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[Title Page]
BY
TO
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
LAVINIA,
COUNTESS SPENCER,
THIS POEM
IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED
BY HER LADYSHIP'S OBEDIENT SERVANT,
THE AUTHOR.
A YOUNG lady, one of the members of a small society which meets periodically for literary amusement, lost her Veil (by a gust of wind) as she was gathering shells on the coast of Norfolk. This incident gave rise to the following Poem, which was originally written in short cantos, and afterwards extended and modelled into the form in which it is now respectfully submitted to the public. The author, who considers herself a pupil of the Royal Institution, being at that time attending the Lectures given in Albemarle-Street, on Chemistry, Geology, Natural History, and Botany, by Sir Humphry Davy, Mr. Brand, Dr. Roger, Sir James Edward Smith, and other eminent men, she was induced to combine these subjects with her story; and though her knowledge of them was in a great measure orally acquired, and therefore cannot pretend to be extensive or profound, yet, as it was derived from the best teachers, she hopes it will seldom be found incorrect.
The machinery is founded on the Rosicrusian doctrine, which peoples each of the four elements with a peculiar class of spirits, a system introduced into poetry by Pope, and since used by Darwin, in the Botanic Garden; but the author believes that the ideal beings of these two distinguished writers will not be found to differ more from each
other, than from those called into action in the ensuing Poem. She has there endeavoured to shew them as representing the different energies of nature, exerted in producing the various changes that take place in the physical world; but the plan of her Poem did not permit her to exhibit them to any considerable extent. On the Rosicrusian mythology, a system of poetical machinery might be constructed of the highest character; but the person who directs its operations should possess the scientific knowledge of Sir Humphry Davy, and the energy and imagination of Lord Byron and Mr. Scott .
In personifying the metals and minerals, and the agency of fire, the author has generally taken her names from the Greek language; but as it was impossible to avoid the nomenclature of modern chemistry, she requests, on the plea of necessity, the indulgence of her readers for what she fears will be felt as a barbarous mixture.
THE summer sun its setting radiance shed,
And tinged the eastern clouds with rosy red;
While from the west, a flood of amber light
Stream'd thro' the foliage on the dazzled sight;
As in a forest's wildering mazes strayed
A youthful warrior and a blooming maid.
The Maid was fair, as Poets bent on praise
Erewhile her eyes' soft lustre did outshine
The Knight, in prime of youthful vigour, joined
Warned by approaching night, with slackened rein
" That from the bridge descending to the plain,
Brave Henry to the proffered terms agreed,
Fair was each damsel, but the fairest far
With food refresh'd, his helm with sable plumes,
Save that, amid her glossy ringlets twined,
" Oh that the tale I tell had power to charm
To speed the hours on pinions of delight,
" This on his boundless riches loved to dwell,
And every lure to fix my fancy tried
" The other, nor on wealth nor state relied,
" To me one morn, one fatal morn, he came,
" 'Tis said that 'often in the parting hour'
" The youth I marked, and while I gaily spoke,
" But Henry soon returned. He bore a wreath,
" Some months elapsed. At length the tidings came
There prudence aim'd, and mercy staid the sword,
" One vernal morn, ('twas in the month of May,)
" No snare suspecting, by their beauty caught,
He with insulting transport wav'd in air;
" In me," he said, " behold the King, whose sway
" I wonder not those tears of anguish flow,
" And here she triumphs, where the prayers of love,
" Yet why afflicted thus, why thus disdain
" The light of Heaven our quenchless lamps supply,
" He spoke and vanished. Still in mute amaze
Still in my ear his hated accents rung,
" No more, sweet maid, let grief your peace destroy,
" From nothing call'd yon source of life and light,
" In that sad morn thou soughtst on ocean's strand
" And strove, with gentle violence, to raise
" Incens'd, the Gnome by fraud and theft should dare
" Long had a war, with rancorous hatred waged,
" The Sprites, of rest impatient, every one
" Vain are his hopes, for in an adverse course
" He vanished: but that voice so sweet, so clear,
When lo ! amid a blaze of golden light,
" With speed untir'd, thro' many a lengthen'd day,
As massy barriers placed to guard the road,
Imprudent maid ! thy heedless lips exposed
" Lost in amazement, if mine eyes betray'd
At once I mourned her sufferings and my own,
" O'er the blue regions of the restless main,
" In vain Marino, to this heartless maid,
Whene'er he fought, the monarch's loaded car
" Once, in sweet converse with a knight, I stray'd
Our hearts by tenderest friendship were allied,
The hyacinth, the violet's purple dye,
Its precious gum mimosa plenteous pours,
" The paths of science while I thus pursued,
His hoarse rough voice was like the deaf'ning roar
" My fate to shun, I ponder'd long in vain,
" Oh ! words obscure ! whence hope can scarcely spring,
Miranda ceas'd; each maid attentive heard,
To Leonora turned, and sought to know
As either maid was Leonora fair--
" I fear my story of another Veil
But when such rivals in the lists appear,
" A Spaniard I--my father lov'd to trace,
" From old Cordova's Roman walls expelled,*
But still from Afric poured the ambitious foes,*
Her mulberry groves, in whose propitious gloom
" Roused at the sound, with martial ardour fired,
" From warfare long estranged, again my sire
The martial trumpet echoing from afar,
" 'Twas night, and all around in silence slept,
While with a pleasing voice, and faltering tongue,
But on his flowers I cast a careless eye,
" Now sunk the strain, and softly I withdrew
" Oh ! bliss unhoped ! does Leonora deign
" Nay, turn not thus, nor thus the prayer disdain
" If this," I said, " can give thy bosom rest,
" So may a daughter's heart thy deeds approve,
" Swift I retired; my father joined the train,
" Oppression soon, in Pedro's iron reign,
Bound by affection's golden tie no more,
Or, on the glacier's polish'd surface, threw
But when the morn her orient blush displayed,
" Oh stay," he cried, " behold the Prince of Flame,
" My heart the boon of life preserv'd confest,
My Veil, a solemn pledge, he asked and won,
" To Albion soon we came; and thither brought
" One eve, when all was still, I strove in vain
" Our gracious queen, Spinthera, bids me bear
" We move obedient.--My Alonzo's shield
" Strange is my story--strange the links that join
She ceas'd; the Baron heard with careful ear,
And oft a sympathetic hope exprest,
MEANWHILE the warriors, in the open field,
The knight on Henry cast a threat'ning look,
" Rash youth, to me Maria's charms resign,
" Cease thy proud vaunt !" indignant Henry said,
And warned him that the vassals of the state,
In this black vault, no ray of cheerful light
Meanwhile, unarmed, the Monarch of the Mines
Those jewels sought by men as rich, and rare,
" Ye chiefs, that o'er this nether realm preside,
" Attend; and prove that not in fight alone
" A few short hours will view the truce expire
" The aquatic tribes, insidious race, complain
" But let my faithful subjects now disclose
Albruno ceased--and Chrysos next arose;
In the first ages of man's fleeting race,
He graced the earth; then virtue reign'd alone,
On Chrysos' accents hung the attentive crowd,
" At this dire crisis, when on every hand
" A band of chosen warriors station'd there,
He spoke: and Oreichalcon then replied,
" It grieves me much, my honour'd lord, to find
" The reverend Chrysos, who so long has shone
" Tho' thus to differ from so great a sage
" Think not, my liege, that I presume to vie
" But if experience weight can give, your ear
" What ! shall a monarch, by his troops ador'd,
" But let them meet, where nature's interests jar,
" 'Tis for the coward, treacherous, cold, or weak,
He ceased: in evil hour the listening throng
Sleep o'er the Gnomes her gentle influence shed,
But, can a traitor taste unbroken rest ?
His father Calchos lov'd in early youth*
Young Oreichalcon, with insidious art,
For this, he Pyros sought, with offers fair,
Meanwhile Marino, with unwearied haste,
And strange it seem'd to see those hands, that late
He spoke and parted; swift the hosts prepare
And now, with speed, the martial bands arose;
For no sweet interchange of cheerful light,
Now every chieftain, in a spacious plain,
And lo ! Albruno comes; on either side,
Those varied hues his stubborn corslet deck,
Next, rang'd in order the metallic line
As the smooth surface and luxuriant grass
Near these, his dauntless band Magnetes drew,
And with these veterans, many a youthful name
The brave Stypterion leads his filial band,*
Tho' not " in glittering arms and glory drest,"
Next was Titanos; his white arms diffuse*
Near these Silexis' hardy veterans stand,+
Yet with their savage strength, and haughty mien,
A leader's place to him, in arms, they yield,
Nor plain, nor rich, Magnesios' band was seen,
Gay was their armour, verdant, red, or blue,
He spoke: Albruno bids his squadrons form,
" As rocks the wave shall you their force withstand,
Albruno ceas'd; meanwhile, with loyal love,
His grateful smiles and thanks her toil repaid,
Now in the distance seen, a dim red light
Like Jove's own Ægis, his resplendent shield
Meanwhile the argillaceous bands oppose
" All is not lost, my comrades, turn and face
Have often painted in their flattering lays,
When they from Fancy, not from Nature, drew
Their finished forms, yet still to Nature true.
Page 2
The brightest diamonds of Golconda's mine;
But grief had now their native fire deprest;
And frequent sighs burst from her anguished breast.
No guardian veil concealed her charms, but round
Her jetty locks, a wreath of flowers was bound;
Her vesture rivalled the unsullied snow,
A sable scarf declared her inward woe.
Undaunted courage, and a courteous mind;
Black were his arms--the painting on his shield
The strange occasion of their grief revealed:
Lo ! on the foamy ocean's shingly sands,
Reft of her Veil, a weeping damsel stands,
Beside a yawning gulf a Gnome appears,
Who waves the ravished veil and mocks her tears;
While forms ethereal lightly float in air,
And weep in pity o'er the injured fair.
An azure marge the pictured forms enroll'd,
Where shine these haughty words embost in gold:
" PROUD GNOME, THE VEIL TO ME, THY RIVAL, YIELD,
" OR DARE MY VENGEANCE IN THE LISTED FIELD."
Page 3
They urge their steeds some friendly roof to gain,
At length they reached the confines of the wood
Where, on a hill, an ancient Castle stood;
With high embattled towers, and turrets crown'd,
By massy walls enclosed, and moated round.
Cheered at the sight, they checked each weary horse,
And to the drawbridge bent their joyful course,
When as the warder from the walls espied [This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
The pair advancing, to the Knight he cried,
" A friend or foe ?"-- " A friend !" the Knight replied:
" We crave a shelter till returning day
" Shall lend its light to speed us on our way."
" Then welcome," he rejoined; " but, Warrior, pause,
" And, ere you enter, learn the Castle's laws,
" And swear obedience--nor misdeem we claim
" A pledge injurious to your knightly fame:
" With Royal Edward, from their country far,
" Through France our warriors spread the flames of war,
" And few remain, though many a danger calls
" For all our care, to guard our threatened walls;
" Hence we require, that when, with strength restored
" By food and wine, you quit the festive board,
Page 4
" You, till the morn, in arms our watch maintain;
" While we retire, with lengthened toil opprest,
" And snatch a few short hours of needful rest;
" Meanwhile the damsel in our walls shall find
" From foes protection, and a welcome kind.
" In arms like yours, with each a beauteous dame,
" Two knights this evening to the Castle came.
" The knights with thee till morn the watch will share,
" The maids with thine partake the Baron's care."
Then o'er the drawbridge guides Maria's steed;
The warder there admits the Knight and Maid,
And through a court of Gothic grandeur led;
His Lord received them in a spacious hall,
Where martial trophies decked the storied wall,
And many a pictured pannel seemed to trace
The ancient glories of a noble race.
On couches there two wearied maids repose,
Who now to meet the lovely stranger rose,
While with that courtesy which marks the brave,
Two youths to Henry cordial greeting gave.
Page 5
Maria seemed, like evening's dewy star,
When all the rival fires that grace the night
By their own splendour prove her richer light:
As far in speech, in mien, and courteous mind,
Brave Henry left his young compeers behind.
Soon to a banquet, where, with costly pride,
Carinthia's*
ores the massy bowl supplied,
Where Gallia's grapes their richest nectar poured,
And tropic dainties piled the groaning board,
The Baron leads, and tries, with social arts,
To soothe the anguish of their aching hearts;
Cheats the dull hour with many a sportive jest,
And gaily urges the neglected feast,
Till sorrow slept, and joy from every eye
Beamed like the sunshine through a wat'ry sky.
* Carinthia, a duchy of Austria, formerly celebrated for its mines of gold
and silver, &c.
His lance and shield, each warrior now resumes,
And by the warder summoned took his way,
Before the bridge to watch till dawn of day.
Meanwhile the Baron with surprize surveyed,
In garb resembling, every knight and maid,
Page 6
A wreath of flowers Maria's locks confined.
--" And why," he said, " fair ladies, do you shew
" By dress a seeming fellowship in woe ?--
" What wrongs have forced you from your peaceful home,
" And why, unveiled, to distant lands you roam,
" Why comes each knight, in sable arms arrayed,
" Why on each helm are sable plumes displayed,
" Fain would I learn:--tho' memory oft may bring
" The cup of sorrow bitterest from the spring,
" Yet pitying friendship to the woeworn heart
" Repays the pangs remembered griefs impart:
" And if your cause should martial aid require,
" Though stiff my limbs, and quenched my youthful fire,
" This arm, which erst in many a well-fought day
" Through Paynim hosts to victory led the way,
" May yet have strength the sword and lance to wield,
" And aid your chosen champions in the field."
To all he spoke, but most Maria prest,
Who sighing, thus the listening group addrest.
Your grief, and anguish of its stings disarm,
Page 7
Till day should rise, unlooked for, on the night !
But one rash promise that has sealed my doom
Will o'er my story cast a mournful gloom.
Erewhile two youths of differing tempers strove
With rival ardour to obtain my love,
One, dark and gloomy, as the bursting storm,
When lowering clouds autumnal skies deform;
The other, as the vernal morning gay,
When rosy Phoebus woos the sprightly May.
Which might Arabia's fabled hoards excell;
Strove to allure my heart with splendid tales
Of diamond palaces, and emerald vales,
Of amber streams o'er sapphire beds that rolled,
And silver seas, and lakes of liquid gold;
Described his destined consort's regal state,
What slaves in gorgeous robes should round her wait
In halls where luxury all her pomp displays,
And fragrant gums in golden censers blaze;
From harps unseen while heavenly music flows
To cheer the feast, or soothe to soft repose;
Page 8
That flatters female vanity and pride;
But still his gloomy scowl, his eye of fire,
Was on his rival bent with jealous ire,
His proud demeanour chilled my soul with dread,
And mystery enveloped all he said.
But love alone his eloquence supplied,
His manly mind disdained insidious art,
And scorned by flattery to ensnare my heart.
Not long in vain my gentle suitor strove,
But still my breast concealed its infant love:
Tho' skill'd and proved in every manly art,
He struck the ring or hurl'd the unerring dart,
Beyond his peers the ponderous bar he threw,
And bent with surer aim the stubborn yew;
I seem'd to scorn the tourney's harmless wreath,
And bad him seek the nobler fields of death;
To bear the Cross in Salem's hallow'd land,
Or join our sable Edward's conquering band;
Hence with that hero he resolved to sail,
Whose freighted ships then watched a favouring gale.
Page 9
But nor in manner, speech, or look the same;
Gone was that cheerful smile, that graceful ease,
That gentle warmth that marks the wish to please,
The sportive wit, the fire of hope and joy,
That still with me illumed my Henry's eye;
A sullen sorrow now his looks declare,
And his hoarse voice rang strangely in mine ear;
I started--" Does Maria then," he said,
" Grieve at the change her cruelty has made?
" Thou bidst me leave thy presence, bidst me shine
" In glory's favour, ere I hope for thine;
" Farewell--I sail to Gallia's hostile shore,
" Return victorious, or return no more;
" But oh, from thee removed, whose sight inspired
" My breast with love, with virtue, valour fired,
" What to my arms, can like thy smile supply
" Art to repel, or vigour to annoy ?
" Yet grant some pledge, no happier youth shall gain
" That envied hand, so long desired in vain;
" This in the fight shall steel thy warrior's breast,
" And soothe his slumbers in the hour of rest."
Page 10
Victorious love asserts superior power,
I proved it true, when by his prayers subdued,
These words I spoke,--yet half in jesting mood--
" Go, Henry, go ! be Heaven in fight your shield,
" Your guide to glory thro' the ensanguined field,
" And unperceived if you this Veil obtain,
" When with the year the hour returns again,
" I plight my faith, with honour's laurel twined,
" Love's myrtle crown my warrior's brows shall bind."
On his pale face the glow of triumph broke,
But not my Henry's sunny smile; it shew'd
Like lightning gleaming on a lurid cloud;
And o'er my darkened mind appeared to throw
The sad presentiment of future woe,--
Then fancy trac'd the battle's bloody plain,
The shock of arms, the dying and the slain,
Pale on the ground my wounded lover laid,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
The fatal sword uplifted o'er his head----
Shuddering I bade him stay--the youth was fled.
Page 11
From whose rich flowers no common odours breathe;
Their wonted fire again his eyes illumed,
And on his cheeks their native roses bloomed;
" This wreath," he said," while constant I remain,
" By time uninjured, shall its hues retain;
" But should I fall by fate's severe decree,
" Or prove unfaithful to my vows and thee,
" Those vows that here repeated make me thine,
" These flowers their bloom and fragrance shall resign:"
He placed it on my head--he sigh'd adieu,
Just prest my trembling hand, and then withdrew.
The precious wreath, preserved with faithful care,
I since have worn, and still uninjured wear.
Of Poictiers glorious field, and Edward's fame;*
Can nobler deeds the daring bard engage ?
Or brighter virtues grace a future age ?
Page 12
While vanquished Gallia mourn'd her captive lord,
Who now received the honours long denied
To all his pomp of power and regal pride ;*
The veterans that his Sire to victory led,
At the glad tidings rais'd the hoary head,
Blest their brave Prince, and half in envy told
Their sons had fought--as they had fought of old--.
Where all were heroes, where impatient fame
Could scarce prefer, and scarce reject a name,
Where acts, which else in her bright page had shone,
Past in the blaze of light, unmarked, unknown;
Elate I heard of deeds by Henry wrought; [This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
How with his Prince the hottest fight he sought,
Once saved the youthful chief and still victorious fought;
I long'd from Henry's lips his deeds to hear,
Nor thought how soon my joy would melt in air.
* From the commencement of English history, there is no prince, except Alfred,
on whose character and exploits the memory dwells with so much fondness, as on those of the sable Edward
. The valour and prudence which won the battles of Crecy and Poictiers, two of the most celebrated in our annals, lose their praise in admiration of the moderation and humanity of the youthful hero, even in the moment of victory.
* " Edward
ordered a repast to be prepared in his tent for the prisoner, (King John,
) and he himself served at the royal captive's table, as if he had been one of his retinue. He stood at the King's back during the meal, constantly refused to take a place at table, and declared that, being a subject, he was too well acquainted with the distance between his own rank and that of majesty to assume such freedom. All his father's pretensions to the crown of France were now buried in oblivion: John, in captivity, received the honours of a king, which were refused him when seated on the throne: his misfortunes not his title were respected."
--
Hume
.
Page 13
As on the ocean's side I chanced to stray,
My wondering eyes a thousand stones behold,
A thousand shells that shone like gems and gold,
Not with more colours glow'd the pretious shore
To whose bright sand submissive ocean bore[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
The riches of the shipwreck'd seamen's store,
When Nereus, urged by dark-browed Cymöent, gave
To Marinell the treasures of the wave.*
* Spenser
's Faery Queene
, Book III. Canto IV.
With eager eye the stones and shells I sought,
When lo ! an earthquake seemed to rock the ground,
I started back, and trembling look'd around;
Beneath my feet a hollow noise I heard,
And high the waves their foamy summits reared.
My flying steps some magic influence staid,
And opening earth a hideous gulf displayed;
Mid clouds of smoke, and flames of livid blue,
A giant form rose slowly to my view.
The fatal veil which late my locks confined,
That veil so closely with my fate combined,
Page 14
His gloomy looks my Henry's foe declare,
Though now in robes of regal state he shone,
And his dark forehead bore a sparkling crown.
" Thro' earth's unnumber'd caves the Gnomes obey;
" Lord of the mine, I own its secret stores,
" Its gems, its marbles, and its mineral ores.
" Long in a human shape concealed, to gain
" Thy love I sought, but only met disdain,
" At length my rival's form I bore, and found,
" Beyond my warmest hope my wishes crown'd:
" The veil behold--no more I seek to move
" Thy stubborn heart; I claim thy promised love.
" That o'er my transports cast a shade of woe,
" 'Tis woman's pride, if we her boast believe,
" Ne'er to be duped, but ever to deceive;
" Yet sages say, tho' keen a woman's eyes
" To read the heart and pierce the deep disguise,
" If Flattery spread her viewless veil between,
" Full in her pathway yawns the gulf unseen,
Page 15
" And wealth and power have vainly tried to move.
" The hand a thousand beauties seek in vain ?
" In vain each lovely Gnome with studious care
" Folds her rich robe, or braids her scented hair,
" Or, rifling all the secrets of the mine,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" Makes her dark eye with softer lustre shine,*
" I fly their sight and live alone in thine;
" Thy form more lovely in its plain attire,
" Thine eyes more brilliant in their native fire;
" My heart is thine, fair ingrate, thine alone;
" O ! dry those tears and share a monarch's throne.
" What though thou quit the sun's enlivening ray,
" And 'the warm precincts of the cheerful day,'
" The feathered songsters, fruits and fragrant flowers,
" And dear companions of thy social hours,
" Yet deem not my extended realms below,
" The constant haunt of horror, gloom, and woe,
Page 16
" Our vaults re-echo to the sounds of joy,
" To festive songs my Gnomes attune the lyre,
" And captive Sylphs the dulcet flute inspire;
" To grace my court assembled thousands shine,
" Approved in valour, or of charms divine;
" Those fading flowers no more shall bind thy brow,
" But in their stead a diamond circlet glow;
" Art's magic hand, at thy command shall spread,
" With gems in flowery guise, the emerald mead,
" Bid vales descend, or lofty hills arise,
" And mimic suns adorn the sapphire skies.
" Farewell--the cares of empire bid me flee,
" Those cares neglected in pursuit of thee,
" Fain would I stay, those streaming tears to dry,
" And gaze enraptur'd on that speaking eye,
" But duty calls--yet till the tedious sun
" His lingering course thro' twelve long signs shall run,
" And shine propitious on our nuptial hour,
" For thee my Gnomes shall deck the regal bower."
* A variety of metallic preparations have been used by the ladies of different countries for this purpose, particularly the oxyds of bismuth and antimony. Among the Medes it was not confined to the fair sex; at least Xenophon,
in his Cyropædia, describes Astyages as having his eyes painted. The custom still prevails in the Levant.
On vacant air I fixed my earnest gaze,
Page 17
Fear fixed me to the spot, and chained my tongue;
Above his head the yawning earth had closed,
Sunk was the wind, the waves in peace reposed;
Surpassing Nature's law, the past might seem
But the vain horrors of a dreadful dream,
Yet my stol'n veil a proof too certain bore;
Grief clog'd the hours that hope had wing'd before,
And murmur'd still of fairy visions crost,
And love and happiness and freedom lost;
How oft I watch'd, impatient for the light,
Then loath'd the morn, and wish'd again for night;
Or wept to find those hours had passed away,
And nearer brought the inevitable day !
'Till once, as Phoebus ting'd the eastern skies,
Soft slumber stole upon mine aching eyes,
When on my view a form ethereal broke,
That hovering o'er me, thus melodious spoke:
" But cherish hope, for hope shall lead to joy;
" That Power Eternal, whose creative mind
" This orb, and all yon wandering spheres design'd;
Page 18
" And all the starry splendours of the night;
" To numerous spirits, in that awful hour,
" Their portions gave of delegated power:
" Four tribes who rule this orb with equal sway,
" The Earth, the Fire, the Winds, and Waves obey;
" In fire the Salamanders hold their reign,
" The bold Hydidæ curb the azure main,
" The Gnomes are guardians of the solid land,
" And Sylphs the impassive realms of air command;
" These jarring tribes in endless strife engage,
" Foil and are foiled, with ineffectual rage;
" Their mutual war their balanced reign secures,
" And endless order ceaseless strife ensures.
" The gems the Gnome had strew'd with treacherous hand,
" O'er the green wave unnumber'd Sylphids play'd,
" That all thy motions with delight survey'd,
" And fill'd with warm desire to view unveil'd
" The charms thy maiden modesty conceal'd,
" They flutter'd round in many a lucid ring,
" Stretch'd the light hand, and waved the filmy wing,
Page 19
" The silken screen, that mock'd their eager gaze;
" When lo ! a viewless hand the veil unbound,
" And rudely plung'd it in the deep profound,
" Then shook the earth, and in a yawning void,
" Albruno rose, in all his kingly pride:
" The rest thou know'st--the Sylphs thy lot deplore,
" Dissolve in tears, and quit the fatal shore.
[There is no numbered line 380 in original text.]
" Pollute my realms, I roused the powers of air,
" In hope by prompt exertion to regain
" The ravish'd pledge; but all our toils were vain:
" For base Albruno had his prize immur'd
" In deepest caverns, and with spells secur'd:
" But now the day approaches; gentle maid,
" Arouse thee from thy trance of grief, and aid
" Our high emprize, to free thee from thy vow,
" The sole resource thy stubborn fates allow.
" The sullen Gnomes and Sprites of Fire engaged,
" 'Till wearied all, a transient peace confined
" Each martial hand, but fettered not the mind,
Page 20
" Loth to begin, yet wished the war begun;
" The flame to kindle, to the Prince of Fire
" A Sylph I sent, who roused the monarch's ire;
" Against the Gnomes he leads his hostile line,
" And soon with him will Ocean's sovereign join;
" These powers at once their double war shall wage,
" And from his bride Albruno's thoughts engage;
" 'Tis thine to aid us--seek the gloomy mine,
" There urge thy suit, and tears and prayers combine;
" For there alone must fraud or force assail,
" Tho' vain were force, such spells secure the Veil,
" And tho' our strength should burst the powerful chains,
" A stronger tye, thy plighted faith, remains.
" His hand alone, his breast should mercy warm,
" Thy pledge resigning, can dissolve the charm,
" But if, observant of the stated hour,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" He come to bear thee to his bridal bower,
" We can but mourn,--to save exceeds our power.
" Where'er thou art, his mightier charms compel
" Their weeping slave to earth's remotest cell;
" But should he fail, by fraud or force delayed,
" 'Till night descending wrap this land in shade;
Page 21
" His spells rebounding with elastic force
" Unlock the casket they secur'd before,
" And the lost Veil compel him to restore;
" Then cling to Hope, best solace of our pain,
" Herself a blessing, if her dreams be vain;
" Nor dread the perils of the lonely road,
" Or the dark horrors of his drear abode,
" My watchful care thy safety shall provide,
" Thy guard in danger, as in doubt thy guide."
Yet thrilled with transport my delighted ear,
I rose, and still a cloud of rich perfume,
Shook from his wings, was floating in the room,
And at my gate, a milk white palfry stood,
With costly trappings harnessed for the road;
I mounted, and discarding female fear,
Placed my firm confidence in Ariel's care.
All day I journey'd, but as evening fell,
Trembling I wander'd thro' a woody dell;
No sound of life reliev'd my anxious ear,
I look'd in vain, no sheltering roof was near,
Page 22
A rich pavilion rose upon my sight,
I enter'd, by some unknown influence led,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
By hands unseen the plenteous board was spread,
Prepared by hands unseen the downy bed.
My horse instinctive still pursu'd his way;
And still as round the shades of evening close,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
In lonely wilds the rich pavilion rose,
Or in some rural cot I found repose;
'Till on this 'morn, in sable arms I view'd
An unknown warrior, who my steps pursu'd,
'Twas Henry, late from conquer'd Gallia come,
By Ariel warn'd, to guide me to the Gnome;
Together thro' the wood our course we steer,
And bless the fate that stay'd our wanderings here,
Where generous welcome cheers the weary guest,
And kindness soothes the aching heart to rest;
We hope, ere sinks to-morrow's sun, to gain
The rocky margin of the northern main;
For Sweden thence we sail, where mountains round
Stretch their long chains, with snows eternal crown'd,
Page 23
Long, dark and dreary, to the Gnome's abode."
The secret plans to thee alone disclosed,
Thy councils known, the host, whose cheerful smile
Veil'd the dark agent of Albruno's guile,
Rejoic'd in secret, while his feign'd surprize,
And falser pity, blind thy heedless eyes;
Yet scarce his art the latent joy represt,
Scarce on thy woes forbore the bitter jest,
As oft he urged Miranda to unfold,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Why o'er her vest the scarf of sable roll'd,
And head unveil'd, some inward sorrow told.
Fair was the maid, her eyes of softest blue,
Her floating tresses bore an amber hue,
Of height majestic, dignity and grace
Spoke in her actions, mingled in her face,
All present view'd her with, attentive look,
By soft attraction bound, while thus she spoke:
No common pity for yon injur'd maid,
Page 24
Nor grieved nor wonder'd at her fate alone,
Like her's my vesture, and like her's my tale--
A royal suitor, and a ravish'd Veil.
Fresh lakes and streams, extends Marino's reign;
This prince, by martial force, and manly grace,
More than by rank distinguish'd o'er his race;
To Love's high sway an early homage paid,
And bow'd the vassal of an ocean maid;
Fair as the fairest forms of Grecian art,
Her beauteous frame conceal'd a canker'd heart;
In vain he loved, by turns the artful dame
Fed with false hopes, or check'd the rising flame,
And when he urg'd to fix the nuptial morn,
Now smil'd, now blush'd, now frown'd in seeming scorn;
And now, desponding, feign'd to doubt her power,
That love should last beyond her bridal hour,
Yet said, if time his changeless faith should prove,
She night relent, might yield her soul to love.
Would prove the flame his every act display'd,
Page 25
Bore to Lymnoria's feet the spoils of war;
Of rich or rare, that flatters pomp or pride,
Whate'er she wish'd, his liberal hand supplied;
'Till many a year in fruitless homage past,
From his long dream Marino waked at last;
Of all her acts he saw the secret spring,
Who ruled the kingdom while she ruled the king,
And vow'd, in sudden anger and disdain,
No sea-born maid should o'er the Ocean reign,
Then bade his slaves, of mortal lineage, find
A maid in person faultless and in mind.
His slaves, obedient, watch on every shore,
Dart up the streams, and various lauds explore,
Commissioned, when the maid they view, to steal
Her scarf, her girdle, or pellucid veil,
Which by his hand, with secret rites imbrued
In streams that flow beneath the briny flood,
Twelve moons expired, would act with magic power,
And draw the virgin to his coral bower.
Thro' the close windings of a woody glade,
Page 26
And some few weeks had made me Alfred's bride:
At length with novel charms expands the scene,
The wood retiring left a narrow green;
On either side, with various verdure crowned,
Nor yet by summer's sultry suns embrowned,
Tall hills arise, and thro' the dell below
A crystal river's winding waters flow,
Its banks with flowers adorn'd, and o'er it flung
Its graceful boughs the pendant willow hung.
Charm'd with the scene, beneath the grateful shade,
To cheat the noontide hour, awhile we staid;
The youth was skill'd in vegetable lore,
I ask'd the history of a little flower,
Graceful its form, and bright its lilac hue,
And like the crane's long beak its ripening pistil grew;*
The study pleas'd, and from the river's side,
Innumerous flowers our various theme supplied,
The white ranunculus, and iris gay,
The yellow caltha, on the morn of May
That to their homes the cheerful peasants bring,
And strew around, in honour of the spring;
Page 27
And myosotis blue, with golden eye,
Which oft the German youth in graceful knot,
Bears to his love, and sighs 'Forget me not.'*
At length diverging, Nature's course we trace,
From the first embryo, till the plant decays;
How from the germ the leafy stems ascend,
And deep in earth the fibrous roots extend;
How leaves would issue from the inverted root,
And the green stems in rigid fibres shoot ;+
How from pure water, given the powers to share,
Of vivifying heat, and light, and air,
The leaves their vivid green, the flowers assume
Their balmy fragrance, and their various bloom;
Page 28
The camphor tree secretes its spicy stores;*
How the same soils, in equal luxury, feed
The plant medicinal, and poisonous weed;
How he, though cast upon some unknown shore,
Could tell the noxious and nutritious flower;+
How in the tulip's bulb the flower is found,
And future leaves their embryo charge surround;+
How, grafted on its stock, the crab will bear
The sweeter apple or the juicy pear,
But gradual as the parent grafts decay,
The sympathetic offspring fades away. §
* The geranium pratense,
or blue geranium, which grows in meadows, and by the banks of streams; a very beautiful and elegant plant.
* The myosotis, or scorpion grass, is a beautiful plant which grows abundantly by the side of running waters. It has a small blue flower, with a golden eye in the centre, and is a great favourite with the Germans, who call it "Forget me not.
" These flowers, or their enamelled resemblance, are frequently interchanged as tokens of regard. The "Forget me not
" of the Germans is by some believed to be the veronica champædrys, which is also a beautiful blue flower.
+ If a plant be taken out of the ground and inverted, its parts also invert their functions. What was formerly the root becomes green, and leaves and flowers shoot out in the place of fibres. The inverted stem on the contrary grows rigid, and soon assumes the appearance and the functions of the root.
Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution,
by Dr. now Sir James Edward Smith
.
* The principal, if not the only food of plants, appears to be water, from which, when exposed to the action of the solar light, all their various secretions are produced. The beautiful green of the leaves, the vivid tints of the flower, their fragrance, the flavour of the fruit, with their endless variety in the different species, all seem to be derived from one source; and plants,
whose properties and secretions are the most different, grow in equal luxuriance side by side.--
Smith
's Lectures.
+ The tetradynamia, or plants with cruciform flowers, are all, when boiled, wholesome and nutritious. There is also a more extended criterion. The fruits of flowers having the stamina inserted into the calyx may be eaten with safety, and are generally agreeable, but flowers having the stamina
inserted into the receptacle are always to be suspected.--
Smith
's Lectures.
+ If the bulb of the tulip be opened, the rudiments of the future leaves and even the embryo of the flower may be seen.--
Smith
's Lectures.
Page 29
A strange event disturbed the peaceful flood;
No more like liquid glass the waters seem,
But dire commotions vex the troubled stream;
On rushed the impetuous tide, with thundering roar,
And wave o'er wave the foaming waters pour,
Drive back the refluent stream, which widely spread,
And rising high, o'erflowed its oozy bed;
The fishers, who the coming ill descried,
With speed for safety sought the middle tide,*
When in the stream a monster rose, whose sight
Had filled the boldest bosom with affright;
His hideous form was rough with many a scale,
Green was his hair, his hand displayed my Veil;
Page 30
Of billows breaking on the rocky shore,
While with rude homage, and uncourtly mien,
He told Marino's tale, and hail'd me as his queen.
* This passage is intended as a slight description of the phenomenon called the Bore or Agar, occasioned by the sudden influx of the tide into a river. Those rivers which have a wide embouchure, that becomes suddenly contracted, are most subject to it. The tide rushing up the stream, drives back
the descending water, and the vessels upon it find themselves instantly raised many feet above their former level. In England the Severn is particularly subject to the Bore; but it is most remarkable in the Indian rivers, the principal branches of the Ganges, the Megna, and the Hoogly.
My frustrate projects but increas'd my pain;
For counsel then I sought an hermit's cave,
The prescient sage this strange injunction gave.
" With Alfred to the ocean's side repair,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" To aid your wish, a pearl shall meet you there,
" Dear to the King, and save you from despair."
Yet still to these, our last resource we cling,
In dubious faith the dark behest obey,
And seek the Ocean with returning day;
While on my Alfred's shield our quest is shewn,
And round the Veil inscribed 'FOR THIS ALONE.'"
And felt surprize increase at every word,
And while the Baron cheer'd his lovely guest,
He feign'd no more the wonder he exprest;
Page 31
If from a kindred source her sorrows flow.
A silken net confin'd her sable hair;
Tho' less her stature, yet her form so light,
That in the dance she seem'd some airy sprite,
Or of that choir that met in bright array,
" To do observance to the Morn of May," *
Tript in gay circles round their virgin queen,
And hymn'd the praises of the laurel green.
A warmer sun had tinged her lovely face,
Yet animation lent a sprightly grace;
Nor could Affliction's briny tear destroy
The speaking lustre of her hazel eye;
As with a smile the damsel thus began,
Through all her speech her cheerful temper ran:
* See "The Flower and the Leaf."
Will prove the tedium of a thrice told tale;
Well might Maria, or Miranda, move
Their hearers pity's genuine power to prove,
Page 32
How can I
hope a sympathetic tear,
Who, at my onset, must perforce confess
My sorrows lighter, as my beauty less?
Thro' many a warlike chief, his noble race
To heroes, who on Ronscesvalles plain[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Fought for the freedom of invaded Spain,
And check'd the arms of conquering Charlemagne
:
In youth he came to Albion's happy land,
There woo'd my mother, and obtain'd her hand,
With her to Spain he plough'd the watry way,
Where first mine infant eyes beheld the day.
Oft had the palm of victory graced his arms,
Yet now he shun'd the battle's loud alarms,
And fled the crowded scenes of courtly strife
For the calm pleasures of domestic life.
Brave Ferdinand the haughty Moors had quelled;
Page 33
And the new kingdom of Granada rose,
Where luxury held in Hamet
's court her reign,
And arts and splendour triumph'd in her train.
Fame, in Castille, Granada's pomp had told;+
Her proud Alhambra with its walls of gold,
Her nobles' wealth and state, their skill in arms,
The matchless lustre of their ladies' charms;
Her hills, where dark the olive woods extend,
And the green boughs with fruits Hesperian bend;
Where the sweet rose, and starry jasmine spring,
And frequent founts their liquid crystal fling;
Page 34
The worm industrious winds its silken tomb;
Her fertile vale where two fair rivers flow,
And lofty mountains ever topt with snow.*
* Cordova, or Corduba as it was anciently called, was founded by the Romans. It was afterwards in possession of the Goths, and then of the Moors, who were expelled in 1236 by Ferdinand the Third,
who first united the crowns of Castille and Leon. From this time Cordova, hitherto the seat of learning, declined, and that star, which had shone amidst darkness and barbarism, sunk ere the dawn returned to Europe.
* Granada was early in the possession of the Moors, but the kingdom was dissolved in 1221. In 1236, fresh bands pouring over from Africa, Granada became the seat of opulence and splendour, and the Moorish capital of Spain. In speaking of Granada, historians and geographers become poetical, and
describe in glowing terms its fertile valley, bounded by mountains, and watered by the Genil and the Guadalquivir; its hills covered with groves of orange, of mulberry, and of olive; the magnificence of its palaces, and the splendour of its court, where the manners of chivalry received a peculiar colouring from the luxury of Africa. At the time mentioned in the poem, the sceptre of Granada was held by Jusef Hacen Hamet,
the seventh king of Granada. Those who are fond of romantic history will be gratified by the translation of the Civil Wars of Granada, by Mr. Rodd
.
+ This is an anachronism. The apartment here alluded to was not added to the Alhambra till the reign of Muley Hascem,
the father of Boabdelin,
who lost his crown to Ferdinand
and Isabella
. The walls had the appearance of gold, and are supposed to have been a composition of the yolks of eggs. Muley Hascem
also built the celebrated court of Lions.
* The Sierra Nevada, or snowy mountain.
Or by religion's fervent zeal inspired,
Alfonzo rose; while burning for the fight,
Round Sant' Iago's cross, the youth of Spain unite;
To gain renown, or grasp so rich a prize,
Or win fresh favour in their ladies' eyes,
They rush to arms, and, of success secure,
Rear their proud banners, and defy the Moor.
Felt in his veins the glow of youthful fire;
Again his limbs in shining arms are drest,
And the broad cuirass guards his manly breast.
Little I thought of war's destructive rage,
Who knew it only in the tuneful page;
My fancy still in brightest hues pourtray'd
The splendid scene of hosts for fight array'd:
Page 35
And prancing steeds that love the notes of war;
Aloft in air the pennon's silken fold,
The plumage nodding o'er the casques of gold,
The emblazon'd shields, the armour's burnish'd blaze,
And lances glittering in the morning rays:
Seldom I turn'd to trace the alter'd scene,
When evening closes on the empurpled green;
When dim with dust and blood their bright array,
And cold the hearts that panted for the fray;
Yet when my weeping mother urged her lord
To quit his purpose, or as lost deplored,
I join'd her prayers, I shrunk with kindred fears,
And mix'd with her's my unavailing tears;
Fix'd was his mind, with brave Alfonzo's band
At dawn of day to seek Granada's land.--
[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
But rest my pillow shunn'd; I rose and crept
To my thin lattice, and in silence wept:
I blest the evening gale's refreshing power,
As on my cheek it dried the bitter shower:
When from the shaded walk my bower beneath,
I heard soft strains of mournful music breathe.
Page 36
An amorous youth his plaintive ditty sung.
My conscious memory well the youth betray'd,
Who waked the echoes with this serenade;
His arm was valiant, noble was his birth,
Castile resounded with Alonzo's worth;
Few knights could tilt, or throw the cane so well,*
Few at the ring the gallant youth excell;
Oft had he pierced the bull with fatal wound,
Or held the roaring savage to the ground,
And still whene'er the youthful hero fought,
The fairest maids the glittering barriers sought,
Who view'd with jealous ire, but seeming scorn,
My favourite colours by the warrior worn,+
While knots of flowers, in mystic guise dispos'd,
His secret passion to my sight disclos'd,
And tuned beneath my vine-clad window, long
The light guitar had join'd his nightly song:
Page 37
Nor 'blest the youth who bade my slumbers fly.'
And twice the moon had filled her silver round
Since last mine ear had listen'd to the sound.
* This was a martial game, in which the young nobles fought in squadrons, and canes supplied the place of lances. Tilting was usually performed with canes, but at the tournament lances were used.
+ It was the custom for the Moorish or Spanish youth to denote their affection by wearing the favourite colours of their ladies. The language of flowers is still so well understood by the ladies of Spain, that it might be dangerous for the uninitiated to present a nosegay.
The latticed casement that obscured my view,
Clear shone the moon, the convent's spires were seen
Above its spreading groves of dusky green,
While round the terrac'd walk, with every gale,
Unnumber'd flowers their spicy sweets exhale.
Before me, wrapt in sable cloak and hood,
With folded arms, the brave Alonzo stood;
He rais'd his kindling eye, the mantle fell,
And brightly beam'd his mail of burnished steel.
" A favouring ear to sad Alonzo's strain !"
The youth exclaim'd; " this unexpected grace
" Can all thy scorn and all my woes efface;
" And, like the setting sun, whose piercing ray
" Bursts the thick clouds that veil'd him thro' the day,
" Thou com'st to cheer me with a parting view,
" Ere to those charms I bid a long adieu:
Page 38
" Of him who ne'er may vex thy sight again,
" For with the earliest dawn Alfonzo's band
" Will march to combat in Granada's land;
" Ev'n now his standard floats, his chargers neigh,
" Ev'n now my ready vassals chide my stay;
" Oh should I fall, would one repentant sigh
" Lament my fate--one tear bedew thine eye ?
" Farewel, relentless maid; yet, ere we part,
" Say, does some happier youth possess thy heart,
" Or may I hope my truth at length may move
" Thy mind to pity for Alonzo's love ?"
No love has enter'd Leonora's breast;
But wouldst thou hope to light the ardent flame,
This test of truth, and faith unchanged, I claim--
My father seeks those scenes of deadly strife,
Oh ! guard with filial care his sacred life;
Shield his brave bosom from the threatening blade,
And turn the javelin from his hoary head.
So may my mother, to his arms restored,
Bless the kind hand that sav'd her honour'd lord,
Page 39
" And gratitude illume the torch of love."
I ceas'd: for on the solemn stilness fell, [This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Awful and deep, the convent's matin bell:
I wav'd my hand, Alonzo sigh'd 'Farewel.'
Where with Alfonzo march'd the flower of Spain,
To distant times shall Spanish records tell*
How to their conquering arms Alziras fell,
And how, his pride at Gades rock o'erthrown,
Granada's monarch wore a vassal crown.
But here, with patriot joy, the loyal tear
Shall join to dew Alfonzo's royal bier.
And mine may mingle well, for by his side,
My sire, with many a proud hidalgo, died,
And near him was the brave Alonzo found,
His manly bosom pierced with many a wound.
* Alfonzo XI.
obtained a signal victory over the Moors in 1340, at which time Alziras was taken, and the kingdom of Granada made tributary. He was killed in the siege of Gibraltar, which he had lost before, and succeeded by his son, Peter the Cruel
.--
Puffendorf.
Check'd the sweet transports of reviving Spain.
Page 40
My mother wished to seek her native shore,
But as Venasquez' rocky chain we crost,
Mid evening's shades, our guide, our way were lost,
And wandering on, as ebbing light decayed,
Farther and farther from the path we strayed;
Our frames, long soften'd in a southern vale,
Shrunk front the keenness of the mountain gale;
The night grew dark; with weary steps and slow[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
We wandered o'er the treacherous field of snow,
And heard the torrent roar unseen below,*
And from the wood beneath, the frequent howl
Of bears and wolves, that fierce with hunger prowl:
The struggling ray the moon at times bestow'd,
Served but to shew the horrors of the road,
The avalanch impending from on high,
The gulph below, the terrors of the sky;
Shone but on pointed peaks, and ample brows
White with eternal, undissolving snows;
Page 41
A fairy tint of evanescent blue:
And now the storm began, and long and loud
Roar'd the deep thunder from the bursting cloud,
In sheets of crimson flame the lightnings play'd,
And torrents fell on each defenceless head;
In azure light the fires electric sweep
O'er the swift streams that ran down every steep;
Yet scarce this awful scene a thought could claim,
And scarcely terror rouse our torpid frame;
Careless, we now the raging storm behold,
Each sense was dull, our souls benumb'd with cold;
To sleep were death; yet on that rugged crest,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
We long'd (such weight our heavy eyes opprest)
Amid the snow, the storm, to sink to rest;
When from a cottage, unobserved before,
A light stream'd brightly thro' the opening door:
New feeling ran thro' every frozen vein,
And life and hope appear'd to wake again.
There, o'er a blazing fire, a youth was seen,
Of pleasing aspect, and of sprightly mien,
Our humid robes his care attentive dried,
His ready hand a plenteous meal supplied;
Page 42
The altered youth our parting steps delayed,
With crimson blaze his floating garments shone,
A purple radiance formed his flamy crown.
* " Là, j'entendois rouler sous mes pieds un torrent qui se frayoit, à travers les glaces et les neiges, une route invisible, dont il ne sortoit que cinquante toises plus bas, pour se précipiter du haut d'un escarpement de rochers, dans le grand vallon de neige. La position pouvoit devenir dangereuse, à la longue; je la quittai bientôt."
Ramond
's Observations faites dans les Pyrénées.
" Earth, air, and ocean start at Pyros' name;
" Prompt at my call, to nourish or annoy,
" Being to give, or being to destroy,
" The salamandrine tribes obey my word,
" And wait in radiant phalanx round their lord;
" An hundred blazing mouths, this frozen realm,
" If I command, with floods of flame o'erwhelm,
" Those icy cliffs in clouds of steam aspire,
" Those rocks of granite sink in liquid fire;
" Such my tremendous power--but fear not thou:
" To beauty's sway a willing slave I bow,
" Nor shall one sprite his arm in fury wave
" To harm that life my care so lately gave:
" Then let thy grateful heart my wishes crown,
" And be my meed to raise thee to my throne."
Nor dared I spurn the mighty king's request;
Page 43
Which binds my faith to him, and him alone;
But to my earnest prayers one year was given,
Ere for his flaming realms I quit the light of heaven.
By love, our lone retreat Alonzo sought,
Whom lying fame had number'd with the dead,
When wounded by my father's side he laid;
And hard to say, if now his manly breast
More swell'd with open joy, or grief supprest;
With joy to meet his long-lost love again,
Or grief to find his cherish'd hopes were vain:
Nor less my heart with mingled feelings strove,
When honour struggled with awakening love,
That each new day with deeper grief deplored[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
My hand affianced to the fiery lord,
And, to Alonzo pledged, my broken word.
At length I heard (the monarch's happy bride)
A nymph of fire my destin'd place supply'd;
Yet he my pledge refuses to restore,
And free the hand that. he can claim no more.
Page 44
To bid the fading embers glow again,
When in the midst arose a sudden flame,
And to mine ear these sounds low murmuring came.
" This message straight to Leonora's ear;
" My heart she says, is partner in thy pain,
" And oft has urg'd thy suit, but urg'd in vain;
" In Stromboli my Pyros holds his court,
" And there must all who seek the king resort;
" Then hither come, and if thy prayers or mine
" Have power to move, the Veil again is thine;
" Nor fear; my voice shall check the rage of heat,
" And guide thee safely to his flaming seat."
Our quest divulges on its argent field;
Before the monarch's throne a maid appears,
Who seems to sue with ineffectual tears;
And near her stands a knight in sable mail,
With brandish'd falchion--'JUSTICE AND THE VEIL.'
Page 45
My fate with yours, sweet maids, and yours with mine;
Strange thus to meet, where each to each unknown,
Found each sad tale an echo of her own;
Then cheer your hearts, let each derive relief
From that sure source, community of grief,
And trust that Pow'r, which safe thro' every ill
'Till now has guided, and shall guide us still;
Yet it is wondrous we should weep, when more
Our lot would envy, than our woes deplore;
Think of the joy to range through realms unknown,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
The robes of regal state--the sparkling crown,
And powers superior trembling at our frown;
Can love's bright star, or friendship's milder ray,
Vie with the splendour wealth and power display?
Come, mourn no more--we lift our heads on high,
Examples great of female constancy,
Resolved in danger's sternest hour to prove
Our dauntless courage and unchanging love."
And deeply pondering, still he seem'd to hear:
At length arous'd, he join'd the tribute paid
Of thanks and wonder to the lovely maid;
Page 46
To veil the mischief brooding at his breast.
Each maiden half her grief resigns, and blends
In cheerful converse with her new found friends;
While still their young affection warmer grew,
Till late to rest the weary group withdrew.
END OF THE FIRST BOOK.
Page [47]
THE VEILS.
THE
BOOK THE SECOND.
Page [48]
Page [49]
THE VEILS.
THE EARTH.
BOOK THE SECOND.[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Their guard maintained, and each to each revealed
The mystic meaning of his pictured shield,
When from the earth upsprung a stranger knight,
And dar'd Maria's champion to the fight;
His ruby armour shone with fiery blaze,
His emerald helmet cast resplendent rays;
Of one vast diamond formed, his massy shield
Shone like the moon, and lightened all the field ;
Less brilliant, though more fatal, those of yore
That valiant Arthur and Ruggiero bore.*
Page 50
[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
High o'er his head his beamy sword he shook,
Then stampt infuriate on the ground, and spoke:
* See Spenser
and Ariosto
.
" Or meet in arms the Monarch of the Mine;
" The bold defiance on thy shield displayed,
" I rise to answer--fight, or yield the maid;
" Fool, to believe thy mortal frame can stand
" A weapon wielded by Albruno's hand !
" Advance, if still thou dar'st the unequal strife,
" And lose at once thy mistress and thy life."
" And from my vengeance guard thy treacherous head."
They met--alike by love and hate impelled,
And one in skill, and one in strength excelled.
Long Henry strove to wound the Gnome in vain,
His ruby arms unhurt the strokes sustain;
As long Albruno with amazement found
The valiant youth still fought without a wound;
Fierce was the fight, till from the donjon tower
The Castle bell announced the midnight hour,
Page 51
By him convened, in solemn council wait;
Mad with delay, and hopeless now to quell
By arms alone a knight who fought so well,
The wily Gnome seemed half compelled to yield,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Next faint, enfeebled, dropt his ponderous shield,
Then reigned a wound, and sunk upon the field.
Bent o'er the king, victorious Henry tried
To draw the weapon from his bleeding side,
When lo ! two sinewy arms enwreathed him round,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
And bore him, struggling, thro' a gulph profound,
Down to a central cave, and there in fetters bound.
Pierced the thick gloom of everlasting night,
Save when the Gnomes, on hasty errand, past,
Their jewelled wreaths a transient brightness cast;
Then so quick flashed the red or azure beam,
It seemed to Henry but the lightning's gleam,
And they (so far from human shape their forms)
Fiends that delight in hurricanes and storms.
In all the pride of regal splendour shines;
Page 52
To deck the vain, the stately, or the fair,
With thousands yet to solar light unknown,
Blazed on his gorgeous vesture and his crown.
He takes his amethystine throne, in state, [This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Round which a thousand vassal sovereigns wait,
And thus he opens the august debate:
" Its powers direct, its various changes guide,
" Discordant elements in peace combine,
" Their forms, proportions, properties define,
" And curb, by rules as fixed, attraction's force,
" As hold the struggling planets in their course,*
Page 53
[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" To you descend the wreaths your fathers won,
" But in your counsels be their wisdom shewn;
" For wisdom is the eye our hands obey,
" Valour achieves, but wisdom points the way.
* These lines allude to the law of definite proportions, as started by Dalton,
and farther developed by Professor Davy,
and also to the rules of crystallization as lately defined. The French chemists have asserted that bodies do not combine in fixed proportions, but in proportion to their relative quantities; for instance, that carbonate of lime would, according to the relative quantities of its elements at its formation, contain a greater or less proportion of carbonic acid, or of lime. But the experiments of Davy and others appear completely to disprove this assertion, and establish Mr. Dalton's theory. Carbonate of lime is uniformly found to consist of 44 parts of carbonic acid and 56 of lime. Nor does a body capriciously combine in different proportions with different substances. Whatever may be the definite proportion of the body with which it enters into combination, its own remains
the same; or should it be augmented, the portion added is always either a multiple or a divisor of the original quantity. Thus oxygen, in all its various rations, with hydrogen, with nitrogen, or with the metals; preserves its fixed proportion of 15 parts by weight, and where more is added, the extra portion is always equal either to 7½ or to 15. Thus nitrous oxyde consists of
one proportion or 26 grains of nitrogen united to one proportion, or 15 grains of oxygen, making together 41, which is the proportion in which nitrous oxyde again combines with other bodies to make a tertiary compound. Nitric oxyde consists of 26 grains of nitrogen, united to two proportions, or 30 grains of oxygen, making together 56. Nitrous acid consists of 26 grains of nitrogen, united with four proportions, or 60 grains of oxygen, making together 86. And nitric acid consists of 26 grains of nitrogen united with five proportions, or 75 grains of oxygen, making together 101. Thus in all these combinations the same law is observed.
Nor are the laws of crystallization less defined. A body unexamined may be known by the form of its crystals, and even where the general shape, as in different rhomboids, appears the same, the angles are found to differ. Thus in calcareous spar, from whatever quarter procured, however small or however large the crystals, whether whole, as taken from the mine, or broken into a number of smaller ones, the form procured is always the rhomboid, and that rhomboid has always the same angle, 105 degrees. Other bodies have a rhomboidal crystal, but no other rhomboid has the same angle.
Davy
and Brande
's Lectures.
" So late concluded with the Prince of Fire;
" The furious Pyros scorns all thoughts of peace,
" On every side our ills, our foes increase;
Page 54
" Of feigned encroachments on their watry reign,
" Their King Marino leads their crowded line,
" And seeks his own with Pyros' arms to join;
" And while these mighty foes our thoughts divide,
" The Sylphs would rob me of my plighted bride.
" But thanks to favouring fate, your monarch's care[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" For once has foiled the restless tribes of air,
" And sage Kassiteros detains the fair,
" While my proud rival waits from me his doom
" In chains of adamant and deepest gloom.
" How best we may obstruct our watry foes;
" Say, shall we Oros place, with half our force,
" To stop the invaders in their headlong course,
" While, with a chosen band, we here remain,
" Pyros to check, or Oros to sustain ?
" Or shall we let them join the powers of fire,
" And wait their onset with our force entire ?
" Weigh well these projects; then let each suggest
" The genuine dictates of his faithful breast."
Page 55
A golden circle wreath'd his reverend brows;
In finest robes of beaten gold he shone
The splendid " Monarch of Peruvia's throne;"
His various talents, and his worth long tried,
His faithful mind and virtue unalloyed,
Had made him long Albruno's friendship share,
Dear to the sovereign, to the nation dear;
Tho' Oreichalcon now, with flattering art,
Had from the sage estranged the monarch's heart.
When all was social amity and peace,*
Her richest fruits when earth spontaneous gave,
And bade unsown the yellow harvests wave,
Ere wintry storms defaced the lovely land,
Or sunk the streams in summer's arid sand,
When mild the gales, and soft the genial showers,
And spring perpetual led the laughing hours,
Page 56
And vice, not even in her name was known;
And oft, while kindling with his theme, the sage
Has sung enraptured, of " the Golden Age."
* Gold was in all probability the first metal discovered, as it is much more frequently found native than any of the others, and if so, the age of gold, the age of silver, &c. have probably derived their names not so much from any supposed alteration in the state or character of man, as from the discovery of the metals whose name they bear.
Davy
's Lectures.
While from his lips the words of wisdom flow'd:
" Unnumber'd foes our vigilance demand,
" When one rash act, or one short moment lost,
" May give our kingdom to a conquering host,
" Hard is the task the helm of state to guide,
" To pause destructive, dangerous to decide;
" Yet let us rather shun the storm of fate,
" Than meet, unguarded, its collected weight.
" Across the path, by which the watry line
" Along our confines march, their friends to join,
" Let Oros, of primeval rock, oppose
" A massy rampart to these furious foes;
" This powerful barrier shall for many an age
" Resist unmov'd Marino's utmost rage;
" And should the chances of the war require,
" Will long repel the fierce attacks of fire:
Page 57
" May every pass defend, and every breach repair.
" Asbestos may the fiery war maintain, [This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" And here our king his greatest force retain,
" To guard the threat'ned Veil, and either chief sustain.
" Such is the counsel, to my faithful breast
" That long experience dictates as the best."
Whose pleasing arts his inward treachery hide;
Like radiant Chrysos in his garb and face,
But differing far in merit, and in race,
His spirit proud would regal honours claim,
As tho' of Chrysos' ancient line he came;
His air of candour, and his specious gloze,
Could e'en on Chrysos' reverend age impose.
His own, and monarch's praise, while thus he sung,
With plaudits oft the vaulted chamber rung,
Which echoing thro' the gloomy caverns round,
To anxious Henry seem'd the thunder's sound.
" That when our danger needs our soundest mind,
Page 58
" In council still the bulwark of our throne,
" On whom all eyes in doubt and danger rest,
" As their first hope, their latest, and their best,
" As tho' o'erwhelm'd by this last blow of fate,
" Now gives advice destructive to the state.
" May seem presumption in my greener age,
" Yet say, does niggard heaven alone bestow
" Her richest gift on time's declining brow ?
" Does wisdom only then our acts advise,
" When ebbing strength to work her will denies ?
" Then would her sacred light in vain be given,
" And vain the best, the noblest boon of heaven;
" But oft we see, tho' strong in life's full day,
" As fails the frame, the mental powers decay,
" And in our king a shining proof we find
" Of youth and strength, with early wisdom join'd.
" With one thus singled by a nation's eye;
" When age has ponder'd on a doubtful road,
" Folly or youth the rightful path has show'd.
Page 59
" I boldly claim, as more expert in war.
" In youth, the path of valour Chrysos tried,
" But fate, to him, the victor's meed denied,
" (So justly nature deals with all her train,
" Each has his share, but none can all attain.)
" Dejected then, he shunn'd the scenes of strife,
" In courts and temples past his peaceful life;
" While I, in every chance of warfare tried,
" Have fought, unwearied, by my monarch's side,
" And oft my buckler, from his threatened head
" Has turn'd the dart, and foil'd the trenchant blade.
[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
" Who burn for glory, and but wait his word
" From countless sheaths to draw th' impatient sword,
" Within his leaguered bulwarks tamely stay,
" Content to keep the threat'ning hosts at bay,
" And mar that junction which, if rightly shown,
" Is less his foes' advantage than his own,
" Till wearied, each shall quit our guarded plain,
" But watch the moment for a fresh campaign ?
" Long is the war our realms must yet endure,
" The peace but short, inglorious, insecure.
Page 60
" A short alliance leads to deadlier war,
" And mutual rage, distrust, and discontent,
" Their force shall weaken, and their plans prevent:
" If they delay the fight, our cause is won,
" If they provoke it, need we wish to shun ?
" Of caution, danger, doubt, defence, to speak;
" Lord of a thousand hosts, a thousand lands,
" This bolder plan our martial prince demands,
" This, while his prudence gives it strength and weight,
" Shall add new glories to our prosperous state."
Their praises of this artful speech prolong;
In evil hour, this plan the monarch chose,
And bade his warriors snatch a short repose.
Who to her bondage bow'd the willing head,
E'en mournful Henry own'd her balmy power;
Save Oreichalcon, all enjoy'd the hour.
Page 61
Is peace an inmate of the canker'd breast ?
Fair Calamina with unshaken truth;
The king their union long forbade, and plann'd
To bless his favourite with Solfara's hand.+
At length his anger rose, to find, that still
Their constancy opposed his royal will:
They shunn'd the gathering storm, to Pyros fled;
He blest their loves; and in his court they staid
Till jealous Chalcos deem'd the monarch ey'd,
With more than pity's gaze, his gentle bride;
(For o'er the lovely exile's form and face,
Her soft dejection shed a dangerous grace;)
And soon as she, with all a mother's joy,
Gave to his father's arms her smiling boy,
He bore her thence, Albruno's grace they crave,
Who rais'd the suppliants, and their flight forgave.
* Brass is an artificial metal, formed by the union of copper and zinc, which is an operation of some nicety; for if the fire, that is necessary to unite them, be too long continued, the zinc flies off, and leaves the copper again pure. This is attempted to be allegorically expressed in the poem.
+ Copper is more frequently found united with sulphur than with any other substance.
Page 62
Soon work'd his passage to Albruno's heart:
Envious of Chrysos' well earn'd fame, his mind
To rise upon his rival's fall design'd,
And wishes, almost to himself unknown,
In secret pointed to Albruno's throne.
T' ensure his conquest in the approaching war,
For this, so late, the fatal counsel gave,
That brought destruction, while it seem'd to save;
And from the king, Albruno's power o'erthrown,
He, as his price, demanded Chrysos' throne.
But Pyros, thro' the flimsy veil descried
All that ambition lurking strove to hide,
And plann'd (distrustful of a traitor's aid)
To crush him with the monarch he betray'd.
Along the Gnome's neglected frontier past;
Deep in a vale his weary troops retire,
Himself advanced to meet the Prince of Fire;
Page 63
[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
Had grasp'd the quivering spear in mortal hate,
Now joined in friendship, while the kings debate
Their plan of war:--Should they their bands unite?
Or lead their armies separate to the fight ?
But Fire's brave prince, who saw, with eagle eye,
How ill his subjects brook'd their new ally,
Lest secret discord, lurking in their heart,
Should rouse a flame, would keep the hosts apart:
" Soon as the fleeting hours of truce expire,
" Myself," he said, " will lead the bands of fire.
" While on the Gnomes we pour our utmost force,
" Do thou, Marino, with a circling course,
" Fall on their rear, with thine unbroken powers
" Oppress their line, and victory is ours."
To quit their camps, and urge the deadly war;
But higher thoughts, though to his breast confin'd,
Ambition wakened in Marino's mind.
The trumpet roused them from their brief repose,
Page 64
In these dark realms, divides the day from night,
Not theirs " ambrosial morning's roseate ray,"
Or the mild lustre of departing day.
In martial order rang'd his vassal train,
The king appointed there his bands to join,
Thence watch the motions of the adverse line,
Till spent and weakened by internal broils,
The prey should fall in Oreichalcon's toils.
Before their king, the subject bands divide;
He darts his eye o'er each extended line,
And sees, with pride, such squadrons round him shine.
Six giants here, the patriarchs of the state,*
His chosen guards, in barbarous grandeur wait;
Unbent with age, the vast Granites bears+
The gather'd weight of twice three thousand years;
Page 65
That grace the stately crane's o'erarching neck.
In purple armour Porphyrites came,*
Tho' less in stature, yet in strength the same.
Brave Marmaros, in vest of spotless white,
Hence draws his title of the stainless knight;+
Ophites' garb fair Steatite bestow'd,+
With changing hues the varying texture glow'd;
A silvery lustre play'd o'er Schisto's vest,
In crimson arms was Sienitos drest.§
* The six primitive rocks; granite, porphyry, marble, serpentine, schist, and sienite.
+ The word
![[gamma]](greek/ggr-l.gif)
![[epsilon]](greek/egr-l.gif)
![[rho]](greek/rgr-l.gif)
![[alpha]](greek/agr-l.gif)
![[nu]](greek/ngr-l.gif)
![[iota]](greek/igr-l.gif)
![[tau]](greek/tgr-l.gif)
![[eta]](greek/eegr-l.gif)
![[sigma, final]](greek/sgr-f.gif)
, geranites
, granite, has sometimes been derived from ![[omicron]](greek/ogr-l.gif)
, geranos
, a crane, as its colours are supposed to resemble those of the stork's neck; but its name is more commonly supposed to have originated in its granular structure.* Porphyry is usually found in smaller blocks than granite, and porphyrytic mountains do not attain so great a height.
+ Pure primitive marble is distinguished by its sparkling, or sparry fracture, and unblemished whiteness.
+ The various and beautiful tints frequently observed in ophites, or serpentine, are owing to the admixture of steatite, or soap rock.
§ Schist is said to derive its name from its bright and shining appearance. Sienite, not differing greatly in its composition from granite, is frequently of a dull crimson.
Around their leader, honour'd Chrysos, shine.
By Oreichalcon's harsh aspersions stung,
His peaceful robes aside the monarch flung,
And sought the fight, though still he feared to find
This seeming safety veil some ill behind,
Page 66
Float o'er the horrors of the deep morass.
And now in arms of purest gold array'd,
More tall his stature seem'd, more firm his tread;
While Oreichalcon, sickening at the view,
His jaundic'd visage wore a greener hue,
And much he fear'd the sage's piercing eye
The inward treach'ry of his thoughts should spy.
Chalcos beside him stood, his reverend sire,
Like him engag'd to aid the powers of fire,
Array'd in arms of every varying dye
That paints the rainbow of an April sky.*
* The ores of copper are remarkable for the variety and brilliancy of their hues.
True to their leader, to their sovereign true;
Train'd to the fight, and nurs'd in war's alarms,
Their field of pleasure is the field of arms:
There stood Sideros bold, and by his side
Chalyps, in many a fiery combat tried.
The sage Argyros with Molybdos near,
And brave Plumbago's brother bands appear:
Page 67
Yet unrecorded on the rolls of fame,
Each thirsts for glory, and impatient draws
His maiden falchion in Albruno's cause.
The pride and boast of many an eastern land;
Of hardest texture fram'd, their armour bright
Shone through the gloom in lines of dazzling light;
In former combats with the powers of fire,
Immortal glory did these troops acquire;
Nor less their argillaceous brethren claim
The hard-earn'd wreath of never-fading fame.
Page 68
With equal ardour glow'd each generous breast,
Practis'd their flexile forms to turn, to bend,
To close with speed, with speed their lines extend,
To shrink compacted, at the charge of fire,
Or broad expand, when aqueous foes require;
In every kind of warfare train'd and skill'd,
No foe appall'd, no force could make them yield,
Fresh fields to dare, to win, elate they ran,
And claim'd their right to combat in the van.
* Stypterion, from
![[sigma]](greek/sgr-l.gif)
![[upsilon]](greek/ugr-l.gif)
![[pi]](greek/pgr-l.gif)
, alumine or clay, pure argillaceous earth, one of the most indestructible substances in nature, and parent of all the gems known by the name of oriental, and included in the barbarous term Corundum: the oriental topaz, emerald, and sapphire, &c. &c.
Nothing can be more different than the characters which alumine imparts to the gems and to the earths; in the first, hard, brittle, brilliant, and pellucid; in the second, opaque, devoid of lustre, and exhibiting, when broken, an earthy fracture. The argillaceous earths are soft to the touch, but harden by fire, absorb water greedily, retain it obstinately, and form, when moistened, a ductile and tenacious mass. When exposed to the action of heat they become, first of a bluish black, then white; they contract and exhibit various cracks and fissures, but fire has no farther action upon them, except in increasing the contraction. On this account pyrometers have been constructed of clay, with the hope of being able to measure very high degrees of temperature; but they are uncertain, as the clay does not contract uniformly in the same heat, and is almost as much affected by the duration, as the increase of temperature.
No changeful lustre, boast no varied hues;
Numerous his train, and like their leader drest,
But courage glow'd beneath the humble vest.
* Titanos, chalk. There is a general similarity in the appearance of all the calcareous stones. They are usually nearly white, opaque, and devoid of lustre, and are not sufficiently hard to scratch glass.
Unbent, untam'd, a firm determin'd band;
Page 69
The pride of splendour and of dress was seen;
Bright were their polish'd shields, their corslets beam'd,
And from their helms the living lustre stream'd,
And now display'd the opal's various hue,
The garnet's crimson, or the sapphire's blue.
Not with more splendour Ilion's sons could shine,
Or greater courage warm the Achaian line.
With them was Adamas, unconquer'd knight !*
His shield, his mail, insufferably bright;
In him, in action, as in form divine,
Achilles' strength and manly beauty join.
Page 70
And gladly follow thro' the embattled field.
Tho' prized and honour'd for himself alone,
Alike his lineage and his birth unknown;
But some (how far unlike his sire !) declare
Him Carbon's offspring, by a nymph of air.
+ Silex is one of the hardest substances in nature, and the bodies in which it abounds are abundantly diffused. It enters into the composition of the primitive rocks, but is not generally soluble in water, though the Geysers of Iceland, and some springs near Bath prove that peculiar circumstances may render it so. Siliceous stones are more or less transparent, have a fine polish, and scratch glass. To this order belong all those gems which the lapidaries distinguish by the term occidental, in opposition to the oriental, or aluminous genus: also the carnelian, sardonyx, agate, opal, mocha, jasper, chalcedony, garnet, &c. &c.
* Adamas, the diamond, which, though usually placed at the head of the gems, is very different in its composition. No bodies can differ more in external appearance, than charcoal, plumbago or black lead, and the diamond, yet their chemical analysis affords similar results. The diamond burns, like plumbago and charcoal, into pure carbonic acid, and file difference in their aspect probably arises, either from a slight excess or deficiency in the oxygen combined with the carbon, or perhaps only from the different form and arrangement of the particles in crystallization. In coal mines, the stratum of coal is occasionally seen passing, by sensible gradations, into plumbago. Some have supposed plumbago to be charcoal united with iron. Charcoal and plumbago are excellent conductors of electricity, but the diamond is a perfect non-conductor, which strengthens the idea that it contains a portion of oxygen combined with its carbonaceous basis, as this gas, however small in quantity, always destroys conducting power in the body with which it is
combined.
Each, like his chief, attir'd in glossy green.*
With them, Asbestos came, himself an host,
His foemen's terror, and his kindred's boast.
Strontia, Barytes, brother chiefs, were near:+
Next Ittria, Zircon, and Glucine appear,+
Page 71
Their hearts were valiant, but their troops were few.
Of various lineage, what a countless throng,
In warlike order ranged, demand the song !
But who now hither bends his hasty flight,
His face and armour of resplendent white ?
'Tis Hydrargyras,--thro' the gloom he springs,
His feet and head, like Hermes, arm'd with wings:
" My liege," he cried, " the powers of fire are near,
" A few short moments see their vanguard here;
" Rang'd in a distant vale, the wat'ry line
" Remain inactive, and the fight decline."
* The magnesian stones have almost all a green colour, and a shining, or silky appearance. They are soft and may be cut with a knife, and are seldom more than semi-transparent. They do not contract or harden on exposure to heat.
+ Barytes and strontia have not long been added to the catalogue of earths, and the stones in which they are predominant are not numerous. The barytic stones are particularly distinguished for their weight, which long before the discovery of the metal barium, by Professor Davy,
gave rise to the suspicion that they must contain a metallic basis. They have a spongy appearance; when exposed to heat they emit a phosphorescent light, and they may be scratched with a knife.
The colour of strontia is generally whitish or light green. Its surface is a little shining in parts, it is brittle, has a slight transparency, and may be scratched with a knife.+ The earth called ittria is only found in gadolinite; zircon only in the stone which bears its name, and in the hyacinth; glucine is found in the beryl, in the Peruvian emerald, or smaragd, and in the euclase.
It is to be wished, that it were practicable to avoid the mixture of the barbarous nomenclature of modern mineralogy with the more sonorous names of the Greek.
And still and silent wait the approaching storm.
" The moment comes, so long our warm desire,
" The hour of conflict with the hosts of fire"--
Aloud he cried: " the impetuous lines advance,
" Draw the bright sword, and grasp the beaming lance.
" Be ye but firm, and each his post maintain,
" These light arm'd foes shall waste their strength in vain,
Page 72
" And crush at last the faint and weary band;
" Vengeance and glory ! be our signal cry,
" Our firm resolve, to conquer or to die.
" Be but yourselves, my sons, I wish no more,
" And emulate your fathers' deeds of yore;
" So may their spirits, hovering o'er the place,
" Your valour view, and glory in their race,
" So may proud Pyros rue this fatal day,
" And my glad bounty all your toils repay."
A snow-white scarf had Amiantha wove,*
Tho' thin and flexile, yet, with wondrous art,
'Twas form'd impervious to the fiery dart.
Thro' the close ranks, with eager haste, she prest,
And twin'd its folds around the monarch's breast,
Page 73
And fill'd with trembling joy the blushing maid;
A sister's glance she at Asbestos threw,
And then with swift, but timid, steps withdrew.
* The amianthus is more flexible than the asbestos. The ancients possessed the art of weaving its fibres into a kind of cloth which, when cleansed by fire, was of a dazzling whiteness, and, from its incombustibility, was purchased, in the days of Roman luxury, at an exorbitant price, to wrap the bodies of persons of superior rank on the funeral pyre. Their ashes were thus prevented from mingling with those of the wood. The art of weaving amianthine cloth is now lost, or at least neglected. The Tarantaise amianthus is most celebrated; but it is found in many countries: in Cornwall and Anglesea; in the islands of Corsica and Elba; in Saxony and in Sweden, &c. &c. &c.
Told where the foes rush'd onward to the fight:
First Kapnos, Spintheros, Aleinos, came,
Dalos, and Phlogos in his robe of flame;
Empreesmos, Anthrachis, Thermotes there,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
With Spodos, Phlegon, Causimos appear,
And bright Ignicomus with blazing hair.
There Marmarygos, Chliarotes glow'd,
There his bright face the swift Lampedon show'd;
Beyond, of armed sprites a radiant train
With hasty footsteps shake the echoing plain;
High in the midst, the haughty Pyros shone,
By his bright arms and giant stature known,
His fiery mail with crimson lustre glow'd,
Like redd'ning Phoebus thro' a misty cloud;
While his vast helmet shone with brighter blaze,
And mock'd the splendour of his noontide rays:
Of lambent flame wide wav'd his nodding plume,
And far dispelI'd the subterranean gloom.
Page 74
With inward fear the rash beholder fill'd,
Round a bright orb of silver radiance, roll'd
The volum'd smoke in many a snaky fold.
A serried phalanx to their fiery foes,
Who, swift as glancing arrows, scour the plain,
Their lines unbroke, the fierce assault sustain,
Till to the charge the impetuous Pyros came,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
On his fierce courser, born of wind and flame,
Of old, by poets sung, and Rabican his name.*
With all his force his flaming lance he cast,
The troops divide, the weapon harmless past.
The monarch rush'd between, in vain they close,[This and the following two lines are connected by a large brace in the right margin of the original printed edition.]
His rapid steed the astonish'd ranks o'erthrows:
His lance regain'd, alone, mid countless foes,
Speeds the victorious chieftain; in alarm.
The Gnomes affrighted, fly his potent arm;
His spear resistless spreads destruction round,
And vanquish'd heroes strew the smoking ground.
When brave Stypterion cheer'd his generous band.
Who pale with shame and rage inactive stand:
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