the law at defiance. But the Marquess
+was received with national cordiality by the people. The city was
+illuminated on his arrival; the different public bodies gave him
+banquets; and, known as his opinions were on the Popish question, the
+Protestants forgot his prejudices in the recollection that he was an
+Irishman. But there was a faction still to be dealt with, which, having
+no real connexion with the substantial interests of the country, and
+living wholly on public credulity, uttered its ominous voice in the
+midst of all those acclamations. A paper from that faction lost no time
+in "reminding the Irish Catholics of the tantalizing and bitter
+repetition of expectations raised only to be blasted, and prospects of
+success opened to close on them in utter darkness;" finishing by a
+significant warning, "not to rely too much on the liberal intentions of
+the Marquess Wellesley."</p>
+
+<p>The result of his lordship's government may be easily told. His personal
+favours to the Papists were received in the usual style of instalments;
+while the Protestant corporation stood aloof, and drank with renewed
+potations "the glorious and immortal memory of William III." Such is the
+dignity of politics in Irish deliberations. At length the unlucky
+conciliator had his eyes opened by the nature of things, and was
+compelled to apply to parliament for the insurrection act. The
+Attorney-general Plunket, the ablest advocate of the Papists, was
+compelled, by a similar necessity, to write a long official letter, in
+which he stated&mdash;"That he feared in five or six counties, great numbers
+indeed of the lower classes had been involved in the conspiracy; some of
+them from a love of enterprise and ready disposition for mischief; some
+of them on a principle of counteraction to associations of an opposite
+description; but most of them, he should hope, from terror on the one
+hand, and the <i>expectation of impunity</i> on the other." There was the
+point, which no man comprehended better in theory than this clever
+law-officer, and none better in practice than the Popish peasant. "This
+<i>expectation</i>, however," he observes, "must now be effectually removed,
+and the terror of the law, I trust, be substituted in place of the
+terror of the conspirators." Adding, "your Excellency will observe with
+regret, that the association has been founded on a principle of
+<i>religious exclusion!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>Such had been the fruit of concession. The opposite plan, so often
+suggested, and so essentially necessary, was then tried; and its fruits
+too followed. Almost the whole of Ireland became instantly
+tranquillized; men were no longer murdered in open day; cattle no longer
+maimed; houses no longer burned. The Marquess thus writes the English
+government:&mdash;"During the summer and autumn of 1822, the measures
+sanctioned by Parliament for the restoration of tranquillity, combined
+with other causes, have produced such a degree of quiet, that no
+necessity existed for my <i>usual</i> communications."</p>
+
+<p>We pass rapidly over the contemptible squabbles of the party mobs which
+fill up the modern history of Irish politics, and which must have deeply
+disgusted a statesman who had seen public life on the stately scale of
+Indian government and English administration. But he was now far
+advanced in years, and he was betrayed into the absurdity of suffering<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">[Pg 405]</a></span>
+these squabbles to reach to himself. The decoration of the statue of
+William the Third, in one of the principal streets of the city, on his
+birthday, the 4th of November, had been an annual custom for upwards of
+a hundred years. But now the Papists resolved to regard the placing of a
+few knots of orange riband on this equestrian figure as a matter of
+personal offence, and prohibited the decoration. A patrol of horse
+surrounded the statue, and the decoration could not be accomplished. A
+letter from the secretary approved of the conduct of the civic
+authorities. Unluckily, within a few days after, the Marquess went in
+state to the theatre. The public disapprobation now vented itself in
+unmeasured terms. The uproar was incessant, and, in the height of the
+disturbance, a bottle was thrown by some drunken ruffian from the
+gallery into the viceregal box, but with so direct an aim, that it
+glanced close to the Marquess's head. A watchman's rattle, and several
+other missiles, were said to have followed the bottle. The unlucky
+result was, an indictment against several individuals for conspiracy by
+the Attorney-general; but the grand jury having ignored the bills, the
+case fell to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>At this period, the Marquess, who had in early life married a
+Frenchwoman, fixed his regards on an American, the widow of Mr Patterson
+of America. In matters of this order public opinion can have no direct
+right to interfere. But the bride was a Roman Catholic. The marriage was
+solemnized by a Romish bishop, as well as by the Irish primate. The
+royal equipages were seen in regular attendance, subsequently, at her
+ladyship's place of worship; and, when the critical balance of public
+opinion at that period is considered, there was evidently more of the
+ardour of the lover than the wisdom of the statesman, in suffering that
+marriage to take place, at least <i>before</i> his retirement from the
+viceroyalty of Ireland.</p>
+
+<p>On the formation of the Wellington cabinet, the illustrious brothers
+differing on the Romish question, the Marquess retired. In the debate on
+that occasion, the Duke of Wellington made one of those strong,
+<i>declaratory</i> speeches and renewed those pledges to the Protestant
+constitution in Church and State, which he made so solemnly before. The
+duke, after gracefully expressing his regret at being compelled to
+differ on the sentiments of his distinguished relative, said, "I wish,
+as much as my noble relation can do, to see this question brought to an
+amicable conclusion, although I do not see the means of bringing it to
+that conclusion by this resolution, (Lord Lansdowne's motion on the
+Catholic claims.) I <i>agree with</i> the noble and learned Earl (Eldon) who
+has recently addressed your lordships, that we ought to see <i>clear and
+distinct securities</i> given to the state, before we can give our vote in
+the affirmative of the question. My noble relative says, that our
+security will be found in the removal of the securities which now exist.
+I say, that the securities which we now enjoy, and which for a length of
+time we have enjoyed, are <i>indispensable to the safety of Church and
+State!</i> I should be glad to see the disabilities of the Roman Catholics
+removed; but before I can consent to their removal, I must see something
+in their stead which will <i>effectually protect our institutions</i>."</p>
+
+<p>Yet, within one twelvemonth! the Popish Bill was carried by the
+Wellington ministry! Its immediate result was, to introduce into the
+legislature a party whose aid to the Whigs carried the Reform Bill. The
+Reform Bill, in its turn, introduced into influence a party who demand
+implicit obedience from every minister, and whose declared object, at
+this hour, is the abolition of the whole system of commercial,
+manufacturing, and agricultural laws, under which England has become the
+greatest commercial, manufacturing, and agricultural country in the
+world. All power now threatens to fall into the hands of the populace;
+and, if that result shall follow, England will be revolutionized. With
+all our knowledge of the strength of England, of the vigour of educated
+opinion, of the gallant principle existing among our nobles and
+gentlemen, and, above all, of the religious integrity of a large portion
+of the empire, we still cannot disguise our apprehension of general
+change. The ferocity, recklessness, and insatiability of the democratic
+spirit, have been hitherto<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">[Pg 406]</a></span> withheld from the sight of our fortunate
+country, by the vigour of our government and the wisdom of our laws. But
+they exist; they lie immediately under the surface of the soil; and,
+once suffered to be opened to the light, the old pestilence will rise,
+and poison the political atmosphere.</p>
+
+<p>The agriculture of England is the true treasury of England. We may exist
+with diminished manufactures, and we must prepare for their diminution,
+from the universal determination of other countries to manufacture for
+themselves. But we cannot exist without food; and, from the moment when
+the discouragement of tillage shall leave England in necessity, we shall
+see the cheap corn of Russia and Poland taxed by the monarch, raised to
+a famine price, all the current gold of the country sent to purchase
+subsistence in Russia, and our only resource a paper currency, followed
+with an enormous increase of expense in every common necessary of life.
+Throw a fourth of the land of England out of cultivation, and what must
+become of the labourers? They now complain of low wages; then they will
+have none. What must be the condition of Ireland, wholly agricultural,
+and ruined by a flood of foreign corn, at half the price for which the
+Irish farmer can bring it to market? These consequences are so
+notorious, that nobody attempts to dispute them. They are coolly taken
+as inevitable things; and the whole dependence, even of the mob
+advocates, is upon chance: "Oh, something will turn up! Things won't be
+so bad as you think!"</p>
+
+<p>But the true conspirators see deeper. They know, that a revolution in
+the food of the people is the immediate forerunner of a revolution in
+the state. From the moment when foreign corn is admitted free of
+restraint, the confidence of the farmer must be shaken. From the farmer,
+the shock will instantly reach the landlord; his rent must be
+diminished. To one-half of the great proprietaries of the kingdom, a
+diminution of rent, even by a third, would make their possessors
+personally bankrupt. Their mortgages and loans must be repaid; and
+nothing would remain. The landlord now pays the Church. If he is ruined,
+the whole Church income, independent of the small portions of glebe
+land, must perish with him.</p>
+
+<p>Then will come the agitation for a still more daring purpose. It will be
+asked why must the system of English life be artificial?&mdash;Because we
+have twenty-eight millions sterling of interest to pay, and for this we
+must have taxes. But, why not sweep the national debt away, as France
+did in her day of royal overthrow? A single sitting of the Convention
+settled that question. Why not follow the example? Then will come the
+desperate expedient, and all will be ruin on the heads of the most
+helpless of the community; for the national debt is only a saving bank
+on a larger scale, and nine-tenths of its creditors are of the most
+struggling order of the empire.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, we do not anticipate this frightful catastrophe under the
+existing government, nor, perhaps, under its immediate successors, nor
+under any government which knows its duty. But, let the "pressure from
+without" be once an acknowledged principle; let agitation be once
+suffered as a legitimate instrument of public appeal; let the clamour of
+the streets be once received with the slightest respect, and the game is
+begun; property is the chase, the hounds are in full cry, and the prey
+will be torn down.</p>
+
+<p>We believe that the majority of the empire are honest and true, but we
+know that faction is active and unscrupulous; we believe that there is
+in the country a genuine regard for the constitution, but we know that
+there are men within the circumference of England, whose nature is as
+foul as that of the blackest revolutionist of France in 1793; whose
+craving for possession is treacherous and tigerish, whose means are
+intrinsic and unadulterated mischief, whose element is public
+disturbance, and whose feverish hope of possession is in general
+overthrow. Against those we can have no defence but in the vigour, the
+caution, and the sincerity of the national administration.</p>
+
+<p>The Marquess Wellesley, on the formation of Lord Grey's cabinet in 1830,
+accepted the office of Lord Steward. He had begun his political life as
+a high Tory, and the friend and follower of Pitt.&mdash;In 1793, he had
+fought boldly against the Reform<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">[Pg 407]</a></span> question. This was at the period when
+he retained the generosity of youth, and the classic impressions of his
+university; but he had now been trained to courts, and he became a
+reformer, with a white rod in his aged hand! In 1833, he was
+re-appointed to the government of Ireland; he returned full of the same
+innocent conceptions which had once fashioned Ireland into a political
+Arcadia. But he was soon and similarly reduced to the level of
+realities. He found confusion worse confounded, and was compelled to
+exert all his power to suppress "agitation," and exert it in vain; a
+Coercion Bill alone pioneered his way, a quarrel in which the Irish
+Secretary was involved with the Agitator, produced the resignation of
+the secretary, Littleton, though the Marquess's son-in-law.&mdash;Lord Grey,
+like Saturn, rebelled against by his own progeny and overthrown by the
+impulse of Reform, resigned, (July 9, 1834.) The Whig government fell
+within the year, and the Marquess left Ireland. In England he
+condescended to accept the office of Lord Chamberlain; but, within a
+month, retired altogether from public life. It was full time: he was now
+seventy-five.</p>
+
+<p>The East India Company, in 1837, voted him &pound;20,000, and in 1841
+honourably proposed to place his statue in the India House. His
+remaining years were unchequered. He died in Kingston House, Brompton,
+on the 26th of September 1842, in his eighty-third year.</p>
+
+<p>The Marquess Wellesley, on the whole view of his qualifications, was an
+accomplished man; and, on a glance at his career, will be seen to have
+been singularly favoured by fortune. Coming forward at a period of great
+public interest, surrounded by the most eminent public men of the last
+hundred years, and early associated with Pitt, the greatest of them all;
+he enjoyed the highest advantages of example, intellectual exercise, and
+public excitement, until he was placed in the government of India.
+There, the career of every governor has exactly that portion of
+difficulties which gives an administrator a claim on public applause;
+with that assurance of success which stimulates the feeblest to
+exertion. All our Indian wars have finished by the overthrow of the
+enemy, the possession of territory, and the increase of British
+power&mdash;with the single exception of the Affghan war, an expedition
+wholly beyond the natural limits of our policy, and as rashly undertaken
+as it was rashly carried on. The Marquess returned to Europe loaded with
+honours, conspicuous in the public eye, and in the vigour of life. No
+man had a fairer prospect of assuming the very highest position in the
+national councils. He had the taste and sumptuousness which would have
+made him popular with the first rank of nobility, the literature which
+gratified the learned and intelligent, the practical experience of
+public life which qualified him for the conduct of cabinets and
+councils, and the gallantry and spirit which made him a favourite with
+general society. He had, above all, a tower of strength in the talents
+of his illustrious brother. Those two men might have naturally guided
+the councils of an empire. That a man so gifted, so public, and so
+ambitious of eminent distinction, should ever have been the subordinate
+of the Liverpools, the Cannings, or the Greys, would be wholly
+incomprehensible, but for one reason.</p>
+
+<p>In the commencement of his career, he rashly involved himself in the
+Catholic question. It was a showy topic for a young orator; it was an
+easy exhibition of cheap patriotism; it gave an opportunity for
+boundless metaphor&mdash;and it meant nothing. But, no politician has ever
+sinned with Popery but under a penalty&mdash;the question hung about his neck
+through every hour of his political existence. It encumbered his English
+popularity, it alienated the royal favour, it flung him into the rear
+rank of politicians. It made his English ambition fruitless and
+secondary; and his Irish government unstable and unpopular. It
+disqualified him for the noblest use of a statesman's powers, the power
+of pronouncing an unfettered opinion; and it suffered a man to
+degenerate into the antiquated appendage to a court, who might have been
+the tutelar genius of an empire.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p><i>Memoirs and Correspondence of the Most Noble Richard Marquess
+Wellesley.</i> By <span class="smcap">Robert B. Pearce</span>, Esq. 3 vols. London: Bentley.</p></div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_408" id="Page_408">[Pg 408]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="LETTER_TO_EUSEBIUS" id="LETTER_TO_EUSEBIUS"></a>LETTER TO EUSEBIUS.</h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Eusebius</span>,&mdash;I have received yours from the hands of the bearer,
+and such hands! Why write to consult me about railroads, of all things?
+I know nothing about them, but that they all seem to tend to some
+Pandemonium or another; and when I see of a dark night their
+monster-engines, with eyes of flame and tongues of fire, licking up the
+blackness under them, and snuffing up, as it were, the airs from Hades,
+I could almost fancy the stoker a Mercury, conducting his hermetically
+sealed convicts down those terrible passages that lead direct to the
+abominable ferry. I said, "I know nothing of them;" but now I verily
+believe you mean to twit me with my former experiment in railway
+knowledge, and have no intention to purchase shares in the La Mancha
+Company (and I doubt if there be any such) to countenance your Quixotic
+pleasantry. I did speculate once, it is true, in one&mdash;London and
+Falmouth Scheme&mdash;with very large promises. I was then living at W&mdash;&mdash;,
+when one day, just before I was going to sit down to dinner, a chaise
+stops at my door, out steps a very "smart man," and is ushered into my
+library. When I went into the room, he was examining, quite in a
+connoisseur attitude, Eusebius, a picture; he was very fond of pictures,
+he said; had a small but choice collection of his own, and I won't say
+that he did not speak of the Correggiosity of Correggio. I was upon the
+point of interrupting him, with the intimation that I did not mean to
+purchase any, when, having thus ingratiated himself with me by this
+reference to my taste, he suddenly turns round upon me with the most
+business-like air, draws from under his cloak an imposingly official
+portfolio, takes out his scrip, presenting me with a demand for fifty
+pounds, the deposit of so many shares, looking positively certain that
+in a few seconds the money would be in his pocket. People say, Eusebius,
+that the five minutes before a dinner is the worst time in the world to
+touch the heart, or to get any thing out of a man's pocket for
+affection; but I do not know if it be not the best time for an attack,
+if there be a speculation on foot which promises much to his interest,
+for at that time he is naturally greedy. Had Belisarius, with his dying
+boy in his arms, himself appeared at my gate, as seen in the French
+print, crying, "Date obolum Belsario," I should have pronounced him at
+once an impostor, and given him nothing, and, indeed, not pronounced
+wrongly, for the whole story is a fiction. But at this peculiar moment
+of hunger and of avarice, I confess I was too ready, and gave a check
+for the amount. I had no sooner, however, satisfied myself with what
+Homer calls &#949;&#948;&#951;&#964;&#957;&#959;&#962; &#951;&#948;&#949; &#960;&#959;&#964;&#951;&#964;&#959;&#962;, and we moderns, meat and
+potatoes&mdash;than I began to suspect the soundness of the scheme, or the
+company, who had gone to the expense of a chaise for eight miles merely
+to collect this subscription of mine; and I was curious the next day to
+trace the doings of this smart gentleman, when I found he had dined at
+the inn at B&mdash;&mdash; on turtle, ducks, and green peas, and had recruited the
+weariness of his day's journey with exhilarating champagne. I knew my
+fate at once, and from that day to this have heard nothing of the London
+and Falmouth project. Now, Eusebius, as you publish my letters, if this
+should catch the eye of any of the directors of that company still
+possessing any atom of conscience, I beg to remind them that I am still
+minus fifty pounds; and as all claim seems to be quite out of the
+question, excepting on their "known and boundless generosity," I beg to
+wind up this little narrative of the transaction in the usual words of
+the beggar's petition, "The smallest donation will be thankfully
+received."</p>
+
+<p>But the bearer, who was to consult me for your benefit&mdash;he hadn't a word
+to say to me on the subject, but that he would call and consult with me
+to-morrow. I found it in vain to question him, and I suspect it is a
+hoax. But what a rural monster you have sent me! "Cujum pecus?&mdash;an
+Melibei?" He cannot possibly herd with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_409" id="Page_409">[Pg 409]</a></span> Eusebius; he had no modest
+bearing about him. I had just opened your letter, and found you called
+him a friend of yours, who had many observations to make about
+poetry&mdash;so, as we were just going to tea, he was invited. It was most
+fortunate I did not offer him a bed, for I should then have been bored
+with him at this moment, when I am sitting down to write to you some
+little account of his manners and conversation, which you know very
+well, or you would not have sent him to me. I only now hope I shall not
+see him to-morrow; and should I learn that he shall have departed in one
+of those Plutonian engines to the keeping of Charon himself, I should
+only regret that I had not put an obol into his hand, lest he should be
+presented with a return-ticket. What did he say, and what did he not
+say? He called my daughter "Miss," and said he should like music very
+well but for the noise of it; and as to his ideas of poetry, that you
+speak of, he treated it with the utmost contempt, and as a "very
+round-about-way of getting to matter of fact." What else could I have
+expected of him?&mdash;with his tight-drawn skin over his distended cheeks,
+from which his nose scarcely protruded, as defying a pinch, with a
+forehead like Caliban's, as villanously low, with his close-cut hair
+sticking to it, and his little chin retiring, lest a magnanimous thought
+should for a moment rest upon it. Such was never the image that
+Cassandra had in her mind's eye when she cried, "O, Apollo&mdash;O, Apollo!"
+And this was your friend, forsooth, with his novel ideas upon poetry!
+Yet this vulgar piece of human mechanism is not without a little cunning
+shrewdness, characteristically marked in his little pig-eye; and I must
+tell you one piece of criticism of his, and an emendation, not unworthy
+the great Bentley himself. Yet I know not why I tell you, for you know
+it well already, I suspect; for he told me he had been talking with you
+about a letter which you had published, and told him was written by me,
+and which he had read while waiting in your library till you could see
+him. He said he thought a little common sense, observation, and plain
+matter of fact, would often either throw light upon or amend many
+obscure passages of poets; for that even those of most name either made
+egregious blunders, or they were made for them. I could not deny that
+truth, Eusebius, and yet he wasn't a man to grant any thing to, if you
+could help it; but I saw there was something rich to come, so I
+encouraged him; and this remark of his, Eusebius, reminded me of a
+misery occasioned in the mind of a very sensitive and reverend poet, who
+preached weekly to a very particular congregation, by the printer's
+devil mistaking an erasure for a hyphen, which gave to his sonnet a most
+improper expression. It made him miserable then, and will ever give him
+a twinge lest he should have suffered in reputation. He has so much
+reason to be happy now, that to remind him of it, should he happen to
+read this, is only to make his happiness the greater, by somewhat
+reducing its quality; as the very atmosphere must be tempered for man's
+use and health, by somewhat of a noxious ingredient. But I must return
+to your friend. His cheeks seem ready to burst with common sense, and
+polished with ruddy conceit. "Do you remember," said I, "any particular
+passage upon which your observations will bear?" "Why," said he, "there
+was one in that paper which first struck me as utter nonsense; but a
+little alteration easily sets it to rights. There was a quotation from
+Milton: I wasn't very well acquainted with his poems, but I have read
+since, with much trouble to understand it, that whole scene and passage;
+it is in a play of his called 'Comus;'&mdash;and, by the by, all that part of
+the prose in the letter relating to the seashore and its treasures, is
+all stuff; all the roads about the country are made and mended with
+those pebbles&mdash;they are worth nothing. What Milton is supposed to have
+said, when they wrote down for him, that the billows of the Severn "roll
+ashore"&mdash;"the beryl and the golden ore"&mdash;never could have been written
+by any one who knew the Severn. A beryl is a clear crystal, isn't it?
+and if the billows should roll one ashore in the muddy Severn, I should
+like to know who could find it! There are no billows but from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_410" id="Page_410">[Pg 410]</a></span> the
+Bristol Channel, and that's mud all the way, miles and miles up;&mdash;pretty
+shores for a beryl to be <i>rolled</i> on. Besides, now, what man of common
+sense would talk of rolling a bit of a thing, not half so big as a
+nutmeg, and that upon mud, in which it would sink like a bullet? <i>He</i>
+would have said 'washed ashore;' but I'll tell you what it was: I
+understand Milton was blind, and his daughters wrote what he dictated:
+they say, too, he had a good deal of knowledge of things, and, without
+doubt, knew very well the trade of the Bristol Channel, and from the
+Severn into the Avon; and certainly meant '<i>barrel</i> and the golden ore,'
+and this word suggested the precious ornament which most women like to
+think of, and as she, his daughter, minced it in her own mouth, a beryl
+dropped from her pen. Now, only consider what was the great trade in
+those parts; the West India and the African trade were both at their
+height, and didn't one bring <i>barrels</i> of sugar, and the other gold
+dust&mdash;what can be clearer? There you see how proper the word <i>rolling</i>
+is, for you must have often seen them rolling their <i>barrels</i> from their
+ships upon planks, and so on their quays; and the golden ore speaks for
+itself, as plain as can be, gold dust; and there you have a reading that
+agrees with fact. I don't exactly know <i>when</i> Milton wrote; but I dare
+say it was at the very time of that notorious merchandize; and don't you
+think, sir, that the next edition of Milton ought to have this
+alteration? I do. I forgot to say that the gold dust came over in little
+barrels too; for no man in his senses would have thought of rolling or
+washing dust ashore, excepting in a keg or barrel, and so it was, I make
+no doubt."</p>
+
+<p>I perfectly assented to every thing he said, Eusebius, by which happy
+concession on my part, having no food for an obstinate discussion, he
+soon withdrew. I sat awhile thinking, and now write to you. At least
+make a marginal note in your Milton of this criticism; and when
+posterity shall discover it, and forget that <i>Comus</i> was written when
+Milton was a young man, and had no daughters to write for him, then it
+will be adopted, and admired as a specimen of the critical acumen of the
+great and learned Eusebius.</p>
+
+<p>It reminds me to tell you, that being the other day at the sea-side, and
+wanting a Horace, I borrowed one from a student of Cambridge. It was a
+Paris edition. I never should have dreamed of seeing an expurgated or
+emasculated edition from French quarters; but so it was. I looked for
+that beautiful little piece, the quarrel between Lydia and Horace. It
+was not there.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Donec gratus eram tibi,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Nec quisquam potior brachia candide</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Cervici juvenis dabat."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>I suppose the offence lay in these lines, which appear no worse than
+that old song, (the lovers' quarrel too,)</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"I've kiss'd and I've prattled with fifty fair maids."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>An American lady must not be shocked with the word <i>leg</i>, and we are
+told they put flounces upon those pedestals of pianofortes; but that a
+lover throwing his arms around his mistress's neck should offend a
+Frenchman, is an outrageous prudery from a very unexpected quarter. We
+can imagine a scholar tutored to this affected purity, who should escape
+from it, and plunge into the opposite immoralities of our modern French
+novels, like him</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Qui frigidus &AElig;tnam</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Insiluit."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Plunged cold into &AElig;tnean fires."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>There were many emendations, most of which I forget; but I could not
+help laughing at an absurdity in the following ode:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Vixi puellis nuper idoneus."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>The word <i>puellis</i> is altered to <i>choreis</i>, which nevertheless, as a
+mark of absurdity, ought to be supposed to contain the <i>puellis</i>; for to
+say,</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"I lately lived for dances fit,"</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>surely implies that the sayer had some one to dance with; or is there
+any dancing sect of men in France so devoted to celibacy that they will
+only dance with each other? We are certainly improved in this country,
+where it should seem that once a not unsi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_411" id="Page_411">[Pg 411]</a></span>milar practice was compulsory
+upon the benchers, as will be seen from the following quotation from
+<i>The Revels at Lincoln's Inn</i>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The exercise of dancing was thought necessary, and much conducing to
+the making of gentlemen, more fit for their books at other times; for by
+an order (<i>ex Registro Hosp. sine.</i> vol. 71, 438 C) made 6th February, 7
+Jac., it appears that the under barristers were, by decimation, put out
+of Commons for example sake, because the whole bar offended by not
+dancing on Candlemas-day preceding, according to the ancient order of
+this Society, when the judges were present; with this, that if the like
+fault was committed afterwards, they should be fined or disbarred."&mdash;(D,
+<i>Revels at Lincoln's Inn</i>, p. 15.) Eusebius, you would go on a
+pilgrimage, with unboiled peas, to Pump Court or more favourable
+locality, for these little "brief authorities."</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"To see how like are courts of law to fairs,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The dancing barristers to dancing bears;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Both suck their paws indulgent to their griefs,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">These lacking provender, those lacking briefs."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>Shame to him who does not agree with our own delightful Robert Burns, of
+glorious memory, who "dearly lo'ed the lasses O!" So only "Let the merry
+dance go round."</p>
+
+<p>And now, as the dancers are off the stage, and it is the more proper
+time for gravity and decorum, I feel that irresistible desire to be as
+wicked as possible&mdash;a desire which I have heard you say tormented you in
+your childhood; for, whenever you were admonished to be remarkably good,
+you were invariably remarkably bad. So I yield to the temptation, and
+voluntarily, and with "malice prepense" throw myself into the wickedness
+of translating (somewhat modernizing I own) the "Tabooed" ode, in
+defiance of, and purposely to offend, the Parisian, or other editor or
+editors, who shall ever show themselves such incomparable ninnies as to
+omit that or any other ode of Horace. Accept the following.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Vixi puellis nuper idoneus."</span><br />
+
+<span style="margin-left: 11em;"><span class="smcap">Carmen</span>, 26, lib. iii.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For maiden's love I once was fit,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But now those fields of warfare quit,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">With all my boast, content to sit</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">In easy-chair;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And here lay by (a lover's lances)</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">All poems, novels, and romances.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ah! well a-day! such idle fancies</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">I well might spare.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">There&mdash;on that shelf, behind the door,&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">By all those works of Hannah More</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And Bishop Porteus&mdash;Let a score</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Of lectures guard them;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Take Bulwer, Moore, and Sand, and Sue,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The Mysteries, and the Wandering Jew;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">May he who gives to all their due,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The Deil, reward them.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And Venus, if thou hast, as whilom,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For parted lovers an asylum,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To punish or to reconcile 'em,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Take Chloe to it;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And lift, if thou hast heart of flint,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy lash, and her fair skin imprint&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But ah! forbear&mdash;or, take the hint,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And let me do it.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>Not a word, Eusebius, I know what you are going to say,&mdash;no shame at
+all. You have all your life acquitted Horace; and if he never intended<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_412" id="Page_412">[Pg 412]</a></span>
+Chloe to have a whipping, you may be quite sure the little turn that I
+have ventured to give the affair, won't bear that construction; and
+there will be no occasion to ask the dimensions of the rod, as the
+ladies at the assize-town did of Judge Buller, requesting of him, with
+their compliments, to send them the measure of his thumb.</p>
+
+<p>Why should I not attempt this rejected ode? Here goes for the honour of
+Lydia. "Kiss and be friends" be ever the motto to lovers' quarrels.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>"Donec gratus eram tibi."</i></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Horace</span>.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">When I was all in all to you,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Nor yet more favour'd youthful minion</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His arms around your fair neck threw;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Not Persia's boasted monarch knew</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">More bless'd a state, more large dominion.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Lydia</span>.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And whilst you loved but only me,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Nor then <i>your</i> Lydia stood the second,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And Chloe first, in love's degree;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">I thought myself a queen to be,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Nor greater Roman Ilia reckon'd.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Horace</span>.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Now Cretan Chloe rules me quite;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Skill'd in the lyre and every measure,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For whom I'd die this very night,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">If but the Fates, in death's despite,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Would Chloe spare, my soul's best treasure.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Lydia</span>.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Me Cal&auml;is, Ornytus' young heir!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">(The flame is mutual <i>we</i> discover,)</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For whom to die <i>two</i> deaths I'd dare,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">If the stern Fates would only spare,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And <i>he could</i> live, my youthful lover.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Horace</span>.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">What&mdash;if our former love restore</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Our bonds, too firm for aught to sever,&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">I shake off Chloe; and the door</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To Lydia open flies once more;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Returning Lydia, and for ever.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Lydia</span>.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He, though a beauteous star&mdash;you light</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">As cork, and rough as stormy weather,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That vexes Adria's raging might,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">With you to live were my delight,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And willing should we die together.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>So this is the offending ode! Was the proposition to be constant not
+quite agreeable to the French editor? Or was he in Horace's probable
+condition, getting a little up in years? See you, it is a youthful
+rival, Juvenis, who troubles him. And Lydia takes care to throw in this
+ingredient, the "sweet age." He is not <i>old</i> Ornytus&mdash;a hint of
+comparison with Horace himself&mdash;but his son; indeed, he is hardly
+Juvenis, for she soon calls him her dear boy, as much as to say, "<i>You</i>
+are old enough to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_413" id="Page_413">[Pg 413]</a></span> be his father!" She carries out this idea, too,
+seeming to say, "You may love Chloe&mdash;I dare say you do; but, does Chloe
+love you? Whereas <i>our</i> passion is mutual."</p>
+
+<p>Our poet, delightful and wise as he generally is, was not wise to match
+his wit against that of a woman, and an offended beauty. How miserably
+he comes off in every encounter! He would die, forsooth! once&mdash;she would
+die twice over! There is a hit in his very liver! And as to the
+survivorship of Chloe, that she suggests, considering their ages, might
+be very natural&mdash;but she doubts if her youth <i>could</i> survive should
+<i>she</i> die; though she even came to life again, a second time to die, it
+would be of no use. What could the foolish poet do after that?
+Nothing&mdash;but make up the quarrel in the best way he might. He drops his
+ears, is a little sulky still&mdash;most men are so in these affairs&mdash;seldom
+generous in love. To pretend to be so is only to encroach on woman's
+sweet and noble prerogative, and to assume her great virtue. No man
+could keep it up long; he would naturally fall into his virile sulks. So
+Horace does not at once open his arms that his Lydia may fall into
+them&mdash;but stands hesitatingly, rather foolish, his hands behind him, and
+puts forward the supposition <i>If</i>&mdash;that graceless peace-maker. Lydia, on
+the contrary&mdash;all love, all generosity, is in his arms at once; for he
+must at the moment bring them forward, whether he will for love or no,
+or Lydia would fall. It is now she looks into his very eyes, and only
+playfully, as quizzing his jealousy, reminds him of her Cal&auml;is, her star
+of beauty; thus sweetly reproving and as sweetly forgiving the temper of
+her Horace&mdash;for he is her Horace still&mdash;and who can wonder at that? She
+will bear with all&mdash;will live, will die with him. I look, Eusebius, upon
+this ode as a real consolation to your lovers of an ambiguous and
+querulous age. Seeing what we are daily becoming, it is a comfort to
+think that, should such untoward persons make themselves disagreeable to
+all else of human kind, there will be, nevertheless, to each, one
+confiding loving creature, to put them in conceit with themselves, and
+make them, notwithstanding their many perversities, believe that they
+are unoffending male angels, and die in the bewildering fancy that they
+are still loveable.</p>
+
+<p>I have little more to say, but that, having been lately in a versifying
+mood, I have set to rhyme your story of the cook and the lottery ticket;
+and herein I have avoided that malicious propensity of our numerous
+tellers of stories, whose only pleasure, as it appears to me, lies in
+the plunging the heroes and heroines of their tales into inextricable
+troubles and difficulties, and in continuing them in a state of
+perplexity beyond the power of human sufferance; and who slur over their
+unexpected, and generally ill-contrived escape, as a matter of small
+importance; and with an envy of human happiness, like the fiend who sat
+scowling on the bliss of Eden, either leave them with sinister
+intentions, or absolutely drive them out of the Paradise which they have
+so lately prepared for them.</p>
+
+<p>I have lately been reading a very interesting, well conceived in many
+respects, and pathetic novel, which, nevertheless, errs in this; and I
+even think the pathos is injured by the last page, which is too painful
+for <i>tenderness</i>, which appears the object of the able author. A
+monumental effigy is but the mockery of all life's doings, which are
+thus, with their sorrows and their joys, rendered nugatory; and all that
+we have been reading, and are interested about, is unnecessarily
+presented to us as dust and ashes. Such is the tale of Mount Sorrel.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps, too, I might say of this, and of other novels of the same kind,
+that there is in them an unhealthy egotism; a Byronism of personal
+feelings; an ingenious invention of labyrinth meandering into the mazes
+of the mind and of the affections, in which there is always
+bewilderment, and the escape is rather lucky than foreseen. Such was not
+the mode adopted heretofore by more vigorous writers, who preferred
+exhibiting the passions by action, and a few simple touches, which came
+at once to the heart, without the necessity of unravelling the mismazes
+of their course. If Achilles had made a long speech in Elysium about his
+feelings, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_414" id="Page_414">[Pg 414]</a></span> attempted to describe them, when his question, if his son
+excelled in glory, was happily answered, we should have thought less of
+him for his egotism, and had much less perfect knowledge of the real
+man's heart and soul. Homer simply tells us, that he walked away, with
+great strides, greatly rejoicing. I can remember, at this moment, but
+one tale in which this style of descriptive searchings into the feelings
+is altogether justifiable&mdash;Godwin's "<i>Caleb Williams</i>;" for there the
+ever instant terror, varying by the natural activity and ingenuity of
+the mind, which, upon the one pressing point, feverishly hurries into
+new, and all possible channels of thought, requires this pervading
+absolutism. It is the Erynnis of a bygone creed, in a renovated form of
+persecuting fatalism, brought to sport with the daily incidents and
+characters of modern life.</p>
+
+<p>I do not wish to be tempted by this course of thought into lengthened
+criticism; which I should not have touched upon, had I not thought it
+proper to tell you that I have added a conclusion to your tale. Ever
+wishing a continuation of the happiness of two human beings, beyond that
+location in the story, where most spiteful authors leave them, the
+Church door.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>I have been reading, too, over again two of Sir Walter Scott's novels,
+"Guy Mannering" and "Ivanhoe." How different they are, both in design
+and execution! The former, in all respects perfect&mdash;the latter, in
+design common-place, and but little enlarged from the old ballad tales
+of Robin Hood, and histories of the Crusaders; very slovenly in diction,
+and lengthened out by tiresome repetitions; the same things being told
+in protracted dialogues which had been previously narrated in the
+historic course. Then there are very ill-timed interruptions, and
+wearisome disquisitions, just where they should not be. Yet are there
+passages of perfect excellence, that prove the master-hand of the
+author. The novel of "Ivanhoe" seems to resemble some of those plays
+which, though doubtful, are called Shakspeare's, because it is evident
+that the master-hand has passed over them, and left touches both of
+thought and character which justify the position which they enjoy.
+Rebecca is all in all. The other characters somewhat fail to interest.
+Ivanhoe himself says but little, and is in fact not much developed. We
+are disgusted, and unnecessarily, at every turn with Athelstane&mdash;there
+was no occasion for making him this degraded glutton. It seems a clumsy
+contrivance to break off his marriage with Rowena; and surely the boast
+of his eating propensities, when he shows himself to his astonished
+mourners escaped from the death and tomb prepared for him, is unnatural,
+and throws a contempt and ridicule over the whole scene. Richard and
+Robin Hood (or Locksley) are not characters of Sir Walter's
+creation&mdash;Richard is, we may suppose, truly portrayed. My friend S&mdash;&mdash;,
+Eusebius, who, while I was suffering under influenza, read these novels
+out to me, was offended at a little passage towards the end, where the
+author steps out of the action of his dramatic piece, to tell you that
+King Richard did not live to fulfil the benevolent promises he had a
+line or two before been making; and I entirely agree with S&mdash;&mdash;, and
+felt the unseemly and untimely intelligence as he read it. This would
+scarcely be justifiable in a note, but in the body of the work it shocks
+as a plague-spot on the complexion of health. This practice, too common
+in novelists, especially the "historical," becoming their own marplots,
+deserves censure. To borrow from another art, it is like marring a
+composition, by an uncomfortable line or two running out of the picture,
+and destroying the completeness. I know not if that fine scene, perhaps
+the most masterly in Ivanhoe, has ever been painted, where, after the
+defeat of De Bois-Guilbert, and after that Richard had broken in upon
+the court, the Grand Master draws off in the repose of stern submission
+his haughty Knights Templars. The slow procession finely contrasts with
+the taunting violence of Richard; and what a background is offered to
+the painter&mdash;the variously moved multitude, the rescued Rebecca, and the
+dead (though scarcely defeated) Templar!</p>
+
+<p>Sir Walter, although an antiqua<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_415" id="Page_415">[Pg 415]</a></span>rian, was not perhaps aware that he was
+somewhat out in his chronology in connecting Robin Hood and his men with
+Richard the First. It is made very clear in an able essay in the
+<i>Westminster Review</i>, that Robin Hood's name and fame did not commence
+till after the defeat of Simon de Montfort in the battle of Evesham. In
+fact, Robin Hood was more of a political outlaw&mdash;one of the outlawed,
+after that defeat, than a mere sylvan robber. Sir Walter Scott has taken
+advantage of the general belief, gathered from many of our old ballads,
+in an intercourse between Robin Hood and England's king. But according
+to the oldest of the ballads, (or rather poems, for it is too long for a
+ballad, and composed of many parts,) <i>The Lyttel Geste of Robin Hood</i>,
+this king of England was Edward the First; so that the existence of the
+"bold outlaw" is antedated by the author of <i>Ivanhoe</i> upwards of seventy
+years. This, however, does not affect the story, excepting to those who
+entertain the fond fancy, that when they read an historical novel they
+read history.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> Do you wonder, Eusebius, at my chronological learning?
+You well may; it must appear to you a very unexpected commodity. The
+truth is, my attention has been directed to this very matter by my
+antiquarian friend M'Gutch of Worcester, who not only pointed out to me
+the essay in the <i>Westminster</i>, but, finding my curiosity excited, sent
+me many of the ballads, Robin Hood's garlands, and <i>The Lyttel Geste</i>,
+together with an able introduction of his own to a new edition of the
+collection he is about to produce, with which you will be delighted, and
+learn all that is to be known; and it is more than you would expect to
+meet with about this "gentle robber."</p>
+
+<p>S&mdash;&mdash;, to whom I read the foregoing remarks on <i>Ivanhoe</i>, said, I ought
+to do penance for the criticism. I left the penance to his choice; and,
+like a true friend, he imposed a pleasure; I do not say, Eusebius, that
+if left to myself I should have been a Franciscan. He took up <i>Marmion</i>,
+and read it from beginning to end. It is indeed a noble poem. Will not
+the day come, when Sir Walter's poems will be more read than his novels,
+good though they be?</p>
+
+<p>In his poetry Scott always reminds me of Homer. There is the same energy
+ever working to the one simple purpose&mdash;the same spontaneity and belief
+in its own tale; and diversity of character for relief's sake is common
+to both. In reading Homer we must discard all our school notions; we
+began to read with difficulty; the task was a task, though it was true
+we warmed in it&mdash;the thread was broken a thousand times; and we too
+often pictured to ourselves the old bard in his gravity of beard and
+age&mdash;not in that vigour, that freshness of manhood, which is conspicuous
+in both poems, at whatever age they were composed.</p>
+
+<p>I have had the curiosity, Eusebius, to enquire of very many real
+scholars, who have professed to keep up their Greek after leaving the
+universities, if they have re-read Homer in Greek, and almost all have
+confessed that they had not. They read him in Pope and Cowper. Let them
+read him offhand, and fluently, continuously, as they do <i>Marmion</i>, or
+the <i>Lay of the Last Minstrel</i>, and I cannot but think they will be
+struck with the Homeric resemblance in the poems of Sir Walter Scott.
+Both great poets had, too, the same relish for natural scenery, the same
+close observation; did we not pass over such passages lightly, we
+should, I am persuaded, find in both the same nice discriminations in
+characters of outward scenes, that we do in those of men. In both there
+is the same kind of secret predominance of female character the same
+delicacy, tenderness, (a wondrous thing in the age of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_416" id="Page_416">[Pg 416]</a></span> Homer, or rather,
+perhaps, showing we know nothing about that age, not even so much as we
+do about those ages which we choose to call dark.) It must, however, be
+noted, that Sir Walter Scott has limited himself to more confined
+fields. There is not the same room for genius to work in&mdash;the production
+is, therefore, in degree less varied, and less complete; but is there
+not a likeness in kind? Is it too bold, is it merely fanciful, Eusebius,
+to say, too, that there is a something not dissimilar in the measures
+adopted by these ancient and modern poets. Homer possibly had no choice;
+but in the hexameter there is the greatest versative power. How
+different, for instance, are the first lines of the "Tale of Troy
+Divine," and the more familiar adventures of Ulysses. The <i>ad libitum</i>
+alternation of dactyl and spondee make the lively or the grave; and the
+whole metrical glow is all life and action, without hitch or hindrance.</p>
+
+<p>Our heroic measure is at once too long and too short&mdash;for, take the
+c&aelig;sura as a division of the line, (and what is it if not that?) and the
+latter part of the line is too short for any effective power&mdash;a fault
+that does not exist in the Greek hexameter. Without the c&aelig;sura, or with
+a very slight attention to it, the line is too long, and made tiresome
+by the monotony which the necessary pause of the rhyme imposes. Besides,
+how do we know, after all, that the Greeks did not read their one
+hexameter like two lines, with a decided pause at the c&aelig;sura, with the
+additional grace of the short syllable at its end often passing the
+voice into the second part, or, as we may call it in the argument, the
+second line? Try, Eusebius; read off a dozen lines any where in Homer
+with this view, and tell me what you think of the <i>possible</i> short
+measure of Homer. It is true our measures are of the iambic character,
+which Horace says is the fittest for action&mdash;and therefore, in the
+Greek, the dramatic. The trimeter iambic is a foot longer than our
+heroic measure. But then it has the double ictus; and, as the word
+implies, is divisible into three parts, thus giving a quickness and
+shortness where wanted. Take away, however, the first c&aelig;sura, rest only
+on the second, (and then you have exactly one short measure, that of
+"Marmion,") and how superfluous the last division of the trimeter
+appears! as weak and ineffective as the latter part of our long measure,
+if we read it as wanting the additional foot of the hexameter. For
+example,</p>
+
+<p>"&#969; &#964;&#949;&#967;&#957;&#945; &#954;&#945;&#948;&#956;&#959;&#965; &#964;&#969; &#960;&#945;&#955;&#959;&#965;"&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>There is the measure of Scott&mdash;the Greek iambic, however, is lengthened
+by two feet&mdash;&#957;&#949;&#945; &#964;&#961;&#959;&#966;&#951;; so that to the Greek the three ictuses
+(at least to English ears, accustomed to our short measure) are
+necessary. That this short measure wants not power in any respect,
+<i>Marmion</i> alone sufficiently shows. I, however, wished only to show that
+it had something of an Homeric character; and the facility with which
+you can read the hexameter of Homer as two lines, you will, perhaps,
+more than suspect, tends to confirm this opinion. I think, somewhere,
+Sir Walter Scott recommends the translating Homer into short
+measure&mdash;you forget, perhaps, my making the trial upon the two first
+books of the Odyssey which I sent to you, and you returned, <i>condemned</i>;
+although, to tell you the truth, I was not displeased with my attempt,
+and expected your flattering commendation, and would even now deceive
+myself into a belief that you were not prepared for the novelty. Admire
+the candour that proclaims the failure. It is enough that Eusebius
+admitted my other Homeric translations.</p>
+
+<p>You will easily detect that this letter is written at intervals. I told
+you what a kind reader I have found in S&mdash;&mdash;, during my indulgence in
+the luxurious indolence for which influenza apologizes, and a growing
+convalescence renders a pleasing hypocrisy. He has been repeating, from
+memory, some lines of his favourite Collins. I remembered them not. He
+could not put his hand on an edition of Collins, but referred to the
+"Elegant Extracts," and could not find his admired stanza. He remembered
+reading it in "The Speaker." The lines are in the Ode to "Evening." In
+the "Elegant Extracts" we have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_417" id="Page_417">[Pg 417]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Then let me rove some wild and heathy scene,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or find some ruin 'midst its dreary dells,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Whose walls more awful nod</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">By thy religious gleams."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>These lines are substituted for the better lines&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Then lead, dear votress, where some sheety lake</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Cheers the lone heath, or some time-hallow'd pile,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Or upland fallows grey</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Reflect the last cool gleam."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>Why should this beautiful stanza be lost? Is the substitute to be
+compared with it? Ask the landscape painter! He will admire the one&mdash;he
+will enjoy the other. Who substituted the one for the other? Did Collins
+write both, and was dubious which should stand; or do you discover the
+hand of an audacious emendator? Who would lose the sheety lake in which
+nothing is reflected but evening's own sky, and the "upland fallows
+grey," and the last <i>cool</i> gleam!</p>
+
+<p>Odious, odious politics! While I am writing, there is an interruption, a
+sad interruption, to thoughts of poetry and snatches of criticism. It is
+like a sudden nightmare upon pleasant and shifting dreams. Here are
+three visitors new from reading Sir Robert Peel's speech. Two very
+indignant&mdash;one a timid character&mdash;apologetic. What, cries one&mdash;a
+statesman so egotistical and absolute in his vanity, as, at such a time
+as the present, to throw the many interests of this great country into
+peril, and some into sure difficulty, lest, as he himself confesses, he
+should be thought to have borrowed on Lord John Russell? What business
+has a statesman to think of himself at all? It is frightful, said
+another. There are two astounding things&mdash;one, that a minister should
+suddenly turn round upon the principles and the party who brought him
+into power upon them, confessing he had been changing his opinion three
+years, and yet last July he should have spoken against the measure
+which, at the time of speaking, in his heart he favoured, and which he
+now forces upon a reluctant Parliament; the other astounding thing is,
+that a Parliament created to oppose this very measure, should show such
+entire subserviency as to promise a large majority to the minister. May
+we not expect one who so changes may suddenly some day join O'Connell
+and grant Repeal? We are to be governed by a minister, not by King,
+Lords, and Commons. The apologetic man urges expediency, public
+(assumed) opinion&mdash;any thing for peace sake, and to get rid of
+agitation. So, to avoid agitation, Eusebius, I scrambled up my papers
+and this letter to you, and left the room; and now, in one more quiet,
+resume my pen. With a mind not a little confused between politics,
+poetry, and classical reminiscences, I, however, rested a while to give
+scope to reflection; and meditation upon this "corn question," brought
+to mind the practical advice of the tyrant of Syracuse to Periander, to
+get rid of his aristocracy, which was shown by the action of cutting off
+the heads of the grain that grew highest in the field. A tyranny was the
+result, (not in the Greek sense of the word,) and it matters little
+whence the tyranny comes. With this idea prevalent, I looked for a copy
+of a Greek MS., taken from a palimpsest discovered in the Ambrosian
+library, and sat down to translate it for you&mdash;you may have the Greek
+when you like. In the meanwhile, be content with the following version
+of the apologue, and be not too critical.</p>
+
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">The Story of Periander</span>.</h4>
+
+<p>"When Periander had now reigned some years at Corinth, the Tyrant of
+Syracuse sent thither an ambassador, a man of great penetration, to
+enquire how the maxims of government, in which he had instructed him,
+had answered.</p>
+
+<p>"The ambassador found Periander in the midst of his courtiers. After
+receiving him in such manner as it became him to receive a messenger
+from so excellent a friend, from whom he had obtained the best advice,
+and after hearing the object of his embassy:&mdash;'See,' said Periander, 'to
+what degree I have prospered. These gentlemen,' pointing to his
+courtiers, 'have been telling me that my people, and the universal
+opinion of mankind, enrol me one of the seven wise men of Greece.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_418" id="Page_418">[Pg 418]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"'Indeed!!!' quoth the ambassador; 'that will delight the king, my
+master, exceedingly; who will, without doubt, enquire if I have seen
+with my own eyes the happiness of a people who are so fortunate, and are
+possessed of so sound a judgment. As yet, I have seen none but those who
+immediately conducted me hither.'</p>
+
+<p>"'We will take a short circuit,' said Periander, 'and these gentlemen
+shall accompany us, and we shall see if what they report be true,'
+looking a little suspiciously at his courtiers, as if to say, 'I verily
+think you are but flattering knaves.'</p>
+
+<p>"As they passed through the great hall, the officers of state, and the
+officers of the household, shouted, 'There are but seven wise men, and
+Periander is the wisest.'</p>
+
+<p>"Periander, the ambassador, and the courtiers, soon left the vestibule,
+and found themselves in the streets of Corinth. Not a citizen was to be
+seen. On, and on they went&mdash;and still no one was in sight. 'Your
+majesty's subjects are somewhat more scarce than they were wont to be,'
+said the ambassador of Syracuse. Periander bit his lips. On, and on they
+went&mdash;and still no one was to be seen&mdash;till, turning the corner of
+another street, they saw, for an instant only, the backs of a few
+people, who suddenly disappeared into their houses, and a fierce dog
+flew out upon them, barking furiously, and would have bitten Periander
+by the leg had he not been rescued by the ambassador.</p>
+
+<p>"'Am I to tell my lord the King of Syracuse,' said the ambassador, 'that
+I have seen one class of your majesty's subjects, and heard their
+opinion?' Periander knit his brows, and looked daggers at his courtiers.</p>
+
+<p>"They went on a little further, when a laden ass, whose owner had fled,
+stood directly in their way. The ass put out his ugly head and brayed in
+the very face of Periander.</p>
+
+<p>"'Do I hear,' said the ambassador, 'the voice of another class of your
+majesty's subjects?'</p>
+
+<p>"Periander now could not forbear smiling, as he struck the ass, who
+kicked at him as he beat him out of the path.</p>
+
+<p>"Well! they went on still a little further, and had now reached the
+suburbs, where they met a boy driving a flock of geese and goslings into
+a pond. The boy, as all the rest had done, fled.</p>
+
+<p>"But the big gander, as they approached, waddled up with extended wings
+to Periander, and hissed at him.</p>
+
+<p>"'The voice of your people,' said the ambassador, 'is indeed unanimous.'</p>
+
+<p>"'At least,' said Periander, 'I will show my wisdom here, by roasting
+that fellow and eating him for supper.' Whereupon one of his courtiers,
+who, in matters of this kind take slight hints for mandates, ran the
+poor gander through the body; and Periander, in reward he said for so
+brave an action, bade him throw the creature round his neck<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> as a
+trophy, and carry him home for supper.</p>
+
+<p>"But by this time the old goose, too, fearing for her goslings, came
+furiously upon Periander, and flapping and beating him with her wings,
+put him into a sad straight. On this occasion one of his courtiers came
+to his rescue, and he escaped; and seeing what a ridiculous figure he
+made, leaned against a wall, and burst into an immoderate fit of
+laughter.</p>
+
+<p>"'It is enough,' said the ambassador from the Tyrant of Syracuse; 'I am
+now enabled to inform the king, my master, of the character, manners,
+and perfect felicity of your majesty's people, from my own observation.
+That they are of three classes. The first are dogs, the second are
+asses, and the third are geese; only I perceive that the geese are the
+more numerous.'</p>
+
+<p>"They returned to the palace, but did not enter by the great vestibule,
+as Periander made use of a key for a private entrance, which led him
+into the interior of the building, at the end of the great hall.
+Hereupon, the officers of state, and the officers of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_419" id="Page_419">[Pg 419]</a></span> household who
+stood near the vestibule, waiting their return, seeing Periander, the
+ambassador, and the courtiers at the other end, hastened towards them,
+shouting as before&mdash;'There are but seven wise men, and Periander is the
+wisest.' Periander ordered them to be beaten with stripes; then,
+retiring into his private apartment with the ambassador, he conversed
+freely with him, and dismissed him with many and large presents.</p>
+
+<p>"The ambassador returned to Syracuse, and was immediately ordered into
+the royal presence, where he narrated, amidst the laughter of the
+courtiers, and of the Tyrant himself, the whole affair as it had
+happened. When the laughter had a little subsided, the king said, 'Let
+it be written in a book, how one of the seven wise men had wellnigh been
+beaten by a goose, who certainly had been too much for him, had not
+another come to the rescue. Truly a goose is a foolish bird, too much
+for one, but not enough for two.'"</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>N.B.&mdash;Hence it will be seen that this saying is of more antiquity than
+is generally believed, and has no relation to modern gluttony, and was
+in fact a saying of the Tyrant of Syracuse, when he heard the story told
+by his ambassador. This story, which will be Greek to many, will,
+perhaps, be no Greek at all to you. In that case go yourself to the
+Ambrosian library; or, in criticising what I may send, you may be as
+unfortunate as the great scholar who unconsciously questioned the Greek
+of Pindar. But, both for the moral and Greek, I will but add&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="center">
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Verbum sat sapienti."</span>
+</p>
+
+<p class="center">
+Dear Eusebius, ever yours,<br />
+
+<span style="margin-left: 10em;">&mdash;&mdash;.</span>
+</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_STUDENT_OF_SALAMANCA" id="THE_STUDENT_OF_SALAMANCA"></a>THE STUDENT OF SALAMANCA.</h2>
+
+<h3>Part VI.</h3>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A la lid, nacionales valientes!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Al combate &aacute; la gloria volad!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Guerra y muerte &aacute; tiranos y esclavos,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Guerra y despues habra paz!</span><br />
+
+<span style="margin-left: 10em;"><i>Himno de Valladol&iacute;d</i>.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p>It still wanted an hour of daybreak, on the 16th day of July 1835, when
+the stillness, that during the previous four or five hours had reigned
+undisturbed in the quiet streets of Artajona, was broken by the clang of
+the <i>diana</i>. But a few notes of the call had issued from the brazen
+throats of bugle and trumpet, when a notable change took place in the
+appearance of the town. Lights, of which previously only a solitary one
+had here and there proceeded from the window of a guard-room, or of some
+early-rising orderly-sergeant, now glimmered in every casement; the
+streets were still empty, save of the trumpeters, who stood at the
+corners, puffing manfully at their instruments; but on all sides was
+audible a hum like that of a gigantic bee-hive, mingled with a slight
+clashing of arms, and with the neighing of numerous horses, who, as well
+as their masters, had heard and recognized the well-known sounds. Two or
+three minutes elapsed, and then doors were thrown open, and the deserted
+streets began to assume a more lively appearance. Non-commissioned
+officers, their squad-rolls in their hands, took their station in front
+of the houses where their men were billeted; in the stables, dragoons
+lighted greasy iron lamps, and, suspending them against the wall,
+commenced cleaning and saddling their horses; the shutters of the
+various wine-houses were taken down, and drowsy, nightcapped
+<i>taberneros</i> busied themselves in distributing to innumerable applicants
+the tiny glassful of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_420" id="Page_420">[Pg 420]</a></span> <i>anisado</i>, which, during the whole twenty-four
+hours, is generally the sole spirituous indulgence permitted himself by
+the sober Spanish soldier. A few more minutes passed; the <i>rev&eacute;ille</i> had
+ceased to sound, and on the principal square of the town a strong
+military band played, with exquisite skill and unison, the beautiful and
+warlike air of the hymn of Valladolid.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"A la lid, nacionales valientes!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Al combate, &aacute; la gloria volad!"</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>"To the strife, brave nationals; to the strife, and to glory!" sang many
+a soldier, the martial words of the song recalled to his memory by the
+soul-stirring melody, as, buckling on sabre or shouldering musket, he
+hurried to the appointed parade. The houses and stables were now fast
+emptying, and the streets full. The monotonous "<i>Uno, dos</i>," of the
+infantry, as they told off, was drowned in the noise of the horses' feet
+and the jingle of accoutrements of the cavalry-men clattering out of
+their stables. By the light of a few dingy lanterns, and of the stronger
+illumination proceeding from the windows, whole battalions were seen
+assembled, resting on their arms, and presently they began to move out
+of the town. Outside of Artajona, the right wing of the army, under
+command of General Gurrea, formed up, and marched away in the direction
+of Mendigorria.</p>
+
+<p>The sun had but just risen when this division, after driving in the
+Carlist cavalry pickets, which had been pushed up to within half a
+league of Artajona, halted and took position to the right of the
+high-road between that town and Mendigorria. The ground thus occupied is
+level, and opposite to nearly the centre of a line of low hills, which,
+after running for some distance parallel to the Arga, recedes at either
+extremity, thus forming the flattened arc of a circle, of which the
+river is the chord. Between the hills, which are inconsiderable and of
+gradual slope, and the river, runs the high-road from Puente de la Reyna
+to Larraga; and in rear of their more southerly portion, known as La
+Corona, opposite to the place where the road from Artajona passes
+through a dip or break in their continuity, are the town and bridge of
+Mendigorria. Upon these hills the Carlists, who had passed the night in
+the last-named town, now formed themselves, their main body upon the
+eastern slope, their reserves upon the western or reverse side. They
+were still bringing their masses into position, when the Christino right
+came upon the ground, and for awhile, although the distance between the
+hostile forces was not great, no shot was fired on either side. By and
+by, however, the dark figures of the Carlist guerillas were seen racing
+down the hills, the Christino skirmishers advanced to meet them, and
+soon a sharp irregular fire of musketry, and the cloud of smoke which
+spread over the middle ground between the armies, announced that the
+fight, or at least the prelude to it, had begun. This desultory sort of
+contest was of short duration. Several Carlist battalions moved forward,
+a gallant attack was made on the Christino position, and as gallantly
+repelled: commanded by a brave and skilful officer, and favoured by a
+judicious choice of ground, the Queen's troops, although opposed to
+vastly superior numbers, and without their cavalry, which had remained
+with the reserve, repulsed repeated assaults, and held their own without
+serious loss, until, towards ten o'clock, the heads of columns of the
+centre of the army, under the commander-in-chief himself, made their
+appearance from the direction of Artajona. Almost at the same time, the
+left wing, with Espartero at its head, arrived from Larraga, where it
+had slept. Some little man&oelig;uvring took place, and then the whole
+Christino army appeared formed up, Cordova on either side of the
+high-road, Espartero on his left, nearer to the Arga, Gurrea on his
+right. By a rather singular arrangement, the whole force of cavalry,
+under General Lopez, was left in reserve, considerably in rear of the
+left wing, and at a full mile and a half from the centre; with the
+exception of one squadron, which, as well as his habitual escort, had
+accompanied General Cordova. That squadron was commanded by Luis
+Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>A stranger who, on the morning referred to, should, for the first time,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_421" id="Page_421">[Pg 421]</a></span>
+have walked through the ranks of the Carlist army, would have found much
+that was curious and interesting to note. The whole disposable military
+force of what the Christinos called the Faction, was there assembled,
+and a motley crew it appeared. Had stout hearts and strong arms been as
+rare in their ranks as uniformity of garb and equipment, the struggle
+would hardly have been prolonged for four years after the date we write
+of. But it would be difficult to find in any part of Europe, perhaps of
+the world, men of more hardy frame, and better calculated to make good
+soldiers, than those composing many of the Carlist battalions. Amongst
+them the Navarrese and Guipuzcoans were pre-eminent; sinewy,
+broad-chested, narrow-flanked fellows, of prodigious activity and
+capacity for enduring fatigue. The Guipuzcoans especially, in their
+short grey frocks and red trousers, their necks bare, the shirt-collar
+turned back over their shoulders, with their bronzed faces and wiry
+mustaches, leathern belts, containing cartridges, buckled tightly round
+their waists, and long bright-barrelled muskets in their hands, were the
+very <i>beau-id&eacute;al</i> of grenadiers. Beside these, the Biscayans and some of
+the Castilians, undersized and unsoldierly-looking, showed to much
+disadvantage. Other battalions were composed in great part of Christino
+prisoners, who, having had the choice given them between death and
+service under Don Carlos, had chosen the latter, but who now seemed to
+have little stomach for a fight against their former friends. The whole
+of the Carlist cavalry, even then not very numerous, was also there. The
+grim-visaged priest Merino, ever the stanchest partisan of absolutism,
+bestrode his famous black horse, and headed a body of lancers as fierce
+and wild-looking as himself; Pascual Real, the dashing major of
+Ferdinand's guard, who in former days, when he took his afternoon ride
+in the Madrid prado, drew all eyes upon him by the elegance of his
+horsemanship, marshalled the Alavese hussars; and, in a third place,
+some squadrons of Navarrese, who had left the fat pastures of the valley
+of Echauri to be present at the expected fight, were ranged under the
+orders of the young and gallant Manolin.</p>
+
+<p>But whoever had the opportunity of observing the Carlist army on that
+day and a month previously, saw a mighty difference in the spirit
+pervading it. He who had been its soul, whose prestige gave confidence
+to the soldier, and whose acknowledged superiority of talent prevented
+rivalry amongst the chiefs, was now no more; his death had been followed
+by a reverse, the only really serious one the Carlists had yet
+encountered, and dissension was already springing up amongst the
+followers of the Pretender. Intrigue was at work, rival interests were
+brought into play; there was no longer amongst the officers that unity
+of purpose which alone could have given the cause a chance of success;
+nor amongst the men that unbounded confidence in their leader, which on
+so many occasions had rendered them invincible. The spring of '35 had
+been a season of triumph for the Carlists; the summer was to be one of
+disasters.</p>
+
+<p>Subsequent events sufficiently proved that Cordova was not the man to
+command an army. Diplomacy was his forte; and he might also, as a
+general, claim some merit for combinations in the cabinet. It was during
+his command that the plan was formed for enclosing the Carlists within
+certain fortified limits, in hopes that they would exhaust the resources
+of the country, and with a view to preserve other provinces from the
+contagion of Carlism.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> Great credit was given him for this scheme,
+which was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_422" id="Page_422">[Pg 422]</a></span> carried out after many severe fights, and at great expense of
+life; but neither of the advantages expected from it was ever realized.
+In the field, Cordova was not efficient; he lacked resource and
+promptitude; and the command of a division was the very utmost to which
+his military talents entitled him to aspire. As before mentioned,
+however, his confidence and pretensions were unbounded, his partisans
+numerous, and the event of this day's fight was such as greatly to
+increase the former, and raise the admiration of the latter.</p>
+
+<p>It was eleven o'clock before the two armies were drawn up opposite to
+each other in order of battle, and even then neither party seemed
+inclined immediately to assume the offensive. Clouds of skirmishers were
+thrown out along the whole line, bodies of troops advanced to support
+them, the artillery began to thunder, but still a fight was for a short
+time avoided, and, like wary chess-players at the commencement of a
+game, the two generals contented themselves with man&oelig;uvres.
+Presently, however, from the Carlist centre a column of cavalry
+advanced, and forming front, charged a regiment of the royal guard, the
+foremost of Cordova's division. The guards were broken, and suffered
+considerably; those who escaped the sabres and lances of the horsemen
+being driven back, some to the centre and some upon the left wing. The
+cavalry seemed, for a moment, disposed to push their advantage; but the
+steady fire with which they were received by several squares of
+infantry, thinned their ranks, and, in their turn, they retreated in
+disorder. They had scarcely rejoined the main body when the advance was
+sounded along the whole Christino line, and the army moved forward to a
+general charge. At first the Carlists stood firm, and opened a
+tremendous fire upon the advancing line, but the gaps that it caused
+were speedily filled up; the Christinos poured in one deadly volley,
+gave a fierce cheer, and rushed on with the bayonet. The Carlists
+wavered, their whole army staggered to and fro; first companies, then
+battalions disbanded themselves, and pressed in confusion to the rear,
+and at last the entire line gave way; and the numerous host, seized with
+a panic, commenced a hasty and tumultuous retreat. The reserves on the
+opposite side of the hill were broken by the stream of fugitives that
+came pouring down upon them; the cavalry, who endeavoured to make a
+stand, were thrown into disorder, and pushed out of their ranks in the
+same manner. In vain did the Carlist officers exert themselves to
+restore order&mdash;imploring, threatening, even cutting at the soldiers with
+their swords. Here and there a battalion or two were prevailed upon to
+turn against the foe; but such isolated efforts could do little to
+restore the fortune of the day. The triumphant tide of the Christinos
+rolled ever forwards; the plunging fire of their artillery carried
+destruction into the ranks of the discomfited Carlists; the rattling
+volleys of small-arms, the clash of bayonets, the exulting shouts of the
+victors, the cries of anguish of the wounded, mingled in deafening
+discord. Amidst this confusion, a whole battalion of Carlists, the third
+of Castile, form<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_423" id="Page_423">[Pg 423]</a></span>ed originally of Christino prisoners, finding
+themselves about to be charged by a battalion of the guard, reversed
+their muskets, and shouting "Viva Isabel!" ranged themselves under the
+banners to which they had formerly belonged, taking with them as
+prisoners such of their officers as did not choose to follow their
+example. Generals Villareal and Sagastibelza, two of the bravest and
+most respected of the Carlist leaders, were severely wounded whilst
+striving to restore order, and inspire their broken troops with fresh
+courage. Many other officers of rank fell dead upon the field while
+similarly engaged; the panic was universal, and the day irretrievably
+lost.</p>
+
+<p>"The cavalry! the cavalry!" exclaimed a young man, who now pressed
+forward into the <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i>. He wore a long, loose civilian's coat, a small
+oilskin-covered forage cap, and had for his sole military insignia an
+embroidered sword-belt, sustaining the gilt scabbard of the sabre that
+flashed in his hand. His countenance was pale and rather sickly-looking,
+his complexion fairer than is usual amongst Spaniards; a large silk
+cravat was rolled round his neck, and reached nearly to his ears,
+concealing, it was said, the ravages of disease. His charger was of
+surpassing beauty; a plumed and glittering staff rode around him; behind
+came a numerous escort.</p>
+
+<p>"The cavalry! the cavalry!" repeated Cordova, for he it was. "Where is
+Lopez and the cavalry?"</p>
+
+<p>But, save his own escort and Herrera's squadron, no cavalry was
+forthcoming. Lopez remained unpardonably inactive, for want of orders,
+as he afterwards said; but, under the circumstances, this was hardly an
+extenuation. The position of the Carlists had been, in the first
+instance, from the nature of the ground, scarcely attackable by horse,
+at least with any prospect of advantage; but now the want of that arm
+was great and obvious. Cordova's conduct in leaving his squadrons so far
+in the rear, seems, at any rate, inexplicable. It was by unaccountable
+blunders of this sort, that he and others of the Christino generals drew
+upon themselves imputations of lukewarmness, and even of treachery.</p>
+
+<p>An aide-de-camp galloped up to Herrera, whose squadron had been
+stationed with the reserve of the centre. His horse, an
+Isabella-coloured Andalusian, with silver mane and tail, of the kind
+called in Spain <i>Perla</i>, was soaked with sweat and grey with foam. The
+rider was a very young man, with large fiery black eyes, thin and
+martially-expressive features, and a small mustache shading his upper
+lip. He was a marquis, of one of the noblest families in Spain. He
+seemed half mad with excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"Forward with your squadron!" shouted he, as soon as he came within
+earshot. The word was welcome to Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>"Left wheel! forward! gallop!"</p>
+
+<p>And, with the aide-de-camp at his side, he led his squadron along the
+road to Mendigorria, which intersects the hills whence the Carlists were
+now being driven. They had nearly reached the level ground on the other
+side, when they came in sight of several companies of infantry, who made
+a desperate stand. Their colonel, a Navarrese of almost gigantic
+stature&mdash;his sword, which had been broken in the middle, clutched firmly
+in his hand, his face streaming with blood from a slash across the
+forehead, his left arm hanging by his side, disabled by a severe
+wound&mdash;stood in front of his men, who had just repulsed the attack of
+some Christino infantry. On perceiving the cavalry, however, they showed
+symptoms of wavering.</p>
+
+<p>"Steady!" roared the colonel, knitting his bleeding brow. "The first man
+who moves dies by my hand!"</p>
+
+<p>In spite of the menace, two or three men ventured to steal away, and
+endeavoured to leave the road unobserved. The colonel sprang like a
+tiger upon one of them.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Cobarde! muera!</i>" cried the frantic Carlist, cleaving the offender to
+the eyes with the fragment of his sword. The terrible example had its
+effect; the men stood firm for a moment, and opened a well-aimed fire on
+the advancing cavalry.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Jesus Cristo!</i>" exclaimed the young aide-de-camp. Herrera looked at
+him. His features were convulsed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_424" id="Page_424">[Pg 424]</a></span> with pain. One more name which he
+uttered&mdash;it was that of a woman&mdash;reached Herrera's ears, and then he
+fell from his saddle to the earth; and the dragoons, unable to turn
+aside, trampled him under foot. There was no time for reflection.
+"Forward! forward!" was the cry, and the horsemen entered the smoke. On
+the right of the Carlists, in front, stood their dauntless colonel,
+waving his broken sabre, and shouting defiance. Firm as a rock he
+awaited the cavalry. Struck by his gallantry, Herrera wished to spare
+his life.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Rinde te!</i>" he cried; "yield!"</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Jode te!</i>" was the coarse but energetic reply of the Carlist, as he
+dealt a blow which Herrera with difficulty parried. At the same moment a
+lance-thrust overthrew him. There were a few shouts of rage, a few cries
+for mercy; here and there a bayonet grated against a sabre, but there
+was scarcely a check in the speed; such of the infantry as stood to
+receive the charge were ridden over, and Herrera and his squadron swept
+onwards towards the bridge of Mendigorria.</p>
+
+<p>Now it was that the Carlists felt the consequences of that enormous
+blunder in the choice of a position, which, either through ignorance or
+over confidence, their generals had committed. With the Arga flowing
+immediately in their rear, not only was there no chance of rallying
+them, but their retreat was greatly embarrassed. One portion of the
+broken troops made for the bridge, and thronged over it in the wildest
+confusion, choking up the avenue by their numbers; others rushed to the
+fords higher up the stream, and dashing into the water, some of them,
+ignorant of the shallow places, were drowned in the attempt to cross.
+Had the Christino cavalry been on the field when the rout began, the
+loss of the vanquished would have been prodigious; as it was, it was
+very severe. The Christino soldiery, burning to revenge former defeats,
+and having themselves suffered considerably at the commencement of the
+fight, were eager in the pursuit, and gave little quarter. In less than
+two hours from the beginning of the action, the country beyond the Arga
+was covered with fugitives, flying for their lives towards the mountains
+of Estella. Narrow were the escapes of many upon that day. Don Carlos
+had been praying during the action in the church at Mendigorria; and so
+sudden was the overthrow of his army, that he himself was at one time in
+danger of being taken. A Christino officer, according to a story current
+at the time, had come up with him, and actually stretched out his hand
+to grasp his collar, when a bullet struck him from his saddle.</p>
+
+<p>Dashing over the bridge, Herrera and his squadron spurred in pursuit.
+Their horses were fresh, and they soon found themselves amongst the
+foremost, when suddenly a body of cavalry, which, although retiring,
+kept together and exerted itself to cover the retreat, faced about, and
+showed a disposition to wait their arrival. The Carlists were superior
+in numbers, but that Herrera neither saw nor cared for; and, rejoicing
+at the prospect of opposition to overcome, he waved his sword and
+cheered on his men. At exactly the same moment the hostile squadrons
+entered the opposite sides of a large field, and thundered along to the
+encounter, pounding the dry clods beneath their horses' hoofs, and
+raising a cloud of dust through which the lance-points sparkled in the
+sunlight, whilst above it the fierce excited features of the men were
+dimly visible. Nearer they came, and nearer; a shout, a crash, one or
+two shrill cries of anguish&mdash;a score of men and horses rolled upon the
+ground, the others passed through each other's ranks, and then again
+turning, commenced a furious hand-to-hand contest. The leader of the
+Carlists, a dark-browed, powerful man, singled out Herrera for a fierce
+attack. The fight, however, lasted but a few moments, and was yet
+undecided when the Christino infantry came up. A few of the surviving
+Carlists fled, but the majority, including their colonel, were
+surrounded and made prisoners. They were sent to the rear with an
+escort, and the chase was continued.</p>
+
+<p>It was nightfall before the pursuit entirely ceased, and some hours
+later before Herrera and his dragoons, who, in the flush of victory,
+forgot fatigue, arrived at Puente de la Reyna,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_425" id="Page_425">[Pg 425]</a></span> where, and at
+Mendigorria, the Christino army took up their quarters. Sending the
+squadron to their stables, Herrera, without giving himself the trouble
+to demand a billet, repaired to an inn, where he was fortunate enough to
+obtain a bed&mdash;no easy matter in the crowded state of the town. The day
+had been so busy, that he had had little time to reflect further on the
+intelligence brought by Paco, of whom he had heard nothing since the
+morning. And now, so harassed and exhausted was he by the exertions and
+excitement of the day, that even anxious thoughts were insufficient to
+deprive him of the deep and refreshing slumber of which he stood in such
+great need.</p>
+
+<p>The morning sun shone brightly through the half-closed shutters of his
+apartment, when Herrera was awakened by the entrance of Paco. In the
+street without he heard a great noise and bustle; and, fearful of having
+slept too long, he sprang from his bed and began hastily to dress.
+Without saying a word, Paco threw open the window and beckoned to him.
+He hastened to look out. In front of the inn was an open <i>plaza</i>, now
+crowded with men and horses. A large body of troops were drawn up under
+arms, officers were assembled in groups, discussing the victory of the
+preceding day; and in the centre of the square, surrounded by a strong
+guard, stood several hundred Carlist prisoners. On one side of these
+were collected the captured horses both of men and officers, for the
+most part just as they had been taken, saddled and bridled, and their
+coats caked with dry sweat. Paco drew Herrera's attention to a man in
+officer's uniform, who stood, with folded arms and surly dogged looks,
+in the front rank of the prisoners. His eyes were fixed upon the ground,
+and he only occasionally raised them to cast vindictive glances at a
+party of officers of the Christino guards, who stood at a short distance
+in his front, and who seemed to observe him with some curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>"You see yonder colonel?" said Paco to Herrera. "Do you know him?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not I," replied Herrera. "Yet, now I look again&mdash;yes. He is one of my
+prisoners of yesterday. He commanded a body of cavalry which charged
+us."</p>
+
+<p>"Likely, likely," said Paco. "Do you know his name?"</p>
+
+<p>"How should I?" answered Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell it you. It is Baltasar de Villabuena."</p>
+
+<p>Herrera uttered an exclamation of surprise. "Impossible!" said he.</p>
+
+<p>"Certain; I have seen him too often to mistake him."</p>
+
+<p>Herrera made no reply. His hasty toilet finished, he bade Paco remain
+where he was, and descended to the street. He approached the group of
+guardsmen already mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>"Your next move, gentlemen?" said he, after the usual salutation.</p>
+
+<p>"To Pampeluna with the prisoners," was the reply. "A reconnoissance <i>en
+force</i> has gone out, but it may go far, I expect, before meeting with a
+Carlist. They are completely broken, and at this moment I doubt if there
+is one within a day's march."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said another officer, "they are far enough off, if still running.
+Caremba! what legs the fellows have! We caught a few, though, yesterday
+afternoon, in spite of their powdering along. Old acquaintances, too,
+some of them," he added.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" said Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; fellows who have served and marched side by side with us. Look
+there, for instance; do you see that sullen, black-looking dog squinting
+at us with such a friendly expression?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who is he?" enquired Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>"Baltasar de Villabuena, an old captain of our's before the war. He
+resigned when Zumalacarregui took the field, and joined the Carlists,
+and it seems they've made him a colonel. A surly, ill-conditioned cur he
+always was, or we should not be standing here without a word of kindness
+or consolation to offer him."</p>
+
+<p>To the surprise of the guardsmen, Herrera, before the officer had done
+speaking, walked up to the prisoner in question.</p>
+
+<p>"Colonel Villabuena?" said he, slightly touching his cap.</p>
+
+<p>"That is my name," replied the prisoner, sullenly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_426" id="Page_426">[Pg 426]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We met yesterday, I believe," said Herrera, with cold politeness. "If I
+am not mistaken, you commanded the squadron which charged mine in the
+early part of the retreat."</p>
+
+<p>Baltasar nodded assent.</p>
+
+<p>"Is your horse amongst those yonder?" continued Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>"It is," replied Baltasar, who, without comprehending the drift of these
+questions, began to entertain hopes that his rank and former comradeship
+with many officers of the Christino army were about to obtain him an
+indulgence rarely accorded, during that war, to prisoners of any
+grade&mdash;the captured Carlists being looked upon by their adversaries
+rather as rebels and malefactors than as prisoners of war, and treated
+accordingly. He imagined that his horse was about to be restored to him,
+and that he would be allowed to ride to Pampeluna.</p>
+
+<p>"Yonder bay stallion," said he, "with a black sheepskin on the saddle,
+is mine."</p>
+
+<p>Herrera approached the officer commanding the guard over the prisoner,
+spoke a few words to him, and returned to Baltasar.</p>
+
+<p>"You will please to accompany me," said he.</p>
+
+<p>Baltasar complied, and captive and captor advanced to the horses.</p>
+
+<p>"This is mine," said Colonel Villabuena, laying his hand upon the neck
+of a powerful bay charger.</p>
+
+<p>Without saying another word, Herrera raised the sheepskin covering the
+holsters, and withdrew from them a brace of pistols, which he carefully
+examined. They were handsomely mounted, long-barrelled, with a small
+smooth bore, and their buts were inlaid with a silver plate, upon which
+a coronet and the initials E. de V. were engraved.</p>
+
+<p>"These pistols, I presume, are also yours?"</p>
+
+<p>"They are so," was the answer.</p>
+
+<p>"You will observe, sir," continued Herrera, showing the pistols to the
+officer on guard, who had followed him, "that I have taken these pistols
+from the holsters of this officer, Colonel Baltasar de Villabuena, who
+acknowledges them to be his. Look at them well; you may have to
+recognise them on a future day. I shall forthwith explain to the
+general-in-chief my motives for taking possession of them."</p>
+
+<p>The officer received the pistols, examined them carefully, and returned
+them to Herrera. Baltasar looked on with a perplexed and uneasy air.
+Just then the brigadier, who was to command the column proceeding to
+Pampeluna, rode into the plaza. The drums beat, and the troops stood to
+their arms.</p>
+
+<p>"Return to your place," said Herrera, sternly, to the prisoner. "We
+shall shortly meet again."</p>
+
+<p>And whilst Baltasar, alike disappointed and astonished at the strange
+conduct of the Christino officer, resumed his place in the captive
+ranks, Herrera betook himself to the quarters of the commander-in-chief.</p>
+
+<p>This time Torres made no difficulty about introducing his friend into
+the general's apartment. Cordova was lying at length upon a sofa in a
+large cool room, a cigar in his mouth, a quantity of despatches on a
+table beside him, two or three aides-de-camp and secretaries writing in
+an adjoining chamber. He received Herrera kindly, complimented him on
+his conduct in the preceding day's fight, and informed him that
+particular mention had been made of him in his despatch to Madrid. After
+an interview of some duration, Herrera left the house, with leave of
+absence for a fortnight, signed by Cordova himself, in his pocket.
+Proceeding to the barracks, he made over the squadron to his second in
+command; and then mounting his horse, attended by Paco, and followed by
+half a dozen dragoons, he took the road to the Ebro.</p>
+
+<p>In a street of Logro&ntilde;o, not far from the entrance of the town, stands
+one of those substantial and antiquated dwellings, remnants of the
+middle ages, which are of no unfrequent occurrence in Spain, and whose
+massive construction seems to promise as many more centuries of
+existence as they have already seen. It is the property, and at times
+the abode, of the nobleman whose arms are displayed, elaborately carved
+on stone, above the wide portal&mdash;a nobleman belonging to that section of
+the Spanish aristocracy, who, putting aside old prejudices, willingly
+adhered to the more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_427" id="Page_427">[Pg 427]</a></span> liberal and enlightened order of things to which
+the death of Ferdinand was the prelude. In a lofty and spacious
+apartment of this mansion, and on the evening of the first day after
+that of Herrera's departure from Puente de la Reyna, we find Count
+Villabuena reclining in an easy-chair, and busied with thoughts, which,
+it might be read upon his countenance, were of other than a pleasant
+character. Since last we saw him, full of life and strength, and still
+active and adventurous as a young man, encountering fatigues and dangers
+in the service of his so-called sovereign, a great and sad change had
+taken place in the Count, and one scarcely less marked in his hopes and
+feelings. The wound received by him in the plains of Alava, although
+severe and highly dangerous, had not proved mortal; and when Herrera
+sought his body with the intention of doing the last mournful honours to
+the protector of his youth, and father of his beloved Rita, he
+perceived, to his extreme joy, that life had not entirely fled. On a
+litter, hastily and rudely constructed of boughs, the Count was conveyed
+to Vittoria, where he no sooner arrived, than by the anxious care of
+Herrera, half the surgeons in the town were summoned to his couch. For
+some days his life was in imminent peril; but at last natural strength
+of constitution, and previous habits of temperance, triumphed over the
+wound, and over the conclave of Sangrados who had undertaken his case.
+The Count recovered, gradually it is true, and without a prospect of
+ever regaining his former firm health; but still, to Herrera's great
+delight, and owing in a great measure to the care he lavished upon him,
+his life was at last pronounced entirely out of danger.</p>
+
+<p>Upon arriving at Vittoria with his sorely wounded friend, duty had
+compelled Herrera to report his capture; but although the prisoner was
+considered a most important one, his state was so hopeless, that Luis
+had little difficulty in obtaining permission to become his sole jailer,
+pledging himself to reproduce him in case he should recover. When the
+Count got better, and became aware of his position, he insisted upon
+Herrera's informing the authorities of his convalescence, and of his
+readiness to proceed to any place of confinement they might appoint.
+Herrera's high character and noble qualities had made him many friends,
+some of them persons of influence, and he now successfully exerted
+himself to obtain a favour which was probably never before or afterwards
+conceded to a prisoner during the whole course of that war. Count
+Villabuena was allowed his parole, and was moreover told, that on
+pledging himself to retire to France, and to take no further share,
+direct or indirect, in the Carlist rebellion, he should obtain his
+release. One other condition was annexed to this. Two colonels of the
+Queen's army, who were detained prisoners by the Carlists, were to be
+given up in exchange for his liberty.</p>
+
+<p>When these terms, so unexpectedly favourable, were communicated to the
+Count, he lost no time in addressing a letter to Don Carlos, informing
+him of his position, and requesting him to fulfil that portion of the
+conditions depending on him, by liberating the Christino officers. With
+shattered health, he could not hope, he said, again to render his
+Majesty services worth the naming; his prayers would ever be for his
+success, but they were all he should be able to offer, even did an
+unconditional release permit him to rejoin his sovereign. In the same
+letter he implored Don Carlos to watch over the safety of his daughter,
+and cause her to be conducted to France under secure escort. This letter
+dispatched, by the medium of a flag of truce, the Count sought and
+obtained permission to remove to the town of Logro&ntilde;o, where an old
+friend, the Marquis of Mendava, had offered him an asylum till his fate
+should be decided upon.</p>
+
+<p>Long and anxiously did the Count await a reply to his letter, but weeks
+passed without his receiving it. Three days before the battle of
+Mendigorria, the Christino army passed through Logro&ntilde;o on its way
+northwards, and the Count had the pleasure of a brief visit from
+Herrera. A few hours after the troops had again marched away, a courier
+arrived from Vittoria, bringing the much wished-for answer. It was cold
+and laconic, written by one of the ministers of Don Carlos. Re<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_428" id="Page_428">[Pg 428]</a></span>gret was
+expressed for the Count's misfortune, but that regret was apparently not
+sufficiently poignant to induce the liberation of two important
+prisoners, in order that a like favour might be extended to one who
+could no longer be of service to the Carlist cause.</p>
+
+<p>Although enveloped in the verbiage and complimentary phrases which the
+Spanish language so abundantly supplies, the real meaning of the
+despatch was evident enough to Count Villabuena. Courted when he could
+be of use, he was now, like a worthless fruit from which pulp and juice
+had been expressed, thrown aside and neglected. It was a bitter pang to
+his generous heart to meet such ingratitude from the prince whom he had
+so much loved, and for whose sake he had made enormous sacrifices. To
+add to his grief, the only answer to his request concerning his daughter
+was a single line, informing him that she had left Segura several weeks
+previously, and that her place of abode was unknown.</p>
+
+<p>Depressed and heartsick, the Count lay back in his chair, shading his
+eyes with his hand, and musing painfully on the events of the preceding
+two years. His estates confiscated, his health destroyed, separated from
+his only surviving child, and her fate unknown to him, himself a
+prisoner&mdash;such were the results of his blind devotion to a worthless
+prince and a falling principle. Great, indeed, was the change which
+physical and mental suffering had wrought in the Conde de Villabuena.
+His form was bowed and emaciated, his cheek had lost its healthful
+tinge; his hair, in which, but a short three months previously, only a
+few silver threads were perceptible, telling of the decline of life
+rather than of its decay, now fell in grey locks around his sunken
+temples. For himself individually, the Count grieved not; he had done
+what he deemed his duty, and his conscience was at rest; but he mourned
+the ingratitude of his king and party, and, above all, his heart bled at
+the thought of his daughter, abandoned friendless and helpless amongst
+strangers. The news of the preceding day's battle had reached him, but
+he took small interest in it; he foresaw that many more such fights
+would be fought, and countless lives be sacrificed, before peace would
+revisit his unhappy and distracted country.</p>
+
+<p>From these gloomy reflections Count Villabuena was roused by the sudden
+opening of his door. The next instant his hand was clasped in that of
+Luis Herrera, who, hot with riding, dusty and travel-stained, gazed
+anxiously on the pale, careworn countenance of his old and venerable
+friend. On beholding Luis, a beam of pleasure lighted up the features of
+the Count.</p>
+
+<p>"You at least are safe!" was his first exclamation. "Thank Heaven for
+that! I should indeed be forlorn if aught happened to you."</p>
+
+<p>There was an accent of unusually deep melancholy in the Count's voice
+which struck Herrera, and caused him for an instant to imagine that he
+had already received intelligence of his cousin's treachery, and of
+Rita's captivity. Convinced, however, by a moment's reflection, that it
+was impossible, he dreaded some new misfortune.</p>
+
+<p>"You are dejected, sir," he said. "What has again occurred to grieve
+you?&mdash;The reverse sustained by your friends"&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"No, no," interrupted the Count, with a bitter smile&mdash;"not so. My
+friends, as you call them, seem little desirous of my poor sympathy.
+Luis, read this."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke, he held out the letter received from the secretary of Don
+Carlos.</p>
+
+<p>"It was wisely said," continued the Count, when Herrera had finished its
+perusal, "'put not your trust in princes.' Thus am I rewarded for
+devotion and sacrifices. Hearken to me, Luis. It matters little,
+perhaps, whether I wear out the short remnant of my days in captivity or
+in exile; but my daughter, my pure, my beautiful Rita, what will become
+of her&mdash;alas! what has become of her? My soul is racked with anxiety on
+her account, and I curse the folly and imprudence that led me to
+re-enter this devoted land. My child&mdash;my poor child&mdash;can I forgive
+myself for perilling your defenceless innocence in this accursed war!"</p>
+
+<p>His nerves unstrung by illness, and overcome by his great affliction,
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_429" id="Page_429">[Pg 429]</a></span> usually stern and unbending Villabuena bowed his head upon his
+hands and sobbed aloud. Inexpressibly touched by this outburst of grief
+in one to whose nature such weakness was so foreign, Herrera did his
+utmost to console and tranquillize his friend. The paroxysm was short,
+and the Count regained his former composure. Although dreading the
+effect of the communication, Herrera felt it absolutely necessary to
+impart at once the news brought by Paco. He proceeded accordingly in the
+task, and as cautiously as possible, softening the more painful parts,
+suggesting hopes which he himself could not feel, and speaking
+cheeringly of the probability of an early rescue. The Count bore the
+communication as one who could better sustain certain affliction than
+killing suspense.</p>
+
+<p>"Something I know," said he, when Herrera paused, "of the convent you
+mention, and still more of its abbess. Carmen de Forcadell was long
+celebrated, both at Madrid and in her native Andalusia, for her beauty
+and intrigues. Her husband was assassinated by one of her lovers, as
+some said, and within three years of his death, repenting, it was
+believed, of her dissolute life, she took the veil. Once, I know,
+Baltasar was her reputed lover; but whatever may now be his influence
+over her, I cannot think she would allow my daughter to be ill treated
+whilst within her walls. No, Herrera, the danger is, lest the villain
+may remove my Rita, and place her where no shield may stand between her
+and his purposes."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not fear it," replied Herrera, in his turn reassured by the Count's
+moderation. "Your cousin was taken in the action of the 16th, and is now
+a prisoner at Pampeluna."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" exclaimed the Count, his face brightening with satisfaction.
+"It is good news, indeed."</p>
+
+<p>"Better than you even think, perhaps. You have preserved the ball that
+was extracted from your wound?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have," replied the Count, "at your request. What of it?"</p>
+
+<p>"So long," said Herrera, "as no advantage could be gained from my
+communication, I would not shock you with a statement that even now will
+cause you serious pain. You remember, sir, that at the time of receiving
+your wound you were at a very short distance from me, and that your
+cousin was at a still less one from you, in your rear. As you advanced
+towards the intervening stream, my eyes, conducted by chance, or
+something better, fixed on your cousin, who at the moment drew a pistol
+from his holster. You were but a few paces from him, when I saw him
+deliberately&mdash;I could not be mistaken&mdash;deliberately vary his aim from
+myself to you. The pistol was fired&mdash;you fell from your horse, struck by
+his hand. You seem surprised. The deed was as inexplicable to me until
+from your own lips I heard who the officer was&mdash;that there had been
+serious disagreement between you&mdash;and that his temper was violent, and
+character bad. Coupled with what my own eyes saw, the bullet itself, far
+too small for a carbine ball, convinced me that it had proceeded from a
+pistol. Instinctively, rather than from any anticipation of its being
+hereafter useful, I requested you to preserve the ball, and to-day an
+extraordinary chance enables me to verify my suspicions. Let the bullet
+be now produced."</p>
+
+<p>Astounded by what he heard, but still incredulous, the Count summoned
+his attendant.</p>
+
+<p>"Bring me the bullet that I bade you keep," said the Count.</p>
+
+<p>"And desire my orderly," added Herrera, "to bring me the brace of
+pistols he will find in my valise."</p>
+
+<p>In a few moments both commands were obeyed. The bullet was of very small
+calibre, and, not having encountered any bone, had preserved its
+rotundity without even an indentation.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you recognize these pistols?" said Herrera, showing the Count those
+which he had taken from Baltasar's holsters. "This coronet and initials
+proclaim them to have been once your own."</p>
+
+<p>"They were so," replied the Count, taking one of them in his hand&mdash;"a
+present to my cousin soon after he joined us. I remember them well; he
+carried them on the day that I was wounded."</p>
+
+<p>"Behold!" said Herrera, who placed the bullet in the muzzle of the
+pistol, into the barrel of which it slid,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_430" id="Page_430">[Pg 430]</a></span> fitting there exactly.
+Shocked and confounded by this proof of his kinsman's villany, the Count
+dropped the other pistol and remained sad and silent.</p>
+
+<p>"You doubt no longer?" said Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>"May it not have been accident?" said the Count, almost imploringly. "No
+Villabuena could commit so base and atrocious a crime."</p>
+
+<p>"None but he," said Herrera. "I watched him as he took his aim, not
+twenty paces from you. With half a doubt, I would have bitten my tongue
+from my mouth before an accusation should have passed it against the man
+in whose favour indeed I have no cause to be prejudiced. Count
+Villabuena, the shot was fired with intent. For that I pledge my honour
+and salvation."</p>
+
+<p>There was a pause.</p>
+
+<p>"But my daughter," said the Count; "you forget her, Luis. She must be
+rescued. How does this fiend's imprisonment render that rescue easier?"</p>
+
+<p>"Thus," replied Herrera. "Yesterday I had an interview with Cordova, and
+told him every thing; the abduction of Rita, and Baltasar's attempt on
+your life. Of the latter I engaged to furnish ample proofs. Cordova, as
+I expected, was indignant, and would have shot the offender had I
+consented to the act. Upon reflection, however, he himself saw
+reasonable objections to a measure so opposed to the existing treaty for
+exchange of prisoners, and feared retaliation from the enemy. After some
+discussion it was agreed that the proof of Baltasar's attempt upon your
+life should be submitted, and, if found satisfactory, that the prisoner
+should be placed at my disposal. In that event his liberty, nay, his
+life, must depend upon his consenting, unreservedly, to write to the
+convent, to desire the abbess to set Rita at liberty, and to provide for
+her safe conduct into France. Until then, Baltasar, by the general's
+order, remains in solitary confinement at Pampeluna."</p>
+
+<p>"Good," said the Count approvingly.</p>
+
+<p>"I had a threefold object in coming hither," continued Herrera. "To
+obtain proof of Baltasar's guilt, to comfort you with the hopes of
+Rita's safety, and to take you with me to Pampeluna. Baltasar of course
+believes you dead; he will the more readily abandon his designs when he
+finds that you still live."</p>
+
+<p>"Rightly reasoned," said the Count. "Why should we now delay another
+instant? Your news, Herrera, has made me young and strong again."</p>
+
+<p>"We will set out to-morrow," said Herrera. "A column of troops march at
+daybreak for Pampeluna, and we can avail ourselves of their escort."</p>
+
+<p>His hopes revived and energies restored by the intelligence Luis had
+brought, the Count would have preferred starting without a moment's
+delay; but Herrera, although not less impatient, insisted on waiting
+till the next day. Although the principal force of the Carlists had been
+driven back into Western Navarre, the road to Pampeluna was not safe
+without a strong escort, and Herrera himself had incurred no small risk
+in traversing it as he had done, with only half a dozen dragoons. Count
+Villabuena yielded to his representations, and the following morning
+witnessed their departure.</p>
+
+<p>Three days' marching brought the Count and Herrera to Pampeluna, whither
+Cordova and his victorious army had preceded them. Count Villabuena had
+reckoned too much upon his lately recovered strength; and, although the
+marches had not been long, he reached Pampeluna in a very exhausted
+state. It was evening when they arrived, and so crowded was the town
+with troops that they had some difficulty in obtaining quarters, which
+they at last found in the house of one of the principal tradesmen of the
+place. Leaving the Count to repose from his fatigues, Herrera went to
+visit Cordova, whom he informed of the positive certainty he had now
+obtained of Baltasar's culpability. The proofs of it might certainly, in
+a court of law, have been found insufficient, but Cordova took a
+military view of the case; his confidence in Herrera was great, his
+opinion of Baltasar, whom he had known in the service of Ferdinand, very
+bad; and finally, the valid arguments adduced by Luis left him no moral
+doubt of the prisoner's guilt. He gave the necessary orders for the
+admission of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_431" id="Page_431">[Pg 431]</a></span> Herrera and Count Villabuena into the prison. The next
+day, however, the Count was still so fatigued and unwell from the
+effects of his journey, that it was found necessary to call in a
+physician, who forbade his leaving the house. The Count's impatience,
+and the pressing nature of the matter in hand, would have led him to
+disregard the prohibition, and at once proceed to the prison, which was
+at the other extremity of the town, had not Herrera, to conciliate his
+friend's health with the necessity for prompt measures, proposed to have
+the prisoner brought to him. An order to that effect was readily granted
+by Cordova, and, under proper escort, Don Baltasar was conducted to the
+Count's quarters.</p>
+
+<p>It would be erroneous to suppose, that, during the late war in Spain,
+adherents of Don Carlos were only to be found in the districts in which
+his standard was openly raised. In many or most of the towns best
+affected to the liberal cause, devoted partisans of the Pretender
+continued to reside, conforming to the established order of things, and
+therefore unmolested. In most instances their private opinions were
+suspected, in some actually known; but a few of them were so skilful in
+concealing their political bias and partialities, as to pass for steady
+and conscientious favourers of the Queen's government. Here was one and
+no unimportant cause of the prolongation of the war; the number of spies
+thus harboured in the very heart of the Christino camp and councils. By
+these men intelligence was conveyed to the Carlists, projected
+enterprises were revealed, desertion amongst the soldiery and
+disaffection amongst the people, stimulated and promoted. Many of these
+secretly-working agents were priests, but there was scarcely a class of
+the population, from the nobleman to the peasant, and including both
+sexes, in which they were not to be found. Innumerable were the plans
+traversed by their unseen and rarely detectable influence. On many a
+dark night, when the band of Zurbano, El Mochuelo, or some other
+adventurous leader, issued noiselessly from the gates of a town, opened
+expressly for their egress, to accomplish the surprise of distant post
+or detachment, a light in some lofty window, of no suspicious appearance
+to the observer uninformed of its meaning, served as a beacon to the
+Carlists, and told them that danger was abroad. The Christinos returned
+empty-handed and disappointed from their fruitless expedition, cursing
+the treachery which, although they could not prove it, they were well
+assured was the cause of their failure.</p>
+
+<p>One of the most active, but, at the same time, of the least suspected,
+of these subtle agents, was a certain Basilio Lopez, cloth-merchant in
+the city of Pampeluna. He was a man past the middle age, well to do in
+the world, married and with a family, and certainly, to all appearance,
+the last person to make or meddle in political intrigues of any kind,
+especially in such as might, by any possibility, peril his neck. Whoever
+had seen him, in his soberly cut coat, with his smooth-shaven, sleek,
+demure countenance and moderately rotund belly, leaning on the half-door
+of his Almacen de Pa&ntilde;os, and witnessed his bland smile as he stepped
+aside to give admission to a customer or gossip, would have deemed the
+utmost extent of his plottings to be, how he should get his cloths a
+real cheaper or sell them at a real more than their market value. There
+was no speculation, it seemed, in that dull placid countenance, save
+what related to ells of cloth and steady money-getting. Beyond his
+business, a well-seasoned <i>puchero</i> and an evening game at loto, might
+have been supposed to fill up the waking hours and complete the
+occupations of the worthy cloth-dealer. His large, low-roofed, and
+somewhat gloomy shop was, like himself, of respectable and business-like
+aspect, as were also the two pale-faced, elderly clerks who busied
+themselves amongst innumerable rolls of cloth, the produce of French and
+Segovian looms. Above the shop was his dwelling-house, a strange,
+old-fashioned, many-roomed building, with immensely thick walls, long,
+winding corridors, ending and beginning with short flights of steps,
+apartments panneled with dark worm-eaten wood, lofty ceilings, and queer
+quaintly-carved balconies. It was a section of a line of building
+forming half the side of a street, and which,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_432" id="Page_432">[Pg 432]</a></span> in days of yore, had been
+a convent of monks. Its former inmates, as the story went, had been any
+thing but ascetics in their practices, and at last so high ran the
+scandal of their evil doings, that they were fain to leave Pampeluna and
+establish themselves in another house of their order, south of the Ebro.
+Some time afterwards the convent had been subdivided into
+dwelling-houses, and one of these had for many years past been in the
+occupation of Basilio the cloth-merchant. Inside and out the houses
+retained much of their old conventual aspect, the only alterations that
+had been made consisting in the erection of partition walls, the opening
+of a few additional doors and windows, and the addition of balconies.
+One of the latter was well known to the younger portion of the officers
+in garrison at Pampeluna; for there, when the season permitted, the two
+pretty, black-eyed daughters of Master Basilio were wont to sit, plying
+their needles with a diligence which did not prevent their sometimes
+casting a furtive glance into the street, and acknowledging the
+salutation of some passing acquaintance or military admirer of their
+graces and perfections.</p>
+
+<p>In this house was it that Herrera and the Count had obtained quarters,
+and thither, early upon the morrow of their arrival at Pampeluna,
+Baltasar was conducted. The passage through the streets of a Carlist
+prisoner, whose uniform denoted him to be of rank, had attracted a
+little crowd of children and of the idlers ever to be found in Spanish
+towns; and some of these loitered in front of the house after its door
+had closed behind Baltasar and his escort. The entrance of the prisoner
+did not pass unnoticed by Basilio Lopez, who was at his favourite post
+at the shop-door. His placid physiognomy testified no surprise at the
+appearance of such unusual visitors; and no one, uninterested in
+observing him, would have noticed that, as Baltasar passed him, the
+cloth-merchant managed to catch his eye, and made a very slight, almost
+an imperceptible sign. It was detected by Baltasar, and served to
+complete his perplexity, which had already been raised to a high pitch
+by the different circumstances that had occurred during his brief
+captivity. He had first been puzzled by Herrera's conduct at Puente de
+la Reyna; the importance attached by the Christino officer to the
+possession and identification of his pistols was unaccountable to him,
+never dreaming of its real motive. Then he could not understand why he
+was placed in a separate prison, and treated more as a criminal than as
+a prisoner of war, instead of sharing the captivity and usage of his
+brother officers. And now, to his further bewilderment, he was conducted
+to a dwelling-house, before entering which, a man, entirely unknown to
+him, made him one of the slight but significant signs by which the
+adherents of Don Carlos were wont to recognise each other. He had not
+yet recovered from this last surprise, when he was ushered into a room
+where three persons were assembled. One of these was an aide-de-camp of
+Cordova, Herrera was another, and in the third, to his unutterable
+astonishment and consternation, Baltasar recognized Count Villabuena.</p>
+
+<p>There was a moment's silence, during which the cousins gazed at each
+other; the Count sternly and reproachfully, Baltasar with dilated
+eyeballs and all the symptoms of one who mistrusts the evidence of his
+senses. But Baltasar was too old an offender, too hardened in crime and
+obdurate in character, to be long accessible to emotion of any kind. His
+intense selfishness caused his own interests and safety to be ever
+uppermost in his thoughts, and the first momentary shock over, he
+regained his presence of mind, and was ready to act his part. Affecting
+extreme delight, he advanced with extended hand towards the Count.</p>
+
+<p>"Dare I believe my eyes?" he exclaimed. "A joyful surprise, indeed,
+cousin."</p>
+
+<p>"Silence, sir!" sternly interrupted the Count. "Dissimulation will not
+serve you. You are unmasked&mdash;your crimes known. Repent, and, if
+possible, atone them."</p>
+
+<p>Baltasar recoiled with well-feigned astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>"My crimes!" he indignantly repeated. "What is this, Count? Who accuses
+me&mdash;and of what?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_433" id="Page_433">[Pg 433]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Without replying, Count Villabuena looked at Herrera, who approached the
+door and pronounced a name, at which Baltasar, in spite of his
+self-command, started and grew pale. Paco entered the apartment.</p>
+
+<p>"Here," said the Count, "is one witness of your villany."</p>
+
+<p>"And here, another," said Herrera, lifting a handkerchief from the table
+and exhibiting Baltasar's pistols.</p>
+
+<p>The Carlist colonel staggered back as if he had received a blow. All
+that he had found inexplicable in the events of the last few days was
+now explained; he saw that he was entrapped, and that his offences were
+brought home to him. With a look of deadly hate at Herrera and the
+Count, he folded his arms and stood doggedly silent.</p>
+
+<p>In few words Herrera now informed Baltasar of the power vested in him by
+Cordova, and stated the condition on which he might yet escape the
+punishment of his crimes. These, however, Baltasar obstinately persisted
+in denying; nor were any threats sufficient to extort confession, or to
+prevail with him to write the desired letter to the abbess. Assuming the
+high tone of injured innocence, he scoffed at the evidence brought
+against him, and swore solemnly and deliberately that he was ignorant of
+Rita's captivity. Paco, he said, as a deserter, was undeserving of
+credit, and had forged an absurd tale in hopes of reward. As to the
+pistols, nothing was easier than to cast a bullet to fit them, and he
+vehemently accused Herrera of having fabricated the account of his
+firing at his cousin. A violent and passionate discussion ensued, highly
+agitating to the Conde in his then weak and feverish state. Finding, at
+length, that all Herrera's menaces had no effect on Baltasar's sullen
+obstinacy, Count Villabuena, his heart wrung by suspense and anxiety,
+condescended to entreaty, and strove to touch some chord of good
+feeling, if, indeed, any still existed, in the bosom of his unworthy
+kinsman.</p>
+
+<p>"Hear me, Baltasar," he said; "I would fain think the best I can of you.
+Let us waive the attempt on my life; no more shall be said of it. Gladly
+will I persuade myself that we have been mistaken; that my wound was the
+result of a chance shot either from you or your followers. Irregularly
+armed, one of them may have had pistols of the same calibre as yours.
+But my daughter, my dear poor Rita! Restore her, Baltasar, and let all
+be forgotten. On that condition you have Herrera's word and mine that
+you shall be the very first prisoner exchanged. Oh, Baltasar, do not
+drive to despair an old man, broken-hearted already! Think of days gone
+by, never to return; of your childhood, when I have so often held you on
+my knee; of your youth, when, in spite of difference of age, we were for
+a while companions and friends. Think of all this, Baltasar, and return
+not evil for good. Give me back my Rita, and receive my forgiveness, my
+thanks, my heartfelt gratitude. Your arm shall be stronger in the fight,
+your head calmer on your pillow, for the righteous and charitable act."</p>
+
+<p>In the excitement of this fervent address, the Count had risen from his
+chair, and stood with arms extended, and eyes fixed upon the gloomy
+countenance of Baltasar. His lips quivering with emotion, his trembling
+voice, pale features, and long grey hair; above all, the subject of his
+entreaties&mdash;a father pleading for the restoration of his only child&mdash;and
+his passionate manner of urging them, rendered the scene inexpressibly
+touching, and must have moved any but a heart of adamant. Such a one was
+that of Baltasar, who stood with bent brow and a sneer upon his lip,
+cold, contemptuous, and relentless.</p>
+
+<p>"Brave talk!" he exclaimed, in his harshest and most brutal tones;
+"brave talk, indeed, of old friendship and the like! Was it friendship
+that made you forget me in Ferdinand's time, when your interest might
+have advanced me? When you wanted me, I heard of you, but not before;
+and better for me had we never met. You lured me to join a hopeless
+cause, by promises broken as soon as claimed. You have ruined my
+prospects, treated me with studied scorn, and now you talk, forsooth, of
+old kindness and friendship, and sue&mdash;to me in chains&mdash;for mercy! It has
+come to that! The haughty Count Villabuena craves mercy at the hands of
+a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_434" id="Page_434">[Pg 434]</a></span> prisoner! I answer you, I know nothing of your daughter; but I also
+tell you, Count, that if all yonder fellow's lies were truth, and I held
+the keys of her prison, I would sooner wear out my life in the foulest
+dungeon than give them up to you. But, pshaw! she thinks little enough
+about you. She has found her protector, I'll warrant you. There are
+smart fellows and comely amongst the king's followers, and she won't
+have wanted for consolation."</p>
+
+<p>It seemed as if Baltasar's defenceless condition was hardly to protect
+him from the instant punishment of his vile insinuation. With a deep
+oath, Herrera half drew his sword, and made a step towards the
+calumniator of his mistress. But his indignation, great though it was,
+was checked in its expression, and entirely lost sight of, owing to a
+sudden outbreak of the most furious and uncontrolled anger on the part
+of the Count. His face, up to that moment so pale, became suffused with
+blood, till the veins seemed ready to burst; his temples throbbed
+visibly, his eyes flashed, his lips grew livid, and his teeth chattered
+with fury.</p>
+
+<p>"Scoundrel!" he shouted, in a voice which had momentarily regained all
+its power&mdash;"scoundrel and liar! Assassin, with what do you reproach me?
+Why did I cast you off, and when? Never till your own vices compelled
+me. What promise did I make and not keep? Not one. Base traducer,
+disgrace to the name you bear! so sure as there is a God in heaven, your
+misdeeds shall meet their punishment here and hereafter!"</p>
+
+<p>During this violent apostrophe, Baltasar, who, at Herrera's threatening
+movement, had glanced hurriedly around him as if seeking a weapon of
+defence, resumed his former attitude of indifference. Leaning against
+the wall, he stood with folded arms, and gazed with an air of insolent
+hardihood at the Count, who had advanced close up to him, and who,
+carried away by his anger, shook his clenched hand almost in his
+cousin's face. Suddenly, however, overcome and exhausted by the violence
+of his emotions, and by this agitating scene, the Count tottered, and
+would have fallen to the ground, had not Herrera and Torres hurried to
+his support. They placed him in his chair, into which he helplessly
+sank; his head fell back, the colour again left his cheeks, and his eyes
+closed.</p>
+
+<p>"He has fainted," cried Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>The Count was indeed insensible. Torres hastened to unfasten his cravat.</p>
+
+<p>"Air!" exclaimed Torres; "give him air!"</p>
+
+<p>Herrera ran to the window and threw it open. Water was thrown upon the
+Count's face, but without reviving him; and his swoon was so deathlike,
+that for a moment his anxious friends almost feared that life had
+actually departed.</p>
+
+<p>"Let him lie down," said Torres, looking around for a sofa. There was
+none in the room.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us place him on his bed," cried Herrera. And, aided by Torres and
+Paco, he carefully raised the Count and carried him into an adjoining
+room, used as a bedchamber. Baltasar remained in the same place which he
+had occupied during the whole time of the interview, namely, on the side
+of the room furthest from the windows, and with his back against the
+wall.</p>
+
+<p>It has already been said that Baltasar de Villabuena had few friends. In
+all Pampeluna there was probably not one man, even amongst his former
+comrades of the guard, who would have moved a step out of his way to
+serve or save him; and certainly, in the whole city, there were scarcely
+half a dozen persons who, through attachment to the Carlist cause, would
+have incurred any amount of risk to rescue one of its defenders. Most
+fortunately for Baltasar, it was in the house of one of those rare but
+strenuous adherents of Don Carlos that he now found himself. Scarcely
+had the Count and his bearers passed through the doorway between the two
+rooms, when a slight noise close to him caused Baltasar to turn. A
+pannel of the chamber wall slid back, and the sleek rotund visage of the
+man who had exchanged signs with him as he entered the house, appeared
+at the aperture. His finger was on his lips, and his small grey eyes
+gleamed with an unusual expression of decision and vigilance. One
+lynx-like glance he cast into the apartment,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_435" id="Page_435">[Pg 435]</a></span> and then grasping the arm
+of Baltasar, he drew, almost dragged him through the opening. The pannel
+closed with as little noise as it had opened.</p>
+
+<p>Ten seconds elapsed, not more, and Herrera, who, in his care for the
+Count, had momentarily forgotten the prisoner, hurried back into the
+apartment. Astonished to find it empty, but not dreaming of an escape,
+he ran to the antechamber. The corporal and two soldiers, who had
+escorted Baltasar, rose from the bench whereon they had seated
+themselves, and carried arms.</p>
+
+<p>"And the prisoner?" cried Herrera.</p>
+
+<p>They had not seen him. Herrera darted back into the sitting-room.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is the prisoner?" exclaimed Torres, whom he met there.</p>
+
+<p>"Escaped!" cried Herrera. "The window! the window!"</p>
+
+<p>They rushed to the open window. It was at the side of the house, and
+looked out upon a narrow street, having a dead wall for some distance
+along one side, and little used as a thoroughfare. At that moment not a
+living creature was to be seen in it. The height of the window from the
+ground did not exceed a dozen feet, offering an easy leap to a bold and
+active man, and one which, certainly, no one in Baltasar's circumstances
+would for a moment have hesitated to take. Herrera threw himself over
+the balcony, and dropping to the ground, ran off down a neighbouring
+lane, round the corner of which he fancied, on first reaching the
+window, that he saw the skirt of a man's coat disappear. Leaving the
+Count, who was now regaining consciousness, in charge of Paco, Torres
+hurried out to give the alarm and cause an immediate pursuit.</p>
+
+<p>But in vain, during the whole of that day, was the most diligent search
+made throughout the town for the fugitive Carlist. Every place where he
+was likely to conceal himself, the taverns and lower class of posadas,
+the parts of the town inhabited by doubtful and disreputable characters,
+the houses of several suspected Carlists, were in turn visited, but not
+a trace of Baltasar could be found, and the night came without any
+better success. Herrera was furious, and bitterly reproached himself for
+his imprudence in leaving the prisoner alone even for a moment. His
+chief hope, a very faint one, now was, that Baltasar would be detected
+when endeavouring to leave the town. Strict orders were given to the
+sentries at the gates, to observe all persons going out of Pampeluna,
+and to stop any of suspicious appearance, or who could not give a
+satisfactory account of themselves.</p>
+
+<p>The hour of noon, upon the day subsequent to Baltasar's disappearance,
+was near at hand, and the peasants who daily visited Pampeluna with the
+produce of their farms and orchards, were already preparing to depart.
+The presence of Cordova's army, promising them a great accession of
+custom, and the temporary absence from the immediate vicinity of the
+Carlist troops, who frequently prevented their visiting Christino towns
+with their merchandise, had caused an unusual concourse of
+country-people to Pampeluna during the few days that the Christino army
+had already been quartered there. Each morning, scarcely were the gates
+opened when parties of peasants, and still more numerous ones of
+short-petticoated, brown-legged peasant women, entered the town, and
+pausing upon the market-place, proceeded to arrange the stores of fowls,
+fruit, vegetables, and similar rustic produce, which they had brought on
+mules and donkeys, or in large heavy baskets upon their heads. Long
+before the sun had attained a sufficient height to cast its beams into
+the broad cool-looking square upon which the market was held, a
+multitude of stalls had been erected, and were covered with luscious
+fruits and other choice products of the fertile soil of Navarre. Piles
+of figs bursting with ripeness; melons, green and yellow, rough and
+smooth; tomatas; scarlet and pulpy; grapes in glorious bunches of gold
+and purple; cackling poultry and passive rabbits; the whole intermingled
+with huge heaps of vegetables, and nose-gays of beautiful flowers, were
+displayed in wonderful profusion to the gaze of the admiring soldiers,
+who soon thronged to the scene of bustle. As the morning advanced,
+numerous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_436" id="Page_436">[Pg 436]</a></span> maid-servants, trim, arch-looking damsels, with small
+neatly-shod feet, basket on arm, and shading their complexion from the
+increasing heat of the sun under cotton parasols of ample dimensions,
+tripped along between the rows of sellers, pausing here and there to
+bargain for fruit or fowl, and affecting not to hear the remarks of the
+soldiers, who lounged in their neighbourhood, and expressed their
+admiration by exclamations less choice than complimentary. The day wore
+on; the stalls were lightened, the baskets emptying, but the market
+became each moment more crowded. Little parties of officers emerged from
+the coffee-houses where they had breakfasted, and strolled up and down,
+criticizing the buxom forms and pretty faces of the peasant girls; here
+and there a lady's mantilla appeared amongst the throng of female heads,
+which, for the most part, were covered only with coloured handkerchiefs,
+or left entirely bare, protected but by black and redundant tresses, the
+boast of the Navarrese maidens. Catalonian wine-sellers, their
+queer-shaped kegs upon their backs, bartered their liquor for the copper
+coin of the thirsty soldiers; pedlars displayed their wares, and
+<i>sardineras</i> vaunted their fish; ballad-singers hawked about copies of
+patriotic songs; mahogany-coloured <i>gitanas</i> executed outlandish, and
+not very decent, dances; whilst here and there, in a quiet nook, an
+itinerant gaming-table keeper had erected his board, and proved that he,
+of all others, best knew how to seduce the scanty and hard-earned
+maravedis from the pockets of the pleasure-seeking soldiery.</p>
+
+<p>But, as already mentioned, the hour of noon now approached, and
+marketing was over for that day. The market-place, and its adjacent
+streets, so thronged a short time previously, became gradually deserted
+under the joint influence of the heat and the approaching dinner hour.
+The peasants, some of whom came from considerable distances, packed up
+their empty baskets, and, with lightened loads and heavy pockets,
+trudged down the streets leading to the town gates.</p>
+
+<p>At one of these gates, leading out of the town in a northerly direction,
+several of the men on guard were assembled, amusing themselves at the
+expense of the departing peasantry, whose uncouth physiognomy and
+strange clownish appearance afforded abundant food for the quaint jokes
+and comical remarks of the soldiers. The market people were, for the
+most part, women, old men, and boys; the able-bodied men from the
+country around Pampeluna, having, with few exceptions, left their homes,
+either voluntarily or by compulsion, to take service in the Carlist
+ranks. Beneath the projecting portico of the guard-house, sat a
+sergeant, occupied, in obedience to orders given since the escape of
+Baltasar, in surveying the peasants as they passed with a keen and
+scrutinizing glance. For some time, however, this military Cerberus
+found no object of suspicion in any of the passers-by. Lithe active
+lads, greyhaired old men, and women whose broad shoulders and brawny
+limbs might well have belonged to disguised dragoons, but who,
+nevertheless, were unmistakeably of the softer sex, made up the
+different groups which successively rode or walked through the gate.
+Gradually the departures became less numerous, and the sergeant less
+vigilant; he yawned, stretched himself in his chair, rolled up a most
+delicate cigarrito between his large rough fingers, and lighting it,
+puffed away with an appearance of supreme beatitude.</p>
+
+<p>"Small use watching," said he to a corporal. "The fellow's not likely to
+leave the town in broad daylight, with every body on the look-out for
+him."</p>
+
+<p>"True," was the answer. "He'll have found a hiding-place in the house of
+some rascally Carlist. There are plenty in Pampeluna."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said the first speaker, "I'm tired of this, and shall punish my
+stomach no longer. Whilst I take my dinner, do you take my place. Stay,
+let yonder cabbage-carriers pass."</p>
+
+<p>The peasants referred to by the sergeant, were a party of half a dozen
+women, and nearly as many lads and men, who just then showed themselves
+at the end of the street, coming towards the gate. Most of them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_437" id="Page_437">[Pg 437]</a></span> were
+mounted on rough mountain ponies and jackasses, although three or four
+of the women trudged afoot, with pyramids of baskets balanced upon their
+heads, the perspiration streaming down their faces from the combined
+effects of the sun and their load. The last of the party was a stout
+man, apparently some five-and-forty years of age, dressed in a jacket
+and breeches of coarse brown cloth, and seated sideways on a scraggy
+mule, in such a position that his back was to the guard-house as he
+passed it. On the opposite side of the animal hung a pannier, containing
+cabbages and other vegetables; the unsold residue of the rider's stock
+in trade. The peasant's legs, naked below the knee, were tanned by the
+sun to the same brown hue as his face and bare throat; his feet were
+sandalled, and just above one of his ankles, a soiled bandage,
+apparently concealing a wound, was wrapped. A broad-brimmed felt hat
+shaded his half-closed eyes and dull stolid countenance, and the only
+thing that in any way distinguished him from the generality of peasants
+was his hair, which was cut short behind, instead of hanging, according
+to the usual custom of the province, in long ragged locks over the coat
+collar.</p>
+
+<p>Occupied with his cigar and gossip, the sergeant vouchsafed but a
+careless and cursory glance to this party, and they were passing on
+without hindrance, when, from a window of the guard-house, a voice
+called to them to halt.</p>
+
+<p>"How now, sergeant!" exclaimed the young ensign on guard. "What is the
+meaning of this? Why do these people pass without examination?"</p>
+
+<p>The negligent sergeant rose hastily from his chair, and, assuming an
+attitude of respect, faltered an excuse.</p>
+
+<p>"Peasants, sir; market-people."</p>
+
+<p>The officer, who had been on guard since the preceding evening, had been
+sitting in his room, waiting the arrival of his dinner, which was to be
+sent to him from his quarters, and was rather behind time. The delay had
+put him out of temper.</p>
+
+<p>"How can you tell that? You are cunning to know people without looking
+at then. Let them wait."</p>
+
+<p>And the next moment he issued from the guard-house, and approached the
+peasants.</p>
+
+<p>"Your name?" said he, sharply, to the first of the party.</p>
+
+<p>"Jos&eacute; Samaniego," was the answer. "A poor <i>aldeano</i> from Artica, <i>para
+servir &aacute; vuestra se&ntilde;oria</i>. These are my wife and daughter."</p>
+
+<p>The speaker was an old, greyhaired man, with wrinkled features, and a
+stoop in his shoulders; and, notwithstanding a cunning twinkle in his
+eye, there was no mistaking him for any thing else than he asserted
+himself to be.</p>
+
+<p>The officer turned away from him, glanced at the rest of the party, and
+seemed about to let them pass, when his eye fell upon the sturdy,
+crop-headed peasant already referred to. He immediately approached him.</p>
+
+<p>"Where do you come from?" said he, eyeing him with a look of suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>The sole reply was a stare of stupid surprise. The officer repeated the
+question.</p>
+
+<p>"From Berriozar," answered the man, naming a village at a greater
+distance from Pampeluna than the one to which old Samaniego claimed to
+belong. And then, as if he supposed the officer inclined to become a
+customer, he reached over to his pannier and took out a basket of figs.</p>
+
+<p>"Fine figs, your worship," said he, mixing execrably bad Spanish with
+Basque words. "<i>Muy barato</i>. You shall have them very cheap."</p>
+
+<p>When the man mentioned his place of abode, two or three of the women
+exchanged a quick glance of surprise; but this escaped the notice of the
+officer, who now looked hard in the peasant's face, which preserved its
+former expression of immovable and sleepy stupidity.</p>
+
+<p>"Dismount," said the ensign.</p>
+
+<p>The man pointed to his bandaged ankle; but on a repetition of the order
+he obeyed, with a grimace of pain, and then stood on one leg, supporting
+himself against the mule.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall detain this fellow," said the officer, after a moment's pause.
+"Take him into the guard-room."</p>
+
+<p>Just then a respectable-looking, elderly citizen, on his return
+apparently from a stroll outside the forti<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_438" id="Page_438">[Pg 438]</a></span>fications, walked past on his
+way into the town. On perceiving the young officer, he stopped and shook
+hands with him.</p>
+
+<p>"Welcome to Pampeluna, Don Rafael!" he exclaimed. "Your regiment I knew
+was here, but could not believe that you had come with it, since I had
+never before known you to neglect your old friends."</p>
+
+<p>"No fault of mine, Se&ntilde;or Lopez," replied the officer. "Three days here,
+and not a moment's rest from guards and fatigue duty."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, don't forget us; Ignacia and Dolores look for you. Ah, Blas! you
+here? How's your leg, poor Blas? Did you bring the birds I ordered?"</p>
+
+<p>These questions were addressed to the lame peasant, who replied by a
+grin of recognition; and an assurance that the birds in question had
+been duly delivered to his worship's servant.</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Lopez. "Good morning, Don Rafael."</p>
+
+<p>The young officer stopped him.</p>
+
+<p>"You know this man, then, Se&ntilde;or Lopez?" inquired the ensign.</p>
+
+<p>"Know him? as I know you. Our poultry-man; and if you will sup with us
+to-night, when you come off guard, you shall eat a fowl of his
+fattening."</p>
+
+<p>"With pleasure," replied the ensign. "You may go," he added, turning to
+the peasant. "Let these people pass, sergeant. May I be shot, Don
+Basilio, if I didn't mean to detain your worthy poulterer on suspicion
+of his being a better man than he looked. There has been an escape, and
+a sharp watch is held to keep the runaway in the town. It would have
+been cruel, indeed, to stop the man who brings me my supper. Ha, ha! a
+capital joke! Stopping my own supplies!"</p>
+
+<p>"A capital joke, indeed," said Lopez, laughing heartily. "Well, good
+bye, Don Rafael. We shall expect you to-night."</p>
+
+<p>And the cloth-merchant walked away, his usual pleasant smile upon his
+placid face, whilst the peasants passed through the gate; and the
+officer, completely restored to good-humour by the prospect of a dainty
+supper and pleasant flirtation with Don Basilio's pretty daughters,
+proceeded to the discussion of his dinner, which just then made its
+appearance.</p>
+
+<p>Crossing the river, the party of peasants who had met with this brief
+delay, rode along for a mile or more without a word being spoken amongst
+them. Presently they came to a place where three roads branched off, and
+here the lame peasant, who had continued to ride in rear of the others,
+separated from them, with an abrupt "adios!" Old Samaniego looked round,
+and his shrivelled features puckered themselves into a comical smile.</p>
+
+<p>"Is that your road to Berriozar, neighbour?" said he. "It is a new one,
+if it be."</p>
+
+<p>The person addressed cast a glance over his shoulder, and muttered an
+inaudible reply, at the same time that he thrust his hand under the
+vegetables that half filled his panniers.</p>
+
+<p>"If you live in Berriozar, I live in heaven," said Samaniego. "But fear
+nothing from us. <i>Viva el Rey Carlos!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>He burst into a shrill laugh, echoed by his companions, and, quickening
+their pace, the party was presently out of sight. The lame peasant, who,
+as the reader will already have conjectured, was no other than Baltasar
+de Villabuena, rode on for some distance further, till he came to an
+extensive copse fringing the base of a mountain. Riding in amongst the
+trees, he threw away his pannier, previously taking from it a large
+horse pistol which had been concealed at the bottom. He then stripped
+the bandage from his leg, bestrode his mule, and vigorously belabouring
+the beast with a stick torn from a tree, galloped away in the direction
+of the Carlist territory.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_439" id="Page_439">[Pg 439]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="HOW_THEY_MANAGE_MATTERS_IN_THE_MODEL_REPUBLIC" id="HOW_THEY_MANAGE_MATTERS_IN_THE_MODEL_REPUBLIC"></a>HOW THEY MANAGE MATTERS IN "THE MODEL REPUBLIC."</h2>
+
+
+<p>In the present doubtful state of our relations with the American
+Republic, many anxious eyes are of course being directed across the
+Atlantic, and much speculation excited as to the present policy and
+ultimate designs of that anomalous and ambitious people. Since increased
+facilities of communication have brought the two continents into closer
+union, and afforded their respective inhabitants more frequent
+opportunities of observing each other's political and social
+arrangements, it cannot, we think be said with truth, that those of the
+United States have risen in favour with the enlightened minds of Europe,
+least of all with those of England. For the obvious failings of that
+Republic are of a kind eminently adapted to shock minds cast in the
+European mould; while her virtues, however appropriate to the
+transatlantic soil in which they flourish, do not either so readily
+suggest themselves to the notice of the Old World, or, when fully
+realized, command a very extraordinary degree of respect. We do not very
+highly appreciate the liberty which appears to us license, nor the
+equality which brings with it neither good manners nor good morals, nor
+the vast material progress which occupies the energies of her people, to
+the exclusion of more elevating pursuits. There are moreover griefs
+connected with the United States which come peculiarly home to British
+interests and prejudices; the existence of slavery, for instance, in its
+most revolting form, in direct opposition to the spirit of their
+institutions, and to the very letter of that celebrated declaration
+which is the basis of all their governments; the repudiation or
+non-payment of debts contracted for the purposes of public works, of
+which they are every day reaping the advantages; and the unprincipled
+invasion of our Canadian frontier by their citizens during the late
+disturbances in that colony. Within the last few months, more
+particularly, they have committed many and grievous offences against
+their own dignity, the peace of the world, and the interests of Britain.
+We have heard their chief magistrate defy Christendom, and inform the
+world that the American continent is, for the future, to be held as in
+fee-simple by the United States; we have seen Texas forcibly torn from
+feeble Mexico, and the negotiations on the subject of Oregon brought to
+a close by a formal declaration, that the American title to the whole of
+it is "clear and unquestionable." They have displayed, in the conduct of
+their foreign relations during the past year, a vulgar indifference to
+the opinion of mankind, and an overweening estimate of their own power,
+which it is at once ludicrous and painful to behold. Nor is there reason
+to believe that these blots on the escutcheon of a nation, so young and
+so unembarrassed, are either deeply regretted or will be speedily
+effaced. We see no reaction of national virtue against national
+wrongdoing. For the cause of this great Republic is not, as in other
+countries, dependent upon the will of the one man, or the few men, who
+are charged with the functions of government, but on the will of the
+great mass of the people, deliberately and frequently expressed. The
+rule of the majority is in America no fiction, but a practical reality;
+and the folly or wisdom, the justice or injustice of her public acts,
+may, in ordinary times, be assumed as fair exponents of the average good
+sense and morals of the bulk of her citizens.</p>
+
+<p>We are not of those who charge the democratic institutions of the United
+States as a crime upon their people, or who think that, in separating
+themselves from the British crown, they were guilty of a deliberate
+wickedness which has yet to be expiated. Whether that separation was
+fully justified by the circumstances of the time, is a question upon
+which we do not propose to enter: but having so separated, it does not
+appear that any course was left open to them but that which they have
+pursued. Through the negligence of the mother country, no pains had been
+taken to plant even the germs of British institutions in her American
+colonies, and the War of Independence found them already in possession
+of all, and more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_440" id="Page_440">[Pg 440]</a></span> than all, of the democratic elements of our
+constitution; while the feeling of personal attachment to the sovereign
+had died out through distance and neglect, and the influence of the
+aristocracy and the church was altogether unknown. Even in Virginia,
+where, in consequence of the existence of domestic slavery on a large
+scale, and the laws of primogeniture and entail, a certain
+aristocratical feeling had sprung up, a jealousy of the British crown
+and parliament showed itself from first to last, at least as strongly as
+elsewhere; and the ink of the Declaration of Independence was scarcely
+dry, before those laws of property were repealed, and every vestige of
+an Established Church swept away. Nothing then remained, in the absence
+of Conservative principles and traditions, but to construct their
+government upon the broadest basis of Democracy; accordingly, the
+triumph of that principle was complete from the first. The genius of
+progressive democracy may have removed some of the slender barriers with
+which it has found itself accidentally embarrassed; but it has not been
+able to add any thing to the force of those pithy abstractions which
+were endorsed by the most respectable chiefs of the Revolution, and
+which remain to sanctify its wildest aspirations.</p>
+
+<p>All men, therefore, in America&mdash;that is, all <i>white</i> men&mdash;are "free and
+equal;" and every thing that has been done in her political world for
+the last half century has gone to illustrate and carry out this somewhat
+intractable hypothesis. Upon this principle, the vote of John Jacob
+Astor, with his twenty-five millions of dollars, is neutralized by that
+of the Irish pauper just cast upon its shores. The <i>millionaire</i> counts
+one, and so does the dingy unit of Erin, though the former counts for
+himself, and the latter for his demagogue and his priest. The exclusion
+of women and negroes from this privilege remains, it is true, a <i>hiatus
+valde deflendus</i> by the choicer spirits of the democracy. It is thought,
+however, that the system will shortly be completed by the addition of
+these new constellations. At this moment, in prospect of a convention to
+re-tinker the constitution, two agitations are going on in the state of
+New York&mdash;one to secure the "Political Rights of Women;" the other to
+extend those which negroes, under certain grievous restrictions, already
+enjoy. The theory of virtual representation has been held up to these
+two classes of citizens with as little success as to our own Radicals.
+Both negroes and women throw themselves upon the broad fact of their
+common humanity, and indignantly demand wherefore a black skin or a
+gentle sex should disqualify their possessors from the exercise of the
+dearest privilege of freemen.</p>
+
+<p>Now, however absurd this system may appear to us in the abstract, and
+however strongly we should resist its application to our own political
+case, we believe, as we said before, that the Americans have no choice
+in the matter but to make it work as well as possible, and that it is
+for the interest of the world, as well as for their own, that it should
+so work. The preservation of peace, and our commercial relations with
+the United States, are far more important to us than the triumph of an
+idea. We are quite content, if they will permit us, to remain on the
+best of terms with our transatlantic descendants, and to see them happy
+and prosperous in their own way. We even think it fortunate for mankind
+that the principle of self-government is being worked out in that remote
+region, and under the most favourable circumstances, in order that the
+civilized world may take note thereof, and guide itself accordingly. It
+is, we know, a favourite theme with their demagogues, that the glory and
+virtue and happiness of Yankee-doodle-doo have inspired the powers of
+the rotten Old World with the deepest jealousy and hatred, and that
+every crown in Europe pales before the lustre of that unparalleled
+confederacy. Nothing can be wider of the truth, pleasing as the illusion
+may be to the self-love of the most vainglorious people under the sun.
+The <i>prestige</i> which America and her institutions once undoubtedly
+enjoyed in many parts of Europe is rapidly fading away, as each
+successive post brings fresh evidence of her vices and her follies. We
+can, indeed, recollect a time when the example of the model Republic was
+held up for admiration in the most respectable quarters, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_441" id="Page_441">[Pg 441]</a></span> was the
+trump-card at every gathering of Radical reformers. But now the scene is
+changed&mdash;now, "none so poor to do her reverence." Even Chartist and
+Suffrage-men, Mr Miall and the Northern Star, have at last</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">&mdash;&mdash; "forgot to speak</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That once familiar word."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>They turn from her, and pass away as gingerly as the chorus in the Greek
+play from the purlieus of those ominous goddesses&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">&#7937;&#962; &#964;&#961;&#7953;&#956;&#959;&#956;&#949;&#957; &#955;&#7953;&#947;&#949;&#953;&#957;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">&#954;&#945;&#953; &#960;&#945;&#961;&#945;&#956;&#949;&#953;&#946;&#8001;&#956;&#949;&#952;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">&#945;&#948;&#7953;&#961;&#967;&#8033;&#964;&#969;&#962; &#945;&#966;&#8033;&#964;&#945;&#962;&mdash;</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>Mr O'Connell himself can find no room in his capacious affections for
+men who repudiate their debts, burn convents, "mob the finest pisantry,"
+and keep a sixth of their population in chains in the name of liberty!</p>
+
+<p>If "the great unwashed" on the other side of the Atlantic, will only
+consent to send men to their councils of moderately pure hearts and
+clean hands, they may rest assured that any conspiracy which the united
+powers of kings, nobles, and priests may devise against them, will take
+little by its motion. But they do just the reverse, as we shall
+presently show. The profligacy of their public men is proverbial
+throughout the states; and the coarse avidity with which they bid
+against each other for the petty spoils of office, is quite
+incomprehensible to an European spectator. To "make political capital,"
+as their slang phrase goes, for themselves or party, the most obvious
+policy of the country is disregarded, the plainest requirements of
+morality and common sense set aside, and the worst impulses of the
+people watched, waited on, and stimulated into madness. To listen to the
+debates in Congress, one would think the sole object of its members in
+coming together, was to make themselves and their country contemptible.
+Owing to the rantings of this august body, and the generally unimportant
+character of the business brought before it, little is known of its
+proceedings in Europe except through the notices of some passing
+traveller. But its shame does not consist merely or chiefly in the
+occasional bowie-knife or revolver produced to clinch the argument of
+some ardent Western member, nor even in the unnoted interchange of
+compliments not usually current amongst gentlemen. Much more deplorable
+is the low tone of morality and taste which marks their proceedings from
+first to last, the ruffian-like denunciations, the puerile rants, the
+sanguinary sentiments poured forth day by day without check or censure.
+This is harsh language, but they shall be judged out of their own
+mouths. We have before us a file of the <i>Congressional Globe</i>, the
+official record of the debates in both Houses, extending from December
+12 to January 15. During this period the Oregon question was called up
+nearly every day, and we propose to give some specimens, <i>verbatim et
+literatim</i>, of the spirit in which it has been discussed. We shall give
+notices of the speakers and their constituents as we go along, to show
+that the madness is not confined to one particular place or party, but
+is common to Whig and Democrat, to the representatives of the Atlantic
+as well as of the Western states. Most of our European readers will, we
+think, agree with us, that, considering the entire absence of
+provocation, and the infinitely trivial nature of the matter in dispute,
+these rhetorical flourishes are without parallel in the history of
+civilized senates.</p>
+
+<p>What is commonly called Oregon, is a strip of indifferent territory
+betwixt the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is separated from
+both the American and British possessions by an arid wilderness of great
+extent, or by many thousands of miles of tempestuous navigation, <i>via</i>
+Cape Horn. Since 1818, the claims of both parties to this region have
+been allowed to lie in abeyance under a convention of joint occupancy,
+if the advantages enjoyed in common by a handful of traders and trappers
+of both nations can be so called. The settlers from both countries are
+still numbered by hundreds, and the soil is very ill adapted to
+agricultural purposes; in short, it is the last thing in the world that
+a decent nation would get into a passion about. Still, as the previous
+administration had gained much glory by completing the robbery of Texas
+from Mexico, Mr Polk has thought fit to illustrate his by an attempt to
+squeeze and bully the sterner majesty of England. Accordingly, in his
+message, he boasts of having offered less<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_442" id="Page_442">[Pg 442]</a></span> favourable terms than his
+predecessors; and these being of course rejected, retires with dignity
+upon the completeness of the American title, and intimates that the time
+is at hand when the rights of his country must be asserted, if
+necessary, by the sword. All this is new light to all the parties
+concerned; this tempest in a tea-pot is of Mr Polk's own particular
+brewing; the real Oregon being a little political capital, as aforesaid,
+for himself. So far he has been eminently successful, for the fierce
+democracy howls forth its applause upon the floor of Congress, in manner
+and form as followeth:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Mr Cass, <i>Democratic</i> senator from Michigan, an <i>insolvent</i> western
+state, opened the ball on the 12th of December. He is said to aspire to
+the presidential chair, and is already a full general of militia. We
+give him his civil title, however, because we find him so set down in
+the <i>Globe</i>, which knows best what the military one is worth. There is
+nothing remarkable in his speech, except the fuss which he makes about
+national honour. He may find it lying in the ditch, much nearer home
+than Oregon&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"As to receding, it is neither to be discussed nor thought of. I
+refer to it but to denounce it&mdash;a denunciation which will find a
+response in every American bosom. Nothing is ever gained by
+national pusillanimity. The country which seeks to purchase
+temporary security by yielding to unjust pretensions, buys present
+ease at the expense of permanent honour and safety. It sows the
+wind to reap the whirlwind. I have said elsewhere what I repeat
+here, that it is better to fight for the first inch of national
+territory than for the last. It is better to defend the doorsill
+than the hearth-stone&mdash;the porch than the altar. <i>National
+character is a richer treasure than gold or silver</i>, and exercises
+a moral influence in the hour of danger, which, if not power
+itself, is it surest ally. <i>Thus far ours is untarnished!</i>" &amp;c.</p></div>
+
+<p>This statement of the relative value of "national character" as compared
+with the precious metals, will be very edifying to the creditors of
+Michigan.</p>
+
+<p>Mr Serier, <i>Democratic</i> senator from Arkansas, another <i>insolvent</i>
+western state, is a still richer representative of the majesty of the
+American senate. This state is the headquarters of the bowie-knife,
+revolver, and Judge Lynch <i>regime</i>, and Mr S.'s education in these
+particulars does not appear to have been neglected.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"It has been her (Great Britain's) bullying that has secured for
+her the respect of all Europe. <i>She is a court-house bully; and in
+her bullying, in my opinion, lies all her strength</i>. Now, she must
+be forced to recede; and <i>like any of our western bullies, who,
+when once conquered, can be kicked by every body, from one end of
+the country to the other</i>, England will, in case she do not recede
+from her position on this question, receive once more that salutary
+lesson which we have on more than one occasion already taught her."
+* * "I should like very much indeed to hear any one <i>get on the
+stump</i>, in my part of the country, sir, and undertake to tell us
+that the President had established our claims to Oregon, and made
+it as plain as the avenue leading to the White House; but inasmuch
+as there is great danger that Great Britain may capture our ships,
+and burn our cities and towns, it is very improper for us to give
+notice that we will insist upon our claim. <i>I need hardly say that
+such a one, if he could be found, would be summarily treated as a
+traitor to his country.</i>" * * * *</p></div>
+
+<p>No doubt of it. Furthermore, Mr Serier cannot think of arbitration,
+because&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"When I see such billing and cooing betwixt France and England, and
+when I think the Emperor of Russia may not desire to have so near
+his territory a set of men who read <i>Paine's Rights of Man</i>, and
+whistle 'Yankee doodle,' I feel disposed to settle the matter at
+once by force of gunpowder. I consider the President acted
+wisely&mdash;very wisely&mdash;in keeping the case in its present position,
+and in giving intimation of taking possession after twelve months'
+notice, and then to hold it. Yes, sir, to hold it by the force of
+that rascally influence called gunpowder. That's my opinion. These
+are plain common-sense observations which I have offered."</p></div>
+
+<p>What a love of a senator! We put it to the House of Lords&mdash;have they any
+thing to show like unto this nobleman of the woods?&mdash;We will now, with
+the permission of our readers, introduce them for a few moments<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_443" id="Page_443">[Pg 443]</a></span> to the
+House of Representatives. Mr Douglas, a <i>Democratic</i> representative from
+Illinois, another <i>insolvent</i> western state, wants to know why Great
+Britain should not be bullied as well as Mexico.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"He did hope that there would be no dodging on this Oregon
+question. Yes; that there would be no dodging on the Oregon
+question; that there would be no delay. There was great
+apprehension of war here last year&mdash;but of war with Mexico instead
+of Great Britain; and they had found men brave, and furious in
+their bravery, in defying Mexico and her allies, England and
+France, who now had an awful horror in prospect of a war with Great
+Britain. He (Mr D.) had felt pretty brave last year with reference
+to Mexico and her allies, and he felt equally so now. He believed
+if we wished to avoid a war upon this Oregon question, <i>the only
+way we could avoid it was preparing to give them the best fight we
+had on hand</i>. The contest would be a bloodless one; we should avoid
+war, for the reason that Great Britain knows too well: if she had
+war about Oregon, farewell to her Canada."</p></div>
+
+<p>Our next extract will be from the speech of Mr Adams, a <i>Whig</i>
+representative from, we regret to say, Massachusetts, which is in every
+respect the pattern state of the Union. We are willing to believe that
+in this single case the orator does not represent the feelings of the
+majority of his constituents. Mr Adams has filled the Presidential
+chair, and other high offices; and, while secretary of state, permitted
+himself to say on a public occasion, that the madness of George the
+Third was a divine infliction for the course that monarch had pursued
+towards the United States. The ruling passions of his life are said to
+be, hatred to England and to his southern brethren; and he thinks that
+war would gratify both these malignant crotchets at once, as the former
+would, in that contingency, lose Canada, and the latter their slaves. He
+urges that notice to terminate the convention of joint occupation should
+be given, and then observes&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"We would only say to Great Britain, after negotiating twenty odd
+years under that convention, we do not choose to negotiate any
+longer in this way. We choose to take possession of our own, and
+then, if we have to settle what is our own, or whether any portion
+belongs to you, we may negotiate. <i>We might negotiate after taking
+possession. That was the military way of doing business. It was the
+way in which Frederick II. of Prussia had negotiated with the
+Emperor of Austria for Silesia.</i> [Here Mr A. gave an account of the
+interview of Frederick the Great with the Austrian minister, and of
+the fact of Frederick having sent his troops to take possession of
+that province the very day that he had sent his minister to Vienna
+to negotiate for it.] Then we should have our elbows clear, and
+could do as we pleased. It did not follow as a necessary
+consequence that we should take possession; but he hoped it would
+follow as a consequence, and a very immediate one. But whether we
+give the notice or not, it did not necessarily draw after it
+hostility or war. If Great Britain chose to take it as an
+indication of hostility, and then to commence hostilities, why, we
+had been told that there would be but one heart in this country;
+and God Almighty grant that it might be so! If this war come&mdash;which
+God forbid! and of which, by the way, he had no apprehension
+whatever&mdash;he hoped the whole country would go into it with one
+heart and one mighty hand; and, if that were done, he presumed the
+question between us and Great Britain would not last long, neither
+Oregon, nor any country north of this latitude would long remain to
+Great Britain. Strong as was his moral aversion to war, modern war
+and military establishments, then, if he should have the breath of
+life at the time when the war commences, he hoped he should be able
+and willing to go as far in any sacrifices necessary to make the
+war successful, as any member of that house. He could say no more."</p></div>
+
+<p>This profligate drivel is uttered by the Nestor of the commonwealth, an
+infirm old man, with one foot in the grave. In order, however, to make
+the course pursued by this gentleman and the next speaker intelligible
+to the English reader, we may explain that, by the annexation of Texas,
+the Southern States have a majority of votes in Congress; the Northern
+States are therefore indifferent about war for Oregon, and the
+abolitionists among them frantic for it, in order that their domestic
+balance of power may be restored. Mr Giddings, a <i>Whig</i><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_444" id="Page_444">[Pg 444]</a></span> representative
+from Ohio, and a red-hot abolitionist, indulges in the following most
+wicked and treasonable remarks:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"This policy of adding territory to our original government is the
+offspring of the south. They have forced it upon the northern
+democracy. Their objects and ends are now answered. Texas is
+admitted. They have now attained their object, and now require the
+party to face about&mdash;to stop short, and leave the power of the
+nation in their hands. <i>They now see before them the black
+regiments of the West India islands landed on their shores. They
+now call to mind the declarations of British statesmen, that a war
+with the United States will be a war of emancipation. They now see
+before them servile insurrections which torment their imaginations;
+murder, rapine, and bloodshed, now dance before their affrighted
+visions. Well, sir, I say to them, this is your policy, not mine.
+You have prepared the cup, and I will press it to your lips till
+the very dregs shall be drained. Let no one misunderstand me. Let
+no one say I desire a slave insurrection; but, sir, I doubt not
+that hundreds of thousands of honest and patriotic hearts will
+laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. No, sir;
+should a servile insurrection take place, should massacre and blood
+mark the footsteps of those who have for ages been oppressed&mdash;my
+prayer to God shall be that justice&mdash;stern, unalterable
+justice&mdash;may be awarded to the master and the slave!" ... "A war
+with England in the present state of the two nations must
+inevitably place in our possession the Canadas, Nova Scotia, and
+New Brunswick. Six states will be added to the northern portion of
+the union, to restore the balance of power to the Free States.... I
+demand of you not to leave the nation in its present state of
+subjugation to the south. I will vote to give you the means of
+doing so," &amp;c.</i></p></div>
+
+<p>We hold up the ferocious cant of this mock philanthropist to the scorn
+of all good men, whether in Europe or America. So, because "the domestic
+institution" of his happy land is not to the taste of this Giddings,
+thousands of white men are to imbrue their hands in each other's blood,
+and England, the great champion of the negro race, at her own expense,
+is to be driven by force of arms out of Oregon. It is consoling,
+however, to find at last by their own confession, that there is a weak
+place&mdash;and a very weak one too&mdash;in "the area of freedom."</p>
+
+<p>Besides the acquisition of Canada, which is put down on all hands as a
+"gone 'coon," other brilliant results are to ensue from the possession
+of Oregon. Mr Ingersoll, (<i>Whig</i>,) "a drab-coloured man" from
+Pennsylvania&mdash;"flattered himself that two years would not elapse before
+the Chinese and Japanese&mdash;sober, industrious, and excellent
+people&mdash;would be attracted there to settle. It was only a short voyage
+across the Pacific Ocean. Millions of those starving workmen who, in
+point of sobriety, industry, and capacity, were among the best in the
+world&mdash;workmen from every isle in the Pacific&mdash;men able to outwork the
+English, would flock there."</p>
+
+<p>In the same fine strain of prophecy, Mr Darragh, another "<i>drab</i>" of the
+<i>Democratic</i> school, observes&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"He was one of those who believed that there were men now here, who
+might yet live to see a continuous railroad extending from the
+mouth of the Columbia to the Atlantic. The country would soon be
+filled with a dense population, and would eventually control the
+China trade, and affect the whole commerce of the Pacific. He
+trusted in God there would be a beginning of this end. He trusted
+that this government would say to the despotisms of Europe&mdash;Stay on
+your own side of the water, and do not attempt to intermeddle with
+the balance of power on this continent. He believed it to be the
+design of God that our free institutions, or institutions like
+ours, should eventually cover this whole continent&mdash;a consummation
+which could not but affect every part of the world, and the
+prospect of which ought to fill with joy the heart of every
+philanthropic man!"</p></div>
+
+<p>But it won't till you've paid your debts, O Darragh!</p>
+
+<p>Mr Baker, (<i>Whig</i>,) another <i>insolvent</i> from Illinois, is very rich and
+rapacious&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"He (Mr B.) went for the whole of Oregon; for every grain of sand
+that sparkled in her moonlight, and every pebble on its wave-worn
+strand. It was ours&mdash;all ours; ours by treaty, ours by
+discovery.... There was such a thing as destiny for this American
+race&mdash;a destiny that would yet appear upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_445" id="Page_445">[Pg 445]</a></span> the great chart of
+human history. It was already fulfilling, and that was a reason why
+we could now refuse to Great Britain that which we had offered her
+in 1818 and 1824. Reasons existed now in our condition, which did
+not exist then. Who at that time could have divined that our
+boundary was to be extended to the Rio del Norte, if not to
+Zacatecas, to Potosi, to California? No, we had a destiny, and Mr
+B. felt it." ... "Cuba was the tongue which God had placed in the
+Gulf of Mexico to dictate commercial law to all who sought the
+Carribbean Sea. And England was not to be allowed to take Cuba or
+hold Oregon, <i>because we, the people of the United States, had
+spread, were spreading, and intend to spread, and should spread,
+and go on to spread</i>!" ... "Mr Speaker, if from this claim an echo
+shall come back, it may not come from Oregon, but it will come from
+the Canadas. Sir, it will be 'the last echo of a host o'erthrown.'
+The British power will be swept from this continent for ever, and
+though she may, 'like the sultan sun, struggle upon the fiery verge
+of heaven,' she must yield at last to the impulses of freedom, and
+to the touch of that destiny which shall crush her power in the
+western hemisphere!"</p></div>
+
+<p>This may be considered bad to beat; yet, in our opinion, a choice spirit
+from Missouri, <span class="smcap">Sims</span> by name, does it&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"It is so common on this floor, for inexperienced members to make
+apologies for their embarrassment, that I will not offer any for
+mine. I find some difficulty in getting along with all the
+questions that may be raised by the north or by the south, and by
+lawyers, and by metaphysicians, and learned doctors who abound
+here, that I shall be slow in getting along. I hope, therefore,
+that gentlemen will keep cool, and suffer me to get through." ...</p></div>
+
+<p>Certainly, Sims&mdash;there is no false modesty, you will observe, in this
+good Sims. He thus defines his position.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"I wish it to be distinctly understood what banner I fight under.
+<i>It is for Oregon, all or none, now or never!</i> Not only <i>I myself</i>,
+but all my own people whom I represent, will stand up to this
+motto. Around that will we rally, and for it will we fight, <i>till
+the British lion shall trail in the dust. The lion has cowered
+before us before. Talk of whipping this nation?</i> Though not, sir,
+brought up in the tented field, nor accustomed to make war an
+exercise, and do not so much thirst for martial renown as to desire
+to witness such a war, yet I cannot fear it, nor doubt its
+success."</p></div>
+
+<p>A touching episode in the life of Sims!&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"When I was a boy, sir&mdash;a small boy&mdash;in 1815, I was with my father
+in church where he was offering his prayers to the Almighty, and it
+was then that the news of the victory of New Orleans was brought to
+the spot. <i>I never felt so happy, sir, as at that moment.</i> At that
+moment my love of country commenced, and from that hour it has
+increased more and more every year; and I shall be ever ready to
+peril every thing in my power for the good of my country. Still, <i>I
+am for the whole of Oregon, and for nothing else but the whole, and
+in defence of it I will willingly see every river, from its
+mountain source to the ocean, reddened with the blood of the
+contest. Talk about this country being whipped! The thing is
+impossible! Why did not Great Britain whip us long ago, if she
+could?</i>" * * * * * * "I shall lose as much as any one in a war&mdash;<i>I
+do not mean in property</i>&mdash;but I have a wife and children, and I
+love them with all the heart and soul that I possess. No one can
+love his family more than I do mine unless a stronger intellect may
+give him more strength of affection; and my family will be exposed
+to the merciless savages, who will as ever become the allies of
+Great Britain in any war. But still, sir, my people on the frontier
+will press on to the mouth of the Columbia, and fight for Oregon.
+<i>I am not sure but I will go myself.</i>"</p></div>
+
+<p>The feelings of the female Sims, and all the little Simses, on reading
+that last sentence! We shudder to think of it. Sims, however, has made
+up his mind that the exploit is no great matter after all.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"It was said that the route to Oregon was impracticable, and that
+it was beset with dangerous enemies, and that we could not send
+troops over to Oregon, nor provisions to feed them. <i>Now, sir, we
+of Missouri can fit out ten thousand waggon-loads of provisions for
+Oregon, and ten thousand waggon-boys to drive them, who, with their
+waggon-whips, will beat and drive off all the British and Indians
+that they find in their way.</i>"</p></div>
+
+<p>The peroration of this harangue is, perhaps, the funniest part of it
+all,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_446" id="Page_446">[Pg 446]</a></span> but want of space compels us to omit it. We let Sims drop with
+great reluctance, and pass over several minor luminaries who are quite
+unworthy to follow in his wake. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are about
+to introduce to you Mr Kennedy, a <i>Democratic</i> representative from
+Indiana&mdash;a <i>very insolvent</i> Western state, and a celebrated "British or
+any other lion" tamer.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Sir, (says Mr K.,) when the British lion, or any other lion, lies
+down in our path, we will not travel round the world in blood and
+fire, but will make him leave that lair." * * * *</p></div>
+
+<p>After this mysterious announcement, he enquires&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Shall we pause in our career, or retrace our steps, because the
+British lion has chosen to place himself in our path? Has our blood
+already become so pale, that we should tremble at the roar of the
+king of beasts? We will not go out of our way to seek a conflict
+with him; but if he cross our path, and refuses to move at a
+peaceful command, <i>he will run his nose on the talons of the
+American eagle, and his blood will spout as from a harpooned whale.
+The spectators who look on the struggle may prepare to hear a
+crash, as if the very ribs of nature had broke!</i>" ...</p></div>
+
+<p>Once more into the lion&mdash;or lioness&mdash;for it does not appear exactly
+which this time!</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"We are one people and one country, and have one interest and one
+destiny, which, if we live up to, <i>though it may not free us to
+follow the British lion round the world in blood and slaver</i>, will
+end in <i>her</i> expulsion from this continent, which <i>he</i> rests not
+upon but to pollute!"</p></div>
+
+<p>Mr Kennedy's solicitude for the rising generation is very touching&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Where shall we find room for all our people, unless we have
+Oregon? What shall we do with all those little white-headed boys
+and girls&mdash;God bless them!&mdash;that cover the Mississippi valley, as
+the flowers cover the western prairies?"</p></div>
+
+<p>In order to show the truly awful and more than Chinese populousness of
+this ancient State of Indiana, which was admitted into the Union so long
+ago as 1816, we may observe that its superficial extent is thirty-six
+thousand square miles, or twenty-three millions and forty thousand
+acres. The population in 1840, black and white all told, amounted to the
+astounding number of six hundred and eighty-five thousand eight hundred
+and sixty-six, or about one-third of that of London! The adjoining
+states of Illinois and Missouri are still less densely peopled.</p>
+
+<p>Mr Kennedy's opinions touching the British government&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Cannibal-like, it fed one part of its subjects upon the other. She
+drinks the blood and sweat, and tears the sinews of its labouring
+millions to feed a miserable aristocracy. England is now seen
+standing in the twilight of her glory; but a sharp vision may see
+written upon her walls, the warning that Daniel interpreted for the
+Babylonish king&mdash;'Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin!'"</p></div>
+
+<p>We cannot help the confusion of genders. It's so writ down in the
+<i>Globe</i>, as are all our quotations&mdash;<i>verbatim</i>. Here comes a fine "death
+or glory" blast&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Why is it that, after all, we should so dread the shock of war? We
+all have to die, whether in our beds or in the battle-field. <i>Who
+of you all, when roused by the clangour of Gabriel's trump, would
+not rather appear in all the bloom of youth, bearing upon your
+front the scar of the death-wound received in defence of your
+country's right, than with the wrinkled front of dishonoured age?</i>"</p></div>
+
+<p>Hoorra!&mdash;Only one more quotation from Kennedy, and that because it
+permits us to take a last fond look at Sims, who re-appears, for a
+moment, like a meteor on the scene of his past glories!</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Was it not a burning, blistering, withering shame that the cross
+of St George should be found <i>floating</i> on American <i>soil</i>?" [Here
+Mr <span class="smcap">L. H. Sims</span> exclaimed, "Yes, and it will blister on our foreheads
+like the mark of Cain!"]</p></div>
+
+<p>Mr Hamlin, a Democratic representative from Maine, one of the pattern
+New England states, is not far behind his Western brethren&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Their progress was as certain as destiny. He could not be mistaken
+in the idea, that our flag was destined to shed its lustre over
+every hill and plain on the Pacific slope, and on every stream that
+mingles with the Pacific. What would monarchical institutions
+do&mdash;what would tyrants do&mdash;in this age of improvement&mdash;<i>this age of
+steam and lightning? The still small voice in our legislative
+halls</i> and seminaries of learning, would soon be re-echoed in
+distant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_447" id="Page_447">[Pg 447]</a></span> lands. Should we fold our arms and refuse, under all these
+circumstances, to discharge our duty? No; let us march steadily up
+to this duty, and discharge it like men;</p>
+
+<p>
+'And the gun of our nation's natal day<br />
+At the rise and set of sun,<br />
+Shall boom from the far north-east away<br />
+To the vales of Oregon.<br />
+And ships on the seashore luff and tack,<br />
+And send the peal of triumph back.'"<br />
+
+</p></div>
+
+<p>Mr Stanton, a Democratic representative from the slave state of
+Tennessee&mdash;Polk's own&mdash;observes, that war about Oregon</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Would be another crime of fearful magnitude added to that already
+mountainous mass of fraud and havoc by which England has heretofore
+extended her power, and by which she now maintains it. <i>Did some
+gentlemen say that her crimes were represented by a vast pyramid of
+human skulls? I say, sir, rather by a huge pyramid of human hearts,
+living, yet bleeding in agony, as they are torn from the reeking
+bosoms of the toiling, fighting millions.</i>"</p></div>
+
+<p>Peace, this person observes, is rather nearer his heart than any thing
+else, but</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"If she must depart, if she is destined to take her sad flight from
+earth to heaven again, then welcome the black tempest of war.
+Welcome its terrors, its privations, its wounds, its deaths! We
+will sternly bare our bosoms to its deadliest shock, and trust in
+God for the result."</p></div>
+
+<p>After all this, our readers will be little surprised to find that a Mr
+Gordon, from the rich and partially civilized state of New York, whose
+commercial relations with us are of such magnitude and importance, makes
+an ass of himself with the best of them.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"The next war with Great Britain will expel her from this
+continent. Though a peace-loving people, we are, when aroused in
+defensive warfare, the most warlike race ever clad in armour. Let
+war come, if it will come, boldly and firmly will we meet its
+shock, and roll back its wave on the fast anchored isle of Britain,
+and dash its furious flood over those who raised the storm, but
+could not direct its course. In a just war, as this would be on our
+part, the sound of the clarion would be the sweetest music that
+could greet our ears!... <i>I abhor and detest the British
+Government.</i> Would to God that the British people, the Irish, the
+Scotch, the Welsh, and the English, would rise up in rebellion,
+sponge out the national debt, confiscate the land, and sell it in
+small parcels among the people. <i>Never in the world will they reach
+the promised land of equal rights, except through a red sea of
+blood.</i> Let Great Britain declare war, and I fervently hope that
+the British people, at least the Irish, will seize the occasion to
+rise and assert their independence.... I again repeat, that <i>I
+abhor that government; I abhor that purse-proud and pampered
+aristocracy, with its bloated pension-list, which for centuries
+past has wrung its being from the toil, the sweat, and the blood of
+that people</i>."</p></div>
+
+<p>Mr Bunkerhoff, from Ohio, and his people&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Would a great deal rather fight Great Britain than some other
+powers, for <i>we do not love her</i>. We hear much said about the ties
+of our common language, our common origin, and our common
+recollections, binding us together. But I say, <i>we do not love
+Great Britain at all; at least my people do not, and I do not</i>. A
+common language! It has been made the vehicle of an incessant
+torrent of abuse and misrepresentation of our men, our manners, and
+our institutions, and even our women&mdash;it might be vulgar to
+designate our plebeian girls as <i>ladies</i>&mdash;have not escaped it; and
+all this is popular, and encouraged in high places."</p></div>
+
+<p>Mr Chipman, from Michigan, thus whistles Yankee-doodle, with the usual
+thorough-base accompaniment of self-conceit:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Reflecting that from three millions we had increased to twenty
+millions, we could not resist the conclusion, that Yankee
+enterprise and vigour&mdash;he used the term Yankee in reference to the
+whole country&mdash;were destined to spread our possessions and
+institutions over the whole country. Could any act of the
+government prevent this? He must be allowed to say, that wherever
+the Yankee slept for a night, there he would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_448" id="Page_448">[Pg 448]</a></span> rule. What part of
+the globe had not been a witness of their moral power, and to the
+light reflected from their free institutions?" * * * *</p></div>
+
+<p>Your Yankee proper can no more "get along" without his spice of cant,
+than without his chew of tobacco and his nasal twang. What follows,
+however, took even us by surprise:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Should we crouch to the British lion, because we had been thus
+prosperous? He remembered the time when education, the pride of the
+northern Whigs, was made the means of opposition to the democracy.
+He recollected the long agony that it cost him to relieve his mind
+from federal thraldom. <span class="smcap">Education was an instrument to ridicule and
+put down democracy</span>."</p></div>
+
+
+<p>What Mr Chipman would do&mdash;<i>if</i>&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"I appeal to high Heaven, that if a British fleet were anchored off
+here, in the Potomac, and demanded of us one inch of territory, or
+one pebble that was smoothed by the Pacific wave into a child's
+toy, upon penalty of an instant bombardment, I would say fire." * *
+* * "Now he (Mr C.) lived on the frontier. He remembered when
+Detroit was sacked. Then we had a Hull in Michigan; but now, thank
+God, we had a Lewis Cass, who would protect the border if war
+should come, which, in his opinion, would not come. There were
+millions on the lake frontier who would, in case of war, rush over
+into Canada&mdash;the vulnerable point that was exposed to us. <i>He would
+pledge himself, that, upon a contract with the government, Michigan
+alone would take Canada in ninety days; and, if that would not do,
+they would give it up, and take it in ninety days again.</i> The
+Government of the United States had only to give the frontier
+people leave to take Canada."</p></div>
+
+<p>Though Michigan has the benefit of this hero's councils, he is at the
+pains to inform us that Vermont, a New England state, claims his birth,
+parentage, and education&mdash;a fact which we gladly record on the enduring
+page of Maga for the benefit of the future compiler of the Chipman
+annals. He closes an oration, scarcely, if at all, inferior to that of
+Sims, with a melodious tribute to the land of his nativity.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"If Great Britain went to war for Oregon, how long would it be
+before her starving millions would rise in infuriated masses, and
+overwhelm their bloated aristocracy! He would say, then, if war
+should  come&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+'Hurrah for Vermont! for the land which we till<br />
+Will have some to defend her from valley and hill;<br />
+Leave the harvest to rot on the field where it grows,<br />
+And the reaping of wheat for the reaping of foes.<br />
+<br />
+'Come Mexico, England! come tyrant, come knave,<br />
+If you rule o'er our land, ye shall rule o'er our grave!<br />
+Our vow is recorded&mdash;our banner unfurl'd,<br />
+<i>In the name of Vermont, we defy all the world!</i>'"<br />
+
+</p></div>
+
+<p><i>Magnifique&mdash;superbe&mdash;pretty well!</i> Would not the world like to know
+something of the resources of this unknown anthropophagous state which
+throws down the gauntlet so boldly? Well, in this very year of grace,
+the population of Vermont amounts to no less than 300,000 souls of all
+ages, sexes, and colours! She pays her governor the incredible sum of
+&pound;150 a-year. Her exports in 1840 amounted to &pound;60,000. Every thing about
+her is on the same homoeopathic scale, except her heroes!</p>
+
+<p>We have by no means exhausted our file, but our patience is expended,
+and so we fear is that of our readers. We write this in the city of New
+York, in the first week of February, and the debate is still proceeding
+in a tone, if possible, still more outrageous and absurd. The most
+astounding feature of the whole is, that the "collective wisdom" of any
+country professing to be civilized, can come together day after day and
+listen to such trash, without censure&mdash;without even the poor penalty of
+a sneer.</p>
+
+<p>The Americans complain that they have been grievously misrepresented by
+the British press. Mrs Trollope, Mr Dickens, and other authors, are no
+doubt very graphic and clever in their way; but in order to do this
+people full justice, they must be allowed to represent themselves. A
+man<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_449" id="Page_449">[Pg 449]</a></span> must go amongst them fully to realize how hopeless and deplorable a
+state of things is that phase of society which halts betwixt barbarism
+and civilization, and is curiously deficient in the virtues of both. If
+he wishes to form a low idea of his species, let him spend a week or two
+at Washington; let him go amongst the little leaders of party in that
+preposterous capital, watch their little tricks, the rapacity with which
+they clutch the meanest spoils and wonder how political profligacy grows
+fat upon diet so meagre and uninviting. He will come away with a
+conviction, already indorsed by the more respectable portion of the
+American community, that their government is the most corrupt under the
+sun; but he will not, with them, lay the flattering notion to his soul,
+that the people of whom such men are the chosen representatives and
+guides, are likely to contribute much to the aggregate of human
+happiness, freedom, and civilization.</p>
+
+<p>As to the denunciations of Great Britain, so thickly strewn through
+these <i>carmina non prius audita</i> of the Congressional muse, we are sure
+they will excite no feeling in our readers but that of pity and
+contempt, and that comment upon them is unnecessary. The jealousy of
+foreign nations towards the arts and arms of his country, is no new
+experience to the travelled Englishman. Still, as the Americans have no
+reason to be particularly sore on the subject of our arms, and as they
+appropriate our arts, at a very small expense, to themselves, they might
+afford, we should think, to let the British lion alone, and glorify
+themselves without for ever shaking their fists in the face of that
+magnanimous beast. In a political point of view, however, the
+deep-seated hostility of this people towards the British government, is
+a fact neither to be concealed nor made light of. From a somewhat
+extended personal observation, the writer of this is convinced that war
+at any time, and in any cause, would be popular with a large majority of
+the inhabitants of the United States. It is in vain to oppose to their
+opinion the interests of their commerce, and the genius of their
+institutions, so unsuited to schemes of warlike aggrandizement. The
+government of the United States is in the hands of the mob, which has as
+little to lose there as elsewhere, by convulsion of any kind.</p>
+
+<p>We are willing to believe that the person who at present fills the
+Presidential chair at Washington, is fully alive to the responsibilities
+of his situation, and would gladly allay the storm which himself and his
+party have heretofore formed for their own most unworthy purposes. He
+knows full well that the dispute is in itself of the most trumpery
+nature; that the course of Great Britain has been throughout moderate
+and conciliatory to the last degree; that the military and financial
+position of the United States is such as to forbid a warlike crisis; and
+that, if hostilities were to ensue betwixt Great Britain and his
+country, no time could be more favourable to the former than the
+present. Yet, with all these inducements to peace, we fear he will find
+it impossible to bring matters to a satisfactory termination. But should
+an opportunity occur of taking us at disadvantage&mdash;should we find
+ourselves, for instance, involved in war with any powerful European
+nation&mdash;we may lay our account to have this envious and vindictive
+people on our backs. We are not, therefore, called upon to anticipate
+the trial, and to take the course of events into our own hands; but
+still less ought we to make any concessions, however trifling, which may
+retard, but will eventually exasperate, our difficulties. Much is in our
+power on the continent of North America, if we are but true to our own
+interests and to those of mankind. We should cherish to the utmost that
+affectionate and loyal spirit, which at present so eminently
+distinguishes our flourishing colony of Canada; we should look to it,
+that such a form of government be established in Mexico as shall at once
+heal her own dissensions, and guarantee her against the further
+encroachments of her neighbours; and we should invite other European
+nations to join with us in informing the populace of the United States,
+that they cannot be indulged in the gratification of those predatory
+interests, which the public opinion of the age happily denies to the
+most compact despotisms and the most powerful empires.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_450" id="Page_450">[Pg 450]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="ANTONIO_PEREZ" id="ANTONIO_PEREZ"></a>ANTONIO PEREZ.</h2>
+
+
+<p>As often as we revisit the fair city of Brussels, an irresistible
+attraction leads us from the heights crowned with its modern palaces,
+down among the localities of the valley beneath, the seat and scene of
+so many of the old glories of the capital of the Netherlands. On these
+occasions our steps unconsciously deviate a little from the direct line
+of descent, turning off on the left hand towards the Hotel d'Aremberg.
+But it is not to saunter through the elegant interior of this princely
+mansion, and linger over exquisite pictures and rare Etruscan vases,
+that we then approach it. Our musing eye sees not the actual walls
+shining with intolerable whiteness in the fierce summer-sun, but the
+towers of an ancient edifice, long ago demolished by the pitiless Alva,
+which once, as the Hotel de Cuylembourg, covered the same site. Beneath
+its roof the Protestant Confederates, in 1566, drew up their memorable
+"Request" to Margaret of Parma; and at one of its windows these
+"Beggars," being dismissed with such contumelious scorn from the
+presence of the Regent, nobly converted the stigma into a war-cry; and,
+with the wallet of the "Gueux" slung across their shoulders, drank out
+of wooden porringers a benison on the cause of the emancipation of the
+United Provinces. So prompted to think of these stirring times, we are
+carried by the steep declivity of a few streets to that magnificent Town
+Hall, where, only eleven years before the occurrences in the Hotel
+Cuylembourg, Charles V. had resigned into the hands of his son Philip
+the sovereignty of an extensive and flourishing empire. All that could
+be achieved by the energy of a mind confident of its own force and
+clearness&mdash;by a strong will wielding enormous resources of power&mdash;by
+prudence listening to, and able to balance, cautious experience, and
+fearless impetuosity&mdash;and by consummate skill in the art of government,
+had been laboriously and successfully achieved by Charles. To Philip he
+transferred the most fertile, delightful, opulent, and industrious
+countries of Europe&mdash;Spain and the Netherlands, Milan and Naples. His
+African possessions included Tunis and Oran, the Cape Verd and Canary
+islands. The Moluccas, the Philippine and Sunda islands heaped his
+storehouses with the spices, and fruits, and prolific vegetable riches
+of the Indian Ocean; while from the New World, the mines of Mexico,
+Chili, and Potosi poured into his treasury their tributary floods of
+gold. His mighty fleet was still an invincible armada; and his army,
+inured to war, and accustomed to victory under heroic captains, upheld
+the wide renown of the Spanish infantry. But neither the abilities nor
+the auspicious fortunes of Charles were inherited with this vast
+dominion by Philip. It is almost a mystery the crumbling away during his
+reign of such wealth and such strength. To read the riddle, we must know
+Philip. The biography which we shall now hurriedly sketch, of one of his
+most eminent favourites and ministers, who was, also, one of the most
+remarkable men that ever lived, enables us to see further into the
+breast of the gloomy, jealous, and cruel king, than we could hope to do
+by the less penetrating light of general history.</p>
+
+<p>It was in the course of the year 1594, that the mother of the great Lord
+Bacon wrote bitterly to his brother Anthony&mdash;"Tho' I pity your brother,
+yet so long as he pities not himself, but keepeth that bloody <span class="smcap">Perez</span>,
+yea, as a coach-companion and bed-companion, a proud, profane, costly
+fellow, whose being about him I verily fear the Lord God doth mislike,
+and doth less bless your brother in credit, and otherwise in his health,
+surely I am utterly discouraged, and make conscience further to undo
+myself to maintain such wretches as he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_451" id="Page_451">[Pg 451]</a></span> is, that never loved your
+brother but for his own credit, living upon him."</p>
+
+<p>This dark portrait, even from the pencil of maternal anxiety, is not
+overcharged with shade. A few words, which could not have been uttered
+by the Lady Bacon except as a prophetess, we may add in reference to the
+meeting of the famous Englishman and the notorious Spaniard. At that
+moment the public life of Francis Bacon was faintly dawning. The future
+Minister of State and Chancellor of England had just entered the House
+of Commons, and was whining for promotion at the gate of the royal
+favourite. The mean subservience of his nature was to be afterwards
+developed in its repulsive fulness. His scheming ambition saw itself far
+away from the ermine of justice, doomed to be spotted by his corruption.
+He had not then betrayed, and brought to the scaffold, and slandered his
+benefactor. The power and honours of which he was to be stripped, were
+yet to be won. His glory and his shame alike were latent. He was
+beginning hazardously a career of brilliant and dismal vicissitudes, to
+finish it with a halo of immortal glory blazing round his name.</p>
+
+<p>But such a career along a strange parallelism of circumstances, although
+with a gloomier conclusion, Antonio Perez had already run. The
+unscrupulous confidant and reckless tool of a crafty and vindictive
+tyrant, he had wielded vast personal authority, and guided the movements
+of an immense empire.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Antonio Perez, secretary of state," said one of his
+contemporaries, "is a pupil of Ruy Gomez. He is very discreet and
+amiable, and possesses much authority and learning. By his
+agreeable manners, he goes on tampering and disguising much of the
+disgust which people would feel at the king's slowness and sordid
+parsimony. Through his hands have passed all the affairs of Italy,
+and also those of Flanders, ever since this country has been
+governed by Don Juan, who promotes his interests greatly, as do,
+still more, the Archbishop of Toledo and the Marquis de Los Valez.
+He is so clever and capable that he must become the king's
+principal minister. He is thin, of delicate health, rather
+extravagant, and fond of his advantages and pleasures. He is
+tenacious of being thought much of, and of people offering him
+presents."</p></div>
+
+<p>To gratify, by one dreadful blow, a cruel king and a guilty passion, he
+murdered his friend. The depth of his misery soon rivalled and exceeded
+the eminence of his prosperity. Hurled from his offices and dignities,
+deprived of the very title of nobility, condemned by the civil, and
+excommunicated by the ecclesiastical tribunals, cast into prison, loaded
+with irons, put to the torture, hunted like a wild beast out of his own
+country and many a nook of refuge in other lands, Perez, who had been
+"the most powerful personage in the Spanish monarchy," was, when we
+first meet him in the company of Bacon, an exile in penury. And so he
+died, an impoverished outcast, leaving to posterity a name which befits,
+if it cannot adorn, a tale, and may well point a moral.</p>
+
+<p>The "bloody" Perez was the natural son of Gonzalo Perez, who was for a
+long time Secretary of State to Charles V. and Philip II. Of his mother
+nothing is known. The conjectures of scandal are heightened and
+perplexed by the fact that he was ennobled when a child, and that,
+amidst all the denunciations of his overbearing behaviour and
+insufferable arrogance, he is never reproached with the baseness of his
+maternal lineage. Legitimated in infancy by an imperial diploma, Antonio
+was literally a courtier and politician from his cradle.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Being of a quick understanding, an insinuating character, and a
+devotedness which knew neither bounds nor scruples, full of
+expedients, a nervous and elegant writer, and expeditious in
+business, he had gained the favour of Philip II., who had gradually
+given him almost his entire confidence. He was, with Cayas, one of
+the two secretaries of the council of state, and was charged
+principally with the <i>despacho universal</i>; that is, with the
+counter-sign and the conduct of the diplomatic correspondence and
+the royal commands. Philip imparted to him his most secret designs,
+initiated him into his private thoughts; and it was Perez who, in
+deciphering the despatches, separated the points to be communicated
+to the council of state<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_452" id="Page_452">[Pg 452]</a></span> for their opinion, from those which the
+king reserved for his exclusive deliberation. Such high favour had
+intoxicated him. He affected even towards the Duke of Alva, when
+they met in the king's apartments at dinner, a silence and a
+haughtiness which revealed at once the arrogance of enmity and the
+infatuation of fortune. So little moderation in prosperity, coupled
+with the most luxurious habits, a passion for gaming, a craving
+appetite for pleasures, and excessive expenses, which reduced him
+to receive from every hand, excited against him both envy and
+animosity in the austere and factious court of Philip II.; and, on
+the first opportunity, inevitably prepared his downfal. This event,
+too, he himself hastened by serving too well the distrustful
+passions of Philip, and, perhaps, even by exciting them beyond
+measure against two men of his own party, Don Juan of Austria and
+his secretary Escovedo."</p></div>
+
+<p>It is impossible to imagine that the character of Philip was not
+fathomed by Perez. The peril of his position, as the depositary of the
+innermost secrets of the king, could not have escaped his acute mind.
+The treachery of his daily services, to which, in the words we have
+quoted, allusion is made, must have perpetually reminded him how
+probably he was preparing for himself the ruin which before his own eyes
+had struck and destroyed more than one of his predecessors. At the same
+time, the bent of his disposition carried him readily enough into
+intrigue, deceit, and cool remorseless villany. He was not retarded by
+any scruple, or abashed by any principle. But he did not lack sagacity.
+The power which he loved and abused was acquired and retained easily,
+because the exercise of his talents had always been quite in harmony
+with the natural flexion of his mind. In the conduct of public affairs,
+Philip never had a minister who more dexterously conformed reasons and
+actions of policy to the will, or prejudices, or passions of the
+sovereign. All the extravagance, and even towards so terrible an enemy
+as Alva, all the insolence of Perez, could hardly have shaken his
+security. From what he knew, and what he had done, Philip, it is true,
+might at any moment be tempted to work his downfal, if not his death;
+but, in consequence of that very knowledge and his very deeds, the value
+of such an adviser and such a tool was almost sure to protract and avert
+his doom. The disgrace and misfortune, therefore, of Perez, however
+enveloped afterwards in the mantle of political delinquency, are to be
+traced to more strictly personal causes. It is a curious, interesting,
+and horrible story.</p>
+
+<p>The memorable struggle of the Netherlands against the domination of
+Spain was at its height. The flames kindled by the ferocity of Alva had
+not been extinguished by his milder but far less able successor, the
+Grand Commander Requesens, who sank under the harassing pressure of the
+difficulties which encompassed him. Upon his death, the Spanish court,
+alive to the momentous issues of the contest, invoked the services of
+one of the most celebrated men of the age. Don John of Austria, who
+saved Europe and Christianity at the Gulf of Lepanto, and had repeatedly
+humbled the Crescent in its proudest fortresses, was chosen to crush the
+rebellious Flemings. The appointment was hardly made, when clouds of
+distrust began to roll over the spirit of Philip. The ambition of his
+brother was known and troublesome to him, as he had baffled but two
+years before a project which Don John took little pains to conceal, and
+even induced the Pope to recommend, of converting his conquest of Tunis
+into an independent sovereignty for himself. Believing these alarming
+aspirations to be prompted by the Secretary Juan de Soto, whom Ruy Gomez
+had placed near his brother, Philip removed Soto and substituted
+<span class="smcap">Escovedo</span>, on whose fidelity he relied, and who received secret
+instructions to divert, as far as possible, the dreams of Don John from
+sceptres and thrones. But a faithless master taught faithlessness to his
+servants. Escovedo, neglecting the counsels of Philip, entered cordially
+into the views and schemes of Don John, until the sagacious vigilance of
+Antonio Perez startled the jealousy of the Spanish monarch by the
+disclosure, that Don John intended, and was actually preparing to win
+and wear the crown of England. Such a prospect, there can be no doubt,
+tore his sullen soul with bitter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_453" id="Page_453">[Pg 453]</a></span> recollections, and made him resolve,
+more sternly than ever, that the haughty island should groan beneath no
+yoke but his own. The mere subjugation of England by Spanish arms, and
+the occupation of its throne by a Spaniard, not himself, were
+insufficient to glut the hatred, and avenge the insulted majesty of
+Philip. For his own hands and his own purposes he reserved the task; and
+at a later period, the wreck of the Armada strewed the shores of Britain
+with memorials of his gigantic and innocuous malignity. Dissembling,
+however, his displeasure, he permitted Don John to expect, when the
+Netherlands had been pacified, his approval of the invasion of England.</p>
+
+<p>"At the same time, to become acquainted with all his brother's
+designs, and watch the intrigues of Escovedo, he authorized Perez,
+who was the confidant of the one and the friend of the other, to
+correspond with them, to enter into their views, to appear to gain
+his favour for them, to speak even very freely of him, in order to
+throw them the more off their guard, and afterwards to betray their
+secrets to him. Perez sought, or, at the very least, accepted this
+odious part. He acted it, as he himself relates, with a shameless
+devotion to the king, and a studied perfidy towards Don Juan and
+Escovedo. He wrote letters to them, which were even submitted to
+the inspection of Philip, and in which he did not always speak
+respectfully of that prince; he afterwards communicated to Philip
+the bold despatches of Escovedo, and the effusions of Don Juan's
+restless and desponding ambition. In forwarding to the king a
+letter from Escovedo, he at once boasts, and clears himself of this
+disloyal artifice. 'Sire,' says he, 'it is thus one must listen and
+answer for the good of your service; people are held much better
+thus at sword's length; and one can better do with them whatever is
+conducive to the interest of your affairs. But let your majesty use
+good precaution in reading these papers; for, if my artifice is
+discovered, I shall no longer be good for any thing; and shall have
+to discontinue the game. Moreover, I know very well that, for my
+duty and conscience, I am doing, in all this, nothing but what I
+ought; and I need no other theology than my own to comprehend it.'
+The king answers&mdash;'Trust, in every thing, to my circumspection. My
+theology understands the thing just as yours does, and considers
+not only that you are doing your duty, but that you would have been
+remiss towards God and man, had you not done so, in order to
+enlighten my understanding, as completely as is necessary, against
+human deceits and upon the things of this world, at which I am
+truly alarmed."</p>
+
+<p>The laurels of the conqueror of the Turks drooped and withered in
+Flanders.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"This young and glorious captain found, in the provinces
+confederated at Ghent, an incurable distrust both of the Spaniards
+and himself. The profound and skilful policy of the Prince of
+Orange raised obstacles against him which he could not surmount. In
+spite of the moderate conditions which he offered to the assembled
+States-General, he was received by them much less as a pacificator
+than as an enemy. They refused to authorize the departure of the
+Spanish troops by sea, fearing they might be employed against the
+provinces of Holland and Zealand, and they required that they
+should repair to Italy by land. Don Juan saw his designs upon
+England, on this side, vanishing. Without authority, money, or any
+means of establishing the domination of the king, his brother, and
+of supporting his own renown, he took a disgust to a position which
+offered him no issue. Accustomed, hitherto, to rapid and brilliant
+enterprises, he desponded at his impotency; and already a prey to
+gnawing cares, which were leading him slowly to the tomb, he
+demanded his recall."</p></div>
+
+<p>To enforce his complaints, Don John sent Escovedo to Spain. Redress was
+not granted, and his messenger never returned to him. The deadly
+correspondence between Perez and himself&mdash;the outpourings of an ardent
+and daring temper, swelling with lofty designs, and pining beneath an
+apparently irremediable inaction, into the ears of a frigid and false
+winnower of unguarded words and earnest feelings&mdash;was continued
+unremittingly. M. Mignet, it seems to us, shows very satisfactorily,
+that Perez, in his abominable office of an unjust interpreter of the
+wishes and intentions of Don John, drugged Philip copiously with
+calumnious reports and unwarrantable insinuations. Be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_454" id="Page_454">[Pg 454]</a></span> that as it may,
+we are inclined to believe, among other matters of a very different
+complexion, that, without repugnance on the part of Philip, there was a
+tossing about for a time, in the lottery of events, a marriage between
+Don John and our beautiful and unfortunate Mary. There is a pleasure and
+a grace sometimes in idle speculation; but to the leisure of a happier
+fancy than ours we commit the picture of the consequences of an union
+between the heroic Don John and the lovely Queen of Scotland. "<i>Money,
+more money, and Escovedo</i>," became at length, in his perplexity and
+anguish, the importunate clamour of the governor of the Netherlands.
+Then it was, <i>as Perez tells us</i>, that Philip and his obsequious
+counsellors meditated on the course best fitted for what was evidently a
+serious conjecture. Then it was, we learn from the same authority, that
+the king determined <span class="smcap">on the death of Escovedo</span>.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"They took a review of the various schemes that had been planned in
+favour of Prince Don Juan, ever since his residence in Italy,
+without the king having any communication or perfect knowledge of
+them; they called to mind the grievous disappointment experienced
+by the authors of these projects, at the expedition to England not
+taking place according to their first idea; the attempt they made a
+second time, for the same object, with his Holiness, when they were
+in Flanders, and always without giving the king any account; the
+design of deserting the government of Flanders, when once the
+expedition to England was abandoned; the secret understandings
+formed in France without the king's knowledge; the resolution they
+had formed, to prefer going as adventurers into France, with six
+thousand foot and one thousand horse, to filling the highest
+offices; lastly, the very strong language with which the prince, in
+his letters, expressed his grief and despair. The result of all
+this seemed, that there was reason to fear some great resolution,
+and the execution of some great blow or other which might trouble
+the public peace, and the tranquility of his majesty's states, and,
+moreover, that Prince Don Juan might himself be ruined, if they let
+the secretary, Escovedo, remain any longer with him."</p></div>
+
+<p>What a gap there is in the whole truth in this story, on which Perez
+subsequently built his defence, we shall now briefly explain. With one
+considerable exception, historians concur in their belief of the amours
+of Perez with the Princess of Eboli. Ranke, who is satisfied with the
+political explanation given by Perez of the murder of Escovedo,
+discredits the notion of Perez being a lover of the princess, because
+she was old, and blind of one eye, and because his own wife, Dona Juana
+Co&euml;llo, evinced towards him, throughout his trial, the most devoted and
+constant affection.</p>
+
+<p>"The last reason," says our author, with perfect truth, "goes for
+nothing." The love of woman buries her wrongs without a tear. "As to the
+objection," M. Mignet proceeds to remark, "derived from the age and
+appearance of the Princess of Eboli, it has not much foundation either.
+All contemporary writers agree in praising her beauty (<i>hermosura</i>.)
+Born in 1540, she married Ruy Gomez at the age of thirteen, and was only
+thirty-eight years old at the present period. She was not one-eyed, but
+she squinted. There was nothing in her person to prevent the intimacy
+which Ranke discredits, but which numerous testimonies place beyond any
+doubt. I quote only the most important, waiving the presents which Perez
+had received from the princess, and which he was condemned to give back
+by a decree of justice."</p>
+
+<p>It is too late now, we join M. Mignet in believing, to doubt or even to
+decry the personal charms of the Princess of Eboli, which the misty
+delirium of the poet may have magnified, or the expedient boldness of
+the romancer too voluptuously emblazoned, but which more than one grave
+annalist has calmly commemorated.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_455" id="Page_455">[Pg 455]</a></span> We shall not, however, venture to
+decide the nice question which oscillates between an obliquity and a
+loss of vision. The Spanish word "tuerto" means, ordinarily, "blind of
+one eye." And there is an answer which M. Mignet probably considers
+apocryphal, as he does not allude to it, said to have been made by Perez
+to Henry IV. of France, who expressed surprise that he should be so much
+the slave of a woman that had but one eye. "Sire," replied the
+ingeniously gallant Perez, "she set the world on fire with that; if she
+had preserved both, she would have consumed it." It is of little
+consequence. Any slight physical blemish or imperfection was more than
+counterbalanced by the wit and accomplishments of this seductive woman,
+whose enchantments, like those of Ninon de l'Enclos, defied the
+impairing inroads of old age.</p>
+
+<p>It is unnecessary here to repeat or analyse the powerful concatenation
+of proofs by which her criminal intimacy with Perez is established. We
+may frankly admit, nevertheless, that the first perusal of the evidence
+did not convince us. The probability was strong that much would be
+exaggerated, perverted, and invented, before a partial tribunal, in
+order to annihilate a disgraced courtier, a fallen and helpless enemy.
+But the reasons which appear conclusively to fix culpability, will be
+better understood when the facts of the case are stated. Every witness
+must be branded with perjury to entitle us to doubt that the familiarity
+of Perez with the princess had attracted observation. Escovedo was aware
+of it, saw it, and denounced it. He remonstrated with both parties on
+their guilt and on their danger. The appeals to conscience and to fear
+were of unequal force. The guilt of their conduct was not likely to
+excite, in a couple abandoned to the indulgence of a mutual and violent
+passion, any emotion except anger against the honesty and audacity which
+rebuked them. By a grave discourse on breaches of decorum and morality,
+Escovedo ran the risk of being considered&mdash;what the princess actually
+declared him to be&mdash;a rude fellow and a <i>bore</i>. But the danger of their
+profligacy was a more delicate and ominous text for censure. In the
+peril of any public exposure was involved an additional complication of
+guilt. Perez was not the only favoured votary of the versatile siren.
+His rival, or rather his partner, was&mdash;Philip of Spain! The revelation
+of promiscuous worship, threatened by Escovedo, sounded like a knell to
+Perez and the princess. Was it a mad defiance, or a profound prescience,
+of the consequences, which, when Escovedo, stung on one occasion beyond
+forbearance by the demonstration of iniquity which Othello in his agony
+demands of Iago, declared loudly his purpose of divulging every thing to
+the king?&mdash;was it, we say, the fury or the shrewdness of despair which
+then drew <i>from the lady</i> a reply of outrageous and coarse effrontery?
+The irrecoverable words being spoken, we think, with M. Mignet, that
+"the ruin of Escovedo, whose indiscretions were becoming formidable, was
+doubtless sworn, from this moment, by Perez and the princess."</p>
+
+<p>We shall now, with some consciousness of superiority over the German,
+Feuerbach, whose common-place murders are flavourless for us, (who were
+fellow-citizens of Burke, and rode in an omnibus with Greenacre, just as
+Bacon had Perez for a coach-companion,) transcribe the minute continuous
+narrative of the assassination of Escovedo, taken down from the lips of
+Antonio Enriquez, the page and familiar of Antonio Perez:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"'Being one day at leisure in the apartment of Diego Martinez the
+major-domo of Antonio Perez, Diego asked me whether I knew any of
+my countrymen who would be willing to stab a person with a knife.
+He added, that it would be profitable and well paid, and that, even
+if death resulted from the blow, it was of no consequence. I
+answered, that I would speak of it to a mule-driver of my
+acquaintance, as in fact I did, and the muleteer undertook the
+affair. Afterwards, Diego Martinez gave me to understand, with
+rather puzzling reasons, that it would be necessary to kill the
+individual, who was a person of importance, and that Antonio Perez
+would approve of it; on this I remarked that it was not an affair
+to be trusted to a muleteer, but to persons of a better stamp. Then
+Diego Martinez added, that the person to be killed often came to
+the house, and that, if we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_456" id="Page_456">[Pg 456]</a></span> could put any thing in his food or
+drink, we must do so; because that was the best, surest, and most
+secret means. It was resolved to have recourse to this method, and
+with all dispatch.</p>
+
+<p>"'During these transactions, I had occasion to go to Murcia. Before
+my departure, I spoke of it to Martinez, who told me I should find,
+in Murcia, certain herbs well adapted to our purpose; and he gave
+me a list of those which I was to procure. In fact, I sought them
+out and sent them to Martinez, who had provided himself with an
+apothecary, whom he had sent for from Molina in Aragon. It was in
+my house that the apothecary, assisted by Martinez, distilled the
+juice of those herbs. In order to make an experiment of it
+afterwards, they made a cock swallow some, but no effect followed;
+and what they had thus prepared, was found to be good for nothing.
+The apothecary was then paid for his trouble, and sent away.</p>
+
+<p>"'A few days after, Martinez told me he had in his possession a
+certain liquid fit to be given to drink, adding that Antonio Perez,
+the secretary, would trust nobody but me, and that, during a repast
+which our master was to give in the country, I should only have to
+pour out some of this water for Escovedo, who would be among the
+guests, and for whom the preceding experiments had already been
+tried. I answered, that unless my master himself gave me the order,
+I would not have a hand in poisoning any body. Then the secretary,
+Anthony Perez, called me one evening in the country, and told me
+how important it was for him that the secretary Escovedo should
+die; that I must not fail to give him the beverage in question on
+the day of the dinner: and that I was to contrive the execution of
+it with Martinez; adding, moreover, good promises and offers of
+protection in whatever might concern me.</p>
+
+<p>"'I went away very contented, and consulted with Martinez as to the
+measures to be taken. The arrangement for the dinner was as
+follows: entering the house by the passage of the stables, which
+are in the middle, and advancing into the first room, we found two
+side-boards, one for the service of plates, and the other for that
+of the glasses, from which we were to supply the guests with drink.
+From the said room, on the left, we passed to that where the tables
+were laid, and the windows of which looked out on the country.
+Between the room where they were to dine, and that where the
+side-boards stood, was a square room, serving as an antechamber and
+passage. Whilst they were eating, I was to take care that every
+time the secretary Escovedo asked for drink, I should be the person
+to serve him. I had thus the opportunity of giving him some twice;
+pouring the poisoned water into his wine at the moment I passed
+through the antechamber, about a nutshell-full, as I had been
+ordered. The dinner over, secretary Escovedo went away, but the
+others remained to play, and Antonio Perez having gone out for a
+moment, rejoined his major-domo and me in one of the apartments
+over the court-yard, where we gave him an account of the quantity
+of water that had been poured into secretary Escovedo's glass;
+after which, he returned to play. We heard, afterwards, that the
+beverage had produced no effect.</p>
+
+<p>"'A few days subsequent to this ill success, secretary Antonio
+Perez gave another dinner in what is called Cordon House, which
+belonged to the count of Puno&ntilde; Rostro, where secretary Escovedo,
+Dona Juana Co&euml;llo, the wife of Perez, and other guests, were
+present. Each of them was served with a dish of milk or cream, and
+in Escovedo's was mixed a powder like flour. I gave him, moreover,
+some wine mixed with the water of the preceding dinner. This time
+it operated better, for secretary Escovedo was very ill, without
+guessing the reason. During his illness, I found means for one of
+my friends, the son of captain Juan Rubio, governor of the
+principality of Melfi, and formerly Perez's major-domo (which son,
+after having been page to Dona Juana Co&euml;llo, was a scullion in the
+king's kitchens), to form an acquaintance with secretary Escovedo's
+cook, whom he saw every morning. Now, as they prepared for the sick
+man a separate broth, this scullion, taking advantage of a moment
+when nobody saw him, cast into it a thimble-full of a powder that
+Diego Martinez had given him. When secretary Escovedo had taken
+some of this food, they found that it contained poison. They
+subsequently arrested one of Escovedo's female slaves who must have
+been employed to prepare the pottage; and, upon this proof, they
+hung her in the public square at Madrid, though she was innocent.</p>
+
+<p>"'Secretary Escovedo having escaped all these plottings, Antonio
+Perez adopted another plan, viz., that we should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_457" id="Page_457">[Pg 457]</a></span> kill him some
+evening with pistols, stilettoes, or rapiers, and that without
+delay. I started, therefore, for my country, to find one of my
+intimate friends, and a stiletto with a very thin blade, a much
+better weapon than a pistol for murdering a man. I travelled post,
+and they gave me some bills of exchange of Lorenzo Spinola at
+Genoa, to get money at Barcelona, and which, in fact, I received on
+arriving there.'</p>
+
+<p>"Here Enriquez relates, that he enticed into the plot one of his
+brothers, named Miguel Bosque, to whom he promised a sum of gold
+and the protection of Perez; that they arrived at Madrid the very
+day Escovedo's slave was hanged; that, during his absence, Diego
+Martinez had fetched from Aragon, for the same object, two resolute
+men, named Juan de Mesa and Insausti; that the very day after his
+arrival, Diego Martinez had assembled them all four, as well as the
+scullion Juan Rubio, outside Madrid, to decide as to the means and
+the moment of the murder; that they had agreed upon this, that
+Diego Martinez had procured them a sword, broad and fluted up to
+the point, to kill Escovedo with, and had armed them all with
+daggers; and that Antonio Perez had gone, during that time, to pass
+the holy week at Alcala, doubtless with the intention of turning
+suspicion from him when the death of Escovedo was ascertained. Then
+Antonio Enriquez adds:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'It was agreed, that we should all meet every evening upon the
+little square of Saint James (Jacobo), whence we should go and
+watch on the side by which secretary Escovedo was to pass; which
+was done. Insausti, Juan Rubio, and Miguel Bosque, were to waylay
+him; while Diego Martinez, Juan de Mesa, and I, were to walk about
+in the neighbourhood, in case our services should be required in
+the murder. On Easter Monday, March 31, the day the murder was
+committed, Juan de Mesa and I were later than usual in repairing to
+the appointed spot, so that, when we arrived at St James's Square,
+the four others had already started to lie in ambush for the
+passing of secretary Escovedo. Whilst we were loitering about, Juan
+de Mesa and I heard the report that Escovedo had been assassinated.
+We then retired to our lodgings. Entering my room, I found Miguel
+Bosque there, in his doublet, having lost his cloak and pistol; and
+Juan de Mesa found, likewise, Insausti at his door, who had also
+lost his cloak, and whom he let secretly into his house.'"</p></div>
+
+<p>The quiet pertinacity which characterizes this deliberate murder adds a
+creditable chapter to the voluminous "Newgate Calendar" of the sixteenth
+century. The murderers&mdash;first, second, third, and fourth&mdash;having
+executed their commission, were rewarded with a dramatic appreciation of
+their merits. Miguel Bosque received a hundred gold crowns from the hand
+of the clerk in the household of Perez. Juan de Mesa was presented with
+a gold chain, four hundred gold crowns, and a silver cup, to which the
+Princess of Eboli added, in writing, a title of employment in the
+administration of her estates. Diego Martinez brought to the three
+others brevets, signed nineteen days after this deed of blood, by Philip
+II. and Perez, of <i>alfarez</i>, or ensign in the royal service, with an
+income of twenty gold crowns. They then smilingly dispersed, as the play
+directs, "you that way, I this way."</p>
+
+<p>Such blood will not sink in the ground. Instantly, at a private audience
+granted to him by Philip, the son of Escovedo, impelled by a torrent of
+universal suspicion, charged his father's death home to Perez. On the
+same day, Philip communicated to Perez the accusation. No pictorial art,
+we are sure, could exhibit truly the faces of these two men, speaking
+and listening, at that conference. This, however, was the last gleam of
+his sovereign's confidence that ever shone on Perez. His secret and
+mortal enemy, Mathew Vasquez, one of the royal secretaries, having
+espoused the cause of the kinsmen of Escovedo, wrote to Philip, "People
+pretend that it was a great friend of the deceased who assassinated the
+latter, because he had found him interfering with his honour, and <i>on
+account of a woman</i>." The barbed missile flew to its mark, and rankled
+for ever.</p>
+
+<p>Our limits preclude the most concise epitome of the next twelve years of
+the life of Perez, of which the protracted tribulations, indeed, cannot
+be related more succinctly and attractively than they are by M. Mignet.
+During this weary space of time, Perez, single-handed, maintained an
+energetic defensive warfare against the disfavour of a vindictive
+monarch,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_458" id="Page_458">[Pg 458]</a></span> the oppression of predominant rivals, the insidious
+machinations and wild fury of relentless private revenge, the most
+terrific mockeries of justice, the blackest mental despondency, and
+exquisite physical suffering. Philip II. displayed all his atrocious
+feline propensities&mdash;alternately hiding and baring his claws&mdash;tickling
+his victim to-day with delusions of mercy and protection, in order to
+smite him on the morrow with heavier and unmitigated cruelty. The truth
+is, he did not dare to kill, while he had no desire to save. Over and
+over again, in the course of the monstrous burlesques which were enacted
+in judicial robes as legal inquiries, did Philip privately, both orally
+and in writing, exonerate and absolve the murderer. Prosecutors and
+judges were bridled and overawed&mdash;kinsmen were abashed&mdash;popular
+indignation was quelled by reiterated assurances and reports, that the
+confidential secretary of state had been the passive and faithful
+executioner of royal commands. Even Uncle Martin, the privileged
+court-fool, when the flight ultimately of Perez gave general
+satisfaction, though not to the implacable Philip, exclaimed
+openly&mdash;"Sire, who is this Antonio Perez, whose escape and deliverance
+have filled every one with delight? He cannot, then, have been guilty;
+rejoice, therefore, like other people." But the lucky rival&mdash;the happy
+lover, could not expiate his rank offence by any amount of sacrifice in
+person or estate. According to our view of these lingering scenes of
+rancorous persecution, Philip gradually habituated himself to gloat over
+the sufferings of Perez with the morbid rapture of monomania. So long as
+the wretched man was within his reach, he contemplated placidly the
+anguish inflicted on him by the unjust or excessive malevolence of his
+enemies. He repeatedly checked the prosecutions of the Escovedo family,
+and sanctioned their revival with as little difficulty as if he had
+never interposed on any former occasion. He relaxed at intervals the
+rigorous imprisonment under which Perez was gasping for the breath of
+life, granting him for nearly a twelvemonth so much liberty as to
+inflate a naturally buoyant temperament with inordinate hope; but, in
+that very period, instigated and approved of investigations and actions
+at law, which resulted in reducing Perez, in so far as wealth and
+honours were concerned, to beggary and rags. He threw into a dungeon
+Pedro de Escovedo, who talked unreservedly of his desire to assassinate
+Perez; and refused the fervent entreaties of Perez himself to remove,
+for a temporary relief, the fetters with which, when his ailing body
+could scarcely support its own weight, his limbs had been loaded. He
+sent Perez compassionate and encouraging messages, writing to him, "I
+will not forsake you, and be assured that their animosity (of the
+Escovedos) will be impotent against you;" while he regularly transmitted
+to Vasquez and the Escovedos the information which nourished and
+hardened their hatred. And finally, having constantly enjoined Perez to
+take heed that no one should discover the murder to have been
+perpetrated by the king, Philip, on the ground that he obstinately
+refused to make a full confession, imperturbably consigned him "to that
+dreadful proof, the revolting account of which," says M. Mignet, "I will
+quote from the process itself:"&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"At the same instant, the said judges replied to him that the
+proofs still remaining in all their force and vigour ..., they
+ordered him to be put to the torture to make him declare what the
+king required; that if he lost his life, or the use of some limbs,
+it would be his own fault; and that he alone would be responsible.
+He repeated, once more, his former assertions, and protested,
+moreover, against the use of torture towards him, for these two
+reasons: first, because he was of a noble family; and secondly,
+because his life would be endangered, since he was already disabled
+by the effects of his eleven years' imprisonment. The two judges
+then ordered his irons and chain to be taken off; requiring him to
+take an oath and declare whatever he was asked. Upon his refusal,
+Diego Ruis, the executioner, stripped him of his garments, and left
+him only his linen drawers. The executioner having afterwards
+retired, they told him once more to obey the king's orders, on pain
+of suffering torture <i>by the rope</i>. He repeated once more that he
+said what he had already said. Immediately the ladder and apparatus
+of torture having been brought, Diego Ruis,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_459" id="Page_459">[Pg 459]</a></span> the executioner,
+crossed the arms of Antonio Perez, one over the other; and they
+proceeded to give him one twist of the rope. He uttered piercing
+cries, saying: <i>Jesus! that he had nothing to declare; that he had
+only to die in torture; that he would say nothing; and that he
+would die.</i> This he repeated many times. By this time they had
+already given him four turns of the rope; and the judges having
+returned to summon him to declare what they wanted of him, he said,
+with many shrieks and exclamations, <i>that he had nothing to say;
+that they were breaking his arm. Good God! I have lost the use of
+one arm; the doctors know it well.</i> He added with groans: <i>Ah!
+Lord, for the love of God!... They have crushed my hand, by the
+living God!</i> He said, moreover: <i>Se&ntilde;or Juan Gomez, you are a
+Christian; my brother, for the love of God, you are killing me, and
+I have nothing to declare.</i> The judges replied again, that he must
+make the declarations they wanted; but he only repeated: <i>Brother,
+you are killing me! Se&ntilde;or Juan Gomez, by our Saviour's wounds, let
+them finish me with one blow!... Let them leave me, I will say
+whatever they will; for God's sake, brother, have compassion on
+me!</i> At the same time, he entreated them to relieve him from the
+position in which he was placed, and to give him his clothes,
+saying, he would speak. This did not happen until he had suffered
+eight turns of the rope; and the executioner being then ordered to
+leave the room where they had used the torture, Perez remained
+alone with the licentiate Juan Gomez and the scrivener Antonio
+Marquez."</p></div>
+
+<p>The impunity of tyranny was over-strained. The tide of sympathy
+fluctuated, and ebbed with murmuring agitation from the channel in which
+it had flowed so long with a steady current. Jesters and preachers
+uttered homely truths&mdash;the nobles trembled&mdash;and the people shuddered.
+With a few intelligible exceptions, there was a burst of general
+satisfaction when, on the 20th April 1591, two months after his torture,
+Perez, by the aid of his intrepid and devoted wife&mdash;(and shall we be too
+credulous in adding, with the connivance of his guards?)&mdash;broke his
+bonds, fled from Castile, and set his foot on the soil of independent
+Aragon.</p>
+
+<p>Let us now, for a moment, reconsider the motives which solve, as they
+guided, at once the indefensible guilt of Perez, and the malignant
+perfidy of Philip. The King of Spain unquestionably ordered the murder
+of Escovedo, and confided its perpetration to the docile secretary. But
+the death-warrant slumbered for a while in the keeping of the
+executioner. It was not until Escovedo acquired his perilous knowledge
+of the debaucheries of Perez and the Princess of Eboli, and had avowed
+his still more perilous resolution of publishing their frailty in a
+quarter where detection was ruin, that Perez plied with inflexible
+diligence artifice and violence, poison and dagger&mdash;to satisfy,
+coincidently, himself and his sovereign. By a similar infusion of
+emotions, roused by later occurrences, the feelings of Philip towards
+Perez underwent, after the murder, a radical change. He at first
+unhesitatingly joined, as we have seen, in rewarding the actual
+murderers. The tale of the preference lavished by beauty on his minion
+had not seared his heart-strings. With that revelation came the mood of
+inexpiable hate. A word from him, uttered with unequivocal emphasis,
+would have cleared and rescued Perez. Such words, indeed, he pronounced
+more than once; but never as he would have done, if their effect had
+been to screen merely the faithful minister of state. The object in
+their occasional recurrence was one of profound dissimulation. Philip's
+design was to lull the alarm of Perez, and to recover out of his hands
+every scrap of written evidence which existed, implicating himself in
+the death of Escovedo. And it was under an erroneous impression of his
+efforts having been at length completely triumphant, that he sent Perez
+to the torture, with a foregone determination of killing him with the
+sword of justice, as a slanderous traitor, who could not adduce a tittle
+of proof to support his falsehood.</p>
+
+<p>But the wit of Perez was as penetrating as Philip's, and had avoided the
+snare. Retaining adroitly, in authentic documents, ample materials for
+his own defence, and the inculpation of the king, Perez fought
+undauntedly and successfully his battle, on the charge of Escovedo's
+murder, before the tribunals of Aragon, which were either ignorant of,
+or indifferent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_460" id="Page_460">[Pg 460]</a></span> to, the scandals and personal criminalities inseparably
+mixed up with the case at Madrid. The retributive justice which had
+overwhelmed Perez in his person and circumstances in Castile, now
+descended on the reputation of Philip in Aragon, who was likewise not
+only obliged to hear of the acquittal of his detested foe by the supreme
+court there, but necessitated, by the tremendous statements promulgated
+by Perez as his justification, founded on unimpeachable writings in his
+possession, to drop and relinquish all legal proceedings.</p>
+
+<p>The bitterness of the cup of woe, however, it had still been in the
+power of the fierce despot otherwise to deepen. Infuriated by the flight
+of Perez, the king caused the wife, then pregnant, and the children of
+the fugitive, to be arrested and cast into the public prison, dragging
+them "on the day when it is usual to pardon the very worst of criminals,
+at the very hour of the procession of the penitents on Holy Thursday,
+with a reckless disregard of custom and decency, among the crosses and
+all the cort&egrave;ges of this solemnity, in order that there might be no lack
+of witnesses for this glorious action." These words we have cited from a
+famous narrative subsequently published by Perez in England, from which
+we are also tempted to extract, in relation to the same occurrence, the
+following passage, full of that energetic eloquence which contributed,
+among other causes, to win over general commiseration to the writer:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"'The crime committed by a wife who aids her husband to escape from
+prison, martyred as he had been for so many years, and reduced to
+such a miserable condition, is justified by all law&mdash;natural,
+divine and human&mdash;and by the laws of Spain in particular. Saul,
+pursuing David, respected Michal, though she was his daughter, and
+had even saved her husband from the effects of his wrath.
+Law&mdash;common, civil, and canonical&mdash;absolves woman from whatever she
+does to defend her husband. The special law of Count Fernan
+Gonzal&egrave;s leaves her free; the voice and the unanimous decree of all
+nations exalt and glorify her. If, when her children are in her
+house, in their chamber, or their cradle, it be proved that they
+are strangers to every thing, by that alone, and by their age,
+which excludes them from such confidences, how much more must that
+child be a stranger to all, which the mother bore in her bosom, and
+which they thus made a prisoner before its birth? Even before it
+could be guilty, it was already punished; and its life and soul
+were endangered, like one of its brothers who lost both when they
+seized his mother a second time, near the port of Lisbon.' He
+finishes with these noble and avenging threats:&mdash;'But let them not
+be deceived; wherever they put them, such captives have, on their
+side, the two most powerful advocates in the whole world&mdash;their
+innocence and their misfortune. No Cicero, no Demosthenes can so
+charm the ear, or so powerfully rouse the mind, as these two
+defenders; because, among other privileges, God has given them that
+of being always present, to cry out for justice, to serve both as
+witnesses and advocates, and to terminate one of those processes
+which God alone judges in this world: this is what will happen in
+the present case, if the justice of men be too long in default. And
+let not the debtors of God be too confident about the delay of His
+judgment; though the fatal term be apparently postponed, it is
+gradually approaching; and the debt to be paid is augmented by the
+interest which is added to it down to the last day of Heaven's
+great reckoning."'</p></div>
+
+<p>It was not till eight years later, in 1599, when Philip III. sat on the
+throne of Spain, that the wife and children of Perez regained their
+liberty, and not till nearly twenty-five later, in 1615, that his
+children, who had passed their youth in prison, and been legally
+attainted with their father's degradation without having participated in
+his offences, were restored to their rank and rights as Spanish nobles.</p>
+
+<p>Baffled in his pursuit of vengeance by the sturdy independence of the
+civil courts of Aragon, Philip turned his eyes for assistance to a
+tribunal, of which the jurisdiction had apparently no boundary except
+its exorbitant pretensions. At the king's bidding, the Inquisition
+endeavoured to seize Perez within its inexorable grasp. It seized, but
+could not hold him. The free and jealous Aragonese, shouting "Liberty
+for ever!" flew to arms, and emancipated from the mysterious oppression
+of the Holy Office the man<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_461" id="Page_461">[Pg 461]</a></span> already absolved of crime by the regular
+decrees of justice.</p>
+
+<p>The Inquisition having renewed its attempt, the people, headed and
+supported by leaders of the highest lineage, condition, and authority in
+Aragon, increased in the fervour and boldness of their resistance. Their
+zealous championship of Perez&mdash;a most unworthy object of so much
+generous and brave solicitude&mdash;drove them into open insurrection against
+Philip. The biographer narrates, that when the storm raised by him, and
+on his account, drew near, Perez escaped across the Pyrenees into
+France; and the historian records, that when the sun of peace again
+re-emerged from the tempest, Philip had overthrown the ancient
+constitution of Aragon, crushed its nobility, destroyed its
+independence, and incorporated its territory with the Spanish monarchy.</p>
+
+<p>Perez, although compelled to fly, bade farewell for ever to his native
+land with reluctance. There is something touching in the familiar image
+which he uses to describe his own condition: "He was like a dog of a
+faithful nature, who, though beaten and ill-treated by his master and
+household, is loth to quit the walls of his dwelling." He found at
+B&eacute;arn, in the court of the sister of Henry IV. of France, a
+resting-place from hardship, but not a safe asylum from persecution.
+During his brief residence there, three separate attempts to assassinate
+him were detected or defeated; nor were these the only plots directed
+against his person. M. Mignet quotes a pleasant variety of the species
+from the lively pen of Perez himself.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"'When Perez was at Pau, they went so far as to try to make use of
+a lady of that country, who lacked neither beauty, gallantry, nor
+distinction; a notable woman, an Amazon, and a huntress; riding, as
+they say, up hill and down dale. One would have thought they wanted
+to put to death some new Samson. In short, they offered her ten
+thousand crowns and six Spanish horses to come to Pau, and form an
+intimacy with Perez; and, after having charmed him by her beauty,
+to invite and entice him to her house, in order, some fine evening,
+to deliver him up, or allow him to be carried off in a hunting
+party. The lady, either being importuned, or desirous, from a
+curiosity natural to her sex, to know a man whom authority and his
+persecutors considered of so much consequence, or, lastly, for the
+purpose of warning the victim herself, feigned, as the sequel makes
+us believe, to accept the commission. She travelled to Pau, and
+made acquaintance with Perez. She visited him at his house.
+Messengers and love-letters flew about like hail. There were
+several parties of pleasure; but, in the end, the good disposition
+of the lady, and her attachment for Perez, gained the victory over
+interest, that metal of base alloy, which defiles more than any act
+of love; so that she herself came and revealed to him the
+machinations from beginning to end, together with the offers made,
+and all that had followed. She did much more. She offered him her
+house and the revenue attached to it, with such a warmth of
+affection, (if we may judge of love by its demonstrations,) that
+any sound mathematician would say there was, between that lady and
+Perez, an astrological sympathy.'"</p></div>
+
+<p>His restless spirit of intrigue, and perhaps a nascent desire, provoked
+by altered circumstances, of reciprocal vengeance against Philip,
+hurried Perez from the tranquil seclusion of B&eacute;arn to the busy camp of
+Henry IV. After a long conference, he was sent to England by that
+monarch, who calculated on his services being usefully available with
+Queen Elizabeth in the common enterprise against Spain. Then it was that
+he formed his intimate acquaintance with the celebrated Francis Bacon,
+in whose company we first introduced him to our readers, and with many
+other individuals of eminence and note.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"It was during the leisure of this his first residence in London
+that Perez published, in the summer of 1594, his <i>Relaciones</i>,
+under the imaginary name of <i>Raphael Peregrino</i>; which, far from
+concealing the real author, in reality designated him by the
+allusion to his wandering life. This account of his adventures,
+composed with infinite art, was calculated to render his ungrateful
+and relentless persecutor still more odious, and to draw towards
+himself more benevolence and compassion. He sent copies of it to
+Burghley, to Lady Rich, sister of the Earl of Essex, to Lords
+Southampton, Montjoy, and Harris, to Sir Robert Sidney, Sir Henry
+Unton, and many other personages of the English court, accompanying
+them with letters gracefully written and melan<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_462" id="Page_462">[Pg 462]</a></span>choly in spirit. The
+one which he confided to the patronage of the Earl of Essex was at
+once touching and flattering:&mdash;'Raphael Peregrino,' said he, 'the
+author of this book, has charged me to present it to your
+Excellency. Your Excellency is obliged to protect him, since he
+recommends himself to you. He must know that he wants a godfather,
+since he chooses such as you. Perhaps he trusted to his name,
+knowing that your Excellency is the support of the pilgrims of
+fortune.'"</p></div>
+
+<p>The dagger of the assassin continued to track his wanderings. And it is,
+probably, not commonly known, that upon one of the city gates of London,
+near St Paul's, there might be seen, in 1594, the heads of two Irishmen,
+executed as accomplices in a plot for the murder of Antonio Perez.</p>
+
+<p>In England, where he was supported by the generosity of Essex, he did
+not remain very long, having been recalled, in 1594, to France by Henry,
+who had recently declared war against Philip. At Paris, Perez was
+received with great distinction and the most flattering attentions,
+being lodged in a spacious mansion, and provided with a military
+body-guard. The precaution was not superfluous. Wearing seemingly a
+charmed life, the dusky spectre of premature and unnatural death haunted
+him wherever he went or sojourned. Baron Pinilla, a Spaniard, was
+captured in Paris on the eve of his attempt to murder Perez, put to the
+torture, and executed on the Place de Gr&egrave;ve&mdash;thus adding another name to
+the long catalogue of people, to whom any connexion with, or implication
+in, the affairs of Perez, whether innocently or criminally, for good or
+evil, attracted, it might be imagined as by Lady Bacon, from an angry
+Heaven the flash of calamitous ruin.</p>
+
+<p>His present prosperity came as a brilliant glimpse through hopeless
+darkness, and so departed. Revisiting England in 1596, he found himself
+denied access to Essex, shunned by the Bacons, and disregarded by every
+body. The consequent mortification accelerated his return to France,
+which he reached, as Henry was concluding peace with Philip, to
+encounter cold distrust and speedy neglect from the French King. All
+this was the result of his own incurable double-dealing. He had been
+Henry's spy in the court of Elizabeth, and was, or fancied himself to be
+Elizabeth's at Paris. But the omnipotent secretary of state and the
+needy adventurer played the game of duplicity and perfidy with the odds
+reversed. All parties, as their experience unmasked his hollow
+insincerity, shrunk from reliance on, or intercourse with an
+ambidextrous knave, to whom mischief and deceit were infinitely more
+congenial than wisdom and honesty. "The truth is," wrote Villeroy, one
+of the French ministers, to a correspondent in 1605, "that his
+adversities have not made him much wiser or more discreet than he was in
+his prosperity." We must confess ourselves unable to perceive any traces
+of even the qualified improvement admitted by Villeroy.</p>
+
+<p>The rest of the biography of this extraordinary man is a miserable diary
+of indignant lamentations over his abject condition&mdash;of impudent
+laudations of the blameless integrity of his career&mdash;of grovelling and
+ineffectual efforts and supplications to appease and eradicate the
+hatred of Philip&mdash;and of vociferous cries for relief from penury and
+famine. "I am in extreme want, having exhausted the assistance of all my
+friends, and no longer knowing where to find my daily bread," is the
+terrible confession of the once favourite minister of the most powerful
+monarch in Europe. He never touched the ground, or even gazed on the
+distant hills of Spain again. In one of the obscure streets of Paris, in
+solitude and poverty, he dragged the grief and infirmities of his old
+age slowly towards the grave; and at length, in the seventy-second year
+of his age, on a natural and quiet deathbed, closed the troubles of his
+tempestuous existence.</p>
+
+<p>Such is "this strange eventful history." Such was the incalculable
+progeny of misery, disgrace, disaster, and ruin, involving himself, his
+family, countless individuals, and an entire nation, which issued from
+the guilty love of Perez and the Princess of Eboli.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p><i>Antonio Perez and Philip II</i>. By <span class="smcap">M. Mignet</span>. Translated by <span class="smcap">C.
+Cocks</span>, B.L. London: 1846.</p></div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_463" id="Page_463">[Pg 463]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="RECOLLECTIONS_OF_A_LOVER_OF_SOCIETY" id="RECOLLECTIONS_OF_A_LOVER_OF_SOCIETY"></a>RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOVER OF SOCIETY.</h2>
+
+<h3>No. II.</h3>
+
+<h4>1802.</h4>
+
+
+<p>All the great people of London, and most of the little, have been kept
+in a fever of agitation during the last fortnight, by the preparatives
+for the grand club ball in honour of the peace. Texier had the direction
+of the f&ecirc;te, and he exhibited his taste to the astonishment of <i>les
+sauvages Britanniques</i>. Never were seen such decorations, such chaplets,
+such chandeliers, such bowers of roses. In short, the whole was a Bond
+Street Arcadia. All the world of the West End were there; the number
+could not have been less than a thousand&mdash;all in fancy dresses and
+looking remarkably brilliant. The Prince of Wales, the most showy of men
+every where, wore a Highland dress, such, however, as no Highlander ever
+wore since Deucalion's flood, unless Donald was master of diamonds
+enough to purchase a principality. The Prince, of course, had a separate
+room for his own supper party, and the genius of M. Texier had contrived
+a little entertainment for the royal party, by building an adjoining
+apartment in the style of a cavern, after the Gil Blas fashion, in which
+a party of banditti were to carry on their carousal. The banditti were,
+of course, amateurs&mdash;the Cravens, Tom Sheridan, and others of that
+set&mdash;who sang, danced, gambled, and did all sorts of strange things. The
+Prince was delighted; but even princes cannot have all pleasures to
+themselves. Some of the crowd by degrees squeezed or coaxed their way
+into the cavern, others followed, the pressure became irresistible;
+until at last the banditti, contrary to all the laws of melodrame, were
+expelled from their own cavern, and the invaders sat down to their
+supper. Lords Besborough, Ossulston, and Bedford were the directors of
+the night; and the foreign ministers declared that nothing in Europe,
+within their experience, equalled this Bond Street affair. Whether the
+directors had the horses taken from their carriages, and were carried
+home in an ovation, I cannot tell; but Texier, not at all disposed to
+think lightly of himself at any time, talks of the night with tears in
+his eyes, and declares it the triumph of his existence.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>George Rose has had a narrow escape of being drowned. All the wits, of
+course, appeal to the proverb, and deny the possibility of his
+concluding his career by water. Still, his escape was extraordinary. He
+had taken a boat at Palace Yard to cross to Lambeth. As he was standing
+up in the boat, immediately on his getting in, the waterman awkwardly
+and hastily shoved off, and George, accustomed as he was to take care of
+himself, lost his balance, and plumped head foremost into the water. The
+tide was running strong, and between the weight of his clothes, and the
+suddenness of the shock, he was utterly helpless. The parliamentary
+laughers say, that the true wonder of the case is, that he has been ever
+able to keep his head above water for the last dozen years; others, that
+it has been so long his practice to swim with the stream, that no one
+can be surprised at his slipping eagerly along. The fact, however, is,
+that a few minutes more must have sent him to the bottom. Luckily a
+bargeman made a grasp at him as he was going down, and held him till he
+could be lifted into his boat. He was carried to the landing-place in a
+state of great exhaustion. George has been, of course, obnoxious to the
+Opposition from his services, and from his real activity and
+intelligence in office. He is good-natured, however, and has made no
+enemies. Sheridan and the rest, when they have nothing else to do in the
+House, fire their shots at him to keep their hands in practice, but none
+of them have been able to bring him down.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>A remarkable man died in June, the well-known Colonel Barr&eacute;. He began
+political life about the commencement of the American war, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_464" id="Page_464">[Pg 464]</a></span>
+distinguished himself by taking an active part in the discussion of
+every public measure of the time. Barr&eacute;'s soldiership impressed its
+character on his parliamentary conduct. He was prompt, bold, and
+enterprising, and always obtained the attention of the House. Though
+without pretensions to eloquence, he was always a ready speaker; and
+from the rapidity with which he mastered details, and from the boldness
+with which he expressed his opinions, he always produced a powerful
+effect on the House. Though contemporary with Burke, and the countryman
+of that illustrious orator, he exhibited no tendency to either the
+elevation or the ornament of that distinguished senator; yet his
+speeches were vigorous, and his diligence gave them additional effect.
+No man was more dreaded by the minister; and the treasury bench often
+trembled under the force and directness of his assaults. At length,
+however, he gave way to years, and retired from public life. His party
+handsomely acknowledged his services by a retiring pension, which Mr
+Pitt, when minister, exchanged for the clerkship of the pells, thus
+disburdening the nation by substituting a sinecure. For many years
+before his death, Barr&eacute; was unfortunately deprived of sight; but, under
+that heaviest of all afflictions, he retained his practical philosophy,
+enjoyed the society of his friends, and was cheerful to the last. He was
+at length seized with paralysis, and died.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The crimes of the French population are generally of a melodramatic
+order. The temperament of the nation is eminently theatrical; and the
+multitude of minor theatres scattered through France, naturally sustain
+this original tendency. A villain in the south of France, lately
+constructed a sort of machinery for murder, which was evidently on the
+plan of the trap-doors and banditti displays of the Porte St Martin.
+Hiring an empty stable, he dug a pit in it of considerable depth. The
+pit was covered with a framework of wood, forming a floor, which, on the
+pulling of a string, gave way, and plunged the victim into a depth of
+twenty feet. But the contriver was not satisfied with his attempt to
+break the bones of the unfortunate person whom he thus entrapped. He
+managed to have a small chamber filled with some combustible in the side
+of the pit, which was to be set on fire, and, on the return of the
+platform to its place, suffocate his <i>detenu</i> with smoke. Whether he had
+performed any previous atrocities in this way, or whether the present
+instance was the commencement of his profession of homicide, is not
+told. By some means or other, having inveigled a stout countrywoman,
+coming with her eggs and apples to market, into his den, she no sooner
+trod upon the frame, than the string was pulled, it turned, and we may
+conceive with what astonishment and terror she must have felt herself
+plunged into a grave with the light of day shut out above. Fortunately
+for her, the match which was to light the combustibles failed, and she
+thus escaped suffocation. Her cries, however, were so loud, that they
+attracted some of the passers-by, and the villain attempted to take to
+flight. He was, however, seized, and given into the hands of justice.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>An action was lately brought by an old lady against a dealer in
+curiosities, for cheating her in the matter of antiques. Her taste was
+not limited to the oddities of the present day, and, in the dealer, she
+found a person perfectly inclined to gratify her with wonders. He had
+sold her a model of the Alexandrian library, a specimen of the original
+type invented by Memnon the Egyptian, and a manuscript of the first play
+acted by Thespis. These had not exhausted the stock of the dealer: he
+possessed the skin of a giraffe killed in the Roman amphitheatre; the
+head of King Arthur's spear; and the breech of the first cannon fired at
+the siege of Constantinople. The jury, however, thought that the
+virtuoso having ordered those curiosities, ought to pay for them, and
+brought in a verdict for the dealer.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The French consul has been no sooner installed, than he has begun to
+give the world provocatives to war. His legion of honour is a military
+noblesse, expressly intended to make all public distinction originate in
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_465" id="Page_465">[Pg 465]</a></span> army; for the few men of science decorated with its star are not to
+be compared with the list of soldiers, and even they are chiefly
+connected with the department of war as medical men, practical chemists,
+or engineers.</p>
+
+<p>His next act was to fix the military establishment of France at 360,000
+men; his third act, in violation of his own treaties, and of all the
+feelings of Europe, was to make a rapid invasion of Switzerland, thus
+breaking down the independence of the country, and seizing, in fact, the
+central fortress of the Continent. His fourth act has been the seizure
+of Piedmont, and its absolute annexation to France. By a decree of the
+Republic, Piedmont is divided into six departments, which are to send
+seventeen deputies to the French legislature. Turin is declared to be a
+provincial city of the Republican territory; and thus the French armies
+will have a perpetual camp in a country which lays Italy open to the
+invader, and will have gained a territory nearly as large as Scotland,
+but fertile, populous, and in one of the finest climates of the south.
+Those events have excited the strongest indignation throughout Europe.
+We have already discovered that the peace was but a truce; that the
+cessation of hostilities was but a breathing-time to the enemy; that the
+reduction of our armies was precipitate and premature; and that, unless
+the fears of the French government shall render it accessible to a sense
+of justice, the question must finally come to the sword.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>Schiller's play of the "Robbers" is said to have propagated the breed of
+highwaymen in Germany. To ramble through the country, stop travellers on
+the highway, make huts in the forest, sing Bedlamite songs, and rail at
+priests and kings, was the fashion in Germany during the reign of that
+popular play. It was said, a banditti of students from one of the
+colleges had actually taken the road, and made Carl Moor their model.
+All this did very well in summer, but the winter probably cooled their
+enthusiasm; for a German forest, with its snow half a dozen feet deep,
+and the probability of famine, would be a formidable trial to the most
+glowing mysticism.</p>
+
+<p>But an actual leader of banditti has been just arrested, whose exploits
+in plunder have formed the romance of Germany for a considerable period.
+The confusion produced by the French war, and the general disturbance of
+the countries on both sides of the Rhine, have at once awakened the
+spirit of license, and given it impunity. A dashing fellow named
+Schinderhannes, not more than three-and-twenty years of age, but loving
+the luxuries of life too well to do without them, and disliking the
+labour required for their possession, commenced a general system of
+plunder down the Rhine. He easily organized a band, composed, I believe,
+of deserters from the French and Austrian troops, who preferred
+wholesale robbery to being shot in either service at the rate of
+threepence a-day; and for a while nothing could be more prosperous than
+their proceedings. Their leader, with all his daring, was politic,
+professing himself the friend of the poor, standing on the best terms
+with the peasantry, scattering his money in all directions with the
+lavishness of a prince, and professing to make war only on the nobility,
+the rich clergy, and the Jew merchants especially&mdash;the German Jews being
+always supposed by the people to be the grand depositories of the
+national wealth. But this favouritism among the peasantry was of the
+highest service to his enterprizes. It gave him information, it rescued
+him from difficulties, and it recruited his troop, which was said to
+amount to several hundreds, and to be in the highest state of
+discipline. After laying the country under contribution from Mayence to
+Coblentz, he crossed the river into Franconia, and commenced a period of
+enterprize there. But no man's luck lasts for ever. It was his habit to
+acquire information for himself by travelling about in various
+disguises. One day, in entering one of the little Franconian towns in
+the habit of a pedlar, and driving a cart with wares before him, he was
+recognized by one of the passers-by, whose sagacity was probably
+sharpened by having been plundered by him. An investigation followed,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_466" id="Page_466">[Pg 466]</a></span>
+in which the disguised pedlar declared himself an Austrian subject, and
+an Austrian soldier. In consequence, he was ordered to the Austrian
+dep&ocirc;t at Frankfort, where he met another recognition still more
+formidable. A comrade with whom he had probably quarrelled; for this
+part of the story is not yet clear, denounced him to the police; and, to
+the astonishment of the honest Frankforters, it was announced that the
+robber king, the bandit hero, was in their hands. As his exploits had
+been chiefly performed on the left bank of the Rhine, and his revenues
+had been raised out of French property in the manner of a forced loan,
+the Republic, conceiving him to be an interloper on their monopoly,
+immediately demanded him from the German authorities. In the old
+war-loving times, the Frankforters would probably have blown the trumpet
+and insisted on their privilege of acting as his jailers, but experience
+had given them wisdom, they swallowed their wrath, and the robber king
+was given up to the robber Republic. If Schinderhannes had been in the
+service of France, he would have been doing for the last ten years, on
+its account, exactly what he had been doing on his own. But unluckily
+for himself, he robbed in the name of Schinderhannes, and not in the
+name of liberty and equality; and now, instead of having his name
+shouted by all France, inserted in triumphant bulletins, and ranked with
+the Bonapartes and C&aelig;sars, he will be called a thief, stripped of his
+last rixdollar, and hanged.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>An extraordinary instance of mortality has just occurred, which has
+favoured the conversation of the clubs, and thrown the west end into
+condolence and confusion for the last twenty-four hours. Colonel
+O'Kelly's famous parrot is dead. The stories told of this surprising
+bird have long stretched public credulity to its utmost extent. But if
+even the half of what is told be true, it exhibited the most singular
+sagacity. Not having seen it myself, I can only give the general report.
+But, beyond all question, it has been the wonder of London for years,
+and however willing John Bull may be to be deluded, there is no instance
+of his being deluded long. This bird's chief faculty was singing, seldom
+a parrot faculty, but its ear was so perfect, that it acquired tunes
+with great rapidity, and retained them with such remarkable exactness,
+that if, by accident, it made a mistake in the melody, it corrected
+itself, and tried over the tune until its recollection was completely
+recovered. It also spoke well, and would hold a kind of dialogue almost
+approaching to rationality. So great was its reputation that the colonel
+was offered &pound;500 a-year by persons who intended to make an exhibition of
+it; but he was afraid that his favourite would be put to too hard work,
+and he refused the offer, which was frequently renewed. The creature
+must have been old, for it had been bought thirty years before by the
+colonel's uncle, and even then it must have had a high reputation, for
+it was bought at the price of 100 guineas. Three remarkable bequests had
+been made by that uncle to the colonel,&mdash;the estate of Canons, the
+parrot, and the horse Eclipse, the most powerful racer ever known in
+England; so superior to every other horse of his day, that his
+superiority at length became useless, as no bets would be laid against
+him. In the spirit of vague curiosity, this parrot was opened by two
+surgeons, as if to discover the secret of his cleverness; but nothing
+was seen, except that the muscles of the throat were peculiarly strong;
+nothing to account for its death was discovered.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>Andreossi, the French ambassador, has arrived. He is a rude and rough
+specimen even of the Republican, but a man of intelligence, an engineer,
+and distinguished for his publications. Still the bone of contention is
+Malta, and the difficulty seems greater than ever. The French consul
+insists on its abandonment by England, as an article of the treaty of
+Amiens; but the answer of England is perfectly intelligible,&mdash;You have
+not adhered to that treaty in any instance whatever, but have gone on
+annexing Italian provinces to France. You have just now made a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_467" id="Page_467">[Pg 467]</a></span> vassal
+of Switzerland, and to all our remonstrances on the subject you have
+answered with utter scorn. While you violate your stipulations, how can
+you expect that we shall perform ours? But another obstruction to the
+surrender of Malta has been produced by the conduct of France herself.
+She has seized the entire property of the Order in France, in Piedmont,
+and wherever she can seize it. Spain, probably by her suggestion, has
+followed her example, and the Order now is reduced to pauperism; in
+fact, it no longer exists. Thus it is impossible to restore the island
+to the Order of St John of Jerusalem; and to give it up at once to
+France, would be to throw away an important security for the due
+performance of the treaty. Government are so determined on this view of
+the case, that orders have been sent to Malta for all officers on leave
+to join their regiments immediately.</p>
+
+<p>Malta is one of the remarkable instances in which we may trace a kind of
+penalty on the rapaciousness of the Republic. While it remained in the
+possession of the Order, it had observed a kind of neutrality, which was
+especially serviceable to France, as the island was a refuge for its
+ships, and a dep&ocirc;t for its commerce, in common with that of England. But
+Bonaparte, in his Egyptian expedition, finding the opportunity
+favourable, from the weakness of the knights, and the defenceless state
+of the works, landed his troops, and took possession of it without
+ceremony. No act could be more atrocious as a breach of faith, for the
+knights were in alliance with France, and were wholly unprepared for
+hostilities. The place was now in full possession of the treacherous
+ally. Contributions were raised; the churches were plundered of their
+plate and ornaments; the knights were expelled, and a French garrison
+took possession of the island. What was the result? Malta was instantly
+blockaded by the British, the garrison was reduced by famine, and Malta
+became an English possession; which it never would have been, if the
+knights had remained there; for England, in her respect for the faith of
+treaties, would not have disturbed their independence. Thus, the
+Republic, by iniquitously grasping at Malta, in fact threw it into the
+hands of England. It is scarcely less remarkable, that the plunder of
+Malta was also totally lost, it being placed on board the admiral's
+ship, which was blown up at the battle of the Nile.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>One of the first acts of the French consul has been to conciliate the
+Italian priesthood by an act which they regard as equivalent to a
+conversion to Christianity. The image of our Lady of Loretto, in the
+French invasion of Italy, had been carried off from Rome; of course, the
+sorrows of the true believers were unbounded. The image was certainly
+not intended to decorate the gallery of the Louvre, for it was as black
+as a negro; and, from the time of its capture, it had unfortunately lost
+all its old power of working miracles. But it has at length been
+restored to its former abode, and myriads of the pious followed the
+procession. Discharges of cannon and ringing of bells welcomed its
+approach. It was carried by eight bishops, in a species of triumphal
+palanquin, splendidly decorated, and placed on its altar in the Santa
+Casa with all imaginable pomps and ceremonies. The whole town was
+illuminated in the evening, and the country was in a state of exultation
+at what it regards as an evidence of the immediate favor of heaven.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>A singular and melancholy trial has just taken place, in which a colonel
+in the army, with several of the soldiery and others, have been found
+guilty of a conspiracy to overthrow the government, and kill the king on
+the day of his opening Parliament. The 16th of November 1802, had been
+the day appointed for this desperate deed; but information having been
+obtained of the design through a confederate, the whole party of
+conspirators were seized on that day by the police at a house in
+Lambeth, where they arrested Despard and his fellow traitors. On the
+floor of the room three printed papers were found, containing their
+proclamation.</p>
+
+<p>They were headed, "<i>Constitution</i>, the independence of Great Britain and
+Ireland, an equalization of civil and reli<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_468" id="Page_468">[Pg 468]</a></span>gious rights, an ample
+provision for the wives of the heroes who shall fall in the conquest, a
+liberal reward for distinguished merits; these are the objects for which
+we contend, and to obtain these objects we swear to be united in the
+awful presence of Almighty God." Then follows the oath: "I, A.B., do
+voluntarily declare that I will endeavour to the utmost of my power to
+obtain the objects of this union, viz. to recover those rights which the
+Supreme Being, in his infinite bounty, has given to all men; that
+neither hopes, fears, rewards, nor punishments, shall ever induce me to
+give any information, directly or indirectly, concerning the business,
+or of any member of this or any similar society, so help me God."</p>
+
+<p>One of the witnesses, a private in the Guards, gave evidence that the
+object of the conspiracy was to overturn the present system of
+government; to unite in companies, and to get arms. They subscribed, and
+the object of the subscription was, to pay delegates to go into the
+country, and to defray the expense of printing their papers. All persons
+belonging to the subscription were to be divided into ten companies,
+each consisting of ten, with an eleventh who was called captain. The
+next order was, that the oldest captain of five companies took the
+command of those fifty men, and was to be called colonel of the
+subdivision. Every means was to be adopted to get as many recruits as
+possible. There was to be no regular organization in London, for fear of
+attracting the eye of government. But the system was to be urged
+vigorously in the great manufacturing towns; the insurrection was to
+commence by an attack on the House of Parliament; and the king was to be
+put to death either on his way to the House, or in the House. The
+mail-coaches were then to be stopt, as a signal to their adherents in
+the country that the insurrection had triumphed in the metropolis. An
+assault was then to be made on the Tower, and the arms seized. At
+subsequent meetings, the question of the royal seizure was more than
+once discussed; and Despard had declared it to be essential to the
+success of the plot, that no effect could be produced unless the whole
+royal family were secured. The first plan for the seizure of the king
+was to shoot his carriage horses, then force him out of the carriage,
+and carry him off. A second plan was then proposed, viz. that of loading
+the Egyptian gun in St James's Park with chain shot, and firing it at
+the royal carriage as it passed along.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Nelson and General Sir Alured Clarke were brought as evidence to
+character. Lord Nelson said, that he and Colonel Despard had served
+together on the Spanish Main in 1799, and that he was then a loyal man
+and a brave officer. Lord Ellenborough strongly charged the jury. He
+declared that there was no question of law, and that the whole case
+resolved itself into a question of fact. The jury, after retiring for
+half an hour, brought in a verdict of guilty.</p>
+
+<p>In a few days after, Despard, with six of his accomplices, were executed
+in front of the new jail in the Borough. The men were chiefly soldiers
+whom this wretched criminal had bribed or bewildered into the commission
+of treason. Despard made a speech on the scaffold, declaring himself
+innocent, and that he was put to death simply for being a friend to
+truth, liberty, and justice. How he could have made this declaration
+after the evidence that had been given, is wholly unintelligible except
+on the ground of insanity, though of that there was no symptom, except
+in the design itself. What prompted the design except narrow
+circumstances, bad habits, and the temptations of a revengeful spirit,
+was never discovered.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>A trial, which exhibited extraordinary talent in the defence, by a
+counsel hitherto unknown, has attracted an interest still more general,
+though of a less melancholy order. Peltier, an emigrant, and supposed to
+be an agent of the French emigrant body, had commenced a periodical
+work, entitled <i>L'Ambigu</i>; the chief object of which was to attack the
+policy, person, and conduct of the First Consul of France. His assaults
+were so pointed, that they were complained of by the French government
+as libels; and the answer returned was, that the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_469" id="Page_469">[Pg 469]</a></span> only means which the
+ministry possessed of punishing such offences, was by the verdict of a
+jury. The Attorney-general, in opening the case, described the paper. On
+its frontispiece, was a sphinx with a crown upon its head, the features
+closely resembling those of Bonaparte. A portion of the paper was
+devoted to a parody of the harangue of Lepidus against Sylla. It asks
+the French people, "Why they have fought against Austria, Prussia,
+Italy, England, Germany, and Russia, if it be not to preserve our
+liberty and our property, and that we might obey none but the laws
+alone. And now, this tiger, who dares to call himself the Founder, or
+the Regenerator of France, enjoys the fruit of your labours as spoil
+taken from the enemy. This man, sole master in the midst of those who
+surround him, has ordained lists of proscription, and put in execution
+banishment without sentence, by which there are punishments for the
+French who have not yet seen the light. Proscribed families, giving
+birth out of France to children, oppressed before they are born. In
+another part, the paper urged to immediate action. It says, "Citizens,
+you must march, you must oppose what is passing, if you desire that he
+should not seize upon all that you have. There must be no delays, no
+useless wishes; reckon only upon yourselves, unless you indeed have the
+stupidity to suppose that he will abdicate through shame of tyranny that
+which he holds by force of crime." In another part, he assails the First
+Consul on the nature of his precautions to secure his power. He charges
+him with the formation of a troop of Mamelukes, composed of Greeks,
+Maltese, Arabians, and Copts, "a collection of foreign banditti, whose
+name and dress, recalling the mad and disastrous Egyptian expedition,
+should cover him with shame; but who, not speaking our language, nor
+having any point of contact with our army, will always be the satellites
+of the tyrant, his mutes, his cut-throats, and his hangmen. The laws,
+the justice, the finances, the administration; in fine, the liberty and
+life of the citizens, are all in the power of one man. You see at every
+moment arbitrary arrests, judges punished for having acquitted citizens,
+individuals put to death after having been already acquitted by law,
+sentences and sentences of death extorted from judges by threats.
+Remains there for men, who would deserve that name, any thing else to
+do, but to avenge their wrongs, or perish with glory?"</p>
+
+<p>Another portion of this paper contained an ode, in which all things were
+represented as in a state of convulsion, all shaken by a tremendous
+storm; but nature, either blind or cruel, sparing the head of the tyrant
+alone:&mdash;still carrying on the parody of the Roman speech, it pronounces
+that a poniard is the last resource of Rome to rescue herself from a
+dictator. It asks, is it from a Corsican that a Frenchman must receive
+his chains? was it to crown a traitor that France had punished her
+kings? In another, a libel, which traced the rise of Bonaparte, and
+charged him with the intention of assuming imperial power, concluded in
+these words:&mdash;"Carried on the shield, let him be elected emperor;
+finally, (and Romulus recalls the thing to mind,) I wish that on the
+morrow he may have his 'apotheosis.'" This the Attorney-general
+certainly, with every appearance of reason, pronounced to be a palpable
+suggestion to put the First Consul to death; as history tells us that
+Romulus was assassinated.</p>
+
+<p>The defence by Mackintosh was a bold and eloquent performance. He
+commenced by a spirited animadversion on the Attorney's speech, and then
+extended his subject into a general defence of the liberty of the press,
+which he pronounced to be the true object of attack on the part of the
+First Consul. He followed the history of its suppression through all the
+states under French influence, and then came to the attempt at its
+suppression here. He then invoked the jury to regard themselves as the
+protectors of the freedom of speech on earth, and to rescue his client
+from the severity of an oppression which threatened the universal
+slavery of mankind.</p>
+
+<p>This speech has been strongly criticised as one in which the advocate
+defended himself and his party, while he neglected his client. But the
+ob<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_470" id="Page_470">[Pg 470]</a></span>vious truth is, that unless the suggestion of assassination is
+defensible, there could be no defence, and unless the laws of nations
+justify the most violent charges on the character of foreign sovereigns,
+there could be no justification for the language of the whole paper.
+Mackintosh evidently took the best course for his cause. He made out of
+bad materials a showy speech; he turned the public eye from the guilt of
+the libel to the popular value of the press; where others would have
+given a dull pleading, he gave a stately romance; where the jury, in
+feebler hands, would have been suffered to see the facts in their savage
+nudity, he exhibited them clothed in classic draperies, and dazzled the
+eye with the lofty features and heroic attitudes of ancient love of
+country. All the skill of man could not have saved Peltier from a
+verdict of guilty; but the genius of the orator invested his sentence
+with something of the glory of martyrdom. The breaking out of the war
+relieved Peltier from the consequences of the verdict. But there can be
+no question that, if he had been thrown into prison, he would have been
+an object of the general sympathy; that the liberty of the press would
+have been regarded as in some degree involved in his sufferings; that he
+would have found public liberality willing to alleviate his personal and
+pecuniary difficulties; and that his punishment would have been
+shortened, and his fine paid by the zeal of the national sympathy. Such
+are the triumphs of eloquence. Such is the value of having a man of
+genius for an advocate. Such is the importance to the man of genius
+himself, of resolving to exert his highest powers for his client.
+Mackintosh has been called an indolent man; and he has been hitherto but
+little known. But he has at last discovered his own faculties, and he
+has only to keep them in action to achieve the highest successes of the
+bar; to fill the place of Erskine; and if no man can make Erskine
+forgotten, at least make him unregretted. This speech also has taught
+another lesson, and that lesson is, that the bar can be the theatre of
+the highest rank of eloquence, and that all which is regarded as the
+limit of forensic excellence, is a gratuitous degradation of its own
+dignity. The sharp retort, the sly innuendo, the dexterous hint, the
+hard, keen subtlety, the rough common sense, all valuable in their
+degree, and all profitable to their possessor, are only of an inferior
+grade. Let the true orator come forth, and the spruce pleader is
+instantly flung into the background. Let the appeal of a powerful mind
+be made to the jury, and all the small address, and practical skill, and
+sly ingenuity, are dropped behind. The passion of the true orator
+communicates its passion; his natural richness of conception fills the
+spirit of his hearers; his power of producing new thoughts and giving
+new shapes to acknowledged truths; his whole magnificence of mind
+erecting and developing new views of human action as it moves along,
+lead the feelings of men in a willing fascination until the charm is
+complete. But after such a man, let the mere advocate stand up, and how
+feebly does his voice fall on the ear, how dry are his facts, how
+tedious his tricks, how lacklustre, empty, and vain are his contrivances
+to produce conviction!</p>
+
+<p>Mackintosh wants one grand quality for the jury,&mdash;he speaks like one who
+thinks more of his argument than of his audience; he forgets the faces
+before him, and is evidently poring over the images within. Though with
+a visage of the colour, and seemingly of the texture of granite, he
+blushes at a misplaced word, and is evidently sensitive to the error of
+a comma. No man ever spoke with effect who cannot hesitate without being
+overwhelmed, blunder without a blush, or be bewildered by his own
+impetuosity, without turning back to retrace. <i>En avant</i> is the precept
+for the orator, as much as it is the principle of the soldier.
+Mackintosh has to learn these things; but he has a full mind, a classic
+tongue, and a subtle imagination, and these constitute the one thing
+needful for the orator, comprehend all, and complete all.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The late Lord Orford, the relative of the well-known Horace Walpole, is
+one of the curious evidences that every man who takes it into his head
+to be conspicuous, right or wrong, may make for himself a name. Lord
+Orford, while his relative was writ<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_471" id="Page_471">[Pg 471]</a></span>ing all kinds of brilliant things,
+collecting antiquities, worshipping the genius of cracked china, and
+bowing down before fardingales and topknots of the time of Francis I.,
+in the Temple of Strawberry Hill, was forming a niche for his fame in
+his dog-kennel, and immortalizing himself by the help of his hounds.
+Next to Act&aelig;on, he was the greatest dog-fancier that the world has ever
+seen, and would have rivalled Endymion, if Diana was to be won by the
+fleetest of quadrupeds. He was boundless in his profusion in respect of
+his favourite animals, until at last, finding that his ideas of
+perfection could not be realized by any living greyhounds, he speculated
+on the race unborn, and crossed his dogs until, after seven summers, he
+brought them to unrivalled excellence. He had at various times fifty
+brace of greyhounds, quartering them over every part of his county
+Norfolk, of which he was lord-lieutenant, probably for the sake of
+trying the effect of air and locality.</p>
+
+<p>One of his lordship's conceptions was, that of training animals to
+purposes that nature never designed them for; and, if lions had been
+accessible in this country, he would probably have put a snaffle into
+the mouth of the forest king, and have trained him for hunting, unless
+his lordship had been devoured in the experiment. But his most notorious
+attempt of this order, was a four-in-hand of stags. Having obtained four
+red deer of strong make, he harnessed them, and by dint of the infinite
+diligence which he exerted on all such occasions; was at length enabled
+to drive his four antlered coursers along the high-road. But on one
+unfortunate day, as he was driving to Newmarket, a pack of hounds, in
+full cry after fox or hare, crossing the road, got scent of the track.
+Finding more attractive metal, they left the chase, and followed the
+stags in full cry. The animals now became irrestrainable, dashed along
+at full speed, and carried the phaeton and his lordship in it, to his
+great alarm, along the road, at the rate of thirty miles an hour.
+Luckily they did not take their way across the country, or their
+driver's neck must have been broken. The scene was now particularly
+animating; the hounds were still heard in full cry; no power could stop
+the frightened stags; his lordship exerted all his charioteering skill
+in vain. Luckily, he had been in the habit of driving to Newmarket. The
+stags rushed into the town, to the astonishment of every body, and
+darted into the inn yard. Here the gates were shut, and scarcely too
+soon, for in a minute or two after the whole dogs of the hunt came
+rushing into the town, and roaring for their prey. This escape seems to
+have cured his lordship of stag-driving; but his passion for coursing
+grew only more active, and the bitterest day of the year, he was seen
+mounted on his piebald pony, and, in his love of the sport, apparently
+insensible to the severities of the weather; while the hardiest of his
+followers shrank, he was always seen, without great-coat or gloves, with
+his little three-cocked hat facing the storm, and evidently insensible
+to every thing but the performances of his hounds.</p>
+
+<p>His lordship was perhaps the first man who was ever made mad by country
+sports, though many a man has been made a beggar by them; and none but
+fools will waste their time on them. His lordship at length became
+unquestionably mad, and was put under restraint. At length, while still
+in confinement, and in a second access of his disorder, having
+ascertained, by some means or other, that one of his favourite
+greyhounds was to run a match for a large sum, he determined to be
+present at the performance. Contriving to send his attendant from the
+room, he jumped out of the window, saddled his piebald pony with his own
+hands, all the grooms having gone to the field, and there being no one
+to obstruct him, and suddenly made his appearance on the course, to
+universal astonishment. In spite of all entreaties, he was determined to
+follow the dogs, and galloped after them. In the height of the pursuit,
+he was flung from his pony, fell on his head; and instantly expired.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The fluctuations of the public mind on the subject of the peace, have
+lately influenced the stock market to a considerable degree. The
+insolence<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_472" id="Page_472">[Pg 472]</a></span> of the First Consul to our ambassador, Lord Whitworth,
+naturally produces an expectation of war. Early this morning, a man,
+calling himself a messenger from the Foreign Office, delivered a letter
+at the Mansion-house, and which he said had been sent from Lord
+Hawkesbury, and which was to be given to his lordship without delay. The
+letter was in these words:&mdash;"Lord Hawkesbury presents his compliments to
+the Lord Mayor, and has the honour to acquaint his lordship, that the
+negotiation between this country and the French republic is brought to
+an amicable conclusion. Signed, Downing Street, eight o'clock, May 5,
+1803."</p>
+
+<p>The Lord Mayor, with a precipitancy that argued but little for the
+prudence of the chief magistrate, had this letter posted up in front of
+the Mansion-house. The effect on the Stock Exchange was immediate; and
+consols rose eight per cent, from 63 to 71. The delusion, however, was
+brief; and the intelligence of the rise had no sooner reached Downing
+Street in its turn, than a messenger was dispatched to undeceive the
+city, and the city-marshal was employed to read the contradiction in the
+streets. The confusion in the Stock Exchange was now excessive; but the
+committee adopted the only remedy in their power. They ordered the Stock
+Exchange to be shut, and came to a resolution, that all bargains made in
+the morning should be null and void. Immediately after, another attempt
+of the same kind was made; and the Lord Mayor was requested by the
+people of the Stock Exchange to inquire into its reality from the
+government. The inquiry was answered by Mr Addington, of course denying
+it altogether, and finishing with this rebuke to civic credulity:&mdash;"I
+feel it my duty distinctly to caution your lordship against receiving
+impressions of the description alluded to, through any unauthorized
+channel of information." The funds immediately fell to 63 once more.</p>
+
+<p>And yet it remains a delicate question, whether any committee can have
+the power of declaring the bargains null and void. Of course, where the
+inventors of the fraud have been parties, they have no right to gain by
+their own fraud; but where individuals, wholly unacquainted with the
+fraud, have gained, there seems no reason why a <i>bon&acirc; fide</i> transaction
+should not stand.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The question of war is decided. On the 17th of May, an Order in Council,
+dated yesterday, has appeared in the <i>Gazette</i>, directing general
+reprisals against the ships, goods, and subjects of the French Republic.
+The peace, which rather deserves the name of a suspension of arms, or
+still more, the name of a prodigious act of credulity on the part of
+well-meaning John Bull, and an act of desperate knavery on the part of
+the First Consul and his accomplices, has lasted exactly one year and
+sixteen days,&mdash;England having occupied the time in disbanding her troops
+and dismantling her fleets; and France being not less busy in seizing on
+Italian provinces, strengthening her defences, and making universal
+preparations for war. Yet the spirit of England, though averse to
+hostilities in general, is probably more prepared at this moment for a
+resolute and persevering struggle than ever. The nation is now convinced
+of two things: first, that it is unassailable by France&mdash;a conviction
+which it has acquired during ten years of war; and next, that peace with
+France, under its present government, is impossible. The trickery of the
+Republican government, its intolerable insolence, the exorbitancy of its
+demands, and the more than military arrogance of its language, have
+penetrated every bosom in England. The nation has never engaged so
+heartily in a war before. All its old wars were government against
+government; but the First Consul has insulted the English people, and by
+the personal bitterness and malignant acrimony of his insults, has
+united every heart and hand in England against him. England has never
+waged such a war before; either party must perish. If England should
+fail, which heaven avert, the world will be a dungeon. If France should
+be defeated, the victory will be for Europe and all mankind.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>Lord Nelson has sailed in the <i>Victory</i> from Portsmouth to take the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_473" id="Page_473">[Pg 473]</a></span>
+command in the Mediterranean. A French frigate has been taken; and a
+despatch declaring war has been received from France, ordering the
+capture of all English vessels, offering commissions to privateers, and
+by an act of treachery unprecedented among nations, annexed to this
+order is a command that all the English, from eighteen to sixty,
+residing in France, should be arrested; the pretext being to answer as
+prisoners for the French subjects who may have been made prisoners by
+the ships of his Britannic Majesty, previously to any declaration of
+war.</p>
+
+<p>This measure has excited the deepest indignation throughout London; and
+an indignation which will be shared by the empire. The English in France
+have been travelling and residing under French passports, and under the
+declared protection of the government. No crime has been charged upon
+them; they remained, because they regarded themselves as secure, relying
+on the honour of France. Their being kept as pledges for the French
+prisoners captured on the seas, is a mere trifling with common sense.
+The French subjects travelling or residing in England have not been
+arrested. The mere technicality of a declaration of war was wholly
+useless, when the ambassador of France had been ordered to leave
+England. The English ambassador had left Paris on the 12th; the French
+ambassador had left London on the 16th. The English order for reprisals
+appeared in the <i>Gazette</i> of the 17th. The English declaration of war
+was laid before Parliament on the 18th; and the first capture, a French
+lugger of fourteen guns.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_OLD_PLAYER" id="THE_OLD_PLAYER"></a>THE "OLD PLAYER."</h2>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">Imitated From Anastasius Gr&uuml;n</span>.</h4>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">By A. Lodge</span>.</h4>
+
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Aloft the rustling curtain flew,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That gave the mimic scene to view;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">How gaudy was the suit he wore!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His cheeks with red how plaster'd o'er!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Poor veteran! that in life's late day,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">With tottering step, and locks of gray,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Essay'st each trick of antic glee,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Oh! my heart bleeds at sight of thee.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A laugh thy triumph! and so near</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The closing act, and humble bier;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">This thy ambition? this thy pride?</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Far better thou had'st earlier died!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Though memory long has own'd decay,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And dim the intellectual ray,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thou toil'st, from many an idle page,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To cram the feeble brain of age.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And stiff the old man's arms have grown.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And scarce his folded hands alone</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Half raised in whisper'd prayer they see,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To bless the grandchild at his knee.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But here&mdash;'tis action lends a zest</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To the dull, pointless, hacknied jest;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He saws the air 'mid welcome loud</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_474" id="Page_474">[Pg 474]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Of laughter from the barren crowd.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A tear creeps down his cheek&mdash;with pain</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His limbs the wasted form sustain;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ay&mdash;weep! no thought thy tears are worth,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">So the Pit shakes with boist'rous mirth.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And now the bustling scene is o'er,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The weary actor struts no more;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And hark, "The old man needed rest,"</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">They cry; "the arm-chair suits him best."</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His lips have moved with mutter'd sound&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A pause&mdash;and still the taunt goes round;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Oh! quite worn out&mdash;'tis doting age,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Why lags the driveller on the stage?"</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Again the halting speech he tries,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But words the faltering tongue denies,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Scarce heard the low unmeaning tone,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Then silent&mdash;as tho' life were flown.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The curtain falls, and rings the bell,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">They know not 'tis the Player's knell;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Nor deem their noise and echoing cry</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The dirge that speeds a soul on high!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dead in his chair the old man lay,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His colour had not pass'd away;&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Clay-cold, the ruddy cheeks declare</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">What hideous mockery lingers there!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Yes! there the counterfeited hue</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Unfolds with moral truth to view,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">How false&mdash;as every mimic part&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His life&mdash;his labours&mdash;and his art!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The canvass-wood devoid of shade,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Above, no plaintive rustling made;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That moon, that ne'er its orb has fill'd,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">No pitying, dewy tears distill'd.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The troop stood round&mdash;and all the past</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">In one brief comment speaks at last;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Well, he has won the hero's name,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He died upon his field of fame."</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A girl with timid grace draws near,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And like the Muse to sorrow dear,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Amid the silvery tresses lays</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The torn stage-wreath of paper bays!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">I saw two men the bier sustain;&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Two bearers all the funeral train!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">They left him in his narrow bed,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">No smile was seen&mdash;no tear was shed!</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_475" id="Page_475">[Pg 475]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_CRUSADES5" id="THE_CRUSADES5"></a>THE CRUSADES.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></h2>
+
+
+<p>The Crusades are, beyond all question, the most extraordinary and
+memorable movement that ever took place in the history of mankind.
+Neither ancient nor modern times can furnish any thing even approaching
+to a parallel. They were neither stimulated by the lust of conquest nor
+the love of gain; they were not the results of northern poverty pressing
+on southern plenty, nor do they furnish an example of civilized
+discipline overcoming barbaric valour. The warriors who assumed the
+Cross were not stimulated, like the followers of Cortes and Pizarro, by
+the thirst for gold, nor roused, like those of Timour and Genghis Khan,
+by the passion for conquest. They did not burn, like the legionary
+soldiers of Rome, with the love of country, nor sigh with Alexander,
+because another world did not remain to conquer. They did not issue,
+like the followers of Mahomet, with the sword in one hand and the
+"Koran" in the other, to convert by subduing mankind, and win the houris
+of Paradise by imbruing their hands in the blood of the unbelievers. The
+ordinary motives which rouse the ambition, or awaken the passions of
+men, were to them unknown. One only passion warmed every bosom, one only
+desire was felt in every heart. To rescue the Holy Sepulchre from the
+hands of the Infidels&mdash;to restore the heritage of Christ to his
+followers&mdash;to plant the Cross again on Mount Calvary&mdash;was the sole
+object of their desires. For this they lived, for this they died. For
+this, millions of warriors abandoned their native seats, and left their
+bones to whiten the fields of Asia. For this, Europe, during two
+centuries, was precipitated on Asia. To stimulate this astonishing
+movement, all the powers of religion, of love, of poetry, of romance,
+and of eloquence, during a succession of ages, were devoted. Peter the
+Hermit shook the heart of Europe by his preaching, as the trumpet rouses
+the war-horse. Poetry and romance aided the generous illusion. No maiden
+would look at a lover who had not served in Palestine; few could resist
+those who had. And so strongly was the European heart then stirred,&mdash;so
+profound the emotions excited by those events, that their influence is
+felt even at this distant period. The highest praise yet awarded to
+valour is, that it recalls the lion-hearted Richard; the most envied
+meed bestowed on beauty, that it rivals the fascination of Armida. No
+monument is yet approached by the generous and brave with such emotion
+as those now mouldering in our churches, which represent the warrior
+lying with his arms crossed on his breast, in token that, during life,
+he had served in the Holy Wars.</p>
+
+<p>The Crusades form the true heroic age of Europe&mdash;the <i>Jerusalem
+Delivered</i> is its epic poem. Then alone its warriors fought and died
+together. Banded together under a second "King of men," the forces of
+Christendom combated around the Holy City against the strength of Asia
+drawn to its defence. The cause was nobler, the end greater, the motives
+more exalted, than those which animated the warriors of the Iliad.
+Another Helen had not fired another Troy; the hope of sharing the spoils
+of Phrygia had not drawn together the predatory bands of another Greece.
+The characters on both sides had risen in proportion to the magnitude
+and sanctity of the strife in which they were engaged. Holier motives,
+more generous passions were felt, than had yet, from the beginning of
+time, strung the soldier's arm. Saladin was a mightier prince than
+Hector; Godfrey a nobler character than Agamemnon; Richard immeasurably
+more heroic than Achilles. The strife did not continue for ten years,
+but for twenty lustres; and yet, so uniform were the passions felt
+through its continuance, so identical the objects contended for, that
+the whole has the unity of interest of a Greek drama.</p>
+
+<p>All nations bore their part in this mighty tragedy. The Franks were
+there, under Godfrey of Bouillon and Raymond of Toulouse, in such
+strength<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_476" id="Page_476">[Pg 476]</a></span> as to have stamped their name in the East upon Europeans in
+general; the English nobly supported the ancient fame of their country
+under the lion-hearted King; the Germans followed the Dukes of Austria
+and Bavaria; the Flemings those of Hainault and Brabant; the Italians
+and Spaniards reappeared on the fields of Roman fame; even the distant
+Swedes and Norwegians, the descendants of the Goths and Normans, sent
+forth their contingents to combat in the common cause of Christianity.
+Nor were the forces of Asia assembled in less marvellous proportions.
+The bands of Persia were there, terrible as when they destroyed the
+legions of Crassus and Antony, or withstood the invasions of Heraclius
+and Julian; the descendants of the followers of Sesostris appeared on
+the field of ancient and forgotten glory; the swarthy visages of the
+Ethiopians were seen; the distant Tartars hurried to the theatre of
+carnage and plunder; the Arabs, flushed with the conquest of the Eastern
+world, combated, with unconquerable resolution, for the faith of
+Mahomet. The arms of Europe were tested against those of Asia, as much
+as the courage of the descendants of Japhet was with the daring of the
+children of Ishmael. The long lance, ponderous panoply, and weighty
+war-horse of the West, was matched against the twisted hauberk, sharp
+sabre, and incomparable steeds of the East; the sword crossed with the
+cimeter, the dagger with the poniard; the armour of Milan was scarce
+proof against the Damascus blade; the archers of England tried their
+strength with the bowmen of Arabia. Nor were rousing passions, animating
+recollections, and charmed desires awanting to sustain the courage on
+both sides. The Christians asserted the ancient superiority of Europe
+over Asia; the Saracens were proud of the recent conquest of the East,
+Africa, and Southern Europe, by their arms; the former pointed to a
+world subdued and long held in subjection&mdash;the latter to a world newly
+reft from the infidel, and won by their sabres to the sway of the
+Crescent. The one deemed themselves secure of salvation while combating
+for the Cross, and sought an entrance to heaven through the breach of
+Jerusalem; the other, strong in the belief of fatalism, advanced
+fearless to the conflict, and strove for the houris of Paradise amidst
+the lances of the Christians.</p>
+
+<p>When nations so powerful, leaders so renowned, forces so vast, courage
+so unshaken in the contending parties, were brought into collision,
+under the influence of passions so strong, enthusiasm so exalted,
+devotion so profound, it was impossible that innumerable deeds of
+heroism should not have been performed on both sides. If a poet equal to
+Homer had arisen in Europe to sing the conflict, the warriors of the
+Crusades would have been engraven on our minds like the heroes of the
+Iliad; and all future ages would have resounded with their exploits, as
+they have with those of Achilles and Agamemnon, of Ajax and Ulysses, of
+Hector and Diomede. But though Tasso has with incomparable beauty
+enshrined in immortal verse the feelings of chivalry, and the enthusiasm
+of the Crusades, he has not left a poem which has taken, or ever can
+take, the general hold of the minds of men, which the Iliad has done.
+The reason is, it is not founded in nature&mdash;it is the ideal&mdash;but it is
+not the ideal based on the real. Considered as a work of imagination,
+the <i>Gerusalemme Liberata</i> is one of the most exquisite conceptions of
+human fancy, and will for ever command the admiration of romantic and
+elevated minds. But it wants that yet higher excellence, which arises
+from a thorough knowledge of human nature&mdash;a graphic delineation of
+actual character, a faithful picture of the real passions and sufferings
+of mortality. It is the most perfect example of poetic <i>fancy</i>; but the
+highest species of the epic poem is to be found not in poetic fancy, but
+<i>poetic history</i>. The heroes and heroines of the <i>Jerusalem Delivered</i>
+are noble and attractive. It is impossible to study them without
+admiration; but they resemble real life as much as the Enchanted Forest
+and spacious battle-fields, which Tasso has described in the environs of
+Jerusalem, do the arid ridges, waterless ravines, and stone-covered
+hills in the real scene, which have been painted by the matchless pens
+of Chateaubriand and Lamartine.</p>
+
+<p>The love of Tancred, the tenderness of Erminia, the heroism of Rinaldo,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_477" id="Page_477">[Pg 477]</a></span>
+are indelibly engraven in the recollection of every sensitive reader of
+Tasso; but no man ever saw such characters, or any thing resembling
+them, in real life. They are a&euml;rial beings, like Miranda in the
+"Tempest," or Rosalind in the forest; but they recall no traits of
+actual existence. The enchantment of Armida, the death of Clorinda,
+belong to a different class. They rise to the highest flights of the
+epic muse; for female fascination is the same in all ages; and Tasso
+drew from the life in the first, while his exquisite taste and elevated
+soul raised him to the highest moral sublimity and pathos which human
+nature can reach in the second. Considered, however, as the poetic
+history of the Crusades, as the Iliad of modern times, the <i>Jerusalem
+Delivered</i> will not bear any comparison with its immortal predecessor.
+It conveys little idea of the real events; it embodies no traits of
+nature; it has enshrined no traditions of the past. The distant era of
+the Crusades, separated by three centuries from the time when he wrote,
+had come down to Tasso, blended with the refinements of civilization,
+the courtesy of chivalry, the graces of antiquity, the conceits of the
+troubadours. In one respect only he has faithfully portrayed the
+feelings of the time when his poem was laid. In the uniform elevation of
+mind in Godfrey of Bouillon; his constant forgetfulness of self; his
+sublime devotion to the objects of his mission, is to be found a true
+picture of the spirit of the Crusades, as it appeared in their most
+dignified champions. And it is fortunate for mankind that the noble
+portrait has been arrayed in such colours as must render it as immortal
+as the human race.</p>
+
+<p>If poetry has failed in portraying the real spirit of the Crusades, has
+history been more successful? Never was a nobler theme presented to
+human ambition. We may see what may be made of it, by the inimitable
+fragment of its annals which Gibbon has left in his narrative of the
+storming of Constantinople by the Franks and Venetians. Only think what
+a subject is presented to the soul of genius, guiding the hand, and
+sustaining the effort of industry! The rise of the Mahometan power in
+the East, and the subjugation of Palestine by the arms of the Saracens;
+the profound indignation excited in Europe by the narratives of the
+sufferings of the Christians who had made pilgrimages to the Holy
+Sepulchre; the sudden and almost miraculous impulse communicated to
+multitudes by the preaching of Peter the Hermit; the universal frenzy
+which seized all classes, and the general desertion of fields and
+cities, in the anxiety to share in the holy enterprise of rescuing it
+from the infidels; the unparalleled sufferings and total destruction of
+the huge multitude of men, women, and children who formed the vanguard
+of Europe, and perished in the first Crusade, make up, as it were the
+first act of the eventful story. Next comes the firm array of warriors
+which was led by Godfrey of Bouillon in the second Crusade. Their march
+through Hungary and Turkey to Constantinople; the description of the
+Queen of the East, with its formidable ramparts, noble harbours, and
+crafty government; the battles of Nice and Dorislaus, and marvellous
+defeats of the Persians by the arms of the Christians; the long
+duration, and almost fabulous termination of the siege of Antioch, by
+the miracle of the holy lance; the advance to Jerusalem; the defeat of
+the Egyptians before its walls, and final storming of the holy city by
+the resistless prowess of the crusaders, terminate the second act of the
+mighty drama.</p>
+
+<p>The third commences with the establishment, in a durable manner, of the
+Latins in Palestine, and the extension of its limits,&mdash;by the subjection
+of Ptolemais, Edessa, and a number of strongholds towards the east. The
+constitution of the monarchy by the "Assizes of Jerusalem," the most
+regular and perfect model of feudal sovereignty that ever was formed;
+with the singular orders of the knights-templars, hospitallers, and of
+St John of Jerusalem, which in a manner organized the strength of Europe
+for its defence, blend the detail of manners, institutions, and military
+establishments, with the otherwise too frequent narratives of battles
+and sieges. Next come the vast and almost convulsive efforts of the
+Orientals to expel the Christians from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_478" id="Page_478">[Pg 478]</a></span> their shores; the long wars and
+slow degrees by which the monarchy of Palestine was abridged, and at
+last its strength broken by the victorious sword of Saladin, and the
+wood of the true cross lost, in the battle of Tiberias. But this
+terrible event, which at once restored Jerusalem to the power of the
+Saracens, again roused the declining spirit of European enterprise. A
+hero rose up for the defence of the Holy Land. Richard C&oelig;ur de Lion
+and Philip Augustus appeared at the head of the chivalry of England and
+France. The siege of Ptolemais exceeded in heroic deeds that of Troy;
+the battle of Ascalon broke the strength and humbled the pride of
+Saladin; and, but for the jealousy and defection of France, Richard
+would have again rescued the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the
+infidels, and perhaps permanently established a Christian monarchy on
+the shores of Palestine.</p>
+
+<p>The fourth Crusade, under Dandolo, when the arms of the Faithful were
+turned aside from the holy enterprise by the spoils of Constantinople,
+and the blind Doge leapt from his galleys on the towers of the imperial
+city, forms the splendid subject of the fourth act. The marvellous
+spectacle was there exhibited of a band of adventurers, not mustering
+above twenty thousand combatants, carrying by storm the mighty Queen of
+the East, subverting the Byzantine empire, and establishing themselves
+in a durable manner, in feudal sovereignty, over the whole of Greece and
+European Turkey. The wonderful powers of Gibbon, the luminous pages of
+Sismondi, have thrown a flood of light on this extraordinary event, and
+almost brought its principal events before our eyes. The passage of the
+Dardanelles by the Christian armament; the fears of the warriors at
+embarking in the mighty enterprise of attacking the imperial city; the
+imposing aspect of its palaces, domes, and battlements; the sturdy
+resistance of the Latin squares to the desultory charges of the
+Byzantine troops; in fine, the storm of the city itself, and overthrow
+of the empire of the C&aelig;sars, stand forth in the most brilliant light in
+the immortal pages of these two writers. But great and romantic as this
+event was, it was an episode in the history of the Crusades, it was a
+diversion of its forces, a deviation from its spirit. It is an ordinary,
+though highly interesting and eventful siege; very different from the
+consecration of the forces of Europe to the rescuing of the Holy
+Sepulchre.</p>
+
+<p>Very different was the result of the last Crusade, under Saint Louis,
+which shortly after terminated in the capture of Ptolemais, and the
+final expulsion of the Christians from the shores of Palestine.
+Melancholy, however, as are the features of that eventful story, it
+excites a deeper emotion than the triumphant storm of Constantinople by
+the champions of the Cross. St Louis was unfortunate, but he was so in a
+noble cause; he preserved the purity of his character, the dignity of
+his mission, equally amidst the arrows of the Egyptians on the banks of
+the Nile, as in the death-bestrodden shores of the Lybian Desert. There
+is nothing more sublime in history than the death of this truly
+saint-like prince, amidst his weeping followers. England reappeared with
+lustre in the last glare of the flames of the crusades, before they sunk
+for ever; the blood of the Plantagenets proved worthy of itself. Prince
+Edward again erected the banner of victory before the walls of Acre, and
+his heroic consort, who sucked the poison of the assassin from his
+wounds, has passed, like Belisarius or C&oelig;ur de Lion, into the
+immortal shrine of romance. Awful was the catastrophe in which the
+tragedy terminated; and the storm of Acre, and slaughter of thirty
+thousand of the Faithful, while it finally expelled the Christians from
+the Holy Land, awakened the European powers, when too late, to a sense
+of the ruinous effect of those divisions which had permitted the
+vanguard of Christendom, the bulwark of the faith, to languish and
+perish, after an heroic resistance, on the shores of Asia.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was it long before the disastrous consequences of these divisions
+appeared, and it was made manifest, even to the most inconsiderate, what
+dangers had been averted from the shores of Europe, by the contest which
+had so long fixed the struggle<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_479" id="Page_479">[Pg 479]</a></span> on those of Asia. The dreadful arms of
+the Mahometans, no longer restrained by the lances of the Crusaders,
+appeared in menacing, and apparently irresistible strength, on the
+shores of the Mediterranean. Empire after empire sank beneath their
+strokes. Constantinople, and with it the empire of the East, yielded to
+the arms of Mahomet II.; Rhodes, with its spacious ramparts and
+well-defended bastions, to those of Solyman the Magnificent; Malta, the
+key to the Mediterranean, was only saved by the almost superhuman valour
+of its devoted knights; Hungary was overrun; Vienna besieged; and the
+death of Solyman alone prevented him from realizing his threat, of
+stabling his steed at the high altar of St Peter's. The glorious victory
+of Lepanto, the raising of the siege of Vienna by John Sobieski, only
+preserved, at distant intervals, Christendom from subjugation, and
+possibly the faith of the gospel from extinction on the earth. A
+consideration of these dangers may illustrate of what incalculable
+service the Crusades were to the cause of true religion and
+civilization, by fixing the contest for two centuries in Asia, when it
+was most to be dreaded in Europe; and permitting the strength of
+Christendom to grow, during that long period, till, when it was
+seriously assailed in its own home, it was able to defend itself. It may
+show us what we owe to the valour of those devoted champions of the
+Cross, who struggled with the might of Islamism when "it was strongest,
+and ruled it when it was wildest;" and teach us to look with
+thankfulness on the dispensations of that over-ruling Providence, which
+causes even the most vehement and apparently extravagant passions of the
+human mind to minister to the final good of humanity.</p>
+
+<p>For a long period after their termination, the Crusades were regarded by
+the world, and treated by historians, as the mere ebullition of frenzied
+fanaticism&mdash;as a useless and deplorable effusion of human blood. It may
+be conceived with what satisfaction these views were received by
+Voltaire, and the whole sceptical writers of France, and how completely,
+in consequence, they deluded more than one generation. Robertson was the
+first who pointed out some of the important consequences which the
+Crusades had on the structure of society, and progress of improvement in
+modern Europe. Guizot and Sismondi have followed in the same track; and
+the truths they have unfolded are so evident, that they have received
+the unanimous concurrence of all thinking persons. Certain it is, that
+so vast a migration of men, so prodigious a heave of the human race,
+could not have taken place without producing the most important effects.
+Few as were the warriors who returned from the Holy Wars, in comparison
+of those who set out, they brought back with them many of the most
+important acquisitions of time and value, and arts of the East. The
+terrace cultivation of Tuscany, the invaluable irrigation of Lombardy,
+date from the Crusades: it was from the warriors or pilgrims that
+returned from the Holy Land, that the incomparable silk and velvet
+manufactures, and delicate jewellery of Venice and Genoa, took their
+rise. Nor were the consequences less material on those who remained
+behind, and did not share in the immediate fruits of Oriental
+enterprise. Immense was the impulse communicated to Europe by the
+prodigious migration. It dispelled prejudice, by bringing distant
+improvement before the eyes; awakened activity, by exhibiting to the
+senses the effects of foreign enterprise; it drew forth and expended
+long accumulated capital; the fitting out so vast a host of warriors
+stimulated labour, as the wars of the French Revolution did those of the
+European states six centuries afterwards. The feudal aristocracy never
+recovered the shock given to their power by the destruction of many
+families, and the overwhelming debts fastened on others, by these costly
+and protracted contests. Great part of the prosperity, freedom, and
+happiness which have since prevailed in the principal European
+monarchies, is to be ascribed to the Crusades. So great an intermingling
+of the different faiths and races of mankind, never takes place without
+producing lasting and beneficial consequences.</p>
+
+<p>These views have been amply illus<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_480" id="Page_480">[Pg 480]</a></span>trated by the philosophic historians
+of modern times. But there is another effect of far more importance than
+them all put together, which has not yet attracted the attention it
+deserves, because the opposite set of evils are only beginning now to
+rise into general and formidable activity. This is the fixing the mind,
+and still more the heart of Europe, for so long a period, on <i>generous
+and disinterested objects</i>. Whoever has attentively considered the
+constitution of human nature as he feels it in himself, or has observed
+it in others,&mdash;whether as shown in the private society with which he has
+mingled, or the public concerns of nations he has observed,&mdash;will at
+once admit that <span class="smcap">SELFISHNESS</span> is its greatest bane. It is at once the
+source of individual degradation and of public ruin. He knew the human
+heart well who prescribed as the first of social duties, "to love our
+neighbour as ourself." Of what incalculable importance was it, then, to
+have the mind of Europe, during so many generations, withdrawn from
+selfish considerations, emancipated from the sway of individual desire,
+and devoted to objects of generous or spiritual ambition! The passion of
+the Crusades may have been wild, extravagant, irrational, but it was
+noble, disinterested, and heroic. It was founded on the sacrifice of
+self to duty; not on the sacrifice, so common in later times, of duty to
+self. In the individuals engaged in the Holy Wars, doubtless, there was
+the usual proportion of human selfishness and passion. Certainly they
+had not all the self-control of St Anthony, or the self-denial of St
+Jerome. But this is the case with all great movements. The principle
+which moved the general mind was grand and generous. It first severed
+war from the passion of lust or revenge, and the thirst for plunder on
+which it had hitherto been founded, and based it on the generous and
+disinterested object of rescuing the Holy Sepulchre. Courage was
+sanctified, because it was exerted in a noble cause: even bloodshed
+became excusable, for it was done to stop the shedding of blood. The
+noble and heroic feelings which have taken such hold of the mind of
+modern Europe, and distinguish it from any other age or quarter of the
+globe, have mainly arisen from the profound emotions awakened by the
+mingling of the passions of chivalry with the aspirations of devotion
+during the Crusades. The sacrifice of several millions of men, however
+dreadful an evil, was a transient and slight calamity, when set against
+the incalculable effect of communicating such feelings to their
+descendants, and stamping them for ever upon the race of Japhet,
+destined to people and subdue the world.</p>
+
+<p>Look at the mottoes on the seals of our older nobility, which date from
+the era of the Crusades, or the ages succeeding it, when their heroic
+spirit was not yet extinct, and you will see the clearest demonstration
+of what was the spirit of these memorable contests. They are all founded
+on the sacrifice of self to duty, of interest to devotion, of life to
+love. There is little to be seen there about industry amassing wealth,
+or prudence averting calamity; but much about honour despising danger,
+and life sacrificed to duty. In an utilitarian or commercial age, such
+principles may appear extravagant or romantic; but it is from such
+extravagant romance that all the greatness of modern Europe has taken
+its rise. We cannot emancipate ourselves from their influence: a
+fountain of generous thoughts in every elevated bosom is perpetually
+gushing forth, from the ideas which have come down to us from the Holy
+Wars. They live in our romances, in our tragedies, in our poetry, in our
+language, in our hearts. Of what use are such feelings, say the
+partisans of utility? "Of what use," answers Madame De Sta&euml;l, "is the
+Apollo Belvidere, or the poetry of Milton; the paintings of Raphael, or
+the strains of Handel? Of what use is the rose or the eglantine; the
+colours of autumn, or the setting of the sun?" And yet what object ever
+moved the heart as they have done, and ever will do? Of what use is all
+that is sublime or beautiful in nature, if not to the soul itself? The
+interest taken in such objects attests the dignity of that being which
+is immortal and invisible, and which is ever more strongly moved by
+whatever speaks to its immortal and invisible nature, than by all the
+cares of present existence.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_481" id="Page_481">[Pg 481]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When such is the magnificence and interest of the subject of the
+Crusades, it is surprising that no historian has yet appeared in Great
+Britain who has done justice to the theme. Yet unquestionably none has
+even approached it. Mill's history is the only one in our language which
+treats of the subject otherwise than as a branch of general history; and
+though his work is trustworthy and authentic, it is destitute of the
+chief qualities requisite for the successful prosecution of so great an
+undertaking. It is&mdash;a rare fault in history&mdash;a great deal too short. It
+is not in two thin octavo volumes that the annals of the conflict of
+Europe and Asia for two centuries is to be given. It is little more than
+an abridgement, for the use of young persons, of what the real history
+should be. It may be true, but it is dull; and dulness is an
+unpardonable fault in any historian, especially one who had such a
+subject whereon to exert his powers. The inimitable episode of Gibbon on
+the storming of Constantinople by the Crusaders, is written in a very
+different style: the truths of history, and the colours of poetry, are
+there blended in the happiest proportions together. There is a fragment
+affording, <i>so far as description goes</i>, a perfect model of what the
+history of the Crusades should be; what in the hands of genius it will
+one day become. But it is a model <i>only</i> so far as description goes.
+Gibbon had greater powers as an historian than any modern writer who
+ever approached the subject; but he had not the elevated soul requisite
+for the highest branches of his art, and which was most of all called
+for in the annalist of the Crusades. He was destitute of enlightened
+principle; he was without true philosophy; he had the eye of painting,
+and the <i>powers</i>, but not the <i>soul</i> of poetry in his mind. He had not
+moral courage sufficient to withstand the irreligious fanaticism of his
+age. He was benevolent; but his aspirations never reached the highest
+interests of humanity,&mdash;humane, but "his humanity ever slumbered where
+women were ravished, or Christians persecuted."<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p>
+
+<p>Passion and reason in equal proportions, it has been well observed, form
+energy. With equal truth, and for a similar reason, it may be said, that
+intellect and imagination in equal proportions form history. It is the
+want of the last quality which is in general fatal to the persons who
+adventure on that great but difficult branch of composition. It in every
+age sends ninety-nine hundreds of historical works down the gulf of
+time. Industry and accuracy are so evidently and indisputably requisite
+in the outset of historical composition, that men forget that genius and
+taste are required for its completion. They see that the edifice must be
+reared of blocks cut out of the quarry; and they fix their attention on
+the quarriers who loosen them from the rock, without considering that
+the soul of Phidias or Michael Angelo is required to arrange them in the
+due proportion in the immortal structure. What makes great and durable
+works of history so rare is, that they alone, perhaps, of any other
+production, require for their formation a combination of the most
+opposite qualities of the human mind, qualities which only are found
+united in a very few individuals in any age. Industry and genius,
+passion and perseverance, enthusiasm and caution, vehemence and
+prudence, ardour and self-control, the fire of poetry, the coldness of
+prose, the eye of painting, the patience of calculation, dramatic power,
+philosophic thought, are all called for in the annalist of human events.
+Mr Fox had a clear perception of what history should be, when he placed
+it <i>next to poetry in the fine arts, and before oratory</i>. Eloquence is
+but a fragment of what is enfolded in its mighty arms. Military genius
+ministers only to its more brilliant scenes. Mere ardour, or poetic
+imagination, will prove wholly insufficient; they will be deterred at
+the very threshold of the undertaking by the toil with which it is
+attended, and turn aside into the more inviting paths of poetry and
+romance. The labour of writing the "Life of Napoleon" killed Sir Walter
+Scott. Industry and intellectual power, if unaided by more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_482" id="Page_482">[Pg 482]</a></span> attractive
+qualities, will equally fail of success; they will produce a respectable
+work, valuable as a book of reference, which will slumber in forgotten
+obscurity in our libraries. The combination of the two is requisite to
+lasting fame, to general and durable success. What is necessary in an
+historian, as in the <i>&eacute;lite</i> of an army, is not the desultory fire of
+light troops, nor the ordinary steadiness of common soldiers, but the
+regulated ardour, the burning but yet restrained enthusiasm, which,
+trained by discipline, taught by experience, keeps itself under control
+till the proper moment for action arrives, and then sweeps, at the voice
+of its leader, with "the ocean's mighty swing" on the foe.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Michaud</span> is, in many respects, an historian peculiarly qualified for the
+great undertaking which he has accomplished, of giving a full and
+accurate, yet graphic history of the Crusades. He belongs to the
+elevated class in thought; he is far removed, indeed, from the
+utilitarian school of modern days. Deeply imbued with the romantic and
+chivalrous ideas of the olden time, a devout Catholic as well as a
+sincere Christian, he brought to the annals of the Holy Wars a profound
+admiration for their heroism, a deep respect for their
+disinterestedness, a graphic eye for their delineation, a sincere
+sympathy with their devotion. With the fervour of a warrior, he has
+narrated the long and eventful story of their victories and defeats;
+with the devotion of a pilgrim, visited the scenes of their glories and
+their sufferings. Not content with giving to the world six large octavos
+for the narrative of their glory, he has published six other volumes,
+containing his travels to all the scenes on the shores of the
+Mediterranean which have been rendered memorable by their exploits. It
+is hard to say which is most interesting. They mutually reflect and
+throw light on each other: for in the History we see at every step the
+graphic eye of the traveller; in the Travels we meet in every page with
+the knowledge and associations of the historian.</p>
+
+<p>Michaud, as might be expected from his turn of mind and favourite
+studies, belongs to the romantic or picturesque school of French
+historians; that school of which, with himself, Barante, Michelet, and
+the two Thierrys are the great ornaments. He is far from being destitute
+of philosophical penetration, and many of his articles in that
+astonishing repertory of learning and ability, the <i>Biographie
+Universelle</i>, demonstrate that he is fully abreast of all the ideas and
+information of his age. But in his history of the Crusades, he thought,
+and thought rightly, that the great object was to give a faithful
+picture of the events and ideas of the time, without any attempt to
+paraphrase them into the language or thoughts of subsequent ages. The
+world had had enough of the flippant <i>persiflage</i> with which Voltaire
+had treated the most heroic efforts and tragic disasters of the human
+race. Philosophic historians had got into discredit from the rash
+conclusions and unfounded pretensions of the greater part of their
+number; though the philosophy of history can never cease to be one of
+the noblest subjects of human thought. To guard against the error into
+which they had fallen, the romantic historians recurred with anxious
+industry to the original and contemporary annals of their events, and
+discarded every thing from their narrative which was not found to be
+supported by such unquestionable authority. In thought, they endeavoured
+to reflect, as in a mirror, the ideas of the age of which they treated,
+rather than see it through their own: in narrative or description, they
+rather availed themselves of the materials, how scanty soever, collected
+by eyewitnesses, in preference to eking out the picture by imaginary
+additions, and the richer colouring of subsequent ages. This is the
+great characteristic of the graphic or picturesque school of French
+history; and there can be no question that in regard to the first
+requisite of history, trustworthiness, and the subordinate but also
+highly important object, of rendering the narrative interesting, it is a
+very great improvement, alike upon the tedious narrative of former
+learning, or the provoking pretensions of more recent philosophy.
+Justice can never be done to the actions or thoughts of former times,
+unless the former are narrated from the accounts of eye<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_483" id="Page_483">[Pg 483]</a></span>witnesses, and
+with the fervour which they alone can feel&mdash;the latter in the very
+words, as much as possible, employed by the speakers on the occasions.
+Nor will imagination ever produce any thing so interesting as the
+features which actually presented themselves at the moment to the
+observer. Every painter knows the superior value of sketches, however
+slight, made on the spot, to the most laboured subsequent reminiscences.</p>
+
+<p>But while this is perfectly true on the one hand, it is equally clear on
+the other, that this recurrence to ancient and contemporary authority
+must be for the facts, events, and outline of the story only; and that
+the filling up must be done by the hand of the artist who is engaged in
+producing the complete work. If this is not done, history ceases to be
+one of the fine arts. It degenerates into a mere collection of
+chronicles, records, and ballads, without any connecting link to unite,
+or any regulating mind to arrange them. History then loses the place
+assigned it by Mr Fox, next to poetry and before oratory; it becomes
+nothing more than a magazine of antiquarian lore. Such a magazine may be
+interesting to antiquaries; it may be valuable to the learned in
+ecclesiastical disputes, or the curious in genealogy or family records;
+but these interests are of a very partial and transient description. It
+will never generally fascinate the human race. Nothing ever has, or ever
+can do so, but such annals as, independent of local or family interest,
+or antiquarian curiosity, are permanently attractive by the grandeur and
+interest of the events they recount, and the elegance or pathos of the
+language in which they are delivered. Such are the histories of
+Herodotus and Thucydides, the annals of Sallust and Tacitus, the
+narratives of Homer, Livy, and Gibbon. If instead of aiming at producing
+one uniform work of this description, flowing from the same pen, couched
+in the same style, reflecting the same mind, the historian presents his
+readers with a collection of quotations from chronicles, state papers,
+or <i>jejune</i> annalists, he has entirely lost sight of the principles of
+his art. He has not made a picture, but merely put together a collection
+of original sketches; he has not built a temple, but only piled together
+the unfinished blocks of which it was to be composed.</p>
+
+<p>This is the great fault into which Barante, Sismondi, and Michelet have
+fallen. In their anxiety to be faithful, they have sometimes become
+tedious; in their desire to recount nothing that was not true, they have
+narrated much that was neither material nor interesting. Barante, in
+particular, has utterly ruined his otherwise highly interesting history
+of the Dukes of Burgundy by this error. We have bulls of the Popes,
+marriage-contracts, feudal charters, treaties of alliance, and other
+similar instruments, quoted <i>ad longum</i> in the text of the history, till
+no one but an enthusiastic antiquary or half-cracked genealogist can go
+on with the work. The same mistake is painfully conspicuous in
+Sismondi's <i>Histoire des Fran&ccedil;ais</i>. Fifteen out of his valuable thirty
+volumes are taken up with quotations from public records or instruments.
+It is impossible to conceive a greater mistake, in a composition which
+is intended not merely for learned men or antiquaries, but for the great
+body of ordinary readers. The authors of these works are so immersed in
+their own ideas and researches, they are so enamoured of their favourite
+antiquities, that they forget that the world in general is far from
+sharing their enthusiasm, and that many things, which to them are of the
+highest possible interest and importance, seem to the great bulk of
+readers immaterial or tedious. The two Thierrys have, in a great
+measure, avoided this fatal error; for, though their narratives are as
+much based on original and contemporary authorities as any histories can
+be, the quotations are usually given in an abbreviated form in the
+notes, and the text is, in general, an unbroken narrative, in their own
+perspicuous and graphic language. Thence, in a great measure, the
+popularity and interest of their works. Michaud indulges more in
+lengthened quotations in his text from the old chronicles, or their mere
+paraphrases into his own language; their frequency is the great defect
+of his valuable his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_484" id="Page_484">[Pg 484]</a></span>tory. But the variety and interest of the subjects
+render this mosaic species of composition more excusable, and less
+repugnant to good taste, in the account of the Crusades, than it would
+be, perhaps, in the annals of any other human transactions.</p>
+
+<p>As a specimen of our author's powers and style of description, we
+subjoin a translation of the animated narrative he gives from the old
+historians of the famous battle of Dorislaus, which first subjected the
+coasts of Asia Minor to the arms of the Crusaders.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Late on the evening of the 31st of June 1097, the troops arrived
+at a spot where pasturage appeared abundant, and they resolved to
+pitch their camp. The Christian army passed the night in the most
+profound security; but on the following morning, at break of day,
+detached horsemen presented themselves, and clouds of dust
+appearing on the adjoining heights, announced the presence of the
+enemy. Instantly the trumpets sounded, and the whole camp stood to
+their arms. Bohemond, the second in command, having the chief
+direction in the absence of Godfrey, hastened to make the necessary
+dispositions to repel the threatened attack. The camp of the
+Christians was defended on one side by a river, and on the other by
+a marsh, entangled with reeds and bushes. The Prince of Tarentum
+caused it to be surrounded with palisades, made with the stakes
+which served for fixing the cords of the tents; he then assigned
+their proper posts to the infantry, and placed the women, children,
+and sick in the centre. The cavalry, arranged in three columns,
+advanced to the margin of the river, and prepared to dispute the
+passage. One of these corps was commanded by Tancred, and William
+his brother; the other by the Duke of Normandy and the Count of
+Chartres. Bohemond, who headed the reserve, was posted with his
+horsemen on an eminence in the rear, from whence he could descry
+the whole field of battle.</p>
+
+<p>"Hardly were these dispositions completed, when the Saracens, with
+loud cries, descended from the mountains, and, as soon as they
+arrived within bowshot, let fall a shower of arrows upon the
+Christians. This discharge did little injury to the knights,
+defended as they were by their armour and shields; but a great
+number of horses were wounded, and, in their pain, introduced
+disorder into the ranks. The archers, the slingers, the
+crossbow-men, scattered along the flanks of the Christian army, in
+vain returned the discharge with their stones and javelins; their
+missiles could not reach the enemy, and fell on the ground without
+doing any mischief. The Christian horse, impatient at being
+inactive spectators of the combat, charged across the river and
+fell headlong with their lances in rest on the Saracens; but they
+avoided the shock, and, opening their ranks, dispersed when the
+formidable mass approached them. Again rallying at a distance in
+small bodies, they let fly a cloud of arrows at their ponderous
+assailants, whose heavy horses, oppressed with weighty armour,
+could not overtake the swift steeds of the desert.</p>
+
+<p>"This mode of combating turned entirely to the advantage of the
+Turks. The whole dispositions made by the Christians before the
+battle became useless. Every chief, almost every cavalier, fought
+for himself; he took counsel from his own ardour, and it alone. The
+Christians combated almost singly on a ground with which they were
+unacquainted; in that terrible strife, death became the only reward
+of undisciplined valour. Robert of Paris the same who had sat on
+the imperial throne beside Alexis, was mortally wounded, after
+having seen forty of his bravest companions fall by his side.
+William, brother of Tancred, fell pierced by arrows. Tancred
+himself, whose lance was broken, and who had no other weapon but
+his sword, owed his life to Bohemond, who came up to the rescue,
+and extricated him from the hands of the Infidels.</p>
+
+<p>"While victory was still uncertain between force and address,
+agility and valour, fresh troops of the Saracens descended from the
+mountains, and mingled in overwhelming proportion in the conflict.
+The Sultan of Nice took advantage of the moment when the cavalry of
+the Crusaders withstood with difficulty the attack of the Turks,
+and directed his forces against their camp. He assembled the elite
+of his troops, crossed the river, and overcame with ease all the
+obstacles which opposed his progress. In an instant the camp of the
+Christians was invaded and filled with a multitude of barbarians.
+The Turks massacred without distinction all who presented
+themselves to their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_485" id="Page_485">[Pg 485]</a></span> blows; except the women whom youth and beauty
+rendered fit for their seraglios. If we may credit Albert d'Aix,
+the wives and daughters of the knights preferred in that extremity
+slavery to death; for they were seen in the midst of the tumult to
+adorn themselves with their most elegant dresses, and, arrayed in
+this manner, sought by the display of their charms to soften the
+hearts of their merciless enemies.</p>
+
+<p>"Bohemond, however, soon arrived to the succour of the camp, and
+obliged the Sultan to retrace his steps to his own army. Then the
+combat recommenced on the banks of the river with more fury than
+ever. The Duke Robert of Normandy, who had remained with some of
+his knights on the field of battle, snatched from his
+standard-bearer his pennon of white, bordered with gold, and
+exclaiming, '<i>A moi, la Normandie!</i>' penetrated the ranks of the
+enemy, striking down with his sword whatever opposed him, till he
+laid dead at his feet one of the principal emirs. Tancred, Richard,
+the Prince of Salerno, Stephen count of Blois, and other chiefs,
+followed his example, and emulated his valour. Bohemond, returning
+from the camp, which he had delivered from its oppressors,
+encountered a troop of fugitives. Instantly advancing among them,
+he exclaimed, 'Whither fly you, O Christian soldiers?&mdash;Do you not
+see that the enemies' horses, swifter than your own, will not fail
+soon to reach you? Follow me&mdash;I will show you a surer mode of
+safety than flight.' With these words he threw himself followed by
+his own men and the rallied fugitives, into the midst of the
+Saracens, and striking down all who attempted to resist them, made
+a frightful carnage. In the midst of the tumult, the women who had
+been taken and delivered from the lands of the Mussulmans, burning
+to avenge their outraged modesty, went through the ranks carrying
+refreshments to the soldiers, and exhorting them to redouble their
+efforts to save them from Turkish servitude.</p>
+
+<p>"But all these efforts were in vain. The Crusaders, worn out by
+fatigue, parched by thirst, were unable to withstand an enemy who
+was incessantly recruited by fresh troops. The Christian army, a
+moment victorious, was enveloped on all sides, and obliged to yield
+to numbers. They retired, or rather fled, towards the camp, which
+the Turks were on the point of entering with them. No words can
+paint the consternation of the Christians, the disorder of their
+ranks, or the scenes of horror which the interior of the camp
+presented. There were to be seen priests in tears, imploring on
+their knees the assistance of Heaven&mdash;there, women in despair rent
+the air with their shrieks, while the more courageous of their
+numbers bore the wounded knights into the tents; and the soldiers,
+despairing of life, cast themselves on their knees before their
+priests or bishops, and demanded absolution of their sins. In the
+frightful tumult, the voice of the chief was no longer heard; the
+most intrepid had already fallen covered with wounds, or sunk under
+the rays of a vertical sun and the horrors of an agonizing thirst.
+All seemed lost, and nothing to appearance could restore their
+courage, when all of a sudden loud cries of joy announced the
+approach of Raymond of Toulouse and Godfrey of Bouillon, who
+advanced at the head of the second corps of the Christian army.</p>
+
+<p>"From the commencement of the battle, Bohemond had dispatched
+accounts to them of the attack of the Turks. No sooner did the
+intelligence arrive, than the Duke of Lorraine, the Count of
+Vermandois, and the Count of Flanders, at the head of their
+corps-d'arm&eacute;e, directed their march towards the valley of Gorgoni,
+followed by Raymond and D'Adhemar, who brought up the luggage and
+formed the rear-guard. When they appeared on the eastern slope of
+the mountains, the sun was high in the heavens, and his rays were
+reflected from their bucklers, helmets, and drawn swords; their
+standards were displayed, and a loud flourish of their trumpets
+resounded from afar. Fifty thousand horsemen, clad in steel and
+ready for the fight, advanced in regular order to the attack. That
+sight at once reanimated the Crusaders and spread terror among the
+Infidels.</p>
+
+<p>"Already Godfrey, outstripping the speed of his followers, had come
+up at the head of fifty chosen cavaliers, and taken a part in the
+combat. Upon this the Sultan sounded a retreat, and took post upon
+the hills, where he trusted the Crusaders would not venture to
+attack him. Soon, however, the second corps of the Christians
+arrived on the field still reeking with the blood of their
+brethren. They knew their comrades and companions stretched in the
+dust&mdash;they became impatient to avenge them, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_486" id="Page_486">[Pg 486]</a></span> demanded with loud
+cries to be led on to the attack; those even who had combated all
+day with the first corps desired to renew the conflict. Forthwith
+the Christian army was arranged for a second battle. Bohemond,
+Tancred, Robert of Normandy, placed themselves the left; Godfrey,
+the Count of Flanders, the Count de Blois, led the right: Raymond
+commanded in the centre; the reserve was placed under the order of
+D'Adhemar. Before the chiefs gave the order to advance, the priests
+went through the ranks, exhorted the soldiers to fight bravely, and
+gave them their benediction. Then the soldiers and chiefs drew
+their swords together, and repeated aloud the war-cry of the
+Crusades, 'Dieu le veut! Dieu le veut!' That cry was re-echoed from
+the mountains and the valleys. While the echoes still rolled, the
+Christian army advanced, and marched full of confidence against the
+Turks, who, not less determined, awaited them on the summit of
+their rocky asylum.</p>
+
+<p>"The Saracens remained motionless on the top of the hills&mdash;they did
+not even discharge their redoubtable arrows; their quivers seemed
+to be exhausted. The broken nature of the ground they occupied
+precluded the adoption of those rapid evolutions, which in the
+preceding conflict had proved so fatal to the Christians. They
+seemed to be no longer animated with the same spirit&mdash;they awaited
+the attack rather with the resignation of martyrs than the hope of
+warriors. The Count of Toulouse, who assailed them in front, broke
+their ranks by the first shock. Tancred, Godfrey, and the two
+Roberts attacked their flanks with equal advantage. D'Adhemar, who
+with the reserve had made the circuit of the mountains, charged
+their rear, when already shaken by the attack in front, and on both
+flanks. This completed their route. The Saracens found themselves
+surrounded by a forest of lances, from which there was no escape
+but in breaking their ranks and seeking refuge among the rocks. A
+great number of emirs, above three thousand officers, and twenty
+thousand soldiers fell in the action or pursuit. Four thousand of
+the Crusaders had perished, almost all in the first action. The
+enemy's camp, distant two leagues from the field of battle, fell
+into the hands of the Crusaders, with vast stores of provisions,
+tents magnificently ornamented, immense treasures, and a vast
+number of camels. The sight of these animals, which they had not
+yet seen in the East, gave them as much surprise as pleasure. The
+dismounted horsemen mounted the swift steeds of the Saracens to
+pursue the broken remains of the enemy. Towards evening they
+returned to the camp loaded with booty, and preceded by their
+priests singing triumphant songs and hymns of victory. On the
+following day the Christians interred their dead, shedding tears of
+sorrow. The priests read prayers over them, and numbered them among
+the saints in heaven."&mdash;<i>Hist. des Croisades</i>, i. 228-233.</p></div>
+
+<p>This extract gives an idea at once of the formidable nature of the
+contest which awaited the Christians in their attempts to recover the
+Holy Land, of the peculiar character of the attack and defence on both
+sides, and of the talent for graphic and lucid description which M.
+Michaud possesses. It is curious how identical the attack of the West
+and defence of the East are the same in all ages. The description of the
+manner in which the Crusading warriors were here drawn into a pursuit
+of, and then enveloped by the Asiatic light horse, is precisely the same
+as that in which the legions of Crassus were destroyed; and might pass
+for a narrative of the way in which Napoleon's European cavalry were cut
+to pieces by the Arab horse at the combat at Salahout, near the Red Sea;
+or Lord Lake's horse worsted in the first part of the battle of Laswaree
+in India, before the infantry came up, and, by storming the batteries,
+restored the combat. On the other hand, the final overthrow of the
+Saracens at Dorislaus was evidently owing to their imprudence in
+<i>standing firm</i>, and awaiting in that position the attack of the
+Christians. They did so, trusting to the strength of the rocky ridge on
+which they were posted; but that advantage, great as it was, by no means
+rendered them a match in close fight for the weighty arms and the
+determined resolution of the Europeans, any more than the discharges of
+their powerful batteries availed the Mahrattas in the latter part of the
+battles of Assaye and Laswaree, or, more recently, the Sikhs in the
+desperate conflict at Ferozepore in the Punjaub. The discovery of
+fire-arms, and all the subsequent improvements in tactics and strategy,
+though they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_487" id="Page_487">[Pg 487]</a></span> have altered the weapons with which war is carried on, yet
+have not materially changed the mode in which success is won, or
+disaster averted, between ancient and modern times.</p>
+
+<p>Our author's account of the storming of Jerusalem, the final object and
+crowning glory of the Crusades, is animated and interesting in the
+highest degree.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"At the last words of the Hermit Peter the warmest transports
+seized the Crusaders. They descended from the Mount of Olives,
+where they had listened to his exhortations; and turning to the
+south, saluted on their right the fountain of Silo&euml;, where Christ
+had restored sight to the blind; in the distance they perceived the
+ruins of the palace of Judah, and advanced on the slope of Mount
+Sion, which awakened afresh all their holy enthusiasm. Many in that
+cross march were struck down by the arrows and missiles from the
+walls: they died blessing God, and imploring his justice against
+the enemies of the faith. Towards evening the Christian army
+returned to its quarters, chanting the words of the Prophet&mdash;'Those
+of the West shall fear the Lord, and those of the East shall see
+his glory.' Having re-entered into the camp, the greater part of
+the pilgrims passed the night in prayer: the chiefs and soldiers
+confessed their sins at the feet of their priests, and received in
+communion that God whose promises filled them with confidence and
+hope.</p>
+
+<p>"While the Christian army prepared, by these holy ceremonies, for
+the combat, a mournful silence prevailed around the walls of
+Jerusalem. The only sound heard was that of the men who, from the
+top of the mosques of the city, numbered the hours by calling the
+Mussulmans to prayers. At the well-known signals, the Infidels ran
+in crowds to their temples to implore the protection of their
+Prophet: they swore by the mysterious House of Jacob to defend the
+town, which they styled 'the House of God.' The besiegers and
+besieged were animated with equal ardour for the fight, and equal
+determination to shed their blood&mdash;the one to carry the town, the
+other to defend it. The hatred which animated them was so violent,
+that during the whole course of the siege, no Mussulman deputy came
+to the camp of the besiegers, and the Christians did not even deign
+to summon the town. Between such enemies, the shock could not be
+other than terrible, and the victors implacable.</p>
+
+<p>"On Thursday, 14th July 1199, at daybreak, the trumpets resounded,
+and the whole Christian army stood to their arms. All the machines
+were worked at once: the mangonels and engines poured on the
+ramparts a shower of stones, while the battering-rams were brought
+up close to their feet. The archers and slingers directed their
+missiles with fatal effect against the troops who manned the walls,
+while the most intrepid of the assailants planted scaling-ladders
+on the places where the ascent appeared most practicable. On the
+south, east, and north of the town, rolling towers advanced towards
+the ramparts, in the midst of a violent tumult, and amidst the
+cries of the workmen and soldiers. Godfrey appeared on the highest
+platform of his wooden tower, accompanied by his brother Eustache
+and Baudoin du Bourg. His example animated his followers: so
+unerring was their aim, that all the javelins discharged from this
+platform carried death among the besieged. Tancred, the Duke of
+Normandy, and the Count of Flanders, combated at the head of their
+followers: the knights and men-at-arms, animated with the same
+ardour, pressed into the <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i>, and threw themselves into the
+thickest of the fight.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing could equal the fury of the first shock of the Christians;
+but they met every where the most determined resistance. Arrows and
+javelins, boiling oil and water, with Greek fire, were poured down
+incessantly on the assailants; while fourteen huge machines, which
+the besieged had got time to oppose to those of the besiegers,
+replied with effect to the fire of the more distant warlike
+instruments. Issuing forth by one of the breaches in the rampart,
+the Infidels made a sortie, and succeeded in burning some of the
+machines of the Christians, and spread disorder through their army.
+Towards the end of the day, the towers of Godfrey and Tancred were
+so shattered, that they could no longer be moved, while that of
+Raymond was falling into ruins. The combat had lasted eleven hours,
+without victory having declared for the Crusaders. The Christians
+retired to their camp, burning with rage and grief: their chiefs,
+and especially the two Roberts, sought in vain to console them,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_488" id="Page_488">[Pg 488]</a></span> by
+saying that 'God had not judged them as yet worthy to enter into
+his Holy City, and adore the tomb of his Son.'</p>
+
+<p>"The night was passed on both sides in the utmost disquietude:
+every one deplored the losses already discovered, and dreaded to
+hear of fresh ones. The Saracens were in hourly apprehension of a
+surprise: the Christians feared that the Infidels would burn their
+machines, which they had pushed forward to the foot of the rampart.
+The besieged were occupied without intermission in repairing the
+breaches in their walls; the besiegers in putting their machines in
+a condition to serve for a new assault. On the day following, the
+same combats and dangers were renewed as on the preceding one. The
+chiefs sought by their harangues to revive the spirits of the
+Crusaders. The priests and bishops went through their tents
+promising them the assistance of Heaven. On the signal to advance
+being given, the Christian army, full of confidence, advanced in
+silence towards the destined points of attack, while the clergy,
+chanting hymns and prayers, marched round the town.</p>
+
+<p>"The first shock was terrible. The Christians, indignant at the
+resistance they had experienced on the preceding day, combated with
+fury. The besieged, who had learned the near approach of the
+Egyptian army, were animated by the hopes of approaching succour. A
+formidable array of warlike engines lined the tops of their
+ramparts. On every side was heard the hissing of javelins and
+arrows: frequently immense stones, discharged from the opposite
+side, met in the air, and fell back on the assailants with a
+frightful crash. From the top of their towers, the Mussulmans never
+ceased to throw burning torches and pots of Greek fire on the
+storming parties. In the midst of this general conflagration, the
+moving towers of the Christians approached the walls. The chief
+efforts of the besieged were directed against Godfrey, on whose
+breast a resplendent cross of gold shone, the sight of which was an
+additional stimulus to their rage. The Duke of Lorraine saw one of
+his squires and several of his followers fall by his side; but,
+though exposed himself to all the missiles of the enemy, he
+continued to combat in the midst of the dead and the dying, and
+never ceased to exhort his companions to redouble their courage and
+ardour. The Count of Toulouse directed the attack on the southern
+side, and stoutly opposed his machines to those of the Mussulmans:
+he had to combat the Emir of Jerusalem, who bravely animated his
+followers by his discourse, and showed himself on the ramparts
+surrounded by the <i>&eacute;lite</i> of the Egyptian soldiers. On the northern
+side, Tancred and the two Roberts appeared at the head of their
+battalions. Firmly stationed on their moving tower, they burned
+with desire to come to the close combat of the lance and sword.
+Already their battering-rams had on many points shaken the walls,
+behind which the Saracens were assembled in dense battalions, as a
+last rampart against the attack of the Crusaders.</p>
+
+<p>"Mid-day arrived, and the Crusaders had as yet no hope of
+penetrating into the place. All their machines were in flames: they
+stood grievously in want of water, and still more of vinegar, which
+could alone extinguish the Greek fire used by the besieged. In vain
+the bravest exposed themselves to the most imminent danger, to
+prevent the destruction of their wooden towers and battering-rams;
+they fell crushed beneath their ruins, and the devouring flames
+enveloped their arms and clothing. Many of the bravest warriors had
+found death at the foot of the ramparts: most of those who had
+mounted on the rolling towers were <i>hors de combat</i>; the remainder,
+covered with sweat and dust, overwhelmed with heat and the weight
+of their armour, began to falter. The Saracens who perceived this
+raised cries of joy. In their blasphemies they reproached the
+Christians for adoring a God who was unable to defend them. The
+assailants deplored their loss, and believing themselves abandoned
+by Jesus Christ, remained motionless on the field of battle.</p>
+
+<p>"But the aspect of affairs was soon changed. All of a sudden the
+Crusaders saw, on the Mount of Olives, a horseman shaking a
+buckler, and giving this signal to enter the town. Godfrey and
+Raymond, who saw the apparition at the same instant, cried aloud,
+that St George was come to combat at the head of the Christians.
+Such was the tumult produced by this incident, that it bore down
+alike fear and reflection. All rushed tumultuously forward to the
+assault. The women even, with the children and sick, issued from
+their retreats, and pressed forward into the throng,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_489" id="Page_489">[Pg 489]</a></span> bearing
+water, provisions, or arms, and aiding to drag forward the moving
+towers. Impelled in this manner, that of Godfrey advanced in the
+midst of a terrible discharge of stones, arrows, javelins, and
+Greek fire, and succeeded in getting so near as to let its
+drawbridge fall on the ramparts. At the same time a storm of
+burning darts flew against the machines of the besieged, and the
+bundles of straw piled up against the last walls of the town took
+fire. Terrified by the flames the Saracens gave way. Lethalde and
+Engelbert de Tournay, followed by Godfrey and his brother Everard,
+crossed the drawbridge and gained the rampart. Soon with the aid of
+their followers they cleared it, and, descending into the streets,
+struck down all who disputed the passage.</p>
+
+<p>"At the same time, Tancred and the two Roberts made new efforts,
+and on their side, too, succeeded in penetrating into the town. The
+Mussulmans fled on all sides; the war-cry of the Crusaders, "Dieu
+le veut! Dieu le veut!" resounded in the streets of Jerusalem. The
+companions of Godfrey and Tancred with their hatchets cut down the
+gate of St Stephen, and let in the main body of the Crusaders, who
+with loud shouts rushed tumultuously in. Some resistance was
+attempted by a body of brave Saracens in the mosque of Omar, but
+Everard of Puysave expelled them from it. All opposition then
+ceased; but not so the carnage. Irritated by the long resistance of
+the Saracens, stung by their blasphemies and reproaches, the
+Crusaders filled with blood that Jerusalem which they had just
+delivered, and which they regarded as their future country. The
+carnage was universal. The Saracens were massacred in the streets,
+in the houses, in the mosques."</p></div>
+
+<p>The number of the slain greatly exceeded that of the conquerors. In the
+mosque of Omar alone ten thousand were put to the sword.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"So terrible was the slaughter, that the blood came up to the knees
+and reins of the horses; and human bodies, with hands and arms
+severed from the corpse to which they belonged, floated about in
+the crimson sea.</p>
+
+<p>"In the midst of these frightful scenes, which have for ever
+stained the glory of the conquerors, the Christians of the Holy
+City crowded round Peter the Hermit, who five years before had
+promised to arm the West for the deliverance of the faithful in
+Jerusalem, and then enjoyed the spectacle of their liberation. They
+were never wearied of gazing on the man by whom God had wrought
+such prodigies. At the sight of their brethren whom they had
+delivered, the pilgrims recollected that they had come to adore the
+tomb of Jesus Christ. Godfrey, who had abstained from carnage after
+the victory, quitted his companions, and attended only by three
+followers, repaired bareheaded and with naked feet to the Church of
+the Holy Sepulchre. Soon the news of that act of devotion spread
+among the Christian army. Instantly the fury of the war ceased, and
+the thirst for vengeance was appeased; the Crusaders threw off
+their bloody garments, and marching together to the Holy Sepulchre,
+with the clergy at their head, bareheaded and without shoes, they
+made Jerusalem resound with their groans and sobs. Silence more
+terrible even than the tumult which had preceded it, reigned in the
+public places and on the ramparts. No sound was heard but the
+canticles of repentance, and the words of Isaiah, 'Ye who love
+Jerusalem, rejoice with me.' So sincere and fervent was the
+devotion which the Crusaders manifested on this occasion, that it
+seemed as if the stern warriors, who had just taken a city by
+assault, and committed the most frightful slaughter, were cenobites
+who had newly emerged from a long retreat and peaceful
+meditations."&mdash;<i>Hist. des Croisades</i>, i. 440-446.</p></div>
+
+<p>Inexplicable as such contradictory conduct appears to those who "sit at
+home at ease," and are involved in none of the terrible calamities which
+draw forth the latent marvels of the human heart, history in every age
+affords too many examples of its occurrence to permit us to doubt the
+truth of the narrative. It is well known that during the worst period of
+the French Revolution, in the massacres in the prisons on Sept. 2, 1792,
+some of the mob who had literally wearied their arms in hewing down the
+prisoners let loose from the jails, took a momentary fit of compunction,
+were seized with pity for some of the victims, and after saving them
+from their murderers, accompanied them home, and witnessed with tears of
+joy the meeting between them and their relations. We are not warranted,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_490" id="Page_490">[Pg 490]</a></span>
+after such facts have been recorded on authentic evidence in all ages,
+in asserting that this transient humanity is assumed or hypocritical.
+The conclusion rather is, that the human mind is so strangely compounded
+of good and bad principles, and contains so many veins of thought
+apparently irreconcilable with each other, that scarce any thing can be
+set down as absolutely impossible, but every alleged fact is to be
+judged of mainly by the testimony by which it is supported, and its
+coincidence with what has elsewhere been observed of that strange
+compound of contradictions, the human heart.</p>
+
+<p>In the events which have been mentioned, the Crusaders were victorious;
+and the Crescent, in the outset of the contest, waned before the Cross.
+But it was only for a time that it did so. The situation of Palestine in
+Asia, constituting it the advanced post as it were of Christendom across
+the sea, in the regions of Islamism, perpetually exposed it to the
+attack of the Eastern powers. They were at home, and fought on their own
+ground, and with their own weapons, in the long contest which followed
+the first conquest of Palestine; whereas the forces of the Christians
+required to be transported, at a frightful expense of life, over a
+hazardous journey of fifteen hundred miles in length, or conveyed by sea
+at a very heavy cost from Marseilles, Genoa, or Venice. Irresistible in
+the first onset, the armament of the Christians gradually dwindled away
+as the first fervour of the Holy Wars subsided, and the interminable
+nature of the conflict in which they were engaged with the Oriental
+powers became apparent. It was the same thing as Spain maintaining a
+transatlantic contest with her South American, or England with her North
+American colonies. Indeed, the surprising thing, when we consider the
+exposed situation of the kingdom of Palestine, the smallness of its
+resources, and the scanty and precarious support it received, after the
+first burst of the Crusades was over, from the Western powers, is not
+that it was at last destroyed, but that it existed so long as it did.
+The prolongation of its life was mainly owing to the extraordinary
+qualities of one man.</p>
+
+<p>It is hard to say whether the heroism of Richard C&oelig;ur de Lion has
+been most celebrated in Europe or Asia. Like Solomon, Alexander the
+Great, Haroun El Raschid, Charlemagne, and Napoleon, his fame has taken
+root as deeply in the East as in the West, among his enemies as his
+friends; among the followers of Mahomet as the disciples of the Cross.
+If he is the hero of European romance,&mdash;if he is the theme of the
+Troubadour's song, he is not less celebrated among the descendants of
+the Saracens; his exploits are not less eagerly chanted in the tents of
+the children of Ishmael. To this day, when an Arab's steed starts at a
+bush in the desert, his master asks him if he expects to see Richard
+issue from the covert. He possessed that surprising personal strength
+and daring valour which are so highly prized by warriors in all rude
+periods, and united with those qualities that singleness of heart and
+<i>bonhommie</i> of disposition, which, not less powerfully in the great, win
+upon the hearts of men. His chief qualities&mdash;those which have given him
+his deathless fame&mdash;undoubtedly were his heroic courage, extraordinary
+personal strength, and magnanimity of mind. But if his campaigns with
+Saladin are attentively considered, it will appear that he was also a
+great general; and that his marvellous successes were as much owing to
+his conduct as a commander as his prowess as a knight. This is more
+particularly conspicuous, in the manner in which he conducted his then
+sorely diminished army on Acre to within sight of Jerusalem, surrounded
+as it was the whole way by prodigious clouds of Asiatic horse, headed by
+the redoubtable Saladin. Beyond all doubt he would, but for the
+defection of Philip Augustus and France, have wrested Palestine from the
+Infidels, and again planted the Cross on Mount Calvary, despite the
+whole forces of the East, led by their ablest and most powerful sultans.
+His grief at not being able to accomplish this glorious object, is well
+described by Michaud&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"After a month's abode at Bethnopolis, seven leagues from
+Jerusalem, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_491" id="Page_491">[Pg 491]</a></span> Crusaders renewed their complaints, and exclaimed
+with sadness, 'We shall never go to Jerusalem!' Richard, with heart
+torn by contending feelings, while he disregarded the clamours of
+the pilgrims, shared their grief, and was indignant at his own
+fortune. One day, that his ardour in pursuing the Saracens had led
+him to the heights of Emmaus, from which he beheld the towers of
+Jerusalem, he burst into tears at the sight, and, covering his face
+with his buckler, declared he was unworthy to contemplate the Holy
+City which his arms could not deliver."&mdash;<i>Hist. des Croisades</i>, ii.
+399.</p></div>
+
+<p>As a specimen of the magnitude of the battles fought in this Crusade, we
+take that of Assur, near Ptolemais&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Two hundred thousand Mussulmans were drawn up in the plains of
+Assur, ready to bar the passage of the Christian army, and deliver
+a decisive battle. No sooner did he perceive the Saracen array,
+than Richard divided his army into five corps. The Templars formed
+the first; the warriors of Brittany and Anjou the second; the king,
+Guy, and the men of Poitou the third; the English and Normans,
+grouped round the royal standard, the fourth; the Hospitallers the
+fifth; and behind them marched the archers and javelin men. At
+three o'clock in the afternoon, the army was all arranged in order
+of battle, when all at once a multitude of Saracens appeared in
+rear, who descended from the mountains which the Crusaders had just
+crossed. Amongst them were Bedouin Arabs, bearing bows and round
+bucklers; Scythians with long bows, and mounted on tall and
+powerful horses; Ethiopians of a lofty stature, with their sable
+visages strangely streaked with white. These troops of barbarians
+advanced on all sides against the Christian army with the rapidity
+of lightning. The earth trembled under their horses' feet. The din
+of their clarions, cymbals, and trumpets, was so prodigious, that
+the loudest thunder could not have been heard. Men were in their
+ranks, whose sole business it was to raise frightful cries, and
+excite the courage of the Mussulman warriors by chanting their
+national songs. Thus stimulated, their battalions precipitated
+themselves upon the Crusaders, who were speedily assailed at once
+in front, both flanks, and rear&mdash;enveloped by enemies, say the old
+chronicles, as the eyelashes surround the EYE. After their arrows
+and javelins were discharged, the Saracens commenced the attack
+with the lance, the mace, and the sword. An English chronicle aptly
+compares them to smiths, and the Crusaders to the anvil on which
+their hammers rang. Meanwhile, the Franks did not for a moment
+intermit their march towards Assur, and the Saracens, who sought in
+vain to shake their steady ranks, called them 'a nation of iron.'</p>
+
+<p>"Richard had renewed his orders for the whole army to remain on the
+defensive, and not to advance against the enemy till six trumpets
+sounded&mdash;two at the head of the army, two in the centre, two in the
+rear. This signal was impatiently expected; the barons and knights
+could bear every thing except the disgrace of remaining thus
+inactive in presence of an enemy, who without intermission renewed
+his attacks. Those of the rear-guard had already began to reproach
+Richard with having forgotten them; they invoked in despair the
+protection of St George, the patron of the brave. At last some of
+the bravest and most ardent, forgetting the orders they had
+received, precipitated themselves on the Saracens. This example
+soon drew the Hospitallers after them; the contagion spread from
+rank to rank, and soon the whole Christian army was at blows with
+the enemy, and the scene of carnage extended from the sea to the
+mountains. Richard showed himself wherever the Christians had need
+of his succour; his presence was always followed by the flight of
+the Turks. So confused was the <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i>, so thick the dust, so
+vehement the fight, that many of the Crusaders fell by the blows of
+their comrades, who mistook them for enemies. Torn standards,
+shivered lances, broken swords, strewed the plain. Such of the
+combatants as had lost their arms, hid themselves in the bushes, or
+ascended trees; some, overcome with terror, fled towards the sea,
+and from the top of the rocks precipitated themselves into its
+waves.</p>
+
+<p>"Every instant the combat became warmer and more bloody. The whole
+Christian army was now engaged in the battle, and returning on its
+steps, the chariot which bore the royal standard was in the
+thickest of the fight. Ere long, however, the Saracens were unable
+to sustain the impetuous assault of the Franks. Boha-Eddin, an
+eyewitness, having quitted the Mussulman centre, which was put to
+the route, fled to the tent of the Sultan, where he found the
+Sultan, who was attended only by seventeen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_492" id="Page_492">[Pg 492]</a></span> Mamelukes. While their
+enemies fled in this manner, the Christians, hardly able to credit
+their victory, remained motionless on the field which they had
+conquered. They were engaged in tending their wounded, and in
+collecting the arms which lay scattered over the field of battle,
+when all at once twenty thousand Saracens, whom their chief had
+rallied, fell upon them. The Crusaders overwhelmed with heat and
+fatigue, and not expecting to be attacked, showed at first a
+surprise which bordered on fear. Taki-Eddin, nephew of Saladin, at
+the head of the bravest enemies, led on the Turks, at the head of
+whom were seen the Mameluke guard of Saladin, distinguished by
+their yellow banner. So vehement was their onset, that it ploughed
+deep into the Crusaders' ranks; and they had need of the presence
+and example of Richard, before whom no Saracen could stand, and
+whom the contemporary chronicles compare to a reaper cutting down
+corn. At the moment when the Christians, again victorious, resumed
+their march towards Assur, the Mussulmans, impelled by despair,
+again attacked their rear-guard. Richard, who had twice repulsed
+the enemy, no sooner heard the outcry, than, followed only by
+fifteen knights, he flew to the scene of combat, shouting aloud the
+war-cry of the Christians&mdash;'God protect the Holy Sepulchre!' The
+bravest followed their king; the Mussulmans were dispersed at the
+first shock, and their army, then a third time vanquished, would
+have been totally destroyed, had not night and the forest of Assur
+sheltered them from the pursuit of the enemy. As it was they lost
+eight thousand men, including thirty-two of their bravest emirs
+slain; while the victory did not cost the Christians a thousand
+men. Among the wounded was Richard himself, who was slightly hurt
+in the breast. But the victory was prodigious, and if duly improved
+by the Crusaders, without dissension or defection, would have
+decided the fate of Palestine and of that Crusade."&mdash;<i>Hist. des
+Croisades</i>, i. 468-471.</p></div>
+
+<p>These extracts convey a fair idea of M. Michaud's power of description
+and merits as an historian. He cannot be said to be one of the highest
+class. He does not belong to the school who aim at elevating history to
+its loftiest pitch. The antiquarian school never have, and never will do
+so. The minute observation and prodigious attentions to detail which
+their habits produce, are inconsistent with extensive vision. The same
+eye scarcely ever unites the powers of the microscope and the telescope.
+He has neither the philosophic mind of Guizot, nor the pictorial eye of
+Gibbon; he neither takes a luminous glance like Robertson, nor sums up
+the argument of a generation in a page, like Hume. We shall look in vain
+in his pages for a few words diving into the human heart such as we find
+in Tacitus, or splendid pictures riveting every future age as in Livy.
+He is rather an able and animated abridger of the chronicles, than an
+historian. But in that subordinate, though very important department,
+his merits are of a very high order. He is faithful, accurate, and
+learned; he has given a succinct and yet interesting detail, founded
+entirely on original authority, of the wars of two centuries. Above all,
+his principles are elevated, his feelings warm, his mind lofty and
+generous. He is worthy of his subject, for he is entirely free of the
+grovelling utilitarian spirit, the disgrace and the bane of the age in
+which he writes. His talents for description are very considerable, as
+will be apparent from the account we hope to give in a future Number of
+his highly interesting travels to the principal scenes of the Crusades.
+It is only to be regretted, that in his anxiety to preserve the fidelity
+of his narrative, he has so frequently restrained it, and given us
+rather descriptions of scenes taken from the old chronicles, than such
+as his own observations and taste could have supplied. But still his
+work supplies a great desideratum in European literature; and if not the
+best that could be conceived, is by much the best that has yet appeared
+on the subject. And it is written in the spirit of the age so finely
+expressed in the title given by one of the most interesting of the
+ancient chroniclers to his work&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Gesta <span class="smcap">Dei</span> per Francos."</span><a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_493" id="Page_493">[Pg 493]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_BURDEN_OF_SION" id="THE_BURDEN_OF_SION"></a>THE BURDEN OF SION.</h2>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">By Delta</span>.</h4>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>[This Ode, composed by Judas Hallevy bar Samuel, a Spanish Rabbi of
+the twelfth century, is said to be still recited every year, during
+the Fast observed in commemoration of the Destruction of Jerusalem.
+The versifier has been much indebted to a very literal translation,
+from the original necessarily obscure Spanish of the Rabbi, into
+excellent French, by Joseph Mainzer, Esq., a gentleman to whom the
+sacred music of this country is under great and manifold
+obligations.]</p></div>
+
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Captive and sorrow-pale, the mournful lot</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Say, hast thou, Sion, of thy sons forgot?</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hast thou forgot the innocent flocks, that lay</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Prone on thy sunny banks, or frisk'd in play</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Amid thy lilied meadows? Wilt thou turn</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A deaf ear to thy supplicants, who mourn</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Downcast in earth's far corners? Unto thee</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Wildly they turn in their lone misery;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For wheresoe'er they rush in their despair,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The pitiless Destroyer still is there!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Eden of earth! despisest thou the sighs</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">From the slave's heart that rise</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To thee, amid his fetters&mdash;who can dare</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Still to hope on in his forlorn despair&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Whose morn and evening tears for thee fall down</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Like dews on Hermon's thirsty crown&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And who would blessed be in all his ills,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Wander'd his feet once more even on thy desert hills!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">But not is Hope's fair star extinguish'd quite</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">In rayless night;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And, Sion, as thy fortunes I bewail,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Harsh sounds my voice, as of the birds that sail</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The stormy dark. Let but that star be mine,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And through the tempest tremulously shine;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">So, when the brooding clouds have overpast,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Rejoicing, with the dawn, may come at last,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Even as an instrument, whose lively sound</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Makes the warm blood in every bosom bound,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And whose triumphant notes are given</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Freely in songs of thanksgiving to Heaven!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Bethel!&mdash;and as thy name's name leaves my tongue,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The very life-drops from my heart are wrung!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy sanctuary&mdash;where, veil'd in mystic light,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For ever burning, and for ever bright,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Jehovah's awful majesty reposed,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And shone for aye heaven's azure gates unclosed&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy sanctuary!&mdash;where from the Eternal flow'd</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The radiance of his glory, in whose power</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Noonday itself like very darkness show'd,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And stars were none at midnight's darkest hour&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy sanctuary! oh <i>there!</i> oh <i>there!</i> that I</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_494" id="Page_494">[Pg 494]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Might breathe my troubled soul out, sigh on sigh,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>There</i>, where thine effluence, Mighty God, was pour'd</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">On thine Elect, who, kneeling round, adored!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Stand off! the place is holy. Know ye not,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Of potter's clay the children, that this spot</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Is sacred to the Everlasting One&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The Ruler over heaven, and over earth?</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Stand off, degraded slaves, devoid of worth!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Nor dare profane again, as ye have done,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">This spot&mdash;'tis holy ground&mdash;profane it not!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Oh, might I cleave, with raptured wing, the waste</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Of the wide air, then, where in splendour lie</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy ruins, would my sorrowing spirit haste,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Forth to outpour its flood of misery!&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">There, where thy grandeur owns a dire eclipse,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Down to the dust as sank each trembling knee,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Unto thy dear soil should I lay my face,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy very stones in rapture to embrace,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And to thy smouldering ashes glue my lips!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And how, O Sion! how should I but weep,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">As on our fathers' tombs I fondly gazed,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or, wistfully, as turn'd mine eye</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To thee, in all thy desolate majesty,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hebron, where rests the mighty one in sleep,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And high his pillar of renown was raised!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">There&mdash;in thine atmosphere&mdash;'twere blessedness</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To breathe a purer ether. Oh! to me</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy dust than perfumes dearer far should be,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And down thy rocks the torrent streams should roam</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">With honey in their foam!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Oh, sweet it were&mdash;unutterably sweet&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Even though with garments rent, and bleeding feet,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To wander over the deserted places</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Where once thy princely palaces arose,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And 'mid the weeds and wild-flowers mark the traces,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Where the ground, yawning in its earthquake throes,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The ark of covenant and the cherubim</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Received, lest stranger hands, that reek'd the while</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">With blood of thine own children, should defile</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Its heaven-resplendent glory, and bedim:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And my dishevell'd locks, in my despair,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">All madly should I tear;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And as I cursed the day that dawn'd in heaven&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The day that saw thee to destruction given,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Even from my very frenzy should I wring</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A rough, rude comfort in my sorrowing.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">What other comfort can I know? Behold,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Wild dogs and wolves with hungry snarl contend</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Over thy prostrate mighty ones; and rend</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Their quivering limbs, ere life hath lost its hold.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">I sicken at the dawn of morn&mdash;the noon</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Brings horror with its brightness; for the day</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Shows but the desolate plain,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Where, feasting on the slain,</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_495" id="Page_495">[Pg 495]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">(Thy princes,) flap and scream the birds of prey!</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Chalice from Marah's bitterest spring distill'd!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Goblet of woe, to overflowing fill'd!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Who, quaffing thee, can live? Give me but breath&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A single breath&mdash;that I once more may see</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The dreary vision. I will think of thee,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Colla, once more&mdash;of Cliba will I think&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Then fearlessly and freely drink</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The cup&mdash;the fatal cup&mdash;whose dregs are death.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Awake thee, Queen of Cities, from thy slumber&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Awake thee, Sion! Let the quenchless love</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Of worshippers, a number beyond number,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A fountain of rejoicing prove.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy sorrows they bewail, thy wounds they see,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And feel them as their own, and mourn for thee!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Oh, what were life to them, did Hope not hold</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Her mirror, to unfold</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That glorious future to their raptured sight,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">When a new morn shall chase away this night!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Even from the dungeon gloom,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Their yearning hearts, as from a tomb,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Are crying out&mdash;are crying out to thee;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And, as they bow the knee</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Before the Eternal, every one awaits</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The answer of his prayer, with face toward thy gates.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Earth's most celestial region! Babylon</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The mighty, the magnificent, to thee,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">With all the trappings of her bravery on,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Seems but a river to the engulfing sea.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">What are its oracles but lies? 'Tis given</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thy prophets only to converse with Heaven&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The hidden to reveal, the dark to scan,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And be the interpreters of God to man.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The idols dumb that erring men invoke,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Themselves are vanities, their power is smoke:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But, while the heathen's pomp is insecure,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Is transient, thine, O Sion! shall endure;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">For in thy temples, God, the only Lord,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hath been, and still delights to be, adored.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Blessed are they, who, by their love,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Themselves thy veritable children prove!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Yea! blessed they who cleave</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To thee, with faithful hearts, and scorn to leave!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Come shall the day&mdash;and come it may full soon&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">When thou, more splendid than the moon,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Shalt rise; and, triumphing o'er night,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Turn ebon darkness into silver light:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The glory of thy brightness shall be shed</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Around each faithful head:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Rising from thy long trance, earth shall behold</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thee loftier yet, and lovelier than of old;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And portion'd with the saints in bliss shall be</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">All who, through weal and woe, were ever true to thee!</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_496" id="Page_496">[Pg 496]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="RHYMED_HEXAMETERS_AND_PENTAMETERS" id="RHYMED_HEXAMETERS_AND_PENTAMETERS"></a>RHYMED HEXAMETERS AND PENTAMETERS.</h2>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>[This species of versification, consisting of rhymed Hexameter and
+Pentameter lines, we do not remember to have seen before attempted,
+and we now offer it as a literary curiosity. It is, perhaps,
+subject to the objection that applies against painted statuary, as
+combining embellishments of a character not altogether consistent,
+and not adding to the beauty of the result. But we are not without
+a feeling that some additional pleasure is thus conveyed to the
+mind. The experiment, of course, is scarcely possible, except in
+quatrains of an epigrammatic structure. But the examples are
+selected from the most miscellaneous sources that readily
+occurred.]</p></div>
+
+
+<h4>HIS OWN EPITAPH.</h4>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">By Ennius</span>.</h4>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Adspicite, O cives! senis Ennii imagini' formam;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Hic vostrum panxit maxuma facta patrum.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Nemo me lacrumis decoret, nec funera fletu</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Faxit. Cur? volito vivu' per ora vir&ucirc;m.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">See, O citizens! here old Ennius's image presented,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Who to your forefathers' deeds gave their own glory again.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Honour me not with your tears; by none let my death be lamented:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Why? still in every mouth living I flit among men.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<h4>ON GELLIA.</h4>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">From Martial</span>.</h4>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Amissum non flet, cum sola est, Gellia patrem;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Si quis adest, juss&aelig; prosiliunt lacrym&aelig;.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Non dolet hic, quisquis laudari, Gellia, qu&aelig;rit;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Ille dolet ver&egrave; qui sine teste dolet.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Gellia, when she's alone, doesn't weep the death of her father;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">But, if a visitor comes, tears at her bidding appear.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Gellia, they do not mourn who are melted by vanity rather;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">They are true mourners who weep when not a witness is near.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<h4>TO CECILIANUS.</h4>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">From Martial</span>.</h4>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Nullus in urbe fuit tot&acirc; qui tangere vellet</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Uxorem gratis, C&aelig;ciliane, tuam,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Dum licuit: sed nunc positis custodibus ingens</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Agmen amatorum est. Ingeniosus homo es.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Nobody, Cecilianus, e'er thought of your wife (she's so ugly!)</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">When she could gratis be seen, when she was easily won.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Now that, with locks and with guards you pretend to secure her so snugly,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Crowds of gallants flock around: faith, it is cleverly done.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<h4>ON A BEE INCLOSED IN AMBER.</h4>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">From Martial</span>.</h4>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Et latet et lucet Pha&euml;thontide condita gutt&acirc;,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Ut videatur apis nectare clausa suo.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;">Dignum tantorum pretium tulit illa laborum:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">Credibile est ipsam sic voluisse mori.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Lucid the bee lurks here, bright amber her beauty inclosing!</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">As in the nectar she made seems the fair insect to lie.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Worthy reward she has gain'd, after such busy labours reposing:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Well we might deem that herself thus would be willing to die.</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_497" id="Page_497">[Pg 497]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_SURVEYORS_TALE" id="THE_SURVEYORS_TALE"></a>THE SURVEYOR'S TALE.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Good resolutions are, like glass, manufactured for the purpose of being
+broken. Immediately after my marriage, I registered in the books of my
+conscience a very considerable vow against any future interference with
+the railway system. The Biggleswades had turned out so well, that I
+thought it unsafe to pursue my fortune any further. The incipient
+gambler, I am told, always gains, through the assistance of a nameless
+personage who shuffles the cards a great deal oftener than many
+materialists suppose. Nevertheless, there is always a day of
+retribution.</p>
+
+<p>I wish I had adhered to my original orthodox determination. During the
+whole period of the honeymoon, I remained blameless as to shares. Uncle
+Scripio relinquished the suggestion of "dodges" in despair. He was, as
+usual, brimful of projects, making money by the thousand, and bearing or
+bulling, as the case might be, with genuine American enthusiasm. I
+believe he thought me a fool for remaining so easily contented, and very
+soon manifested no further symptom of his consciousness of my existence
+than by transmitting me regularly a copy of the Railway Gazette, with
+some mysterious pencil-markings at the list of prices, which I presume
+he intended for my guidance in the case of an alteration of sentiment.
+For some time I never looked at them. When a man is newly married, he
+has a great many other things to think of. Mary had a decided genius for
+furniture, and used to pester me perpetually with damask curtains,
+carved-wood chairs, gilt lamps, and a whole wilderness of household
+paraphernalia, about which, in common courtesy, I was compelled to
+affect an interest. Now, to a man like myself, who never had any fancy
+for upholstery, this sort of thing is very tiresome. My wife might have
+furnished the drawingroom after the pattern of the Cham of Tartary's for
+any thing I cared, provided she had left me in due ignorance of the
+proceeding; but I was not allowed to escape so comfortably. I looked
+over carpet patterns and fancy papers innumerable, mused upon all manner
+of bell-pulls, and gave judgment between conflicting rugs, until the
+task became such a nuisance, that I was fain to take refuge in the
+sacred sanctuary of my club. Young women should be particularly careful
+against boring an accommodating spouse. Of all places in the world, a
+club is the surest focus of speculation. You meet gentlemen there who
+hold stock in every line in the kingdom&mdash;directors, committeemen, and
+even crack engineers. I defy you to continue an altogether uninterested
+auditor of the fascinating intelligence of Mammon. In less than a week
+my vow was broken, and a new <i>liaison</i> commenced with the treacherous
+Delilah of scrip. As nine-tenths of my readers have been playing the
+same identical game towards the close of last year, it would be idle to
+recount to them the various vicissitudes of the market. It is a sore
+subject with most of us&mdash;a regular undeniable case of "<i>infandum
+regina</i>." The only comfort is, that our fingers were simultaneously
+burned.</p>
+
+<p>Amongst other transactions, I had been induced by my old fiend Cutts,
+now in practice as an independent engineer, to apply for a large
+allocation of shares in the Slopperton Valley, a very spirited
+undertaking, for which the Saxon was engaged to invent the gradients.
+This occurred about the commencement of the great Potato Revolution&mdash;an
+event which I apprehend will be long remembered by the squirearchy and
+shareholders of these kingdoms. The money-market was beginning to
+exhibit certain symptoms of tightness; premiums were melting perceptibly
+away, and new schemes were in diminished favour. Under these
+circumstances, the Provisional Committee of the Slopperton Valley
+Company were beneficent enough to gratify my wishes to the full, and
+accorded to me the large privilege of three hundred original shares. Two
+months earlier this would have been equivalent to a fortune&mdash;as it was,
+I must own that my gratitude was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_498" id="Page_498">[Pg 498]</a></span> hardly commensurate to the high
+generosity of the donors. I am not sure that I did not accompany the
+receipt of my letter of allocation with certain expletives by no means
+creditable to the character of the projectors&mdash;at all events, I began to
+look with a milder eye upon the atrocities of Pennsylvanian repudiation.
+However, as the crash was by no means certain, my sanguine temperament
+overcame me, and in a fit of temporary derangement I paid the deposit.</p>
+
+<p>In the ensuing week the panic became general. Capel-court was deserted
+by its herd&mdash;Liverpool in a fearful state of commercial coma&mdash;Glasgow
+trembling throughout its Gorbals&mdash;and Edinburgh paralytically shaking.
+The grand leading doctrine of political economy once more was recognised
+as a truth: the supply exorbitantly exceeded the demand, and there were
+no buyers. The daily share-list became a far more pathetic document in
+my eyes than the Sorrows of Werter. The circular of my brokers, Messrs
+Tine and Transfer, contained a tragedy more woful than any of the
+conceptions of Shakspeare&mdash;the agonies of blighted love are a joke
+compared with those of baffled avarice; and of all kinds of consumption,
+that of the purse is the most severe. One circumstance, however, struck
+me as somewhat curious. Neither in share-list nor circular could I find
+any mention made of the Slopperton Valley. It seemed to have risen like
+an exhalation, and to have departed in similar silence. This boded ill
+for the existence of the &pound;750 I had so idiotically invested, the
+recuperation whereof, in whole or in part, became the subject of my
+nightly meditations; and, as correspondence in such matters is usually
+unsatisfactory, I determined to start personally in search of my
+suspended deposit.</p>
+
+<p>I did not know a single individual of the Slopperton Provisional
+Committee, but I was well enough acquainted with Cutts, whose present
+residence was in a midland county of England, where the work of railway
+construction was going actively forward. As I drove into the town where
+the Saxon had established his headquarters, I saw with feelings of
+peculiar disgust immense gangs of cut-throat looking fellows&mdash;"the
+navies of the nations," as Alfred Tennyson calls them&mdash;busy at their
+embankments, absorbing capital at an alarming ratio, and utterly
+indifferent to the state of the unfortunate shareholders then writhing
+under the pressure of calls. Philanthropy is a very easy thing when our
+own circumstances are prosperous, but a turn of the wheel of fortune
+gives a different complexion to our views. If I had been called upon two
+months earlier to pronounce an oration upon the vast benefits of general
+employment and high wages, I should have launched out <i>con amore</i>. Now,
+the spectacle which I beheld suggested no other idea than that of an
+enormous cheese fast hastening to decomposition and decay beneath the
+nibbling of myriads of mites.</p>
+
+<p>I found Cutts in his apartment of the hotel in the unmolested enjoyment
+of a cigar. He seemed fatter, and a little more red in the gills than
+when I saw him last, otherwise there was no perceptible difference.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, old fellow!" cried the Saxon, pitching away a pile of estimates;
+"what the mischief has brought you up here? Waiter&mdash;a bottle of sherry!
+You wouldn't prefer something hot at this hour of the morning, would
+you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not."</p>
+
+<p>"Ay&mdash;you're a married man now. How's old Morgan? Lord! what fun we had
+at Shrewsbury when I helped you to your wife!"</p>
+
+<p>"So far as I recollect, Mr Cutts, you nearly finished that business. But
+I want to have a serious talk with you about other matters. What has
+become of that confounded Slopperton Valley, for which you were
+engineer?"</p>
+
+<p>"Slopperton Valley! Haven't you heard about it? The whole concern was
+wound up about three weeks ago. Take a glass of wine."</p>
+
+<p>"Wound up? Why, this is most extraordinary. I never received any
+circular!"</p>
+
+<p>"I thought as much," said Cutts very coolly. "That's precisely what I
+said to old Hasherton, the chairman, the day after the secretary bolted.
+I told him he should send round notice to the fellows at a distance,
+warning them not to cash up; but it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_499" id="Page_499">[Pg 499]</a></span> seems that the list of subscribers
+had gone amissing, and so the thing was left to rectify itself."</p>
+
+<p>"Bolted! You don't mean Mr Glanders, of the respectable firm of Glanders
+and Co?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do. I wonder you have not heard of it. That comes of living
+in a confounded country where there are neither breeches nor
+newspapers&mdash;help yourself&mdash;and no direct railway communication. Glanders
+bolted as a matter of course, and I can tell you that I thought myself
+very lucky in getting hold of as much of the deposits as cleared my
+preliminary expenses."</p>
+
+<p>"Cutts&mdash;are you serious?"</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly. But what's the use of making a row about it? You look as
+grim as if there was verjuice in the sherry. You ought to thank your
+stars that the thing was put a stop to so soon."</p>
+
+<p>"Why&mdash;didn't you recommend me to apply for shares?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I did, and I wonder you don't feel grateful for the advice.
+Every body thought they would have come out at a high premium. I would
+not have taken six pounds for them in the month of September; but this
+infernal potato business has brought on the panic, and nobody will table
+a shilling for any kind of new stock. It was a lucky thing for us that
+we got a kind of hint to draw in our horns in time."</p>
+
+<p>"And pray, since the concern is wound up, as you say, how much of our
+deposit-money will be returned?"</p>
+
+<p>"You don't mean to say," said Cutts, with singularly elaborate
+articulation&mdash;"You don't mean to say that you were such an inconceivable
+ass as to pay up your letter of allotment? Well&mdash;I never heard of such a
+piece of deliberate infatuation! Why, man, a blacksmith with half an eye
+must have seen that the game was utterly up a week before the calls were
+due. I don't think there is a single man out of Scotland who would have
+made such a fool of himself; indeed, so far as I know, nobody cashed up
+except a dozen old women who knew nothing about the matter, and ten
+landed proprietors, who expected compensation, and deserved to be done
+accordingly. You need not look as though you meditated razors. The
+Biggleswade concern will pay for this more than thirty tines over."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you what, Cutts," said I in a paroxysm, "this is a most
+nefarious transaction, and I'm hanged if I don't take the law with every
+one connected with it. I'll make an example of that fellow Hasherton,
+and the whole body of the committee."</p>
+
+<p>"Just as you like," replied the imperturbable Cutts. "You're a lawyer,
+and the best judge of those sort of things. I may, however, as well
+inform you that Hasherton went into the Gazette last week, and that you
+won't find another member of the committee at this moment within the
+four seas of Great Britain."</p>
+
+<p>"And pray, may I ask how <i>you</i> came to be connected with so
+discreditable a project? Do you know that it is enough to blast your own
+reputation for ever?"</p>
+
+<p>"I know nothing of the kind," said the Saxon, commencing another cigar.
+"I look to the matter of employment, and have nothing to do with the
+character of my clients, beyond ascertaining their means of liquidating
+my account. The committee required the assistance of a first-rate
+engineer, and I flatter myself they could hardly have made a more
+unexceptionable selection. But what's the use of looking sulky about it?
+You can't help yourself; and, after all, what's the amount of your loss?
+A parcel of pound-notes that would have lain rotting in the bank had you
+not put them into circulation! Cheer up, Fred, you've made at least one
+individual very happy. Glanders is going it in New York. I shouldn't be
+surprised if half your deposit money is already invested in
+mint-juleps."</p>
+
+<p>"It is very easy for you to talk, Mr Cutts," said I, with considerable
+acrimony. "Your account, at all events, appears to have been paid.
+Doubtless you looked sharply after that. I cannot help putting my own
+construction upon the conduct of a gentleman who makes a direct profit
+out of the misfortunes of his friends."</p>
+
+<p>"You affect me deeply," said Cutts, applying himself diligently to the
+decanter; "but you don't drink. Do<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_500" id="Page_500">[Pg 500]</a></span> you know you put me a good deal in
+mind of Macready? Did you ever hear him in Lear,</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">'How sharper than a serpent's thanks it is</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To have a toothless child?'</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>You're remarkably unjust, Fred, as you will acknowledge in your cooler
+moments. I am hurt by your ingratitude&mdash;I am," and the sympathizing
+engineer buried his face in the folds of a Bandana handkerchief.</p>
+
+<p>I knew, by old experience, that it was of no use to get into a rage with
+Cutts. After all, I had no tenable ground of complaint against him; for
+the payment of the deposit money was my own deliberate act, and it was
+no fault of his that the shares were not issued at a premium. I
+therefore contrived to swallow, as I best could, my indignation, though
+it was no easy matter. Seven hundred and fifty pounds is a serious sum,
+and would have gone a long way towards the furnishing of a respectable
+domicile.</p>
+
+<p>I believe that Cutts, though he never allowed himself to exhibit a
+symptom of ordinary regret, was internally annoyed at the confounded
+scrape in which I was landed by following his advice. At all events he
+soon ceased comporting himself after the manner of the comforters of
+Job, and finally undertook to look after my interest in case any
+fragment of the deposits could be rescued from the hands of the
+Philistines. I have since had a letter from him with the information
+that he has recovered a hundred pounds&mdash;a friendly exertion which shall
+be duly acknowledged so soon as I receive a remittance, which, however,
+has not yet come to hand.</p>
+
+<p>By the time we had finished the sherry, I was restored, if not to
+good-humour, at least to a state of passive resignation. The Saxon gave
+strict orders that he was to be denied to every body, and made some
+incoherent proposals about "making a forenoon of it," which, however, I
+peremptorily declined.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a very hard thing," said Cutts, "but I see it's an invariable rule
+that matrimony and good-fellowship can never go together. You're not
+half the brick you used to be, Fred; but I suppose it can't be helped.
+There's a degree of slow-coachiness about you which I take to be
+peculiarly distressing, and if you don't take care it will become a
+confirmed habit."</p>
+
+<p>"Seven hundred and fifty pounds&mdash;what! all my pretty chickens and
+their"&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Don't swear! It's a highly immoral practice. At all events you'll dine
+with me to-day at six. You shall have as much claret as you can
+conscientiously desire, and, for company, I have got the queerest fellow
+here you ever set eyes on. You used to pull the long bow with
+considerable effect, but this chap beats you hollow."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is he?"</p>
+
+<p>"How should I know? He calls himself Leopold Young Mandeville&mdash;is a
+surveyor by trade, and has been working abroad at some outlandish line
+or another for the last two years. He is a very fair hand at the
+compasses, and so I have got him here by way of assistant. You may think
+him rather dull at first, but wait till he has finished a pint, and I'm
+shot if he don't astonish you. Now, if you will have nothing more, we
+may as well go out, and take a ride by way of appetizer."</p>
+
+<p>At six o'clock I received the high honour of an introduction to Mr Young
+Mandeville. As I really consider this gentleman one of the most
+remarkable personages of the era in which we live, I may perhaps be
+excused if I assume the privilege of an acquaintance, and introduce him
+also to the reader. The years of Mr Mandeville could hardly have
+exceeded thirty. His stature was considerably above the average of
+mankind, and would have been greater save for the geometrical curvature
+of his lower extremities, which gave him all the appearance of a walking
+parenthesis. His hair was black and streaky; his complexion atrabilious;
+his voice slightly raucous, like that of a tragedian contending with a
+cold. The eye was a very fine one&mdash;that is, the right eye&mdash;for the other
+optic was evidently internally damaged, and shone with an opalescent
+lustre. There was a kind of native dignity about the man which impressed
+me favourably, notwith<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_501" id="Page_501">[Pg 501]</a></span>standing the reserved manner in which he
+exchanged the preliminary courtesies.</p>
+
+<p>Cutts did the honours of the table with his usual alacrity. The dinner
+was a capital one, and the vine not only abundant but unexceptionable.
+At first, however, the conversation flowed but languidly. My spirits had
+not yet recovered from the appalling intelligence of the morning; nor
+could I help reflecting, with a certain uneasiness, upon the reception I
+was sure to meet with from certain brethren in the Outer House, to whom,
+in a moment of rash confidence, I had entrusted the tale of my dilemma.
+I abhor roasting in my own person, and yet I knew I should have enough
+of it. Mandeville eat on steadily, like one labouring under the
+conviction that he thereby performed a good and meritorious action, and
+scorning to mix up extraneous matter with the main object of his
+exertions. The Saxon awaited his time, and steadily circulated the
+champagne.</p>
+
+<p>We all got more loquacious after the cloth was removed. A good dinner
+reconciles one amazingly to the unhappy chances of our lot; and, before
+the first bottle was emptied, I had tacitly forgiven every one of the
+Provisional Committee of the Slopperton Railway Company, with the
+exception of the villainous Glanders, who, for any thing I knew, might,
+at that moment, be transatlantically regaling himself at my particular
+expense. His guilt was of course inexpiable. Mandeville, having eat like
+an ogre, began to drink like a dromedary. Both the dark and the
+opalescent eye sparkled with unusual fire, and with a sigh of
+philosophic fervour he unbuttoned the extremities of his waistcoat.</p>
+
+<p>"Help yourselves, my boys," said the jovial Cutts; "there's lots of time
+before us between this and the broiled bones. By Jove, I'm excessively
+thirsty! I say, Mandeville, were you ever in Scotland? I hear great
+things of the claret there."</p>
+
+<p>"I never had that honour," replied Mr Young Mandeville, "which I
+particularly regret, for I have a high&mdash;may I say the highest?&mdash;respect
+for that intelligent country, and indeed claim a remote connexion with
+it. I admire the importance which Scotsmen invariably attach to pure
+blood and ancient descent. It is a proof, Mr Cutts, that with them the
+principles of chivalry are not extinct, and that the honours which
+should be paid to birth alone, are not indiscriminately lavished upon
+the mere acquisition of wealth."</p>
+
+<p>"Which means, I suppose, that a lot of rubbishy ancestors is better than
+a fortune in the Funds. Well&mdash;every man according to his own idea. I am
+particularly glad to say, that I understand no nonsense of the kind.
+There's Fred, however, will keep you in countenance. He say&mdash;but I'll be
+hanged if I believe it&mdash;that he is descended from some old king or
+another, who lived before the invention of breeches."</p>
+
+<p>"Cutts&mdash;don't be a fool!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, by Jove, it's quite true!" said the irreverent Saxon; "you used to
+tell me about it every night when you were half-seas over at Shrewsbury.
+It was capital fun to hear you, about the mixing of the ninth tumbler."</p>
+
+<p>"Excuse me, sir," said Mr Mandeville, with an appearance of intense
+interest&mdash;"do you indeed reckon kindred with the royal family of
+Scotland? I have a particular reason personal to myself in the inquiry."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, if you really want to know about it," said I, looking, I suppose,
+especially foolish, for Cutts was evidently trotting me out, and I more
+than half suspected his companion&mdash;"I do claim&mdash;but it's a ridiculous
+thing to talk of&mdash;a lineal descent from a daughter of William the Lion."</p>
+
+<p>"You delight me!" said Mr Mandeville. "The connexion is highly
+respectable&mdash;I have myself some of that blood in my veins, though
+perhaps of a little older date than yours; for one of my ancestors,
+Ulric of Mandeville, married a daughter of Fergus the First. I am very
+glad indeed to make the acquaintance of a relative after the lapse of so
+many centuries."</p>
+
+<p>I returned a polite bow to the salutation of my new-found cousin, and
+wished him at the bottom of the Euxine.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you pardon me, Mr Cutts, if I ask my kinsman a question or two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_502" id="Page_502">[Pg 502]</a></span>
+upon family affairs? The older cadets of the royal blood have seldom an
+opportunity of meeting."</p>
+
+<p>"Fire away," said the Saxon, "but be done with it as soon as you can."</p>
+
+<p>"Reduced as we are," continued Mr Mandeville, addressing himself to me,
+"in numbers as well as circumstances, it appears highly advisable that
+we should maintain some intercourse with each other for the preservation
+of our common rights. These, as we well know, had their origin before
+the institution of Parliaments, and therefore are by no means fettered
+or impugned by any of the popular enactments of a later age. Now, as you
+are a lawyer, I should like to have your opinion on a point of some
+consequence. Did you ever happen to meet our cousin, Count Ferguson of
+the Roman Empire?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never heard of him in my life," said I.</p>
+
+<p>"Any relation of the fellow who couldn't get into the lodging-house?"
+asked Cutts.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think so, Mr Cutts," replied Mandeville, mildly. "I had the
+pleasure of making the Count's acquaintance at Vienna. He is, apprehend,
+the only heir-male extant to the Scottish crown, being descended from
+Prince Fergus and a daughter of Queen Boadicea. Now, you and I, though
+younger cadets, and somewhat nearer in succession, merely represent
+females, and have therefore little interest beyond a remote contingency.
+But I understand it is the fact that the ancient destination to the
+Scottish crown is restricted to heirs-male solely; and therefore I wish
+to know, whether, as the Stuarts have failed, the Count is not entitled
+to claim in right of his undoubted descent?"</p>
+
+<p>I was petrified at the audacity of the man. Either he was the most
+consummately impudent scoundrel I ever had the fortune to meet, or a
+complete monomaniac! I looked him steadily in the face. The fine black
+eye was bent upon me with an expression of deep interest, and something
+uncommonly like a tear was quivering in the lash. Palpable monomania!</p>
+
+<p>"It seems a very doubtful question," said I. "Before answering it, I
+should like to see the Count's papers, and take a look at our older
+records."</p>
+
+<p>"That means, you want to be fee'd," said Cutts. "I'll tell you what, my
+lads, I'll stand this sort of nonsense no longer. Confound your
+Fergusons and Boadiceas! One would think, to hear you talk, that you
+were not a couple of as ordinary individuals as ever stepped upon
+shoe-leather, but princes of the blood-royal in disguise. Help
+yourselves, I say, and give us something else."</p>
+
+<p>"I fear, Mr Cutts," said Mandeville, in a deep and chokey voice, "that
+you have had too little experience of the vicissitudes of the world to
+appreciate our situation. You spoke of a prince. Know, sir, that you see
+before you one who has known that dignity, but who never shall know it
+more! O Amalia, Amalia!&mdash;dear wife of my bosom&mdash;where art thou now!
+Pardon me, kinsman&mdash;your hand&mdash;I do not often betray this weakness, but
+my heart is full, and I needs must give way to its emotion." So saying,
+the unfortunate Mandeville bowed down his head and wept; at least, so I
+concluded, from a succession of severe eructations.</p>
+
+<p>I did not know what to make of him. Of all the hallucinations I ever had
+witnessed, this was the most strange and unaccountable. Cutts, with
+great coolness, manufactured a stiff tumbler of brandy and water, which
+he placed at the elbow of the ex-potentate, and exhorted him to make a
+clean breast of it.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the use of snivelling about the past?" said he. "It's a
+confounded loss of time. Come, Mandeville, toss off your liquor like a
+Trojan, and tell us all about it, if you have any thing like a rational
+story to tell. We'll give you credit for the finer feelings, and all
+that sort of nonsense&mdash;only look sharp."</p>
+
+<p>Upon this hint the Surveyor spoke, applying himself at intervals to the
+reeking potable beside him. I shall give his story in his own words,
+without any commentary.</p>
+
+<p>"I feel, gentlemen, that I owe to you, and more especially to my
+new-found kinsman, some explanation of circumstances, the mere
+recollection<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_503" id="Page_503">[Pg 503]</a></span> of which can agitate me so cruelly. You seemed surprised
+when I told you of the rank which I once occupied, and no doubt you
+think it is a strange contrast to the situation in which you now behold
+me. Alas, gentlemen! the history of Europe, during the last half
+century, can furnish you with many parallel cases. Louis Philippe has,
+ere now, like myself, earned his bread by mathematical exertion&mdash;Young
+Gustavson&mdash;Henry of Bourbon, are exiles! the sceptre has fallen from the
+hands of the chivalrous house of Murat! Minor principalities are changed
+or absorbed, unnoticed amidst the war and clash of the great world
+around them! Thrones are eclipsed like stars, and vanish from the
+political horizon!</p>
+
+<p>"Do not misunderstand me, gentlemen&mdash;I claim no such hereditary honours.
+I am the last representative of an ancient and glorious race, who cut
+their way to distinction with their swords on the field of battle. Roger
+de Mandeville, bearer of the ducal standard at the red fight of
+Hastings, was the first of my name who set foot upon English ground.
+Since then, there is not an era in the history of our country which does
+not bear witness to some achievement of the stalwart Mandevilles. The
+Crusades&mdash;Cressy&mdash;Poitiers&mdash;and&mdash;pardon me, kinsman&mdash;Flodden, were the
+theatres of our renown.</p>
+
+<p>"I dare not trust myself to speak of the broad lands and castles which
+we once possessed. These have long since passed away from us. A
+Birmingham artisan, whose churl ancestor would have deemed it an honour
+to run beside the stirrup of my forefathers, now dwells in the hall of
+the Mandeville. The spear is broken, and the banner mouldered. Nothing
+remains, save in the chancel of the roofless church a recumbent marble
+effigy, with folded hands, of that stout Sir Godfrey of Mandeville who
+stormed the breach of Ascalon!</p>
+
+<p>"I was heir to nothing but the name. Of my early struggles I need not
+tell you. A proud and indomitable heart yet beat within this bosom; and
+though some of the ancient nobility of England, who knew and lamented my
+position, were not backward in their offers, I could not bring myself in
+any one instance to accept of eleemosynary assistance. Even the colours
+which were spontaneously offered to me by the great Captain of the age,
+were rejected, though not ungratefully. Had there been war, Britain
+should have found me foremost in her ranks as a volunteer, but I could
+not wear the livery of a soldier so long as the blade seemed
+undissolubly soldered to the sheath. I spurned at the empty frivolity of
+the mess-room, and despised every other bivouac save that upon the field
+of battle.</p>
+
+<p>"In brief, gentlemen, I preferred the field of science, which was still
+open to me, and became an engineer. Mr Cutts, whose great acquirements
+and brilliant genius have raised him to such eminence in the
+profession"&mdash;here Cutts made a grateful salaam&mdash;"can bear testimony to
+the humble share of talent I have laid at the national disposal; and if
+you, my kinsman, are connected with any of the incipient enterprises in
+the north, I should be proud of an opportunity of showing you that the
+genius of a Mandeville can be applied as well to the arts of peace as to
+the stormy exercises of war. But even Mr Cutts does not know how
+strangely my labours have been interrupted. What an episode was mine! A
+year of exaltation to high and princely rank&mdash;a year of love and
+battle&mdash;and then a return to this cold and heavy occupation! Had that
+interval lasted longer, gentlemen, believe me, that ere now I should
+have carried the victorious banners of Wallachia to the gates of
+Constantinople, plucked the abject and besotted Sultan from his throne,
+and again established in more than its pristine renown the independent
+Empire of the East!"</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! Well said Mandeville!" shouted Cutts. "I like
+to see the fellow who never sticks at trifles."</p>
+
+<p>"No reality, sirs, could have prevented me: but I fear my preface is too
+long. About two years ago I was requested by the projectors of the great
+railway between Paris and Constantinople to superintend the survey of
+that portion which stretches eastward from Vienna. I accepted the
+appointment with pleasure, for I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_504" id="Page_504">[Pg 504]</a></span> longed to see foreign countries, and
+the field abroad appeared to me a much nobler one than that at home. I
+had personal letters of introduction to the Emperor, who treated me with
+marked distinction; for some collateral branches of my family had done
+the Austrian good service in the wars of Wallenstein, and the heroic
+charge of the Pappenheimers under Herbert Mandeville at Lutzen was still
+freshly and gratefully remembered. It was in Vienna that I made the
+acquaintance of our mutual kinsman, Count Ferguson, whose claims to
+hereditary dignity, I trust, you will reflect on at your leisure.</p>
+
+<p>"Do either of you, gentlemen, understand German?&mdash;No!&mdash;I regret the
+circumstance, because you can hardly follow me out distinctly when I
+come to speak of localities. But I shall endeavour to be as clear as
+possible. One evening I was in attendance upon his majesty&mdash;who
+frequently honoured me with these commands, for he took a vast interest
+in all matters of science&mdash;at the great theatre. All the wealth, beauty,
+and talent of Austria were there. I assure you, gentlemen, I never gazed
+upon a more brilliant spectacle. The mixture of the white and blue
+uniforms of the Austrian officers, with the national costumes of the
+nobility of Hungary, Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, and the Tyrol,
+gave the scene the appearance of a studied and gorgeous carnival. The
+glittering of diamonds along the whole tier of the boxes was literally
+painful to the eyes. Several of the Esterhazy family seemed absolutely
+sheathed in jewel armour, and I was literally compelled to request the
+Duchessa Lucchesini, who was seated next me, to lower her beautiful arm,
+as the splendour of the brilliants on her bracelet&mdash;I, of course, said
+the lustre of the arm itself&mdash;was so great as to obstruct my view of the
+stage. She smilingly complied. The last long-drawn note of the overture
+was over, the curtain had risen, and the <i>prima donna</i> Schenkelmann was
+just trilling forth that exquisite <i>aria</i> with which the opera of the
+<i>Gasthaus</i> begins, when the door of the box immediately adjoining the
+imperial one opened, and a party entered in the gay Wallachian costume.
+The first who took her place, in a sort of decorated chair in front, and
+who was familiarly greeted by his Majesty, was a young lady, as it
+seemed to me even then, of most surpassing beauty. Her dark raven hair
+was held back from a brow as white as alabaster by a circlet of gorgeous
+emeralds, whose pale mild light added to the pensive melancholy of her
+features. I have no heart to describe her further, although that image
+stands before me now, as clearly as when I first riveted these longing
+eyes upon her charms!&mdash;O Amalia!</p>
+
+<p>"Her immediate companion was a tall stalwart nobleman, beneath whose
+cloak glittered a close-fitting tunic of ring-mail. His looks were
+haughty and unprepossessing; he cast a fierce glance at the box which
+contained the Esterhazys; bowed coldly in return to the recognition of
+the Emperor; and seated himself beside his beautiful companion. I
+thought&mdash;but it might be fancy&mdash;that she involuntarily shrank from his
+contact. The remainder of the box was occupied by Wallachian ladies and
+grandees.</p>
+
+<p>"My curiosity was so whetted, that I hardly could wait until the
+Schenkelmann had concluded, before assailing my neighbour the Duchessa
+with questions.</p>
+
+<p>"'Is it possible?' said she. 'Have you been so long in Vienna,
+chevalier, and yet never seen the great attraction of the day&mdash;the
+Wallachian fawn, as that foolish Count Kronthaler calls her? I declare I
+begin to believe that you men of science are absolutely born blind!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Not so, beautiful Lucchesini! But remember that ever since my arrival
+I have been constantly gazing on a star.'</p>
+
+<p>"'You flatterer! But, seriously, I thought every one knew the Margravine
+of Kalbs-Kuchen. She is the greatest heiress in Europe&mdash;has a
+magnificent independent principality, noble palaces, and such diamonds!
+That personage beside her is her relation, the Duke of Kalbs-Braten, the
+representative of a younger branch of the house. He is at deadly feud
+with the Esterhazys, and the Emperor is very apprehensive that it may
+disturb the tranquillity of Hungary. I am sure I am glad that my own
+poor little Duchy is at a distance. I wish he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_505" id="Page_505">[Pg 505]</a></span> would not bow to me&mdash;I am
+sure he is a horrid man. Only think, my dear chevalier! He has already
+married two wives, and nobody knows what has become of them. Poor Clara
+von Gandersfeldt was the last&mdash;a sweet girl, but that could not save
+her. They say he wants to marry his cousin&mdash;I hope she won't have him.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Does he indeed presume!' said I, 'that dark-browed ruffian, to aspire
+to such an angel?'</p>
+
+<p>"'I declare you make me quite jealous,' said the Lucchesini; 'but speak
+lower or he will overhear you. I assure you Duke Albrecht is a very
+dangerous enemy.'</p>
+
+<p>"'O that I might beard him!' cried I, 'in the midst of his assembled
+Hulans! I tell you, Duchessa, that ere now a Mandeville'&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'<i>Potz tausend donner-wetter!</i>' said the Emperor, good-humouredly
+turning round; 'what is that the Chevalier Mandeville is saying? Why,
+chevalier, you look as fierce as a roused lion. We must take care of you
+old English fire-eaters. By the way,' added he very kindly, 'our
+Chancellor will send you to-morrow the decoration of the first class of
+the Golden Bugle. No thanks. You deserve it. I only wish the order could
+have been conferred upon such a field as that of Lutzen. And now come
+forward, and let me present you to the Margravine of Kalbs-Kuchen, whose
+territories you must one of these days traverse. Margravine&mdash;this is the
+Chevalier Mandeville, of whom I have already told you.'</p>
+
+<p>"She turned her head&mdash;our eyes met&mdash;a deep flush suffused her
+countenance, but it was instantly succeeded by a deadly paleness.</p>
+
+<p>"'<i>Eh, wass henker!</i>' cried the Emperor, 'what's the meaning of
+this?&mdash;the Margravine is going to faint!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Oh no&mdash;no&mdash;your Majesty&mdash;'tis nothing&mdash;a likeness&mdash;a dream&mdash;a
+dizziness, I mean, has come over me! It is gone now. You shall be
+welcome, chevalier,' continued she, with a sweet smile, 'when you visit
+our poor dominions. Indeed, I have a hereditary claim upon you, which I
+am sure you will not disregard.'</p>
+
+<p>"'<i>Hagel und blitzen!</i>' cried his Majesty&mdash;'What is this? I understood
+the chevalier was never in Germany before.'</p>
+
+<p>"'That may be, sire,' repeated the Margravine with another blush. 'But
+my great-grandmother was nevertheless a Mandeville, the daughter of that
+Field-marshal Herbert who fought so well at Lutzen. His picture, painted
+when he was a young cuirassier, still hangs in my palace, and, indeed,
+it was the extreme likeness of the chevalier to that portrait, which
+took me for a moment by surprise. Let me then welcome you, cousin;
+henceforward we are not strangers!'</p>
+
+<p>"I bowed profoundly as I took the proffered hand of the Margravine. I
+held it for an instant in my own&mdash;yes!&mdash;by Cupid there was a gentle
+pressure. I looked up and beheld the dark countenance of the Duke of
+Kalbs-Braten scowling at me from behind his cousin. I retorted the look
+with interest. From that moment we were mortal foes.</p>
+
+<p>"'<i>Unser Ritter ist im klee gefallen</i>&mdash;the chevalier has fallen among
+clover,' said the Emperor with a smile&mdash;'he has great luck&mdash;he finds
+cousins every where.'</p>
+
+<p>"'And in this instance,' I replied, 'I might venture to challenge the
+envy even of your Majesty.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Well said, chevalier! and now let us attend to the second act of the
+opera.'</p>
+
+<p>"'You are in a critical position, Chevalier de Mandeville,' said the
+Lucchesini, to whose side I now returned. 'You have made a powerful
+friend, but also a dangerous enemy. Beware of that Duke Albrecht&mdash;he is
+watching you closely.'</p>
+
+<p>"'It is not the nature of a Mandeville to fear any thing except for the
+safety of those he loves. <i>You</i>, sweet Duchessa, I trust have nothing to
+apprehend?'</p>
+
+<p>"'<i>Ah, perfide!</i> Do not think to impose upon me longer. I know your
+heart has become a traitor already. Well&mdash;we shall not be less friends
+for that. I congratulate you on your new honours, only take care that
+too much good fortune does not turn that magnificent head.'</p>
+
+<p>"I supped that evening with the Lucchesini. On my return home, I thought
+I observed a dark figure<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_506" id="Page_506">[Pg 506]</a></span> following my steps; but this might have been
+fancy, at all events I regained my hotel without any interruption. Next
+morning I found upon my table a little casket containing a magnificent
+emerald ring, along with a small slip of paper on which was written
+'<i>Amalia to her cousin&mdash;Silence and Fidelity</i>.' I placed the ring upon
+my finger, but I pressed the writing to my lips.</p>
+
+<p>"On the ensuing week there was a great masquerade at the palace. I was
+out surveying the whole morning, and was occupied so late that I had
+barely half an hour to spare on my return for the necessary
+preparations.</p>
+
+<p>"'There is a young lady waiting for you up-stairs, Herr Baron,' said the
+waiter with a broad grin; 'she says she has a message to deliver, and
+will give it to nobody else.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Blockhead!' said I, 'what made you show her in there? To a certainty
+she'll be meddling with the theodolites!'</p>
+
+<p>"I rushed up-stairs, and found in my apartment one of the prettiest
+little creatures I ever saw, a perfect fairy of about sixteen, in a
+gipsy bonnet, who looked up and smiled as I entered.</p>
+
+<p>"'Are you the Chevalier Mandeville?' asked she.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, my little dear, and pray who are you?'</p>
+
+<p>"'I am Fritchen, sir,' she said with a courtesy.</p>
+
+<p>"'You don't say so! Pray sit down, Fritchen.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Thank you, sir.'</p>
+
+<p>"'And pray now, Fritchen, what is it you want with me?'</p>
+
+<p>"'My mistress desired me to say to you, sir&mdash;but it's a great
+secret&mdash;that she is to be at the masquerade to-night in a blue domino,
+and she begs you will place this White Rose in your hat, and she wishes
+to have a few words with you.'</p>
+
+<p>"'And who may your mistress be, my pretty one?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Silence and Fidelity!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Ha! is it possible? the Margravine!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Hush! don't speak so loud&mdash;you don't know who may be listening. Black
+Stanislaus has been watching me all day, and I hardly could contrive to
+get out.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Black Stanislaus had better beware of me!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Oh, but you don't know him! He's Duke Albrecht's chief forester, and
+the Duke is in <i>such</i> a rage ever since he found my lady embroidering
+your name upon a handkerchief.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Did she, indeed?&mdash;my name?&mdash;O Amalia!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Yes&mdash;and she says you're so like that big picture at
+Schloss-Swiggenstein that she fell in love with long ago&mdash;and she is
+sure you would come to love her if you only knew her&mdash;and she wishes,
+for your sake, that she was a plain lady and not a Princess&mdash;and she
+hates that Duke Albrecht so! But I wasn't to tell you a word of this, so
+pray don't repeat it again.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Silence and fidelity, my pretty Fritchen. Tell your royal Mistress
+that I rest her humble slave and kinsman; that I will wear her rose, and
+defend it too, if needful, against the attacks of the universe! Tell
+her, too, that every moment seems an age until we meet again. I will not
+overload your memory, little Fritchen. Pray, wear this trifle for my
+sake, and'&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'O fie, sir! If the waiter heard you!' and the little gipsy made her
+escape.</p>
+
+<p>"I had selected for my costume that night, a dress in the old English
+fashion, taken from a portrait of the Admirable Crichton. In my hat I
+reverently placed the rose which Amalia had sent me, stepped into my
+fiacre, and drove to the palace.</p>
+
+<p>"The masquerade was already at its height. I jostled my way through a
+prodigious crowd of scaramouches, pilgrims, shepherdesses, nymphs, and
+crusaders, until I reached the grand saloon, where I looked round me
+diligently for the blue domino. Alas! I counted no less than thirteen
+ladies in that particular costume.</p>
+
+<p>"'You seen dull to-night, Sir Englishman,' said a soft voice at my
+elbow. 'Does the indifference of your country or the disdainfulness of
+dark eyes oppress you?'</p>
+
+<p>"I turned and beheld a blue domino. My heart thrilled strangely.</p>
+
+<p>"'Neither, sweet Mask; but say, is not Silence a token of Fidelity?'</p>
+
+<p>"'You speak in riddles,' said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_507" id="Page_507">[Pg 507]</a></span> domino. 'But come&mdash;they are beginning
+the waltz. Here is a little hand as yet unoccupied. Will you take it?'</p>
+
+<p>"'For ever?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Nay&mdash;I shall burden you with no such terrible conditions. <i>Allons!</i>
+Yonder Saracen and Nun have set us the example.'</p>
+
+<p>"In a moment we were launched into the whirl of the dance. My whole
+frame quivered as I encircled the delicate waist with my arm. One hand
+was held in mine, the other rested lovingly upon my shoulder. I felt the
+sweet breath of the damask lips upon my face&mdash;the cup of my happiness
+was full.</p>
+
+<p>"'O that I may never wake and find this a dream! Dear lady, might I dare
+to hope that the services of a life, never more devotedly offered,
+might, in some degree, atone for the immeasurable distance between us?
+That the poor cavalier, whom you have honoured with your notice, may
+venture to indulge in a yet dearer anticipation?'</p>
+
+<p>"I felt the hand of the Mask tremble in mine&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'The White Rose is a pretty flower,' she whispered&mdash;'can it not bloom
+elsewhere than in the north?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Amalia!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Leopold!&mdash;but hush&mdash;we are observed.'</p>
+
+<p>"I looked up and saw a tall Bulgarian gazing at us. The mask of course
+prevented me from distinguishing his features, but by the red sparkle of
+his eye I instantly recognised Duke Albrecht.</p>
+
+<p>"'Forgive me, dearest Amalia, for one moment. I will rejoin you in the
+second apartment'&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'For the sake of the Virgin, Leopold&mdash;do not tempt him! you know not
+the power, the malignity of the man.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Were he ten times a duke, I'd beard him! Pardon me, lady. He has
+defied me already by his looks, and a Mandeville never yet shrunk from
+any encounter. Prince Metternich will protect you until my return.'</p>
+
+<p>"The good-natured statesman, who was sauntering past unmasked, instantly
+offered his arm to the agitated Margravine. They retired. I strode up to
+the Bulgarian, who remained as motionless as a statue.</p>
+
+<p>"'Give you good-evening, cavalier. What is your purpose to-night?'</p>
+
+<p>"'To chastise insolence and punish presumption! What is yours?'</p>
+
+<p>"'To rescue innocence and beauty from the persecution of overweening
+power!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Indeed! any thing else?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Yes, to avenge the fate of those who trusted, and yet died before
+their time. How was it with Clara of Gandersfeldt? Fell she not by thy
+hand?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Englishman&mdash;thou liest!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Bulgarian&mdash;thou art a villain!'</p>
+
+<p>"The duke gnashed his teeth. For a moment his hand clutched at the hilt
+of his poniard, but he suddenly withdrew it.</p>
+
+<p>"'I had thought to have dealt otherwise with thee,' he said, 'but thou
+hast dared to come between the lion and his bride. Englishman&mdash;hast thou
+courage to make good thy injurious words with aught else but the
+tongue?'</p>
+
+<p>"'I am the last of the race of Mandeville!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Enough. I might well have left the chastising of thee to a meaner
+hand, and yet&mdash;for that thou art a bold fellow&mdash;I will meet thee. Dost
+thou know the eastern gate?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Well.'</p>
+
+<p>"'A mile beyond it there is a clump of trees and a fair meadow land. The
+moon will be up in three hours: light enough for men who are determined
+on their work. Dost thou understand me&mdash;three hours hence on horseback,
+with the sword, alone?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Can I trust thee, Bulgarian?&mdash;no treachery?'</p>
+
+<p>"'I am a Wallachian and a duke!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Enough said. I shall be there;' and we parted.</p>
+
+<p>"I flew back to Amalia. She was terribly agitated. In vain did I attempt
+to calm her with assurances that all was well. She insisted upon knowing
+the whole particulars of my interview with her dreaded cousin of
+Kalbs-Braten, and at last I told her without reserve.</p>
+
+<p>"'You must not go, Leopold,' she cried, 'indeed you must not. You do not
+know this Albrecht. Hard of heart and determined of purpose, there are
+no means which he will not use in order to compass his revenge.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_508" id="Page_508">[Pg 508]</a></span> Believe
+not that he will meet you alone: were it so, I should have little dread.
+But Black Stanislaus will be there, and strong Slavata, and Martinitz
+with all his Hulans! They will murder you, my Leopold! shed your young
+blood like water; or, if they dare not do that for fear of the Austrian
+vengeance, they will hurry you across the frontier to some dreary
+fortress, where you will pine in chains, and grow prematurely grey,
+far&mdash;far from your poor Amalia! Oh, were I to lose you, Leopold, now, I
+should die of sorrow! Be persuaded by me. My guards are few, but they
+are faithful. Avoid this meeting. Let us set out this night&mdash;nay, this
+very hour. Once within my dominions, we may set at defiance Duke
+Albrecht and all the black banditti of Kalbs-Braten. I have many friends
+and feudatories. The Hetman, Chopinski, is devoted to me. Count Rudolf
+of Haggenhausen is my sworn friend. No man ever yet saw the back of
+Conrad of the Thirty Mountains. We shall rear up the old ancestral
+banner of my house; give the Red Falcon to the winds of heaven; besiege,
+if need be, my perfidious kinsman in his stronghold&mdash;and, in the face of
+heaven, my Leopold, will I acknowledge the heir of Mandeville as the
+partner of my life and of my power!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Dearest, best Amalia! your words thrill through me like a trumpet&mdash;but
+alas, it may not be! I dare not follow your counsel. Shall it be said
+that I have broken my word&mdash;shrunk like a craven from a meeting with
+this Albrecht;&mdash;a meeting, too, which I myself provoked? Think it not,
+lady. Poor Mandeville has nothing save his honour; but upon that, at
+least, no taint of suspicion shall rest. Farewell, beautiful Amalia!
+Believe me, we shall meet again; if not, think of me sometimes as one
+who loved you well, and who died with your name upon his lips.'</p>
+
+<p>"'O Leopold!'</p>
+
+<p>"I tore myself away. Two hours afterwards I had passed the eastern gate
+of Vienna, and was riding towards the place of rendezvous. The moon was
+up, but a fresh breeze ever and anon swept the curtains of the clouds
+across her disk, and obscured the distant prospect. The cool air played
+gratefully on my cheek after the excitement and fever of the evening; I
+listened with even a sensation of pleasure to the distant rippling of
+the river. For the future I had little care, my whole attention was
+concentrated upon the past. I felt no anxiety as to the result of the
+encounter; nor was this in any degree surprising, since, from my
+earliest youth, I had accustomed myself to the use of the sword, and was
+reputed a thorough master of the weapon. Neither could I believe that
+Duke Albrecht was capable, after having given his solemn pledge to the
+contrary, of any thing like deliberate treachery.</p>
+
+<p>"I was about halfway to the clump of trees, which he of Kalbs-Braten had
+indicated, when a heavy bank of clouds arose, and left me in total
+darkness. Up to this time I had seen no one since I passed the sentry;
+but now I thought I could discern the tramping of horses upon the turf.
+Almost mechanically I loosened my cloak, and brought round the hilt of
+my weapon so as to be prepared. When the moon reappeared, I saw on
+either side of me a horseman, in long black cloaks and slouched hats,
+which effectually concealed the features of the wearers. They did not
+speak nor offer any violence, but continued to ride alongside,
+accommodating their pace to mine. The horses they bestrode were large
+and powerful animals. There was something in the moody silence and even
+rigid bearing of these persons, which inspired me with a feeling rather
+of awe than suspicion. It might be that they were retainers of the duke;
+but then, if any ambuscade or foul play was intended, why give such
+palpable warning of it? I resolved to accost them.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ye ride late, sirs.'</p>
+
+<p>"'We do,' said the one to the right. 'We are bent on a far errand.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Indeed! may I ask its nature?'</p>
+
+<p>"'To hear the bat flutter and the owlet scream. Wilt also listen to the
+music?'</p>
+
+<p>"'I understand you not, sirs. What mean you?'</p>
+
+<p>"'We are the guardians of the Red Earth. The guilty tremble at our
+approach; but the innocent need not fear!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Two of the night patrole!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_509" id="Page_509">[Pg 509]</a></span> thought I. 'Very mysterious gentlemen,
+indeed; but I have heard that the Austrian police have orders to be
+reserved in their communications. I must get rid of them, however.
+Good-evening, sirs.'</p>
+
+<p>"I was about to spur my horse, when a cloak was suddenly thrown over my
+head as if by some invisible hand; I was dragged forcibly from my
+saddle, my arms pinioned, and my sword wrested from me. All this was the
+work of a moment, and rendered my resistance useless.</p>
+
+<p>"'Villains!' cried I, 'unhand me&mdash;what mean you?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Peace, cavalier!' said a deep low voice at my ear; 'speak
+not&mdash;struggle not, or it may be worse for you; you are in the hands of
+the Secret Tribunal!'"</p>
+
+<p>During the course of his narrative, Mr Mandeville, as I have already
+hinted, by no means discontinued his attentions to the brandy and water,
+but went on making tumbler after tumbler, with a fervour that was truly
+edifying. Assuming that the main facts of his history were true, though
+in the eye of geography and politics they appeared a little doubtful, it
+was still highly interesting to remark the varied chronology of his
+style. A century disappeared with each tumbler. He concentrated in
+himself, as it appeared to me, the excellencies of the best writers of
+romance, and withal had hitherto maintained the semblance of strict
+originality. He had now, however, worked his way considerably up the
+tide of time. We had emerged from the period of fire-arms, and
+Mandeville was at this stage medi&aelig;val.</p>
+
+<p>Some suspicion of this had dawned even upon the mind of Cutts, who,
+though not very familiar with romance, had once stumbled upon a
+translation of Spindler's novels, and was, therefore, tolerably up to
+the proceedings of the <i>Vehme Gericht</i>.</p>
+
+<p>"Confound it, Mandeville!" interrupted he, "we shall be kept here the
+whole night, if you don't get on faster. Both Fred and I know all about
+the ruined tower, the subterranean chamber&mdash;which, by the way, must have
+looked deucedly like a tunnel&mdash;the cord and steel, and all the rest of
+it. Skip the trial, man. It's a very old song now, and bring us as fast
+as you can to the castle and the marriage. I hope the Margravine took
+Fritchen with her. That little monkey was worth the whole bundle of them
+put together!"</p>
+
+<p>The Margrave made another tumbler. His eye had become rather glassy, and
+his articulation slightly impaired. He was gradually drawing towards the
+chivalrous period of the Crusades.</p>
+
+<p>"Two days had passed away since that terrible ride began, and yet
+there was neither halt nor intermission. Blindfold, pinioned, and
+bound into the saddle, I sate almost mechanically and without
+volition, amidst the ranks of the furious Hulans, whose wild huzzas
+and imprecations rung incessantly in my ears. No rest, no stay. On
+we sped like a hurricane across the valley and the plain!</p>
+
+<p>"At last I heard a deep sullen roar, as if some great river was
+discharging its collected waters over the edge of an enormous
+precipice. We drew nearer and nearer. I felt the spray upon my
+face. These, then, were the giant rapids of the Danube.</p>
+
+<p>"The order to halt was given.</p>
+
+<p>"'We are over the frontier now!' cried the loud harsh voice of Duke
+Albrecht; 'Stanislaus and Slavata! unbind that English dog from his
+steed, and pitch him over the cliff. Let the waters of the Danube
+bear him past the castle of his lady. It were pity to deny my
+delicate cousin the luxury of a coronach over the swollen corpse of
+her minion!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Coward!' I exclaimed; 'coward as well as traitor! If thou hast
+the slightest spark of manhood in thee, cause these thy fellows to
+unbind my hands, give me back my father's sword, stand face to face
+against me on the greensward, and, benumbed and frozen as I am,
+thou shalt yet feel the arm of the Mandeville!'</p>
+
+<p>"Loud laughed he of Kalbs-Braten. 'Does the hunter, when the wolf
+is in the pit, leap down to try conclusions with him. Fool! what
+care I for honour or thy boasted laws of chivalry? We of Wallachia
+are men of another mood. We smite our foeman where we find him,
+asleep or awake&mdash;at the wine-cup or in the battle&mdash;with the sword
+by his side,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_510" id="Page_510">[Pg 510]</a></span> or arrayed in the silken garb of peace! Drag him from
+his steed, fellows! Let us see how lightly this adventurous English
+diver will leap the cataracts of the Danube!'</p>
+
+<p>"Resistance was in vain. I had already given myself up for lost.
+Even at that moment the image of my Amalia rose before me in all
+its beauty&mdash;her name was on my lips, I called upon her as my
+guardian angel.</p>
+
+<p>"Suddenly I heard the loud clear note of a trumpet&mdash;it was answered
+by another, and then rang out the clanging of a thousand atabals.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ha! by Saint John of Nepomuck,' cried the Duke, 'the Croats are
+upon us&mdash;There flies the banner of Chopinski! there rides Conrad of
+the Thirty Mountains on the black steed that I have marked for my
+second charger! Hulans! to your ranks. Martinitz, bring up the
+rear-guard, and place them on the right flank. Slavata, thou art a
+fellow of some sense'&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'Ay, you can remember that now,' grumbled Slavata.</p>
+
+<p>"'Take thirty men and lead them up that hollow&mdash;you will secure a
+passage somewhere over the morass&mdash;and then fall upon Chopinski in
+the rear. Let two men stay to guard the prisoner. Now, forward,
+gentlemen; and if you know not where to charge, follow the white
+plume of Kalbs-Braten!'</p>
+
+<p>"I heard the cavalry advance. Maddened by the loss of my freedom at
+such a moment, I burst my bonds by an almost supernatural exertion,
+and tore the bandage from my eyes. To snatch a battle-axe from the
+hand of the nearest Hulan, and to dash him to the ground, was the
+work of a moment&mdash;a second blow, and the other fell. I leaped upon
+his horse, shouted the ancient war-cry of my house&mdash;'Saint George
+for Mandeville!' and dashed onwards towards the serried array of
+the Croats, which occupied a little eminence beyond.</p>
+
+<p>"'For whom art thou, cavalier?' cried Chopinski, as I galloped up.</p>
+
+<p>"'For Amalia and Kalbs-Kuchen!' I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"'Welcome&mdash;a thousand times welcome, brave stranger, in the hour of
+battle! But ha!&mdash;what is this?&mdash;that white rose&mdash;that lordly
+mien&mdash;can it be? Yes! it is the affianced bridegroom of the
+Margravine!'</p>
+
+<p>"With a wild cry of delight the Croats gathered around me. 'Long
+live our gracious Margravine!' they shouted 'long live the noble
+Mandeville!'</p>
+
+<p>"'By my faith, Sir Knight,' said the Count Rudolf of Haggenhausen,
+an old warrior whose seamed countenance was the record of many a
+fight&mdash;'By my faith, I deemed not we could carry back such glorious
+tidings to our lady&mdash;nor, by Saint Wladimir, so goodly a pledge!'</p>
+
+<p>"'May I never put lance in rest again,' cried Conrad of the Thirty
+Mountains, 'but the Margravine hath a good eye&mdash;there be thewes and
+sinews there. But we must take order with yon infidel scum. How say
+you, Sirs&mdash;shall this cavalier have the ordering of the battle? I,
+for one, will gladly fight beneath his banner'&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'And so say I,' said Chopinski, 'but he must not go thus. Yonder,
+on my sumpter-mule, is a suit of Milan armour, which a king might
+wear upon the day he went forth to do battle for his crown. Bring
+it forth, knaves, and let the Mandeville be clad as becomes the
+affianced of our mistress.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Brave Chopinski,' I said, 'and you, kind sirs and nobles&mdash;pardon
+me if I cannot thank you now in a manner befitting to the greatness
+of your deserts. But there is a good time, I trust, in store.
+Suffer me now to arm myself, and then we shall try the boasted
+prowess of yonder giant of Kalbs-Braten!'</p>
+
+<p>"In a few moments I was sheathed in steel, and, mounted on a
+splendid charger, took my station at the head of the troops. Again
+their applause was redoubled.</p>
+
+<p>"'Lord Conrad,' said I to the warrior of the Thirty Mountains,
+'swart Slavata has gone up yonder with a plump of lances, intending
+to cross the morass, and assail us on the rear. Be it thine to hold
+him in check."</p>
+
+<p>"'By my father's head!' cried Conrad, 'I ask no better service!
+That villain, Slavata, oweth me a life, for he slew my sister's son
+at disadvantage, and this day will I have it or die. Fear not for
+the rear, noble Mandeville&mdash;I will protect it while<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_511" id="Page_511">[Pg 511]</a></span> spear remains
+or armour holds together!'</p>
+
+<p>"'I doubt it not, valiant Conrad! Brave Chopinski&mdash;noble
+Haggenhausen&mdash;let us now charge together! 'Tis not beneath my
+banner you fight. The Blue Boar of Mandeville never yet fluttered
+in the Wallachian breeze, but we may give it to the winds ere-long!
+Sacred to Amalia, and not to me, be the victory! Advance the Red
+Falcon of Kalbs-Kuchen&mdash;let it strike terror into the hearts of the
+enemy&mdash;and forward as it pounces upon its prey!'</p>
+
+<p>"With visors down and lances in rest we rushed upon the advancing
+Hulans, who received our charge with great intrepidity. Martinitz
+was my immediate opponent. The shock of our meeting was so great
+that both the horses recoiled upon their hams, and, but for the
+dexterity of the riders, must have rolled over upon the ground. The
+lances were shivered up to the very gauntlets. We glared on each
+other for an instant with eyes which seemed to flash fire through
+the bars of our visors&mdash;each made a  demi-volte"&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Cutts," said I, "it occurs to me that I have heard something
+uncommonly like this before. Our friend is losing his originality, and
+poaching unceremoniously upon Ivanhoe. You had better stop him at once."</p>
+
+<p>"I presume then, Mandeville, you did for that fellow Martinitz?" said
+Cutts.</p>
+
+<p>"The gigantic Hulan was hurled from his saddle like a stone from a
+sling. I saw him roll thrice over, grasping his hands full of sand at
+every turn."</p>
+
+<p>"That must have been very satisfactory. And what became of the duke?"</p>
+
+<p>"Often did I strive to force my way through the press to the spot
+where Kalbs-Braten fought. I will not belie him&mdash;he bore himself
+that day like a man. And yet he had better protection than either
+helm or shield; for around him fought his foster-father, Tiefenbach
+of the Yews, with his seven bold sons, all striving to shelter
+their prince's body with their own. No sooner had I struck down one
+of them than the old man cried&mdash;'Another for Kalbs-Braten!' and a
+second giant stepped across the prostrate body of his brother!</p>
+
+<p>"Meanwhile, Conrad of the Thirty Mountains had reached the spot
+where Slavata with his cavalry was attempting the passage of the
+morass. Some of the Hulans were entangled there from the soft
+nature of the ground, the horses having sunk in the mire almost up
+to their saddle-girths. Others, among whom was their leader, had
+successfully struggled through.</p>
+
+<p>"Conrad and Slavata met. They were both powerful men, and
+well-matched. As if by common consent, the soldiers on either side
+held back to witness the encounter of their chiefs.</p>
+
+<p>"Slavata spoke first. 'I know thee well,' he said; 'thou art the
+marauding baron of the Thirty Mountains, whose head is worth its
+weight of gold at the castle-gate of Kalbs-Braten. I swore when we
+last met that we should not part again so lightly, and now I will
+keep my oath!'</p>
+
+<p>"'And I know thee, too,' said Conrad; 'thou art the marauding
+villain Slavata, whose body I intend to hang upon my topmost
+turret, to blacken in the sun and feed the ravens and the kites!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Threatened men live long,' replied Slavata with a hollow laugh;
+'thy sister's son, the Geissenheimer, said as much before, but for
+all that I passed this good sword three times through his bosom!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Villain!' cried Conrad, striking at him, 'this to thy heart!'</p>
+
+<p>"'And this to thine, proud boaster!' cried Slavata, parrying and
+returning the blow.</p>
+
+<p>"They closed. Conrad seized hold of Slavata by the sword-belt. The
+other"&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"He's off to Old Mortality now," said I to Cutts. "For heaven's
+sake stop him, or we shall have a second edition of the Bothwell
+and Burley business."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, Mandeville, clear away the battle&mdash;there's a good fellow.
+There can be no doubt that you skewered that rascally duke in a
+very satisfactory manner. I shall ring for the broiled bones, and I
+beg you will finish your story before they make their appearance.
+Will you mix an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_512" id="Page_512">[Pg 512]</a></span>other tumbler now, or wait till afterwards? Very
+well&mdash;please yourself&mdash;there's the hot water for you."</p>
+
+<p>"They led me into the state apartment," said Mandeville, with a
+kind of sob. "Amalia stood upon the dais, surrounded by the fairest
+and the noblest of the land. The amethyst light, which streamed
+through the stained windows, gorgeous with armorial bearings, fell
+around her like a glory. In one hand she held a ducal cap of
+maintenance&mdash;with the other, she pointed to the picture of my great
+ancestor&mdash;the very image, as she told me, of myself. I rushed
+forward with a cry of joy, and threw myself prostrate at her feet!</p>
+
+<p>"'Nay, not so, my Leopold!' she said. 'Dear one, thou art come at
+last! Take the reward of all thy toils, all thy dangers, all thy
+love! Come, adored Mandeville&mdash;accept the prize of silence and
+fidelity!' And she added, 'and never upon brows more worthy could a
+wreath of chivalry be placed.'</p>
+
+<p>"She placed the coronet upon my head, and then gently raising me,
+exclaimed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'Wallachians! behold your <span class="smcap">Prince</span>!'"</p>
+
+<p>Mr Mandeville did not get beyond that sentence. I could stand him
+no longer, and burst into an outrageous roar of laughter, in which
+Cutts most heartily joined, till the tears ran plenteously down his
+cheeks. The Margrave of Wallachia looked quite bewildered. He
+attempted to rise from his chair, but the effort was too much for
+him, and he dropped suddenly on the floor.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said I, after we had fairly exhausted ourselves, "there's
+the spoiling in that fellow of as good a novelist as ever coopered
+out three volumes. He would be an invaluable acquaintance for
+either Marryat or James. 'Tis a thousand pities his talents should
+be lost to the public."</p>
+
+<p>"There's no nonsense about him," replied Cutts; "he buckles to his
+work like a man. Doesn't it strike you, Freddy, that his style is a
+great deal more satisfactory than that of some other people I could
+name, who talk about their pedigree and ancestors, and have not
+even the excuse of a good cock-and-bull story to tell. Give me the
+man that carves out nobility for himself, like Mandeville, and
+believes it too, which is the very next best thing to reality. Now,
+let's have up the broiled bones, and send the Margrave of Wallachia
+to his bed."</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> It is a dangerous thing to touch upon chronology. It is
+said of the great Duke of Marlborough, that in a conversation respecting
+the first introduction of cannon, he quoted Shakspeare to prove that it
+was in the reign of John.
+</p><p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"O prudent discipline from north to south,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Austria and France <i>shoot</i> in each other's mouth."</span><br />
+
+</p><p>
+Yes, said his adversary, but you quote Shakspeare, not history.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Is it possible that Coleridge may have seen this apologue
+when he wrote his "Ancient Mariner," and introduced a similar incident
+of the albatross?</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The blockade system, as it was called, much extolled at the
+time, did not prevent the occurrence of various Carlist expeditions into
+Castile and Arragon, any more than it hindered large bodies of rebels
+from establishing themselves, under Cabrera and others, in Catalonia and
+Arragon, where they held out till after the pacification of the Basque
+provinces. If any hope was really entertained of starving out the
+Biscayan and Navarrese Carlists, or even of inconveniencing them for
+supplies of food, it proved utterly fallacious. Although two-thirds of
+Navarre, nearly the whole of Guipuzcoa, and a very large portion of
+Alava and Biscay Proper, consist of mountains, so great is the fertility
+of the valleys, that the Carlists never, during the whole struggle,
+experienced a want of provisions, but were, on the contrary, usually far
+better rationed than the Christino troops; and, strange to say, the
+number of sheep and cattle existing at the end of the war, in the
+country occupied by the Carlists, was larger than at its commencement.
+Money was wanting, tobacco, so necessary to the Spanish soldier, was
+scarce and dear, but food was abundant, although the number of mouths to
+be fed was much greater, and of hands to till the ground far less, than
+in time of peace. This, too, in one of the most thickly populated
+districts of Spain, and in spite of the frequent foraging and
+corn-burning expeditions undertaken by the Christinos into the Carlist
+districts, especially in the plains north of Vittoria and the valleys of
+southern Navarre.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> "Dona Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda," observes the historian
+of the house of Silva, "the only daughter of Don Diego de Mendoza and
+the Lady Catalina de Silva, was, from the blood which ran in her veins,
+from her beauty, and her noble inheritance, one of the most desirable
+matches (<i>apeticidos casamientos</i>) of the day!"</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> Michaud: <i>Histoire des Croisades</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Porson.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> "The doings of God by the Franks."</p></div>
+
+
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p class="center"><i>Edinburgh, Printed by Ballantyne and Hughes, Pauls Work.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume
+59, No. 366, April, 1846, by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOODS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1846 ***
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59,
+No. 366, April, 1846, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 366, April, 1846
+
+Author: Various
+
+Release Date: September 1, 2009 [EBook #29883]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOODS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1846 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brendan OConnor, Jonathan Ingram and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Library of Early Journals.)
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+
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+
+
+  BLACKWOOD'S
+
+  EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
+
+  No. CCCLXVI.     APRIL, 1846.  VOL. LIX.
+
+
+
+
+  CONTENTS.
+
+  THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY,                                            385
+
+  LETTER TO EUSEBIUS,                                                408
+
+  THE STUDENT OF SALAMANCA. PART VI.,                                419
+
+  HOW THEY MANAGE MATTERS IN "THE MODEL REPUBLIC,"                   439
+
+  ANTONIO PEREZ,                                                     450
+
+  RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOVER OF SOCIETY,                               463
+
+  THE "OLD PLAYER,"                                                  473
+
+  THE CRUSADES,                                                      475
+
+  THE BURDEN OF SION. BY DELTA,                                      493
+
+  RHYMED HEXAMETERS AND PENTAMETERS,                                 496
+
+  THE SURVEYOR'S TALE,                                               497
+
+
+  EDINBURGH:
+
+  WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, 45, GEORGE STREET;
+
+  AND 37, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.
+
+  _To whom all Communications (post paid) must be addressed._
+
+  SOLD BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
+
+
+  PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND HUGHES, EDINBURGH.
+
+
+
+
+  BLACKWOOD'S
+
+  EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
+
+  No. CCCLXVI   APRIL, 1846.   VOL. LIX
+
+
+
+
+THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY.
+
+
+The revival of noble recollections, the record of great actions, and the
+history of memorable times, form one of the highest services which a
+writer can offer to his country. They mould the national Character, and
+upon the character depends the greatness of every nation. Why have the
+mighty kingdoms of the East perished without either general reverence or
+personal value, but from the absence of Character in their people; while
+Greece in all its ancient periods, and Rome throughout the days of its
+republic, are still the objects of classic interest, of general homage,
+and of generous emulation, among all the nobler spirits of the world? We
+pass over the records of Oriental empire as we pass over the ruins of
+their capitals; we find nothing but masses of wreck, unwieldy heaps of
+what once, perhaps, was symmetry and beauty; fragments of vast piles,
+which once exhibited the lavish grandeur of the monarch, or the colossal
+labour of the people; but all now mouldered and melted down. The mass
+essentially wants the interest of individuality. A nation sleeps below,
+and the last memorial of its being is a vast but shapeless mound of
+clay.
+
+Greece, Rome, and England give us that individuality in its full
+interest. In their annals, we walk through a gallery of portraits; the
+forms "as they lived," every feature distinct, every attitude preserved,
+even the slight accidents of costume and circumstance placed before the
+eye with almost living accuracy. Plutarch's _Lives_ is by far the most
+important work of ancient literature; from this exhibition of the force,
+dignity, and energy attainable by human character. No man of
+intelligence can read its pages without forming a higher conception of
+the capabilities of human nature; and thus, to a certain extent,
+kindling in himself a spirit of enterprise.
+
+It is in this sense that we attach a value to every work which gives us
+the biography of a distinguished public character. Its most imperfect
+performance at least shows us what is to be done by the vigorous
+resolution of a vigorous mind; it marks the path by which that mind rose
+to eminence; and by showing us the difficulties through which its
+subject was compelled to struggle, and the success by which its gallant
+perseverance was crowned, at once teaches the young aspirant to struggle
+with the difficulties of his own career, and cheers him with the
+prospect of ultimate triumph.
+
+Of the general execution of these volumes, we do not desire to speak.
+They have been professedly undertaken as a matter of authorship. We
+cannot discover that the author has had any suggestion on the subject
+from the family of the late Marquess, nor that he has had access to any
+documents hitherto reserved from the public. He fairly enough states,
+that he derived his materials largely from the British Museum, and from
+other sources common to the reader. His politics, too, will not stand
+the test of grave enquiry. He adopts popular opinions without
+consideration, and often panegyrizes where censure would be more justly
+bestowed than praise. But we have no idea of disregarding the labour
+which such a work must have demanded; or of regretting that the author
+has given to the country the most exact and intelligent biography which
+he had the means of giving.
+
+The Wellesley family, rendered so illustrious in our time, is of remote
+origin, deriving its name from the manor of Welles-leigh, in the county
+of Somerset, where the family had removed shortly after the Norman
+invasion. A record in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, traces the
+line up to A.D. 1239, to Michael de Wellesleigh. The family seem to have
+held high rank or court-favour in the reign of Henry I., for they
+obtained the "grand serjeanty" of all the country east of the river
+Perrot, as far as Bristol Bridge; and there is a tradition, that one of
+the family was standard-bearer to Henry I. in the Irish invasion. In
+England, the family subsequently perished; the estates passing, by a
+daughter, into other families.
+
+The Irish branch survived in Sir William de Wellesley, who was summoned
+to Parliament as a baron, and had a grant by patent, from Edward III.,
+of the castle of Kildare. In the fifteenth century, the family obtained
+the Castle of Dangan by an heiress. The _de_ was subsequently dropped
+from the family name, and the name itself abridged into Wesley--an
+abbreviation which subsisted down to the immediate predecessor of the
+subject of this memoir; or, if we are to rely on the journals of the
+Irish Parliament, it remained later still. For in 1790 we find the late
+Lord Maryborough there registered as Wesley (Pole,) and even the Duke is
+registered, as member for the borough of Trim, as the Honourable Arthur
+_Wesley_.
+
+Richard Colley Wesley, the grandfather of the Marquess, having succeeded
+to the family estate by the death of his cousin, was in 1746 created a
+peer. He was succeeded by his son Garret, who was advanced to the
+dignities of Viscount Wellesley of Dangan Castle, county Meath, and Earl
+of Mornington. He was a privy councillor in Ireland, and _custos
+rotulorum_ of the county of Meath. He married Anne, eldest daughter of
+Arthur Hill Trevor, first Viscount Duncannon, by whom he had six sons
+and two daughters.
+
+The Earl was a man of accomplished tastes; he had travelled, adopted
+_dilettante_ habits, and expended more money in the decoration of his
+mansion and demesne than his fortune could well bear. But he would have
+been eminent if he had been compelled to make music his profession; his
+glee of "Here, in cool grot and mossy cell," has no rival in English
+composition for the exquisite feeling of the music, the fine adaptation
+of its harmony to the language, and the general beauty, elegance, and
+power of expression. He died on the 22d of May 1781.
+
+Richard Colley Wellesley, afterwards the Marquess Wellesley, was born on
+the 20th of June 1760, in Ireland. At the age of eleven he was sent to
+Eton, under the care of the Rev. Jonathan Davis, afterwards head-master
+and provost of Eton. He soon distinguished himself by the facility and
+elegance of his Latin versification. He was sent to Oxford, and
+matriculated as a nobleman at Christ Church, in December 1778. In his
+second year at the college, he gained the Latin verse prize on the death
+of Captain Cook. His tutor was Dr William Jackson, afterwards Bishop of
+Oxford. In 1781, on the death of his father the Earl of Mornington, the
+young lord was called away to superintend the family affairs in Ireland,
+without taking his degree. On his coming of age, which was in the
+ensuing year, his first act was to take upon himself the debts of his
+father, who had left the family estates much embarrassed. His mother,
+Lady Mornington, survived, and was a woman of remarkable intelligence
+and force of understanding. To her care chiefly was entrusted the
+education of her children; and from the ability of the mother, as has
+been often remarked in the instance of eminent men, was probably derived
+the talent which has distinguished her memorable family. At the period
+of their father's death, the brothers and sisters of the young Earl
+were, William Wellesley Pole, (afterwards Lord Maryborough,) aged
+eighteen; Anne, (afterwards married to Henry, son of Lord Southampton,)
+aged thirteen; Arthur, (the Duke of Wellington,) aged twelve; Gerald
+Valerian, (prebendary of Durham,) aged ten; Mary Elizabeth, (Lady
+Culling Smith,) aged nine; and Henry, (Lord Cowley,) eight years old.
+
+The period at which the young Earl took his seat in the Irish House of
+Lords was one of remarkable anxiety. The success of the American revolt
+had filled the popular mind with dreams of revolution. The success of
+opposition in the Irish Parliament had fixed the national eyes upon the
+legislature; and the power actually on foot in the volunteer force of
+Ireland, tempted the populace to extravagant hopes of national
+independence and a separation from England, equally forbidden by sound
+policy and by the nature of things. Ireland, one thousand miles removed
+into the Atlantic, might sustain a separate existence; but Ireland,
+lying actually within sight of England, and almost touching her coasts,
+was evidently designed by nature for that connexion, which is as
+evidently essential to her prosperity. It is utterly impossible that a
+small country, lying so close to a great one, could have a separate
+government without a perpetual war; and, disturbed as Ireland has been
+by the contest of two antagonist religions, that evil would be as
+nothing compared with the tremendous calamity of English invasion.
+Fortunately, the peaceful contest with the English minister in the year
+1780, had concluded by recognizing the resolution, "that the King's most
+excellent Majesty, and the Lords and Commons of Ireland, are the only
+power competent to make laws to bind Ireland." It is unnecessary now to
+go further into this topic than to say, that this was a mere triumph of
+words so far as substantial advantages were regarded, while it was a
+triumph of evil so far as the existence of a national Parliament was a
+benefit. It gained no actual advantage whatever for Ireland; for all
+that Ireland wanted for progressive prosperity was internal quiet. On
+the other hand, it inflamed faction, even by its nominal success; it
+told the multitude that every thing might be gained by clamour, and in
+consequence clamour soon attempted every thing.
+
+The orators of Opposition will never be without a topic. Public
+disturbance is the element in which they live. They must assault the
+government, or perish of inanition; and they must stimulate the mob by
+the novelty of their demands, and the violence of their declamation, or
+they must sink into oblivion. The Irish opposition now turned to another
+topic, and brought forward the Roman Catholics for the candidateship of
+the legislature.
+
+It is not our purpose to go into the detail of a decision of which
+England now sees all the evil. But there can be no question whatever,
+that to bring into the legislature a man all whose sentiments are
+distinctly opposed to the Church and the State--who in the instance of
+the one acknowledges a foreign supremacy, and in the instance of the
+other anathematizes the religion--is one of the grossest acts that
+faction ever committed, or that feebleness in government ever complied
+with. Self-defence is the first instinct of nature; the defence of the
+constitution is the first duty of society; the defence of our religion
+is an essential act of obedience to Heaven. Yet the permission given to
+individuals, hostile to both, to make laws for either, was the second
+triumph at which Irish action aimed, and which English impolicy finally
+conceded.
+
+As an evidence of the royal satisfaction at the arrangements adopted by
+the lords and commons of Ireland, the king founded an order of
+knighthood, by the title of the Knights of the Illustrious Order of St
+Patrick, of which the king and his heirs were to be sovereigns in
+perpetuity, and the viceroys grand masters. The patent stated as the
+general ground of this institution, "that it had been the custom of wise
+and beneficent princes of all ages to distinguish the virtue and loyalty
+of their subjects by marks of honour, as a testimony to their dignity,
+and excellency in all qualifications which render them worthy of the
+favour of their sovereign, and the respect of their fellow-subjects;
+that so their eminent merits may stand acknowledged to the world, and
+create a virtuous emulation in others to deserve such honourable
+distinctions." All this may be true, and marks of honour are undoubtedly
+valuable; but they can be only so in instances where distinguished
+services have been rendered, and where the public opinion amply
+acknowledges such services. Yet, in the fifteen knights of this order
+appointed in the first instance, there was not the name of any one man
+known by public services except that of the Earl of Charlemont, an
+amiable but a feeble personage, who had commanded the volunteers of
+Ireland. The Earl of Mornington was one of those, and he had but just
+come into public life, at the age of three-and-twenty; before he had
+done any one public act which entitled him to distinction, and when all
+his political merits were limited to having taken his seat in the House
+of Lords.
+
+In the course of the year we find the young lord occupying something of
+a neutral ground in the House, and objecting to the profusion of the
+Irish government in grants of money for public improvements; those
+grants which we see still about to be given, which are always clamoured
+for by the Irish, for which they never are grateful, of which nobody
+ever sees the result, and for which nobody ever seems to be the better.
+It is curious enough to see, that one of the topics of his speech was
+his disapproval of "great sums given for the ease and indolence of great
+cotton manufacturers, rather than the encouragement of manufacture."
+Such has been always the state of things in Ireland, concession without
+use, conciliation without gratitude, money thrown away, and nothing but
+clamour successful. But while he exhibited his eloquence in this
+skirmishing, it was evident that he by no means desired to shut himself
+out from the benefits of ministerial friendship. The question had come
+to a point between the government and the volunteers. The military use
+of the volunteers had obviously expired with the war. But they were too
+powerful an instrument to escape the eye of faction.
+
+Ireland abounded with busy barristers without briefs, bustling men of
+other professions without any thing to do, and angry haranguers, down to
+the lowest conditions of life, eager for public overthrow. The
+volunteers were told by those men, that they ought not to lay aside
+their arms until they had secured the independence of their country.
+With the northern portion of Ireland, this independence meant
+Republicanism, with the southern, Popery. The heads of the faction then
+proceeded to hold an assembly in the metropolis, as a rival and
+counterpoise to the parliament. This was then regarded as a most
+insolent act; but the world grows accustomed to every thing; and we have
+seen the transactions of the League in London, and of Conciliation Hall
+in the Irish capital, regarded as matters of perfect impunity.
+
+But more vigorous counsels then prevailed in Ireland. The volunteers
+were put down by the determination of government to check their factions
+and foolish assumption of power. They were thanked for their offer of
+services during the war; but were told that they must not be made
+instruments of disturbing the country. This manliness on the part of
+government was successful, as it has always been. If, on the other hand,
+government had shown any timidity, had for a moment attempted to coax
+them into compliance, or had the meanness to compromise between their
+sense of duty and the loss of popularity; they would have soon found the
+punishment of their folly, in the increased demands of faction, and seen
+the intrigues of partisanship inflamed into the violence of
+insurrection. The volunteers were speedily abandoned by every friend to
+public order, and their ranks were so formidably reduced by the
+abandonment, that the whole institution quietly dissolved away, and was
+heard of no more.
+
+In 1784, the young nobleman became a member of the English Parliament,
+as the representative of Beeralston, in Devonshire, a borough in the
+patronage of the Earl of Beverley--thus entering Parliament, as every
+man of eminence had commenced his career for the last hundred years; all
+being returned for boroughs under noble patronage. In 1786, he was
+appointed one of the Lords of the Treasury.
+
+The period of his introduction into the English Parliament was a
+fortunate one for a man of ability and ambition. The House never
+exhibited a more remarkable collection of public names. He nightly had
+the opportunity of hearing Pitt, Fox, Burke, Sheridan, Grey; and others,
+who, if not equal, followed with vigorous emulation. He took an
+occasional part in the debates, and showed at least that he benefited by
+example. In 1788, he was elected for the royal borough of Windsor. The
+great question of the regency suddenly occurred. The royal malady
+rendered a Parliamentary declaration necessary for carrying on the
+government. The question was difficult. To place the royal power in any
+other hands than the King's, even for a temporary purpose, required an
+Act of Parliament. But the King formed an essential portion of the
+legislature. He, however, now being disabled by mental incapacity from
+performing his royal functions, where was the substitute to be found?
+Fox, always reckless, and transported with eagerness to be in possession
+of the power which would be conferred on him by the regency of the
+Prince of Wales, was infatuated enough to declare, that the Prince had
+as express a right to assume the reins of government, and exercise the
+powers of sovereignty, during the royal incapacity, as if the King had
+actually died. This doctrine, so contrary to common sense, and even to
+Whig principles, astonished the House, and still more astonished the
+country. Pitt fell upon him immediately, with his usual vigour. The
+leader of Opposition had thrown himself open to attack, and his
+assailant was irresistible. Pitt dared him to give a reason for his
+doctrine; he pronounced it hostile to the law of the land, contradictory
+to the national rights, and, in fact, scarcely less than treason to the
+constitution.
+
+On the other hand, he laid down with equal perspicuity and force the
+legal remedy, and pronounced, that where an unprovided difficulty of
+this order arose, the right of meeting it reverted to the nation, acting
+by its representatives the two Houses of Parliament, and that, so far as
+personal right was in question, the Prince had no more right to assume
+the throne than any other individual in the country.
+
+Such is the blindness of party, and passion for power, that Fox, the
+great advocate of popular supremacy, was found sustaining, all but in
+words, that theory of divine right which had cost James II. his throne,
+whose denial formed the keystone of Whig principles, and whose
+confirmation would have authorized a despotism.
+
+The decision was finally come to, that the political capacity of the
+monarch was constitutionally distinguished from his personal; and that,
+as in the case of an infant king, it had been taken for granted that the
+royal will had been expressed by the Privy Council, under the Great
+Seal; so, in the present instance of royal incapacity, it should also be
+expressed by the Privy Council, under the Great Seal. The question of
+right now being determined, the Chancellor was directed to affix the
+Great Seal to a bill creating the Prince of Wales Regent, with limited
+powers.
+
+Those limitations were certainly formidable; and the chief matter of
+surprise now is, that the Whigs should have suffered the Regent to
+accept the office under such conditions. They prevented him from
+creating any peerage, or granting any office in reversion, or giving any
+office, pension, or salary, except during the royal pleasure, or
+disposing of any part of the royal estate. They took from him also the
+whole household, and the care of the King's person, his majesty being
+put in charge of the Queen, with power to remove any of the household.
+But the whole question has now passed away, and would be unimportant
+except for its bearing on the position of Ireland.
+
+In 1789, the zeal of the Irish opposition, and the flexibility of some
+members of the Government combining, the Irish Parliament voted the
+regency to the Prince without any limitation whatever. This naturally
+directed the attention of ministers to the hazard of a collision between
+the two Parliaments. The King's fortunate recovery prevented all
+collision; but the danger was so apparent if the royal incapacity had
+continued, and opinion became so strongly inflamed in Ireland, that from
+this period must be dated the determination to unite both Parliaments in
+one legislature. For it was justly argued, that if the Irish Parliament
+might invest one individual with powers different from those intrusted
+to him by the English Parliament, it might in the same manner invest a
+different individual, the result of which might be a civil war, or a
+separation.
+
+This rash resolution was, however, strongly opposed. Twenty-three of the
+peers, among whom was Lord Mornington, signed a protest against it, and
+the viceroy, the Marquess of Buckingham, refused to transmit the address
+to England. This increased the confusion: not only were the two
+legislatures at variance, but the Irish legislature passed a vote of
+censure on the viceroy.
+
+The King's recovery extinguished the dissension at once, and the hand of
+government fell with severe but well-deserved penalty on its deserters
+in the season of difficulty. The rewards of the faithful were
+distributed with equal justice. Lord Mornington's active support of the
+viceroy was made known to the monarch, and he was evidently marked for
+royal favour. From this period he took a share in all the leading
+questions of the time. He supported Mr Wilberforce's motions for the
+abolition of the slave-trade.
+
+The bold and sagacious conduct of Pitt, in protecting the royal rights
+in the Regency, had established his power on the King's recovery. The
+Whigs had lost all hope of possession, and they turned in their despair
+to the work of faction. Their cry was now Parliamentary Reform. No cry
+was ever more insincere, more idly raised, carried on in a more utter
+defiance of principle, or consummated more in the spirit of a juggler,
+who, while he is bewildering the vulgar eye with his tricks, is only
+thinking of the pocket. The Reform Bill has since passed, but the moral
+of the event is still well worth our recollection. The Whigs themselves
+had been the great boroughmongers; but boroughmongering had at length
+failed to bring them into power, and they had recourse to clamour and
+confederacy with the rabble. Still, in every instance when they came in
+sight of power, the cry was silenced, and they discovered that it was
+"not the proper time." At length, in 1830, they raised the clamour once
+more; the ministry, (rendered unpopular by the Popish question,) were
+thrown out; the Whigs were, for the first time, compelled to keep their
+promise, and the whole system of representation was changed. But the
+change was suicidal: the old champion of Reform, Lord Grey himself, was
+the first to suffer. The Reform ministry was crushed by a new power, and
+Lord Grey was crushed along with it. Whiggism was extinguished; the Whig
+of the present day has no more resemblance to the Whig of Fox's day,
+than the squatter has to the planter. The rudeness and rashness of
+Radicalism supplies its place, and the stately and steady march of the
+landed interest exists no more.
+
+Lord Mornington's speech, in 1793, placed the question in its true point
+of view. He declared that the consequence of the proposed measure of
+Reform must be, to change the very genius and spirit of the British
+government; to break up the combination of those elementary principles
+of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy, which, judiciously associated,
+formed the constitution. He then referred, with great force, to the
+practical working of that constitution which this measure was intended
+to overthrow. "Never," said he, and his language was at once eloquent
+and true, "have the natural ends of society been so effectually
+accomplished, as under the government which is thus to be subverted.
+Under the existing constitution, the life of every individual is sacred,
+by the equal spirit of the law; by the pure administration of justice;
+by the institution of juries; and by the equitable exercise of that
+prerogative which is the brightest ornament of the crown--the power of
+mitigating the rigour of criminal judgments, and of causing justice to
+be executed in mercy."
+
+He forcibly pronounced the constitution to contain all "the principles
+of stability; for it could neither be abused by the subject, nor invaded
+by the crown." It provided, in an unexampled degree, for the protection
+of life, liberty, and property. In its legislative action it impartially
+allowed every public interest to have its representative in Parliament;
+in its national action it insured the prosperity of the empire; for that
+prosperity had never been so distinguished as since the constitution had
+assumed full power; and, by protecting every man in the exercise of his
+industry, it had given a spur to national and intellectual enterprise
+and activity, of which the world had never before seen an example. And
+was this all to be hazarded for the sake of gratifying a party, who
+always shrank from the measure when in power, and who always renewed it
+only as a means of recall from their political exile?
+
+His biographer rashly denies the reality of those dangers, and says,
+that the Reform Act has not produced any of the calamities which his
+lordship then saw in such ominous prospect. But to this the natural
+answer is, that the Reform Bill is little more than a dozen years old;
+that though the power of property in so great a country as England, and
+the voice of common sense in a country of such general and solid
+knowledge, could not be extinguished at once; and though the national
+character forbade our following the example and the rapidity of a French
+revolution; still, that great evil has been done--that a democratic
+tendency has been introduced into the constitution--that Radicalism has
+assumed a place and a shape in public deliberations--that faction beards
+and browbeats the legitimate authorities of public counsel--that low
+agitators are suffered to carry on the full insolence of intrigue with a
+dangerous impunity--and that the pressure from without too often becomes
+paramount to the wisdom from within.
+
+At the same time, we fully admit that there were abuses in the ancient
+system, offensive to the natural sense of justice; that the sale of
+seats was contrary to principle; and that the dependence of members on
+individual patrons was a violation of legislative liberty. But whose was
+the criminality? not that of the constitution, but of the faction; not
+that of the enfeebled law, but of the local supremacy of Whig influence.
+Property is the true, and in fact the only safe pledge of legislative
+power; and if Manchester and the other great manufacturing towns had
+possessed, five hundred years ago, the property which they have acquired
+within the last fifty there can be no doubt that representatives would
+have been allotted to them. There can be as little doubt, that in 1830,
+or in a quarter of a century before, they ought to have had
+representatives; but the true evil has been in the sweeping nature of
+the change. Still, we will hope the best; we have strong faith in the
+fortunes of England, and shall rejoice to see that our fears have been
+vain.
+
+The young senator's exertions, on this occasion, confirmed the opinion
+already entertained of him in high quarters. He was shortly after sworn
+in as a member of the Privy Council in England, and was made one of the
+commissioners for the affairs of India. Pitt's memorable India Bill, in
+1784, had appointed a board of six commissioners for Indian affairs, who
+were to be privy councillors, with one of the secretaries of state at
+their head. The board were to be appointed by the King, and removable at
+his pleasure. They were invested with the control of all the revenue,
+and civil and military officers of the Company. The directors were
+obliged to lay before them all papers relative to the management of
+their affairs. The commissioners were to return the papers of the
+directors within fourteen days, if approved of, or if not, to assign
+their reasons. The despatches so agreed on, were then to be sent to
+India.
+
+It seems not improbable that this appointment was intended as the
+preparative of the Earl for higher objects in the same department. At
+all events, it directed his attention to Indian topics, and gave him the
+due portion of that practical knowledge, without which genius only
+bewilders, and enterprise is thrown away.
+
+We have to fight our way against this biographer, who takes a rambling
+and revolutionary view of all the chief transactions of the time. In
+this spirit, he denies or doubts the necessity of the French war. We
+deny that it was possible to avert it. It may be true, that if England
+had been faithless to her compacts, and had suffered her allies to be
+trampled on, she might, for awhile, have avoided actual collision. But,
+could this have been done with honour; and what is national honour but a
+national necessity? Holland, the old ally of England, was actually
+invaded; and the first English troops that set foot upon the Continent,
+were sent in compliance with our treaty, and for the simple protection
+of our ally. No one will contend, and no one has ever contended, that
+England had a right to make a government for France; or that the fury of
+her factions, however they might startle and disgust mankind, was a
+ground for teaching morality at the point of the sword. But there can be
+no more legitimate cause of war than the obligations of treaties, the
+protection of the weak against the powerful, and the preservation of the
+general balance of European power.
+
+In the instance of Holland, too, there was the additional and most
+efficient reason, viz. that the possession of her ports and arsenals by
+France must largely increase the danger of England. But when it is
+further remembered, that France declared the determination to make war
+upon all monarchies, that she aimed at establishing an universal
+republic, that she pronounced all kings tyrants and all subjects slaves;
+and that, offering her assistance to every insurrectionary people, she
+ostentatiously proclaimed her plan of revolutionizing the world--who can
+doubt that national safety consisted in resisting the doctrines, in
+repelling the arms, and in crushing the conspiracies which would have
+made England a field of civil slaughter, and left of her glory and her
+power nothing but a name?
+
+It is, however, a curious instance of personal zeal, to find the
+biographer applauding as the sentiments of his hero, the opinions which
+he deprecates as the policy of England; and admitting that the war was
+wise, righteous, and inevitable; that it raised the name of England to
+the highest rank: and that it preserved us from "the pest of a godless,
+levelling democracy."
+
+It has been the habit of writers like the present, to conceive that the
+French Revolution was hailed with general joy by England. Even before
+the death of the king, the contrary is the fact: the rabble, the
+factions, and the more bustling and bitter portion of the sectaries,
+unquestionably exulted in the popular insurrection, and the general
+weakening of the monarchy. But all the genuinely religious portion of
+the people, all the honest and high-minded, all the travelled and
+well-informed, adopted a just conception of the whole event from the
+beginning. The religious pronounced it atheistic, the honest illegal,
+and the travelled as the mere furious outburst of a populace mad for
+plunder and incapable of freedom. But the death of the king excited a
+unanimous burst of horror; and there never was a public act received
+with more universal approbation than the dismissal of the French
+ambassador, M. Chauvelin, by a royal order to quit the country within
+eight days. The note was officially sent by Lord Grenville, but was
+stamped with the energy of Pitt. It was as follows:--
+
+     "I am charged to notify to you, sir, that the character with which
+     you have been vested at this court, and the functions of which have
+     been so long suspended, being now utterly terminated by the fatal
+     death of his most Christian Majesty, you have no more any public
+     character here, the King can no longer, after such an event, permit
+     your residence here; his Majesty has thought fit to order that you
+     should retire from this kingdom within the term of eight days. And
+     I herewith transmit to you a copy of the order, which his Majesty,
+     in his Privy Council, has given to this effect. I send you a
+     passport for yourself and your suite, and I shall not fail to take
+     all the necessary steps, in order that you may return to France
+     with all the attentions which are due to the character of
+     minister-plenipotentiary, which you have exercised at this court. I
+     have the honour to be, &c.
+
+                                                           "GRENVILLE.
+       "Dated Whitehall, Jan. 4, 1793."
+
+
+
+On the opening of Parliament, in January 1794, a debate of great
+importance commenced on the policy of the war. On this occasion, Lord
+Mornington and Sheridan took the lead in the debate, and both made
+speeches of great effect. Lord Mornington's speech was published under
+his own inspection immediately after, and it still remains among the
+most striking records of the republican opinions, and the mingled
+follies and blasphemies of a populace suddenly affecting the powers of a
+legislature. Every thing in France, at this period, was robbery; but
+even the robbery exhibited the national taste for "sentiment." Their
+confiscation of property was pronounced to be, "not for the sake of its
+possession," but for their abhorrence of the precious metals. Lord
+Mornington, in the course of his speech, read extracts of a letter from
+Fouche, afterwards so well known as the minister of imperial police, but
+then commissioner in the central and western departments. In this
+sublime display of hypocrisy, Fouche pronounces gold and silver to have
+been the causes of all the calamities of the republic. "I know not,"
+says he, "by what weak compliance those metals are suffered to remain in
+the hands of suspected persons. Let us degrade and vilify gold and
+silver, let us fling those deities of monarchy in the dirt, and
+establish the worship of the austere virtues of the republic," adding,
+by way of exemplification of his virtuous abhorrence, "I send you
+seventeen chests filled with gold, silver, and plate of all sorts, the
+spoil of churches and castles. You will see with peculiar pleasure, two
+beautiful crosiers and a ducal coronet of silver, gilt." But the portion
+of his speech which attracted, and justly, the deepest attention, was
+that in which he gave the proofs of the dreadful spirit of infidelity,
+so long fostered in the bosom of the Gallican church. An address, dated
+30th of October, from the Rector of Villos de Luchon, thus expatiates in
+blasphemy:--"For my part, I believe that no religion in any country in
+the world is founded on truth. I believe that all the various religions
+in the world are descended from the same parents, and are the daughters
+of pride and ignorance." This worthy ecclesiastic finished by declaring,
+that thenceforth "he would preach in no other cause than that of liberty
+and his country." The Convention decreed, that this and all similar
+addresses of renunciation should be lodged with the Committee of Public
+instruction, evidently as materials for training the rising generation.
+A motion then followed, that all those renunciations of religion should
+be "translated into the languages of all foreign countries."
+
+Then followed a scene, which gave reality to all those hideous
+declarations. The Archbishop of Paris entered the hall of the
+Convention, accompanied by a formal procession of his vicars, and
+several of the rectors of the city parishes. He there addressed the
+Assembly in a speech, in which he renounced the priesthood in his own
+name, and that of all who accompanied him, declaring that he acted thus
+in consequence of his conviction, that no national worship should be
+tolerated except the worship of Liberty and Equality! The records of the
+Convention state, that the archbishop and his rectors were received with
+universal transport, and that the archbishop was solemnly presented with
+a red cap, the day concluding with the worthy sequel, the declaration of
+one Julien, who told the Assembly that he had been a Protestant minister
+of Toulouse for twenty years, and that he then renounced his functions
+for ever. "It is glorious," said this apostate, "to make this
+declaration, under the auspices of reason, philosophy, and that sublime
+constitution which has already overturned the errors of superstition and
+monarchy in France, and which now prepares a similar fate for all
+foreign tyrannies. I declare that I will no longer enter into any other
+temple than the sanctuary of the laws. Thus I will acknowledge _no other
+God_ than liberty, _no other worship_ than that of my country, _no other
+gospel_ than the republican constitution."
+
+Then followed a succession of addresses and letters from the various
+commissioners in the departments, blaspheming in the same atrocious
+strain. The municipality of Paris, which was one of the chief governing
+powers, if not the actual ruler of France, followed this declamation by
+an order, that all the churches should be shut, let their denomination
+of worship be what it might, and that any attempt to reopen one should
+be punished by arrest. The decree was put into immediate effect. The
+church of Notre Dame and all the other churches of the capital were
+closed. The popular measures were now carried on in a kind of rivalry of
+destruction. The "Section of the Museum," a portion of the populace,
+announced that they had done execution on all Prayer-books, and burnt
+the Old and New Testaments. The Council-General of Paris decreed that a
+civic feast should be held in the cathedral of Notre Dame, and that a
+patriotic hymn should be chanted before the statue of liberty. The
+Goddess of Reason was personated by a Madame Momarro, a handsome woman
+of profligate character, who was introduced into the hall of the
+Convention, received with "the fraternal embrace" by the president and
+secretaries, and was then installed by the whole legislature in the
+cathedral, which was called the "Regenerated Temple of Reason." In this
+monstrous profanation, the apostate archbishop officiated as the high
+priest of Reason, with a red cap on his head, and a pike in his hand;
+with this weapon he struck down some of the old religious emblems of the
+church, and finished his performance by placing a bust of Marat on the
+altar. A colossal statue was then ordered to be placed "on the ruins of
+monarchy and religion."
+
+This desperate profanation was emulated in the provinces. Fouche, in
+Lyons, ordered a civic festival in honour of one Chalier. An ass, with a
+mitre on its head, and dragging a Bible at its tail, formed a
+characteristic portion of the ceremony; the Bible was finally burnt, and
+its ashes scattered to the winds.
+
+"Thus Christianity," said the noble speaker, "was stigmatized, through
+the president of the Convention, amid the applauses of the whole
+audience, as a system of murder and massacre, incapable of being
+tolerated by the humanity of a republican government. The Old and New
+Testaments were publicly burnt, as prohibited books. Nor was it to
+Christianity that their hatred was confined; the Jews were involved in
+this comprehensive plan. Their ornaments of public worship were
+plundered, and their vows of irreligion were recorded with enthusiasm.
+The existence of a future state was openly denied, and modes of burial
+were devised, for the express purpose of representing to the popular
+mind, that death was nothing more than an everlasting sleep; and, to
+complete the whole project, doctrines were circulated under the eye of
+the government, declaring that 'the existence of a Supreme God was an
+idea inconsistent with the liberty of man.'"
+
+In England, we are verging on democracy from year to year. We have begun
+by unhinging the national respect for the religion of the Scriptures, in
+our zeal to introduce the religion of the Council of Trent into the
+constitution. The malecontents in the Established Church are
+contributing their efforts to bring Protestantism into contempt, by
+their adoption of every error and every absurdity of the Papist. The
+bolder portion of these malecontents have already apostatized. The
+Church once shaken, every great and salutary support of the constitution
+will follow, and we shall have a government impelled solely by faction.
+When that time arrives, the minister will be the mere tool of the
+multitude; the faction in the streets will have its mouthpiece in the
+faction of the legislature. Property will be at the mercy of the idle,
+the desperate, and the rapacious--Law will be a dead letter--Religion a
+mockery--Right superseded by violence--and the only title to possession
+will be the ruffian heart and the sanguinary hand.
+
+We are perfectly aware, that a large portion of the country cannot be
+persuaded that it is necessary for them to disturb their own comfort,
+quiet, and apathy, for any possible reason--that they believe all change
+to be of too little moment to demand any resistance on their part; and
+that, at all events, they trust that the world will go on smoothly for
+their time, whatever may be the consequence of their scandalous and
+contemptible apathy hereafter. But, such thinkers do not deserve to have
+a country, nor to be protected, nor to be regarded as any thing but as
+the cumberers of the earth. On such men no power of persuasion can act;
+for no argument would convince. They wrap themselves up in their snug
+incredulity, leave it to others to fight for them, and will not hazard a
+shilling, nor give a thought, for the salvation of their country! Yet
+even they are no more secure than the rest. The noble, the priest, and
+the man of landed wealth, are not those alone on whom the heavy hand of
+rabble robbery will fall. We give them, on this head, a fragment from
+the report of the well-known Barrere, from the "Committee of Public
+Welfare," constituting, in fact, the rule of conduct to the Republic. It
+begins by declaring the "necessity of abandoning the idea of _mercy_ in
+republican government." It pronounces the necessity of the law to act,
+for the "arrest of _suspected_ persons." It declares every "remnant of
+the _gentry_ of France to be an object of suspicion." It declares the
+"_business of bankers_ to render them objects of suspicion." It declares
+"their reluctance to receive assignats, and their sordid _attachment to
+their own interests_," to make all merchants objects of suspicion. It
+declares "all the _relatives_ of emigrants" to be objects of suspicion.
+It declares "all the clergy who have refused the constitutional oath,
+and all the former magistracy," to be objects of suspicion. All those
+classes of society are to be sentenced at once, "_without being heard_."
+Let us strike at once, says this desperate document, "_without trial_
+and _without mercy_. Let us banish all compassion from our bosoms. Oh!
+what innumerable mischiefs may be produced by a false sentiment of
+pity?"
+
+This decree, which made every man a victim who had any thing to lose,
+instantly crowded the French prisons with the merchants, the bankers,
+and the whole monied class in France. Those who could be plundered no
+longer, were sent to execution. In Paris alone, within six months, a
+thousand persons of the various professions had been murdered by the
+guillotine. During the three years of the democracy, no less than
+eighteen thousand individuals, chiefly of the middle order, perished by
+the guillotine.
+
+This frightful catalogue closed with a remark on the belligerent
+propensities which such a state of society must produce. "It must be the
+immediate interest of a government, founded on principles wholly
+contradictory to the received maxims of all surrounding nations, to
+propagate the doctrines abroad by which it subsists at home; to
+assimilate every neighbouring state to its own system; and to subvert
+every constitution which even forms an advantageous contrast to its own
+absurdities. Such a government must, from its nature, be hostile to all
+governments of whatever form; but, above all, to those which are most
+strongly contrasted with its own vicious structure, and which afford to
+their subjects the best security for the maintenance of order, liberty,
+justice, and religion."
+
+Sheridan made a speech, of great beauty and animation, in reply. But his
+whole argument consisted in the sophism, that the French had been
+rendered savage by the long sense of oppression, and that the blame of
+their atrocities, (which he fully admitted,) should be visited on the
+monarchy, not on the people.
+
+Lord Mornington's was acknowledged to be the ablest speech on the
+ministerial side; and though eclipsed by the richness and power of
+Sheridan--and what speaker in the records of English eloquence ever
+excelled him in either?--it yet maintained a distinguished superiority
+in the force of its reasoning, and the fulness of its statements.
+Sheridan, in his peroration, had thrown out some bitter pleasantries on
+the ministerial favours, whose prospect he regarded as the only motive
+of those abandonments which had left the Whig party suddenly so feeble.
+"Is this a time," exclaimed the orator, "for selfish intrigues and the
+little traffic of lucre? Is it intended to confirm the pernicious
+doctrine, that all public men are impostors, and that every politician
+has his price? Nay, even for those who have no direct object, what is
+the language which their actions speak? 'The throne is in danger'--'we
+will support the throne; but let us share the smiles of royalty.' 'The
+order of nobility is in danger'--'I will fight for nobility,' says the
+viscount. 'But my zeal would be much greater, if I were made an earl.'
+'Rouse all the marquess within me!' exclaims the earl, 'and the peerage
+never turned out a more undaunted champion in the cause.' 'Stain my
+green riband blue,' cries out the gallant knight, 'and the fountain of
+honour will have a fast and faithful servant.' But, what are the people
+to think of our sincerity? What credit are they to give to our
+professions? It there nothing which whispers to that right honourable
+gentleman, that the crisis is too big, that the times are too gigantic,
+to be ruled by the hackneyed means of ordinary corruption?"
+
+Wyndham pronounced, that the speech of the noble lord had recapitulated
+the conduct of France in a manner so true, so masterly, and so alarming,
+"as to fix the attention of the House and the nation." Pitt spoke in
+terms still more expressive. "The speech of my noble friend," said he,
+"has been styled declamatory; on what principle I know not, unless that
+every effort of eloquence, in which the most forcible reasoning was
+adorned and supported by all the powers of language, was to be branded
+with the epithet declamatory." This debate was decisive; two hundred and
+seventy-seven voted for the vigorous prosecution of the war: for Fox's
+amendment, _only_ fifty-seven. We have now to follow the career of the
+noble lord to another quarter of the globe, where his presence was more
+essential, and where his capabilities had a still wider field.
+
+The resignation of Sir John Shore had left the government of India
+vacant; and the conspicuous exertions of Lord Mornington in the late
+debates had placed him in a high position before the ministerial eye. He
+was now fixed on for the Governor-generalship. His connexion with Indian
+affairs as a member of the Board of Control, had given him official
+knowledge; his education had given him the accomplishment suited to
+diplomatic distinction; and his abilities, his ardour, and his time of
+life, rendered him the fittest man for the arduous government of India.
+The period demanded all the qualities of government. France was
+notoriously intriguing to enlist the native princes in a general attack
+on the British power; a large French force was already organized in the
+territories of the Nizam, and Tippoo Saib had drawn together an army
+with seventy guns in the Mysore. The Indian princes, always jealous of
+the British authority, which had checked their old savage depredations
+on each other, and had presented in its own dominions a noble contrast
+to the ravaged and wretched condition of their kingdoms were all
+preparing to join the alliance of the French; and the first shock of a
+war, now almost inevitable, would probably involve all India. At this
+period Lord Mornington, who had been raised to an English barony, was
+appointed governor-general in October 1797; and such was his promptitude
+that he sailed on the 7th of the month following. In the April of 1798,
+he arrived on the coast of Coromandel, and landed at Madras, accompanied
+by his brother, the Hon. Henry Wellesley, as private secretary, (now
+Lord Cowley.) On the 17th of May he arrived at Calcutta, where he found
+his brother, since so memorable, Colonel Arthur Wellesley, and Sir
+Alured Clarke, the commander-in-chief.
+
+Lord Mornington had been sent to India in anticipation of French
+attempts on the British dominions, and there could be no doubt of the
+intentions of the French Directory. But the blow came sooner, and was
+more openly struck than an European public man could have surmised. It
+exhibited all that arrogant contempt of an enemy which once
+characterised Eastern supremacy; and would have been worthy of Gengis,
+proclaiming his sovereign will. It was a proclamation from the French
+governor of the Mauritius, on the 30th of June; announcing, without any
+attempt at disguise, that two ambassadors from Tippoo Sultaun had
+arrived there with letters for the governor, and despatches for the
+government of France; and that the object of the embassy was, to form an
+alliance, offensive and defensive, with France, and to demand a
+subsidiary force, for the purpose of expelling the English from India.
+The proclamation further invited all Frenchmen, in the isles of France
+and Bourbon, to volunteer for the sultaun's service, and promised to
+secure them pay under the protection of the Republic.
+
+The daring insolence of this proclamation, and the palpable rashness of
+making the designs of Tippoo public, before any direct preparation for
+attack, were so unlike the usual forms of diplomacy, that the
+governor-general, in the first instance, was inclined to doubt its
+authenticity. But it awoke his vigilance, and he wrote without delay to
+General Harris, then commanding at Madras, and governor for the time, to
+be on his guard. "If Tippoo," said his letter, "should choose to avow
+the objects of his embassy to be such as are described in this
+proclamation, the consequences may be very serious, and may ultimately
+involve us in the calamity of war. I wish you to be apprised of my
+apprehensions on the subject, and to prepare your mind for the possible
+event. You will, therefore, turn your attention to the means of
+collecting a force, if necessity should unfortunately require it. But it
+is not my desire that you should proceed to take any public steps
+towards the assembling of the army, before you receive some further
+information from me."
+
+The governor-general has been charged with precipitancy in making war on
+Tippoo. But the charge is refuted by dates. The French proclamation was
+dated 10th Pluviose, sixth year of the Republic, (30th January 1798.)
+Its truth or falsehood was carefully enquired into, until the evidence
+was completed by despatches from the British governors of the Cape and
+Bombay, the admiral at the Cape, the testimony of prisoners, and finally
+by the actual landing of a corps of French volunteers from the
+Mauritius. It was not till six months after the date of the
+proclamation, that the governor-general wrote thus (20th of June) to
+General Harris:--"I now take the earliest opportunity of acquainting you
+with my final determination. I mean to call upon the allies without
+delay, and to assemble the army upon the coast with all possible
+expedition. You will receive my public instructions in the course of a
+few days. Until you have received them, it will not be proper to take
+any public steps for the assembling of the army. But whatever can be
+done without a disclosure of the ultimate object, I authorize you to do
+immediately; intending to apprise you, by this letter, that it is my
+positive resolution to assemble the army upon the coast."
+
+The Mysore dynasty was one of the natural productions of Indian
+sovereignty. They had each been founded by a successful soldier, had
+made conquests of prodigious extent, had devastated the land with
+frightful rapidity; and then, after a generation or two of opulent
+possession, had seen their provinces divided by rebellious viceroys;
+until some slave, bolder than the rest, sprang up, broke down the
+tottering viceroyalties, and seized the supreme throne. Hyder Ali, the
+father of Tippoo, had been a common trooper in the service of the Rajah
+of Mysore--by his intrepidity he became the captain of one of those
+bands, half soldier and half robber, which form the irregulars of an
+Asiatic army. By his address as a courtier, he rose into favour with the
+rajah, who gave him the command of his army. By the treachery which
+always surrounds and subverts an Asiatic throne, he finally took the
+sovereign power to himself. Disputes of the new rajah with the Company's
+agents produced a war, and the cavalry of this daring adventurer rode
+up to the gates of Madras. Peace was at length proclaimed, and Hyder
+acquired a vast reputation among the natives as the champion of India.
+In 1770, an invasion of the Mahrattas, a robber nation, but the most
+renowned of Indian plunderers, determined to crush the new power, and
+poured down upon Mysore. Hyder now applied for assistance to Madras; but
+the settlement had no assistance to give, and Hyder was forced to make a
+disadvantageous treaty. He now loudly protested against the failure of
+the English contingent, which he declared to have been the subject of a
+treaty, and resolved on revenge. The plunder of the merchants' stores at
+Madras was the more probable motive to his next desperate attack. The
+half military, half commercial government of the Company, at that
+period, paralyzed all measures of effective resistance; and while the
+garrison urged vigorous proceedings, and the inhabitants dreaded
+mercantile loss, the plains surrounding Madras were deluged by an
+invasion from the Mysore. Hyder ranged in line seventy thousand horse
+and twenty thousand regular infantry! with all the marauders of India in
+his train, and all the Indian sovereigns ready to rise. At Madras all
+was confusion. Some detachments of Europeans and Sepoys, scattered
+through the country, were surrounded, fought gallantly, and were cut to
+pieces. Warren Hastings, the most indefatigable of Indian governors, now
+came in person to the seat of war; but such was the feebleness of the
+British means, that he could bring with him but five hundred Europeans
+and five hundred Sepoys. But he brought the more effectual aid of an
+officer of decision and sagacity, the celebrated Sir Eyre Coote. This
+brave man, struggling with difficulties of every kind, was, in almost
+all instances, victorious, and the last hours of Hyder's daring career
+were embittered by defeat at Arriee. In a few months after, at the age
+of eighty-two, this great chieftain, but barbarous and bloody warrior,
+died; leaving his son Tippoo, who had commenced his warfare at eighteen,
+and had followed him in all his battles, the possessor of his throne.
+
+Tippoo was the heir of his father's bravery, but not of his
+intelligence. Hyder had a mean opinion of his understanding, and
+evidently regarded him as little better than a royal tiger. "That boy,"
+said he, "will overthrow all that it has cost me a life to raise, and
+will ruin himself."
+
+The war continued, carried on by detachments on the part of the English,
+and by marauding expeditions on the part of Tippoo; time, life, and
+treasure were thus thrown away on both sides. But at length the news of
+peace between England and France reached India, and peace was concluded
+between the Company and the Mysore on the 11th of March 1784.
+
+Some conception of the resources of India may be formed from the
+military means which the single state of Mysore was able to accumulate,
+under all the pressure of a long war. At the peace, the treasure of
+Tippoo was calculated at eighty millions sterling; he had six hundred
+thousand stand of arms, two thousand cannons, with a regular force of
+artillery, cavalry, and infantry, of little less than one hundred
+thousand men!
+
+The history of the Mysore dynasty would form a brilliant poem; and, if
+India shall ever have a poet again, he could not choose a more varied,
+animating, and splendid theme. Tippoo, in peace, turned saint, and,
+following the example of his prophet, forced one hundred thousand
+Hindoos, at the sword's point, to swear by the Koran. We pass over the
+remaining features of his fierce history. Restless with ambition, and
+plethoric with power, in 1790 he invaded Travancore. The rajah called
+upon his English allies for protection. The war began by the appearance
+of Tippoo in the field at the head of another deluge of cavalry. But the
+genius of Hyder was in the tomb; and the English army, under Cornwallis,
+forced its way to the ramparts of Seringapatam. A peace stripped the
+Mysore of half its territory, of three millions and a half for the
+expenses of the war, and of the two sons of Tippoo as hostages. But the
+rajah constantly looked for revenge; and the successes of the French
+Republic urged him to a contest, in which every thing was to be lost to
+him but his daring name.
+
+The first step of the governor-general exhibited singular decision, and
+was attended with singular success. The Nizam had raised a regular corps
+of eleven thousand men, disciplined by French officers. It was
+ascertained that those officers held a correspondence with Tippoo, and
+there was every probability of their either forcing the Nizam into his
+alliance, or of their marching to join him. A British force was now
+ordered to move towards the capital of the Nizam, without any intimation
+of its object or its approach. On its arrival, a distinct demand was
+made for the dismissal of the French. The Nizam hesitated; but the
+officer commanding the British declared, that if there was any further
+delay, he would attack the battalions in their camp. The Nizam then gave
+his consent, and the battalions were informed that hesitation would
+expose them to the penalties of treason. A negotiation then began, in
+the presence of the British troops and the Nizam's horse. The French
+officers were promised protection, the possession of their personal
+property, their arrears, and a passage to France; the battalions were
+promised pay and future employment. The terms were accepted, and the
+British officer had the satisfaction to see the eleven thousand lay down
+their arms! This event struck all India with surprise. The measure had
+been conducted so noiselessly, that the result was wholly unexpected. It
+gave a prodigious _prestige_ to the character of the governor-general
+throughout the "golden peninsula."
+
+The war began. The seizure of Egypt by Bonaparte had inflamed Tippoo
+with the hope of conquest; and, on the 13th of February 1799, he crossed
+his own frontier at the head of 12,000 horse, and attacked the Bombay
+force, of six thousand men, under General Stuart. He was repulsed after
+some charges, and recrossed his frontier. This battle occurred _five
+days_ before General Harris's invasion of Mysore. But another eminent
+soldier was here to acquire his first distinction. Tippoo, manoeuvring
+to prevent the junction of Generals Harris and Stuart, fell upon the
+British at the lines of Malavelly. "Colonel Arthur Wellesley" there
+commanded the 33d regiment, and the Nizam's force. A strong body of
+horse charged the 33d. The soldiers were ordered to reserve their fire
+till within pistol-shot; they then fired, and charged with the bayonet.
+A general charge of the British dragoons took place, and the Mysore
+troops were routed, with the loss of two thousand men.
+
+On the 30th of April the breaching battery opened against Seringapatam.
+Terms had been offered to Tippoo, by which he was to cede half his
+territories, to pay two millions sterling, to renounce the French
+alliance, and to give up four of his sons, and four of his generals, as
+hostages. Those terms were merciful, for he was now reduced to his last
+extremity, and it was palpable that there could be no hope of peace
+while he retained the power of making war. His conduct, at this period,
+seems to have been the work of infatuation. It was said that he had some
+superstitious belief, that as the English had before retired from the
+walls, the city was destined never to be taken. It had provisions for a
+long defence, and a garrison of twenty-two thousand regular troops. But,
+by shutting himself up in the fortress, he transgressed one of the first
+rules of national war--that the monarch should never be compelled to
+stand a siege. Tippoo, in the field, might have escaped, to wait a
+change of fortune; but within walls he must conquer, or be undone.
+
+On the 4th of May, at one in the afternoon, the stormers, commanded by
+Baird, advanced. He, with some other officers of the 71st, had once been
+a prisoner, and been cruelly treated in the fortress. The column
+consisted of two thousand five hundred English, and one thousand eight
+hundred Sepoys. They crossed the Cavery, the river of Seringapatam; and
+in ten minutes the British flag was on the top of the rampart! The
+column now cleared the ramparts to the right and left, and after a
+gallant but confused resistance by the garrison, this famous fortress
+was taken. Tippoo, after having his horse killed under him, and
+receiving two wounds, attempted to make his escape on foot. A soldier,
+attracted by his jewels, rushed to seize him; Tippoo gave him a cimeter
+wound in the knee, the soldier then fired, and Tippoo fell dead. The
+fortress was strongly provided. Its works mounted two hundred and eighty
+guns. In its arsenal were found four hundred and fifty-one brass guns,
+and four hundred and seventy-eight iron guns. Stores of every kind were
+found in abundance. The storm scarcely exceeded an hour. Thus fell the
+dynasty of the great Hyder Ali; and thus was extinguished a dream of
+conquest, which once embraced the Empire of Hindostan.
+
+Thus, by promptitude of action and sagacity of council, this formidable
+war was extinguished in little more than eight weeks; a territory
+producing a million sterling a-year was added to the Company's
+dominions; and the whole fabric of a power which it had cost the genius
+of Hyder a life to raise, and which once threatened to overthrow the
+empire of the English in India, was broken down and dismantled for ever.
+But Mysore was given to the family of its former Hindoo Rajah, and
+simply reduced to the limits of its original territory; the conquests of
+Hyder having been alone lopped away.
+
+In England, the thanks of Parliament were given to the governor-general
+and the army, and the former was made a marquess. The treasure taken in
+Seringapatam, with the various arms and stores, was subsequently valued
+at forty-five millions of star pagodas, (the pagoda being about eight
+shillings sterling;) General Harris, as commander-in-chief, receiving an
+eighth of the whole, or three hundred and twenty-four thousand nine
+hundred and seven pagodas. His right to this sum was afterwards disputed
+at law, but the claim was ultimately allowed. One hundred thousand
+pounds was offered by the army to the Marquess, but honourably declined
+by him as encroaching on the general prize-money. But the Court of
+Directors, in recompense, voted him five thousand pounds a-year for
+twenty years.
+
+We now come to another important period in the career of this
+distinguished servant of the crown. The French expedition to Egypt had
+been expressly aimed at the British power in India. The Marquess
+Wellesley instantly conceived the bold project of attacking the French
+in the rear, by the march of an Indian army to Egypt, to co-operate with
+an army from home.
+
+The question of occupying Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea, was then
+discussed; and objected to by the marquess, on the several grounds of
+its unfitness for a naval station, for a commercial station, and for
+maintaining an influence on the coast. The admiral's opinion was
+strongly against it, and the design was abandoned. It has been since
+adopted; but the difference of circumstances must be remembered. We had
+then no regular overland communication, no steamers on the Red Sea, and
+thus no necessity for either a harbour or a depot of coals. Aden as a
+garrison may be of little comparative value, but as a rendezvous for the
+steam navy, it is of obvious importance, and not less as a means of
+guarding the overland communication for the general benefit of Europe.
+The advantages of this station may be the more appreciated, from the
+following letter of the governor-general to the chairman of the Court of
+Directors, (October 6, 1800,)--"In the present year I was nearly _seven
+months_ without receiving one line of authentic intelligence from
+England. My distress and anxiety of mind were scarcely supportable.
+Speedy, authentic, and _regular_ intelligence from Europe, is
+_essential_ to the trade and government of this empire. If the sources
+of information be obstructed, no conscientious man can undertake this
+weighty charge."
+
+In 1800, the army under Abercromby landed in Egypt, and defeated the
+French under Menou. General Baird, at the head of six thousand of the
+Indian army, reached Egypt. General Belliard surrendered in Cairo with
+thirteen thousand men. The Indian army then joined the British, and the
+siege of Alexandria was begun. Menou immediately capitulated, and thus
+the whole French expedition was undone--the fleet having been destroyed
+by Nelson, and the army having been captured by Hutchinson--the French
+army, amounting in the whole to twenty-four thousand men, and their
+captors only to nineteen thousand British; the Indian army making up
+the general number to twenty-five thousand six hundred and eighteen.
+
+In July 1801, the Addington cabinet was formed. Peace with France was
+signed at Amiens, March 27, 1802. Orders were now sent out to India to
+restore the French possessions. But the Marquess, by his personal
+sagacity, anticipated another war; and delayed the measure until he
+should receive further intelligence. The result was, that when Linois
+arrived with a French squadron to take possession of Pondicherry, Lord
+Clive answered, "that he had not received any orders from the
+governor-general." A despatch from Downing Street, of the 18th of March
+1803, communicated to him the King's message to parliament declaring
+war!
+
+It is beyond our limits to enter into the disputes with the directors,
+which preceded the return of the governor-general to Europe. He was
+charged with lavishness of living, with the affectation of being the
+director of the directors, with extravagance in the erection of the
+palace at Calcutta, and with equal extravagance in the establishment of
+the Indian college. But these charges have long since been forgotten;
+they speedily vanished; investigation did justice to the character of
+the Marquess; and the only foundation for those vague and wandering
+charges actually was, that he was a man of high conceptions, fond of the
+sumptuousness belonging to his rank, adopting a large expenditure for
+its effect on the native mind, and justly thinking that the noblest
+ornament of an empire is accomplished by literature.
+
+He returned to England in January 1806, and found the great minister
+dying. On his arrival he wrote to Pitt, who replied by the following
+letter, dated from Putney:--
+
+     "MY DEAR WELLESLEY,
+
+     "On my arrival here last night I received, with inexpressible
+     pleasure your most friendly and affectionate letter. If I was not
+     strongly advised to keep out of London till I have acquired a
+     little further strength, I would have come up immediately, for the
+     purpose of seeing you at the first possible moment. As it is, I am
+     afraid I must trust to your goodness to give me the satisfaction of
+     seeing you here, the first hour you can spare for the purpose. If
+     you can, without inconvenience, make it about the middle of the
+     day, (in English style between two and four,) it would suit me
+     rather better than any other time, but none can be inconvenient.
+
+     "I am recovering rather slowly from a series of stomach complaints,
+     followed by severe attacks of gout; but I believe I am in the way
+     of real amendment. Ever most truly and affectionately yours,
+
+                                                       "W. PITT."
+
+
+The great minister was unfortunately lost to his country and mankind
+within a week!
+
+Lord Brougham, in his _Memoirs of British Statesmen_, records the
+testimony of the Marquess against the common report, that Pitt died of a
+broken heart in consequence of the calamities of Austria and the
+breaking up of the continental coalition. The Marquess declares, that
+Pitt, though emaciated, retained his "gaiety and constitutionally
+sanguine disposition" to the last, expressing also "confident hopes of
+recovery."
+
+The biographer gives a passing touch of disapproval to Pitt's
+administration, though he imputes all his ministerial delinquencies "to
+sordid and second-rate men round him." But this is wholly contrary to
+the character of the man--never individual less acted on the suggestions
+of others than Pitt. The simple fact is, the biographer knows nothing on
+the subject, and would have much more wisely avoided giving us his
+opinions altogether.
+
+We shall notice but one charge more against the Marquess on his return.
+It was made by a low fellow of the name of Paul, who had been a tailor,
+but had by some means or other obtained an office in India. No man could
+have held the highest power in India so long without making enemies
+among the contemptible; and this Paul, determined to figure as a public
+accuser, attacked the character of the Marquess with respect to his
+compelling the Nabob of Oude to pay his debts to the Company. Every one
+knows the degraded state of Indian morality, especially in pecuniary
+transactions; and the measures necessary in this instance were charged
+as the extreme of tyranny. But those charges were never substantiated;
+they came before the House of Commons in the shape of resolutions, and
+were negatived by a large majority, 182 to 31. Paul, in a struggle to
+become a popular character, and as a candidate for Westminster, involved
+himself in an unfortunate duel with Sir Francis Burdett, in which both
+were wounded; but Paul's wound, suddenly turning to mortification, he
+died.
+
+After the vote on the resolutions, Sir John Anstruther, who had been
+chief-justice in Bengal, moved "that the Marquess's conduct in Oude was
+highly meritorious." The resolution was triumphantly carried.
+
+We are now to regard the Marquess in the character of a British
+statesman. In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain. His purpose was, to make
+Spain the basis of an invasion of England. No act of the French Emperor
+exhibited more of the mingled subtlety and ferocity of his nature; and
+yet it should be remembered, for the benefit of mankind, that no act
+more distinctly exhibited the rashness with which avarice or power
+overlooks obstacles, and the folly with which the desire of entrapping
+others frequently outwits itself. Napoleon already, through the weakness
+of the king and the treachery of his minister, had all the resources of
+Spain at his disposal. But, not content with the reality, he resolved to
+arrogate the title; and he thus eventually lost the Peninsula. Under the
+pretext of settling the disputes of the royal family, the Emperor, in
+1808, marched ninety thousand men into Spain, obtained possession of its
+principal fortresses, and established a garrison in the capital. The
+Spanish nation, always disdaining a foreign master, and yet accustomed
+to foreign influence, was roused by the massacre of Madrid on the 2d of
+May. Every province rose in arms, elected a governing body, and attacked
+the French. On the 6th of June 1808, Joseph Bonaparte was appointed King
+of Spain and the Indies.--On the same day, the Supreme Junta at Seville
+proclaimed war against France! Deputations from the provinces were sent
+to England, and they were answered by the dispatch of an army, under Sir
+Arthur Wellesley, to the coast of Portugal. The British general then
+commenced that series of victories which finished only in the
+capitulation of Paris, and the downfall of Napoleon.
+
+On the 21st of August Sir Arthur Wellesley beat the French army of
+Portugal at Vimeira, and would have inevitably forced the French marshal
+to capitulate on the field, but for the singular and unfortunate blunder
+by which two officers, superior in rank, had been inadvertently sent to
+join the expedition, by whom he was of course superseded; General
+Burrard arriving during the action, though he did not take the command
+until the day was over; and General Dalrymple arriving within a few
+days, to supersede General Burrard. The consequence was, that the whole
+operation was paralysed, and the French army, instead of being
+extinguished on the field, was allowed by a convention to retire from
+the country. Sir John Moore then, superseding them all, took the
+command. In the mean time, Austria had renewed the war, and been
+defeated in the decisive battle of Wagram. Napoleon now threw the whole
+force of France upon the Peninsula.
+
+It was obvious that Spain was the field in which the great battle of
+Europe was now to be fought; but the inefficiency of public men in
+Spain, and the divisions of the provincial governments, rendered it
+necessary that some superintending mind should be sent to conduct the
+national affairs. Early in 1809, Mr Canning, then secretary for foreign
+affairs, received the royal commands to propose the appointment of
+ambassador-extraordinary to the Marquess Wellesley. On the 1st of April,
+Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed commander of the British forces in
+the Peninsula. The Marquess arrived in Cadiz on the 4th of July, four
+days after the battle of Talavera.
+
+The first year of the Spanish campaign was, in one sense of the word,
+disastrous. Sir Arthur Wellesley, after fighting the desperate battle of
+Talavera, was forced to retire into Portugal, through the neglect of the
+Spanish government to supply his troops with the means of subsistence.
+They were actually starved out of the field. The Spanish armies had now
+been utterly broken; the great expedition of Walcheren had terminated in
+the capture of a fishing town, and the loss of some thousand men by the
+marsh fever. At this period, Spain seemed utterly helpless; Austria had
+been forced into peace; Russia was on the closest terms of alliance with
+France; and in England the two cabinet ministers, Lord Castlereagh and
+Mr Canning, had fought a duel with each other. The cabinet was now
+broken up, and reconstructed, the three secretaries of state being, the
+Marquess of Wellesley for foreign affairs, Lord Liverpool for the
+colonies, and the Hon. R. Ryder for the home department; Mr Perceval,
+first lord of the treasury and prime minister.
+
+In the year 1810, on the invasion of Portugal by Marshal Massena at the
+head of eighty thousand men, while Wellington had but thirty thousand,
+the declaimers of Opposition had produced so depressing an effect on
+public opinion, that a cabinet despatch actually left it to the decision
+of the British general, then Lord Wellington, whether the army should
+remain or return to England! On that occasion, the British general
+returned the following gallant and decisive answer:--"From what I have
+seen of the objects of the French government, and the sacrifices they
+make to accomplish them, I have no doubt, that if the British army were
+for any reason withdrawn from the Peninsula, and the French government
+were relieved from the pressure of military operations on the Continent,
+they would incur all risks to land an army in his Majesty's dominions.
+Then, indeed, would commence an expensive contest, then would his
+Majesty's subjects discover what are the miseries of war, of which, by
+the blessing of God, they have hitherto had no knowledge; and the
+cultivation, the beauty, and the prosperity of the country, and the
+virtue and happiness of its inhabitants, would be destroyed, whatever
+might be the results of military operations. God forbid that I should be
+a witness, much less an actor, in the scene! And I only hope that the
+King's government will consider well what I have stated to your
+lordship; will ascertain, as it is in their power, the actual expenses
+of employing a certain number of men in this country, beyond that of
+employing them at home or elsewhere; and will keep up their force here
+on such a footing, as will, at all events, ensure their possession,
+without keeping the transports; if it does not enable their commander to
+take advantage of events, and assume the offensive." This letter decided
+the fate of the Peninsula. Massena was driven out of Portugal before the
+close of the year, and the question of French conquest was at an end!
+
+In 1811, the Marquess Wellesley retired from the cabinet. He had
+expressed opinions on the abilities of Mr Perceval, which rendered it
+necessary that either one or other should resign. The nominal cause of
+difference was the Roman Catholic question; on which Perceval was as
+well-informed and principled, as the Marquess was ignorant and fanciful;
+his chief argument being, that the Protestant Church in Ireland was
+feeble--an argument which should have led him to look for the remedy in
+giving it additional strength. But the only view which reasoners like
+the Marquess have ever taken on the subject is, the force of
+numbers--"The Roman Catholics are three times as numerous as the
+Protestants." An argument which would have been equally valid against
+the original attempt to spread Christianity among the heathen nations,
+and would be equally valid still, for Paganism is still more populous
+than Christendom. In fact, the argument would be equally valid against
+any attempt whatever to enlighten mankind; for the ignorant are always
+the overwhelming majority. The true enquiry would have been, are the
+opinions of the Roman Catholics consistent with a Protestant throne? is
+their divided allegiance perilous or not to a Protestant government? are
+their religious prejudices consistent with the rights of the national
+religion? We have now the melancholy proof of the shallowness of all the
+declamation on the subject. We see that power has been used only for
+public disturbance; that pledges are scoffed at; and that, in the
+fifteenth year of this boasted conciliation, Ireland is more turbulent,
+faction more violent, prejudice more envenomed, and life more in hazard
+than ever.
+
+The unfortunate death of Mr Perceval by the hand of a half-frantic
+ruffian, who was resolved to shoot one of the ministry, and in whose
+way the prime minister unhappily came, threw open the cabinet once more.
+A long negotiation followed, in which Lords Wellesley and Moira having
+failed to form an administration, Lord Liverpool was finally appointed
+premier, and retained power until 1827; a period of fifteen years, when
+he was struck by apoplexy, and died in December of the following year.
+
+The policy towards Ireland was now sinking into that feeble and flexible
+shape, which has always characterised the predominance of Whig councils.
+The Marquess Wellesley had made some showy speeches on emancipation; and
+in 1822, and as if with the object of showing him the utter vanity of
+attempting to reform the bitterness of Popish faction by any measures of
+concession, the Popish advocate was sent to govern Ireland. He found the
+country in a state of the most frightful disturbance; half a century of
+weak and unstatesmanlike compliances had produced their natural effect,
+in party arrogance; and demands and conspiracy at once threw the
+ministry into confusion, and set the law at defiance. But the Marquess
+was received with national cordiality by the people. The city was
+illuminated on his arrival; the different public bodies gave him
+banquets; and, known as his opinions were on the Popish question, the
+Protestants forgot his prejudices in the recollection that he was an
+Irishman. But there was a faction still to be dealt with, which, having
+no real connexion with the substantial interests of the country, and
+living wholly on public credulity, uttered its ominous voice in the
+midst of all those acclamations. A paper from that faction lost no time
+in "reminding the Irish Catholics of the tantalizing and bitter
+repetition of expectations raised only to be blasted, and prospects of
+success opened to close on them in utter darkness;" finishing by a
+significant warning, "not to rely too much on the liberal intentions of
+the Marquess Wellesley."
+
+The result of his lordship's government may be easily told. His personal
+favours to the Papists were received in the usual style of instalments;
+while the Protestant corporation stood aloof, and drank with renewed
+potations "the glorious and immortal memory of William III." Such is the
+dignity of politics in Irish deliberations. At length the unlucky
+conciliator had his eyes opened by the nature of things, and was
+compelled to apply to parliament for the insurrection act. The
+Attorney-general Plunket, the ablest advocate of the Papists, was
+compelled, by a similar necessity, to write a long official letter, in
+which he stated--"That he feared in five or six counties, great numbers
+indeed of the lower classes had been involved in the conspiracy; some of
+them from a love of enterprise and ready disposition for mischief; some
+of them on a principle of counteraction to associations of an opposite
+description; but most of them, he should hope, from terror on the one
+hand, and the _expectation of impunity_ on the other." There was the
+point, which no man comprehended better in theory than this clever
+law-officer, and none better in practice than the Popish peasant. "This
+_expectation_, however," he observes, "must now be effectually removed,
+and the terror of the law, I trust, be substituted in place of the
+terror of the conspirators." Adding, "your Excellency will observe with
+regret, that the association has been founded on a principle of
+_religious exclusion!_"
+
+Such had been the fruit of concession. The opposite plan, so often
+suggested, and so essentially necessary, was then tried; and its fruits
+too followed. Almost the whole of Ireland became instantly
+tranquillized; men were no longer murdered in open day; cattle no longer
+maimed; houses no longer burned. The Marquess thus writes the English
+government:--"During the summer and autumn of 1822, the measures
+sanctioned by Parliament for the restoration of tranquillity, combined
+with other causes, have produced such a degree of quiet, that no
+necessity existed for my _usual_ communications."
+
+We pass rapidly over the contemptible squabbles of the party mobs which
+fill up the modern history of Irish politics, and which must have deeply
+disgusted a statesman who had seen public life on the stately scale of
+Indian government and English administration. But he was now far
+advanced in years, and he was betrayed into the absurdity of suffering
+these squabbles to reach to himself. The decoration of the statue of
+William the Third, in one of the principal streets of the city, on his
+birthday, the 4th of November, had been an annual custom for upwards of
+a hundred years. But now the Papists resolved to regard the placing of a
+few knots of orange riband on this equestrian figure as a matter of
+personal offence, and prohibited the decoration. A patrol of horse
+surrounded the statue, and the decoration could not be accomplished. A
+letter from the secretary approved of the conduct of the civic
+authorities. Unluckily, within a few days after, the Marquess went in
+state to the theatre. The public disapprobation now vented itself in
+unmeasured terms. The uproar was incessant, and, in the height of the
+disturbance, a bottle was thrown by some drunken ruffian from the
+gallery into the viceregal box, but with so direct an aim, that it
+glanced close to the Marquess's head. A watchman's rattle, and several
+other missiles, were said to have followed the bottle. The unlucky
+result was, an indictment against several individuals for conspiracy by
+the Attorney-general; but the grand jury having ignored the bills, the
+case fell to the ground.
+
+At this period, the Marquess, who had in early life married a
+Frenchwoman, fixed his regards on an American, the widow of Mr Patterson
+of America. In matters of this order public opinion can have no direct
+right to interfere. But the bride was a Roman Catholic. The marriage was
+solemnized by a Romish bishop, as well as by the Irish primate. The
+royal equipages were seen in regular attendance, subsequently, at her
+ladyship's place of worship; and, when the critical balance of public
+opinion at that period is considered, there was evidently more of the
+ardour of the lover than the wisdom of the statesman, in suffering that
+marriage to take place, at least _before_ his retirement from the
+viceroyalty of Ireland.
+
+On the formation of the Wellington cabinet, the illustrious brothers
+differing on the Romish question, the Marquess retired. In the debate on
+that occasion, the Duke of Wellington made one of those strong,
+_declaratory_ speeches and renewed those pledges to the Protestant
+constitution in Church and State, which he made so solemnly before. The
+duke, after gracefully expressing his regret at being compelled to
+differ on the sentiments of his distinguished relative, said, "I wish,
+as much as my noble relation can do, to see this question brought to an
+amicable conclusion, although I do not see the means of bringing it to
+that conclusion by this resolution, (Lord Lansdowne's motion on the
+Catholic claims.) I _agree with_ the noble and learned Earl (Eldon) who
+has recently addressed your lordships, that we ought to see _clear and
+distinct securities_ given to the state, before we can give our vote in
+the affirmative of the question. My noble relative says, that our
+security will be found in the removal of the securities which now exist.
+I say, that the securities which we now enjoy, and which for a length of
+time we have enjoyed, are _indispensable to the safety of Church and
+State!_ I should be glad to see the disabilities of the Roman Catholics
+removed; but before I can consent to their removal, I must see something
+in their stead which will _effectually protect our institutions_."
+
+Yet, within one twelvemonth! the Popish Bill was carried by the
+Wellington ministry! Its immediate result was, to introduce into the
+legislature a party whose aid to the Whigs carried the Reform Bill. The
+Reform Bill, in its turn, introduced into influence a party who demand
+implicit obedience from every minister, and whose declared object, at
+this hour, is the abolition of the whole system of commercial,
+manufacturing, and agricultural laws, under which England has become the
+greatest commercial, manufacturing, and agricultural country in the
+world. All power now threatens to fall into the hands of the populace;
+and, if that result shall follow, England will be revolutionized. With
+all our knowledge of the strength of England, of the vigour of educated
+opinion, of the gallant principle existing among our nobles and
+gentlemen, and, above all, of the religious integrity of a large portion
+of the empire, we still cannot disguise our apprehension of general
+change. The ferocity, recklessness, and insatiability of the democratic
+spirit, have been hitherto withheld from the sight of our fortunate
+country, by the vigour of our government and the wisdom of our laws. But
+they exist; they lie immediately under the surface of the soil; and,
+once suffered to be opened to the light, the old pestilence will rise,
+and poison the political atmosphere.
+
+The agriculture of England is the true treasury of England. We may exist
+with diminished manufactures, and we must prepare for their diminution,
+from the universal determination of other countries to manufacture for
+themselves. But we cannot exist without food; and, from the moment when
+the discouragement of tillage shall leave England in necessity, we shall
+see the cheap corn of Russia and Poland taxed by the monarch, raised to
+a famine price, all the current gold of the country sent to purchase
+subsistence in Russia, and our only resource a paper currency, followed
+with an enormous increase of expense in every common necessary of life.
+Throw a fourth of the land of England out of cultivation, and what must
+become of the labourers? They now complain of low wages; then they will
+have none. What must be the condition of Ireland, wholly agricultural,
+and ruined by a flood of foreign corn, at half the price for which the
+Irish farmer can bring it to market? These consequences are so
+notorious, that nobody attempts to dispute them. They are coolly taken
+as inevitable things; and the whole dependence, even of the mob
+advocates, is upon chance: "Oh, something will turn up! Things won't be
+so bad as you think!"
+
+But the true conspirators see deeper. They know, that a revolution in
+the food of the people is the immediate forerunner of a revolution in
+the state. From the moment when foreign corn is admitted free of
+restraint, the confidence of the farmer must be shaken. From the farmer,
+the shock will instantly reach the landlord; his rent must be
+diminished. To one-half of the great proprietaries of the kingdom, a
+diminution of rent, even by a third, would make their possessors
+personally bankrupt. Their mortgages and loans must be repaid; and
+nothing would remain. The landlord now pays the Church. If he is ruined,
+the whole Church income, independent of the small portions of glebe
+land, must perish with him.
+
+Then will come the agitation for a still more daring purpose. It will be
+asked why must the system of English life be artificial?--Because we
+have twenty-eight millions sterling of interest to pay, and for this we
+must have taxes. But, why not sweep the national debt away, as France
+did in her day of royal overthrow? A single sitting of the Convention
+settled that question. Why not follow the example? Then will come the
+desperate expedient, and all will be ruin on the heads of the most
+helpless of the community; for the national debt is only a saving bank
+on a larger scale, and nine-tenths of its creditors are of the most
+struggling order of the empire.
+
+Of course, we do not anticipate this frightful catastrophe under the
+existing government, nor, perhaps, under its immediate successors, nor
+under any government which knows its duty. But, let the "pressure from
+without" be once an acknowledged principle; let agitation be once
+suffered as a legitimate instrument of public appeal; let the clamour of
+the streets be once received with the slightest respect, and the game is
+begun; property is the chase, the hounds are in full cry, and the prey
+will be torn down.
+
+We believe that the majority of the empire are honest and true, but we
+know that faction is active and unscrupulous; we believe that there is
+in the country a genuine regard for the constitution, but we know that
+there are men within the circumference of England, whose nature is as
+foul as that of the blackest revolutionist of France in 1793; whose
+craving for possession is treacherous and tigerish, whose means are
+intrinsic and unadulterated mischief, whose element is public
+disturbance, and whose feverish hope of possession is in general
+overthrow. Against those we can have no defence but in the vigour, the
+caution, and the sincerity of the national administration.
+
+The Marquess Wellesley, on the formation of Lord Grey's cabinet in 1830,
+accepted the office of Lord Steward. He had begun his political life as
+a high Tory, and the friend and follower of Pitt.--In 1793, he had
+fought boldly against the Reform question. This was at the period when
+he retained the generosity of youth, and the classic impressions of his
+university; but he had now been trained to courts, and he became a
+reformer, with a white rod in his aged hand! In 1833, he was
+re-appointed to the government of Ireland; he returned full of the same
+innocent conceptions which had once fashioned Ireland into a political
+Arcadia. But he was soon and similarly reduced to the level of
+realities. He found confusion worse confounded, and was compelled to
+exert all his power to suppress "agitation," and exert it in vain; a
+Coercion Bill alone pioneered his way, a quarrel in which the Irish
+Secretary was involved with the Agitator, produced the resignation of
+the secretary, Littleton, though the Marquess's son-in-law.--Lord Grey,
+like Saturn, rebelled against by his own progeny and overthrown by the
+impulse of Reform, resigned, (July 9, 1834.) The Whig government fell
+within the year, and the Marquess left Ireland. In England he
+condescended to accept the office of Lord Chamberlain; but, within a
+month, retired altogether from public life. It was full time: he was now
+seventy-five.
+
+The East India Company, in 1837, voted him L20,000, and in 1841
+honourably proposed to place his statue in the India House. His
+remaining years were unchequered. He died in Kingston House, Brompton,
+on the 26th of September 1842, in his eighty-third year.
+
+The Marquess Wellesley, on the whole view of his qualifications, was an
+accomplished man; and, on a glance at his career, will be seen to have
+been singularly favoured by fortune. Coming forward at a period of great
+public interest, surrounded by the most eminent public men of the last
+hundred years, and early associated with Pitt, the greatest of them all;
+he enjoyed the highest advantages of example, intellectual exercise, and
+public excitement, until he was placed in the government of India.
+There, the career of every governor has exactly that portion of
+difficulties which gives an administrator a claim on public applause;
+with that assurance of success which stimulates the feeblest to
+exertion. All our Indian wars have finished by the overthrow of the
+enemy, the possession of territory, and the increase of British
+power--with the single exception of the Affghan war, an expedition
+wholly beyond the natural limits of our policy, and as rashly undertaken
+as it was rashly carried on. The Marquess returned to Europe loaded with
+honours, conspicuous in the public eye, and in the vigour of life. No
+man had a fairer prospect of assuming the very highest position in the
+national councils. He had the taste and sumptuousness which would have
+made him popular with the first rank of nobility, the literature which
+gratified the learned and intelligent, the practical experience of
+public life which qualified him for the conduct of cabinets and
+councils, and the gallantry and spirit which made him a favourite with
+general society. He had, above all, a tower of strength in the talents
+of his illustrious brother. Those two men might have naturally guided
+the councils of an empire. That a man so gifted, so public, and so
+ambitious of eminent distinction, should ever have been the subordinate
+of the Liverpools, the Cannings, or the Greys, would be wholly
+incomprehensible, but for one reason.
+
+In the commencement of his career, he rashly involved himself in the
+Catholic question. It was a showy topic for a young orator; it was an
+easy exhibition of cheap patriotism; it gave an opportunity for
+boundless metaphor--and it meant nothing. But, no politician has ever
+sinned with Popery but under a penalty--the question hung about his neck
+through every hour of his political existence. It encumbered his English
+popularity, it alienated the royal favour, it flung him into the rear
+rank of politicians. It made his English ambition fruitless and
+secondary; and his Irish government unstable and unpopular. It
+disqualified him for the noblest use of a statesman's powers, the power
+of pronouncing an unfettered opinion; and it suffered a man to
+degenerate into the antiquated appendage to a court, who might have been
+the tutelar genius of an empire.
+
+     _Memoirs and Correspondence of the Most Noble Richard Marquess
+     Wellesley._ By ROBERT B. PEARCE, Esq. 3 vols. London: Bentley.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER TO EUSEBIUS.
+
+
+MY DEAR EUSEBIUS,--I have received yours from the hands of the bearer,
+and such hands! Why write to consult me about railroads, of all things?
+I know nothing about them, but that they all seem to tend to some
+Pandemonium or another; and when I see of a dark night their
+monster-engines, with eyes of flame and tongues of fire, licking up the
+blackness under them, and snuffing up, as it were, the airs from Hades,
+I could almost fancy the stoker a Mercury, conducting his hermetically
+sealed convicts down those terrible passages that lead direct to the
+abominable ferry. I said, "I know nothing of them;" but now I verily
+believe you mean to twit me with my former experiment in railway
+knowledge, and have no intention to purchase shares in the La Mancha
+Company (and I doubt if there be any such) to countenance your Quixotic
+pleasantry. I did speculate once, it is true, in one--London and
+Falmouth Scheme--with very large promises. I was then living at W----,
+when one day, just before I was going to sit down to dinner, a chaise
+stops at my door, out steps a very "smart man," and is ushered into my
+library. When I went into the room, he was examining, quite in a
+connoisseur attitude, Eusebius, a picture; he was very fond of pictures,
+he said; had a small but choice collection of his own, and I won't say
+that he did not speak of the Correggiosity of Correggio. I was upon the
+point of interrupting him, with the intimation that I did not mean to
+purchase any, when, having thus ingratiated himself with me by this
+reference to my taste, he suddenly turns round upon me with the most
+business-like air, draws from under his cloak an imposingly official
+portfolio, takes out his scrip, presenting me with a demand for fifty
+pounds, the deposit of so many shares, looking positively certain that
+in a few seconds the money would be in his pocket. People say, Eusebius,
+that the five minutes before a dinner is the worst time in the world to
+touch the heart, or to get any thing out of a man's pocket for
+affection; but I do not know if it be not the best time for an attack,
+if there be a speculation on foot which promises much to his interest,
+for at that time he is naturally greedy. Had Belisarius, with his dying
+boy in his arms, himself appeared at my gate, as seen in the French
+print, crying, "Date obolum Belsario," I should have pronounced him at
+once an impostor, and given him nothing, and, indeed, not pronounced
+wrongly, for the whole story is a fiction. But at this peculiar moment
+of hunger and of avarice, I confess I was too ready, and gave a check
+for the amount. I had no sooner, however, satisfied myself with what
+Homer calls [Greek: edetnos ede potetos], and we moderns, meat and
+potatoes--than I began to suspect the soundness of the scheme, or the
+company, who had gone to the expense of a chaise for eight miles merely
+to collect this subscription of mine; and I was curious the next day to
+trace the doings of this smart gentleman, when I found he had dined at
+the inn at B---- on turtle, ducks, and green peas, and had recruited the
+weariness of his day's journey with exhilarating champagne. I knew my
+fate at once, and from that day to this have heard nothing of the London
+and Falmouth project. Now, Eusebius, as you publish my letters, if this
+should catch the eye of any of the directors of that company still
+possessing any atom of conscience, I beg to remind them that I am still
+minus fifty pounds; and as all claim seems to be quite out of the
+question, excepting on their "known and boundless generosity," I beg to
+wind up this little narrative of the transaction in the usual words of
+the beggar's petition, "The smallest donation will be thankfully
+received."
+
+But the bearer, who was to consult me for your benefit--he hadn't a word
+to say to me on the subject, but that he would call and consult with me
+to-morrow. I found it in vain to question him, and I suspect it is a
+hoax. But what a rural monster you have sent me! "Cujum pecus?--an
+Melibei?" He cannot possibly herd with Eusebius; he had no modest
+bearing about him. I had just opened your letter, and found you called
+him a friend of yours, who had many observations to make about
+poetry--so, as we were just going to tea, he was invited. It was most
+fortunate I did not offer him a bed, for I should then have been bored
+with him at this moment, when I am sitting down to write to you some
+little account of his manners and conversation, which you know very
+well, or you would not have sent him to me. I only now hope I shall not
+see him to-morrow; and should I learn that he shall have departed in one
+of those Plutonian engines to the keeping of Charon himself, I should
+only regret that I had not put an obol into his hand, lest he should be
+presented with a return-ticket. What did he say, and what did he not
+say? He called my daughter "Miss," and said he should like music very
+well but for the noise of it; and as to his ideas of poetry, that you
+speak of, he treated it with the utmost contempt, and as a "very
+round-about-way of getting to matter of fact." What else could I have
+expected of him?--with his tight-drawn skin over his distended cheeks,
+from which his nose scarcely protruded, as defying a pinch, with a
+forehead like Caliban's, as villanously low, with his close-cut hair
+sticking to it, and his little chin retiring, lest a magnanimous thought
+should for a moment rest upon it. Such was never the image that
+Cassandra had in her mind's eye when she cried, "O, Apollo--O, Apollo!"
+And this was your friend, forsooth, with his novel ideas upon poetry!
+Yet this vulgar piece of human mechanism is not without a little cunning
+shrewdness, characteristically marked in his little pig-eye; and I must
+tell you one piece of criticism of his, and an emendation, not unworthy
+the great Bentley himself. Yet I know not why I tell you, for you know
+it well already, I suspect; for he told me he had been talking with you
+about a letter which you had published, and told him was written by me,
+and which he had read while waiting in your library till you could see
+him. He said he thought a little common sense, observation, and plain
+matter of fact, would often either throw light upon or amend many
+obscure passages of poets; for that even those of most name either made
+egregious blunders, or they were made for them. I could not deny that
+truth, Eusebius, and yet he wasn't a man to grant any thing to, if you
+could help it; but I saw there was something rich to come, so I
+encouraged him; and this remark of his, Eusebius, reminded me of a
+misery occasioned in the mind of a very sensitive and reverend poet, who
+preached weekly to a very particular congregation, by the printer's
+devil mistaking an erasure for a hyphen, which gave to his sonnet a most
+improper expression. It made him miserable then, and will ever give him
+a twinge lest he should have suffered in reputation. He has so much
+reason to be happy now, that to remind him of it, should he happen to
+read this, is only to make his happiness the greater, by somewhat
+reducing its quality; as the very atmosphere must be tempered for man's
+use and health, by somewhat of a noxious ingredient. But I must return
+to your friend. His cheeks seem ready to burst with common sense, and
+polished with ruddy conceit. "Do you remember," said I, "any particular
+passage upon which your observations will bear?" "Why," said he, "there
+was one in that paper which first struck me as utter nonsense; but a
+little alteration easily sets it to rights. There was a quotation from
+Milton: I wasn't very well acquainted with his poems, but I have read
+since, with much trouble to understand it, that whole scene and passage;
+it is in a play of his called 'Comus;'--and, by the by, all that part of
+the prose in the letter relating to the seashore and its treasures, is
+all stuff; all the roads about the country are made and mended with
+those pebbles--they are worth nothing. What Milton is supposed to have
+said, when they wrote down for him, that the billows of the Severn "roll
+ashore"--"the beryl and the golden ore"--never could have been written
+by any one who knew the Severn. A beryl is a clear crystal, isn't it?
+and if the billows should roll one ashore in the muddy Severn, I should
+like to know who could find it! There are no billows but from the
+Bristol Channel, and that's mud all the way, miles and miles up;--pretty
+shores for a beryl to be _rolled_ on. Besides, now, what man of common
+sense would talk of rolling a bit of a thing, not half so big as a
+nutmeg, and that upon mud, in which it would sink like a bullet? _He_
+would have said 'washed ashore;' but I'll tell you what it was: I
+understand Milton was blind, and his daughters wrote what he dictated:
+they say, too, he had a good deal of knowledge of things, and, without
+doubt, knew very well the trade of the Bristol Channel, and from the
+Severn into the Avon; and certainly meant '_barrel_ and the golden ore,'
+and this word suggested the precious ornament which most women like to
+think of, and as she, his daughter, minced it in her own mouth, a beryl
+dropped from her pen. Now, only consider what was the great trade in
+those parts; the West India and the African trade were both at their
+height, and didn't one bring _barrels_ of sugar, and the other gold
+dust--what can be clearer? There you see how proper the word _rolling_
+is, for you must have often seen them rolling their _barrels_ from their
+ships upon planks, and so on their quays; and the golden ore speaks for
+itself, as plain as can be, gold dust; and there you have a reading that
+agrees with fact. I don't exactly know _when_ Milton wrote; but I dare
+say it was at the very time of that notorious merchandize; and don't you
+think, sir, that the next edition of Milton ought to have this
+alteration? I do. I forgot to say that the gold dust came over in little
+barrels too; for no man in his senses would have thought of rolling or
+washing dust ashore, excepting in a keg or barrel, and so it was, I make
+no doubt."
+
+I perfectly assented to every thing he said, Eusebius, by which happy
+concession on my part, having no food for an obstinate discussion, he
+soon withdrew. I sat awhile thinking, and now write to you. At least
+make a marginal note in your Milton of this criticism; and when
+posterity shall discover it, and forget that _Comus_ was written when
+Milton was a young man, and had no daughters to write for him, then it
+will be adopted, and admired as a specimen of the critical acumen of the
+great and learned Eusebius.
+
+It reminds me to tell you, that being the other day at the sea-side, and
+wanting a Horace, I borrowed one from a student of Cambridge. It was a
+Paris edition. I never should have dreamed of seeing an expurgated or
+emasculated edition from French quarters; but so it was. I looked for
+that beautiful little piece, the quarrel between Lydia and Horace. It
+was not there.
+
+  "Donec gratus eram tibi,
+  Nec quisquam potior brachia candide
+  Cervici juvenis dabat."
+
+I suppose the offence lay in these lines, which appear no worse than
+that old song, (the lovers' quarrel too,)
+
+  "I've kiss'd and I've prattled with fifty fair maids."
+
+An American lady must not be shocked with the word _leg_, and we are
+told they put flounces upon those pedestals of pianofortes; but that a
+lover throwing his arms around his mistress's neck should offend a
+Frenchman, is an outrageous prudery from a very unexpected quarter. We
+can imagine a scholar tutored to this affected purity, who should escape
+from it, and plunge into the opposite immoralities of our modern French
+novels, like him
+
+  "Qui frigidus AEtnam
+  Insiluit."
+
+  "Plunged cold into AEtnean fires."
+
+There were many emendations, most of which I forget; but I could not
+help laughing at an absurdity in the following ode:--
+
+  "Vixi puellis nuper idoneus."
+
+The word _puellis_ is altered to _choreis_, which nevertheless, as a
+mark of absurdity, ought to be supposed to contain the _puellis_; for to
+say,
+
+  "I lately lived for dances fit,"
+
+surely implies that the sayer had some one to dance with; or is there
+any dancing sect of men in France so devoted to celibacy that they will
+only dance with each other? We are certainly improved in this country,
+where it should seem that once a not unsimilar practice was compulsory
+upon the benchers, as will be seen from the following quotation from
+_The Revels at Lincoln's Inn_:--
+
+"The exercise of dancing was thought necessary, and much conducing to
+the making of gentlemen, more fit for their books at other times; for by
+an order (_ex Registro Hosp. sine._ vol. 71, 438 C) made 6th February, 7
+Jac., it appears that the under barristers were, by decimation, put out
+of Commons for example sake, because the whole bar offended by not
+dancing on Candlemas-day preceding, according to the ancient order of
+this Society, when the judges were present; with this, that if the like
+fault was committed afterwards, they should be fined or disbarred."--(D,
+_Revels at Lincoln's Inn_, p. 15.) Eusebius, you would go on a
+pilgrimage, with unboiled peas, to Pump Court or more favourable
+locality, for these little "brief authorities."
+
+  "To see how like are courts of law to fairs,
+  The dancing barristers to dancing bears;
+  Both suck their paws indulgent to their griefs,
+  These lacking provender, those lacking briefs."
+
+Shame to him who does not agree with our own delightful Robert Burns, of
+glorious memory, who "dearly lo'ed the lasses O!" So only "Let the merry
+dance go round."
+
+And now, as the dancers are off the stage, and it is the more proper
+time for gravity and decorum, I feel that irresistible desire to be as
+wicked as possible--a desire which I have heard you say tormented you in
+your childhood; for, whenever you were admonished to be remarkably good,
+you were invariably remarkably bad. So I yield to the temptation, and
+voluntarily, and with "malice prepense" throw myself into the wickedness
+of translating (somewhat modernizing I own) the "Tabooed" ode, in
+defiance of, and purposely to offend, the Parisian, or other editor or
+editors, who shall ever show themselves such incomparable ninnies as to
+omit that or any other ode of Horace. Accept the following.
+
+  "Vixi puellis nuper idoneus."
+
+  CARMEN, 26, lib. iii.
+
+  For maiden's love I once was fit,
+  But now those fields of warfare quit,
+  With all my boast, content to sit
+      In easy-chair;
+  And here lay by (a lover's lances)
+  All poems, novels, and romances.
+  Ah! well a-day! such idle fancies
+      I well might spare.
+
+  There--on that shelf, behind the door,--
+  By all those works of Hannah More
+  And Bishop Porteus--Let a score
+      Of lectures guard them;
+  Take Bulwer, Moore, and Sand, and Sue,
+  The Mysteries, and the Wandering Jew;
+  May he who gives to all their due,
+      The Deil, reward them.
+
+  And Venus, if thou hast, as whilom,
+  For parted lovers an asylum,
+  To punish or to reconcile 'em,
+      Take Chloe to it;
+  And lift, if thou hast heart of flint,
+  Thy lash, and her fair skin imprint--
+  But ah! forbear--or, take the hint,
+      And let me do it.
+
+Not a word, Eusebius, I know what you are going to say,--no shame at
+all. You have all your life acquitted Horace; and if he never intended
+Chloe to have a whipping, you may be quite sure the little turn that I
+have ventured to give the affair, won't bear that construction; and
+there will be no occasion to ask the dimensions of the rod, as the
+ladies at the assize-town did of Judge Buller, requesting of him, with
+their compliments, to send them the measure of his thumb.
+
+Why should I not attempt this rejected ode? Here goes for the honour of
+Lydia. "Kiss and be friends" be ever the motto to lovers' quarrels.
+
+  _"Donec gratus eram tibi."_
+
+
+  HORACE.
+  When I was all in all to you,
+    Nor yet more favour'd youthful minion
+  His arms around your fair neck threw;
+  Not Persia's boasted monarch knew
+    More bless'd a state, more large dominion.
+
+  LYDIA.
+  And whilst you loved but only me,
+    Nor then _your_ Lydia stood the second,
+  And Chloe first, in love's degree;
+  I thought myself a queen to be,
+    Nor greater Roman Ilia reckon'd.
+
+  HORACE.
+  Now Cretan Chloe rules me quite;
+    Skill'd in the lyre and every measure,
+  For whom I'd die this very night,
+  If but the Fates, in death's despite,
+    Would Chloe spare, my soul's best treasure.
+
+  LYDIA.
+  Me Calaeis, Ornytus' young heir!
+    (The flame is mutual _we_ discover,)
+  For whom to die _two_ deaths I'd dare,
+  If the stern Fates would only spare,
+    And _he could_ live, my youthful lover.
+
+  HORACE.
+  What--if our former love restore
+    Our bonds, too firm for aught to sever,--
+  I shake off Chloe; and the door
+  To Lydia open flies once more;
+    Returning Lydia, and for ever.
+
+  LYDIA.
+  He, though a beauteous star--you light
+    As cork, and rough as stormy weather,
+  That vexes Adria's raging might,
+  With you to live were my delight,
+    And willing should we die together.
+
+So this is the offending ode! Was the proposition to be constant not
+quite agreeable to the French editor? Or was he in Horace's probable
+condition, getting a little up in years? See you, it is a youthful
+rival, Juvenis, who troubles him. And Lydia takes care to throw in this
+ingredient, the "sweet age." He is not _old_ Ornytus--a hint of
+comparison with Horace himself--but his son; indeed, he is hardly
+Juvenis, for she soon calls him her dear boy, as much as to say, "_You_
+are old enough to be his father!" She carries out this idea, too,
+seeming to say, "You may love Chloe--I dare say you do; but, does Chloe
+love you? Whereas _our_ passion is mutual."
+
+Our poet, delightful and wise as he generally is, was not wise to match
+his wit against that of a woman, and an offended beauty. How miserably
+he comes off in every encounter! He would die, forsooth! once--she would
+die twice over! There is a hit in his very liver! And as to the
+survivorship of Chloe, that she suggests, considering their ages, might
+be very natural--but she doubts if her youth _could_ survive should
+_she_ die; though she even came to life again, a second time to die, it
+would be of no use. What could the foolish poet do after that?
+Nothing--but make up the quarrel in the best way he might. He drops his
+ears, is a little sulky still--most men are so in these affairs--seldom
+generous in love. To pretend to be so is only to encroach on woman's
+sweet and noble prerogative, and to assume her great virtue. No man
+could keep it up long; he would naturally fall into his virile sulks. So
+Horace does not at once open his arms that his Lydia may fall into
+them--but stands hesitatingly, rather foolish, his hands behind him, and
+puts forward the supposition _If_--that graceless peace-maker. Lydia, on
+the contrary--all love, all generosity, is in his arms at once; for he
+must at the moment bring them forward, whether he will for love or no,
+or Lydia would fall. It is now she looks into his very eyes, and only
+playfully, as quizzing his jealousy, reminds him of her Calaeis, her star
+of beauty; thus sweetly reproving and as sweetly forgiving the temper of
+her Horace--for he is her Horace still--and who can wonder at that? She
+will bear with all--will live, will die with him. I look, Eusebius, upon
+this ode as a real consolation to your lovers of an ambiguous and
+querulous age. Seeing what we are daily becoming, it is a comfort to
+think that, should such untoward persons make themselves disagreeable to
+all else of human kind, there will be, nevertheless, to each, one
+confiding loving creature, to put them in conceit with themselves, and
+make them, notwithstanding their many perversities, believe that they
+are unoffending male angels, and die in the bewildering fancy that they
+are still loveable.
+
+I have little more to say, but that, having been lately in a versifying
+mood, I have set to rhyme your story of the cook and the lottery ticket;
+and herein I have avoided that malicious propensity of our numerous
+tellers of stories, whose only pleasure, as it appears to me, lies in
+the plunging the heroes and heroines of their tales into inextricable
+troubles and difficulties, and in continuing them in a state of
+perplexity beyond the power of human sufferance; and who slur over their
+unexpected, and generally ill-contrived escape, as a matter of small
+importance; and with an envy of human happiness, like the fiend who sat
+scowling on the bliss of Eden, either leave them with sinister
+intentions, or absolutely drive them out of the Paradise which they have
+so lately prepared for them.
+
+I have lately been reading a very interesting, well conceived in many
+respects, and pathetic novel, which, nevertheless, errs in this; and I
+even think the pathos is injured by the last page, which is too painful
+for _tenderness_, which appears the object of the able author. A
+monumental effigy is but the mockery of all life's doings, which are
+thus, with their sorrows and their joys, rendered nugatory; and all that
+we have been reading, and are interested about, is unnecessarily
+presented to us as dust and ashes. Such is the tale of Mount Sorrel.
+
+Perhaps, too, I might say of this, and of other novels of the same kind,
+that there is in them an unhealthy egotism; a Byronism of personal
+feelings; an ingenious invention of labyrinth meandering into the mazes
+of the mind and of the affections, in which there is always
+bewilderment, and the escape is rather lucky than foreseen. Such was not
+the mode adopted heretofore by more vigorous writers, who preferred
+exhibiting the passions by action, and a few simple touches, which came
+at once to the heart, without the necessity of unravelling the mismazes
+of their course. If Achilles had made a long speech in Elysium about his
+feelings, and attempted to describe them, when his question, if his son
+excelled in glory, was happily answered, we should have thought less of
+him for his egotism, and had much less perfect knowledge of the real
+man's heart and soul. Homer simply tells us, that he walked away, with
+great strides, greatly rejoicing. I can remember, at this moment, but
+one tale in which this style of descriptive searchings into the feelings
+is altogether justifiable--Godwin's "_Caleb Williams_;" for there the
+ever instant terror, varying by the natural activity and ingenuity of
+the mind, which, upon the one pressing point, feverishly hurries into
+new, and all possible channels of thought, requires this pervading
+absolutism. It is the Erynnis of a bygone creed, in a renovated form of
+persecuting fatalism, brought to sport with the daily incidents and
+characters of modern life.
+
+I do not wish to be tempted by this course of thought into lengthened
+criticism; which I should not have touched upon, had I not thought it
+proper to tell you that I have added a conclusion to your tale. Ever
+wishing a continuation of the happiness of two human beings, beyond that
+location in the story, where most spiteful authors leave them, the
+Church door.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I have been reading, too, over again two of Sir Walter Scott's novels,
+"Guy Mannering" and "Ivanhoe." How different they are, both in design
+and execution! The former, in all respects perfect--the latter, in
+design common-place, and but little enlarged from the old ballad tales
+of Robin Hood, and histories of the Crusaders; very slovenly in diction,
+and lengthened out by tiresome repetitions; the same things being told
+in protracted dialogues which had been previously narrated in the
+historic course. Then there are very ill-timed interruptions, and
+wearisome disquisitions, just where they should not be. Yet are there
+passages of perfect excellence, that prove the master-hand of the
+author. The novel of "Ivanhoe" seems to resemble some of those plays
+which, though doubtful, are called Shakspeare's, because it is evident
+that the master-hand has passed over them, and left touches both of
+thought and character which justify the position which they enjoy.
+Rebecca is all in all. The other characters somewhat fail to interest.
+Ivanhoe himself says but little, and is in fact not much developed. We
+are disgusted, and unnecessarily, at every turn with Athelstane--there
+was no occasion for making him this degraded glutton. It seems a clumsy
+contrivance to break off his marriage with Rowena; and surely the boast
+of his eating propensities, when he shows himself to his astonished
+mourners escaped from the death and tomb prepared for him, is unnatural,
+and throws a contempt and ridicule over the whole scene. Richard and
+Robin Hood (or Locksley) are not characters of Sir Walter's
+creation--Richard is, we may suppose, truly portrayed. My friend S----,
+Eusebius, who, while I was suffering under influenza, read these novels
+out to me, was offended at a little passage towards the end, where the
+author steps out of the action of his dramatic piece, to tell you that
+King Richard did not live to fulfil the benevolent promises he had a
+line or two before been making; and I entirely agree with S----, and
+felt the unseemly and untimely intelligence as he read it. This would
+scarcely be justifiable in a note, but in the body of the work it shocks
+as a plague-spot on the complexion of health. This practice, too common
+in novelists, especially the "historical," becoming their own marplots,
+deserves censure. To borrow from another art, it is like marring a
+composition, by an uncomfortable line or two running out of the picture,
+and destroying the completeness. I know not if that fine scene, perhaps
+the most masterly in Ivanhoe, has ever been painted, where, after the
+defeat of De Bois-Guilbert, and after that Richard had broken in upon
+the court, the Grand Master draws off in the repose of stern submission
+his haughty Knights Templars. The slow procession finely contrasts with
+the taunting violence of Richard; and what a background is offered to
+the painter--the variously moved multitude, the rescued Rebecca, and the
+dead (though scarcely defeated) Templar!
+
+Sir Walter, although an antiquarian, was not perhaps aware that he was
+somewhat out in his chronology in connecting Robin Hood and his men with
+Richard the First. It is made very clear in an able essay in the
+_Westminster Review_, that Robin Hood's name and fame did not commence
+till after the defeat of Simon de Montfort in the battle of Evesham. In
+fact, Robin Hood was more of a political outlaw--one of the outlawed,
+after that defeat, than a mere sylvan robber. Sir Walter Scott has taken
+advantage of the general belief, gathered from many of our old ballads,
+in an intercourse between Robin Hood and England's king. But according
+to the oldest of the ballads, (or rather poems, for it is too long for a
+ballad, and composed of many parts,) _The Lyttel Geste of Robin Hood_,
+this king of England was Edward the First; so that the existence of the
+"bold outlaw" is antedated by the author of _Ivanhoe_ upwards of seventy
+years. This, however, does not affect the story, excepting to those who
+entertain the fond fancy, that when they read an historical novel they
+read history.[1] Do you wonder, Eusebius, at my chronological learning?
+You well may; it must appear to you a very unexpected commodity. The
+truth is, my attention has been directed to this very matter by my
+antiquarian friend M'Gutch of Worcester, who not only pointed out to me
+the essay in the _Westminster_, but, finding my curiosity excited, sent
+me many of the ballads, Robin Hood's garlands, and _The Lyttel Geste_,
+together with an able introduction of his own to a new edition of the
+collection he is about to produce, with which you will be delighted, and
+learn all that is to be known; and it is more than you would expect to
+meet with about this "gentle robber."
+
+S----, to whom I read the foregoing remarks on _Ivanhoe_, said, I ought
+to do penance for the criticism. I left the penance to his choice; and,
+like a true friend, he imposed a pleasure; I do not say, Eusebius, that
+if left to myself I should have been a Franciscan. He took up _Marmion_,
+and read it from beginning to end. It is indeed a noble poem. Will not
+the day come, when Sir Walter's poems will be more read than his novels,
+good though they be?
+
+In his poetry Scott always reminds me of Homer. There is the same energy
+ever working to the one simple purpose--the same spontaneity and belief
+in its own tale; and diversity of character for relief's sake is common
+to both. In reading Homer we must discard all our school notions; we
+began to read with difficulty; the task was a task, though it was true
+we warmed in it--the thread was broken a thousand times; and we too
+often pictured to ourselves the old bard in his gravity of beard and
+age--not in that vigour, that freshness of manhood, which is conspicuous
+in both poems, at whatever age they were composed.
+
+I have had the curiosity, Eusebius, to enquire of very many real
+scholars, who have professed to keep up their Greek after leaving the
+universities, if they have re-read Homer in Greek, and almost all have
+confessed that they had not. They read him in Pope and Cowper. Let them
+read him offhand, and fluently, continuously, as they do _Marmion_, or
+the _Lay of the Last Minstrel_, and I cannot but think they will be
+struck with the Homeric resemblance in the poems of Sir Walter Scott.
+Both great poets had, too, the same relish for natural scenery, the same
+close observation; did we not pass over such passages lightly, we
+should, I am persuaded, find in both the same nice discriminations in
+characters of outward scenes, that we do in those of men. In both there
+is the same kind of secret predominance of female character the same
+delicacy, tenderness, (a wondrous thing in the age of Homer, or rather,
+perhaps, showing we know nothing about that age, not even so much as we
+do about those ages which we choose to call dark.) It must, however, be
+noted, that Sir Walter Scott has limited himself to more confined
+fields. There is not the same room for genius to work in--the production
+is, therefore, in degree less varied, and less complete; but is there
+not a likeness in kind? Is it too bold, is it merely fanciful, Eusebius,
+to say, too, that there is a something not dissimilar in the measures
+adopted by these ancient and modern poets. Homer possibly had no choice;
+but in the hexameter there is the greatest versative power. How
+different, for instance, are the first lines of the "Tale of Troy
+Divine," and the more familiar adventures of Ulysses. The _ad libitum_
+alternation of dactyl and spondee make the lively or the grave; and the
+whole metrical glow is all life and action, without hitch or hindrance.
+
+Our heroic measure is at once too long and too short--for, take the
+caesura as a division of the line, (and what is it if not that?) and the
+latter part of the line is too short for any effective power--a fault
+that does not exist in the Greek hexameter. Without the caesura, or with
+a very slight attention to it, the line is too long, and made tiresome
+by the monotony which the necessary pause of the rhyme imposes. Besides,
+how do we know, after all, that the Greeks did not read their one
+hexameter like two lines, with a decided pause at the caesura, with the
+additional grace of the short syllable at its end often passing the
+voice into the second part, or, as we may call it in the argument, the
+second line? Try, Eusebius; read off a dozen lines any where in Homer
+with this view, and tell me what you think of the _possible_ short
+measure of Homer. It is true our measures are of the iambic character,
+which Horace says is the fittest for action--and therefore, in the
+Greek, the dramatic. The trimeter iambic is a foot longer than our
+heroic measure. But then it has the double ictus; and, as the word
+implies, is divisible into three parts, thus giving a quickness and
+shortness where wanted. Take away, however, the first caesura, rest only
+on the second, (and then you have exactly one short measure, that of
+"Marmion,") and how superfluous the last division of the trimeter
+appears! as weak and ineffective as the latter part of our long measure,
+if we read it as wanting the additional foot of the hexameter. For
+example,
+
+"[Greek: o techna tho palou]"--
+
+There is the measure of Scott--the Greek iambic, however, is lengthened
+by two feet--[Greek: nea trophe]; so that to the Greek the three ictuses
+(at least to English ears, accustomed to our short measure) are
+necessary. That this short measure wants not power in any respect,
+_Marmion_ alone sufficiently shows. I, however, wished only to show that
+it had something of an Homeric character; and the facility with which
+you can read the hexameter of Homer as two lines, you will, perhaps,
+more than suspect, tends to confirm this opinion. I think, somewhere,
+Sir Walter Scott recommends the translating Homer into short
+measure--you forget, perhaps, my making the trial upon the two first
+books of the Odyssey which I sent to you, and you returned, _condemned_;
+although, to tell you the truth, I was not displeased with my attempt,
+and expected your flattering commendation, and would even now deceive
+myself into a belief that you were not prepared for the novelty. Admire
+the candour that proclaims the failure. It is enough that Eusebius
+admitted my other Homeric translations.
+
+You will easily detect that this letter is written at intervals. I told
+you what a kind reader I have found in S----, during my indulgence in
+the luxurious indolence for which influenza apologizes, and a growing
+convalescence renders a pleasing hypocrisy. He has been repeating, from
+memory, some lines of his favourite Collins. I remembered them not. He
+could not put his hand on an edition of Collins, but referred to the
+"Elegant Extracts," and could not find his admired stanza. He remembered
+reading it in "The Speaker." The lines are in the Ode to "Evening." In
+the "Elegant Extracts" we have--
+
+  "Then let me rove some wild and heathy scene,
+  Or find some ruin 'midst its dreary dells,
+    Whose walls more awful nod
+    By thy religious gleams."
+
+These lines are substituted for the better lines--
+
+  "Then lead, dear votress, where some sheety lake
+  Cheers the lone heath, or some time-hallow'd pile,
+    Or upland fallows grey
+    Reflect the last cool gleam."
+
+Why should this beautiful stanza be lost? Is the substitute to be
+compared with it? Ask the landscape painter! He will admire the one--he
+will enjoy the other. Who substituted the one for the other? Did Collins
+write both, and was dubious which should stand; or do you discover the
+hand of an audacious emendator? Who would lose the sheety lake in which
+nothing is reflected but evening's own sky, and the "upland fallows
+grey," and the last _cool_ gleam!
+
+Odious, odious politics! While I am writing, there is an interruption, a
+sad interruption, to thoughts of poetry and snatches of criticism. It is
+like a sudden nightmare upon pleasant and shifting dreams. Here are
+three visitors new from reading Sir Robert Peel's speech. Two very
+indignant--one a timid character--apologetic. What, cries one--a
+statesman so egotistical and absolute in his vanity, as, at such a time
+as the present, to throw the many interests of this great country into
+peril, and some into sure difficulty, lest, as he himself confesses, he
+should be thought to have borrowed on Lord John Russell? What business
+has a statesman to think of himself at all? It is frightful, said
+another. There are two astounding things--one, that a minister should
+suddenly turn round upon the principles and the party who brought him
+into power upon them, confessing he had been changing his opinion three
+years, and yet last July he should have spoken against the measure
+which, at the time of speaking, in his heart he favoured, and which he
+now forces upon a reluctant Parliament; the other astounding thing is,
+that a Parliament created to oppose this very measure, should show such
+entire subserviency as to promise a large majority to the minister. May
+we not expect one who so changes may suddenly some day join O'Connell
+and grant Repeal? We are to be governed by a minister, not by King,
+Lords, and Commons. The apologetic man urges expediency, public
+(assumed) opinion--any thing for peace sake, and to get rid of
+agitation. So, to avoid agitation, Eusebius, I scrambled up my papers
+and this letter to you, and left the room; and now, in one more quiet,
+resume my pen. With a mind not a little confused between politics,
+poetry, and classical reminiscences, I, however, rested a while to give
+scope to reflection; and meditation upon this "corn question," brought
+to mind the practical advice of the tyrant of Syracuse to Periander, to
+get rid of his aristocracy, which was shown by the action of cutting off
+the heads of the grain that grew highest in the field. A tyranny was the
+result, (not in the Greek sense of the word,) and it matters little
+whence the tyranny comes. With this idea prevalent, I looked for a copy
+of a Greek MS., taken from a palimpsest discovered in the Ambrosian
+library, and sat down to translate it for you--you may have the Greek
+when you like. In the meanwhile, be content with the following version
+of the apologue, and be not too critical.
+
+
+THE STORY OF PERIANDER.
+
+"When Periander had now reigned some years at Corinth, the Tyrant of
+Syracuse sent thither an ambassador, a man of great penetration, to
+enquire how the maxims of government, in which he had instructed him,
+had answered.
+
+"The ambassador found Periander in the midst of his courtiers. After
+receiving him in such manner as it became him to receive a messenger
+from so excellent a friend, from whom he had obtained the best advice,
+and after hearing the object of his embassy:--'See,' said Periander, 'to
+what degree I have prospered. These gentlemen,' pointing to his
+courtiers, 'have been telling me that my people, and the universal
+opinion of mankind, enrol me one of the seven wise men of Greece.'
+
+"'Indeed!!!' quoth the ambassador; 'that will delight the king, my
+master, exceedingly; who will, without doubt, enquire if I have seen
+with my own eyes the happiness of a people who are so fortunate, and are
+possessed of so sound a judgment. As yet, I have seen none but those who
+immediately conducted me hither.'
+
+"'We will take a short circuit,' said Periander, 'and these gentlemen
+shall accompany us, and we shall see if what they report be true,'
+looking a little suspiciously at his courtiers, as if to say, 'I verily
+think you are but flattering knaves.'
+
+"As they passed through the great hall, the officers of state, and the
+officers of the household, shouted, 'There are but seven wise men, and
+Periander is the wisest.'
+
+"Periander, the ambassador, and the courtiers, soon left the vestibule,
+and found themselves in the streets of Corinth. Not a citizen was to be
+seen. On, and on they went--and still no one was in sight. 'Your
+majesty's subjects are somewhat more scarce than they were wont to be,'
+said the ambassador of Syracuse. Periander bit his lips. On, and on they
+went--and still no one was to be seen--till, turning the corner of
+another street, they saw, for an instant only, the backs of a few
+people, who suddenly disappeared into their houses, and a fierce dog
+flew out upon them, barking furiously, and would have bitten Periander
+by the leg had he not been rescued by the ambassador.
+
+"'Am I to tell my lord the King of Syracuse,' said the ambassador, 'that
+I have seen one class of your majesty's subjects, and heard their
+opinion?' Periander knit his brows, and looked daggers at his courtiers.
+
+"They went on a little further, when a laden ass, whose owner had fled,
+stood directly in their way. The ass put out his ugly head and brayed in
+the very face of Periander.
+
+"'Do I hear,' said the ambassador, 'the voice of another class of your
+majesty's subjects?'
+
+"Periander now could not forbear smiling, as he struck the ass, who
+kicked at him as he beat him out of the path.
+
+"Well! they went on still a little further, and had now reached the
+suburbs, where they met a boy driving a flock of geese and goslings into
+a pond. The boy, as all the rest had done, fled.
+
+"But the big gander, as they approached, waddled up with extended wings
+to Periander, and hissed at him.
+
+"'The voice of your people,' said the ambassador, 'is indeed unanimous.'
+
+"'At least,' said Periander, 'I will show my wisdom here, by roasting
+that fellow and eating him for supper.' Whereupon one of his courtiers,
+who, in matters of this kind take slight hints for mandates, ran the
+poor gander through the body; and Periander, in reward he said for so
+brave an action, bade him throw the creature round his neck[2] as a
+trophy, and carry him home for supper.
+
+"But by this time the old goose, too, fearing for her goslings, came
+furiously upon Periander, and flapping and beating him with her wings,
+put him into a sad straight. On this occasion one of his courtiers came
+to his rescue, and he escaped; and seeing what a ridiculous figure he
+made, leaned against a wall, and burst into an immoderate fit of
+laughter.
+
+"'It is enough,' said the ambassador from the Tyrant of Syracuse; 'I am
+now enabled to inform the king, my master, of the character, manners,
+and perfect felicity of your majesty's people, from my own observation.
+That they are of three classes. The first are dogs, the second are
+asses, and the third are geese; only I perceive that the geese are the
+more numerous.'
+
+"They returned to the palace, but did not enter by the great vestibule,
+as Periander made use of a key for a private entrance, which led him
+into the interior of the building, at the end of the great hall.
+Hereupon, the officers of state, and the officers of the household who
+stood near the vestibule, waiting their return, seeing Periander, the
+ambassador, and the courtiers at the other end, hastened towards them,
+shouting as before--'There are but seven wise men, and Periander is the
+wisest.' Periander ordered them to be beaten with stripes; then,
+retiring into his private apartment with the ambassador, he conversed
+freely with him, and dismissed him with many and large presents.
+
+"The ambassador returned to Syracuse, and was immediately ordered into
+the royal presence, where he narrated, amidst the laughter of the
+courtiers, and of the Tyrant himself, the whole affair as it had
+happened. When the laughter had a little subsided, the king said, 'Let
+it be written in a book, how one of the seven wise men had wellnigh been
+beaten by a goose, who certainly had been too much for him, had not
+another come to the rescue. Truly a goose is a foolish bird, too much
+for one, but not enough for two.'"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+N.B.--Hence it will be seen that this saying is of more antiquity than
+is generally believed, and has no relation to modern gluttony, and was
+in fact a saying of the Tyrant of Syracuse, when he heard the story told
+by his ambassador. This story, which will be Greek to many, will,
+perhaps, be no Greek at all to you. In that case go yourself to the
+Ambrosian library; or, in criticising what I may send, you may be as
+unfortunate as the great scholar who unconsciously questioned the Greek
+of Pindar. But, both for the moral and Greek, I will but add--
+
+  "Verbum sat sapienti."
+
+           Dear Eusebius, ever yours,
+                                  ----.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 1: It is a dangerous thing to touch upon chronology. It is
+said of the great Duke of Marlborough, that in a conversation respecting
+the first introduction of cannon, he quoted Shakspeare to prove that it
+was in the reign of John.
+
+  "O prudent discipline from north to south,
+  Austria and France _shoot_ in each other's mouth."
+
+Yes, said his adversary, but you quote Shakspeare, not history.]
+
+[Footnote 2: Is it possible that Coleridge may have seen this apologue
+when he wrote his "Ancient Mariner," and introduced a similar incident
+of the albatross?]
+
+
+
+
+THE STUDENT OF SALAMANCA.
+
+Part VI.
+
+  A la lid, nacionales valientes!
+  Al combate a la gloria volad!
+  Guerra y muerte a tiranos y esclavos,
+  Guerra y despues habra paz!
+
+  _Himno de Valladolid._
+
+
+It still wanted an hour of daybreak, on the 16th day of July 1835, when
+the stillness, that during the previous four or five hours had reigned
+undisturbed in the quiet streets of Artajona, was broken by the clang of
+the _diana_. But a few notes of the call had issued from the brazen
+throats of bugle and trumpet, when a notable change took place in the
+appearance of the town. Lights, of which previously only a solitary one
+had here and there proceeded from the window of a guard-room, or of some
+early-rising orderly-sergeant, now glimmered in every casement; the
+streets were still empty, save of the trumpeters, who stood at the
+corners, puffing manfully at their instruments; but on all sides was
+audible a hum like that of a gigantic bee-hive, mingled with a slight
+clashing of arms, and with the neighing of numerous horses, who, as well
+as their masters, had heard and recognized the well-known sounds. Two or
+three minutes elapsed, and then doors were thrown open, and the deserted
+streets began to assume a more lively appearance. Non-commissioned
+officers, their squad-rolls in their hands, took their station in front
+of the houses where their men were billeted; in the stables, dragoons
+lighted greasy iron lamps, and, suspending them against the wall,
+commenced cleaning and saddling their horses; the shutters of the
+various wine-houses were taken down, and drowsy, nightcapped
+_taberneros_ busied themselves in distributing to innumerable applicants
+the tiny glassful of _anisado_, which, during the whole twenty-four
+hours, is generally the sole spirituous indulgence permitted himself by
+the sober Spanish soldier. A few more minutes passed; the _reveille_ had
+ceased to sound, and on the principal square of the town a strong
+military band played, with exquisite skill and unison, the beautiful and
+warlike air of the hymn of Valladolid.
+
+  "A la lid, nacionales valientes!
+  Al combate, a la gloria volad!"
+
+"To the strife, brave nationals; to the strife, and to glory!" sang many
+a soldier, the martial words of the song recalled to his memory by the
+soul-stirring melody, as, buckling on sabre or shouldering musket, he
+hurried to the appointed parade. The houses and stables were now fast
+emptying, and the streets full. The monotonous "_Uno, dos_," of the
+infantry, as they told off, was drowned in the noise of the horses' feet
+and the jingle of accoutrements of the cavalry-men clattering out of
+their stables. By the light of a few dingy lanterns, and of the stronger
+illumination proceeding from the windows, whole battalions were seen
+assembled, resting on their arms, and presently they began to move out
+of the town. Outside of Artajona, the right wing of the army, under
+command of General Gurrea, formed up, and marched away in the direction
+of Mendigorria.
+
+The sun had but just risen when this division, after driving in the
+Carlist cavalry pickets, which had been pushed up to within half a
+league of Artajona, halted and took position to the right of the
+high-road between that town and Mendigorria. The ground thus occupied is
+level, and opposite to nearly the centre of a line of low hills, which,
+after running for some distance parallel to the Arga, recedes at either
+extremity, thus forming the flattened arc of a circle, of which the
+river is the chord. Between the hills, which are inconsiderable and of
+gradual slope, and the river, runs the high-road from Puente de la Reyna
+to Larraga; and in rear of their more southerly portion, known as La
+Corona, opposite to the place where the road from Artajona passes
+through a dip or break in their continuity, are the town and bridge of
+Mendigorria. Upon these hills the Carlists, who had passed the night in
+the last-named town, now formed themselves, their main body upon the
+eastern slope, their reserves upon the western or reverse side. They
+were still bringing their masses into position, when the Christino right
+came upon the ground, and for awhile, although the distance between the
+hostile forces was not great, no shot was fired on either side. By and
+by, however, the dark figures of the Carlist guerillas were seen racing
+down the hills, the Christino skirmishers advanced to meet them, and
+soon a sharp irregular fire of musketry, and the cloud of smoke which
+spread over the middle ground between the armies, announced that the
+fight, or at least the prelude to it, had begun. This desultory sort of
+contest was of short duration. Several Carlist battalions moved forward,
+a gallant attack was made on the Christino position, and as gallantly
+repelled: commanded by a brave and skilful officer, and favoured by a
+judicious choice of ground, the Queen's troops, although opposed to
+vastly superior numbers, and without their cavalry, which had remained
+with the reserve, repulsed repeated assaults, and held their own without
+serious loss, until, towards ten o'clock, the heads of columns of the
+centre of the army, under the commander-in-chief himself, made their
+appearance from the direction of Artajona. Almost at the same time, the
+left wing, with Espartero at its head, arrived from Larraga, where it
+had slept. Some little manoeuvring took place, and then the whole
+Christino army appeared formed up, Cordova on either side of the
+high-road, Espartero on his left, nearer to the Arga, Gurrea on his
+right. By a rather singular arrangement, the whole force of cavalry,
+under General Lopez, was left in reserve, considerably in rear of the
+left wing, and at a full mile and a half from the centre; with the
+exception of one squadron, which, as well as his habitual escort, had
+accompanied General Cordova. That squadron was commanded by Luis
+Herrera.
+
+A stranger who, on the morning referred to, should, for the first time,
+have walked through the ranks of the Carlist army, would have found much
+that was curious and interesting to note. The whole disposable military
+force of what the Christinos called the Faction, was there assembled,
+and a motley crew it appeared. Had stout hearts and strong arms been as
+rare in their ranks as uniformity of garb and equipment, the struggle
+would hardly have been prolonged for four years after the date we write
+of. But it would be difficult to find in any part of Europe, perhaps of
+the world, men of more hardy frame, and better calculated to make good
+soldiers, than those composing many of the Carlist battalions. Amongst
+them the Navarrese and Guipuzcoans were pre-eminent; sinewy,
+broad-chested, narrow-flanked fellows, of prodigious activity and
+capacity for enduring fatigue. The Guipuzcoans especially, in their
+short grey frocks and red trousers, their necks bare, the shirt-collar
+turned back over their shoulders, with their bronzed faces and wiry
+mustaches, leathern belts, containing cartridges, buckled tightly round
+their waists, and long bright-barrelled muskets in their hands, were the
+very _beau-ideal_ of grenadiers. Beside these, the Biscayans and some of
+the Castilians, undersized and unsoldierly-looking, showed to much
+disadvantage. Other battalions were composed in great part of Christino
+prisoners, who, having had the choice given them between death and
+service under Don Carlos, had chosen the latter, but who now seemed to
+have little stomach for a fight against their former friends. The whole
+of the Carlist cavalry, even then not very numerous, was also there. The
+grim-visaged priest Merino, ever the stanchest partisan of absolutism,
+bestrode his famous black horse, and headed a body of lancers as fierce
+and wild-looking as himself; Pascual Real, the dashing major of
+Ferdinand's guard, who in former days, when he took his afternoon ride
+in the Madrid prado, drew all eyes upon him by the elegance of his
+horsemanship, marshalled the Alavese hussars; and, in a third place,
+some squadrons of Navarrese, who had left the fat pastures of the valley
+of Echauri to be present at the expected fight, were ranged under the
+orders of the young and gallant Manolin.
+
+But whoever had the opportunity of observing the Carlist army on that
+day and a month previously, saw a mighty difference in the spirit
+pervading it. He who had been its soul, whose prestige gave confidence
+to the soldier, and whose acknowledged superiority of talent prevented
+rivalry amongst the chiefs, was now no more; his death had been followed
+by a reverse, the only really serious one the Carlists had yet
+encountered, and dissension was already springing up amongst the
+followers of the Pretender. Intrigue was at work, rival interests were
+brought into play; there was no longer amongst the officers that unity
+of purpose which alone could have given the cause a chance of success;
+nor amongst the men that unbounded confidence in their leader, which on
+so many occasions had rendered them invincible. The spring of '35 had
+been a season of triumph for the Carlists; the summer was to be one of
+disasters.
+
+Subsequent events sufficiently proved that Cordova was not the man to
+command an army. Diplomacy was his forte; and he might also, as a
+general, claim some merit for combinations in the cabinet. It was during
+his command that the plan was formed for enclosing the Carlists within
+certain fortified limits, in hopes that they would exhaust the resources
+of the country, and with a view to preserve other provinces from the
+contagion of Carlism.[3] Great credit was given him for this scheme,
+which was carried out after many severe fights, and at great expense of
+life; but neither of the advantages expected from it was ever realized.
+In the field, Cordova was not efficient; he lacked resource and
+promptitude; and the command of a division was the very utmost to which
+his military talents entitled him to aspire. As before mentioned,
+however, his confidence and pretensions were unbounded, his partisans
+numerous, and the event of this day's fight was such as greatly to
+increase the former, and raise the admiration of the latter.
+
+It was eleven o'clock before the two armies were drawn up opposite to
+each other in order of battle, and even then neither party seemed
+inclined immediately to assume the offensive. Clouds of skirmishers were
+thrown out along the whole line, bodies of troops advanced to support
+them, the artillery began to thunder, but still a fight was for a short
+time avoided, and, like wary chess-players at the commencement of a
+game, the two generals contented themselves with manoeuvres.
+Presently, however, from the Carlist centre a column of cavalry
+advanced, and forming front, charged a regiment of the royal guard, the
+foremost of Cordova's division. The guards were broken, and suffered
+considerably; those who escaped the sabres and lances of the horsemen
+being driven back, some to the centre and some upon the left wing. The
+cavalry seemed, for a moment, disposed to push their advantage; but the
+steady fire with which they were received by several squares of
+infantry, thinned their ranks, and, in their turn, they retreated in
+disorder. They had scarcely rejoined the main body when the advance was
+sounded along the whole Christino line, and the army moved forward to a
+general charge. At first the Carlists stood firm, and opened a
+tremendous fire upon the advancing line, but the gaps that it caused
+were speedily filled up; the Christinos poured in one deadly volley,
+gave a fierce cheer, and rushed on with the bayonet. The Carlists
+wavered, their whole army staggered to and fro; first companies, then
+battalions disbanded themselves, and pressed in confusion to the rear,
+and at last the entire line gave way; and the numerous host, seized with
+a panic, commenced a hasty and tumultuous retreat. The reserves on the
+opposite side of the hill were broken by the stream of fugitives that
+came pouring down upon them; the cavalry, who endeavoured to make a
+stand, were thrown into disorder, and pushed out of their ranks in the
+same manner. In vain did the Carlist officers exert themselves to
+restore order--imploring, threatening, even cutting at the soldiers with
+their swords. Here and there a battalion or two were prevailed upon to
+turn against the foe; but such isolated efforts could do little to
+restore the fortune of the day. The triumphant tide of the Christinos
+rolled ever forwards; the plunging fire of their artillery carried
+destruction into the ranks of the discomfited Carlists; the rattling
+volleys of small-arms, the clash of bayonets, the exulting shouts of the
+victors, the cries of anguish of the wounded, mingled in deafening
+discord. Amidst this confusion, a whole battalion of Carlists, the third
+of Castile, formed originally of Christino prisoners, finding
+themselves about to be charged by a battalion of the guard, reversed
+their muskets, and shouting "Viva Isabel!" ranged themselves under the
+banners to which they had formerly belonged, taking with them as
+prisoners such of their officers as did not choose to follow their
+example. Generals Villareal and Sagastibelza, two of the bravest and
+most respected of the Carlist leaders, were severely wounded whilst
+striving to restore order, and inspire their broken troops with fresh
+courage. Many other officers of rank fell dead upon the field while
+similarly engaged; the panic was universal, and the day irretrievably
+lost.
+
+"The cavalry! the cavalry!" exclaimed a young man, who now pressed
+forward into the _melee_. He wore a long, loose civilian's coat, a small
+oilskin-covered forage cap, and had for his sole military insignia an
+embroidered sword-belt, sustaining the gilt scabbard of the sabre that
+flashed in his hand. His countenance was pale and rather sickly-looking,
+his complexion fairer than is usual amongst Spaniards; a large silk
+cravat was rolled round his neck, and reached nearly to his ears,
+concealing, it was said, the ravages of disease. His charger was of
+surpassing beauty; a plumed and glittering staff rode around him; behind
+came a numerous escort.
+
+"The cavalry! the cavalry!" repeated Cordova, for he it was. "Where is
+Lopez and the cavalry?"
+
+But, save his own escort and Herrera's squadron, no cavalry was
+forthcoming. Lopez remained unpardonably inactive, for want of orders,
+as he afterwards said; but, under the circumstances, this was hardly an
+extenuation. The position of the Carlists had been, in the first
+instance, from the nature of the ground, scarcely attackable by horse,
+at least with any prospect of advantage; but now the want of that arm
+was great and obvious. Cordova's conduct in leaving his squadrons so far
+in the rear, seems, at any rate, inexplicable. It was by unaccountable
+blunders of this sort, that he and others of the Christino generals drew
+upon themselves imputations of lukewarmness, and even of treachery.
+
+An aide-de-camp galloped up to Herrera, whose squadron had been
+stationed with the reserve of the centre. His horse, an
+Isabella-coloured Andalusian, with silver mane and tail, of the kind
+called in Spain _Perla_, was soaked with sweat and grey with foam. The
+rider was a very young man, with large fiery black eyes, thin and
+martially-expressive features, and a small mustache shading his upper
+lip. He was a marquis, of one of the noblest families in Spain. He
+seemed half mad with excitement.
+
+"Forward with your squadron!" shouted he, as soon as he came within
+earshot. The word was welcome to Herrera.
+
+"Left wheel! forward! gallop!"
+
+And, with the aide-de-camp at his side, he led his squadron along the
+road to Mendigorria, which intersects the hills whence the Carlists were
+now being driven. They had nearly reached the level ground on the other
+side, when they came in sight of several companies of infantry, who made
+a desperate stand. Their colonel, a Navarrese of almost gigantic
+stature--his sword, which had been broken in the middle, clutched firmly
+in his hand, his face streaming with blood from a slash across the
+forehead, his left arm hanging by his side, disabled by a severe
+wound--stood in front of his men, who had just repulsed the attack of
+some Christino infantry. On perceiving the cavalry, however, they showed
+symptoms of wavering.
+
+"Steady!" roared the colonel, knitting his bleeding brow. "The first man
+who moves dies by my hand!"
+
+In spite of the menace, two or three men ventured to steal away, and
+endeavoured to leave the road unobserved. The colonel sprang like a
+tiger upon one of them.
+
+"_Cobarde! muera!_" cried the frantic Carlist, cleaving the offender to
+the eyes with the fragment of his sword. The terrible example had its
+effect; the men stood firm for a moment, and opened a well-aimed fire on
+the advancing cavalry.
+
+"_Jesus Cristo!_" exclaimed the young aide-de-camp. Herrera looked at
+him. His features were convulsed with pain. One more name which he
+uttered--it was that of a woman--reached Herrera's ears, and then he
+fell from his saddle to the earth; and the dragoons, unable to turn
+aside, trampled him under foot. There was no time for reflection.
+"Forward! forward!" was the cry, and the horsemen entered the smoke. On
+the right of the Carlists, in front, stood their dauntless colonel,
+waving his broken sabre, and shouting defiance. Firm as a rock he
+awaited the cavalry. Struck by his gallantry, Herrera wished to spare
+his life.
+
+"_Rinde te!_" he cried; "yield!"
+
+"_Jode te!_" was the coarse but energetic reply of the Carlist, as he
+dealt a blow which Herrera with difficulty parried. At the same moment a
+lance-thrust overthrew him. There were a few shouts of rage, a few cries
+for mercy; here and there a bayonet grated against a sabre, but there
+was scarcely a check in the speed; such of the infantry as stood to
+receive the charge were ridden over, and Herrera and his squadron swept
+onwards towards the bridge of Mendigorria.
+
+Now it was that the Carlists felt the consequences of that enormous
+blunder in the choice of a position, which, either through ignorance or
+over confidence, their generals had committed. With the Arga flowing
+immediately in their rear, not only was there no chance of rallying
+them, but their retreat was greatly embarrassed. One portion of the
+broken troops made for the bridge, and thronged over it in the wildest
+confusion, choking up the avenue by their numbers; others rushed to the
+fords higher up the stream, and dashing into the water, some of them,
+ignorant of the shallow places, were drowned in the attempt to cross.
+Had the Christino cavalry been on the field when the rout began, the
+loss of the vanquished would have been prodigious; as it was, it was
+very severe. The Christino soldiery, burning to revenge former defeats,
+and having themselves suffered considerably at the commencement of the
+fight, were eager in the pursuit, and gave little quarter. In less than
+two hours from the beginning of the action, the country beyond the Arga
+was covered with fugitives, flying for their lives towards the mountains
+of Estella. Narrow were the escapes of many upon that day. Don Carlos
+had been praying during the action in the church at Mendigorria; and so
+sudden was the overthrow of his army, that he himself was at one time in
+danger of being taken. A Christino officer, according to a story current
+at the time, had come up with him, and actually stretched out his hand
+to grasp his collar, when a bullet struck him from his saddle.
+
+Dashing over the bridge, Herrera and his squadron spurred in pursuit.
+Their horses were fresh, and they soon found themselves amongst the
+foremost, when suddenly a body of cavalry, which, although retiring,
+kept together and exerted itself to cover the retreat, faced about, and
+showed a disposition to wait their arrival. The Carlists were superior
+in numbers, but that Herrera neither saw nor cared for; and, rejoicing
+at the prospect of opposition to overcome, he waved his sword and
+cheered on his men. At exactly the same moment the hostile squadrons
+entered the opposite sides of a large field, and thundered along to the
+encounter, pounding the dry clods beneath their horses' hoofs, and
+raising a cloud of dust through which the lance-points sparkled in the
+sunlight, whilst above it the fierce excited features of the men were
+dimly visible. Nearer they came, and nearer; a shout, a crash, one or
+two shrill cries of anguish--a score of men and horses rolled upon the
+ground, the others passed through each other's ranks, and then again
+turning, commenced a furious hand-to-hand contest. The leader of the
+Carlists, a dark-browed, powerful man, singled out Herrera for a fierce
+attack. The fight, however, lasted but a few moments, and was yet
+undecided when the Christino infantry came up. A few of the surviving
+Carlists fled, but the majority, including their colonel, were
+surrounded and made prisoners. They were sent to the rear with an
+escort, and the chase was continued.
+
+It was nightfall before the pursuit entirely ceased, and some hours
+later before Herrera and his dragoons, who, in the flush of victory,
+forgot fatigue, arrived at Puente de la Reyna, where, and at
+Mendigorria, the Christino army took up their quarters. Sending the
+squadron to their stables, Herrera, without giving himself the trouble
+to demand a billet, repaired to an inn, where he was fortunate enough to
+obtain a bed--no easy matter in the crowded state of the town. The day
+had been so busy, that he had had little time to reflect further on the
+intelligence brought by Paco, of whom he had heard nothing since the
+morning. And now, so harassed and exhausted was he by the exertions and
+excitement of the day, that even anxious thoughts were insufficient to
+deprive him of the deep and refreshing slumber of which he stood in such
+great need.
+
+The morning sun shone brightly through the half-closed shutters of his
+apartment, when Herrera was awakened by the entrance of Paco. In the
+street without he heard a great noise and bustle; and, fearful of having
+slept too long, he sprang from his bed and began hastily to dress.
+Without saying a word, Paco threw open the window and beckoned to him.
+He hastened to look out. In front of the inn was an open _plaza_, now
+crowded with men and horses. A large body of troops were drawn up under
+arms, officers were assembled in groups, discussing the victory of the
+preceding day; and in the centre of the square, surrounded by a strong
+guard, stood several hundred Carlist prisoners. On one side of these
+were collected the captured horses both of men and officers, for the
+most part just as they had been taken, saddled and bridled, and their
+coats caked with dry sweat. Paco drew Herrera's attention to a man in
+officer's uniform, who stood, with folded arms and surly dogged looks,
+in the front rank of the prisoners. His eyes were fixed upon the ground,
+and he only occasionally raised them to cast vindictive glances at a
+party of officers of the Christino guards, who stood at a short distance
+in his front, and who seemed to observe him with some curiosity.
+
+"You see yonder colonel?" said Paco to Herrera. "Do you know him?"
+
+"Not I," replied Herrera. "Yet, now I look again--yes. He is one of my
+prisoners of yesterday. He commanded a body of cavalry which charged
+us."
+
+"Likely, likely," said Paco. "Do you know his name?"
+
+"How should I?" answered Herrera.
+
+"I will tell it you. It is Baltasar de Villabuena."
+
+Herrera uttered an exclamation of surprise. "Impossible!" said he.
+
+"Certain; I have seen him too often to mistake him."
+
+Herrera made no reply. His hasty toilet finished, he bade Paco remain
+where he was, and descended to the street. He approached the group of
+guardsmen already mentioned.
+
+"Your next move, gentlemen?" said he, after the usual salutation.
+
+"To Pampeluna with the prisoners," was the reply. "A reconnoissance _en
+force_ has gone out, but it may go far, I expect, before meeting with a
+Carlist. They are completely broken, and at this moment I doubt if there
+is one within a day's march."
+
+"Yes," said another officer, "they are far enough off, if still running.
+Caremba! what legs the fellows have! We caught a few, though, yesterday
+afternoon, in spite of their powdering along. Old acquaintances, too,
+some of them," he added.
+
+"Indeed!" said Herrera.
+
+"Yes; fellows who have served and marched side by side with us. Look
+there, for instance; do you see that sullen, black-looking dog squinting
+at us with such a friendly expression?"
+
+"Who is he?" enquired Herrera.
+
+"Baltasar de Villabuena, an old captain of our's before the war. He
+resigned when Zumalacarregui took the field, and joined the Carlists,
+and it seems they've made him a colonel. A surly, ill-conditioned cur he
+always was, or we should not be standing here without a word of kindness
+or consolation to offer him."
+
+To the surprise of the guardsmen, Herrera, before the officer had done
+speaking, walked up to the prisoner in question.
+
+"Colonel Villabuena?" said he, slightly touching his cap.
+
+"That is my name," replied the prisoner, sullenly.
+
+"We met yesterday, I believe," said Herrera, with cold politeness. "If I
+am not mistaken, you commanded the squadron which charged mine in the
+early part of the retreat."
+
+Baltasar nodded assent.
+
+"Is your horse amongst those yonder?" continued Herrera.
+
+"It is," replied Baltasar, who, without comprehending the drift of these
+questions, began to entertain hopes that his rank and former comradeship
+with many officers of the Christino army were about to obtain him an
+indulgence rarely accorded, during that war, to prisoners of any
+grade--the captured Carlists being looked upon by their adversaries
+rather as rebels and malefactors than as prisoners of war, and treated
+accordingly. He imagined that his horse was about to be restored to him,
+and that he would be allowed to ride to Pampeluna.
+
+"Yonder bay stallion," said he, "with a black sheepskin on the saddle,
+is mine."
+
+Herrera approached the officer commanding the guard over the prisoner,
+spoke a few words to him, and returned to Baltasar.
+
+"You will please to accompany me," said he.
+
+Baltasar complied, and captive and captor advanced to the horses.
+
+"This is mine," said Colonel Villabuena, laying his hand upon the neck
+of a powerful bay charger.
+
+Without saying another word, Herrera raised the sheepskin covering the
+holsters, and withdrew from them a brace of pistols, which he carefully
+examined. They were handsomely mounted, long-barrelled, with a small
+smooth bore, and their buts were inlaid with a silver plate, upon which
+a coronet and the initials E. de V. were engraved.
+
+"These pistols, I presume, are also yours?"
+
+"They are so," was the answer.
+
+"You will observe, sir," continued Herrera, showing the pistols to the
+officer on guard, who had followed him, "that I have taken these pistols
+from the holsters of this officer, Colonel Baltasar de Villabuena, who
+acknowledges them to be his. Look at them well; you may have to
+recognise them on a future day. I shall forthwith explain to the
+general-in-chief my motives for taking possession of them."
+
+The officer received the pistols, examined them carefully, and returned
+them to Herrera. Baltasar looked on with a perplexed and uneasy air.
+Just then the brigadier, who was to command the column proceeding to
+Pampeluna, rode into the plaza. The drums beat, and the troops stood to
+their arms.
+
+"Return to your place," said Herrera, sternly, to the prisoner. "We
+shall shortly meet again."
+
+And whilst Baltasar, alike disappointed and astonished at the strange
+conduct of the Christino officer, resumed his place in the captive
+ranks, Herrera betook himself to the quarters of the commander-in-chief.
+
+This time Torres made no difficulty about introducing his friend into
+the general's apartment. Cordova was lying at length upon a sofa in a
+large cool room, a cigar in his mouth, a quantity of despatches on a
+table beside him, two or three aides-de-camp and secretaries writing in
+an adjoining chamber. He received Herrera kindly, complimented him on
+his conduct in the preceding day's fight, and informed him that
+particular mention had been made of him in his despatch to Madrid. After
+an interview of some duration, Herrera left the house, with leave of
+absence for a fortnight, signed by Cordova himself, in his pocket.
+Proceeding to the barracks, he made over the squadron to his second in
+command; and then mounting his horse, attended by Paco, and followed by
+half a dozen dragoons, he took the road to the Ebro.
+
+In a street of Logrono, not far from the entrance of the town, stands
+one of those substantial and antiquated dwellings, remnants of the
+middle ages, which are of no unfrequent occurrence in Spain, and whose
+massive construction seems to promise as many more centuries of
+existence as they have already seen. It is the property, and at times
+the abode, of the nobleman whose arms are displayed, elaborately carved
+on stone, above the wide portal--a nobleman belonging to that section of
+the Spanish aristocracy, who, putting aside old prejudices, willingly
+adhered to the more liberal and enlightened order of things to which
+the death of Ferdinand was the prelude. In a lofty and spacious
+apartment of this mansion, and on the evening of the first day after
+that of Herrera's departure from Puente de la Reyna, we find Count
+Villabuena reclining in an easy-chair, and busied with thoughts, which,
+it might be read upon his countenance, were of other than a pleasant
+character. Since last we saw him, full of life and strength, and still
+active and adventurous as a young man, encountering fatigues and dangers
+in the service of his so-called sovereign, a great and sad change had
+taken place in the Count, and one scarcely less marked in his hopes and
+feelings. The wound received by him in the plains of Alava, although
+severe and highly dangerous, had not proved mortal; and when Herrera
+sought his body with the intention of doing the last mournful honours to
+the protector of his youth, and father of his beloved Rita, he
+perceived, to his extreme joy, that life had not entirely fled. On a
+litter, hastily and rudely constructed of boughs, the Count was conveyed
+to Vittoria, where he no sooner arrived, than by the anxious care of
+Herrera, half the surgeons in the town were summoned to his couch. For
+some days his life was in imminent peril; but at last natural strength
+of constitution, and previous habits of temperance, triumphed over the
+wound, and over the conclave of Sangrados who had undertaken his case.
+The Count recovered, gradually it is true, and without a prospect of
+ever regaining his former firm health; but still, to Herrera's great
+delight, and owing in a great measure to the care he lavished upon him,
+his life was at last pronounced entirely out of danger.
+
+Upon arriving at Vittoria with his sorely wounded friend, duty had
+compelled Herrera to report his capture; but although the prisoner was
+considered a most important one, his state was so hopeless, that Luis
+had little difficulty in obtaining permission to become his sole jailer,
+pledging himself to reproduce him in case he should recover. When the
+Count got better, and became aware of his position, he insisted upon
+Herrera's informing the authorities of his convalescence, and of his
+readiness to proceed to any place of confinement they might appoint.
+Herrera's high character and noble qualities had made him many friends,
+some of them persons of influence, and he now successfully exerted
+himself to obtain a favour which was probably never before or afterwards
+conceded to a prisoner during the whole course of that war. Count
+Villabuena was allowed his parole, and was moreover told, that on
+pledging himself to retire to France, and to take no further share,
+direct or indirect, in the Carlist rebellion, he should obtain his
+release. One other condition was annexed to this. Two colonels of the
+Queen's army, who were detained prisoners by the Carlists, were to be
+given up in exchange for his liberty.
+
+When these terms, so unexpectedly favourable, were communicated to the
+Count, he lost no time in addressing a letter to Don Carlos, informing
+him of his position, and requesting him to fulfil that portion of the
+conditions depending on him, by liberating the Christino officers. With
+shattered health, he could not hope, he said, again to render his
+Majesty services worth the naming; his prayers would ever be for his
+success, but they were all he should be able to offer, even did an
+unconditional release permit him to rejoin his sovereign. In the same
+letter he implored Don Carlos to watch over the safety of his daughter,
+and cause her to be conducted to France under secure escort. This letter
+dispatched, by the medium of a flag of truce, the Count sought and
+obtained permission to remove to the town of Logrono, where an old
+friend, the Marquis of Mendava, had offered him an asylum till his fate
+should be decided upon.
+
+Long and anxiously did the Count await a reply to his letter, but weeks
+passed without his receiving it. Three days before the battle of
+Mendigorria, the Christino army passed through Logrono on its way
+northwards, and the Count had the pleasure of a brief visit from
+Herrera. A few hours after the troops had again marched away, a courier
+arrived from Vittoria, bringing the much wished-for answer. It was cold
+and laconic, written by one of the ministers of Don Carlos. Regret was
+expressed for the Count's misfortune, but that regret was apparently not
+sufficiently poignant to induce the liberation of two important
+prisoners, in order that a like favour might be extended to one who
+could no longer be of service to the Carlist cause.
+
+Although enveloped in the verbiage and complimentary phrases which the
+Spanish language so abundantly supplies, the real meaning of the
+despatch was evident enough to Count Villabuena. Courted when he could
+be of use, he was now, like a worthless fruit from which pulp and juice
+had been expressed, thrown aside and neglected. It was a bitter pang to
+his generous heart to meet such ingratitude from the prince whom he had
+so much loved, and for whose sake he had made enormous sacrifices. To
+add to his grief, the only answer to his request concerning his daughter
+was a single line, informing him that she had left Segura several weeks
+previously, and that her place of abode was unknown.
+
+Depressed and heartsick, the Count lay back in his chair, shading his
+eyes with his hand, and musing painfully on the events of the preceding
+two years. His estates confiscated, his health destroyed, separated from
+his only surviving child, and her fate unknown to him, himself a
+prisoner--such were the results of his blind devotion to a worthless
+prince and a falling principle. Great, indeed, was the change which
+physical and mental suffering had wrought in the Conde de Villabuena.
+His form was bowed and emaciated, his cheek had lost its healthful
+tinge; his hair, in which, but a short three months previously, only a
+few silver threads were perceptible, telling of the decline of life
+rather than of its decay, now fell in grey locks around his sunken
+temples. For himself individually, the Count grieved not; he had done
+what he deemed his duty, and his conscience was at rest; but he mourned
+the ingratitude of his king and party, and, above all, his heart bled at
+the thought of his daughter, abandoned friendless and helpless amongst
+strangers. The news of the preceding day's battle had reached him, but
+he took small interest in it; he foresaw that many more such fights
+would be fought, and countless lives be sacrificed, before peace would
+revisit his unhappy and distracted country.
+
+From these gloomy reflections Count Villabuena was roused by the sudden
+opening of his door. The next instant his hand was clasped in that of
+Luis Herrera, who, hot with riding, dusty and travel-stained, gazed
+anxiously on the pale, careworn countenance of his old and venerable
+friend. On beholding Luis, a beam of pleasure lighted up the features of
+the Count.
+
+"You at least are safe!" was his first exclamation. "Thank Heaven for
+that! I should indeed be forlorn if aught happened to you."
+
+There was an accent of unusually deep melancholy in the Count's voice
+which struck Herrera, and caused him for an instant to imagine that he
+had already received intelligence of his cousin's treachery, and of
+Rita's captivity. Convinced, however, by a moment's reflection, that it
+was impossible, he dreaded some new misfortune.
+
+"You are dejected, sir," he said. "What has again occurred to grieve
+you?--The reverse sustained by your friends"--
+
+"No, no," interrupted the Count, with a bitter smile--"not so. My
+friends, as you call them, seem little desirous of my poor sympathy.
+Luis, read this."
+
+As he spoke, he held out the letter received from the secretary of Don
+Carlos.
+
+"It was wisely said," continued the Count, when Herrera had finished its
+perusal, "'put not your trust in princes.' Thus am I rewarded for
+devotion and sacrifices. Hearken to me, Luis. It matters little,
+perhaps, whether I wear out the short remnant of my days in captivity or
+in exile; but my daughter, my pure, my beautiful Rita, what will become
+of her--alas! what has become of her? My soul is racked with anxiety on
+her account, and I curse the folly and imprudence that led me to
+re-enter this devoted land. My child--my poor child--can I forgive
+myself for perilling your defenceless innocence in this accursed war!"
+
+His nerves unstrung by illness, and overcome by his great affliction,
+the usually stern and unbending Villabuena bowed his head upon his
+hands and sobbed aloud. Inexpressibly touched by this outburst of grief
+in one to whose nature such weakness was so foreign, Herrera did his
+utmost to console and tranquillize his friend. The paroxysm was short,
+and the Count regained his former composure. Although dreading the
+effect of the communication, Herrera felt it absolutely necessary to
+impart at once the news brought by Paco. He proceeded accordingly in the
+task, and as cautiously as possible, softening the more painful parts,
+suggesting hopes which he himself could not feel, and speaking
+cheeringly of the probability of an early rescue. The Count bore the
+communication as one who could better sustain certain affliction than
+killing suspense.
+
+"Something I know," said he, when Herrera paused, "of the convent you
+mention, and still more of its abbess. Carmen de Forcadell was long
+celebrated, both at Madrid and in her native Andalusia, for her beauty
+and intrigues. Her husband was assassinated by one of her lovers, as
+some said, and within three years of his death, repenting, it was
+believed, of her dissolute life, she took the veil. Once, I know,
+Baltasar was her reputed lover; but whatever may now be his influence
+over her, I cannot think she would allow my daughter to be ill treated
+whilst within her walls. No, Herrera, the danger is, lest the villain
+may remove my Rita, and place her where no shield may stand between her
+and his purposes."
+
+"Do not fear it," replied Herrera, in his turn reassured by the Count's
+moderation. "Your cousin was taken in the action of the 16th, and is now
+a prisoner at Pampeluna."
+
+"Indeed!" exclaimed the Count, his face brightening with satisfaction.
+"It is good news, indeed."
+
+"Better than you even think, perhaps. You have preserved the ball that
+was extracted from your wound?"
+
+"I have," replied the Count, "at your request. What of it?"
+
+"So long," said Herrera, "as no advantage could be gained from my
+communication, I would not shock you with a statement that even now will
+cause you serious pain. You remember, sir, that at the time of receiving
+your wound you were at a very short distance from me, and that your
+cousin was at a still less one from you, in your rear. As you advanced
+towards the intervening stream, my eyes, conducted by chance, or
+something better, fixed on your cousin, who at the moment drew a pistol
+from his holster. You were but a few paces from him, when I saw him
+deliberately--I could not be mistaken--deliberately vary his aim from
+myself to you. The pistol was fired--you fell from your horse, struck by
+his hand. You seem surprised. The deed was as inexplicable to me until
+from your own lips I heard who the officer was--that there had been
+serious disagreement between you--and that his temper was violent, and
+character bad. Coupled with what my own eyes saw, the bullet itself, far
+too small for a carbine ball, convinced me that it had proceeded from a
+pistol. Instinctively, rather than from any anticipation of its being
+hereafter useful, I requested you to preserve the ball, and to-day an
+extraordinary chance enables me to verify my suspicions. Let the bullet
+be now produced."
+
+Astounded by what he heard, but still incredulous, the Count summoned
+his attendant.
+
+"Bring me the bullet that I bade you keep," said the Count.
+
+"And desire my orderly," added Herrera, "to bring me the brace of
+pistols he will find in my valise."
+
+In a few moments both commands were obeyed. The bullet was of very small
+calibre, and, not having encountered any bone, had preserved its
+rotundity without even an indentation.
+
+"Do you recognize these pistols?" said Herrera, showing the Count those
+which he had taken from Baltasar's holsters. "This coronet and initials
+proclaim them to have been once your own."
+
+"They were so," replied the Count, taking one of them in his hand--"a
+present to my cousin soon after he joined us. I remember them well; he
+carried them on the day that I was wounded."
+
+"Behold!" said Herrera, who placed the bullet in the muzzle of the
+pistol, into the barrel of which it slid, fitting there exactly.
+Shocked and confounded by this proof of his kinsman's villany, the Count
+dropped the other pistol and remained sad and silent.
+
+"You doubt no longer?" said Herrera.
+
+"May it not have been accident?" said the Count, almost imploringly. "No
+Villabuena could commit so base and atrocious a crime."
+
+"None but he," said Herrera. "I watched him as he took his aim, not
+twenty paces from you. With half a doubt, I would have bitten my tongue
+from my mouth before an accusation should have passed it against the man
+in whose favour indeed I have no cause to be prejudiced. Count
+Villabuena, the shot was fired with intent. For that I pledge my honour
+and salvation."
+
+There was a pause.
+
+"But my daughter," said the Count; "you forget her, Luis. She must be
+rescued. How does this fiend's imprisonment render that rescue easier?"
+
+"Thus," replied Herrera. "Yesterday I had an interview with Cordova, and
+told him every thing; the abduction of Rita, and Baltasar's attempt on
+your life. Of the latter I engaged to furnish ample proofs. Cordova, as
+I expected, was indignant, and would have shot the offender had I
+consented to the act. Upon reflection, however, he himself saw
+reasonable objections to a measure so opposed to the existing treaty for
+exchange of prisoners, and feared retaliation from the enemy. After some
+discussion it was agreed that the proof of Baltasar's attempt upon your
+life should be submitted, and, if found satisfactory, that the prisoner
+should be placed at my disposal. In that event his liberty, nay, his
+life, must depend upon his consenting, unreservedly, to write to the
+convent, to desire the abbess to set Rita at liberty, and to provide for
+her safe conduct into France. Until then, Baltasar, by the general's
+order, remains in solitary confinement at Pampeluna."
+
+"Good," said the Count approvingly.
+
+"I had a threefold object in coming hither," continued Herrera. "To
+obtain proof of Baltasar's guilt, to comfort you with the hopes of
+Rita's safety, and to take you with me to Pampeluna. Baltasar of course
+believes you dead; he will the more readily abandon his designs when he
+finds that you still live."
+
+"Rightly reasoned," said the Count. "Why should we now delay another
+instant? Your news, Herrera, has made me young and strong again."
+
+"We will set out to-morrow," said Herrera. "A column of troops march at
+daybreak for Pampeluna, and we can avail ourselves of their escort."
+
+His hopes revived and energies restored by the intelligence Luis had
+brought, the Count would have preferred starting without a moment's
+delay; but Herrera, although not less impatient, insisted on waiting
+till the next day. Although the principal force of the Carlists had been
+driven back into Western Navarre, the road to Pampeluna was not safe
+without a strong escort, and Herrera himself had incurred no small risk
+in traversing it as he had done, with only half a dozen dragoons. Count
+Villabuena yielded to his representations, and the following morning
+witnessed their departure.
+
+Three days' marching brought the Count and Herrera to Pampeluna, whither
+Cordova and his victorious army had preceded them. Count Villabuena had
+reckoned too much upon his lately recovered strength; and, although the
+marches had not been long, he reached Pampeluna in a very exhausted
+state. It was evening when they arrived, and so crowded was the town
+with troops that they had some difficulty in obtaining quarters, which
+they at last found in the house of one of the principal tradesmen of the
+place. Leaving the Count to repose from his fatigues, Herrera went to
+visit Cordova, whom he informed of the positive certainty he had now
+obtained of Baltasar's culpability. The proofs of it might certainly, in
+a court of law, have been found insufficient, but Cordova took a
+military view of the case; his confidence in Herrera was great, his
+opinion of Baltasar, whom he had known in the service of Ferdinand, very
+bad; and finally, the valid arguments adduced by Luis left him no moral
+doubt of the prisoner's guilt. He gave the necessary orders for the
+admission of Herrera and Count Villabuena into the prison. The next
+day, however, the Count was still so fatigued and unwell from the
+effects of his journey, that it was found necessary to call in a
+physician, who forbade his leaving the house. The Count's impatience,
+and the pressing nature of the matter in hand, would have led him to
+disregard the prohibition, and at once proceed to the prison, which was
+at the other extremity of the town, had not Herrera, to conciliate his
+friend's health with the necessity for prompt measures, proposed to have
+the prisoner brought to him. An order to that effect was readily granted
+by Cordova, and, under proper escort, Don Baltasar was conducted to the
+Count's quarters.
+
+It would be erroneous to suppose, that, during the late war in Spain,
+adherents of Don Carlos were only to be found in the districts in which
+his standard was openly raised. In many or most of the towns best
+affected to the liberal cause, devoted partisans of the Pretender
+continued to reside, conforming to the established order of things, and
+therefore unmolested. In most instances their private opinions were
+suspected, in some actually known; but a few of them were so skilful in
+concealing their political bias and partialities, as to pass for steady
+and conscientious favourers of the Queen's government. Here was one and
+no unimportant cause of the prolongation of the war; the number of spies
+thus harboured in the very heart of the Christino camp and councils. By
+these men intelligence was conveyed to the Carlists, projected
+enterprises were revealed, desertion amongst the soldiery and
+disaffection amongst the people, stimulated and promoted. Many of these
+secretly-working agents were priests, but there was scarcely a class of
+the population, from the nobleman to the peasant, and including both
+sexes, in which they were not to be found. Innumerable were the plans
+traversed by their unseen and rarely detectable influence. On many a
+dark night, when the band of Zurbano, El Mochuelo, or some other
+adventurous leader, issued noiselessly from the gates of a town, opened
+expressly for their egress, to accomplish the surprise of distant post
+or detachment, a light in some lofty window, of no suspicious appearance
+to the observer uninformed of its meaning, served as a beacon to the
+Carlists, and told them that danger was abroad. The Christinos returned
+empty-handed and disappointed from their fruitless expedition, cursing
+the treachery which, although they could not prove it, they were well
+assured was the cause of their failure.
+
+One of the most active, but, at the same time, of the least suspected,
+of these subtle agents, was a certain Basilio Lopez, cloth-merchant in
+the city of Pampeluna. He was a man past the middle age, well to do in
+the world, married and with a family, and certainly, to all appearance,
+the last person to make or meddle in political intrigues of any kind,
+especially in such as might, by any possibility, peril his neck. Whoever
+had seen him, in his soberly cut coat, with his smooth-shaven, sleek,
+demure countenance and moderately rotund belly, leaning on the half-door
+of his Almacen de Panos, and witnessed his bland smile as he stepped
+aside to give admission to a customer or gossip, would have deemed the
+utmost extent of his plottings to be, how he should get his cloths a
+real cheaper or sell them at a real more than their market value. There
+was no speculation, it seemed, in that dull placid countenance, save
+what related to ells of cloth and steady money-getting. Beyond his
+business, a well-seasoned _puchero_ and an evening game at loto, might
+have been supposed to fill up the waking hours and complete the
+occupations of the worthy cloth-dealer. His large, low-roofed, and
+somewhat gloomy shop was, like himself, of respectable and business-like
+aspect, as were also the two pale-faced, elderly clerks who busied
+themselves amongst innumerable rolls of cloth, the produce of French and
+Segovian looms. Above the shop was his dwelling-house, a strange,
+old-fashioned, many-roomed building, with immensely thick walls, long,
+winding corridors, ending and beginning with short flights of steps,
+apartments panneled with dark worm-eaten wood, lofty ceilings, and queer
+quaintly-carved balconies. It was a section of a line of building
+forming half the side of a street, and which, in days of yore, had been
+a convent of monks. Its former inmates, as the story went, had been any
+thing but ascetics in their practices, and at last so high ran the
+scandal of their evil doings, that they were fain to leave Pampeluna and
+establish themselves in another house of their order, south of the Ebro.
+Some time afterwards the convent had been subdivided into
+dwelling-houses, and one of these had for many years past been in the
+occupation of Basilio the cloth-merchant. Inside and out the houses
+retained much of their old conventual aspect, the only alterations that
+had been made consisting in the erection of partition walls, the opening
+of a few additional doors and windows, and the addition of balconies.
+One of the latter was well known to the younger portion of the officers
+in garrison at Pampeluna; for there, when the season permitted, the two
+pretty, black-eyed daughters of Master Basilio were wont to sit, plying
+their needles with a diligence which did not prevent their sometimes
+casting a furtive glance into the street, and acknowledging the
+salutation of some passing acquaintance or military admirer of their
+graces and perfections.
+
+In this house was it that Herrera and the Count had obtained quarters,
+and thither, early upon the morrow of their arrival at Pampeluna,
+Baltasar was conducted. The passage through the streets of a Carlist
+prisoner, whose uniform denoted him to be of rank, had attracted a
+little crowd of children and of the idlers ever to be found in Spanish
+towns; and some of these loitered in front of the house after its door
+had closed behind Baltasar and his escort. The entrance of the prisoner
+did not pass unnoticed by Basilio Lopez, who was at his favourite post
+at the shop-door. His placid physiognomy testified no surprise at the
+appearance of such unusual visitors; and no one, uninterested in
+observing him, would have noticed that, as Baltasar passed him, the
+cloth-merchant managed to catch his eye, and made a very slight, almost
+an imperceptible sign. It was detected by Baltasar, and served to
+complete his perplexity, which had already been raised to a high pitch
+by the different circumstances that had occurred during his brief
+captivity. He had first been puzzled by Herrera's conduct at Puente de
+la Reyna; the importance attached by the Christino officer to the
+possession and identification of his pistols was unaccountable to him,
+never dreaming of its real motive. Then he could not understand why he
+was placed in a separate prison, and treated more as a criminal than as
+a prisoner of war, instead of sharing the captivity and usage of his
+brother officers. And now, to his further bewilderment, he was conducted
+to a dwelling-house, before entering which, a man, entirely unknown to
+him, made him one of the slight but significant signs by which the
+adherents of Don Carlos were wont to recognise each other. He had not
+yet recovered from this last surprise, when he was ushered into a room
+where three persons were assembled. One of these was an aide-de-camp of
+Cordova, Herrera was another, and in the third, to his unutterable
+astonishment and consternation, Baltasar recognized Count Villabuena.
+
+There was a moment's silence, during which the cousins gazed at each
+other; the Count sternly and reproachfully, Baltasar with dilated
+eyeballs and all the symptoms of one who mistrusts the evidence of his
+senses. But Baltasar was too old an offender, too hardened in crime and
+obdurate in character, to be long accessible to emotion of any kind. His
+intense selfishness caused his own interests and safety to be ever
+uppermost in his thoughts, and the first momentary shock over, he
+regained his presence of mind, and was ready to act his part. Affecting
+extreme delight, he advanced with extended hand towards the Count.
+
+"Dare I believe my eyes?" he exclaimed. "A joyful surprise, indeed,
+cousin."
+
+"Silence, sir!" sternly interrupted the Count. "Dissimulation will not
+serve you. You are unmasked--your crimes known. Repent, and, if
+possible, atone them."
+
+Baltasar recoiled with well-feigned astonishment.
+
+"My crimes!" he indignantly repeated. "What is this, Count? Who accuses
+me--and of what?"
+
+Without replying, Count Villabuena looked at Herrera, who approached the
+door and pronounced a name, at which Baltasar, in spite of his
+self-command, started and grew pale. Paco entered the apartment.
+
+"Here," said the Count, "is one witness of your villany."
+
+"And here, another," said Herrera, lifting a handkerchief from the table
+and exhibiting Baltasar's pistols.
+
+The Carlist colonel staggered back as if he had received a blow. All
+that he had found inexplicable in the events of the last few days was
+now explained; he saw that he was entrapped, and that his offences were
+brought home to him. With a look of deadly hate at Herrera and the
+Count, he folded his arms and stood doggedly silent.
+
+In few words Herrera now informed Baltasar of the power vested in him by
+Cordova, and stated the condition on which he might yet escape the
+punishment of his crimes. These, however, Baltasar obstinately persisted
+in denying; nor were any threats sufficient to extort confession, or to
+prevail with him to write the desired letter to the abbess. Assuming the
+high tone of injured innocence, he scoffed at the evidence brought
+against him, and swore solemnly and deliberately that he was ignorant of
+Rita's captivity. Paco, he said, as a deserter, was undeserving of
+credit, and had forged an absurd tale in hopes of reward. As to the
+pistols, nothing was easier than to cast a bullet to fit them, and he
+vehemently accused Herrera of having fabricated the account of his
+firing at his cousin. A violent and passionate discussion ensued, highly
+agitating to the Conde in his then weak and feverish state. Finding, at
+length, that all Herrera's menaces had no effect on Baltasar's sullen
+obstinacy, Count Villabuena, his heart wrung by suspense and anxiety,
+condescended to entreaty, and strove to touch some chord of good
+feeling, if, indeed, any still existed, in the bosom of his unworthy
+kinsman.
+
+"Hear me, Baltasar," he said; "I would fain think the best I can of you.
+Let us waive the attempt on my life; no more shall be said of it. Gladly
+will I persuade myself that we have been mistaken; that my wound was the
+result of a chance shot either from you or your followers. Irregularly
+armed, one of them may have had pistols of the same calibre as yours.
+But my daughter, my dear poor Rita! Restore her, Baltasar, and let all
+be forgotten. On that condition you have Herrera's word and mine that
+you shall be the very first prisoner exchanged. Oh, Baltasar, do not
+drive to despair an old man, broken-hearted already! Think of days gone
+by, never to return; of your childhood, when I have so often held you on
+my knee; of your youth, when, in spite of difference of age, we were for
+a while companions and friends. Think of all this, Baltasar, and return
+not evil for good. Give me back my Rita, and receive my forgiveness, my
+thanks, my heartfelt gratitude. Your arm shall be stronger in the fight,
+your head calmer on your pillow, for the righteous and charitable act."
+
+In the excitement of this fervent address, the Count had risen from his
+chair, and stood with arms extended, and eyes fixed upon the gloomy
+countenance of Baltasar. His lips quivering with emotion, his trembling
+voice, pale features, and long grey hair; above all, the subject of his
+entreaties--a father pleading for the restoration of his only child--and
+his passionate manner of urging them, rendered the scene inexpressibly
+touching, and must have moved any but a heart of adamant. Such a one was
+that of Baltasar, who stood with bent brow and a sneer upon his lip,
+cold, contemptuous, and relentless.
+
+"Brave talk!" he exclaimed, in his harshest and most brutal tones;
+"brave talk, indeed, of old friendship and the like! Was it friendship
+that made you forget me in Ferdinand's time, when your interest might
+have advanced me? When you wanted me, I heard of you, but not before;
+and better for me had we never met. You lured me to join a hopeless
+cause, by promises broken as soon as claimed. You have ruined my
+prospects, treated me with studied scorn, and now you talk, forsooth, of
+old kindness and friendship, and sue--to me in chains--for mercy! It has
+come to that! The haughty Count Villabuena craves mercy at the hands of
+a prisoner! I answer you, I know nothing of your daughter; but I also
+tell you, Count, that if all yonder fellow's lies were truth, and I held
+the keys of her prison, I would sooner wear out my life in the foulest
+dungeon than give them up to you. But, pshaw! she thinks little enough
+about you. She has found her protector, I'll warrant you. There are
+smart fellows and comely amongst the king's followers, and she won't
+have wanted for consolation."
+
+It seemed as if Baltasar's defenceless condition was hardly to protect
+him from the instant punishment of his vile insinuation. With a deep
+oath, Herrera half drew his sword, and made a step towards the
+calumniator of his mistress. But his indignation, great though it was,
+was checked in its expression, and entirely lost sight of, owing to a
+sudden outbreak of the most furious and uncontrolled anger on the part
+of the Count. His face, up to that moment so pale, became suffused with
+blood, till the veins seemed ready to burst; his temples throbbed
+visibly, his eyes flashed, his lips grew livid, and his teeth chattered
+with fury.
+
+"Scoundrel!" he shouted, in a voice which had momentarily regained all
+its power--"scoundrel and liar! Assassin, with what do you reproach me?
+Why did I cast you off, and when? Never till your own vices compelled
+me. What promise did I make and not keep? Not one. Base traducer,
+disgrace to the name you bear! so sure as there is a God in heaven, your
+misdeeds shall meet their punishment here and hereafter!"
+
+During this violent apostrophe, Baltasar, who, at Herrera's threatening
+movement, had glanced hurriedly around him as if seeking a weapon of
+defence, resumed his former attitude of indifference. Leaning against
+the wall, he stood with folded arms, and gazed with an air of insolent
+hardihood at the Count, who had advanced close up to him, and who,
+carried away by his anger, shook his clenched hand almost in his
+cousin's face. Suddenly, however, overcome and exhausted by the violence
+of his emotions, and by this agitating scene, the Count tottered, and
+would have fallen to the ground, had not Herrera and Torres hurried to
+his support. They placed him in his chair, into which he helplessly
+sank; his head fell back, the colour again left his cheeks, and his eyes
+closed.
+
+"He has fainted," cried Herrera.
+
+The Count was indeed insensible. Torres hastened to unfasten his cravat.
+
+"Air!" exclaimed Torres; "give him air!"
+
+Herrera ran to the window and threw it open. Water was thrown upon the
+Count's face, but without reviving him; and his swoon was so deathlike,
+that for a moment his anxious friends almost feared that life had
+actually departed.
+
+"Let him lie down," said Torres, looking around for a sofa. There was
+none in the room.
+
+"Let us place him on his bed," cried Herrera. And, aided by Torres and
+Paco, he carefully raised the Count and carried him into an adjoining
+room, used as a bedchamber. Baltasar remained in the same place which he
+had occupied during the whole time of the interview, namely, on the side
+of the room furthest from the windows, and with his back against the
+wall.
+
+It has already been said that Baltasar de Villabuena had few friends. In
+all Pampeluna there was probably not one man, even amongst his former
+comrades of the guard, who would have moved a step out of his way to
+serve or save him; and certainly, in the whole city, there were scarcely
+half a dozen persons who, through attachment to the Carlist cause, would
+have incurred any amount of risk to rescue one of its defenders. Most
+fortunately for Baltasar, it was in the house of one of those rare but
+strenuous adherents of Don Carlos that he now found himself. Scarcely
+had the Count and his bearers passed through the doorway between the two
+rooms, when a slight noise close to him caused Baltasar to turn. A
+pannel of the chamber wall slid back, and the sleek rotund visage of the
+man who had exchanged signs with him as he entered the house, appeared
+at the aperture. His finger was on his lips, and his small grey eyes
+gleamed with an unusual expression of decision and vigilance. One
+lynx-like glance he cast into the apartment, and then grasping the arm
+of Baltasar, he drew, almost dragged him through the opening. The pannel
+closed with as little noise as it had opened.
+
+Ten seconds elapsed, not more, and Herrera, who, in his care for the
+Count, had momentarily forgotten the prisoner, hurried back into the
+apartment. Astonished to find it empty, but not dreaming of an escape,
+he ran to the antechamber. The corporal and two soldiers, who had
+escorted Baltasar, rose from the bench whereon they had seated
+themselves, and carried arms.
+
+"And the prisoner?" cried Herrera.
+
+They had not seen him. Herrera darted back into the sitting-room.
+
+"Where is the prisoner?" exclaimed Torres, whom he met there.
+
+"Escaped!" cried Herrera. "The window! the window!"
+
+They rushed to the open window. It was at the side of the house, and
+looked out upon a narrow street, having a dead wall for some distance
+along one side, and little used as a thoroughfare. At that moment not a
+living creature was to be seen in it. The height of the window from the
+ground did not exceed a dozen feet, offering an easy leap to a bold and
+active man, and one which, certainly, no one in Baltasar's circumstances
+would for a moment have hesitated to take. Herrera threw himself over
+the balcony, and dropping to the ground, ran off down a neighbouring
+lane, round the corner of which he fancied, on first reaching the
+window, that he saw the skirt of a man's coat disappear. Leaving the
+Count, who was now regaining consciousness, in charge of Paco, Torres
+hurried out to give the alarm and cause an immediate pursuit.
+
+But in vain, during the whole of that day, was the most diligent search
+made throughout the town for the fugitive Carlist. Every place where he
+was likely to conceal himself, the taverns and lower class of posadas,
+the parts of the town inhabited by doubtful and disreputable characters,
+the houses of several suspected Carlists, were in turn visited, but not
+a trace of Baltasar could be found, and the night came without any
+better success. Herrera was furious, and bitterly reproached himself for
+his imprudence in leaving the prisoner alone even for a moment. His
+chief hope, a very faint one, now was, that Baltasar would be detected
+when endeavouring to leave the town. Strict orders were given to the
+sentries at the gates, to observe all persons going out of Pampeluna,
+and to stop any of suspicious appearance, or who could not give a
+satisfactory account of themselves.
+
+The hour of noon, upon the day subsequent to Baltasar's disappearance,
+was near at hand, and the peasants who daily visited Pampeluna with the
+produce of their farms and orchards, were already preparing to depart.
+The presence of Cordova's army, promising them a great accession of
+custom, and the temporary absence from the immediate vicinity of the
+Carlist troops, who frequently prevented their visiting Christino towns
+with their merchandise, had caused an unusual concourse of
+country-people to Pampeluna during the few days that the Christino army
+had already been quartered there. Each morning, scarcely were the gates
+opened when parties of peasants, and still more numerous ones of
+short-petticoated, brown-legged peasant women, entered the town, and
+pausing upon the market-place, proceeded to arrange the stores of fowls,
+fruit, vegetables, and similar rustic produce, which they had brought on
+mules and donkeys, or in large heavy baskets upon their heads. Long
+before the sun had attained a sufficient height to cast its beams into
+the broad cool-looking square upon which the market was held, a
+multitude of stalls had been erected, and were covered with luscious
+fruits and other choice products of the fertile soil of Navarre. Piles
+of figs bursting with ripeness; melons, green and yellow, rough and
+smooth; tomatas; scarlet and pulpy; grapes in glorious bunches of gold
+and purple; cackling poultry and passive rabbits; the whole intermingled
+with huge heaps of vegetables, and nose-gays of beautiful flowers, were
+displayed in wonderful profusion to the gaze of the admiring soldiers,
+who soon thronged to the scene of bustle. As the morning advanced,
+numerous maid-servants, trim, arch-looking damsels, with small
+neatly-shod feet, basket on arm, and shading their complexion from the
+increasing heat of the sun under cotton parasols of ample dimensions,
+tripped along between the rows of sellers, pausing here and there to
+bargain for fruit or fowl, and affecting not to hear the remarks of the
+soldiers, who lounged in their neighbourhood, and expressed their
+admiration by exclamations less choice than complimentary. The day wore
+on; the stalls were lightened, the baskets emptying, but the market
+became each moment more crowded. Little parties of officers emerged from
+the coffee-houses where they had breakfasted, and strolled up and down,
+criticizing the buxom forms and pretty faces of the peasant girls; here
+and there a lady's mantilla appeared amongst the throng of female heads,
+which, for the most part, were covered only with coloured handkerchiefs,
+or left entirely bare, protected but by black and redundant tresses, the
+boast of the Navarrese maidens. Catalonian wine-sellers, their
+queer-shaped kegs upon their backs, bartered their liquor for the copper
+coin of the thirsty soldiers; pedlars displayed their wares, and
+_sardineras_ vaunted their fish; ballad-singers hawked about copies of
+patriotic songs; mahogany-coloured _gitanas_ executed outlandish, and
+not very decent, dances; whilst here and there, in a quiet nook, an
+itinerant gaming-table keeper had erected his board, and proved that he,
+of all others, best knew how to seduce the scanty and hard-earned
+maravedis from the pockets of the pleasure-seeking soldiery.
+
+But, as already mentioned, the hour of noon now approached, and
+marketing was over for that day. The market-place, and its adjacent
+streets, so thronged a short time previously, became gradually deserted
+under the joint influence of the heat and the approaching dinner hour.
+The peasants, some of whom came from considerable distances, packed up
+their empty baskets, and, with lightened loads and heavy pockets,
+trudged down the streets leading to the town gates.
+
+At one of these gates, leading out of the town in a northerly direction,
+several of the men on guard were assembled, amusing themselves at the
+expense of the departing peasantry, whose uncouth physiognomy and
+strange clownish appearance afforded abundant food for the quaint jokes
+and comical remarks of the soldiers. The market people were, for the
+most part, women, old men, and boys; the able-bodied men from the
+country around Pampeluna, having, with few exceptions, left their homes,
+either voluntarily or by compulsion, to take service in the Carlist
+ranks. Beneath the projecting portico of the guard-house, sat a
+sergeant, occupied, in obedience to orders given since the escape of
+Baltasar, in surveying the peasants as they passed with a keen and
+scrutinizing glance. For some time, however, this military Cerberus
+found no object of suspicion in any of the passers-by. Lithe active
+lads, greyhaired old men, and women whose broad shoulders and brawny
+limbs might well have belonged to disguised dragoons, but who,
+nevertheless, were unmistakeably of the softer sex, made up the
+different groups which successively rode or walked through the gate.
+Gradually the departures became less numerous, and the sergeant less
+vigilant; he yawned, stretched himself in his chair, rolled up a most
+delicate cigarrito between his large rough fingers, and lighting it,
+puffed away with an appearance of supreme beatitude.
+
+"Small use watching," said he to a corporal. "The fellow's not likely to
+leave the town in broad daylight, with every body on the look-out for
+him."
+
+"True," was the answer. "He'll have found a hiding-place in the house of
+some rascally Carlist. There are plenty in Pampeluna."
+
+"Well," said the first speaker, "I'm tired of this, and shall punish my
+stomach no longer. Whilst I take my dinner, do you take my place. Stay,
+let yonder cabbage-carriers pass."
+
+The peasants referred to by the sergeant, were a party of half a dozen
+women, and nearly as many lads and men, who just then showed themselves
+at the end of the street, coming towards the gate. Most of them were
+mounted on rough mountain ponies and jackasses, although three or four
+of the women trudged afoot, with pyramids of baskets balanced upon their
+heads, the perspiration streaming down their faces from the combined
+effects of the sun and their load. The last of the party was a stout
+man, apparently some five-and-forty years of age, dressed in a jacket
+and breeches of coarse brown cloth, and seated sideways on a scraggy
+mule, in such a position that his back was to the guard-house as he
+passed it. On the opposite side of the animal hung a pannier, containing
+cabbages and other vegetables; the unsold residue of the rider's stock
+in trade. The peasant's legs, naked below the knee, were tanned by the
+sun to the same brown hue as his face and bare throat; his feet were
+sandalled, and just above one of his ankles, a soiled bandage,
+apparently concealing a wound, was wrapped. A broad-brimmed felt hat
+shaded his half-closed eyes and dull stolid countenance, and the only
+thing that in any way distinguished him from the generality of peasants
+was his hair, which was cut short behind, instead of hanging, according
+to the usual custom of the province, in long ragged locks over the coat
+collar.
+
+Occupied with his cigar and gossip, the sergeant vouchsafed but a
+careless and cursory glance to this party, and they were passing on
+without hindrance, when, from a window of the guard-house, a voice
+called to them to halt.
+
+"How now, sergeant!" exclaimed the young ensign on guard. "What is the
+meaning of this? Why do these people pass without examination?"
+
+The negligent sergeant rose hastily from his chair, and, assuming an
+attitude of respect, faltered an excuse.
+
+"Peasants, sir; market-people."
+
+The officer, who had been on guard since the preceding evening, had been
+sitting in his room, waiting the arrival of his dinner, which was to be
+sent to him from his quarters, and was rather behind time. The delay had
+put him out of temper.
+
+"How can you tell that? You are cunning to know people without looking
+at then. Let them wait."
+
+And the next moment he issued from the guard-house, and approached the
+peasants.
+
+"Your name?" said he, sharply, to the first of the party.
+
+"Jose Samaniego," was the answer. "A poor _aldeano_ from Artica, _para
+servir a vuestra senoria_. These are my wife and daughter."
+
+The speaker was an old, greyhaired man, with wrinkled features, and a
+stoop in his shoulders; and, notwithstanding a cunning twinkle in his
+eye, there was no mistaking him for any thing else than he asserted
+himself to be.
+
+The officer turned away from him, glanced at the rest of the party, and
+seemed about to let them pass, when his eye fell upon the sturdy,
+crop-headed peasant already referred to. He immediately approached him.
+
+"Where do you come from?" said he, eyeing him with a look of suspicion.
+
+The sole reply was a stare of stupid surprise. The officer repeated the
+question.
+
+"From Berriozar," answered the man, naming a village at a greater
+distance from Pampeluna than the one to which old Samaniego claimed to
+belong. And then, as if he supposed the officer inclined to become a
+customer, he reached over to his pannier and took out a basket of figs.
+
+"Fine figs, your worship," said he, mixing execrably bad Spanish with
+Basque words. "_Muy barato_. You shall have them very cheap."
+
+When the man mentioned his place of abode, two or three of the women
+exchanged a quick glance of surprise; but this escaped the notice of the
+officer, who now looked hard in the peasant's face, which preserved its
+former expression of immovable and sleepy stupidity.
+
+"Dismount," said the ensign.
+
+The man pointed to his bandaged ankle; but on a repetition of the order
+he obeyed, with a grimace of pain, and then stood on one leg, supporting
+himself against the mule.
+
+"I shall detain this fellow," said the officer, after a moment's pause.
+"Take him into the guard-room."
+
+Just then a respectable-looking, elderly citizen, on his return
+apparently from a stroll outside the fortifications, walked past on his
+way into the town. On perceiving the young officer, he stopped and shook
+hands with him.
+
+"Welcome to Pampeluna, Don Rafael!" he exclaimed. "Your regiment I knew
+was here, but could not believe that you had come with it, since I had
+never before known you to neglect your old friends."
+
+"No fault of mine, Senor Lopez," replied the officer. "Three days here,
+and not a moment's rest from guards and fatigue duty."
+
+"Well, don't forget us; Ignacia and Dolores look for you. Ah, Blas! you
+here? How's your leg, poor Blas? Did you bring the birds I ordered?"
+
+These questions were addressed to the lame peasant, who replied by a
+grin of recognition; and an assurance that the birds in question had
+been duly delivered to his worship's servant.
+
+"Very good," said Lopez. "Good morning, Don Rafael."
+
+The young officer stopped him.
+
+"You know this man, then, Senor Lopez?" inquired the ensign.
+
+"Know him? as I know you. Our poultry-man; and if you will sup with us
+to-night, when you come off guard, you shall eat a fowl of his
+fattening."
+
+"With pleasure," replied the ensign. "You may go," he added, turning to
+the peasant. "Let these people pass, sergeant. May I be shot, Don
+Basilio, if I didn't mean to detain your worthy poulterer on suspicion
+of his being a better man than he looked. There has been an escape, and
+a sharp watch is held to keep the runaway in the town. It would have
+been cruel, indeed, to stop the man who brings me my supper. Ha, ha! a
+capital joke! Stopping my own supplies!"
+
+"A capital joke, indeed," said Lopez, laughing heartily. "Well, good
+bye, Don Rafael. We shall expect you to-night."
+
+And the cloth-merchant walked away, his usual pleasant smile upon his
+placid face, whilst the peasants passed through the gate; and the
+officer, completely restored to good-humour by the prospect of a dainty
+supper and pleasant flirtation with Don Basilio's pretty daughters,
+proceeded to the discussion of his dinner, which just then made its
+appearance.
+
+Crossing the river, the party of peasants who had met with this brief
+delay, rode along for a mile or more without a word being spoken amongst
+them. Presently they came to a place where three roads branched off, and
+here the lame peasant, who had continued to ride in rear of the others,
+separated from them, with an abrupt "adios!" Old Samaniego looked round,
+and his shrivelled features puckered themselves into a comical smile.
+
+"Is that your road to Berriozar, neighbour?" said he. "It is a new one,
+if it be."
+
+The person addressed cast a glance over his shoulder, and muttered an
+inaudible reply, at the same time that he thrust his hand under the
+vegetables that half filled his panniers.
+
+"If you live in Berriozar, I live in heaven," said Samaniego. "But fear
+nothing from us. _Viva el Rey Carlos!_"
+
+He burst into a shrill laugh, echoed by his companions, and, quickening
+their pace, the party was presently out of sight. The lame peasant, who,
+as the reader will already have conjectured, was no other than Baltasar
+de Villabuena, rode on for some distance further, till he came to an
+extensive copse fringing the base of a mountain. Riding in amongst the
+trees, he threw away his pannier, previously taking from it a large
+horse pistol which had been concealed at the bottom. He then stripped
+the bandage from his leg, bestrode his mule, and vigorously belabouring
+the beast with a stick torn from a tree, galloped away in the direction
+of the Carlist territory.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 3: The blockade system, as it was called, much extolled at the
+time, did not prevent the occurrence of various Carlist expeditions into
+Castile and Arragon, any more than it hindered large bodies of rebels
+from establishing themselves, under Cabrera and others, in Catalonia and
+Arragon, where they held out till after the pacification of the Basque
+provinces. If any hope was really entertained of starving out the
+Biscayan and Navarrese Carlists, or even of inconveniencing them for
+supplies of food, it proved utterly fallacious. Although two-thirds of
+Navarre, nearly the whole of Guipuzcoa, and a very large portion of
+Alava and Biscay Proper, consist of mountains, so great is the fertility
+of the valleys, that the Carlists never, during the whole struggle,
+experienced a want of provisions, but were, on the contrary, usually far
+better rationed than the Christino troops; and, strange to say, the
+number of sheep and cattle existing at the end of the war, in the
+country occupied by the Carlists, was larger than at its commencement.
+Money was wanting, tobacco, so necessary to the Spanish soldier, was
+scarce and dear, but food was abundant, although the number of mouths to
+be fed was much greater, and of hands to till the ground far less, than
+in time of peace. This, too, in one of the most thickly populated
+districts of Spain, and in spite of the frequent foraging and
+corn-burning expeditions undertaken by the Christinos into the Carlist
+districts, especially in the plains north of Vittoria and the valleys of
+southern Navarre.]
+
+
+
+
+HOW THEY MANAGE MATTERS IN "THE MODEL REPUBLIC."
+
+
+In the present doubtful state of our relations with the American
+Republic, many anxious eyes are of course being directed across the
+Atlantic, and much speculation excited as to the present policy and
+ultimate designs of that anomalous and ambitious people. Since increased
+facilities of communication have brought the two continents into closer
+union, and afforded their respective inhabitants more frequent
+opportunities of observing each other's political and social
+arrangements, it cannot, we think be said with truth, that those of the
+United States have risen in favour with the enlightened minds of Europe,
+least of all with those of England. For the obvious failings of that
+Republic are of a kind eminently adapted to shock minds cast in the
+European mould; while her virtues, however appropriate to the
+transatlantic soil in which they flourish, do not either so readily
+suggest themselves to the notice of the Old World, or, when fully
+realized, command a very extraordinary degree of respect. We do not very
+highly appreciate the liberty which appears to us license, nor the
+equality which brings with it neither good manners nor good morals, nor
+the vast material progress which occupies the energies of her people, to
+the exclusion of more elevating pursuits. There are moreover griefs
+connected with the United States which come peculiarly home to British
+interests and prejudices; the existence of slavery, for instance, in its
+most revolting form, in direct opposition to the spirit of their
+institutions, and to the very letter of that celebrated declaration
+which is the basis of all their governments; the repudiation or
+non-payment of debts contracted for the purposes of public works, of
+which they are every day reaping the advantages; and the unprincipled
+invasion of our Canadian frontier by their citizens during the late
+disturbances in that colony. Within the last few months, more
+particularly, they have committed many and grievous offences against
+their own dignity, the peace of the world, and the interests of Britain.
+We have heard their chief magistrate defy Christendom, and inform the
+world that the American continent is, for the future, to be held as in
+fee-simple by the United States; we have seen Texas forcibly torn from
+feeble Mexico, and the negotiations on the subject of Oregon brought to
+a close by a formal declaration, that the American title to the whole of
+it is "clear and unquestionable." They have displayed, in the conduct of
+their foreign relations during the past year, a vulgar indifference to
+the opinion of mankind, and an overweening estimate of their own power,
+which it is at once ludicrous and painful to behold. Nor is there reason
+to believe that these blots on the escutcheon of a nation, so young and
+so unembarrassed, are either deeply regretted or will be speedily
+effaced. We see no reaction of national virtue against national
+wrongdoing. For the cause of this great Republic is not, as in other
+countries, dependent upon the will of the one man, or the few men, who
+are charged with the functions of government, but on the will of the
+great mass of the people, deliberately and frequently expressed. The
+rule of the majority is in America no fiction, but a practical reality;
+and the folly or wisdom, the justice or injustice of her public acts,
+may, in ordinary times, be assumed as fair exponents of the average good
+sense and morals of the bulk of her citizens.
+
+We are not of those who charge the democratic institutions of the United
+States as a crime upon their people, or who think that, in separating
+themselves from the British crown, they were guilty of a deliberate
+wickedness which has yet to be expiated. Whether that separation was
+fully justified by the circumstances of the time, is a question upon
+which we do not propose to enter: but having so separated, it does not
+appear that any course was left open to them but that which they have
+pursued. Through the negligence of the mother country, no pains had been
+taken to plant even the germs of British institutions in her American
+colonies, and the War of Independence found them already in possession
+of all, and more than all, of the democratic elements of our
+constitution; while the feeling of personal attachment to the sovereign
+had died out through distance and neglect, and the influence of the
+aristocracy and the church was altogether unknown. Even in Virginia,
+where, in consequence of the existence of domestic slavery on a large
+scale, and the laws of primogeniture and entail, a certain
+aristocratical feeling had sprung up, a jealousy of the British crown
+and parliament showed itself from first to last, at least as strongly as
+elsewhere; and the ink of the Declaration of Independence was scarcely
+dry, before those laws of property were repealed, and every vestige of
+an Established Church swept away. Nothing then remained, in the absence
+of Conservative principles and traditions, but to construct their
+government upon the broadest basis of Democracy; accordingly, the
+triumph of that principle was complete from the first. The genius of
+progressive democracy may have removed some of the slender barriers with
+which it has found itself accidentally embarrassed; but it has not been
+able to add any thing to the force of those pithy abstractions which
+were endorsed by the most respectable chiefs of the Revolution, and
+which remain to sanctify its wildest aspirations.
+
+All men, therefore, in America--that is, all _white_ men--are "free and
+equal;" and every thing that has been done in her political world for
+the last half century has gone to illustrate and carry out this somewhat
+intractable hypothesis. Upon this principle, the vote of John Jacob
+Astor, with his twenty-five millions of dollars, is neutralized by that
+of the Irish pauper just cast upon its shores. The _millionaire_ counts
+one, and so does the dingy unit of Erin, though the former counts for
+himself, and the latter for his demagogue and his priest. The exclusion
+of women and negroes from this privilege remains, it is true, a _hiatus
+valde deflendus_ by the choicer spirits of the democracy. It is thought,
+however, that the system will shortly be completed by the addition of
+these new constellations. At this moment, in prospect of a convention to
+re-tinker the constitution, two agitations are going on in the state of
+New York--one to secure the "Political Rights of Women;" the other to
+extend those which negroes, under certain grievous restrictions, already
+enjoy. The theory of virtual representation has been held up to these
+two classes of citizens with as little success as to our own Radicals.
+Both negroes and women throw themselves upon the broad fact of their
+common humanity, and indignantly demand wherefore a black skin or a
+gentle sex should disqualify their possessors from the exercise of the
+dearest privilege of freemen.
+
+Now, however absurd this system may appear to us in the abstract, and
+however strongly we should resist its application to our own political
+case, we believe, as we said before, that the Americans have no choice
+in the matter but to make it work as well as possible, and that it is
+for the interest of the world, as well as for their own, that it should
+so work. The preservation of peace, and our commercial relations with
+the United States, are far more important to us than the triumph of an
+idea. We are quite content, if they will permit us, to remain on the
+best of terms with our transatlantic descendants, and to see them happy
+and prosperous in their own way. We even think it fortunate for mankind
+that the principle of self-government is being worked out in that remote
+region, and under the most favourable circumstances, in order that the
+civilized world may take note thereof, and guide itself accordingly. It
+is, we know, a favourite theme with their demagogues, that the glory and
+virtue and happiness of Yankee-doodle-doo have inspired the powers of
+the rotten Old World with the deepest jealousy and hatred, and that
+every crown in Europe pales before the lustre of that unparalleled
+confederacy. Nothing can be wider of the truth, pleasing as the illusion
+may be to the self-love of the most vainglorious people under the sun.
+The _prestige_ which America and her institutions once undoubtedly
+enjoyed in many parts of Europe is rapidly fading away, as each
+successive post brings fresh evidence of her vices and her follies. We
+can, indeed, recollect a time when the example of the model Republic was
+held up for admiration in the most respectable quarters, and was the
+trump-card at every gathering of Radical reformers. But now the scene is
+changed--now, "none so poor to do her reverence." Even Chartist and
+Suffrage-men, Mr Miall and the Northern Star, have at last
+
+  ---- "forgot to speak
+  That once familiar word."
+
+They turn from her, and pass away as gingerly as the chorus in the Greek
+play from the purlieus of those ominous goddesses--
+
+  [Greek: as tremomen legein
+  chai parameibometh
+  aderchtos aphotos]--
+
+Mr O'Connell himself can find no room in his capacious affections for
+men who repudiate their debts, burn convents, "mob the finest pisantry,"
+and keep a sixth of their population in chains in the name of liberty!
+
+If "the great unwashed" on the other side of the Atlantic, will only
+consent to send men to their councils of moderately pure hearts and
+clean hands, they may rest assured that any conspiracy which the united
+powers of kings, nobles, and priests may devise against them, will take
+little by its motion. But they do just the reverse, as we shall
+presently show. The profligacy of their public men is proverbial
+throughout the states; and the coarse avidity with which they bid
+against each other for the petty spoils of office, is quite
+incomprehensible to an European spectator. To "make political capital,"
+as their slang phrase goes, for themselves or party, the most obvious
+policy of the country is disregarded, the plainest requirements of
+morality and common sense set aside, and the worst impulses of the
+people watched, waited on, and stimulated into madness. To listen to the
+debates in Congress, one would think the sole object of its members in
+coming together, was to make themselves and their country contemptible.
+Owing to the rantings of this august body, and the generally unimportant
+character of the business brought before it, little is known of its
+proceedings in Europe except through the notices of some passing
+traveller. But its shame does not consist merely or chiefly in the
+occasional bowie-knife or revolver produced to clinch the argument of
+some ardent Western member, nor even in the unnoted interchange of
+compliments not usually current amongst gentlemen. Much more deplorable
+is the low tone of morality and taste which marks their proceedings from
+first to last, the ruffian-like denunciations, the puerile rants, the
+sanguinary sentiments poured forth day by day without check or censure.
+This is harsh language, but they shall be judged out of their own
+mouths. We have before us a file of the _Congressional Globe_, the
+official record of the debates in both Houses, extending from December
+12 to January 15. During this period the Oregon question was called up
+nearly every day, and we propose to give some specimens, _verbatim et
+literatim_, of the spirit in which it has been discussed. We shall give
+notices of the speakers and their constituents as we go along, to show
+that the madness is not confined to one particular place or party, but
+is common to Whig and Democrat, to the representatives of the Atlantic
+as well as of the Western states. Most of our European readers will, we
+think, agree with us, that, considering the entire absence of
+provocation, and the infinitely trivial nature of the matter in dispute,
+these rhetorical flourishes are without parallel in the history of
+civilized senates.
+
+What is commonly called Oregon, is a strip of indifferent territory
+betwixt the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is separated from
+both the American and British possessions by an arid wilderness of great
+extent, or by many thousands of miles of tempestuous navigation, _via_
+Cape Horn. Since 1818, the claims of both parties to this region have
+been allowed to lie in abeyance under a convention of joint occupancy,
+if the advantages enjoyed in common by a handful of traders and trappers
+of both nations can be so called. The settlers from both countries are
+still numbered by hundreds, and the soil is very ill adapted to
+agricultural purposes; in short, it is the last thing in the world that
+a decent nation would get into a passion about. Still, as the previous
+administration had gained much glory by completing the robbery of Texas
+from Mexico, Mr Polk has thought fit to illustrate his by an attempt to
+squeeze and bully the sterner majesty of England. Accordingly, in his
+message, he boasts of having offered less favourable terms than his
+predecessors; and these being of course rejected, retires with dignity
+upon the completeness of the American title, and intimates that the time
+is at hand when the rights of his country must be asserted, if
+necessary, by the sword. All this is new light to all the parties
+concerned; this tempest in a tea-pot is of Mr Polk's own particular
+brewing; the real Oregon being a little political capital, as aforesaid,
+for himself. So far he has been eminently successful, for the fierce
+democracy howls forth its applause upon the floor of Congress, in manner
+and form as followeth:--
+
+Mr Cass, _Democratic_ senator from Michigan, an _insolvent_ western
+state, opened the ball on the 12th of December. He is said to aspire to
+the presidential chair, and is already a full general of militia. We
+give him his civil title, however, because we find him so set down in
+the _Globe_, which knows best what the military one is worth. There is
+nothing remarkable in his speech, except the fuss which he makes about
+national honour. He may find it lying in the ditch, much nearer home
+than Oregon--
+
+     "As to receding, it is neither to be discussed nor thought of. I
+     refer to it but to denounce it--a denunciation which will find a
+     response in every American bosom. Nothing is ever gained by
+     national pusillanimity. The country which seeks to purchase
+     temporary security by yielding to unjust pretensions, buys present
+     ease at the expense of permanent honour and safety. It sows the
+     wind to reap the whirlwind. I have said elsewhere what I repeat
+     here, that it is better to fight for the first inch of national
+     territory than for the last. It is better to defend the doorsill
+     than the hearth-stone--the porch than the altar. _National
+     character is a richer treasure than gold or silver_, and exercises
+     a moral influence in the hour of danger, which, if not power
+     itself, is it surest ally. _Thus far ours is untarnished!_" &c.
+
+This statement of the relative value of "national character" as compared
+with the precious metals, will be very edifying to the creditors of
+Michigan.
+
+Mr Serier, _Democratic_ senator from Arkansas, another _insolvent_
+western state, is a still richer representative of the majesty of the
+American senate. This state is the headquarters of the bowie-knife,
+revolver, and Judge Lynch _regime_, and Mr S.'s education in these
+particulars does not appear to have been neglected.
+
+     "It has been her (Great Britain's) bullying that has secured for
+     her the respect of all Europe. _She is a court-house bully; and in
+     her bullying, in my opinion, lies all her strength._ Now, she must
+     be forced to recede; and _like any of our western bullies, who,
+     when once conquered, can be kicked by every body, from one end of
+     the country to the other_, England will, in case she do not recede
+     from her position on this question, receive once more that salutary
+     lesson which we have on more than one occasion already taught her."
+     * * "I should like very much indeed to hear any one _get on the
+     stump_, in my part of the country, sir, and undertake to tell us
+     that the President had established our claims to Oregon, and made
+     it as plain as the avenue leading to the White House; but inasmuch
+     as there is great danger that Great Britain may capture our ships,
+     and burn our cities and towns, it is very improper for us to give
+     notice that we will insist upon our claim. _I need hardly say that
+     such a one, if he could be found, would be summarily treated as a
+     traitor to his country._" * * * *
+
+No doubt of it. Furthermore, Mr Serier cannot think of arbitration,
+because--
+
+     "When I see such billing and cooing betwixt France and England, and
+     when I think the Emperor of Russia may not desire to have so near
+     his territory a set of men who read _Paine's Rights of Man_, and
+     whistle 'Yankee doodle,' I feel disposed to settle the matter at
+     once by force of gunpowder. I consider the President acted
+     wisely--very wisely--in keeping the case in its present position,
+     and in giving intimation of taking possession after twelve months'
+     notice, and then to hold it. Yes, sir, to hold it by the force of
+     that rascally influence called gunpowder. That's my opinion. These
+     are plain common-sense observations which I have offered."
+
+What a love of a senator! We put it to the House of Lords--have they any
+thing to show like unto this nobleman of the woods?--We will now, with
+the permission of our readers, introduce them for a few moments to the
+House of Representatives. Mr Douglas, a _Democratic_ representative from
+Illinois, another _insolvent_ western state, wants to know why Great
+Britain should not be bullied as well as Mexico.
+
+     "He did hope that there would be no dodging on this Oregon
+     question. Yes; that there would be no dodging on the Oregon
+     question; that there would be no delay. There was great
+     apprehension of war here last year--but of war with Mexico instead
+     of Great Britain; and they had found men brave, and furious in
+     their bravery, in defying Mexico and her allies, England and
+     France, who now had an awful horror in prospect of a war with Great
+     Britain. He (Mr D.) had felt pretty brave last year with reference
+     to Mexico and her allies, and he felt equally so now. He believed
+     if we wished to avoid a war upon this Oregon question, _the only
+     way we could avoid it was preparing to give them the best fight we
+     had on hand_. The contest would be a bloodless one; we should avoid
+     war, for the reason that Great Britain knows too well: if she had
+     war about Oregon, farewell to her Canada."
+
+Our next extract will be from the speech of Mr Adams, a _Whig_
+representative from, we regret to say, Massachusetts, which is in every
+respect the pattern state of the Union. We are willing to believe that
+in this single case the orator does not represent the feelings of the
+majority of his constituents. Mr Adams has filled the Presidential
+chair, and other high offices; and, while secretary of state, permitted
+himself to say on a public occasion, that the madness of George the
+Third was a divine infliction for the course that monarch had pursued
+towards the United States. The ruling passions of his life are said to
+be, hatred to England and to his southern brethren; and he thinks that
+war would gratify both these malignant crotchets at once, as the former
+would, in that contingency, lose Canada, and the latter their slaves. He
+urges that notice to terminate the convention of joint occupation should
+be given, and then observes--
+
+     "We would only say to Great Britain, after negotiating twenty odd
+     years under that convention, we do not choose to negotiate any
+     longer in this way. We choose to take possession of our own, and
+     then, if we have to settle what is our own, or whether any portion
+     belongs to you, we may negotiate. _We might negotiate after taking
+     possession. That was the military way of doing business. It was the
+     way in which Frederick II. of Prussia had negotiated with the
+     Emperor of Austria for Silesia._ [Here Mr A. gave an account of the
+     interview of Frederick the Great with the Austrian minister, and of
+     the fact of Frederick having sent his troops to take possession of
+     that province the very day that he had sent his minister to Vienna
+     to negotiate for it.] Then we should have our elbows clear, and
+     could do as we pleased. It did not follow as a necessary
+     consequence that we should take possession; but he hoped it would
+     follow as a consequence, and a very immediate one. But whether we
+     give the notice or not, it did not necessarily draw after it
+     hostility or war. If Great Britain chose to take it as an
+     indication of hostility, and then to commence hostilities, why, we
+     had been told that there would be but one heart in this country;
+     and God Almighty grant that it might be so! If this war come--which
+     God forbid! and of which, by the way, he had no apprehension
+     whatever--he hoped the whole country would go into it with one
+     heart and one mighty hand; and, if that were done, he presumed the
+     question between us and Great Britain would not last long, neither
+     Oregon, nor any country north of this latitude would long remain to
+     Great Britain. Strong as was his moral aversion to war, modern war
+     and military establishments, then, if he should have the breath of
+     life at the time when the war commences, he hoped he should be able
+     and willing to go as far in any sacrifices necessary to make the
+     war successful, as any member of that house. He could say no more."
+
+This profligate drivel is uttered by the Nestor of the commonwealth, an
+infirm old man, with one foot in the grave. In order, however, to make
+the course pursued by this gentleman and the next speaker intelligible
+to the English reader, we may explain that, by the annexation of Texas,
+the Southern States have a majority of votes in Congress; the Northern
+States are therefore indifferent about war for Oregon, and the
+abolitionists among them frantic for it, in order that their domestic
+balance of power may be restored. Mr Giddings, a _Whig_ representative
+from Ohio, and a red-hot abolitionist, indulges in the following most
+wicked and treasonable remarks:--
+
+     "This policy of adding territory to our original government is the
+     offspring of the south. They have forced it upon the northern
+     democracy. Their objects and ends are now answered. Texas is
+     admitted. They have now attained their object, and now require the
+     party to face about--to stop short, and leave the power of the
+     nation in their hands. _They now see before them the black
+     regiments of the West India islands landed on their shores. They
+     now call to mind the declarations of British statesmen, that a war
+     with the United States will be a war of emancipation. They now see
+     before them servile insurrections which torment their imaginations;
+     murder, rapine, and bloodshed, now dance before their affrighted
+     visions. Well, sir, I say to them, this is your policy, not mine.
+     You have prepared the cup, and I will press it to your lips till
+     the very dregs shall be drained. Let no one misunderstand me. Let
+     no one say I desire a slave insurrection; but, sir, I doubt not
+     that hundreds of thousands of honest and patriotic hearts will
+     laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. No, sir;
+     should a servile insurrection take place, should massacre and blood
+     mark the footsteps of those who have for ages been oppressed--my
+     prayer to God shall be that justice--stern, unalterable
+     justice--may be awarded to the master and the slave!" ... "A war
+     with England in the present state of the two nations must
+     inevitably place in our possession the Canadas, Nova Scotia, and
+     New Brunswick. Six states will be added to the northern portion of
+     the union, to restore the balance of power to the Free States.... I
+     demand of you not to leave the nation in its present state of
+     subjugation to the south. I will vote to give you the means of
+     doing so," &c._
+
+We hold up the ferocious cant of this mock philanthropist to the scorn
+of all good men, whether in Europe or America. So, because "the domestic
+institution" of his happy land is not to the taste of this Giddings,
+thousands of white men are to imbrue their hands in each other's blood,
+and England, the great champion of the negro race, at her own expense,
+is to be driven by force of arms out of Oregon. It is consoling,
+however, to find at last by their own confession, that there is a weak
+place--and a very weak one too--in "the area of freedom."
+
+Besides the acquisition of Canada, which is put down on all hands as a
+"gone 'coon," other brilliant results are to ensue from the possession
+of Oregon. Mr Ingersoll, (_Whig_,) "a drab-coloured man" from
+Pennsylvania--"flattered himself that two years would not elapse before
+the Chinese and Japanese--sober, industrious, and excellent
+people--would be attracted there to settle. It was only a short voyage
+across the Pacific Ocean. Millions of those starving workmen who, in
+point of sobriety, industry, and capacity, were among the best in the
+world--workmen from every isle in the Pacific--men able to outwork the
+English, would flock there."
+
+In the same fine strain of prophecy, Mr Darragh, another "_drab_" of the
+_Democratic_ school, observes--
+
+     "He was one of those who believed that there were men now here, who
+     might yet live to see a continuous railroad extending from the
+     mouth of the Columbia to the Atlantic. The country would soon be
+     filled with a dense population, and would eventually control the
+     China trade, and affect the whole commerce of the Pacific. He
+     trusted in God there would be a beginning of this end. He trusted
+     that this government would say to the despotisms of Europe--Stay on
+     your own side of the water, and do not attempt to intermeddle with
+     the balance of power on this continent. He believed it to be the
+     design of God that our free institutions, or institutions like
+     ours, should eventually cover this whole continent--a consummation
+     which could not but affect every part of the world, and the
+     prospect of which ought to fill with joy the heart of every
+     philanthropic man!"
+
+But it won't till you've paid your debts, O Darragh!
+
+Mr Baker, (_Whig_,) another _insolvent_ from Illinois, is very rich and
+rapacious--
+
+     "He (Mr B.) went for the whole of Oregon; for every grain of sand
+     that sparkled in her moonlight, and every pebble on its wave-worn
+     strand. It was ours--all ours; ours by treaty, ours by
+     discovery.... There was such a thing as destiny for this American
+     race--a destiny that would yet appear upon the great chart of
+     human history. It was already fulfilling, and that was a reason why
+     we could now refuse to Great Britain that which we had offered her
+     in 1818 and 1824. Reasons existed now in our condition, which did
+     not exist then. Who at that time could have divined that our
+     boundary was to be extended to the Rio del Norte, if not to
+     Zacatecas, to Potosi, to California? No, we had a destiny, and Mr
+     B. felt it." ... "Cuba was the tongue which God had placed in the
+     Gulf of Mexico to dictate commercial law to all who sought the
+     Carribbean Sea. And England was not to be allowed to take Cuba or
+     hold Oregon, _because we, the people of the United States, had
+     spread, were spreading, and intend to spread, and should spread,
+     and go on to spread_!" ... "Mr Speaker, if from this claim an echo
+     shall come back, it may not come from Oregon, but it will come from
+     the Canadas. Sir, it will be 'the last echo of a host o'erthrown.'
+     The British power will be swept from this continent for ever, and
+     though she may, 'like the sultan sun, struggle upon the fiery verge
+     of heaven,' she must yield at last to the impulses of freedom, and
+     to the touch of that destiny which shall crush her power in the
+     western hemisphere!"
+
+This may be considered bad to beat; yet, in our opinion, a choice spirit
+from Missouri, SIMS by name, does it--
+
+     "It is so common on this floor, for inexperienced members to make
+     apologies for their embarrassment, that I will not offer any for
+     mine. I find some difficulty in getting along with all the
+     questions that may be raised by the north or by the south, and by
+     lawyers, and by metaphysicians, and learned doctors who abound
+     here, that I shall be slow in getting along. I hope, therefore,
+     that gentlemen will keep cool, and suffer me to get through." ...
+
+Certainly, Sims--there is no false modesty, you will observe, in this
+good Sims. He thus defines his position.
+
+     "I wish it to be distinctly understood what banner I fight under.
+     _It is for Oregon, all or none, now or never!_ Not only _I myself_,
+     but all my own people whom I represent, will stand up to this
+     motto. Around that will we rally, and for it will we fight, _till
+     the British lion shall trail in the dust. The lion has cowered
+     before us before. Talk of whipping this nation?_ Though not, sir,
+     brought up in the tented field, nor accustomed to make war an
+     exercise, and do not so much thirst for martial renown as to desire
+     to witness such a war, yet I cannot fear it, nor doubt its
+     success."
+
+A touching episode in the life of Sims!--
+
+     "When I was a boy, sir--a small boy--in 1815, I was with my father
+     in church where he was offering his prayers to the Almighty, and it
+     was then that the news of the victory of New Orleans was brought to
+     the spot. _I never felt so happy, sir, as at that moment._ At that
+     moment my love of country commenced, and from that hour it has
+     increased more and more every year; and I shall be ever ready to
+     peril every thing in my power for the good of my country. Still, _I
+     am for the whole of Oregon, and for nothing else but the whole, and
+     in defence of it I will willingly see every river, from its
+     mountain source to the ocean, reddened with the blood of the
+     contest. Talk about this country being whipped! The thing is
+     impossible! Why did not Great Britain whip us long ago, if she
+     could?_" * * * * * * "I shall lose as much as any one in a war--_I
+     do not mean in property_--but I have a wife and children, and I
+     love them with all the heart and soul that I possess. No one can
+     love his family more than I do mine unless a stronger intellect may
+     give him more strength of affection; and my family will be exposed
+     to the merciless savages, who will as ever become the allies of
+     Great Britain in any war. But still, sir, my people on the frontier
+     will press on to the mouth of the Columbia, and fight for Oregon.
+     _I am not sure but I will go myself._"
+
+The feelings of the female Sims, and all the little Simses, on reading
+that last sentence! We shudder to think of it. Sims, however, has made
+up his mind that the exploit is no great matter after all.
+
+     "It was said that the route to Oregon was impracticable, and that
+     it was beset with dangerous enemies, and that we could not send
+     troops over to Oregon, nor provisions to feed them. _Now, sir, we
+     of Missouri can fit out ten thousand waggon-loads of provisions for
+     Oregon, and ten thousand waggon-boys to drive them, who, with their
+     waggon-whips, will beat and drive off all the British and Indians
+     that they find in their way._"
+
+The peroration of this harangue is, perhaps, the funniest part of it
+all, but want of space compels us to omit it. We let Sims drop with
+great reluctance, and pass over several minor luminaries who are quite
+unworthy to follow in his wake. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are about
+to introduce to you Mr Kennedy, a _Democratic_ representative from
+Indiana--a _very insolvent_ Western state, and a celebrated "British or
+any other lion" tamer.
+
+     "Sir, (says Mr K.,) when the British lion, or any other lion, lies
+     down in our path, we will not travel round the world in blood and
+     fire, but will make him leave that lair." * * * *
+
+After this mysterious announcement, he enquires--
+
+     "Shall we pause in our career, or retrace our steps, because the
+     British lion has chosen to place himself in our path? Has our blood
+     already become so pale, that we should tremble at the roar of the
+     king of beasts? We will not go out of our way to seek a conflict
+     with him; but if he cross our path, and refuses to move at a
+     peaceful command, _he will run his nose on the talons of the
+     American eagle, and his blood will spout as from a harpooned whale.
+     The spectators who look on the struggle may prepare to hear a
+     crash, as if the very ribs of nature had broke!_" ...
+
+Once more into the lion--or lioness--for it does not appear exactly
+which this time!
+
+     "We are one people and one country, and have one interest and one
+     destiny, which, if we live up to, _though it may not free us to
+     follow the British lion round the world in blood and slaver_, will
+     end in _her_ expulsion from this continent, which _he_ rests not
+     upon but to pollute!"
+
+Mr Kennedy's solicitude for the rising generation is very touching--
+
+     "Where shall we find room for all our people, unless we have
+     Oregon? What shall we do with all those little white-headed boys
+     and girls--God bless them!--that cover the Mississippi valley, as
+     the flowers cover the western prairies?"
+
+In order to show the truly awful and more than Chinese populousness of
+this ancient State of Indiana, which was admitted into the Union so long
+ago as 1816, we may observe that its superficial extent is thirty-six
+thousand square miles, or twenty-three millions and forty thousand
+acres. The population in 1840, black and white all told, amounted to the
+astounding number of six hundred and eighty-five thousand eight hundred
+and sixty-six, or about one-third of that of London! The adjoining
+states of Illinois and Missouri are still less densely peopled.
+
+Mr Kennedy's opinions touching the British government--
+
+     "Cannibal-like, it fed one part of its subjects upon the other. She
+     drinks the blood and sweat, and tears the sinews of its labouring
+     millions to feed a miserable aristocracy. England is now seen
+     standing in the twilight of her glory; but a sharp vision may see
+     written upon her walls, the warning that Daniel interpreted for the
+     Babylonish king--'Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin!'"
+
+We cannot help the confusion of genders. It's so writ down in the
+_Globe_, as are all our quotations--_verbatim_. Here comes a fine "death
+or glory" blast--
+
+     "Why is it that, after all, we should so dread the shock of war? We
+     all have to die, whether in our beds or in the battle-field. _Who
+     of you all, when roused by the clangour of Gabriel's trump, would
+     not rather appear in all the bloom of youth, bearing upon your
+     front the scar of the death-wound received in defence of your
+     country's right, than with the wrinkled front of dishonoured age?_"
+
+Hoorra!--Only one more quotation from Kennedy, and that because it
+permits us to take a last fond look at Sims, who re-appears, for a
+moment, like a meteor on the scene of his past glories!
+
+     "Was it not a burning, blistering, withering shame that the cross
+     of St George should be found _floating_ on American _soil_?" [Here
+     Mr L. H. SIMS exclaimed, "Yes, and it will blister on our foreheads
+     like the mark of Cain!"]
+
+Mr Hamlin, a Democratic representative from Maine, one of the pattern
+New England states, is not far behind his Western brethren--
+
+     "Their progress was as certain as destiny. He could not be mistaken
+     in the idea, that our flag was destined to shed its lustre over
+     every hill and plain on the Pacific slope, and on every stream that
+     mingles with the Pacific. What would monarchical institutions
+     do--what would tyrants do--in this age of improvement--_this age of
+     steam and lightning? The still small voice in our legislative
+     halls_ and seminaries of learning, would soon be re-echoed in
+     distant lands. Should we fold our arms and refuse, under all these
+     circumstances, to discharge our duty? No; let us march steadily up
+     to this duty, and discharge it like men;
+
+  'And the gun of our nation's natal day
+       At the rise and set of sun,
+  Shall boom from the far north-east away
+       To the vales of Oregon.
+  And ships on the seashore luff and tack,
+  And send the peal of triumph back.'"
+
+
+
+Mr Stanton, a Democratic representative from the slave state of
+Tennessee--Polk's own--observes, that war about Oregon
+
+     "Would be another crime of fearful magnitude added to that already
+     mountainous mass of fraud and havoc by which England has heretofore
+     extended her power, and by which she now maintains it. _Did some
+     gentlemen say that her crimes were represented by a vast pyramid of
+     human skulls? I say, sir, rather by a huge pyramid of human hearts,
+     living, yet bleeding in agony, as they are torn from the reeking
+     bosoms of the toiling, fighting millions._"
+
+Peace, this person observes, is rather nearer his heart than any thing
+else, but
+
+     "If she must depart, if she is destined to take her sad flight from
+     earth to heaven again, then welcome the black tempest of war.
+     Welcome its terrors, its privations, its wounds, its deaths! We
+     will sternly bare our bosoms to its deadliest shock, and trust in
+     God for the result."
+
+After all this, our readers will be little surprised to find that a Mr
+Gordon, from the rich and partially civilized state of New York, whose
+commercial relations with us are of such magnitude and importance, makes
+an ass of himself with the best of them.
+
+     "The next war with Great Britain will expel her from this
+     continent. Though a peace-loving people, we are, when aroused in
+     defensive warfare, the most warlike race ever clad in armour. Let
+     war come, if it will come, boldly and firmly will we meet its
+     shock, and roll back its wave on the fast anchored isle of Britain,
+     and dash its furious flood over those who raised the storm, but
+     could not direct its course. In a just war, as this would be on our
+     part, the sound of the clarion would be the sweetest music that
+     could greet our ears!... _I abhor and detest the British
+     Government._ Would to God that the British people, the Irish, the
+     Scotch, the Welsh, and the English, would rise up in rebellion,
+     sponge out the national debt, confiscate the land, and sell it in
+     small parcels among the people. _Never in the world will they reach
+     the promised land of equal rights, except through a red sea of
+     blood._ Let Great Britain declare war, and I fervently hope that
+     the British people, at least the Irish, will seize the occasion to
+     rise and assert their independence.... I again repeat, that _I
+     abhor that government; I abhor that purse-proud and pampered
+     aristocracy, with its bloated pension-list, which for centuries
+     past has wrung its being from the toil, the sweat, and the blood of
+     that people._"
+
+Mr Bunkerhoff, from Ohio, and his people--
+
+     "Would a great deal rather fight Great Britain than some other
+     powers, for _we do not love her_. We hear much said about the ties
+     of our common language, our common origin, and our common
+     recollections, binding us together. But I say, _we do not love
+     Great Britain at all; at least my people do not, and I do not_. A
+     common language! It has been made the vehicle of an incessant
+     torrent of abuse and misrepresentation of our men, our manners, and
+     our institutions, and even our women--it might be vulgar to
+     designate our plebeian girls as _ladies_--have not escaped it; and
+     all this is popular, and encouraged in high places."
+
+Mr Chipman, from Michigan, thus whistles Yankee-doodle, with the usual
+thorough-base accompaniment of self-conceit:--
+
+     "Reflecting that from three millions we had increased to twenty
+     millions, we could not resist the conclusion, that Yankee
+     enterprise and vigour--he used the term Yankee in reference to the
+     whole country--were destined to spread our possessions and
+     institutions over the whole country. Could any act of the
+     government prevent this? He must be allowed to say, that wherever
+     the Yankee slept for a night, there he would rule. What part of
+     the globe had not been a witness of their moral power, and to the
+     light reflected from their free institutions?" * * * *
+
+Your Yankee proper can no more "get along" without his spice of cant,
+than without his chew of tobacco and his nasal twang. What follows,
+however, took even us by surprise:--
+
+     "Should we crouch to the British lion, because we had been thus
+     prosperous? He remembered the time when education, the pride of the
+     northern Whigs, was made the means of opposition to the democracy.
+     He recollected the long agony that it cost him to relieve his mind
+     from federal thraldom. EDUCATION WAS AN INSTRUMENT TO RIDICULE AND
+     PUT DOWN DEMOCRACY."
+
+
+What Mr Chipman would do--_if_--
+
+     "I appeal to high Heaven, that if a British fleet were anchored off
+     here, in the Potomac, and demanded of us one inch of territory, or
+     one pebble that was smoothed by the Pacific wave into a child's
+     toy, upon penalty of an instant bombardment, I would say fire." * *
+     * * "Now he (Mr C.) lived on the frontier. He remembered when
+     Detroit was sacked. Then we had a Hull in Michigan; but now, thank
+     God, we had a Lewis Cass, who would protect the border if war
+     should come, which, in his opinion, would not come. There were
+     millions on the lake frontier who would, in case of war, rush over
+     into Canada--the vulnerable point that was exposed to us. _He would
+     pledge himself, that, upon a contract with the government, Michigan
+     alone would take Canada in ninety days; and, if that would not do,
+     they would give it up, and take it in ninety days again._ The
+     Government of the United States had only to give the frontier
+     people leave to take Canada."
+
+Though Michigan has the benefit of this hero's councils, he is at the
+pains to inform us that Vermont, a New England state, claims his birth,
+parentage, and education--a fact which we gladly record on the enduring
+page of Maga for the benefit of the future compiler of the Chipman
+annals. He closes an oration, scarcely, if at all, inferior to that of
+Sims, with a melodious tribute to the land of his nativity.
+
+     "If Great Britain went to war for Oregon, how long would it be
+     before her starving millions would rise in infuriated masses, and
+     overwhelm their bloated aristocracy! He would say, then, if war
+     should  come--
+
+  'Hurrah for Vermont! for the land which we till
+  Will have some to defend her from valley and hill;
+  Leave the harvest to rot on the field where it grows,
+  And the reaping of wheat for the reaping of foes.
+
+  'Come Mexico, England! come tyrant, come knave,
+  If you rule o'er our land, ye shall rule o'er our grave!
+  Our vow is recorded--our banner unfurl'd,
+  _In the name of Vermont, we defy all the world!_'"
+
+
+_Magnifique--superbe--pretty well!_ Would not the world like to know
+something of the resources of this unknown anthropophagous state which
+throws down the gauntlet so boldly? Well, in this very year of grace,
+the population of Vermont amounts to no less than 300,000 souls of all
+ages, sexes, and colours! She pays her governor the incredible sum of
+L150 a-year. Her exports in 1840 amounted to L60,000. Every thing about
+her is on the same homoeopathic scale, except her heroes!
+
+We have by no means exhausted our file, but our patience is expended,
+and so we fear is that of our readers. We write this in the city of New
+York, in the first week of February, and the debate is still proceeding
+in a tone, if possible, still more outrageous and absurd. The most
+astounding feature of the whole is, that the "collective wisdom" of any
+country professing to be civilized, can come together day after day and
+listen to such trash, without censure--without even the poor penalty of
+a sneer.
+
+The Americans complain that they have been grievously misrepresented by
+the British press. Mrs Trollope, Mr Dickens, and other authors, are no
+doubt very graphic and clever in their way; but in order to do this
+people full justice, they must be allowed to represent themselves. A
+man must go amongst them fully to realize how hopeless and deplorable a
+state of things is that phase of society which halts betwixt barbarism
+and civilization, and is curiously deficient in the virtues of both. If
+he wishes to form a low idea of his species, let him spend a week or two
+at Washington; let him go amongst the little leaders of party in that
+preposterous capital, watch their little tricks, the rapacity with which
+they clutch the meanest spoils and wonder how political profligacy grows
+fat upon diet so meagre and uninviting. He will come away with a
+conviction, already indorsed by the more respectable portion of the
+American community, that their government is the most corrupt under the
+sun; but he will not, with them, lay the flattering notion to his soul,
+that the people of whom such men are the chosen representatives and
+guides, are likely to contribute much to the aggregate of human
+happiness, freedom, and civilization.
+
+As to the denunciations of Great Britain, so thickly strewn through
+these _carmina non prius audita_ of the Congressional muse, we are sure
+they will excite no feeling in our readers but that of pity and
+contempt, and that comment upon them is unnecessary. The jealousy of
+foreign nations towards the arts and arms of his country, is no new
+experience to the travelled Englishman. Still, as the Americans have no
+reason to be particularly sore on the subject of our arms, and as they
+appropriate our arts, at a very small expense, to themselves, they might
+afford, we should think, to let the British lion alone, and glorify
+themselves without for ever shaking their fists in the face of that
+magnanimous beast. In a political point of view, however, the
+deep-seated hostility of this people towards the British government, is
+a fact neither to be concealed nor made light of. From a somewhat
+extended personal observation, the writer of this is convinced that war
+at any time, and in any cause, would be popular with a large majority of
+the inhabitants of the United States. It is in vain to oppose to their
+opinion the interests of their commerce, and the genius of their
+institutions, so unsuited to schemes of warlike aggrandizement. The
+government of the United States is in the hands of the mob, which has as
+little to lose there as elsewhere, by convulsion of any kind.
+
+We are willing to believe that the person who at present fills the
+Presidential chair at Washington, is fully alive to the responsibilities
+of his situation, and would gladly allay the storm which himself and his
+party have heretofore formed for their own most unworthy purposes. He
+knows full well that the dispute is in itself of the most trumpery
+nature; that the course of Great Britain has been throughout moderate
+and conciliatory to the last degree; that the military and financial
+position of the United States is such as to forbid a warlike crisis; and
+that, if hostilities were to ensue betwixt Great Britain and his
+country, no time could be more favourable to the former than the
+present. Yet, with all these inducements to peace, we fear he will find
+it impossible to bring matters to a satisfactory termination. But should
+an opportunity occur of taking us at disadvantage--should we find
+ourselves, for instance, involved in war with any powerful European
+nation--we may lay our account to have this envious and vindictive
+people on our backs. We are not, therefore, called upon to anticipate
+the trial, and to take the course of events into our own hands; but
+still less ought we to make any concessions, however trifling, which may
+retard, but will eventually exasperate, our difficulties. Much is in our
+power on the continent of North America, if we are but true to our own
+interests and to those of mankind. We should cherish to the utmost that
+affectionate and loyal spirit, which at present so eminently
+distinguishes our flourishing colony of Canada; we should look to it,
+that such a form of government be established in Mexico as shall at once
+heal her own dissensions, and guarantee her against the further
+encroachments of her neighbours; and we should invite other European
+nations to join with us in informing the populace of the United States,
+that they cannot be indulged in the gratification of those predatory
+interests, which the public opinion of the age happily denies to the
+most compact despotisms and the most powerful empires.
+
+
+
+
+ANTONIO PEREZ.
+
+
+As often as we revisit the fair city of Brussels, an irresistible
+attraction leads us from the heights crowned with its modern palaces,
+down among the localities of the valley beneath, the seat and scene of
+so many of the old glories of the capital of the Netherlands. On these
+occasions our steps unconsciously deviate a little from the direct line
+of descent, turning off on the left hand towards the Hotel d'Aremberg.
+But it is not to saunter through the elegant interior of this princely
+mansion, and linger over exquisite pictures and rare Etruscan vases,
+that we then approach it. Our musing eye sees not the actual walls
+shining with intolerable whiteness in the fierce summer-sun, but the
+towers of an ancient edifice, long ago demolished by the pitiless Alva,
+which once, as the Hotel de Cuylembourg, covered the same site. Beneath
+its roof the Protestant Confederates, in 1566, drew up their memorable
+"Request" to Margaret of Parma; and at one of its windows these
+"Beggars," being dismissed with such contumelious scorn from the
+presence of the Regent, nobly converted the stigma into a war-cry; and,
+with the wallet of the "Gueux" slung across their shoulders, drank out
+of wooden porringers a benison on the cause of the emancipation of the
+United Provinces. So prompted to think of these stirring times, we are
+carried by the steep declivity of a few streets to that magnificent Town
+Hall, where, only eleven years before the occurrences in the Hotel
+Cuylembourg, Charles V. had resigned into the hands of his son Philip
+the sovereignty of an extensive and flourishing empire. All that could
+be achieved by the energy of a mind confident of its own force and
+clearness--by a strong will wielding enormous resources of power--by
+prudence listening to, and able to balance, cautious experience, and
+fearless impetuosity--and by consummate skill in the art of government,
+had been laboriously and successfully achieved by Charles. To Philip he
+transferred the most fertile, delightful, opulent, and industrious
+countries of Europe--Spain and the Netherlands, Milan and Naples. His
+African possessions included Tunis and Oran, the Cape Verd and Canary
+islands. The Moluccas, the Philippine and Sunda islands heaped his
+storehouses with the spices, and fruits, and prolific vegetable riches
+of the Indian Ocean; while from the New World, the mines of Mexico,
+Chili, and Potosi poured into his treasury their tributary floods of
+gold. His mighty fleet was still an invincible armada; and his army,
+inured to war, and accustomed to victory under heroic captains, upheld
+the wide renown of the Spanish infantry. But neither the abilities nor
+the auspicious fortunes of Charles were inherited with this vast
+dominion by Philip. It is almost a mystery the crumbling away during his
+reign of such wealth and such strength. To read the riddle, we must know
+Philip. The biography which we shall now hurriedly sketch, of one of his
+most eminent favourites and ministers, who was, also, one of the most
+remarkable men that ever lived, enables us to see further into the
+breast of the gloomy, jealous, and cruel king, than we could hope to do
+by the less penetrating light of general history.
+
+It was in the course of the year 1594, that the mother of the great Lord
+Bacon wrote bitterly to his brother Anthony--"Tho' I pity your brother,
+yet so long as he pities not himself, but keepeth that bloody PEREZ,
+yea, as a coach-companion and bed-companion, a proud, profane, costly
+fellow, whose being about him I verily fear the Lord God doth mislike,
+and doth less bless your brother in credit, and otherwise in his health,
+surely I am utterly discouraged, and make conscience further to undo
+myself to maintain such wretches as he is, that never loved your
+brother but for his own credit, living upon him."
+
+This dark portrait, even from the pencil of maternal anxiety, is not
+overcharged with shade. A few words, which could not have been uttered
+by the Lady Bacon except as a prophetess, we may add in reference to the
+meeting of the famous Englishman and the notorious Spaniard. At that
+moment the public life of Francis Bacon was faintly dawning. The future
+Minister of State and Chancellor of England had just entered the House
+of Commons, and was whining for promotion at the gate of the royal
+favourite. The mean subservience of his nature was to be afterwards
+developed in its repulsive fulness. His scheming ambition saw itself far
+away from the ermine of justice, doomed to be spotted by his corruption.
+He had not then betrayed, and brought to the scaffold, and slandered his
+benefactor. The power and honours of which he was to be stripped, were
+yet to be won. His glory and his shame alike were latent. He was
+beginning hazardously a career of brilliant and dismal vicissitudes, to
+finish it with a halo of immortal glory blazing round his name.
+
+But such a career along a strange parallelism of circumstances, although
+with a gloomier conclusion, Antonio Perez had already run. The
+unscrupulous confidant and reckless tool of a crafty and vindictive
+tyrant, he had wielded vast personal authority, and guided the movements
+of an immense empire.
+
+     "Antonio Perez, secretary of state," said one of his
+     contemporaries, "is a pupil of Ruy Gomez. He is very discreet and
+     amiable, and possesses much authority and learning. By his
+     agreeable manners, he goes on tampering and disguising much of the
+     disgust which people would feel at the king's slowness and sordid
+     parsimony. Through his hands have passed all the affairs of Italy,
+     and also those of Flanders, ever since this country has been
+     governed by Don Juan, who promotes his interests greatly, as do,
+     still more, the Archbishop of Toledo and the Marquis de Los Valez.
+     He is so clever and capable that he must become the king's
+     principal minister. He is thin, of delicate health, rather
+     extravagant, and fond of his advantages and pleasures. He is
+     tenacious of being thought much of, and of people offering him
+     presents."
+
+To gratify, by one dreadful blow, a cruel king and a guilty passion, he
+murdered his friend. The depth of his misery soon rivalled and exceeded
+the eminence of his prosperity. Hurled from his offices and dignities,
+deprived of the very title of nobility, condemned by the civil, and
+excommunicated by the ecclesiastical tribunals, cast into prison, loaded
+with irons, put to the torture, hunted like a wild beast out of his own
+country and many a nook of refuge in other lands, Perez, who had been
+"the most powerful personage in the Spanish monarchy," was, when we
+first meet him in the company of Bacon, an exile in penury. And so he
+died, an impoverished outcast, leaving to posterity a name which befits,
+if it cannot adorn, a tale, and may well point a moral.
+
+The "bloody" Perez was the natural son of Gonzalo Perez, who was for a
+long time Secretary of State to Charles V. and Philip II. Of his mother
+nothing is known. The conjectures of scandal are heightened and
+perplexed by the fact that he was ennobled when a child, and that,
+amidst all the denunciations of his overbearing behaviour and
+insufferable arrogance, he is never reproached with the baseness of his
+maternal lineage. Legitimated in infancy by an imperial diploma, Antonio
+was literally a courtier and politician from his cradle.
+
+     "Being of a quick understanding, an insinuating character, and a
+     devotedness which knew neither bounds nor scruples, full of
+     expedients, a nervous and elegant writer, and expeditious in
+     business, he had gained the favour of Philip II., who had gradually
+     given him almost his entire confidence. He was, with Cayas, one of
+     the two secretaries of the council of state, and was charged
+     principally with the _despacho universal_; that is, with the
+     counter-sign and the conduct of the diplomatic correspondence and
+     the royal commands. Philip imparted to him his most secret designs,
+     initiated him into his private thoughts; and it was Perez who, in
+     deciphering the despatches, separated the points to be communicated
+     to the council of state for their opinion, from those which the
+     king reserved for his exclusive deliberation. Such high favour had
+     intoxicated him. He affected even towards the Duke of Alva, when
+     they met in the king's apartments at dinner, a silence and a
+     haughtiness which revealed at once the arrogance of enmity and the
+     infatuation of fortune. So little moderation in prosperity, coupled
+     with the most luxurious habits, a passion for gaming, a craving
+     appetite for pleasures, and excessive expenses, which reduced him
+     to receive from every hand, excited against him both envy and
+     animosity in the austere and factious court of Philip II.; and, on
+     the first opportunity, inevitably prepared his downfal. This event,
+     too, he himself hastened by serving too well the distrustful
+     passions of Philip, and, perhaps, even by exciting them beyond
+     measure against two men of his own party, Don Juan of Austria and
+     his secretary Escovedo."
+
+It is impossible to imagine that the character of Philip was not
+fathomed by Perez. The peril of his position, as the depositary of the
+innermost secrets of the king, could not have escaped his acute mind.
+The treachery of his daily services, to which, in the words we have
+quoted, allusion is made, must have perpetually reminded him how
+probably he was preparing for himself the ruin which before his own eyes
+had struck and destroyed more than one of his predecessors. At the same
+time, the bent of his disposition carried him readily enough into
+intrigue, deceit, and cool remorseless villany. He was not retarded by
+any scruple, or abashed by any principle. But he did not lack sagacity.
+The power which he loved and abused was acquired and retained easily,
+because the exercise of his talents had always been quite in harmony
+with the natural flexion of his mind. In the conduct of public affairs,
+Philip never had a minister who more dexterously conformed reasons and
+actions of policy to the will, or prejudices, or passions of the
+sovereign. All the extravagance, and even towards so terrible an enemy
+as Alva, all the insolence of Perez, could hardly have shaken his
+security. From what he knew, and what he had done, Philip, it is true,
+might at any moment be tempted to work his downfal, if not his death;
+but, in consequence of that very knowledge and his very deeds, the value
+of such an adviser and such a tool was almost sure to protract and avert
+his doom. The disgrace and misfortune, therefore, of Perez, however
+enveloped afterwards in the mantle of political delinquency, are to be
+traced to more strictly personal causes. It is a curious, interesting,
+and horrible story.
+
+The memorable struggle of the Netherlands against the domination of
+Spain was at its height. The flames kindled by the ferocity of Alva had
+not been extinguished by his milder but far less able successor, the
+Grand Commander Requesens, who sank under the harassing pressure of the
+difficulties which encompassed him. Upon his death, the Spanish court,
+alive to the momentous issues of the contest, invoked the services of
+one of the most celebrated men of the age. Don John of Austria, who
+saved Europe and Christianity at the Gulf of Lepanto, and had repeatedly
+humbled the Crescent in its proudest fortresses, was chosen to crush the
+rebellious Flemings. The appointment was hardly made, when clouds of
+distrust began to roll over the spirit of Philip. The ambition of his
+brother was known and troublesome to him, as he had baffled but two
+years before a project which Don John took little pains to conceal, and
+even induced the Pope to recommend, of converting his conquest of Tunis
+into an independent sovereignty for himself. Believing these alarming
+aspirations to be prompted by the Secretary Juan de Soto, whom Ruy Gomez
+had placed near his brother, Philip removed Soto and substituted
+ESCOVEDO, on whose fidelity he relied, and who received secret
+instructions to divert, as far as possible, the dreams of Don John from
+sceptres and thrones. But a faithless master taught faithlessness to his
+servants. Escovedo, neglecting the counsels of Philip, entered cordially
+into the views and schemes of Don John, until the sagacious vigilance of
+Antonio Perez startled the jealousy of the Spanish monarch by the
+disclosure, that Don John intended, and was actually preparing to win
+and wear the crown of England. Such a prospect, there can be no doubt,
+tore his sullen soul with bitter recollections, and made him resolve,
+more sternly than ever, that the haughty island should groan beneath no
+yoke but his own. The mere subjugation of England by Spanish arms, and
+the occupation of its throne by a Spaniard, not himself, were
+insufficient to glut the hatred, and avenge the insulted majesty of
+Philip. For his own hands and his own purposes he reserved the task; and
+at a later period, the wreck of the Armada strewed the shores of Britain
+with memorials of his gigantic and innocuous malignity. Dissembling,
+however, his displeasure, he permitted Don John to expect, when the
+Netherlands had been pacified, his approval of the invasion of England.
+
+     "At the same time, to become acquainted with all his brother's
+     designs, and watch the intrigues of Escovedo, he authorized Perez,
+     who was the confidant of the one and the friend of the other, to
+     correspond with them, to enter into their views, to appear to gain
+     his favour for them, to speak even very freely of him, in order to
+     throw them the more off their guard, and afterwards to betray their
+     secrets to him. Perez sought, or, at the very least, accepted this
+     odious part. He acted it, as he himself relates, with a shameless
+     devotion to the king, and a studied perfidy towards Don Juan and
+     Escovedo. He wrote letters to them, which were even submitted to
+     the inspection of Philip, and in which he did not always speak
+     respectfully of that prince; he afterwards communicated to Philip
+     the bold despatches of Escovedo, and the effusions of Don Juan's
+     restless and desponding ambition. In forwarding to the king a
+     letter from Escovedo, he at once boasts, and clears himself of this
+     disloyal artifice. 'Sire,' says he, 'it is thus one must listen and
+     answer for the good of your service; people are held much better
+     thus at sword's length; and one can better do with them whatever is
+     conducive to the interest of your affairs. But let your majesty use
+     good precaution in reading these papers; for, if my artifice is
+     discovered, I shall no longer be good for any thing; and shall have
+     to discontinue the game. Moreover, I know very well that, for my
+     duty and conscience, I am doing, in all this, nothing but what I
+     ought; and I need no other theology than my own to comprehend it.'
+     The king answers--'Trust, in every thing, to my circumspection. My
+     theology understands the thing just as yours does, and considers
+     not only that you are doing your duty, but that you would have been
+     remiss towards God and man, had you not done so, in order to
+     enlighten my understanding, as completely as is necessary, against
+     human deceits and upon the things of this world, at which I am
+     truly alarmed."
+
+The laurels of the conqueror of the Turks drooped and withered in
+Flanders.
+
+     "This young and glorious captain found, in the provinces
+     confederated at Ghent, an incurable distrust both of the Spaniards
+     and himself. The profound and skilful policy of the Prince of
+     Orange raised obstacles against him which he could not surmount. In
+     spite of the moderate conditions which he offered to the assembled
+     States-General, he was received by them much less as a pacificator
+     than as an enemy. They refused to authorize the departure of the
+     Spanish troops by sea, fearing they might be employed against the
+     provinces of Holland and Zealand, and they required that they
+     should repair to Italy by land. Don Juan saw his designs upon
+     England, on this side, vanishing. Without authority, money, or any
+     means of establishing the domination of the king, his brother, and
+     of supporting his own renown, he took a disgust to a position which
+     offered him no issue. Accustomed, hitherto, to rapid and brilliant
+     enterprises, he desponded at his impotency; and already a prey to
+     gnawing cares, which were leading him slowly to the tomb, he
+     demanded his recall."
+
+To enforce his complaints, Don John sent Escovedo to Spain. Redress was
+not granted, and his messenger never returned to him. The deadly
+correspondence between Perez and himself--the outpourings of an ardent
+and daring temper, swelling with lofty designs, and pining beneath an
+apparently irremediable inaction, into the ears of a frigid and false
+winnower of unguarded words and earnest feelings--was continued
+unremittingly. M. Mignet, it seems to us, shows very satisfactorily,
+that Perez, in his abominable office of an unjust interpreter of the
+wishes and intentions of Don John, drugged Philip copiously with
+calumnious reports and unwarrantable insinuations. Be that as it may,
+we are inclined to believe, among other matters of a very different
+complexion, that, without repugnance on the part of Philip, there was a
+tossing about for a time, in the lottery of events, a marriage between
+Don John and our beautiful and unfortunate Mary. There is a pleasure and
+a grace sometimes in idle speculation; but to the leisure of a happier
+fancy than ours we commit the picture of the consequences of an union
+between the heroic Don John and the lovely Queen of Scotland. "_Money,
+more money, and Escovedo_," became at length, in his perplexity and
+anguish, the importunate clamour of the governor of the Netherlands.
+Then it was, _as Perez tells us_, that Philip and his obsequious
+counsellors meditated on the course best fitted for what was evidently a
+serious conjecture. Then it was, we learn from the same authority, that
+the king determined ON THE DEATH OF ESCOVEDO.
+
+     "They took a review of the various schemes that had been planned in
+     favour of Prince Don Juan, ever since his residence in Italy,
+     without the king having any communication or perfect knowledge of
+     them; they called to mind the grievous disappointment experienced
+     by the authors of these projects, at the expedition to England not
+     taking place according to their first idea; the attempt they made a
+     second time, for the same object, with his Holiness, when they were
+     in Flanders, and always without giving the king any account; the
+     design of deserting the government of Flanders, when once the
+     expedition to England was abandoned; the secret understandings
+     formed in France without the king's knowledge; the resolution they
+     had formed, to prefer going as adventurers into France, with six
+     thousand foot and one thousand horse, to filling the highest
+     offices; lastly, the very strong language with which the prince, in
+     his letters, expressed his grief and despair. The result of all
+     this seemed, that there was reason to fear some great resolution,
+     and the execution of some great blow or other which might trouble
+     the public peace, and the tranquility of his majesty's states, and,
+     moreover, that Prince Don Juan might himself be ruined, if they let
+     the secretary, Escovedo, remain any longer with him."
+
+What a gap there is in the whole truth in this story, on which Perez
+subsequently built his defence, we shall now briefly explain. With one
+considerable exception, historians concur in their belief of the amours
+of Perez with the Princess of Eboli. Ranke, who is satisfied with the
+political explanation given by Perez of the murder of Escovedo,
+discredits the notion of Perez being a lover of the princess, because
+she was old, and blind of one eye, and because his own wife, Dona Juana
+Coello, evinced towards him, throughout his trial, the most devoted and
+constant affection.
+
+"The last reason," says our author, with perfect truth, "goes for
+nothing." The love of woman buries her wrongs without a tear. "As to the
+objection," M. Mignet proceeds to remark, "derived from the age and
+appearance of the Princess of Eboli, it has not much foundation either.
+All contemporary writers agree in praising her beauty (_hermosura_.)
+Born in 1540, she married Ruy Gomez at the age of thirteen, and was only
+thirty-eight years old at the present period. She was not one-eyed, but
+she squinted. There was nothing in her person to prevent the intimacy
+which Ranke discredits, but which numerous testimonies place beyond any
+doubt. I quote only the most important, waiving the presents which Perez
+had received from the princess, and which he was condemned to give back
+by a decree of justice."
+
+It is too late now, we join M. Mignet in believing, to doubt or even to
+decry the personal charms of the Princess of Eboli, which the misty
+delirium of the poet may have magnified, or the expedient boldness of
+the romancer too voluptuously emblazoned, but which more than one grave
+annalist has calmly commemorated.[4] We shall not, however, venture to
+decide the nice question which oscillates between an obliquity and a
+loss of vision. The Spanish word "tuerto" means, ordinarily, "blind of
+one eye." And there is an answer which M. Mignet probably considers
+apocryphal, as he does not allude to it, said to have been made by Perez
+to Henry IV. of France, who expressed surprise that he should be so much
+the slave of a woman that had but one eye. "Sire," replied the
+ingeniously gallant Perez, "she set the world on fire with that; if she
+had preserved both, she would have consumed it." It is of little
+consequence. Any slight physical blemish or imperfection was more than
+counterbalanced by the wit and accomplishments of this seductive woman,
+whose enchantments, like those of Ninon de l'Enclos, defied the
+impairing inroads of old age.
+
+It is unnecessary here to repeat or analyse the powerful concatenation
+of proofs by which her criminal intimacy with Perez is established. We
+may frankly admit, nevertheless, that the first perusal of the evidence
+did not convince us. The probability was strong that much would be
+exaggerated, perverted, and invented, before a partial tribunal, in
+order to annihilate a disgraced courtier, a fallen and helpless enemy.
+But the reasons which appear conclusively to fix culpability, will be
+better understood when the facts of the case are stated. Every witness
+must be branded with perjury to entitle us to doubt that the familiarity
+of Perez with the princess had attracted observation. Escovedo was aware
+of it, saw it, and denounced it. He remonstrated with both parties on
+their guilt and on their danger. The appeals to conscience and to fear
+were of unequal force. The guilt of their conduct was not likely to
+excite, in a couple abandoned to the indulgence of a mutual and violent
+passion, any emotion except anger against the honesty and audacity which
+rebuked them. By a grave discourse on breaches of decorum and morality,
+Escovedo ran the risk of being considered--what the princess actually
+declared him to be--a rude fellow and a _bore_. But the danger of their
+profligacy was a more delicate and ominous text for censure. In the
+peril of any public exposure was involved an additional complication of
+guilt. Perez was not the only favoured votary of the versatile siren.
+His rival, or rather his partner, was--Philip of Spain! The revelation
+of promiscuous worship, threatened by Escovedo, sounded like a knell to
+Perez and the princess. Was it a mad defiance, or a profound prescience,
+of the consequences, which, when Escovedo, stung on one occasion beyond
+forbearance by the demonstration of iniquity which Othello in his agony
+demands of Iago, declared loudly his purpose of divulging every thing to
+the king?--was it, we say, the fury or the shrewdness of despair which
+then drew _from the lady_ a reply of outrageous and coarse effrontery?
+The irrecoverable words being spoken, we think, with M. Mignet, that
+"the ruin of Escovedo, whose indiscretions were becoming formidable, was
+doubtless sworn, from this moment, by Perez and the princess."
+
+We shall now, with some consciousness of superiority over the German,
+Feuerbach, whose common-place murders are flavourless for us, (who were
+fellow-citizens of Burke, and rode in an omnibus with Greenacre, just as
+Bacon had Perez for a coach-companion,) transcribe the minute continuous
+narrative of the assassination of Escovedo, taken down from the lips of
+Antonio Enriquez, the page and familiar of Antonio Perez:--
+
+     "'Being one day at leisure in the apartment of Diego Martinez the
+     major-domo of Antonio Perez, Diego asked me whether I knew any of
+     my countrymen who would be willing to stab a person with a knife.
+     He added, that it would be profitable and well paid, and that, even
+     if death resulted from the blow, it was of no consequence. I
+     answered, that I would speak of it to a mule-driver of my
+     acquaintance, as in fact I did, and the muleteer undertook the
+     affair. Afterwards, Diego Martinez gave me to understand, with
+     rather puzzling reasons, that it would be necessary to kill the
+     individual, who was a person of importance, and that Antonio Perez
+     would approve of it; on this I remarked that it was not an affair
+     to be trusted to a muleteer, but to persons of a better stamp. Then
+     Diego Martinez added, that the person to be killed often came to
+     the house, and that, if we could put any thing in his food or
+     drink, we must do so; because that was the best, surest, and most
+     secret means. It was resolved to have recourse to this method, and
+     with all dispatch.
+
+     "'During these transactions, I had occasion to go to Murcia. Before
+     my departure, I spoke of it to Martinez, who told me I should find,
+     in Murcia, certain herbs well adapted to our purpose; and he gave
+     me a list of those which I was to procure. In fact, I sought them
+     out and sent them to Martinez, who had provided himself with an
+     apothecary, whom he had sent for from Molina in Aragon. It was in
+     my house that the apothecary, assisted by Martinez, distilled the
+     juice of those herbs. In order to make an experiment of it
+     afterwards, they made a cock swallow some, but no effect followed;
+     and what they had thus prepared, was found to be good for nothing.
+     The apothecary was then paid for his trouble, and sent away.
+
+     "'A few days after, Martinez told me he had in his possession a
+     certain liquid fit to be given to drink, adding that Antonio Perez,
+     the secretary, would trust nobody but me, and that, during a repast
+     which our master was to give in the country, I should only have to
+     pour out some of this water for Escovedo, who would be among the
+     guests, and for whom the preceding experiments had already been
+     tried. I answered, that unless my master himself gave me the order,
+     I would not have a hand in poisoning any body. Then the secretary,
+     Anthony Perez, called me one evening in the country, and told me
+     how important it was for him that the secretary Escovedo should
+     die; that I must not fail to give him the beverage in question on
+     the day of the dinner: and that I was to contrive the execution of
+     it with Martinez; adding, moreover, good promises and offers of
+     protection in whatever might concern me.
+
+     "'I went away very contented, and consulted with Martinez as to the
+     measures to be taken. The arrangement for the dinner was as
+     follows: entering the house by the passage of the stables, which
+     are in the middle, and advancing into the first room, we found two
+     side-boards, one for the service of plates, and the other for that
+     of the glasses, from which we were to supply the guests with drink.
+     From the said room, on the left, we passed to that where the tables
+     were laid, and the windows of which looked out on the country.
+     Between the room where they were to dine, and that where the
+     side-boards stood, was a square room, serving as an antechamber and
+     passage. Whilst they were eating, I was to take care that every
+     time the secretary Escovedo asked for drink, I should be the person
+     to serve him. I had thus the opportunity of giving him some twice;
+     pouring the poisoned water into his wine at the moment I passed
+     through the antechamber, about a nutshell-full, as I had been
+     ordered. The dinner over, secretary Escovedo went away, but the
+     others remained to play, and Antonio Perez having gone out for a
+     moment, rejoined his major-domo and me in one of the apartments
+     over the court-yard, where we gave him an account of the quantity
+     of water that had been poured into secretary Escovedo's glass;
+     after which, he returned to play. We heard, afterwards, that the
+     beverage had produced no effect.
+
+     "'A few days subsequent to this ill success, secretary Antonio
+     Perez gave another dinner in what is called Cordon House, which
+     belonged to the count of Punon Rostro, where secretary Escovedo,
+     Dona Juana Coello, the wife of Perez, and other guests, were
+     present. Each of them was served with a dish of milk or cream, and
+     in Escovedo's was mixed a powder like flour. I gave him, moreover,
+     some wine mixed with the water of the preceding dinner. This time
+     it operated better, for secretary Escovedo was very ill, without
+     guessing the reason. During his illness, I found means for one of
+     my friends, the son of captain Juan Rubio, governor of the
+     principality of Melfi, and formerly Perez's major-domo (which son,
+     after having been page to Dona Juana Coello, was a scullion in the
+     king's kitchens), to form an acquaintance with secretary Escovedo's
+     cook, whom he saw every morning. Now, as they prepared for the sick
+     man a separate broth, this scullion, taking advantage of a moment
+     when nobody saw him, cast into it a thimble-full of a powder that
+     Diego Martinez had given him. When secretary Escovedo had taken
+     some of this food, they found that it contained poison. They
+     subsequently arrested one of Escovedo's female slaves who must have
+     been employed to prepare the pottage; and, upon this proof, they
+     hung her in the public square at Madrid, though she was innocent.
+
+     "'Secretary Escovedo having escaped all these plottings, Antonio
+     Perez adopted another plan, viz., that we should kill him some
+     evening with pistols, stilettoes, or rapiers, and that without
+     delay. I started, therefore, for my country, to find one of my
+     intimate friends, and a stiletto with a very thin blade, a much
+     better weapon than a pistol for murdering a man. I travelled post,
+     and they gave me some bills of exchange of Lorenzo Spinola at
+     Genoa, to get money at Barcelona, and which, in fact, I received on
+     arriving there.'
+
+     "Here Enriquez relates, that he enticed into the plot one of his
+     brothers, named Miguel Bosque, to whom he promised a sum of gold
+     and the protection of Perez; that they arrived at Madrid the very
+     day Escovedo's slave was hanged; that, during his absence, Diego
+     Martinez had fetched from Aragon, for the same object, two resolute
+     men, named Juan de Mesa and Insausti; that the very day after his
+     arrival, Diego Martinez had assembled them all four, as well as the
+     scullion Juan Rubio, outside Madrid, to decide as to the means and
+     the moment of the murder; that they had agreed upon this, that
+     Diego Martinez had procured them a sword, broad and fluted up to
+     the point, to kill Escovedo with, and had armed them all with
+     daggers; and that Antonio Perez had gone, during that time, to pass
+     the holy week at Alcala, doubtless with the intention of turning
+     suspicion from him when the death of Escovedo was ascertained. Then
+     Antonio Enriquez adds:--
+
+     "'It was agreed, that we should all meet every evening upon the
+     little square of Saint James (Jacobo), whence we should go and
+     watch on the side by which secretary Escovedo was to pass; which
+     was done. Insausti, Juan Rubio, and Miguel Bosque, were to waylay
+     him; while Diego Martinez, Juan de Mesa, and I, were to walk about
+     in the neighbourhood, in case our services should be required in
+     the murder. On Easter Monday, March 31, the day the murder was
+     committed, Juan de Mesa and I were later than usual in repairing to
+     the appointed spot, so that, when we arrived at St James's Square,
+     the four others had already started to lie in ambush for the
+     passing of secretary Escovedo. Whilst we were loitering about, Juan
+     de Mesa and I heard the report that Escovedo had been assassinated.
+     We then retired to our lodgings. Entering my room, I found Miguel
+     Bosque there, in his doublet, having lost his cloak and pistol; and
+     Juan de Mesa found, likewise, Insausti at his door, who had also
+     lost his cloak, and whom he let secretly into his house.'"
+
+The quiet pertinacity which characterizes this deliberate murder adds a
+creditable chapter to the voluminous "Newgate Calendar" of the sixteenth
+century. The murderers--first, second, third, and fourth--having
+executed their commission, were rewarded with a dramatic appreciation of
+their merits. Miguel Bosque received a hundred gold crowns from the hand
+of the clerk in the household of Perez. Juan de Mesa was presented with
+a gold chain, four hundred gold crowns, and a silver cup, to which the
+Princess of Eboli added, in writing, a title of employment in the
+administration of her estates. Diego Martinez brought to the three
+others brevets, signed nineteen days after this deed of blood, by Philip
+II. and Perez, of _alfarez_, or ensign in the royal service, with an
+income of twenty gold crowns. They then smilingly dispersed, as the play
+directs, "you that way, I this way."
+
+Such blood will not sink in the ground. Instantly, at a private audience
+granted to him by Philip, the son of Escovedo, impelled by a torrent of
+universal suspicion, charged his father's death home to Perez. On the
+same day, Philip communicated to Perez the accusation. No pictorial art,
+we are sure, could exhibit truly the faces of these two men, speaking
+and listening, at that conference. This, however, was the last gleam of
+his sovereign's confidence that ever shone on Perez. His secret and
+mortal enemy, Mathew Vasquez, one of the royal secretaries, having
+espoused the cause of the kinsmen of Escovedo, wrote to Philip, "People
+pretend that it was a great friend of the deceased who assassinated the
+latter, because he had found him interfering with his honour, and _on
+account of a woman_." The barbed missile flew to its mark, and rankled
+for ever.
+
+Our limits preclude the most concise epitome of the next twelve years of
+the life of Perez, of which the protracted tribulations, indeed, cannot
+be related more succinctly and attractively than they are by M. Mignet.
+During this weary space of time, Perez, single-handed, maintained an
+energetic defensive warfare against the disfavour of a vindictive
+monarch, the oppression of predominant rivals, the insidious
+machinations and wild fury of relentless private revenge, the most
+terrific mockeries of justice, the blackest mental despondency, and
+exquisite physical suffering. Philip II. displayed all his atrocious
+feline propensities--alternately hiding and baring his claws--tickling
+his victim to-day with delusions of mercy and protection, in order to
+smite him on the morrow with heavier and unmitigated cruelty. The truth
+is, he did not dare to kill, while he had no desire to save. Over and
+over again, in the course of the monstrous burlesques which were enacted
+in judicial robes as legal inquiries, did Philip privately, both orally
+and in writing, exonerate and absolve the murderer. Prosecutors and
+judges were bridled and overawed--kinsmen were abashed--popular
+indignation was quelled by reiterated assurances and reports, that the
+confidential secretary of state had been the passive and faithful
+executioner of royal commands. Even Uncle Martin, the privileged
+court-fool, when the flight ultimately of Perez gave general
+satisfaction, though not to the implacable Philip, exclaimed
+openly--"Sire, who is this Antonio Perez, whose escape and deliverance
+have filled every one with delight? He cannot, then, have been guilty;
+rejoice, therefore, like other people." But the lucky rival--the happy
+lover, could not expiate his rank offence by any amount of sacrifice in
+person or estate. According to our view of these lingering scenes of
+rancorous persecution, Philip gradually habituated himself to gloat over
+the sufferings of Perez with the morbid rapture of monomania. So long as
+the wretched man was within his reach, he contemplated placidly the
+anguish inflicted on him by the unjust or excessive malevolence of his
+enemies. He repeatedly checked the prosecutions of the Escovedo family,
+and sanctioned their revival with as little difficulty as if he had
+never interposed on any former occasion. He relaxed at intervals the
+rigorous imprisonment under which Perez was gasping for the breath of
+life, granting him for nearly a twelvemonth so much liberty as to
+inflate a naturally buoyant temperament with inordinate hope; but, in
+that very period, instigated and approved of investigations and actions
+at law, which resulted in reducing Perez, in so far as wealth and
+honours were concerned, to beggary and rags. He threw into a dungeon
+Pedro de Escovedo, who talked unreservedly of his desire to assassinate
+Perez; and refused the fervent entreaties of Perez himself to remove,
+for a temporary relief, the fetters with which, when his ailing body
+could scarcely support its own weight, his limbs had been loaded. He
+sent Perez compassionate and encouraging messages, writing to him, "I
+will not forsake you, and be assured that their animosity (of the
+Escovedos) will be impotent against you;" while he regularly transmitted
+to Vasquez and the Escovedos the information which nourished and
+hardened their hatred. And finally, having constantly enjoined Perez to
+take heed that no one should discover the murder to have been
+perpetrated by the king, Philip, on the ground that he obstinately
+refused to make a full confession, imperturbably consigned him "to that
+dreadful proof, the revolting account of which," says M. Mignet, "I will
+quote from the process itself:"--
+
+     "At the same instant, the said judges replied to him that the
+     proofs still remaining in all their force and vigour ..., they
+     ordered him to be put to the torture to make him declare what the
+     king required; that if he lost his life, or the use of some limbs,
+     it would be his own fault; and that he alone would be responsible.
+     He repeated, once more, his former assertions, and protested,
+     moreover, against the use of torture towards him, for these two
+     reasons: first, because he was of a noble family; and secondly,
+     because his life would be endangered, since he was already disabled
+     by the effects of his eleven years' imprisonment. The two judges
+     then ordered his irons and chain to be taken off; requiring him to
+     take an oath and declare whatever he was asked. Upon his refusal,
+     Diego Ruis, the executioner, stripped him of his garments, and left
+     him only his linen drawers. The executioner having afterwards
+     retired, they told him once more to obey the king's orders, on pain
+     of suffering torture _by the rope_. He repeated once more that he
+     said what he had already said. Immediately the ladder and apparatus
+     of torture having been brought, Diego Ruis, the executioner,
+     crossed the arms of Antonio Perez, one over the other; and they
+     proceeded to give him one twist of the rope. He uttered piercing
+     cries, saying: _Jesus! that he had nothing to declare; that he had
+     only to die in torture; that he would say nothing; and that he
+     would die._ This he repeated many times. By this time they had
+     already given him four turns of the rope; and the judges having
+     returned to summon him to declare what they wanted of him, he said,
+     with many shrieks and exclamations, _that he had nothing to say;
+     that they were breaking his arm. Good God! I have lost the use of
+     one arm; the doctors know it well._ He added with groans: _Ah!
+     Lord, for the love of God!... They have crushed my hand, by the
+     living God!_ He said, moreover: _Senor Juan Gomez, you are a
+     Christian; my brother, for the love of God, you are killing me, and
+     I have nothing to declare._ The judges replied again, that he must
+     make the declarations they wanted; but he only repeated: _Brother,
+     you are killing me! Senor Juan Gomez, by our Saviour's wounds, let
+     them finish me with one blow!... Let them leave me, I will say
+     whatever they will; for God's sake, brother, have compassion on
+     me!_ At the same time, he entreated them to relieve him from the
+     position in which he was placed, and to give him his clothes,
+     saying, he would speak. This did not happen until he had suffered
+     eight turns of the rope; and the executioner being then ordered to
+     leave the room where they had used the torture, Perez remained
+     alone with the licentiate Juan Gomez and the scrivener Antonio
+     Marquez."
+
+The impunity of tyranny was over-strained. The tide of sympathy
+fluctuated, and ebbed with murmuring agitation from the channel in which
+it had flowed so long with a steady current. Jesters and preachers
+uttered homely truths--the nobles trembled--and the people shuddered.
+With a few intelligible exceptions, there was a burst of general
+satisfaction when, on the 20th April 1591, two months after his torture,
+Perez, by the aid of his intrepid and devoted wife--(and shall we be too
+credulous in adding, with the connivance of his guards?)--broke his
+bonds, fled from Castile, and set his foot on the soil of independent
+Aragon.
+
+Let us now, for a moment, reconsider the motives which solve, as they
+guided, at once the indefensible guilt of Perez, and the malignant
+perfidy of Philip. The King of Spain unquestionably ordered the murder
+of Escovedo, and confided its perpetration to the docile secretary. But
+the death-warrant slumbered for a while in the keeping of the
+executioner. It was not until Escovedo acquired his perilous knowledge
+of the debaucheries of Perez and the Princess of Eboli, and had avowed
+his still more perilous resolution of publishing their frailty in a
+quarter where detection was ruin, that Perez plied with inflexible
+diligence artifice and violence, poison and dagger--to satisfy,
+coincidently, himself and his sovereign. By a similar infusion of
+emotions, roused by later occurrences, the feelings of Philip towards
+Perez underwent, after the murder, a radical change. He at first
+unhesitatingly joined, as we have seen, in rewarding the actual
+murderers. The tale of the preference lavished by beauty on his minion
+had not seared his heart-strings. With that revelation came the mood of
+inexpiable hate. A word from him, uttered with unequivocal emphasis,
+would have cleared and rescued Perez. Such words, indeed, he pronounced
+more than once; but never as he would have done, if their effect had
+been to screen merely the faithful minister of state. The object in
+their occasional recurrence was one of profound dissimulation. Philip's
+design was to lull the alarm of Perez, and to recover out of his hands
+every scrap of written evidence which existed, implicating himself in
+the death of Escovedo. And it was under an erroneous impression of his
+efforts having been at length completely triumphant, that he sent Perez
+to the torture, with a foregone determination of killing him with the
+sword of justice, as a slanderous traitor, who could not adduce a tittle
+of proof to support his falsehood.
+
+But the wit of Perez was as penetrating as Philip's, and had avoided the
+snare. Retaining adroitly, in authentic documents, ample materials for
+his own defence, and the inculpation of the king, Perez fought
+undauntedly and successfully his battle, on the charge of Escovedo's
+murder, before the tribunals of Aragon, which were either ignorant of,
+or indifferent to, the scandals and personal criminalities inseparably
+mixed up with the case at Madrid. The retributive justice which had
+overwhelmed Perez in his person and circumstances in Castile, now
+descended on the reputation of Philip in Aragon, who was likewise not
+only obliged to hear of the acquittal of his detested foe by the supreme
+court there, but necessitated, by the tremendous statements promulgated
+by Perez as his justification, founded on unimpeachable writings in his
+possession, to drop and relinquish all legal proceedings.
+
+The bitterness of the cup of woe, however, it had still been in the
+power of the fierce despot otherwise to deepen. Infuriated by the flight
+of Perez, the king caused the wife, then pregnant, and the children of
+the fugitive, to be arrested and cast into the public prison, dragging
+them "on the day when it is usual to pardon the very worst of criminals,
+at the very hour of the procession of the penitents on Holy Thursday,
+with a reckless disregard of custom and decency, among the crosses and
+all the corteges of this solemnity, in order that there might be no lack
+of witnesses for this glorious action." These words we have cited from a
+famous narrative subsequently published by Perez in England, from which
+we are also tempted to extract, in relation to the same occurrence, the
+following passage, full of that energetic eloquence which contributed,
+among other causes, to win over general commiseration to the writer:--
+
+     "'The crime committed by a wife who aids her husband to escape from
+     prison, martyred as he had been for so many years, and reduced to
+     such a miserable condition, is justified by all law--natural,
+     divine and human--and by the laws of Spain in particular. Saul,
+     pursuing David, respected Michal, though she was his daughter, and
+     had even saved her husband from the effects of his wrath.
+     Law--common, civil, and canonical--absolves woman from whatever she
+     does to defend her husband. The special law of Count Fernan
+     Gonzales leaves her free; the voice and the unanimous decree of all
+     nations exalt and glorify her. If, when her children are in her
+     house, in their chamber, or their cradle, it be proved that they
+     are strangers to every thing, by that alone, and by their age,
+     which excludes them from such confidences, how much more must that
+     child be a stranger to all, which the mother bore in her bosom, and
+     which they thus made a prisoner before its birth? Even before it
+     could be guilty, it was already punished; and its life and soul
+     were endangered, like one of its brothers who lost both when they
+     seized his mother a second time, near the port of Lisbon.' He
+     finishes with these noble and avenging threats:--'But let them not
+     be deceived; wherever they put them, such captives have, on their
+     side, the two most powerful advocates in the whole world--their
+     innocence and their misfortune. No Cicero, no Demosthenes can so
+     charm the ear, or so powerfully rouse the mind, as these two
+     defenders; because, among other privileges, God has given them that
+     of being always present, to cry out for justice, to serve both as
+     witnesses and advocates, and to terminate one of those processes
+     which God alone judges in this world: this is what will happen in
+     the present case, if the justice of men be too long in default. And
+     let not the debtors of God be too confident about the delay of His
+     judgment; though the fatal term be apparently postponed, it is
+     gradually approaching; and the debt to be paid is augmented by the
+     interest which is added to it down to the last day of Heaven's
+     great reckoning."'
+
+It was not till eight years later, in 1599, when Philip III. sat on the
+throne of Spain, that the wife and children of Perez regained their
+liberty, and not till nearly twenty-five later, in 1615, that his
+children, who had passed their youth in prison, and been legally
+attainted with their father's degradation without having participated in
+his offences, were restored to their rank and rights as Spanish nobles.
+
+Baffled in his pursuit of vengeance by the sturdy independence of the
+civil courts of Aragon, Philip turned his eyes for assistance to a
+tribunal, of which the jurisdiction had apparently no boundary except
+its exorbitant pretensions. At the king's bidding, the Inquisition
+endeavoured to seize Perez within its inexorable grasp. It seized, but
+could not hold him. The free and jealous Aragonese, shouting "Liberty
+for ever!" flew to arms, and emancipated from the mysterious oppression
+of the Holy Office the man already absolved of crime by the regular
+decrees of justice.
+
+The Inquisition having renewed its attempt, the people, headed and
+supported by leaders of the highest lineage, condition, and authority in
+Aragon, increased in the fervour and boldness of their resistance. Their
+zealous championship of Perez--a most unworthy object of so much
+generous and brave solicitude--drove them into open insurrection against
+Philip. The biographer narrates, that when the storm raised by him, and
+on his account, drew near, Perez escaped across the Pyrenees into
+France; and the historian records, that when the sun of peace again
+re-emerged from the tempest, Philip had overthrown the ancient
+constitution of Aragon, crushed its nobility, destroyed its
+independence, and incorporated its territory with the Spanish monarchy.
+
+Perez, although compelled to fly, bade farewell for ever to his native
+land with reluctance. There is something touching in the familiar image
+which he uses to describe his own condition: "He was like a dog of a
+faithful nature, who, though beaten and ill-treated by his master and
+household, is loth to quit the walls of his dwelling." He found at
+Bearn, in the court of the sister of Henry IV. of France, a
+resting-place from hardship, but not a safe asylum from persecution.
+During his brief residence there, three separate attempts to assassinate
+him were detected or defeated; nor were these the only plots directed
+against his person. M. Mignet quotes a pleasant variety of the species
+from the lively pen of Perez himself.
+
+     "'When Perez was at Pau, they went so far as to try to make use of
+     a lady of that country, who lacked neither beauty, gallantry, nor
+     distinction; a notable woman, an Amazon, and a huntress; riding, as
+     they say, up hill and down dale. One would have thought they wanted
+     to put to death some new Samson. In short, they offered her ten
+     thousand crowns and six Spanish horses to come to Pau, and form an
+     intimacy with Perez; and, after having charmed him by her beauty,
+     to invite and entice him to her house, in order, some fine evening,
+     to deliver him up, or allow him to be carried off in a hunting
+     party. The lady, either being importuned, or desirous, from a
+     curiosity natural to her sex, to know a man whom authority and his
+     persecutors considered of so much consequence, or, lastly, for the
+     purpose of warning the victim herself, feigned, as the sequel makes
+     us believe, to accept the commission. She travelled to Pau, and
+     made acquaintance with Perez. She visited him at his house.
+     Messengers and love-letters flew about like hail. There were
+     several parties of pleasure; but, in the end, the good disposition
+     of the lady, and her attachment for Perez, gained the victory over
+     interest, that metal of base alloy, which defiles more than any act
+     of love; so that she herself came and revealed to him the
+     machinations from beginning to end, together with the offers made,
+     and all that had followed. She did much more. She offered him her
+     house and the revenue attached to it, with such a warmth of
+     affection, (if we may judge of love by its demonstrations,) that
+     any sound mathematician would say there was, between that lady and
+     Perez, an astrological sympathy.'"
+
+His restless spirit of intrigue, and perhaps a nascent desire, provoked
+by altered circumstances, of reciprocal vengeance against Philip,
+hurried Perez from the tranquil seclusion of Bearn to the busy camp of
+Henry IV. After a long conference, he was sent to England by that
+monarch, who calculated on his services being usefully available with
+Queen Elizabeth in the common enterprise against Spain. Then it was that
+he formed his intimate acquaintance with the celebrated Francis Bacon,
+in whose company we first introduced him to our readers, and with many
+other individuals of eminence and note.
+
+     "It was during the leisure of this his first residence in London
+     that Perez published, in the summer of 1594, his _Relaciones_,
+     under the imaginary name of _Raphael Peregrino_; which, far from
+     concealing the real author, in reality designated him by the
+     allusion to his wandering life. This account of his adventures,
+     composed with infinite art, was calculated to render his ungrateful
+     and relentless persecutor still more odious, and to draw towards
+     himself more benevolence and compassion. He sent copies of it to
+     Burghley, to Lady Rich, sister of the Earl of Essex, to Lords
+     Southampton, Montjoy, and Harris, to Sir Robert Sidney, Sir Henry
+     Unton, and many other personages of the English court, accompanying
+     them with letters gracefully written and melancholy in spirit. The
+     one which he confided to the patronage of the Earl of Essex was at
+     once touching and flattering:--'Raphael Peregrino,' said he, 'the
+     author of this book, has charged me to present it to your
+     Excellency. Your Excellency is obliged to protect him, since he
+     recommends himself to you. He must know that he wants a godfather,
+     since he chooses such as you. Perhaps he trusted to his name,
+     knowing that your Excellency is the support of the pilgrims of
+     fortune.'"
+
+The dagger of the assassin continued to track his wanderings. And it is,
+probably, not commonly known, that upon one of the city gates of London,
+near St Paul's, there might be seen, in 1594, the heads of two Irishmen,
+executed as accomplices in a plot for the murder of Antonio Perez.
+
+In England, where he was supported by the generosity of Essex, he did
+not remain very long, having been recalled, in 1594, to France by Henry,
+who had recently declared war against Philip. At Paris, Perez was
+received with great distinction and the most flattering attentions,
+being lodged in a spacious mansion, and provided with a military
+body-guard. The precaution was not superfluous. Wearing seemingly a
+charmed life, the dusky spectre of premature and unnatural death haunted
+him wherever he went or sojourned. Baron Pinilla, a Spaniard, was
+captured in Paris on the eve of his attempt to murder Perez, put to the
+torture, and executed on the Place de Greve--thus adding another name to
+the long catalogue of people, to whom any connexion with, or implication
+in, the affairs of Perez, whether innocently or criminally, for good or
+evil, attracted, it might be imagined as by Lady Bacon, from an angry
+Heaven the flash of calamitous ruin.
+
+His present prosperity came as a brilliant glimpse through hopeless
+darkness, and so departed. Revisiting England in 1596, he found himself
+denied access to Essex, shunned by the Bacons, and disregarded by every
+body. The consequent mortification accelerated his return to France,
+which he reached, as Henry was concluding peace with Philip, to
+encounter cold distrust and speedy neglect from the French King. All
+this was the result of his own incurable double-dealing. He had been
+Henry's spy in the court of Elizabeth, and was, or fancied himself to be
+Elizabeth's at Paris. But the omnipotent secretary of state and the
+needy adventurer played the game of duplicity and perfidy with the odds
+reversed. All parties, as their experience unmasked his hollow
+insincerity, shrunk from reliance on, or intercourse with an
+ambidextrous knave, to whom mischief and deceit were infinitely more
+congenial than wisdom and honesty. "The truth is," wrote Villeroy, one
+of the French ministers, to a correspondent in 1605, "that his
+adversities have not made him much wiser or more discreet than he was in
+his prosperity." We must confess ourselves unable to perceive any traces
+of even the qualified improvement admitted by Villeroy.
+
+The rest of the biography of this extraordinary man is a miserable diary
+of indignant lamentations over his abject condition--of impudent
+laudations of the blameless integrity of his career--of grovelling and
+ineffectual efforts and supplications to appease and eradicate the
+hatred of Philip--and of vociferous cries for relief from penury and
+famine. "I am in extreme want, having exhausted the assistance of all my
+friends, and no longer knowing where to find my daily bread," is the
+terrible confession of the once favourite minister of the most powerful
+monarch in Europe. He never touched the ground, or even gazed on the
+distant hills of Spain again. In one of the obscure streets of Paris, in
+solitude and poverty, he dragged the grief and infirmities of his old
+age slowly towards the grave; and at length, in the seventy-second year
+of his age, on a natural and quiet deathbed, closed the troubles of his
+tempestuous existence.
+
+Such is "this strange eventful history." Such was the incalculable
+progeny of misery, disgrace, disaster, and ruin, involving himself, his
+family, countless individuals, and an entire nation, which issued from
+the guilty love of Perez and the Princess of Eboli.
+
+     _Antonio Perez and Philip II._ By M. MIGNET. Translated by C.
+     COCKS, B.L. London: 1846.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 4: "Dona Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda," observes the historian
+of the house of Silva, "the only daughter of Don Diego de Mendoza and
+the Lady Catalina de Silva, was, from the blood which ran in her veins,
+from her beauty, and her noble inheritance, one of the most desirable
+matches (_apeticidos casamientos_) of the day!"]
+
+
+
+
+RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOVER OF SOCIETY.
+
+No. II.
+
+1802.
+
+
+All the great people of London, and most of the little, have been kept
+in a fever of agitation during the last fortnight, by the preparatives
+for the grand club ball in honour of the peace. Texier had the direction
+of the fete, and he exhibited his taste to the astonishment of _les
+sauvages Britanniques_. Never were seen such decorations, such chaplets,
+such chandeliers, such bowers of roses. In short, the whole was a Bond
+Street Arcadia. All the world of the West End were there; the number
+could not have been less than a thousand--all in fancy dresses and
+looking remarkably brilliant. The Prince of Wales, the most showy of men
+every where, wore a Highland dress, such, however, as no Highlander ever
+wore since Deucalion's flood, unless Donald was master of diamonds
+enough to purchase a principality. The Prince, of course, had a separate
+room for his own supper party, and the genius of M. Texier had contrived
+a little entertainment for the royal party, by building an adjoining
+apartment in the style of a cavern, after the Gil Blas fashion, in which
+a party of banditti were to carry on their carousal. The banditti were,
+of course, amateurs--the Cravens, Tom Sheridan, and others of that
+set--who sang, danced, gambled, and did all sorts of strange things. The
+Prince was delighted; but even princes cannot have all pleasures to
+themselves. Some of the crowd by degrees squeezed or coaxed their way
+into the cavern, others followed, the pressure became irresistible;
+until at last the banditti, contrary to all the laws of melodrame, were
+expelled from their own cavern, and the invaders sat down to their
+supper. Lords Besborough, Ossulston, and Bedford were the directors of
+the night; and the foreign ministers declared that nothing in Europe,
+within their experience, equalled this Bond Street affair. Whether the
+directors had the horses taken from their carriages, and were carried
+home in an ovation, I cannot tell; but Texier, not at all disposed to
+think lightly of himself at any time, talks of the night with tears in
+his eyes, and declares it the triumph of his existence.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+George Rose has had a narrow escape of being drowned. All the wits, of
+course, appeal to the proverb, and deny the possibility of his
+concluding his career by water. Still, his escape was extraordinary. He
+had taken a boat at Palace Yard to cross to Lambeth. As he was standing
+up in the boat, immediately on his getting in, the waterman awkwardly
+and hastily shoved off, and George, accustomed as he was to take care of
+himself, lost his balance, and plumped head foremost into the water. The
+tide was running strong, and between the weight of his clothes, and the
+suddenness of the shock, he was utterly helpless. The parliamentary
+laughers say, that the true wonder of the case is, that he has been ever
+able to keep his head above water for the last dozen years; others, that
+it has been so long his practice to swim with the stream, that no one
+can be surprised at his slipping eagerly along. The fact, however, is,
+that a few minutes more must have sent him to the bottom. Luckily a
+bargeman made a grasp at him as he was going down, and held him till he
+could be lifted into his boat. He was carried to the landing-place in a
+state of great exhaustion. George has been, of course, obnoxious to the
+Opposition from his services, and from his real activity and
+intelligence in office. He is good-natured, however, and has made no
+enemies. Sheridan and the rest, when they have nothing else to do in the
+House, fire their shots at him to keep their hands in practice, but none
+of them have been able to bring him down.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A remarkable man died in June, the well-known Colonel Barre. He began
+political life about the commencement of the American war, and
+distinguished himself by taking an active part in the discussion of
+every public measure of the time. Barre's soldiership impressed its
+character on his parliamentary conduct. He was prompt, bold, and
+enterprising, and always obtained the attention of the House. Though
+without pretensions to eloquence, he was always a ready speaker; and
+from the rapidity with which he mastered details, and from the boldness
+with which he expressed his opinions, he always produced a powerful
+effect on the House. Though contemporary with Burke, and the countryman
+of that illustrious orator, he exhibited no tendency to either the
+elevation or the ornament of that distinguished senator; yet his
+speeches were vigorous, and his diligence gave them additional effect.
+No man was more dreaded by the minister; and the treasury bench often
+trembled under the force and directness of his assaults. At length,
+however, he gave way to years, and retired from public life. His party
+handsomely acknowledged his services by a retiring pension, which Mr
+Pitt, when minister, exchanged for the clerkship of the pells, thus
+disburdening the nation by substituting a sinecure. For many years
+before his death, Barre was unfortunately deprived of sight; but, under
+that heaviest of all afflictions, he retained his practical philosophy,
+enjoyed the society of his friends, and was cheerful to the last. He was
+at length seized with paralysis, and died.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The crimes of the French population are generally of a melodramatic
+order. The temperament of the nation is eminently theatrical; and the
+multitude of minor theatres scattered through France, naturally sustain
+this original tendency. A villain in the south of France, lately
+constructed a sort of machinery for murder, which was evidently on the
+plan of the trap-doors and banditti displays of the Porte St Martin.
+Hiring an empty stable, he dug a pit in it of considerable depth. The
+pit was covered with a framework of wood, forming a floor, which, on the
+pulling of a string, gave way, and plunged the victim into a depth of
+twenty feet. But the contriver was not satisfied with his attempt to
+break the bones of the unfortunate person whom he thus entrapped. He
+managed to have a small chamber filled with some combustible in the side
+of the pit, which was to be set on fire, and, on the return of the
+platform to its place, suffocate his _detenu_ with smoke. Whether he had
+performed any previous atrocities in this way, or whether the present
+instance was the commencement of his profession of homicide, is not
+told. By some means or other, having inveigled a stout countrywoman,
+coming with her eggs and apples to market, into his den, she no sooner
+trod upon the frame, than the string was pulled, it turned, and we may
+conceive with what astonishment and terror she must have felt herself
+plunged into a grave with the light of day shut out above. Fortunately
+for her, the match which was to light the combustibles failed, and she
+thus escaped suffocation. Her cries, however, were so loud, that they
+attracted some of the passers-by, and the villain attempted to take to
+flight. He was, however, seized, and given into the hands of justice.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An action was lately brought by an old lady against a dealer in
+curiosities, for cheating her in the matter of antiques. Her taste was
+not limited to the oddities of the present day, and, in the dealer, she
+found a person perfectly inclined to gratify her with wonders. He had
+sold her a model of the Alexandrian library, a specimen of the original
+type invented by Memnon the Egyptian, and a manuscript of the first play
+acted by Thespis. These had not exhausted the stock of the dealer: he
+possessed the skin of a giraffe killed in the Roman amphitheatre; the
+head of King Arthur's spear; and the breech of the first cannon fired at
+the siege of Constantinople. The jury, however, thought that the
+virtuoso having ordered those curiosities, ought to pay for them, and
+brought in a verdict for the dealer.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The French consul has been no sooner installed, than he has begun to
+give the world provocatives to war. His legion of honour is a military
+noblesse, expressly intended to make all public distinction originate in
+the army; for the few men of science decorated with its star are not to
+be compared with the list of soldiers, and even they are chiefly
+connected with the department of war as medical men, practical chemists,
+or engineers.
+
+His next act was to fix the military establishment of France at 360,000
+men; his third act, in violation of his own treaties, and of all the
+feelings of Europe, was to make a rapid invasion of Switzerland, thus
+breaking down the independence of the country, and seizing, in fact, the
+central fortress of the Continent. His fourth act has been the seizure
+of Piedmont, and its absolute annexation to France. By a decree of the
+Republic, Piedmont is divided into six departments, which are to send
+seventeen deputies to the French legislature. Turin is declared to be a
+provincial city of the Republican territory; and thus the French armies
+will have a perpetual camp in a country which lays Italy open to the
+invader, and will have gained a territory nearly as large as Scotland,
+but fertile, populous, and in one of the finest climates of the south.
+Those events have excited the strongest indignation throughout Europe.
+We have already discovered that the peace was but a truce; that the
+cessation of hostilities was but a breathing-time to the enemy; that the
+reduction of our armies was precipitate and premature; and that, unless
+the fears of the French government shall render it accessible to a sense
+of justice, the question must finally come to the sword.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Schiller's play of the "Robbers" is said to have propagated the breed of
+highwaymen in Germany. To ramble through the country, stop travellers on
+the highway, make huts in the forest, sing Bedlamite songs, and rail at
+priests and kings, was the fashion in Germany during the reign of that
+popular play. It was said, a banditti of students from one of the
+colleges had actually taken the road, and made Carl Moor their model.
+All this did very well in summer, but the winter probably cooled their
+enthusiasm; for a German forest, with its snow half a dozen feet deep,
+and the probability of famine, would be a formidable trial to the most
+glowing mysticism.
+
+But an actual leader of banditti has been just arrested, whose exploits
+in plunder have formed the romance of Germany for a considerable period.
+The confusion produced by the French war, and the general disturbance of
+the countries on both sides of the Rhine, have at once awakened the
+spirit of license, and given it impunity. A dashing fellow named
+Schinderhannes, not more than three-and-twenty years of age, but loving
+the luxuries of life too well to do without them, and disliking the
+labour required for their possession, commenced a general system of
+plunder down the Rhine. He easily organized a band, composed, I believe,
+of deserters from the French and Austrian troops, who preferred
+wholesale robbery to being shot in either service at the rate of
+threepence a-day; and for a while nothing could be more prosperous than
+their proceedings. Their leader, with all his daring, was politic,
+professing himself the friend of the poor, standing on the best terms
+with the peasantry, scattering his money in all directions with the
+lavishness of a prince, and professing to make war only on the nobility,
+the rich clergy, and the Jew merchants especially--the German Jews being
+always supposed by the people to be the grand depositories of the
+national wealth. But this favouritism among the peasantry was of the
+highest service to his enterprizes. It gave him information, it rescued
+him from difficulties, and it recruited his troop, which was said to
+amount to several hundreds, and to be in the highest state of
+discipline. After laying the country under contribution from Mayence to
+Coblentz, he crossed the river into Franconia, and commenced a period of
+enterprize there. But no man's luck lasts for ever. It was his habit to
+acquire information for himself by travelling about in various
+disguises. One day, in entering one of the little Franconian towns in
+the habit of a pedlar, and driving a cart with wares before him, he was
+recognized by one of the passers-by, whose sagacity was probably
+sharpened by having been plundered by him. An investigation followed,
+in which the disguised pedlar declared himself an Austrian subject, and
+an Austrian soldier. In consequence, he was ordered to the Austrian
+depot at Frankfort, where he met another recognition still more
+formidable. A comrade with whom he had probably quarrelled; for this
+part of the story is not yet clear, denounced him to the police; and, to
+the astonishment of the honest Frankforters, it was announced that the
+robber king, the bandit hero, was in their hands. As his exploits had
+been chiefly performed on the left bank of the Rhine, and his revenues
+had been raised out of French property in the manner of a forced loan,
+the Republic, conceiving him to be an interloper on their monopoly,
+immediately demanded him from the German authorities. In the old
+war-loving times, the Frankforters would probably have blown the trumpet
+and insisted on their privilege of acting as his jailers, but experience
+had given them wisdom, they swallowed their wrath, and the robber king
+was given up to the robber Republic. If Schinderhannes had been in the
+service of France, he would have been doing for the last ten years, on
+its account, exactly what he had been doing on his own. But unluckily
+for himself, he robbed in the name of Schinderhannes, and not in the
+name of liberty and equality; and now, instead of having his name
+shouted by all France, inserted in triumphant bulletins, and ranked with
+the Bonapartes and Caesars, he will be called a thief, stripped of his
+last rixdollar, and hanged.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An extraordinary instance of mortality has just occurred, which has
+favoured the conversation of the clubs, and thrown the west end into
+condolence and confusion for the last twenty-four hours. Colonel
+O'Kelly's famous parrot is dead. The stories told of this surprising
+bird have long stretched public credulity to its utmost extent. But if
+even the half of what is told be true, it exhibited the most singular
+sagacity. Not having seen it myself, I can only give the general report.
+But, beyond all question, it has been the wonder of London for years,
+and however willing John Bull may be to be deluded, there is no instance
+of his being deluded long. This bird's chief faculty was singing, seldom
+a parrot faculty, but its ear was so perfect, that it acquired tunes
+with great rapidity, and retained them with such remarkable exactness,
+that if, by accident, it made a mistake in the melody, it corrected
+itself, and tried over the tune until its recollection was completely
+recovered. It also spoke well, and would hold a kind of dialogue almost
+approaching to rationality. So great was its reputation that the colonel
+was offered L500 a-year by persons who intended to make an exhibition of
+it; but he was afraid that his favourite would be put to too hard work,
+and he refused the offer, which was frequently renewed. The creature
+must have been old, for it had been bought thirty years before by the
+colonel's uncle, and even then it must have had a high reputation, for
+it was bought at the price of 100 guineas. Three remarkable bequests had
+been made by that uncle to the colonel,--the estate of Canons, the
+parrot, and the horse Eclipse, the most powerful racer ever known in
+England; so superior to every other horse of his day, that his
+superiority at length became useless, as no bets would be laid against
+him. In the spirit of vague curiosity, this parrot was opened by two
+surgeons, as if to discover the secret of his cleverness; but nothing
+was seen, except that the muscles of the throat were peculiarly strong;
+nothing to account for its death was discovered.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Andreossi, the French ambassador, has arrived. He is a rude and rough
+specimen even of the Republican, but a man of intelligence, an engineer,
+and distinguished for his publications. Still the bone of contention is
+Malta, and the difficulty seems greater than ever. The French consul
+insists on its abandonment by England, as an article of the treaty of
+Amiens; but the answer of England is perfectly intelligible,--You have
+not adhered to that treaty in any instance whatever, but have gone on
+annexing Italian provinces to France. You have just now made a vassal
+of Switzerland, and to all our remonstrances on the subject you have
+answered with utter scorn. While you violate your stipulations, how can
+you expect that we shall perform ours? But another obstruction to the
+surrender of Malta has been produced by the conduct of France herself.
+She has seized the entire property of the Order in France, in Piedmont,
+and wherever she can seize it. Spain, probably by her suggestion, has
+followed her example, and the Order now is reduced to pauperism; in
+fact, it no longer exists. Thus it is impossible to restore the island
+to the Order of St John of Jerusalem; and to give it up at once to
+France, would be to throw away an important security for the due
+performance of the treaty. Government are so determined on this view of
+the case, that orders have been sent to Malta for all officers on leave
+to join their regiments immediately.
+
+Malta is one of the remarkable instances in which we may trace a kind of
+penalty on the rapaciousness of the Republic. While it remained in the
+possession of the Order, it had observed a kind of neutrality, which was
+especially serviceable to France, as the island was a refuge for its
+ships, and a depot for its commerce, in common with that of England. But
+Bonaparte, in his Egyptian expedition, finding the opportunity
+favourable, from the weakness of the knights, and the defenceless state
+of the works, landed his troops, and took possession of it without
+ceremony. No act could be more atrocious as a breach of faith, for the
+knights were in alliance with France, and were wholly unprepared for
+hostilities. The place was now in full possession of the treacherous
+ally. Contributions were raised; the churches were plundered of their
+plate and ornaments; the knights were expelled, and a French garrison
+took possession of the island. What was the result? Malta was instantly
+blockaded by the British, the garrison was reduced by famine, and Malta
+became an English possession; which it never would have been, if the
+knights had remained there; for England, in her respect for the faith of
+treaties, would not have disturbed their independence. Thus, the
+Republic, by iniquitously grasping at Malta, in fact threw it into the
+hands of England. It is scarcely less remarkable, that the plunder of
+Malta was also totally lost, it being placed on board the admiral's
+ship, which was blown up at the battle of the Nile.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One of the first acts of the French consul has been to conciliate the
+Italian priesthood by an act which they regard as equivalent to a
+conversion to Christianity. The image of our Lady of Loretto, in the
+French invasion of Italy, had been carried off from Rome; of course, the
+sorrows of the true believers were unbounded. The image was certainly
+not intended to decorate the gallery of the Louvre, for it was as black
+as a negro; and, from the time of its capture, it had unfortunately lost
+all its old power of working miracles. But it has at length been
+restored to its former abode, and myriads of the pious followed the
+procession. Discharges of cannon and ringing of bells welcomed its
+approach. It was carried by eight bishops, in a species of triumphal
+palanquin, splendidly decorated, and placed on its altar in the Santa
+Casa with all imaginable pomps and ceremonies. The whole town was
+illuminated in the evening, and the country was in a state of exultation
+at what it regards as an evidence of the immediate favor of heaven.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A singular and melancholy trial has just taken place, in which a colonel
+in the army, with several of the soldiery and others, have been found
+guilty of a conspiracy to overthrow the government, and kill the king on
+the day of his opening Parliament. The 16th of November 1802, had been
+the day appointed for this desperate deed; but information having been
+obtained of the design through a confederate, the whole party of
+conspirators were seized on that day by the police at a house in
+Lambeth, where they arrested Despard and his fellow traitors. On the
+floor of the room three printed papers were found, containing their
+proclamation.
+
+They were headed, "_Constitution_, the independence of Great Britain and
+Ireland, an equalization of civil and religious rights, an ample
+provision for the wives of the heroes who shall fall in the conquest, a
+liberal reward for distinguished merits; these are the objects for which
+we contend, and to obtain these objects we swear to be united in the
+awful presence of Almighty God." Then follows the oath: "I, A.B., do
+voluntarily declare that I will endeavour to the utmost of my power to
+obtain the objects of this union, viz. to recover those rights which the
+Supreme Being, in his infinite bounty, has given to all men; that
+neither hopes, fears, rewards, nor punishments, shall ever induce me to
+give any information, directly or indirectly, concerning the business,
+or of any member of this or any similar society, so help me God."
+
+One of the witnesses, a private in the Guards, gave evidence that the
+object of the conspiracy was to overturn the present system of
+government; to unite in companies, and to get arms. They subscribed, and
+the object of the subscription was, to pay delegates to go into the
+country, and to defray the expense of printing their papers. All persons
+belonging to the subscription were to be divided into ten companies,
+each consisting of ten, with an eleventh who was called captain. The
+next order was, that the oldest captain of five companies took the
+command of those fifty men, and was to be called colonel of the
+subdivision. Every means was to be adopted to get as many recruits as
+possible. There was to be no regular organization in London, for fear of
+attracting the eye of government. But the system was to be urged
+vigorously in the great manufacturing towns; the insurrection was to
+commence by an attack on the House of Parliament; and the king was to be
+put to death either on his way to the House, or in the House. The
+mail-coaches were then to be stopt, as a signal to their adherents in
+the country that the insurrection had triumphed in the metropolis. An
+assault was then to be made on the Tower, and the arms seized. At
+subsequent meetings, the question of the royal seizure was more than
+once discussed; and Despard had declared it to be essential to the
+success of the plot, that no effect could be produced unless the whole
+royal family were secured. The first plan for the seizure of the king
+was to shoot his carriage horses, then force him out of the carriage,
+and carry him off. A second plan was then proposed, viz. that of loading
+the Egyptian gun in St James's Park with chain shot, and firing it at
+the royal carriage as it passed along.
+
+Lord Nelson and General Sir Alured Clarke were brought as evidence to
+character. Lord Nelson said, that he and Colonel Despard had served
+together on the Spanish Main in 1799, and that he was then a loyal man
+and a brave officer. Lord Ellenborough strongly charged the jury. He
+declared that there was no question of law, and that the whole case
+resolved itself into a question of fact. The jury, after retiring for
+half an hour, brought in a verdict of guilty.
+
+In a few days after, Despard, with six of his accomplices, were executed
+in front of the new jail in the Borough. The men were chiefly soldiers
+whom this wretched criminal had bribed or bewildered into the commission
+of treason. Despard made a speech on the scaffold, declaring himself
+innocent, and that he was put to death simply for being a friend to
+truth, liberty, and justice. How he could have made this declaration
+after the evidence that had been given, is wholly unintelligible except
+on the ground of insanity, though of that there was no symptom, except
+in the design itself. What prompted the design except narrow
+circumstances, bad habits, and the temptations of a revengeful spirit,
+was never discovered.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A trial, which exhibited extraordinary talent in the defence, by a
+counsel hitherto unknown, has attracted an interest still more general,
+though of a less melancholy order. Peltier, an emigrant, and supposed to
+be an agent of the French emigrant body, had commenced a periodical
+work, entitled _L'Ambigu_; the chief object of which was to attack the
+policy, person, and conduct of the First Consul of France. His assaults
+were so pointed, that they were complained of by the French government
+as libels; and the answer returned was, that the only means which the
+ministry possessed of punishing such offences, was by the verdict of a
+jury. The Attorney-general, in opening the case, described the paper. On
+its frontispiece, was a sphinx with a crown upon its head, the features
+closely resembling those of Bonaparte. A portion of the paper was
+devoted to a parody of the harangue of Lepidus against Sylla. It asks
+the French people, "Why they have fought against Austria, Prussia,
+Italy, England, Germany, and Russia, if it be not to preserve our
+liberty and our property, and that we might obey none but the laws
+alone. And now, this tiger, who dares to call himself the Founder, or
+the Regenerator of France, enjoys the fruit of your labours as spoil
+taken from the enemy. This man, sole master in the midst of those who
+surround him, has ordained lists of proscription, and put in execution
+banishment without sentence, by which there are punishments for the
+French who have not yet seen the light. Proscribed families, giving
+birth out of France to children, oppressed before they are born. In
+another part, the paper urged to immediate action. It says, "Citizens,
+you must march, you must oppose what is passing, if you desire that he
+should not seize upon all that you have. There must be no delays, no
+useless wishes; reckon only upon yourselves, unless you indeed have the
+stupidity to suppose that he will abdicate through shame of tyranny that
+which he holds by force of crime." In another part, he assails the First
+Consul on the nature of his precautions to secure his power. He charges
+him with the formation of a troop of Mamelukes, composed of Greeks,
+Maltese, Arabians, and Copts, "a collection of foreign banditti, whose
+name and dress, recalling the mad and disastrous Egyptian expedition,
+should cover him with shame; but who, not speaking our language, nor
+having any point of contact with our army, will always be the satellites
+of the tyrant, his mutes, his cut-throats, and his hangmen. The laws,
+the justice, the finances, the administration; in fine, the liberty and
+life of the citizens, are all in the power of one man. You see at every
+moment arbitrary arrests, judges punished for having acquitted citizens,
+individuals put to death after having been already acquitted by law,
+sentences and sentences of death extorted from judges by threats.
+Remains there for men, who would deserve that name, any thing else to
+do, but to avenge their wrongs, or perish with glory?"
+
+Another portion of this paper contained an ode, in which all things were
+represented as in a state of convulsion, all shaken by a tremendous
+storm; but nature, either blind or cruel, sparing the head of the tyrant
+alone:--still carrying on the parody of the Roman speech, it pronounces
+that a poniard is the last resource of Rome to rescue herself from a
+dictator. It asks, is it from a Corsican that a Frenchman must receive
+his chains? was it to crown a traitor that France had punished her
+kings? In another, a libel, which traced the rise of Bonaparte, and
+charged him with the intention of assuming imperial power, concluded in
+these words:--"Carried on the shield, let him be elected emperor;
+finally, (and Romulus recalls the thing to mind,) I wish that on the
+morrow he may have his 'apotheosis.'" This the Attorney-general
+certainly, with every appearance of reason, pronounced to be a palpable
+suggestion to put the First Consul to death; as history tells us that
+Romulus was assassinated.
+
+The defence by Mackintosh was a bold and eloquent performance. He
+commenced by a spirited animadversion on the Attorney's speech, and then
+extended his subject into a general defence of the liberty of the press,
+which he pronounced to be the true object of attack on the part of the
+First Consul. He followed the history of its suppression through all the
+states under French influence, and then came to the attempt at its
+suppression here. He then invoked the jury to regard themselves as the
+protectors of the freedom of speech on earth, and to rescue his client
+from the severity of an oppression which threatened the universal
+slavery of mankind.
+
+This speech has been strongly criticised as one in which the advocate
+defended himself and his party, while he neglected his client. But the
+obvious truth is, that unless the suggestion of assassination is
+defensible, there could be no defence, and unless the laws of nations
+justify the most violent charges on the character of foreign sovereigns,
+there could be no justification for the language of the whole paper.
+Mackintosh evidently took the best course for his cause. He made out of
+bad materials a showy speech; he turned the public eye from the guilt of
+the libel to the popular value of the press; where others would have
+given a dull pleading, he gave a stately romance; where the jury, in
+feebler hands, would have been suffered to see the facts in their savage
+nudity, he exhibited them clothed in classic draperies, and dazzled the
+eye with the lofty features and heroic attitudes of ancient love of
+country. All the skill of man could not have saved Peltier from a
+verdict of guilty; but the genius of the orator invested his sentence
+with something of the glory of martyrdom. The breaking out of the war
+relieved Peltier from the consequences of the verdict. But there can be
+no question that, if he had been thrown into prison, he would have been
+an object of the general sympathy; that the liberty of the press would
+have been regarded as in some degree involved in his sufferings; that he
+would have found public liberality willing to alleviate his personal and
+pecuniary difficulties; and that his punishment would have been
+shortened, and his fine paid by the zeal of the national sympathy. Such
+are the triumphs of eloquence. Such is the value of having a man of
+genius for an advocate. Such is the importance to the man of genius
+himself, of resolving to exert his highest powers for his client.
+Mackintosh has been called an indolent man; and he has been hitherto but
+little known. But he has at last discovered his own faculties, and he
+has only to keep them in action to achieve the highest successes of the
+bar; to fill the place of Erskine; and if no man can make Erskine
+forgotten, at least make him unregretted. This speech also has taught
+another lesson, and that lesson is, that the bar can be the theatre of
+the highest rank of eloquence, and that all which is regarded as the
+limit of forensic excellence, is a gratuitous degradation of its own
+dignity. The sharp retort, the sly innuendo, the dexterous hint, the
+hard, keen subtlety, the rough common sense, all valuable in their
+degree, and all profitable to their possessor, are only of an inferior
+grade. Let the true orator come forth, and the spruce pleader is
+instantly flung into the background. Let the appeal of a powerful mind
+be made to the jury, and all the small address, and practical skill, and
+sly ingenuity, are dropped behind. The passion of the true orator
+communicates its passion; his natural richness of conception fills the
+spirit of his hearers; his power of producing new thoughts and giving
+new shapes to acknowledged truths; his whole magnificence of mind
+erecting and developing new views of human action as it moves along,
+lead the feelings of men in a willing fascination until the charm is
+complete. But after such a man, let the mere advocate stand up, and how
+feebly does his voice fall on the ear, how dry are his facts, how
+tedious his tricks, how lacklustre, empty, and vain are his contrivances
+to produce conviction!
+
+Mackintosh wants one grand quality for the jury,--he speaks like one who
+thinks more of his argument than of his audience; he forgets the faces
+before him, and is evidently poring over the images within. Though with
+a visage of the colour, and seemingly of the texture of granite, he
+blushes at a misplaced word, and is evidently sensitive to the error of
+a comma. No man ever spoke with effect who cannot hesitate without being
+overwhelmed, blunder without a blush, or be bewildered by his own
+impetuosity, without turning back to retrace. _En avant_ is the precept
+for the orator, as much as it is the principle of the soldier.
+Mackintosh has to learn these things; but he has a full mind, a classic
+tongue, and a subtle imagination, and these constitute the one thing
+needful for the orator, comprehend all, and complete all.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The late Lord Orford, the relative of the well-known Horace Walpole, is
+one of the curious evidences that every man who takes it into his head
+to be conspicuous, right or wrong, may make for himself a name. Lord
+Orford, while his relative was writing all kinds of brilliant things,
+collecting antiquities, worshipping the genius of cracked china, and
+bowing down before fardingales and topknots of the time of Francis I.,
+in the Temple of Strawberry Hill, was forming a niche for his fame in
+his dog-kennel, and immortalizing himself by the help of his hounds.
+Next to Actaeon, he was the greatest dog-fancier that the world has ever
+seen, and would have rivalled Endymion, if Diana was to be won by the
+fleetest of quadrupeds. He was boundless in his profusion in respect of
+his favourite animals, until at last, finding that his ideas of
+perfection could not be realized by any living greyhounds, he speculated
+on the race unborn, and crossed his dogs until, after seven summers, he
+brought them to unrivalled excellence. He had at various times fifty
+brace of greyhounds, quartering them over every part of his county
+Norfolk, of which he was lord-lieutenant, probably for the sake of
+trying the effect of air and locality.
+
+One of his lordship's conceptions was, that of training animals to
+purposes that nature never designed them for; and, if lions had been
+accessible in this country, he would probably have put a snaffle into
+the mouth of the forest king, and have trained him for hunting, unless
+his lordship had been devoured in the experiment. But his most notorious
+attempt of this order, was a four-in-hand of stags. Having obtained four
+red deer of strong make, he harnessed them, and by dint of the infinite
+diligence which he exerted on all such occasions; was at length enabled
+to drive his four antlered coursers along the high-road. But on one
+unfortunate day, as he was driving to Newmarket, a pack of hounds, in
+full cry after fox or hare, crossing the road, got scent of the track.
+Finding more attractive metal, they left the chase, and followed the
+stags in full cry. The animals now became irrestrainable, dashed along
+at full speed, and carried the phaeton and his lordship in it, to his
+great alarm, along the road, at the rate of thirty miles an hour.
+Luckily they did not take their way across the country, or their
+driver's neck must have been broken. The scene was now particularly
+animating; the hounds were still heard in full cry; no power could stop
+the frightened stags; his lordship exerted all his charioteering skill
+in vain. Luckily, he had been in the habit of driving to Newmarket. The
+stags rushed into the town, to the astonishment of every body, and
+darted into the inn yard. Here the gates were shut, and scarcely too
+soon, for in a minute or two after the whole dogs of the hunt came
+rushing into the town, and roaring for their prey. This escape seems to
+have cured his lordship of stag-driving; but his passion for coursing
+grew only more active, and the bitterest day of the year, he was seen
+mounted on his piebald pony, and, in his love of the sport, apparently
+insensible to the severities of the weather; while the hardiest of his
+followers shrank, he was always seen, without great-coat or gloves, with
+his little three-cocked hat facing the storm, and evidently insensible
+to every thing but the performances of his hounds.
+
+His lordship was perhaps the first man who was ever made mad by country
+sports, though many a man has been made a beggar by them; and none but
+fools will waste their time on them. His lordship at length became
+unquestionably mad, and was put under restraint. At length, while still
+in confinement, and in a second access of his disorder, having
+ascertained, by some means or other, that one of his favourite
+greyhounds was to run a match for a large sum, he determined to be
+present at the performance. Contriving to send his attendant from the
+room, he jumped out of the window, saddled his piebald pony with his own
+hands, all the grooms having gone to the field, and there being no one
+to obstruct him, and suddenly made his appearance on the course, to
+universal astonishment. In spite of all entreaties, he was determined to
+follow the dogs, and galloped after them. In the height of the pursuit,
+he was flung from his pony, fell on his head; and instantly expired.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The fluctuations of the public mind on the subject of the peace, have
+lately influenced the stock market to a considerable degree. The
+insolence of the First Consul to our ambassador, Lord Whitworth,
+naturally produces an expectation of war. Early this morning, a man,
+calling himself a messenger from the Foreign Office, delivered a letter
+at the Mansion-house, and which he said had been sent from Lord
+Hawkesbury, and which was to be given to his lordship without delay. The
+letter was in these words:--"Lord Hawkesbury presents his compliments to
+the Lord Mayor, and has the honour to acquaint his lordship, that the
+negotiation between this country and the French republic is brought to
+an amicable conclusion. Signed, Downing Street, eight o'clock, May 5,
+1803."
+
+The Lord Mayor, with a precipitancy that argued but little for the
+prudence of the chief magistrate, had this letter posted up in front of
+the Mansion-house. The effect on the Stock Exchange was immediate; and
+consols rose eight per cent, from 63 to 71. The delusion, however, was
+brief; and the intelligence of the rise had no sooner reached Downing
+Street in its turn, than a messenger was dispatched to undeceive the
+city, and the city-marshal was employed to read the contradiction in the
+streets. The confusion in the Stock Exchange was now excessive; but the
+committee adopted the only remedy in their power. They ordered the Stock
+Exchange to be shut, and came to a resolution, that all bargains made in
+the morning should be null and void. Immediately after, another attempt
+of the same kind was made; and the Lord Mayor was requested by the
+people of the Stock Exchange to inquire into its reality from the
+government. The inquiry was answered by Mr Addington, of course denying
+it altogether, and finishing with this rebuke to civic credulity:--"I
+feel it my duty distinctly to caution your lordship against receiving
+impressions of the description alluded to, through any unauthorized
+channel of information." The funds immediately fell to 63 once more.
+
+And yet it remains a delicate question, whether any committee can have
+the power of declaring the bargains null and void. Of course, where the
+inventors of the fraud have been parties, they have no right to gain by
+their own fraud; but where individuals, wholly unacquainted with the
+fraud, have gained, there seems no reason why a _bona fide_ transaction
+should not stand.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The question of war is decided. On the 17th of May, an Order in Council,
+dated yesterday, has appeared in the _Gazette_, directing general
+reprisals against the ships, goods, and subjects of the French Republic.
+The peace, which rather deserves the name of a suspension of arms, or
+still more, the name of a prodigious act of credulity on the part of
+well-meaning John Bull, and an act of desperate knavery on the part of
+the First Consul and his accomplices, has lasted exactly one year and
+sixteen days,--England having occupied the time in disbanding her troops
+and dismantling her fleets; and France being not less busy in seizing on
+Italian provinces, strengthening her defences, and making universal
+preparations for war. Yet the spirit of England, though averse to
+hostilities in general, is probably more prepared at this moment for a
+resolute and persevering struggle than ever. The nation is now convinced
+of two things: first, that it is unassailable by France--a conviction
+which it has acquired during ten years of war; and next, that peace with
+France, under its present government, is impossible. The trickery of the
+Republican government, its intolerable insolence, the exorbitancy of its
+demands, and the more than military arrogance of its language, have
+penetrated every bosom in England. The nation has never engaged so
+heartily in a war before. All its old wars were government against
+government; but the First Consul has insulted the English people, and by
+the personal bitterness and malignant acrimony of his insults, has
+united every heart and hand in England against him. England has never
+waged such a war before; either party must perish. If England should
+fail, which heaven avert, the world will be a dungeon. If France should
+be defeated, the victory will be for Europe and all mankind.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Lord Nelson has sailed in the _Victory_ from Portsmouth to take the
+command in the Mediterranean. A French frigate has been taken; and a
+despatch declaring war has been received from France, ordering the
+capture of all English vessels, offering commissions to privateers, and
+by an act of treachery unprecedented among nations, annexed to this
+order is a command that all the English, from eighteen to sixty,
+residing in France, should be arrested; the pretext being to answer as
+prisoners for the French subjects who may have been made prisoners by
+the ships of his Britannic Majesty, previously to any declaration of
+war.
+
+This measure has excited the deepest indignation throughout London; and
+an indignation which will be shared by the empire. The English in France
+have been travelling and residing under French passports, and under the
+declared protection of the government. No crime has been charged upon
+them; they remained, because they regarded themselves as secure, relying
+on the honour of France. Their being kept as pledges for the French
+prisoners captured on the seas, is a mere trifling with common sense.
+The French subjects travelling or residing in England have not been
+arrested. The mere technicality of a declaration of war was wholly
+useless, when the ambassador of France had been ordered to leave
+England. The English ambassador had left Paris on the 12th; the French
+ambassador had left London on the 16th. The English order for reprisals
+appeared in the _Gazette_ of the 17th. The English declaration of war
+was laid before Parliament on the 18th; and the first capture, a French
+lugger of fourteen guns.
+
+
+
+
+THE "OLD PLAYER."
+
+IMITATED FROM ANASTASIUS GRUeN.
+
+BY A. LODGE.
+
+
+  Aloft the rustling curtain flew,
+  That gave the mimic scene to view;
+  How gaudy was the suit he wore!
+  His cheeks with red how plaster'd o'er!
+
+  Poor veteran! that in life's late day,
+  With tottering step, and locks of gray,
+  Essay'st each trick of antic glee,
+  Oh! my heart bleeds at sight of thee.
+
+  A laugh thy triumph! and so near
+  The closing act, and humble bier;
+  This thy ambition? this thy pride?
+  Far better thou had'st earlier died!
+
+  Though memory long has own'd decay,
+  And dim the intellectual ray,
+  Thou toil'st, from many an idle page,
+  To cram the feeble brain of age.
+
+  And stiff the old man's arms have grown.
+  And scarce his folded hands alone
+  Half raised in whisper'd prayer they see,
+  To bless the grandchild at his knee.
+
+  But here--'tis action lends a zest
+  To the dull, pointless, hacknied jest;
+  He saws the air 'mid welcome loud
+  Of laughter from the barren crowd.
+
+  A tear creeps down his cheek--with pain
+  His limbs the wasted form sustain;
+  Ay--weep! no thought thy tears are worth,
+  So the Pit shakes with boist'rous mirth.
+
+  And now the bustling scene is o'er,
+  The weary actor struts no more;
+  And hark, "The old man needed rest,"
+  They cry; "the arm-chair suits him best."
+
+  His lips have moved with mutter'd sound--
+  A pause--and still the taunt goes round;
+  "Oh! quite worn out--'tis doting age,
+  Why lags the driveller on the stage?"
+
+  Again the halting speech he tries,
+  But words the faltering tongue denies,
+  Scarce heard the low unmeaning tone,
+  Then silent--as tho' life were flown.
+
+  The curtain falls, and rings the bell,
+  They know not 'tis the Player's knell;
+  Nor deem their noise and echoing cry
+  The dirge that speeds a soul on high!
+
+  Dead in his chair the old man lay,
+  His colour had not pass'd away;--
+  Clay-cold, the ruddy cheeks declare
+  What hideous mockery lingers there!
+
+  Yes! there the counterfeited hue
+  Unfolds with moral truth to view,
+  How false--as every mimic part--
+  His life--his labours--and his art!
+
+  The canvass-wood devoid of shade,
+  Above, no plaintive rustling made;
+  That moon, that ne'er its orb has fill'd,
+  No pitying, dewy tears distill'd.
+
+  The troop stood round--and all the past
+  In one brief comment speaks at last;
+  "Well, he has won the hero's name,
+  He died upon his field of fame."
+
+  A girl with timid grace draws near,
+  And like the Muse to sorrow dear,
+  Amid the silvery tresses lays
+  The torn stage-wreath of paper bays!
+
+  I saw two men the bier sustain;--
+  Two bearers all the funeral train!
+  They left him in his narrow bed,
+  No smile was seen--no tear was shed!
+
+
+
+
+THE CRUSADES.[5]
+
+
+The Crusades are, beyond all question, the most extraordinary and
+memorable movement that ever took place in the history of mankind.
+Neither ancient nor modern times can furnish any thing even approaching
+to a parallel. They were neither stimulated by the lust of conquest nor
+the love of gain; they were not the results of northern poverty pressing
+on southern plenty, nor do they furnish an example of civilized
+discipline overcoming barbaric valour. The warriors who assumed the
+Cross were not stimulated, like the followers of Cortes and Pizarro, by
+the thirst for gold, nor roused, like those of Timour and Genghis Khan,
+by the passion for conquest. They did not burn, like the legionary
+soldiers of Rome, with the love of country, nor sigh with Alexander,
+because another world did not remain to conquer. They did not issue,
+like the followers of Mahomet, with the sword in one hand and the
+"Koran" in the other, to convert by subduing mankind, and win the houris
+of Paradise by imbruing their hands in the blood of the unbelievers. The
+ordinary motives which rouse the ambition, or awaken the passions of
+men, were to them unknown. One only passion warmed every bosom, one only
+desire was felt in every heart. To rescue the Holy Sepulchre from the
+hands of the Infidels--to restore the heritage of Christ to his
+followers--to plant the Cross again on Mount Calvary--was the sole
+object of their desires. For this they lived, for this they died. For
+this, millions of warriors abandoned their native seats, and left their
+bones to whiten the fields of Asia. For this, Europe, during two
+centuries, was precipitated on Asia. To stimulate this astonishing
+movement, all the powers of religion, of love, of poetry, of romance,
+and of eloquence, during a succession of ages, were devoted. Peter the
+Hermit shook the heart of Europe by his preaching, as the trumpet rouses
+the war-horse. Poetry and romance aided the generous illusion. No maiden
+would look at a lover who had not served in Palestine; few could resist
+those who had. And so strongly was the European heart then stirred,--so
+profound the emotions excited by those events, that their influence is
+felt even at this distant period. The highest praise yet awarded to
+valour is, that it recalls the lion-hearted Richard; the most envied
+meed bestowed on beauty, that it rivals the fascination of Armida. No
+monument is yet approached by the generous and brave with such emotion
+as those now mouldering in our churches, which represent the warrior
+lying with his arms crossed on his breast, in token that, during life,
+he had served in the Holy Wars.
+
+The Crusades form the true heroic age of Europe--the _Jerusalem
+Delivered_ is its epic poem. Then alone its warriors fought and died
+together. Banded together under a second "King of men," the forces of
+Christendom combated around the Holy City against the strength of Asia
+drawn to its defence. The cause was nobler, the end greater, the motives
+more exalted, than those which animated the warriors of the Iliad.
+Another Helen had not fired another Troy; the hope of sharing the spoils
+of Phrygia had not drawn together the predatory bands of another Greece.
+The characters on both sides had risen in proportion to the magnitude
+and sanctity of the strife in which they were engaged. Holier motives,
+more generous passions were felt, than had yet, from the beginning of
+time, strung the soldier's arm. Saladin was a mightier prince than
+Hector; Godfrey a nobler character than Agamemnon; Richard immeasurably
+more heroic than Achilles. The strife did not continue for ten years,
+but for twenty lustres; and yet, so uniform were the passions felt
+through its continuance, so identical the objects contended for, that
+the whole has the unity of interest of a Greek drama.
+
+All nations bore their part in this mighty tragedy. The Franks were
+there, under Godfrey of Bouillon and Raymond of Toulouse, in such
+strength as to have stamped their name in the East upon Europeans in
+general; the English nobly supported the ancient fame of their country
+under the lion-hearted King; the Germans followed the Dukes of Austria
+and Bavaria; the Flemings those of Hainault and Brabant; the Italians
+and Spaniards reappeared on the fields of Roman fame; even the distant
+Swedes and Norwegians, the descendants of the Goths and Normans, sent
+forth their contingents to combat in the common cause of Christianity.
+Nor were the forces of Asia assembled in less marvellous proportions.
+The bands of Persia were there, terrible as when they destroyed the
+legions of Crassus and Antony, or withstood the invasions of Heraclius
+and Julian; the descendants of the followers of Sesostris appeared on
+the field of ancient and forgotten glory; the swarthy visages of the
+Ethiopians were seen; the distant Tartars hurried to the theatre of
+carnage and plunder; the Arabs, flushed with the conquest of the Eastern
+world, combated, with unconquerable resolution, for the faith of
+Mahomet. The arms of Europe were tested against those of Asia, as much
+as the courage of the descendants of Japhet was with the daring of the
+children of Ishmael. The long lance, ponderous panoply, and weighty
+war-horse of the West, was matched against the twisted hauberk, sharp
+sabre, and incomparable steeds of the East; the sword crossed with the
+cimeter, the dagger with the poniard; the armour of Milan was scarce
+proof against the Damascus blade; the archers of England tried their
+strength with the bowmen of Arabia. Nor were rousing passions, animating
+recollections, and charmed desires awanting to sustain the courage on
+both sides. The Christians asserted the ancient superiority of Europe
+over Asia; the Saracens were proud of the recent conquest of the East,
+Africa, and Southern Europe, by their arms; the former pointed to a
+world subdued and long held in subjection--the latter to a world newly
+reft from the infidel, and won by their sabres to the sway of the
+Crescent. The one deemed themselves secure of salvation while combating
+for the Cross, and sought an entrance to heaven through the breach of
+Jerusalem; the other, strong in the belief of fatalism, advanced
+fearless to the conflict, and strove for the houris of Paradise amidst
+the lances of the Christians.
+
+When nations so powerful, leaders so renowned, forces so vast, courage
+so unshaken in the contending parties, were brought into collision,
+under the influence of passions so strong, enthusiasm so exalted,
+devotion so profound, it was impossible that innumerable deeds of
+heroism should not have been performed on both sides. If a poet equal to
+Homer had arisen in Europe to sing the conflict, the warriors of the
+Crusades would have been engraven on our minds like the heroes of the
+Iliad; and all future ages would have resounded with their exploits, as
+they have with those of Achilles and Agamemnon, of Ajax and Ulysses, of
+Hector and Diomede. But though Tasso has with incomparable beauty
+enshrined in immortal verse the feelings of chivalry, and the enthusiasm
+of the Crusades, he has not left a poem which has taken, or ever can
+take, the general hold of the minds of men, which the Iliad has done.
+The reason is, it is not founded in nature--it is the ideal--but it is
+not the ideal based on the real. Considered as a work of imagination,
+the _Gerusalemme Liberata_ is one of the most exquisite conceptions of
+human fancy, and will for ever command the admiration of romantic and
+elevated minds. But it wants that yet higher excellence, which arises
+from a thorough knowledge of human nature--a graphic delineation of
+actual character, a faithful picture of the real passions and sufferings
+of mortality. It is the most perfect example of poetic _fancy_; but the
+highest species of the epic poem is to be found not in poetic fancy, but
+_poetic history_. The heroes and heroines of the _Jerusalem Delivered_
+are noble and attractive. It is impossible to study them without
+admiration; but they resemble real life as much as the Enchanted Forest
+and spacious battle-fields, which Tasso has described in the environs of
+Jerusalem, do the arid ridges, waterless ravines, and stone-covered
+hills in the real scene, which have been painted by the matchless pens
+of Chateaubriand and Lamartine.
+
+The love of Tancred, the tenderness of Erminia, the heroism of Rinaldo,
+are indelibly engraven in the recollection of every sensitive reader of
+Tasso; but no man ever saw such characters, or any thing resembling
+them, in real life. They are aerial beings, like Miranda in the
+"Tempest," or Rosalind in the forest; but they recall no traits of
+actual existence. The enchantment of Armida, the death of Clorinda,
+belong to a different class. They rise to the highest flights of the
+epic muse; for female fascination is the same in all ages; and Tasso
+drew from the life in the first, while his exquisite taste and elevated
+soul raised him to the highest moral sublimity and pathos which human
+nature can reach in the second. Considered, however, as the poetic
+history of the Crusades, as the Iliad of modern times, the _Jerusalem
+Delivered_ will not bear any comparison with its immortal predecessor.
+It conveys little idea of the real events; it embodies no traits of
+nature; it has enshrined no traditions of the past. The distant era of
+the Crusades, separated by three centuries from the time when he wrote,
+had come down to Tasso, blended with the refinements of civilization,
+the courtesy of chivalry, the graces of antiquity, the conceits of the
+troubadours. In one respect only he has faithfully portrayed the
+feelings of the time when his poem was laid. In the uniform elevation of
+mind in Godfrey of Bouillon; his constant forgetfulness of self; his
+sublime devotion to the objects of his mission, is to be found a true
+picture of the spirit of the Crusades, as it appeared in their most
+dignified champions. And it is fortunate for mankind that the noble
+portrait has been arrayed in such colours as must render it as immortal
+as the human race.
+
+If poetry has failed in portraying the real spirit of the Crusades, has
+history been more successful? Never was a nobler theme presented to
+human ambition. We may see what may be made of it, by the inimitable
+fragment of its annals which Gibbon has left in his narrative of the
+storming of Constantinople by the Franks and Venetians. Only think what
+a subject is presented to the soul of genius, guiding the hand, and
+sustaining the effort of industry! The rise of the Mahometan power in
+the East, and the subjugation of Palestine by the arms of the Saracens;
+the profound indignation excited in Europe by the narratives of the
+sufferings of the Christians who had made pilgrimages to the Holy
+Sepulchre; the sudden and almost miraculous impulse communicated to
+multitudes by the preaching of Peter the Hermit; the universal frenzy
+which seized all classes, and the general desertion of fields and
+cities, in the anxiety to share in the holy enterprise of rescuing it
+from the infidels; the unparalleled sufferings and total destruction of
+the huge multitude of men, women, and children who formed the vanguard
+of Europe, and perished in the first Crusade, make up, as it were the
+first act of the eventful story. Next comes the firm array of warriors
+which was led by Godfrey of Bouillon in the second Crusade. Their march
+through Hungary and Turkey to Constantinople; the description of the
+Queen of the East, with its formidable ramparts, noble harbours, and
+crafty government; the battles of Nice and Dorislaus, and marvellous
+defeats of the Persians by the arms of the Christians; the long
+duration, and almost fabulous termination of the siege of Antioch, by
+the miracle of the holy lance; the advance to Jerusalem; the defeat of
+the Egyptians before its walls, and final storming of the holy city by
+the resistless prowess of the crusaders, terminate the second act of the
+mighty drama.
+
+The third commences with the establishment, in a durable manner, of the
+Latins in Palestine, and the extension of its limits,--by the subjection
+of Ptolemais, Edessa, and a number of strongholds towards the east. The
+constitution of the monarchy by the "Assizes of Jerusalem," the most
+regular and perfect model of feudal sovereignty that ever was formed;
+with the singular orders of the knights-templars, hospitallers, and of
+St John of Jerusalem, which in a manner organized the strength of Europe
+for its defence, blend the detail of manners, institutions, and military
+establishments, with the otherwise too frequent narratives of battles
+and sieges. Next come the vast and almost convulsive efforts of the
+Orientals to expel the Christians from their shores; the long wars and
+slow degrees by which the monarchy of Palestine was abridged, and at
+last its strength broken by the victorious sword of Saladin, and the
+wood of the true cross lost, in the battle of Tiberias. But this
+terrible event, which at once restored Jerusalem to the power of the
+Saracens, again roused the declining spirit of European enterprise. A
+hero rose up for the defence of the Holy Land. Richard Coeur de Lion
+and Philip Augustus appeared at the head of the chivalry of England and
+France. The siege of Ptolemais exceeded in heroic deeds that of Troy;
+the battle of Ascalon broke the strength and humbled the pride of
+Saladin; and, but for the jealousy and defection of France, Richard
+would have again rescued the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the
+infidels, and perhaps permanently established a Christian monarchy on
+the shores of Palestine.
+
+The fourth Crusade, under Dandolo, when the arms of the Faithful were
+turned aside from the holy enterprise by the spoils of Constantinople,
+and the blind Doge leapt from his galleys on the towers of the imperial
+city, forms the splendid subject of the fourth act. The marvellous
+spectacle was there exhibited of a band of adventurers, not mustering
+above twenty thousand combatants, carrying by storm the mighty Queen of
+the East, subverting the Byzantine empire, and establishing themselves
+in a durable manner, in feudal sovereignty, over the whole of Greece and
+European Turkey. The wonderful powers of Gibbon, the luminous pages of
+Sismondi, have thrown a flood of light on this extraordinary event, and
+almost brought its principal events before our eyes. The passage of the
+Dardanelles by the Christian armament; the fears of the warriors at
+embarking in the mighty enterprise of attacking the imperial city; the
+imposing aspect of its palaces, domes, and battlements; the sturdy
+resistance of the Latin squares to the desultory charges of the
+Byzantine troops; in fine, the storm of the city itself, and overthrow
+of the empire of the Caesars, stand forth in the most brilliant light in
+the immortal pages of these two writers. But great and romantic as this
+event was, it was an episode in the history of the Crusades, it was a
+diversion of its forces, a deviation from its spirit. It is an ordinary,
+though highly interesting and eventful siege; very different from the
+consecration of the forces of Europe to the rescuing of the Holy
+Sepulchre.
+
+Very different was the result of the last Crusade, under Saint Louis,
+which shortly after terminated in the capture of Ptolemais, and the
+final expulsion of the Christians from the shores of Palestine.
+Melancholy, however, as are the features of that eventful story, it
+excites a deeper emotion than the triumphant storm of Constantinople by
+the champions of the Cross. St Louis was unfortunate, but he was so in a
+noble cause; he preserved the purity of his character, the dignity of
+his mission, equally amidst the arrows of the Egyptians on the banks of
+the Nile, as in the death-bestrodden shores of the Lybian Desert. There
+is nothing more sublime in history than the death of this truly
+saint-like prince, amidst his weeping followers. England reappeared with
+lustre in the last glare of the flames of the crusades, before they sunk
+for ever; the blood of the Plantagenets proved worthy of itself. Prince
+Edward again erected the banner of victory before the walls of Acre, and
+his heroic consort, who sucked the poison of the assassin from his
+wounds, has passed, like Belisarius or Coeur de Lion, into the
+immortal shrine of romance. Awful was the catastrophe in which the
+tragedy terminated; and the storm of Acre, and slaughter of thirty
+thousand of the Faithful, while it finally expelled the Christians from
+the Holy Land, awakened the European powers, when too late, to a sense
+of the ruinous effect of those divisions which had permitted the
+vanguard of Christendom, the bulwark of the faith, to languish and
+perish, after an heroic resistance, on the shores of Asia.
+
+Nor was it long before the disastrous consequences of these divisions
+appeared, and it was made manifest, even to the most inconsiderate, what
+dangers had been averted from the shores of Europe, by the contest which
+had so long fixed the struggle on those of Asia. The dreadful arms of
+the Mahometans, no longer restrained by the lances of the Crusaders,
+appeared in menacing, and apparently irresistible strength, on the
+shores of the Mediterranean. Empire after empire sank beneath their
+strokes. Constantinople, and with it the empire of the East, yielded to
+the arms of Mahomet II.; Rhodes, with its spacious ramparts and
+well-defended bastions, to those of Solyman the Magnificent; Malta, the
+key to the Mediterranean, was only saved by the almost superhuman valour
+of its devoted knights; Hungary was overrun; Vienna besieged; and the
+death of Solyman alone prevented him from realizing his threat, of
+stabling his steed at the high altar of St Peter's. The glorious victory
+of Lepanto, the raising of the siege of Vienna by John Sobieski, only
+preserved, at distant intervals, Christendom from subjugation, and
+possibly the faith of the gospel from extinction on the earth. A
+consideration of these dangers may illustrate of what incalculable
+service the Crusades were to the cause of true religion and
+civilization, by fixing the contest for two centuries in Asia, when it
+was most to be dreaded in Europe; and permitting the strength of
+Christendom to grow, during that long period, till, when it was
+seriously assailed in its own home, it was able to defend itself. It may
+show us what we owe to the valour of those devoted champions of the
+Cross, who struggled with the might of Islamism when "it was strongest,
+and ruled it when it was wildest;" and teach us to look with
+thankfulness on the dispensations of that over-ruling Providence, which
+causes even the most vehement and apparently extravagant passions of the
+human mind to minister to the final good of humanity.
+
+For a long period after their termination, the Crusades were regarded by
+the world, and treated by historians, as the mere ebullition of frenzied
+fanaticism--as a useless and deplorable effusion of human blood. It may
+be conceived with what satisfaction these views were received by
+Voltaire, and the whole sceptical writers of France, and how completely,
+in consequence, they deluded more than one generation. Robertson was the
+first who pointed out some of the important consequences which the
+Crusades had on the structure of society, and progress of improvement in
+modern Europe. Guizot and Sismondi have followed in the same track; and
+the truths they have unfolded are so evident, that they have received
+the unanimous concurrence of all thinking persons. Certain it is, that
+so vast a migration of men, so prodigious a heave of the human race,
+could not have taken place without producing the most important effects.
+Few as were the warriors who returned from the Holy Wars, in comparison
+of those who set out, they brought back with them many of the most
+important acquisitions of time and value, and arts of the East. The
+terrace cultivation of Tuscany, the invaluable irrigation of Lombardy,
+date from the Crusades: it was from the warriors or pilgrims that
+returned from the Holy Land, that the incomparable silk and velvet
+manufactures, and delicate jewellery of Venice and Genoa, took their
+rise. Nor were the consequences less material on those who remained
+behind, and did not share in the immediate fruits of Oriental
+enterprise. Immense was the impulse communicated to Europe by the
+prodigious migration. It dispelled prejudice, by bringing distant
+improvement before the eyes; awakened activity, by exhibiting to the
+senses the effects of foreign enterprise; it drew forth and expended
+long accumulated capital; the fitting out so vast a host of warriors
+stimulated labour, as the wars of the French Revolution did those of the
+European states six centuries afterwards. The feudal aristocracy never
+recovered the shock given to their power by the destruction of many
+families, and the overwhelming debts fastened on others, by these costly
+and protracted contests. Great part of the prosperity, freedom, and
+happiness which have since prevailed in the principal European
+monarchies, is to be ascribed to the Crusades. So great an intermingling
+of the different faiths and races of mankind, never takes place without
+producing lasting and beneficial consequences.
+
+These views have been amply illustrated by the philosophic historians
+of modern times. But there is another effect of far more importance than
+them all put together, which has not yet attracted the attention it
+deserves, because the opposite set of evils are only beginning now to
+rise into general and formidable activity. This is the fixing the mind,
+and still more the heart of Europe, for so long a period, on _generous
+and disinterested objects_. Whoever has attentively considered the
+constitution of human nature as he feels it in himself, or has observed
+it in others,--whether as shown in the private society with which he has
+mingled, or the public concerns of nations he has observed,--will at
+once admit that SELFISHNESS is its greatest bane. It is at once the
+source of individual degradation and of public ruin. He knew the human
+heart well who prescribed as the first of social duties, "to love our
+neighbour as ourself." Of what incalculable importance was it, then, to
+have the mind of Europe, during so many generations, withdrawn from
+selfish considerations, emancipated from the sway of individual desire,
+and devoted to objects of generous or spiritual ambition! The passion of
+the Crusades may have been wild, extravagant, irrational, but it was
+noble, disinterested, and heroic. It was founded on the sacrifice of
+self to duty; not on the sacrifice, so common in later times, of duty to
+self. In the individuals engaged in the Holy Wars, doubtless, there was
+the usual proportion of human selfishness and passion. Certainly they
+had not all the self-control of St Anthony, or the self-denial of St
+Jerome. But this is the case with all great movements. The principle
+which moved the general mind was grand and generous. It first severed
+war from the passion of lust or revenge, and the thirst for plunder on
+which it had hitherto been founded, and based it on the generous and
+disinterested object of rescuing the Holy Sepulchre. Courage was
+sanctified, because it was exerted in a noble cause: even bloodshed
+became excusable, for it was done to stop the shedding of blood. The
+noble and heroic feelings which have taken such hold of the mind of
+modern Europe, and distinguish it from any other age or quarter of the
+globe, have mainly arisen from the profound emotions awakened by the
+mingling of the passions of chivalry with the aspirations of devotion
+during the Crusades. The sacrifice of several millions of men, however
+dreadful an evil, was a transient and slight calamity, when set against
+the incalculable effect of communicating such feelings to their
+descendants, and stamping them for ever upon the race of Japhet,
+destined to people and subdue the world.
+
+Look at the mottoes on the seals of our older nobility, which date from
+the era of the Crusades, or the ages succeeding it, when their heroic
+spirit was not yet extinct, and you will see the clearest demonstration
+of what was the spirit of these memorable contests. They are all founded
+on the sacrifice of self to duty, of interest to devotion, of life to
+love. There is little to be seen there about industry amassing wealth,
+or prudence averting calamity; but much about honour despising danger,
+and life sacrificed to duty. In an utilitarian or commercial age, such
+principles may appear extravagant or romantic; but it is from such
+extravagant romance that all the greatness of modern Europe has taken
+its rise. We cannot emancipate ourselves from their influence: a
+fountain of generous thoughts in every elevated bosom is perpetually
+gushing forth, from the ideas which have come down to us from the Holy
+Wars. They live in our romances, in our tragedies, in our poetry, in our
+language, in our hearts. Of what use are such feelings, say the
+partisans of utility? "Of what use," answers Madame De Stael, "is the
+Apollo Belvidere, or the poetry of Milton; the paintings of Raphael, or
+the strains of Handel? Of what use is the rose or the eglantine; the
+colours of autumn, or the setting of the sun?" And yet what object ever
+moved the heart as they have done, and ever will do? Of what use is all
+that is sublime or beautiful in nature, if not to the soul itself? The
+interest taken in such objects attests the dignity of that being which
+is immortal and invisible, and which is ever more strongly moved by
+whatever speaks to its immortal and invisible nature, than by all the
+cares of present existence.
+
+When such is the magnificence and interest of the subject of the
+Crusades, it is surprising that no historian has yet appeared in Great
+Britain who has done justice to the theme. Yet unquestionably none has
+even approached it. Mill's history is the only one in our language which
+treats of the subject otherwise than as a branch of general history; and
+though his work is trustworthy and authentic, it is destitute of the
+chief qualities requisite for the successful prosecution of so great an
+undertaking. It is--a rare fault in history--a great deal too short. It
+is not in two thin octavo volumes that the annals of the conflict of
+Europe and Asia for two centuries is to be given. It is little more than
+an abridgement, for the use of young persons, of what the real history
+should be. It may be true, but it is dull; and dulness is an
+unpardonable fault in any historian, especially one who had such a
+subject whereon to exert his powers. The inimitable episode of Gibbon on
+the storming of Constantinople by the Crusaders, is written in a very
+different style: the truths of history, and the colours of poetry, are
+there blended in the happiest proportions together. There is a fragment
+affording, _so far as description goes_, a perfect model of what the
+history of the Crusades should be; what in the hands of genius it will
+one day become. But it is a model _only_ so far as description goes.
+Gibbon had greater powers as an historian than any modern writer who
+ever approached the subject; but he had not the elevated soul requisite
+for the highest branches of his art, and which was most of all called
+for in the annalist of the Crusades. He was destitute of enlightened
+principle; he was without true philosophy; he had the eye of painting,
+and the _powers_, but not the _soul_ of poetry in his mind. He had not
+moral courage sufficient to withstand the irreligious fanaticism of his
+age. He was benevolent; but his aspirations never reached the highest
+interests of humanity,--humane, but "his humanity ever slumbered where
+women were ravished, or Christians persecuted."[6]
+
+Passion and reason in equal proportions, it has been well observed, form
+energy. With equal truth, and for a similar reason, it may be said, that
+intellect and imagination in equal proportions form history. It is the
+want of the last quality which is in general fatal to the persons who
+adventure on that great but difficult branch of composition. It in every
+age sends ninety-nine hundreds of historical works down the gulf of
+time. Industry and accuracy are so evidently and indisputably requisite
+in the outset of historical composition, that men forget that genius and
+taste are required for its completion. They see that the edifice must be
+reared of blocks cut out of the quarry; and they fix their attention on
+the quarriers who loosen them from the rock, without considering that
+the soul of Phidias or Michael Angelo is required to arrange them in the
+due proportion in the immortal structure. What makes great and durable
+works of history so rare is, that they alone, perhaps, of any other
+production, require for their formation a combination of the most
+opposite qualities of the human mind, qualities which only are found
+united in a very few individuals in any age. Industry and genius,
+passion and perseverance, enthusiasm and caution, vehemence and
+prudence, ardour and self-control, the fire of poetry, the coldness of
+prose, the eye of painting, the patience of calculation, dramatic power,
+philosophic thought, are all called for in the annalist of human events.
+Mr Fox had a clear perception of what history should be, when he placed
+it _next to poetry in the fine arts, and before oratory_. Eloquence is
+but a fragment of what is enfolded in its mighty arms. Military genius
+ministers only to its more brilliant scenes. Mere ardour, or poetic
+imagination, will prove wholly insufficient; they will be deterred at
+the very threshold of the undertaking by the toil with which it is
+attended, and turn aside into the more inviting paths of poetry and
+romance. The labour of writing the "Life of Napoleon" killed Sir Walter
+Scott. Industry and intellectual power, if unaided by more attractive
+qualities, will equally fail of success; they will produce a respectable
+work, valuable as a book of reference, which will slumber in forgotten
+obscurity in our libraries. The combination of the two is requisite to
+lasting fame, to general and durable success. What is necessary in an
+historian, as in the _elite_ of an army, is not the desultory fire of
+light troops, nor the ordinary steadiness of common soldiers, but the
+regulated ardour, the burning but yet restrained enthusiasm, which,
+trained by discipline, taught by experience, keeps itself under control
+till the proper moment for action arrives, and then sweeps, at the voice
+of its leader, with "the ocean's mighty swing" on the foe.
+
+MICHAUD is, in many respects, an historian peculiarly qualified for the
+great undertaking which he has accomplished, of giving a full and
+accurate, yet graphic history of the Crusades. He belongs to the
+elevated class in thought; he is far removed, indeed, from the
+utilitarian school of modern days. Deeply imbued with the romantic and
+chivalrous ideas of the olden time, a devout Catholic as well as a
+sincere Christian, he brought to the annals of the Holy Wars a profound
+admiration for their heroism, a deep respect for their
+disinterestedness, a graphic eye for their delineation, a sincere
+sympathy with their devotion. With the fervour of a warrior, he has
+narrated the long and eventful story of their victories and defeats;
+with the devotion of a pilgrim, visited the scenes of their glories and
+their sufferings. Not content with giving to the world six large octavos
+for the narrative of their glory, he has published six other volumes,
+containing his travels to all the scenes on the shores of the
+Mediterranean which have been rendered memorable by their exploits. It
+is hard to say which is most interesting. They mutually reflect and
+throw light on each other: for in the History we see at every step the
+graphic eye of the traveller; in the Travels we meet in every page with
+the knowledge and associations of the historian.
+
+Michaud, as might be expected from his turn of mind and favourite
+studies, belongs to the romantic or picturesque school of French
+historians; that school of which, with himself, Barante, Michelet, and
+the two Thierrys are the great ornaments. He is far from being destitute
+of philosophical penetration, and many of his articles in that
+astonishing repertory of learning and ability, the _Biographie
+Universelle_, demonstrate that he is fully abreast of all the ideas and
+information of his age. But in his history of the Crusades, he thought,
+and thought rightly, that the great object was to give a faithful
+picture of the events and ideas of the time, without any attempt to
+paraphrase them into the language or thoughts of subsequent ages. The
+world had had enough of the flippant _persiflage_ with which Voltaire
+had treated the most heroic efforts and tragic disasters of the human
+race. Philosophic historians had got into discredit from the rash
+conclusions and unfounded pretensions of the greater part of their
+number; though the philosophy of history can never cease to be one of
+the noblest subjects of human thought. To guard against the error into
+which they had fallen, the romantic historians recurred with anxious
+industry to the original and contemporary annals of their events, and
+discarded every thing from their narrative which was not found to be
+supported by such unquestionable authority. In thought, they endeavoured
+to reflect, as in a mirror, the ideas of the age of which they treated,
+rather than see it through their own: in narrative or description, they
+rather availed themselves of the materials, how scanty soever, collected
+by eyewitnesses, in preference to eking out the picture by imaginary
+additions, and the richer colouring of subsequent ages. This is the
+great characteristic of the graphic or picturesque school of French
+history; and there can be no question that in regard to the first
+requisite of history, trustworthiness, and the subordinate but also
+highly important object, of rendering the narrative interesting, it is a
+very great improvement, alike upon the tedious narrative of former
+learning, or the provoking pretensions of more recent philosophy.
+Justice can never be done to the actions or thoughts of former times,
+unless the former are narrated from the accounts of eyewitnesses, and
+with the fervour which they alone can feel--the latter in the very
+words, as much as possible, employed by the speakers on the occasions.
+Nor will imagination ever produce any thing so interesting as the
+features which actually presented themselves at the moment to the
+observer. Every painter knows the superior value of sketches, however
+slight, made on the spot, to the most laboured subsequent reminiscences.
+
+But while this is perfectly true on the one hand, it is equally clear on
+the other, that this recurrence to ancient and contemporary authority
+must be for the facts, events, and outline of the story only; and that
+the filling up must be done by the hand of the artist who is engaged in
+producing the complete work. If this is not done, history ceases to be
+one of the fine arts. It degenerates into a mere collection of
+chronicles, records, and ballads, without any connecting link to unite,
+or any regulating mind to arrange them. History then loses the place
+assigned it by Mr Fox, next to poetry and before oratory; it becomes
+nothing more than a magazine of antiquarian lore. Such a magazine may be
+interesting to antiquaries; it may be valuable to the learned in
+ecclesiastical disputes, or the curious in genealogy or family records;
+but these interests are of a very partial and transient description. It
+will never generally fascinate the human race. Nothing ever has, or ever
+can do so, but such annals as, independent of local or family interest,
+or antiquarian curiosity, are permanently attractive by the grandeur and
+interest of the events they recount, and the elegance or pathos of the
+language in which they are delivered. Such are the histories of
+Herodotus and Thucydides, the annals of Sallust and Tacitus, the
+narratives of Homer, Livy, and Gibbon. If instead of aiming at producing
+one uniform work of this description, flowing from the same pen, couched
+in the same style, reflecting the same mind, the historian presents his
+readers with a collection of quotations from chronicles, state papers,
+or _jejune_ annalists, he has entirely lost sight of the principles of
+his art. He has not made a picture, but merely put together a collection
+of original sketches; he has not built a temple, but only piled together
+the unfinished blocks of which it was to be composed.
+
+This is the great fault into which Barante, Sismondi, and Michelet have
+fallen. In their anxiety to be faithful, they have sometimes become
+tedious; in their desire to recount nothing that was not true, they have
+narrated much that was neither material nor interesting. Barante, in
+particular, has utterly ruined his otherwise highly interesting history
+of the Dukes of Burgundy by this error. We have bulls of the Popes,
+marriage-contracts, feudal charters, treaties of alliance, and other
+similar instruments, quoted _ad longum_ in the text of the history, till
+no one but an enthusiastic antiquary or half-cracked genealogist can go
+on with the work. The same mistake is painfully conspicuous in
+Sismondi's _Histoire des Francais_. Fifteen out of his valuable thirty
+volumes are taken up with quotations from public records or instruments.
+It is impossible to conceive a greater mistake, in a composition which
+is intended not merely for learned men or antiquaries, but for the great
+body of ordinary readers. The authors of these works are so immersed in
+their own ideas and researches, they are so enamoured of their favourite
+antiquities, that they forget that the world in general is far from
+sharing their enthusiasm, and that many things, which to them are of the
+highest possible interest and importance, seem to the great bulk of
+readers immaterial or tedious. The two Thierrys have, in a great
+measure, avoided this fatal error; for, though their narratives are as
+much based on original and contemporary authorities as any histories can
+be, the quotations are usually given in an abbreviated form in the
+notes, and the text is, in general, an unbroken narrative, in their own
+perspicuous and graphic language. Thence, in a great measure, the
+popularity and interest of their works. Michaud indulges more in
+lengthened quotations in his text from the old chronicles, or their mere
+paraphrases into his own language; their frequency is the great defect
+of his valuable history. But the variety and interest of the subjects
+render this mosaic species of composition more excusable, and less
+repugnant to good taste, in the account of the Crusades, than it would
+be, perhaps, in the annals of any other human transactions.
+
+As a specimen of our author's powers and style of description, we
+subjoin a translation of the animated narrative he gives from the old
+historians of the famous battle of Dorislaus, which first subjected the
+coasts of Asia Minor to the arms of the Crusaders.
+
+     "Late on the evening of the 31st of June 1097, the troops arrived
+     at a spot where pasturage appeared abundant, and they resolved to
+     pitch their camp. The Christian army passed the night in the most
+     profound security; but on the following morning, at break of day,
+     detached horsemen presented themselves, and clouds of dust
+     appearing on the adjoining heights, announced the presence of the
+     enemy. Instantly the trumpets sounded, and the whole camp stood to
+     their arms. Bohemond, the second in command, having the chief
+     direction in the absence of Godfrey, hastened to make the necessary
+     dispositions to repel the threatened attack. The camp of the
+     Christians was defended on one side by a river, and on the other by
+     a marsh, entangled with reeds and bushes. The Prince of Tarentum
+     caused it to be surrounded with palisades, made with the stakes
+     which served for fixing the cords of the tents; he then assigned
+     their proper posts to the infantry, and placed the women, children,
+     and sick in the centre. The cavalry, arranged in three columns,
+     advanced to the margin of the river, and prepared to dispute the
+     passage. One of these corps was commanded by Tancred, and William
+     his brother; the other by the Duke of Normandy and the Count of
+     Chartres. Bohemond, who headed the reserve, was posted with his
+     horsemen on an eminence in the rear, from whence he could descry
+     the whole field of battle.
+
+     "Hardly were these dispositions completed, when the Saracens, with
+     loud cries, descended from the mountains, and, as soon as they
+     arrived within bowshot, let fall a shower of arrows upon the
+     Christians. This discharge did little injury to the knights,
+     defended as they were by their armour and shields; but a great
+     number of horses were wounded, and, in their pain, introduced
+     disorder into the ranks. The archers, the slingers, the
+     crossbow-men, scattered along the flanks of the Christian army, in
+     vain returned the discharge with their stones and javelins; their
+     missiles could not reach the enemy, and fell on the ground without
+     doing any mischief. The Christian horse, impatient at being
+     inactive spectators of the combat, charged across the river and
+     fell headlong with their lances in rest on the Saracens; but they
+     avoided the shock, and, opening their ranks, dispersed when the
+     formidable mass approached them. Again rallying at a distance in
+     small bodies, they let fly a cloud of arrows at their ponderous
+     assailants, whose heavy horses, oppressed with weighty armour,
+     could not overtake the swift steeds of the desert.
+
+     "This mode of combating turned entirely to the advantage of the
+     Turks. The whole dispositions made by the Christians before the
+     battle became useless. Every chief, almost every cavalier, fought
+     for himself; he took counsel from his own ardour, and it alone. The
+     Christians combated almost singly on a ground with which they were
+     unacquainted; in that terrible strife, death became the only reward
+     of undisciplined valour. Robert of Paris the same who had sat on
+     the imperial throne beside Alexis, was mortally wounded, after
+     having seen forty of his bravest companions fall by his side.
+     William, brother of Tancred, fell pierced by arrows. Tancred
+     himself, whose lance was broken, and who had no other weapon but
+     his sword, owed his life to Bohemond, who came up to the rescue,
+     and extricated him from the hands of the Infidels.
+
+     "While victory was still uncertain between force and address,
+     agility and valour, fresh troops of the Saracens descended from the
+     mountains, and mingled in overwhelming proportion in the conflict.
+     The Sultan of Nice took advantage of the moment when the cavalry of
+     the Crusaders withstood with difficulty the attack of the Turks,
+     and directed his forces against their camp. He assembled the elite
+     of his troops, crossed the river, and overcame with ease all the
+     obstacles which opposed his progress. In an instant the camp of the
+     Christians was invaded and filled with a multitude of barbarians.
+     The Turks massacred without distinction all who presented
+     themselves to their blows; except the women whom youth and beauty
+     rendered fit for their seraglios. If we may credit Albert d'Aix,
+     the wives and daughters of the knights preferred in that extremity
+     slavery to death; for they were seen in the midst of the tumult to
+     adorn themselves with their most elegant dresses, and, arrayed in
+     this manner, sought by the display of their charms to soften the
+     hearts of their merciless enemies.
+
+     "Bohemond, however, soon arrived to the succour of the camp, and
+     obliged the Sultan to retrace his steps to his own army. Then the
+     combat recommenced on the banks of the river with more fury than
+     ever. The Duke Robert of Normandy, who had remained with some of
+     his knights on the field of battle, snatched from his
+     standard-bearer his pennon of white, bordered with gold, and
+     exclaiming, '_A moi, la Normandie!_' penetrated the ranks of the
+     enemy, striking down with his sword whatever opposed him, till he
+     laid dead at his feet one of the principal emirs. Tancred, Richard,
+     the Prince of Salerno, Stephen count of Blois, and other chiefs,
+     followed his example, and emulated his valour. Bohemond, returning
+     from the camp, which he had delivered from its oppressors,
+     encountered a troop of fugitives. Instantly advancing among them,
+     he exclaimed, 'Whither fly you, O Christian soldiers?--Do you not
+     see that the enemies' horses, swifter than your own, will not fail
+     soon to reach you? Follow me--I will show you a surer mode of
+     safety than flight.' With these words he threw himself followed by
+     his own men and the rallied fugitives, into the midst of the
+     Saracens, and striking down all who attempted to resist them, made
+     a frightful carnage. In the midst of the tumult, the women who had
+     been taken and delivered from the lands of the Mussulmans, burning
+     to avenge their outraged modesty, went through the ranks carrying
+     refreshments to the soldiers, and exhorting them to redouble their
+     efforts to save them from Turkish servitude.
+
+     "But all these efforts were in vain. The Crusaders, worn out by
+     fatigue, parched by thirst, were unable to withstand an enemy who
+     was incessantly recruited by fresh troops. The Christian army, a
+     moment victorious, was enveloped on all sides, and obliged to yield
+     to numbers. They retired, or rather fled, towards the camp, which
+     the Turks were on the point of entering with them. No words can
+     paint the consternation of the Christians, the disorder of their
+     ranks, or the scenes of horror which the interior of the camp
+     presented. There were to be seen priests in tears, imploring on
+     their knees the assistance of Heaven--there, women in despair rent
+     the air with their shrieks, while the more courageous of their
+     numbers bore the wounded knights into the tents; and the soldiers,
+     despairing of life, cast themselves on their knees before their
+     priests or bishops, and demanded absolution of their sins. In the
+     frightful tumult, the voice of the chief was no longer heard; the
+     most intrepid had already fallen covered with wounds, or sunk under
+     the rays of a vertical sun and the horrors of an agonizing thirst.
+     All seemed lost, and nothing to appearance could restore their
+     courage, when all of a sudden loud cries of joy announced the
+     approach of Raymond of Toulouse and Godfrey of Bouillon, who
+     advanced at the head of the second corps of the Christian army.
+
+     "From the commencement of the battle, Bohemond had dispatched
+     accounts to them of the attack of the Turks. No sooner did the
+     intelligence arrive, than the Duke of Lorraine, the Count of
+     Vermandois, and the Count of Flanders, at the head of their
+     corps-d'armee, directed their march towards the valley of Gorgoni,
+     followed by Raymond and D'Adhemar, who brought up the luggage and
+     formed the rear-guard. When they appeared on the eastern slope of
+     the mountains, the sun was high in the heavens, and his rays were
+     reflected from their bucklers, helmets, and drawn swords; their
+     standards were displayed, and a loud flourish of their trumpets
+     resounded from afar. Fifty thousand horsemen, clad in steel and
+     ready for the fight, advanced in regular order to the attack. That
+     sight at once reanimated the Crusaders and spread terror among the
+     Infidels.
+
+     "Already Godfrey, outstripping the speed of his followers, had come
+     up at the head of fifty chosen cavaliers, and taken a part in the
+     combat. Upon this the Sultan sounded a retreat, and took post upon
+     the hills, where he trusted the Crusaders would not venture to
+     attack him. Soon, however, the second corps of the Christians
+     arrived on the field still reeking with the blood of their
+     brethren. They knew their comrades and companions stretched in the
+     dust--they became impatient to avenge them, and demanded with loud
+     cries to be led on to the attack; those even who had combated all
+     day with the first corps desired to renew the conflict. Forthwith
+     the Christian army was arranged for a second battle. Bohemond,
+     Tancred, Robert of Normandy, placed themselves the left; Godfrey,
+     the Count of Flanders, the Count de Blois, led the right: Raymond
+     commanded in the centre; the reserve was placed under the order of
+     D'Adhemar. Before the chiefs gave the order to advance, the priests
+     went through the ranks, exhorted the soldiers to fight bravely, and
+     gave them their benediction. Then the soldiers and chiefs drew
+     their swords together, and repeated aloud the war-cry of the
+     Crusades, 'Dieu le veut! Dieu le veut!' That cry was re-echoed from
+     the mountains and the valleys. While the echoes still rolled, the
+     Christian army advanced, and marched full of confidence against the
+     Turks, who, not less determined, awaited them on the summit of
+     their rocky asylum.
+
+     "The Saracens remained motionless on the top of the hills--they did
+     not even discharge their redoubtable arrows; their quivers seemed
+     to be exhausted. The broken nature of the ground they occupied
+     precluded the adoption of those rapid evolutions, which in the
+     preceding conflict had proved so fatal to the Christians. They
+     seemed to be no longer animated with the same spirit--they awaited
+     the attack rather with the resignation of martyrs than the hope of
+     warriors. The Count of Toulouse, who assailed them in front, broke
+     their ranks by the first shock. Tancred, Godfrey, and the two
+     Roberts attacked their flanks with equal advantage. D'Adhemar, who
+     with the reserve had made the circuit of the mountains, charged
+     their rear, when already shaken by the attack in front, and on both
+     flanks. This completed their route. The Saracens found themselves
+     surrounded by a forest of lances, from which there was no escape
+     but in breaking their ranks and seeking refuge among the rocks. A
+     great number of emirs, above three thousand officers, and twenty
+     thousand soldiers fell in the action or pursuit. Four thousand of
+     the Crusaders had perished, almost all in the first action. The
+     enemy's camp, distant two leagues from the field of battle, fell
+     into the hands of the Crusaders, with vast stores of provisions,
+     tents magnificently ornamented, immense treasures, and a vast
+     number of camels. The sight of these animals, which they had not
+     yet seen in the East, gave them as much surprise as pleasure. The
+     dismounted horsemen mounted the swift steeds of the Saracens to
+     pursue the broken remains of the enemy. Towards evening they
+     returned to the camp loaded with booty, and preceded by their
+     priests singing triumphant songs and hymns of victory. On the
+     following day the Christians interred their dead, shedding tears of
+     sorrow. The priests read prayers over them, and numbered them among
+     the saints in heaven."--_Hist. des Croisades_, i. 228-233.
+
+This extract gives an idea at once of the formidable nature of the
+contest which awaited the Christians in their attempts to recover the
+Holy Land, of the peculiar character of the attack and defence on both
+sides, and of the talent for graphic and lucid description which M.
+Michaud possesses. It is curious how identical the attack of the West
+and defence of the East are the same in all ages. The description of the
+manner in which the Crusading warriors were here drawn into a pursuit
+of, and then enveloped by the Asiatic light horse, is precisely the same
+as that in which the legions of Crassus were destroyed; and might pass
+for a narrative of the way in which Napoleon's European cavalry were cut
+to pieces by the Arab horse at the combat at Salahout, near the Red Sea;
+or Lord Lake's horse worsted in the first part of the battle of Laswaree
+in India, before the infantry came up, and, by storming the batteries,
+restored the combat. On the other hand, the final overthrow of the
+Saracens at Dorislaus was evidently owing to their imprudence in
+_standing firm_, and awaiting in that position the attack of the
+Christians. They did so, trusting to the strength of the rocky ridge on
+which they were posted; but that advantage, great as it was, by no means
+rendered them a match in close fight for the weighty arms and the
+determined resolution of the Europeans, any more than the discharges of
+their powerful batteries availed the Mahrattas in the latter part of the
+battles of Assaye and Laswaree, or, more recently, the Sikhs in the
+desperate conflict at Ferozepore in the Punjaub. The discovery of
+fire-arms, and all the subsequent improvements in tactics and strategy,
+though they have altered the weapons with which war is carried on, yet
+have not materially changed the mode in which success is won, or
+disaster averted, between ancient and modern times.
+
+Our author's account of the storming of Jerusalem, the final object and
+crowning glory of the Crusades, is animated and interesting in the
+highest degree.
+
+     "At the last words of the Hermit Peter the warmest transports
+     seized the Crusaders. They descended from the Mount of Olives,
+     where they had listened to his exhortations; and turning to the
+     south, saluted on their right the fountain of Siloe, where Christ
+     had restored sight to the blind; in the distance they perceived the
+     ruins of the palace of Judah, and advanced on the slope of Mount
+     Sion, which awakened afresh all their holy enthusiasm. Many in that
+     cross march were struck down by the arrows and missiles from the
+     walls: they died blessing God, and imploring his justice against
+     the enemies of the faith. Towards evening the Christian army
+     returned to its quarters, chanting the words of the Prophet--'Those
+     of the West shall fear the Lord, and those of the East shall see
+     his glory.' Having re-entered into the camp, the greater part of
+     the pilgrims passed the night in prayer: the chiefs and soldiers
+     confessed their sins at the feet of their priests, and received in
+     communion that God whose promises filled them with confidence and
+     hope.
+
+     "While the Christian army prepared, by these holy ceremonies, for
+     the combat, a mournful silence prevailed around the walls of
+     Jerusalem. The only sound heard was that of the men who, from the
+     top of the mosques of the city, numbered the hours by calling the
+     Mussulmans to prayers. At the well-known signals, the Infidels ran
+     in crowds to their temples to implore the protection of their
+     Prophet: they swore by the mysterious House of Jacob to defend the
+     town, which they styled 'the House of God.' The besiegers and
+     besieged were animated with equal ardour for the fight, and equal
+     determination to shed their blood--the one to carry the town, the
+     other to defend it. The hatred which animated them was so violent,
+     that during the whole course of the siege, no Mussulman deputy came
+     to the camp of the besiegers, and the Christians did not even deign
+     to summon the town. Between such enemies, the shock could not be
+     other than terrible, and the victors implacable.
+
+     "On Thursday, 14th July 1199, at daybreak, the trumpets resounded,
+     and the whole Christian army stood to their arms. All the machines
+     were worked at once: the mangonels and engines poured on the
+     ramparts a shower of stones, while the battering-rams were brought
+     up close to their feet. The archers and slingers directed their
+     missiles with fatal effect against the troops who manned the walls,
+     while the most intrepid of the assailants planted scaling-ladders
+     on the places where the ascent appeared most practicable. On the
+     south, east, and north of the town, rolling towers advanced towards
+     the ramparts, in the midst of a violent tumult, and amidst the
+     cries of the workmen and soldiers. Godfrey appeared on the highest
+     platform of his wooden tower, accompanied by his brother Eustache
+     and Baudoin du Bourg. His example animated his followers: so
+     unerring was their aim, that all the javelins discharged from this
+     platform carried death among the besieged. Tancred, the Duke of
+     Normandy, and the Count of Flanders, combated at the head of their
+     followers: the knights and men-at-arms, animated with the same
+     ardour, pressed into the _melee_, and threw themselves into the
+     thickest of the fight.
+
+     "Nothing could equal the fury of the first shock of the Christians;
+     but they met every where the most determined resistance. Arrows and
+     javelins, boiling oil and water, with Greek fire, were poured down
+     incessantly on the assailants; while fourteen huge machines, which
+     the besieged had got time to oppose to those of the besiegers,
+     replied with effect to the fire of the more distant warlike
+     instruments. Issuing forth by one of the breaches in the rampart,
+     the Infidels made a sortie, and succeeded in burning some of the
+     machines of the Christians, and spread disorder through their army.
+     Towards the end of the day, the towers of Godfrey and Tancred were
+     so shattered, that they could no longer be moved, while that of
+     Raymond was falling into ruins. The combat had lasted eleven hours,
+     without victory having declared for the Crusaders. The Christians
+     retired to their camp, burning with rage and grief: their chiefs,
+     and especially the two Roberts, sought in vain to console them, by
+     saying that 'God had not judged them as yet worthy to enter into
+     his Holy City, and adore the tomb of his Son.'
+
+     "The night was passed on both sides in the utmost disquietude:
+     every one deplored the losses already discovered, and dreaded to
+     hear of fresh ones. The Saracens were in hourly apprehension of a
+     surprise: the Christians feared that the Infidels would burn their
+     machines, which they had pushed forward to the foot of the rampart.
+     The besieged were occupied without intermission in repairing the
+     breaches in their walls; the besiegers in putting their machines in
+     a condition to serve for a new assault. On the day following, the
+     same combats and dangers were renewed as on the preceding one. The
+     chiefs sought by their harangues to revive the spirits of the
+     Crusaders. The priests and bishops went through their tents
+     promising them the assistance of Heaven. On the signal to advance
+     being given, the Christian army, full of confidence, advanced in
+     silence towards the destined points of attack, while the clergy,
+     chanting hymns and prayers, marched round the town.
+
+     "The first shock was terrible. The Christians, indignant at the
+     resistance they had experienced on the preceding day, combated with
+     fury. The besieged, who had learned the near approach of the
+     Egyptian army, were animated by the hopes of approaching succour. A
+     formidable array of warlike engines lined the tops of their
+     ramparts. On every side was heard the hissing of javelins and
+     arrows: frequently immense stones, discharged from the opposite
+     side, met in the air, and fell back on the assailants with a
+     frightful crash. From the top of their towers, the Mussulmans never
+     ceased to throw burning torches and pots of Greek fire on the
+     storming parties. In the midst of this general conflagration, the
+     moving towers of the Christians approached the walls. The chief
+     efforts of the besieged were directed against Godfrey, on whose
+     breast a resplendent cross of gold shone, the sight of which was an
+     additional stimulus to their rage. The Duke of Lorraine saw one of
+     his squires and several of his followers fall by his side; but,
+     though exposed himself to all the missiles of the enemy, he
+     continued to combat in the midst of the dead and the dying, and
+     never ceased to exhort his companions to redouble their courage and
+     ardour. The Count of Toulouse directed the attack on the southern
+     side, and stoutly opposed his machines to those of the Mussulmans:
+     he had to combat the Emir of Jerusalem, who bravely animated his
+     followers by his discourse, and showed himself on the ramparts
+     surrounded by the _elite_ of the Egyptian soldiers. On the northern
+     side, Tancred and the two Roberts appeared at the head of their
+     battalions. Firmly stationed on their moving tower, they burned
+     with desire to come to the close combat of the lance and sword.
+     Already their battering-rams had on many points shaken the walls,
+     behind which the Saracens were assembled in dense battalions, as a
+     last rampart against the attack of the Crusaders.
+
+     "Mid-day arrived, and the Crusaders had as yet no hope of
+     penetrating into the place. All their machines were in flames: they
+     stood grievously in want of water, and still more of vinegar, which
+     could alone extinguish the Greek fire used by the besieged. In vain
+     the bravest exposed themselves to the most imminent danger, to
+     prevent the destruction of their wooden towers and battering-rams;
+     they fell crushed beneath their ruins, and the devouring flames
+     enveloped their arms and clothing. Many of the bravest warriors had
+     found death at the foot of the ramparts: most of those who had
+     mounted on the rolling towers were _hors de combat_; the remainder,
+     covered with sweat and dust, overwhelmed with heat and the weight
+     of their armour, began to falter. The Saracens who perceived this
+     raised cries of joy. In their blasphemies they reproached the
+     Christians for adoring a God who was unable to defend them. The
+     assailants deplored their loss, and believing themselves abandoned
+     by Jesus Christ, remained motionless on the field of battle.
+
+     "But the aspect of affairs was soon changed. All of a sudden the
+     Crusaders saw, on the Mount of Olives, a horseman shaking a
+     buckler, and giving this signal to enter the town. Godfrey and
+     Raymond, who saw the apparition at the same instant, cried aloud,
+     that St George was come to combat at the head of the Christians.
+     Such was the tumult produced by this incident, that it bore down
+     alike fear and reflection. All rushed tumultuously forward to the
+     assault. The women even, with the children and sick, issued from
+     their retreats, and pressed forward into the throng, bearing
+     water, provisions, or arms, and aiding to drag forward the moving
+     towers. Impelled in this manner, that of Godfrey advanced in the
+     midst of a terrible discharge of stones, arrows, javelins, and
+     Greek fire, and succeeded in getting so near as to let its
+     drawbridge fall on the ramparts. At the same time a storm of
+     burning darts flew against the machines of the besieged, and the
+     bundles of straw piled up against the last walls of the town took
+     fire. Terrified by the flames the Saracens gave way. Lethalde and
+     Engelbert de Tournay, followed by Godfrey and his brother Everard,
+     crossed the drawbridge and gained the rampart. Soon with the aid of
+     their followers they cleared it, and, descending into the streets,
+     struck down all who disputed the passage.
+
+     "At the same time, Tancred and the two Roberts made new efforts,
+     and on their side, too, succeeded in penetrating into the town. The
+     Mussulmans fled on all sides; the war-cry of the Crusaders, "Dieu
+     le veut! Dieu le veut!" resounded in the streets of Jerusalem. The
+     companions of Godfrey and Tancred with their hatchets cut down the
+     gate of St Stephen, and let in the main body of the Crusaders, who
+     with loud shouts rushed tumultuously in. Some resistance was
+     attempted by a body of brave Saracens in the mosque of Omar, but
+     Everard of Puysave expelled them from it. All opposition then
+     ceased; but not so the carnage. Irritated by the long resistance of
+     the Saracens, stung by their blasphemies and reproaches, the
+     Crusaders filled with blood that Jerusalem which they had just
+     delivered, and which they regarded as their future country. The
+     carnage was universal. The Saracens were massacred in the streets,
+     in the houses, in the mosques."
+
+The number of the slain greatly exceeded that of the conquerors. In the
+mosque of Omar alone ten thousand were put to the sword.
+
+     "So terrible was the slaughter, that the blood came up to the knees
+     and reins of the horses; and human bodies, with hands and arms
+     severed from the corpse to which they belonged, floated about in
+     the crimson sea.
+
+     "In the midst of these frightful scenes, which have for ever
+     stained the glory of the conquerors, the Christians of the Holy
+     City crowded round Peter the Hermit, who five years before had
+     promised to arm the West for the deliverance of the faithful in
+     Jerusalem, and then enjoyed the spectacle of their liberation. They
+     were never wearied of gazing on the man by whom God had wrought
+     such prodigies. At the sight of their brethren whom they had
+     delivered, the pilgrims recollected that they had come to adore the
+     tomb of Jesus Christ. Godfrey, who had abstained from carnage after
+     the victory, quitted his companions, and attended only by three
+     followers, repaired bareheaded and with naked feet to the Church of
+     the Holy Sepulchre. Soon the news of that act of devotion spread
+     among the Christian army. Instantly the fury of the war ceased, and
+     the thirst for vengeance was appeased; the Crusaders threw off
+     their bloody garments, and marching together to the Holy Sepulchre,
+     with the clergy at their head, bareheaded and without shoes, they
+     made Jerusalem resound with their groans and sobs. Silence more
+     terrible even than the tumult which had preceded it, reigned in the
+     public places and on the ramparts. No sound was heard but the
+     canticles of repentance, and the words of Isaiah, 'Ye who love
+     Jerusalem, rejoice with me.' So sincere and fervent was the
+     devotion which the Crusaders manifested on this occasion, that it
+     seemed as if the stern warriors, who had just taken a city by
+     assault, and committed the most frightful slaughter, were cenobites
+     who had newly emerged from a long retreat and peaceful
+     meditations."--_Hist. des Croisades_, i. 440-446.
+
+Inexplicable as such contradictory conduct appears to those who "sit at
+home at ease," and are involved in none of the terrible calamities which
+draw forth the latent marvels of the human heart, history in every age
+affords too many examples of its occurrence to permit us to doubt the
+truth of the narrative. It is well known that during the worst period of
+the French Revolution, in the massacres in the prisons on Sept. 2, 1792,
+some of the mob who had literally wearied their arms in hewing down the
+prisoners let loose from the jails, took a momentary fit of compunction,
+were seized with pity for some of the victims, and after saving them
+from their murderers, accompanied them home, and witnessed with tears of
+joy the meeting between them and their relations. We are not warranted,
+after such facts have been recorded on authentic evidence in all ages,
+in asserting that this transient humanity is assumed or hypocritical.
+The conclusion rather is, that the human mind is so strangely compounded
+of good and bad principles, and contains so many veins of thought
+apparently irreconcilable with each other, that scarce any thing can be
+set down as absolutely impossible, but every alleged fact is to be
+judged of mainly by the testimony by which it is supported, and its
+coincidence with what has elsewhere been observed of that strange
+compound of contradictions, the human heart.
+
+In the events which have been mentioned, the Crusaders were victorious;
+and the Crescent, in the outset of the contest, waned before the Cross.
+But it was only for a time that it did so. The situation of Palestine in
+Asia, constituting it the advanced post as it were of Christendom across
+the sea, in the regions of Islamism, perpetually exposed it to the
+attack of the Eastern powers. They were at home, and fought on their own
+ground, and with their own weapons, in the long contest which followed
+the first conquest of Palestine; whereas the forces of the Christians
+required to be transported, at a frightful expense of life, over a
+hazardous journey of fifteen hundred miles in length, or conveyed by sea
+at a very heavy cost from Marseilles, Genoa, or Venice. Irresistible in
+the first onset, the armament of the Christians gradually dwindled away
+as the first fervour of the Holy Wars subsided, and the interminable
+nature of the conflict in which they were engaged with the Oriental
+powers became apparent. It was the same thing as Spain maintaining a
+transatlantic contest with her South American, or England with her North
+American colonies. Indeed, the surprising thing, when we consider the
+exposed situation of the kingdom of Palestine, the smallness of its
+resources, and the scanty and precarious support it received, after the
+first burst of the Crusades was over, from the Western powers, is not
+that it was at last destroyed, but that it existed so long as it did.
+The prolongation of its life was mainly owing to the extraordinary
+qualities of one man.
+
+It is hard to say whether the heroism of Richard Coeur de Lion has
+been most celebrated in Europe or Asia. Like Solomon, Alexander the
+Great, Haroun El Raschid, Charlemagne, and Napoleon, his fame has taken
+root as deeply in the East as in the West, among his enemies as his
+friends; among the followers of Mahomet as the disciples of the Cross.
+If he is the hero of European romance,--if he is the theme of the
+Troubadour's song, he is not less celebrated among the descendants of
+the Saracens; his exploits are not less eagerly chanted in the tents of
+the children of Ishmael. To this day, when an Arab's steed starts at a
+bush in the desert, his master asks him if he expects to see Richard
+issue from the covert. He possessed that surprising personal strength
+and daring valour which are so highly prized by warriors in all rude
+periods, and united with those qualities that singleness of heart and
+_bonhommie_ of disposition, which, not less powerfully in the great, win
+upon the hearts of men. His chief qualities--those which have given him
+his deathless fame--undoubtedly were his heroic courage, extraordinary
+personal strength, and magnanimity of mind. But if his campaigns with
+Saladin are attentively considered, it will appear that he was also a
+great general; and that his marvellous successes were as much owing to
+his conduct as a commander as his prowess as a knight. This is more
+particularly conspicuous, in the manner in which he conducted his then
+sorely diminished army on Acre to within sight of Jerusalem, surrounded
+as it was the whole way by prodigious clouds of Asiatic horse, headed by
+the redoubtable Saladin. Beyond all doubt he would, but for the
+defection of Philip Augustus and France, have wrested Palestine from the
+Infidels, and again planted the Cross on Mount Calvary, despite the
+whole forces of the East, led by their ablest and most powerful sultans.
+His grief at not being able to accomplish this glorious object, is well
+described by Michaud--
+
+     "After a month's abode at Bethnopolis, seven leagues from
+     Jerusalem, the Crusaders renewed their complaints, and exclaimed
+     with sadness, 'We shall never go to Jerusalem!' Richard, with heart
+     torn by contending feelings, while he disregarded the clamours of
+     the pilgrims, shared their grief, and was indignant at his own
+     fortune. One day, that his ardour in pursuing the Saracens had led
+     him to the heights of Emmaus, from which he beheld the towers of
+     Jerusalem, he burst into tears at the sight, and, covering his face
+     with his buckler, declared he was unworthy to contemplate the Holy
+     City which his arms could not deliver."--_Hist. des Croisades_, ii.
+     399.
+
+As a specimen of the magnitude of the battles fought in this Crusade, we
+take that of Assur, near Ptolemais--
+
+     "Two hundred thousand Mussulmans were drawn up in the plains of
+     Assur, ready to bar the passage of the Christian army, and deliver
+     a decisive battle. No sooner did he perceive the Saracen array,
+     than Richard divided his army into five corps. The Templars formed
+     the first; the warriors of Brittany and Anjou the second; the king,
+     Guy, and the men of Poitou the third; the English and Normans,
+     grouped round the royal standard, the fourth; the Hospitallers the
+     fifth; and behind them marched the archers and javelin men. At
+     three o'clock in the afternoon, the army was all arranged in order
+     of battle, when all at once a multitude of Saracens appeared in
+     rear, who descended from the mountains which the Crusaders had just
+     crossed. Amongst them were Bedouin Arabs, bearing bows and round
+     bucklers; Scythians with long bows, and mounted on tall and
+     powerful horses; Ethiopians of a lofty stature, with their sable
+     visages strangely streaked with white. These troops of barbarians
+     advanced on all sides against the Christian army with the rapidity
+     of lightning. The earth trembled under their horses' feet. The din
+     of their clarions, cymbals, and trumpets, was so prodigious, that
+     the loudest thunder could not have been heard. Men were in their
+     ranks, whose sole business it was to raise frightful cries, and
+     excite the courage of the Mussulman warriors by chanting their
+     national songs. Thus stimulated, their battalions precipitated
+     themselves upon the Crusaders, who were speedily assailed at once
+     in front, both flanks, and rear--enveloped by enemies, say the old
+     chronicles, as the eyelashes surround the EYE. After their arrows
+     and javelins were discharged, the Saracens commenced the attack
+     with the lance, the mace, and the sword. An English chronicle aptly
+     compares them to smiths, and the Crusaders to the anvil on which
+     their hammers rang. Meanwhile, the Franks did not for a moment
+     intermit their march towards Assur, and the Saracens, who sought in
+     vain to shake their steady ranks, called them 'a nation of iron.'
+
+     "Richard had renewed his orders for the whole army to remain on the
+     defensive, and not to advance against the enemy till six trumpets
+     sounded--two at the head of the army, two in the centre, two in the
+     rear. This signal was impatiently expected; the barons and knights
+     could bear every thing except the disgrace of remaining thus
+     inactive in presence of an enemy, who without intermission renewed
+     his attacks. Those of the rear-guard had already began to reproach
+     Richard with having forgotten them; they invoked in despair the
+     protection of St George, the patron of the brave. At last some of
+     the bravest and most ardent, forgetting the orders they had
+     received, precipitated themselves on the Saracens. This example
+     soon drew the Hospitallers after them; the contagion spread from
+     rank to rank, and soon the whole Christian army was at blows with
+     the enemy, and the scene of carnage extended from the sea to the
+     mountains. Richard showed himself wherever the Christians had need
+     of his succour; his presence was always followed by the flight of
+     the Turks. So confused was the _melee_, so thick the dust, so
+     vehement the fight, that many of the Crusaders fell by the blows of
+     their comrades, who mistook them for enemies. Torn standards,
+     shivered lances, broken swords, strewed the plain. Such of the
+     combatants as had lost their arms, hid themselves in the bushes, or
+     ascended trees; some, overcome with terror, fled towards the sea,
+     and from the top of the rocks precipitated themselves into its
+     waves.
+
+     "Every instant the combat became warmer and more bloody. The whole
+     Christian army was now engaged in the battle, and returning on its
+     steps, the chariot which bore the royal standard was in the
+     thickest of the fight. Ere long, however, the Saracens were unable
+     to sustain the impetuous assault of the Franks. Boha-Eddin, an
+     eyewitness, having quitted the Mussulman centre, which was put to
+     the route, fled to the tent of the Sultan, where he found the
+     Sultan, who was attended only by seventeen Mamelukes. While their
+     enemies fled in this manner, the Christians, hardly able to credit
+     their victory, remained motionless on the field which they had
+     conquered. They were engaged in tending their wounded, and in
+     collecting the arms which lay scattered over the field of battle,
+     when all at once twenty thousand Saracens, whom their chief had
+     rallied, fell upon them. The Crusaders overwhelmed with heat and
+     fatigue, and not expecting to be attacked, showed at first a
+     surprise which bordered on fear. Taki-Eddin, nephew of Saladin, at
+     the head of the bravest enemies, led on the Turks, at the head of
+     whom were seen the Mameluke guard of Saladin, distinguished by
+     their yellow banner. So vehement was their onset, that it ploughed
+     deep into the Crusaders' ranks; and they had need of the presence
+     and example of Richard, before whom no Saracen could stand, and
+     whom the contemporary chronicles compare to a reaper cutting down
+     corn. At the moment when the Christians, again victorious, resumed
+     their march towards Assur, the Mussulmans, impelled by despair,
+     again attacked their rear-guard. Richard, who had twice repulsed
+     the enemy, no sooner heard the outcry, than, followed only by
+     fifteen knights, he flew to the scene of combat, shouting aloud the
+     war-cry of the Christians--'God protect the Holy Sepulchre!' The
+     bravest followed their king; the Mussulmans were dispersed at the
+     first shock, and their army, then a third time vanquished, would
+     have been totally destroyed, had not night and the forest of Assur
+     sheltered them from the pursuit of the enemy. As it was they lost
+     eight thousand men, including thirty-two of their bravest emirs
+     slain; while the victory did not cost the Christians a thousand
+     men. Among the wounded was Richard himself, who was slightly hurt
+     in the breast. But the victory was prodigious, and if duly improved
+     by the Crusaders, without dissension or defection, would have
+     decided the fate of Palestine and of that Crusade."--_Hist. des
+     Croisades_, i. 468-471.
+
+These extracts convey a fair idea of M. Michaud's power of description
+and merits as an historian. He cannot be said to be one of the highest
+class. He does not belong to the school who aim at elevating history to
+its loftiest pitch. The antiquarian school never have, and never will do
+so. The minute observation and prodigious attentions to detail which
+their habits produce, are inconsistent with extensive vision. The same
+eye scarcely ever unites the powers of the microscope and the telescope.
+He has neither the philosophic mind of Guizot, nor the pictorial eye of
+Gibbon; he neither takes a luminous glance like Robertson, nor sums up
+the argument of a generation in a page, like Hume. We shall look in vain
+in his pages for a few words diving into the human heart such as we find
+in Tacitus, or splendid pictures riveting every future age as in Livy.
+He is rather an able and animated abridger of the chronicles, than an
+historian. But in that subordinate, though very important department,
+his merits are of a very high order. He is faithful, accurate, and
+learned; he has given a succinct and yet interesting detail, founded
+entirely on original authority, of the wars of two centuries. Above all,
+his principles are elevated, his feelings warm, his mind lofty and
+generous. He is worthy of his subject, for he is entirely free of the
+grovelling utilitarian spirit, the disgrace and the bane of the age in
+which he writes. His talents for description are very considerable, as
+will be apparent from the account we hope to give in a future Number of
+his highly interesting travels to the principal scenes of the Crusades.
+It is only to be regretted, that in his anxiety to preserve the fidelity
+of his narrative, he has so frequently restrained it, and given us
+rather descriptions of scenes taken from the old chronicles, than such
+as his own observations and taste could have supplied. But still his
+work supplies a great desideratum in European literature; and if not the
+best that could be conceived, is by much the best that has yet appeared
+on the subject. And it is written in the spirit of the age so finely
+expressed in the title given by one of the most interesting of the
+ancient chroniclers to his work--
+
+  "Gesta DEI per Francos."[7]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 5: Michaud: _Histoire des Croisades_.]
+
+[Footnote 6: Porson.]
+
+[Footnote 7: "The doings of God by the Franks."]
+
+
+
+
+THE BURDEN OF SION.
+
+BY DELTA.
+
+     [This Ode, composed by Judas Hallevy bar Samuel, a Spanish Rabbi of
+     the twelfth century, is said to be still recited every year, during
+     the Fast observed in commemoration of the Destruction of Jerusalem.
+     The versifier has been much indebted to a very literal translation,
+     from the original necessarily obscure Spanish of the Rabbi, into
+     excellent French, by Joseph Mainzer, Esq., a gentleman to whom the
+     sacred music of this country is under great and manifold
+     obligations.]
+
+
+    Captive and sorrow-pale, the mournful lot
+  Say, hast thou, Sion, of thy sons forgot?
+  Hast thou forgot the innocent flocks, that lay
+  Prone on thy sunny banks, or frisk'd in play
+  Amid thy lilied meadows? Wilt thou turn
+  A deaf ear to thy supplicants, who mourn
+  Downcast in earth's far corners? Unto thee
+  Wildly they turn in their lone misery;
+  For wheresoe'er they rush in their despair,
+  The pitiless Destroyer still is there!
+
+    Eden of earth! despisest thou the sighs
+  From the slave's heart that rise
+  To thee, amid his fetters--who can dare
+  Still to hope on in his forlorn despair--
+  Whose morn and evening tears for thee fall down
+  Like dews on Hermon's thirsty crown--
+  And who would blessed be in all his ills,
+  Wander'd his feet once more even on thy desert hills!
+
+    But not is Hope's fair star extinguish'd quite
+  In rayless night;
+  And, Sion, as thy fortunes I bewail,
+  Harsh sounds my voice, as of the birds that sail
+  The stormy dark. Let but that star be mine,
+  And through the tempest tremulously shine;
+  So, when the brooding clouds have overpast,
+  Rejoicing, with the dawn, may come at last,
+  Even as an instrument, whose lively sound
+  Makes the warm blood in every bosom bound,
+  And whose triumphant notes are given
+  Freely in songs of thanksgiving to Heaven!
+
+  Bethel!--and as thy name's name leaves my tongue,
+  The very life-drops from my heart are wrung!
+  Thy sanctuary--where, veil'd in mystic light,
+  For ever burning, and for ever bright,
+  Jehovah's awful majesty reposed,
+  And shone for aye heaven's azure gates unclosed--
+  Thy sanctuary!--where from the Eternal flow'd
+  The radiance of his glory, in whose power
+  Noonday itself like very darkness show'd,
+  And stars were none at midnight's darkest hour--
+  Thy sanctuary! oh _there!_ oh _there!_ that I
+  Might breathe my troubled soul out, sigh on sigh,
+  _There_, where thine effluence, Mighty God, was pour'd
+  On thine Elect, who, kneeling round, adored!
+
+    Stand off! the place is holy. Know ye not,
+  Of potter's clay the children, that this spot
+  Is sacred to the Everlasting One--
+  The Ruler over heaven, and over earth?
+  Stand off, degraded slaves, devoid of worth!
+  Nor dare profane again, as ye have done,
+  This spot--'tis holy ground--profane it not!
+
+  Oh, might I cleave, with raptured wing, the waste
+  Of the wide air, then, where in splendour lie
+  Thy ruins, would my sorrowing spirit haste,
+  Forth to outpour its flood of misery!--
+  There, where thy grandeur owns a dire eclipse,
+  Down to the dust as sank each trembling knee,
+  Unto thy dear soil should I lay my face,
+  Thy very stones in rapture to embrace,
+  And to thy smouldering ashes glue my lips!
+
+    And how, O Sion! how should I but weep,
+  As on our fathers' tombs I fondly gazed,
+  Or, wistfully, as turn'd mine eye
+  To thee, in all thy desolate majesty,
+  Hebron, where rests the mighty one in sleep,
+  And high his pillar of renown was raised!
+  There--in thine atmosphere--'twere blessedness
+  To breathe a purer ether. Oh! to me
+  Thy dust than perfumes dearer far should be,
+  And down thy rocks the torrent streams should roam
+  With honey in their foam!
+
+    Oh, sweet it were--unutterably sweet--
+  Even though with garments rent, and bleeding feet,
+  To wander over the deserted places
+  Where once thy princely palaces arose,
+  And 'mid the weeds and wild-flowers mark the traces,
+  Where the ground, yawning in its earthquake throes,
+  The ark of covenant and the cherubim
+  Received, lest stranger hands, that reek'd the while
+  With blood of thine own children, should defile
+  Its heaven-resplendent glory, and bedim:
+  And my dishevell'd locks, in my despair,
+  All madly should I tear;
+  And as I cursed the day that dawn'd in heaven--
+  The day that saw thee to destruction given,
+  Even from my very frenzy should I wring
+  A rough, rude comfort in my sorrowing.
+
+    What other comfort can I know? Behold,
+  Wild dogs and wolves with hungry snarl contend
+  Over thy prostrate mighty ones; and rend
+  Their quivering limbs, ere life hath lost its hold.
+  I sicken at the dawn of morn--the noon
+  Brings horror with its brightness; for the day
+  Shows but the desolate plain,
+  Where, feasting on the slain,
+  (Thy princes,) flap and scream the birds of prey!
+
+    Chalice from Marah's bitterest spring distill'd!
+  Goblet of woe, to overflowing fill'd!
+  Who, quaffing thee, can live? Give me but breath--
+  A single breath--that I once more may see
+  The dreary vision. I will think of thee,
+  Colla, once more--of Cliba will I think--
+  Then fearlessly and freely drink
+  The cup--the fatal cup--whose dregs are death.
+
+    Awake thee, Queen of Cities, from thy slumber--
+  Awake thee, Sion! Let the quenchless love
+  Of worshippers, a number beyond number,
+  A fountain of rejoicing prove.
+  Thy sorrows they bewail, thy wounds they see,
+  And feel them as their own, and mourn for thee!
+  Oh, what were life to them, did Hope not hold
+  Her mirror, to unfold
+  That glorious future to their raptured sight,
+  When a new morn shall chase away this night!
+  Even from the dungeon gloom,
+  Their yearning hearts, as from a tomb,
+  Are crying out--are crying out to thee;
+  And, as they bow the knee
+  Before the Eternal, every one awaits
+  The answer of his prayer, with face toward thy gates.
+
+    Earth's most celestial region! Babylon
+  The mighty, the magnificent, to thee,
+  With all the trappings of her bravery on,
+  Seems but a river to the engulfing sea.
+  What are its oracles but lies? 'Tis given
+  Thy prophets only to converse with Heaven--
+  The hidden to reveal, the dark to scan,
+  And be the interpreters of God to man.
+  The idols dumb that erring men invoke,
+  Themselves are vanities, their power is smoke:
+  But, while the heathen's pomp is insecure,
+  Is transient, thine, O Sion! shall endure;
+  For in thy temples, God, the only Lord,
+  Hath been, and still delights to be, adored.
+
+    Blessed are they, who, by their love,
+  Themselves thy veritable children prove!
+  Yea! blessed they who cleave
+  To thee, with faithful hearts, and scorn to leave!
+  Come shall the day--and come it may full soon--
+  When thou, more splendid than the moon,
+  Shalt rise; and, triumphing o'er night,
+  Turn ebon darkness into silver light:
+  The glory of thy brightness shall be shed
+  Around each faithful head:
+  Rising from thy long trance, earth shall behold
+  Thee loftier yet, and lovelier than of old;
+  And portion'd with the saints in bliss shall be
+  All who, through weal and woe, were ever true to thee!
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 7: "The doings of God by the Franks."]
+
+
+
+
+RHYMED HEXAMETERS AND PENTAMETERS.
+
+     [This species of versification, consisting of rhymed Hexameter and
+     Pentameter lines, we do not remember to have seen before attempted,
+     and we now offer it as a literary curiosity. It is, perhaps,
+     subject to the objection that applies against painted statuary, as
+     combining embellishments of a character not altogether consistent,
+     and not adding to the beauty of the result. But we are not without
+     a feeling that some additional pleasure is thus conveyed to the
+     mind. The experiment, of course, is scarcely possible, except in
+     quatrains of an epigrammatic structure. But the examples are
+     selected from the most miscellaneous sources that readily
+     occurred.]
+
+
+HIS OWN EPITAPH.
+
+BY ENNIUS.
+
+       Adspicite, O cives! senis Ennii imagini' formam;
+         Hic vostrum panxit maxuma facta patrum.
+       Nemo me lacrumis decoret, nec funera fletu
+         Faxit. Cur? volito vivu' per ora virum.
+
+  See, O citizens! here old Ennius's image presented,
+    Who to your forefathers' deeds gave their own glory again.
+  Honour me not with your tears; by none let my death be lamented:
+    Why? still in every mouth living I flit among men.
+
+
+ON GELLIA.
+
+FROM MARTIAL.
+
+       Amissum non flet, cum sola est, Gellia patrem;
+         Si quis adest, jussae prosiliunt lacrymae.
+       Non dolet hic, quisquis laudari, Gellia, quaerit;
+         Ille dolet vere qui sine teste dolet.
+
+  Gellia, when she's alone, doesn't weep the death of her father;
+    But, if a visitor comes, tears at her bidding appear.
+  Gellia, they do not mourn who are melted by vanity rather;
+    They are true mourners who weep when not a witness is near.
+
+
+TO CECILIANUS.
+
+FROM MARTIAL.
+
+       Nullus in urbe fuit tota qui tangere vellet
+         Uxorem gratis, Caeciliane, tuam,
+       Dum licuit: sed nunc positis custodibus ingens
+         Agmen amatorum est. Ingeniosus homo es.
+
+  Nobody, Cecilianus, e'er thought of your wife (she's so ugly!)
+    When she could gratis be seen, when she was easily won.
+  Now that, with locks and with guards you pretend to secure her so snugly,
+    Crowds of gallants flock around: faith, it is cleverly done.
+
+
+ON A BEE INCLOSED IN AMBER.
+
+FROM MARTIAL.
+
+       Et latet et lucet Phaethontide condita gutta,
+         Ut videatur apis nectare clausa suo.
+       Dignum tantorum pretium tulit illa laborum:
+         Credibile est ipsam sic voluisse mori.
+
+  Lucid the bee lurks here, bright amber her beauty inclosing!
+    As in the nectar she made seems the fair insect to lie.
+  Worthy reward she has gain'd, after such busy labours reposing:
+    Well we might deem that herself thus would be willing to die.
+
+
+
+
+THE SURVEYOR'S TALE.
+
+
+Good resolutions are, like glass, manufactured for the purpose of being
+broken. Immediately after my marriage, I registered in the books of my
+conscience a very considerable vow against any future interference with
+the railway system. The Biggleswades had turned out so well, that I
+thought it unsafe to pursue my fortune any further. The incipient
+gambler, I am told, always gains, through the assistance of a nameless
+personage who shuffles the cards a great deal oftener than many
+materialists suppose. Nevertheless, there is always a day of
+retribution.
+
+I wish I had adhered to my original orthodox determination. During the
+whole period of the honeymoon, I remained blameless as to shares. Uncle
+Scripio relinquished the suggestion of "dodges" in despair. He was, as
+usual, brimful of projects, making money by the thousand, and bearing or
+bulling, as the case might be, with genuine American enthusiasm. I
+believe he thought me a fool for remaining so easily contented, and very
+soon manifested no further symptom of his consciousness of my existence
+than by transmitting me regularly a copy of the Railway Gazette, with
+some mysterious pencil-markings at the list of prices, which I presume
+he intended for my guidance in the case of an alteration of sentiment.
+For some time I never looked at them. When a man is newly married, he
+has a great many other things to think of. Mary had a decided genius for
+furniture, and used to pester me perpetually with damask curtains,
+carved-wood chairs, gilt lamps, and a whole wilderness of household
+paraphernalia, about which, in common courtesy, I was compelled to
+affect an interest. Now, to a man like myself, who never had any fancy
+for upholstery, this sort of thing is very tiresome. My wife might have
+furnished the drawingroom after the pattern of the Cham of Tartary's for
+any thing I cared, provided she had left me in due ignorance of the
+proceeding; but I was not allowed to escape so comfortably. I looked
+over carpet patterns and fancy papers innumerable, mused upon all manner
+of bell-pulls, and gave judgment between conflicting rugs, until the
+task became such a nuisance, that I was fain to take refuge in the
+sacred sanctuary of my club. Young women should be particularly careful
+against boring an accommodating spouse. Of all places in the world, a
+club is the surest focus of speculation. You meet gentlemen there who
+hold stock in every line in the kingdom--directors, committeemen, and
+even crack engineers. I defy you to continue an altogether uninterested
+auditor of the fascinating intelligence of Mammon. In less than a week
+my vow was broken, and a new _liaison_ commenced with the treacherous
+Delilah of scrip. As nine-tenths of my readers have been playing the
+same identical game towards the close of last year, it would be idle to
+recount to them the various vicissitudes of the market. It is a sore
+subject with most of us--a regular undeniable case of "_infandum
+regina_." The only comfort is, that our fingers were simultaneously
+burned.
+
+Amongst other transactions, I had been induced by my old fiend Cutts,
+now in practice as an independent engineer, to apply for a large
+allocation of shares in the Slopperton Valley, a very spirited
+undertaking, for which the Saxon was engaged to invent the gradients.
+This occurred about the commencement of the great Potato Revolution--an
+event which I apprehend will be long remembered by the squirearchy and
+shareholders of these kingdoms. The money-market was beginning to
+exhibit certain symptoms of tightness; premiums were melting perceptibly
+away, and new schemes were in diminished favour. Under these
+circumstances, the Provisional Committee of the Slopperton Valley
+Company were beneficent enough to gratify my wishes to the full, and
+accorded to me the large privilege of three hundred original shares. Two
+months earlier this would have been equivalent to a fortune--as it was,
+I must own that my gratitude was hardly commensurate to the high
+generosity of the donors. I am not sure that I did not accompany the
+receipt of my letter of allocation with certain expletives by no means
+creditable to the character of the projectors--at all events, I began to
+look with a milder eye upon the atrocities of Pennsylvanian repudiation.
+However, as the crash was by no means certain, my sanguine temperament
+overcame me, and in a fit of temporary derangement I paid the deposit.
+
+In the ensuing week the panic became general. Capel-court was deserted
+by its herd--Liverpool in a fearful state of commercial coma--Glasgow
+trembling throughout its Gorbals--and Edinburgh paralytically shaking.
+The grand leading doctrine of political economy once more was recognised
+as a truth: the supply exorbitantly exceeded the demand, and there were
+no buyers. The daily share-list became a far more pathetic document in
+my eyes than the Sorrows of Werter. The circular of my brokers, Messrs
+Tine and Transfer, contained a tragedy more woful than any of the
+conceptions of Shakspeare--the agonies of blighted love are a joke
+compared with those of baffled avarice; and of all kinds of consumption,
+that of the purse is the most severe. One circumstance, however, struck
+me as somewhat curious. Neither in share-list nor circular could I find
+any mention made of the Slopperton Valley. It seemed to have risen like
+an exhalation, and to have departed in similar silence. This boded ill
+for the existence of the L750 I had so idiotically invested, the
+recuperation whereof, in whole or in part, became the subject of my
+nightly meditations; and, as correspondence in such matters is usually
+unsatisfactory, I determined to start personally in search of my
+suspended deposit.
+
+I did not know a single individual of the Slopperton Provisional
+Committee, but I was well enough acquainted with Cutts, whose present
+residence was in a midland county of England, where the work of railway
+construction was going actively forward. As I drove into the town where
+the Saxon had established his headquarters, I saw with feelings of
+peculiar disgust immense gangs of cut-throat looking fellows--"the
+navies of the nations," as Alfred Tennyson calls them--busy at their
+embankments, absorbing capital at an alarming ratio, and utterly
+indifferent to the state of the unfortunate shareholders then writhing
+under the pressure of calls. Philanthropy is a very easy thing when our
+own circumstances are prosperous, but a turn of the wheel of fortune
+gives a different complexion to our views. If I had been called upon two
+months earlier to pronounce an oration upon the vast benefits of general
+employment and high wages, I should have launched out _con amore_. Now,
+the spectacle which I beheld suggested no other idea than that of an
+enormous cheese fast hastening to decomposition and decay beneath the
+nibbling of myriads of mites.
+
+I found Cutts in his apartment of the hotel in the unmolested enjoyment
+of a cigar. He seemed fatter, and a little more red in the gills than
+when I saw him last, otherwise there was no perceptible difference.
+
+"Hallo, old fellow!" cried the Saxon, pitching away a pile of estimates;
+"what the mischief has brought you up here? Waiter--a bottle of sherry!
+You wouldn't prefer something hot at this hour of the morning, would
+you?"
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+"Ay--you're a married man now. How's old Morgan? Lord! what fun we had
+at Shrewsbury when I helped you to your wife!"
+
+"So far as I recollect, Mr Cutts, you nearly finished that business. But
+I want to have a serious talk with you about other matters. What has
+become of that confounded Slopperton Valley, for which you were
+engineer?"
+
+"Slopperton Valley! Haven't you heard about it? The whole concern was
+wound up about three weeks ago. Take a glass of wine."
+
+"Wound up? Why, this is most extraordinary. I never received any
+circular!"
+
+"I thought as much," said Cutts very coolly. "That's precisely what I
+said to old Hasherton, the chairman, the day after the secretary bolted.
+I told him he should send round notice to the fellows at a distance,
+warning them not to cash up; but it seems that the list of subscribers
+had gone amissing, and so the thing was left to rectify itself."
+
+"Bolted! You don't mean Mr Glanders, of the respectable firm of Glanders
+and Co?"
+
+"Of course I do. I wonder you have not heard of it. That comes of living
+in a confounded country where there are neither breeches nor
+newspapers--help yourself--and no direct railway communication. Glanders
+bolted as a matter of course, and I can tell you that I thought myself
+very lucky in getting hold of as much of the deposits as cleared my
+preliminary expenses."
+
+"Cutts--are you serious?"
+
+"Perfectly. But what's the use of making a row about it? You look as
+grim as if there was verjuice in the sherry. You ought to thank your
+stars that the thing was put a stop to so soon."
+
+"Why--didn't you recommend me to apply for shares?"
+
+"Of course I did, and I wonder you don't feel grateful for the advice.
+Every body thought they would have come out at a high premium. I would
+not have taken six pounds for them in the month of September; but this
+infernal potato business has brought on the panic, and nobody will table
+a shilling for any kind of new stock. It was a lucky thing for us that
+we got a kind of hint to draw in our horns in time."
+
+"And pray, since the concern is wound up, as you say, how much of our
+deposit-money will be returned?"
+
+"You don't mean to say," said Cutts, with singularly elaborate
+articulation--"You don't mean to say that you were such an inconceivable
+ass as to pay up your letter of allotment? Well--I never heard of such a
+piece of deliberate infatuation! Why, man, a blacksmith with half an eye
+must have seen that the game was utterly up a week before the calls were
+due. I don't think there is a single man out of Scotland who would have
+made such a fool of himself; indeed, so far as I know, nobody cashed up
+except a dozen old women who knew nothing about the matter, and ten
+landed proprietors, who expected compensation, and deserved to be done
+accordingly. You need not look as though you meditated razors. The
+Biggleswade concern will pay for this more than thirty tines over."
+
+"I'll tell you what, Cutts," said I in a paroxysm, "this is a most
+nefarious transaction, and I'm hanged if I don't take the law with every
+one connected with it. I'll make an example of that fellow Hasherton,
+and the whole body of the committee."
+
+"Just as you like," replied the imperturbable Cutts. "You're a lawyer,
+and the best judge of those sort of things. I may, however, as well
+inform you that Hasherton went into the Gazette last week, and that you
+won't find another member of the committee at this moment within the
+four seas of Great Britain."
+
+"And pray, may I ask how _you_ came to be connected with so
+discreditable a project? Do you know that it is enough to blast your own
+reputation for ever?"
+
+"I know nothing of the kind," said the Saxon, commencing another cigar.
+"I look to the matter of employment, and have nothing to do with the
+character of my clients, beyond ascertaining their means of liquidating
+my account. The committee required the assistance of a first-rate
+engineer, and I flatter myself they could hardly have made a more
+unexceptionable selection. But what's the use of looking sulky about it?
+You can't help yourself; and, after all, what's the amount of your loss?
+A parcel of pound-notes that would have lain rotting in the bank had you
+not put them into circulation! Cheer up, Fred, you've made at least one
+individual very happy. Glanders is going it in New York. I shouldn't be
+surprised if half your deposit money is already invested in
+mint-juleps."
+
+"It is very easy for you to talk, Mr Cutts," said I, with considerable
+acrimony. "Your account, at all events, appears to have been paid.
+Doubtless you looked sharply after that. I cannot help putting my own
+construction upon the conduct of a gentleman who makes a direct profit
+out of the misfortunes of his friends."
+
+"You affect me deeply," said Cutts, applying himself diligently to the
+decanter; "but you don't drink. Do you know you put me a good deal in
+mind of Macready? Did you ever hear him in Lear,
+
+  'How sharper than a serpent's thanks it is
+  To have a toothless child?'"
+
+You're remarkably unjust, Fred, as you will acknowledge in your cooler
+moments. I am hurt by your ingratitude--I am," and the sympathizing
+engineer buried his face in the folds of a Bandana handkerchief.
+
+I knew, by old experience, that it was of no use to get into a rage with
+Cutts. After all, I had no tenable ground of complaint against him; for
+the payment of the deposit money was my own deliberate act, and it was
+no fault of his that the shares were not issued at a premium. I
+therefore contrived to swallow, as I best could, my indignation, though
+it was no easy matter. Seven hundred and fifty pounds is a serious sum,
+and would have gone a long way towards the furnishing of a respectable
+domicile.
+
+I believe that Cutts, though he never allowed himself to exhibit a
+symptom of ordinary regret, was internally annoyed at the confounded
+scrape in which I was landed by following his advice. At all events he
+soon ceased comporting himself after the manner of the comforters of
+Job, and finally undertook to look after my interest in case any
+fragment of the deposits could be rescued from the hands of the
+Philistines. I have since had a letter from him with the information
+that he has recovered a hundred pounds--a friendly exertion which shall
+be duly acknowledged so soon as I receive a remittance, which, however,
+has not yet come to hand.
+
+By the time we had finished the sherry, I was restored, if not to
+good-humour, at least to a state of passive resignation. The Saxon gave
+strict orders that he was to be denied to every body, and made some
+incoherent proposals about "making a forenoon of it," which, however, I
+peremptorily declined.
+
+"It's a very hard thing," said Cutts, "but I see it's an invariable rule
+that matrimony and good-fellowship can never go together. You're not
+half the brick you used to be, Fred; but I suppose it can't be helped.
+There's a degree of slow-coachiness about you which I take to be
+peculiarly distressing, and if you don't take care it will become a
+confirmed habit."
+
+"Seven hundred and fifty pounds--what! all my pretty chickens and
+their"----
+
+Don't swear! It's a highly immoral practice. At all events you'll dine
+with me to-day at six. You shall have as much claret as you can
+conscientiously desire, and, for company, I have got the queerest fellow
+here you ever set eyes on. You used to pull the long bow with
+considerable effect, but this chap beats you hollow."
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"How should I know? He calls himself Leopold Young Mandeville--is a
+surveyor by trade, and has been working abroad at some outlandish line
+or another for the last two years. He is a very fair hand at the
+compasses, and so I have got him here by way of assistant. You may think
+him rather dull at first, but wait till he has finished a pint, and I'm
+shot if he don't astonish you. Now, if you will have nothing more, we
+may as well go out, and take a ride by way of appetizer."
+
+At six o'clock I received the high honour of an introduction to Mr Young
+Mandeville. As I really consider this gentleman one of the most
+remarkable personages of the era in which we live, I may perhaps be
+excused if I assume the privilege of an acquaintance, and introduce him
+also to the reader. The years of Mr Mandeville could hardly have
+exceeded thirty. His stature was considerably above the average of
+mankind, and would have been greater save for the geometrical curvature
+of his lower extremities, which gave him all the appearance of a walking
+parenthesis. His hair was black and streaky; his complexion atrabilious;
+his voice slightly raucous, like that of a tragedian contending with a
+cold. The eye was a very fine one--that is, the right eye--for the other
+optic was evidently internally damaged, and shone with an opalescent
+lustre. There was a kind of native dignity about the man which impressed
+me favourably, notwithstanding the reserved manner in which he
+exchanged the preliminary courtesies.
+
+Cutts did the honours of the table with his usual alacrity. The dinner
+was a capital one, and the vine not only abundant but unexceptionable.
+At first, however, the conversation flowed but languidly. My spirits had
+not yet recovered from the appalling intelligence of the morning; nor
+could I help reflecting, with a certain uneasiness, upon the reception I
+was sure to meet with from certain brethren in the Outer House, to whom,
+in a moment of rash confidence, I had entrusted the tale of my dilemma.
+I abhor roasting in my own person, and yet I knew I should have enough
+of it. Mandeville eat on steadily, like one labouring under the
+conviction that he thereby performed a good and meritorious action, and
+scorning to mix up extraneous matter with the main object of his
+exertions. The Saxon awaited his time, and steadily circulated the
+champagne.
+
+We all got more loquacious after the cloth was removed. A good dinner
+reconciles one amazingly to the unhappy chances of our lot; and, before
+the first bottle was emptied, I had tacitly forgiven every one of the
+Provisional Committee of the Slopperton Railway Company, with the
+exception of the villainous Glanders, who, for any thing I knew, might,
+at that moment, be transatlantically regaling himself at my particular
+expense. His guilt was of course inexpiable. Mandeville, having eat like
+an ogre, began to drink like a dromedary. Both the dark and the
+opalescent eye sparkled with unusual fire, and with a sigh of
+philosophic fervour he unbuttoned the extremities of his waistcoat.
+
+"Help yourselves, my boys," said the jovial Cutts; "there's lots of time
+before us between this and the broiled bones. By Jove, I'm excessively
+thirsty! I say, Mandeville, were you ever in Scotland? I hear great
+things of the claret there."
+
+"I never had that honour," replied Mr Young Mandeville, "which I
+particularly regret, for I have a high--may I say the highest?--respect
+for that intelligent country, and indeed claim a remote connexion with
+it. I admire the importance which Scotsmen invariably attach to pure
+blood and ancient descent. It is a proof, Mr Cutts, that with them the
+principles of chivalry are not extinct, and that the honours which
+should be paid to birth alone, are not indiscriminately lavished upon
+the mere acquisition of wealth."
+
+"Which means, I suppose, that a lot of rubbishy ancestors is better than
+a fortune in the Funds. Well--every man according to his own idea. I am
+particularly glad to say, that I understand no nonsense of the kind.
+There's Fred, however, will keep you in countenance. He say--but I'll be
+hanged if I believe it--that he is descended from some old king or
+another, who lived before the invention of breeches."
+
+"Cutts--don't be a fool!"
+
+"Oh, by Jove, it's quite true!" said the irreverent Saxon; "you used to
+tell me about it every night when you were half-seas over at Shrewsbury.
+It was capital fun to hear you, about the mixing of the ninth tumbler."
+
+"Excuse me, sir," said Mr Mandeville, with an appearance of intense
+interest--"do you indeed reckon kindred with the royal family of
+Scotland? I have a particular reason personal to myself in the inquiry."
+
+"Why, if you really want to know about it," said I, looking, I suppose,
+especially foolish, for Cutts was evidently trotting me out, and I more
+than half suspected his companion--"I do claim--but it's a ridiculous
+thing to talk of--a lineal descent from a daughter of William the Lion."
+
+"You delight me!" said Mr Mandeville. "The connexion is highly
+respectable--I have myself some of that blood in my veins, though
+perhaps of a little older date than yours; for one of my ancestors,
+Ulric of Mandeville, married a daughter of Fergus the First. I am very
+glad indeed to make the acquaintance of a relative after the lapse of so
+many centuries."
+
+I returned a polite bow to the salutation of my new-found cousin, and
+wished him at the bottom of the Euxine.
+
+"Will you pardon me, Mr Cutts, if I ask my kinsman a question or two
+upon family affairs? The older cadets of the royal blood have seldom an
+opportunity of meeting."
+
+"Fire away," said the Saxon, "but be done with it as soon as you can."
+
+"Reduced as we are," continued Mr Mandeville, addressing himself to me,
+"in numbers as well as circumstances, it appears highly advisable that
+we should maintain some intercourse with each other for the preservation
+of our common rights. These, as we well know, had their origin before
+the institution of Parliaments, and therefore are by no means fettered
+or impugned by any of the popular enactments of a later age. Now, as you
+are a lawyer, I should like to have your opinion on a point of some
+consequence. Did you ever happen to meet our cousin, Count Ferguson of
+the Roman Empire?"
+
+"Never heard of him in my life," said I.
+
+"Any relation of the fellow who couldn't get into the lodging-house?"
+asked Cutts.
+
+"I do not think so, Mr Cutts," replied Mandeville, mildly. "I had the
+pleasure of making the Count's acquaintance at Vienna. He is, apprehend,
+the only heir-male extant to the Scottish crown, being descended from
+Prince Fergus and a daughter of Queen Boadicea. Now, you and I, though
+younger cadets, and somewhat nearer in succession, merely represent
+females, and have therefore little interest beyond a remote contingency.
+But I understand it is the fact that the ancient destination to the
+Scottish crown is restricted to heirs-male solely; and therefore I wish
+to know, whether, as the Stuarts have failed, the Count is not entitled
+to claim in right of his undoubted descent?"
+
+I was petrified at the audacity of the man. Either he was the most
+consummately impudent scoundrel I ever had the fortune to meet, or a
+complete monomaniac! I looked him steadily in the face. The fine black
+eye was bent upon me with an expression of deep interest, and something
+uncommonly like a tear was quivering in the lash. Palpable monomania!
+
+"It seems a very doubtful question," said I. "Before answering it, I
+should like to see the Count's papers, and take a look at our older
+records."
+
+"That means, you want to be fee'd," said Cutts. "I'll tell you what, my
+lads, I'll stand this sort of nonsense no longer. Confound your
+Fergusons and Boadiceas! One would think, to hear you talk, that you
+were not a couple of as ordinary individuals as ever stepped upon
+shoe-leather, but princes of the blood-royal in disguise. Help
+yourselves, I say, and give us something else."
+
+"I fear, Mr Cutts," said Mandeville, in a deep and chokey voice, "that
+you have had too little experience of the vicissitudes of the world to
+appreciate our situation. You spoke of a prince. Know, sir, that you see
+before you one who has known that dignity, but who never shall know it
+more! O Amalia, Amalia!--dear wife of my bosom--where art thou now!
+Pardon me, kinsman--your hand--I do not often betray this weakness, but
+my heart is full, and I needs must give way to its emotion." So saying,
+the unfortunate Mandeville bowed down his head and wept; at least, so I
+concluded, from a succession of severe eructations.
+
+I did not know what to make of him. Of all the hallucinations I ever had
+witnessed, this was the most strange and unaccountable. Cutts, with
+great coolness, manufactured a stiff tumbler of brandy and water, which
+he placed at the elbow of the ex-potentate, and exhorted him to make a
+clean breast of it.
+
+"What's the use of snivelling about the past?" said he. "It's a
+confounded loss of time. Come, Mandeville, toss off your liquor like a
+Trojan, and tell us all about it, if you have any thing like a rational
+story to tell. We'll give you credit for the finer feelings, and all
+that sort of nonsense--only look sharp."
+
+Upon this hint the Surveyor spoke, applying himself at intervals to the
+reeking potable beside him. I shall give his story in his own words,
+without any commentary.
+
+"I feel, gentlemen, that I owe to you, and more especially to my
+new-found kinsman, some explanation of circumstances, the mere
+recollection of which can agitate me so cruelly. You seemed surprised
+when I told you of the rank which I once occupied, and no doubt you
+think it is a strange contrast to the situation in which you now behold
+me. Alas, gentlemen! the history of Europe, during the last half
+century, can furnish you with many parallel cases. Louis Philippe has,
+ere now, like myself, earned his bread by mathematical exertion--Young
+Gustavson--Henry of Bourbon, are exiles! the sceptre has fallen from the
+hands of the chivalrous house of Murat! Minor principalities are changed
+or absorbed, unnoticed amidst the war and clash of the great world
+around them! Thrones are eclipsed like stars, and vanish from the
+political horizon!
+
+"Do not misunderstand me, gentlemen--I claim no such hereditary honours.
+I am the last representative of an ancient and glorious race, who cut
+their way to distinction with their swords on the field of battle. Roger
+de Mandeville, bearer of the ducal standard at the red fight of
+Hastings, was the first of my name who set foot upon English ground.
+Since then, there is not an era in the history of our country which does
+not bear witness to some achievement of the stalwart Mandevilles. The
+Crusades--Cressy--Poitiers--and--pardon me, kinsman--Flodden, were the
+theatres of our renown.
+
+"I dare not trust myself to speak of the broad lands and castles which
+we once possessed. These have long since passed away from us. A
+Birmingham artisan, whose churl ancestor would have deemed it an honour
+to run beside the stirrup of my forefathers, now dwells in the hall of
+the Mandeville. The spear is broken, and the banner mouldered. Nothing
+remains, save in the chancel of the roofless church a recumbent marble
+effigy, with folded hands, of that stout Sir Godfrey of Mandeville who
+stormed the breach of Ascalon!
+
+"I was heir to nothing but the name. Of my early struggles I need not
+tell you. A proud and indomitable heart yet beat within this bosom; and
+though some of the ancient nobility of England, who knew and lamented my
+position, were not backward in their offers, I could not bring myself in
+any one instance to accept of eleemosynary assistance. Even the colours
+which were spontaneously offered to me by the great Captain of the age,
+were rejected, though not ungratefully. Had there been war, Britain
+should have found me foremost in her ranks as a volunteer, but I could
+not wear the livery of a soldier so long as the blade seemed
+undissolubly soldered to the sheath. I spurned at the empty frivolity of
+the mess-room, and despised every other bivouac save that upon the field
+of battle.
+
+"In brief, gentlemen, I preferred the field of science, which was still
+open to me, and became an engineer. Mr Cutts, whose great acquirements
+and brilliant genius have raised him to such eminence in the
+profession"--here Cutts made a grateful salaam--"can bear testimony to
+the humble share of talent I have laid at the national disposal; and if
+you, my kinsman, are connected with any of the incipient enterprises in
+the north, I should be proud of an opportunity of showing you that the
+genius of a Mandeville can be applied as well to the arts of peace as to
+the stormy exercises of war. But even Mr Cutts does not know how
+strangely my labours have been interrupted. What an episode was mine! A
+year of exaltation to high and princely rank--a year of love and
+battle--and then a return to this cold and heavy occupation! Had that
+interval lasted longer, gentlemen, believe me, that ere now I should
+have carried the victorious banners of Wallachia to the gates of
+Constantinople, plucked the abject and besotted Sultan from his throne,
+and again established in more than its pristine renown the independent
+Empire of the East!"
+
+"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! Well said Mandeville!" shouted Cutts. "I like
+to see the fellow who never sticks at trifles."
+
+"No reality, sirs, could have prevented me: but I fear my preface is too
+long. About two years ago I was requested by the projectors of the great
+railway between Paris and Constantinople to superintend the survey of
+that portion which stretches eastward from Vienna. I accepted the
+appointment with pleasure, for I longed to see foreign countries, and
+the field abroad appeared to me a much nobler one than that at home. I
+had personal letters of introduction to the Emperor, who treated me with
+marked distinction; for some collateral branches of my family had done
+the Austrian good service in the wars of Wallenstein, and the heroic
+charge of the Pappenheimers under Herbert Mandeville at Lutzen was still
+freshly and gratefully remembered. It was in Vienna that I made the
+acquaintance of our mutual kinsman, Count Ferguson, whose claims to
+hereditary dignity, I trust, you will reflect on at your leisure.
+
+"Do either of you, gentlemen, understand German?--No!--I regret the
+circumstance, because you can hardly follow me out distinctly when I
+come to speak of localities. But I shall endeavour to be as clear as
+possible. One evening I was in attendance upon his majesty--who
+frequently honoured me with these commands, for he took a vast interest
+in all matters of science--at the great theatre. All the wealth, beauty,
+and talent of Austria were there. I assure you, gentlemen, I never gazed
+upon a more brilliant spectacle. The mixture of the white and blue
+uniforms of the Austrian officers, with the national costumes of the
+nobility of Hungary, Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, and the Tyrol,
+gave the scene the appearance of a studied and gorgeous carnival. The
+glittering of diamonds along the whole tier of the boxes was literally
+painful to the eyes. Several of the Esterhazy family seemed absolutely
+sheathed in jewel armour, and I was literally compelled to request the
+Duchessa Lucchesini, who was seated next me, to lower her beautiful arm,
+as the splendour of the brilliants on her bracelet--I, of course, said
+the lustre of the arm itself--was so great as to obstruct my view of the
+stage. She smilingly complied. The last long-drawn note of the overture
+was over, the curtain had risen, and the _prima donna_ Schenkelmann was
+just trilling forth that exquisite _aria_ with which the opera of the
+_Gasthaus_ begins, when the door of the box immediately adjoining the
+imperial one opened, and a party entered in the gay Wallachian costume.
+The first who took her place, in a sort of decorated chair in front, and
+who was familiarly greeted by his Majesty, was a young lady, as it
+seemed to me even then, of most surpassing beauty. Her dark raven hair
+was held back from a brow as white as alabaster by a circlet of gorgeous
+emeralds, whose pale mild light added to the pensive melancholy of her
+features. I have no heart to describe her further, although that image
+stands before me now, as clearly as when I first riveted these longing
+eyes upon her charms!--O Amalia!
+
+"Her immediate companion was a tall stalwart nobleman, beneath whose
+cloak glittered a close-fitting tunic of ring-mail. His looks were
+haughty and unprepossessing; he cast a fierce glance at the box which
+contained the Esterhazys; bowed coldly in return to the recognition of
+the Emperor; and seated himself beside his beautiful companion. I
+thought--but it might be fancy--that she involuntarily shrank from his
+contact. The remainder of the box was occupied by Wallachian ladies and
+grandees.
+
+"My curiosity was so whetted, that I hardly could wait until the
+Schenkelmann had concluded, before assailing my neighbour the Duchessa
+with questions.
+
+"'Is it possible?' said she. 'Have you been so long in Vienna,
+chevalier, and yet never seen the great attraction of the day--the
+Wallachian fawn, as that foolish Count Kronthaler calls her? I declare I
+begin to believe that you men of science are absolutely born blind!'
+
+"'Not so, beautiful Lucchesini! But remember that ever since my arrival
+I have been constantly gazing on a star.'
+
+"'You flatterer! But, seriously, I thought every one knew the Margravine
+of Kalbs-Kuchen. She is the greatest heiress in Europe--has a
+magnificent independent principality, noble palaces, and such diamonds!
+That personage beside her is her relation, the Duke of Kalbs-Braten, the
+representative of a younger branch of the house. He is at deadly feud
+with the Esterhazys, and the Emperor is very apprehensive that it may
+disturb the tranquillity of Hungary. I am sure I am glad that my own
+poor little Duchy is at a distance. I wish he would not bow to me--I am
+sure he is a horrid man. Only think, my dear chevalier! He has already
+married two wives, and nobody knows what has become of them. Poor Clara
+von Gandersfeldt was the last--a sweet girl, but that could not save
+her. They say he wants to marry his cousin--I hope she won't have him.'
+
+"'Does he indeed presume!' said I, 'that dark-browed ruffian, to aspire
+to such an angel?'
+
+"'I declare you make me quite jealous,' said the Lucchesini; 'but speak
+lower or he will overhear you. I assure you Duke Albrecht is a very
+dangerous enemy.'
+
+"'O that I might beard him!' cried I, 'in the midst of his assembled
+Hulans! I tell you, Duchessa, that ere now a Mandeville'----
+
+"'_Potz tausend donner-wetter!_' said the Emperor, good-humouredly
+turning round; 'what is that the Chevalier Mandeville is saying? Why,
+chevalier, you look as fierce as a roused lion. We must take care of you
+old English fire-eaters. By the way,' added he very kindly, 'our
+Chancellor will send you to-morrow the decoration of the first class of
+the Golden Bugle. No thanks. You deserve it. I only wish the order could
+have been conferred upon such a field as that of Lutzen. And now come
+forward, and let me present you to the Margravine of Kalbs-Kuchen, whose
+territories you must one of these days traverse. Margravine--this is the
+Chevalier Mandeville, of whom I have already told you.'
+
+"She turned her head--our eyes met--a deep flush suffused her
+countenance, but it was instantly succeeded by a deadly paleness.
+
+"'_Eh, wass henker!_' cried the Emperor, 'what's the meaning of
+this?--the Margravine is going to faint!'
+
+"'Oh no--no--your Majesty--'tis nothing--a likeness--a dream--a
+dizziness, I mean, has come over me! It is gone now. You shall be
+welcome, chevalier,' continued she, with a sweet smile, 'when you visit
+our poor dominions. Indeed, I have a hereditary claim upon you, which I
+am sure you will not disregard.'
+
+"'_Hagel und blitzen!_' cried his Majesty--'What is this? I understood
+the chevalier was never in Germany before.'
+
+"'That may be, sire,' repeated the Margravine with another blush. 'But
+my great-grandmother was nevertheless a Mandeville, the daughter of that
+Field-marshal Herbert who fought so well at Lutzen. His picture, painted
+when he was a young cuirassier, still hangs in my palace, and, indeed,
+it was the extreme likeness of the chevalier to that portrait, which
+took me for a moment by surprise. Let me then welcome you, cousin;
+henceforward we are not strangers!'
+
+"I bowed profoundly as I took the proffered hand of the Margravine. I
+held it for an instant in my own--yes!--by Cupid there was a gentle
+pressure. I looked up and beheld the dark countenance of the Duke of
+Kalbs-Braten scowling at me from behind his cousin. I retorted the look
+with interest. From that moment we were mortal foes.
+
+"'_Unser Ritter ist im klee gefallen_--the chevalier has fallen among
+clover,' said the Emperor with a smile--'he has great luck--he finds
+cousins every where.'
+
+"'And in this instance,' I replied, 'I might venture to challenge the
+envy even of your Majesty.'
+
+"'Well said, chevalier! and now let us attend to the second act of the
+opera.'
+
+"'You are in a critical position, Chevalier de Mandeville,' said the
+Lucchesini, to whose side I now returned. 'You have made a powerful
+friend, but also a dangerous enemy. Beware of that Duke Albrecht--he is
+watching you closely.'
+
+"'It is not the nature of a Mandeville to fear any thing except for the
+safety of those he loves. _You_, sweet Duchessa, I trust have nothing to
+apprehend?'
+
+"'_Ah, perfide!_ Do not think to impose upon me longer. I know your
+heart has become a traitor already. Well--we shall not be less friends
+for that. I congratulate you on your new honours, only take care that
+too much good fortune does not turn that magnificent head.'
+
+"I supped that evening with the Lucchesini. On my return home, I thought
+I observed a dark figure following my steps; but this might have been
+fancy, at all events I regained my hotel without any interruption. Next
+morning I found upon my table a little casket containing a magnificent
+emerald ring, along with a small slip of paper on which was written
+'_Amalia to her cousin--Silence and Fidelity_.' I placed the ring upon
+my finger, but I pressed the writing to my lips.
+
+"On the ensuing week there was a great masquerade at the palace. I was
+out surveying the whole morning, and was occupied so late that I had
+barely half an hour to spare on my return for the necessary
+preparations.
+
+"'There is a young lady waiting for you up-stairs, Herr Baron,' said the
+waiter with a broad grin; 'she says she has a message to deliver, and
+will give it to nobody else.'
+
+"'Blockhead!' said I, 'what made you show her in there? To a certainty
+she'll be meddling with the theodolites!'
+
+"I rushed up-stairs, and found in my apartment one of the prettiest
+little creatures I ever saw, a perfect fairy of about sixteen, in a
+gipsy bonnet, who looked up and smiled as I entered.
+
+"'Are you the Chevalier Mandeville?' asked she.
+
+"Yes, my little dear, and pray who are you?'
+
+"'I am Fritchen, sir,' she said with a courtesy.
+
+"'You don't say so! Pray sit down, Fritchen.'
+
+"'Thank you, sir.'
+
+"'And pray now, Fritchen, what is it you want with me?'
+
+"'My mistress desired me to say to you, sir--but it's a great
+secret--that she is to be at the masquerade to-night in a blue domino,
+and she begs you will place this White Rose in your hat, and she wishes
+to have a few words with you.'
+
+"'And who may your mistress be, my pretty one?'
+
+"'Silence and Fidelity!'
+
+"'Ha! is it possible? the Margravine!'
+
+"'Hush! don't speak so loud--you don't know who may be listening. Black
+Stanislaus has been watching me all day, and I hardly could contrive to
+get out.'
+
+"'Black Stanislaus had better beware of me!'
+
+"'Oh, but you don't know him! He's Duke Albrecht's chief forester, and
+the Duke is in _such_ a rage ever since he found my lady embroidering
+your name upon a handkerchief.'
+
+"'Did she, indeed?--my name?--O Amalia!'
+
+"'Yes--and she says you're so like that big picture at
+Schloss-Swiggenstein that she fell in love with long ago--and she is
+sure you would come to love her if you only knew her--and she wishes,
+for your sake, that she was a plain lady and not a Princess--and she
+hates that Duke Albrecht so! But I wasn't to tell you a word of this, so
+pray don't repeat it again.'
+
+"'Silence and fidelity, my pretty Fritchen. Tell your royal Mistress
+that I rest her humble slave and kinsman; that I will wear her rose, and
+defend it too, if needful, against the attacks of the universe! Tell
+her, too, that every moment seems an age until we meet again. I will not
+overload your memory, little Fritchen. Pray, wear this trifle for my
+sake, and'----
+
+"'O fie, sir! If the waiter heard you!' and the little gipsy made her
+escape.
+
+"I had selected for my costume that night, a dress in the old English
+fashion, taken from a portrait of the Admirable Crichton. In my hat I
+reverently placed the rose which Amalia had sent me, stepped into my
+fiacre, and drove to the palace.
+
+"The masquerade was already at its height. I jostled my way through a
+prodigious crowd of scaramouches, pilgrims, shepherdesses, nymphs, and
+crusaders, until I reached the grand saloon, where I looked round me
+diligently for the blue domino. Alas! I counted no less than thirteen
+ladies in that particular costume.
+
+"'You seen dull to-night, Sir Englishman,' said a soft voice at my
+elbow. 'Does the indifference of your country or the disdainfulness of
+dark eyes oppress you?'
+
+"I turned and beheld a blue domino. My heart thrilled strangely.
+
+"'Neither, sweet Mask; but say, is not Silence a token of Fidelity?'
+
+"'You speak in riddles,' said the domino. 'But come--they are beginning
+the waltz. Here is a little hand as yet unoccupied. Will you take it?'
+
+"'For ever?'
+
+"'Nay--I shall burden you with no such terrible conditions. _Allons!_
+Yonder Saracen and Nun have set us the example.'
+
+"In a moment we were launched into the whirl of the dance. My whole
+frame quivered as I encircled the delicate waist with my arm. One hand
+was held in mine, the other rested lovingly upon my shoulder. I felt the
+sweet breath of the damask lips upon my face--the cup of my happiness
+was full.
+
+"'O that I may never wake and find this a dream! Dear lady, might I dare
+to hope that the services of a life, never more devotedly offered,
+might, in some degree, atone for the immeasurable distance between us?
+That the poor cavalier, whom you have honoured with your notice, may
+venture to indulge in a yet dearer anticipation?'
+
+"I felt the hand of the Mask tremble in mine--
+
+"'The White Rose is a pretty flower,' she whispered--'can it not bloom
+elsewhere than in the north?'
+
+"'Amalia!'
+
+"'Leopold!--but hush--we are observed.'
+
+"I looked up and saw a tall Bulgarian gazing at us. The mask of course
+prevented me from distinguishing his features, but by the red sparkle of
+his eye I instantly recognised Duke Albrecht.
+
+"'Forgive me, dearest Amalia, for one moment. I will rejoin you in the
+second apartment'----
+
+"'For the sake of the Virgin, Leopold--do not tempt him! you know not
+the power, the malignity of the man.'
+
+"'Were he ten times a duke, I'd beard him! Pardon me, lady. He has
+defied me already by his looks, and a Mandeville never yet shrunk from
+any encounter. Prince Metternich will protect you until my return.'
+
+"The good-natured statesman, who was sauntering past unmasked, instantly
+offered his arm to the agitated Margravine. They retired. I strode up to
+the Bulgarian, who remained as motionless as a statue.
+
+"'Give you good-evening, cavalier. What is your purpose to-night?'
+
+"'To chastise insolence and punish presumption! What is yours?'
+
+"'To rescue innocence and beauty from the persecution of overweening
+power!'
+
+"'Indeed! any thing else?'
+
+"'Yes, to avenge the fate of those who trusted, and yet died before
+their time. How was it with Clara of Gandersfeldt? Fell she not by thy
+hand?'
+
+"'Englishman--thou liest!'
+
+"'Bulgarian--thou art a villain!'
+
+"The duke gnashed his teeth. For a moment his hand clutched at the hilt
+of his poniard, but he suddenly withdrew it.
+
+"'I had thought to have dealt otherwise with thee,' he said, 'but thou
+hast dared to come between the lion and his bride. Englishman--hast thou
+courage to make good thy injurious words with aught else but the
+tongue?'
+
+"'I am the last of the race of Mandeville!'
+
+"'Enough. I might well have left the chastising of thee to a meaner
+hand, and yet--for that thou art a bold fellow--I will meet thee. Dost
+thou know the eastern gate?'
+
+"'Well.'
+
+"'A mile beyond it there is a clump of trees and a fair meadow land. The
+moon will be up in three hours: light enough for men who are determined
+on their work. Dost thou understand me--three hours hence on horseback,
+with the sword, alone?'
+
+"'Can I trust thee, Bulgarian?--no treachery?'
+
+"'I am a Wallachian and a duke!'
+
+"'Enough said. I shall be there;' and we parted.
+
+"I flew back to Amalia. She was terribly agitated. In vain did I attempt
+to calm her with assurances that all was well. She insisted upon knowing
+the whole particulars of my interview with her dreaded cousin of
+Kalbs-Braten, and at last I told her without reserve.
+
+"'You must not go, Leopold,' she cried, 'indeed you must not. You do not
+know this Albrecht. Hard of heart and determined of purpose, there are
+no means which he will not use in order to compass his revenge. Believe
+not that he will meet you alone: were it so, I should have little dread.
+But Black Stanislaus will be there, and strong Slavata, and Martinitz
+with all his Hulans! They will murder you, my Leopold! shed your young
+blood like water; or, if they dare not do that for fear of the Austrian
+vengeance, they will hurry you across the frontier to some dreary
+fortress, where you will pine in chains, and grow prematurely grey,
+far--far from your poor Amalia! Oh, were I to lose you, Leopold, now, I
+should die of sorrow! Be persuaded by me. My guards are few, but they
+are faithful. Avoid this meeting. Let us set out this night--nay, this
+very hour. Once within my dominions, we may set at defiance Duke
+Albrecht and all the black banditti of Kalbs-Braten. I have many friends
+and feudatories. The Hetman, Chopinski, is devoted to me. Count Rudolf
+of Haggenhausen is my sworn friend. No man ever yet saw the back of
+Conrad of the Thirty Mountains. We shall rear up the old ancestral
+banner of my house; give the Red Falcon to the winds of heaven; besiege,
+if need be, my perfidious kinsman in his stronghold--and, in the face of
+heaven, my Leopold, will I acknowledge the heir of Mandeville as the
+partner of my life and of my power!'
+
+"'Dearest, best Amalia! your words thrill through me like a trumpet--but
+alas, it may not be! I dare not follow your counsel. Shall it be said
+that I have broken my word--shrunk like a craven from a meeting with
+this Albrecht;--a meeting, too, which I myself provoked? Think it not,
+lady. Poor Mandeville has nothing save his honour; but upon that, at
+least, no taint of suspicion shall rest. Farewell, beautiful Amalia!
+Believe me, we shall meet again; if not, think of me sometimes as one
+who loved you well, and who died with your name upon his lips.'
+
+"'O Leopold!'
+
+"I tore myself away. Two hours afterwards I had passed the eastern gate
+of Vienna, and was riding towards the place of rendezvous. The moon was
+up, but a fresh breeze ever and anon swept the curtains of the clouds
+across her disk, and obscured the distant prospect. The cool air played
+gratefully on my cheek after the excitement and fever of the evening; I
+listened with even a sensation of pleasure to the distant rippling of
+the river. For the future I had little care, my whole attention was
+concentrated upon the past. I felt no anxiety as to the result of the
+encounter; nor was this in any degree surprising, since, from my
+earliest youth, I had accustomed myself to the use of the sword, and was
+reputed a thorough master of the weapon. Neither could I believe that
+Duke Albrecht was capable, after having given his solemn pledge to the
+contrary, of any thing like deliberate treachery.
+
+"I was about halfway to the clump of trees, which he of Kalbs-Braten had
+indicated, when a heavy bank of clouds arose, and left me in total
+darkness. Up to this time I had seen no one since I passed the sentry;
+but now I thought I could discern the tramping of horses upon the turf.
+Almost mechanically I loosened my cloak, and brought round the hilt of
+my weapon so as to be prepared. When the moon reappeared, I saw on
+either side of me a horseman, in long black cloaks and slouched hats,
+which effectually concealed the features of the wearers. They did not
+speak nor offer any violence, but continued to ride alongside,
+accommodating their pace to mine. The horses they bestrode were large
+and powerful animals. There was something in the moody silence and even
+rigid bearing of these persons, which inspired me with a feeling rather
+of awe than suspicion. It might be that they were retainers of the duke;
+but then, if any ambuscade or foul play was intended, why give such
+palpable warning of it? I resolved to accost them.
+
+"'Ye ride late, sirs.'
+
+"'We do,' said the one to the right. 'We are bent on a far errand.'
+
+"'Indeed! may I ask its nature?'
+
+"'To hear the bat flutter and the owlet scream. Wilt also listen to the
+music?'
+
+"'I understand you not, sirs. What mean you?'
+
+"'We are the guardians of the Red Earth. The guilty tremble at our
+approach; but the innocent need not fear!'
+
+"'Two of the night patrole!' thought I. 'Very mysterious gentlemen,
+indeed; but I have heard that the Austrian police have orders to be
+reserved in their communications. I must get rid of them, however.
+Good-evening, sirs.'
+
+"I was about to spur my horse, when a cloak was suddenly thrown over my
+head as if by some invisible hand; I was dragged forcibly from my
+saddle, my arms pinioned, and my sword wrested from me. All this was the
+work of a moment, and rendered my resistance useless.
+
+"'Villains!' cried I, 'unhand me--what mean you?'
+
+"'Peace, cavalier!' said a deep low voice at my ear; 'speak
+not--struggle not, or it may be worse for you; you are in the hands of
+the Secret Tribunal!'"
+
+During the course of his narrative, Mr Mandeville, as I have already
+hinted, by no means discontinued his attentions to the brandy and water,
+but went on making tumbler after tumbler, with a fervour that was truly
+edifying. Assuming that the main facts of his history were true, though
+in the eye of geography and politics they appeared a little doubtful, it
+was still highly interesting to remark the varied chronology of his
+style. A century disappeared with each tumbler. He concentrated in
+himself, as it appeared to me, the excellencies of the best writers of
+romance, and withal had hitherto maintained the semblance of strict
+originality. He had now, however, worked his way considerably up the
+tide of time. We had emerged from the period of fire-arms, and
+Mandeville was at this stage mediaeval.
+
+Some suspicion of this had dawned even upon the mind of Cutts, who,
+though not very familiar with romance, had once stumbled upon a
+translation of Spindler's novels, and was, therefore, tolerably up to
+the proceedings of the _Vehme Gericht_.
+
+"Confound it, Mandeville!" interrupted he, "we shall be kept here the
+whole night, if you don't get on faster. Both Fred and I know all about
+the ruined tower, the subterranean chamber--which, by the way, must have
+looked deucedly like a tunnel--the cord and steel, and all the rest of
+it. Skip the trial, man. It's a very old song now, and bring us as fast
+as you can to the castle and the marriage. I hope the Margravine took
+Fritchen with her. That little monkey was worth the whole bundle of them
+put together!"
+
+The Margrave made another tumbler. His eye had become rather glassy, and
+his articulation slightly impaired. He was gradually drawing towards the
+chivalrous period of the Crusades.
+
+"Two days had passed away since that terrible ride began, and yet there
+was neither halt nor intermission. Blindfold, pinioned, and bound into
+the saddle, I sate almost mechanically and without volition, amidst the
+ranks of the furious Hulans, whose wild huzzas and imprecations rung
+incessantly in my ears. No rest, no stay. On we sped like a hurricane
+across the valley and the plain!
+
+"At last I heard a deep sullen roar, as if some great river was
+discharging its collected waters over the edge of an enormous precipice.
+We drew nearer and nearer. I felt the spray upon my face. These, then,
+were the giant rapids of the Danube.
+
+"The order to halt was given.
+
+"'We are over the frontier now!' cried the loud harsh voice of Duke
+Albrecht; 'Stanislaus and Slavata! unbind that English dog from his
+steed, and pitch him over the cliff. Let the waters of the Danube bear
+him past the castle of his lady. It were pity to deny my delicate cousin
+the luxury of a coronach over the swollen corpse of her minion!'
+
+"'Coward!' I exclaimed; 'coward as well as traitor! If thou hast the
+slightest spark of manhood in thee, cause these thy fellows to unbind my
+hands, give me back my father's sword, stand face to face against me on
+the greensward, and, benumbed and frozen as I am, thou shalt yet feel
+the arm of the Mandeville!'
+
+"Loud laughed he of Kalbs-Braten. 'Does the hunter, when the wolf is in
+the pit, leap down to try conclusions with him. Fool! what care I for
+honour or thy boasted laws of chivalry? We of Wallachia are men of
+another mood. We smite our foeman where we find him, asleep or awake--at
+the wine-cup or in the battle--with the sword by his side, or arrayed
+in the silken garb of peace! Drag him from his steed, fellows! Let us
+see how lightly this adventurous English diver will leap the cataracts
+of the Danube!'
+
+"Resistance was in vain. I had already given myself up for lost. Even at
+that moment the image of my Amalia rose before me in all its beauty--her
+name was on my lips, I called upon her as my guardian angel.
+
+"Suddenly I heard the loud clear note of a trumpet--it was answered by
+another, and then rang out the clanging of a thousand atabals.
+
+"'Ha! by Saint John of Nepomuck,' cried the Duke, 'the Croats are upon
+us--There flies the banner of Chopinski! there rides Conrad of the
+Thirty Mountains on the black steed that I have marked for my second
+charger! Hulans! to your ranks. Martinitz, bring up the rear-guard, and
+place them on the right flank. Slavata, thou art a fellow of some
+sense'----
+
+"'Ay, you can remember that now,' grumbled Slavata.
+
+"'Take thirty men and lead them up that hollow--you will secure a
+passage somewhere over the morass--and then fall upon Chopinski in the
+rear. Let two men stay to guard the prisoner. Now, forward, gentlemen;
+and if you know not where to charge, follow the white plume of
+Kalbs-Braten!'
+
+"I heard the cavalry advance. Maddened by the loss of my freedom at such
+a moment, I burst my bonds by an almost supernatural exertion, and tore
+the bandage from my eyes. To snatch a battle-axe from the hand of the
+nearest Hulan, and to dash him to the ground, was the work of a
+moment--a second blow, and the other fell. I leaped upon his horse,
+shouted the ancient war-cry of my house--'Saint George for Mandeville!'
+and dashed onwards towards the serried array of the Croats, which
+occupied a little eminence beyond.
+
+"'For whom art thou, cavalier?' cried Chopinski, as I galloped up.
+
+"'For Amalia and Kalbs-Kuchen!' I replied.
+
+"'Welcome--a thousand times welcome, brave stranger, in the hour of
+battle! But ha!--what is this?--that white rose--that lordly mien--can
+it be? Yes! it is the affianced bridegroom of the Margravine!'
+
+"With a wild cry of delight the Croats gathered around me. 'Long live
+our gracious Margravine!' they shouted 'long live the noble Mandeville!'
+
+"'By my faith, Sir Knight,' said the Count Rudolf of Haggenhausen, an
+old warrior whose seamed countenance was the record of many a fight--'By
+my faith, I deemed not we could carry back such glorious tidings to our
+lady--nor, by Saint Wladimir, so goodly a pledge!'
+
+"'May I never put lance in rest again,' cried Conrad of the Thirty
+Mountains, 'but the Margravine hath a good eye--there be thewes and
+sinews there. But we must take order with yon infidel scum. How say you,
+Sirs--shall this cavalier have the ordering of the battle? I, for one,
+will gladly fight beneath his banner'----
+
+"'And so say I,' said Chopinski, 'but he must not go thus. Yonder, on my
+sumpter-mule, is a suit of Milan armour, which a king might wear upon
+the day he went forth to do battle for his crown. Bring it forth,
+knaves, and let the Mandeville be clad as becomes the affianced of our
+mistress.'
+
+"'Brave Chopinski,' I said, 'and you, kind sirs and nobles--pardon me if
+I cannot thank you now in a manner befitting to the greatness of your
+deserts. But there is a good time, I trust, in store. Suffer me now to
+arm myself, and then we shall try the boasted prowess of yonder giant of
+Kalbs-Braten!'
+
+"In a few moments I was sheathed in steel, and, mounted on a splendid
+charger, took my station at the head of the troops. Again their applause
+was redoubled.
+
+"'Lord Conrad,' said I to the warrior of the Thirty Mountains, 'swart
+Slavata has gone up yonder with a plump of lances, intending to cross
+the morass, and assail us on the rear. Be it thine to hold him in
+check."
+
+"'By my father's head!' cried Conrad, 'I ask no better service! That
+villain, Slavata, oweth me a life, for he slew my sister's son at
+disadvantage, and this day will I have it or die. Fear not for the rear,
+noble Mandeville--I will protect it while spear remains or armour holds
+together!'
+
+"'I doubt it not, valiant Conrad! Brave Chopinski--noble
+Haggenhausen--let us now charge together! 'Tis not beneath my banner you
+fight. The Blue Boar of Mandeville never yet fluttered in the Wallachian
+breeze, but we may give it to the winds ere-long! Sacred to Amalia, and
+not to me, be the victory! Advance the Red Falcon of Kalbs-Kuchen--let
+it strike terror into the hearts of the enemy--and forward as it pounces
+upon its prey!'
+
+"With visors down and lances in rest we rushed upon the advancing
+Hulans, who received our charge with great intrepidity. Martinitz was my
+immediate opponent. The shock of our meeting was so great that both the
+horses recoiled upon their hams, and, but for the dexterity of the
+riders, must have rolled over upon the ground. The lances were shivered
+up to the very gauntlets. We glared on each other for an instant with
+eyes which seemed to flash fire through the bars of our visors--each
+made a demi-volte"----
+
+"I say, Cutts," said I, "it occurs to me that I have heard something
+uncommonly like this before. Our friend is losing his originality, and
+poaching unceremoniously upon Ivanhoe. You had better stop him at once."
+
+"I presume then, Mandeville, you did for that fellow Martinitz?" said
+Cutts.
+
+"The gigantic Hulan was hurled from his saddle like a stone from a
+sling. I saw him roll thrice over, grasping his hands full of sand at
+every turn."
+
+"That must have been very satisfactory. And what became of the duke?"
+
+"Often did I strive to force my way through the press to the spot where
+Kalbs-Braten fought. I will not belie him--he bore himself that day like
+a man. And yet he had better protection than either helm or shield; for
+around him fought his foster-father, Tiefenbach of the Yews, with his
+seven bold sons, all striving to shelter their prince's body with their
+own. No sooner had I struck down one of them than the old man
+cried--'Another for Kalbs-Braten!' and a second giant stepped across the
+prostrate body of his brother!
+
+"Meanwhile, Conrad of the Thirty Mountains had reached the spot where
+Slavata with his cavalry was attempting the passage of the morass. Some
+of the Hulans were entangled there from the soft nature of the ground,
+the horses having sunk in the mire almost up to their saddle-girths.
+Others, among whom was their leader, had successfully struggled through.
+
+"Conrad and Slavata met. They were both powerful men, and well-matched.
+As if by common consent, the soldiers on either side held back to
+witness the encounter of their chiefs.
+
+"Slavata spoke first. 'I know thee well,' he said; 'thou art the
+marauding baron of the Thirty Mountains, whose head is worth its weight
+of gold at the castle-gate of Kalbs-Braten. I swore when we last met
+that we should not part again so lightly, and now I will keep my oath!'
+
+"'And I know thee, too,' said Conrad; 'thou art the marauding villain
+Slavata, whose body I intend to hang upon my topmost turret, to blacken
+in the sun and feed the ravens and the kites!'
+
+"'Threatened men live long,' replied Slavata with a hollow laugh; 'thy
+sister's son, the Geissenheimer, said as much before, but for all that I
+passed this good sword three times through his bosom!'
+
+"'Villain!' cried Conrad, striking at him, 'this to thy heart!'
+
+"'And this to thine, proud boaster!' cried Slavata, parrying and
+returning the blow.
+
+"They closed. Conrad seized hold of Slavata by the sword-belt. The
+other"----
+
+"He's off to Old Mortality now," said I to Cutts. "For heaven's sake
+stop him, or we shall have a second edition of the Bothwell and Burley
+business."
+
+"Come, Mandeville, clear away the battle--there's a good fellow. There
+can be no doubt that you skewered that rascally duke in a very
+satisfactory manner. I shall ring for the broiled bones, and I beg you
+will finish your story before they make their appearance. Will you mix
+another tumbler now, or wait till afterwards? Very well--please
+yourself--there's the hot water for you."
+
+"They led me into the state apartment," said Mandeville, with a kind of
+sob. "Amalia stood upon the dais, surrounded by the fairest and the
+noblest of the land. The amethyst light, which streamed through the
+stained windows, gorgeous with armorial bearings, fell around her like a
+glory. In one hand she held a ducal cap of maintenance--with the other,
+she pointed to the picture of my great ancestor--the very image, as she
+told me, of myself. I rushed forward with a cry of joy, and threw myself
+prostrate at her feet!
+
+"'Nay, not so, my Leopold!' she said. 'Dear one, thou art come at last!
+Take the reward of all thy toils, all thy dangers, all thy love! Come,
+adored Mandeville--accept the prize of silence and fidelity!' And she
+added, 'and never upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry be
+placed.'
+
+"She placed the coronet upon my head, and then gently raising me,
+exclaimed--
+
+"'Wallachians! behold your PRINCE!'"
+
+Mr Mandeville did not get beyond that sentence. I could stand him no
+longer, and burst into an outrageous roar of laughter, in which Cutts
+most heartily joined, till the tears ran plenteously down his cheeks.
+The Margrave of Wallachia looked quite bewildered. He attempted to rise
+from his chair, but the effort was too much for him, and he dropped
+suddenly on the floor.
+
+"Well," said I, after we had fairly exhausted ourselves, "there's the
+spoiling in that fellow of as good a novelist as ever coopered out three
+volumes. He would be an invaluable acquaintance for either Marryat or
+James. 'Tis a thousand pities his talents should be lost to the public."
+
+"There's no nonsense about him," replied Cutts; "he buckles to his work
+like a man. Doesn't it strike you, Freddy, that his style is a great
+deal more satisfactory than that of some other people I could name, who
+talk about their pedigree and ancestors, and have not even the excuse of
+a good cock-and-bull story to tell. Give me the man that carves out
+nobility for himself, like Mandeville, and believes it too, which is the
+very next best thing to reality. Now, let's have up the broiled bones,
+and send the Margrave of Wallachia to his bed."
+
+_Edinburgh, Printed by Ballantyne and Hughes, Pauls Work._
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume
+59, No. 366, April, 1846, by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOODS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1846 ***
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